LEBRON
HAGGARD
CEO & Director of Liquid R&D
The CEO (Chief Everything Officer) and Director of Liquid R&D at Common John Brewing Company did not grow up dreaming of spreadsheets, conference calls, and "circling back." Yet somehow, after earning degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Global Business Management, he spent nearly 25 years thriving in corporate life. He loved his job and fully expected to retire there… until one unfortunate encounter with a crummy manager and a lifetime supply of corporate bureaucracy triggered an all-or-nothing moment. Instead of updating his résumé, he decided to rewrite his life and chase beer full time.
The seeds of this life decision were planted back in 2008 when his wife, Angela, gave him a homebrew kit. What she thought would be a cute hobby quickly evolved into a garage-consuming, weekend-destroying obsession. Over the next decade he brewed hundreds of batches with friends David, Jeff, Larry, and future son-in-law Derrick—all in the name of "quality control." Today, David and Larry work full-time in brewery operations, while Jeff heroically keeps everything from falling apart through continuous improvement projects and maintenance wizardry.
He also undertook extremely serious "research," visiting more than 700 breweries and tasting over 10,000 unique beers. This was clearly a sacrifice made purely for the sake of industry knowledge and absolutely not because he enjoyed it.
When the dream became real, he partnered with his aunt Renee—his dad's baby sister who grew up more like a sibling than an aunt—to build a music-inspired brewery and brewpub dedicated to great beer, great food, and a place where everyone feels like a regular.
Family runs through everything. Daughter Shelby and her husband Derrick help run daily brewery operations and are the proud parents of grandchildren Adelaide and Emmitt. Daughter Chloe and her husband Orey serve as Marines, making family gatherings both proud and slightly intimidating. He's the grateful son of Ray and Barbara, and sibling to Chris and Natalie.
The mission has always been simple: bring something unique and exciting to Manchester, create a place where the community gathers, and craft beer that hits all the right notes—preferably loud enough to drown out the phrase "per my last email." 🍻
