Three professionals who have shaped the Peach City
By Austin Holt
There are over 5 million people in the Atlanta area. Some are the newest descendents of families that have lived here for generations; others are brand new, and are taking in what this city has to offer for the very first time. There are entrepreneurs and artists, business people and bartenders, working moms and single teachers. Together, they create the fabric of a city that is unique to the world. And individually, they tell a story—of themselves and their city.
Freddy Bensch
Founder, SweetWater Brewing Company
It’s the end of the workday at the SweetWater Brewing Company, and a slow trickle of employees begin to emerge from the brushed steel jungle of the brewery into a large common area. In an hour or so, this space will be occupied by beer fans from around Atlanta, who will flock for tours and conversation over a pint or two. But for now, the only sounds that can be heard are an alternative rock number over the speakers and an animated conversation carried over from the job.
One of these employees heads over to the bar and pours a few glasses of a thick, dark stout for himself and his buddies. Taking a sip, he points out that he’s responsible for bottling every 12 ounces beer that leaves the brewery for bars and stores around the Southeast—thousands of them every day. After spending all day in a brewery, doesn’t he get a little tired of this stuff after a while? “Not really. It’s really good beer,” he says.
Soon, Freddy Bensch joins in on the conversation. He pats the gang on the back, making small talk about the news of the day, as he grabs a glass for himself. As the founder of SweetWater, he’s responsible for everything from the taste of the product to the range of distribution. But at the end of the day, it’s moments like this that make it all worthwhile.
“The corporate mindset is quality of life,” he says. “We built the brewery around that mentality. Everybody works really hard here, but at the end of the day, we’re good friends who drink beer together. I mean, c’mon—we’re not making widgets, we’re making beer. It’s fun.”
While the mission of good times and great beer has been with the company since it was founded, this brewing business has come a long way in the last few years. In the ’90s, Bensch attended college in Boulder, Colo., and with a buddy of his, Kevin McNerney, was making his way through school by working at a few local breweries. It wasn’t too long before, as Bensch put it, “We found out that we had better skills at making beer than we did at going to school.”
So Bensch and his friend made a choice: They would get out of the mountains and move to Atlanta, where it was warm, and where the environment was ripe for the kind of beer they had in mind.
“We tried some of the beers that were being made here, and we said, You know what? We’re going to give this thing a shot. So, we borrowed some money from friends and family, rented a space off of Fulton Industrial, and started a brewery.”
That was in 1997. Eventually, the loans were paid back, and the company grew to its current location in Midtown, near Ansley Park. People in Atlanta became hooked on the “West Coast” style of beer Bensch and company brought to the scene, and before too long, the word spread. Today, SweetWater’s distribution has spread throughout the Southeast, with offerings like Blue, IPA, 420, Sch’Wheat, Georgia Brown and the seasonal “Dank Tank” (an Atlanta favorite).
Needless to say, Bensch hasn’t regretted the move to Atlanta for a second. “We came to Atlanta in ’96, during the Olympics, and there was this buzz. A lot of activity, and we really loved it. Really, at the time, there was no better city for opportunity, I feel, than Atlanta. It seemed like the logical choice.”
Though it’s only been 13 years, SweetWater has made a mark on the community that “took a chance on it in the first place.” The brewery has a strong policy of environmental consciousness, and spearheads several clean water advocacy campaigns throughout the Southeast (the name SweetWater, in fact, is derived from Georgia’s Sweetwater Creek—Bensch is an avid fisherman). Also, the annual SweetWater 420 Festival (April 15-17 in Candler Park) not only offers a good time, but provides a platform for community organizations. “We’ve always realized that we’re a positive part of the community. Rather than spending time and money on mass marketing, we’re out there locally involved with charities and festivals, and that really builds a foundation for who were are as a business,” Bensch says. “It’s a lifestyle more than a message. We’re not trying to take the world over, but we know that you’re not here for a long time—you’re here for a good time.”
Harrison Merrill
Developer, Foxhall Sporting Club
“I have something I want to show you.”
The first cool breezes of winter wisp through the open windows of Harrison Merrill’s SUV. Over hill and dale, he pilots the vehicle past stone-walled horse stables, down a narrow dirt road adjacent to a 12-acre lake, and finally, up a steep gravel grade.
“Now,” he applies the parking brake, “this is my favorite view in the whole place.”
He steps out, and strolls a little farther up the hill to a large clearing. Stretching into the distance is a long, narrow valley, punctuated by lakes, equestrian tracks and pastures. An occasional horse can be spotted, and beyond, a thin line of trees butting up to the mighty Chattahoochee River.
The whole scene brings to mind one of the sweeping vistas from “Gone With the Wind,” and as he gazes toward the horizon, Harrison Merrill conjures a modern day Gerald O’Hara.
Merrill mentions, not for the first time, how remarkable it is that a place like Foxhall, so removed from the traffic and bustle of the city, is still only minutes away from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“I originally bought the property for my five children, who are ages 16 to 26, and thought it would be a tremendous opportunity for them to get outside,” he says. “I grew up the son of a doctor, hard-working dedicated to his patients, so I didn’t have a lot of exposure to the outside, to hunting and fishing. So when the opportunity arose, I thought it would be a wonderful chance for my kids to experience things I wasn’t exposed to.”
Such a purchase is nothing new to Merrill. This Atlanta native and life-long developer has, self-admittedly, had ups and downs in his career. His resume includes mega developments from the East Coast to Arizona that made him a billionaire. Conversely, the fall of the real estate market resulted in massive losses for this tycoon. But life, Merrill insists, has a way of balancing out.
As Merrill overlooks Foxhall, his comeback, he remarks on the circumstances that led him to the decision to develop the property. “One day, when I first bought the property, I was four-wheeling around,” he recalls. “Up ahead, I saw a flock of Canadian geese, so I gunned it to about 50. All of a sudden, there they were—50 white-tailed deer in a herd. I had never seen so many deer in one place. I’ll tell you, it was quite something—and 20 minutes away from the busiest airport in the world.
“It finally dawned on me,” he continues. “I realized that this place was so special, it needed to be shared.”
Plans were drafted. The property, an already well-equipped equestrian center in Douglas County, would become Foxhall, the country’s first urban sporting club, complete with hunting, fishing, equestrian sports, golf, tennis, hotels, homes, restaurants, convention centers, and above all else, nature. “What we were interested in is creating a resort of resorts,” Merrill says, “with multiple hotels, boutique hotels and lodges, and at the same time, a residential component that would work with large master-planned communities. We wanted to create something totally unique.”
Early on, the idea was tossed around of marketing this place nationally and internationally. But Merrill had another plan in mind: Why not take advantage of an audience who’s already close to home?
“You’ve got five-and-a-half million people in Atlanta, a lot of whom are dying to be exposed to the outside, and a lot of whom are flying in and can afford to stay at a resort,” he says. “Why in the world would you market nationally and internationally when in fact, probably 80 percent-plus will come from metropolitan Atlanta?”
Merrill’s reasoning is two-fold. “First, Atlanta is a convention city,” he says. “So, with everything we build, we will think about events. When people come into town, they can be close to the city, while still reconnecting with nature. So, in addition to the sporting club, we’ll probably have a couple thousand events out here every year.”
The second reason is more personal. “From my perspective,” Merrill says, “I was very interested in the generational aspects. What became apparent, is that this generation of young adults and kids is not an outdoor generation. The idea is for children like mine to be exposed to the outside.”
Cymonda Wilson
Marketing Manager, Senior Brand Manager at Cartoon Network
Everyone’s familiar with the story: In 1980, media tycoon Ted Turner made the announcement that he was going to launch a 24-hour news network. The network was called CNN, and the rest is history. In the past 30 years, Turner Broadcasting has acquired or created other networks that have become household names: HLN, TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, to name a few.
Cartoon Network in particular, serves as a fine example of television evolving with the times. Formed in 1992, the network primarily served as a vehicle for Turner’s massive cartoon library, which mainly included classics from the “Looney Tunes” and Hanna-Barbara age, set to run 24/7. Things shifted into high gear in the late ’90s, when some original programming began to hit the airwaves. The success and appeal of properties like “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Johnny Bravo” and more set the stage for a full roster of shows, and even a spin-off network called Adult Swim.
Cymonda Wilson has been around for a lot of the network’s meteoric rise. Hired with Turner in 2000 as a sales account coordinator, she worked her way though marketing and has recently taken the post as senior brands manager with Cartoon Network. For her, the size of Turner Broadcasting has been essential in helping her find just the right role.
“I knew it was a big company, and I knew you could move around,” she says. “But I’ve been fortunate in being able to navigate in a way that’s best for me, and it’s a real gift to stay with a company that really cares about its people and to retain that culture.”
In her current position, Wilson directly oversees brand development for specific Cartoon Network properties, and mentions that there is a fun balance in what she does: Cartoon Network as a whole, in fact, has become quite adept at balancing something as innocent and entertaining as cartoons with a certain analytical consideration toward making an effective product.
“There’s a lot of the detail-oriented stuff an audience normally doesn’t consider,” she says. “On the development end, we talk about how the show should be positioned. What are the things they should know about this show? When they think of “Adventure Time,” what should they think of? And how do you evolve the programming as a young audience ages? But still, Cartoon Network is where the grown-up kids go to work. It’s an environment that breeds creativity, and while I’m not a traditionally creative person, I have the ability and opportunity to be creative in how I market.”
Wilson’s current job is a fitting one, given her background. After graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in telecommunications, she was selected for a paid internship at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando. “It was incredible. I got to work on “Keenan and Kel,” and really got a chance to see the production side of things first hand.”
When the internship ended, she packed up her things, and moved to Atlanta. “At first, it didn’t even occur to me to apply to Turner. I didn’t even know Turner was here. I just came here after school, because everyone else was coming to Atlanta and I was kind of chicken to go to New York or L.A. But I knew I wanted to work in television, and it all worked out.”
With work and family settled in the area, she has no plans of leaving Atlanta any time soon. Wilson loves her home in Gwinnett County, which gets her out of the city on the weekends and offers an easy commute to Turner. Plus, her children offer a valuable contribution to her job: “It’s not just a plug—I really love Cartoon Network and we watch it all the time at home. My oldest is getting to that age where he’s becoming a daddy’s boy and is wanting to do sports, but watching Cartoon Network is our thing—we’ll sit back and enjoy the programming together.”