Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Smith.
Brandon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I attended school at Virginia Tech and focused on electrical engineering. From there, I immediately began building power stations on the East Coast, specializing in wind, solar, and combined-cycle natural gas stations.
Later on, I started a t-shirt company with a friend and created/sold shirts featuring lines and jokes from infamous TV show “The Office.” It was an overnight success and we ended up selling shirts around the world! We even received Twitter recognition from Rainn Wilson (who played Dwight Shrute) for our “Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica” shirt. There are a million imitation shirts out there now, but we were the first. 🙂
I then realized after having online/marketing success that I wasn’t a full-time employee type of guy and planned my exit methodically. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do, but I knew it had to be something I genuinely enjoyed.
Eventually, I had the opportunity to leave building power stations on the East Coast to enter the brewery industry on the West Coast – hello dream job! It checked the creative and project management boxes that I was craving. After a few years working in various breweries, I knew it was time to leverage the knowledge I had gained and go big.
When I had the opportunity to develop a brewery in Rodeo 39 Public Market, I was all-in. Who is crazy enough to put a production brewery inside an enormous public market? The Bearded Tang Brewing team, that’s who. And it turned out incredible!
I’m honored for my partners in this endeavor and to be able to build this incredible team. Our team is top-notch and we truly love working together. It’s extremely fast-paced and exhausting, but our team is incredible and we love doing what we do.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Brutal would be a more appropriate word. The pandemic hit us hard, like most people. In fact, we still have equipment missing from overseas, and had to purchase duplicate pieces of equipment in order to open. Due to COVID-19, it’s been extremely stressful throughout the opening process – from construction delays to procurement issues to vendors shutting their doors, payroll, large equipment purchases and all without any idea as to when we would be allowed to open. That all being said, we fared well and are grateful to be able to open our doors! The response from the community has been incredible and we’re really excited about what’s to come!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Bearded Tang Brewing is Stanton’s very first craft brewery. We serve a vast assortment of beer styles, but we do anticipate that our West Coast IPAs, Hazies, and topnotch lagers will be our crowd favorites. When we designed our brewery, we focused on ensuring we always had a huge variety and the ability to be creative. We squeezed a ton of fermenters into our space so we can ensure we’ll have something for everyone when they visit.
Additionally, our home is Rodeo 39 Public Market – it’s an incredible facility with 16 food vendors, a cocktail bar, arcade, and always fresh retail. It’s a world-class project that’s sure to get national recognition. The Rodeo 39 project likely single-handedly put Stanton back on the map! Where else can you get a Michelin-level ramen, your caffeine fix, Detroit-style pizza, Hawaiian cuisine, pasta concepts, doughnuts, ice cream, and then go play corn hole and darts – all while drinking craft beer through the entire space? We love it!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I’ve done work in many cities – east coast and west coast and Stanton is incredible. Within California, Stanton easily is one of the easiest places to open a business. The city is your advocate, and they want you to succeed. I would absolutely recommend anyone to start a business in Stanton.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12885 Beach Blvd #23, Stanton, CA 90680
- Website: https://beardedtang.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beardedtang/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beardedtang
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
