-
Driving across the big bridge rolling onto the Outer Banks islands of North Carolina. Smelling the salty sea air while crawling through Sarah Creek along the Chesapeake Bay. Watching a young lad smile and listening to him squeal as he jumps off the top of a boat (which had to be at least 15 feet up) and into the crystal clear turquoise waters of Grace Bay off of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Yep. Those are the moments when Rudy Heinatz, Marker Nine Founder, feels the most right in the world.
Not just because he’s surrounded by water. But because in all of those moments he’s surrounded by family – wife, Stephanie, and son Will.
And it was for them he dreamed up Marker Nine.
Born in Newport News, VA and raised primarily in Gloucester, VA, Rudy has always loved the beach, the water, any time spent at home and his family.
And it all started early, with annual trips to the OBX with family and friends.
Rudy graduated from Gloucester High School and then earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Christopher Newport University in Newport News and his Graduate Degree (MBA) from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.
After working as an executive with a healthcare system, in retail with a national chain, Rudy dove straight into the world of entrepreneurship with his wife, Stephanie, who had founded a growing public relations and marketing firm, Consociate Media.
All the while, Rudy had been dreaming about starting something of his own, something that celebrated all the things he loved in life and that drew on his background leading large operational teams and retail.
Now to the good part. Marker Nine.
You could say Rudy is a pretty casual guy. While the man can don a suit and rock it like no one else, on any given day, he’d much rather be in a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. So when the idea of Marker Nine came to him, he knew it had to be a casual apparel company centered around a laid back, casual lifestyle that would apply to people from coast to coast and everything in between.
If you’re not familiar with Gloucester, it’s a small coastal community surrounded by 500 miles of beautiful shoreline, lots of inspiration and not to mention the abundance of delicious seafood.
Why the name Marker Nine?
“We generally always go in and out of Sarah Creek which leads into the York River off the Chesapeake Bay,” said Rudy “The last marker in the channel before you go out is marker number nine. So it’s the last thing we see as we start down the water and the first thing we see as we come back home. It’s a local symbol to help tell our story.”
When developing new ideas for designs, Rudy said he and his two partners, Mike Silberhorn and Michele Harrison, focused on their families and what they would like to wear. They also worked together in the early days to fine tune the name, the brand and the goal of what they set out to do.
“It’s a great brand truly created by all of us,” Rudy said.
Rudy’s favorite design is part of the early fall collection and features a girl and her board waiting for the right wave.
“Of all the stuff we’ve done it does the best job of evoking what we are trying to capture,” Rudy said.
Marker Nine isn’t just an apparel company. It’s a way of life.
“I believe in what we are doing,” said Rudy. “I’d love to be able to continue to build our business here in our hometown, keep it here and be successful with it here and I think we are well on our way with the relationships we’ve built and the support of our many friends and family.”
Photos by Sara Harris Photography.
-
Ten years ago Chuck Haines, a lover of fine beer, set out on a mission: to open a craft brewery in Williamsburg. That might not seem so farfetched in today’s market of kitschy craft beer. But at the time, opening a startup brewery in an industrial park wasn’t an obvious winner of an idea.
That was 2006. Today, Alewerks Brewing Company (formerly known as Williamsburg Alewerks) has taken over several buildings within Ewell Industrial Park off Mooretown Road in York County. Once a newcomer in the fledgling industry for Virginia, Alwerks is now an elder statesman of craft breweries in the commonwealth in both tenure and quality.
When Marker Nine co-founder Rudy Heinatz first encountered Alewerks beer back in the day, he was struck by the brand’s bold flavors and attention to quality. With names like Chesapeake Pale Ale, Red Marker Ale, an homage to channel markers, and the Drake Tail, with a Deadrise emblazoned on the label, he was sold. We at Marker Nine love a coastal theme!
So when Alewerks extended an offer to Marker Nine to tour the brewery and find out what’s coming up as it approaches its tenth anniversary, we jumped at the chance.
The Alewerks team was extremely knowledgeable about their craft, offering insight and anecdotes into the evolution of the brewery. We learned about the inevitable growing pains the business has faced. And the challenges of competing in an ever growing market of craft beer. It was definitely a few hours well spent. Plus we got to drink beer.
Starting out
Alewerks began with an idea and a few barrels stashed in a warehouse. Compared to the multi-millions put toward craft breweries today, Operations Director Michael Claar described the initial investment at Alewerks as “meager.” People weren’t thinking of breweries as destinations like they do today.
Williamsburg Alewerks officially incorporated in January of 2006. (The name changed to Alewerks Brewing Company in 2012.) The first Alewerks beer fell from a tap that August. The no frills beer began with a handful of brews, including White Ale, Chesapeake Ale and Tavern Ale. Over time production has grown to about 5,000 barrels a year, with over 30 beers produced annually for the last few years.
As one of the early craft breweries to open in Virginia, Alewerks wasn’t focused on ambiance or branding. They were focused on making beer, with Claar describing the business back then as a “production brewery.”
“Everything was all about brewing and packaging and shipping the beer out all over the state,” he said.
And that’s okay. That level headed, manufacturing approach has allowed the brand to grow slowly, but steadily over the last decade.
But the success of standing the test of time doesn’t mean the folks at Alewerks have taken their longevity for granted. Brewmaster Geoff Logan has remained steadfast in his quest for excellent beer. (He’s been known to toss an entire batch of beer if it didn’t live up to his standards).
Now the focus is to take those high standards and market them. The goal is to make sure beer lovers everywhere know about the excellent product coming from the Williamsburg brewery.
“It’s not enough to just brew the best beer,” Claar said. “You have to make people aware. You have to let them know about it because there are so many different options out there.”
Evolution
As the brand has grown, so has Alewerks presence in Ewell Industrial Park. The business added a small tap room and retail space by 2010 and then took over an adjacent space to create a full sized bar and small kitchen last year. And it’s expanded to two other warehouses, adding a dedicated cold room and a space for barrel-aged beers. They also just added a new 60 barrel fermenter and a 60 barrel bright tank.
Claar said the brewery launched an expansion project last year with a goal of growing production to 10,000 barrels a year by the end of the year. At the end of February, Alewerks’ production had already reached more than 7,000 barrels a year.
Growing capacity isn’t the only focus for the maturing business. As it approaches its 10th anniversary later this year, the Alewerks crew is looking to remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market.
“We’re just trying to stay aware of what’s going on, to stay relevant in the market,” Claar said, adding “if for no other reason than we really believe in what we’re doing.”
And that means smarter branding, building anticipation for specialty batch beers like Bitter Valentine, a double IPA, and Café Royale, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial coffee stout. It also means releasing the anniversary beer, Jubilee X, along with three new beers including the Droste Effect, an imperial chocolate stout, a fourth seasonal IPA and a yet-to-be-determined recipe, which will debut in the fall.
“Most Virginia breweries are years away from celebrating a decade in business,” Claar said. “That’s huge.”
What’s more is the staff at Alewerks is buoyed by the increase in competition. They root for new startup breweries in the area, while staying focused on their own success.
“I think competition breeds excellence, so I love the growing popularity in craft beer and the way it’s developing in this state,” Claar said. “There is some really great beer that’s being produced.”
We couldn’t agree more. And we’re so thrilled to see a local brewery still going strong after 10 years.
Article by Marker Nine friend and professional writer with Consociate Media Amanda Kerr.