Sunday Spotlight: Melissa Genthner
In the spotlight today we have long-time MLBC staffer Melissa Genthner! Melissa has been on the team since 2018, first behind the bar in the Westbrook location and then helping to open our Freeport location. If you’ve visited us there’s a good chance she’s helped you choose the perfect beer. “Some of the most fun parts about working front of house are interacting with and meeting so many different people everyday,” in Melissa’s own words. “Everyone’s tastes and preferences are so different and it never gets old when you have someone try a new beer for the first time and they absolutely love it.”
As one of our longest-tenured front-of-house staff, Melissa plays a huge role in helping newer staff get caught up with how things are done at Mast Landing. The knowledge and experience of seeing the phases of our company are evident whenever you get to chat with Melissa, and she’s a natural at telling the MLBC story. “It’s been amazing to watch how Mast has grown over the last couple of years. When the tanks left Main Street in Westbrook and moved into the new production facility they looked so tiny in that giant new space but I had no doubt that it would soon be bursting with activity. One thing that always impresses me is the quality and consistency of our beer throughout all of this growth. It really goes to show how dedicated and talented our team is.”
If you’re a fan of our labels, you’ve likely admired Melissa’s incredible talent for illustration. Her drawings highlight a couple of our favorite beers - Shake Up Your Bones and Jonah - among others.
“I was pretty excited when Parker [MLBC’s VP of Brand Strategy] asked me to draw some dancing skeletons for a new label idea he had and I was curious about how a more pen and ink driven style would hold up against the rest of the designs, but of course he merged the two perfectly and it came out awesome.”
It’s not just labels that Melissa’s illustrations appear on - our fans responded so well to the Jonah label that she illustrated, that we had to pop it on a t-shirt. Now you can see it around town and around the country. Melissa took the challenge of that project in stride, and gets to see the result all the time: “Jonah is probably one of my favorites. I was nervous about how it would be received given it was rebrand of an existing label that people already loved. I spent a lot of time with that one. Having my hobby show up on t-shirts and labels was never something I’d really considered. It’s always a really cool experience to be out and about and see my artwork in the wild!”
When it comes to visiting Mast Landing, you’re always in good hands with Melissa. We’re incredibly lucky to have her bring so much knowledge and enthusiasm to our Freeport tasting room, and the passion for our beers is infectious. After helping so many people find their favorite MLBC beer, we turned the question around on Melissa to ask what 4-pack she takes home at the end of the day: “My go-to beers these days are usually on the lighter, less hop driven side. Goldfeather is one of my current favorites but if I had to pick just one, it would have to be DDH Tell Tale. It’s an OG and an easy go to anytime for me.”
