Paul Wengender's journey from biotech to beer
Photo/Edd Cote
Pictured in 2010 are Paul Wengender, former CEO of Blue Sky Biotech (left) and Norman Garceau, president and chief scientific officer (right).
Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. in Worcester has quickly become one of Central Massachusetts’ most popular brands of craft beer, but founder Paul Wengender’s background might surprise some. Craft beer was just a hobby while he was a biotech leader, founding Worcester contract research organization Blue Sky BioServices out of the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives incubator space.
What is your scientific background?
I fell in love with biological research in 10th grade, knew that's what I wanted to pursue and haven't looked back. I earned a bachelor’s degree in recombinant gene technology and did my masters at Penn State with a thesis in microbial genetics, where I had to build much of a biotech lab in order to run the experiments. So I developed a passion for building biotech/microbiology labs that carried on in serial fashion as a career in biopharma and R&D. That included building and leading lab teams at Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and then a startup I founded in Worcester called Blue Sky Biotech, which was ultimately sold to Lake Pharma in 2016. One common theme in all the labs was the deployment of microorganisms as factories for genes, proteins, antibodies.
How did it help you transition to the craft beer world?
Well, I always joke running and then leading labs with fermenters as an integral factory for the endpoints in R&D, as it turns out, became a transferable skill set in the craft brewing world! It certainly didn't hurt I had a history of building labs and connected disciplines in a biotech startup setting that included finance, accounting, sales and marketing from the Blue Sky. But the real driver is always passion. I still love being part of the cure. But I also fell in love with brewing back 12-13 years ago as an amateur home brewer with a specific passion to brew high ABV brews.
Are there similarities to biotech and craft beer?
I would say that both have forces of art and forces of science that must converge to produce successful endpoints. In both worlds there is process protocol, and there is variation/creativity. On the biotech side, I'd say it's more science than art. On the craft brewing side, I'd say it's more art than science. Beyond the science-meets-art similarities, one of the common cultural aspects of both industries is the teams in a brewery and the teams in a research lab have a strong mission to give something back to the community. Again, for the companies I have been a part of both brewing and laboratory businesses, the use of microorganisms to make products, and scaling them in fermenters, is an obvious similarity.
What was the transition to a very consumer-facing industry like?
It was a lot different. Blue Sky is a pure business-to-business company. We had 10 large biopharma customers making up 80% of our revenue. Greater Good is a consumer business. We have thousands of customers, and many of them have social media opinions! That’s a very dramatic differences due to the sheer volume of transactions. But I must say, the emotional connection to the Greater Good brand has been next level for our team, and along with the volume of interactions with craft beer lovers, more of a source of personal fulfillment than a burden. I really enjoy the consumer-facing component, and if you find me in our taproom you will likely find me sharing stories with guests.
Did you bring over any lessons from running a startup for a few years?
Entrepreneurial teams require a strong set of shared missions and values guiding their decisions.
The team members have to be dynamic, adaptable. My teammates at Blue Sky - Bill Hermans, Norm Garceau, Brian Cain, Denis Kole, Scott Gridley, and my teammates at Greater Good - Melissa Sherry, JT Ethier, Sharmin Wengender, Pat Fahey, Meredith Winnett (just to name a few) have one key thing in common: versatility. At some point I've probably called every one of them Swiss Army knives!
Know when to let go. We had developed some really cool technologies at Blue Sky we tried to push into a market that was not ready to embrace. Spent a lot of money trying to convince the market to adopt. Luckily we learned lessons quickly, failed fast, and pivoted. Greater Good is a similar type of learning organization. We are going to make a lot of styles, and we're going to fall in love with some of our new concoctions that simply don't find sustainable revenue in the market. We're OK with that. We're going to learn from that kind of failure, and although we're very proud of our product quality, our axiom at the brewery is "Let the market teach us" what it wants and that will guide us.
What is your involvement with the scientific community now?
I stay active in the startup biotech community through various nonprofits as well as startup/new venture organizations. In particular, I currently serve as executive board member at MBI in Worcester, have a similar role in The Venture Forum, and mentor companies through the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Technology Advisory Network.
Was it important for you to keep Greater Good in Worcester, where your career began?
Absolutely. I love the community. Been out here for 17 years now. It reminds me of where I grew up in Rochester, N.Y. Smart, loyal, scrappy at times, and will surprise you with the level of talent available.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Staff Writer Zachary Comeau.
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