Welcome to Full Steam Ahead!

Is there a such thing as down time any more? It sure doesn't feel like it here at Flying Bike headquarters. But that's a good thing! It means we are rolling down the tracks to opening this brewery. Right now things are, quite literally, full steam ahead.

Just to recap the major milestones of the past three months: we have signed a lease, completed architectural drawings, passed our intake meeting with the City and obtained construction permits, threw a big lease signing party, chipped away at our build checklist every weekend with volunteer help, hired a general contractor, scouted and ordered our brewhouse and fermentors, applied for state and federal brewery permits, and transitioned new officers in via elections of the board. There are countless details and hours that support every one of these achievements.

Phew! This has truly been a mountain of work that could only be scaled by a great team. Every single member of this co-op is a volunteer. Every single one of your board members is a volunteer. Lets just say our nights and weekends are booked solid from here until opening day, and we're happy about it! All of these activities are the things we have been talking about for four years. To finally be able to act on them is a testament to the passion and energy of this co-op. Thank you to each and every person who has supported Flying Bike through your membership and/or investments.

I want to recognize our Board for a moment and thank everyone for their dedication to the goal. We were all elected democratically by the membership and we are here to serve the co-op. As leaders of the co-op we are doing our best to navigate all of the hurdles ahead of us. Every day is a learning experience. As the newly-elected president I am tasked with ensuring our vision comes to fruition. But truly it's the entire team we have in place here that is going to get it done. I welcome Mitch Johnson newly elected as a vice president in addition to his secretary position. Many many thanks as well to everyone on the board for their hard work: Brian Cadwell (VP), Steve Manghi (Treasurer), Ryan Vanderpol, David Wiegand, Melissa Kerson, Lyndsay Gordon, and Erinn Hale. Every one of you bring a voice and a perspective to the leadership of this co-op. We need all 9 of us steering this thing, and we need the continued support of our 1,000+ strong membership. This is what drives our co-op!

At this point we are a fast moving train with a lot ahead of us. I'm happy to be on this ride together and look forward to raising a pint this summer in our brewery! Please consider investment and volunteer opportunities with your co-op to help us achieve our goals together.