West Side Beer Distributing
5400 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
1480 11th Street Kalamazoo MI 49009
3901 South Creyts Road, Lansing MI 48917
28100 Gorsuch Avenue, Romulus MI 48174
Phone: (616) 698-1900
Fax : (616) 698-6965
www.westsidebeer.com
Owners
Kyle Klopcic, VP of Strategy
kklopcic@westsidebeer.com
Ryan Klopcic, VP of Sales
rklopcic@westsidebeer.com
AJ Mathews, President
amathews@westsidebeer.com
Key Employees
Tom Manor, Sales Manager, Romulus
tmanor@westsidebeer.com
Brian Olszewski, Sales Manager, Grand Rapids
bolszewski@westsidebeer.com
Mike Heilmann, Sales Manager, Kalamazoo
mheilmann@westsidebeer.com
Jason Overton, Sales Manager, Lansing
joverton@westsidebeer.com
Sebastian Roman, Senior Brand Manager
sroman@westsidebeer.com
Total number of employees: 375
Number of merchandisers: 56
Number of sales reps: 70
Number of sales supervisors: 18
About Us
The story of West Side Beer Distributing began in 1965 in Dearborn, Michigan when Don Klopcic started a three-truck wholesale beer operation named Don Lee Distributor, Inc. Throughout the years, Don Lee succeeded by continuously evolving in order to meet changing customer needs.
In 1981, the company began a new era when the Klopcic family purchased West Side Beer Distributing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Throughout the early 2000s, under the leadership of Don Klopcic Jr. and Keith Klopcic, West Side Beer acquired adjacent territories and expanded its operations to Metro Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Lansing. In 2023, West Side Beer acquired a neighboring operation in Battle Creek, expanding it’s territory to Calhoun County.
Today, West Side Beer Distributing remains family-owned and is operated under the leadership of Kyle Klopcic, Ryan Klopcic, and A.J. Mathews.
Community Involvement
Major Company donations or charitable organizations supported:
Each year, West Side Beer Distributing and the Klopcic Family Foundation contribute over $500,000 to causes in the communities it services through charitable contributions and consumer awareness and education programs.
Current Suppliers
National:
Anheuser Busch, Labatt, Seagrams, Boston Beer, New Belgium, CANarchy, Diageo, Red Bull, Constellation, Pabst, Liquid Death, Sazerac, Beatbox, Sierra Nevada, Geloso, Rhinegeist
Michigan:
Blakes, Perrin, Good Boy Vodka, Right Brain, Petoskey, Rochester Mills, One Well, Roak, Stormcloud, Darkhorse, Brewery Vivant, Cedar Springs, Territorial, Frankenmuth, Hand Map
Competitive Advantage
Segmented sales force
Dedicated merchandising and reset teams
Commitment to continuous education via internal West Side Brewniversity platform
Brand Builder mentality, versus Brand Collector
Close relationships with the largest venues within our footprint
Local Market Dynamics
Romulus - An urban, metro-Detroit market
Grand Rapids - The second largest city in Michigan, known as "Beer City, USA"
Kalamazoo - Home to Western Michigan University
Lansing - Home to Michigan State University
Download a printable PDF of this information
Counties Served
Kent
Livingston
Montcalm
Oakland
St. Joseph
VanBuren
Wayne
Allegan
Barry
Branch
Calhoun
Clinton
Eaton
Ingham
Ionia
Kalamazoo
Total Market population: 3,000,000
Retail Account Information
Off-Premise Accounts: 2,300
On-Premise Accounts: 2,100
Chain Accounts Serviced
Off-Premise:
Meijer
Kroger
Walmart
Speedway
Spartan
7-Eleven
American Gas & Oil
J&H Family Stores
Dollar General
Walter's Dimmick
Costco
Rite Aid
GPM
Sam's Club
Walgreens
Quality Dairy
Circle-K
Total Wine
Festival & Event Accounts
Major Venues/Special Events/Festivals serviced within the market:
Van Andel Arena, FireKeepers Casino, Detroit Metro Airport, Spartan Stadium, Breslin Center, 20 Monroe Live, Fifth Third Ballpark, Fredrick Meijer Gardens, The Intersection, Devos Place, Waldo Stadium, District 142, Wings Event Center, C.O. Brown Stadium