Deschutes Brewery hires New Belgium Brewing's Mark Fischer as its newest Director of Brewery Operations.

Press Release

BEND, Oregon -- Deschutes Brewery is excited to announce that Mark Fischer, former senior plant engineer at New Belgium brewery in Fort Collins, CO, will join its leadership team in Bend as the new director of brewery operations. Fischer fills a critical role held by Karl Ockert, who left the company to pursue a new chapter as a consultant to the craft beer industry.

 “Mark brings over 30 years of operations management experience, including proven success as a builder and creative thinker,” said Michael LaLonde, president and CEO of Deschutes Brewery. “Not only did he oversee operations for New Belgium’s Fort Collins brewery, he contributed to projects related to sustainability and company culture that fit right in with Deschutes’ values. With future plans that include growing capacity with our can line, adding more sustainability practices in our facilities and an east coast expansion, he’ll be a great addition.”

Fischer spent over 15 years at New Belgium where he also held positions as director of operations and production manager. In his various roles, he managed all brewing operations, maintenance, waste water treatment systems and the expansion of production capacity from 250,000 to 700,000 barrels per year. He also was instrumental in the successful design, construction and startup of New Belgium’s brewery in Asheville, NC.

"The first time I met a group of co-workers at Deschutes was in 2009, and I immediately felt at home and comfortable with all of them.  I'm very excited to now be a part of this great team!," said Fischer.
Born and raised in Canada, Fischer completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Wichita State University and holds a capital management diploma from Northwestern University. Prior to beer, he held various positions for IMC Salt Company in Overland Park, KS, including plant manager, mechanical superintendent and project engineer.

Fischer will start at Deschutes Brewery on April 30, 2018.

About Deschutes Brewery
Family and employee owned since 1988, Deschutes Brewery – Bend’s original brewpub – has become the cornerstone of Central Oregon’s flourishing craft brew culture. Known for its generous use of whole hops in its defining beers such as Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and Fresh Squeezed IPA, the brewery also keeps fans on the edge of their bar stools with the release of small batch experimental beers each season. Now available in 30 states and Washington D.C., Deschutes’ flagship brewpub has been joined by a main brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes River in Bend, a pub in Portland, and coming in 2021, a new east coast brewery in Roanoke, Virginia. www.deschutesbrewery.com