Tony Dziura Named National Sales Director for Pilot Project
Pilot Project, a Chicago-based brewery incubator, has hired former Lagunitas sales lead Tony Dziura as national sales director.
Dziura spent more than a decade at Lagunitas in Petaluma, California, most recently serving as head of on-premise national accounts. In his new role at Pilot Project, he will be in charge of expanding the company’s sales and logistic teams, “identifying new pipelines for Pilot nationally,” and driving “growth and distribution in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets,” according to a press release.
“Bringing Tony over to Pilot Project with his experience growing Lagunitas is massive for Pilot,” co-founder Dan Abel said in the release. “Our brands have big aspirations, and Tony’s understanding of the national marketplace and tactical strategy for how to get there is going to be instrumental for all of them.”
Dziura is Pilot Project’s latest hire as it expands its team following the recent acquisition of the former Milwaukee Brewing Company 70,000 sq. ft. production facility and taproom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The acquisition was supported by a $8 million seed round, led by Chicago investment group InvestBev.
Last month, Pilot Project also brought on industry veteran Todd Haug (Surly, Three Floyds and Summit Brewing) as chief innovation officer. Abel and chief product officer Glenn Allen detailed Haug’s hiring and Pilot Project’s plans for the Milwaukee space on the Brewbound Podcast last month.
David Duffy Named VP of Sales at Deschutes
David Duffy, former chief commercial officer for Stem Ciders, has been appointed VP of sales of Bend, Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery as of October, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Duffy takes over for Neal Stewart, who departed the company in May for a job outside the beer industry. Stewart was promoted to the role in February 2020, filling a position left vacant for more than seven months following the departure of Andrew Tylser after eight years with the company.
Duffy spent more than three years at Stem Ciders in Lafayette, Colorado, after three years as VP of business development for Brooklyn Brewery in New York. Duffy has also worked at Great Divide Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Western Beverage Distributing Co. and Boston Beer Company in various sales positions, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Deschutes – the 10th largest regional craft brewery by volume, according to Brewers Association (BA) – produced 260,712 barrels of beer in 2021, a +1% increase year-over-year (YoY) after a -19% YoY decline in 2020 and -7% declines in both 2018 and 2019, according to the BA.
John I. Haas Announces Succession Plan
For the first time in the history of John I. Haas, Inc. – a global hop supplier and member of the BarthHaas Group – will be led by a non-family member. Effective August 2023, Tom Davis, EVP of finance and operations, will take over as CEO of the company, succeeding Alex Barth.
To help with the leadership transition, Davis has been promoted to chief operating officer, effective immediately. Barth, who has led the company since 2008, will join the Haas board of directors when his term ends.
Davis joined Haas in 2004 as CFO, transitioning to EVP in 2018.
The leadership changes are part of a “strategic succession plan to both preserve the spirit of a family-owned business while also attracting and empowering a new generation of leaders and innovators to help the company continue to flourish,” the company said in a press release.
“In this case, the talents of both Barth and Davis and their nearly 20-year history of success working together to move the company forward – made the job of finding a successor to Barth that much easier,” the board said in the release. “In Davis we have found the future of Haas leadership while ensuring continuity with the innovation and operational excellence that has propelled the company to the top ranks of the hop industry.”
John I. Haas VP of finance Stephanie Conrad has also been promoted in the transition and will now serve as chief financial officer. Conrad joined Haas in 1990 as a payroll accountant, working her way up to becoming the company’s first woman VP.
Emma McClarkin Appointed Chair of the Worldwide Brewing Alliance
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), has been appointed chair of the Worldwide Brewing Alliance (WBA), a global trade group representing more than 80% of the world’s beer production.
McClarkin takes over for Jim McGreevy, former president and CEO of the Beer Institute (BI). The WBA role has been vacant since McGreevy departed the beer industry earlier this year. He now serves as VP of public policy, federal government relations and political engagement for the Coca-Cola Company’s North America Political Action Committees (PACS).
McClarkin served as a British member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands for more than a decade, before joining BBPA in 2019. At BBPA she has “helped to secure support for brewers and pubs as they navigated the pandemic, as well as major changes to the U.K. excise duty regime to incentivi[z]e the consumption of lower-strength drinks,” according to a press release.
McClarkin’s term as WBA chair will be two years.
“The WBA is excited to be working with a leader of Emma’s caliber and to benefit from her experience, energy, and enthusiasm,” WBA president and CEO Justin Kissinger said in the release. “She’s a skilled political communications expert and negotiator who has demonstrated that she’s a real champion for the brewing industry.”
Kissinger and WBA advisor Dan Kopman joined the Brewbound Podcast earlier this year to discuss the trade group’s mission and beer’s global challenges. Listen to the episode here.
Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance Names New Executive Director
The Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance (CIBA) has named Heather Harris executive director of the nonprofit trade group, effective November 1.
Harris – a customer success manager at Ekos, a craft beverage software company – will oversee the group’s five-member board of directors, working to promote and support the 46 breweries that primarily operate in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. She succeeds CIBA’s first executive director Nils Weldy.
Weldy, who has served as executive director since September 2021, will remain “active in the craft beer community” as co-producer of Charlotte’s annual Queen City Brewers Festival, according to a press release.
Harris previously held sales positions at Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Wise Man Brewing and Charlotte-based Bold Missy Brewery, according to the release. She also previously served as the Charlotte chapter leader for the Pink Boots Society, a national nonprofit advocating for women and non-binary people in the beer industry.
Former Coronado Brewing Head Brewer Mark Theisen Joins R&D Brewing
Raleigh, North Carolina-based R&D Brewing has named Mark Theisen, former Coronado Brewing head brewer, its director of brewing operations.
Theisen began his brewing career at Mission Brewery before joining Coronado, both in his home city of San Diego, California. While he was at Coronado, the company won “Best Mid-Sized Brewery & Brewmaster” at the World Beer Cup. He departed this year to explore a “new challenge and geography” for himself and his fiancee, according to a press release.
“We are excited to have Mark on the team, it is an incredible opportunity to have such a highly regarded industry professional overseeing our brewing operations,” R&D COO Rachel Peterson said in the release. “His expertise in the brewing industry and commitment to the vision of R&D Brewing are integral to our future growth and success.”
R&D produced a reported 740 barrels of beer in 2021, an increase from 680 barrels in 2020, according to the BA. The brewery’s portfolio includes several beers brewed in collaboration with local institutions, including Storm Brew lager, the official beer of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes; Deacon Brew, the official craft beer of Wake Forest University athletics; and Mountain Brew ale, the official craft beer of Appalachian State University.
Thiesen – who commended R&D’s “intentional and smart growth” – said he plans on “potentially incorporating some of the styles made famous by West Coast breweries like a West Coast IPA” to R&D’s lineup, according to the release.
Victor Novak Joined Figueroa Mountain Brewing as Director of Innovation
Buellton, California-based Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company has appointed Victor Novak director of innovation, as well as head brewer for the company’s Los Angeles taprooms.
Novak will work with Figueroa brewmaster Kevin Ashford to expand the company’s brewing capabilities across its network, and help the brewery expand its own-premise operations in LA, made possible by the acquisition of multiple Artisanal Brewers Collective (ABC) brewpubs this summer, according to a press release.
Novak previously worked at Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned Golden Road Brewing, serving as brewmaster since 2014. A-B acquired Golden Road from co-founders Tony Yanow – who also founded ABC – and Meg Gill in 2015. Prior to Golden Road, Novak brewed at TAPS Brewery in Tustin, California.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Victor to our team,” Ashford said in the release. “He brings a rare depth of knowledge about brewing methodology, use of ingredients, and quality beer service. Victor’s understanding of beer and its history is truly inspiring for us.”
Figueroa Mountain’s planned brewpubs for LA include:
- Lagerhaus (formerly Bluebird), a Germanic-style brewhall focused on lagers;
- Fig at UCLA (formerly Broxton), a “nimble” brewhouse for research and development;
- Agua Santa Cervecería (former Stalking Horse), a Mexican-inspired taproom featuring the company’s 4.8% ABV Agua Santa lager and future brand extensions.
“Bringing the Figueroa Mountain identity to these brewpubs is going to do a lot to open more people’s eyes to the depth and breadth of what we can do in LA, and that’s really thrilling,” Novak said in the release.
When the announcement of the brewpubs was made in June, Figueroa Mountain founder and president Jaime Dietenhofer told Brewbound that an exact date for the revamps was not set due to continued “long lead times” and supply chain constraints. Those delays have apparently played out as expected, as the company is now planning to debut the locations in early 2023 due to “lease and licensing hurdles,” according to the release.
Dietenhofer detailed the company’s brewpub plans and its 2023 direction to Brewbound in July. Read more here.