Big Little Legends author Geyer Maxwell joined Moose Jaw Mayor Clive Tolly in the building formerly known as Mosaic Place, where guests heard from local business leaders and heard from local business leaders with pulled pork sandwiches and a Moose Jaw- Enjoyed the brewed IPA.
Gare Maxwell, author of big little legendsThe mayor of Moose Jaw was joined by Clive Tolly in the building formerly known as Mosaic Place, where guests listened to local business leaders and enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches and Moose Jaw-brewed IPAs.
The city is currently hunting for a new naming partner for the Moose Jaw Events Center after the Mosaic Company refused to renew their partnership.
The event took place on August 4 at the Founder’s Lounge. City communications manager Craig Hemingway thanked sponsors including Burns & McDonnell, Thunder Creek Pork, who supplied the food, and event center staff.
Featured businesses of the night were Moose Jaw Brewing Company (MJBC), Lions Creek Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, and Moose Jaw Co-op.
Tolly noted that he had only met Maxwell that evening as the incident went on, but learned that he shared a past in the Hockey Color commentary. The pair spent some time in character before Maxwell spoke about how the city’s Prohibition-era reputation for being the most infamous city brand in Canada presented itself well.
Maxwell’s style during the evening was to ask guests about their branding strategies and try to come up with suggestions for their next reputation-building move. He engaged the audience with rhetorical questions such as:
“I just want to know if fundamentally you’re okay with expanding your customer base and increasing revenue, is that okay, are we okay with that?”
Terry Zwerich and Cody Schultz are the passionate brewers and co-owners behind Moose Jaw Brewing Company (MJBC), which began producing the drink in January 2022. They brought a sample of their MJBC IPA, which was the hot topic of the evening.
MJBC’s “Silly Chutney”—Zwarich’s description—is currently available from Cask 82, Bugsy’s Irish Pub, The Crushed Can Rec Room & Bar, and Sobie’s Liquor Store. The company’s passion for their process was evident as Zwerich and Schultz described the various effects of time, temperature, humidity, herbs and spices on their flavors and how they refined a consistent flavor across their original lineup.
Lions Creek’s Charmaine Franken was up after MJBC.
Lions Creek’s flagship store is in Moose Jaw, but the company imports its olives from South Africa and its balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy. Franken tells the story of its successful rebranding.
The name Lions Creek comes from the source of their olives in South Africa – where the two rivers meet. Both rivers are named after mythical hunters: the Liu in Afrikaans and the Gamka in Khoisan.
Free tasting sessions, staff expertise, a variety of pairing options, and scores of tastings have made Lion Creek justifiably famous and a regular stop for downtown shoppers.
Geoff Anderson was the last guest. Anderson has been the General Manager of the Moose Jaw Co-op Association since 2019 and has built a reputation for its community involvement. He is the current president of the Downtown Moose Jaw Association (DMJA), which recently declared its goal to be Canada’s most notoriously lucrative city.
Anderson is also on the board of the Moose Jaw Transition House and last November joined forces with 15 other men for a Transition House fundraiser.
Anderson and his wife Juanita noted that their careers with the Co-op resulted in more than 45 moves between them. During his conversation with Tolly and Maxwell, Anderson expressed his passion for a culture of customer-owned cooperatives, which translates into a brand centered around experience rather than product.