Amber Pollock
Co-Founder
Backwards Distilling Company
Casper, WY USA
“Young people just have to, at some point, fight for the reins and demand a place at the table—because we deserve it.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAmber Pollock
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
I grew up in Casper, Wyoming.
I originally went to college in St. Louis, Missouri, for mechanical engineering, but quickly decided that wasn’t right for me, so I transferred to the University of Wyoming.
I changed my major and earned my degree in music education—I’d played violin and taught lessons throughout high school, so this seemed like a better fit for me.
After graduating, I took a job as an elementary school music teacher back home in Casper—along the way, I also earned my master’s degree in music education.
My mother, father, brother, and I came up with the idea to open a distillery over dinner one night.
I kept teaching as we gradually worked towards starting up our distillery—when we were ready to open, I quit my job as a music teacher to work full time at the distillery.
We’ve now been in the industry for about seven years, through which I’ve been handling most of the front-end operations, like running the tasting room and working on our account relationships.
In addition to my work with the distillery, I hold a seat on the Casper City Council and do a lot of work in my community.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Music Education
University of Wyoming
Music Education
University of Wyoming
Graduate
Music Education
University of Wyoming
Music Education
University of Wyoming
Career
Co-Founder
I run a craft distillery with my family.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Food
Working with Others
Day to Day
I'm responsible for our cocktail menu, managing our tasting room, coordinating our sales in our various markets, and building partnerships around the community and beyond.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
I don't believe there is one best educational path that is ideal for starting a business, but I do think creativity is key. So I believe pursuing something that helps you solve problems and think outside the box is helpful. I certainly don't think you have to go to business school but you definitely need to develop resiliency, creativity, and a willingness to learn lots of new things one way or another.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"One person can't make a difference."
Challenges I Overcame
Imposter Syndrome
Interviewed By
Forever Frontier
Young adults from Wyoming explore the state’s strengths
