Crafting a Legacy

(Photo c/o Highland Brewing)

LEAH WONG ASHBURN, CEO of Asheville-based Highland Brewing, is the keynote speaker for this year’s Women’s Professional Development Luncheon on August 28.

The annual event, put on by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, takes place 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Wilmington Convention Center.

Ashburn is a second-generation family business owner, who preserves the heritage of Highland Brewing – the largest independent, family-owned brewery native to the Southeast – while advancing its future.

At the woman-led brewery, “40 percent of our staff and nearly 50 percent of our management are women,” Ashburn said in an interview with Made by Mountains.

Her accomplishments include being named a semifinalist in the James Beard Awards in the Outstanding Beer, Wine, or Spirits Professional category in 2018 and receiving the Asheville Chamber of Commerce’s Woman Executive of the Year award.

Event info: wilmingtonchamber.org/events