contributors
Listed Alphabetically by Last Name
Victoria Aguilar
Founder/Managing Director
Victoria Aguilar is the Founder and Managing Director of The AR Group, LLC – a law and HR consulting firm in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Victoria assists clients with effectively managing human capital.
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Lindsay Barr
Founding Partner/CSO
As the founding Partner and CSO of DraughtLab Sensory Software, Lindsay's work is globally recognized for empowering companies of all sizes to apply Sensory Science to inform everyday business decisions.
Email Lindsay
Mary Brettmann
President
Beverage Business Builders, established in 2015, offers financial and operational services for craft breweries & distilleries. President Mary Brettmann assists with everything from accounting software implementation, to long-range strategic planning.
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William Camacho
Principal
William has established a solid reputation for designing production beverage facilities with HRVST, a process engineering/ start-up consulting firm, and CLTVT, a General Contracting firm; both companies he co-founded and operates.
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Tristan Chan
Founder
Tristan Chan is the Founder of PorchDrinking.com, a national beer publication, as well as The Porch Collective, a Marketing and PR firm focused on serving the hospitality industry.
Email Tristan
Ray Daniels
Founder & Director Emeritus
Founder and director emeritus of the Cicerone® Certification Program, Ray is a veteran beer writer and educator who has traveled the world promoting quality beer service.
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Alexis Foreman
Co-Founder
Alexis Foreman has 20+ years in the machine and mechanical-design industry, including five patents. As co-founder of Wild Goose Filling, he's an expert in the craft-beer industry, beverage packaging, and mechanical design.
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John Giarratano
Founder/Lead Engineer
John Giarratano has spent almost two decades in the pharma, biofuel and now brewing industries. He now puts his expertise and knowledge towards operations at Inland Island Yeast Laboratories.
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Charlie Gottenkieny
Co-Founder & Brewmaster
Charlie Gottenkieny is a co-founder and brewmaster at Bruz Beers - a Belgian-style brewery in Denver. Charlie has authored more than a dozen beer education programs and regularly teaches beer classes at Bruz Beers.
Email Charlie
Ashleigh Hayden
Eastern Field Marketing Manager
Ashleigh Hayden has spent the last decade working in brewing and quality. She is currently the Eastern Field Marketing Manager for Yakima Chief Hops, organizing industry events and beer collaborations.
Email Ashleigh
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Julia Herz
Executive Director
As CEO and Founder of HerzMuses Enterprises, LLC, Julia is a strategic consultant, speaker, and educator who supports small business and nonprofit entities.
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Jon Hughes
Director of Brewing and Sensory Science
Jon is the director of brewing and sensory science at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education and lead instructor for the Master Brewers Certificate Program.
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Jon Hyman
Co-Leader Craft Beer Practice Group
As Chair of our Employment & Labor Practice Group, Jon Hyman provides practical solutions to help craft breweries solve their workforce problems. With decades of experience advising employers of all shapes and sizes, Jon is well equipped to do the same for your brewery.
Email Jon
Fred M Kaplan
Partner and M&A Intermediary
Fred Kaplan brokers buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions, performs valuations, and advises on Exit Planning for clients who are food and beverage processors, distributors, retailers, breweries, distilleries, and restaurants.
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Dave Ketchen
Harbert Eminent Scholar and Professor of Management
Dave teaches business within Auburn University’s Brewing Science and Operations program. He is thrilled to have made modest contributions to the many success stories being created by AU Brew graduates!
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John Mallett
Vice President of Operations
Throughout his professional brewing career John Mallett has been recognized for his expertise and leadership in brewery technical education and training. He has managed all beer production for Bell’s Brewery since 2001.
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Lisa Marcus
CEO
Lisa’s entrepreneur spirit and focus are discovering ways to improve the customer experience within the craft beer industry. DigitalPour is the brainchild of Lisa & Eric Sterling’s first OkCupid date back in 2010.
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Ren Navarro
Owner/Operator
Do Better. Be Better. drives the award-winning diversity educator and consultant Ren Navarro as she educates, enlightens, and engages to help alcohol producers live up to the ideals and sense of community for which they strive.
Email Ren
Maria Pearman
Principal
Maria Pearman, CPA, CGMA, is an expert in the beverage alcohol industry and specializes in internal accounting processes, financial reviews, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, financial strategy and succession planning.
Email Maria
Julie Rhodes
Owner/Educator
Drawing from a decade of experience in the specialty beer business, Julie is an authority on beer sales, marketing, sales team management, and distributor partnership management.
Email Julie
Jonathan Shikes
Author/Beer Writer
Author of Denver Beer: A History of Mile High Brewing, Jonathan has spent more than 25 years as a journalist, most recently as the managing editor of Westword. He covers Colorado's dynamic craft-beer industry.
Email Jonathan
Jason Sleeman
Vice President - Craft Beer Lending
Jason funded his first brewery 9 years ago, and has now funded breweries and other beverage companies across the US, giving him unique insight into both the craft beverage and banking world.
Email Jason
Mitch Steele
Brewmaster
Mitch is the Brewmaster/Co-Founder of New Realm Brewing Co. in Atlanta, GA. He has been brewing beer professionally for over 34 years, studying brewing science at UC Davis and homebrewing prior to 1988.
Email Mitch
Bill Sysak
CEO
A craft beer veteran, “Dr.” Bill is on the SDSU Business of Craft Beer Faculty/Advisory Board, is a Certified Cicerone, Co-Founder of Wild Barrel, a pairing expert, and master of zymurgical knowledge.
Email Bill
Nancy Trigg
CPO
Nancy Trigg is the President and CPO of Arryved. Arryved provides Point of Sale and Loyalty software to taprooms and brewpubs across the country. Addressing business challenges and finding solutions to create excellent taproom experiences for guests.
Email Nancy
Matt Vincent
Founder/Co-Owner
As an Owner at Ska Brewing Co, Matt developed products to help ease beer production challenges. His small footprint can depalletizer was the inspiration for Ska Fabricating, which has now helped beverage producers in 27 countries.
Email Matt
Derek Wasak
Owner &
Full-Service Brewery Consultant
With over 12 years of experience, Derek is the Owner/Operator of Plato Brewing and Consulting Inc. - a full-service brewery consulting firm specializing in start-up planning, expansion, and operations from concept to completion.
Email Derek
Bill Wetmore
Sales & Marketing Director
Sales & Marketing professional who previously worked for Scottish & Newcastle Importers (Newcastle Brown Ale) & Duvel USA/Brewery Ommegang & currently works for Fat Head’s Brewery in Cleveland.
Email Bill
Matt Albrecht
Owner/Founder
Growing up in a family of woodworkers and craftsmen, Matt started River Drive Cooperage in 2008. Focused on oak barrels and wood aging, River Drive seeks to improve and revitalize the nearly lost art of coopering.
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Scott Birkner
SBA Lending Specialist
Scott is a SBA Lending Specialist for Dogwood State Bank, specializing in start-ups, expansions, refinances, partner buyouts, commercial real estate, and business acquisitions on a nationwide platform.
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Brook Bristow
Attorney at Lager
Brook Bristow, Attorney at Lager, is a Charleston-based attorney who counsels food and beverage industry clients from small start-ups to national brands. He can brew a passable IPA.
Email Brook
JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson
Head of Business Development
During JoAnne’s 30+ year career, she has held positions with breweries, industry associations and industry suppliers. Her diverse background allows her to have a unique perspective to sales and marketing in the brewing industry.
Email JoAnne
Larry Chase
Great Game of Business
Certified Coach
Beer flavor variety brought Larry to craft brewing in 1997. Today he supports and coaches owners who want to build a culture of ownership and employee involvement.
Email Larry
Andrew Coplon
Founder
Andrew Coplon is the Founder of Secret Hopper and Craft Beer Professionals. He is passionate about the growth of beer and helping businesses be more successful.
Email Andrew
Chris DellaBianca
Co-Owner
Chris DellaBianca and Audrey Gehlhausen are obsessed with crafting superior quality hops, committed to sustainable practices, and passionate about creating brewer-farmer relationships.
Know your farmer, Love your beer.
Email Chris
Erik Fowler
Education &
Brewery Experience Manager
With White Labs since 2014, Erik has led education classes on yeast handling, sensory techniques and QC. His objective is to make fermentation education informative, accessible & interesting.
Email Erik
Jason Gladfelter
Owner
Jason Gladfelter is a beer geek with a conflict management profession (or is it the other way around?) who developed Vombuds, a virtual ombudsman, to help small businesses with their internal dynamics.
Email Jason
Jeff Gunn
President & CEO
With 58 years in brewing and beverage industry design and manufacturing, Jeff Gunn has seen & participated in pivotal processing developments, including Sankey keg systems, flash pasteurization, custom process equipment, and the HEBS mash filter brew house.
Email Jeff
EQUIPMENT & PACKAGING
LOCATION & BREWERY DESIGN
Tom Hennessy
Founder
Tom has opened 7 breweries of his own & helped open over 100 more with his Colorado Boy Brewery Immersion Course. His 1995 video, Frankenbrew, has become a cult classic in the brewing world. He has written three brewing books. Tom lives, brews and writes in his mountain town of Ridgway, CO.
Email Tom
John Holl
Editor
John Holl is the editor of All About Beer, the author of several books including The Craft Brewery Cookbook, and is a writer-at-large for Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Email John
Dr. J Jackson-Beckham
Principal
An author, speaker, and vocal advocate for the craft beverage community, Dr. J helps craft beverage organizations develop inclusive, equitable, and just practices that drive success, build communities, and empower individuals.
Email Dr J
Val Lang
Benefits Specialist & Financial Services
Andy Mansinne
President
As Founder and President of Brand Elixir Partnership, Andy offers business insights, strategic acumen and coaching skills based upon years of experience ranging from start-up beverage businesses to international wine conglomerates.
Email Andy
Doug Marshall
Partner
Doug is a founding partner at Marshall | Viliesis. With his partner Peter Viliesis they created Business Value Protection Planning™, a planning system designed with the business owner in mind.
Email Doug
Jeff Mendel
Partner/Director
Co-founder of Tabernash Brewing Co. and the Colorado Brewers Guild, Jeff has been a partner/ director at Left Hand Brewing Co. and has held leadership roles in the beer industry for 30+ years.
Email Mendy
Jeffrey O'Brien
Attorney/Partner
Jeff serves as general counsel to a wide variety of small businesses, and advises clients on entity formation, financing, real estate matters, intellectual property protection, operational issues, securities law, distribution contracts, and more.
Email Jeff
Jeff Porter
President
Jeff has over 30 years experience sourcing great talent in operations and technical positions for food and beverage manufacturing companies that will make a huge contribution to your company.
Email Jeff
Scott Rosenbaum
CEO
Scott Rosenbaum is CEO of Ah So Insights, a wine and spirit industry newsletter and consultancy. Scott was formerly the vice president of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.
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Kary Shumway
Founder
Kary Shumway is the founder of CraftBreweryFinancialTraining.com and Kary'sFinancialTraining.com, online resources for beer industry professionals.
Email Kary
Alex Smith
Executive Brewer &
Midwest Sales Consultant
Alex has been in the brewing industry since 2008 and is currently the ABS Mid-West sales consultant as well as Executive Brewer worldwide helping new and existing breweries get off the ground and grow.
Email Alex
CONSULTANT
Nicole Stenoish
Employment Attorney
Nicole Stenoish is an employment law attorney who specializes in providing practical legal advice to breweries on all aspects of employment and HR-related issues. She also has extensive experience defending businesses in a variety of employment litigation matters.
Email Nicole
George Thornton
Owner/CEO
Owner & CEO of The Homebrewer & Home Brewing Co. (AHA Homebrew Store of The Year 2018). Instructor with the SDSU Business of Craft Beer. National Rank BJCP. Cicerone. Small Brewery Consultant. Homebrewing since 2001.
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Ethan Tsai, PhD
Brewing Operations Consultant
Ethan Tsai is a Ph.D. chemist that has worn multiple hats throughout an incredibly diverse career, including GM of brewing operations for Cigar City Brewing and director of the brewery for Tivoli Brewing Company.
Email Ethan
Danny Wang
Co-Owner/Information Architect
Danny has been a part of the Colorado craft brewing community since 2011 with the start of his first brewery. His knowledge in computer science and data sciences is the driving force behind the technology Fermly runs on. Danny is also a Certified BJCP judge and an award winning brewer.
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Rick Wehner
Founder
Rick Wehner founded Brewery Finance in 2005 and has since provided nearly 1500 startup and established brewers with vital equipment funding to help them launch, grow and flourish.
Email Rick
Neil Witte
Owner
Neil Witte is a Master Cicerone and 24-year beer business veteran. He owns TapStar, which certifies draft beer quality at bars, restaurants, and brewery taprooms.
Email Neil
Melissa Antone
Quality/Sensory Specialist
Mel has worn many hats in the beer world, but her specialty is brewing QA/QC and Sensory Analysis. She is a Beer Educator, International Beer Judge, and General Manager for The Rayback Collective in Boulder, CO.
Email Mel
Mark Boelman
Principal
Mark is an industry veteran with an MBA in accounting and finance. He founded the Craft Beer Accounting Group, a network of 100+ regional brewery CFO’s, Owners, and Controllers & is an avid (award-winning) homebrewer.
Email Mark
Laura Bruns
Founder
Founder and Former Owner of Factotum Brewhouse in Denver Colorado, Laura employs her Regis Certificate in Applied Craft Brewing, her Cicerone certification, and status as a BJCP judge to create Craft Beer Uncovered.
Email Laura
Jon Carpenter
Brewmaster/
Craft Beverage Consultant
Prior to founding Opensō, Jon Carpenter has been involved in every aspect of an operational brewery, including engineering & design, new product development & operations, staffing/training, and construction/installation/startup of equipment, systems, brands, and facilities.
Email Jon
Carol Cochran
Co-Owner
Carol founded Horse & Dragon Brewing Company in 2014 with her husband Tim. She has an enormous appreciation for the community of Fort Collins, the Horse & Dragon team, and the craft brewing community.
Email Carol
Bud Dunn
Director of Sales
Through working in multiple facets of the beer industry, Bud has seen the need to bring suppliers and distributors closer together through the use of data and technology.
Email Bud
Audrey Gehlhausen
Co-Owner