Ken Whiteman Oral History Interview, November 25, 2020

Partial Transcript: Okay. So go ahead and introduce yourself.

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman introduces himself and discusses his family background. He notes that he was born in Colorado, but that his family moved to Oregon when he was very young. He discusses growing up in Oregon, briefly discussing the Oregon environment, his family relationships, and his childhood interests. Whiteman then talks about a year he spent living in West Germany when he was eleven, where his mother was a university professor.

Partial Transcript: So what did you, what did you like to do when you were a kid?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about his childhood interests. He notes that he was an outdoorsy child, and enjoyed hiking, fishing, swimming, and participating in sports. He also notes that he enjoyed engineering, a subject that he would go on to pursue while in college.

Partial Transcript: So when you when you were in high school, what were what were some of the things that you liked to do in high school or what do you what do you remember?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about his memories of politics and culture growing up in Oregon in the 1980s. He discusses the Reagan and Bush years, recalling specific political events that he remembers and his recollection of the political environment in Oregon more broadly. He also briefly mentions some of the media, namely music and movies, that he was interested in during his teenage years.

Partial Transcript: So you went back to school, though, in Colorado. So what how did you how did you end up back at Colorado College?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about attending university at Colorado College, where he studied engineering. He states that he enjoyed his college experience, and talks about his living situation, his hobbies, his academic interests, and his social life. He also states that while he enjoyed attending school in Colorado, he missed the West Coast, and intended to move back to Oregon or Washington after graduating.

Partial Transcript: So what about beer? You were at of age during an interesting time as far as craft beer history goes. Was that something you were interested in?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about the growing popularity of craft beer during the time he spent in Colorado. He explains that Colorado had a few good craft beer breweries, but that they largely had similar flavor profiles, and that he was able to experiment more upon returning to Portland.

Partial Transcript: It had to be an interesting time to be in technology slash technology adjacent, that I think of that, so that, that's an early to mid 2000s.

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about working in the technology industry during the 2000s as an engineer. He notes that new technologies were developing at a rapid pace; that it was a highly competitive industry that ultimately led to a lot of stress and high expectations for workers and engineers. He describes some of the projects he worked on and his personal experiences within the industry. He also discusses co-founding his own company, which was based out of Singapore, and the benefits and drawbacks of being the head of an organization.

Partial Transcript: And so that was right when I met Josh Freeman, kind of a segue way there. So yeah, Josh and Josh's kids and my kids went to the same preschool.

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman became interested in homebrewing after meeting Josh Pfriem, whose children attended the same preschool that Whiteman’s children attended. Whiteman explains that they became friends and he became interested in Pfriem’s hobby of homebrewing. They began brewing together and eventually began to turn it into a commercial enterprise. Whiteman elaborates on how their brewery enterprise grew from a garage-based business to a brewery and a restaurant and recounts some of the mistakes and good decisions that they made along the way.

Partial Transcript: So like, before now or before the last eight months, how has Hood River changed or stayed the same?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about how Hood River has changed since he has lived there. He notes that more businesses have moved into the town and that it now has a larger entertainment and food and beverage industry. Whiteman also notes that Hood River remains popular as an outdoor destination.

Partial Transcript: How has how is the company evolved? What is it what has it been like to be involved in a company that has changed so much?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman discusses how the brewery has grown over the years. He states that they’ve moved to a larger facility to meet the increasing demand, and that they’ve been able to hire and keep on larger numbers of employees every year. He states that currently about 99% of their products are sold in Oregon and Washington, but they have ambitions to go nationwide.

Partial Transcript: And I'm, I'm curious to have you talk about, or I'd like to have you talk about how the past eight months have gone.

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman talks about the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the brewing industry. He explains that many breweries found it difficult to sustain themselves during the pandemic, as fewer and fewer people purchased beer. He also describes his political involvement as the vice president of the Oregon Brewer’s Guild, stating that he and his compatriots in that organization worked with Senators Wyden and Merkley to support the brewing industry.

Partial Transcript: I'm curious if, and it may be too soon to even be processing at this level, but do you see things that have changed as a result of the last eight months or nine months that were unexpected benefits?

Segment Synopsis: Whiteman states that if there was one benefit to the Covid-19 pandemic in the brewing industry, it was that it increased feelings of solidarity between brewers and opened up new opportunities for collaboration as different breweries tried to support each other. He notes that the Brewers’ Guild and other organizations are instrumental to developing those opportunities for collaboration.