抖阴APP导航

What if the path not taken is the path you鈥檝e been intending to take all along? It鈥檚 rooted inwardly but it needs to be expressed within the world. At night, before you sleep, it haunts you like a phantom limb.

Attitude, not age, matters. It鈥檚 never too late or too early to veer from the road you鈥檙e on  into the unknown, fuelled by whatever passion drives you. Not to get all Hallmark-y about it, but the time to follow your heart may be now.

During this summertime journey into mission possible, three trailblazing 抖阴APP导航 alumni, all of whom have launched celebrated, beer-centric ventures in the city, allow us to walk into their minds and discover how they bravely and passionately reinvented their lives 鈥� so that we can, too.

That doesn鈥檛 mean quit your job. Start laying the groundwork, dig stubbornly with curiosity and point yourself with your inner compass toward the direction that you feel you need to go. It may be within your organization. It may be beyond it. You know how treasure maps work, right? Summer is a great season for exploring.

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The summertime lure of patios, people outstretched beneath umbrellas and the long, lazy days of light are here. Untethered conversation while reaching for a well-crafted beer is an irresistible draw. It鈥檚 a season when plants grow vibrantly green, and adventures unfurl along roadways and walkways that can lead to Calgary鈥檚 more than 50 breweries.

The 抖阴APP导航 alumni who planted the seeds of their brew establishments did so from early on in their careers. They didn鈥檛 plan from the outset to be in the beer business, though some dreamed of it. They each graduated with degrees from 抖阴APP导航 and set out down different paths, into business, engineering and communications.

Cold Garden pushes the envelope and delivers on extraordinary
 
As Dan Allard (BComm鈥�09) stretched out in his sweatpants after loping around the basketball court, talking with his buddy Blake Belding (BComm鈥�10) in a booth at the Den, they considered why they were only able to order big brew brands to drink and thought, hey, in a perfect world, wouldn鈥檛 it be cool to create and own a microbrewery and do it up right?

Well, yeah, it would. And so, they did.

Nine years after their talk, Cold Garden Beverage Company opened in 2017, and it鈥檚 since been pushing the envelope in how craft breweries operate. Allard, the brewery co-founder and Chair of the Inglewood Business Improvement Area (BIA), led changes to bylaws that basically knocked down the wall separating the production area to the public area, allowing that authentic taproom vibe we enjoy in so many establishments today.

Allard also spearheaded legislation that today allows dogs inside the brew business rather than outside, making visits to many craft breweries dog friendly.  How鈥檇 he overcome those challenges? Persistence, people skills and business smarts that he learned in part as a student at 抖阴APP导航.

鈥淭hose are two items that separate us from the crowd, though these days we鈥檙e riding the wave of the quality of our products and our chill environment,鈥� says Allard, who for (July 7-16) this summer, aims to have some carriage rides with Clydesdales and launch a collaboration that could bring some farm animals to the brewery.

At Cold Garden, you can try what is still his favourite brew, Red Smashed-in Buffalo Jump, a malt-forward Irish Red Ale that is partly a tip of the hat to his M茅tis heritage and his Indigenous-given name of White Buffalo.

After Allard graduated at 抖阴APP导航, he and Belding (co-founder and Brew Master at Cold Garden) kept in touch, sometimes travelling together to music festivals around the world. It was at a house party several years after graduating that he and Belding, who had continued to experiment with brew recipes in his garage, decided to fully take the plunge. It was time, given that they had gained traction with real-world business experience and had savings if things went sideways.

Belding left his successful career in sales at an industrial abrasives company and Allard, who鈥檇 sold the prosperous landscaping company he started in university, stepped away from his job in commercial real estate to mutually create Cold Garden. 鈥淭he main thing for both of us is that we remained, and remain, very passionate about our original idea,鈥� says Allard.

While at university, Allard was renowned for throwing massive (though, respectful of his neighbours) parties. He knew how to get people together for a good time. He figures hosting people is in his DNA, given that his family was always the house where other kids congregated. For him, it鈥檚 a passion and a skill and a talent that he鈥檚 honed over the years.

鈥淲hat inspired me to build the business was really trying to find a way to host again, just like I did as a kid and while in university,鈥� says Allard. 鈥淚鈥檓 motivated by trying to create great experiences for my friends and patrons.鈥�

If you鈥檙e going move toward your passion, Allard recommends trying to make it a way of life, though it鈥檚 important to have a plan, even if it starts as a rough map.

鈥淐hasing a dollar has never motivated me, though you want to have enough to feed your baseline if you鈥檙e going after your dream 鈥� and I know that following your dreams is considered a clich茅,鈥� says Allard. 鈥淒reams can be made real. Do what interests you, try and avoid people who put negative energy on you. You need to listen to yourself to focus on your interests and be sure about what really gets you going.鈥�

Maybe work a day job for now for the money but volunteer or intern in the field that draws your heart. 鈥淭he more you open yourself up, the more people want to help you,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l acknowledge your passion. You鈥檒l be surprised by how doors open for you. I鈥檝e learned the money just seems to follow. And it鈥檚 not just me, so have many of my entrepreneurial friends.鈥�

Allard didn鈥檛 come from a wealthy family, far from it. His dad grew up in Manitoba in Red River Settlement, and when Allard visited there as a kid, he learned to snare rabbits for food. He knows what it means to strive from the heart.

鈥淚 never feared life as an entrepreneur because I鈥檝e lived poor and I鈥檝e lived comfortably. I know that at the end of the day, there are a lot of fat rabbits and I can skin them literally and metaphorically. Don鈥檛 be afraid to achieve what you want. Shake off that concern. Push your own envelope.鈥�

Hitting the high notes with Pedal Pub Calgary

A trip to Nashville in 2018 turned John Reid (BKin鈥�09), toward a compelling opportunity 鈥� launching the party bike operation  Pedal Pub Calgary. He foresaw a version of the popular party experience in what鈥檚 known as Music City, USA, that would fit Calgary perfectly, and became both an operating partner and bike pilot.

Since then, he鈥檚 become president of Glacier Communications, which has recently been acquired by NextGrad, the leading provider of digital advertising displays in US high schools.

Pedal Pub Calgary鈥檚 15-person Dutch bikes take clients on tailored tours that visit Calgary breweries and include a Calgary Stampede experience that ends in the giant Wildhorse Saloon tent.

Reid, who continues to reinvent himself in businesses and ventures, says the secret for him is to 鈥渂e curious and say yes to everything.鈥� Every time he took on a new job or task that both interested and challenged him, it allowed him to explore his capabilities and spur his growth.

He鈥檚 had many jobs since graduating from 抖阴APP导航 and he attributes an element of his success to networking, which he started to do assiduously while at school. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t requires pushing yourself, volunteering, joining societies, participating in social events, finding like-minded people. Doing so can provide structure that creates movement in your life toward your dreams.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not very extroverted, so networking was a challenge for me,鈥� says Reid. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not a quitter. I鈥檓 driven by wanting to being the best that I can be, creating the best experience for people that I can. 鈥�

Reid wrote for the Gauntlet and was VP of the Kinesiology Students Society, then went on to SAIT for broadcast journalism and a stint in that business before moving on to other work.

He discovered that he loves managing a team and that he鈥檚 good at what other people may consider the less than exciting parts of business 鈥� process development and finding efficiencies -- while helping to create a work culture that aims to help everyone on the team succeed.

鈥淚 understand the feeling of not feeling confident, which can hold you back from making leaps. That paralysis of analysis can be hard to overcome,鈥� says Reid. 鈥淲hen you try a new job or role, often you鈥檙e starting again at the bottom of the pile. That uncertainty can kill your confidence. Don鈥檛 undervalue your skills. You鈥檒l find that they are more transferable and fluid than you might believe.鈥�

A tip for knowing you are on the right track toward your dream is recognizing your energy levels, learning to self-monitor the tasks that give you energy versus the tasks that leave you exhausted. 鈥淚n hindsight, the tasks that gave me energy rather than sapped it were guidance. There are the ones to value and follow.鈥�

Reid offers actionable advice for starting down a new path.

Make an objective of going out once a month for coffee with someone who you believe will support your goal of change. Ask them how they did it and how they can suggest you can do so, too.

鈥淪eek out a board of a volunteer organization and join it. It will force you into networks and meeting new people and trying different skill sets. The second thing is, ask for help, whether it is advice or more structured mentorship. Everyone likes to talk about themselves.鈥�

The Establishment makes work play

Mike Foniok, BSc (Eng)鈥�09, worked as a mechanical engineer at ENMAX for 10 years, saving money while always maintaining the glimmer of an idea in the back of his mind 鈥� launching a craft brewery in Calgary with three other founders that would create unique, barrel-aged mixed culture beer using old-school brewing traditions.

What began as a home-kit brewing hobby in the basement of a rental house led to Foniok and the three other founders finding the perfect property in the heart of what is now Calgary鈥檚 Manchester Brewing District for The Establishment Brewing Company.

鈥淭he reason we started the business is the reason we鈥檙e still doing it,鈥� says Foniok, Co-founder and Head Brewer, who recommends first-time visitors to the brewery try core brews such as Afternoon Delight (a New England pale ale) and another ale, My Best Friend鈥檚 Girl. 鈥淲e were passionate about beer and we wanted to share that passion with others.鈥�

Foniok had already started seeking out flavorful beers in his fourth year at 抖阴APP导航 鈥� an internship program in Switzerland introduced him to a wider world of brewing -- and when he returned, he started dreaming about opening a brewery in Calgary. He met his future business partner Brandon Hart, BSc(Eng)鈥�08, also a founder of the business, during that internship.

After graduating, Foniok spent a season snowboarding in Fernie, B.C., and then went to ENMAX for a job in the generation department, where he gained engineering experience in skills that would pay off for running a brewery, especially project management.

His biggest challenge in launching the brewery was finding the right location, when he and his partners got the keys to the building in the summer of 2018, opening about seven months later.  

So, what鈥檚 the secret to Foniok reinventing himself?

鈥淚t鈥檚 tricky,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t requires surrounding yourself with people who are equally as passionate about what you want to do and who are knowledgeable, as well.鈥�

What gave him the confidence to make the entrepreneurial leap was his realization that 鈥渁ctually, no one really knows what they are doing all the time, you鈥檙e always problem solving and it鈥檚 a process of discovery. So, I told myself I shouldn鈥檛 be worried about doing it.鈥�

He recommends being truthful with yourself about your priorities and to know what values you are carrying into your new endeavor. For him, having a strong team that shares your values is essential to success.

鈥淭he value that I and the other guys have at the core of our business is that we鈥檙e truly passionate about beer, we want the people working with us to have fun like we do, and we want to share our love of beer,鈥� says Foniok, who has more than 100 Canadian beer awards. 鈥淪eeing people鈥檚 faces light up when they come here and try something new makes it all so worthwhile.鈥�

Okay, you鈥檝e got the treasure map outlined by 抖阴APP导航 alumni who followed their dreams and made them happen. Now go and make your mark.