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

MIAMI, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams announced it will host small business Speed Coaching in Miami on Monday, April 14^th for the second year in a row as part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, its micro-lending and coaching program for small business owners working in food, beverage, craft brewing and hospitality.

The Speed Coaching event, which will be held from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. EDT at Gold Coast Miami Headquarters (10055 NW 12^th St.), will 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 may meet with a packaging expert for advice on labeling compliance for his/her product. In Miami, Samuel Adams coaches will be joined by experts from beer distributor Gold Coast, area businesses, and Accion, the nation's leading non-profit provider of small business capital and coaching.

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

"Miami is full of great local cafes, bakeries and hospitality businesses that contribute to its thriving small business community," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. "These entrepreneurs are boosting the South Florida economy by creating jobs, and we're excited to coach and support them through our Brewing the American Dream program."

Miami Micro-lending

In addition to Speed Coaching, Brewing the American Dream is helping small businesses in Miami through its microloan program, which provides financing to small business owners who are often shut out of the traditional lending model due to lack of credit, small loan requirements, or the volatile nature of food and beverage businesses.  Brewing the American Dream and its micro-lending partner, Accion, use their deep industry and lending knowledge to see beyond these barriers to help viable small businesses. Some of the program's micro-lending success stories in Miami include:

• Flavio Alarcon, owner of Rock That Burger, always had a passion for the art of cooking. After running a successful Miami food truck, he opened Rock That Burger in 2012, a burger emporium with Colombian flare and his first brick-and-mortar location. By 2013, Alarcon was in need of extra capital, and the local bank pointed him to Brewing the American Dream, where he was able to secure a microloan for new equipment and increased marketing activities.
• Felix Lanza, owner of Lanza Products Corp., needed funding to help modernize his food stand of fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy in order to better serve his customers. An immigrant of Honduras, his limited credit history hurt his quest for financing. Fortunately, Lanza was able to turn to Brewing the American Dream for a loan to purchase new types of vegetables and a computer to track sales. Now, Lanza has set his sight on selling at new locations and launching his first website.
• Francisco Piloto, owner of PIESPA, sells wine, olive oils and food products from Spain, Portugal and Italy to South Florida establishments. This year, Piloto wanted to expand his inventory, but as a Cuban immigrant and former resident of Spain, he lacked an established credit history to receive a bank loan. However, Piloto was able to secure financing from Brewing the American Dream, and is now looking forward to also receiving branding and marketing advice through the program.

"I am a believer that all economic development follows human development," said Paul Quintero, CEO of Accion East. "In partnership with Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, Accion is developing the human potential of food and beverage entrepreneurs in Miami through real-world and real-time coaching.  Together we're fulfilling a vision of financial inclusion and access to opportunity for all."

Samuel Adams 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, a unique program that provides the two things he wishes he had when starting Sam Adams: financing and real-world business advice. Since its creation in 2008, the program has coached more than 4,000 small business owners, provided nearly $3 million in microloans to more than 320 small businesses , and helped create or retain more than 1,900 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 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 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 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. Accion East lends in Miami and offers business loans between $500 and $50,000 along with training, networking and other support services to hardworking entrepreneurs. In the last 20 years, Accion East and Online has disbursed over 22,208 loans.

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