In 2018, five board seats will be up for election and there are eight candidates vying for a seat. MBG members will have the opportunity to hear from these BOD hopefuls at our next member meeting being rescheduled for December. Only members breweries that have paid their 2017 dues can vote.
Jeremy Cross, Battle Road Brewing Co.
Jeremy Cross is the owner/head brewer of Battle Road Brewing Co., in Maynard. A 20-year beer industry veteran, Jeremy has worked as the production brewer at several breweries including local favorites Ipswich Brewing Co. and Boston Beer Works, before opening his own brewpub in 2013. This past year, Jeremy served on the MBG’s membership committee fostering relationships within the brewing community and performing outreach to new and existing breweries and securing members. Jeremy is a constant presence at Guild meetings and events, including standing with craft brewers at the State House in our fight for franchise law reform. Jeremy hopes to join the board for a two-year term and would like lend his support to form/lead a technical committee for the MBG with the goal to offer presentations and workshops for Guild members. Topics would include sensory analysis, packaging, QA/QC, brewery chemicals, safety, etc. He states that he is deeply dedicated to the brewing community and wishes to do everything he can to support an organization that is dedicated to protecting, promoting, and propelling forward all Massachusetts brewers.
Warren Dibble, Harpoon Brewery / Mass Bay Brewing Company, Inc.
Warren Dibble is the Chief Financial Officer at Harpoon/Mass Bay Brewing Company, in Boston. He has worked in the beer industry for almost three decades and has held nearly every position in a brewery -- from a brewery representative, to bottling line operator, delivery driver, benefits and payroll manager, and overall financial manager. In his current role, he is responsible for all of the administrative and financial affairs at Harpoon. Warren has played a significant and very helpful role in getting the Guild to where it is today while attending board meetings from the Guild’s inception and serving as Guild Treasurer for many years. He is looking to replace Dan Kenary, Harpoon’s co-founder and CEO, on the board and states that his unique blend of experience at Harpoon, local business associations, and the MBG will allow him to help the MBG continue to grow, protect and improve the landscape for independent craft brewers in the Commonwealth. He is interested in lending his time and talent to the government affairs committee to share his passion for the industry and spread the mission of the MBG.
Maureen Fabry, CraftRoots Brewing
Maureen Fabry is a co-owner/head brewer at CraftRoots Brewing in Milford. Maureen has been in the beer industry for nearly 17-years, brewing at several local breweries including John Harvard’s, Beer Works and Berkshire Brewing Company before opening her own brewery this past year. She is passionate about increasing the communication and education around agricultural and sustainability practices that pertain to producing craft beer. She’d like to help preserve the reciprocal nature of our businesses and underscore the positive relationships we have with farmers, maltsters and consumers through the MBG’s marketing efforts. She is hopeful to join the board of directors for a two-year term and states that she has a strong desire to further contribute to the people and a cause that she cares deeply about. The CraftRoots team has been a familiar face at MBG hosted events, including the Mass Fermentational and Meet the Brewers: Freshman Class event. They also shared their knowledge with brewery-in-planning hopefuls during the New Brewery Bootcamp serving on a panel discussion.
Dave Fields, Wormtown Brewery
Dave Fields is a co-owner/managing partner of Wormtown Brewery located in Worcester. Dave hopes to join the board of directors for a two-year term in an effort to better identify the ‘pain’ points that the industry faces as a whole, while also developing a priority list of items that the majority of the membership is concerned by and interested in. He’d like to bridge the gap for members so they have a deeper understanding of how the MBG can help their individual businesses grow and thrive. Most recently, Dave volunteered his time on the MBG’s event committee helping to secure the location for the Mass Fermentational and served as the host facility to coordinate, manage and deliver inventory for breweries to the Worcester Common. He states that he would bring a unique depth of experience including professional management, sales and marketing, distribution, and legislative efforts in the beverage industry to the MBG’s board.
Sam Hendler, Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers / Springdale
Sam Hendler is a co-owner/founder of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers / Springdale located in Framingham. Sam joined the MBG Board of Directors in the fall of 2016, and is rerunning for a two-year term. He currently serves as the MBG’s treasurer and manages all of the finances for the organization including its end-of-year filings. As an integral part of the government affairs committee, Sam spends a considerable amount of time speaking with government officials advocating for brewers and the craft beer industry on Beacon Hill, as well as in D.C. He also participated in the ABCC’s alcohol task force working committees. Sam volunteers his time to meet with associate members and forges relationships with business leaders that will bring unique programs to MBG members, including its newest partnership with Lyft. The Jack’s Abby team provides a tremendous amount of event support to the MBG including donating its space as the host site for the New Brewery Bootcamp, and providing volunteers to execute both MBG festivals, Power Beer Fest and The Mass Fermentational. He desires to continue his work on the board to drive the nonprofit forward.
Kelsey Roth, Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing
Kelsey Roth is the general manager of Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company located in Framingham. He currently leads all of the branding, marketing, retail management, event creation, staff education, and graphic design work at Exhibit ‘A’. He previously served as the brand and marketing Manager for the Craft Beer Cellar franchise helping to grow the business from 2 to 25 store locations. Kelsey, a Certified Cicerone, hopes to join the MBG’s board of directors and bring his creativity and skills to the table to benefit the organization’s marketing and event committees. He’d like to focus on the creation of educational programming and resources for both brewery owners and their staff, and small-scale, community focused events that would bring added value to MBG members. He states that he is eager to help elevate the mission and message of the MBG with the goal to have every Massachusetts brewery join the Guild as a proud member of the organization. Kelsey has been a consistent face at MBG meetings and events including the organization’s festivals and at the State House.
Chris Sellers, The People’s Pint
Chris sellers is head brewer at The People’s Pint located in Greenfield. His career began doing odd jobs around the brewery before enrolling in a brewing and malting course and taking his home brewing passion pro. In 2010, he took over as brewery manager at the 20-year-old brewpub and has been honing his craft ever since. Passionate about the environment, sourcing homegrown ingredients, and producing quality craft beers, Chris is interested in spearheading a committee that would help connect the dots to local businesses and brewers, as well as executing a technical conference focused on quality and safety. He states that with so many craft breweries emerging on the scene, some industry veterans and some brand new to the space, providing this type of training and education would be invaluable for members.
Keith Sullivan, Medusa Brewing Co.
Keith “Sully” Sullivan is a co-owner/founder of Medusa Brewing Co. located in Hudson. Sully joined the MBG Board of Directors in the fall of 2016 and is rerunning for a two-year term. He currently serves as the head of the marketing committee where his creative and artistic talents helped to design, execute and launch the MBG’s rebranding initiatives including its new logo, website and festival branding for both Power Beer Fest and the Mass Fermentational. Sully also reviewed proposals, interviewed candidates, and worked with the MBG’s ED to select a developer for the new Mass Craft Beer Trail mobile application. The Medusa team has been instrumental in providing volunteers to execute both of the MBG’s festivals, where Sully also serves as the event photographer. Sully is a frequent spokesperson for the MBG’s government affairs work and has testified at the alcohol task force commission hearings and at the State House this past September. He also served on the ABCC’s task force working committee this summer. He desires to continue his work on the board and to build the MBG's brand with consumers and brewers.