The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - John Schoeb, Brian Combs & Lindsey Kerl Joined Jerry Miller Live On The I Love CVille Show!

Episode Date: May 14, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: BREAKING: Pro Re Nata Expanding Into Valley Pro Re Nata Team Expanding W/ Biz Acquisition Pro Re Nata Purchasing Skipping Rock Brewery DEAL FLOW: Why Did You Buy Skipping Rock? New Plans For Pro Re Nata In Crozet, Virginia How Is Downtown Staunton Expansion Going? BREAKING: Ratcliffe On UVA’s Elijah Gertrude UVA Admins Punishing Protestors, Here’s How… Tomorrow’s Guest: Author Kurt Johnson On CHS John Schoeb, Owner of Pro Re Nata Brewpub & Music Hall, Brian Combs, Music & Media Manager at Pro Re Nata, & Lindsey Kerl, General Manager at Pro Re Nata, joined Jerry Miller live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible and iLoveCVille.com.

Good Tuesday afternoon, guys. My name is Jerry Miller, and thank you kindly for joining us on the I Love Seville Show. It's great to be with you on a program that airs wherever you get your podcasting and social media content, our studio in downtown Charlottesville on Market Street. Today's program is one I have been very excited for for about, I'd say, a couple of weeks. We have friends in the studio. We have a brand and business that we support with our own money, with our own dollars, with our own time. We bring our kids, my wife and I, to this brewery, and we enjoy the beer, the ambiance, and the experience. It's a business and brand we have

watched firsthand birth and blossom, and it continues to expand through either business acquisition or real estate development. But I will allow the stakeholders of said strategies to offer the perspective on what they are doing well. First, I want to give props to Judah Wickh a microphone or camera. There's always people behind the microphones and cameras that allow folks like me to do what we love, which is human connection. So thank you, Judah Wickhauer. Why don't we go to the studio camera if we could, Judah, and let's welcome, I think, people that need little introductions, but still I'm going to ask them to do some introductions, starting with the head honcho, Dr. John Shabe. The show is yours. Introduce yourself to everybody that's watching. Thanks very much, Jerry. Thanks honcho, Dr. John Shabe. The show is yours. Introduce yourself to everybody that's watching.

Thanks very much, Jerry. Thanks very much, Judah. My name is John Shabe. I am one of the four owners of Pro Renata Brewery. My best friend and I, Andrew Messina, started it about eight years ago. I was a full-time dentist up until about a year ago. And once we were sure that we were doing some expansion over into Stanton, I retired from dentistry,

and now I'm full-time maintenance guy at Pro Renata in Crozet. He is absolutely crushing it, and he is a humble guy. I want to get another humble guy in the mix. Brian Combs into the mix. The show is yours. Introduce yourself to everyone that's watching. Thanks, Jerry. I'm Brian Combs.

I'm the music and social media marketing manager at Pro Renata. I've been there since six months before day one. So it's been fun to watch the business grow, the brewery grow, and to get everybody's reactions from it. I enjoy getting the word out there. And I live in Stanton now, and I've got a wife and three kids. And between that and the brewery, I'm pretty busy. He's pretty busy. Lindsay is also very busy. Lindsay Bibb Curl, the general manager of Pro Renata.

Dozens and dozens of team members under your supervision. I can't wait to ask you some questions. Introduce yourself to everybody that's watching. I'm Lindsay Curl. I'm the general manager at Perbinata Brewery in Crozet. Yeah, I head up a big team there. We have lots of fun, thanks to Brian and his music booking. We enjoy the shows, and yeah, it's a lot to keep up with. We're continuing to grow, you know, between the stuff that Dino's bringing to the table and the expansions in Stanton. Outside of that, I have three boys at home. So I'm about the same as Brian.

Between Pro Renata and what I got going on at home, I stay pretty busy as well. We know the feeling. John, the show is yours. This is breaking news I think you're going to hear first. Pro Renata is expanding into the Shenandoah Valley, my friend. People are watching. Thanks.

So, yeah, we purchased the Koch building, and we're partnering up with Chip Clark and his BCS group for the steam plant building. About eight months ago, I reached out to Jason McCall, who is the owner of Skipping Rock Brewery, about purchasing some used equipment from him. Todd Rath, who is my director of intelligent decision-making, the owner of Skipping Rock Brewery, about purchasing some used equipment from them. Todd Rath, who is my director of intelligent decision-making, and I went over there just to purchase some kegs. And we met with Jason and Ben the brewer, and we're just looking to pick up some kegs, some equipment that they were going to be selling.

And over the past eight months, this has morphed into something that, you know, just jumped the queue on all of our projects, nothing that we were looking for, but we are purchasing the Skipping Rock Brewery location, and we actually start work on it tomorrow. Unbelievable. Skipping Rock Brewery. Talk to us about, you've kind of highlighted already how this has materialized. Some folks would say, hey, you've kind of highlighted already how this is materialized. Some folks would say, hey, you're expanding to downtown Stanton and now you're buying a brewery that is not in downtown Stanton. What is going on here? Again, it was not something we were looking

for. It's just Skipping Rock has some of the best equipment that's made in the world um and something that is so far above what we have right now at pro renata i took my brewer over there and their old brewer came down and a brewer that we're going to be hiring um who has won many uh world cup beer uh gold medals is going to be joining us as well i can't mention them yet but it's pro renata is going to take we're going to take our beer to the next level um i expect us to win lots of awards and people to really say boy they've they've upped their game there at pro renata but the facility itself um jason and his brother curtis created a phenomenal facility and through no fault of their own it was the world of COVID. COVID kicked a lot of people below the belt.

And we were lucky at Pro Renata that we were already established probably by about four years. They had just opened and this happened. So, you know, no fault of their own. And so last January, two Januaries ago, they shut the business down and we're in the process of trying to figure out what they were going to do with it. And it just, through Jason's determination and working with him, we're purchasing the entire facility, everything in it, and we're ready to go and fired up. That is amazing. I think you guys are going to have huge success. Brian and Lindsay, I'm going to weave you in the mix here. I'd like to pick John's brain for a couple more minutes.

I think this is a brilliant decision. You have staff in place. You have a fantastic brand. You are staff in place. You have a fantastic brand. You are well-funded. You have business people in your corner. You're leading the charge here. Skipping Rock, the guys came on the show when they were opening their West Main taproom

right at the start of COVID, before COVID hit. And there was tremendous excitement. As you've highlighted, this is a bit of bad luck with Skipping Rock. Talk to us about how you maintain brand consistency and brand standards as you expand. Well, that goes back to the equipment that they have. Their equipment is ten times better than what we have right now. We're up in our game with the new brewer.

Having the right people in place. I mean, Brian and I have been together nine and a half years. I've got my other brewer at Pro Renata. He's been with me eight years. It's keeping the team intact. Melissa, who does all the books and everything for us at Pro Renata, she and I have been together 18 years. She used to run my dental office. So we're going to keep all of our systems in place and just expand along those lines. We're not really changing a whole lot. It's just our big problem with where we are in Crozet is we can't make enough beer. It's a good problem.

It is and it isn't. We're on septic fields, and we can only put so much water into the ground before those septic fields start to have problems this skipping rock i can go in tomorrow turn on the lights start brewing and my problems in crozet go away so we're going to manufacture all of our beer over at skipping rock and ship it to pro renata removing our brewing equipment at pro renata and crozet and creating a new bar space creating a lot more venues and and rental spaces for customers to use. Perfect segue to Brian. We have what is arguably one of the best music venues in central Virginia, the venue that you are very much managing in Crozet. We have a venue that's now going to be added into the portfolio through the acquisition of Skipping Rock. We have a venue that's going to

happen with the Coke building, a venue that's going to happen with the steam plant. From my standpoint, someone who's booking bands and passionate about music, having four venues at his disposal, seems like an incredibly exciting time. Absolutely. Yeah, I'm super excited about it. Yeah, it's been fun to watch the music scene sort of grow at Pro Renata from the old tiny stage that we used to have to the new music facility that we have and just to give some of these bands an opportunity. One of the most things I'm most proud of at Pro Renata is taking some bands that have reached out to me and haven't really been given a big stage, a big platform to showcase their skills

but they've reached out to me and just, I was like, yeah, we'll give you a chance. We want to give everybody musically a chance to do it. And they've really, a lot of them have proved themselves. They've come, they've done the marketing for themselves. They've helped us. Disco Risque is a good example. I mean, they've reached out to us about playing,

and they played their first show, and we didn't know. We're like, it's Crozet. People are going to come and see Disco Risque. when they came the first time and the place just blew up word got out they packed their old stage and they've been back four or five times since the barons another example they've gone on now to to uh to release albums they've they're playing all over the eastern east coast for me that makes me feel really good i mean just to you know just to make that contact and bring them into our scene and and um you know it's i i look forward to transitioning that over into stanton as well stanton's got a vibrant music scene over there i live in stanton i know you do yeah you're personally invested i'm personally invested

some of these locations that in stanton i'm really close to i live literally walking distance to the coke building so super excited about that So I'm just looking forward to just parlaying what we've started in Crozet and bringing that over to Stanton as well. I mean, like you say, I think it might even be bigger in Stanton. I mean, the platform, the potential of the Koch Building to do music there is huge. We can have a bigger stage, hopefully. And Skipping Rock, the location is smaller,

but we're looking for acoustic acts, and Stanton is littered with great acoustic music. You guys are going to get a kick out of this. Peyton Alley, your boy, says, John Shabe looking handsome on the show right now. Dino is watching the program as we speak. You've got the TV station

down the road watching the program. You've got the local newspaper watching the program right now. I see a radio station watching the program as we speak. You've got the TV station down the road watching the program. You've got the local newspaper watching the program right now. I see a radio station watching the program right now. I've got to get Lindsay into the mix right here. What a time to get a part of this team and this brand, and you're a general manager. You have arguably one of the fastest-growing brands and breweries and businesses at your fingertips here yeah um in a leadership position put this all in perspective and what's going through your mind and you know what are some of your goals for the near future with pro renata you as the general manager yeah i'm super

excited about the the growth um it's a huge opportunity and um you know we're looking for people who want to work in a fun environment who want to help us expand um you know we're looking for people who want to work in a fun environment who want to help us expand you know we're going to offer full service so I'm looking for experienced servers bartenders because we also have behind you know people that need to be behind the bar so if you want to work in a fun environment and grow with us as we grow in Stanton then you can contact me at info at PRNy.com or stop in Thursday through Saturday. If I'm not available, our front of the house manager, Judy, she'll be

happy to help you as well. Dina, we're going to get to your brand here and its expansion into the Skipping Rock location in a matter of moments. I'd love to throw this to Lindsay. Those that are looking for a job perhaps or to be a part of the team that were previously tied to Skipping Rock, is there an opportunity there for that? Absolutely. We've heard nothing but great things about the prior employees, so we would love for you to contact us if you're interested in working at Pro Renata Plus. I love it.

Brian, I'm going to get you in the mix. How do you manage four venues? What's the strategy with four venues and the booking and the talents that are in your purview? I think we just steer the course that we're doing now. The main focus is what we have on hand. It's just pros a location.

We continue to book high caliber bands to get some bigger bands coming through the area. It's just an opportunity because I get multiple bands coming through sometimes that were already booked. Well, now there's the potential to book not only one, but two, three, four maybe locations or something like that.

So it's a good opportunity to have. So I'm always looking forward to upping the game, giving more people opportunities. Stanton's got the Stanton Jams in Stanton. I'm looking forward to hopefully being a part of that, bringing our facilities as another option for people to play at. Todd Rath, giving you boys some props. John Shabe knows the man well, friend of the program, valued viewer and listener, Todd Rath, watching the show. Dino, I'll throw this to John. I mean, you saw passion and hard work and integrity, commitment to detail with Dino and what he's doing. You

welcome Dino not once, but twice to your Crozet location with his Dino's brand and his move through brand. His story is extremely compelling. Explain or highlight expansion opportunities for partners of Pro Renata. For example, Dino's a good one. Right. So, yeah, Dino's going to be coming with us to Skipping Rock 100%. We've been over there a number of times. It's going to be a little bit different menu than what he's doing now, definitely his pizzas.

But we want to try some different things over there. And he's got a really good crew of people that work with him. And, you know, Dino is a super hard worker and understands the opportunities that this country has given him. And that's one of the things that is most endearing about Dino to me is he just can't believe how in this country there are certain things that you can do. And he's taking full advantage of it.

And Jay, who's his right hand, is the same way. I mean, these guys are from Albania. And things back home are way different than what they are here, and they just appreciate what we can offer. Kenny Gaspa, watching the program right now, says, let's go, let's go, let's go. Lauren Marshall Morris, who's giving Lindsey some props. let's go, let's go, let's go. Lauren Marshall Morris, who given Lindsey some props. Let's go, Lindsey. Bill McChesney, Kimmy Ingram watching the program. See media all over the show right now, guys. The breaking news, if you're

watching, is this team is acquiring the Skipping Rock brand, its infrastructure, and is expanding to the Skipping Rock location. This question is coming on the feed. What happens to the brand Skipping Rock? So we're not acquiring the brand. Okay. There we go. They own Pale Fire up in Harrisonburg. They are keeping the brand. We're buying all the assets, but not the brand. Got it. Andre Xavier, hello. Thank you for watching. Jennifer Hux, thank you for watching. Logan Wells-Clello. What is your day-to-day like now that you've retired as a dentist and you're expanding in downtown Stanton and the Skipping Rock location and, of course, crushing it in Crozet? I have such a good job right now. I really do. I get up in the morning

and I'm going back and forth with emails. We just came from a staff meeting at Pro Renata and then coming here and doing this. I've got three meetings tomorrow morning at Skipping Rock. I'm not the day-to-day guy whatsoever. I love the big picture, get things going and then turn it over to Brian, turn it over to Lindsay, turn it over to Judy and let them grow themselves and grow my brand. And I would say 98% of the time, for example, Lindsay knows what I'm thinking and has already done it when I suggested to her. And that's the same with Melissa and Brian. And one of the things with Brian, Brian's got a really tough job because he has to say no a lot. We get 30 to 40 bands a week that want to play a pro Renata. Now we're going to be able, Brian's going to be able to say yes some more.

And then when Steamplant comes online and when Coke comes online, we're going to have four music venues for the Barons to play in. And Peyton, you're welcome. But it's going to make Brian's job a lot easier. He's got to tell people no a lot, and that's not easy. Brian, I'm going to get you in the mix. Lindsay, I'm going to get you in the mix. I'll prep you with what I want to ask you. Lindsay is, why join this team? What was the upside you saw? Brian, this question or this comment is coming from Stanton, a gentleman that's

tied to government in Stanton. He says, we cannot thank ProRenata enough for their investment into Stanton. And that's John Blair watching the program as we speak. Brian Combs, how does the brand in your eyes continue to grow and develop? What would you like to see? How do you contribute a lot of hard work to help it boom? Like I said, I live in Stanton. I love Stanton. And just, you know, I go to, I frequent some of the other breweries in Stanton. Red Beard is great.

I've been hanging out there for a couple years. I frequent some of the other breweries in Stanton. Redbeard is great. I've been hanging out there for a couple of years. And there's always room for more opportunities, for more choices, I guess you could say. And I've been to Skipping Rock when it was open with my family. And I took the kids there and all that. And I loved hanging out there. It's just a good atmosphere. They make great beer. It was very comforting.

And you'd see music in the little corridor out there. It's just a good atmosphere. They make great beer. It was very comforting. And you'd see music in their little corridor out back. And when they closed, I was a little bit sad because it was like, oh, it's gone. And I'm not the only one. I've heard many people around town saying, you know what, it's been hard for me to just hold by my tongue, you know, not say anything to anybody. I've been keeping the secret for a while. But people have been asking about, they see me wearing a Pro Renata shirt or hat or something like that, and the conversation migrates to the beer in Stanton. And I just, in my mind, I was thinking, I can't wait to get the word out

that Pro Renata is bringing what we've built in Crozet over to Stanton. And I don't really see it changing much at all. I just see kind of taking what we've started in Crozet and doing it in Stanton. You know, making the beer there. Great brewing. John says the brewing equipment is incredible.

We're not letting the cat out of the bag today, but John has already kind of teased this. A new brewer is joining the team soon. That's their news to get out there when the time is right. I'm excited to see what happens with that development at Pro Renata. The word on the street is it's an esteemed brewer that's joining the team. Lindsay, we'll throw this to you. Why join this team? I think I see why, but what made your

decision or helped make your decision to join this team? Well, you know, I'd been in the service industry for a while since I was probably about 16. I started out, so on and off, I would say probably about 19 years. I was the GM of several restaurants. The opportunity for growth was there. John and I had a friend in common, kind of put us in contact. We kind of just made that connection, and I knew it was right. I knew it was right, and now I'm super happy that I made that decision.

Here's a fantastic question. Some of the changes that we can expect at the Skipping Rock location from Skipping Rock Current. Sure. We actually start painting the whole facility tomorrow. That is pretty exciting, So we're starting that. One of the things that we're doing over there is it's going to be full service with liquor as well. So what we came up with the name was it's going to be called Pro Renata Plus, and plus is for the liquor. That's smart. So that was actually, Brian and I were part of a CBD dispensary,

and if we ever got our weed license, we were going to call it Pro Renata Plus. And that went by the wayside. So we needed a name, and I think that comes up to do you want to go to Pro Renata Crozet or do you want to go to Plus? Kitchen-wise, we're going to be a full-service restaurant. We're actually taking our big food truck over there, but there's also an indoor kitchen as well. And just, again, just upping the game. Jason and his brother Curtis did a phenomenal job out there. They were always busy. And so there's not a whole lot we want to change from

what they did. Was it challenging or was it a difficult decision or something you deliberated over a period of time, adding the liquor piece to the brewery piece? Because I guess the old guard or the old school would say, perhaps you don't mix them. From my standpoint as a business person, more options means more customers. A great example of this, my mother-in-law who visits all the time for Long Island, she is committed to drinking only Chardonnay.

Sure. Only once Chardonnay. So oftentimes we are choosing where to go because we want to keep everyone in the group happy. If a place has Chardonnay. So oftentimes we are choosing where to go because we want to keep everyone in the group happy. If a place has Chardonnay or does not, sometimes that makes the decision if we show up there. You have to give the customer what they want. And Pro Renata started out as just beer. Number one question everyone said to us was, why don't you have wine? Well, at that time we couldn't. The laws changed. We added wine. We've added RTDs.

We've added cider. We've added all of these things. You have to cater to what the customers want. So we're super excited. I've never run a liquor bar before. Lindsay has, and we have some other people that have done it. And we're excited for that part of it as well. Juan Sarmiento, who works for Charlottesville Mar Transit right here,

says, says, Lindsay, are you related to CODA? I am. He's my brother-in-law. We knew that. He's a brother-in-law right there. A very talented musician, speaking of musicians in CODA right there. I'm going to throw this to you. How's the real estate development piece going? Maybe a little newer for you here in downtown Stanton. Walk us through the backside of it, the non-sexy part of the real estate development. At Skipping Rock? Sure, at both locations. Yeah, and the big elephant in the room is I've been dealing with the Stanton zoning officials and Augusta zoning officials, which, by the way, have been such an eye-opening, pleasant experience.

You mentioned that in comparison to? We're going to leave it at that. Okay, all right. We're going to leave it at that. Fair enough. But, for example, I went out to the Augusta County offices, and we needed a special use permit for the food truck. They said the deadline is, this was on a Tuesday,

the deadline to get this in on a Tuesday, the deadline to get this in for this next period of time is Friday. We'll clear our schedule tomorrow afternoon if you want to come back and we'll get it in so we can get you done. I mean, I looked at them like they had three heads. They've been nothing but accommodating, nothing but great. But what everybody wants to know is what's happening with the Coke and Steam plant. Steam plant, we're hoping to break ground in August. And all the skipping rock slash pro renata plus, all that's done is push Coke. It jumped the queue.

This was something we had to do financially. It made so much sense for us. We're not abandoning the Coke facility. It just got pushed back a little bit. This deal took about eight months to get done. And I've been working on the Koch building for six years. It's not going anywhere right now. Neil Williamson watching the program, president of the Free Enterprise Forum. He covers this closely. He says, it's a fair question. How did the Albemarle growth restrictions impact ProRenata's expansion to leave Albemarle? We had to. We had to. You highlighted this on the last show.

It was the septic line and it was a very small distance. The line had to be expanded and the reception from the supervisor in the district, Supervisor Malik, who very interestingly is in the middle of her fifth consecutive term limits.

Excuse me. That's my comment right there. It's not John's comment. That's my comment. Offer some perspective here.. And that's my comment right there. That's not John's comment. That's my comment. Offer some perspective here. I think that's where Neil's going. You can go anywhere you want. I won't push back. Yeah, again, Pro Renata, we're zoned rural agricultural.

It's farmland. There is a septic line that makes a left-hand turn into Western Albemarle and a right-hand turn into Old Trail. We are not allowed to tap into that line because we are 1,000 feet out of the growth zone. So I approached some people in government and said, here's what we need to do. Is there any chance we could get this brought down? No, no, no, no, no. So I said, I understand that was what you're going to say. We're going to be investing millions of dollars over into Stanton. Two years later, we now hear about AC44, where they may be developing two of the interchanges in this area. One is in Pantops, and one is in Crozet. It's too late. We've already spent our

money. We'll still tie into a septic line, but we would have loved to have spent those millions of dollars here in Albemarle County. We had to go elsewhere. And put in perspective, not only the millions of dollars in Albemarle, but the jobs created. What are we talking job expansion here, new jobs created? Construction, doubling Lindsay's staff, making the facility larger, millions. And all I got was no. There you go, folks. This question has been shared by Deep Throat, who's number one in our family.

That's his nickname. It's for Lindsay. And Lindsay, who's number one in our family. That's his nickname. It's for Lindsey. And Lindsey, he talks about restaurant headwinds. Those challenges have been well documented, whether it's labor, finding labor, whether it's how the consumer is now enjoying their meals, often through third-party apps delivered to their house on their couches. I, for one, my family, for one, loves the in-person experience. What are the challenges that most concern you, first question,

and then how do you navigate them? Challenges as far as at ProRenata currently or the challenges that we're facing? Just in kind of the restaurant industry, whether it's labor, anywhere you want to go. Yeah, I mean, you know, finding help. Luckily luckily we had a great team in place when I came aboard, so a lot of those people have been there for years, so that part kind of came easy for me, thankfully. That just goes to show a lot for John, that he was able to keep that staff in place for that long. You know, obviously, when we do grow, finding good help is going to be a challenge, you know. We are, we're fun.

It's an exciting place to work. We're continuing to grow. So I'm hoping, just by putting that out, that people will be interested in coming to work with us and grow with us, because not only are we going to have the skipping rock location, but we're going to have the Coke building and the steam plant. So there's tons of opportunities, you know, to not only work at one location, but possibly all of them.

This is a great question. That was a great answer. How about any distribution or retail goals or objectives, you know, opportunities on the horizon? People love your beer. I'm going to go at.001%. We are so fortunate. I'm not sure there are any breweries that don't distribute that are our size.

We're fortunate enough that we have enough people coming there and buying our product on site. It's just distribution is not a game I really want to get into. I liken it back to my days of dentistry when we did a procedure for $500 and we got paid $250. And $250 just had to be written off. Distribution is just not something I've ever been interested in. I'm not saying no, but it's just an ugly world. What, this question for you. We see Richmond Legend Brewery is for sale. We've seen, call them Gen Zers and Younger,

show an affinity for Seltzer. Show an affinity, Todd's watching the program for cider. The palette of the consumer is ever-changing. 100%. Put in perspective where you see the industry going from when you started to where you are now. It's certainly more competitive. I think that's fair.

Yeah, it's incredibly competitive. We have to add different options. I'm on Dino all the time for different food options. We're always talking about what's a hot new seltzer that's out there. What are people asking for? One of the things that I think has made us successful, and I know you talk about it all the time, Jared, when you go out, your mother-in-law or father-in-law comes in and you're running up $150 tab at lunch. Well, that's a one hour. We have people at Pro Renato that are spending that same amount of money, $150, over three hours. It's now 50 bucks an hour. We're a value add. Kids are playing on the playground. We've got music going. You're talking to the guy next to you who's a Philadelphia fan. And it's just this great atmosphere. And when you divide it by the hours that you stay there, you're getting a way better deal.

Sherry Dunaway watching the program, dropping heart emojis left and right for Lindsay right now. Lindsay's getting a lot of props on the program, ladies and gentlemen. Hi, Mom. As expected, we knew she'd be getting some props. Same question for you, Brian. You know this industry inside and out. What's really impressed me with the Crozet location and why we go is the opportunity for our six-year-old.

And our youngest is 18 months, so he's staying pretty close to mom and dad. But our six-year-old can run to a playground, does not have to be next to us. Most importantly for my wife and I is off screens. We despise the screen time when it comes to our boys. You guys have created this like omni-experiential epicenter of entertainment. It's axe throwing. It's music. It's good food.

It's good beer. It's playgrounds. It's sweet views. It's a fire pit. It's like the water cooler of Crozet of conversation. And I just, I appreciate that it's not just a one silo experience. It's a multi, there's multiple experiences all in one.

And I think that's a value proposition that you offer that maybe a lot of your competitors do not. I think we're seeing some of your competitors trying to duplicate it in some ways. 100%. It's no secret that that's what's happening here, and I'm not gonna name any. I think folks know who they are.

Throw the evolution of the brand as it applies to people like you and I who have gone from maybe single guy beer drinkers to married guy beer drinkers to now parental beer drinkers. Yeah, great question. Yeah, so just as an example, my wife and I would like to go out occasionally and take the family out and have a beer, have a pizza, have some food, have some conversation with some friends. But when you go, it's often challenging with three little kids to maintain their attention for any period of time to have an adult conversation at the same time.

So yeah, I just feel like we have a lot to offer there for the kids especially because there's plenty of room to stretch out. We have the shipping container bar out back. We've got the brand-new kids' play area over there for them to play at. So they can be entertained. They can have a good time. They can come and hang out with Mom and Dad.

Mom and Dad can keep an eye on them. We can see them. But we can have just an hour or two of just relaxation. Watch the kids have a good time. We can talk. So just keeping it fresh. Keeping it unique. Sometimes we get tired of doing the same thing over and over again. So we always want to have we have a saying, there's always something going on at Pro Renata. So we don't want to do the same thing everybody else is doing.

We want to do something different, something unique. Same question for you, Lindsay. I mean, you're running the brewery, and most importantly, you're a mom. Yeah. Put that in perspective. You know, so it makes it easier to be able to, you know, manage, you know, what can sometimes be chaotic out, you know, at Perinata. Sometimes you have children who are running around and doing their own thing. So being a parent, you know, you kind of,

you have that, you know, you're, you kind of understand like, okay, they're kids, they need, they're going to run around, they're going to do things, but you're also kind of, you're being, having the hawkeyes, you know, you're watching them constantly. You want to make sure that they're within view of their parents and things like that. We enjoy coming there. I come there. My husband comes. He brings our three boys. We bring our dog. She loves coming there. She gets a pup cup from Dino's. The boys get pizza and ice cream. Same thing as what Brian said. It's a great environment to come.

It's ever-changing. There's music. Obviously, CODA plays there, so my family likes to come out when he's out performing at Pro Renata. But yeah, being a mom, it does help being able to manage being family-friendly. Last question for you. What can we expect with all this growth And expansion from your beloved brand It's just different locations It's going to be the same thing That we do at Pro Renata

We're not really going to be changing anything Other than establishing Liquor out there It's the same food It's going to be a lot of the same bands And I just love my job I love who I work with. I love seeing people coming back there. And it's their bar. And the same people are coming

over and over and over again. We're getting new people. It's fun. It's exciting. Growth is exciting. John Shabe, guys, he is a fantastic visionary. Brian Combs, I sincerely mean this. He is a pro's pro when it comes to brand management and management of bands and digital and social media. You know I mean that. I have been impressed from you from day one when I got to know you. And Lindsay is as good of an addition to a team as you're going to find. I first met Lindsay at La Tassa in Belmont, and now she is the general manager of one of the fastest-growing beer brands

in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It's just absolutely fantastic. I am so, so grateful, so grateful for you guys coming to the show. I love what you guys do. I love talking about local stuff. Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming to the program. I sincerely mean that. Appreciate it. Appreciate what you do, Jerry, and thank you for coming to the program I sincerely appreciate appreciate what you do Jerry and thank

you for the time thank you it's our pleasure Judy's gonna go to the studio camera he will if you guys want to head that way I appreciate everyone that's watching the program a lot of local media watching the show if you're just tuning in the breaking news here on the I Love Seville show is the acquisition of assets. Pro Renata and John's team have acquired the assets of Skipping Rock and are now expanding this brand and this portfolio to fantastic positions in the Shenandoah Valley. And, of course, complimentary positions to their Crozet location, where they've become, see you guys, where they've become the Disneyland of Crozet.

The experience at the Crozet spot is almost unmatched. I think Three Notch has done a very good job of creating this type of omni-experiential opportunity at the old Wild Wolf. But when you go to the Pro Renata location in Crozet, you get a sense of community, you get a sense of quality food, great beer, you got the playground, you got the music, you got the fire pit, you got the Blue Ridge Mountain views, axe throwing, the back bar, the televisions for sports. It's just so

many things to do. And that's why you see so many families as patrons of this location. I'm excited to watch Pro Renata manage four music venues. The smallest venue will be the venue at the old Skipping Rock location. The

second largest venue will be the Crozet location. And then that would be the second smallest Crozet. And then the two largest will be the Coke building and the Steam Plant in downtown Stanton. So you have so much upside if you're a local musician or a local band so many potential places to play or grow your track as musicians or as band members with this pro Renata family Judah Wittkower will weave you in the mix give me a thumbs up when we have a two shot on screen to get you on he's the director and producer of the show he deserves some props for all he's done today I know that was a lot to navigate. Three guests and a bunch of different, what do we have, eight cameras here and five microphones.

You manage it extremely well. Thank you. We got a programming note if you want to hold the book up in front of you. Kurt R. Johnson is going to join us tomorrow. He's the author of the book that Judah has in his hands. I read it yesterday. Mr. Johnson was a teacher in Charlottesville High School last year and into this year. And he put in a book his firsthand experience of what it was like to be a teacher at Charlottesville High School. He is documenting firsthand experience as a teacher at Charlottesville High School. He is documenting firsthand experience as a teacher and some of the experiences he's documented in this book. We'll talk with him tomorrow on the show. He's live in studio.

Not the most pleasant. He's talked about rampant drug use on campus. He's talked about sex with students on the campus at Charlottesville High School, brawls, cell phone usage, students running unchecked. You've heard of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Well, in this case, it's sex, drugs, and brawling. So we'll have the perspective from a teacher on set tomorrow. Mark your calendars for that one. Judah, I have some breaking news for the viewers and listeners who are watching the program. We do a show on Tuesdays called the Jerry and Jerry Show featuring myself and Jerry Ratcliffe, the Virginia Sports Hall of Famer, and the award-winning newspaper journalist, the man behind JerryRatcliffe.com. He covers the UVA Athletic Department more than anyone or better than anyone.

And on today's show, he broke news in two regards. The first regard was as how it applies to Elijah Gertrude, a talented rising second year, who, according to his sources on the show, has been involved into a scooter accident, was involved in a scooter accident, you know, like the Lime scooters, the Bird scooters, the Velio scooters, an accident that caused, according to his sources, the serious damage of his knee to the point where he looks like he's redshirting. He also has some breaking news, how it applies to the transfer portal and a Kansas State point guard that is about to commit to the University of Virginia. Do you have that sound for us? All right, let's cue that up in three, two, one.

Let's see. Hold on. Give me just a second. We'll have the video live in just a second. Follow your lead. Okay. Eliza Gertrude, the news is pretty concerning here. All right. The show is yours, my friend. Yeah, again, according to a very reliable source, someone I totally trust. He has confirmed that the Elijah Gertrude rumor about him tearing up his knee in a scooter accident a couple of weeks ago is true,

and that Gertrude will miss the season. That's huge, Especially considering that the kid was red. They removed his red shirt last year. I guess they can use it now. And that he was

playing so well. It was when the other kid tore Hardy's ankle, nearly broke his ankle and they pressed him into service and he just never was able to get a lot of court time. I think his jump shot

was off a little bit and it was tough but again he's one of the most explosive athletes to join this program in the Tony Bennett era. A lot of people were expecting a huge year

from him athletically. And if he's out, that's certainly a blow to the program. But the other news from the source, again, a very trusted source, is that Day Day Ames, the transfer portal guard from Kansas State with three years of eligibility is expected to sign soon with Virginia and that would shore up the backcourt and give them somebody with starting experience

on the major college basketball level at point guard which should be exciting to Virginia fans because this kid can play. And like I said, it sounded like he got better and better as the season went along. And that certainly adds to that position with Christian Bliss back there and the Worley kid from Florida State who has three years of starting experience as a point guard. So they can throw a variety of point

guards at you again in Tony Bennett fashion where he likes to sometimes play more than one point guard you've got a 6-7 uh who can shoot it who can play make and christian bliss who i think is going to be a fantastic point guard for virginia over his career that's great so guys if you follow uh virginia basketball and who doesn't follow virginia basketball the news from the jerry and jerry show this morning, I believe that is the first of any media to report this. Elijah Gertrude, the rising second year combo guard on the Virginia basketball team, has been involved, according to Jerry Ratcliffe's sources, in a pretty significant scooter accident. So significant that he has suffered knee damage,

and the plan is to redshirt him. That, according to Hootie Ratcliffe's sources, the Virginia Sports Hall of Famer. Furthermore, he confirmed today on the show that Day Day Ames, the point guard from Kansas State who's intrigued by UVA, will make a commitment as early as this weekend. And Day Day Ames clearly sees an opportunity with one of the backcourt positions opening with Gertrude's injury. Last item out of the notebook, you put us on a two-shot if you could. There's a UVA law professor that goes by the name of Thomas Frampton, professor at law at UVA. Professor Frampton has put on Twitter some of the repercussions and the punishments that protesters are facing from the two Saturdays ago, the protest that made I'd say national

headlines. A protest that had a Virginia State Police in riot gear with pepper spray breaking the protest up. This UVA professor, you can follow him on Twitter, at T. Frampton,

T-F-R-A-M-P-T-O-N. He says, from court, which was yesterday, dozens of undergrads, grad students and staff, faculty and community members, that UVA had Virginia State Police violently arrest at the pro-Palestine protests are amongst the best in our community. They are great and good. Here is his update. UVA has placed degree holds on seniors that were involved in the protests, so their degrees are on hold. Two, they're barred from most campus life via NTOs. I believe that's notice to owner or a trespassing order, one of those two. Three, they filed university disciplinary charges against them. And four, they've said zero about the criminal cases. This particular professor says to rebuild trust, the first step for the

UVA administration is to forgive or absolve those that were involved in the protest from some of these accountability measures. I mean, holding somebody's degree in limbo is uncalled for. Collectively, does all of that seem excessive? The whole turn of events has been excessive. Tear gassing and pepper spraying kids using the Virginia State Police as a militant force excessive. Furthermore excessive

the professors that are protesting how Jim Ryan's administration handled this by holding grades hostage and not issuing students grades as a form of protest, that's excessive. The protesters saying that the investment arm of UVA needs to divest itself of all Israel investments is excessive. The protesters saying that the university should not have any curriculum, including study abroad in Israel, is excessive. And now the university administration punishing protesters by holding their degrees in purgatory or in limbo, hostage, if you may, and barring them from campus life is excessive. This is just an ugly situation across the board. No doubt.

I feel like they just drank some insanity juice, like everybody there at UVA. The cops drank it before they went on campus. And, yeah, it's just nuts I mean was anything that the students did worthy of

of all this punishment you know it's funny it's funny that we're talking about punishments at schools there's an article talking about how local local high schools are looking to switch over to a type of social justice as an alternative to the usual punishments, you know, suspension, expulsion, that type of thing.

And it's a stark contrast to what we're seeing here. I'm, as a Charlottesvillian, as an Albemarle Countian, as someone who's been in this community for 24 years, as someone with ties to UVA, as someone whose father and brother went to UVA, as someone whose father and brother went to UVA, as a regular sporting event ticket purchaser at the University of Virginia, someone with a platform, I am disappointed across the board and most disappointed with Jim Ryan's administration because he led the charge on what has become significant collateral damage, significant collateral damage that has tarnished the brand that is UVA, and it's unfortunate.

I want to talk, I'll close on this. Make sure you join us on tomorrow's program. You hold the book up again. The book is called, what, Schooled? The Miseducation of an American Teacher by Kurt R. Johnson, a resident of the Charlottesville area who spent the last year as a teacher at Charlottesville High School. And he has documented in the book that Judah was just holding what it was like to be a teacher at Charlottesville High School, the only high school in the city of Charlottesville. We will put that perspective, that experience into perspective tomorrow on the I Love Seville show. Thank you kindly for joining us for Judah Wickhour. My name is Jerry Miller. So long, everybody. Thank you.