by Mark Lasbury
Fort Wayne, IN, May 4, 2018 – Fort Wayne’s newest and second largest craft brewery, Hop River Brewing Company, and IndianaTech have partnered to provide a hands-on business experience to seven interns this Spring, linking the classroom experience with the communal culture of the brewery industry.
Hop River believes beer is meant to be shared. The brewery creates both traditional and thoughtfully innovative beers. Its main goals is to cultivate a sense of community through beer. Their partnership with IndianaTech has provided an engaging opportunity for raising young professionals to witness and contribute to the process of building and running a small business in Fort Wayne.
As a final project for these juniors and graduating seniors, this shared opportunity has made their classroom education come to life by strategically evaluating Hop River’s marketing model. Their enthusiasm and dedication has been evident in their comprehensive insights about how the brewery’s brand has been created and received since opening their all-ages, family-friendly taproom in February 2018. “Through this partnership, the Interns have assisted Hop River to refine their methods of communicating its message to existing and potential customers through the young professional lens as the next generation of craft beer drinkers, “ says Co-Founder, Ben Jackson.
The following students gave their time to this partnership: Tess Wilkins – Digital Graphics & Design; Jacob Fallis – Digital Graphics & Design; Brian Skillicorn – Business Administration/Sports Management Concentration; Chad Frost – Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Entrepreneurial Studies Concentration; Hudson Sabin – Business Administration/Sports Management Concentration; Zachary Zam – Business Administration/Marketing Concentration; Felix Kronwall – Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Management Concentration
ABOUT Hop River Brewing Company: Water, Barley, Hops, and Yeast. Hop River Brewing Company was founded on the idea of using these four basic ingredients to create unique varieties of craft beer. Their taproom is a place to have a pint, share stories with friends, and create memories. As Hop River’s identity takes shape, the brewery looks forward to being a part of the downtown community and its continued rebirth. For more information, contact Mary Corinne Lowenstein at MC@HopRiverBrewing.com or Staci Lugar Brettin at srlugarbrettin@indianatech.edu
