The president of a local business was recently honored in Minnesota.

Atwoods President Brian Atwood was honored by Mid-States Distributing Company and presented the Kiesau Award.

Mid-States, a buying cooperative Atwoods is a member of, was presented the award named after founders of Mid-States. Atwoods father is a past recipient of the award, according to a release.

Atwoods thanked Mid-States for the award and opportunity, stating he wished his family could have attended the ceremony, according to a release.

Little did Atwoods know, his family flew in to surprise him at the ceremony. They slipped on stage behind him.

Atwoods Distributing L.P. was founded by Wilbur and Fern Atwood in Enid in 1960. Today, the operation has 58 stores in 5 states with five new stores about to open, according to a release. Atwoods did not release details of the new store openings. The company has 2,500 associates and utilizes 4.5 million square feet for its retail operation.

Mid-States Distributing was started in the 1950s by Bob and Jean Kiesau. After several name changes, the company was named Mid-States Distributing in 1954. The company operates more than 750 stores, employees 40,000 people and generates $5.5 billion in sales annually, according to its website. Atwoods Distributing and Brandt’s of Ponca City are just two of Mid-States Distributing’s members.

Mid-States offers a variety of central services in its membership including central billing and warehousing.

Story provided by Enid News & Eagle

Written by Emily Summars