Amy has been in the restaurant industry since graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in 2007. Her experience includes everything from managing a pizzeria owned and operated by people with hearing loss to consulting with several restaurants and breweries.
A Cicerone Certified Beer Server and Certified Tourism Ambassador, Ashley has been in the hospitality business for 15 years. The Ohio-based based bartender’s affinity for designing and developing menus and signature cocktails led her to STEPUP.
Nicole Shriner brings a unique combination of education and hands-on industry experience with a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering and track record of working with brewery and distillery producers. As a current owner of consulting company Effervescent Solutions in Lansing, MI, she continues to focus on fostering quality and growth in the fermented beverage industry. Her achievements include completing the Master Brewer Program at Siebel Institute of Technology, as well as receiving a grant from the Michigan Craft Beverage Council to fund the start-up of a fermented beverage analysis lab at Michigan State University.
Baltimore, MD
Newport, KY
Located a stone’s throw from downtown Cincinnati in Newport, KY, New Riff Distilling was founded in 2014. The independent & family-owned distillery is “A New Riff On An Old Tradition.” Focused on Bourbon and Rye Whiskey, New Riff balances traditions like sour-mash Kentucky whiskey-making with inventive riffs on process, design, and recipes, including one of the most robust single-barrel programs in the industry. New Riff’s mission is simple, to one day be counted as one of the great small distilleries of the world.
Coram, MT
Glacier Distilling Company was conceived during a snowstorm; In the Montana ethos of preparedness and self-reliance in the winter of 2009/10, a group of friends gathered around the fireplace wondering where they would get their whiskey come Armageddon. As a result, one of them started a distillery. Glacier Distilling Company first released an un-aged rye whiskey that could be produced and sold in a matter of months, instead of years. North Fork, Bad Rock Rye, and Wheatfish soon followed and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Multiple Locales, U.S.
Multiple Locales, U.S.
As a top wine and spirits distributor in the nation, Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) national reach helps suppliers by building strategic relationships with on- and off-premise customers to elevate their brands and reach their target consumers. RNDC currently operates in the District of Columbia and 37 states across the United States, with the expected addition of the New York market in 2022.
The STEPUP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, is a spirits training and entrepreneurship program for underrepresented professionals in the spirits industry.
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STEPUP Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 85-2454665