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Vice President of Real Estate and Corporate Counsel, Dierbergs Markets, Inc., Chesterfield
Working for a fourth generation, family-owned business has set the trajectory for a career that Brent Beumer finds interesting and challenging every day. “I’m helping to maintain and grow this business for future generations,” he says.
Dierbergs began in 1914 when William Dierberg purchased a general merchant exchange on Olive Street Road in St. Louis. Beumer is now one of the company’s more than 4,000 employees.
As vice president of real estate, Beumer handles all real estate and leasing aspects of the business, including development and construction for more than 3 million square feet of real estate. As corporate counsel and the only in-house attorney, he primarily handles lease negotiations and contract negotiations, liability claims, contractual disputes, product recalls, product liability matters, and employment issues. He also works with outside counsel and third-party claims administrators to resolve matters. “I have an idea of what my day should look like,” Beumer says, “but I never know what will pop up. I like the diversity of my work.”
After earning his JD from the University of Missouri, Beumer worked for a law firm for three years before joining the Dierbergs team in 2007. He especially enjoys the challenges of real estate development. When the Crestwood Crossing grocery store location opened in 2023, he saw the fruits of several years of his labors. “We started with a raw piece of ground there, and then opened a 70,000-square-foot store,” he says. “These are the accomplishments that make my work worthwhile.”
One of Beumer’s greatest career successes was closing the sale of the Dierbergs pharmacy business to Mercy Health System in 2021. He helped keep the company’s focus on the grocery business and turned over the highly regulated pharmacy business to a company that provided expertise and experience.
“I feel very fortunate to work for a great family,” Beumer says. “They are outstanding leaders in our country. Greg Dierberg, our CEO, often shares advice he received from his great-grandfather William. Find a way or make one. There’s always an answer to the question. There’s always a path forward. If there isn’t, make one happen.”
