Employee Spotlight: Dustin Baker, Co-Owner and Brewer
Our Employee Spotlight now turns to the guy who started this whole thing: Dustin! You may think you know a lot about him, but there are some surprises behind that backwards cap.
What do you do at Roadmap?
My role at Roadmap has certainly evolved over the last seven plus years - I started out as our only brewer in production and was also bartending every night, but nowadays I am a weird combination of Director of Operations, marketing, accounting, human resources and maintenance. I make sure the overall brand and the business stay true to our original vision, making the big decisions and day-to-day small ones.
What job duty of yours would surprise customers?
I get the question "Who does your marketing?" a lot and people are always surprised that I answer "me." It's not always the case that an owner runs that department but when I largely gave up my creative outlet in the brewhouse, I had to keep it somehow. I don't necessarily do all the visual assets (labels, pictures, etc.) but big picture marketing message and brand is something I take a lot of pride in. Oh yeah, and fixing things - I literally just fixed the bathroom sink before answering this.
What's your favorite Thanksgiving side?
Green bean casserole! My not-so-hot take on Thanksgiving is that turkey is probably the sixth best thing on the table. (Behind green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and buttered crescent rolls.)
What’s your favorite beer style?
I go through waves, but somehow always come back to light and hoppy. West Coast IPA or Hoppy Pils are where I'm at right now.
What’s your dream vacation?
I've been lucky to travel a ton, but have never really done central Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Austria). I love the idea of hoping on a train and getting off in the next town where they've got their own culture. Plus, the beer culture doesn't hurt either.
Which brewery that you haven’t visited yet is at the top of your list?
The easy answer would be Pilsner Urquell, but my real answer is probably Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, OH. I've probably been to 1,000+ breweries on two different continents and found the best part of any brewery is the people passionately running the place. Justin and the crew in Dayton are some of my favorite people in the business to hang out with and I regret that I still haven't made it to their place yet. Oh yeah, and their beer is good too!