Case Study
Search Details
Our Client
Company Description
Our client was a private equity family office based overseas that had recently expanded into the United States through the acquisition of a craft brewery in San Antonio, Texas. The brewery combined several business lines, including branded beer products, co-packing, wholesale distribution, and an on-site hospitality operation centered on a taproom and beer garden. The assignment came in the context of a post-acquisition, post-bankruptcy turnaround, with a clear mandate to restore financial discipline, improve operating performance, and reposition the business for profitable growth.
Search Overview
The Chief Executive Officer was intended to lead the brewery’s turnaround following the acquisition, with full responsibility for operational stabilization, financial discipline, and commercial re-engagement. The role carried broad executive scope, including P&L ownership, rebuilding the organization from a small core team, improving production reliability and margins, and growing both taproom and wholesale performance. A key element of the mandate was to balance manufacturing rigor with hospitality development, turning the site into a stronger local destination while keeping profitability at the center of decision-making
Search Challenges
The main challenges of this search included:
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Identifying a leader with strong beverage manufacturing and operations experience, but also enough commercial and hospitality understanding to oversee a business that was effectively “three businesses in one.”
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Finding a candidate capable of driving a turnaround in a post-bankruptcy environment, with a strong focus on cash discipline, margin recovery, and profitable growth rather than growth at any cost.
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Attracting the right level of executive talent for San Antonio while calibrating title and compensation realistically for the scale of the business
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Assessing soft skills carefully, because the founder was expected to remain involved for 12 to 18 months in a brand ambassador / liaison capacity, requiring diplomacy, listening skills, and the ability to lead without creating friction.
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Rebuilding a broader leadership structure from a very lean starting point, with the CEO expected to bridge operational gaps before additional hires were made.
Our Executive Search Strategy
- Our executive search strategy focused on candidates with direct P&L ownership and a proven background in beverage, alcohol, or adjacent regulated manufacturing environments.
- We prioritized executives with strong operations leadership, turnaround exposure, and the ability to improve production efficiency, cost structure, and channel profitability.
- We also screened for leaders who could build teams, establish KPI discipline, and operate effectively in a board-facing role.
- Geographically, the search was designed to start in San Antonio and Texas, then expand if necessary to comparable lower cost craft brewery markets.
- Target-company mapping included relevant brewery operators in Texas
Our Executive Search Process
- Our process began with a detailed kick-off discussion to clarify the scope of the role, including the balance between operations, commercial leadership, and hospitality growth, as well as the question of whether the search should target CEO-level or GM-level candidates.
- From there, we aligned on compensation logic, market positioning, and the likely talent pool for the San Antonio market.
- We then built a target list of relevant executives, calibrated the outreach approach based on the turnaround nature of the opportunity, and structured regular progress-report meetings to review market feedback, candidate fit, and compensation expectations in real time.
- This approach allowed the client to refine the brief as the search progressed and make decisions based on live data from the market rather than assumptions.
Final Outcome
- Long-list: 90 relevant executives were identified.
- Initial Screenings: 12 candidates were interviewed by ACCUR’s consultants.
- Short-list: 6 candidates were submitted to the client.
- Client Interviews: 3 candidates were interviewed by the board and ownership team.
- Hired Candidate: The selected CEO brought 15+ years of experience across craft beverage operations, team building, and turnaround leadership, with a strong background in production, margin improvement, and multi-channel go-to-market execution.
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