Bowman Beverage celebrates 40 years in business
Congratulations to Bowman Beverage on reaching their 40th anniversary of business!
Bowman Beverage was started when Bret Defibaugh, a 1979 graduate of Wooster High School, happened upon a building on East Bowman Street that was a small convenience store. Bret saw the potential in this building, a business he had shopped in many times as a kid and young adult. With dreams of success, Bret and a friend, Jerry Szemplak, opened the doors of Bowman Beverage in 1982.
When Bowman Beverage opened, Bret and his mother, Jeanne, handled the day-to-day hours at Bowman. Jeanne would cover the opening till noon when Bret would arrive and work till midnight. This went on for years and years. The business flourished and grew. Bret never feared getting his hands dirty and doing the work that needed to be done. This drive is what catapulted the success that Bret knew and what pushed him to continue the growth.
In 1993, Bret, Deb (his wife), and his friends, Ted Rehard and Jon Zoss, bought the West Lincoln Way Drive Thru. With the addition of this successful venture, Bret had the desire to continue expanding the business. Bret, Deb, and son Corbett opened The Ice House drive-thru in 1996.
2019 saw the addition of Gary’s Drive Thru and Liquor Store in Orrville. Bret and Corbett ran the businesses, with the help of the rest of the family until Bret's passing in 2020. The business has grown from Bret and his mom in the beginning, to the ever-present face of Deb, to the 33 employees that are the smiling, happy faces seen at all of the stores today.
"The employees, both past and present are the reason for the continued success of Bowman Beverage and without them and their hard work, we would not be where we are today," said Corbett.
Bowman Beverage handles over 300 weddings and events yearly and without the core of dedicated employees, these numbers would not be possible. When the business began the inventory on hand was about $10,000. Today, there is over $1 million in inventory between all of the locations.
Bowman Beverage has always had a passion for giving back to the community. Each year, they host the 5-0 Cookout, which is held and hosted in conjunction with Wooster Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Wooster Fire, and multiple other agencies throughout the county. This cookout draws a lot of people that live in and around Wooster.
"Bret always had a love of taking care of anyone that needed help. With our employees’ help, we will continue to give back as much as we can," Corbett said. "We hope to continue this tradition of caring for another 40 years."