Sprecher Brewing Co.
Industry: Beverage manufacturing
sprecherbrewery.com
Employees: 150
"Develop trust by sharing"
"An important moment for me was when I read a book called 'True North.' It focused on what people are looking for from leaders today. The crux of the argument is that people are looking for leaders they believe in and trust. That trust is developed by sharing oneself. It seems so simple, but if you think back to the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, that wasn't really the case. You didn't get to know who the leaders were. You just heard them give a TED Talk.
"My professional life has been punctuated by the people who work for me – or with me – and the communities that I’ve helped build. They know who I am. They know if they're asking me a question, I'm going to give them an honest answer. If you look on Twitter (now known as X), which has been one of the primary platforms for Juvee, there are 12,400 replies on my personal account. That may seem like a very silly use of time to some executives, but to the community of people who has bought Juvee products, that's everything because they feel like there's a person behind the brand that cares about them."
Age: 38
Professional experience: Keene co-founded Los Angeles-based energy drink company Juvee in 2022 and served as its chief executive officer until earlier this year, when the brand was acquired by Sprecher. Prior to that, he served as vice president of marketing and interim head of marketing at Los Angeles-based Xperi Corp. Keene also spent roughly a decade at Red Bull, where he helped launch the brand’s gaming and esports program and led digital marketing for its gaming, motorsports and aviation division.
In the news: Keene joined Specher in January following its acquisition of Juvee from Los Angeles-based global gaming and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves. The move marks Sprecher’s entry into the energy drink category as part of its ongoing growth strategy. Prior to Juvee’s acquisition, Keene, alongside 100 Thieves CEO and longtime friend Matthew Haag, led the brand to grow revenues by 400% in roughly two years. Now as Sprecher’s chief marketing officer, Keene will work to drive national awareness of the Sprecher brand and its ever-growing line of beverages.
