Trust and Loyalty Build a Great Business Relationship

The Client

Athens Distributing is a family-owned wholesale wine and spirits distributor delivering premium beverages to suppliers and consumers in Tennessee since 1946. The epitome of a family business, Athens Distributing is fourth-generation family owned, with a longtime friend of LBMC and an all-around fantastic guy Don White acting as partner and CFO. His father and uncle started the company in a small 10,000 square-foot warehouse in downtown Nashville. Now, Athens has offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, and Memphis, with over 180 employees — and they’re still growing, adding on to all three warehouses in the past year.

The Opportunity

Headquartered just outside of Nashville, Tenn., trust and loyalty are two cornerstones of Athens Distributing. As a long-time member of the Middle Tennessee community, they were looking for a partner to handle their HR needs, one that they could grow a personal relationship with, and they have found that in LBMC Employment Partners.

The Solution: Payroll, Health Benefits Management, HR Consulting

Athens and LBMC eased into a healthy business relationship. “We used to do everything in house, so I was a little skeptical about outsourcing,” says White. “We started with LBMC Employment Partners to help with COBRA. I felt really comfortable with that, so we went on to HR consulting, and then we went into payroll, which was huge.” LBMC Employment Partners helped write their employee handbook, and now they handle all their healthcare benefits.

White explains further, “Being three different companies, it’s kind of hard to coordinate health insurance and benefits, but they do it. All those questions used to come to me. LBMC Employment Partners has a person I send my employees to, and they handle all of their health insurance concerns. It’s been a great burden off of me.”

Loyalty is a core value of Athens Distributing. Don White has been with the company over 44 years, and many of their employees have worked there for decades, creating a family atmosphere. They have longstanding relationships with companies they know and trust. “With LBMC Employment Partners, it’s been a personal relationship as well that’s developed over the years, says White. “I know their people by first name and they know me as well. Even though they’re not in this building, I feel like they kind of are. They’re part of our company.”