Building An Ownership Culture: Insights from Blackrocks Brewery

For brewery owners, fostering an ownership culture among employees can be the key to creating a thriving, collaborative workplace. Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette, Michigan, has embraced this approach, building a flat organizational structure that emphasizes autonomy, responsibility, and a shared sense of purpose. This ethos is good not only for the brewery’s operational success but also for the loyalty of its team members.

By focusing on empowerment and collaboration, breweries can create workplaces where employees thrive — and where they want to stay.

From the early days, Blackrocks has operated without a rigid hierarchy. Marketing Manager Steve Farr recalled a particular moment when he was bartending and co-founder David Manson was still doing his corporate day job.