Meet Andy, the brains behind Aslan’s marketing for the past two years. Without his constant positive attitude in the office and attention to every detail, this past year of craziness would have looked a lot different!
Andy’s love for craft beer started with a sip of Live Oak Hefeweizen, from Austin, Texas where he went to college. “It tastes like summertime bubblegum, and it was such a stark difference from all the cheap lagers you’re used to drinking in college,” he said. That beer opened his eyes to the world of craft beer.
He spent some time studying in Copenhagen, Denmark, where his knowledge and appreciation grew, living a short bike ride away from Mikkeller & Friends. Shortly after, he moved to Seattle, and as we all know, there is no shortage of breweries down there. The friendly and passionate beer culture and community enticed him, along with the brewing process; he knew that at some point he wanted to work in a brewery.
Andy moved to Bellingham for the Director of Marketing position at Aslan in June of 2019. After about four years of working at a large tech company in Seattle, he needed a change, and Aslan was the place! “I wanted a new gig where I could be surrounded by passionate people, and help grow something that was a little bit more tangible and real,” said Andy. “So I started looking for jobs, mostly in the brewing industry.” That’s when he found Aslan.
And now here’s the bittersweet news: After about two years here, Andy is celebrating his last week here at Aslan this week. We are so sad to say yet another goodbye to a member of our team, but so incredibly proud and stoked for where he is heading next! Andy and his girlfriend Mary felt that after six years in the Pacific Northwest, it was time to return a bit closer to home and family. Having grown up in Florida and Atlanta, Georgia, Andy jokes that he can’t really get farther away from home being in Bellingham unless he moved to Alaska. They decided that Colorado is a happy medium, with some family being there and travel being a lot easier. “I wanted to retrace my steps a little bit and move somewhere a little more central, like Colorado, that has all the things I love about Washington but is a little bit closer to family,” he said.
One thing that Andy helped provide to Aslan’s marketing is perspective. He saw a lot of importance in using everyone’s voice to tell the complete story of Aslan. “Everyone at Aslan has a different experience and a unique story to tell. These collective experiences across everyone at the company is what really makes Aslan, Aslan. Rather than trying to distill everything that's happening, and having one person representing and sharing it, I aimed to cast a wider net with our storytelling/branding and showcase who we are as a brewery and community,” he said.
There are many things that Andy will miss about working at Aslan, but the one thing he will miss the most is the people here. He really appreciates the true passion that people in every department have for the product and service they are providing, while also prioritizing fun and “horseplay.”
“It's truly a rare thing to have, the balance of both [hard work and horseplay], and it's the people that make those two things possible that I’m going to miss the most. When you're surrounded by that, you're encouraged to work harder and be the best version of yourself at work,” he said. “I don't think that many places have the combination of passion, and effort, with horseplay [like Aslan does].”
And of course, he will miss the beer! Aslan doesn’t distribute to Colorado (yet!) so his one parting request is for Brand Manager JD to get that happening and have other coworkers switch off sending him beer until then!
Thursday is Andy’s last day so be sure to stop by and wish him well with his next chapter!
