Ryan from the Science Centre talks with John Styles from Outlaw Trail Spirits about the science of distilling, pivoting a business, and how they're giving back to the community.
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ABOUT JOHN STYLES, P.Eng, FEC
John Styles is founder and president of Outlaw Trail Spirits Inc., a craft distillery based in Regina, and is President and CEO of Pilgrim Energy Inc., a private company engaged in business and finance consulting to the resource industry. He also serves as chair of the board and a director with Edge Liability and Resources Management., an oilfield abandonment and reclamation specialty contractor, and as a founding shareholder and former director of Horizon West Infrastructure Fund, a Saskatchewan-based infrastructure bank. He was also a director of Saskatchewan Band Association Inc., Auburn Energy Inc., and previously served as a sessional engineering instructor at the University of Regina from 2001 through 2016. John has over 35 years of experience in the resource industry. He founded and/or has served on the boards of a number of public companies, including Reece Energy from 2007 through to its acquisition by Penn West in 2009. John was CEO of Invictus Minerals Corporation, staking the 97,000 acre KP-289 "Legacy" potash exploration permit in 2005, and ultimately selling Invictus to Potash One (now K+S Canada) in 2008. Previously, he served in various engineering and business development roles with a number of domestic and international resource companies, having started his career with Gulf Canada in Edmonton in 1981.
John holds a Diploma of Technology from NAIT (now NAIT Polytechnic University) in 1981, and a Bachelor of Science (Honors) degree in Petroleum Engineering from Montana Tech (1987), and is licensed as a Professional Engineer in the Province of Saskatchewan, and has received the Fellow of Engineers Canada designation. John has been an active volunteer with APEGS, having served as Councillor for Group IV (2010-2013), currently serving as vice-chair of the Professional Edge Committee and as a member of the Licensee Admissions Committee, and previously as member, vice-chair and then chair of the Academic Review Committee, and as a member of the Experience Review and Nominations committees. He serves as presenter and/or case study leader for the APEGS Law & Ethics seminar and at professional development courses, focusing on resource industry issues. John previously served on the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board accreditation team as a General Visitor for the 2008 engineering program review at University of Saskatchewan. He has served as an industry adjudicator for the fourth-year capstone engineering project presentations by students at the University of Regina, and as a member of the PSE Industry Advisory Board. John currently serves as vice-president and director of the Prairie Craft Spirits Association, and previously served as secretary of the South Saskatchewan chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and previously served as chair and director of the South Saskatchewan section and director of the Petroleum Society of CIM.
John is the ultimate science geek, and this includes the intense study of wave propogation theory as expressed in brass tubulars....another way of saying that he plays trombone for fun, and has played with Queen City Brass Band and the Regina Winds.
ABOUT OUTLAW TRAIL SPIRITS DISTILLERY
Find more about Outlaw Trail Spirits at:
Facebook: Facebook.com/OutlawTrailSpirits
Instagram: @OutlawTrailSpirits
Twitter: @OutlawTrailSP
Outlaw Trail Spirits disitllery is located at 1360 Scarth Street, in the heart of the historic Regina Warehouse District, and is a small-batch producer of tasty beverage alcohol including whisky style grain spirits, rum style molasses spirits, vodkas and liqueurs. The business opened its doors in December 2016, and very quickly caught the attention of enthusiasts with a Best In Category for International Spirits medal for its Olde Foggy Bottom Single Malt in the 2018 American Distilling Institute craft spirits judging held in Portland, Oregon. As well, Outlaw Trail Spirits and its founders, John and Charmaine Styles, has been featured in Spirit expert Davin DeKergommeaux's new book, "The Definitive Guide To Canadian Distilleries", published in March 2020. In response to the overwhelming needs of the greater Regina community after the Covid-19 crisis, the business converted its manufacturing facility to produce ethanol-based hand sanitizer, and along with Mark Heise and the crew at Rebellion Brewing Co., and Leasa Gibbons and staff at the Regina Warehouse Business Improvement District, arranged for the donation of over $10,000 of hand sanitizer to first responders and vulnerable members of our community as a way of helping out and giving back to the community in a time of great need.
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