Tami Plourde, ’98, is a psychology major and English minor turned brewer. Plourde credits those studies at UWL for her success as being part owner of Pearl Street Brewing Co., a craft brewery in La Crosse.
La Crosse has a long history of breweries since its founding in the mid-1800s — Gund, Heileman and City, to name a few. For long-time craft beer enthusiasts, there’s a new keg on the block. And a UWL alum is at the helm.
Tami Plourde, ’98, is a psychology major and English minor turned brewer. She credits those studies for her success with Pearl Street Brewing Co.
Plourde is part owner, along with director of marketing and sales for the brewery that opened in 1999. The English minor got copywriting experience working remotely from La Crosse for a Minneapolis design firm during college.
“I got a lot of experience writing copy for MSP Design Firm and worked with clients such as 3-M and learned a lot about marketing and creativity,” she explains. “I still use those skills today.”
The Lakeville, Minnesota, native says her psychology major helps her understand people — and to some extent predict buying habits and trends.
“I’m very interested in sales and marketing and promotion and both of those things are very essential skills in the craft brewing industry,” Plourde explains. “The rest is a little touch of fate and a lot of life leading me down the path.”