BOP’s Second Grant within a Year for Popular, Annual Event
HARRISBURG, PA – The Brewers of Pennsylvania (BOP), the state’s official brewers guild, is pleased to announce that it has received a 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Event grant from the Brewers Association (BA) to help fund the BOP’s Mid-Atlantic Brewers’ Symposium.
The Symposium is a professional development program, which invites presenters and attendees to share research and experiences, gain insight, discuss the science and business of brewing, and network. This year’s Symposium, held September 20-22 in State College, will feature a session called “Project D.I.N.E.” (Diversity Inclusion Not Exclusion) as well as tracks that focus on product marketing awareness and hiring practices to increase diversity in the workforce.
“The Brewers of Pennsylvania, particularly the BOP’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, appreciates the support from the BA for our Mid-Atlantic Brewers’ Symposium,” said Dan LaBert, BOP’s Deputy Executive Director. “Having well over 300 members, the BOP has the opportunity to communicate to a large audience the importance of diversity in the workplace. Without question, we’ll be sharing that message at this year’s Symposium.”
The grant from the BA, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, is the second grant in less than a year the BOP has received to support the Symposium. In December, 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board approved $1.2 million in grants to increase the production of Pennsylvania-made malt and brewed beverages and enhance the Pennsylvania beer industry through promotion, marketing, and research-based programs and projects. The BOP received $71,000 for the Symposium, which allowed the association to move the event to two days. The BOP also received $25,000 for Meeting of the Malts.
Since the creation of the BA’s Diversity Committee in 2017 and the hiring of its first-ever diversity ambassador in 2018, the BA has taken continued, proactive steps to advance diversity and inclusivity among brewers and beer lovers. In 2019, the association released a five-part series of best practice guides that lay the groundwork for addressing, creating, and managing a diversity and inclusion program.
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