Consultant for a Day, well actually more like 1 hour

About a month ago I was contacted through a private message on Twitter by one of the leaders at the MillerCoors Company.  Mind you, I use Twitter keep up on sports news and to 'borderline stalk' a few famous folks.  I very rarely tweet, and only occasionally retweet someone else's tweet.  

I did not even know there was a private message option, 

but there it was one afternoon, a message from Colleen.  Lucky Twitter alerts you to a message or I would have never known to look.

I worked in Colleen's division before I retired and I believe she has moved up a rung on the corporate ladder since then and manages multiple brewery sites now.  She sent me a note asking about retirement and offering a consulting opportunity at the Chippewa Falls brewery.  She felt I could help them create a scheduling tool for their multiple brands.

My first reaction was...ah no, not interested.

But then I thought, what would it hurt to go meet with these folks, 

get to know them a bit and see what they are trying to accomplish.  It never hurts to know the local brewers after all.

So, I gave her all my contact information and said I would give it a look.  

Colleen was always fair with me, I am a compensated retiree, I mean, I could not really see any downside of giving a little time to this project.

A few weeks later, I got a call from the Assistant Brewmaster at the brewery and we arranged a meeting.  I probably overstated how limited my skills are now after 8 years out of the business but we agreed to meet none the less.

So, last Tuesday morning I headed for Chippewa Falls.  

For about an hour I was pretending to be a consultant.  

I met with the Assistant Brewmaster and also the Plant Manager.  

We discussed their project and what their goals were 

and I confirmed that it was out of my league.  

I did give them 3 names of folks in Golden who might understand their needs 

and might be able to locate a tool I had used in Golden that is similar to what they are trying to design for their/Wisconsin brewery.

Then kindly, the Assistant Bremaster gave me a tour of the plant.

He's a nice young man and really passionate about his brewery, I love that.

So many similarities to between Coors and Leinenkugel's.

Family owned for many years, both established in the 1880s, both make great products.

Now, both under the MillerCoors agreement.

This old archway into the brewery is so fine.  I love that they have saved much of their original facility.

The brewhouse has been updated but the copper kept for the visual appear.
These kettle tops are polished weekly, and what a pretty brewhouse because of those shiny copper domes.

So, now I am retired from the consulting business, 

I hope the Chippewa Falls folks find a solution for their inventory scheduling, 

and I'm looking forward to the next new Leinie's sesonal product to find its way to the my liquor store shelf.

Retirement is good.