CNC Connection, Inc. is a small, but focused snack food brokerage company that earnestly looks for ways to get its manufacturers’ products into the hands of the convenience store consumer.
We have humble beginnings. My wife Becky and I started our distributing business on July 1st 1985. The two of us loaded our 1978 Dodge Aspen with packaged jerky and developed a route with regular customers. We quickly learned the value of good service and keeping our word, at times “biting the bullet” and buying back products that didn’t sell for a customer. We have developed great and trustworthy relationships lasting for three decades.
Our customer base has grown into many hundreds, and we no longer have the Dodge Aspen. Our attention to detail and service has not changed. To us, it’s all about the relationship and friendship that we develop with the manufacturer, the wholesaler, distributor and retailer. The sale comes after that.
Our manufacturers have grown with us — some relationships going back many years. Our relationship with Old Trapper is a great example of what we consider success. Not only has our business relationship grown substantially, our relationship has as well. We sold their product line way back in 1985. It was our largest product line then, as it still is today. It’s been great growing with them, to the point where Old Trapper is the number 2 jerky in the entire USA!
Mark heads up the company, and Becky does all of the office work. Our son Brandon is our right-hand man and focuses on grocery and retail. Our daughter-in-law Alexis does all of the rebates. Valerie, Mark’s sister, processes the orders. Our “old” family friend and fellow DSD guy Andy (around since 1985) directs our DSD (Direct Store Door) business. Troy, our newest addition to CNC Connection, has 30 years in the Wholesale and Retail Business arena. His experience includes working at various companies including McLane, Fleming, Core-Mark and most recently Merrill Distributing Inc in Merrill Wisconsin for the past 13 years. He headed up the Convenience Store division. Now he specializes in our Wholesale customer chains as a Broker with CNC Connection, Inc. We also have the large wholesale customers and the small DSD guys that drive our business. We call on retail chains all over our market in a five-state area, as well as national retail chain accounts.
Our distributing company is Craft Distributing, led by general manager Dave Anderson. He’s been with us — and growing that aspect of the business — for over six years. Our salespeople Zach, Taylor and Neill cover over 650+ accounts. Craft Distributing is the marketing arm of CNC Connection, Inc.: very few brokerage companies offer this means of “instant” distribution to their manufactures, driving sales in our market.
Humble beginnings and “street smarts” are the things that describe us best. We were selling jerky before jerky was even a category, progressively adding other snack food companies to our business. We’ve seen many companies come and go, while our relationship with some has lasted for decades. We remain, doing what we do best, growing the businesses of our customers and our own.
Our Team
