Where Are They Now: Josh Graham
Josh Graham (SPAD '14) is the National Export Manager for Muskoka Brewery. His responsibilities include the development and execution of the sales plans outside the Ontario market. Josh recently was responsible for the release of Muskoka Spirits from Muskoka Brewery.
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Collin Jennings: Thanks for taking the time out of your day to talk Josh. Going back on your time in SPAD, what was one of the most important lessons you learned?
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Josh Graham: "Not a problem glad to help out. In the time I spent, it would be the readiness to be competitive with industry leaders. The Sports Administration program from day one instilled in me that you need to know your material and present your knowledge without paper. Coming in like most new students, it was a big learning curve. The first two years it was finding the areas where you were uncomfortable but became comfortable in the upper years. It was all about learning how to become the expert and be able to relay that back through presentations"
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CJ: You had a wide range of internships with your time in SPAD, how has that helped you in your new role today?
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JG: "In the four internships I had, it really helped me grow to where I am today. Even though most of the internships I had were unpaid, the work didn’t go unnoticed and the experiences were substantial. I believe the internships for anyone can really show your initiative and drive. For me, the rewards weren’t there at the start, i.e. financially, but at the end, It shows you’re striving to get ahead of your competition. Here at Muskoka, we strive to be innovate and be an industry leader so my internships gave me the ground work."
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CJ: For most SPAD students they aspire to work in the sports industry, you decided to go into the micro beer industry, why?
JG: "For me it was finding something I was passionate about, I was fortunate to find Muskoka so quickly. I had a short-term goal set up for myself and they were the best fit. The industry isn’t directly connected with sports but it has some correlation. It’s a super competitive industry and it has allowed me to drive business, which is something that gets me up in the morning. I knew I wouldn’t be on the duty of a sales rep for too long as I had bigger goals in mind for this company."
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"I was able to lead the distillery business right from the start to where we are today at over $50,000 in revenue. The opportunity the company has provided me has been a blessing in disguise really. It's such a diverse company, I was number 59 hired and were sitting at 140 full-time staff right now. I am still interested in the sports side don’t get me wrong but where I was at I felt it was a better fit for me. The chance to grow a business where there wasn’t anything before was more satisfying for me than trying to pursue into the sports side."
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CJ: What do you say to someone who is afraid to step into the micro beer scene?
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JG: "There's a flood right now in the micro beer scene as there seems to be a misunderstanding from independently owned to corporately own beer companies . If you look at any market they seem to have a brewery set up or there is more being built. Comparing independetly owned to the corporately owned brands, it’s all about responsibility and responsible drinking efforts. With that, its about ensuring everything is set to a high standard and that’s really where I feel Muskoka fits with me."
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"When I was the sales rep for Northern Ontario it was all about getting out there and getting behind the brand. I embodied their story on how they conducted business and it really made it easier to sell. We are the largest supplier to the LCBO in micro beer but it was about going out and showing people the high quality of our brand."
CJ: From your time in the industry you must have one moment where you would change your approach, what was the biggest lesson out of that situation?
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JG: "For me, it would be the project I took on of launching the distilling side of the brewery. It was a completely blank space, we had no idea what we needed for equipment or what our brand would like. Even though I took the lead on this, there was a lot of formalities that were rather complex. Coming from the sales side, it was easy to see the tangible benefits of growth in sales or listings."
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"On the spirits side, there was no previous benchmark to compare with. It required a lot of work behind the scenes and I found myself not overly committed at times. I had no one to talk to about it with, it frankly became a one-man show for a little while. It’s come a full circle now showing the light at the end of the tunnel with how well it’s been received."
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"The biggest lesson I learned was, the best part of learning something new is the most rewarding. When you’re able to become an expert in it then pass that onto someone else, it makes you feel proud of what you accomplished. The whole process of launching the spirits was rather difficult mentally, it could have easily failed as a project but it’s become a huge success for the company. I would have to say that would be one of the biggest lessons I have learned of late."
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CJ: What characteristics do you believe students are lacking or can improve on when entering the industry?
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JG: "Patience. Everyone is young and motivated, thinking they can grab life by the horns. There isn’t any rush to life and you’ll find yourself fighting against time. Success will come with hard work and people noticing and retaining it your work ethic. I believe everyone could work on just putting their head down to work hard and time will be of benefit you."
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Big thanks to Josh Graham from Muskoka Brewery for taking the time to conduct the interview.
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