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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 M AY 1 5 , 2 0 2 3 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S "I also dabbled a little bit in home brewing — very unsuccessfully," before finding her niche, she said. Asked what prompted her to make a move now, Cusick said, "I love my team at Nonesuch, and I love the job that I've got, but as I became more involved with the board of directors of the guild and were try- ing to find a replacement for Sean Sullivan and weren't necessarily finding the right fit, the more I thought, 'Maybe I should do this.'" Grateful for the vote of confidence from fellow board members she considers peers and mentors, Cusick added, "I look forward to the opportunity." Fellow Maine Brewers' Guild board member Heather Sanborn, owner and director of business operations at Portland-based Rising Tide Brewing Co., said when Cusick threw her hat into the ring to become the guild's next executive director, "I was thrilled at the prospect of having such a talented woman step into Sean's big shoes." Sanborn also lauded Cusick as "smart, charismatic and approachable" while expressing optimism that the industry will become more inclusive. "Maine's beer scene is, I think, particularly welcom- ing toward women in the industry — more so than in other states," Sanborn said. "But when we hire for pro- duction jobs, there is often a dearth of female appli- cants. As our industry matures and transitions from a period of breakneck growth prior to COVID to a new normal of post-COVID operations, I think many breweries will be looking to make their jobs as appeal- ing as possible to attract a diverse array of candidates. Having Shea at the helm of our trade organization is likely to help facilitate that." Belleflower basks in national spotlight Belleflower Brewing, a 14-employee craft brewer in Portland's East Bayside neighborhood that makes small batches using local ingredients, is getting a lot of national attention. Hop Culture digital magazine features Belleflower's hazy IPA Scrugsy — named for a one-eyed dog — among "the top beers we drank in April" and on its list of this spring's 37 best beers. Ware-Butler Industrial will supply prod- ucts to earthwork and concrete jobs, roads/bridges/construction jobs, grow businesses, storage units, livestock farms, health centers and commercial buildings of all types, infrastructure projects such as sand-salt sheds and municipal buildings, etc. WAREBUTLER.COM CONTACT US for your non-residential and commercial construction needs across Maine. Put our statewide buying power and experienced sales team to work for you! industrial@warebutler.com Fabric / Pipe / Culverts / Styrofoam insulation / Construction lumber Sheet goods / Millwork / Metal roofing and siding products PRODUCTS OFFERED: CUSTOM WORK AVAILABLE C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Heart Trail was launched by Belleflower Brewing this spring. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F B E L L E F L OW E R B R E W I N G

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