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Firestone Walker’s David Walker Manages By Walking About

David Walker, cofounder and CEO of Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California, shares some thoughts on management after a quarter-century of building a brewery into a widely respected, award-winning regional powerhouse.

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Cofounders David Walker and Adam Firestone stroll amid the brewery’s new 9.7-acre solar array. Photo: Courtesy Firestone Walker.
Cofounders David Walker and Adam Firestone stroll amid the brewery’s new 9.7-acre solar array. Photo: Courtesy Firestone Walker.

After 25 years in the craft-beer business, I’m no stranger to the question, “How do you do it?” And the answer is—I don’t really know. Every brewery, every region, every circumstance is different, and that makes me even more allergic to dispensing advice. If my partner Adam Firestone and I had it all figured out, our journey would have been much easier. The truth is, it hasn’t been easy at all.

What I do know is what has worked for us at Firestone Walker—not the quick fix here or the lucky break there, but rather the principles, practices, and revelations that have borne the test of time.

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