40 Under 40 Spotlight: Conrad Helms

Helping to open pizza restaurant Local Pie in Hilton Head Island, SC, in 2015 drew Conrad Helms into the beverage industry. “It was a really cool and sustainable program that employed wines on tap and no cans or bottles,” he recalls.

“Essentially there was no aluminum or glass waste at all in house. It had an all tap system for wine and beer and a limited cocktail menu. The bar was half inside and half outside, and it was huge.”

Serving in the pizza restaurant, Helms got to watch the bartenders “and see how cool they were and how fun and lively it seemed, and I wanted to be a part of it.” He was hired as a bartender and when several bartenders quit, he became a bar manager within just a few months.

“What I learned in that position about mixology ignited my passion for mixing in a sustainable way, and I learned to listen to those around me who knew more, which has served me an invaluable amount since then,” says Helms, now the beverage director at Lazy Betty in Atlanta.

Key mentors were Monica Collins from Local Pie and Janis Vanderheyden from Helms’ time at the Mill Kitchen and Bar in Roswell, GA, shaped the way he addresses cocktails and zero-proof creativity. Suzanne Thompson from Palmetto Bay Marina was another mentor from a management and interpersonal relations perspective.

While the Covid pandemic created many challenges for the industry, the biggest one for Helms was how inspiration and passion “can be crushed when something as big as the pandemic happens. It has been tough since then to retain and hire individuals at times, because there are seldom guarantees in this industry. I am dedicated to creating confidence and comfort in this space.”

What’s more, he says, “I’ve found that giving credit where it is due has been the best way to inspire people to continue to push the boundaries, and they need to feel it both on a personal level and success as a whole on a team.”

Who: Conrad Helms
What: Beverage director
Where: Lazy Betty in Atlanta
First industry job: Mambo Italiano, an Italian eatery in Peachtree Corners, GA
Favorite drink: Martinis and wheated bourbons with long age statements.

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