Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Hosts First Small Business Speed Coaching Event in Atlanta

ATLANTA, March 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams announced it will host its signature small business Speed Coaching event in Atlanta for the first time on Tuesday, March 22^nd. Designed to provide expert, personalized business advice, this dynamic event is part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, a coaching and micro-lending program for small business owners working in food, beverage, and craft brewing. In Atlanta, Samuel Adams is working with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), a non-profit organization that provides loans and business development resources to entrepreneurs.

During the event, which will run from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. EDT at Loudermilk Center (40 Courtland St. NE), small craft business owners partner with a variety of experts to generate new ideas and strategies to help their businesses succeed. Each entrepreneur can participate in up to six 20-minute personalized, high-impact sessions with some of the area's best small business specialists, as well as subject experts from Sam Adams and ACE.

Held in cities across the country, Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching events have supported thousands of food and beverage craft businesses with sound business advice. From sales and distribution to packaging, finance, e-commerce and more, no small business subject is off-limits. While the event is free, small business owners should register online at http://bit.ly/BTAD-ATL-speedcoach. Participants are also encouraged to bring samples of product, packaging and other items on which they want feedback, and should come prepared with questions regarding specific challenges their businesses are facing.

"Atlanta has such a dynamic craft food and beverage community, so we're really looking forward to hosting our first Speed Coaching event here," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. "When starting Samuel Adams 32 years ago, the nuts-and-bolts business counseling that I really needed – how to setup a payroll, negotiate a lease, or price a product – was very hard to find. Our goal with this program is to help passionate small business owners solve specific problems with real-world, practical advice to help them start and grow their business."

Koch noted that, in addition to Speed Coaching, Brewing the American Dream provides microloans to small businesses year-round through its partnership with Accion, the nation's leading nonprofit provider of small business capital and coaching. Typically ranging from $500-$25,000, these loans often help local small business owners who've been turned down by traditional lenders due to lack of credit, the small size of the loan request or the volatile nature of the food and beverage industry.

Why Brewing the American Dream Was Started and the Impact It's Having
As Samuel Adams' core philanthropic program, Brewing the American Dream, in partnership with Accion, provides small craft food and beverage businesses with a unique combination of the two things Jim Koch wished he had when starting Sam Adams 32 years ago: access to capital and expert business advice.

Through the support of Brewing the American Dream, national partner and non-profit microfinance organization Accion, has lent more than $8.5 million to nearly 825 small food and beverage businesses since it was launched in 2008. Just as important, the program has coached or mentored over 6,000 businesses and created or saved more than 3,300 jobs. The program has also been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative and the White House Summit on the Future of Corporate Service. To learn more please visit: http://btad.samueladams.com.

Samuel Adams, Sam Adams, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, and Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream are registered trademarks of The Boston Beer Company.

About Samuel Adams and The Boston Beer Company
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly named Samuel Adams Boston Lager, in recognition of one of our nation's great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager would soon become a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.

Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 60 styles of beer. It relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients. Using the traditional four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. The Company has also pioneered another revolution, the 'extreme beer' movement, where it seeks to challenge drinker's perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and is one of world's most awarded breweries at international beer competitions. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its primary focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America's leading craft beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market. The Boston Beer Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

About Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE)
ACE is a US Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) which provides loans and business consulting services to help its borrowers create and grow stable, sustainable businesses. Since 2000, ACE has made more than $32 million in loans to 650 businesses, helping create or retain approximately 4,500 jobs for Georgians. Target markets include women, minority, and low-income business owners located in our 68 county regions which includes metropolitan Atlanta and all of northern Georgia. In addition to loans, ACE provides free business advisory services including one-on-one technical assistance, workshops, classes, and networking opportunities in both English and Spanish. In partnership with the Small Business Association, ACE also operated a Women's Business Center in Norcross, GA with the mission to empower women, minorities and low-to-moderate income entrepreneurs through financial education and training. The ACE Women's Business Center provides a full range of services for women at all stages of business planning, implementation, and growth. To learn more visit www.aceloans.org. 

SOURCE The Boston Beer Company