Today's BLIB is extra special because it was done with two different business leaders at the same time. It's kind of like the Doublemint commercial from the 80's, minus the big hair and sweater vests, and with way more beer. We met up with Neelu Modali and Naveen Krishnamurthy at Earl's Kitchen and Bar in Tyson's Corner for some good old fashioned BLIB fun. Both native to the D.C. area, both UMD graduates, and both formidable business leaders - Neelu and Naveen were a blast to be around. Neelu runs SM Resources, a government contracting firm focused on Tech and Science consulting, which he grew from 10 employees to its current size of 250 employees. Naveen runs Riva Solutions, a government contracting firm with about 70 employees, which focuses on providing 'out of the box' digital services to the federal government. It was great seeing these two friends and business leaders talk about beers, bars, and business leadership. After our get together I felt like I walked away knowing more about all three.
The Beer:
After engaging with Neelu for just a few minutes I realized I was in the company of a serious beer guru. Neelu explained that he loves the culture of beer, the people at breweries, and the complexity of good beer. As it turns out, Neelu was the one who got Naveen into drinking beer - or at least drinking better beer. Naveen admittedly drank Budweiser (58) and Corona (54) prior to being introduced to the beer scene. For our first round, Neelu decided to drink an Atlas Rowdy Rye (83) and Naveen was throwing back a Flying Dog Raging Bitch (89). I decided to go for a Hellbender Red Line IPA (NR), named after D.C.'s infamous Red Line. When talking about favorite beers, Neelu mentioned recently drinking Firestone Walker's Parabola (100). This beer consistently ranks with BeerAdvocate and RateBeer as one of the best beers in the country. Neelu is part of a beer trading group and follows limited release beers and rare/hard-to-find beers. This is a guy who knows what he wants, likes, and needs when it comes to beers. Neelu called out Ocelot Brewing in Dulles, VA and Aslin Beer Company in Herndon, VA in particular for being great places nearby to drink some tasty beer. Neelu and Naveen both mentioned enjoying Bourbon County Barrel Stout (100). For those not familiar with this beer, it's brewed once a year, usually around Thanksgiving time and the beer itself is aged in actual bourbon barrels. It is brewed by Goose Island (owned by Anheuser Bush) but with one sip of this delicious Stout all of your Craft Brewer vs. Mega Brewer concerns go out the window. Naveen and Neelu also mentioned that they enjoy another rare and elusive beer, Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout (100). KBS was made available in April of this year, and if you're interested in seeing when some of the other Founders' limited release beers will become available, you can view their calendar here.
The Bar:
I have to admit that at first I was skeptical of Earl's Kitchen and Bar. A chain restaurant out of Canada and located in corporate-y Tyson's Corner did not pique my interest in the way that a small hole in the wall bar or restaurant would. However, I found Earl's to be a beautiful restaurant with some interesting elements to it. The service was fantastic, the beer was cold, and the food looked somewhat unique for what I'd imagine you'd get in Tysons. Neelu, Naveen, and myself all agreed that while Earl's is a good scene with decent beer, it's not really a destination if you're looking for a wide variety of beer. There are lots of local beers (and wine!) on tap. I noticed many of the breweries were what I would consider to be the "usual suspects" of local breweries, like D.C.'s DC Brau and Hellbender, Salisbury, Maryland's Evolution, and Alexandria, Virginia's Port City. But there wasn't much else in terms of beers from other areas, nor were there any small, local breweries on the list. The list was also very Ale-heavy. When I asked Naveen about the types of bars and restaurants he's into, he mentioned B-Side Restaurant in the Mosaic District of Fairfax, VA as well as ChurchKey in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Both guys recommended Macdowells Brew Kitchen in Leesburg. Neelu told us that he's much more into breweries than bars, and has been to many, many breweries around the country. He specifically called out Wicked Weed in Ashville, NC, Ballast Point in San Diego, CA, and Hardywood in Richmond, VA. Neelu tells BLIB'ers that they should never pass up an opportunity to try Hardywood's Christmas Morning Stout (94).
The Business Leader(s):
Next up I talked to Neelu and Naveen about business leadership. Because they're friends and have a common background, it wasn't surprising to hear that they have a similar perspective on business leadership. Neelu tells other business leaders that it's important to make sure your employees don't feel like they're a commodity. He also explained that we're in a different financial environment than we were back during the dot.com era when he started working, and that there are lots of hungry companies out there ready and willing to compete. Neelu advised other business leaders to listen to today's beat, but also realize that things are changing constantly. He'd like to see more opportunities for business leaders to sit down with one another and talk about things in a trusted, open, and vulnerable way and in a way in which everyone is open to learning new things. When I asked Neelu what he needs from the universe right now he responded by saying that he needs to be able to leverage his time to his advantage. Time, and the lack thereof, continues to be an important and reoccurring theme for business leaders.
Naveen had similar thoughts. He noted that people are so used to things being done a certain way and they need to understand that innovation may mean doing things a different way. He explained that innovation in the government has been relatively non-existent and that that needs to change. Naveen also said that there's so much information online and available that you need to be able to use that information to your advantage. One line that I love hearing Naveen say is: Everything in business is sales. It's refreshing to see a CEO and business leader emphasize the importance of sales in business, because without sales revenue there is no business. Naveen has also found that people tend to be motivated by things other than money. They're motivated by communication, innovation, and being rewarded for doing good work Naveen encourages other business leaders to have a regular dialogue with their employees and listen to what they have to say. This sounds a lot like what Lily Cua from Aspire told us back in BLIB #3!
A huge thanks to Neelu Modali from SM Resources and Naveen Krishnamurthy from RIVA. Our next beer swilling business leader will be Niv Shah, CEO and Co-Founder of Ottoneu, Inc. See you next Wednesday.
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