Brad Johnston

Brad was born and raised in Charlotte. He received a Business degree from UNC-Greensboro where he met his wife, Suzan. After several years in the restaurant industry, Brad and his old college roommate Steve Hedberg put together a group of investors to purchase an eighteen-month-old business that was failing. Brad was only 26 at the time, but even at that age, he saw the potential in Tryon Distributing.

As the President of Tryon, Brad has been very active within the Craft Beer and Wine industries. He has been a board member of the Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance as well as the North Carolina Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association.

Brad was also very active in the grassroots movement to raise the alcohol limit in beer, called ‘Pop the Cap’. He was also the Chairman of the National Craft Beer Wholesalers Symposium for several years and in 2017 was honored with the Industry Impact Award, which was awarded to him by the North Carolina Brewer’s Guild. In 2018, Brad accepted the Wholesaler of the Year Award from the National Brewers Association.