07 Apr New Sun King President Only Has One Goal On His Mind: Impact, Impact, Impact.
Robert Whitt hardly breaks eye contact. His stare does not betray much emotion, but he lets you know always what he’s focused on. During our hour-long conversation at Sun King’s downtown brewery this week, he rarely turned his attention away from our conversation, save for to shake the hand and say “good afternoon” to the employees trailing in at the start of their shifts.
Whitt gives away much more with his smile. Through our conversation his smile communicates exactly what you’d want to see from someone just announced as the newest president of a brewery like Sun King. He greets every new question, every thought, every new possibility in his mind with the same grin of someone who just landed one of the best jobs in the midwest.
The news last week came as a surprise, that Sun King’s current president Omar Robinson would be stepping back into retirement (he’ll remain on the Board) after coming out of retirement to serve as the brewery’s president, and Whitt, president of White River State Park for the past 11 years, would be stepping in as Robinson’s replacement.
Don’t tell Whitt that, though.
“Omar has left the biggest shoes to fill. To look back at what he’s built here, he is absolutely irreplaceable, but I am honored for the privilege and the opportunity to try and do so.”
When asked why craft beer, and specifically why Sun King, though, Whitt flashed that smile, as though he was asked to talk about a relationship between a close friend or loved one.
He told me in detail, as these types of stories go, about Sun King pouring at a fundraiser in 2009 for a close friend injured in an accident years ago.
“I was amazed that there was this very specific event in a small community in Indianapolis, and here was Sun King, spending their time pouring at this event helping out people within Indianapolis.
“At that event, I was poured a Grapefruit Jungle, and drinking that beer in the parking lot of this event, it just hit me. Great beer supporting great efforts in the community, and I’ve been a fan of Sun King ever since.”
Whitt kept in touch with Sun King over the years, both as a fan of their beer and through serving on the Dig IN board with Clay Robinson. But when they pegged him as the next in line for president, he was pleasantly shocked.
“It was completely out of left field, but it was so hard to turn down. I’ve had friends say, ‘Leave it to Bob Whitt to leave the best job in the state government for the best job in the state.”
He doesn’t say that lightly, either – to Whitt, it couldn’t get better than heading up efforts at the White River State Park. To him, having the kind of impact he could have on Indianapolis at WRSP would not be easy to replicate elsewhere.
But he was brought back to that Grapefruit Jungle, and that night Sun King showed out in support of his close friend, and every time he’d seen Sun King supporting similar efforts large and small around the city, and the decision was easy to him.
To Whitt, impact is everything. Through multiple administrations during his tenure at WRSP, he was adamant that in everything they did, they positively impacted Indianapolis. He aims to bring that same focus in his role at Sun King.
“I’m most excited about the impact we can have in the community, the impact I can have in this company, and the impact we can make on our employees. We want to continue what Omar built, with Sun King being a positive driver of change in this area.”
And he brings me right back to that word: impact.
“I want to replicate the model Sun King has built here in Indianapolis and take that to other communities around Indiana, to places that don’t have this similar thing.
“We want to be sure we’re embraced and welcomed into these communities, but we want to bring the change to them that craft beer is bringing to our communities everywhere.”
The way Robert Whitt talks about Sun King, he phrases his role more as the head of a non-profit organization than the head of the brewery, and maybe for a brewery with the size and pull of Sun King, that’s more than fine. Sun King has the power and connections to influence more than just the craft beer community, but that influence coming from a craft brewery can only mean good things for the industry on the whole.
Again, don’t tell Whitt he’ll be the leader of that change. As excited as his to step into this role, he only sees himself continuing the work of the man that came before him. Ever humble though, and as he flashes that smile, he just emphasizes that he’s here to continue the mission of the brewery.
“Omar is a driving force. He is a phenomena that is completely irreplaceable. I have huge shoes to fill, and I will do my very best to fill them.”
Just this writer’s humble opinion? Sun King couldn’t be in better hands moving forward.
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