During the inaugural EntreCon in downtown Pensacola last year, brewery owner Celeste Beatty toured parts of the city and envisioned brewing her signature beer here.

Pensacola still may be on her wish list, but for now Beatty has bigger bottles to fill.

Beatty's Harlem Brewing Co. in March began stocking its Sugar Hill Golden Ale in 39 Walmart stores in New York — a turn of events that expands Beatty's brew beyond her expectations.

Beatty was among several presenters at Pensacola’s first EntreCon in November. Nearly 300 people attended the two-day symposium on entrepreneurship and business development.

Forbes magazine this month featured Beatty’s latest venture in “How One Harlem Entrepreneur Got her Craft Beer onto Walmart’s shelves.”

Clare O’Conner writes:

Celeste Beatty is something of a rarity in the craft beer world: she’s a woman, and she’s African-American. There are so few black small-batch brewers that none of the official bodies in this growing, lucrative industry have even thought to collect data on race. Now, with a multi-million-dollar investment in the works and a deal with the world’s largest retailer, she’s hoping to build a permanent home in her neighborhood — and put Harlem firmly on the craft beer map.

Before the Walmart deal, Beatty’s signature brew, Sugar Hill Golden Ale, was served across the globe, and it’s still the featured beer at the legendary soul food establishment Sylvia’s, which also happens to be the first Harlem spot to serve it.

Manufactured in Saratoga, her beer is sold in such stores as Fairway Market, Whole Foods and local restaurants in Harlem. But the Bentonville, Ark., retailer sought her out after seeing her interviewed on TV, adding her to its growing stable of craft brewers across the country.

Harlem Brewing Co.’s sales will likely increase by as much as 20 percent because of the New York deal, which Beatty hopes she can leverage to supply other Walmart stores out of state.

Beatty’s brews could eventually end up in a Walmart in Pensacola. Her dream of opening a brewery in the Pensacola area came about because of her invitation to EntreCon.

EntreCon 2015 was a huge success. This year on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, EntreCon Pensacola returns with a full slate of local and national speakers

Some things will be new, but the event will hold true to its mission to improve the quality of life for people in the Pensacola Metro Community.

During the two-day event  entrepreneurs, managers and supervisors will share insights into proven strategies on starting and growing a business, as well as achieving long-term organizational success.