The people and the practice behind Solon Consulting
Meet the people behind Solon · Austin, Texas
Before you hand someone your business plan, your buildout or your controls, you want to know who will actually carry the responsibility. Solon is a consulting practice: we guide decisions, build the business plan, design the facility and process, handle regulatory work, and represent owners through the build. The automation and controls we design and build are part of how we deliver.
01 / Who we are
What we do, and why
What to know about Solon Consulting before you hire us
Clients come to us at different points, and we can start wherever the decision is: shaping the business plan and budget, designing the facility and process, working through regulatory and permitting, or stepping in as owner’s representatives to carry our clients’ interests through a build. Because we also help run production businesses, the same engagement can cover staffing, distribution and day-to-day operations. We deliver the technical side directly too: drawing layouts, specifying and supplying equipment, building the controls that run the line, and commissioning systems.
We run a production operation of our own
In our own operation, it’s our money, our schedule and our compliance on the line every day: production, purchasing, maintenance, repairs, even replacing failed controls. Carrying the whole weight of a running business is the experience we bring to a client’s decisions, including how their money gets spent.
02 / What we deliver
The practice and its founders
A practice built on guidance, design, permits and controls
Solon Consulting founders Matt Couch and Kirby Kirkconnell started the company in Austin, Texas in March 2020. Kirby is our majority owner and a U.S. Navy veteran. Since then the practice has grown around connected work: guidance through decisions, business planning, facility and process design, regulatory and permitting, owner representation, and the automation and controls we design and build. Supplying equipment and programming it is part of that delivery.
03 / Our team
The people behind the work
Meet the Solon Consulting founders and consultants on our team
Co-founder · Partner
Meet Matt Couch
Matt Couch co-founded Solon in 2020. He holds the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Diploma in Brewing and a Diploma in Brewing Technology from Brewlab, and his project work spans process and utility design, owner representation, and the automation and controls Solon designs and builds.
Read more about Matt’s background
- Lead process engineer for the distillery utility retrofit, completed without disrupting active whiskey production
- Project lead and owner’s representative for dual-site brewpubs, delivered under budget and ahead of schedule
- Project lead for the turnkey pilot brewery, designing its automation
Co-founder · Partner
Meet Kirby Kirkconnell
Kirby Kirkconnell co-founded Solon with Matt Couch in 2020 and is our majority owner. He’s a U.S. Navy veteran with a service-connected disability and the qualifying veteran for our SBA VetCert-certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business status. Veteran-owned is part of who we are.
Read more about their background
- U.S. Navy veteran bringing military discipline to beverage operations
- Proven track record scaling operations from startup to regional distribution
- Expert in production efficiency, cost optimization, and team building
Consultant
Meet Jeff Young, consultant
Jeff Young brings decades of hands-on entrepreneurial experience to our team.
Read more about their background
- Graduate of the American Brewers Guild with formal brewing education
- Founder of Blue Owl Brewing and multiple successful beverage ventures
- Specializes in startup operations, business development, and market positioning
- Deep understanding of both front-of-house and production operations
- Mentor to numerous craft beverage entrepreneurs across Texas
Consultant
Meet Andy Martinec, consultant
Andy brings over 12 years of hands-on brewing experience to Solon Consulting, having worked across multiple facets of the industry, from production brewing and recipe development to equipment installation and operational efficiency.
As a former brewery owner, he understands firsthand the challenges that come with starting, scaling, and running a beverage business, as well as managing a team and creating products that resonate with today’s discerning consumer.
Read more about their background
Andy has a deep-rooted background in food and beverage, with experience spanning hospitality operations and beverage program consulting. His practical knowledge of draft systems, fermentation science, and front-of-house flow gives him a unique ability to bridge the gap between production and guest experience.
Consultant
Meet Trenten Relles, consultant
Trent is a dynamic hospitality leader with over a decade of experience driving operational excellence and team development in high-volume restaurants, bars, and breweries. He spearheaded Meanwhile Brewing’s growth, building from 12 to 90 employees and earning Austin’s Best Brewery recognition for 3 consecutive years.
Read more about their background
- Hospitality operations and team development specialist
- Front-of-house operations and hiring strategies expert
- James Beard Award-winning establishment experience
- Led Meanwhile Brewing’s 6-year growth transformation
- Austin’s Best Brewery recognition for 3 consecutive years
- Multi-million-dollar revenue stream development
Consultant
Meet Brent Sapstead, consultant
Brent brings a decade of experience from Real Ale Brewing Company as Head Brewer and Production Manager to his current role as Co-Founder and Director of Brewing at Hold Out Brewing. His expertise in Gose brewing and collaborative projects earned him the 2024 GABF Bronze Medal for the “Spudweiser” collaboration with Live Oak Brewing.
Read more about their background
- Real Ale Brewing Head Brewer and Production Manager (2008 - 2018)
- Hold Out Brewing Co-Founder and Director (2018 - Present)
- 2024 GABF Bronze: “Spudweiser” collaboration with Live Oak Brewing
- Specialties: all production sizes, business management and operations
04 / How we work
How we approach your project
We know what it’s like to own the outcome
01
From the decision to a running system
A project usually starts as a decision, not a purchase order: what to make, where, under which permits, and what the numbers say. From there we can design the process and space, specify and supply the equipment, and design, build and program the controls, with installation support and commissioning when it’s time to run.
05 / Why Solon
The practice, seen in the work we’ve done
- Managed complex manufacturing facility expansions and capital projects
- Supplied new equipment packages as a dealer and engineered systems, and built and programmed the control panels.
- Handled regulatory challenges across multiple states and countries
- Optimized everything from grain handling to packaging lines
- Trained teams, developed SOPs, and implemented quality programs
06 / Our company credentials
Our certification and brewing affiliations
Our SBA VetCert certification and our brewing affiliations
Master Brewers Association of the Americas
Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
Brewers Association
American Society of Brewing Chemists
Texas Craft Brewers Guild
Have a plan, a decision or a problem you need to talk through?
Send us what you have: a sketch, a plan, a permit question, or something that won’t run. Tell us where you’re stuck.
Austin, Texas · info@consultsolon.com · 814-386-0413