LAS VEGAS BREWS CRUISE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Event and Festival Coordinator Chevron Down Aaron Connolly - Event and Festival Coordinator
Aaron Connolly manages outside marketing opportunities as the Event and Festival Coordinator for The Maine Brew Bus.
A Portland native, Aaron went to middle and high school with Don and later earned his degree from Assumption College.
He began working in the field of college admissions, a career that led to Regional Director roles for several colleges.
Currently, Aaron is the Tasting Room General Manager for Maine Mead Works in Portland. Prior to that, he served in an events coordinator role with Shipyard Brewing Company.
Aaron is a beer lover who also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coastline Credit Union for over 15 years. He lives in Portland with his wife and family.
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner Chevron Down Dave Phillips - Co - Owner
- Founder of Aussie Ale Walks
Dave Phillips of Portland, Maine, is a co-owner of Maine Brews Cruise and also of the national brand Brews Cruise, Inc.
Originally based in Sydney, Australia, Dave is a veteran of service in the Royal Australian Air Force and a former telecommunications industry planner.
His love for craft beer led him to start Dave's Brewery Tours, This later grew into Dave's Travel Group which became the largest provider of tours and events in all of the country.
Dave is also a founder of Aussie Ale Walks and the Institute of Beer and is a past owner of Sydney Beer Week.
He also serves an international development and consultation role with Shipyard Brewing, one of the Top 50 Breweries in the U.S.
Job Titles:
- General Manager Chevron Down Don Littlefield - General Manager
Don Littlefield of Portland is the General Manager of Maine Brews Cruise. He is also a co-owner of Brews Cruise, Inc., and oversees the national operations of the brand and its licensees.
He is a lifelong Portland resident who loves craft beer, and he manages new business development efforts, creative tour ideas, and social media content and marketing initatives.
When he met Zach Poole right after the founding of The Maine Brew Bus in the fall of 2012, Don's varied background in retail and restaurant management, technology sales, real estate, and non-profit leadership helped to lead the new company towards growth and expansion in order to connect more people to Maine's craft alcohol entrepreneurs.
As a lifelong resident of Portland, Maine, he is a certified Portland History Docent and previously served as the Vice President of the Portland Chapter of the United States Bartenders' Guild. He also serves on the Executive Committees of the Boards of Visit Portland, the Maine Motorcoach Network, and the Craft Beverage Tour Operators Association.
Job Titles:
- Group Sales Coordinator for the Maine Brew Bus
Greg Klein is the Group Sales Coordinator for The Maine Brew Bus. He receives all incoming tour requests from groups and companies and connects them to tour opportunities and experiences that exceed their expectations and consequently motivates them to return as guests on The Maine Brew Bus. Greg works hard to know what our guests are looking for, and creates an amazing and unforgettable experience for them.
Greg was born in the Bronx, New York and grew up in Manhattan as well as northern New Jersey before moving to Maine with his family in the early 90's. He went to junior high and high school in Brunswick then on to the University of Maine to study theater.
Previous to joining the Brew Bus team, Greg worked professionally in the entertainment industry in Maine for over a decade doing production equipment rentals, sales, and support for local, national and international clients.
He started working for The Maine Brew Bus in May of 2017, first as a driver and later as a guide. Now he has stepped up to take an even larger role with our organization.
Currently, Greg is pursuing a degree in tourism and hospitality through the University of Southern Maine.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder of Print
- Curriculum Coordinator Chevron Down Josh Christie - Curriculum Coordinator
Josh Christie is a bookseller, and author, and craft beer lover. He assists Maine Brews Cruise to make sure our staff gives accurate information to our guests.
He is the author or co-author of multiple books, including Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland (2013), The Handbook of Porter and Stouts (2014), Skiing in Maine (2016 ), and the Maine Outdoor Adventure Guide (2015)
Josh is also the co-founder of Print: A Bookstore located at 273 Congress St in Portland (https://www.printbookstore.com/)
He also is a freelance columnist for skiing and outdoor recreation, and he can be found bi-weekly in the pages of the Maine Sunday Telegram.
On the beer side, he is a contributor to the Maine Beer Guide and now pens a monthly beer column for Portland Magazine.
Job Titles:
- Program Director at Kingsley Pines Summer Camp
Victoria Fura joined the Brew Bus team in May 2019 so that she could have a bigger role in the craft beverage industry.
She has lived all over New England but spent most of her youth in Littleton, New Hampshire.
Victoria built her love of the outdoors in high school at The White Mountain School in Bethlehem, New Hampshire.
She later attended Marlboro College in Southern Vermont and worked on campus as an Admissions Assistant and Tour Guide.
In the summers of her college years, Victoria worked as a Trip Director and Rock Climbing Program Director at Kingsley Pines Summer Camp in Raymond Maine. It was at this time that she truly fell in love with Maine.
After graduation with a degree in Literature and Gender studies with a focus on War Literature, she moved to Portland and worked a number of jobs before joining Team Brew Bus.
She has found since she joined our team that she really enjoys the community, culture, and vast history in Maine's craft alcohol industry.
As our Operations Coordinator, her past roles taught her how to plan an experience, not just a "tour" for a group. Maintaining a balance of precise logistical management and awareness of group dynamics is crucial for this role and often creates a set of challenges that she excels in.
Victoria truly enjoys creating an amazing customer experience to help share what Portland has to offer to guests who are visiting Maine. She also has the drive to constantly learn more about the craft alcohol industry to help create better tours for our guests.
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner of Maine Brews Cruise and Also of the National Brand Brews Cruise, Inc
- Founder and Co - Owner Chevron Down Zach Poole - Founder and Co - Owner
Zach Poole is a co-owner of Maine Brews Cruise and also of the national brand Brews Cruise, Inc. Along with his wife, he is the founder of The Maine Brew Bus in 2012.
Zach grew up in Shoreham on Long Island in New York State and attended college in Massachusetts at UMass Amherst and Bridgewater State, from which he earned his degree in Physical Education.
After relocating to Maine, Zach began teaching in the Dayton School Department and also was an original team member at The Run of the Mill Public House and Brewery in Saco which opened in July of 2008.
While at the Run of the Mill, he was able to see firsthand that guests didn't know much about brewing and certainly didn't know about where else to go to visit small breweries that were starting to open in Southern Maine. He also admitted that he didn't know where to go or how to visit these breweries either.