Fred Forsley is the founder of Shipyard Brewing Company, the biggest craft beer brewer in Maine and a national leader in the industry.
Forsley was an early pioneer within craft brewing, who’s venture started around 25 years ago. Some of Forsley’s other accomplishments include being a successful real estate broker since the age of 19, and an avid runner and sponsor of road races through Shipyard.
Forsley, who is dyslexic, struggled with reading as a child, and quickly learned to stand up for himself due to bullying for repeating a grade. However, despite struggling in school, he found ample support from his mother and those around him, which guided him to becoming a successful entrepreneur. His first venture was real estate. Reading and writing tasks took extra effort and time, but he soon learned to put energy into the things he was good at, such as visualization, which helped him become one of the youngest real estate brokers in Maine. His life completely changed when in 1992, after a property became available and another brewing company passed on the location. Forsley, inspired by a visit to a craft brewery in Florida the year before, decided to try what was an entirely new venture for him. Now, he manages several brewpubs and breweries in Maine and Florida, including Sea Dog Brewing Company and Capt’n Eli’s Soda. "It's challenging to manage on a lot of fronts, but overall it's been a lot of fun," says Forsley.
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