Randy Shanker is now the owner of the Canada Dry Bottling Company of Lansing but credits four generations of innovative thinking for the businesses' success. He says it all started in 1933 when his great-grandfather, Louis Shanker, partnered with a cousin in a risky business venture--opening an independent bottling company. At the time Louis was selling beer from an old-fashioned cart and felt he had nothing to lose. "My great- grandfather said let's give it a whirl!" Louis' cousin dropped out of the project soon after it started, leaving Louis in charge of the facility on Maple Street. Known as the Hi-Klas Company, it became simply Hi-Klas, serving up its own line of soft drinks in old-fashioned glass bottles.

The company became so successful that it moved into a new building on Cedar Street in south Lansing in 1938, where it stayed until the late '70s. There, the company picked up its first major brand, for which the business is named today: Canada Dry. By this time, the company was on its second generation of family ownership.

Randy's grandfather, Jack Shanker, was a Russian immigrant who spoke little English. But Randy says his grandfather's personal attention to each customer's needs transcended language barriers.

During Jack's tenure the company began to encounter difficulties, though innovation came to the rescue. When Jack headed off to World War II, Randy's grandmother, Ida, took the company helm. Then, years later, independent bottlers faced implementation of Michigan's bottle deposit law. Many store owners panicked. "They didn't know how it would work or where they would store recycled bottles," says Randy. "Many went out of business, it got rid of the little guys and flushed independents out of the area."

With the changing economic climate for bottlers, the Shankers again turned to innovation, becoming distributors.

"Adaptation was necessary to continue," says Randy. Under the direction of Larry, the third generation of Shankers, the company began to evolve into what it is today. "We learned about distributing and how to best use our resources."

There was some uncertainty on whether there would be a fourth generation for the business when Randy left for Chicago to work in advertising. He returned to Lansing in 1997. "It was essential that I leave. The training and experience I received working for the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency was truly priceless."
Today, under Randy's direction, the company now serves nine Michigan counties, is the only major independent family-owned distributor in the area, and all of its revenue comes back to Lansing. "Profits from what we deliver and sell are reinvested right here," Randy says.  

The Canada Dry Bottling Company of Lansing has doubled its workforce in the last decade and now employs 40 people, many who've been with the company for ten years or more. The company recently added snacks to its list of services to broaden its appeal. Randy would like to see even more expansion, given that they are bursting at the seams at the current Delta Township facility, but that probably won't happen until the economy stabilizes.

Author: Jo Anne Paul-Stanton
Photos: Courtesy of Randy Shanker