Jack Joyce (December 10, 1942 – May 27, 2014) was an American

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who co-founded

Rogue Ales Rogue Ales is a brewery founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon. The company brews their own beer, distills their own spirits, farms their own ingredients and coopers their own barrels. Rogue has locations in Oregon and Washington. History Rogue Ales ...

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

, in 1988. The ''

Portland Business Journal Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

'' has called Joyce, "One of the men most responsible for

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

's reputation as one of the nation's preeminent beer-making regions." Joyce was also one of the original executives at

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

during the company's early years. Rogue Ales was producing 105,000 barrels by 2013, ranking it among the top twenty-five

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in the United States. Jack Joyce graduated from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, where he was a member of the

Theta Chi Fraternity Theta Chi () is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 collegiate members across Nort ...

. In 1962, Joyce became friends with one of his fellow fraternity member, Bob Woodell. Joyce and Woodell eventually become executives at Nike. They would also co-found Rogue Ales in 1988. Joyce began his career as a lawyer and

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attorney. He joined

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around in 1983, where he worked as an executive and attorney for about six years. Joyce, one of the company's first

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, helped to lay foundations for Nike's future growth. He partnered with another company executive, Rob Strasser, to lower Nike's expenses during the 1980s. Joyce also led Nike's efforts to compete against one of Nike's main rivals,

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

, which had unexpectedly achieved success with a competing line of aerobics shoes. In 1988, Joyce joined with two other Nike executives, Bob Woodell and Rob Strasser, to co-found Rogue Ales and Spirits in

. Rogue Ales opened its first

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brew pub Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

in 1989 on the

Newport, Oregon Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...

, waterfront. Joyce had found the Newport location and felt it was a better site than the original brewery in Ashland. Joyce also owned and operated dozens of acres of farmland in

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city and the county seat of Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2020 United ...

, calling himself a "farming lawyer." The Rogue Ales company formerly leased Rogue Farms Hopyard, in

Independence, Oregon Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thirty square blocks of the oldest p ...

, which it offered

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 33 active chapters and four associate ch ...

accommodations, beer tastings and wedding venues. Joyce died from a heart attack in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

on May 27, 2014, at the age of 71. His survivors include his son, Brett Joyce, the former President of Rogue Ales and former employee of Adidas and Fila, and his daughter, Anna Joyce, the Solicitor General of Oregon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Jack 2014 deaths American brewers Drink company founders American drink industry businesspeople American food company founders Nike, Inc. people Oregon lawyers University of Oregon alumni Businesspeople from Oregon 1942 births 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers