CBP Connects: Milwaukee, WI | Craft Beer Professionals

Attracting New Audiences

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.

Beer History Tour at the Historic Pabst Brewery

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To really experience old world charm and Gemütlichkeit at its finest, join us for a Pabst history tour at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery. The roots of the Pabst Brewing Co. run deep in Milwaukee’s proud brewing history. Relive this colorful history as you learn how the Best and Pabst families grew the brewery to become America’s largest by 1874. After battling for decades to keep this title, Pabst began a slide and loss of market share in the late 1970’s that led to the brewery’s closing in 1996.

Understanding the Three Tiers of Media Relations – How to Plan, Execute and Win with Earned Media

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Chad Melis (Founder, Turn It Up Media), Jeanette Hurt (Award-Winning Writer and Author), Ryan Bandy (Director of Experiences, Indeed Brewing)

Moderated by experienced brewery brand builder Chad Melis, who spent over a decade elevating the Oskar Blues Brewery brand and now runs the marketing collective Turn It Up Media, this panel discussion will provide a unique 360-degree view of the media relations process, tips for building meaningful relationships with the press, and proven tactics to gain share of mind with your target audiences through media relations. Indeed Brewing Company, a media darling and long-time client of Turn It Up, joins the panel with award-winning freelance writer and author Jeanette Hurt. Join this experienced team for an engaging discussion with input from the brewery, media relations professional, and writer perspectives.

Learning Objectives:

Strategic understanding and insight on the entire media relations environment, how it can benefit your brewery, and how to appropriately engage and win with the media relations process.
How breweries leverage media relations to: align with ABP, earn distributor and retailer share of mind, drive brand awareness,position and convey brand identity effectively and maximize the overall impact of press coverage on business objectives.
Insight into the needs of a writer and how to pitch a story effectively, including the top tips to gain media coverage and the top pet peeves of writers and media specialists.

Chad Melis is the founder of Turn It Up Media, a collective of leading brand marketers from the craft beverage, outdoor sports, and lifestyle industries. With over a decade of experience successfully elevating the Oskar Blues Brewery brand, Chad uses his PR savvy and an uncanny knack for brand strategy as a trusted partner for brands looking to position themselves and go to market effectively.

Ryan Bandy’s unconventional path to Director of Experience at Indeed Brewing began on the packaging line, snapping 6-pack holders for short fills and a foot in the door. From back of the house to front, then out the front door, Ryan tended bar and managed Indeed’s Minneapolis taproom before joining the sales team. He was Sales Director for four years until Spring 2022, when he launched into a brand new role overseeing all Sales, Marketing and Hospitality for Indeed Minneapolis and Milwaukee. Ryan is a jack-of-all-trades who brings a holistic view of the brewery in its entirety, and its place in the current industry landscape.

Jeanette Hurt, award-winning writer and the author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling Wisconsin Cocktails, as well as Drink Like a Woman, and The Joy of Cider. She’s also a top-tier journalist who explores culture through the lens of drink, food, and travel at dozens of national and local publications, including Forbes, Alcohol Professor, theKitchn, and more.

Navigating the [Unbroken?] Packaging Supply Chain

Navigating the [Unbroken?] Packaging Supply Chain

Kyle Stephens, co-founder and President of Craft Beverage Warehouse, explores ways for small-to-midsize breweries to navigate out-of-stocks, rising prices, and transportation in the packaging materials supply chain.

Learning Objectives:

Avoid out-of-stocks for you and your vendors by adequately forecasting production and keeping some materials on hand in case of last-second adjustments to the schedule. Learn from others in attendance on how they manage this potential issue.
Understand different methods to combat rising prices, such as: bulk ordering, buying local, shipping to a centralized location, and working with distributors.

Kyle Stephens is the Co-founder and operating partner of Craft Beverage Warehouse LLC (CBW), a beverage packaging distributor located at the Century City Business Park in Milwaukee, WI. CBW supplies small to medium-sized beverage producers with aluminum cans and related packaging products. In June 2022, CBW launched a digital print-to-can operation which will drive sustainability and cost savings in the small-MOQ aluminum beverage can industry.

Prior to founding CBW in April 2020, Kyle was the VP of Finance and Administration at Good City Brewing LLC, where he was responsible for accounting and finance, human resources, facilities, and office administration. Before to joining Good City, Kyle spent his early career in public accounting, practicing audit and tax with closely held businesses before moving to corporate mergers and acquisitions with an international accounting and advisory firm.

Collaboration, Competition and Rising Tides

In an industry that continues to grow across the country, more breweries means more opportunity to collaborate with you peers for mutual benefit as well as increasing the challenges of managing market shares. Our experience as a multi-faceted craft beer company with branches in the homebrew, commercial equipment and production brewing spaces has allowed us to see how these challenges are being met locally and across the country.

In this session we will explore ways of differentiating your company in a crowded landscape while forming and maintaining positive relationships with other companies in the area. This includes other breweries, as well as alternative beverage companies, distilleries/wineries/cideries, coffee roasters etc. With a focus on how we can leverage the larger customer base of multiple companies for the benefit of all, we grow our buisnesses and educate the public to advance future growth. Some topics we will explore are:

Homebrew shops within or around the brewery and how that synthesizes with taproom and retail sales.
The dynamics of brewery competiton in metropolitan, suburban and rural areas.
The importance of consumer education and a focus on local, quality products that benefit local economies as a whole.
How competition can help or harm, and ways to rise above.
Facilitating new breweries in your area and how to make it a two way street.

Learning Objectives:

Identify strategies for collaborations within and outside of the craft beer industry
Explore ways to leverage competition in a positive way
Find unique collaborative strategies and leverage the positive pressures of competion to benefit customers, communities and your bottom line

Andrew Palamides is an experienced sales manager, with over seven years in the field. His background is in brewing, spending eight years as a brewer and graduating from the Master Brewers Association of the Americas Brewing and Malting Science program. Now as the West Coast Sales Consultant at ABS Commercial, his experience and knowledge in beer has transitioned to technical and consultative sales of the equipment that makes it. ABS Commercial focuses on manufacturing quality brewing equipment, and continuously testing and improving it, so that brewers can focus on what’s most important.

Owen Woods has over 12 years of experience in the brewing industry. He spent 10 years as a brewer, responsible for beer production, fermentation, and packaging – utilizing and maintaining a variety of brewery equipment along the way. Owen is now a Sales Consultant for ABS Commercial, where he applies his knowledge of brewery equipment to help new and existing breweries with their unique equipment needs.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats – A Deep Dive into a SWOT Analysis For Your Brewery

Pulkit K. Agrawal (Founder & CEO, Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient)

In this session, attendees will be broken out into 5 groups based on their role at the brewery:

Owner
Production
Sales
Taproom
Marketing

If they belong to more than one group, they will pick the one that resonates the most. Then, in the groups, each attendee will brainstorm for 4-min each into the four quadrants of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) that are present for their brewery. We will then discuss solutions, and come up with a game plan for working through this list of topics. Once we go over these details, the homework for each attendee is to pick one item from each quadrant and work on it. Lean into strengths. Focus on weakness. Plan for the major opportunity. Mitigate the biggest threat – whether internal or external. We will also take photos of the other charts that people have from the other departments, in order to share them at their brewery.

Learning Objectives:

Each attendee will have gone through an exercise for identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for the roles at their brewery of (1) owner, (2) production, (3) sales, (4) taproom, and (5) marketing, and have a list of items to revisit with their team.

Each attendee will have gone through discussions with the full session about what changes they want to do for their brewery, and discussing the actual action items needed to work on a key area for their brewery.

Pulkit K. Agrawal (PKA) is the Founder and CEO of The 5th Ingredient®, a leading brewery operations management software company dedicated to helping breweries improve beer quality and consistency. After graduating from Harvard College, PKA began working in the beer industry as a Process Engineer for Ballast Point Brewing, where he focused on packaging lines and nitrogen beer. He soon discovered a need in the market for software that expanded beyond standard inventory management systems, where there would be an emphasis on the brewing process and quality, not just inventory tracking. In January 2018, PKA launched Beer30®, a brewery data management system that offers grain-to-glass process data tracking. 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 nation. 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, he enjoys traveling, and speaking about entrepreneurship and using data to improve brewery efficiency and quality.

You Are Your Brewery: The Benefits of Crafting Your Brewery’s Unique Brand Story

Brian Winkeler (Founder/Creative Director, Robot House) and Jennings Hammack (Creative Strategist, Robot House)

Your brewery isn’t just your business. It’s your dream. It’s your vision. You willed it into existence with your sweat and tears (and possibly blood). YOUR BREWERY IS YOU. So, how accurately does your brewery’s brand storytelling truly reflect your dream, your vision, your one-of-a-kind personality? Branding expert Brian Winkeler with Robot House in Oklahoma City will discuss brand storytelling for breweries and lead an interactive exercise to get you thinking about how successfully your brewery’s brand truly communicates your vision, including a detailed walk through Robot House’s collaboration with Skydance Brewing to build their “This Is Native” brand story. It’s at 8:00am so he won’t make you think TOO hard, but there’ll be plenty of coffee and bagels to help you and your table mates get the day off to a fun, fruitful start!

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will be introduced to the idea of connecting their brewery brand deeply to their personal sense of self. It may be something they’ve consciously done already or it may be more of a subconscious effort, but it will hopefully inspire them to reflect on how they can shape their brand/brand storytelling to ensure it’s as unique and personal as possible.
Attendees will see a demonstration of a brand development process that resulted in the creation of the “This is Native.” brand storytelling platform for Skydance Brewing Company and can consider how they might be able to experience a similar process to reveal a stronger, more substantial story for their brewery brand.
Attendees will bond with their table mates during a discussion time in which they’ll answer a question (or questions) regarding their personal story and how that is connected to their brewery’s brand story.

Brian Winkeler founded Robot House in 2003 and leads a team of six creatives in their downtown Oklahoma City studio. A multi-disciplinary creative who focuses on copywriting and brand storytelling, Brian is most proud to be the only three-, four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-, and nine-time winner of the prestigious Fontana Award for Humor from the OKC Ad Club.

Creative Strategist Jennings Hammack joined Robot House in 2022 with experience as a digital marketing manager launching SONIC Hard Seltzer in over 40 states, as well as brand marketing for the LA Dodgers affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Robot House is a brand creative agency with a no a-holes policy, specializing in brand development and packaging design for small businesses around the country. They collaborate with craft beer clients including COOP Ale Works, Bitter Sisters, Skydance Brewing, and The Nook Brewing Co, to explore #BraveNewWorlds and creatively articulate each brewery’s unique & authentic brand story.

How Your Brewery Can Continually Innovate

Russ Klisch (President, Lakefront Brewery)

Over his 35 years in operation, Russ has found different methods to continue having an innovative brewery and brew pub to stay relevant. His brewery is now considered one of the most innovative in the country. He will explain:

What is innovation?
The different systems/types of innovation
How your management structure can hinder or help innovation
Share stories of various innovations that have been done at Lakefront Brewery and how they fall into different categories
Discuss with the audience the innovations that they have done and journey from concept to success.

Learning Objectives:

Teach everyone how to look at innovation and that it is not just for products. But many other parts of your brewery can be innovative in different ways.
Convince everyone that there are great ideas out there, and how to encourage innovation rather than undermine it.
Teach everyone the different types of innovation and systems to put it in place.

A 1981 graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Klisch started working as a mechanical engineer with Johnson Controls. Klisch and his brother Jim started homebrewing and after making award-winning home brews they decided to open a brewery with used dairy equipment in 1987.

After outgrowing their current location in 1998 they relocated to its current building located on the Milwaukee River.

Besides making award winning beers, Klisch is know to be an innovator by brewing the first organically certified brewery in the United States, brewing the first government approved gluten free beer in the United States, and brewing the first totally indigenous beer made in the US made with not only 100% Wisconsin grown malt, hops and yeast.

Klisch also started the Lakefront Brewery Beer Hall known for its award-winning Fish Fries, cheese curds and entertaining tours.

A Recipe for Crafting Mutually Beneficial Relationships: Growing Through Involvement with Professional Organizations

Join active members from Pink Boots Society, Lifting Lucy, the Brewers Association, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, and Visit Milwaukee for a conversation on how to craft mutually beneficial relationships with trade organizations, affinity groups, local government departments, and associations that will allow you to develop strategies to increase engagement, support, professional development, and networking opportunities.

Learning Objectives:

How to develop a basic partnership pitch
How to conduct a Resource Audit for both you and your prospective partners
How to measure the impact/success of your relationships (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification)

Moderator:

Ashlie N. Randolph (Pink Boots Society Board member, Pink Boot Society DEIJ and Scholarship Committees)

Panelists:

Erica DeAnda-Reyna (Head Brewer at Tumbled Rock Brewery & Kitchen, Past Chapter Leader for Wisconsin PBS, Current Vice President for MBAA – District Milwaukee)

Meg Ellis (Deputy Director, Texas Craft Brewers Guild)

Meg McKenna (Senior Director of Strategic and Community Partnerships, Visit Milwaukee)

Tranice Watts (Brewers Association DEI Education Committee; Craft Brewers Conference Seminar Subcommittee; Lifting Lucy BIWOC; Pink Boots Society – Greater Maryland)

On Planning for the Unexpected

Kyle Rheiner (Food & Beverage Practice Leader, CraftBrewingInsurance.com)

Brewery owners and managers wear a lot of hats, work extreme hours and are often in meetings, out of town and may be unreachable at times. There are many pieces of equipment and various areas within a brewery that can go haywire at any moment. When these situations arise, it’s extremely important that your staff has the key contact information, skills and training to diffuse any situation and know-how to keep things moving forward.

In this training, brewery owners will gain the tools to create a plan, inform their staff, and role play so that when these situations arise, it’s not the first time they’ve seen them. We will create a checklist, an emergency plan and prepare to run brewery meetings so everyone can be prepared for the unexpected.

Learning Objectives:

Discuss areas of operation where a plan for the unknown is needed
Analyze what may go unexpected and create strategies to be prepared
Leave with a gameplan and strategies to handle unexpected challenges

Kyle C. Rheiner is a Certified Insurance Counselor and is the Food & Beverage Practice Leader at Arthur Hall Insurance in West Chester, PA. Kyle has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry along with actually brewing and distilling craft beverages. He and his team handle the insurance for over 150 restaurants & craft beverage makers in the USA.

Kyle is also the Founder and Host of The Beer Mighty Things Podcast – a craft beverage business library with over 18,000 downloads (without promotion) including interviews with our industry’s top leaders worldwide. Kyle’s podcast is focused on those who are Daring Mighty Things in the industry and creating change for the better.

He’s hosted & led multiple conversations with Brienne Allan, Employment Practices Attorneys, the leaders of Safe Bars, Women of the Bevolution and would be honored to host his own presentation, moderate a panel of our industry’s thought leaders and/or conduct a sponsored seminar.

Alternative Beverages: Strategies to Expand Your Offerings

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Moderator: Matt Albrecht (Founder/Owner, River Drive Cooperage), Panelists: Brian Perkey (Senior Key Account Manager, Lallemand), Doug Kolker (CPA, Wipfli), Ross Hunsinger (Director of Food and Beverage Innovation, Abstrax Tech), Ryan Bandy (Director of Experiences, Indeed Brewing), Sam Green (Head Brewer, Untitled Art)

Audience and attention – how will you keep it? Whether you’re looking to build a more diverse and engaged audience in your taproom, or looking to expand your offerings on retail shelves, this session will offer insight into expanding your beverage offerings. Beginning with a discussion on ingredients and processes, our panelists will begin with the initial test batch, discuss go to market strategies, and how to evaluate success of new products. They will cover criteria on how to determine which beverages may fit in best with your business model, the financial implications, and how to successfully build awareness. Our panelists will share strategies for success, examples of failure, and provide you with a primer on what to consider as you continue to innovate.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will gain an understanding of which alternative beverages are currently seeing success and the production methods needed.
Attendees will understand the investment and support needed on the business side of the brewery to expand offerings.
Attendees will be ready to conduct a SWOT analysis to determine which new beverages they should consider adding to their portfolio.

Matt Albrecht grew up in a family of woodworkers and craftsmen. Starting River Drive in 2008, he quickly focussed their woodworking skills towards wooden barrels; Seeking to improve and revitalize the nearly lost art of coopering. Since, Matt and his team have outgrown the 2 car garage they started in, and now run River Drive Cooperage and Millwork on an old 40 acre farm in scenic New England.

Brian Perkey was born in the Willamette Valley (OR) and raised in central British Columbia, Canada. He still resides in the Pacific Northwest in the small community of Parkdale, OR on the northern slopes of Mt Hood.

He joined Lallemand Brewing in May 2017 after entering the brewing industry back in 1992. He spent 19 years on deck in several brew-houses and cideries(Bridgeport, Full Sail, Gordon-Biersch, Thunder Island, Crispin, Hood Valley), with the rest of his time with an English malt company(Muntons) and a local liquid yeast manufacturer(Wyeast). After 4.5 years as Regional Sales Manager-N. America where he was responsible for the US, Mexican and Canadian Commercial Brewing and Home-Brew/Wine markets, he now holds the position of Senior Key Account Manager where he looks after some of our most important customers here at Lallemand.

He is a single dad with 2 kids (17 & 21 y/o son & daughter). He is an avid fisherman and snowboarder, and also an amateur sailor with a 26’ sailboat on the Columbia River.

Doug Kolker focuses on research and experimentation (R&E) tax projects, allowing him to use his experience to help clients maximize the R&E tax credit. He assists manufacturing, technology and software companies nationwide to successfully reduce their tax liabilities by uncovering research and development (R&D) credits. Doug is also responsible for the overall planning, organization, supervision and completion of client engagements. He has a broad background in tax planning, working with closely held businesses, corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies.

Doug began his career as an auditor for private and public companies. With his passion and desire to run his own business, he became president of a chain of retail stores in the St. Louis area, where he oversaw the doubling of the company’s size.

Ross Hunsinger is the Director of Food and Beverage Innovation at Abstrax Hops. A Siebel Institute alum, former owner of Atlas Sodaworks, and terpene beverage specialist for the last 6 years. Ross has overseen the development, implementation, and scaling of Abstrax’s growth in the brewing industry backed by world-beating technology and good vibes.

Ryan Bandy’s unconventional path to Director of Experience at Indeed Brewing began on the packaging line, snapping 6-pack holders for short fills and a foot in the door. From back of the house to front, then out the front door, Ryan tended bar and managed Indeed’s Minneapolis taproom before joining the sales team. He was Sales Director for four years until Spring 2022, when he launched into a brand new role overseeing all Sales, Marketing and Hospitality for Indeed Minneapolis and Milwaukee. Ryan is a jack-of-all-trades who brings a holistic view of the brewery in its entirety, and its place in the current industry landscape.

Sam Green started homebrewing at the age of 18, then got a job (voluntary) at a brewery at the ripe age of 19. He moved to Colorado and worked for Boulder Beer for 7 years before moving to Madison to brew for Octopi/Untitled Art. He has also backpacked every national park in America.

Max Capacity Marketing: So Much To Say, So Little Space

Chris Overlay (CEO, Get Hoptimized)

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.

Open to Innovation: What We Can Learn from Outside the Beer Industry

Moderator: Lisa Parker (NC Craft Brewers Guild)

Panelists: Alvaro Fernandez (Bank of America), Emily Ladd (Charlotte Hornets), Michael Krimmer (Bojangles)

“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.

Alvaro Fernandez is a Commercial Banking Senior Relationship Manager for the Charlotte market at Bank of America. His responsibilities include leading a team of specialists focused on understanding each client’s unique needs to deliver strategic guidance and financial solutions. Alvaro’s mission is to help local companies thrive and achieve their business goals, no matter how simple or how complex. Bringing eleven years of experience, Alvaro began his banking career at Bank of America, where he has also served as a Small Business Banker. Throughout his banking career, Alvaro has served his business clients holistically to support their growth. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Alvaro graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of South Florida. He resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Emily Ladd is the Senior Director of Game Presentation for the Charlotte Hornets. An Indiana native, she has spent her entire career with the Hornets and is currently in her 18th season. At the helm of Game Presentation, she is tasked with leveraging entertainment assets, production elements, and technology to create an engaging fan experience, help meet revenue goals, and maintain a home court advantage. Career highlights include helping bring the Hornets name back to Charlotte in 2014, and producing several All-Star Weekend events, most recently the 2025 All-Star Game in San Francisco.

A North Carolina native, Lisa Parker has worked with the NC Craft Brewers Guild since 2015. As the current Executive Director, she is a champion for North Carolina’s 410+ independent craft breweries, navigating legislative issues and fostering the state’s continued growth as a national craft beer leader. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Lisa enjoys gardening, walking her dogs, traveling with her family, and of course sampling the State of Southern Beer.

Michael Krimmer is the Director of Culinary Innovation and Menu Strategy at Bojangles. He is a comfort food enthusiast who was raised in the North, but must have been a Southerner in a past life. He has worked every job in foodservice from dishwasher to fine dining chef, but has made a career out of the obscure by applying culinary methods and flavors to large fast food chains, like Wendy’s and Bojangles. He has a passion for making food the best it can be and delivering it to as many people as possible.

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. Leading the charge is CEO and Founder Tremaine Atkinson, whose passion for craft beverages and Chicago’s hospitality culture helped revive Malört and expand CH into a multifaceted, innovation-driven distillery. Head 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

Panelists: Doug Veliky (BeerCrunchers/Bright Bev), Matt Steinke (Go Brewing), Tracey Ireland (Rhinegeist)

Moderator: Tim Hohl (Coin Toss Brewing)

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.

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 (Jessica Hart Consulting)

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 Jessica Hart Consulting, 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.

CBP Connects presented by Arryved POS

Monday, June 19, 2023

7:00-9:00 PMWelcome Reception at MobCraft thanks to ABS Commercial

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2023

8:00-9:00 AMGather + Breakfast + Trade Show

Welcome/Get to Know Your Fellow Craft Beer Professionals

12:00-1:30pmTrade Show + Lunch

7:00-9:00pmReception at Lakefront Brewery thanks to Malteurop

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2023

8:00-9:00 AMTrade Show + Breakfast

8:00-9:00amYou Are Your Brewery: The Benefits of Crafting Your Brewery’s Unique Brand Story

11:00AM-12:00pmTaproom Pricing: Strategies to Maximize Your Bottom Line and Guest Experience

12:00-1:30pmTrade Show + Lunch

3:30-4:30pmTrade Show + Beers

7:00-9:00pmClosing Reception at Good City Brewing thanks to WIpfli

Trade Show featuring:

ABS Commercial | Abstrax Hops | Baer Insurance | Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient

Beer Law HQ | Boelter | Craft Beverage Warehouse | Full Pour Media

Harvest Hosts | Hoptown Handles | Kegshoe | Kickfin

Lallemand | Malteurop | MarketMyBrewery | River Drive Cooperage

Robot House | Wipfli

Industry Allies

Initiatives

Get Involved

7:00-9:00 PM
Welcome Reception at MobCraft thanks to ABS Commercial

8:00-9:00 AM
Gather + Breakfast + Trade Show

12:00-1:30pm
Trade Show + Lunch

7:00-9:00pm
Reception at Lakefront Brewery thanks to Malteurop

8:00-9:00 AM
Trade Show + Breakfast

8:00-9:00am
You Are Your Brewery: The Benefits of Crafting Your Brewery’s Unique Brand Story

11:00AM-12:00pm
Taproom Pricing: Strategies to Maximize Your Bottom Line and Guest Experience

12:00-1:30pm
Trade Show + Lunch

3:30-4:30pm
Trade Show + Beers

7:00-9:00pm
Closing Reception at Good City Brewing thanks to WIpfli