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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!

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Reinhart Foodservice, Shamrock Foods and 7 other distributors join forces to launch DMA

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Ping Pong becomes an Olympic sport


A gallon of 2% milk cost $1.89


Music CDs outsell vinyl for the first time

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Nicholas & Co. joins DMA

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Energizer Bunny is introduced to the public


The Berlin Wall comes down

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5 more distributors join DMA, including Ben E. Keith Co.

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Kentucky Fried Chicken changes name to KFC


“Hasta la vista, baby” immortalized in Terminator 2


Liz Taylor marries 7th husband, a construction worker

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3 more distributors join DMA, including Gordon Food Service and HPC Food Service

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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

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DMA moves offices from downtown Chicago to suburban Schaumburg

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Starbucks introduces the Frappuccino


First item ever sold on Ebay: a broken laser pointer

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DMA sales exceed $250 million

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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

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New name (Distribution Market Advantage) and new logo

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Average price of a movie ticket: $5


Music share site Napster and social network site MySpace launch online

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DMA sales exceed $500 million

First website goes live; includes e-Advantage online order entry

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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

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DMA begins serving Avendra, North America’s leading hospitality procurement services provider

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50% of all Americans now use the Internet


Music share site Napster is closed down in court


Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise break up

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DMA sales exceed $1 billion for the first time

On-Line Report Manager (OLRM) analytics and reporting tool launched

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New social networking website: Facebook


Janet Jackson clothing malfunction at Superbowl halftime show


Martha Stewart sentenced to 5 months in prison

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e-Advantage order entry now integrates directly with customers’ back-office system

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YouTube launches


Brad Pitt leaves Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie


Mark Zuckerberg offers to sell Facebook to MySpace for $75 million

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DMA begins partnership with BJ’s Restaurants, helping them grow from 4 to 27 states within ten years

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New communication platform introduced: Twitter


The last Western Union telegram is sent


iTunes billionth song is downloaded (Speed of Sound by Coldplay)

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DMA sales top the $2 billion mark

Major revamp of website

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Barack Obama elected 44th U.S. President


TV full of reruns during Hollywood screenwriters’ strike

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Jacmar joins DMA

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Sony sells 12 million floppy disks (still!)


Pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger safely lands plane on Hudson River

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DMA sales exceed $3 billion

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Game of Thrones premieres on HBO


Occupy Wall Street movement begins


Russia reclassifies beer from “soft drink” to “alcoholic beverage”

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Chipotle Mexican Grill begins partnership with DMA

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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

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DMA sales exceeds $4 billion

Sysco pursues merger with US Foods and DMA sales get sizable lift as customers switch distributors

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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

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DMA begins partnership with Five Guys Burgers & Fries

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Pokemon Go takes over everyone’s social life


Hamilton the musical makes off-Broadway debut

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Merchants Foodservice and Cheney Bros. join DMA

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Bottled water becomes the largest beverage category in the U.S.


Average human attention span drops to 8 seconds


Most common password? 123456

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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

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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

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DMA sales break the $5 billion mark

Members collectively exceed $36 billion in sales

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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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