Last year California based Modern Times Beer management and company founder were targeted in an industry wide reckoning dealing with abuses of power, mistreatment of staff and under-served people in the industry, many of the specific instances related to women. In response to the controversy and widespread allegations, Modern Times removed some of the upper management, and founder Jacob McKean stepped down. Yesterday the company announced a new phase in their response and growth as a brand under new CEO Jennifer Briggs, and new Vice President of Sales Danielle Jackson.

The announcement was made by Modern Times directly to the community and is written and published in their unedited voice below :

The past year at Modern Times has been one of both challenge and change. Alongside the rest of the world’s independent businesses, we’ve experienced one of toughest periods imaginable. We’ve also had our own moment of reckoning as our industry was called to the long-overdue recognition of its—and our—shortcomings in critical areas of representation, equity, and accountability. We’ve made some difficult decisions and dealt with some even more difficult realities, and we’ve done everything in our power to listen, reflect, learn, and come out the other side a wiser, stronger, and more equitable company. It’s taken time; we’re nowhere near done, and we’ll never be perfect, but those of us who are still here haven’t stopped striving toward what we know this company can be for both its employees and its supporters. 

To that end, we’ve made some crucial leadership decisions that we feel will be instrumental in both the financial and cultural health of Modern Times. As we move forward into the next phase of our journey in beer, coffee, and hospitality, we’re incredibly lucky to be guided by some wildly talented, experienced, and just all-around amazing people. Allow us to make some introductions. 

We are immeasurably pleased to announce that industry icon, business magician, and all-around badass Jennifer Briggs has agreed to step in as our new CEO. Jennifer served as VP of Human Resources and Organizational Development with New Belgium Brewing for over 12 years, creating a winning 'best of' workplace. She now serves as Senior Strategy Consultant with the Beyster Institute, Rady School of Management at UCSD, and as an independent outside director to corporations. Building healthy, profitable, growth-oriented companies with a dedication for integrated impact with shared capital ownership is her passion. She brings a non-traditional leadership viewpoint focused on values, communication, and community. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, graduate studies in Enterprise Project Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health. She’s also a pretty amazing person with an incredible story, and we could not be more fortunate to have her on board as we move into the new year. A few words from Jennifer:

“Re-entering the beer industry is exciting to me. I have so many friendships built around making and selling beer, and I am looking forward to extending that community. Modern Times has been a company I've watched since my time with New Belgium; the business's approach to having a strong connection to the consumer is unique and special, and something that is much needed as we work our way through the social austerity COVID has created. Modern Times has a unique opportunity to share a genuine connection with a community desiring to live a new, vibrant social experience using the lens of tasting, flavor, and human connections. This company has made many of the right moves to address issues, and they have learned and grown from the experience - now it is time to heal, build, and create. We have new leaders joining and leadership emerging from within the company and it has been incredibly exciting to be a part of over these last few weeks. There are challenges ahead and the learned experiences will only help us be stronger, more resilient, and ready to tackle them.” 

We’ve also made some major changes to our Sales department—most notably the promotion of our own Danielle Jackson to Vice President of Sales. Formerly our Area Sales Manager for Arizona, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado, Dani has already been instrumental in getting Modern Times through one of the toughest years we—or anyone else in the beer industry—have ever encountered. Her rich history in the beer industry, working for everyone from independent distributors like Great Bay to industry giants like Anheuser Busch & Pabst, brings both a deep well of knowledge and a new and much-needed agility to our Sales team. From Danielle: 

“I am fortunate to have been able to start my career at Modern Times during an early phase of growth and development in the company's timeline, and I am honored to be in this leadership role as we move into our next phase of growth and change. I am extremely excited to be able to lead such a dynamic sales team, as well as witness the boundless creativity and talent from all other facets of Modern Times. I cannot help but be excited for the future of this company.” 

After the past couple of immensely challenging years, it feels pretty amazing to be excited about what’s ahead. We look forward to a future as a company that builds its foundation on personal relationships and informed decision-making, values progress over perfection, and still makes some of the tastiest beer and coffee in the known universe. More to come. 

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About Modern Times Beer 

Modern Times is an intrepid cadre of brewers, coffee roasters, culinary wizards, creative powerhouses, and beer-slingers that began as a 30bbl production brewery and tasting room in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego in 2013. Today, we're distributed throughout

California, the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, and Texas. Since its inception, the Modern Times multiverse has expanded to include a robust and ever-growing barrel program, killer satellite brewery & tasting room locations, and the addition of several restaurants, each serving a breathtakingly tasty menu of boundary-pushing plant-based cuisine. 

For media inquiries, please contact Dan Reed at dan@moderntimesbeer.com