Beer Nuts President, Andy Shirk
On episode #53 of the Building BN podcast, BNEDC CEO Patrick Hoban and Community Marketing Manager, Whitney Chesher sit down to speak with Andy Shirk, President, BEER NUTS® Brand Snacks. The business which would eventually become BEER NUTS® was originally started by Shirk’s great-uncle, Russell Shirk, in 1953 in Bloomington, Illinois. BEER NUTS® are still being produced at a 100,000 square-foot facility on Washington and Robinson Street in Bloomington and ship to all 50 states and many foreign countries. BEER NUTS® Brand Snacks are available for purchase locally at First Edition, Fresh Thyme, Uptown Gifts, Donny B's, McLean County Museum of History, Alamo 2, Binny's, Walmart, and online at BEERNUTS.com.
Shirk is now the public face of the third generation of Shirks to operate BEER NUTS® Brand Snacks. He has served in his current role as President for over 7 years but has been working for the brand for almost 14 years. Shirk’s first role at the BEER NUTS® facility, he explains on the podcast, was sweeping the basement. He says, “My first job back was sweeping the basement of Beer Nuts, cleaning it, [and] eventually sweeping it. It hadn't been touched in a long time. And it was quite a project. [It] took about two weeks to get all the stuff out of there and get it all cleaned up. I went from a coat and tie to a t-shirt and jeans and started at the bottom, literally, and sort of worked every job over the next three years before becoming the GM. And then after a couple of years, I was appointed President … I think about six or seven years ago.”
Shirk currently serves as the Board Chair of the BNEDC Board of Directors and is also on several other local boards. These include the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, The CEO Council, and the Young Presidents Organization.
Listen to the entire podcast here, which includes Shirk’s favorite local restaurant, his personal philosophy on Economic Development, and if the BEER NUTS® in-person store will ever make a comeback. Read more about the history of BEER NUTS® Brand Snacks on their website.
