Virginia Congressman Goes Behind the Scenes of Family Beer Distributorship

Congressman Hurt with LDC Co-Owners Linda Lawrence Dalton and Barry DaltonU.S. Representative Robert Hurt (VA-5) recently visited Lawrence Distributing Company (LDC) in Danville, Virginia, for a tour of the family beer distributorship. The visit was the congressman’s first since he had toured the company at least a decade ago when he began his service as a state representative in the Virginia House of Delegates.

The visit offered Congressman Hurt the opportunity to learn more about how the business operates and to see all of the changes and updates that have occurred at the company since his last visit.

LDC co-owners Barry Dalton and Linda Lawrence Dalton gave Congressman Hurt a tour of the company’s offices and warehouse, pointing out the remodeling and procedural improvements the company has made to operate more efficiently. The congressman asked a lot of questions and sought to better understand the issues that matter to their business, including the detrimental effect of rising fuel prices on the business of selling and delivering beer.

The Daltons introduced Congressman Hurt to employees as he visited different parts of the facility, and he chatted briefly with each one — learning the role each plays in the operation and enjoying the chance to chat about mutual friends and acquaintances.

Congressman Hurt saw firsthand the family nature of the business, which was built from the ground up by Lawrence Dalton’s father and current LDC Owner & President Billy B. Lawrence, who began with a one-man, one-truck operation in 1954. The long service record by many LDC employees and the company’s role as a good community citizen is evident to all who visit the company today.

“We at Lawrence Distributing Company found Congressman Hurt’s visit to our distributorship to be extremely valuable in helping to solidify the congressman’s strong support for our business and industry over the years—from his time in the Virginia General Assembly up to his present role in Washington,” said Lawrence Dalton. “We have a good relationship with him and communicate with him very regularly, but the chance for him to revisit our facility left him with concrete images of the buildings, equipment and – most importantly – faces of the daily operation of a family business in his district. This will stay in his mind for a long time.”

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