Lunch and Learn

Speaker:   Pat Conway, Great Lakes Brewery
Topic:  History of GLBC and what lead Patrick Conway to become an entrepreneur
 
Patrick Conway’s long love affair with beer began during his tenure as a graduate student at the University of Chicago, when he got a job as a bartender to pay his bills. His palate became even further enlightened while traveling through Europe post-graduation, taking an intrepid tour of the continent’s small breweries and immersing himself in new styles. Upon returning to the United States to teach in Chicago, he was delighted to find that Americans were finally starting to gravitate towards some of these European beer styles that he so admired.

Inspired by the then fledgling movement towards craft beer in America, Patrick Conway returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to pursue his dream of opening Ohio’s first craft brewery. Along with his brother Daniel, he chose to settle in Ohio City, an urban neighborhood on Cleveland’s near west side that is home to the city’s historic West Side Market.

Since 1988 Conway’s Great Lakes Brewing Company has been a pioneer in sustainability. Conserving resources, investing in urban farming and local food, repurposing byproducts, and water stewardship are all initiatives championed by Conway.

Patrick Conway’s passion for beer is evident in Great Lakes Brewing Company’s meticulously crafted family of award-winning lagers and ales. He continues to be an incomparable creative force in Great Lakes Brewing Company’s daily operations and shares the brewery’s success with his beloved employees.