Top Forty Under 40: Hiring best people seen as key to success
The Kelowna entrepreneur has a masters in international relations from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Cornell University
Dan Allen is effectively hands-off on the day-today running of his numerous businesses.
“I like to hire the best managers and the best people, give them an equity stake in the business as part of their pay package, and then get out of the way,” said Allen.
“I find, especially if they are invested in the business that way, they do a great job. The people on my team are the reasons for any success in our business. I am grateful for the work they do day in and day out.”
Allen, 39, is the founder and CEO of Big Surf Beer Company and Endless Summer Distillery.
He’s a partner in Doc Willoughby’s Pub in downtown Kelowna and Interior Beverage, the company that supplies pop, juice, C02 and line cleaning for restaurant beverage systems.
Allen is president of the 1,200-member Downtown Kelowna Association.
And he also teaches four courses at Okanagan College’s School of Business in marketing, management, entrepreneurship and wine and culinary tourism.
“I truly love being in the classroom and connecting with the amazing students and faculty,” he said.
“It’s been an amazing experience for me, both personally and professionally. It’s really applied learning because I try to bring as much real-world experience as possible to class.”
Before becoming a multi-faceted entrepreneur, Allen was a sales representative with Labatt.
One of the pubs he called on was Doc Willoughby’s.
That initial connection to Docs was fortuitous for two life-changing reasons.
First, he met the woman who would become his wife there. Tracey was general manager at the time. They now have two children together – Nolan, 9, and Lily, 8.
When Allen found out Docs was changing its ownership arrangement, he became one of three partners.
He may have since left giant brewing consortium Labatt, but Allen, by no means, got out of the beer business.
He started his own Kelowna-based brewery, Big Surf, with a group of investors in 2011.
“Even when I was working at Labatt, deep down I knew I was an entrepreneur and wanted to have my own brewery,” said Allen.
Big Surf makes two approachable and affordable lagers – Laid Back and honey brown – at its brewery on Jim Bailey Crescent near Lake Country.
Big Surf also makes SunRype’s hard Rider ciders at the facility.
In 2014, Allen launched Endless Summer Distillery at a separate location. It makes a vodka and will soon launch a whisky. Big Surf, Endless Summer and Interior Beverage are complementary ventures in that they all share the same distribution network and combined they can deliver beer, liquor, pop and juice to restaurants, bars and pubs.
Big Surf’s beers have the widest distribution and are available in most government and private liquors in B.C. and Alberta.
“The five-year plan is to continue what I’m doing and grow our businesses,” said Allen.
“Especially with Big Surf, there’s room to expand to other provinces.”
As president of the Downtown Kelowna Association, Allen is excited to call Kelowna an “emerging city.”
“Downtown has a great location on Okanagan Lake and a great energy,” he said.
“It’s starting to densify and more people want to live downtown. All the highrise condominium development is a testament to that.”
Allen graduated from Okanagan Mission Secondary School and went on to take a bachelor of arts at Western Washington University.
Since then, he’s also earned an masters in international relations from the London School of Economics and a MBA at Cornell.