Stone Brewing Hires Maria Stipp as its New CEO

After a month without a Chief Executive Officer, Stone Brewing announced the hiring of Maria Stipp as the brewery’s new CEO. Last month, former Stone CEO Dominic Engels abruptly resigned after four years at the country’s 9th largest craft brewery.

This search to replace Engels was a short one as Stone Brewing was able to bring on board an industry veteran that most recently guided Lagunitas Brewing as its CEO for nearly five years. She also spent time at Miller Brewing Company. Stipp will join Stone Brewing beginning beginning in two weeks on September 14, 2020.

Here are additional details from today’s press release…

“Maria has all the qualities we were looking for in a CEO,” explained Steve Wagner, Stone Brewing co-founder & interim CEO. “She brings experience from a very well-respected brewery, and experience from outside the industry too. She lives up to our values and has long admired our revolutionary spirit. Most importantly, she’s someone co-founder Greg Koch and I are honored and excited to work with. And the latter is a must, because we’re sticking around!”

Stipp spent the past five years as CEO of Lagunitas Brewing Company. Previously, she was President of ecoATM, a company launched in Stone’s hometown of San Diego. Before ecoATM, Stipp was Executive Vice President at Activision, where she was responsible for Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, and further in the past, Miller Brewing Company and Kelloggs.

Stipp will oversee Stone’s East and West Coast brewing production facilities, two Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens locations, seven Stone Brewing Tap Room locations and distribution to all 50 states and more than 40 countries. As CEO of Stone Brewing, she will lead Stone Distributing Co., which distributes more than 40 brands of craft and specialty beverages throughout eight counties of northern and southern California. She will also hold a seat on the Stone Brewing Board of Directors.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Maria to Team Stone,” said Greg Koch, Stone Brewing co-founder & Executive Chairman. “She has experience with companies both similar and quite different than our own. We’ll no doubt benefit from her strong leadership. In addition, she is clearly passionate about the beers, the ideals and the philosophies that Stone represents. I’m excited, knowing that we’re bringing a leader on who’s already clearly one of our own. We welcome her with great enthusiasm and promise.”