Richard B. Goddard served as the chief lobbyist for the American beer industry from 2004-2011. In his role at the Beer Institute, the national trade association representing brewers, beer imports and industry suppliers, he was directly responsible for the industry’s political presence on Capitol Hill. He was responsible for building relationships with small independent craft brewers. His attendance at industry events such as the Craft Brewers Conference and the Great American Beer Festival were opportunities for him to learn first-hand from owners, brewers and other senior executives the unique needs of this growing and vibrant sector of the industry.
In his role, he frequently addressed industry executives on federal excise tax and other alcohol related matters. Goddard has a proven track record of working with legislators and federal agencies on tax, regulatory, trade and industry responsibility initiatives. Under his leadership, the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) Act was passed into law. Some of the key components of this legislation were to research underage drinking, better understand the effects of alcohol on youth and providing resources for more community outreach and education.
During his role at the Beer Institute, Goddard was responsible for working with industry allies, such as the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Together these influential trade organizations held a legislative conference to meet with lawmakers on important industry issues. It was during this conference Goddard met Brian Roth. Together, their working knowledge of the industry forged a business partnership that resulted in a plan to open The Southern Brewing Company, LLC. Goddard brings a vast and deep understanding of the brewing industry as well as his strong management, operational and logistical planning. Roth has a long and established working knowledge of the distribution system and a technical expertise and passion for brewing.
In his current role as Chief of Staff to a Member of Congress, Goddard continues to regularly meet with brewers of all size. He is a frequent participant in brewer seminars to better educate and keep himself up-to-date on new and advancing technology. He and Roth continue to visit breweries and have even organized trips to better educate legislative staff on issues important to small independent craft brewers.
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