Western Reserve Brewing Wins Pillar Award

(CLEVELAND, OH) - SBN Magazine has announced that Western Reserve Brewing has won the prestigious Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service.

Medical Mutual codeveloped the award with SBN three years ago to recognize businesses in the Cleveland area who demonstrate extraordinary levels of community involvement and chose SBN to administer the competition. After being nominated, businesses are invited to submit an application explaining their philanthropic philosophies and describing their activities along with supporting documentation. A seven member panel of independent judges then reviews the applications and submits their findings to SBN who then announces the winners.

Western Reserve Brewing currently maintains relationships with over 60 Cleveland area charities and cultural institutions including The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Kidney Foundation of Northeast Ohio, the American Cancer Society, the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, Community Shares, Transitional Housing, Inc. the Cleveland Play House, Bad Epitaph Theater, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

"Since 1999 we've given away somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 to Cleveland charities," says Steve Louzos, Western Reserve's Marketing and Public Relations Manager, "but even more significantly, we offer many of these organizations assistance in planning and executing their fundraising efforts. All of this activity is part of the responsibility that goes along with being good corporate citizens."

Gavin Smith, CEO of the Brewery adds, "When Transitional Housing, Inc., was planning its Trivia Challenge as a benefit, we offered to host the [November 18th] event here at the Brewery. We've got this kind funky space that makes a unique backdrop for benefits, so why not let them take advantage of it?" The event drew more than 200 people and raised approximately $12,500 to help abused women get a new start in life.

Most of Western Reserve Brewing's twelve employees are actively involved in charitable causes outside of their work hours. Their activities range from mentoring welfare-to-work program clients and counseling people with serious illnesses to food programs for the hungry and housing programs for the homeless.

"We certainly felt honored to have been invited to submit an application for the Pillar Award," says Louzos, "but it wasn't until I began preparing the application that the full extent of our community involvement came into focus. Then, when SBN sent a representative over to let us know we had actually won it, I was stunned."

The award will be presented on Thursday, December 7 at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven. Tickets are available through SBN by calling (216) 228-6397.

Western Reserve Brewing brews a variety of award-winning year round and seasonal beers, available throughout Greater Cleveland, Akron, and Toledo. All the beers are hand-crafted from the finest malt, hops, water and yeast in their brewery, located in Midtown Cleveland.