Doug Hodges Oral History Interview, February 24, 2021

Partial Transcript: All right. We're rolling. Go ahead and start with your name.

Segment Synopsis: In this section Hodges introduces himself. He states that he was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1965, and grew up in western Iowa.

Partial Transcript: Were they involved in farming?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about his parents’ careers and backgrounds. His father enjoyed hunting and fishing, skills that he learned as a child during the Great Depression. Hodges’ father was a farmer, and Hodges grew up helping out on the farm. His mother, on the other hand, had a teaching degree, but spent most of Hodges’ childhood working as a librarian.

Partial Transcript: What else did you, what did you do, what were things that you did as a family? Like activities or things you like to do together?

Segment Synopsis:
Hodges discusses his childhood interests, which included baseball and fishing. He enjoyed school, particularly English. While in high school he became interested in journalism as a possible career option, especially sports journalism.

Partial Transcript: What about music and movies? Did that kind of, that pop culture side of what was happening in the eighties?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges discusses the music and movies he remembers enjoying during his high school years. He recalls that AC/DC, the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin were among his favorite bands.

Partial Transcript: Was it expected that you would go to college? Like what was, what were the sort of family expectations of what would happen when you finished high school?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about his decision to go to college after graduating high school. He attended Simpson College, near Des Moines, Iowa, noting that it seemed like a relatively affordable and practical college.

Partial Transcript: Did you declare your major right away?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about his academic pursuits while in college, noting that he was an English major and focused largely on humanities classes. He notes that he did well academically, but was unhappy socially, which ultimately caused him to transfer.

Partial Transcript: Did you stick with English when you moved up to Cedar Falls?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about transferring to the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and his experiences there. He notes that he struggled academically and found it difficult to focus, which ultimately led to his decision to drop out of university. After dropping out he decided that he wanted to leave Iowa to experience a new environment. He ultimately decided on Portland, Oregon, as he had a close friend living there at the time.

Partial Transcript: And had you ever been to the West Coast before that, or was that the first time, the week when you came out to visit?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges discusses his move to Portland. He recalls the pub scene in Portland at the time, and talks about some of his favorite bars, including the Dublin Pub and the Barley Mill. He became involved in the brewing scene in Portland during those years, but notes that he did not actually begin working in breweries at the time.

Partial Transcript: What did you do for work at that time?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges describes the different jobs he worked after moving to Portland. He worked in a few different warehouses, including a pet supply warehouse, a dog food warehouse, and a farm supply store. While working, he began taking classes at Portland State University to complete his college degree.

Partial Transcript: What was the area around it like?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about what Portland, specifically the area around Burnside, was like while he was working there. He notes that it was a largely industrial area. He also describes the work culture in the industrial district, noting that technology was not as integrated into the manufacturing and shipping process as it now is, meaning there was more manual and mental labor required of employees.

Partial Transcript: Did you go straight from there to Portland Brewing?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges explains that he lost his job at the last warehouse he worked in after marijuana was detected in a drug test he took. He and the interviewer briefly discuss the history of marijuana legalization in Oregon, before he turns to describing how he got hired at Portland Brewing. His wife was working there at the time, so he knew other Portland Brewing employees through her. He was eventually offered a job in sales and packaging.

Partial Transcript: What was your first job at Portland Brewing?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges describes his first role at Portland Brewing. He worked in sales and packaging, a job that he kept for about six years. After six years he notes that he was interested in something new and transferred over to the brewing department. He worked in brewing for a while, but it eventually became too physically demanding as he got older.

Partial Transcript: And did it feel demanding in a way that was different than the other work that you'd done?

Segment Synopsis: Because he felt that working in the brewery was not a sustainable long term plan, Hodges applied and was accepted to a position as production manager. He compares that position to his previous experiences as a manager, and reflects on what skills and habits he believes are important for a good manager to have.

Partial Transcript: I remember Ryan talking about that there were times that it was just a difficult place to work...But what were some things that changed that made it easier or better?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about how working conditions have changed at Portland Brewing over the years, noting that hours have become more regularized, employee retention has increased, and new technologies and equipment have been incorporated into the production process, lightening the manual labor required by employees. He also notes that the company has been able to hire more employees over the years, which has helped to lower stress levels.

Partial Transcript: I'm curious about how the people who have applied for jobs have changed.

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about demographics in the brewing industry. He notes that most applicants and employees are men, and that there’s not much racial diversity within the industry.

Partial Transcript: I don't know how to ask this. I want to say, like, the orientation towards history. So kind of within the framework of working for a company that was such an early and important opening in Oregon and then the combination with Pyramid…Has the history informed your job or how you thought about it?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about the merger between Pyramid Breweries, Inc. and Portland Brewing. He notes that it was financially beneficial for Portland Brewing, but that he and many other employees still feel that Portland Brewing has its own distinct identity.

Partial Transcript: Did you, um. So were you there or, did you have overlap, I know Fred Bowman was a consultant. Maybe on and off. Talk about overlap that you had with him.

Segment Synopsis: Hodges talks about working with Fred Bowman, an important figure in the Portland beer and brewing industry, at Portland Brewing. He provides a few anecdotes about Bowman, and discusses the experience and knowledge that Bowman contributed to Portland Brewing.

Partial Transcript: What about the sum volume or the sum total of people who were employed? Like how how did that change between like when you were in your earliest days to a month ago?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges discusses how Portland Brewing has grown since he first began working there. He notes that production peaked in 2014, when they produced about 100,000 barrels, and that the company employed an average of about thirty-five workers at any given time.

Partial Transcript: So you, you mentioned, or I know you have been certainly reflecting since brewing operations stopped a few weeks ago and that things are things are certainly have wound down almost have completely wound down…What are things that I haven't asked or things that have popped in your head?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges reflects on his experiences in the brewing industry. He notes that he feels very fortunate for the career that he’s had and that he feels it’s important to pass on knowledge to the next generation of brewers.

Partial Transcript: So you, you will be sort of the last man standing, if I understand that correctly, you will you will continue to be on for the next few months. What do you want to do? Do you have plans for after that?

Segment Synopsis: Hodges states that after leaving Portland Brewing, he wants to take some time off before returning to work. The interview concludes with him thanking the interview and saying goodbye.