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12 n e w h a v e n B I Z | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m "Dan will lead the company's vision into the future as it expands its brand offerings into other beverages and refreshments outside the beer aisle," said Crowley Jr. "Dan will work to identify long-term partnerships and collaborations within the consumer segment to partner up with … and to carry out the company's long-term strategy of portfolio expansion and penetrating the marketplace within the alcohol space and non-alcoholic categories. Area breweries, like Strat- ford-based Athletic Brewing Co., which produces alcohol-free cra beer, are experiencing tremendous growth in the booze-free field. Athletic recently made Inc. Mag- azine's list of the top 5,000 fast- ing-growing companies in the U.S. for 2022. It was ranked 26th in the nation from its 13,071 percent reve- nue growth over a three-year period, and was the only company in Con- By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich W ith more than 30 years of experience in the national beer and spirits industry, including several leadership roles, Stony Creek Brewery's new CEO Daniel Shannon has been tapped to lead one of Connecticut's largest cra breweries into the future. Since its founding in Branford in 2010 by Peggy and Ed Crowley Sr., Stony Creek has never had a CEO at the helm. e Crowleys' son, Ed Crowley Jr., owner and president, said COVID produced challenges for the business and industry as a whole, especially with supply chain issues and rising costs. "It was the right timing to hire such a talent in Dan Shannon to lead our brewery into the future as we fight our way through a difficult and chal- lenging industry at the moment," said Crowley Jr. As an industry veteran, Shannon has been appointed to help the brew- ery expand its empire beyond beer, according to the Crowley family. necticut to rank in the top 100. Stony Creek, which declined to disclose its annual revenues, hopes to enjoy similar success with non-alco- holic brews. "We are constantly looking at trends and evaluating our options to maximize our sales efforts, including non-al- coholic, which is absolutely on our radar," said Crowley Jr. "We are working with our innovation team in-house to stay on trend with current styles that have gained traction in the past few years. Shannon said a time frame for when Stony Creek could offer booze-free brews hasn't been determined. Beer native A native of St. Louis, Missouri — the flagship headquarters of Anheuser-Busch and home of Budweiser since the 1850s — Shannon naturally developed a passion for potent potables. He started out as a merchandiser and sales rep for Anheuser-Busch, and worked his way through the ranks becoming senior director of the Michelob Family of brands and later senior director for the national chain division. "St. Louis is a brewing town, and I was influenced by many great brewer- ies and people in the industry," Shan- non said. "I grew up wanting to own a business, or run a small business." Shannon in April joined Stony Creek, moving here from southern California. He brings with him three decades of experience working with national brands like Budweiser, Michelob and Rolling Rock, as well as Wanderlust Spirits' brands Helix Vodka and Askur Gin, where he was co-owner. Shannon earned a bachelor's degree in business management, with an em- phasis on small business management and entrepreneurship from California State Polytechnic University in Pomo- na, California. Being part of the brewing culture, Shannon was familiar with the Crow- ley family, having met them at past industry events, he said. "I'm thrilled to lead a trailblaz- ing, regional brewer and work with the Crowley family to bring Stony Creek Brewing to the next level," said Shannon, who will oversee the com- pany's 40-plus employees. "When the Crowley family built the brewery in Branford, there wasn't anything like it in Connecticut." Since Stony Creek opened its doors more than a decade ago, there's been an explosion of cra breweries, with now more than 120 in Connecticut alone. Shannon said he'll work to ensure Stony Creek remains part of Connecticut's landscape. Fu- ture plans include upgrades to the Athletic Brewing expands to Milford as nonalcoholic beer trend takes off Healthy Growth Beyond Beer New CEO Shannon to expand Stony Creek Brewery's offerings Daniel Shannon CEO Stony Creek Brewery Education: Bachelor's degree, Business Management, California State Polytechnic University Stony Creek Brewery's new CEO Daniel Shannon. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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