08/30/2026
Introducing your 2026 Non-Alc Leader of the Year 🏆
In 2022, I opened Generation NA, the first non-alc bottle shop in the Midwest.
People commented. Laughed. Gave us six months tops.
And honestly, I could see why they were skeptical.
I was opening a store in Lafayette, Indiana, dedicated to drinks without alcohol. This wasn't New York or LA. There wasn't a blueprint for this in the Midwest. Hell, there wasn't much of an industry yet.
But I could feel something coming.
People were beginning to question why alcohol had to be at the center of every celebration, every dinner, every good day and every bad day.
People wanted options. Maybe they were sober or sober curious. Maybe they wanted to drink less.
Or maybe they just didn't want a fu***ng drink that night.
And I thought that should be enough.
So I built Generation NA around that idea.
Along the way, I learned something about leadership. I used to think a leader was the person at the front because they knew exactly where they were going. I'm not sure that's true anymore.
Sometimes a leader is just the person crazy enough to start walking before there's a path.
Because this movement isn't simply about taking alcohol out of a drink.
It's about giving people more choices.
Today, some of those choices are being threatened. Leadership now means standing up and fighting for them.
Four and a half years ago, we asked people to rethink what they drink.
Today, we're asking something bigger...
Who gets to decide what we're allowed to drink?
I intend to keep fighting for the answer to be the person drinking it.
To my incredible team, the brands, bars, bottle shops, advocates and everyone building this space, thank you.
And to everyone who's supported Generation NA along the way...
You proved us right. ❤️
