Long before there was a brewhouse in Mars, before stainless steel tanks and Czech side-pull faucets, the story of Stick City Brewing Company began on a high school dance floor.
It was the mid-1970s at Butler High School when Elaine asked Ron Salkeld to dance at a Sadie Hawkins dance. They’ve been dancing together ever since.
That moment—simple, youthful, and unplanned—set into motion a love story that would eventually become one of Mars’ most meaningful small businesses, built not just on beer, but on family, resilience, and community.
A Taste That Changed Everything
Ron Salkeld spent much of his professional career in sales and quality management, a job that took him overseas to Germany, England, and Austria in the early 1990s. What he discovered there wasn’t just different breweries—it was a different relationship with beer.
The beers, Ron recalled, had more flavor, cleaner finishes, and a balance he couldn’t find back home. “I was drinking beer that was really good,” he said. “I came back here and I couldn’t get that.”
When he returned to the U.S., Ron began seeking out imports and eventually decided to make his own.
The Salkeld kitchen became a small-scale brewery. Five-gallon batches. Bottles washed by hand. Beer conditioned patiently for weeks. Elaine remembers the moment she became a convert.
“I was drinking a brown ale out of a wine glass while making dinner,” she said. “That’s when I became a beer drinker—but I’m picky.”
That batch quietly changed everything.
“You Better Do What You Want to Do”
For years, brewing remained a passion project—something talked about but never rushed. That changed when Elaine was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It gives you that part of your life where you say you better do what you want to do,” Ron said. “Because you never know what’s in front of you.”
As Elaine underwent treatment and recovered, the family made a decision they had postponed for years.
“That was the point where we said, ‘Okay, we’re going to do this,’” Elaine said.
Stick City would no longer be a someday idea.
What “Stick City” Really Means
The name itself predates the business by decades.
The Salkeld family grew up between Butler City, Summit Township, and rural Clearfield Township. Weekends were spent at a small family farm near Cabot—a place to unplug, recharge, and breathe. They called it “going to the sticks.”
Over time, that became “Stick City.”
“It’s the place where you go and recharge,” Nick Salkeld explained. “That idea became much bigger than just our personal connection.”
That philosophy now shapes everything from the beer styles they brew to the causes they support, with a focus on conservation, public lands, and community connection.
A True Family Brewery
When Stick City Brewing opened its doors in Mars in spring 2018, it wasn’t a corporate launch—it was a true family endeavor.
While Ron and Elaine Salkeld laid the foundation through years of homebrewing, planning, and perseverance, the business itself was formalized as a family partnership. Elaine and her son Nick worked together to establish the company, sharing ownership in its early stages to bring the brewery to life. Behind the scenes, it was a collective effort involving the entire Salkeld family—including Nick’s older brother, Ronald, and younger sister, Breanna, along with extended family members and significant others—who all played roles in getting Stick City off the ground and running.
Elaine served as general contractor during the build-out. Ron brought decades of quality and process discipline. Nick—an engineer with degrees in mechanical engineering and experience in process control—became the sole brewer.
“Every batch of beer that’s been made here has been made by me,” Nick said.
“He took the beer to another level,” Ron added. “His palate and attention to detail changed everything.”
Nick eventually made the difficult decision to leave his engineering career to run the brewery full time.
“It wasn’t something I planned on,” Nick said, “but we realized how much it takes to run a business like this. It became too much for Mom and Dad alone.”
Beer as a Community Connector
What surprised the Salkelds most wasn’t whether the beer would sell—it was what happened around it.
“I knew we were going to make really good beer,” Ron said. “What surprised me was the people aspect.”
Strangers became regulars. Neighbors met neighbors. Conversations that might never have happened began over a glass.
“You see neighbors meeting neighbors here—people who might never have crossed paths,” Ron said. “That starts over a glass of beer.”
Stick City has leaned fully into that responsibility, donating one percent of sales and hundreds of volunteer hours to conservation and public lands organizations across Pennsylvania.
“We want to generate inclusive communal pride through the enjoyment of beer,” Nick said.
Still Dancing
Today, Ron and Elaine spend their days working alongside their son—and their grandchildren are never far away.
“I always said if I was ever blessed with grandchildren, I hoped I’d have the time and energy to be with them,” Elaine said. “My prayer has been answered.”
Asked what they’re most proud of, both parents point to Nick—not just as a brewer, but as a business owner who has embraced every part of the work.
“I feel like I’m actually doing something where I can make a difference,” Nick said.
As for that Sadie Hawkins dance? Forty-four years later, Ron and Elaine, are still dancing.
And so is Stick City—quietly, intentionally, and rooted in the belief that good beer, like a good life, is best shared.
“That starts over a glass of beer,” said Ron.