About Carlson Distributing

Carlson Distributing Company, LLC is the largest beer distributor in Utah and is licensed to sell and distribute all beverage alcohol categories statewide as well as a distributing a robust portfolio of nonalcoholic brands. Carlson Distributing directly services 89% of the Utah landmass representing 98% of the population of Utah and cover the remainder of the state with our sub distributor partner. Carlson Distributing is committed to being the leader in the beverage alcohol business and providing sales, marketing, and distribution solutions and services to our valuable retailer partners throughout the state.

Our History

Carlson Distributing Company, LLC is the largest beer distributor in Utah and is licensed to sell and distribute all beverage alcohol categories statewide as well as a distributing a robust portfolio of nonalcoholic brands. Carlson Distributing directly services 89% of the Utah landmass representing 98% of the population of Utah and cover the remainder of the state with our sub distributor partner. Carlson Distributing is committed to being the leader in the beverage alcohol business and providing sales, marketing, and distribution solutions and services to our valuable retailer partners throughout the state.

Carlson Warehouse
Richard Carlson at warehouse

Carlson Distributing was founded by Richard (Dick) Carlson in 1974 and has been serving Utah continuously for over 50 years. Growing up, Dick saw his father Harold own and operate a beer distributorship in Illinois which inspired him to start his own business following in his footsteps. Picking up his life and his family and moving to Salt Lake City to become an Olympia distributor, was the just the start to a long road of growth. Starting from the ground up, Dick developed relationships with people across the industry allowing the company to build a network of tremendous suppliers and brands. Through several strategic business moves and acquisitions, Carlson Distributing was able to thrive and grow into the successful company that it is today.

In the early 2000’s, Dick turned over the mantle of ownership to a second generation son and daughter team, Dane Carlson and Jackie Overturf, which continued through early 2024. At that time, ownership transitioned exclusively to Dane Carlson. Carlson Distributing remains a family owned business to this day and is operated by Dane, along with over 280 valued and dedicated employees.

Richard Carlson skiing
Carlson Inc. founded
Carlson Inc. founded

Due to the everchanging landscape of the beer industry, particularly in Utah, Carlson Distributing has maintained a forward thinking mindset, which has allowed us to identify trends and foster growth within beer, and all beverage alcohol category segments. Due to a tremendous variety of world class products and portfolios, dynamic leadership, great team members and a strong culture, Carlson Distributing has seen tremendous growth throughout its history with a promising future of continued growth.

Carlson Distributing Today

Three warehouses/facilities, hundreds of trucks, and tens of millions of cases later, Carlson Distributing is what it is today, a family-values based company with stability, collaboration, and opportunity for all our team members. Carlson Distributing’s vision is “to have a relentless dedication in our pursuit of being the premier beverage distributor in our industry and offering a way to celebrate life responsibly”. We will always strive towards achievement of our vision and continue to be a forward-thinking distributor with an emphasis of building strong relationships with our team members, suppliers, and retailers. We plan to continue our successful efforts and provide value for all stakeholders for years to come!

Carlson Distributing infographic
Carlson Distributing infographic

Management Team

Dane Carlson

Dane Carlson

CEO

Keith Jeffrey

Keith Jeffrey

President

Trevor Harris

Trevor Harris

General Manager

Larry Trolin

Larry Trolin

Director of Operations

Michael Yao

Michael Yao

VP of Sales

Dan Dopita

Dan Dopita

Director of Marketing

Bryant Coombs

Bryant Coombs

Corporate Controller

Deborah Gough

Deborah Gough

Director of HR

Jesse McCarthy

Jesse McCarthy

IT Systems

Responsibility

Carlson Distributing is a beverage alcohol distributor who strives to provide great quality products to legal age consumers while promoting the responsible use of our products.

Carlson Distributing supports our suppliers and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), of which we are a proud member, in their efforts to ensure that the products we provide are consumed in a legal, moderate, responsible, and safe manner.

We support community and national programs that promote responsibility. In addition, we support legislation that promotes the prevention of underage drinking and impaired driving as well as moderation in consumption of the products we provide to consumers. By staying mindful of our marketing, selling, distribution, and advertising, we hope to foster an environment that encourages responsible use of our products as a part of our commitment to being a responsible corporate member of the community.

Our Brands

Want to know more about the different beers we carry at Carlson Distribution? Check out our brands list and find the beers that your customers want!