Carrie Yunker opened Brewbound Live Winter 2022 with a discussion on leading the organization through the retirement of its legendary founder, Larry Bell, and the sale of the company to New Belgium Brewing’s parent company, Lion Little World Beverages. Her talk included wisdom gleaned from the experience of leading a 37-year-old craft beer institution through a period of immense change, preserving Bell’s unique identity, and unifying its culture with New Belgium, which shares its people-centric values.

Firestone Walker co-founder David Walker will share what it means to be a craft brewer now and reflect on the brewery’s quarter-century journey. Chief sales officer David Macon and chief marketing officer Dustin Hinz will later join the conversation to explain how they will execute the vision to take the company into the next 25 years.

Schilling Cider co-founder and CEO Colin Schilling shares how his company has worked and continues to build a strong company culture.

Featuring: Dave Williams, VP of analytics and insights, Bump Williams Consulting Sam Calagione, co-founder, Dogfish Head Kristen Burke, Chief Corporate Growth Officer, Burke Distributing Andrea Starr, Director of Beer Merchandising, Total Wine & More

Sinead Carey (Wine Warehouse), Terry Cekola (Elite Brands of Colorado) and Laura Markstein (Markstein Sales Co.) will share the things they wish suppliers knew about working with distributors and offer their middle-tier perspectives.

Jessica Muskey and Jeff Hansson shared how to work better with your wholesaler partners, gain more share of mind and understand the products wholesalers are looking to carry. Muskey dived into Reyes’ ability to test-and-learn with new products in various markets as a multistate operator. Hansson shared how Scout, as a small and independent Southern California wholesaler, approaches the market, as well as opens new territories, such as Arizona and Idaho. Featuring: Jessica Muskey, VP of Craft and Innovation, Reyes Beer Division Jeff Hansson, Co-Founder and CEO, Scout Distribution

How do marketing directors from Sierra Nevada, Firestone Walker and Constellation Brands guide and build on popular brand families such as Little Things, 805 and Modelo? Leaders from three of those brands will share their strategies for steering those franchises and adding onto those brand families.

Featuring: Bill Shufelt, Co-Founder and CEO, Athletic Brewing Company Colleen Quinn, CEO, Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company Sam Calagione, Co-Founder, Dogfish Head

Featuring: Sam Calagione – Co-Founder, Dogfish Head Lori Scheiffler – Co-Founder and President, Tamarron Consulting Jason Murphy – Director of Beverage Strategy & Innovation, Buffalo Wild Wings

The leaders of four hard seltzer brands — Sean Mossman (Sonic Hard Seltzer), Jeana Harrington (Mighty Swell), Josh Landan (Ashland) and Vikram Nayar (Two Robbers) — will share why they believe there is still room in the segment for independent producers.

Regional cideries are bucking national trends. How are they doing it? Caitlin Braam, Founder, Yonder Cider; Nels Jewell-Larsen, Co-Owner, 2 Towns Ciderhouse; Eric Phillips, Chief Commercial Officer, Schilling Cider; Soham Bhatt, Co-Founder, Artifact Cider Project, share strategies and insights.

Finding white space within the beverage-alcohol industry’s fast-growing fourth category of offerings isn’t easy. Leaders from Molson Coors and Rhinegeist’s RGBevs will share their strategies for finding opportunities, building new brand families and crafting partnerships with major brands.

New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer and Bell’s Brewery EVP Carrie Yunker wrapped up Day One of Brewbound Live 2021 in Santa Monica, California, to discuss what comes next, following the sale of Bell’s to New Belgium’s parent company, Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages.