Less than one year after selling a partial ownership to private equity firm The Riverside Company, Uinta Brewing today announced that it has hired former Duvel Moortgat USA and Boulevard Brewing sales chief Steve Mills as its new chief executive officer.
Mills takes over for Uinta founder Will Hamill, who had been acting as CEO and will now focus on brand development and brewery innovation in his new role as a company board member.
“I’m anxious to be afforded more time to fully embrace my passions within the company and empowering Mills will allow me the bandwidth to do so,” Hamill said in a press statement. “Finding someone with extensive craft beer experience to fill the CEO role at Uinta was a must.”
Mills brings nearly 20 years of beer industry experience to Uinta, having served in various brewery sales and operations roles. At Boulevard, Mills was most recently the vice president of sales, a position he filled when longtime Boulevard executive Bob Sullivan parted ways with the Kansas City-based brewery in 2013. Mills had been serving as Boulevard’s chief operating officer since 2008.
Mills will take over as Uinta CEO effective June 15, the company said.
“It will be a privilege to lead the incredible team that makes up Uinta,” Mills said in a press statement. “Continuing the legacy of making flavorful beers that are relevant to today and tomorrow’s consumer will be front and center of everything we do as an organization.”
He joins a brewery that grew sales 31 percent in 2014, to more than 77,000 barrels. Uinta, which is currently sold in 32 states and Washington D.C., recently expanded its distribution to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri.
Uinta spokeswoman Lindsay Berk told Brewbound that Mills plans to work closely with the company’s sales and marketing teams to continue driving momentum in existing territories. No new market launches are planned at this time, she said.
“I’m confident that Mills will be a fantastic leader in Uinta’s journey ahead,” Hamill said in a release.
The brewery also plans to rollout a new Belgian-style wheat beer, Contrail, throughout Salt Lake City next week. Selects nationwide markets will receive the beer later this month, Berk said.