About 3,000 miles from Argenta Hall dormitory, you’ll find its namesake, Argenta Brewing Company. Despite the difference in location and purpose, the two Argentas have plenty in common: welcoming vibes, distinctive smells, friendships waiting to happen, and Ryan Dunlap ’19 (accounting).
A family legacy and a change in direction
After a semester in Montana, Ryan transferred to the 69老湿机福利, the school his granddad and parents attended, and moved into Argenta Hall. Little did he know he’d someday name a business after the dorm.
Before college, Ryan was sure he’d become an engineer. “That’s what everyone in my family did – grandfather, uncles, way too many to count. I figured, I’m probably going to do engineering. That seems practical.” But an internship at a civil engineering firm changed everything. “I kind of hated it,” he admitted. “So I thought, what else do we have?”
His next move? Accounting. A local entrepreneur told Ryan it was the one thing he wished he knew before starting a business. Ryan took the advice to heart. “It seemed practical,” he said. During college, he worked in accounting for a couple of years, including an internship at Toyota. “And wouldn’t you know it – I didn’t like that either.”
By his final year at the University, Ryan was looking for something different. “I had enough credit hours to sit for the CPA, but I just wanted a fun, cool job for a while. I’d always been interested in the beer industry, so I thought, why not now?” He applied for jobs across the country. When an offer came through, it was from a brewery in Bar Harbor, Maine.
“I figured I’d give it a shot, and if I didn’t like it, I could always do something else. Two days after graduation, my buddy and I packed up and drove cross-country.” Ryan didn’t just like it. He loved it. He was drawn to the brewing process, the community, and the industry’s collaborative spirit. And after a few years, a brewing facility became available in Portland, Maine. “The stars just kind of aligned,” Ryan said. “Opening my own place had been in the back of my head for as long as I could remember.” In fact, he had spent a decade keeping notes on how he’d run his own business. Those notes became a plan.
The birth of Argenta Brewing Company
Argenta Brewing Company opened with a unique name, connecting Ryan to his upbringing in the West, and a unique approach. “Most craft breweries in the U.S. make 60 to 70% of their beer as IPAs,” Ryan explained. “We don’t brew IPAs. We focus exclusively on lagers.” The minimalist approach extends to Ryan’s business model – just five beers on draft at a time, a stripped-down aesthetic, and an emphasis on tradition.
It’s a far cry from the over-the-top, gimmicky beer concepts he once pitched in his college entrepreneurship class. “For one project, I forced my team to create a business plan for a hypothetical brewery with the craziest flavors we could think of – even a beer for your dog,” he laughed. “Now, we’re doing the complete opposite.”
The formula seems to be working. Argenta Brewing just celebrated one year in business.
“Traditionally, lager saloons were places where everyone was welcome regardless of background or status. We aim to create what we think a modern-day lager saloon would be like here in Portland, Maine.”
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Ryan has simple but hard-earned advice: “Find a way to do it as cheaply as humanly possible and start small. A proof of concept is key. This was a capital-intensive project, and it was tough to figure out a way to make it work. But if it’s something you truly want to do, find a way. Otherwise, you’ll regret not trying.”
Looking back, Ryan encourages students to immerse themselves in school. “Get involved as much as you can. When you’re in college, you’re in this walkable community where everyone is your age and wants to connect. That’s hard to recreate after graduation. You’re learning how to network, and that’s arguably just as important as what you’re learning in the classroom.”
When asked what he misses about northern Nevada, Ryan’s list is extensive: his family, Lake Tahoe, “real” mountains, and Port of Subs. “It was a great place to grow up and go to school. I’m definitely very grateful that I had that experience.”
A Pint with Grandpa
If Ryan could share a pint with anyone, it would have to be his grandfather, Bruce Krater ’52 (civil engineering), the first in his family to attend the University. “It would be cool to have a beer with him when he was 22, during his glory days at the University,” he says. “It must have been a totally different experience. I’d love to hear his stories.”
For now, Ryan is busy crafting his own stories from inside a red brick building, much like the dorm where his dream began.
*Photos: Courtesy Ryan Dunlap ‘19