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EXTON, Pa., Oct. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Iron Hill Brewery ("Iron Hill" or the "company"), a globally acclaimed craft brewery and scratch kitchen, today announced Chris Westcott will step into the role of its new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Westcott will continue Iron Hill's growth in new markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions and brings with him expertise honed through a long and distinguished career in the restaurant industry.

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"I am honored to be joining such a celebrated, award-winning brand and look forward to partnering with the talented leadership team to continue Iron Hill's legacy of delivering quality food and beverage, alongside unmatched service experiences." said Westcott.

Most recently, Mr. Westcott served as the Chief Executive Officer of Rosa Mexicano, a full-service restaurant offering fresh, contemporary, upscale Mexican cuisine in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. Prior to Rosa Mexicano, he spent over 20 years with McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks and participated in the brand's growth from 8 to 93 units. Chris's entrepreneurial and creative spirit also led him to open and operate his own restaurants earlier in his career. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Mr. Westcott chose the restaurant industry at an early age, rising through the ranks in various operational roles before moving to the executive level of nationally recognized restaurant brands.

"We are excited to bring someone with Chris's background to the Iron Hill family. His culinary experience is impressive and complements Iron Hill's commitment to both traditional and innovative from scratch cooking," said Kevin Finn, Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board and Acting CEO. "Culturally, I believe Chris brings the same values and commitments to our guests and our employees that I instilled at Iron Hill since the first restaurant opening in 1996."

"As we move forward and continue our expansion into new regions, I look forward to working with Chris to introduce our unique, locally brewed seasonal and signature beers to new guests and to continue exploring new ideas in the craft beer universe," commented Mark Edelson, Co-Founder and Head of Brewery Operations.

"Chris's breadth and depth of experience, leadership style and success winning the hearts and minds of the organizations he has led sets him apart in the industry," said Nathan Myers, Principal with A&M Capital Opportunities, the lead investor in the Company.

Iron Hill serves local communities, brews its own craft beers on-site, and offers a complete food menu made from scratch daily. It prides itself on excellent service and direct engagement with the guest throughout the entire experience. Demonstrative of the company's aggressive expansion plans, Iron Hill opened four locations during the pandemic. They include an Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant in Newtown, PA as well as two locations in the greater Atlanta, GA market (Buckhead and Perimeter). In December 2020, Iron Hill opened its new concept, Iron Hill Brewery TapHouse, an elevated fast casual concept offering a one of kind laid-back vibe foraging innovative fare and award-winning craft beer. The TapHouse also houses the companies first large-scale production brewery with the ability to produce 20,000 barrels of beer annually, about 20 times the amount at one of its restaurants.

About Iron HillFounded in Newark, DE in 1996 by Kevin Finn, Mark Edelson and Kevin Davies, Iron Hill is the most award-winning brewery east of the Mississippi River, and one of the most enduringly successful craft brewery and restaurant concepts in the United States. Now with 20 locations across DE, NJ, PA, SC, and GA, each Iron Hill features an on-site craft brewery and scratch kitchen, pairing the freshest ingredients with the highest quality grains and hops. In 2020, the group expanded with the opening of its first large, full-scale production brewery in Exton, PA to bring the same delicious craft signature beer and seasonal favorites to larger consumer audiences. Iron Hill also unveiled the TapHouse at the Exton brewery, an elevated fast-casual concept offering an upbeat, inviting atmosphere, must try food and award-winning beer. For more information, visit www.IronHillBrewery.com.

SOURCE Iron Hill Brewery

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https://www.ironhillbrewery.com

No matter what type of on-camera flash you rely on for your photoshoots, you’ll need a long-lasting power solution to get you through multi-location portrait sessions, wedding receptions, and shoots in the studio. Fortunately, most speedlight and on-camera flashes integrate seamlessly with high-capacity camera-flash battery packs.

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Andy Westcott was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, near Detroit. He grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, where he attended school through his freshman year, later moving to Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he finished high school.

His father was a drummer, so naturally Westcott started playing drums. Their garage never had a car inside. They always had a drum set and instruments with amplifiers setup ready to jam. When they attended family get-togethers, there was always a lot of musical instruments around, and Westcott always gravitated to the guitar. After this selection process, his father got him his own guitar.

YouTube and VHS tapes were his main source of instruction, and he started to learn songs by listening to them. The Northwest High School music teacher also taught computer literacy, so the music students learned how to digitally record and edit music. The students were encouraged to partner and create their own song and record it. These were the only official music classes Westcott took. He graduated in 2003.

He talked his younger brother into playing bass. They started their first band, The Westcott Brothers, and played around the Washington, D.C., area until about 2005. The band eventually broke up. His parents had moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. Andy devised a plan: move to Knoxville, move back in with his parents, get some gigs, earn some money and then move to Nashville and become a star.

Like most plans, there are always a few modifications along the way. After a few days in Knoxville, while looking for work, Westcott became associated with a band called Homemade Wine. They became good friends. They needed a bass player, and he became their bass player. They were on the road, along the East Coast, almost constantly.

Homemade Wine played their first Key West gig, at the Lazy Gecko, during the 2010 Meeting of the Minds week. A number of the regulars couldn’t travel, so it became an acoustic trio. From that point, the band morphed into an electric guitar, high-energy band, with a Southern Trop Rock twist.

From 2010-2015, they traveled almost constantly, wearing out a couple vehicles — and a couple musicians. They were invited to play the Nashville-based 2015 Bonnaroo Music Festival. They bought a Winnebago camper in Knoxville, headed to Bonnaroo and had a great time that ended too soon.

While in Nashville, they met Carolyn Guarini, who had just moved from Key West. She started booking and managing the Homemade Wine Band. They toured through the end of 2015 and the band broke up.

Westcott planned a return to Key West with Guarini. He quickly adapted to the Key West music scene, playing with Jeff Clark, Ross Brown, Caffeine Carl, Rick Fusco, Jesse Wagner and the Happy Dog Band. At first, he would sit in and play a song with someone, then he would get invited to come play with a group one night, and then someone couldn’t make it and he would get asked to do a gig with a group — that usually leads to “Hey, why don’t you play all the gigs with us?” Westcott made the transition from Homemade Wine to playing with 20 different Key West musicians at a variety of venues.

He describes his original music and sound as “blues-driven, Southern roots” music. He’s currently settling into a groove with Hiram Garzaro, Henry Lysy and Rick Fusco known as Andy Westcott Band. In Key West, original music is not just tolerated but enthusiastically appreciated. It seems like we have a new album release every month or so. Stay tuned, there is a new Andy Westcott Band album coming soon.

According to Westcott, people know why they are coming to Key West. It’s very simple — there are a couple of beaches, a concentration of clubs and tons of music. Andy says even if someday he makes it to mega-star status, he will still love playing in dimly-lit comfortable clubs.

Like other Key West stories, there was this one night everyone was having a good time playing at the Hog’s Breath Saloon, and a person walked up to the stage and asked, “Can I sing with you guys?” Westcott is always a little skeptical about someone he doesn’t know. An excited local came running up to the stage, and said “Hey, that’s Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys.” Yeah, OK, sure you can sing with us. Nick suggested “Man in the Box”, a real heavy hard rock song by Stone Temple Pilots. The group knew it well enough to play it. Carter’s vocals gave everyone in the band goosebumps. By this time, about 15 women are in front of the stage with their cellphones recording.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, Marjorie Lee, one of Westcott’s favorite Key West vocalists, climbed up in the tree behind the group and started singing a Backstreet Boys song, while hanging in the tree limb — only in Key West.

Iron Hill Brewery has laid out “a pretty aggressive growth plan” for the coming years as the Wilmington company looks to ramp up its presence in existing markets while also expanding into new states, CEO Chris Westcott said.

Part of Westcott’s strategy since stepping in as CEO last October has been an emphasis on growing the 20-location brand into additional territories, positioning it to “become a bigger player” in the hospitality industry, he said. Northern Virginia, Maryland and Columbus, Ohio are top of mind.

The goal is to open about five new locations per year for the next five years, he added. The first couple would be full-service restaurants, while the following few would be the company’s more fast-casual TapHouse model that got its start last year in Exton.

Iron Hill Brewery is using “a hub and spoke model” to actualize that growth, Westcott said, meaning the brand plans to enter new territories by opening a full-service restaurant and then “sprinkle in” some of the smaller-version TapHouses in the surrounding area. The idea is to increase brand awareness in a new market with the full-size product before branching out. In already established markets, the brand can dive right in to rolling out new TapHouses.

For example, a few years ago Iron Hill Brewery opened a full-service outpost in Greenville, South Carolina. It’s now looking at several sites in Greenville, Spartanburg and up into Charlotte, North Carolina, for potential TapHouses because the original Greenville outpost “is tucked in close to those other communities,” Westcott said.

Iron Hill Brewery currently has a location under construction in Columbia, South Carolina, and a year after its opening would look to debut TapHouses “in other pocket areas of Columbia,” Westcott said. The same is true in Atlanta, where Iron Hill Brewery currently operates two locations.

The expansion model takes extra planning as the company grapples with ongoing labor shortages and supply chain issues, Westcott said. Items that used to arrive in 12 to 16 weeks now come in 40 to 50 weeks, meaning you have to think a year in advance, he said.

“That just gets costly because you have requirements to open in a certain time from the point where you sign your lease,” said Westcott, who was formerly CEO of restaurant chain Rosa Mexicano. “So it's more stressful, it's more expensive. Cost is out of control.”

Westcott also sees “plenty of room” to build additional TapHouses in Pennsylvania “without cannibalizing” Iron Hill Brewery’s existing full-service restaurants. The brand is similarly eyeing additional space in South Jersey, where Westcott noted liquor licenses can go for three times the cost in Pennsylvania — which is already known to be hefty versus other markets.

New locations will largely begin launching in 2023. While the Covid-19 omicron variant dealt another blow to the hospitality industry at the start of this year, Iron Hill Brewery decided to spend 2022 focusing on revamping its existing fleet, which includes 20 locations throughout Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia.

Special attention is being paid to refreshing Iron Hill Brewery outposts that are at least 15 years old, Westcott said. Many such locations have outdated layouts, including separated dining spaces that date back to former smoking and non-smoking sections.

Investments are ranging from $150,000 to $325,000 for improvements at existing locations, he added.

The Ardmore outpost is on the cheaper end of that scale, for example, while Lancaster is on the upper level because the brand looks to remove separation between dining areas, expand the bar, modernize design while moving away from the “older steakhouse-looking furnishings,” and revamp floor coverings.

Such investments will better bridge the older Iron Hill Brewery locations with the new forthcoming outposts, Westcott said.

As Iron Hill Brewery works to expand its reach, the company is also focusing on finding new ways to connect with customers.

One method is via an upcoming quarterly subscription program dubbed “The Craft Beer Society,” where members would have access to exclusive brews. Membership costs $40 per quarter and includes two 16-ounce cans of four beers.

Iron Hill looks to launch the program in time for Father’s Day.

GIRLS GYMNASTICS

Gabriella Bresnick (Andover)

Alexa Graziano (Wilmington/Bedford)

Amelie Hirst (Newton South)

Sophia Isbell (Reading)

Ava Kelley (Barnstable/Mashpee/Falmouth)

Mackenzie Mackinaw (Silver Lake)

Madeline Migliero (Danvers/Lynnfield)

Isabella Misiura (Masconomet)

Lily Moreira (Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater)

Rebecca Morrow (Newton South)

Greta Mowers (Masconomet)

Maggie Murphy (Westford Academy)

Amanda Ogden (Tewksbury)

Camryn Rueda (Central Catholic)

Katie Russo (Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater)

Riley Salerno (Central Catholic)

Kaylee Westcott (Danvers/Lynnfield)

Janey Young (Masconomet)

GABRIELLA BRESNICK

ANDOVER

The junior was the Merrimack Valley Conference champion in the All-Around. At the States Individuals, Bresnick was second in both the bars and floor exercise and third in the All-Around. On the season, Bresnick’s high scores were 9.8 in the floor, 9.7 on the beam and 9.6 in both the bars and vault.

ALEXA GRAZIANO

WILMINGTON/BEDFORD

The senior broke three school record and tied for a fourth in concluding a stellar career. Graziano won the beam and finished third in the All-Around at the league meet. She was sixth in the All-Around at the State Individuals and fourth at the New England Individuals. The National Honor Society member will continue her gymnastics career at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.

AMELIE HIRST

NEWTON SOUTH

An All-Dual County League All-Star, the sophomore established seasonal highs in the vault (9.45), bars (9.2), beam (9.5), floor (9.5) and All-Around (37.25). The Level 9 gymnast qualified for New Englands on both the vault and bars. In the offseason, Hirst competes as part of Exxcel Gymnastics in Newton.

SOPHIA ISBELL

READING

The senior standout ranks among the greatest gymnastics in school history, leaving as the school’s record holder in several different categories. The Middlesex League All-Around champion was the league champion in the All-Around with a score of 38.7. A rare four-year member of the Boston Herald All-Scholastic team and a member of the National Honor Society, Isbell has committed to Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, on an academic and athletic scholarship.

AVA KELLEY

BARNSTABLE/MASHPEE/FALMOUTH

The senior was her league champion in the All-Around and earned Senior Gymnast of the Year in the process. She was fourth in the sectional and state meets on the beam. As a junior, Kelley was 10th in the state in the All-Around. The National Honor Society member will study business and continue her gymnastics career at Springfield College.

MACKENZIE MACKINAW

SILVER LAKE

The junior earned MVP of the Patriot League after a regular season which saw her go undefeated in All-Arounds. She has received several awards during the USAG season. The two-time Patriot League All-Star is a high honors student with an impressive 4.5 GPA. Mackinaw trains at Spectrum Gymnastics in Brockton.

MADELINE MIGLIERO

DANVERS/LYNNFIELD

The Northeastern Conference/Cape Ann League All-Star was part of a Danvers/Lynnfield team that came in second at the State championships. She is a member of the 9.5 club in both the vault and floor exercise. Migliero has a 4.58 GPA. In the offseason, Migliero works as a gymnastic coach at Yellow Jackets where she trains and is a Level 10 gymnast.

ISABELLA MISIURA

MASCONOMET

The junior and Northeastern Conference MVP was a mainstay behind her team’s run to another state team title. Misiura was the individual champion in the bars and placed fourth in the All-Around. During the season, she set a high school record with a 9.9 on the bars and earned more than 20 9.5 scores. Misiura sports an impressive 4.5 GPA in the classroom. She has already committed to the University of Illinois on a gymnastics scholarship.

LILY MOREIRA

BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM/WEST BRIDGEWATER

The freshman was third in the All-Around at the Cranberry League tournament, helping her team win the title. An MAHSGC State Individual All-Around qualifier, Moreira was second in the bars, fourth in the floor exercise and fifth in the All-Around at the South Sectionals and went on to place sixth in the All-Around at the State championship. The high honors student has a 4.05 GPA in accelerated classes.

REBECCA MORROW

NEWTON SOUTH

The freshman earned all-Dual County League honors after finishing second in the league meet. At the North sectional championships, Morrow placed fourth in the All-Around and followed that up with an 11th place effort at the State championships. A Level 9 gymnast, Morrow trains at Exxcel Gymnastics.

GRETA MOWERS

MASCONOMET

The senior earned Cape Ann League/Northeastern Conference All-Star honors in helping the Chieftains capture their third state team title since 2019. Mowers placed third in the State in the vault as well as an eighth-place showing in that event in the North sectional. An honor roll student with a 4.1 GPA, Mowers will attend the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2023.

MAGGIE MURPHY

WESTFORD ACADEMY

The junior was named the Gymnast of the Year in the Dual County League for the third straight year. At the State Individuals, Murphy won the vault and beam and finished second in the All-Around. She established new school records in the vault (10.0), bars (9.5), beam (9.7) and All-Around (38.4). She was fifth in the vault at the 2022 New England Championships. The high honor roll student also plays field hockey.

AMANDA OGDEN

TEWKSBURY

The Senior Gymnast of the Year in the Merrimack Valley Conference took second at the MVC Championships and was both a New England and Senior National Qualifier. Ogden leaves as the school’s record holder in the vault (9.45), bars (9.4), floor (9.7), and all-around (37.15). A member of the National Honor Society, Ogden will run track at Holy Cross in the fall.

CAMRYN RUEDA

CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Rueda had a fantastic season for the Raiders, starting out with a win at the State Coaches Individuals. She went on to help Central Catholic win the North sectional title, finishing second in the All-Around. Rueda won the MIAA State All-Around title and won three other events in helping the her team to a third-place finish. She will compete at the University of North Carolina.

KATIE RUSSO

BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM/WEST BRIDGEWATER

The senior rebounded nicely from a torn meniscus injury, recording an average score of 37 in the All-Around, while amassing personal bests in the vault (9.7), beam (9.4), beams (9.5) and floor exercise (9.5). Russo was the Cranberry League champion in the All-Around. Russo was the South sectional champion in the All-Around and placed in the top 10 in all events at the State championships. A member of the National Honor Society, Russo will continue her gymnastics career at RIC.

RILEY SALERNO

CENTRAL CATHOLIC

An all-Merrimack Valley Conference performer, Salerno was the State Individual champion in the bar and took second in the All-Around at the New Englands. A team MVP, Salerno holds the second-highest score in floor exercise and third in the All-Around in school history. At the Level 9 Club State championships, Salerno won the vault, floor and All-Around titles.

KAYLEE WESCOTT

DANVERS

An eighth-grader at the Holten Richmond Middle School, Wescott proved her skills are at an elite level. Wescott placed second in the North Sectionals in the All-Around (38.35635) and has personals best of 9.8 in the floor, 9.8 in the vault, 9.7 in the bars and 9.65 in the beam. A straight-A student, Wescott is a member of the National Junior Honor Society.

JANEY YOUNG

MASCONOMET

The freshman was in the 9.5 club for a 9.525 on floor at Massachusetts Sectionals and a 9.5 on beam earlier in the season. Young was second in the floor exercise and third in the bars at the State Individuals. In club gymnastics in 2022, she placed 5th All-Around in Level 8 State Championships and placed 3rd All-Around at USAG Region 6 Regionals. Young is an Honor Roll student and competes at Level 9 at Yellow Jackets Gymnastics in Middleton.

LEAGUE ALL-STARS

BAY STATE CONFERENCE

Livvy Lane, Kevin Theodoro, Maggie Spring (Framingham); Eva Riesenburger, Kristina Petrulakis (Newton North); Christina Dupre (Brookline/WW); Marina Russell (Weymouth); Katie Dorey, Clara Keith, Noelle Rivera (Natick); Caroline Martin, Alexa Snyder (Wellesley); Abby Burkhart (Needham); Emma Bianculli (Walpole)

CAPE ANN LEAGUE/NORTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Bella Misiura, Kenna Miyazaki, Fallon Eberhardt, Greta Mowers, Janey Young (Masconomet); Maddie Wescott, Maddie Migliero, Kaylee Wescott, Camryn Donovan (Danvers); Hobey Greaves (Hamilton-Wenham); Isabella Rice (Winthrop)

MVP: Bella Misiura

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE

ALL-LEAGUE: Maggie Murphy (Westford Academy); Amelie Hirst, Rebecca Morrow (Newton South); Tina Yu, Emmy Gould, Evelyn Bartley (Acton-Boxboro)

ALL-STARS: Anna Zeren, Amelia Poley, Ally Chilton, Hana Futai (Newton South); Abby Walsh, Leah Spinney, Katie McDermott, Karina Wills, Erin McCarthy, Kiersten O’Connell (Westford Academy); Nicole Raguin, Zoey Jin (Acton-Boxboro); Caroline Finn (Cambridge)

GYMNAST OF THE YEAR: Maggie Murphy

HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE

Abby Lefebvre, Sydney Marland (King Philip); Abby DeCouto, Kate Babanikas (Oliver Ames); Madison Morris, Riley Charest (Mansfield); Caroline DiMarco, Isla Thompson, Stella Krawiec (Attleboro); Gianna Solbo, Kai Gallagher, Ty Nickerson ( North Attleboro); Emma Nelson, Olivia Reagan (Franklin); Talia Aidlin-Perlman (Sharon); Sophia Hall (Taunton)

MVP: Abby Lefebvre, Emma Nelson

MERRIMACK VALLEY CONFERENCE

FIRST TEAM: Gabriella Bresnick (Andover); Amanda Ogden (Tewksbury); Divier Ramos (Methuen); Kallie McCarthy, Riley Salerno, Cami Rueda, Julia Turrisi (Central Catholic); Cady Serrano (Chelmsford/Billerica/Tyngsboro); Samantha Bartlett (Lowell); Olivia Melo (Haverhill); Carlin Wong (North Andover)

SENIOR MVP: Amanda Odgen

MIDDLESEX LEAGUE

Avery Abate, Sophia Isbell, Isabelle Lightbody (Reading); Maddie Caggiano (Woburn); Hannah Hall (Stoneham); Isabella Ferranti (Melrose); Alexa Graziano, Lexi Masters (Wilmington/Bedford); Ava Schenck, Samantha Winn (Burlington)

PATRIOT LEAGUE

Mackenzie Mackinaw (Silver Lake); Maya Overton, Annie Spencer, Tess Holloway, Jane McNeil, Olivia Audette (Marshfield); Tessa Murphy, Ciara Hughes (Scituate); Natalie Frank, Jadyn Molloy (Hanover); Sienna Besser (Hingham)

MVP: Mackenzie Mackinaw

TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE

Rylan Savas, Zoe Avedisian, Jaylin Plunkett (Norton); Greta Wolfgang, Ellie Simmons, Emmeline Stoetzel, Aila Toivonen (MHMM); Lizzier Forster (MADS)