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Bryan Bevel sold off his stake in Front Row Property LLC, which owns Springfield Brewing Co.
Bryan Bevel sold off his stake in Front Row Property LLC, which owns Springfield Brewing Co.

Ownership change brewing at SBC

Posted online

Last edited 3:50 p.m., Dec. 1, 2016

A leadership change at Springfield Brewing Co. comes amid discussions to expand distribution.

Bryan Bevel, one of six investors who purchased SBC in 2011, confirmed he left his position as director of operations and managing partner. Bevel joined SBC as director of operations after the investment group purchased the company.

“I did leave SBC this fall and my wife and I sold all our interest in Front Row Property LLC, the owner of SBC,” Bevel said via email. “I would not be comfortable commenting on the operation, and I think any comment on ownership or management changes should come from the current ownership or management.”

Ashton Lewis, SBC brewmaster, and Bevel gathered a group of fellow investors to form Front Row Property and buy the company for $3 million from Paul Mueller Co. (OTC: MUEL). Other investors were Rhett Smillie, a broker with Keller Williams Realty; Cam Collins of Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins Inc.; Christina Chanter, a property investor; and real estate agent John Schnoebelen, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Collins said Bevel resigned and that of the initial six family groups that invested, only three remain: himself, Chanter and Louis.

“The other ones have left to do other things,” he said.

According to Collins, SBC does not have a current director of operations and may be doing some restructuring on the restaurant and brewery side. The company currently is seeking to expand distribution.

“I can’t tell you which territories we are looking into,” Collins said, declining to discuss the time frame.

Bevel played a key role this year when SBC underwent a $1 million expansion project to triple the company’s brewing capacity to 5,000 barrels annually.

Lewis, Smillie, Chanter and Schnoebelen did not respond to attempts to verify their continued involvement with SBC. Najem Agnew, SBC's general manager, also could not be reached for comment by deadline.

An amendment to Front Row Property filed Sept. 20 with the Missouri secretary of state’s office indicates Smillie is no longer a member of the LLC. An attached letter to the filing shows Smillie made the request in late July. Bevel is the only other person listed in the filing.

Prior to its buyout, SBC operated as a restaurant, brewery and showcase for Mueller Co.’s stainless steel brewery tanks since it opened at 305 S. Market Ave. in 1997.

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