Half Moon Bay Brewing Company – Business Hall of Fame Award

July 22, 2008

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (July 22, 2008) - Half Moon Bay Brewing Company and its owners were recently awarded with the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau's special "Business Hall of Fame Award" for their dedication to giving back to the community and maintaining a strong environmentally-friendly stance.

"A core value for all the brewery owners is giving back to the community," said Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Co-owner Lenny Mendonca. "Since we opened our doors in 2000, we have had the pleasure and ability as a business to donate our time, services and tens of thousands of dollars to coastside organizations that truly need the assistance and causes that we are passionate about personally."

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Co-owners Lenny and Christine Mendonca have been at the forefront of this community involvement, especially with their commitment to education on the state, regional and local level. Christine Mendonca played an integral role in the creation of the Cabrillo Education Foundation and its Endowment Fund and has been involved with the local public schools in various capacities since 1993.

"Since we are so passionate about educational causes, we created an annual scholarship program for graduating seniors at Half Moon Bay High School," said Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Co-owner Christine Mendonca. "This has been an amazing endeavor for us and the students and we are excited to continue the program. Each year, the Brewing Company donates $10,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors, some working at the Brewery, and other in-need students at the school's discretion."

Lenny Mendonca is not only involved in the community on the local level, but also within the larger Bay Area region. He is currently the Chairman of the Bay Area Council, as well as on the board of The New America Foundation, Common Cause, ChildrenNow, DonorsChoose, and The California Business for Educational Excellence Foundation. He is also a trustee for the Committee for Economic Development, a member of The Advisory Council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a member of the Alliance for the San Francisco Unified School District.

On the environmental front, the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company recently became the San Mateo County Coast's first "green" certified business. The Bay Area Green Business Program recognized the Brewery's commitment to helping the environment by conserving energy and water, eliminating waste, pollution prevention and using resources more proficiently.

"We pride ourselves on being a pioneer in the community for our environmental efforts and are always looking for new ways to be even more environmentally-friendly," said Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Co-owner Mike Laffen. "Over the years, we've implemented a number of practices to benefit the environment, and will continue to do so, such as adhering to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seawatch Program by using replenishable food and non-endangered fish (wild when possible); recycling more than 200,000 pounds of spent grain from the brewing process; using ENERGY STAR equipment; and donating 300,000 pounds of used cooking oil for use in a fleet of biodiesel trucks."

The Brewing Company also plays an active role in several local events and fundraisers, helping to raise much needed funds for local non-profit organizations and community services such as the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside and the Coastside Family Medical Center. The Brewery is proud to sponsor numerous local events such as the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, Pacifica Fog Fest, Pacific Coast Dream Machines and other events that benefit local causes.

The owners received the Lifetime Ambassador Award at the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau's 45th Annual Recognition Luncheon, which took place on June 25. In addition to receiving the award, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Director of Marketing Wayne Meyer was inducted as chief financial officer for the Chamber at the luncheon.

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