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Photo by Andy Atkinson Osprey Brew Pub co-owner Jason Mitchell draws a glass of stout for a customer as patrons line the bar. Mitchell and his partner, Jake Rockwell, have used their marketing training to make the Medford establishment a success. The Osprey's flying high By DAVID PRESZLER Jason Mitchell and Jake Rockwell weren't sure what to expect when they took over the Osprey Brew Pub a year ago this week. The pair of twentysomethings thought the idea would fly but admittedly knew a lot more about drinking beer than brewing or selling it. A year later, the downtown Medford pub is hopping. Sales have increased nearly sixfold and customers are drinking the Osprey's beers almost faster than Mitchell, Rockwell and brewmaster Jim Stansbury can brew them. "We really thought we'd do pretty well but we didn't think we'd do this well this quick," says Mitchell, 28. Armed with little more than a pair of marketing degrees and the desire to run their own business, they set modest goals. The pub was bringing in about $5,000 a month in sales when Mitchell and Rockwell bought it. They hoped to double that in six months. It took two. "When we took over (sales) were around $5,000," marvels Rockwell, 24. "This month they are going to be around $28,000. We've just grown every month. It's been nuts just trying to keep up." The duo will spend Saturday celebrating their first year in business with Osprey customers. The noon-to-midnight event will feature an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet for $3 from noon to 7 p.m. and a night of entertainment that includes a magician, belly dancing and music from rock and blues band Stem. They'll also give away a trip for two to Reno, Nev. Mitchell and Rockwell say they've built their success on good beer, good service and a comfortable, laid-back atmosphere. But the key has been the one thing they came into the venture knowing how to do best: marketing. "Without the marketing it would have been the same place it was a year ago," says Rockwell. "Our main goal was to bring people through the door and take care of them when they were here." Like many new owners, they started on a shoestring budget. But they made marketing a major priority, spending about 15 percent of their sales revenue on advertising. They've also gone door-to-door talking up the pub and put together a string of successful promotions from a Super Bowl party (where they offered all you can eat and drink for $25) to free pizza nights on Thursdays. Customers get a slice with beverage purchase. They've tried to let patrons help dictate the promotions, as well as the live music that the Osprey features two or three nights a week. Special events such as belly dancers and magicians have been popular and given the place an "energy" that patrons like. "Our customers see us try stuff and appreciate it, even if it doesn't work," says Mitchell. And some haven't: Customers suggested a punk night that would give local bands a place to play. It packed the place, but "nobody bought anything," Rockwell said. But enough of the duo's marketing efforts have worked to keep the place full three or four nights a week. In fact, it became so crowded that Mitchell and Rockwell ditched one of the pub's popular original features -- an open space in back for patrons to look down on the brewery itself -- in favor of more floor space. They added more than 300 square feet a few weeks ago. They still take customers down to check out the brewery on request. Faced with increasing demand (80-90 percent of the beer sold at the Osprey is brewed there), they purchased three new tanks earlier this year -- tripling the brewery's capacity. In a year, they've gone from brewing about seven 15-gallon kegs a week to 25. As the business boomed, they hired Stansbury -- who like Rockwell and Mitchell learned to brew from the pub's founder, Larry Bruce -- in September to do most of the brewing. The Osprey brews about nine varieties of beer, the most popular of which have been their "kiltlifter" (a Scottish ale), their India pale ale and their oatmeal stout. The Osprey also hired another employee to help out with the food (pub favorites like sandwiches, wraps and pizza). In the next year or so, Rockwell and Mitchell plan to add a full kitchen to the Osprey, along with another employee, and are toying with the idea of a second location, perhaps in Ashland. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA