Aberdeenshire-based craft brewer BrewDog said it appointed Tanisha Robinson as managing director of BrewDog USA ahead of the official launch of its 100,000 square foot brewery in Columbus, Ohio.
The brewery was in part funded by BrewDog’s crowdfunding programme, Equity for Punks, which has raised more than £40 million globally.
Robinson will be responsible for establishing the BrewDog brand, sales strategy, operational growth and developing its American bar division.
With its first US-brewed beers hitting stores and venues next week, Robinson will spearhead the growth of BrewDog’s distribution, initially focusing on Ohio before expanding to neighbouring states and beyond.
Robinson will also manage the expansion of BrewDog’s US bar division beginning with plans to open two new craft beer bars in Columbus before the end of the year.
BrewDog co-founder James Watt said: “We have been searching for someone to head up our USA operations, and as soon as we met Tanisha we knew we’d found our Top Dog.
“The killer combination of her astute business instinct, huge passion for craft beer, and her love of our new hometown, Columbus made her the perfect fit.
“Our USA launch and expansion is one of the most exciting and ambitious ventures we’ve dreamt up yet, and with Tanisha at the helm, the sky is the limit.”
Robinson is a Columbus-based entrepreneur who founded several successful firms including Print Syndicate, a design, technology and marketing company — known for lookHUMAN.com, ActivateApparel.com and MericaMade.com — which sold in excess of $40 million worth of products in its first four years.
Robinson also co-founded TicketFire, a mobile app that allows users to use, transfer and sell paper tickets.
She is a prominent national speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership and currently serves on the board of The Columbus College of Art and Design, Mount Carmel Health System and The Greater Columbus Arts Council.
Robinson said: “Our biggest priority right now is getting our beer into people’s hands.
“Luckily, that will start this week.
“We’re focused on making great beers, telling our story to the US in a very BrewDog way, being the greatest place to work in the world, and creating awesome experiences for our customers and the Equity Punk community.
“We’re currently looking for great people that bleed craft beer and love to blow shit up — two main points of the BrewDog Charter.
“Within the next 12 months, we’ll be hiring across every aspect of the business, and with our Franklinton location opening in October and the Short North bar launching before the end of the year, we’ll be more than doubling the size of our US team, and we’re always on the hunt for talented brewers as we expand capacity.
“Because there are so many craft breweries in America, it’s really forcing everyone in the industry to fixate on creativity and quality.
“This means that there’s a lot of really amazing, interesting beers coming out, and this expanded range means a lot of people that aren’t into craft beer — yet — will definitely find something they love.
“The Columbus — and Ohio — beer scene is particularly vibrant because of the constant expansion, knowledgeable patrons, talented brewers, and incredible diversity.”
Earlier this year, San Francisco private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired roughly 22% of Ellon-based BrewDog in a transaction that values BrewDog at around £1 billion.
