We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Young. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My dad is a business owner and my mother helped him heavily to get things off the ground in the early days. They both instilled a strong work ethic and the value of independence early on. They did many things right, but a few pieces of advice have helped tremendously in business: – Always maintain a positive attitude, things could always be worse. Be grateful for what you have and count the good stuff rather than worry about shortcomings or things you might lack at the moment.
– You can do anything, period. As a female, I was never told that I should expect to be treated any differently than a male counterpart, that doing my best and focusing on my talents were the most important things to succeed.
– Timing is everything.
– Remember to think big picture/be forward-thinking (‘don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy’ to quote The Eagles/don’t sweat the small stuff).
Sarah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Wild Heaven Beer was launched by Georgia natives Nick Purdy and Eric Johnson, who had known each other since 1992, in 2010. When we launched we were only the 5th Georgia beer company to be operating. We made our beers for 3 ½ years in Greenville, SC by Thomas Creek brewing (Ode To Mercy, Invocation, Eschaton, and Let There Be Light).
In 2014, we opened our brewery in Avondale Estates, featuring the original brewhouse originally purchased by the founders of SweetWater Brewing back in 1997. In the year after opening Avondale, we launched Civilization Barleywine, White Blackbird Saison, Emergency Drinking Beer, and more, including a barrel program that has yielded numerous award-winning beers. In late 2019 we opened our second brewery location in Atlanta’s Historic West End adjacent to the Westside Beltline Trail. This location features a full kitchen, operated by Taqueria El Tesoro, and a large private event space/music venue. We are aiming to open our third location in the Toco Hills development, in partnership with Fox Bros. BBQ, Summer 2024.Our beers are currently distributed in GA, AL, TN & SC.
Our core year-round portfolio is focused on world-class beers designed to offer something new to the beer landscape—not simply creating our version of what everyone else is doing. Our beers are designed in the great tradition of European brewing but with a distinctly American creative flair. Our all-grain, no adjunct-sugar philosophy creates a bigger flavor without excess alcohol. We specialize in both culinary and botanically-driven recipes.
In 2023, we broadened our offerings beyond beer to house-made hard cider, seltzers, spirits and Georgia wines. Our motto ‘Serve Your Neighbor’ guides us as a hospitality brand, we’re constantly thinking about how we can make our taprooms fun, relaxing, open places for everyone. We highly value our community and industry partnerships, highlighting local restaurants as our in-house food partners (Taqueria El Tesoro at West End, Fox Bros. BBQ at the forthcoming Toco Hills location).
Bio:
Sarah was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up for a bit in southern Maryland before moving south to Greensboro, North Carolina. She then made her way even further south to Atlanta after graduating from The University of Georgia in 2006 with her degree in Advertising from the Grady School of Journalism. Post-graduation, she worked in the fast-paced, unpredictable world of Ad/Marketing agencies, with a strong focus in B2B marketing, brand development, and account service/strategy.
Burnt out on the Ad world, Sarah came on board with Nick and Eric back in 2012 to creatively build the brand with retailers, wholesalers, and consumers prior to the Avondale Estates brewery’s brick-and-mortar opening. As Executive Vice President, Sarah is currently focused on overseeing marketing, developing strategic partnerships, streamlining operations/communications, providing sales guidance/support, and upholding the brand and company culture. When she isn’t ‘herding cats’ in the beer world, you can find her spending time with her family, rescue pups, friends, trail running, cooking with her husband, traveling or recreating near any body of water. Sarah is also a proud member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International’s Atlanta Chapter and serves on the Programs Committee.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
I think the best ways to manage a team and keep everyone in high spirits through the ups and downs of a small, growing business is through the following:
– Communication, open and often. Ask questions, ask for feedback and listen.
– Be direct, and set clear goals and expectations. Put the important stuff in writing, documentation is key.
– Recognize and applaud achievements, don’t only offer criticism.
– Lead by example and remember your behavior sets the tone for the rest of the team.
– Make sure to provide support and resources, keeping an ‘open door’ policy encouraging the team to raise their hand if they need something (what is it, why do they need it, how much does it cost, etc). Whether it’s training, career advancement or just an app that helps them to do their job more efficiently.
– ALWAYS encourage work-life balance and encourage them to prioritize their personal life and well-being.
– Create opportunities for team-building activities, social events, or casual conversations.
– Be flexible and adaptable.
Have you ever had to pivot?
An easy and somewhat recent one – the pandemic certainly shook things up for us as a brand. While the alcohol industry is often considered ‘recession-proof’, it is not without its unique challenges, especially in the South. By adapting our approach to focus more heavily on direct community engagement while still maintaining brand awareness through limited distribution, we were able to navigate the challenges presented by the pandemic and emerge stronger as a result. This experience taught us the importance of creativity, flexibility and resilience and it has reinforced our commitment to ‘serving our neighbors’ (our motto).
Contact Info:
- Website: wildheavenbeer.com
- Instagram: @beerwildheaven @wildheavenwestend @wildheavensarah
- Facebook: facebook.com/beerwildheaven
- Twitter: @beerwildheaven
Image Credits
Reid Ramsay, Beer Street Journal