American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
Christine Perich
On Wednesday New Belgium announced that their current CEO Christine Perich, who replaced co-founder Kim Jordan as CEO last October, would be leaving the company to “pursue other opportunities,” after a fairly short run in what has become a very hot seat now for some craft beer executives. Welcome to the new reality… Craft Beer is Big Business now
Now to be fair to Ms. Perich, we don’t know her personally and can only speculate as to the circumstances surrounding her decision to leave the company so abruptly. But when a person who’s been with the organization for 16 years, and has only occupied her position as CEO for little over a year, suddenly announces her departure…something doesn’t feel right.
And she’s just one of many high profile departures lately, once a rare occurrence in an industry that’s felt so safe and so stable for such a long time. But things are changing, you know.
Craft Beer is Big Business now…
Simon Thorpe
Earlier this week we reported, that Dogfish Head CEO Nick Benz (a thirteen year exec at the company) would be departing the brewery, after just two years in that position. And we recounted Simon Thorpe’s sudden departure from Duvel Moortgat USA in July.
Yep, Craft Beer is Big Business now…
Stone Brewing, which has for so long has epitomized stability and growth in the industry, is now beset with changes including its recent layoffs.
Mitch Steele
Last June Stone’s brilliant brewmaster Mitch Steele, left the company he’d been part for over 10 years. And In August the prominent west coast brewery, installed former POM Wonderful president, Dominic Engels, as its new CEO replacing co-founder Greg Koch, who’s now in the Executive Chairman well, “chair.”
These things will continue to happen because Craft Beer is Big Business now…
The billion dollar purchase of Ballast Point by Constellation Brands led to the exit off four of their long-time executives including their founder Jack White Jr. and their chief operating officer Yuseff Cherney in July.
We talk to our friends in the industry almost daily as part of what we do here at American Craft Beer, and we’ve sensed an almost palpable change among some who work at craft beer’s lager organizations.
It feels like the heat is on and some in our industry aren’t having as much fun as they used to. And some have quietly hinted to us that they’re thinking about moving on…
Welcome to the new reality people, and really there’s no turning back because the “good news” and the “bad news” is…
Craft Beer is Big Business now…
(Homepage image credit: Tavis Coburn)
