On a trip to Greece to celebrate his early retirement in 2017, Jason Collett, MBA ’01, and his wife were enjoying local wine on the beaches of Santorini Island while dreaming of the next big adventure.
“I want to create a space to connect, celebrate and support the local community,” Collett said.
With an idea of community in mind and a partnership with a restaurant owner, plans to develop Rock Hill Brewing Company were born.
“Rock Hill Brewing Company will deliver great beer, no doubt,” Collett said. “But small business development, local entrepreneurism and community growth are far more important.”
“Creating a center for penetrating across conventional social circles and having dynamic conversations is much bigger than just a place to drink. It creates the opportunity and potential for what’s next.”
Collett said his business supports local businesses, educational systems and the community.
“The brewery, in the heart of the city, will create a place to ignite possibilities,” he said. “When the community does well, we do well.”
He hopes the brewery inspires other people who are interested in entrepreneurship.
“One of the things that I am most excited about is hosting entrepreneurial and local community leader ‘story nights’,” Collett said. “We hope to create accessibility for local start-ups. This could be an avenue to help generate seed money for local business start-ups or expansions. Likewise, local leaders can share personal stories of success and failure to help guide others down their personal path.”
Visit Rock Hill Brewing Company
121 Caldwell Street, Ste 101
Rock Hill, SC 29730
Read each story in this series:
- A restaurant love story featuring Alex Wilkening, ’12
- A family of entrepreneurs featuring Michael Havemeier, ’10
- Creative freedom featuring Dino Duratovic, ’15
- From cherry farmers to winemakers featuring McKenzie Gallagher, MBA, ’12
- The ingredients for success featuring Justin Buiter, ’05
- Labor of love featuring Franco Petrucci, ’91
- Recipe for success featuring Tina Pietrangelo, ’07
- Elevating the community featuring Jason Collett, MBA ’01
Related Stories
No Responses