Crafting a New Future — Jeremy Duffy ’89

Crafting a New FutureJeremy Du y '89

Jeremy Duff y ’89 remembers discovering craft beer in the 1990s, when microbreweries exploded onto the scene. He was fascinated by all the new choices, as well as the proliferation of local breweries, a development that corresponded to larger culinary trends. “Craft beer follows foodie culture,” Jeremy said. “With all the interest in farm-to-table, why not have locally produced beer?” Following that instinct, Jeremy is the co-founder and managing partner of Isle Brewers Guild, a facility that is in the top 50 of over 8,700 brewing producers nationwide.

Jeremy has always felt that he “grew up” at Cushing. “It was a place I could challenge myself in every way—academically, athletically and socially,” he said. Mentors like Wayne Sanborn, Paul Dowling and Rich Devin instilled an ethic of learning never to quit. “There was a culture of putting yourself out there so I could make mistakes and learn from them.” Begining in 2001, Jeremy worked with Cushing faculty and administration as a trustee for 16 years, serving as vice chair of the board from 20102017. “I learned and greatly appreciated how the trustee volunteers give such signifi cant time and resources to allow Cushing to survive and thrive,” he said. “My goal is to give back to Cushing what it gave me during a transformative period in my life. I still feel I am not there yet.”

After graduating from Providence College, Jeremy began working in sports and event marketing. He eventually became partner and vice president of Duff y & Shanley, a communications fi rm where he specialized in business and brand development. By then the craft beer industry was experiencing another wave of growth—jumping from 1,521 breweries nationwide in 2008 to 3,200 by 2014—and one of Jeremy’s clients just happened to be Narragansett Beer. “I was charged with relaunching an iconic brand during an innovative time in the industry,” he said. Jeremy’s interest in this fi eld was piqued. Before purchasing a brewery, however, he and business partner Devin Kelly did a deep dive researching the industry. “We needed to look at what we could do to be diff erent,” Jeremy said. He describes a process of listening and learning by talking to breweries about their successes and challenges. “We discovered there was more demand for their product than many craft brewers could supply, and they needed a secondary facility to build capacity.”

Hence the founding in 2015 of Isle Brewers Guild, a 130,000-square-foot beer campus in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, that operates as a large-scale craft brewery to expand the capacity of companies from Maine to New York City. Because building community is an important part of American craft beer culture, the company also features a retail space—called The Guild—that features a tap room, beer garden, and beer barn for events. The Guild off ers patrons an exhaustive selection of craft beers, including its own brand. (Jeremy said: “We get to play with styles that complement our partners’.”) The business also includes The Guild PVD Beer Garden in Providence and is adding The Guild Warren, which is a more “food forward” establishment at a waterfront location in the nearby town of Warren.

It’s the experience of coming together as a community that Jeremy believes has been most missed during the pandemic. He describes The Guild as a platform to reconnect. “We will never again take being together for granted,” Jeremy says. He fi nds joy in being hands-on in this business, and his enthusiasm for beer and hospitality are clear. “When I left my corporate job,” Jeremy says, “I promised myself I would never get stuck behind a desk. Now, I’m out here almost every day…moving kegs, assisting our events manager, and interacting with customers.”

“My goal is to give back to Cushing what it gave me during a transformative period in my life. I still feel I am not there yet.”