Entrepreneurs Unplugged: Kim Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of New Belgium Brewing Company

Tags: Entrepreneurship

Silicon Flatirons, ATLAS, and HUB present Kim Jordan as our featured entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs Unplugged is a meeting place where faculty, students and community members with technical backgrounds learn about and get involved in entrepreneurship. In particular, the program offers students, faculty and the Front Range startup community an opportunity to learn how a successful startup is created as well as an opportunity to network. Each Entrepreneurs Unplugged meeting features food, drink and – most importantly – an experienced entrepreneur to discuss his/her start-up experiences.

Kim JordanKim Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder, New Belgium Brewing Company
As a classic basement startup, New Belgium’s beginnings were entrepreneurial; it’s now the third largest craft brewery and the first brewery in the United States to specialize in Belgian style beers. New Belgium is known for its commitment to environmental stewardship, and under Kim’s leadership, they have developed a set of interwoven practices that include employee ownership, high involvement culture, advocacy and of course drinking beer together.

In January of 2013 New Belgium announced the sale of 100 per cent of the brewery to its 475 co-workers. This enabled the formation of a family foundation with a goal of creating a new business model. Ms. Jordan and New Belgium have been widely recognized as business role models; she received the EPA’s highest regional award for Environmental Excellence and in 2012 was Entrepreneur Magazine’s CEO of the Year and CEO of the year by Colorado Biz Magazine. New Belgium was voted in the top ten best places to work by Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, and The Wall Street Journal.


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