A $5 million loan will keep Alamo Beer construction on schedule, but a land dispute could put a halt to everything later next year.
Good news: Alamo Beer Co. landed a $5 million loan from the Small Business Administration, according to MySanAntonio.com, that will go toward building the brewery’s future facility, slated for October 2014.
Bad news: Alamo Founder and CEO Eugene Simor still does not have clearance to acquire a specific plot of land from the City of San Antonio to build the facility as he has planned. Again, from MySanAntonio.com:
His plans were to build the brewery on that land, leaving him free to make an approximately two acre parking lot south of the bridge that he already owns available for visitors to the bridge and the brewery’s tap room. This effort is stalled by a lawsuit against the city alleging that the land was donated to the city with a stipulation that it be used as a park. Simor and the city believe the suit is without merit, but in order to hasten the construction of his brewery, he has decided to proceed with building the brewery on the land he already owns.
The funding secured Friday will allow construction to begin in early December with an expected completion date in October 2014. The next hearing for the suit is scheduled for March 2, which would substantially delay the project were Simor to continue with his original plan.
That’s not all that is changing from Alamo’s original plan, either. Simor has also reduced the prospective brewhouse capacity. For more, head over to MySanAntonio.com.
In other news, Alamo Beer announced Jim Walter as Chief Operating Officer. Walter brings more than 30 years of brewing management experience having spent time at Wisconsin-based G. Heileman Brewing and recently serving as Chief Operating/Chief Strategy Officer of Pabst Brewing Co.
Walter will be responsible for establishing all operations in the 18,000 sq-ft micro-brewery, including manufacturing performance, human resources, procurement, product positioning and several other duties.
As COO/CSO of Pabst Brewing Co., the country’s third largest brewer, Walter led the development of a complete brand repositioning strategy that generated an 18 percent growth of net revenue. He also led a process improvement and cost control project that generated $15 million in annual savings.
Alamo Golden Ale began distributing throughout San Antonio in 2003. Currently brewed in Blanco, Texas, the local craft beer has expanded distribution into other markets in the State of Texas.
