Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 6, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 13 Allegations of inappropriate behavior impact business relationships In 2021, the Massachusetts craft beer industry was hit with allegations of sexual harassment, racism, and sexism, which led to resignations of company leaders. In the wake of those allegations, craft brewers sought to further professionalize their human resource practices, being clear about their company policies, and adding gender and racial diversity to their leadership objectives. When polled online, nearly nine out of 10 WBJ readers said they would consider changing their business relationships in the wake of such allegations. 15% Yes, I would likely stop interacting with them. If a company's leaders have been publicly accused of inappropriate behavior, does that impact your willingness to do business with that company? 35% Probably, but I would like to see how the company responds first. F L A S H P O L L COMMENTS "Allegations and accusations are not proof of inappropriate behavior. Let's not rush to judgment! Innocent until proven guilty!" news. When she did her first phone screening for the Tree House job, it happened in the Wormtown parking lot. ere were connections pulling her. Golinski grew up on a farm in the small town of Scotland, Connecticut. Less than 2,000 people live in Scotland, and it's the kind of town where Golins- ki and her twin sister had all the same teachers as their dad. eir dad was a long-haul truck driver and their mom mostly a stay-at-home parent. Her grandfather ran the farm with the ani- mals they ate, and the garden they tend- ed fed them throughout the year., e family had a root cellar. Now, Golinski, who lives in Western Massachusetts, had to venture into the city more and revamp a brewery that had found itself in some unwanted attention. When Golinski took the Wormtown job, she took on a project needing re- invigorating. Wormtown was founded in 2010 and is the third largest brewery headquartered in Central Massachu- setts and the largest in Worcester. In 2021, it brewed 24,901 barrels of beer. In 2019, it opened a location at Patriot Place in Foxborough. Wormtown is the official beer of the Worcester Red Sox. In 2021, it employed 45 people. But something was amiss at the company as it tried to dig itself out of the hole that the actions of the company's former leaders had le it in. Golinski knew that going in. She saw a lot of work was ahead. She'd seen the growth explosion at Tree House, witnessed the pains that came with the cra beer boom, and recognized them at Wormtown. At the same time, there was a percep- tion that by hiring Golinski, Wormtown was trying to deflect. And that hurt Go- linski. She wasn't stepping into the role to be anything other than herself and to lead a brewery in a new direction. "Some people in our industry called me a Band-Aid, and that is a really shitty thing to call me," Golinski said. "I have been in the beer industry for longer than a lot of people have been able to drink beer. To call me a Band-Aid for Worm- town is exactly what you don't want peo- ple to do to you. You would be angry and light our world on fire to fix a problem. "We are trying to fix something that was larger than life," Golinski continued. "It takes time; and the reality of it is we made changes, and the reality of it is we have made progress. People feel good. It will still take time." "A great move" Golinski began her ascent in cra beer while in college. She'd been approached by a friend who worked at Berkshire Brewing Co. in South Deerfield to be a beer girl, which was the industry term then for a woman who repre- sented a brand at events like tastings and festivals. As a devout Sam Adams drinker and budding beer nerd, Golinski thought it over. She didn't like the term but was told the job wasn't what she thought. On television, beer com- mercials focused on young women in spandex wrestling in pools. is wasn't that. She was being hired because of her knowledge and wasn't expected to dress a certain way or act a certain way. What was expected was for her to know beer. She took the part-time gig and started working events. One of Golinski's first events was the now defunct Festival of Ales at the Hig- gins Armory Building in Worcester. She was setting up her jockey box when beer started spraying into the air. She had slid her kegs under the table, and one of the lines got cut by a sharp edge on the un- derside of the table. Matthew Steinberg, then working for Mayflower Brewing Co. in Plymouth and now is the owner and brewer for Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co. in Framingham, ran over, cut the line, and reattached everything for her. It's a moment that stuck with her because it showed how close knit and kind the industry can be. It's also the moment Steinberg took notice of Golinski. She came off as someone who wasn't just there pouring beer as a side-hustle. She knew her stuff and cared – a true brand ambassador for Berkshire. "She is just one of those people who doesn't settle," Steinberg said. Steinberg has followed her career since, and it was no surprise to him Wormtown hired her to steady the ship and reorient their business. "Wormtown hired her to understand what it means to be a great company," Steinberg said. "It was a great move." e cra beer world has been a male-dominated profession for years. In 2019, the Brewer's Association reported that about 7.5% reporting breweries employed a woman in the brewer position. At the same time, women were responsible for 54% of service staff positions. Female ownership in breweries is even smaller. According to 2021 data from the Brewers Association, nearly 59% of breweries answering the trade group's random survey of 500 brew- eries said they were owned solely by men, while 3% said they were owned by women. Golinski is now leading the charge, and her hope is to see more women like her who want to keep pushing brewing. Golinski doesn't know exactly how to change that, yet. She's working on it. She wants other people to have the same pleasure cra beer has given her. "Beer, for me, is about experiences," Golinski said. "at experience is a life- style. We connect our memories in the beer world. We connect so many happy things and positive things in our world with beer." W O M E N I N L E A D E R S H I P F O C U S 40% Maybe, it depends on the nature of the allegations. No, unless it directly impacts their work with us. 7% 4% No, that's not something we would consider. U.S. brewery ownership Gender of owners Male - 75.6% Female - 23.7% Non-binary/third gender - 0.2% Prefer not to answer - 0.6% Race/ethnicity of owners White (non-Hispanic) - 93.5% Hispanic - 2.2% Asian - 2.0% Black (non-Hispanic) - 0.4% American Indian or Alaska native - 0.4% Other - 0.5% Prefer not to answer - 1.1% Note: Information is based on a Brewers Association sur- vey of 500 randomly selected breweries; 136 responded to the survey. Results were released in October 2021. Source: Brewers Association Golinski (far right) sits with other female members of the Wormtown team at the brewery's taproom on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester. W

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