To meet their education needs, the University of Louisville 聽recently worked with Beam Suntory to develop 鈥淟eading with Spirit,鈥� a professional development program customized to the needs of the company and its employees. The program is built on UofL鈥檚 existing distilled spirits business certificate, with content added in project management and leading change. 聽Beam Suntory employees will benefit from courses led by industry experts, and a compressed 16-week, non-credit curriculum, which can be completed regardless of previous educational background.

鈥淥ur employees are deeply knowledgeable in their specific areas of the business and want to apply their background to the nuances of the spirits industry,鈥� said Nicki Clifton, senior HR director, Supply Chain at Beam Suntory. 鈥淲e are proud to provide a learning opportunity to them through the UofL College of Business and are appreciative of this partnership which supports our employees and their development goals.鈥�

A pilot cohort for Leading with Spirit was launched in October with 10 Beam Suntory employees. The new certificate program will add industry-specific leadership and strategic management education to the employees鈥� resumes in just a few months, a much faster and more cost-effective solution than traditional degree programs.

The UofL College of Business has expertise in developing customized, industry-specific programs such as the new certificate for Beam Suntory to meet the needs of Louisville industries.

鈥淲ith the development of the graduate certificate programs in niche industries in Louisville such as distilled spirits, we can fine-tune the programs to fit the specific needs of the audience and company,鈥� said Jeff Guan, interim dean of the UofL College of Business. 鈥淐reating a non-graduate-degree version of a program allows flexibility to meet the need where the need exists. In this case, it鈥檚 created a great partnership with Bean Suntory.鈥�

The original is an online certificate offered to graduate students that provides credits toward completion of an MBA. Developed to meet the needs of Kentucky鈥檚 important distilled spirits industry, the certificate covers regulations, sales and distribution, operations and supply chain management, sustainability and brand marketing. It is believed to be the only distilled spirits business certificate in the U.S.

Virginia Denny, assistant dean for executive education in UofL鈥檚 College of Business, said programs like 聽Leading with Spirit are becoming more important for both professionals and corporations.

鈥淲e are no longer in a world where we can think about education ending with a bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 or even a PhD degree. We are living in a world of 60 years of curriculum. Technology is transforming so rapidly, we have to be there for students and companies in a different way,鈥� Denny said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where the non-credit, executive education programs come into play. That is our future 鈥� the ability to play in the space between credit and non-credit and responding to the needs of corporate clients.鈥�

Beam Suntory is a global premium spirits company headquartered in New York. They produce Jim Beam and Maker鈥檚 Mark bourbons in Kentucky, Hibiki Japanese whisky in Japan and more than 70 other spirits brands around the world. Its 5,700 employees are in more than 90 locations on five continents.

Historically, LaunchIt training had been done in person in downtown Louisville, but in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, program leaders took the bootcamp online. This allowed innovators to participate remotely 鈥� and from farther away. The spring 2020 virtual pilot cohort included entrepreneurs from Michigan, Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia and across Kentucky.

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to invite these regional entrepreneurs into our LaunchIt family,鈥� said program director Mary Tapolsky, assistant director of external programs at the UofL Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship. 鈥淓ach class brings fresh ideas and perspectives, and this expansion will amplify that while accelerating the launch of innovative new products and startups that energize our regional economy.鈥�

Since 2011, more than 600 entrepreneurs and university researchers have completed the program. The curriculum includes lessons on customer discovery, product validation, marketing and other considerations when preparing for market launch.

Participants normally would attend classes in person once per week in the iHub co-working space on UofL’s downtown JD Nichols Campus for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In the virtual program, the meetings and content are entirely online.

One attendee in the spring 2020 virtual pilot cohort was Brad Profitt, assistant professor in the Marshall University School of Physical Therapy in West Virginia. Profitt鈥檚 participation in LaunchIt was sponsored by UofL鈥檚 NSF-designated , part of the UofL’s suite of prestigious innovation programs aimed at commercializing university-born research. Profitt hopes to further develop a patent-pending therapeutic device used to regain knee extension after an injury or surgery.

鈥淭he ultimate goal is to get this device in the hands of patients for home use to promote carryover between their physical therapy visits,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 learned a lot about how to effectively commercialize my product during LaunchIt and I highly recommend it to other researchers looking to do the same.鈥�

Registration is open through Feb. 9 for the spring virtual cohort, which again will accept researchers from partner institutions and universities across Kentucky. More information on registration and grant funding opportunities is available .