Pi Kappa Alpha - University of Texas

3 www.texaspikes.com Pi Kappa Alpha T he craft spirits business in Texas has been a booming industry for the state. In 2003, there were 60 craft distillers operating in the United States. The total has now reached 760, according to the American Distilling Institute (ADI), and 200 more are under construction in 2016. A few Pike brothers have entered this industry and taken leadership roles in their own craft distilleries around Texas. Cheers to these brothers' success! Brothers in Texas Spirits Business Q&A With Keith Bellinger '77, Stewart Skloss '84, and Matt Phelan '09 C at Tequila & Cat Mezcal founded by Nancy Phelan, mother of Matt Phelan '09 and wife of Doug Phelan '65, is new to the Texas tequila market. Matt is director of operations, including sales and marketing. Cat is focused on sales in the Austin to San Marcos area. Their number one product is a cinnamon tequila called Hot Cat. Hot Cat is catching fire on the 6th Street, Rainey Street and West 6th Street trendy Austin bar scene. It is also on the shelf at Common Interest Karaoke Bar & Grill, located in Austin at 8440 Burnet Road. The Common Interest is owned by Mac Mckinley '68 and has been in business for 42 years. You can reach Matt at (512) 921-0936 or matt@CatTequila.com ¡Salud! Q: How did Pike influence you and what advice do you have for today's Pikes in school and plan- ning a career? Matt: Get involved with the fraternity as much as you can. You'd be surprised how much you learn outside of a textbook and how much you will grow as a person from those experiences. Q: What is your favorite Pike memory? Matt: Late nights during the SWAMP build as a pledge and active. Q: What Pikes do you remain in touch with today? Matt: I stay in touch with a lot of members, espe- cially Brady Maus '09, Campbell Anderson '09, Brett Maiolfi '09 and Todd Janss '09 (The Boys). Q: What led or motivated you to your present spirits sector work? Matt: My mom motivated me the most to get involved and she has been incredible. Thanks, Mom! Q: What degree did you earn from U.T.? Matt: A degree in government. S tewart Skloss '84 partners with ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons to make a satisfying tequila. After nearly giving up finding the perfect tequila, the two came together to create the nationwide spirits company that is in business today, Pura Vida. The name comes from the 1956 movie, Pura Vida, filmed in Guadalajara, Mexico, meaning "Pure Life," affirming how great life can be. Their distillery is near Lake Chapala, out- side of Guadalajara in Mexico, while their state- side company finds its home in Houston. Their craft includes a five-stage water purification, triple distillation, and the highest sugar content of pure blue agave from the highlands of Jalisco in Mexico. The two come together to create the many flavors of Pura Vida Tequila Company. You can reach Stewart at sskloss@puravida.mx. Q: What advice do you have for today's Pikes in school and planning a career? Stewart: My advice for today's generation is you never have a second chance to make a first impression! Q: What Pikes do you remain in touch with today? Stewart: I am fortunate to see many Pikes, in business and in personal settings. Great guys like Mark Hruzek '81, Jay Johnson '83, Steve Winter '82, Steve Glasgow '82, Don McCabe '80 and a few others here and there are always fun to be around. Q: What led or motivated you to your present spirits sector work? Stewart: A former investor/partner in a former business, JP DeJoria (Patron), and a great friend for almost 35 years, Tito Beveridge (Titos). They both helped me with my business plan and we all chat monthly or so. Q: What degree did you earn from U.T.? Stewart: I barely got into U.T. and never gradu- ated, went to Mexico for a semester on an exchange program through U.T. and wound up staying for a couple of years, living "Pura Vida!" K eith Bellinger '77 is the president and COO of Balcones Distilling LLC in Waco, Texas. The distillery was founded eight years ago and has grown rapidly ever since. The com- pany finds their energy and drive by the motiva- tion to create something new and genuine, fol- lowing the Texas whisky tradition. Balcones has won over 140 national and international awards in those eight years and has released 10 unique whiskies and spirits. Balcones was named the American Craft Whiskey Distillery of the Year in 2016. You can reach Keith at kabellinger@ hotmail.com. Q: How did Pike influence you and what advice do you have for today's Pikes in school and planning a career? Keith: The fraternity helped make me the old man I am today. It instilled a strong sense of values, responsibility, discipline, the importance of partnership, and lasting friendship and the overwhelming desire to be successful at every- thing I do. The advice I was given back at school was to choose a career that you will enjoy and be the best that you can be. You will most certainly face road blocks along the way, but stay true to your values and goals. Always remember where you came from and treat others as you wish to be treated. Plus, your friendships with your broth- ers last the test of time and separation, no matter where your success takes you. Q: What is your favorite Pike memory? Keith: There were so many. I would say Ethylene's Fried Chicken and the fellowship around it, because everyone showed up for it. But I have many more that I do not wish to be memorialized in print. So call me. Q: What Pikes do you remain in touch with today? Keith: Unfortunately, my career took me up to the Northeast for the past three decades, which made regular contact challenging. But now I am back in Texas and with the advent of Facebook, I have been able to reconnect with several broth- ers and hopefully more to come. Q: What led or motivated you to your present spirits sector work? Keith: In 1987, I was living in Durham, N.C., and I needed a job. I found one with a wine importing company in New York City and now the rest is history. The alcohol beverage industry is big in terms of value, but small in terms of people and contacts. Q: What degree did you earn from U.T.? Keith: A bachelor's degree in accounting in 1980—it is all I needed.

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