For The Tribune
TRUSSVILLE — Chris Donaldson’s first job at age 12 was picking up trash in his neighborhood. He was paid $25 per week but he saw early evidence of his entrepreneurial spirit, and he found a friend to do it for him for $15.
The Rotary Club of Trussville Daybreak heard from Donaldson, CEO of Avondale Brewery, at its regular Wednesday breakfast June 3.
Soon after that he sold newspaper subscriptions, which he said taught him a lot about himself and life. In college, he became the book salesman who would buy books from fellow students for more than the bookstore would offer and then sell the books for less than they could be bought at the bookstore.
“There’s no glamorous story behind the beginning of Avondale Brewery,” he said in telling about his latest venture. “We were just sitting around one day and decided to start brewing beer.”
The yeast for their beer came from Belgium and was cryogenically frozen, so they’ll always have it. The building was once, among other things, a fire station and a brothel.
On June 18, former FOX 6 meteorologist and social media expert Dennis Washington will speak to the club on “Solving the Facebook Problem.”