A lot happened the summer of 1988.
The idea for DMA quickly went from a napkin sketch to reality. It began when three regional distributors got together at Chicago’s Metropolitan Club. A few weeks later, six more distributors joined. And so on August 1, Distributor Marketing Alliance, Inc. was launched with nine founding members, including current members Reinhart Foodservice and Shamrock Foods.
What happened next? Click on each year below to find out, and see what else was going on in the world that year. And you’ll also find the correct answers to our recent Trivia Quiz!
Reinhart Foodservice, Shamrock Foods and 7 other distributors join forces to launch DMA
Ping Pong becomes an Olympic sport
A gallon of 2% milk cost $1.89
Music CDs outsell vinyl for the first time
Nicholas & Co. joins DMA
Energizer Bunny is introduced to the public
The Berlin Wall comes down
5 more distributors join DMA, including Ben E. Keith Co.
Kentucky Fried Chicken changes name to KFC
“Hasta la vista, baby” immortalized in Terminator 2
Liz Taylor marries 7th husband, a construction worker
3 more distributors join DMA, including Gordon Food Service and HPC Food Service
Police chase OJ Simpson in his white Ford Bronco
Who won baseball's World Series? No one (players’ strike)
Friends begins its 10-year television run on NBC
DMA moves offices from downtown Chicago to suburban Schaumburg
Starbucks introduces the Frappuccino
First item ever sold on Ebay: a broken laser pointer
DMA sales exceed $250 million
Reed Hastings starts Netflix after paying fine for returning late movie to Blockbuster
Top film: Titanic (11 Oscars)
Diana, Princess of Wales dies in Paris crash
New name (Distribution Market Advantage) and new logo
Average price of a movie ticket: $5
Music share site Napster and social network site MySpace launch online
DMA sales exceed $500 million
First website goes live; includes e-Advantage online order entry
Blockbuster Video turns down the chance to buy Netflix for $50 million
After Y2K doomsday predictions, nothing much happens
Outcome of presidential election unknown for weeks due to hanging chads
DMA begins serving Avendra, North America’s leading hospitality procurement services provider
50% of all Americans now use the Internet
Music share site Napster is closed down in court
Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise break up
DMA sales exceed $1 billion for the first time
On-Line Report Manager (OLRM) analytics and reporting tool launched
New social networking website: Facebook
Janet Jackson clothing malfunction at Superbowl halftime show
Martha Stewart sentenced to 5 months in prison
e-Advantage order entry now integrates directly with customers’ back-office system
YouTube launches
Brad Pitt leaves Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie
Mark Zuckerberg offers to sell Facebook to MySpace for $75 million
DMA begins partnership with BJ’s Restaurants, helping them grow from 4 to 27 states within ten years
New communication platform introduced: Twitter
The last Western Union telegram is sent
iTunes billionth song is downloaded (Speed of Sound by Coldplay)
DMA sales top the $2 billion mark
Major revamp of website
Barack Obama elected 44th U.S. President
TV full of reruns during Hollywood screenwriters’ strike
Jacmar joins DMA
Sony sells 12 million floppy disks (still!)
Pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger safely lands plane on Hudson River
DMA sales exceed $3 billion
Game of Thrones premieres on HBO
Occupy Wall Street movement begins
Russia reclassifies beer from “soft drink” to “alcoholic beverage”
Chipotle Mexican Grill begins partnership with DMA
Broadband is added to the Oxford English Dictionary
Gangnam Style takes over the world
Apple products account for 14% of all thefts in New York City
DMA sales exceeds $4 billion
Sysco pursues merger with US Foods and DMA sales get sizable lift as customers switch distributors
Google crashes for 5 minutes, taking 40% of Internet traffic down
Remember twerking? Enough said
Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all Tour de France wins
DMA begins partnership with Five Guys Burgers & Fries
Pokemon Go takes over everyone’s social life
Hamilton the musical makes off-Broadway debut
Merchants Foodservice and Cheney Bros. join DMA
Bottled water becomes the largest beverage category in the U.S.
Average human attention span drops to 8 seconds
Most common password? 123456
Pat Mulhern succeeds Dan Cox as 3rd CEO in 29 years
Carl's Jr. transitions 1,200 locations to DMA
DMA launches new branding image
Bitcoin and Amazon Echo explode in popularity
Rare total solar eclipse visible across the entire USA
Academy Award for Best Picture: La La Land. No, wait … it’s Moonlight
DMA sales break the $5 billion mark
Members collectively exceed $36 billion in sales
After 57 years, Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl
Historic U.S./North Korea summit meeting
For 18 days, world watches heroic rescue of 11 boys from flooded Thailand cave
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