Although one previously worked at a brewery while the other leads one of the Midwest’s largest wholesaler beverage distributors, it’s safe to say that the beer business is in the blood of St. Louis-based Grey Eagle Distributors’ President and Chief Executive Officer David Stokes and his father, Patrick Stokes, former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board at the St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Co. (A-B). “I often say, ‘that Stokes brews beer; this Stokes sells beer,’ when referring to my dad and myself,” says David Stokes.
David Stokes says he has learned a lot about the beverage business from his father, who was the first non-Busch family member in 142 years to lead the company that included 12 United States-based breweries and numerous international operations, producing more than 100 million barrels of beer a year under such labels as Budweiser, Michelob and Busch.