Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Hosts Speed Coaching for Phoenix's Small Business Community

PHOENIX, Feb. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Adams in partnership with Accion Arizona announced they are hosting their signature small business Speed Coaching event in Phoenix for the first time on Monday, February 23. Designed to provide expert, customized business advice, the event is part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, a micro-lending and coaching program for small business owners working in the food, beverage and craft brewing industries.  

During the Speed Coaching, which will be held from 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. MST at Co+Hoots (1027 East Washington Street #107), food and beverage entrepreneurs have the opportunity to participate in up to six 20-minute, one-on-one, high-impact sessions. Coaches will include experts from Samuel Adams and Accion Arizona, along with local area business professionals.  Topics covered will include sales and distribution, packaging, finance, e-commerce, and marketing - to name a few. While the event is free, small business owners should register online at http://btadphoenix.eventbrite.com.

Participants are also encouraged to bring samples of product, packaging, and other items that they want feedback on, and should come prepared with questions regarding specific challenges their businesses are facing. For example, a small business owner may want to ask a finance professional for advice on how to competitively price his/her product.

"There's no question that Phoenix is one of the best places in the country to start a small business, but if young companies are going to grow it's extremely important they have the right support early on," said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. "One of the reasons we're excited to bring our Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching to the area is because we've seen the impact coaching events like this have had in other cities, and are looking forward to working with Phoenix's passionate entrepreneurs."

Microloans for Small Business

While Speed Coaching is making its Phoenix debut, Brewing the American Dream has been providing microloans to small businesses throughout the region since 2012 in partnership with nonprofit micro-and small business lender Accion. Typically ranging from $500-$25,000, the funding often helps 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. 

"We are pleased to partner with Samuel Adams in bringing the Brewing the American Dream program to entrepreneurs in Phoenix this year," said Anne Haines Yatskowitz, President and CEO of Accion Arizona.  "The program advances local small businesses by providing access to essential resources: Mentorship, training and financing, three key ingredients to promote growth and success. The unique combination of funding and coaching helps grow businesses that drive our local economy and create needed jobs." 

Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream: Inspiration and Impact

Samuel Adams is celebrating 31 years of brewing, and despite the craft brewery's success, Jim Koch 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 Samuel Adams: financing and real-world business advice.

Launched in 2008 in partnership with Accion, the nation's leading nonprofit provider of small business capital and coaching, Brewing the American Dream has coached more than 4,000 small business owners, provided over $3.5 million in microloans to nearly 400 small businesses, and helped create or retain more than 2,000 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 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 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 nonprofit 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. In Arizona, Accion has offices in Phoenix and Tucson, and serves entrepreneurs across the state with business loans up to $750,000, along with training, networking and other support services. Since 1991, members of the Accion U.S. Network have collectively made over 53,000 loans, totaling over $436 million. Additionally, over 500,000 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 on Accion small business loans in the United States, please visit us.accion.org.

SOURCE Samuel Adams Boston Beer

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