J. Christopher Reyes Net Worth & Biography

J. Christopher Reyes is a renowned and successful American billionaire businessman, and the co-chairman, of Reyes Holdings, a beer and food distribution company he manages with his brother Jude Reyes, which is currently ranked by Forbes as the 11th largest privately held company in America. He is widely regarded as one of the founders and chair of Reyes Holdings, L.L.C, a flourishing company that is regarded as one of the largest providers of food and beverage distribution services in the world. The company’s operations span North, Central, and South America, as well as Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. Food distribution operations are comprised of Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C., one of the top independent broad-line food service distributors in the US, and The Martin-Brower Company, L.L.C., an international quick-service restaurant distribution business and the leading supplier of distribution services to the McDonald’s restaurant system worldwide. The Reyes Beverage Group operates the United States’ largest beer distribution organization representing a broad range of import, domestic, and craft beer brands. It also operates one of the biggest Coca-Cola bottling and distribution establishments in the US through Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution, L.L.C. in the Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, L.L.C. in Nevada and California. Other related operations include several businesses involved in real estate investment and development, equipment leasing, logistics management, and transportation management. Among other affiliations, this businessman, who earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, is a director of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Museum of Science and Industry, and Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, and the chairman of Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. He is also a member of the advisory board of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s Medicine Committee and the RoundTable Healthcare.

Early Life: Childhood, Education

He was born Joseph Christopher Reyes in the year 1953 into the family of Joseph A. Reyes and Frances Marie Reyes. He is the eldest son of the family. His seven brothers and one sister include Stephen Reyes (who died before 2013), Thomas A. Reyes, James V. Reyes, John J. Reyes, William F. Reyes, David K. Reyes, M. Jude Reyes, and Julie Reyes Taubman (wife of Robert S. Taubman).

J. C. Reyes attended the University of Maryland from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Career

When he was ready to make his name known in the business sector, Mr. Reyes started a career by spending all his savings on purchasing a small Schlitz beer distribution depot in Spartanburg, South Carolina with his father and one of his brothers. Running all aspects of the new business with his brother, the company aggressively acquired smaller beer distribution businesses and brands. Since 1976, the company, Reyes Holdings, has acquired over 115 beer distribution operations.

In April 1998, Reyes Holdings expanded beyond beer distribution with the acquisition of the Martin-Brower Company, a thorough McDonald’s distribution firm operating primarily in the United States.

Personal Life

Mr. Reyes is married to Anne N. Reyes. They are the proud parents of four children and reside in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Asides from his main residence in Florida, this businessman owns another house in Aspen, Colorado, which he bought in 2010 for $47.5 million. In 2022, he spent another $36 million on the acquisition of a Driehaus property in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Philanthropy & Political Donations

Mr. J. C. Reyes is the chairman of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. He is also a member of the board of trustees for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Furthermore, he currently sits on the board of directors for the University of Notre Dame, the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

A staunch Republican, he has donated $100,000 to the Republican PAC Two Party System, Inc., $80,200 to the Lake County Republican Party and the Illinois Republican Party committees, and $25,250 to former Illinois Lieutenant Governor Corinne Wood.

J. Christopher Reyes Net Worth

A renowned American businessman, and co-chairman, of Reyes Holdings, a beer and food distribution company that is currently ranked by Forbes as the 11th largest privately held company in America, J. Christopher Reyes is currently entitled to a net worth of $4 billion dollars.

As it would have been anybody’s guess, this University of Maryland alumnus makes his money mainly from the Reyes Holding company which started in the 1970s when Christopher and his brother Jude purchased a beer manufacturer based in South Carolina for $74,000. Their beer business has since expanded into other markets, operating in North, Central, and South America, as well as Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. Mr. Reyes also sits on the boards of a number of companies, including Dean Foods, Lake Forest Bank and Trust, the Wintrust Financial Corporation, and Allstate, in addition to a number of charity organizations.