Woodbury leaves Ozark Brewing Co.

Ken Woodbury, who helped open Fayetteville’s Ozark Brewing Co. in 1994, has left his job there as director of operations so he can spend more time with his family.

“I woke up one morning and realized the good Lord only gives me so many days, and I wanted to spend more of them with my family and my church,” says Woodbury, who was also director of operations for Ozark Baking & Catering.

Woodbury left the brew pub at the end of August, but he still owns part of the business.

John Gilliam, who owns the remainder of the business, says he has hired an accountant and plans to serve as director of operations himself.

Woodbury’s resume includes: eight years as sous chef for the Colonnade Hotel in Boston, two years as executive chef for Doubletree Hotels in Colorado, 4 1/2 years as executive chef at Golden Eagle Inn in Beaver Creek, Colo., and two years as executive chef for Vail Associates in Colorado.

Woodbury says the brew pub had “a rough couple of years in the beginning, like every restaurant does,” but the restaurant is now ahead of the other comparable national restaurants of the same age in sales.