Speakers

Aaron is a native of Kansas City and a Kansas State University Graduate. After studying architecture for four years, he decided he had had enough of sitting behind a desk and joined the Leawood, KS Fire Department as a full-time firefighter, where he currently works. Starting as a homebrewer with some friends in college, he became an avid craft beer enthusiast and turn all of his spare time to learning to make a better beer.

The road to starting Double Shift (the name derived from Aaron's shift work as a firefighter) began in 2013 with a crazy notion at a friends wedding, at which Aaron had served his beer. After hearing so many people ask to buy his beer, Ogilvie decided it was time to take a shot at it. After gathering a few investors, and a long search for real estate, Double Shift is set to open in July 2015.

As the vice president of marketing for Central States Beverage in Kansas City, Jon Poteet spearheads all marketing strategies and works closely with the company's craft suppliers to grow sales and improve market visibility. In 2013, Central States Beverage was recognized at the Craft Beer Distributor of the Year by the Brewers Association and the NBWA.

Simon Thorpe is the president of Duvel Moortgat USA, the US arm of Duvel Moortgat NV, an independent, family-owned Belgian brewer specializing in super-premium craft beers in Europe and North America. For the past six years, Simon has led the growth of the company's US breweries from a small base to its current position as a respected leader in the craft beer segment. He was instrumental in bringing Boulevard Brewing Company into the Duvel Moortgat family in 2014 as well as building the success of Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York.

Prior to joining Duvel Moortgat, Thorpe led various private equity projects in Europe and was formerly head of strategy and mergers & acquisitions for InBev and president/CEO of InBev USA.