For Immediate Release

MINNEAPOLIS (July 22, 2019) – Ty Rushmeyer, a tour coordinator at Surly Brewing Company, has been named the Hospitality Hero award winner for the second quarter of 2019 by Meet Minneapolis, Convention and Visitors Association. The award is given quarterly to a member of the Minneapolis hospitality community who has been nominated by their colleagues and has made valuable contributions to the image and culture of Minneapolis through outstanding hospitality and service.

Andrea Graham, Senior Brand Experience Manager at Surly Brewing Company, nominated Rushmeyer for his diligent work to curate the educational and immersive tour experience for Surly's guests. He has cultivated a team of highly engaging and informed tour guides to tell the Surly story.

Rushmeyer’s team not only tells the history of beer, but the history of Surly as a company, and the impact the company has had on Minnesota as a whole. In 2011, Surly influenced the passing of Minnesota legislation allowing brewers to sell pints of their beer at their breweries, often dubbed the “Surly bill.” This led the way for Minnesota’s craft brewery boom.

Graham also noted that when Rushmeyer sees a need, he fills it. For example, in the spring of 2019, Rushmeyer created an American Sign Language (ASL)-guided tour program that happens monthly at Surly. It provides the ASL community with a brewery tour experience specifically curated to their needs and interests.

“Ty uses Surly's tour program to celebrate our brand, our local brewing industry and our hospitality partners. His team provides guests with suggestions of other local breweries to visit, restaurants to check out and local hotels for travelling groups who plan to spend the night,” Graham said. “Minneapolis is at the heart of Surly's program and it shows throughout every tour experience.”

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PHOTO ATTACHED, CUTLINE

Ty Rushmeyer, tour coordinator at Surly Brewing Company, and Andrea Graham, Senior Brand Experience Manager at Surly Brewing Company

ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS

Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes and sells the Minneapolis area as a destination for conventions and meetings, works to maximize the visitor experience and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to maximize the economic benefit to the greater Minneapolis area.

Meet Minneapolis is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International.

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