My background as an English major and writer is fundamental to my position at Kalispell Brewing. Excellent writing skills are important in developing a new company—I had to create so much content from scratch, from handbooks and policies to directions for our tasting room staff. Being able to think logically and then convert that to the page was critical. 

On the creative side, I had to share our story. I tapped into my writing skills, crafting and sharing our brewing story with the world. During my time at DePauw, I envisioned myself as a novelist, and I even started a master’s writing (MFA) program, but realized I love how writing and business weave together. It’s a perfect match for me. Writing a book will have to wait a few years...

My background is varied. A lot of it reflects my desire to live in northwest Montana. I grew up in northern Michigan and moved west after graduating from DePauw to ski and live in the mountains. The Flathead Valley is a small place, and it’s not easy to find a professional job.  

Frankly, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was up for adventure and tried to figure out what job could support that. I fell back on bartending when needed, which looking back has been invaluable to the brewery. I know how to wait on customers, how to organize staffing, how to set up a bar, and I knew what type of environment people enjoyed when they went to breweries. I put my experience into shaping the atmosphere and philosophy at Kalispell Brewing. In owning your business, you need so many different skills—during the construction phase I wished I knew more about plumbing and electrical—so I think it’s important to have a varied background. In craft brewing, and in small business, you have to be a jack of all trades.

My husband Cole Schneider and I were teammates before we began dating. We met while training for the United States Telemark National Ski Championships. As teammates and athletes, we traveled the world together for competitions. Ski racing helped shaped us as business partners. Cole has long been an avid home brewer and has a background in industrial chemistry and manufacturing, two skills important to brewing.

Since high school I’ve worked in the food & beverage industry and love it. I love how food and beverage connects people. Cole and I realized that in order to make a life together in our small mountain town, we needed to do what we loved. We love beer and the craft beer industry, so about three and half years ago we decided to go for it. 

As if starting a new business isn’t enough of a challenge, transforming a vacant building into a 10-barrel brewery and tasting room was a whole different level. It’s a process I am not keen to repeat. It took so much work. We chose the building because of its downtown location and though the old building was in rough shape, we knew it would be a beautiful and functional space to house our dreams. We really believe in the town of Kalispell, especially the downtown area and wanted to invest our time, resources and passion into our community. Although the renovation process took a year longer than we had anticipated, we wouldn’t change our location or space. We preserved a 100 year building and we love being in the heart of downtown.  

Cole and I were the general contractors, a completely new experience for us both. We tore down everything down but the old brick walls. The building was in really rough shape and we did our best to preserve the historical character while maintaining structural integrity. We had to install steel structural beams, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. It was a massive project and there were many days the end didn’t seem in sight. But we worked and powered through construction delays, and we’re really proud of the building.

No day is the same. It’s fun but can be a bit overwhelming, as there’s always so much to do and not enough time to do it. I oversee the front of the house and business operations, marketing, public relations, and human resources. As the Beer Ambassador (one cool aspect about owning your own company is that you can make up your own fun title), I work on the creative projects at the brewery, like naming new beers, coming up with fun events, and meeting with prospective wholesale accounts to share our beers with them. Short of actually brewing the beer, which is Cole’s job, I do a little bit of everything, including pouring beers for customers and making sure there’s enough toilet paper in the bathrooms.

It’s so exciting to celebrate, especially after a long process of building the brewery. It was the fastest year of my life. What’s surprised me is how much of a bond we already have with our patrons. Many have become friends and are so supportive of our business. I've also learned a lot about staff training and development. We have eight employees, four who have been with us since we first opened. It’s an incredible journey to watch them grow and take on more responsibility and ownership. We couldn’t do it without our crew, and I’ve enjoyed watching our staff work together to make our brewery successful and meaningful.  

Our plan is to grow smart, not fast. We are committed to quality and our not-so-easy way of brewing German style beers. We brew tricky styles that take a long time, and people respond well to our passion and focus. I want to make sure that our tasting room delivers exceptional customer service and our patrons love their experience. Anything we do has to bear that in mind. As a company, we’re moving from the “holy cow we’re open and drinking from a fire hose” phase to what we can plan for three, five, and ten years down the road.

It’s incredible watching Cole develop his passion. He’s a brewer to the core and it’s been fascinating to observe him transform his dream into a reality. Marriage and business is a challenge, and it’s something we’re always conscious of. We work well together and our roles at the brewery are perfect for our personalities. But it can be really tough to have any sort of work-life separation. I like to wake up first thing and start spouting off ideas before the coffee is made, which doesn’t always go over well. 

Conflicts can be tough and we always have to interrogate ourselves—is this a marriage issue or business related? Sometimes it’s both. But we work hard on communicating openly and sharing our workload. It’s not easy, but I can’t imagine being in business with anyone else. The level of intimacy and trust that we share has helped catapult us into dreaming really big. We support each other, and that’s what I think has contributed to our early success at Kalispell Brewing Company.

The Main Street Montana Project was launched by Governor Steve Bullock to create a public-private partnership to drive Montana’s economy forward. Last fall, I received an invitation from the Governor to serve on the Small Business and Downtowns committee, one of the project’s Key Industry Networks, comprised of leading businesspersons within that sector from throughout the state. It was such an honor to receive that nomination from the governor and to now serve with a cast of business superstars who are really passionate about small business in our big state of Montana and love seeing downtowns thrive and grow.

It’s very important for Kalispell Brewing to be involved with this initiative because not only do I get to network with many great business leaders and gain access and insight into the governor’s office, but I can also contribute my ideas and perspectives to help Montana’s business climate thrive. I want to make sure that doing business in downtown Kalispell, and in downtowns across the state, is a viable and sustainable option for entrepreneurs.

Lots of people think Cole and I drink beer all day. Don’t get me wrong, brewing is a fun and dynamic industry, but there’s a ton of work that goes into brewing. There are long hours and less glamorous aspects of the job, like cleaning. Sanitation is critical for brewing operations. Cole likes to joke that he’s a glorified janitor.

The work is physical and messy, and one can’t just sit around at the bar and enjoy beer all day. But, when the end of the day does come, even if it’s really late at night or after a long, busy shift in the tasting room, the beer tastes damn good. It’s nice to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  

Also [unexpected:] planning and calculation. There is so much planning and organization that goes into the industry, and the coordination between the production floor, our tasting room, and wholesale accounts requires a lot of focus. We have to be efficient, and accountable. Always. There’s a lot of paperwork involved, especially on the federal level with taxation and reporting. It can be boring, but it’s required. 

Patience. Dedication. The willingness to do things step-by-step, to embrace the process, and to focus on the one task at hand. Those who want to brew should start by homebrewing and focus on sanitation and yeast handling practices. A background in chemistry is helpful too.

I’m excited to see more women involved in craft brewing. It’s a male-dominated industry and that can be a challenge. There are not many women who own breweries, not many women who brew, so it can be a bit intimidating to enter into. But it’s changing, and overall it’s a really welcoming industry.  

For those who are interested, don’t be afraid to learn about beer. Beer shouldn’t be cloaked in mystery. Be willing to get your foot in the door at a brewery, even if that means you’re serving beers when you’d rather be brewing. The industry is a lot about apprenticeships and on-the-job training. There are a lot of great programs at universities across the country sprouting up that teach fermentation science. There are also many jobs outside of brewing that are available, including marketing, tasting room management, and sales. Never be afraid to ask for help or insight and seek out opportunities for networking. I rely a lot on my peers for help and guidance. There’s a strong sense of collaboration among craft brewers. 

Every day is different, and that excites me. I look forward to seeing our tasting room full of smiling customers who are enjoying our beer. I love the creative element of my job—what new social media campaign can I launch, what will I write about on my Beer Ambassador blog, what fun new event can we host at the brewery. It’s such a stimulating environment.  

For me, my next career challenge is motherhood and owning the brewery. I’m really looking forward to being a mom (although really nervous too!) and taking a bit of a step away from the day-to-day operations at the brewery. I'll work on long range projects like distribution, packaging, and continuing to sustainably grow our small company. Cole and I like to joke that the brewery was our baby, but now that we’re new parents, everything has changed. It’s really exciting.   

Editors Note: Maggie and her husband welcomed Charles Fielding Schneider on September 26, 2015. Congrats!