Catawba Brewing Co. Hires Manager for Palmetto Tasting Room

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Catawba Brewing Co. announces the hiring of Rick Rice as Location Manager at their Palmetto Brewing Tasting Room, 289 Huger Street, Charleston, SC.

A native of Buffalo, NY, Rick attended Gannon University in Erie, PA, where he graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts, and entered into the world of broadcasting. The last 18 years have seen him living in Asheville, NC, where he managed two properties for iHeart Media and served as on-air personality.

As Program Director for WROO in Greenville, SC, and WQNS in Asheville, Rick worked closely with the craft beer community, partnering with the Asheville Brewers Alliance on multiple projects including Asheville Beer Week. While working with individual breweries, Rick launched the Behind the Tap video series, Beer-of-the-Month promotions, and Taproom Tour on-location broadcast events.

Rick has also been very involved in the local sports community, as the long-time public address announcer for the Asheville Tourists Baseball Club, UNC Asheville Basketball, and the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament.

Rick joins the Palmetto team as major renovations are underway in Charleston, where the company is investing in upgrades to the Palmetto production brewery, tasting room, and a private event space. Catawba’s newest facility was acquired in December to increase brewing capacity and expand product lines for both Palmetto and Catawba brands.

“During my career in radio, I came to appreciate the passion and vision of industry leaders in Western North Carolina’s amazing craft beer scene,” says Rick. “Catawba Brewing and the Pyatt Family have always been such a huge part of that throughout my 18 years in Asheville.”

Now Rick is looking forward to moving to Charleston and embracing its fast-growing beer scene, as Palmetto sets out to expand its local presence and distribution networks. Given his personal history in the Holy City, he expects an easy transition.

“My wife, Stacy, and I honeymooned in Charleston in 2001, and we’ve been returning every year since. The thought of living and working in a place we’ve both grown to love is a dream come true,” Rick says. “Who knew that decades of enjoying craft beer would qualify as job training?”

About Catawba Brewing Company

Founded in 1999 by the Pyatt family, natives of Western North Carolina, Catawba Brewing operates a main production facility in downtown Morganton, NC at 212 S. Green St; a boutique brewery/tasting room in downtown Asheville, NC at 32 Banks Ave; a tasting room in Asheville’s Biltmore Village at 63 Brook St.; and a new Catawba brewery/tasting room in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood at 933 Louise Ave. Catawba beers can be found in NC, SC, TN, AL, GA, and coming soon to VA. Learn more at www.catawbabrewing.com

About Palmetto Brewing Company

Palmetto Brewing of Charleston, founded in 1993, is SC’s first craft brewery. Formerly owned by the Lipov family and deeply rooted into the Charleston community, they have experienced growth from 2000 barrels in 2012 to a forecasted 16,000 barrels in 2017. Palmetto beers are currently distributed in SC, NC, and parts of GA. Their brewery/tasting room is in Charleston, SC.