Paul Henderson is a busy man. As Alaskan’s Northern California District Sales Manager, his sales territory stretches from the northern border of California, south to San Francisco Bay, east to Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada, but at least he can get there by paved road.
An Alaskan expatriate, the first eight of Paul’s 12 years with Alaskan were spent in the Far North as the Alaska State Sales Manager where he traveled by boat, bush plane, ATV and dog sled to sell and serve Alaskan beer to the far corners of the state.
This isn’t Paul’s first escape to the Golden state for a break from life on the Last Frontier. He grew up in the town of Palmer, Alaska, just outside of Anchorage but moved to SoCal for film school - “I wanted to be a director.”
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| Paul and Jackie Henderson with their Schipperke puppy, Sadie. |
He eventually came home to Alaska, where there wasn’t much of a film industry, but beer was a great alternative career. After working his way up through the ranks at an Anchorage-area beverage distributor, Paul’s hardworking attitude and grassroots motivation made him a perfect fit for Alaskan.
“Alaskan did it right. We grew through grassroots partnerships with great organizations that showcased Alaskan beer and shared our connections with the state,” explains Paul. “It is so easy to work for a company that you believe in; especially when you enjoy the products you sell.”
His position took him all over Alaska to work with our retailers looking to serve a “taste of Alaska;” and he picked up some great stories and skills along the way.
“Once, I was in King Salmon when we flew over to Katmai National Park where there was a great bar in the lodge that had Alaskan Amber on tap. I ended up getting chased through the property by a mama grizzly bear protecting her cubs. That was my first experience with a big grizzly - very cool.”
Needless to say, Paul doesn’t consider his job your everyday work experience, “Everyday is different.”
Another sales call took him to Nome for the finish of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race where he met then seventh place finisher, Lance Mackey. “I knew when we met that he was going to be an Iditarod champ,” remembers Paul, “Now he has won three times.”
After eight years and countless miles of travel across Alaska, Paul and his wife Jackie heard California calling.
“When I heard that there was an opening for Northern California I put my hat into the ring,” says Paul. “I had been almost everywhere in Alaska and I was looking for a new challenge and a change of scenery.”
Paul and Jackie are glad they made the move, and so are we. They are closer to family and love being “two hours from everything.” We love that Paul has helped spread the good word of Alaskan beer to eager craft beer drinkers in the Bay Area and beyond, including an extremely successful launch of Alaskan White Ale.
What does he miss most about Alaska?
“The people. Not only do Jackie and I miss the family and friends we left behind, but Alaska has some of the warmest people I have ever encountered.” “That, and I don’t get to do my famous moose call quite as much.”
And what does he miss the least?
“The weather. I always told myself I would live someplace where it was warm most of time, now I get to put up Christmas lights in my shorts.” |
