What happens when a former engineering leader decides to open a brewery?
In the true spirit of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we talk all about beer in this episode. Recorded live from Amorphic Beer in Milwaukee, WI, we sit down with the Founder, Ron Hockersmith, to learn about what makes their beer special and the company a success even as the hype around craft beer fades.
We’re also joined by the brilliant hosts from A BROADcast for Manufacturers, Kris Harrington (CEO of GenAlpha) and Lori Highby (CEO and Founder of Keystone Click), for a 4-way entrepreneurial chat about manufacturing, engineering, leadership, and of course, beer.
In this episode, we take a look at the early days of Amorphic Beer and Ron’s career background before he stepped into the brewing world. Ron has taken all the great parts of leading a team from his engineering days and applied them to his business today, and it’s safe to say that’s been a great move for Amorphic. We hear about the team, the operations, the scientific approach to margins and recipes, and some surprising beer facts along the way.
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3 Quick Things from this Episode
- Running a brewery like an engineering organization may be unusual but it’s resulted in zero staff changes in the past year – something unheard of in the service industry.
- Every single recipe decision is measured according to the effect on profits, allowing the brewing team to maintain a lean operation.
- Trusting your team to do what they do best while encouraging open feedback can have the biggest influence on a business’ success.
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Tweetable Quotes
- “We run this like it’s an international engineering organization.”
- “Don’t try and hire for the perfect team because you’ll never find the perfect people to fit into the perfect cogs… Find what your people are very good at and then build your organization around that.”
- “No one’s ever worked for me that I don’t trust. Doesn’t matter if I’m working in defense contracting for GE or at the brewery, trust them, empower them to do the right things.”
Please Scroll Down for Recommended Resources from this Episode
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This episode is part of the MADE HERE City Series, created in partnership with ISN, the Industrial Solutions Network. In these episodes, we’re exploring what makes a city’s manufacturing community so special. This series not only features full podcast interviews with manufacturing leaders, but behind-the-scenes tours of some of the region’s most iconic and important industrial operations. Check out our latest mini-series in Nebraska today.
Skillwork is the premier staffing agency focusing exclusively on skilled labor. Their team of highly skilled workers augments existing teams for elevated impact and decreased downtime. Partnering with hundreds of facilities in over 30 states, Skillwork deploys their traveling industrial technicians to work for you on a contract basis.
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What We Discuss with Ron, Kris and Lori
- A little background on Ron’s career and how he came from healthcare manufacturing and defense contracting to start his own brewery
- Introduction to the hosts of A BROADcast for Manufacturers podcast
- Why Ron opted for lean manufacturing principles without the formality to run his brewery
- What a background in engineering taught Ron about leadership and why he runs Amorphic Beer like an international engineering organization
- What makes the leadership and management of Amorphic Beer different and successful even as the hype around craft beer dies down
- Why trust in your employees is key to success
- Ron shares the main differences he’s experienced since working for himself vs. as an employee in a major organization
- Facts on beer, music, plants, and sports for the “I just learned that…” segment
- How recent tariffs on Canadian aluminum may have a huge impact on Amorphic Beer in the future
Recommended Resources
- Amorphic Beer, Milwaukee WI brewery where beer is “engineered through scientific experimentation”
- A BROADcast for Manufacturers, a podcast run by Lori, Kris and Erin exploring stories and manufacturing insights that challenge the status quo
Connect with Ron, Erin, Kris and Lori
Ron Hockersmith | Erin Courtenay | Kris Harrington | Lori Highby
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