Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Returns to Los Angeles to Host Small Business Speed Coaching Event

LOS ANGELES, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams announced it will host small business Speed Coaching in Los Angeles tonight, Tuesday, March 25^th. The event marks the third time Speed Coaching comes to L.A. as part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, a micro-lending and coaching program for small business owners working in food, beverage, craft brewing and hospitality.

Speed Coaching will be held from 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. at Ignited Spaces (7080 Hollywood Blvd.), and provide one-of-a-kind access to industry experts.  Attendees will be able to participate in up to six 20-minute, high-impact sessions with expert coaches in areas such as sales and distribution, packaging, finance and marketing. For example, a small business owner attendee may meet with a packaging expert for advice on labeling compliance for his/her product. In Los Angeles, Samuel Adams coaches will be joined by experts from VEDC and area businesses.

Small business owners working in food, beverage, hospitality and craft brewing can register online for the free event at http://btadlaspeedcoaching.eventbrite.com, and are encouraged to come prepared with questions regarding specific business challenges they face. They are also encouraged to bring samples of packaging, POS and other material on which they seek feedback.

"Los Angeles has a great artisanal food and beverage community, and these small business owners play a critical role in boosting their local economies – a role that is too often overlooked," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. "We're excited to bring Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching to L.A. for a third time to advise and support these passionate artisans and craftsman as they work to grow and expand their businesses."

Small Loans Help Build Big Dreams
In addition to Speed Coaching events, Brewing the American Dream is helping small businesses across the country through its micro-lending, which is done in partnership with VEDC in L.A. and Accion, the nation's leading non-profit provider of small business capital and coaching.  One example is Maria Martir, owner of coffee shop De Todo Une Poquito, who received a loan to purchase the remaining licenses necessary to begin selling food and beverages, while another is Juan Molta, owner of the Disciple Restaurant Group, who received a loan to purchase a mobile food cart.

For Justin Woolverton, co-founder of Halo Top Creamery in Los Angeles, a Brewing the American Dream loan he received in 2013 has had a major impact on the success of his business. Woolverton was working as an attorney when he decided to pursue his passion for nutrition and create healthy, high-protein ice cream. He was able to secure a Brewing the American Dream loan after being denied by traditional banks due to insufficient collateral and the "start-up" status of his business. The financing not only allowed him to expand inventory and increase marketing initiatives, but it also helped Woolverton build enough credit so that he later qualified for a $250,000 loan provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

"VEDC is delighted to partner with Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program for a third year," said Roberto Barragan, VEDC President.  "We are proud of our history of funding loans for the food and beverage entrepreneur, and this program, which combines mentoring and funding, is a unique way to help local area small businesses grow and succeed."

Brewing the American Dream Inspiration and Impact
Thirty years ago, Jim Koch, armed with a generations-old family beer recipe, dreamed of starting his own craft brewery. He applied for bank loans to help him do so, but was repeatedly turned down. He also lacked the nuts-and-bolts know-how that's so important to running a small business.  But Jim didn't give up. He took his beer bar to bar – selling it out of his briefcase – and made his dream a reality.

As Samuel Adams celebrates its 30-year anniversary, Jim hasn't forgotten how hard it is to start and run a successful small business. That's why he created Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream. Since its creation in 2008, the program has coached more than 4,000 small business owners, provided more than $2.8 million in microloans to more than 320 small business owners, and helped create or retain more than 1,910  jobs.  The program has also seen an unprecedented loan repayment rate of 98.1 percent – well above the national average for small business loans. To learn more about the program, 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 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 soon became a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.

Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 50 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 the world's most awarded breweries at international beer competitions. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its single focus. Although Samuel Adams beer is America's largest-selling 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 VEDC
VEDC is a leading non-profit small business lender that is changing the way small business lending is done by making it more available, sustainable and impactful. As a national small business lender, VEDC has lent $330 million in direct and guaranteed loans to 100,000 small businesses and created more than 18,000 jobs. Headquartered in Los Angeles, VEDC also operates the Small Business California Loan Program in San Francisco, the Nevada Microenterprise Initiative in Las Vegas, the Chicagoland Business Opportunity Fund in Chicago and the Tri-State Business Opportunity Fund in New York. VEDC has a 37 year history of supporting small business owners with the goal of creating and sustaining jobs and businesses in under-served communities. For more information visit www.vedc.org

About Accion in the U.S.
In seeking a partner for Samuel Adams' Brewing the American Dream the company turned to Accion to facilitate lending to hardworking business owners seeking to grow. As the largest nationwide micro-and small business lending network in the United States, Accion connects small business owners with the accessible financing and advice it takes to create or grow healthy businesses. Since 1991, the five members of the Accion U.S. Network have collectively made over 48,700 loans, totaling over $394 million.

Additionally, over 400,000 business owners across the nation have turned to Accion for financial and business advice via workshops, online tools, and one-on-one consultations. Globally, Accion (www.accion.org) is a pioneer in microfinance, reaching millions of individuals through its international network of partners. For more information visit us.accion.org.

SOURCE Samuel Adams