Members of the 2009 Boston Beer Company team gather for a photo. The team is gearing up to participate in the 2010 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge on June 24.

Boston Beer Company brews up mix
of fun and fitness for Corporate Challenge

The company's creative side was on full display with the 2009 T-shirt.

BOSTON, April 22, 2010 — Naturally, their flagship product — Samuel Adams Boston Lager® — is the beverage served each year when members of the Boston Beer Company gather to celebrate participating in another J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge® in Boston.

”Boston Beer Company employees have been running in the Corporate Challenge for 10 years,” said Karen Roos, co-captain of the team along with Seana Phillips. ”After the run, we head over to a local pub to celebrate our success with food and a refreshing Samuel Adams. Seana does a tremendous job organizing a post-race party for the team members each year. This is an important part of the event where employees can bond over a shared success.”

The scene will be repeated this year on Thursday, June 24, when an anticipated16th consecutive sold-out field of 12,000 gathers at 7:15 p.m. at Boston Common for the first Corporate Challenge in Boston that will use chip timing for the 3.5-mile corporate team race. Registration remains open for the event.

On race night in Boston, it is a tradition that Corporate Challenge teams make their way from the Common to downtown pubs and restaurants for post-race parties on a warm summer evening. It's not surprising that the Boston Beer Company would be a part of the tradition that offers a too-rare chance for out-of-the-office camaraderie among employees from all parts of a company.

In fact, camaraderie ideally fits in with the culture of a company that traces its roots back to five generations of brewmasters in the Koch family. In 1984, Jim Koch used an old family recipe from the 1800s for Louis Koch Lager that had been tucked away in the attic of his parents' home to brew his first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager® in the family's kitchen. History was to flow from that marriage of an old family recipe and Koch's passion for quality, flavorful beer. Today, the Boston Beer Company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: SAM) and has a passionate following of beer lovers, with more than 300,000 visiting the company's operations in Boston.

”The Boston Beer Company is a work hard, play hard company that encourages all employees to strive for a healthy balance between life inside and outside of the office,” said Roos. ”The Corporate Challenge offers employees the opportunity to get fit while having fun with your co-workers.”

The fit with the Corporate Challenge goes deeper than the post-race celebration, however.

”The Boston Beer Company is committed to fostering a healthy work environment for its employees and recently began a program called ”Take Pride in Your Health,” where employees are encouraged to take an active role in living a healthier lifestyle,” said Roos. ”The Boston Beer Company supports activities such as the Corporate Challenge, where employees can bond as a team while getting in shape.”

Part of the proof that the campaign is working at the Boston Beer Company is the reaction to building its Corporate Challenge teams each year.

”Getting the Corporate Challenge team together is a snap. We send out an email to all Boston office, brewery and sales employees and the team fills up within minutes,” said Roos, who has been a company captain along with Phillips for three years.

”We bonded over a mutual love of running when we joined The Boston Beer Company and the former team captain passed the torch along to us,” said Roos.

She began running about seven years ago when a roommate suggested she come along for a fun run with her. She hadn't been ”the athletic sort,” before the fun run, but loved running and now participates in road races throughout the year. Meanwhile, Phillips ran cross country and track in high school, but gave it up to focus on swimming in college. She picked running back up after college and, like Roos, ”fell in love with road races” and has been doing them year round since.

On race day, their team follows yet another Boston Corporate Challenge tradition - arriving at the race via environmentally friendly public transportation, which fits in ideally with the Series' ”Teaming Up for a Greener Tomorrow” campaign. After work, the team meets in Sammy's Place - the Boston Beer Company lunchroom - to pin on numbers and snack on granola bars. Then, the group heads over as a team on the Silver Line and makes any final preparations prior to the run.

”We encourage all team members to run at their own pace so we have a few at the front of the pack and a few groups staggered along the course,” said Roos.

And, of course, with a company noted for its innovative marketing campaigns, the Boston Beer Company brings its creative talents to the Corporate Challenge as well.

”The Boston Beer Company Corporate Challenge team is extremely representative of the company as a whole. We strive for success and work hard as a team, but most importantly- we have fun doing it!” said Roos. ”As for the creativity, our t-shirts are the talk of the race each year, thanks to our Creative Services Department.

But, adds Roos: ”The greatest achievement for the BBC team each year is that everyone shows up, does their best and has a great time doing it. We have team members that can run 6 minute miles and others that jog/walk the entire course; we even have members of the team that are there to watch the bags and cheer the runners on across the finish line.”

All will be more than welcome when the team raises a Samuel Adams Boston Lager® as a toast to heading into its second decade of participating in the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston.