Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. X I M AY 1 5 , 2 0 2 3 24 S M A L L B U S I N E S S F O C U S New Maine Brewers' Guild boss aims to craft a more diverse industry Shea Cusick, who started as executive director of the Maine Brewers' Guild on May 1, aims to bring greater diversity to an industry she said feels like "home." "Having a female executive director of the guild is a good start," she told Mainebiz at the end of her tenure as sales manager at Nonesuch River Brewing in Scarborough. "I'd like to bring other women and people of color into the industry as well," she added. "It's a thing that everyone is focusing on across the coun- try, and Maine is no different." Cusick, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and moved to Maine from Massachusetts in 2010, succeeds Sean Sullivan as leader of the trade association. Cusick is the Maine Brewers' Guild's second- ever executive director and first woman at the helm of the nonprofit trade group. e industry is a key sector for Maine, with 166 licensed breweries and 100 brands as of early 2022, according to the most recent statistics available. Before joining Nonesuch in September 2019, Cusick worked part time at Grippy Tannins, a wine shop and tasting lounge in Portland's East End, and has also worked as a craft beer guide. Cusick, a long-time beer fan with family members who worked in the industry when she was growing up, also spent 10 years helping develop the beer and wine section at the Trader Joe's grocery store in Portland. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Shea Cusick, the new executive director of the Maine Brewers' Guild, is the former sales manager of Nonesuch River Brewing in Scarborough. I'd like to bring other women and people of color into the industry. — Shea Cusick Maine Brewers' Guild A roundup of craft-industry news from around Maine B y R e n e e C o r d e s

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