Our Story

From the depths of a career as a raft guide and ski instructor, our owner, David Axelrod (aka Ax), found his post river calling in the art and business of brewing beer. Nothing strikes Ax quite like the incredible ability beer has to bring a community together, and its that draw that he works tirelessly to strengthen, and providing a place for a community to get together is just the beginning. Ax has an MBA in sustainability, sits on the board of the High Country Conservation Center here in Frisco, and seeks to spread his love and passion for sustainability, in hopes to preserve the natural environment we all call home for generations to come.

What did the drummer call his daughters? Anna 1. Anna 2. Our General Manager, The king of Dad Jokes himself, Kurt Zolbe, is the foundation of our operation here at Highside, and we all know we’d never have come close to making it as far as we have with out him.

The method behind the madness, our Head Brewer, Jon Z, has been working at Highside since its inception. Jon has a background in Process Engineering, a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University, and after a few years working in Quality Assurance at a plant near Detroit, MI, decided he hated his job and really just wanted to make beer. So that’s what he did! He and his wife, Dani, decided to move to Summit County, and Jon started working his way up in the world of brewing. Starting as a busser at another local brewery, Jon quickly moved up to assistant brewer.  Jon has been working as the head brewer here at Highside for the last two years, and his beer is better than ever. We couldn’t be happier to have him.

Marshall Shaw has been brewing both at home and professionally for the better part of a decade. His passion for creating delicious beer pushed him to attend the world famous Siebel World Brewing Academy from 2018-2019, taking his understanding of the processes and dynamics of brewing to another level. Bottomline, he knows our product inside and out, and it shows. Marshall and our head brewer Jon Zatkoff are the method behind the madness at Highside, and we’re beyond proud of everything they do to make our beer so great. So next time you’re enjoying a cold one at Highside, raise your glass to the boys in the back. Cheers!

Jon’s been locked into the restaurant biz since he was 18, and now at 26, he’s just stoked to still get paid for doing something he loves. Growing up in Chicago and cutting his teeth under a Chef gunning for his Michelin Stars, Jon got to see firsthand what it takes to run a tight ship, but also not suck the fun out of the job. 

Jon quit drinking in 2014, refocusing his life and dedicating as much of his time and energy into building a career in the restaurant business as possible. Getting promoted to Sous Chef at 22 was a great start, but he hasn’t taken his foot off the pedal since. All in all, we’re beyond happy to have him, and love the energy he brings day in, and day out.