ACG San Diego | Business a Brewin': State of the San Diego Craft Brewing Industry

Jennifer Briggs is currently a turn-around CEO of Modern Times Brewing in California – making beer and coffee and operating four restaurants and tap rooms. Formerly, Jennifer served as Senior Strategy Consultant at the Rady School of Management, UCSD, in the Beyster Institute. She serves as an outside independent director for PFSbrands and Engineering Economics and is a founding partner of GRITT Business Coaching. Her work proves that business can be done different – purpose-centered, mission-driven, and values-powered using tenants of inclusive capitalism to attain success. She is a Rutgers University Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing Executive Fellow focused on corporate governance and performance, The Chair of the Colorado Commission of the Office of Employee Ownership in the Office of Economic Development.

Mike Hess is founder and CBO of Mike Hess Brewing. He began as a home brewer in 1995 in his Philadelphia apartment, then moved to San Diego in 2001 and built a 10 gallon, 3-tier gravity system. Mike opened up the original Hess location in 2010 to try his hand in the world of craft beer and built a highly respected beer brand in the process. Mike is a visionary who wishes to create a unique brewery experience that showcases not just the equipment, but the brewers themselves, as they work to create delicious artisanal beers in full view of the brewery’s visitors.

Previously a successful private-practicing attorney, Virginia brings extensive employment law and business experience to the fast-growing craft, independent brewery. In her role, Virginia spearheads key company initiatives and business units, including the “Giving pups a second chances” philanthropic program, human resources, and community and political outreach. Virginia graduated summa cum laude with a degree in business pre-law from Bowling Green State University and earned her JD with Honors from the University of Michigan Law School. Virginia rejuvenates by meditating in India, playing with rescue pup, Citra, running in the rain, and drinking her namesake beer “Legally Red.”

Brandon Richards brings over 25 years of operational, retail, sales, and beer experience to the craft brewing industry in San Diego, starting his career as a regional sales manager at Craft Brew Alliance and working his way to becoming CEO of Coronado Brewing.  Brandon is now the President of AleSmith Brewing Company, which continues to be recognized as one of the World’s top craft breweries on the strength of numerous awards garnered at prestigious local, national, and international competitions, and co-founder of SouthNorte Beer Company.

Mike is the original founder and current President of PBO Advisory. He has more than 30 years of management consulting, business advisory and outsourcing experience, and provided services to more than 400 clients in the various sectors. Mike received a BS degree from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) in Political Science & Economics and has two Master’s degrees from The Ohio State University. Mike’s career includes over 14 years with Deloitte - 8 years in their consulting group and 6 years as the Managing Director for Resources Global Solutions (NASDQ: RECN). He is the co-founder of several professional services firms including NBS Finance (Temecula, CA) and RoseRyan’s Southern California division. Mike also worked 7 years as the Sr. Vice President for the west coast Enterprise Risk Management division for IPSA International.