Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 7/17/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Adam Fried

Matt Fleischer isn't trying to toot his own horn, but the creator of Hook & Ladder Brewing Company can't help but recall his popularity as a graduate student in the university's business school several years back.

"Everyone wanted to be a part of my group when we did group projects," Matt said from his craft beer company's Silver Spring headquarters.

If the 2005 master's of business recipient, along with the help of his brewer brother, Rich Fleischer, has his way and Hook & Ladder continues to grow, those classmates might soon regret not latching on to Matt's business model as it comes to fruition outside the classroom.

Hook & Ladder currently distributes three beers - all brewed in Rochester, N.Y. - to 21 states and 85 wholesalers, as is prominently displayed on a massive distribution map on a wall inside the headquarters.

Matt's original plan - to distribute a high quality beer while donating a percentage of his profits to firefighter charities and hospital burn units - was conceived in 1999 when the brothers served the beer to friends at parties they hosted in Northern California.

"People would come over and go, 'Wow, this is really good stuff,'" Matt said.

The brothers began selling the beer around the San Francisco Bay Area for a few years, but something compelled Matt to return to his home state of Maryland in 2003 to fine-tune his business skills.

"We realized this concept was extremely powerful," he said. "That's why I wanted to go back to business school."

With Rich working toward his master's degree at the university's public policy school, Matt entered the business school knowing exactly what he needed to accomplish.

"From the onset, I knew what I wanted out of business school: to refine my business model and get my business launched as soon as I finished," Matt said.

The business school provided him with resources and training he continues to apply today, he said. Finance classes taught him "the huge spectrum of types of financing," and the university's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship supported him with research, mentoring and even funding, investing $10,000 in Hook & Ladder.

Asher Epstein, managing director of the Dingman Center, said he was impressed with Matt from the beginning of their relationship.

Continued...

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