Contact: Linda Sewell, Coca-Cola UNITED
LindaSewell@ccbcu.com
(205) 873-8673

For Immediate Release

Chattanooga Entrepreneur, Community Leader Ted Alling Elected to Coca-Cola UNITED Board of Directors

Long-Time Scenic City Resident Robert Cannon Jones IV to Retire from Board in 2023 after Two Decades of Service

Birmingham, Ala. (July 15, 2022) – Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. (UNITED) has elected Ted Alling to its board of directors, effective immediately.  He brings to UNITED’s board innovative business experience and a passion for creating economic opportunities in Chattanooga, home of the world’s first Coca-Cola Bottler.

“Ted has acquired a wealth of entrepreneurial expertise and extensive knowledge of the logistics industry, which will be very beneficial as Coca-Cola UNITED continues to grow and excel in customer service,” said Claude B. Nielsen, chairman, Coca-Cola UNITED, the 120-year-old company based in Birmingham, Alabama.  “His passion for using his entrepreneurial achievements to create opportunities for others in Chattanooga is truly inspiring and will positively impact the community for generations to come.”

Earlier this year, long-time Coca-Cola UNITED board member Robert (Robby) Cannon Jones IV, who has served since 2002, announced his intention to retire from service in April 2023.

“Robby has been a great advisor and supporter for the past two decades, during which time Coca-Cola UNITED more than tripled in franchise territory and number of associates,” said Nielsen.  “We will always be grateful for Robby’s passion for our business and his special affection for the Chattanooga community and our associates located there. He has been a strong advocate of UNITED’s culture, where associates, consumers, customers, and community are at the center of our local business model.”

Alling’s election to the board continues UNITED’s tradition of having representation on its board of directors from across the company’s geographic territory, with Chattanooga being the cornerstone given its historic significance in the Coca-Cola System and as a dynamic community with extraordinary Coca-Cola loyalty.

A resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Alling is the co-founder and former CEO of a $500-million startup, Access America, which merged with the United Parcel Service (UPS) subsidiary Coyote Logistics. That initial success allowed Alling and his fellow Access America founders to create Lamp Post Group, a venture capital firm and tech-focused incubator located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Fueled by the desire to build Chattanooga into a thriving destination for budding entrepreneurs and young businesses, Lamp Post Group invested $36 million into the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, spawning a long list of successful startups, including Bellhops, Ambition, Chattanooga Whiskey and Steam Logistics.

In 2016, Alling co-founded Dynamo, a venture capital fund aimed at revolutionizing the logistics industry.  As managing director of the fund – one of the largest in the Southeast – Alling works to ensure Dynamo remains the premier global knowledge leader in logistics technology by supporting the most innovative new businesses in the field.

Most recently, Alling became one of five partners in Brickyard, a venture fund and portfolio group that provides capital and focus for promising young companies to relocate to Chattanooga.  Through this latest effort, Alling and his partners share lessons learned and create a focused environment for founders to flourish, especially in the most difficult days of early entrepreneurial endeavors.

Alling’s passions extend beyond businesses into education.  In 2018, he and his wife opened the Chattanooga Preparatory School.  An all-boys charter school, Chattanooga Prep is designed to provide unique and impactful educational opportunities for the young men in the city’s urban communities.  It opened its inaugural class of sixth graders in August 2018 and now has over 300 young men.

Alling’s civic involvement has included: president of the Chattanooga Transportation Club, trustee of the Howard Fund, board of directors of Pearl Ministries and the Tennessee Aquarium.  Alling was honored with the Young Alumni Award by Samford University, where he is an alumnus, and has received the Community Impact Award by the Urban League.  He is also in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Business Hall of Fame.

Alling and his wife Kelly live in Chattanooga and have three children.

–  Stand UNITED –

About Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.

Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc., founded in 1902 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in North America and the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the U.S.  Now with its fifth generation of family working in the business, Coca-Cola UNITED has approximately 10,000 associates located in more than 50 facilities across six southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee).  Historically significant franchises within our Coca-Cola UNITED family include Chattanooga, the world’s first Coca-Cola bottler; Atlanta, home of the worldwide Coca-Cola System; and Columbus, Georgia, development site of the original Coca-Cola formula.

Coca-Cola UNITED is engaged in the production, marketing and distribution of a diverse portfolio of leading sparkling (Coca-Cola®, Diet Coke®, Coke Zero Sugar®, Dr Pepper®, Sprite®, AHA® and Fanta®) and still (smartwater®, Dasani®, POWERADE®, BODYARMOR®, Fairlife®, Gold Peak®, Monster® and Minute Maid®) non-alcoholic brands under exclusive franchise agreements principally with The Coca-Cola Company® and Keurig Dr Pepper®.

For 120 years, Coca-Cola UNITED has remained true to its foundational core values of Quality, Excellence, Integrity and Respect.  Local relationships, personalized customer service and strong community engagement have been the foundation of our business for more than a century.  Each year, millions of dollars are invested in our local communities, supporting education, community development, sustainability and nonprofit organizations that empower and impact those in need. For more information, visit cocacolaunited.com.