J. Christopher Reyes (born 1953) is an American

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...

businessman and the co-chairman, with his brother Jude Reyes, of

Reyes Holdings Reyes Holdings, LLC is an American foodservice wholesaler, distributor and bottler that ranks as th7th largest privately held company in the United States with annual sales in excess of $40B USD. Operations span North, Central and South America, ...

, a food and beverage production and distribution company, ranked by ''

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'' in 2023 as the 6th largest privately held company in the US with $40 billion in annual revenue.

Early life

Reyes was born in 1953, the eldest son of Joseph A. Reyes and Frances "Frannie" Marie Reyes (nee Collins) (1925-2013). He has seven brothers and one sister, M. Jude Reyes, David K. Reyes, William F. Reyes, John J. Reyes, James V. Reyes, Julie Reyes Taubman, Thomas A. Reyes, and Stephen Reyes (died before 2013). Reyes earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Career

He began his business career by purchasing a small Schlitz beer distribution business in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

with his brother and father. Running all aspects of the operation with his brother, the firm aggressively acquired beer distribution businesses and brands. Since 1976, Reyes Holdings has acquired more than 130 beer distribution operations. In April 1998, the firm expanded beyond beer distribution with the purchase of the Martin-Brower Company, a dedicated McDonald's distribution business operating primarily in the US and 18 international locations. In 2015, Reyes Holdings expanded into Coca-Cola production and distribution with the acquisition of Great Lakes Coca-Cola Bottling in Chicago and the Midwest. Currently Reyes Holdings runs its Coca-Cola production under Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling with operations in California, Nevada and throughout the Midwest.

Political donations

A conservative, Reyes and his brother, Jude, donate significant amounts of money to political groups. In 2021, they contributed $50,000 to help stop recall efforts against California Governor Gavin Newsom. In 2019, they donated $150,000 each to Bill Daley's mayoral campaign in Chicago. Prior to that, they donated a combined $20,000 in 2015 and $160,000 in 2013 to support former Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel. Reyes also donated $25,250 to former Illinois Lieutenant Governor

Corinne Wood Corinne J. Wood (May 28, 1954 – May 18, 2021) served as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of the US state of Illinois from 1999 to 2003. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois and Loyola University School of Law, Wood wa ...

. From 1994 to 2007, he donated $80,200 to the

Illinois Republican Party The Illinois Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Illinois founded in May 29, 1856. It is run by the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, which consists of 18 members, one representing each of ...

and the Lake County Republican Party committees. Reyes also donated $100,000 to Two Party System, Inc., a Republican PAC.Troy Hooper, 'GOP heavyweight and friend of Aspen Skiing Company's Crown family pays $31.5 million for Aspen pad', in '' Real Vail'', November 8, 201

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Personal life

Reyes is married to Anne N. Reyes, they have four children and live in

Hobe Sound Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States, located along Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 13,163 at the 2020 census, up from 11,521 in 2010. Geography Hobe Sound ...

, Florida. In 2010, he bought a house with 44 acres in

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mounta ...

for $47.5 million. In 2022, he was named as the purchaser of the $36 million Driehaus property in Lake Geneva, WI.

Philanthropy

He is a distinguished lifetime director of Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, a director of Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, and a trustee of Ronald McDonald House Charities and the University of Notre Dame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, J. Christopher Living people 1954 births People from Lake Forest, Illinois University of Maryland, College Park alumni American billionaires Businesspeople from Illinois University of Notre Dame Trustees