The first time I met Clark Ortkiese was May 18, 2013. We were at one of the first “Rock-n-Romp” events at Rhodes College, a godsend of an event for parents with young kids who didn’t want to spend a beautiful Saturday inside at a mall or trampoline park. Basically it was a small pop-up art fair for kids held in various locations around town with great live music from local bands and, as luck would have it for me, local beer on tap. Adults could rock while their kids romped. Families connected and the next generation of rockers were exposed to live music on a regular basis. It was a perfect Memphis afternoon outing.

Just three years prior in 2010 we started Crosstown Arts to help guide the vision for what to do with the abandoned Sears Crosstown building. By 2013 we had been around long enough most folks knew what we were up to, but they continued to hold a healthy skepticism about whether our efforts could ever bear any fruit. Our team went to Rock-n-Romp that day to build support and awareness for what was then called the Crosstown Redevelopment project.

Clark walked up to me early on with that warm smile he was known for and introduced himself. I could tell he had something on his mind. After we talked for a bit, he looked me in the eye and matter-of-factly said, “My friend and I recently started Crosstown Brewing, and we would love to talk to you about moving it to the future Crosstown building.”

Pouring more love: Saying goodbye to Crosstown Brewing’s Clark Ortkiese 

I was a little taken aback because I had never heard of the brewery, and at that point I thought I knew everything “Crosstown.” But I was also excited at the prospect the business already existed, so I responded enthusiastically and immediately asked where they were currently located.

Without missing a beat, Clark confidently replied, “Oh, we home-brew in my backyard in the shadow of the Sears tower.” When my deflated facial expression conveyed less enthusiasm, he smiled and said, “Come with me.” He took me over to a table where he had been pouring beer samples for eager parents. He handed me a cup of IPA, the earliest version of what is now Crosstown Traffic beer, and waited for my enthusiasm to return. After taking one sip, it did.

Clark knew his beer was great, so much so it didn’t bother him one bit he and his friend and cofounder Will Goodwin didn’t have an actual brewery. In fact, it was just about a year later when he and Will were in our small development office across from the empty Sears building, pouring samples of beers to a dozen future investors, explaining their vision for a 10,000-square-foot brewery they would end up building soon after.

One side note on that fateful meeting: Everyone present was enthusiastic about the delicious beer, but there was still a question if it would be enough to get the group to invest. And then Boris entered the room. Clark poured Crosstown Brewing Co.’s barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout, AKA Boris, and the room erupted with cheers.

Deal. Done.

That kind of confidence, the kind that characterizes the backbone of successful entrepreneurs, not only defined my first encounter with Clark, but it was his default mode in life and business, including his yearlong battle with cancer. Clark’s diagnosis was a blow to us all, but no matter the stage, the long odds or the difficult days, he kept believing with confidence anything was possible. He had visions of a future brewery and tap room at Crosstown, of IPAs and lagers, stouts and seltzers, of beer names and can designs, marketing campaigns and community events. And maybe most frequently, because Clark was an avid golfer, Clark had visions of 250-yard drives and holes-in-one.

In every case and on every occasion, there was no reason all of it couldn’t be done.

Today, Crosstown Brewing Co. is the second-largest brewery in Memphis with the most popular IPA in town, Traffic (the same beer that got me hooked over 12 years ago). Crosstoberfest is an annual highlight of the local events calendar, and the taproom has become a go-to Midtown location for sharing great beers with friends and enjoying everything from comedy shows and trivia to live music and even amateur wrestling (Of course, it’s Memphis!). Not only that, Clark and Will also recently received the Memphis Business Journal’s 2025 Small Business Award, which they were able to celebrate together last month.

So, here’s a tribute and cheers to you, Clark Ortkiese, from Crosstown Concourse and the entire Memphis community. We are grateful for your confidence and vision, for your joy in thinking big. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Our city is better because of you.