Women Of Influence

The number of women not just buying craft beer, but taking roles in the industry is on the rise. With that increased inclusivity of customers and employees, it’s put a spotlight on the practices and behavior of some in the male-dominated craft brewing industry in recent years. There have been calls to eliminate offensive beer names and marketing and there’s been a greater willingness by women in the industry to speak out against incidents of in appropriate behavior or worse, as was the case earlier this year when the founder of Actual Brewing Co. was accused of sexual assault. Though no charges were brought, the brewery wound up going out of business. To discuss the industry’s evolution, Columbus Business First convened a panel of five women from the local craft beer community to share their experiences and thoughts: Mary MacDonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association Gwen Carmack, CFO of Columbus Brewing Co. Tamar Banner, production manager of BrewDog USA Kelsey Stief, head of marketing at North High Brewing Jenna DiCicco, sales rep at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Co. Check out this week’s cover story at ColumbusBusinessFirst.com