On October 6th, 2023, the Seattle U Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center kicked-off the 2023-24 Founder Friday series, a quarterly event featuring SU alumni entrepreneurs, with Bob Monroe ‘10 and Jesse Warner ’09, two co-founders of Figurehead Brewing Co.
Figurehead Brewing was founded in 2016 and reflects its local neighborhood and traditions of Northwest brewing. After first meeting 15 years ago in their Albers MBA leadership class at Albers School of Business and Economics, Bob and Jesse are still using the values-led business principles they learned in class to expand Figurehead Brewing to a second location on Stone Way in early 2024. Every business decision they make prioritizes their mission to build community.
Despite the number of breweries in Seattle increasing by 50% over the past decade, according to the Washington Beer Blog, one local brewery is closing for every new one that opens. In a crowded and competitive market like Seattle breweries, Bob and Jesse shared how they make their business stand out and continue to grow. Their secret to expansion? Sticking to the same core values they developed when they opened in 2016.
Figurehead Brewing has operated its Magnolia taproom since 2016 with a strong base of loyal customers. The brewers like simple, honest, straightforward, high-quality beer. They especially like to focus on the different combinations of malt and yeast without being too aggressive with the hops. Stemming from a passion to brew beers to be shared with friends and neighbors, the Figurehead taproom has grown into a great place to meet all sorts of folks from around the local neighborhood.
Thank you to Bob and Jesse for coming back to campus to share insights on community focused business engagement.
Past presenters who returned to campus to share their journeys and lessons from launching businesses include Madeline Haydon, CEO of nutpods, Ryan Schmidt of Vera Whole Health, and Caleb Carr of Vita Inclinata Technologies. The next Founder Friday will be on Friday, January 26, 2024 with Jody Hall, founder of Cupcake Royale and recently Wunderground Coffee.