Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes Roanoke.

It sure does have a nice ring to it.

What you might not know is that Deschutes to Roanoke is a project four years in the making.

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Here’s a glimpse of how it came together.

  • deschutes roanokeJanuary 2012: Roanoke Regional Partnership begins “water” campaign to showcase the Roanoke Region’s availability of high quality and quantity of water, good wastewater capacity, and affordability.
  • May 2012: Partnership holds conference call with Deschutes’ Michael Lalonde, president & COO; and Peter Skrbek, CFO.
  • July 2012: Partnership creates outreach campaign of Deschutes beer photographed around the Roanoke Region and sends to company.
  • October 2012: Partnership and Virginia Economic Development Partnership travel to Great American Beer Festival to meet with Gary Fish, founder and chairman, and Michael Lalonde, president, at Great American Beer Festival.

 

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The ongoing dialogue between the Roanoke Region and Deschutes began to take shape with constant communication over the next couple of years. It became clear that the communities had a lot in common. The process included an official request for information in October 2013 and multiple visits between Bend and Roanoke.

  • March-April 2014: Search for sites begins.
  • October 2014: Partnership asks for Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s assistance.
  • November 2014: Partnership meets with company in Bend.
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Business and quality of life. These two components were a part of multiple visits here by from Deschutes employees. Business was on the agenda although almost every visit included fun – from joining hundreds of people on the greenway for a pub run to biking at Carvins Cove to having a bite and a beer at some of the region’s best restaurants.

  • November 2014: Dinner for Deschutes team at Governor’s mansion.
  • November 2014: Roanoke visit and tour of potential Roanoke Region sites by Deschutes team. Later, in February 2015 the consultant informs the City of Roanoke a site in the Roanoke Centre for Industry & Technology is a Virginia finalist.
  • February 2015: Partnership contracts with Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. to make a Deschutes branded bicycle which is featured in a video to company. 
  • May 2015: City of Roanoke staff travels to Bend for reconnaissance.
  • May 2015: Deschutes team spends time in Roanoke to evaluate the site and take in activities, events and learn more about similarities between Roanoke and Bend.
  • June-September 2015: Serious conversations between Deschutes and the City of Roanoke begin.
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Media coverage began to appear that Deschutes was looking for an East Coast home and Roanoke was among a handful of communities on that list. Support from all over the region – from editorials in the newspaper to chatter in the community to the #Deschutes2Rke campaign on social media to gifts sent from individuals to the brewery – has been incredible. You could hardly leave home without someone talking about Deschutes’ East Coast aspirations.

  • deschutes roanokeOctober 2015: The Deschutes 2 Roanoke” Facebook page, created by Michael Galliher, shows overwhelming community support for the project. Social groups, organizations, and individuals post photos to social media holding signs spelling #Deschutes2Rke.
  • November 2015: City of Roanoke is selected as the preferred site for the project, pending due diligence and agreement on terms.
  • December 31, 2015: City of Roanoke receives signed letter of intent from Deschutes.
  • March 22, 2016: Deschutes announces that it has selected Roanoke for its East Coast location.
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Learn More

Deschutes Roanoke: For questions and inquiries
Deschutes Brewery: General brewery information and beer finder
Announcement: Media information
#Deschutes2Rke: Social media feed
Location: Roanoke Centre for Industry & Technology

deschutes location roanoke

Partners in this Project

  • Roanoke Regional Partnership
  • Virginia Economic Development Partnership
  • Virginia Jobs Investment Partnership
  • City of Roanoke city manager’s office
  • City of Roanoke economic development staff
  • City of Roanoke parks & recreation staff
  • City of Roanoke sustainability and outreach coordinator
  • City of Roanoke planning zoning and development staff
  • City of Roanoke real estate valuation staff
  • City of Roanoke city attorney’s office
  • 310 Marketing, Ltd.
  • Roanoke County economic development staff
  • Botetourt County administration
  • Appalachian Power
  • Roanoke Gas
  • Lumos
  • Verizon
  • Cox
  • Balzer
  • Norfolk Southern
  • Virginia Cooperative Extension Service
  • Commodity Specialists
  • Branch Associates
  • Virginia Western Community College Mechatronics Program
  • Black Dog Salvage
  • Mike Rigney, Orvis
  • Center in the Square
  • Fleet Feet Sports Pub Run
  • Six Eleven Bicycle Company
  • Wholesome Harvest Foods
  • Integrity Windows
  • Altec
  • Ardagh Packaging
  • Aerotek
  • Randstad
  • Novozymes BioAg
  • Coca Cola Bottling Co.
  • Parkway Brewing
  • Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op
  • Chaos Mountain Brewing Company
  • Martins
  • Blue 5
  • Texas Tavern
  • Ed Walker
  • Hotel Roanoke
  • Roanoke Mountain Adventures
  • Summit Springs Shooting Sports
  • Ride Solutions
  • Sean McGinnis, green engineering program director, Virginia Tech