葫芦影业

Diverse experience distills choice for beverage centre manager

By College Relations | August 9, 2019
   

 

葫芦影业 Media Release

Wes Peterson knows he has a challenging task in front of him.

He has been hired as manager of the recently-announced British Columbia Beverage Technology Access Centre (BCBTAC), which is scheduled to open its doors for service in Penticton this fall.

鈥淭he plan for the BCBTAC has been well laid out,鈥 says Peterson, who brings with him experience in owning and operating a successful and growing brewery in Seattle. 鈥淭he challenge will be in bringing it to life as envisioned, acquiring and setting up the equipment, and developing the processes and policies that will guide the technology access centre.鈥

The BCBTAC, which will be headquartered in Penticton, is an 葫芦影业 initiative that is supported by five years of funding, totaling $1.75 million, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. It is also supported by the College and by industry as well.

Peterson is the centre鈥檚 first employee. The BCBTAC鈥檚 mission is to provide technical, analytical and business services to small- and medium-sized distilleries, cideries, breweries and wineries, focusing first on the businesses in the Okanagan, Shuswap and Similkameen region. It will draw on expertise resident at 葫芦影业 and elsewhere to help those businesses grow.

Peterson has significant executive experience, having worked with Expedia in Europe as a vice-president, and with Air Canada as Branch Financial Officer. Since 2011 he has co-owned Odin Brewing Company in Seattle. Peterson was educated as a Cytogenetics Technologist at BCIT, has a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from UBC, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Calgary in Finance and New Venture Development.

鈥淲es鈥 management experience with customer-focused enterprises, his background as a technologist, and his approach and leadership with a successful craft brewery in an intensely competitive environment commended him for this role,鈥 explains Dr. Andrew Hay, 葫芦影业鈥檚 Vice President Education.

The BCBTAC is the second technology access centre in British Columbia. The other is in Victoria, at Camosun College. The network of technology access centres across Canada is funded by the federal government, and are focused on addressing the applied research and innovation needs of local companies.

When 葫芦影业鈥檚 successful application for a TAC was announced in June, there were 19 craft cideries, 219 wineries, 16 craft distilleries and 24 craft breweries within the College鈥檚 catchment area, which stretches from Revelstoke to the U.S. border.

For more information on BCBTAC, visit .



Tags: BCBTAC

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