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How Five Community-Owned Businesses Were Bolstered with Cares Act Money- Anderby Brewing Feature

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Preston and Michell Smelt

The grandly titled Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act came quickly out of Congress and was signed into law after the namesake disease clamped down on both public and private life in March of 2020. A key provision was a $367 billion loan and grant program for small businesses.
Sometime later, the city of Peachtree Corners was allocated $4.5 million meant to aid those enterprises and divvied it up among each qualifying applicant. This is a story about five Peachtree Corners enterprises forced to weigh a number of considerations, from how to balance safety for customers and staff with a driving need for revenue — and about the help they got to stay afloat.

Anderby Brewing

Anderby launched in 2019 with owner Preston Smelt and spouse Michell, along with a small cadre of employees, brewing a variety of IPAs, stouts, fruited sours and other favorites. They built buzz through their taproom and by supplying kegs of beer to restaurants. Then came COVID, and the whole enterprise, well, went flat.

They got a COVID-19 grant through the Cares Act plus help through other government programs that, lumped together, was in the low six figures. It was badly needed as their taproom shut down until June. With restaurants closed, as well and many later limiting to pickup and delivery once open, that part of the business dried up as well.

Smelt said some stark numbers told the tale. He said a good month prior to COVID meant $35,000 to $40,000 in total revenue rolling in from product distribution and their taproom. After the onset of the epidemic, that shrank to $3,500 or $4,000.

Anderby’s original brew canned on site.

“And it wasn’t like we were a long-established business where we could go to a bank and say ‘we need a $100,000 loan and we’ll be good for it as soon as we get out of this,’” he pointed out.

Smelt said, “The money got us to the point where we were able to make some reinvestment in product and stocking raw materials.” He said it also helped to fund the acquisition of capital equipment for a canning operation “because that was one of the few ways to move beer during this period.”

Preston and assistant brewer Dana Reppel.

That canning equipment took until October to arrive. In the meantime, they resorted to a hand bottler, filling exactly two bottles at once and selling finished six-packs out the front of their digs. Ultimately the endeavor was a money-loser, but Smelt said it did provide some revenue, got their product into the hands of their boosters and gave them visibility.

It also kept them from pouring even more beer down the drain than they had already had to do.
Another factor in play, he said, was a “fantastic landlord” who worked with them on their rental obligations. “We would not have survived without those two things,” he said bluntly.

Wall art

Smelt said he and his wife had just started talking about revamping their product lineup when the epidemic descended. The federal help helped enable them to settle on a core of three or four beers they think will help them expand throughout the region.

The couple is cheering the growing vaccination numbers and drooping COVID caseloads. With more companies reopening in the surrounding Technology Park and their workers beginning to stop in, and restaurants starting to clamor again for kegs, prospects are improving.

Anderby expansive interior

Another positive factor, he said, was that three new breweries have opened in the immediate area since they debuted. He said having several in close proximity will create a “brewing scene” that could become a destination choice.

At their own destination, they had cut taproom seating by 30-40% before reopening last summer and took other cleaning and sanitizing steps. “What we’re wanting to do is create an environment where you can come in and spread out and feel comfortable,” Smelt said.

In line with the push toward distancing has been a reluctance to re-start larger themed events. He said that if a bigger crowd shows up in conjunction with daily operations, they’re OK with that, but a large blowout is not in the cards.

In another case of altered plans, Smelt said earlier plans to do a capital expansion have been put on hold. All the juggling of procedures, products and profit-and-loss numbers has taken a toll.

“There hasn’t been a lot of sleep,” he said. “There’s still not. While things are improving, we’re not back to normal yet.”

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Lisa Anders Promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Explore Gwinnett

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Professional headshot of a brown-haired woman wearing a blue top

Explore Gwinnett, the destination marketing organization for Gwinnett County, has announced the promotion of Lisa Anders from executive director to chief operating officer (COO). Since joining the organization in 1996, Anders has demonstrated outstanding leadership and has established a track record of developing partnerships essential to leading and expanding the evolving destination marketing organization. The creation and oversight of both the Gwinnett Film Commission and Gwinnett Creativity Fund are just two of her achievements.

“I am honored to step into the role of chief operating officer at Explore Gwinnett,” said Anders. “Over the past 13 years as executive director, I have had the privilege of witnessing remarkable growth for our destination. I am eager to enter this new chapter, and I’m looking forward to continuing to see how we expand.”

As COO, Anders will take on the additional responsibility of overseeing the Gwinnett Sports Commission. This division is dedicated to driving economic development through sports, managing a variety of events for youth, collegiate, amateur and professional athletic organizations. Ander’s innovative approach and extensive network of local and national connections will further support the commission’s overall mission to establish Gwinnett County as a premier sports destination.

“The Gwinnett Sports Commission team has excelled in attracting and managing a diverse array of sporting events over the past several years,” Anders added. “I look forward to working closely with this talented team to support their ongoing efforts and foster economic development for our community.”

For more information, visit exploregwinnett.org.

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Peachtree Corners Resident Receives Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

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man in black shirt, arms crossed in front of him, looking at camera

Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Berry College in August

Berry College recently awarded its annual Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit to Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood (and Berry College graduate, class of 2008). The annual award recognizes and honors alumni who have demonstrated a range of positive entrepreneurial skills — including a commitment to turning a dream into a reality, the vision to create an enterprise, the courage to assume risks and the ability to make changes and take advantage of new opportunities. 

“This award holds a special place in my heart, maybe more than any other I’ve ever received,” said Hite. “Being recognized by my alma mater is incredibly meaningful to me. 
My entrepreneurial journey began at Berry College. It’s where that initial spark was ignited, and honestly, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today without it. Berry nurtured my curiosity, drive and resilience — the key ingredients to entrepreneurship.”

Innovative entrepreneurship

Berry College professor and leader of the school’s Entrepreneurship Program, Dr. Paula Englis, said that Hite took every class she offered. And when those ran out, he did directed studies with her.

man in cap sitting in front of a fireplace
photo courtesy of The PR Studio and Cooper & Co. Photography

“He always knew he wanted to run his own business, and the growth and success of his firewood enterprise has been a wonder to watch,” she said.

Hite was nominated by Berry alumni Alison Ritter, class of 1994. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also supported Hite’s nomination.

“As a small business owner myself, I have strong appreciation for and recognize the perseverance it takes to build a business from the ground up,” said Kemp. “Leroy’s innovative approach to the firewood industry, focusing on product quality and customer service, mirrors the entrepreneurial spirit that has long driven Georgia’s economic success.” 

man standing next to firewood delivery truck
Photo courtesy of The PR Studio and Cooper & Co. Photography

The company

When Hite founded Cutting Edge Firewood in 2013, he created the world’s first luxury firewood and cooking wood company. He reinvented everything about the firewood industry, from how firewood is dried and stored to how it’s packaged, shipped and delivered. When the company began, it was just Leroy with a one truck and a trailer. Now Cutting Edge Firewood employs 40, stocks enough inventory to fill its 40,000-square-foot Peachtree Corners warehouse and ships wood to all 50 states. 

The wide variety of wood from Cutting Edge undergoes a special drying process to ensure that it’s free from unwanted pests, mold or fungus and provides an unmatched clean and bright burn with pleasant aroma. Their focus on process and the use of hardwoods such as oak, hickory, cherry, apple, pecan and maple ensures their customers receive the highest quality firewood, cooking wood and pizza wood possible.

For more information about Cutting Edge Firewood, visit cuttingedgefirewood.com.

To learn more about the Entrepreneurship Program at Berry College, visit berry.edu/academics/majors/entrepreneurship.

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Cornerstone Christian Academy Named One of Atlanta’s Top Workplaces 2024

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image with Cornerstone Christian Academy logo and Top Work Places 2024 banner

Cornerstone Christian Academy was recently awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Recipients of this annual award are chosen solely from employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures multiple culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution and connection.

In addition to their place on the 2024 list, Cornerstone was also ranked number one among small businesses and won a special award for company “Communication.”

Three people on stage in front of an audience at an awards show honoring the #1 small business winner 2024

“We were extremely humbled to hear that we were not only named on the list, but ranked first among small companies,” shared Colin Creel, headmaster at Cornerstone. “I am very thankful our staff has received this public validation of the amazing work that occurs here at Cornerstone. Our staff deserves all of the accolades they are receiving; Cornerstone is a very special place because of them.”

2024 marks the 14th year the AJC has recognized metro Atlanta businesses with the Top Workplaces award. And it’s the third time that Cornerstone has been named to the top spot in their category. This year’s recipients were selected from over 9,000 nominated companies and honored at an awards ceremony held at the Georgia Aquarium on August 14.

For more information about Cornerstone Christian Academy, visit cornerstonecougars.org.

To learn more about Top Workplaces, visit topworkplaces.com.

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