The Nonprofit/For-Profit Connection

by Neil Baier

Crescent Crown Distributing and Mesa Arts Center (MAC) may seem like unlikely partners at first, but when you think about it, events and entertainment almost always include an option of enjoying beer, and the making of beer is an art form in itself. From year to year, our partnership changes, but always with an eye toward mutual benefit for Crescent Crown, MAC and the surrounding community. MAC gives us the opportunity to blend our work with an organization making an impact through the arts and helps us to connect with new customers. Our support of MAC is linked to community festivals, concerts and incredible engagement programs, which expose thousands of Arizona residents to our products and bring arts experiences to people of all ages.

Our ownership takes great pride in being involved in the communities in which we do operations. For example, last year’s Street Pianos Mesa Project connected 24 local community groups and individual artists with donated pianos, to transform the instruments into playable works of art. The pianos were installed for nearly six weeks in and around the City of Mesa, and thousands of people got to play, some of them touching a piano or making music for the first time.

Also, our corporate membership at the MAC provides us with discounted tickets and presale opportunities for our employees, which makes for a happier (and more productive) workforce. Interaction with the arts is not only good for our business, it’s good for our people, too!

For us, this relationship is a win-win, making participation in the arts possible for many who would not otherwise have the opportunity, and deepening our business’s connection to the community in a unique and impactful way.

Neil Baier has been the vice president of finance for Crescent Crown Distributing, one of the five largest beer distributors in the country with operations in Arizona and Louisiana, since 2008. Baier is also the board chair of the Mesa Arts Center Foundation. 

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