Genesee: Made for the Trade, Volume 2

Campaign highlights variety and quality of jobs available at the state's oldest brewery

Note: This newsletter is a sponsored partnership between the Genesee Brewery and the Cleveland Prost.

The Genesee Brewery is more than just brewers. The state’s oldest brewery offers a wide range of rewarding careers. Through its new Genesee Made for the Trade campaign, Genny wants to highlight the unsung heroes at the brewery and show the public what kind of jobs offered there.

Genny employs more than 600 people and the brewing department, which numbers about 50 people, isn’t even the largest department at the expansive 28-acre St. Paul Street campus.

The digital campaign highlights current Genny employees who have built careers in packaging, operations, maintenance, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, security, and so much more. It is designed to recruit people to many of these union and trade positions.

More details about jobs can be found here: https://www.fifcousa.com/careers/.

Here’s just one of the careers available at Genny.

Bob Daley has pretty much seen and done it all at Genesee. As a mason at Genny for the past 35 years, including the last 22 as a union mason, he said the amount and variety of work is seemingly endless.

• How did you start at Genesee?

  I started with the Bricklayers (union) and that was in 1987. In 2000, the brewery was doing pretty bad, so they kicked out my contract. I was actually the first ever hired mason (hired by Genesee) and I switched over to the Teamsters (union) in 2000. I’ve been employed through the brewery since 1987 but I’ve worked for the brewery since 2000.

• How did you train for your role? Did you go to college, get union training, maybe learn on the job?

  I went to Alfred State College for masonry for two years. I got my associate’s degree and then when I joined the Bricklayers I did a four-year apprenticeship. So I’m a pretty well educated mason.

• Why are masons needed at Genny? What kind of work can you do there?

  There are just so many different types of mason work at the brewery – between plastering, concrete, tiles, brick block. And it’s just a little bit of everything.

• What’s it like when you tell someone you work at Genny and they probably assume you brew beer?

  They’re like, “Is there really that much mason work there?” And there are 14 acres of masonry buildings. There’s plenty of work. I tell people I’ve built (packaging) lines and I’ve torn them down. I’ve rebuilt other lines. Sometimes all in the same exact area. I’ve seen a lot of stuff come and go. It’s really amazing how things changed over the years. When I started, they didn’t have bulk glass. Everything came in a case. Now we have bulk glass, just for one example. As things got technologically better, we did, too. Or we used to buy all of the boxes already made and now we make our own boxes. Stuff like that, I’ve seen a lot over the years.

• What’s your favorite part of working at Genesee?

  My job is very exciting. I’m never in the same place. One day I might be in the draft center (where kegs are washed and filled) and then I’ll be on one of the (packaging) lines. Maybe I’ll be up in the brewing area. I work in the labs and the cellars sometimes. I’m all over the place. I love my job for the fact that I work 12 months a year, 40 hours a week as a mason. I am very proud of that. This place is like my family. I respect the people I work around, my bosses, and I love getting up and coming to work.

• What advice would you give someone hoping to work at Genesee?

  I would just say, it would be a great career choice. Once you get your foot in the door, I’ve seen guys start out moving garbage and becoming a boss. Some bottle house mechanics, they became engineers in the engine room. Once you get your foot in the door, there are a lot of different career choices.

• What’s your favorite Genny beer?

  The red eye (a nickname for Genesee beer) was always a favorite. As I got older, my stomach didn’t like the Genny and I switched to Genny Light. I never thought I would. When I wanna drink a lot of beer, I’ll drink Genny Light. Normally when I go out with my wife and friends, I’ll have that Genny red eye, because I’ve always loved it so much.

• What makes you most proud about working for Genesee?

  The environment and the people. I love what I do as a mason. I respect the people that work here the most.

More about this partnership

Genny wants to hire you! So by highlighting the wide variety of positions available at the brewery, the hope is that folks will see a college degree isn’t a necessity for a great career. Many of these union and trade positions come equipped with opportunity for learning and advancement.

Over the next three months, we’ll highlight some of the people behind the iconic beers in this space.

“We want to continue to attract people to union and skilled trades. There is a shortage of skilled workers, and the industry needs to attract more women and minorities. There are viable career opportunities for virtually anyone who wants to work in beer,” said Mary Beth Popp, vice president of communications, FIFCO USA. 

To learn more about working at the Genesee Brewery, go to: https://www.fifcousa.com/careers/