Beer industry veteran Chris McJunkin, who most recently served as the chief revenue officer for BrewDog USA, will take an equity position in Atlanta’s Scofflaw Brewing when he officially joins the company at the end of the first quarter.
McJunkin — whose resume includes a 2.5-year stint as the vice president of sales for Founders Brewing Company, a five-year run as the western sales director for Vermont Hard Cider and nearly seven years with Craft Brew Alliance – joined the fast-growing craft brewery as a paid consultant at the beginning of 2018, co-founder Matt Shirah told Brewbound.
In his new role, McJunkin will oversee sales and distribution and help Scofflaw grow its off-premise retail presence as it continues to expand the availability of canned products.
“He has his arms around all of that,” Shirah said. “I am less experienced with retailers and chains and all of the packaged stuff. He brings that to the table and can help us to continue to evolve and adapt.”
Last month, Scofflaw inked a one-year contract brewing arrangement with BrewDog USA that enables the company to continue growing as it expands its own brewery capacity to 30,000 barrels. In March, Scofflaw will install a 50-barrel brewhouse at its current facility, located in the Bolton neighborhood of Atlanta.
Shirah, who admitted that rapid growth has forced the brewery to “add structure” and “fill some holes,” said he plans to announce the hiring of a chief financial officer in the second quarter. The company is also in the process of identifying a chief operating officer.
Shirah, who co-founded the brewery with Travis Herman, will remain as CEO. Herman will continue to serve as brewmaster.
A press release with additional information is included below.
Industry Veteran to Join Scofflaw Brewing as Partner
ATLANTA (Jan. 9, 2018) – Scofflaw Brewing Company founders Matt Shirah and Travis Herman are planning for the future of the Georgia brewery that has experienced phenomenal growth in its first 18 months of operation. With eyes on continuing growth, the co-founders have announced veteran beer industry executive Chris McJunkin will join Scofflaw as a partner.
“Chris brings corporate-level sales experience and structure to the team,” said Scofflaw President Shirah. “He brings decades of industry knowledge, relationships, and distribution experience and will be instrumental in identifying, attracting and managing the talent we need to realize our vision.”
McJunkin spent three years as the Vice President of Sales at Founders Brewing Company, building out sales and helping to lead the Michigan brewer’s explosive growth in the craft segment. Previous career stops include the Craft Brew Alliance and Vermont Hard Cider. McJunkin most recently has worked as the Chief Revenue Officer at BrewDog USA before his career move to Scofflaw.
“After decades of working in this business, I’m not sure I have ever seen growth, or growth potential, like what is occurring at Scofflaw,” said McJunkin, a native of South Carolina. “We all subscribe to Matt Shirah’s vision, that good beer is for everyone, and that there is a wider audience for the product here in Georgia, one of craft’s final frontiers”
The focus will remain on distributing solely in Georgia, said Shirah, “where we will work to deliver incremental value to our retailers and our customers. We may have some surprises, too.”
The brewery expects to release as many as 25 new beers this year in a state that only recently changed its laws to allow brewers to sell directly to customers in taprooms. A new 50-barrel brewhouse is expected to be operational by March 1 at the current facility on the Westside of Atlanta, where the emphasis will be on draft production for the retail market, R&D beers for the tasting room and retail market where accounts have kept Scofflaw beer on tap. Annual cellar capacity is being expanded to 30,000 barrels with the addition of new fermentation tanks.
Scofflaw announced last month that the company has established a partnership with BrewDog USA in Winchester Canal, Ohio to can its beers for distribution in Georgia. The canned beers are expected to begin arriving for distribution at the end of January.
Shirah will continue to focus on strategy while working with Brewmaster Herman to develop a constant stream of new beers. Herman will continue to oversee brewing operations at the Westside brewery and any future locations in Georgia. J.P. Watts, who built the current sales force from the ground up, will continue to pursue his passion for developing and managing relationships with key accounts.
McJunkin helped BrewDog’s transition into the U.S. market while working with CEO James Watt and helped establish the Ohio brewery’s partnership with Scofflaw.
“This conversation has been ongoing for some time,” said McJunkin of his discussions with Shirah. “The decision to make the move was an easy one, especially after seeing what these guys were able to do in just one year. If we can produce enough beer to meet demand inside the Perimeter in Atlanta and get any material volume to distribute outside of the Perimeter, we will grow substantially in our sophomore year. More importantly, you will now see my two girls scooting around with the rest of the little scofflaws commonly found at the brewery.”
About Scofflaw Brewing Co.
Co-founded by Matt Shirah and Brewmaster Travis Herman, who developed beers on a one-barrel system in the basement of the home of Shirah’s mother-in-law, Scofflaw opened in August of 2016. It has been named by BeerAdvocate, Paste Magazine, USA Today and Craft Beer & Brewing as one of the best new breweries in America. Follow Scofflaw on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter @ScofflawBrewing.