The founder of one of the country’s most progressive and innovative companies will be the speaker at the 2015 Warren Wilson College Commencement.
Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewing Company, will deliver the main address at Warren Wilson’s May 16 Commencement, during a ceremony that begins at 10 a.m. on Sunderland Lawn. Her address precedes the Asheville opening of New Belgium’s second brewery later this year, in the revitalized River Arts District.
“We are thrilled to have Kim Jordan address our graduating seniors and their families,” Warren Wilson College President Steve Solnick said. “We think she exemplifies many of the values we share as a community. She has overseen the growth of New Belgium into a company with a strong commitment to environmental responsibility, to the welfare of its employees and to engagement with the communities in which it operates.”
Jordan’s passion for community, social work and the environment has helped create one of the country’s most successful corporations. In more than 20 years as an entrepreneur, she has spoken to thousands of people in the business, nonprofit and academic worlds on how to create a vibrant and rewarding work culture that enhances the bottom line. She also serves on the board of the Brewers Association and as a member of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Renewable Energy Authority Board.
In 2014, Fortune Magazine named Jordan one of the world’s “Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink.”
Launched in 1991, New Belgium is the third largest craft brewer in the United States. Employees own 100 percent of the company, which donates $1 to nonprofits for every barrel it produces. New Belgium’s brewery in Fort Collins, Colo., also features the state’s largest private solar array.
In addition to major emphases on environmental responsibility and community engagement, New Belgium shares other bonds with Warren Wilson. The company’s management team includes Warren Wilson alumni such as Brendan Beers ’99, Asheville business support manager. “Both our organizations have strong roots in sustainability, from an environmental standpoint as well as with a community/business model,” Beers noted.
“New Belgium is arriving in Asheville as an important new employer and civic partner,” Solnick said. “We look forward to Kim Jordan sharing some of her compelling story as an entrepreneur and reminding our graduates how one can do well while doing good.”