Home to many of San Francisco’s manufacturing businesses, the Speakeasy Ales and Lagers brewery is tucked away in the Bayview. Having grown from just four employees to a total of 50 since 1997, Speakeasy boasts that business is good and therefore needed more dedicated employees.
Jerron and Keith were born and raised in Visitation Valley and until they applied to the position of Packaging Associate at Speakeasy, they’d never heard of the place before.
Jerron was referred by SFMade’s hiring partner, Goodwill, where he worked e-commerce for Goodwill for five years and then did the Warehouse and Logistics Training program. Referred by another hiring partner, the Success Center, Keith did an internship with SFO in custodial work and also was a sheriff’s cadet and worker for the Public Utilities Commission working on watershed restoration as an arborist. Both of the new packaging associates commented on the fact that they weren’t expecting Speakeasy to hire them because of their lack of experience working in a warehouse and the beer industry.
From an HR standpoint, Speakeasy has been facing the challenge of hiring employees that can commit for an extended period of time in order to make training worth their while. Unlike other breweries of its kind, Speakeasy is able to offer some full-time employment positions with benefits to entry-level employees like the two positions that SFMade was able to help fill and secure.
Keith impressed the Speakeasy team with his experiences working with volunteers and his work in the community. He showed leadership in the interview. On the other hand, Jerron showed a good attitude and the willingness to work hard. In his assessment of the new employees Zach, their supervisor, made their contribution to the business clear, “Keith and Jerron are our fastest people at making the variety packs. Those are our best sellers so their good work allows us to push more of them out more effectively.”
In the future Jerron is interested in pursuing a career in logistics, operations, or in a warehouse environment, while Keith is hoping to someday get his own t-shirt line off the ground.
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers: http://www.goodbeer.com/
For more information about SFMade’s Hiring Program please contact:
Claire Michaels, Manufacturing Workforce and Hiring Manger [email protected]
(415) 408-5605 ext. 7