Hartford Business Journal

34 Hartford Business Journal • October 22, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS 2018 34 Hartford Business Journal • October 22, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS 2018 Back East Brewing LLC B ack East Brewing is a small, independent, locally owned craft brewery and tap room, with distribu- tion throughout Connecti- cut and western Massachusetts. The company was formed by Tony Karlowicz and Edward Fab- rycki, two cousins who both grew up in the Hartford area. After mov- ing "back east" from San Diego in 2000, Fabrycki, an engineer, became reacquainted with his cousin, Karlo- wicz (an accountant who grew up in a small business family), and learned they both enjoyed craft beer. After almost 10 years of brewing together and learning as much as they could about the science and business of brewing, Back East opened in 2012. Recent accomplishments In the past year, the company received various recognitions for its beer, both locally and nationally. Last year three of its IPAs were recog- nized on the "50 Best IPAs in Ameri- ca" list by Draft Magazine. They were the only brewery to have more than one IPA in the top 50, including Ice Cream Man IPA at No. 5, Interga- lactic Lupulinary IPA at No. 16, and Rakautra IPA at No. 22. This past year Back East was recognized by Connecticut Magazine as "Best Brewery" in its annual "Best of Connecticut" list, and its porter beer earned a gold medal in the 2017 Great American Beer Fest. How do you remain competitive in the market? The craft beer industry has become incredibly competitive over the past five years. When we opened up in 2012, there were only six other pro- duction breweries in Connecticut and now there are over 60 (with another 30-plus in planning). This is not just a Connecticut trend; new breweries across the U.S. are opening daily. To remain competitive, we are stick- ing true to what we've been doing since we've opened, which is a focus on qual- ity, innovation and trying to be a brew- ery that people can admire, respect and be proud to have as a local business. We always aim to learn and get better over time, and I think that has helped us over the years in this com- petitive landscape. Ultimately, we produce a product where people have hundreds of other options for, and if the liquid doesn't speak for itself, our business won't be around for long. How do you instill your family values in your employees? Back East is like a small family, and we always try to instill family values in our employees. One of the most important values is treating others with respect (and holding them to the highest standard). We can't be the best at what we do if we aren't good at what we do and always get better. We do think we have the best employees and we want to treat them fairly. In addition to very competi- tive pay, we have very generous benefits for full-time employees, including: 401(k) plan, 100-percent company paid health insurance, disability and life insurance, and available dental/vision/supplemen- tal life, plus a fitness plan. Back East Brewing LLC Headquarters: Bloomfield Industry: Craft Brewery Year Founded: 2012 Founder: Anthony Karlowicz & Edward Fabrycki Jr. Generation Currently Running Company: 1st No. of Full-Time Employees: 5 No. of Part-Time Employees: 4 Family Members Currently Employed at Company: Anthony Karlowicz, CEO & Co-founder; Edward Fabrycki Jr., President & Co- founder — both cousins. Company Website: www.backeastbrewing.com FIRST-GENERATION HONOREE Less than 25 full-time employees category Eward Fabrycki Jr. (left) and Anthony Karlowicz. COMMUNITY & NONPROFIT EXCELLENCE PRESENTING SPONSOR: EVENT SPONSOR: EVENT PARTNERS: EVENT & TRAVEL PARTNERS This award identifi es outstanding companies and leaders who have supported nonprofi t organizations, along with nonprofi ts and nonprofi t executives who have made a signifi cant impact on the community over the last year. Open! Registration November 14, 2018 7:30am-9:30am Infi nity Hall Hartford DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE, REGISTER TODAY! GO TO WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/OUREVENTS View the winners on our webstite! For questions about this event please contact Lauren Stroud at 860-236-9998, ext. 137 or email lstroud@hartfordbusiness.com

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