Through strong friendships, hard work, and pure salesmanship, entrepreneur Denny Cresap grew a one-truck, one-employee beer distributorship in Bartlesville into one of Anheuser-Busch’s top 20 distributors in the United States.

Premium Beers of Oklahoma became a large, multi-location company providing services to 27 counties in the state prior to its sale in 2012.

With proceeds from the sale, Cresap and his family established the Cresap Family Foundation, awarding over $10 million to more than 90 nonprofit agencies focusing on animal welfare, arts, culture and humanities, city/county government agencies, community development, education, health and wellness, human services and religious institutions.A native of Chicago, Illinois, Cresap moved to the state in 1952.

He enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and, during his junior year, joined the United States Army, serving three years overseas before returning to the state to begin his business career.