By Sue Rigler

The Adventure Begins

On September 28, 2014 as I walked out of the restroom at Great Northern Brewery in Whitefish, MT, I noticed a lab across the hallway…beakers, microscope, stir plates, pH meter. My nerdy science-microbiologist inner self resurfaced at this “ah ha” moment, and along with my entrepreneur spirit and love for craft beer, led me to a mid-life career change. I applied to the University of California San Diego Brewing Certification program and was accepted in Spring 2015. I joined Pink Boots Society in 2016, bought myself a 1.5bbl system as a birthday/graduation present August 2017, graduated December 2017 and started my dream job with Krones, Inc. January 2018.

Sue & Alyssa Dunn UCSD classmates & PBS members

I knew zero people in the industry when I started classes and even less about brewing beer. What happened from that moment has been a mere avalanche of serendipitous connections. More than one person has told me I should write a book, or name a brewery, Serendipity. I love to engage in conversations with just about anyone and more times than not, I walk away with a take home message or saying, “OMG, did that really just happen?”

Sue with BJ Anderson & Coworker

Serendipity can also be seen when I reached out to my UCSD instructors for help with my search for a technical sales position. Yuseff Cherney of Cutwater Spirits, suggested I go to Drinktec in Munich for prime networking opportunities. With less than three week’s notice, and Yuseff’s generous help to find accommodations with his German friends, I boarded a plane to Munich. As a result, that is how I got my job with Krones…dropping my personal business card off in the massiveness of Hall B6. It eventually made its way to BJ Anderson, my current boss. Yes, I went all the way to Germany to find my dream job.

Who Knew? Teri Fahrendorf Rides Subways…In Munich!

Serendipity continues on the crowded subway in Munich, after a day at Drinktec. Hundreds of people packed in like sardines. I looked up and said to a woman near me, “Is your name Teri?” That Teri turned out to be our Pink Boots Society founder, Teri Fahrendorf! She looked just like her Facebook profile photo. We talked and walked to Taco Libre where the Munich Chapter was hosting their first meeting. I was graciously greeted by 12 other positive women who live in Germany. We have craft beer as a commonality. It was an amazing and welcoming experience after feeling quite alone in a foreign country. That is the when I truly felt the power of Pink Boots Society and led me to my volunteer position as the Collaboration Brew Day Coordinator. I was happy to assist Emily Engdahl, our Executive Director. Who would not want to work with someone funny, sassy and brilliant? I just wish we lived closer!

Sue Interning at McFate Brewing

From a Subway Ride to Collaboration Brew Day Coordinator

What started with helping Emily pin over 260 participating breweries in 10 countries in Google maps, has now developed into leading an entire team for 2019 Collaboration Brew Day. I can’t believe Emily did this all herself in years past! As I began to collect photos of the brew day, I looked at the consistency of the smiles, teamwork and passion for brewing in every photo. It literally gave me goosebumps and moved me to put together a slide show sharing the global effort of strength, unity and empowerment illustrated by the women of Pink Boots Society. Having gone through the process this year, I’ve documented what worked, some great ideas shared and what could be improved upon. I will make sure it’s available for participating breweries well before Brew Day 2019. I am very honored Emily and the entire Board of PBS put their confidence in me to lead this fun project for next year!

Sue w/ Andrew Fowler, LA Ale Works

A Little Insight Into My Dream Job & the Serendipitous Cycle

Krones has very few females in the field globally. I feel nothing but support and optimism from my Krones family. They are upbeat professionals who encourage me and my participation in Pink Boots Society. My job description is very unique within Krones in the fact that I’m the first hire in the world with the title ‘Sales & Market Segment Analyst’. This newly created job was based on my technical background, brewing knowledge and their need for a business development-type role. My ultimate responsibilities are a hybrid between sales and marketing. To keep my efforts focused, the Krones management team narrowed my day to day activities to breweries in Southern California and Arizona. I collect brewery operations and production data to see if there are noticeable trends and document our strengths and weaknesses in each region.

Krones Canning Machine

Yes, I get paid to engage in conversations about beer, and sometimes sample the product. I know, right?…as I smile. I was hired to keep the Krones big picture in mind with respect to their product lines and various beverage related market segments. In doing so, then recognize synergistic opportunities that arise out of being present in a conversation. Krones has an extremely large product line, but narrowing it down to the brewing industry, they manufacture brewhouses and tanks from 5bbl on up, canning and bottling lines, automation software and systems integration. I am so fortunate to have landed a job with such a reputable company, work with wildly intelligent people and have a boss who believes in my abilities and wants to see me succeed. I absolutely love what I do.I challenge myself to make change where change is needed, I don’t pass up once-in-a lifetime opportunities and I push myself out of my comfort zone. In doing so, it naturally leads me toward prodigious people who, in turn, challenge me to be a better, stronger person. It’s what I call a serendipitous cycle.

About the Author

Escape from Alcatraz 2018

Sue was destined for the beer industry. At the age of 10, she collected beer cans and wore a Budweiser t-shirt. Originally from Iowa, Sue lives in Manhattan Beach, CA where she raised 4 kids, one still living at home with her. She attended Arizona State University, received a degree in Microbiology and now sits on the LA/ASU Leadership Council. To officially immerse herself in the brewing industry, Sue commuted from LA to San Diego to attend UC San Diego’s Brewing program. Eager to learn how to brew, Sue set up her 1.5 bbl brewhouse in a garage in Tempe, AZ equipped with a walk-in cooler and a mini lab to come full circle with her micro background. When she is not out talking to breweries and crunching data for Krones, pinning Google Maps for Pink Boots, or seeking out a fresh IPA, she can be found in the pool or ocean, on a spin bike or out running along the strand. Sue is a veteran spin instructor of 19 years, and has completed multiple races, including Ironman Arizona and just this month, her second Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.

By Caroline Parnin, Co-chapter Leader of the Raleigh, NC Pink Boots Chapter; East Coast Technical Manager, Lallemand Brewing/Siebel Institute of Technology

Origins:

Bière de Femme is a festival designed to showcase the women of NC beer, while also raising money for women to pursue their beer career dreams through education. During our May 2016 meeting I challenged the members of the Raleigh, North Carolina chapter with a specific question: Rather than working hard on many small events and spreading ourselves thin, what were some events/projects that could combine our efforts to raise significant amounts of money? In November 2016 chapter members Jordan Boinest and Anita Riley brought forward a festival idea at a meeting and Bière de Femme was born. We decided at that November meeting that we would donate 100% of our proceeds to Pink Boots Society. Our 1st Bière de Femme Festival took place four months later, on March 11, 2017 in Shelby, NC .

In our planning stage we set goals for what we wanted to achieve and they included:

• Raise money for Scholarships
• Showcase the badass women in NC beer (with each brewery serving a beer made by women employees specifically for the festival)
• Provide a tasting and educational experience like no other around (this includes guest learning experiences like a test sensory skills both, a history of women in beer educational wall and also local guild representation, educational programs and ingredient manufacturers providing fun learning experiences on site)

Last year we raised almost $11,000! We hope to hit $18,000 this year. On a side note, co-chapter leader Anita Riley wrote Brewing Ambition: Recipes & Stories From the Women of North Carolina Craft Beer. In addition to being a great read full of homebrew recipes, it’s a great gift. All proceeds go to Pink Boots.

Bière de Femme 2018

The 2nd annual Bière de Femme happens March 3, 2018 in Raleigh, NC. Organization is definitely a task that has brought our team together!  We utilized some great programs for communication, delegated tasks, and kept very open lines of communication throughout the process to be successful. The app Asana for delegation/communication helps us see who is working on what, and progress made. We created a to-do list/timeline and have tried to follow it as best we can. We have bi-weekly check-ins with everyone available.

Each chapter member brings a certain skill set that is extremely helpful in organization – for example Anita Riley (our other Raleigh Chapter Leader) is a writer- so she is our media communications manager.  Katie Smith (Asheville Chapter Co-Leader) is a social media whiz- she handles our posts and also organizes our volunteers. Natalie Anderson (Raleigh Chapter member) who runs a brewery has managed people her entire adult life. She helped us organize the task list and heads brewery communications for the event. Each person’s ownership of certain responsibilities allows us to not stretch ourselves too thin and ensures we move forward.

Helpful Tips for Producing An Event:

If I could offer a few helpful tips to plan successful fundraising events to other PBS chapters they would be the following:

• Don’t try to do it alone, work as a team or the tasks will be impossible. Delegate tasks to your chapter members; each has skills or contacts that will prove very useful.  Life happens, so have a backup plan in place if someone has to step away from their duties.
• Contact the board for help, there are many resources available if you need them.
• Create a timeline with tasks and deadlines and stick to it
• Delegate tasks – using the app Asana has been our savior for this
• Don’t be afraid to ask for sponsorship money. You never know unless you ask  In-kind sponsorships are great too, we have received them for glassware/t-shirts/media promotion.
• Designate one person in charge of money, so things done get confusing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I must say I am honored to be a part of such a dynamic group of women breaking molds and providing support to one another. North Carolina has come a long way in 4 years with the progression of women in our beloved industry. I hope you’ll be able to join us at Bière de Femme this year!

Cheers to women in beer!

About Caroline Parnin: 

In the spring of 2007 I took a RV cross country road trip with some girlfriends that changed the course my life forever. Instead of LSATs and law school I decided I would pursue my dream of making beer for a living.

I immediately began volunteering at a local brewery in Raleigh on their bottling line on an as needed basis.  They paid me in hi/low fill beer. After a couple years of volunteering, I took an (unpaid) assistant brewer position at a new brewpub in town. Three years later I was sidelined by a kickball accident.

During my recovery I decided that in order to move forward in the industry I would get a formal brewing education. After registering for the full Advanced Brewing Theory course through Siebel Institute of Technology in 2014, I reached out to PBS to see what financial aid resources were available. Founder Teri Fahrendorf replied to my email for help quickly, with some pointers and a wish of good luck. Unfortunately, PBS simply did not have funds to help with that size of a scholarship.

I’ll never forget Teri’s encouragement and support; it was very welcomed. I was the only women working on the production side of a brewery that I knew of in my city. I did not know many women in the industry at all, and I was only one of two women in the Seibel program. As they say, all’s well that ends well. Soon I will become Product Manager for sensory kits and also will take on a larger marketing/business development rolle within Lallemand Brewing/Siebel Institute of Technology.