Bruce Dean

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell 

Published in the Financial Post

 May 19 2009

Bruce Dean is president of Whistler Brewing Company ( www.whistlerbeer.com ). The brewery is headquartered in Vancouver, BC. Bruce Dean tells the Financial Post what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

Man from Oz: “Raised in Perth, Australia, and educated in Melbourne, I began my career at Gillette and rose to executive levels. But after 18 years, my fortunes turned and I was let go.”

New beginning: “I came with my family to Vancouver and took a marketing role with a beverage firm. They weren’t impressed with my ideas for Whistler, so in 2005, I raised the capital to buy the brewery. Now, we have breweries in Whistler and Kamloops, with business booming ten-fold in four years.”

Part of the fun: “For years, the world-renowned Whistler resort has attracted Aussies to work and ski. I wanted our beer to be part of that experience.”

New market: “In North America, beer has become the new wine, and people are discovering the subtle tastes that can be achieved by local breweries.”

Ideal: “My sons love it here; they’d never move. Every Aussie wants to grow up and own a brewery, and I’m so fortunate to be living that dream.”

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