What We Learned About Our Community

Today we heard from Mike Dewey of Mt Carmel Brewery. He and his wife, Cathleen, cofounded this local microbrewery.

A craft brewer is one that is small, independent and traditional. The beer business is a $99 billion per year business. There are over 2500 breweries in the US. In 2004, there was one other microbrewery in Cincinnati called Oldenburg. A microbrewery is a craft brewer that brews less than 15,000 barrels per year. Each barrel is 31 gallons.

Mike and Cathleen began brewing in the basement of their home and then applied for an A1 license in 2004. Their first sales were done door-to-door. After a visit to Jungle Jim’s, they realized their processes would need to be refined to meet the demand. They have become one of Jungle Jim’s best sellers. Mt Carmel self-distributed for their first 5 years in 1 van. After that, they partnered with Heidelberg for distribution. Currently, there are 7 full time employees, several part-time employees and everyone has worked for them for over 3 years.

Tours are given on Saturdays from 12-5. 

Please note: There are no more Rotary meetings this year. We will resume meeting on Tuesday, January 7, 2014. 

What We Learned About Our Community

Today we heard from Peggy Kirk of Hydrosystems, Inc.

Hydrosystems, Inc. was founded in 1963 and headquartered in Newtown, OH. Currently they are the #1 global producer of chemical management systems and their gross sales are closing in on $100 million per year. In 1997 they were acquired by Dover Corporation and then acquired Nova Controls in 998, Chemilizer in 2010 and Dosmatic in 2011. They have 385 employees in 7 global locations and 260 locally with around 30 engineers. Everything is built in America and is sent to these hydro facilities worldwide.

Hydrosystems, Inc. sells over 800, 000 systems annually. Standard products ship in 1-3 days. They focus on responsibility, integrity, honesty and trust. In 2010 a second shift was added and setup so employees can have dinner with their families and meet other needs of dual-income families. Their corporate culture includes profit sharing, all-employee meetings, talent development, wellness programs, summer employment program, high school outreach and success celebrations. Peggy emphasized how the company loves investing in high school students.