Highland Brewing owner, president and CEO Leah Wong Ashburn will give the keynote address at the Brewbound Live business conference in Los Angeles this December.
Wong Ashburn will share her story as a second-generation brewery owner, guiding her Asheville, North Carolina-based craft brewery through the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and building for the future.
The brewery served as a community gathering space in the wake of the natural disaster, and Highland has raised thousands of dollars to support local hospitality workers.
Wong Ashburn’s late father, Oscar Wong, founded the brewery in 1994, before craft breweries flocked to the region. For his prescience, Wong is affectionately known as the “Godfather of Asheville Craft Beer.”
Brewbound Live will take place December 10 and 11 at the Marina del Rey Marriott.
Tickets are available now for the two-day gathering of founders, entrepreneurs, sales leaders, marketers, c-suite executives, retailers, distributors and suppliers from across the industry. The event will include on-stage conversations with industry leaders, networking and pre-arranged 1:1 conversations with retailers and distributors.
Speakers include:
- Sophia D’Angelo, founder and CEO, Boston Experiential Group;
- Kaleigh Theriault, director of bev-alc thought leadership, NIQ;
- Andrew Hummel, director bev-alc vertical, CGA;
- Rosalie Kennedy, director of marketing, Athletic Brewing;
- Sam Hendler, co-founder and CEO, Hendler Family Brewing Company;
- Charlie Berger, chief development officer, Wilding Brands;
- Bourcard Nesin, analyst – beverages, Rabobank;
- Rudy Kellner, co-founder and CEO, pFriem Family Brewers;
- Jon Halper, owner and CEO, Top Ten Liquors;
- Nick Firestone, CEO, Firestone Walker.
Conversations will cover the state of the bev-alc market, creating experiences and consumer connections across generations, the growth of the intoxicating hemp beverage market, strategies for platform building and much more.
Additional speakers will be revealed in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in speaking at this year’s event, send your pitch to news@brewbound.com.
Bev-alc companies will have the opportunity to book 1:1 conversations with Whole Foods Market, Top Ten Liquors, Breakthru Beverage California and California Beverage Solution members Sunset Distributing and Heimark Distributing. Additional retailers and wholesalers will be added in the coming weeks. Interested retailers and wholesalers can reach out to Brewbound at news@brewbound.com.
Register for Brewbound Live 2025 >>
Brewbound Live is presented by Powered by Sorse, Fast Track Packaging, Strike Visuals, John I. Haas, Can-One, and Tripleseat Software LLC. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for those seeking to elevate their presence beyond participation.
About Brewbound
Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading multi-media industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer category, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news coverage, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the alcohol beverage industry via a series of nationwide meetups, multi-day business conferences, live-streamed shows and podcasts.
About Brewbound Live
Brewbound Live is a strategic two-day business conference for the beer and beyond industry. Brewbound Live 2025 takes place on December 10 + 11 in Marina del Rey, California. Join founders, top-level executives, investors, and experts for networking opportunities, an all-star speaker lineup, and impactful industry insights.