FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579
November 5, 2009 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Senior Dads’ Weekend at Saint Mary’s College is coming up November 13-15, but you could say Dad’s been here for weeks now. Dad’s Root Beer is now on tap in the Noble Family Dining Hall, and it’s like a taste of home for Micki Hedinger ’10. Her father, Keith Hedinger, is president and CEO of The Dad’s Root Beer Company, located in Jasper, Ind.
“Before we got it in our dining hall, friends from Saint Mary's would text me pictures of Dad's Root Beer in their hometown stores over breaks. I think that just because I am from the small town of Jasper, my friends were astonished that they can find it all over the nation,” Micki says.
Dad’s Root Beer has actually been around for 72 years. In its heyday in 1986, Dad’s was the second most popular root beer in America, selling 12 million cases annually. One dining hall (and restaurant and store chain) at a time, Dad’s is making a comeback. Since Hedinger Brands, LLC, purchased Dad’s Root Beer in 2007, the brand has grown in popularity. In 2008, The Dad’s Root Beer Company grew by 21 percent, and this year they are positioned to grow 26 percent. The company is on target to distribute 3 million cases of the frothy soda across the U.S. in 2009.
“Today there is a lot of interest in nostalgic and retro brands. Root beer is a unique flavor and simple pleasure, which combined with ice cream (a root beer float) or milk (a black cow) makes an inexpensive dessert,” says Keith Hedinger of root beer’s resurgence in popularity.
The Hedingers and Dining Services will be hosting a root beer float party for students and dads to enjoy a Dad’s. It’s one of many weekend activities, which include a formal dinner on Friday night, brunch and Karaoke on Saturday, Notre Dame Game Watch at the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night and Mass on Sunday. The weekend is an opportunity for fathers to spend some one-on-one time with their daughters, who are preparing to graduate in the spring. Most fathers will tell you they don’t know where the time went, but they are very proud of the women their daughters have become. Keith Hedinger is one of them.
“Micki has grown in to a confident young woman who is ready to accept challenges and take advantage of opportunities in today's world,” he says. “I am most proud of her success and determination as a four-year student athlete. She was able to successfully balance academics and soccer and excel at both.”
Micki, an accounting major, hopes to excel in the working world too, though she doesn’t plan to work for dad at Dad’s upon graduation. “I am actually going into public accounting after graduation. I have accepted a position with BKD, LLP in downtown Indianapolis. I have not ruled out working with the family business, but for right now, I want to do my own thing and find my own way,” she says.
Will she indulge in a root beer over the Senior Dads’ Weekend? “Of course,” she says, but the best thing will be the opportunity to spend time with her dad. “My father went to Notre Dame, so he’s an ND football fan. We’ll definitely be hitting up the Game Watch.”
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
