COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West Conference (MW) has announced a new multi-year partnership with Salt Lake City-based Squatters Craft Beers and Wasatch Brewery, known collectively as Utah Brewers Cooperative, which will serve as the official “Drink Responsibly” campaign sponsor for the MW.
The MW relationship and association within the collegiate sports landscape marks the second annual for Squatters and Wasatch, whose partnership will again center on the Mountain West’s annual Men’s Basketball Championship and Women’s Basketball Championship. The 2019 conference tournaments will be held in Las Vegas at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, March 10-13 (women) and March 13-16 (men).
During both season-ending tournaments, Squatters and Wasatch craft beers will be available in select venue areas. The league’s rights partner, Learfield’s Mountain West Sports Properties, secured this relationship with Squatters and Wasatch on behalf of the MW.
“We have a great history of hosting our championship basketball events in Las Vegas, and this year we’re proud to welcome Utah Brewers Cooperative as our returning partner and provide them with this collegiate platform in which the drinking responsibly message can be shared,” said Dan Butterly, MW tournament director.
In addition to in-venue signage and visibility during the tournaments in Las Vegas, Squatters and Wasatch craft brands will receive digital exposure via themw.com, video board branding, hospitality benefits and game fan features. According to Amy Tangaro, senior marketing manager at Squatters and Wasatch, “We are so excited to leverage our partnership for the second year in not only the Las Vegas market during the tournament, but in the college towns for each team participating in the conference. Responsible drinking is of the utmost importance to us and is always a central message to promote.”
About Squatters Craft Beers
Jeff Polychronis and Peter Cole founded Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City’s original brew pub in 1989. In 2000, Squatters Craft Beers and Wasatch Brewery merged their brewing operations for draft, bottle and can production. The company currently operates five full-service pubs and a brewery tap room. To date, Squatters and Wasatch have brought home 18 World Beer Cups awards and 30 Great American Beer Festival medals. In 2010, Utah Brewers Cooperative received the prestigious U.S. Mid-Size Brewery of the Year award from the Brewers Association. In 2017, Squatters and Wasatch joined a group of independent and like-minded craft brewers, known collectively as CANarchy. Sister breweries include Oskar Blues Brewery, Cigar City Brewing, Perrin Brewing, Deep Ellum Brewing and Three Weavers Brewing Company. Squatters and Wasatch packaged and draft beers are available in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Montana.