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| 1933 signified
the end of prohibition and Joseph A. Quasarano obtained the second
liquor license issued in the state of Michigan. He bought a 1,000
square foot building on the east side of Detroit and called it
East Town Distributors. East Town sold quality Detroit-brewed brands
such as 'PearlFoam' and 'E & B'. The beer distribution system was
much more local in scope at this time, and there were no national
breweries. The core of Joseph's business consisted of picking up
product from various local breweries each day and directly delivering
it to customers. Only a small amount of product was stored in the
warehouse before delivery. |
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As the 1930s progressed, the nation's
economy was changing and the beer industry was no exception. The
previously local range of beer distribution and consumption was becoming
increasingly national in scope. Advances in distribution technology,
commercial industry, marketing idealogy, and transportation paved
the way for these National Breweries to enter the market. It was
amidst this changing market that East Town obtained the right to
sell Pabst Blue Ribbon in 1939, and relocated to a 6,000-square-foot
facility on Manning in Detroit to handle the increased warehousing
demand that Pabst required. In 1941, the second
generation of Quasaranos, led |
| by the late
Joseph R. Quasarano, entered the family business. Renewed with youthful
vigor and hard work, the business quickly grew, changing its name
to the presently familiar 'Eastown Distributors'. In 1955,
Eastown obtained the rights to sell the increasingly popular brands
produced by Carling, including their flagship brand, Carling Black
Label. The previous warehouse was not sufficient to house the new
business, and Eastown was forced to move once again into a newer,
larger facility. The proposed site was a 10,000-square-foot
warehouse located on Helen Street near Van Dyke and East McNichols,
on the city's east side. This location would become the home of Eastown
for many years to come. |
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| _During
the 1960s and 70s, Eastown acquired the brand
distribution rights for products from The Miller Brewing Company,
The Hamms Brewing Company, and The Joseph Schlitz Brewery. It was
during this period that the third generation of Quasarano's entered
the family business as it prepared for growth. Eastown added 32,000 square
feet to their building as the acquired brands began to prosper, led
primarily by the introduction of the first light beer, Miller Lite.
This time period was also to be one of great change, as James
Quasarano, current President and General Manager, worked diligently
to fully computerize daily operations. Additionally, John G.
Quasarano, since retired, joined the business shortly thereafter,
eventually leading the on-premise department through this period of growth. |
| In 1977,
Eastown achieved another major milestone, as the company sold 1,000,000 cases
for the first time in their history. That year, Eastown debuted the
first refrigerated draft truck on the streets of the motor city.
The refrigerated draft trailer, a current mainstay of any large beer
distributor, allowed the company to provide and maintain fresh, cold
product to their customers, and inch ever closer to the elusive goal
of total customer satisfaction. The new system, however, was not
perfect, and the company continued to search for a better way. Frustrated
with the two-person delivery system which the new draft truck required,
Joseph R. invented and patented the Hackney "On Tap" Keg Dispenser,
allowing a one-person delivery of draft product in a much more efficient
manner than was previously possible. Patented in 1981, the dispenser
is still manufactured and utilized nationwide today. |
| The consolidation
of the 80s was in full swing as Eastown positioned
itself to expand again. Joe's youngest son Paul Quasarano,
current Vice President and General Sales Manager, provided leadership
and vision, and contributed highly to the company's further success.
It was soon evident that a larger operation would allow the family
to better use its collective talents. |
| Consequently,
in 1989, the company purchased neighboring distributor DBD, Inc.,
tripling their size. In conjunction with this acquisition, Eastown
moved its headquarters again to their current address at 14400 Oakland
Ave in Highland Park. The new facility had over 100,000 square
feet of warehouse and office space, as well as a separate building
housing an on-site recycling operation. A strategic decision was
made at this time to drop other domestic brands and concentrate primarily
on imports and Miller Brewing Company products. The move was bold,
yet successful beyond expectations, and Eastown achieved record sales
of over 3,000,000 cases for the
first time in 1991. |
| The fourth generation
of Quasarano's entered the business in 1997 when
Jim's son, Jeff Quasarano, was assigned to
re-evaluate their computer systems. With the aid of Jim's youngest son, Kevin
Quasarano, and John's son, John J. Quasarano
, Eastown reconsidered and revamped their information systems to allow for potential future growth. It was during this time that another wave
of consolidation rocked the industry, and once again Eastown positioned
itself for an aggressive expansion. The decision was made to purchase
a portion of neighboring distributor, Action Distributing. This purchase
added over 1.8 million additional cases to Eastown's volume, and
has presented new challenges and opportunities. An additional expansion
of 10,000 square feet of warehouse space brings the current total
to more than 120,000 square feet, and
proved essential in effectively warehousing the increased volume
brought about by the acquisition. |
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Two generations of Quasaranos currently work in the employ of Eastown in the early 21st century. The family business sends out over 30 routes daily,
maintains a sales department of over 40 people, and employs more
than 100 people at its facility in Highland Park, MI. There have been numerous changes in the beer industry
over the years, and Eastown has evolved considerably in its long
history to meet these challenges. Beer has been in the Quasarano's
blood forever, making them proud and confident when they say |
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| "We
have been bringing you beer the way it should be since 1933". |
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Throughout the years, the company has retained its goal
of supporting and encouraging the betterment of the communities it
resides and works in. The St. Patrick's Day Parade, The Greektown Art
Fair, The Detroit Grand Prix, The Taylor Blues Festival, The Dearborn
Homecoming, The Hamtramck Labor Day Festival, The Detroit Festival
of the Arts, and various Hart Plaza and church festivals are just a
few of the local events Eastown supports and participates in. In line
with the commitment to a bright and clean future for their community,
The Highland Park location is also the site of a state of the art recycling
facility, recycling more than 17,500 tons of glass, 1,050,000 pounds
of aluminum, and 500 tons of paper and plastic for reuse each year.
Quasaranos are members of The National
Beer Wholesalers Association, The Michigan
Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association, Michigan Licensed Beverage
Association, NAACP, and many other organizations. The company supports
local organizations including The Associated Food Dealers, Chaldean
Federation of America, Habitat for Humanity, as well as local police
and fire departments.
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