Former First Beverage Group director JB Shireman has joined Arlington Capital, the Alabama-based investment bank announced today.
Shireman, who departed First Beverage at the end of 2017, will serve as a director with Arlington and “further bolster” the firm’s craft beverage advisory business, a press release noted.
“JB is a great addition to the Arlington team,” managing partner Vann Russell said via the release. “He is extremely well-known and respected within the craft community.”
Prior to joining Arlington, Shireman spent nearly seven years with First Beverage Group, helping to broker numerous deals in the craft beer space.
During his time with the Los Angeles-based firm, the company advised on a number of headline-grabbing deals, including: Avery Brewing’s 30 percent sale to Mahou San Miquel, Anchor Brewing’s sale to Sapporo, Kirin’s minority investment in Brooklyn Brewery and Duvel Moortgat’s purchases of Firestone Walker and Boulevard Brewing, among many others.
In addition to leading the Firestone Walker and Boulevard transactions, Shireman worked with Devils Backbone, 10 Barrel Brewing, Four Peaks Brewing and Breckenridge Brewery in their sales to Anheuser-Busch InBev, according to the release. He also worked with Saint Archer Brewing, Hop Valley Brewing, Revolver Brewing and Terrapin Brewing in their sales to MillerCoors.
“He will be a tremendous asset to our craft beer practice and will play a key role in Arlington’s expansion into related verticals,” Russell added via the release. “We see increasing overlap in consumer sectors such as food, restaurants, beer, spirits, consumer packaged goods, and other emerging categories. JB will help us leverage our experience in these areas to provide the highest quality advisory services to our clients.”
Since 2014, Arlington – which has advised on $3.5 billion in craft beer transaction volume over the last four years — has worked with a number of high-profile craft brewery clients, including BrewDog in its 22 percent sale to TSG Consumer Partners, and Dogfish Head in its 15 percent sale to LNK Partners. It’s also helped broker deals between Stone Brewing and VMG Partners, Cigar City and Oskar Blues, and SweetWater and TSG, among others.
“Getting to know the Arlington team has been a real treat,” Shireman said in the release. “It’s easy to see why they have been so successful in craft beer.”
Prior to joining First Beverage, Shireman helped run New Belgium Brewing as the head of distribution strategy.
“I am really excited to join forces with them and leverage our collective expertise to explore opportunities in new and emerging categories,” Shireman said.
Shireman is the latest in a string of departures from First Beverage Group in recent years. Last June, Ryan Lake left for OMAC Beverage Advisors. In 2016, David Duffy, Tom First, and Jason Camillos left the firm for positions with Brooklyn Brewery, Castanea Partners, and Body Armor, respectively.