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

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams and VEDC (Valley Economic Development Center) today announced they will host small business speed coaching in Los Angeles on Wednesday, August 21^st. The event is part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, a program designed to help food, beverage, craft beer and hospitality small business owners through microlending and mentoring. 

Speed coaching provides individualized coaching for small business owners, to address a variety of business issues. The speed coaching event on August 21^st will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PDT at LA Mart (1933 S. Broadway). Registered attendees can participate in up to six 20-minute, personalized coaching sessions that address a variety of business issues with experts from Samuel Adams, VEDC, and local businesses. For example, a small business owner with a social media question may meet with a digital marketing specialist who can provide specific ideas and tools to help engage customers digitally. Participants are encouraged to come prepared with questions regarding challenges their businesses are facing. Registration is available at http://samueladamsbtadlosang.eventbrite.com/.

Los Angeles Lending
In addition to speed coaching, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream is also helping Los Angeles-area businesses through its microlending, with local lending partner VEDC. Three small business owners and ice cream entrepreneurs who have received loans through the program are Justin Woolverton and Douglas Bouton of Halo Top Creamery and Edward Belden of Peddler's Creamery:

• Justin Woolverton and Douglas Bouton, founders of Halo Top Creamery, were working as attorneys when they decided to pursue a passion for nutrition and an idea to create healthy, high-protein ice cream. Unfortunately insufficient collateral and the start-up status of the business meant they were denied access to capital by traditional lenders. That's when they applied for Brewing the American Dream funding through VEDC and were able to secure $10,000 to expand their inventory and increase marketing initiatives.
• Edward Belden, founder of a bicycle-powered ice cream business Peddler's Creamery, was unable to obtain a bank loan to expand his business. He turned to Brewing the American Dream and received funding that allowed him to hire employees and open his first brick and mortar location in downtown Los Angeles.

Inspiration and Impact
Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch created the Brewing the American Dream program to help other small business owners in food, beverage and hospitality overcome the same obstacles he faced when he wanted to go from brewing Samuel Adams beer in his kitchen nearly 30 years ago to turning his passion into a business– that is, access to financing and nuts-and-bolts business advice.

"Small business owners are still facing hurdles I faced nearly 30 years ago," said Koch. "Real-world business mentoring through events like speed coaching provides the critical advice that's necessary for success and often hard to come by."

Since its introduction in 2008, the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program has provided nearly $2.5 million in microloans to more than 280 small businesses nationwide, coached 3,000-plus professionals, and created or saved more than 1,800 jobs.

For more information about the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream 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'sperceptions 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 in the past five years has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. 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 the largest non-profit small business lender in California offering direct micro and small business loans through programs including SBA Community Advantage and SBA 504 loans.  As a national small business lender, VEDC lends $25 million annually, while providing direct business assistance services to more than 4,000 businesses. With seven offices nationwide VEDC has supported the small business owner for 37 years with the goal of creating and sustaining jobs and businesses in under-served communities. For more information visit www.vedc.org.

SOURCE Boston Beer Company