Founders Brewing Co. expects to hire more workers to accommodate solid growth

By Sharon Hanks

Despite the Great Recession, growth at the Grand Rapids-based Founders Brewing Company continues at bottle-neck speed, with plans on tap this year to hire another dozen workers to accommodate projected sales of $10 million, up from last year's $6.8 million.

Topping off that good news are tentative plans to expand the micro-brewery's manufacturing footprint with additional real estate and equipment by year's end.

"It's been crazy," says Founders Brewing President and cofounder Mike Stevens about the micro-brewery's market that now covers 15 states. "We're proud of how we've grown over the past 13 years to become not just a local name but a serious contender on the regional and national craft brewing scene.

"Our crew is making some of the best beer in America, and that is reflective in the continued growing we're seeing in the local, state and regional marketplace."

In addition to tasty suds, Stevens credits local support among retailers, distributors, restaurants, beer lovers and a great branding campaign for contributing to the success of the company at 235 Grandville Ave. SW where operations are running two shifts. He's also grateful to his great brewers and about 20 other partners who have invested in the company over the years.

Stevens, 42, and his college friend, Dave Engbers, 39, followed their dreams of majoring in large-scale beer production following graduation from Hope College. After establishing their little startup in 1997, sales trended upward to a point 10 years later in which the craft beer makers had outgrown their 8,000-square-foot facility in the then-lifeless Monroe North district. It then relocated to a spacious and renovated 27,000-square-foot site, when employment at the happy hops place at that time was 19 workers instead of the 70-plus workers today. 

"It's been fun," Stevens says with a laugh. "Now there are departments and budgets and structure. The dynamics of the company have really changed."

One thing that hasn't changed, however, is Founders commitment to serving up a consistent quality beer to satisfy a large and diverse beer-lover's palate. In 2010, ratebeer.com ranked Founders as the 4th highest-rated microbrewery in the world. Can you drink to that happy hops success story?

Sources: Mike Stevens, president and co-founder of Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids; Diane Stampfler of Promote Michigan; website: www.ratebeer.com.

Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.