UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 2083
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A RESOLUTION honoring G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc. in celebration of its 1
100th anniversary. 2
WHEREAS, in 1925, Nell and Walter Gross and Esther and Isaac Jarson purchased 3
the Grand Pop Bottling Company and became equal partners. Nell and Esther were the 4
driving force behind the purchase of the company that would eventually become G&J 5
Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc.; and 6
WHEREAS, 10 years later, a representative from the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company 7
reached out to the Gross and Jarson families and offered them a Pepsi franchise. The 8
families agreed and started selling Pepsi soon afterward; and 9
WHEREAS, throughout the decades, G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc. has expanded 10
its enterprise to operate distribution and production centers throughout Kentucky and 11
Ohio, including centers in Athens, Chillicothe, Columbus, Hamilton, Portsmouth, Ripley, 12
Wilmington, and Zanesville Ohio, and Campton, Lexington, Maysville, and Winchester, 13
Kentucky; and 14
WHEREAS, today, G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc. is the nation's largest wholly 15
owned independent Pepsi bottler with its growth stemming from the combination of 16
seven franchises. Third-generation and fourth-generation Gross and Jarson family 17
members have active operating roles in the company; and 18
WHEREAS, G&J Pepsi Bottlers, Inc. has approximately 1,900 employees and a 19
customer base of over 5.1 million people, with primary customers being Kroger, Wal-20
Mart, Dollar General, Speedway, and Meijer; and 21
WHEREAS, as G&J Pepsi Bottlers, Inc. celebrates its 100th anniversary on May 22
25, 2025, it will be celebrated for its commitment to growth, entrepreneurship, self-23
sufficiency, and its importance to many communities in this Commonwealth; 24
NOW, THEREFORE, 25
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 26
Kentucky: 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 25 RS BR 2083
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Section 1. The members of the Senate join Senator Reginald Thomas in 1
commending G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc. on its 100th anniversary, recognizing its 2
importance to this Commonwealth, and wishing it continued success in all its future 3
endeavors. 4
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 5
Resolution to Senator Reginald Thomas. 6