Platform Beer Co. shook up the local beer industry Wednesday afternoon when its owner, Anheuser-Busch, confirmed that it had permanently closed the Cleveland brewery (along with its taproom and other related businesses) that it had acquired less than four years ago. All of its employees have lost their jobs as a result.
Some backstory. Platform was a Cleveland craft beer success story. It opened its doors in 2014, and within five years had grown large enough to attract A-B as a buyer. Now, it no longer exists (except for the three IPAs that A-B says it will keep making).
While I have no inside knowledge as to what happened at Platform, I can offer an educated guess. Craft beer consumers are passionate about drinking craft beer. One of the key components to any craft brewery is its independence. Once A-B acquired Platform, it ceased being independent; it instead became part of A-B’s $54 billion corporate behemoth. As a result, and no matter the quality of its beers, Platform lost its allure to the craft beer consumer. Without that attraction, sales dipped, making it ripe for the its tragic fate.
What’s unfortunate is that a lot of good people lost their jobs as a result. Thankfully, our local beer community is collegial and collaborative. For example, Saucy Brew Works is offering any former Platform employee a daily free meal and pint, along with a job application, through the end of March. That’s how you pay it forward. If you’re a brewery looking to hire, there are lot of people in N.E. Ohio looking for work.
Here’s what I read this week that you should read, too.
The people who are secretly working multiple full-time jobs from home — via Ask a Manager
The return to the office could be the real reason for the slump in productivity. Here’s the data to prove it — via Fortune
Nearly 30 percent of work remains remote as workers dig in — via The Hill
Tesla Just Laid Off Workers That Voted to Unionize. Can Elon Musk Do That? — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
Yes, Tiger’s sexist joke and lame apology matter — via Deadspin
Don Lemon Issues Another Apology Minutes Before His CNN This Morning Return: ‘I’m Committed to Doing Better’ — via TVLine
Law Firm That Made Associates Pay Back Salary For COVID Slump Got $792K In PPP Loans — via Above the Law
Supreme Court Holds that Salary Test Still Applies to Highly Compensated Individuals Under FLSA — via Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
The Overwhelmed Employee and the Clueless Employer – A Tale of the Hidden Costs of Off-the-Clock Work — via BeLabor The Point
Forget Quiet Quitting – Career Cushioning is the Workplace Trend Taking Over in 2023 — via HR Hero Line
ChatGPT – What Employers Should Be Worried About Now — via Employment Law Lookout
As White Castle Faces $17 Billion Fine For Privacy Violations, Other Employers Should Beware — via Employment Law Letter
