Bell’s Brewery announced Friday that co-owner Laura Bell would take over as the company’s CEO.
Laura Bell, who most recently served as the brewery’s vice president — a position she held since 2013 — will oversee the brewery’s operations and planning for Bell’s Brewery and its sister operation, Upper Hand Brewery, according to a press release.
She will report directly to her father, Larry Bell, who will continue on as president of the company he founded in 1985 and drive the long-term planning and direction of the Comstock, Michigan-based brewery.
“I am honored and humbled at this opportunity,” Laura Bell said via the release. “Our team has done an amazing job and it’s exciting to think about where we go next not only as a brewery, but also as a company that is deeply committed to its community, its employees and partners.”
“When I started this, I didn’t know that I would be so fortunate to have a partner that shared my passion for our brewery and the people who make it what it is,” Larry Bell added. “This marks the beginning of the next chapter for our family-owned business and I am very proud of the leader Laura has become.”
Laura Bell began working full-time with Bell’s Brewery, known for Two Hearted Ale IPA and Hopslam double IPA, in 2007. She served as a marketing director between 2009 and 2013, before being named vice president.
The company is now the seventh largest craft brewery in the United States, according to trade group the Brewers Association, and its products are currently sold in 31 states as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.