David Favela (Border X Brewing), Jake Nunes (Modern Times), Julie Wartell (University of California San Diego/PubQuest), Kevin Ham (California Academy for Local Economic Development)
Panelists: Evan Blum (BrewedAt), Rich Bloomfield (Funkytown Brewing), Rob Day (Barrel One Collective)
Moderator: Victoria Howell (MoMac Brewing Company/Nansemond Brewing Station)
Growth does not come from doing more of the same. It comes from reaching people who are not already walking through your doors.
In this panel, we’ll hear from leaders bringing different perspectives to the table, including a Gen Z voice, a Black-owned brewery owner, and an operator running multiple taprooms across diverse markets. Together, they’ll share how they are building relevance, earning trust, and creating experiences that resonate beyond the traditional craft beer audience.
This conversation will focus on what it actually takes to expand your audience today. From programming and product decisions to representation, partnerships, and community engagement, you’ll hear real examples of what is working, what is not, and how breweries are intentionally broadening who feels welcome in their spaces.
Learning Objectives:
Identify practical ways to make your brewery more welcoming and relevant to audiences who may not currently see themselves in your space
Learn how to align product mix, programming, and messaging with the values and expectations of emerging consumers without alienating your core audience
Understand how operators in different markets approach growth across multiple locations and diverse communities
Walk away with specific strategies you can test to expand reach, increase visit frequency, and build long term loyalty with new audiences
Evan Blum is a Gen Z entrepreneur and the Founder of BrewedAt, a media & marketing agency redefining how craft brands connect with younger consumers. With over six years of experience in the beverage industry, Evan began his career in Supply Chain at Nestlé in 2020, gaining firsthand insight into how large-scale operations drive consumer products to market. Fueled by a passion for local business, marketing, and craft beer, he founded BrewedAt in 2023 to help brands authentically engage Gen Z audiences through strategic digital media. Evan brings a uniquely generational perspective to every campaign, meeting today’s consumers where they are.
Rich Bloomfield is the co-founder and CEO of Funkytown Brewery, a leading Black-owned craft beer brand based in Chicago. Since its 2021 launch, Funkytown has earned national recognition, including the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream Award, VinePair Brewery of the Year, and a spot on Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40. Under Rich’s leadership, the brewery has expanded across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, ranking among the top 25% of Illinois breweries by volume and the 5th largest Black-owned brewery in the U.S. He also serves on the boards of the National Black Brewer’s Association (NB2A), the FAME Center, and the Beer Culture Center, where he continues to champion the intersection of craft beer, culture, and community.
Rob Day is a marketing leader with two decades of experience, currently serving as the VP of Marketing for Barrel One Collective, the 13th largest craft brewing group in the U.S. In addition to his work outside of beer, Rob has held marketing leadership roles at Lord Hobo, Jack’s Abby, and now at Barrel One. Beyond his role at Barrel One, Rob is an active member of the BA PRM Committee and contributed to mentorships with the BA and Kraft Kulture. Rob is a proud dad to a cool, brewery-going toddler and always down to talk food, drink and business.
Victoria Howell is a brewery owner and Director of Operations with extensive experience in the craft beverage and hospitality industry. She is known for building high-performing teams, fostering inclusive workplace cultures, and driving community-focused business growth. Wearing many hats daily, Victoria oversees operations, mentors staff, and tackles challenges with a practical, people-first leadership style. Outside of work, she’s passionate about supporting her local community and believes the best conversations—and ideas—often happen around a shared table and a good beer.
finding money in your brewery through margins, efficiencies, and smarter decisions
Panelists: Chris Farmand (Small Batch Standard), Mike Corneille (Pryes Brewing), Tim Wilson (Caboose Brewing)
Moderator: Adam Howe (GoTab)
Every dollar matters right now. From getting your team more confident selling to-go beer to tightening up production and operating costs, small decisions can have a real impact on the bottom line. In this panel conversation, financial experts from across the industry will share where breweries can grow revenue, reduce costs, and protect margins through smarter, more intentional choices. The focus is not theory. You’ll hear practical, real-world examples of how breweries are tightening operations, improving efficiency, and making clearer financial decisions across all areas of your business. Attendees will leave with ideas you can actually test, measure, and apply in your own brewery.
Learning Objectives:
Identify practical ways to increase revenue and control costs across different areas of your brewery.
Learn how to spot inefficiencies and make small operational changes that improve profitability.
Understand which financial metrics matter most and how to use them to make clearer, more confident day-to-day decisions.
Adam Howe is a hospitality and brewery operations leader with more than 20 years in the service industry and over a decade dedicated to craft beer. He has held leadership roles with Pyramid Brewing and North American Breweries, Drake’s Brewing, Upland Brewing, and Taxman Brewing — overseeing multi-location operations, flagship management, and expansion into new markets.
In his current role as Director of Product Enablement at GoTab, Adam partners with craft breweries, taprooms, and hospitality venues to modernize operations, elevate guest experiences, and unlock new revenue through flexible point-of-sale and engagement technology.
Adam regularly speaks on experiential marketing, brewery-forward tech adoption, and guest-centric service models that help breweries thrive in evolving markets. His work champions the idea that great beer and great hospitality go hand in hand — creating memorable moments that keep guests coming back.
Chris Farmand got his start in 2010 helping a new brewery build its back-office systems, a firsthand look at how complex running a brewery can be. That experience led him to found Small Batch Standard. He’s worked with more than 200 breweries, helping them uncover profit through outsourced accounting, tax compliance, and benchmark consulting. Chris holds a BS in Business Finance from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of North Florida, and is an active member of both the AICPA and FICPA.
Mike Corneille is the president and co-founder of Pryes Brewing Company in Minneapolis. Since co-founding Pryes, he has helped build it into one of the largest taprooms and the largest self-distributed brewery in Minnesota, with a focus on running a high-volume, community-driven taproom. Pryes has expanded beyond beer with a full food program, large outdoor concerts, and private events and catering that drive repeat visits and deeper brand connections. Mike also serves as president of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild Legislative Committee, where he works on policy issues that impact craft breweries and the future of the industry.
Tim Wilson’s career in craft beer began about 10 years ago in Virginia, though he is originally from New Orleans. He joined the military in 2005, which gave him the opportunity to travel across the United States and abroad. After his military service, he attended the Culinary Institute of America, followed by Cornell’s hospitality program. Since then, he has found his niche in breweries and hopes to continue in the industry for years to come.
Crowdsourced: A Collaborative Hour of Problem Solving
CBP Connects attendees continually list the ability to connect and learn from others as a highlight from our workshops. We are excited to host a session dedicated to learning from your peers. In this session, we will field questions from you and then develop the best solutions together. Plan to walk away with strategies to problems many of us are facing and best practices to improve brewery operations. Together, we can grow stronger.
Learning Objectives:
Collaborate with your peers to solve problems faced by other Craft Beer Professionals
Discover new strategies and solutions to help you see greater success at your brewery
Build new relationships that you can reach out to with future questions
Cali-Sober: Planning for the Future of THC & Hemp-Derived Beverages
Taprooms nationwide are working to make their offerings more accessible to wider audiences. In this session, we will explore the gray area of THC and hemp-derived beverages. Attendees will learn the difference between THC, hemp, and mainstream variants. From questions like “what’s allowed in my state?” to “what to consider if beginning production?”, our panel of experts will overview important questions to help you plan, prepare, and potentially begin offering more diverse beverage options at your brewery.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the Basics: Attendees will learn the key differences between THC, hemp, and mainstream beverage variants to better navigate this emerging category.
Legal Considerations: Attendees will explore the legal landscape of THC and hemp-derived beverages, including what is allowed in their state and how regulations may evolve.
Production and Market Readiness: Attendees will gain insights into the factors to consider when planning to introduce THC or hemp-derived beverages, including production logistics, consumer demand, and potential challenges.
Alec Travis is the co-owner, founder, and director of beverage operations for Field Day Brewing Company and Day Dreamer Cannabis in North Liberty, Iowa. With over a decade of experience in the brewing and manufacturing industry, Alec successfully navigated state and federal regulations to make his brewery the first in Iowa licensed to produce, distribute, and sell THC products. He oversees the operations of both companies, managing the complexities of producing two highly regulated products under one roof.
Bob Galligan has been in the industry for 12 years and has performed nearly every role in brewery life. Starting in Texas by canning 2 beers at a time by hand to now representing 170+ of the Craft Brewers in his home state by engaging with industry stakeholders, allied trades, and the public. He also engages legislators at both the capitol in St. Paul and D.C. on behalf of the industry at large. He has a B.F.A. in Acting, is a Hubert Humphrey Policy Fellow, and (by most accounts) a bona fide Silly Goose.
Diana Eberlein serves as VP of Marketing & Business Development at SōRSE Technology, Chair of the Cannabis Beverage Association (CBA), and Chair and founding board member of the Coalition for Adult Beverage Alternatives (CABA). With an emphasis on thought leadership and experiential marketing in her roles, Diana has generated the strategy behind all digital and experiential marketing for SōRSE including event sponsorship & production, public relations, and advertising. Diana brings 15+ years of experience, including 8+ in the cannabis industry, and a passion for infused beverages to her work at SōRSE, the CBA, and CABA. She has spoken on cannabis-beverage related topics at SXSW, Adweek NY, BevNET Live, Benzinga, Texas Package Store Association Annual Conference, Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailer Association Annual Event, National Conference State Liquor Administrator Conference, and National Association of Flavors & Food-Ingredient Systems, and more. Diana was also featured in Marijuana Venture’s 40 Under 40 in 2023 and Benzinga’s Top 20 Most Influential Women in Cannabis in 2024.
Glenn McElfresh is as passionate about hemp as he is to keeping his bio less than 100 words. He’s been in the cannabis industry for 11 years. He began his career as a budtender and worked his way up to a Chief Compliance Officer responsible for over $100M in cannabis operations across 3 states. He’s currently the co-founder of Plift, a THC soda company, and Perfectly Dosed, a THC emulsion company.
Craft Breweries: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Panelists: David Favela (Border X Brewing), Jake Nunes (Modern Times), Kevin Ham (California Academy for Local Economic Development)
Moderated by: Julie Wartell (University of California San Diego/PubQuest)
Does anyone remember Mister Rogers’ neighborhood? He used to say “I’ve always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.” This session will focus on how and why craft breweries are good neighbors. We will dive into topics ranging from economic development to gentrification, and from diversity to crime. Research has shown the positive effects of breweries and neighborhoods, but success is most evident when breweries are good neighbors. This includes being a part of the community, working with existing neighborhood residents and organizations (not just attracting those living outside the neighborhood!), and collaboratively problem-solving issues that may arise. We will offer perspectives from breweries, governmental officials, and researchers. We look forward to leading this session but hearing and learning from the participants as well!
Learning Objectives:
Enhance your communication and relationships with the surrounding community.
Identify strategies in working with local government for mutual benefit.
Better understand neighborhood challenges such as gentrification and crime and how to manage them.
David Favela, the visionary behind Border X Brewing, was born and raised in San Diego, California. Growing up in a vibrant, multicultural environment, David developed an early appreciation for diverse flavors and cultural traditions. His family roots in both the U.S. and Mexico provided him with a unique perspective on blending different cultural elements, which would later become a hallmark of his brewing philosophy.
In 2013, David Favela took a bold step and founded Border X Brewing with the mission to create a brewery that celebrated the cultural diversity of the U.S.-Mexico border region. Located in the heart of Barrio Logan, San Diego, Border X Brewing quickly became known for its innovative approach to craft beer. Favela’s vision was to merge traditional Mexican flavors and ingredients with American brewing methods, resulting in unique and flavorful brews that paid homage to both cultures. His greatest achievement was in 2020, when he was nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Producer.
Jake Nunes is a veteran of San Diego’s food and beverage industry and has 30 years of experience with a focus on management and bar leadership. He developed his passion for craft beer in 2003 while working at Karl Strauss and has since proven himself to be a true craft beer enthusiast, having sampled thousands of beers and visited hundreds of breweries. In addition to Karl Strauss, he has held leadership positions at a number of breweries including Ballast Point, Stone Brewing, North Park Beer Co., Societe Brewing, and Burgeon Beer Co. Jake is now the Director of Hospitality for Modern Times Beer + Coffee. He was awarded the title of Certified Cicerone® in 2011. Jake has been a part of the SDSU Business of Craft Beer Certificate Program since its inception in 2013. Earlier this year, Jake joined the Board of Directors for North Park Main Street Business Improvement District. Jake is the President for the 2024 San Diego Brewers Guild. Jake’s areas of expertise are leadership, hospitality, sensory evaluation, and draft systems.
Julie Wartell is a Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of California-San Diego and an independent advisor to governmental agencies and communities relating to analyzing crime, neighborhood safety, and the role of breweries and communities. Julie teaches “GIS for Urban and Community Planning,” “Craft Breweries and the Urban Economy,” “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design,” and “Crime Analysis Research Methods,” and her research, training and writing has been used in communities around the world. Julie recently co-edited a book entitled Craft Breweries & Cities: Perspectives from the Field where she also wrote a chapter relating to breweries and crime. Julie has a master’s degree in public administration from San Diego State University as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Criminology and Police Management from University of Cambridge. In her spare time, Julie also runs PubQuest, a brewery mapping company.
Kevin Ham has 35+ years of leadership experience in Local/State government, nonprofits, and the private sector, in economic development, transportation, marketing and technology. He was a key architect of a region-wide Economic Development strategy, created one of the largest craft brewing clusters (Per capita US), and turned an old downtown into a thriving commercial center. He Chairs the California Academy for Local Economic Development, is an author, and his latest contribution is to the book, “Craft Breweries and Cities”. Kevin is a guest lecture and has been recognized with multiple awards including the International Economic Development Council’s Jeffrey A Finkel award.
Quantifying Innovation
Eric Gordon (Stone Brewing), Galen Smith (Malteurop Malting Company), Jeremy Moynier (Stone Brewing), Kyle Somers (Lallemand Brewing), Teddy Gowan (Societe Brewing Company)
Robert Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, is often credited with saying, “If you don’t innovate, You die.”
Join a panel of experts as they dive into the true meaning of innovation in the brewing world. Featuring voices from different corners of our industry, this discussion will uncover what innovation really means to each of them, highlighting both the differences and the common ground. Whether you’re working in the brewhouse or focusing on customer experience, this session aims to spark new ideas and perspectives. Learn how to apply innovative thinking to every part of your brewery, from production to the pint in your customer’s hand.
Learning Objectives:
Examine real-world examples illustrating how Craft Beer Professionals are driving evolution and innovation within the industry
Gain processes to translate innovative thinking into actionable strategies within their own brewery operations, including production processes, customer experience, and overall business practices.
Develop the skills to assess the effectiveness and outcomes of innovation initiatives
Elementary school teacher turned craft brewing industry champion! Erick Gordon joined Stone Brewing in 2006 working in the retail/hospitality department and oversee the beverage program for our two restaurants, four tap rooms and two stores in a cross functional role across Sapporo-Stone Brewing. When he’s not working with one of the greatest teams in the industry, Erick is spending time with his amazing wife and ther two dogs, cat and desert tortoise. He’s an avid hockey player and proud supporter & player in the annual and local Pucks & Pints charity hockey game and beer festival.
Galen Smith serves as the Southeast Technical Sales Manager at Malteurop Malting Company, where he brings valuable expertise and passion to his role. He also is an officer with the District Carolina’s MBAA. With a background of many years as a head production brewer in NC, Galen made a significant career shift to leverage his experience and contribute to the industry as a malt supplier. Guided by his commitment to aiding brewers in utilizing malt effectively, Galen takes great pride in assisting them in optimizing their brewhouses to achieve optimal performance from the malt. His mission is to rekindle the allure of malt, making it captivating and desirable once more.
Jeremy Moynier started his beverage career in wine on the Central Coast of California in 1995 before moving back to his hometown of San Diego and joining Stone Brewing in 2004. Jeremy is part of the Innovation Team which is responsible for new beer development and release, focuses on sensory and quality at the brewery, along with Supply Chain and ingredients. Jeremy is a member of the Hop Research Council, Vice President of Hop Quality Group, Co-Chair of the Brewers Association Supply Chain Subcommittee, and a beer judge for the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup.
Kyle Somers (he/him) is the Technical Sales Manager for California and the Western US for the Lallemand Brewing division, and the current President of the Northern California district of the Master Brewers Association. He holds an International Brewing Diploma from Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and Doemens Academy in Munich, and has ten years of hands-on production brewing experience prior to joining the Lallemand team in 2019, including stints with Firestone Walker, Lagunitas, and Hen House Brewing. He currently lives in Santa Rosa with his wife Kristin and his dog Simcoe. His favorite beer styles are hop forward modern lagers, and when he isn’t hanging around a brewery you can find him backpacking through the Sierras.
Literally starting from the bottom up, Teddy Gowan began his brewing career scrubbing floors at a brewpub in Upstate New York, working his way up to contributing as a brewer. From there, he took a job as the brewmaster at a small brewpub in downtown Shanghai China, before moving to Southern California ten years ago to join Societe Brewing. Teddy has a diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewers and Distillers, is on the board of the Southern California Master Brewers Association. As well as the Co- Chair of the Brewers Association Supply Chain Subcommittee.
Building a Culture of Profit Champions
Drew Kearns (That’s Delicious Financials) and Jeremy Carney (Central Coast Analytics)
As the craft beer industry matures, developing a professional financial skillset and spreading financial literacy among your team will become a key differentiator for success. This session will equip attendees with the tools and steps to analyze profitability by department, communicate financial results effectively, and delegate financial tasks. Whether you prefer handling finances independently, with professional assistance, or through outsourcing, this session will provide thought-provoking ways to up-level your team’s financial skillset.
Learning Objectives
Analyzing Profitability by Department to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
Communicating Financial Results to teach financial literacy and identify actions that move the needle
Participants will understand the pros and cons of managing financial tasks on their own, with the help of a professional, or by outsourcing, enabling them to choose the best approach for their brewery.
Drew Kearns is a beverage business specialist and, more importantly, a consumer. He is passionate about helping beverage companies grow economically sustainable businesses. He started That’s Delicious Financials with a focus on bringing accounting expertise to emerging beverage brands through technology and low-cost bookkeeping. His experience in designing accounting processes for high-growth technology companies and as a brewery Controller gives him the strong foundation to lead breweries in their next decade of growth. Outside of work, he keeps himself busy trying new beverages and traveling to somewhere new.
Jeremy Carney is revolutionizing how craft breweries interact with data. With 20 years of experience in analytics, he develops cutting-edge solutions that provide breweries with critical performance insights at their fingertips. His work enables clients to gain a comprehensive overview of their business and quickly uncover actionable insights. Jeremy’s passion lies in transforming data from a challenge into a strategic advantage, empowering breweries to make smarter, data-driven decisions.
How to Make Money in a Declining Industry
Sam Holloway (Crafting A Strategy)
The beer industry is fixated on sales and volume growth as best practices and primary goals. Firms are urged to always play offense. But that can be a recipe for disaster, especially when the pie is getting smaller. What is good strategy in a declining industry? We identify four business models that allow firms of any size to thrive in declining industries. We offer case studies from small and independent breweries in Oregon and California, plus global giant Guinness. The key target becomes margin growth, through pursuing economies of scope and embracing less rivalrous markets and channels.
Learning Objectives:
Learn the difference between accounting standards and strategic thinking in declining industries with a discussion of percent margins vs. dollar margins.
Strategic Forbearance – In declining industries, sometimes the best move is the one you don’t make.
The best wholesale channel strategies in declining industriesIt focus on product range and not on product features – being easy to buy from and reliable matters more than innovation.
Sam Holloway is the Bay Area Distinguished Professor of Management & Entrepreneurship at the University of Portland. His research has been published in Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Harvard Business Review’s digital site, Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, Academy of Marketing Science Review, and Journal of Business Venturing Insights, among others. A small brewery owner and consultant himself, Holloway has spent the last twenty years interviewing brewery owners, wholesalers, and consumers to learn how small breweries can succeed despite most economic forces opposing them. Holloway’s panel will include brewery owners from USA and Europe.
Alternative Revenue Streams for Your Taproom
Aaron Gore (Arryved), Dustin Hauck (Hauck Architecture), Kristen Ballinger (AleSmith Brewing Company), Tyson Blake (San Diego Brewing Company)
Beer is the reason for your taproom’s existence, but it is far from its only value, both to customers and to your business. From the design of the space, to private events, to food programs and more, there is endless potential between your four walls that is simply waiting to be made real. In this panel, moderator Aaron MJ Gore of Arryved sits down with some of the country’s most successful taproom managers, brewery architects, and owners to explore how to use your taproom to make your business as successful and effective as possible.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will learn about the impact of taproom design on its ability to be used for a variety of revenue-generating purposes
Attendees will learn about the different ways to leverage their taproom for revenue generation that don’t necessarily involve only their beer
Attendees will learn how to run a successful events program, food program, and non-beer beverage program
Aaron MJ Gore is the Director of Partnerships and Community for Arryved, helping to connect craft breweries with the tools and resources that they need to succeed. With a decade of sales, retail management, and business analytic experience in the craft beverage industry, he loves the opportunities that he has every day to make a difference for small business owners across the country. He is also a co-founder of the Court Shoes Only and Evergreen Brewing Initiative non-profits, and a board member for the upcoming American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. He is an Advanced Cicerone, Certified Pommelier, Certified Cheese Scholar, WSET Level 2 Spirits Certified, and is (AF)(NA) Beer Certified. Additionally, he is an active industry advocate, public speaker, beer educator, and the father of two daughters who are the true passion of his life.
After working for another firm for 11 years designing custom homes and boutique hotels, Dustin Hauck decided to start his own firm in 2010 with a dedication to listening to and serving clients in creative and innovative ways. Stemming from a long time membership in the QUAFF homebrew club, Dustin delved into the world of brewery design in 2012. Since then, Hauck Architecture has participated in over 275 craft beverage projects across the country. With a passion for the industry, Dustin thrives on providing professional design and support services with unparalleled experience. In his spare time, Dustin enjoys exploring new breweries and venturing into the outdoors whether it be exploring the backcountry by offroading, fly fishing, and surfing, or just hanging out with good friends.
Kristen Ballinger is the Marketing Manager at AleSmith Brewing Company, where she has been with the team since May 2019. She began her journey in the Tasting Room and transitioned to the Marketing department at the end of 2020. Before joining AleSmith, Kristen managed Taproom and Marketing Operations at Listermann Brewing Company in Cincinnati. Her extensive background also includes years of experience in the restaurant and bar industry, focusing on promotions and event management.
2024 State of the Black Brewer: Leveraging Diversity as a Source for Economic Good
Kevin Asato (National Black Brewers Association)
This session is a review of the “2024 State of The Black Brewers” Report. It offers a comprehensive data analysis of the current health and trajectory of Black-owned breweries within the craft beer industry. This pivotal document dives into the unique challenges these breweries face, chronicles the notable successes and milestones achieved by the National Black Brewers Association, and provides in-depth insights and actionable recommendations to foster growth and sustainability. It serves as an essential resource for understanding the landscape, advocating for equity, and driving meaningful progress within the craft beer community.
Learning Objectives:
Inform – Provide a context and landscape of the Black Brewer. Share the unique and unconscious bias that affect the road to successful brewery ownership. When these biases are identified and known, the work to undo those biases can begin.
Diversity – An economic force of good for the craft beer industry. How can you bring diversity into your space or how can you add diversity yourself? Diversity isn’t simply about race or color, so how do we add diversity without trying to be all things to all people.
Kevin Asato is a 30-year beverage industry expert with diverse experience in Adult Beverage, Non-Alcoholic Beverages, and Carbonated Soft Drinks. He is credentialed as a Certified Spirit Specialist (CSS), WSET Wine Level 1, and working on his Cicerone Certification. His tenure with Anheuser Busch, Miller Brewing, PepsiCo, Dr. Pepper Snapple, Bacardi USA, and Republic National Distributing has enabled him to develop and execute Sales, Marketing, and Distribution plans across multiple channels in both state and national capacities.
Leading the NB2A has been an ideal opportunity to cultivate an association’s mission which directly aligns with his core values and taps into his experiences and skills. He’s honored to be selected as the first Executive Director and to build the foundation that will fuel the growth of Black owned breweries, membership into the organization and celebrate the history and accomplishments of the Black Brewers of America. In his first year, he has been recognized as 2023 Beer Champion of the Year, 2024 Most Influential people in Craft Beer and 2024 Top 75 People in Adult Beverage.
Tap Talks: 3 18-minute sessions on critical topics
What Video Games Can Teach Us About Marketing
Chris Overlay (Owner/Founder, Get Hoptimized)
Inside the simulated world of a video game, we encounter situations where players interact and use strategies to gain experience and accomplish objectives. Such is the case in marketing; this real-world environment is full of iterative games that we strive to win. So grab your controller, and let’s learn how to improve our marketing game. Ready to play?
Diverting Waste & Fermenting Change in the Craft Beverage Industry
Romi Rossel (Co-Founder & VP, San Diego Brewcycling Collaborative)
Craft brewers and their suppliers play a vital role in sustainability and environmental stewardship, and it’s crucial that we all recognize the need for more comprehensive measures to combat the plastic waste generated within our industry. Craft beer is more than just crafting beverages; it’s woven into our culture, giving back to and engaging with our communities. Given its significance, we believe it’s equally important to take responsibility for reducing our carbon footprint and contributing to the betterment of our planet.
In this session, we’ll share our experiences, success stories, and the BREWprint for our recycling programs, empowering attendees to take action in their own communities. We’ll also introduce tools to help business owners align with the triple bottom line, making a substantial impact in diverting plastic waste from landfills and fermenting positive change in the craft beverage industry.
Make Your Brewery Stronger: How Clear Roles Help Your Team Win
Jessica Hart (Owner and Founder, Hart Consulting)
Success in the brewery industry requires more than just great beer; it demands a team that understands how what they do contributes to the overall growth of the business. In this Tap Talk, Jessica Hart will introduce her unique approach to turning every employee into a business owner with a clear understanding of their role. By bringing your business strategy to the team and centering it around five essential pillars that fuel your brewery’s success, you’ll see how connecting jobs to these pillars ensures that every team member knows exactly what they need to do to drive the business forward.
It’s not as complex as it sounds, and the ROI is nearly instant. We’ll quickly shift your employees from a transactional “clock in, clock out” mentality to one where coaching and accountability are seamless. Walk away with a practical framework and an engaging activity that you can implement immediately to strengthen your brewery’s foundation.
Open to Innovation: What We Can Learn from Outside the Beer Industry
Moderator: Erik Fowler (San Diego Brewers Guild)
Panelists: Darcy Shiber-Knowles (Dr. Bronner’s), Esjay Jones (KittiePIG, INC/We Are PIGS), Jason Wilson (Gallus Golf), Mike Arquines (Mostra Coffee)
“Creativity is the focused combination of unlikely things. Your mind locks onto a certain element and then searches widely for something unexpected that fits with it. What can scuba diving teach you about agriculture? What can trees teach you about public speaking? There is always some connective tissue between disciplines. If you wish to be more creative, look for the connections between two previously unconnected things.”
That quote, by James Clear from ‘Atomic Habits,’ nails it. If we continuously look to each other as our only source of inspiration, we risk becoming an echo chamber of sameness.
In this conversation, we will hear from guests who do not work in the beer industry. We will learn their stories, hear their challenges, discover similarities, gain outside-the-box ideas, and ask unique questions to inspire you to greater success.
Learning Objectives:
Hear real-world stories and challenges from professionals outside the beer industry, providing practical examples of how overcoming obstacles and applying fresh perspectives can lead to success
Recognize and apply innovative concepts from unrelated fields to the beverage industry.
Break free from conventional thinking patterns by examining how unconventional practices and ideas from other sectors can inspire novel approaches in their work.
Darcy Shiber-Knowles is Vice President of Operational Sustainability and Innovation at Dr. Bronner’s, the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America. She joined Dr. Bronner’s in 2013 and oversees Dr. Bronner’s technical service and product development functions, including Sustainability, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and Research & Development. She also proudly served on the Board of Slow Food Urban San Diego, which launched the SD Brewcycling Collaborative and The Estate Beer Project, two initiatives advancing sustainability and innovation in the San Diego craft beer community. Darcy received her BA in Environmental Science from Barnard College and her MBA from the Yale School of Management.
Erik Fowler is a Certified Cicerone with over a decade of experience in the craft beer industry. His career spans roles in craft beer sales and production, including positions at Stone Brewing Company and ChuckAlek Independent Brewers. Erik spent nine years as Head of Education and Craft Hospitality at White Labs, where he championed brewing education programs and White Labs Brewing Co. Erik also has served as an instructor for San Diego State University and UC San Diego in their beer and brewing programs. He serves as Executive Director for the San Diego Brewers Guild, bringing his expertise to the San Diego and national beer communities and fostering relevance and excitement in the industry.
Esjay Jones is a founder, producer, songwriter, engineer and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in and around the music industry.
She has worked with renowned artists like Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Nile Rodgers (Chic), Dave Navarro (Jane’s addiction), Brian “Head” Welch (Korn) , Sean Kingston, Chester Bennington (Grey Daze) and many more, producing, writing, and engineering songs across various genres, from rock and pop to metal and trap.
As the founder of KittiePIG, a non-alcoholic beer brand that caters to the heavy music connoisseur and health-conscious individuals, Esjay combines her passion for metal and healthy lifestyle. She co-created KittiePIG with Morgan Lander of KITTIE, a fellow metal vocalist and musician, to fill a gap in the market and offer a unique and desirable product.
Esjay is also the creator of We Are PIGS, a collaborative alt-metal project that features some of the biggest names in rock and metal.
Jason Wilson is a Partner at The SwitchCase Group and co-founder of Gallus Golf, where he serves as CEO. Since its inception in 2012, Gallus has revolutionized the golf industry by becoming the leading provider of custom-branded mobile app software for golf courses, proudly partnering with nearly 900 courses across the globe.
Residing in sunny San Diego, Jason enjoys life with his wife and two daughters. When he’s not leading innovation in the golf tech space, you’ll find him on the golf course, savoring some craft beer, coaching his daughters’ softball teams, or cheering on the Padres.
Originally from the Bay Area in Northern California, Chef Mike Arquines moved to San Diego in 2001 to attend Nursing School. With only a few more classes left until graduation to become a registered nurse, Mike realized his true passion was cooking and followed his heart into dropping out of nursing school and enrolling in the Art Institute in San Diego, graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts/Management. Mike honed his skills working in some of the finest kitchens around the country, including Charlie Trotters in Chicago and Le Bernardin in New York City. In 2009, he founded The LAB: Dining Sessions, which aims to deliver an uncompromised dining experience, and in 2013, co-founded Mostra Coffee, an award-winning specialty coffee micro-roaster in San Diego. In 2020, Mostra Coffee won the prestigious “Micro Roaster Of The Year” award by Roast Magazine and in 2024 became one of the Top 100 small businesses in America by the U.S. Chamber Of Commerce.
Thrive in 2025: How Strong Leadership Can Make or Break Your Brewery
Pulkit K Agrawal (Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient)
In the presentation “Thrive in 2025: How Strong Leadership Can Make or Break Your Brewery”, Pulkit K. Agrawal (PKA), Founder & CEO of Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient, will dive in on the critical role that the executive team at a brewery has at successively navigating this difficult industry downturn. It is during these times that strong and effective leadership becomes paramount to pivot and thrive.
As breweries make their business plans to optimize operations in 2025, Pulkit will dive in on topics of Operational Growth, Empowering Teams and Giving Tools to Managers to Help them Succeed, and Managing Failures. Pulkit will then explain how attendees can equip managers with a framework for Data Management and Profit Analysis to develop KPIs for their brewery, while looking at profitability metrics.
Pulkit will dive into the power of executive coaching and how all top performing executives should work with a coach. He will wrap up by providing real-world examples of how The 5th Ingredient has been using these techniques into their own business planning and the development of their leadership team and employees. From team building to motivation strategies, Pulkit will offer practical strategies for cultivating a team-oriented and results-driven workforce, especially during the evolving difficult brewery landscape that we know will be coming in 2025.
Learning Objectives:
Gain an understanding of how to develop KPIs for their brewery.
Acquire resources for developing frameworks for data management and profit analysis.
Achieve a better understanding of team activities and executive coaching.
Pulkit K. Agrawal (PKA) is the Founder and CEO of Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient®, a leading brewery operations management software aimed at enhancing beer quality and consistency. After graduating from Harvard College, PKA began working as a Process Engineer for Ballast Point Brewing, where he focused on packaging lines and nitrogen beer. In January 2018, PKA launched Beer30®, a brewery data management system that offers grain-to-glass process and quality data tracking, while expanding beyond the standard inventory tracking of other systems. Beer30 focuses on real-time brewing data input, raw material inventory, cost of goods analysis, quality and sensory tracking, sales and distribution, and accounting integration. Beer30 is currently in over 450 breweries globally, helping to #BrewMoreBeer and #BrewBetterBeer across the world. In December 2022, PKA was selected into the Forbes 30 Under 30, Class of 2023, in the Food and Drink category. In his free time, PKA enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and doing entrepreneurship coaching.
How to Create A More Efficient Taproom Experience
Moderator: Ron Nelson (Arryved)
Panelists: Brandon Stirewalt (Town Brewing Co.), Dan Callendar (Salty Turtle Beer Co.), Kiel Arrington (Vaulted Oak Brewing Company)
Hear from a panel of experienced taproom managers and brewery owners as they share real-world insights into running smoother, more profitable taprooms. These industry pros will discuss how to streamline operations with smart technology, track key performance metrics to boost efficiency, empower staff with effective tools, and keep inventory and production in sync. This engaging conversation is packed with actionable tips for anyone looking to elevate their taproom experience.
Learning Objectives:
Learn how to streamline service to reduce wait times and create a smoother guest experience.
Discover ways to track and analyze performance metrics that help optimize taproom operations and profitability.
Explore techniques to empower your staff and ensure every shift runs efficiently and effectively.
Brandon Stirewalt is the Director of Operations at Town Brewing Co., bringing extensive experience from various breweries across the Carolinas. A proud North Carolina native, he has deep ties to the state and has lived in Charlotte since attending UNC Charlotte. Brandon’s passion for craft beer goes beyond the beverage itself; he values the community and culture it fosters. Outside of work, he enjoys live music, often with great company. His love for craft beer and the arts reflects his commitment to celebrating the unique experiences and vibrant local culture of North Carolina.
Daniel Callender is a founder and co-owner of Salty Turtle Beer Company in Surf City, established in 2017. He takes on the role of General Manager for the company and heads operations at their new satellite taproom in Raleigh. Originally from San Diego, CA and former United States Marine, he now calls this beautiful state home. Daniel enjoys spending time with his Wife, Son, and cycling around town.
Ron Nelson is the VP of Sales at Arryved, helping provide innovative solutions for the craft beverage industry. With a background in scaling software companies, Ron brings a deep passion for helping craft makers thrive. Drawn to the creativity and connection that define the craft community, he is committed to supporting breweries, taprooms, and beyond with tools that fuel their success. Under his leadership, Arryved continues to champion the unique needs of craft businesses, ensuring they have the technology to serve guests seamlessly and grow sustainably.
Building Beer Destinations: Lessons from Charlotte and Beyond
Moderator: Nils Weldy (Rhode Island Brewers Guild)
Panelists: Adam Glover (Legion Brewing), Allison Soderberg (Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority), Jacob Virgil (NoDa Brewing Company)
Cities like Denver, San Diego, and Portland set the standard as early beer meccas, but today, new waves of strong beer destinations are emerging. A decade ago, CBP didn’t exist and Charlotte wasn’t on most of our radars as a top-notch beer city. This session will spotlight Charlotte’s rise as a top 10 beer city, exploring the key factors that contributed to its growth, from community collaboration to branding and infrastructure.
Panelists will discuss what makes a city thrive as a beer destination, offering actionable insights for breweries, guilds, and city leaders on how to cultivate a vibrant beer culture that attracts visitors, supports local businesses, and strengthens community ties.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the collaborative, branding, and infrastructure strategies behind thriving beer destinations.
Learn actionable steps to attract visitors, support local businesses, and build community.
Apply lessons from Charlotte’s success to enhance both your brewery and your region’s beer culture.
Adam Glover, Brewer at Legion Brewing (Charlotte, NC), has over a decade in the craft beer industry. His experience spans Head Brewer roles at Seaboard Brewing and Natty Greene’s Brewpub, Co-Owner/Brewer at Salud Cerveceria, and brewing positions at Fonta Flora, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, and Natty Greene’s Production Brewery. A consultant for breweries in planning and operation, he also holds a BFA in Graphic Design with a background in furniture retail and branding, including designing the Apprentice logo and Five Guys’ menu board. His favorite beer style is saisons, and he enjoys pairing Sauvignon Blanc with oysters.
As Director of Brand Marketing for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, Allison Soderberg promotes the region as a destination for visitors and locals, a host city for meetings and a site for sporting events. She leads brand marketing and communications across the CRVA, encompassing the Charlotte Convention Center, Bojangles Entertainment Complex, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Spectrum Center, Charlotte Regional Film Commission and Visit Charlotte, in conjunction with the destination marketing brand, ‘Charlotte.’
Prior to the CRVA, Allison held roles with the Washington Nationals, Charlotte Hornets and Live Nation. A graduate of Miami University, Allison and her husband have two daughters.
Before officially joining the craft beer industry in 2021 as the Director of Strategic Development for NoDa Brewing Co., Jacob Virgil had a nearly decade long career leading teams in marketing, operations, and sales for a international media company based out of Charlotte. Since joining NoDa Brewing Co. in ’21, Jacob has had the privelege and responsibility to build on the shoulders of giants to continue growing his family business. He is joined in this mission by Chad Henderson (Head Brewer, Co-Owner), Matt Virgil (Director of Operations, Co-Owner), and a best in class team who care deeply about NoDa and the craft beer industry. Outside of the brewery you’re likely to find Jacob spending time outdoors with his wife, daughter, and dog.
Nils Weldy launched Nils Weldy & Associates (NWA) in 2010 to design and execute experiential events. NWA created the Queen City Brewers Festival, celebrating Charlotte’s craft beverage producers and benefiting community organizations. In 2021, NWA developed “Court Shoes Only”, a beer supporting ACEing Autism programs with participation from 75 Carolinas breweries. Nils served as Executive Director of the Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance (CIBA) from 2017, which prepared him for his current role as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Brewers Guild. Previously, he worked in sales and marketing for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, NBA’s Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets.
Finding Success in the Transformation Economy
Corey Lord (Lord CPAS)
Experiences are all the buzz in the brewing industry right now, and they should be. But what if providing experiences is only the current phase along the path of providing even more value to guests? Well, this is the case. In order to stay ahead of the game, breweries need to know what is next on the economic offering curve and be ready to adapt to shifting consumer demands. The next frontier for breweries to explore and make a stand is the transformation economy. More and more customers are demanding experiences that not only are enjoyable but also address their personal growth needs and fulfillment in their interactions with businesses, and breweries are no exception.
Breweries are uniquely positioned to provide a transformative experience through education, special events, sustainability practices, being a third space for communities, and much more.
We’ll explore ways breweries can leverage the transformation economy to impact their business and positively track their success and challenges. We’ll also cover different tactics and strategies and how they can influence their financial outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the different types of economic offerings (goods and services, experiences, and transformations) and how they apply to guests and team alike.
Recognize key opportunities and strategies in the brewing industry to move into the transformation economy.
Gain ways to measure success in the transformation economy.
Corey Lord, CPA, is the CEO of Lord CPAs. Lord CPAs is an accounting, finance, and advisory firm and agency for the craft hospitality industry. We transform craft hospitality businesses into platforms for wealth generation and fulfillment for owners, team, and community alike by being the financial leader that these businesses need.
Crowdsourced: A Collaborative Hour of Problem Solving
CBP Connects attendees continually list the ability to connect and learn from others as a highlight from our workshops. We are excited to host a session dedicated to learning from your peers. In this session, we will field questions from you and then develop the best solutions together. Plan to walk away with strategies to problems many of us are facing and best practices to improve brewery operations. Together, we can grow stronger.
Learning Objectives:
Build new relationships that you can reach out to with future questions
Collaborate with your peers to solve problems faced by other Craft Beer Professionals
Discover new strategies and solutions to help you see greater success at your brewery
The Role of Flavor in 2026
Panelists: Andrew Burman (Other Half Brewing), Katie McNulty (Revolution Brewing), Nic Bortolin (Amoretti)
Moderator: Jason Pratt (Cicerone)
Consumer expectations are shifting faster than ever. Preferences around flavor, style, experience, and even the role a brewery plays in a community evolve with every new trend on tap. In this conversation, a mix of sensory experts, market analysts, and brewery leaders will break down the flavors and drinking occasions winning today, what is starting to fade, and what signals point to the next wave of demand. From nostalgia to premiumization, from beyond-beer beverages to zero proof options, we will explore the choices guests are making and why. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of where the market is heading and practical ideas to keep their taplist and taproom aligned with consumer behavior.
Learning Objectives:
Develop actionable strategies to align taplists, product development, and taproom programming with evolving flavor expectations to increase relevance, repeat visits, and spend.
Identify the flavor profiles and drinking occasions gaining momentum in 2026 and understand the consumer motivations driving those choices.
Recognize early signals of shifting demand, including what styles, ingredients, and experiences may be plateauing or declining.
Evaluate how trends like nostalgia, premiumization, beyond beer beverages, and zero proof options are influencing purchasing behavior across different guest segments.
Andrew Burman, co-founded Other Half Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York, in 2014. Serving as the Chief Operating Officer, Burman oversees the brewery’s daily operations. His journey into the culinary and brewing world began after earning a degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, where he also played lacrosse. Pursuing his passion for food, he went to L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, MD. To deepen his understanding of food systems, Burman obtained a Master’s degree in Food Culture and Food Systems from New York University. Since Other Half’s establishment, the brewery has expanded beyond Brooklyn, opening locations in New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, the Finger Lakes, and Buffalo. Burman’s commitment to quality and innovation has been instrumental in Other Half’s growth and its reputation for pushing the boundaries of beer and brewing culture.
Jason Pratt is a Master Cicerone®, and the President/Owner of the Cicerone® Certification Program. He is a recognized business leader and innovator whose career in beer spans more than 17 years, with roles in both the technical and commercial sides of the industry. After passing the Master Cicerone® exam in 2015, he transitioned from leading beer education efforts for Molson Coors to the marketing team, where he was Director of Beverage Innovation for North America. In that role, he developed several successful brands that launched both domestically and internationally.
Katie McNulty is the Director of Marketing at Revolution Brewing, where she leads marketing strategy across the brewery’s craft beer and THC-infused beverage portfolios. Katie began her career in advertising, spending eight years at global agencies developing campaigns for leading brands such as Anheuser-Busch, High Noon, UnitedHealthcare and Kellogg’s. The majority of her career was spent working across the Anheuser-Busch craft and import portfolio, as well as iconic lager brand families — Michelob Ultra, Bud Light, Budweiser, and Stella Artois. Her passion for craft beer and deep love for the city of Chicago brought her to Revolution Brewing in April 2023.
Nic Bortolin has enjoyed a 15-year career as a Head Brewer throughout Southern California, two decades of homebrewing experience, and is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild Brewing Science and Engineering program. His dedication to quality and innovation has earned him a total of 8 GABF and World Beer Cup awards, recognition as California Craft Brewery of the Year, and numerous local and international awards. Nic’s decade-long history as an Amoretti customer highlights his strong trust in the brand. He now guides brewers on how to optimize the use of Amoretti’s extensive industry-leading catalogue of premium brewing ingredients. He plays a crucial role in the research and development of new products and is a free resource for brewers looking to develop new award-winning recipes.
Tap Talks: 3 18-minute sessions on critical topics
Moving Forward by Looking Back
Marty Nachel (American Craft Beer Hall of Fall, Nachel Beer Education)
For years craft beer thrived by being the new shiny thing. Constant innovation, new styles, new experiences. But long before “craft,” brewers were already building loyal communities around their beer. This session looks at traditional brewing and pub culture from centuries past and what it can still teach today’s breweries. From education and storytelling to creating a sense of belonging in the taproom, we will explore how looking backward can help breweries strengthen customer relationships, build deeper loyalty, and create better guest experiences now.
better trainings workshops. better teams.
Mickey Bryant (Black and Brew chicago)
As the craft beer industry evolves, great beer alone isn’t enough. This session introduces a mindset shift from traditional training to interactive, performance-based workshops that drive real behavior change. Think less lecture, more hands-on experiences that save time, strengthen team culture, double as team-building, and help staff show up with confidence in every customer interaction.
We’ll also explore DEI through a practical lens: Deliberate, Empathy, and Impact. Move beyond manuals and into real-world application with simple, intentional actions that create more inclusive, memorable experiences. When teams shift how they show up, breweries move from serving beer to creating experiences customers come back for.
How to Not Do Tasting Wrong
Randy Mosher (Author, Your tasting brain: A Sensory Approach to Wine, Beer, and Other Pleasures)
We’ve all been taught to taste beer in a particular way and have improved over time with practice. Generally, that’s served us pretty well. But to reach the next level, it’s helpful to know a little more about how our sensory systems and mind operate. Whatever you’ve known in the past, recent research has revealed many mysteries and identified flaws and limitations in common practice. Having spent six years digging into the latest science, I’ve uncovered a few fascinating insights that should both make tasting more effective and explain why most of us struggle with certain aspects of it.
Bitter Honesty: How Malört Turned Hate Into a Disruptive Brand Strategy
Anna Sokratov and Zach Jarosz (CH Distillery, home of Jeppson’s Malört)
Malört is a cultural phenomenon built on wormwood, Chicago grit, and the kind of brutal honesty you can taste. In this session, Malört’s marketing and leadership team will unpack how a once-niche shot grew into a nationally recognized brand without changing the recipe or compromising its identity. We’ll share the origin story behind one of America’s most infamously polarizing beverages and dig into why embracing the hate can be a powerful tool rather than a liability.
Attendees will learn how Malört continues to find growth in a market where consumers are drinking less overall – yet not drinking less Malört – by leaning into curiosity, self-deprecating humor, and genuine storytelling. We’ll discuss how packaging innovations, unique collaborations, national distribution expansion, and a cult-like social following have led to success.
Most of all, this session is about empowering brands to be authentically themselves. When you start owning your voice, you cut through the noise. Attendees will walk away entertained, educated and armed with tangible examples for building brand loyalty, one shot at a time.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will learn how brand authenticity, even when it’s polarizing, can be a strategic advantage that drives cultural relevance, loyalty, and growth.
CH Distillery is the home of Jeppson’s Malört, the famously bitter Chicago spirit turned national phenomenon. Director of Marketing Anna Sokratov has been instrumental in transforming Malört’s polarizing reputation into a strategic advantage, using sharp, irreverent storytelling to turn skeptics into loyalists. Director of Operations Zach Jarosz, a lifelong Chicagoan and Malört superfan-turned-maker, brings deep experience in food manufacturing and supply chain, plus an unshakable love for the Bears, to the operation. Together, the team champions authenticity and the belief that great brands stand boldly, unapologetically apart from the pack.
Signal vs Noise: Making Better Decisions When Everything Competes for Attention
Jake Keyes (Skydance Brewing)
Brewery owners are constantly surrounded by reports, opinions, benchmarks, and instincts, all competing for attention. This session explores how leaders separate signal from noise when making real business decisions. Grounded in real world experience, the conversation will highlight practical strategies owners can use to prioritize initiatives, pressure test ideas, and decide where to focus limited time and resources. Rather than tracking more metrics, attendees will leave with clearer ways to interpret information, ask better questions, and make more confident decisions in a resource constrained environment.
Learning Objectives:
Better separate useful signal from the noise that comes from reports, benchmarks, opinions, and instincts
Pressure test ideas and initiatives to decide what’s actually worth their limited time and resources
Ask better questions and feel more confident about where to focus, even when the data is messy or incomplete
Jake Keyes graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in journalism and spent ten years working in tribal gaming before founding Skydance Brewing in 2018. The brewery began in a co-op space and opened its own location in October 2021. In 2023, Keyes was elected Chairman of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma for a three-year term. His recent honors include being named one of Native Business Magazine’s Top 50 Native Entrepreneurs, recognized among the OKC Metro’s Most Influential by 405 Business Magazine, and Skydance being selected as one of Hop Culture Magazine’s Top 12 New Breweries in America in 2021.
The Wild, Wild West: Preparing for the Next Frontier
The beer industry is entering uncharted territory. New constraints, emerging technologies, and changing consumer expectations mean breweries can no longer rely on the playbook of the past. This panel will dig into how to plan ahead, innovate with purpose, and recognize the next drivers of success. You’ll hear honest perspectives on doing more with less, building awareness without big budgets, and resourcing for growth. The conversation will also explore innovation beyond beer, why it can be healthy to get smaller, and how to strengthen your community while balancing business expectations in an unpredictable market.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the key shifts reshaping the beer industry and why old growth playbooks no longer apply
Learn how to plan, prioritize, and innovate when resources are limited and uncertainty is high
Understand practical ways breweries can build awareness and momentum without large marketing budgets
Explore when getting smaller, more focused, or more local can be a strategic move that strengthens both the business and the community
Doug Veliky is a CPA who led Internal Audit at Reyes Holdings from 2009-2016. His love of craft beer led him to create his social media presence under the handle @beeraficionado, as well as his industry Substack Beer Crunchers. Content helped open the opportunity to join Revolution Brewing as their CFO in 2016, then eventually evolve into their CMO in 2021. This past year, Doug joined BrightBev as a Partner, where he and his partner Jeff work with early stage start-up beverage founders on their route to market strategies and execution. Doug continues to actively create content and in late 2025, Beer Crunchers won Best Blog / Newsletter from the NA Guild of Beer Writers.
Matt Steinke is the Head of Sales at Go Brewing, where he leads commercial strategy and distribution expansion for one of the emerging brands in the non-alcoholic beer space. With a career spanning leadership roles at Anheuser-Busch InBev and Rhinegeist Brewery, Steinke brings deep expertise in scaling brands, building wholesaler networks, and executing go-to-market strategies. He also has a strong background in national accounts, developing partnerships with key retailers and driving alignment across large-scale customers. Known for his high-energy leadership style and strategic mindset, he plays a key role in expanding Go Brewing’s presence in the rapidly evolving NA beverage category.
Tim Hohl spent more than two decades telling other people’s stories on the radio before deciding to build something of his own: a brewery, and the stories that came with it. As the founder of Coin Toss Brewing in Oregon City, Tim built a neighborhood taproom from the ground up before returning to his storytelling roots. His latest project, The Narrative Studio, helps breweries and small businesses capture and use their stories, work that extends to collecting oral histories for the Oregon Hops and Beer Archive at Oregon State University. Tim lives in West Linn with his wife Val, and when he’s not chasing a good story, you’ll find him on his bike, in his garden, or at a baseball game with a balanced IPA in hand.
Tracey Ireland is the Vice President of Marketing at Rhinegeist Brewery, Ohio’s largest craft brewery and one of the Top 20 independent craft breweries in the U.S. She joined Rhinegeist in 2015 as the company’s first marketing leader, working directly with the founder to build and scale the brand across new categories, brands, and channels.
Today, Tracey leads brand, creative, content, digital, and eCommerce, partnering with sales, production, and executive leadership to drive portfolio strategy, new brand development, and go-to-market execution. She is known for strong judgment and collaborative leadership, with a deep belief that strong brands are built by strong teams.
Open to Innovation: What We Can Learn from Outside the Beer Industry
Panelists: Aaron Campos (Dark Matter Coffee), Andy Blackburn (Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field Events), Brendan Kelly (The Lawrence Arms)
Moderator: Dan Abel (Pilot Project)
“Creativity is the focused combination of unlikely things. Your mind locks onto a certain element and then searches widely for something unexpected that fits with it. What can scuba diving teach you about agriculture? What can trees teach you about public speaking? There is always some connective tissue between disciplines. If you wish to be more creative, look for the connections between two previously unconnected things.”
That quote, by James Clear from ‘Atomic Habits,’ nails it. If we continuously look to each other as our only source of inspiration, we risk becoming an echo chamber of sameness.
In this conversation, we will hear from guests who do not work in the beer industry. We will learn their stories, hear their challenges, discover similarities, gain outside-the-box ideas, and ask unique questions to inspire you to greater success.
Learning Objectives:
Hear real-world stories and challenges from professionals outside the beer industry, providing practical examples of how overcoming obstacles and applying fresh perspectives can lead to success
Recognize and apply innovative concepts from unrelated fields to the beverage industry.
Break free from conventional thinking patterns by examining how unconventional practices and ideas from other sectors can inspire novel approaches in their work.
Aaron Campos has worked in the coffee for 18 years with Dark Matter Coffee. Through this time he has worked as a barista and also in sourcing, roasting, and production of coffee on an intimate level. Today he is Director of Operations for the company assisting in shaping the future of Dark Matter Coffee.
Andy Blackburn joined the Chicago Cubs in June 2010 and was promoted to Vice President of Wrigley Field Events in November 2024. He oversees all commercial activity for non baseball events at Wrigley Field, including live music, public ticketed events, and private events, and brings more than 20 years of media and sports sales experience.
Before joining the Cubs, he was Director of Customer Sales Programs and Sports Sponsorship at Time Warner Cable Media from 2005 to 2010. Earlier roles include affiliate sales at ESPN and The Walt Disney Company, advertising sales with AT&T Media Services, and team sales with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Pistons. He earned a marketing degree from Miami University and lives in Chicago with his wife, Jill, and their two daughters, Charlie and Drew.
Brendan Kelly has been a driving force in Chicago punk rock since his teens. Best known as bassist and co-vocalist of The Lawrence Arms, he built his career on DIY ethos, sharp storytelling, and a healthy dose of irreverent humor. A Northwestern graduate, Kelly also created the viral Nihilist Arby’s persona, blending absurdism with cultural commentary. Whether on stage or online, he brings wit, heart, and an unapologetically independent perspective to every room he steps into.
Dan Abel is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pilot Project Brewing, a beverage incubator based in Chicago and Milwaukee. Described as a “recording studio for the beverage industry,” he has helped launch 23 brands, scaled Pilot to eight-figure revenue, and led its recognition as the #8 fastest-growing food and beverage company by Inc. 5000. Under his leadership, Pilot has expanded to 3 locations—with 2 more on the horizon—and partnered with comedian John Mulaney to create a non-alcoholic brand. Previously, Abel spent five years at Google/YouTube before serving as CMO at Reverb.com, where he helped drive its nine-figure acquisition by Etsy. He lives in Highland Park, Illinois, with his wife, two kids, dog, and an ever-growing guitar collection.
The People and the Process: Real World Tools to Lead, Protect, & Support Your Team
Jessica Hart (Craft HR Pros)
Managing people is hard. Managing people in a brewery — where alcohol is part of the product, teams interact directly with the public, and roles change throughout the day — adds another layer of complexity. In this environment, informal practices and “we’ve always done it this way” decisions can quietly create risk.
This 60-minute interactive session uses real, anonymized brewery stories to show how everyday people decisions can resurface later as audits, investigations, or costly mistakes. Attendees will hear how a misunderstanding — not misconduct — triggered a Department of Labor audit, and why a single undocumented workaround from years earlier resulted in a significant fine. They’ll also explore a story where untracked shift beers and after-hours cleanup led to an investigation, and how unclear boundaries and dishonesty — not alcohol itself — became the real issue.
The session then shifts from stories to action. Leaders will walk through a practical self-check of common people and pay risk areas, including tip credit use, tip and service charge documentation, salaried classification thresholds, and pay stub clarity. Participants will work in table groups to assess a realistic brewery scenario, identify red flags, and discuss how they would respond.
This session is designed to be practical, engaging, and immediately useful — helping brewery leaders leave with clearer instincts, better questions, and simple steps they can take back to their operation.
Learning Objectives:
Understand how everyday shortcuts and missing documentation can create serious risk, and learn what to document, when, and why to protect your business and team.
Learn why informal practices and inconsistent rules create the biggest risk during investigations, and how clearly defining, tracking, and setting boundaries protects both leaders and staff.
Gain a practical checklist to identify common wage, tip, and classification risks and know which questions to ask to reduce exposure and stay compliant.
Jessica Hart, MBA is the founder of JCraft HR Pros where she helps craft beverage and hospitality businesses build people systems that actually work in the real world. Her experience spans large, well-known brands like Heineken and Lagunitas, growing regional producers like CaliCraft, and small, single-brewer operations navigating growth for the first time. Jessica specializes in the in-between space where good intentions, fast growth, and limited process often collide. She supports leaders with HR audits, role clarity, compensation strategy, and practical compliance — always with an eye toward protecting both the business and the people behind it.
Known for her relatable stories and straight-talk approach, Jessica brings a mix of humor, honesty, and real-world lessons to every room. She believes clear processes make it easier to lead, easier to scale, and easier to keep good people — especially in an industry built on community.
Turning Taproom Regulars Into Super Fans
Panelists: Cody Lannom (Cedar City Brewing Company), Kevin ‘Swirv’ Irvin (Atlantucky), Sarah Purvis (Nurvis Purvis)
Moderator: Ross Stensrud (TapWyse)
What if you never had another new customer? How would you make your current audience even more valuable?
In this session, we’ll focus on actionable strategies to help you increase guest spending, build loyalty, and keep people coming back more often. From creative promotions to enhancing the guest experience, you’ll walk away with tools to drive higher revenue per visitor. Discover the power of focusing on your current audience and turning them into passionate super fans. It’s about making every guest count.
Learning Objectives:
Learn practical ways to increase guest check averages and drive repeat visits through loyalty programs, memorable events, front of house training, and continuous improvement in the guest experience
Explore creative strategies from brewery owners on how to strengthen loyalty and turn casual visitors into passionate super fans
Understand how to identify meaningful guest experience signals and use them to improve consistency, recognize strong performance, and make smarter decisions across the business
Walk away with a clear playbook of customer experience strategies you can put into action right away to boost spending and repeat visits from your current audience
Cody Lannom is one of three Operating Partners at Cedar City Brewing, a fast-casual hospitality and beverage production brand based in Lebanon, Tennessee, serving more than 65,000 guests annually and generating over $2.5M in gross revenue. He leads guest acquisition, brand development, and community-focused programming, with responsibilities spanning brand management, digital marketing, loyalty initiatives, live events, merchandising, packaging, and wholesale distribution.
He has built and operated a self-distributed wholesale program for packaged kegs and cans, produced ticketed events and large-scale festivals in partnership with the local municipality, and remains closely involved in brewing operations, compliance, and regulatory oversight. He also serves on the board of the Tennessee Brewers Guild.
Kevin “Swirv” Irvin is a nationally recognized advocate for equity in craft beer. A Pittsburgh native rooted in Atlanta by way of West Palm Beach, Florida, he serves as President of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild—the first Black president of any state brewers guild in U.S. history. He is Co-Owner of Draught Season, a craft beer lifestyle brand, Operations Manager at Atlantucky Brewing, and Director of Strategy for the Crafted For Action Craft Beverage Conference. Kevin builds culture-driven campaigns that fuse beer with community, fashion, and music—expanding opportunity, visibility, and ownership across the industry nationwide.
Ross Stensrud accidentally graduated from UCSD while studying lacrosse and spending plenty of time at O’Brien’s. After a brief stint designing pool cleaners (yes, really) in an effort to justify the cost of his degree, he pivoted and began recruiting smart friends to help build app marketing tech for local businesses—starting with music, then golf, and now craft beer with TapWyse. He lives in Carlsbad with his wife Laurel and their two boys, Roscoe (11) and Mason (9). When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him biking down PCH or shuttling his kids to basketball, golf, music, and skateboarding.
Sarah Purvis is the co-owner of Nurvis Purvis Brewing Co. in Carlsbad, New Mexico. With a background in graphic design and marketing, she focuses on building a brand rooted in creativity and community. As a veteran and entrepreneur, she’s passionate about creating spaces that feel welcoming, unique, and memorable.
