Harlem Brewing Company Founder Celeste Beatty

In a previous column, I told you about how important the stories of our speakers will be at EntreCon. At the two-day event, presented by The University of West Florida Center for Entrepreneurship, attendees will have the chance to meet and hear from people who have been there before and helped make their communities thrive.

The conference’s mission is to help businesses improve performance, which will lead to more job development in the community. Study after study has found that local entrepreneurs are the biggest drivers of job creation in local economies.

I’ve already told you about three of our speakers – Keynote Speaker Eric Schurenberg, Pensacola native Emily Ley and local entrepreneur Peter Nowak.

Now meet two more of our speakers.

Celeste Beatty is a foodie. Growing up in the Carolina kitchens and gardens of her grandmothers, she became fascinated with food at a young age.

She was also fascinated with place she visited on childhood visits with family – the historic Harlem community of New York City. When she started her college career in the ‘90s, she decided to relocate there to continue her studies and support local entrepreneurship. She later graduated from Shaw University with a bachelor's degree in international relations.

She first worked with the Harlem Ben & Jerry’s Partnershop and learned about social venture and urban gardening. On weekends, she began experimenting with small handcrafted brews in her studio across from Marcus Garvey Park.

In 2000, Beatty founded the Harlem Brewing Company, which launched on June 19, 2001, at the Studio Museum in Harlem. She’d previously helped fund and launch Mojo Highway Brewing Company in 1997.

Today, Harlem Brewing Company’s signature brews - Sugar Hill Golden Ale and Harlem Renaissance Wit – celebrate Harlem’s heritage and are available all over New York City (including the legendary Harlem landmark Sylvia’s Restaurant) and down the east coast.

Beatty has been the recipient of many business accolades, including the Harlem Business Alliance Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 and 2014, Clinton Foundation Emerging Entrepreneur Award in 2006, and Resident Theaters Local Hero Award. She is also a member of Harlem Park to Park, Harlem Chamber of Commerce, NY Chamber of Commerce, NYS Brewers Association, and NYC Brewers Guild. Celeste serves on the Board of Black Spectrum Theater.

Each year, Inc. ranks the fastest-growing private companies in America. Only one company in Escambia County made that list: IMS ExpertServices.

And the company isn’t new to the 5000– this is the ninth time they have been consecutively named to the list.

IMS ExpertServices is a national provider of experts and consultants for top law firms and Fortune 1000 companies. They deliver experts who position clients for the win in high-stakes litigation.

At EntreCon, co-founder and president of IMS ExpertServices Bill Wein, will be a panelist to discuss the impact that local entrepreneurs make in their communities.

Wein has more than 25 years of experience with building organizations. He formed IMS ExpertServices after co-founding two very successful search firms providing search and consulting services to telecommunications, media and technology clients.

Through these firms, Wein and his partners built teams within the most successful companies in the world including Time Warner, Philips Broadband, Comcast, AT&T, Sprint, Motorola, Cox Communications and more.

A community advocate, Wein also gives back by volunteering with Chain Reaction, Pensacola Young Professionals, Habitat for Humanity, Council on Aging and Temple Beth El.  Wein is active in the advancement of the business community through his involvement with Vistage International, the Pensacola Chamber and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Tickets for EntreCon go on sale on Wednesday, September 9 and you can visit the EntreCon link on this website to purchase them.