As summer slowly settles upon the Rocky Mountains do you find yourself daydreaming a bit more? When the alarm goes off in the morning is it a bit harder to motivate? As you head into work do you find yourself distracted by the vibrant colors of the season? Have you ever wanted to change careers, make a move, and look for something that fit’s your lifestyle better? Have you longingly scanned the web looking for your dream job?
Did you answer yes to any of the questions above? Don’t fret; you are just experiencing what everyone goes through at one time or another, questioning your career. Summer has that effect, as the days grow longer we humans long to be out in it, experiencing all the beauty our state has to offer. Sometimes the outdoors seems a long way from our workplace.
In an effort to help you find clarity Elevation Outdoors is talking to people in career fields we usually dream of, jobs that seem perfect for Colorado. We will find out the answers to the questions every one of us have about these jobs, and what it takes to score one.
Colorado is one of the leaders in the USA when it comes to craft beer. According to the Boulder based Brewers Alliance the states 175 craft breweries ranks 4th in the country. Last year the state produced 1,413,242 barrels of beer, that’s a lot of pints to hoist. Imagine working in a job where you are part of creating Homer Simpson’s happy juice all day long; a job that allows you the freedom to work hard and play harder.
Henry Wood has such a job, as national sales manager for Boulder based Upslope Brewing he gets to be involved in everything beer. We sat down with him recently at their Lee Hill test brewery to dig deeper into the beer industry.
What’s your background did you always work in the beer industry?
“No, actually I came from the outdoor industry, I have only been slinging suds for the last six years.”
That’s an interesting pathway to take, tell us more.
“I grew up in Atlanta and always loved the outdoors. I knew from an early age that a desk job would not work for me. Growing up I took any job that would offer me the opportunity to be in the wilderness. After college I worked at Outward Bound for a couple of years, and then spent five great years with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) teaching mountaineering and climbing programs. While with NOLS I spent a lot of time in Colorado and Wyoming, and fell in love with the area. I ended up moving permanently to Boulder in 2005 to work at the Association for Experiential Education running their accreditation program. It was not the best fit for me; I was basically working a desk job in an office and was pretty unhappy. So I decided to quit one day.”
So you just quit, did you have another job lined up?
“No, but that was OK. I had been thinking about a change and was ready for something or someone to give me that final push. That someone turned out to be my wife, she came in the office one day and told me it was time, the next day I gave notice. She knew how frustrated I had become, so I took a leap of faith.”
So how did you end up at Upslope?
“While I was working out my three week notice a friend of mine introduced me to Matt Cutter the founder of Upslope. In the course of one daywe decided to work together, I became employee number three. The brewery was not even built yet; it was in containers so we spent the next couple of months assembling it in our original location on Lee Hill Road. We began putting the brewery together in September and had our first cans ready for the market by Thanksgiving, it was nuts!”
So what do you like about working in the craft beer industry?
“You are creating something you can believe in, we are not creating gadgets or widgets, but high-end craft beer. The passion and pride in the beer industry attracts some of the most talented people I have ever worked with, and that’s saying a lot after NOLS. No day is the same as the last, every day is different; there is always a new problem to solve. That is one of our strengths at Upslope; we always are looking for a better way to do things, while having fun doing it. Plus the free beer is pretty great.”
Sounds great, tell us about your ideal day?
“I wake up early and hit Eldorado Canyon for a few climbs and head into the brewery around 9:00. I visit with the brewers to see what new concoctions they are creating, and then I plan my day. I don’t have a set schedule so each day is different. Then I head out to call on some retailers and meet one of our reps for lunch. We spend the afternoon visiting accounts scoring some nice wins before heading back to the brewery. After a couple of beers with friends I head home for dinner with my family.
So do you have days like that often?
“More than you would think, like I said I am not chained to a desk or cubicle so when free time appears I take advantage of it. Lately I have been flying to Arizona to meet with our distributors and I have found some great trail runs in several cities. When we were in Wyoming last week for a two-day beer festival several of us snuck in a couple of fishing adventures and a quick rock climbing session between events. We sell beer not bombs, so fun is part of the equation.”
When you do have a bad day what’s it entail?
“Probably one of the worst days I have is when we have to dump a tank of beer due to quality issues, it’s painful. Craft beer is all about quality, and when we have a batch that does not meet our high standards; unfortunately down the drain it goes. There are other issues that can make for a bad day like stressing when distributors have not gotten their orders in, some equipment breaks, or maybe we had to much fun the night before, but overall it’s a hell of a job.”
What’s on the horizon for Upslope in the next couple of years?
We currently are distributed in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, and Texas and there is plenty of work there. I would like to see us move into southeast Idaho, New Mexico, and southern Montana in the near future. We are a brand that resonates in the intermountain west region and I would like us to solidify that area. As for employees we currently are between 35-40 I could see that growing to 50 in a couple of years.
So if someone is looking to get in the beer industry what steps should they take?
“First off you have to have a passion for beer and working hard, this is not an industry for the fair-weather individual. People in this business love beer, if you don’t then move on. That said the craft beer industry is booming and we are always on the lookout for talent regardless of your background. Start visiting beer festivals and talk to employees of various breweries, volunteer to work festivals, get a job in a taproom, and work on the production line. Once you are working at a brewery it’s up to you to move forward. Just remember this one piece of advice. It’s not necessarily the biggest drinkers who succeed; it’s the people who are mature, work hard and know how to handle themselves.”
Any other advice you have?
“Don’t work another day if you are miserable or unhappy. Life is too short; I was married with one child and another on the way when I made my move. Throw things out to the universe, follow your passion, and gut instinct. Things will workout, your passion will attract others to you, it can be quite nerve racking, but you will find yourself much happier.”
