Columbia Distributing Tour

Come join us, August 8 from 10:00am to 1:00pm as the Puget Sound Human Factors and Ergonomics Society tours Columbia Distributing in Kent, WA. In 1935 Chris Maletis, Sr. had a vision to distribute beer and wine products in the Portland Metropolitan area. From this vision Columbia Distributing was born and since 1935 has distributed some of the best known brands in the beverage business. When Columbia Distributing, Mt. Hood Beverage and Gold River Distributing joined together in 2008 to form the new Columbia Distributing, they immedi-ately became one of the largest malt beverage distributors in the country. Like many ware-houses, Columbia’s 450,000 sq ft warehouse, has many challenges: picking 40-80,000 cases of beer/liquor a night, moving 170-lb kegs, and finally delivering beverage products to retail customers. This is a great opportunity to glimpse a local warehouse in its daily operations and to share safety best practices.