Kevin Harlander Oral History Interview, June 19, 2018

Partial Transcript: Okay, we are rolling. So we are at Terminal Gravity.

Segment Synopsis: Harlander introduces himself and provides some background information about his life. He notes that he was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He talks about his memories of Minnesota and describes some of the ways it differs from Oregon. He also talks about the place he lives now, Enterprise, Oregon, which is a logging and ranching town.

Partial Transcript: So when does does tourist season start?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander notes that he moved to Oregon when he was nineteen and working as a firefighter. His uncle owned a farm in Enterprise, and he invited Harlander to come stay with him. Harlander ultimately settled there, noting that he appreciated the community and the culture in the area.

Partial Transcript: So walking in, how, how familiar with brewing culture were you and how did you approach your job based on your answer?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander discusses how he first began his career in the brewing industry. He explains that he comes from a marketing and public relations background, and had only a hobbyist’s knowledge of brewing before starting in the industry. However, while he didn’t know a great deal about the technical aspects of brewing, he was well-versed in analyzing consumer data, which was helpful to breweries struggling to reach customers.

Partial Transcript: What, what what did you take away from Portland?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander talks about his experience analyzing how breweries in Portland advertised to consumers, how they sold their products, and what strategies were and were not successful. He notes that he drew upon that experience while creating his own marketing campaigns at Terminal Gravity Brewing.

Partial Transcript: So what happened then as the early 2010s, approached, what, the business changes?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander discusses some of the changes that Terminal Gravity Brewing underwent in the early 2010s, which included a change in leadership, a change in direction, and a change in the employee structure at the company.

Partial Transcript: What's it like to be on the, the marketing and promotion side of that?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander talks about how the breweries he has worked at expand, noting that generally speaking industrial capacity is prioritized, which leaves marketing with relatively less funding. However, he also states that many breweries market by attending beer festivals and reaching out to retailers.

Partial Transcript: So what about the role of social media?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander talks about how the advent of social media has impacted marketing in the brewing industry. He notes that it’s the most effective way to reach younger consumers, and that using social media ads also allows breweries to gather data on who views their ads, which helps them to target ads even further.

Partial Transcript: What about the brewer side? So who makes beer here and how do ingredients and location play into that?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander talks about how brewing styles vary throughout the U.S., specifically providing a profile of brewing in the Pacific Northwest. He notes that different regions tend to produced different profiles, and are often influenced by locally produced ingredients. He talks about the ingredients that are most popular in Oregon, and how the production of hops in the Pacific Northwest helped contribute to the boom in beer production in Oregon in the 1990s through the 2010s.

Partial Transcript: I feel like I'm sort of talking around a question of, if we think about culture, politics, how, how does that come into this world?

Segment Synopsis: Harlander talks about which demographic groups in the U.S. make up a large share of beer consumers and how having access to data has changed breweries’ perceptions of their consumer base. He also discusses how breweries can respectfully engage with different audiences.