After years of struggle, the Genesee Brewery faced closing, costing Rochester 400 jobs and the end of a historic brewing era. Seizing an opportunity to rebuild the fading business, KPS Capital purchased the brewery with plans to rebuild it. To be successful, it needed to quickly establish itself among employees, community leaders and the media and signal that positive changes were ahead. 

There were many challenges to overcome, since the brewery had been bought and sold numerous times over the last couple of decades. Promises by new ownership were continually made and broken. KPS Capital created North American Breweries and pledged to its new employees that this time was different. 

In this engaging session, Jason will talk about the steps North American Breweries took to: 

• 1. Build pride and confidence with employees.
• 2. Get Rochester "rallying" behind The Brewery.
• 3. Share the company's position and plan with the media.
• 4. Ensure the message resonates with consumers. 

Jason Drewniak Bio:

Jason Drewniak, who recently took over as brand manager of Labatt Blue and Blue Light, served for a year and a half as brand manager for the Genesee family of beers, the Original Honey Brown Lager and Dundee Ales & Lagers. He joined the North American Breweries team in 2007 with diverse marketing experience in a variety of consumer-based industries, working previously in the marketing departments at Rich Products and Mentholatum, both in Buffalo. Jason received his MBA in 2001 from Canisius College, and at North American Breweries he led marketing initiatives for many of its brands, especially Genesee, Dundee Ales & Lagers and the Original Honey Brown Lager. Among the recent marketing efforts he was involved in are the wrapping of the three enormous tanks at the Genesee Brewery, the "Rock the Cans" concerts last summer at the brewery and the successful effort to get more taverns in Monroe County to include Genny among their tap selections.