I have worked with Heritage Distilling Co. for 8 years now, and it's been an honor to grow alongside them. From a small warehouse in a lot behind the hotel in Gig Harbor to a chain of custom-built distilleries, I've been with Heritage every step of the way. I started out as a bottler, but was quickly promoted to bottling shift lead when they needed someone to supervise the midnight runs of a special product we needed to get out quickly. It was a learning experience leading a team, running safety meetings, coordinating planning sessions, and keeping co-workers motivated and happy. From there I moved over to the distilling side of our operation: making mashes, guiding their fermentation, running the still (lovingly referred to as Nonna), blending spirits, and down-proofing. It was around this time that I also started leading tours through our facility as well as leading classes on the weekend. I had so much fun sharing my love for distilling, explaining the chemistry, physics, math, and even creativity that is needed to make a great spirit. As the company grew, so did my role, and when we took on several locations I was promoted to the role of Head Distiller at our flagship location. It was an honor to lead all aspects of production at our facility, and I learned a lot about managing a team when the company is growing so fast that new processes need to be developed on a daily basis. In 2019 my wife got accepted to Ohio State University for a PhD program in Botany, and we decided to move across the country to Columbus. I wanted to stay with the company and help oversee our inventory systems, and I made a successful pitch on how my skills would be just as valuable from a remote position. To this day my job has continued to evolve alongside the needs of the company, but it is summed up in the title of Data Operations Coordinator. I oversee our inventory management system, train new employees on it, and develop new items, brands, bill of materials, tax codes, and spirit classifications on the software. I also run reports, develop MRP, and help interpret the data so that we can optimize our production while meeting all state and federal requirements. In summary, I was fortunate to find myself in a company that recognized my many talents and allowed me to grow and develop a variety of skills. It is the most recent set of skills that I look forward to developing the most: data analytics, report building, and general software management are some of the talents I believe can best be utilized. I look forward to bolstering them even more with new life experiences.