Igniting Passion into Promise

Brothers Rich Fleischer, left, and Matt toast their success with Hook & Ladder beer.

Local entrepreneur Matt Fleischer already had several years of running a business under his belt when he returned to the Baltimore area to re-launch his micro-brewery Hook & Ladder. The beer had done well in California, garnering a Gold Medal at the 2001 Great American Beer Festival, but Fleischer wasn't sure how the company would fare back east. Matt, who is in partnership with his brother, Jeff, wanted to bring something more to the business. "I already had a lot of hands-on experience running the business in California," says Fleischer. "But I wanted a better understanding of theories of finance and how to professionally manage a company."

And Fleischer had done his homework. He knew all about the Dingman Center before enrolling in the MBA program at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. "I had looked at other programs. But the Dingman Center had a very unique and attractive focus. Day One I came into the Center with a business plan in hand. The Center gave me important resources—networks for raising capital and for mentoring. They also gave me a scholarship my second year in the program that was connected to growing the business, so I could devote a lot of my attention to Hook & Ladder and getting the pilot batches off the ground."

Fleischer is optimistic about the future, and looks forward to expanding up and down the East Coast. He is quick to acknowledge how the Dingman Center gave his business the jumpstart it needed. "Without the Center's resources, we would not be anywhere near as far along as we are after just one year."