Steven Stone

Owner and Distiller at Sound Spirits, Boeing Engineer

Education

• Master of Business Administration, University of Washington
• Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, The George Washington University
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University

Career path

• Analyst at Accenture
• Lead Flutter Engineer at Boeing
• Founder and Master Distiller at Sound Spirits

Current work

Steven opened Sound Spirits, Seattle's first craft distillery since Prohibition, in fall 2010 after several years of planning. Each month he produces about 500 bottles of vodka and gin under the label Ebb + Flow. He sells directly to consumers and restaurants at his Interbay distillery and tasting room and, more recently, through liquor stores across Washington state.

Steven juggles running a small business with his full-time day job as an engineer at Boeing in Everett, where he has worked since the late 1990s. He focuses on a type of analysis called "flutter," which is designed to ensure that airplanes are stable in flight.

As he spends most evenings and weekends transforming malted Washington barley into spirits, Steven likes to joke that he practices "rocket science by day and rocket fuel at night."

Distilling a business plan

Steven had brewed beer at home for about 20 years, but it never occurred to him to start a distillery until he started the evening Master of Business Administration program at the UW in 2004. ("Ironically, I grew up in a small, dry county in Texas," he noted.)

While in school, he noticed a trend of "microdistilleries" popping up around the country, including a friend's Portland operation, and realized no one in Seattle had gotten into that business yet.

Steven used his entrepreneurship classes to develop his business plan, which he modified along the way, and enlisted some friends to act as investors. Next came the process of navigating the complex web of regulations and permits necessary to start processing, finding an appropriate site, building and setting up his equipment, researching formulas for his products, and deciding on branding, design and pricing.

To give his products a distinctly Pacific Northwest feel, Steven selected a Pacific octopus as his company's mascot. His hefty glass liquor bottles feature wisps of green and blue that recall the area's waterways.

The UW's advantage

When Steven decided to pursue an MBA degree, he wanted a greater understanding of business and economics but wasn't certain that he would start his own enterprise.

"Part of me thought, 'what if I had an opportunity to do something at some point outside of Boeing?''" Steven said. "But also within Boeing, if you're going to have a career there, it's important to know not just the engineering but how the engineering and business influence each other."

There's no replacement for hands-on business experience, but Steven says his MBA education was crucial in forming his company efficiently. And after surviving the intensity of holding a full-time job while attending evening classes, he felt prepared to lead a similarly busy lifestyle while starting Sound Spirits.

Future growth

Steven currently employs one other person, who works at the distillery during weekdays and handles much of the production, bottling and labeling of products. In the future, he plans to hire additional staff but to keep his day job at Boeing, allowing him to forego a salary and put that saved money back into the company.

Advice to small business owners

"Make sure you read some other entrepreneurial experiences of people because it'll give you an idea of whether you have the personality for it," Steven said, suggesting Beer School, a book about the Brooklyn Brewery founders, as a good resource.

"And also make sure your significant other is on board. There's no way you can open a business without having their support."

Photo by Elizabeth Lowry