CLEVELAND— Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) is pleased to announce that Chris Brown has joined the GLBC team as Vice President, Sales.
Brown began his beverage career with United Distributors, Inc. (Georgia), and over a span of 15 years, served in various lead roles including Director of Marketing, Craft Beer Manager, and Craft Beer and Spirits Director. As Craft Beer and Spirits Director, Brown managed 25 craft beer and 50+ craft spirits suppliers. His dedicated work with upstart and established craft breweries tripled United’s craft beer portfolio revenue in just three years.
Brown joined Scofflaw Brewing Company in 2018 as Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Under his leadership, Scofflaw grew from 9,600 barrels to over 26,000 barrels in two years. He spearheaded market expansion and strengthened the wholesaler network throughout the Southeast, innovated new brands and product lines, and established Scofflaw as Georgia’s fastest growing craft brewery.
Brown joins GLBC at a pivotal time. In 2019, the storied company committed to three key growth initiatives – cans, brand innovation, and warehousing. To date, GLBC’s classic year-round portfolio now features Dortmunder Gold Lager and Great Lakes IPA in cans, with the balance of its iconic portfolio (Commodore Perry IPA, Burning River Pale Ale) transitioning to cans later this year. GLBC will launch its most progressive IPA offering, a hazy-juicy-tropical IPA called Hazecraft, exclusively in cans in August, and its beloved Christmas Ale will release in 12 pack cans for the holidays. Additional brand innovations are planned for early 2021. GLBC is also in the midst of outfitting its 67,000 square foot warehouse and canning facility in nearby Strongsville, which will be operational in August. Canning line installation is set for late summer.
About Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) was founded in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway in Cleveland, Ohio. Independent and employee-owned, GLBC is a top 25 U.S. craft brewery known for its award-winning portfolio of fresh, balanced, and flavorful beers with names and artwork that tell stories of the Great Lakes region. Since its founding, GLBC has remained a principle-centered brewery with a “triple bottom line” philosophy, balancing financial responsibility with social and environmental responsibility. For more information visit greatlakesbrewing.com.