What's Brewing in the Craft Beer Space

 

New Venue:  Lomas Santa Fe Country Club

 

We are excited to gather dealmakers and craft beer experts to discuss the San Diego craft beer industry. With an estimated 110 craft brewers in San Diego, the industry is growing & changing daily. Come and network with your peers, enjoy some local craft beer and hear from experts in the San Diego craft brewery community. 

 

PANEL:  

 

Steve Goodger, CFO, Green Flash Brewing Co.
Steve Goodger has been a shareholder of Green Flash since 2005, and became the Chief Financial Officer in 2012. Steve grew up in Milwaukee and is an avid collector of baseball cards & beer cans, so he feels right at home running the business of beer at one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the US. Steve passed CPA exam in 1990, and had a 28-year career, in the biotech industry. While immersed in the business of biotech, Steve continued to explore a growing personal passion for craft beer and even tried his hand at home brewing. In the late 90s, Steve saw the entrepreneurial opportunity presented by the growing San Diego craft beer industry. As CFO at Green Flash, Steve now plays an integral role in developing and integrating strategies to ensure the successful growth of the Green Flash brand.

Jim Crute, Lightning Brewery
Jim Crute is a scientist who decided to extend that type of thinking to finely crafted beer. This resulted in the founding of the Lightning Brewery in late 2004 and the production and sale of the first Lightning beers in mid-2006. Jim brings his science training to craft Lightning's two flagship beers, Thunderweizen Ale and Elemental PIlsner, using methods unavailable to the vast majority of US craft breweries. The result of Jim's efforts has been the creation of a brewery who's beers are respected as first class. This is further evidenced by growing sales, an expanding sales footprint, coverage of the brewery by local and regional news organizations, and the garnering of over 40 nationally respected beer awards and medals.

 

Craig Spitz, CFO, Stone Brewing Co
Craig Spitz currently serves as the CFO of Stone Brewing Co., a craft brewery founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996 that now is the 9th largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 10 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multi-faceted company will be the first American craft brewer to own and operate its own brewery in Europe, and is also building a production brewery and destination restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining Stone in 2010, Craig served as the CFO of Synteract, a contract research organization. Craig received his bachelor degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

 

Moderator:  

 

Megan Gess,Corporate and Securities Practice Group, Sheppard Mullin
Megan Gess is a partner in Sheppard Mullin’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group. She has extensive experience with a variety of M&A, private equity, securities, venture financing and commercial transactions. Ms. Gess is also the co-chair of Sheppard Mullin’s Food & Beverage Industry Team, which counsels clients on regulatory matters, product liability, brand development and protection, patent and trademarks, tax law and labor and employment issues.
 

 

 

 

 

ACG Annual Sponsors & Members with Breakfast  Meetings Included :  0

ACG Members Pay as You Attend & Other Chapters: 65

Non-Members & Guests: 85

 

 

ACG Annual Sponsors & Members with Breakfast Meetings Included :  0
ACG Members Pay as You Attend & Other Chapters: 75
Non-Members & Guests: 95

 

 

Questions:  Contact Executive Director Judy Susser-Travis, CMP, CMM

at acgsandiego@acg.org or call 619-741-7247 for assistance.