D.G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States and is celebrating a milestone 185th anniversary in 2014. Founded in 1829, the family-owned business, based in Pottsville, Pa., has transitioned from a small operation to a national brand that produces 2.5 million barrels of beer annually.
Wendy Yuengling Baker, the company’s chief administrative officer, is a sixth-generation family member who decided to pursue her own career path before settling into her role alongside her sister and father at the Pennsylvania-based brewery.
Family Business: Tell me a little bit about your history growing up with the family business.
Wendy Yuengling Baker: Growing up in my early years, my dad did not work for the brewery. He had left the family business and started his own beer distributorship in Pottsville. It wasn’t until my grandfather got sick that my dad went back to work for the brewery, in 1985. During my early teenage years, I started to do occasional odd jobs at the brewery and began working in the gift shop during summers and over school breaks. The brewery was just another local business at the time, so it didn’t feel any different to me being part of the Yuengling family. We grew up in a small town with a number of small, local businesses. I was certainly aware of the company history and reputation, but I don’t feel like I was any different from my peers or that the family business was any different from the others in our area. The brewery was struggling during those years, so it was very different from the recent success we’ve experienced.
FB: You went on to college and studied business and marketing, and started your career in those fields. Why did you decide to pursue something other than the family business?
WYB: When I graduated college, I wasn’t ready to move home and start working for the family business. I thought one day I might eventually work for the brewery, and that motivated me to be a business major in college. But I wanted to pursue other things after graduation. I wanted to have the opportunity to work outside of the business — to work for someone else and to gain experience in other industries. I really enjoyed working in marketing and advertising, and living in bigger cities, while I was young. I always felt like it would serve me well if I did decide to join the family business at some point. I do think it was beneficial for me to come into the business then with a range of experience and knowledge outside of the beer industry.
FB: What brought you back into Yuengling full-time? And why did you want to work with your family?
WYB: I knew that the brewery was growing quickly in the ’90s and that the industry dynamics were changing. It wasn’t until I read an article about Yuengling in 2004 that it really hit me-what a tremendous opportunity the company had. I felt like I had experience and the skills to help, so I left my job and made the commitment to join the family business in 2004. At first I was motivated to come back to be able to contribute to the growth and be a part of something really unique; and that has evolved where now my motivation is to keep the business strong and healthy and continue it for future generations.
FB: Can you talk about some of the challenges you personally struggled with when it comes to being a sixth-generation family member in the business?
WYB: I think when people see that you have the family name they make assumptions about a next-generation family business member. I’ve tried really hard to start at the bottom and learn every part of the business with a hands-on approach. I’ve never looked at my job as a given or that I’m entitled to anything in the company. I’ve worked through every part of the company for a span of time to understand what goes into brewing, packaging and selling a case of beer. There was no pressure put on me, but there was also very little direction when I joined the family business. So I’ve carved out my own path and pursued it in a way that made sense to me. I do feel that I am proving myself every day, but that is simply pressure I put on myself. I personally feel that as a family business member, you set an example for the company. We have a tremendous workforce and sales staff that my sister and I work closely with, so it is a very supportive environment.
FB: Yuengling has been focusing lately on expanding to new markets. What has that process been like for you and your family?
WYB: We’ve expanded slowly over the years and have a pretty disciplined approach to opening up new markets. Typically, we might open up one new state a year. We’re only in 15 states at this point (along the East Coast), and we’ve been in business for 185 years now. Our focus is on long-term success, so that requires an ongoing commitment on our existing markets. Our core customers are what have supported us over the years, so we don’t lose sight of that. That can be the challenge — devoting the resources to our existing markets while trying to satisfy consumer demand outside of our footprint. We have invested significantly in all three of our plants to increase capacity so we that can continue to grow. The key for us is to balance organic growth with expansion.
FB: Yuengling currently ranks as the largest American-owned brewery. What does that mean to you?
WYB: It’s an interesting dynamic to be recognized as the largest independent American brewery, yet be only 1% of the total beer industry. It shows just how dominant the big three brewers [ABInBev, SABMiller and Molson Coors] are. I don’t think being the largest matters much — we’re proud of the fact that we’re America’s oldest and we’re still American-owned and family-operated. I think that’s important to the consumer too, and that’s the message we focus on.
Wendy Yuengling Baker is the cheif administrative officer of D.G. Yuengling & Son, America’s oldest brewery. She will be a speaker at Transitions East 2014 in Tampa Bay, Fla., taking place March 26-28.