Indianapolis (March 31, 2016) - Sun King Brewery, Indianapolis' largest beer brewer, the second-largest brewer in Indiana and the largest brewer in Indiana that distributes beer exclusively within the state, announced that Robert Whitt, former executive director of White River State Park (WRSP) for more than 11 years, will become Sun King's president and a co-owner of the brewery. In this role, he will focus on the brewery's growth and business operations, human resources, finance, safety and legislation. Omar Robinson, co-founder and co-owner, will officially retire in April, yet he will remain a member of the brewery's board and continue to provide strategic counsel.
"Omar's entrepreneurial spirit and business experience significantly contributed to driving Sun King's growth from 0 to 30,000 barrels in a little more than six years, and we will miss having him impart his knowledge and passion here every day at the brewery," Clay Robinson, co-founder of Sun King, said. "While leadership transitions can admittedly be challenging, we are fortunate to gain Bob on our team. His extensive operations experience, dedication to giving back to Indiana communities and passion for local food and beverages - especially Sun King - make him the perfect fit for this role."
Whitt and Sun King co-founders Clay Robinson and Dave Colt will continue to foster the company's significant growth across Indiana through expanded statewide distribution in bars, restaurants, and liquor stores; increased production of Sun King's high-qualityhouse, seasonal and specialty beers; and continued improvements in its technology, methods and equipment. Recent improvements include the brewery's new centrifuge, state-of-the-art canning line and expansion of its downtown brewery in order to house new fermentation tanks that will nearly double the brewery's production capacity.
In addition, the brewery plans to expand Sun King's Community Partner Programstatewide. Over the past seven years, the program has worked with more than 300 community-based organizations and has helped execute thousands of community-related events that have had a multi-million dollar impact through donated beer, gift bags and time spent working with organizations like Second Helpings, The Little Red Door, Teachers' Treasures, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, The Indianapolis Zoo, The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and many more.
"I've been a fan of Sun King's dedication to consistently brewing quality beer, its uncompromising company values and its commitment to Indiana communities for years," Whitt said. "I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of Sun King's next chapter of growth as we continue the brewery's work of making great beer that is 'uniquely Indiana' in order to enrich the lives of Hoosiers - one beer at a time. I'm excited that we'll be supporting even more great community organizations across this state."
During his tenure at WRSP, Whitt oversaw the development and operations of all the Park's facilities, which host more than 3 million visitors annually at The Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, Victory Field Baseball Park, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the IMAX Theatre, the Indiana State Museum, the NCAA Hall of Champions, The Lawn music venue and more. Whitt also sits on the National Institute for Fitness and Sport board of trustees and the Visit Indy advisory and marketing advisory boards. He has been active in major events such as "Spirit and Place" and "DigIN" (where he serves as a founding board member). He also served as a Host Committee co-chair for the 2012 Super Bowl and on the Host Committee for the 2015 NCAA Final Four.
Drawing inspiration from the people and community of Indiana, Sun King crafts three house beers and has produced more than 250 different varieties of Fresh•Local•Beer, dozens of which have been awarded national and international medals for their exceptional quality, flavor and consistency.
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