Our Story: For The Love For Draft Beers
A Head For Profits came to the market with a plan to ensure that draft beer was being served to the brewer’s expectations. We often found that retailers weren’t managing the cleanliness of their draft beer equipment well, and when you serve draft beer from dirty lines and equipment it will create an off-tasting draft beer. At the same time customers were trying a draft beer and their expectations weren’t met, so they would switch to a different product (mostly bottled beer). Draft beer is one of the most profitable items in a bar, so not selling a perfect draft beer because of quality lessens the profits at our customers.
We currently clean draft beer lines regularly in 10 Southern states with a team of experts in the field of draft beer. Our team has Cicerone Server Level certifications, and we foster continuing education for them with in-house Key Performance Indicator training and testing. Our team of professionals will always also train bar owners and key staff about the best practices on serving draft beer, repair and maintenance issues, perfect pouring conditions, beer clean glasses, and general knowledge about draft beer.
Our mission is to promote draft beer sales and service to meet the brew master’s standards. When managed correctly, draft beer will always be a better product, more profitable, and an eco-friendly product as well.
Key Milestones
Historically, draft beer was treated very casually by the wholesale and retail communities. With the insurgence of Craft Beer into the market, the demand by the consumer to improve serving quality has increased dramatically.
However, this industry didn’t have the capability to manage draft beer service standards necessary to ensure its quality.
We saw the opportunity to manage the service side of the draft beer industry for all companies involved – the Brewer, the Wholesaler, and Bar/Restaurant Owner in 2011.
We clean and service over
195,000
lines per month
We began our company in Nashville with one distributor cleaning 500 draft beer lines a month in bars and restaurants. We are now cleaning 100% of the draft beer line in the Nashville market, and we have grown into multiple states throughout the United States.
We now have a portfolio of over 75 wholesalers and their brewers, for which we clean draft beer lines. AHFP cleans and services over 195,000 lines per month.
15 Million
Lines cleaned
As a company, we recently broke the “15 million lines cleaned” milestone. We are providing regular service now for over 37,000 restaurants.
Installing on average overWe’ve grown in our sales and installation department as well. We are now installing, on average, over 500 draft beer systems in the US yearly. We have partner relationships with the nation’s largest wholesalers and some of the nation’s largest restaurant groups.
Recently, we opened a new office on the West Coast as we continue our growth.
Management Team
Our management team has the Industry Experience, Technical Knowledge, and Corporate Infrastructure to scale our business into new markets. They bring varying perspectives, skills, and knowledge and contribute significantly to the overall success of A Head Of Profits.
MARK RUBENSTEIN
Chief Executive Officer
MARK RUBENSTEIN (Chief Executive Officer)
MARK RUBENSTEIN (Chief Executive Officer)
As a career hospitality professional, Mark saw the opportunity that the draft beer industry holds for growth and improvement for brewers, distributors, and retailers in 2010. A Head for Profits was created to improve the quality of draft beer that is served, thus increasing sales and profits at the restaurant level. Through proper equipment servicing and cleaning along with employee training, draft beer can be served the way the Brew Master intended.
Mark is extremely proud of the dedication that the AHFP team possesses and the changes in thinking towards serving the best quality draft beer. Mark is gearing up AHFP’s next generation of evolution through broader expansion, strategic partnerships, and product line diversification. Mark is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in all areas of the hospitality industry. He is a history buff, an avid fan of the NFL, and enjoys international travel and experiences.
MARK DAVIS
President/Chief Financial Officer
MARK DAVIS (President/Chief Financial Officers)
MARK DAVIS President/Chief Financial Officers
Mark Davis is a graduate of Lynchburg College where he played both basketball and tennis. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting with a Minor in Business Administration. Mark is a career hospitality professional who has owned restaurants and nightclubs. As CFO/President, Mark has stewarded AHFP’s tremendous growth and will be integral in managing AHFP’s next levels of growth, acquisitions, and diversification.
Mark is also a Senior Partner with Sculpture Hospitality. Mark is married with 2 daughters. He likes to travel and play golf as well, and he is a huge NFL and College Basketball fan.
RICK AUTERY
Vice President Of Operation
RICK AUTERY (Vice President of Operations)
RICK AUTERY Vice President of Operations
You won’t find anyone more excited about the draft beer industry than Rick Autery. His commitment to helping others pour the perfect pint shows in his daily interactions with his customers. Rick won’t let his team leave the job until it’s done right. In addition to the commitment to the service team for AHFP, he is our problem solver and will help create the draft system of your dreams. Rick is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server. Rick has a long and experienced history in the Beer industry both at the Wholesale level and at the dispense and installation levels.
Having worked for Miller, Coors, and Anheuser-Busch he grew to understand the relationships between the Supplier, the Wholesaler, and the Retailer, better known as the 3 Tier System. He worked for, and in all aspects of the wholesaler industry and brought that expertise to AHFP.
After starting and operating an installation company in Nashville, he was recruited by and joined AHFP in 2010 and has been an integral part of AHFP’s growth and strategy. Currently, Rick focuses on National Accounts Services for AHFP. With 25 years in the beverage industry, Rick is just as passionate about the industry as he was on day one!
Rick is a native of Nashville, has been married to his wife Kim for 22 years, and has a wonderful daughter, Kaitlin!
BILL HARDIN
Vice President of Sales
BILL HARDIN (Vice President of Sales)
BILL HARDIN Vice President of Sales
Bill is a native of Nashville and is the driving force behind the “consultative” and “best in the biz” culture of AHFP. Bill’s introduction to the draft beer service world came at the end of a cleaning brush (cleaning draft beer lines) where he learned this business from the inside of the cooler to his favorite place (where the beer comes out of the faucet). After spending a year in the trenches, Bill decided to put his 25 years of sales experience to work helping to grow A Head for Profits from just a local Nashville company to a multi-state regional corporation in just 3 years.
As AHFP expanded its footprint, Bill’s role evolved from the retail sector and is now managing and cultivating AHFP’s Wholesaler business and relationships. His personality is such, that you cannot miss him at the NBWA and the CBC.
Bill is an avid sports enthusiast and loves to golf. He is married to his wife Lisa of many years and has a son, Will.
JEFF WALTON
Director of Training & Development
JEFF WALTON (Director of Training & Development)
JEFF WALTON Director of Training & Development
Jeff developed a passion for the liquor, beer, and wine industry in his early 20s from his father and uncle. Jeff’s uncle worked for Moët Hennessy USA and would always bring his brands when he came to visit. He had a unique ability to break down the history of each product, how it was made, and explain where flavor profiles came from. All of which fascinated Jeff. As Director of Training and Brewery Relations, Jeff’s focus is on quality draft beer.
Working with his team, Jeff has helped design the training program for all quality technicians to meet beer industry standards. He also regularly meets with bar owners, managers, and bartenders to discuss the importance of serving the perfect pint of draft beer.
Although an avid beer consumer, Jeff does not have a favorite beer or beer style because he considers himself a “situational drinker.” Whether he’s pairing a beer with food or cooling down after a hot summer run, there’s a beer for every occasion.
Jeff is a Certified Beer Server and a former US Marine with over 20 years of hospitality experience.
KAT DAVIS
Director of Customer Relations
KAT DAVIS (Director of Customer Relations)
KAT DAVIS Director of Customer Relations
Katherine (Kat) is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. with a BS degree in Business Management. Kat is an experienced hospitality professional, bringing her experiences and expertise in customer service to AHFP.
Kat believes strongly that women have major roles to play in business and has worked closely with women executives in hospitality and the beer industry through all 3 tiers. Kat is also a Senior Partner with Sculpture Hospitality. She is married with 2 daughters and loves all sports.
In her free time, you’ll find Kat working on several philanthropies that are important to her; those being High Hopes for Kids, (which is a Non-Profit organization dedicated to educating children with Special Needs) as a Board Member as well as Human Trafficking by working with the National Beverage Wholesaler Association’s (NBWA) national campaign to prevent Human Trafficking.
CRAIG FOSTER
Vice President of Technology
CRAIG FOSTER (Vice President of Technology)
CRAIG FOSTER Vice President of Technology
Craig was born and raised in Charleston, SC. After attending The Citadel, (the Military College of South Carolina), Craig spent most of his career working in many different areas of the food and beverage industry. Craig developed a passion for craft beer while owning and operating Foster’s Pub, which was originally purchased as a sports bar. Craig transformed his namesake bar into a draft beer-centered destination for Charleston.
At the time, Foster’s Pub was one of only a handful of bars with a significant amount of craft beer brands available for consumers. Craig learned that regularly scheduled cleanings were a necessity to pour the best tasting draft beer. This was a task he took on himself to insure it was done properly.
It was during this time that Craig learned A Head For Profits was looking to open in South Carolina. He sold Foster’s Pub and joined the team at AHFP. Craig is a Cicerone Certified Beer server. He still lives in his hometown with his wife, and two boys. His favorite pastimes are cycling and watching the Georgia Bulldogs!
YUSNIEL FERNANDEZ
Director of Business Operations
YUSNIEL FERNANDEZ (Director of Business Operations)
YUSNIEL FERNANDEZ Director of Business Operations
A native South Floridian, Yusniel grew up from humble beginnings. Always helping his family, he grew up learning and doing all kinds of construction & handyman work.
He started working at Gold Coast Beverage, a Miller/Coors distributor while attending pre-pharmacy school. In no time, he fell in love with the beer industry, even more so with On-Premises sales and operations! He enjoyed the retailer relationships, the teamwork, the hustle, and getting to know the hospitality community in South Florida. He finished his first year of Pre-Pharmacy Degree top of the class but opted to stay full time in the beer industry and never looked back.
Gold Coast was bought by Reyes Holdings in 2014 and he accepted an offer with A Head for Profits to be the General Manager for their Florida operations. Yusniel says he left behind an established career in beer Sales and Distribution only because “ I genuinely believed in the mission and the vision that Mark Rubenstein presented to me during our first meeting. I knew A Head for Profits had the potential to have a powerful, positive impact in the draft beer industry! I am proud of the work our teams do every day on making draft beer taste the way the Brewer intended for it to taste and help promote the Perfect Pint.” Yusniel is married with 2 amazing daughters!
JEFF BRYANT
Director of Sales and Installation Management
JEFF BRYANT (Director of Sales and Installation Management)
JEFF BRYANT Director of Sales and Installation Management
Jeff is a seasoned veteran in the beverage business with over 25 years of experience. He spent 21 years working for Coastal Beverage company in Eastern North Carolina in many positions but eventually worked his way up to an On-Premise Director. During this position, Jeff helped broker the deal with A Head For Profits and Coastal Beverage to take that draft business external and saw the benefits firsthand that this had in the beer industry at the consumer satisfaction and increased purchasing level.
Jeff’s accomplishments include Certified Beer Server thru Cicerone, Micro Matic Certified Installer, Miller Brewing Company Certified Installer, Coors Brewing Company Certified Installer, and MillerCoors Certified Installer. He brings strong leadership to the Sales and Installation team at A Head For Profits.
NICK SMITH
Director of Service Management
NICK SMITH (Director of Service Management)
NICK SMITH Director of Service Management
Meeting customer’s needs when their draft beer equipment is not performing is Nick’s passion. He recently joined the A Head For Profits team as service manager due to his vast experience in the service industry and has spearheaded the opening of service teams in many new markets. Nick joins us from our Glacier Design brand where his 10 years of commitment to helping meet our customers’ needs is shining bright. Fun Fact: Nick’s degree is in Cultural Anthropology.
Nick is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and Certified Dispense Specialist of the Micro-Matic Dispense Institute.
Our Awards
E360
(Entrepreneur Magazine)
INC 500
(Inc Magazine)
Next Awards
(Nashville Entrepreneur & Chamber of Commerce)
Awarded by
Micro-Matic as Largest Wholesale Purchaser in the U.S. for the Company
Our Certifications
Cicerone Server Certifications
Certified Installers through Micro-Matic and other major brands
AHFP Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Training Certifications for Draft Quality Technicians & Installers
Certified AB/InBev and Miller Coors Service Provider
NBWA Certified Distributor Against Human Trafficking Awareness.
Associations & Memberships
