Proud Alumnus Cofounds Staten Island’s First Craft Brewery

Mr. Sykes is currently the President and Cofounder of Flagship Brewing Company, Staten Island’s first craft brewery. He is also the founder of Teddy Outdoors, an outdoor lifestyle and coffee brand built around the philosophy that “people are better outside.”

In addition to Flagship Brewing Company, Mr. Sykes is the Cofounder of Wolf Hound Nitro Specialists, a nitro-focused beer brand inspired by New York pub culture and Irish brewing traditions, currently expanding throughout the Northeast. He had the opportunity to travel to Ireland and learn from an award-winning brewer there, and is delighted to be sharing these skills here at home.  

“We believe there’s room in the market for an American-made alternative to Guinness—one that’s brewed exceptionally well. The beer is outstanding, and we’re incredibly excited about what we’re building,” he explained.  

As a Staten Islander, Mr. Sykes relished the range of opportunities at St. John’s. During his undergraduate years, he especially appreciated the robust perspectives and lived experience offered by many of the faculty.  

“There’s something different about being taught by somebody who’s lived it. You believe it more, and it stays with you,” he explained. “A lot of things can be taught in the abstract, but real-world experience makes the lessons come alive.”

One teacher in particular impacted him: Timothy Koller, J.D. ’77NDC, who worked in the district attorney’s office. “He was great,” Mr. Sykes reflected. “He taught real-world lessons and shared experiences from cases and situations he had been involved in. I took every class I could get with him.”  

He threw himself into learning everything he could about the criminal justice field. As the grandson of a New York City Police Department officer, his interest seemed a natural fit.  

But despite this, Mr. Sykes did not join a local police force upon graduation. Instead, he found himself drawn to business, looking to build something rooted in community, conversation, and innovation. His first job after college was with a beverage distributor, and it was that role that fostered his entrepreneurial spark.  

“I was working for a beer distributor, and I really started to fall in love with the industry,” he said. “Around that same time, I watched breweries like Brooklyn Brewery pursue their dream and make it a reality. That’s when the idea of opening a brewery really took hold.”  

He was experimenting with home brewing at the time, and when a delay pushed his policing plans into the distant future, he and his wife saw that as a sign to pursue his bubbling passion. “Word got around that I wanted to start a brewery. My business partner, Matt, reached out and said, ‘If you’re serious about this, I’m serious about taking the leap with you.’ And that was all it took.”  

Together, they launched Flagship, raising the funds and learning together as they went. More than a decade later, he is still at it, loving his work.  

So much of his success comes down to a willingness to make that entrepreneurial leap, even though it wasn’t what he planned for as a student at St. John’s. “Taking that leap changed my life. It shaped who I became, and I truly believe it’s made me a better father, a better husband, a better business partner, and a better person.”  

He added, “At the end of the day, too, I think I’m a man of faith. I’m a proud Catholic and Christian, and I think the man upstairs has a lot to do with it all, too.”