Moderator: Brewery Safety: Protecting People from Floor to Mind

Dana Garves is the founder of Oregon BrewLab, a laboratory facility that provides affordable, fast, and local testing services for the fermentation industry. BrewLab offers precise and accurate alcohol analysis of beer, cider, mead, spirits, and kombucha. Garves received her BS in Chemistry at the University of Oregon. She joined the beer industry by building Ninkasi Brewing Company's laboratory and sensory programs, and later collaborated with the scientists that sent Beer Yeast into space. She founded BrewLab in 2014 and has since worked with over 500 breweries nationwide to maintain and improve their beer quality while fostering fermentation education within the Oregon beer community.

Brewery Safety: Protecting People from Floor to Mind

Jackie St. Louis, DPA, MSC, LMHC, MHP is a licensed mental health therapist, organizational consultant, and thought leader working at the intersection of behavioral health, leadership, and culture.

With over two decades of experience across clinical practice, public service, and systems-level consulting, he helps individuals and organizations navigate complexity, build resilience, and create more human-centered environments.

Jackie’s voice extends beyond the therapy room and boardroom. Through his writing, speaking, and community engagement, he explores the human experience with depth and honesty—challenging individuals to reflect, grow, and reconnect with what matters most.

Whether guiding a client, facilitating a room, or writing for a broader audience, Jackie brings a steady presence, thoughtful insight, and a commitment to helping people and systems become more aligned, intentional, and whole.

Brewery Safety: Protecting People from Floor to Mind

Ryan Hibler is an Occupational Health Consultant for Oregon OSHA with over 10 years of experience.  Working with a diverse array of employers has given Ryan practical experience in assisting employers with providing a safe, compliant, and healthy work environment. Ryan has worked with breweries throughout the state and has been the Oregon OSHA liaison to the Oregon Brewer’s Guild for the past three years. Ryan enjoys Oregon’s brewing culture both professionally and recreationally.

Moderator: Beyond the Bar & Relationship Management

With over 20 years in the craft beer industry (yet sadly, zero beer tattoos), I currently serve as the Director of Member Services for the Independent Brewers Alliance (IBA), a craft beer specific purchasing co-op.

I started my journey in on-premise programming at Miller Brewing and have been "wearing all the hats" ever since. My background spans every facet of the business:

• Executive Leadership: Recently served as President of Resident Brewing Co. and acted as a fractional CEO for various breweries.

• Consulting & Strategy: Founded E3 Craft Strategies, guiding brands through growth, supply chain, and distribution management for over a decade.

• Brand Building: Built sales teams and distribution networks from the ground up for "unicorn" brands Oskar Blues and Ninkasi, and launched the industry disruptor Brew Pipeline.

• Education: Former instructor for Portland State University’s Business of Beer program; I continue to speak and mentor to help industry peers find success.

Beyond the Bar: Turning Taprooms into Profit Engines

I'm very proud to own and operate Threshold Brewing with my husband Jarek, now going on 8 years. We're a small craft brewery located in our own SE Portland neighborhood of Montavilla. My previous professional background is in healthcare communications and event management, with a career spanning 18 years here in Portland. 

As a small business owner, I’ve had the honor of serving on the board of the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association, and as a woman in beer, I’ve served on the Pink Boots Society National Scholarship Committee as well as the elected co-leader of Portland’s Pink Boots Chapter.

With Threshold, and perhaps especially as a self-distributed and self-funded brewery, higher margin taproom sales have been on the top of my mind every single day, and plenty of sleepless nights. How do we channel local energy, how do we curve the midweek slump - or even weekend slump - and how do we sustain momentum. Essentially: what consistently draws customers, why, and at what cost.

I’ve learned a heck of a lot over the past few years and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the principles and approaches that have allowed our taproom to flourish.

Beyond the Bar: Turning Taprooms into Profit Engines

Brian Bovenizer is the Marketing Director for Fort George Brewery. Brian studied Audio Engineering and Music Business in Kalamazoo, MI, and Chicago, IL, while working various jobs as a distribution merchandiser, craft beer retailer, and brewpub server with a short stint as an outdoor illuminations specialist for a pest control company. Dropping out of school to move to Astoria, Brian has been under the employ of Fort George since 2009. 

Beyond the Bar: Turning Taprooms into Profit Engines

Cody Adams is a service professional with 12 years of experience in the Willamette Valley and Great Lakes area. Leadership roles at Alesong, Ninkasi Brewing, and Barrio Tacos have shaped his humanistic approach to guest satisfaction, team engagement, and broader business logistics.

Beyond the Bar: Turning Taprooms into Profit Engines

Dan Brownhill has been working in craft beer since 2010 and joined Breakside Brewery in 2015. As Director of Restaurant & Taproom Operations, he oversees retail and hospitality operations across all eight Breakside locations. He earned his MBA in 2022 and enjoys combining his industry experience with a business-minded approach to craft beverage operations. He works to foster employee development and retention, creative problem-solving, and a mindset of consistent growth at Breakside Brewery.

Relationship Management: How Brands and Distributors Build Productive Partnerships

Adam Milne is owner of Old Town Pizza, Baby Doll Pizza & award-winning Old Town Brewing. Founder of GoSelfDistro, a new collective of more than 40 self-distributing breweries and cideries. GoSelfDistro highlights the local economic benefits of self-distribution and provides beer and cider buyers with one place to find self-distro offerings.

Relationship Management: How Brands and Distributors Build Productive Partnerships

Robby Roda is the founder and owner of Day One Distribution, a specialty craft beer distributor based in Portland, Oregon.  Launched in the summer of 2016, the company initially focused on bringing in-demand small craft beers from Southern California to the Portland market but has since expanded to distribute over many breweries nationwide and partner with some of the best and newest local breweries.

In recent years, Day One Distribution has grown significantly, adding a partnership with Lime Ventures Imports in August 2024 to distribute over 35 international brands (including Cantillon and Fantome) and expanding its wholesale footprint for Great Notion Brewing throughout Portland.  The company’s retail network spans over 600 to 800 locations across Oregon, and Roda also co-founded Stoup Distro in Washington to support independent brewers outside his home state.

Relationship Management: How Brands and Distributors Build Productive Partnerships

Ian Hutchings is Block 15's COO and has been heavily involved in the brewing industry since 2013, when he started as General Manager with pFriem Family Brewers.  He currently oversees all Block 15 operations, focusing on Block 15 Distribution

Moderator: Next-Gen Oregon Hops: Harnessing Heritage, Science, and Collaboration

Lindsey Rubottom is the Brewing Innovation Instructor and Lab Manager at the University of Oregon’s Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. In this role, she teaches the next generation of innovators through experiential learning, using brewing science as a platform for innovation, collaboration, and discovery. She earned her PhD from Oregon State University in 2023, where her research in Dr. Tom Shellhammer’s lab focused on how kilning and farm parameters influence hop aroma and brewing quality. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from California State University, Chico. With experience spanning both academia and the brewing industry, Lindsey is an active member and volunteer with the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA). She is passionate about advancing brewing education and helping students explore the intersection of science, creativity, and innovation.

Next-Gen Oregon Hops: Harnessing Heritage, Science, and Collaboration

My name is Max Coleman, and I am the Farm Operations Manager for Coleman Agriculture here in the Willamette Valley. I’ve been getting paid to work on the farm since 2004 and made the transition from seasonal work to full-time in 2019. Since returning to the farm post-college, I have been focused on farming hops, brewer relations, and learning the ins and outs of the family business. I also represent hop growers for Hop Growers of America, Hop Research Council, and chair the Government Affairs Committee for the Oregon Hop Commission.
Some of my work interests involve brewer-grower connections, hop quality and kilning, hop industry dynamics, and drinking cold West Coast IPAs. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, spending quality time with my family, and drinking cold West Coast IPAs.

Next-Gen Oregon Hops: Harnessing Heritage, Science, and Collaboration

I was born in Eugene and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1977. 

Beginning in 1969, I spent my summers during high school and college working on the family farm.  In 1977 at 22, I took over the operation of the farm after the sudden death of my Uncle Joe.  I started with 40 acres of the variety Fuggle on the farm and no harvest facility.  The hopyards were older than I was.

I have grown hops for 49 years and have had 20 years of certified organic production.  I began hop breeding at the same time the organic production started in 2007.  At this time, organic production is the focus of the hop operation.

I have served as the chair of the Oregon Hop Commission and represented Oregon growers at the  Hop Research Council.

Next-Gen Oregon Hops: Harnessing Heritage, Science, and Collaboration

Sam Pecoraro is Brewmaster at Von Ebert Brewing in Portland, Oregon.  Since 2018, Von Ebert has expanded signifiacntly in that time and has received back-to-back GABF Medals in American IPA, as well as GABF and World Beer Cup medals for their flagship Pils and Clubhaus Lager.  His brewing ethos is best expressed in Von Ebert's signature motto: "Where Tradition Meets Evolution."

Moderator: Alternative Beverages: The Good, The Bad, The Better.

Brian Coombs founded Alesong Brewing and Blending in 2015 after working in the cellar at King Estate Winery and Oakshire Brewing in Eugene. Alesong Brewing and Blending’s primary focus is making barrel-aged beer for their club and tasting room located south of Eugene in wine county. In 2023 Alesong introduced wine and cider to their production. 

Alternative Beverages: The Good, The Bad, The Better

Matt Swihart founded Double Mountain Brewery and Cidery in 2007 and has been a brewer for 33 years after a brief stint as an Aerospace Engineer for McDonnell Douglas. The cidery presses all its own fruit for fermentation and has 23 acres in pears and heirloom cider apples. In 2013, Double Mountain reintroduced reusable bottles to the Pacific Northwest and pioneered with the Oregon Recycled Beverage Cooperative to create a statewide reuse program in 2018.

Alternative Beverages: The Good, The Bad, The Better

Patrick Raasch got his boots wet at Free State Brewing in Lawrence, KS in 2010 and attended Seibel Institute of Technology. Moved to Central Oregon in 2016 for the head brewer role at Sunriver Brewing Company.

Alternative Beverages: The Good, The Bad, The Better

Spencer May has been in the industry since 2014 working at breweries such as Abita, Melvin, and New Belgium. He attended the Siebel Institute of Technology in 2016 and moved to Astoria, Oregon in 2019. He is currently the production manager at Fort George.

Alternative Beverages: The Good, The Bad, The Better

Ryan Atagi is approaching his six-year anniversary with Crux Fermentation Project. During his first two and a half years, he served as the Assistant Brewmaster and Head of Quality Assurance. For the past three years, he has held the position of Head Brewer.

State of the Industry

Lisa Allen came to be a brewer via the wine industry, but is no stranger to craft beer. A native Oregonian, Lisa grew up in a family of home brewers and craft beer enthusiasts. In 2007 her father, Rick Allen, started Heater Allen Brewing, concentrating on German and Czech-style lager beers. Lisa left the wine industry to join the brewery in late 2009 and started as many brewers do: cleaning kegs. She has done just about every job you can do at a brewery, she currently runs the day to day operations and mashes in almost every batch. At the beginning of 2023 Lisa and her partner, Kevin Davey, announced their purchase of Heater Allen Brewing and launched their own brand, Gold Dot Beer. Lisa has been on the Oregon Brewers Guild board since 2022 and currently serves as board President.

State of the Industry

Jeff Alworth has been writing about beer for nearly thirty years. He has authored several books, among them The Secrets of Master Brewers and the IACP award-winning Beer Bible. His articles and columns have appeared in a range of publications; he currently writes the "Style School" column for Craft Beer & Brewing while maintaining his long-running site, Beervana. In 2024, he founded Celebrate Oregon Beer, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing Oregon’s reputation as one of the world’s premier beer regions.

State of the Industry

Brett Thomas broke into the Oregon craft beer industry in 2009, helping establish Bend’s Silver Moon brewery as a national award winner.  In 2010 he was awarded the Falconer Foundation Brewers Scholarship and attended the American Brewers Guild.  After receiving a degree in brewing science and engineering, he led Silver Moon Brewing to four GABF medal wins.  Brett moved over to Sunriver Brewing Company in 2013, completing a brewery build-out and beginning brewing operations.  Alongside Patrick Raasch, he has led the Sunriver Brewing team to an impressive 19 GABF and WBC wins, as well as earning the coveted Alpha King crown in 2025.  He currently leads Sunriver Brewing Company as Director of Operations.  Brett joined the Guild’s Legislative Action Committee in 2024 and took on the role of Guild Vice President in 2025.  He also works as an organizer for the Sasquatch Brewfest in Eugene and serves on the Falconer Foundation scholarship selection committee.