“Here’s to you, Saint John’s” might not have been the exact words exchanged between Saint John’s University grads John Martin, year 1995, and Brian Roers, year 2001, but it was in that spirit that the two businessmen settled a trademark infringement lawsuit.

Martin is the president and co-founder of Confluence Brewing Co., the craft brewery located on Thomas Beck Road in Des Moines, not far from Gray’s Lake. Roers and his brother, Kent, are founders of Roers Investments, a Minnesota-based firm that is behind three major apartment developments in Des Moines, the first being Confluence on 3rd, located downtown, not far from the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers.

Martin’s Confluence Brewing filed a lawsuit in January seeking a name change for the apartment complex. The lawsuit was filed after Martin attempted to resolve the issue out of court through a series of telephone calls. Apparently, the connection wasn’t made until after the lawsuit was filed.

“I saw a publication from St. John’s that detailed all the breweries owned by graduates and they were listed. I have enjoyed many of their beers over the years and was proud to learn we shared roots from our college. For anyone who knows Saint John’s, we are a very close knit group and the connection lasts a lifetime,” Brian Roers said in an email.

When Martin and Roers did make the phone connection, they began the process of working out a deal to settle the lawsuit.

Though all of the details have not been released, the settlement includes Confluence on 3rd agreeing to add “Apartments” to its building sign as well as its website and all marketing materials. As an act of goodwill, Confluence on 3rd also agreed to purchase beer from Confluence Brewing Co. to give to tenants of their apartments and for corporate functions, according to a release. 

“We both respect each other’s business and want to see the other successful,” Roers said. He concluded an email with, “Go Johnnies,” the mascot for the university, which is located in Collegeville, Minn.