From Banking to Beer

Beer Buddies at THE LOCAL. PHOTO COURTESY OF STACY CONNELLY

Boise Beer Buddies’ Stacy Connelly

BY APRIL NEALE

Few people with solid corporate executive positions replete with benefits jettison their careers and bet on themselves. But Boise-based Wonder Woman Stacy Connelly did just that by chance. When this former banking executive saw that she had a knack for marketing and promotion for bringing in folks to buy craft beer at her favorite spots, she brewed an idea—but methodically, by applying all the due diligence and research experience gained in her investment banking deals. Boise Beer Buddies started with an observation and a vision to get bar and restaurant owners to buy into a loyalty program like no other.

Beer Buddies Founder, Stacy Connelly traded a desk job for the Idaho hops field.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STACY CONNELLY

Recalling her beginnings, Connelly said, “There’s a beer bar not far from my home, and periodically, they would be doing pint nights and beer events. I would send out invites to my friends, ‘Hey, join me at this event.’ And I realized after several of these that I was bringing these businesses a lot of clientele. I approached the owner and said, ‘Hey, if I start a club, will you get my people a discount?’ Now keep in mind, I’m still working for corporate America, but he said, ‘Yeah, sure. We’ll give everybody 10% off food and drinks.’”

The ease and responsiveness of the establishment owners fermented in Connelly’s mind. How could she keep it going? And at what point did her day job become irrelevant? She came from a different world—big banking and investment deals. Was this notion just too “small potatoes” for her to walk away from a sure thing?

The growth and population have benefited my business. Many people who move here learn about Boise Beer Buddies one way or the other.

Like most businesses, Connelly noted that Boise Beer Buddies started with this fantastic idea that seemed viable, as witnessed by her few clientele who shared her vision. Her friends helped her shape the name and the intentions of this new “beer club” as she worked out the kinks.

“I had a couple of people, and I think they felt sorry for [me] and my idea. And they gave me 20 bucks to join the club. I didn’t even have the membership cards yet. Eventually, I got the membership cards, and somewhere over a few beers, we came up with a name, Boise Beer Buddies,” she said. “Trying to establish the name of the business, since they all worked in breweries, my friends came up with the term “buddy hubs,” and then it grew from there in a couple of years. I acquired a few more buddy hubs and many more beer buddy members. And finally, yes, it was at this point when I decided to quit corporate America after many mergers and acquisitions in the banking world. I had been doing this Boise Beer Buddies on the side, and then it got to where I wasn’t giving either one 100 percent of my effort, and the time felt right with the brewery growth in the Treasure Valley area. So after doing it for two years as a side gig, I jumped in with both feet. And I’ve been doing it now for eight whole years.”

BASECAMP Buddies

PHOTO COURTESY OF STACY CONNELLY

Connelly now counts 4,700 active members and she communicates with them weekly in a robust newsletter also shared on her socials. Her reach extends beyond Idaho and counts Oregon, Nevada, and Wyoming as places where members’ cards earn them a percentage discount or another negotiated deal, like a dollar off any beer purchase. Connelly explained how this works. “Yes, the ‘Buddy Hub’ business we partner with will select their discount. So ideally, they do not change it once set because it will display in two different places, my website and the Boise Beer Buddies app. However, if the bar or restaurant wants to edit the offer down the road, I’ll allow it to be changed.”

The growth in the city has been a boon for Connelly, whose expansion plans are now rooted in her upgrading her tech in the app and extending her reach to members. “The growth and population have benefited my business. Many people who move here learn about Boise Beer Buddies one way or the other,” she said. “Learning about breweries, beer events, and beer festivals—it’s a great resource. So many of my Buddy Hubs have signage posted up in their places of business. And that helps because it gets the customer curious.”

One new Buddy Hub is Wepa Cafe, serving fresh Puerto Rican food in Garden City. Owner Art Robinson said, “Stacy and Boise Beer Buddies were instrumental in getting Wepa started as a pop-up food truck back in 2019. She introduced me to every brewery. I always told her that as soon as I had a location that served beer, we would immediately become a Buddy Hub because of her contribution to Wepa’s success. As a beer fan and VIP member, I believe her program is equally excellent for customers and retailers.”