Meet the Michigan Brewers Guild 2020 Board of Directors

The Michigan Brewers Guild recently elected its 2020 Board of Directors at its annual meeting earlier this month at the Kalamazoo Radisson Plaza Hotel. Each board position is a two-year term, elected in alternating years (4, 3).

This year, four people were elected to the Guild board:

• David Ringler, Owner of Cedar Springs Brewing Company in Cedar Springs, was elected to his second term and will serve this year as Vice President;

• Peter Manthei, Owner of Beards Brewery in Petoskey, was elected to his first term;

• Edward Stencel, Owner of River Rouge Brewing Co., in Royal Oak, was elected to his first term on the board after being appointed in late 2019 to fill a vacancy;

• Kim Collins, Owner of Guardian Brewing Co., in Saugatuck, was elected to her first term on the board.

Additional board members include:

• Isaac Hartman, “Ambassador of Great Beer” from New Holland Brewing Co., continues his sixth term on the board and was named President of the association;
• Rick Schmitt, Co-Owner of Stormcloud Brewing in Frankfort, continues his first term and will serve this year as Treasurer;
• Aubrey Martinson, Co-Owner of Chelsea Alehouse in Chelsea, continues her first term and will serve as the organization’s secretary.

The conference was a record-breaker in many ways for the organization, with more than 750 attendees including nearly 130 vendors in the Allied Member Trade Show. The Guild also reported 267-member breweries at the close of 2019, up from 256 at the end of 2018.

More on the Michigan Brewers Guild

The Michigan Brewers Guild is a network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. The mission of the guild is to promote and protect the Michigan craft beer industry with an overarching goal to help craft beer acquire 20 percent of the market by 2025.

Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 14,000 full-time jobs, $662 million in labor income/wages with a total economic impact of over $2 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks No. 4 in the nation — thus supporting its claim as the “Great Beer State.”