| ACSA and the Spirits Training Entrepreneurship Program for Underrepresented Professionals (STEPUP Foundation) are proud to announce the third class of interns, mentors, and participating distilleries, along with several new funding partners for the upcoming 2024 class.
Donor Partners
The STEPUP internship program is primarily funded through Cornerstone Partners and other major donors. As the program gears up for its third year, the organization welcomes a host of generous new donations from partners across all tiers of the industry and distillers small and large. Newly added donors at the Bricklayer level in 2023 include: DuNord Foundation, Sagamore Spirit Distillery, Catoctin Creek Distilling Co., Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery, Westward Whiskey and Prestige-Ledroit Distributing Co. These new contributors join STEPUP’s existing donors like Diageo North America, which serves as a Cornerstone Partner and has made a $1.2 million commitment over three years.
Interns
The 2024 STEPUP interns include Alexcia Pugh and Erica Paul. Pugh hails from Birmingham, Alabama, where she started a career in research and development in the solubility division with a focus in oncology. A graduate of Dillard University, Pugh is thrilled to use her skillset, passion for formulation, and her wish to add a different outlook to the craft spirits industry to turn her hobbyist interest in spirits into a career. Paul’s journey into craft spirits started with a sensory evaluation and urban planning course at Alabama A&M University. Following internships and employment opportunities with leading food manufacturers and more, she has a plan to merge agriculture and food science with craft spirits. She aims to use alternative farming methods to craft a sustainable spirit that embodies the intricacies of her journey.
Distilleries
Returning once again as a host distillery, Baltimore-based Sagamore Spirit Distillery is driven to craft the world’s best rye whiskey. As a champion of American rye whiskey and inspired by Maryland rye, its mission is to establish Sagamore Spirit as the premier distiller of the modern American spirit.
Black Button Distilling of Rochester, New York, was founded in 2012 by master distiller Jason Barrett and was the first distillery to operate in “The Flour City” since Prohibition. As a grain-to-glass craft spirits producer, Black Button is a licensed New York State farm distillery and uses nearly 100% New York State-grown ingredients that come from within 50 miles of the distillery.
Mentors
Melinda Maddox, production manager for Old Elk Distillery, has more than two decades of management in the hospitality industry under her belt and is working toward a decade of operations and production management. Maddox is currently on the path to becoming Old Elk’s master blender. She was a finalist in the 2023 Women of Whiskey Awards for Production Manager of the Year.
Formerly a master distiller and general manager at Bently Heritage Estate Distillery & Public House, Johnny Jeffery is now utilizing his wealth of experience in the spirits industry as an independent consultant with Feiba Peveli LLC. Jeffery is a former ACSA board member, Good Deeds co-founder, contributor to the STEPUP curriculum and a member of the first STEPUP Selection Committee.
Distributor
As a top wine and spirits distributor in the nation, Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) national reach helps suppliers by building strategic relationships with on- and off-premise customers to elevate their brands and reach their target consumers. RNDC currently operates in the District of Columbia and 37 states across the United States, with the expected addition of the New York market in 2022. |
