Highland Brewing's Oscar Wong awarded top NC civilian honor, Order of the Long Leaf Pine
ASHEVILLE - The pioneer of Asheville’s craft brewery industry has received the highest civilian honor from the governor of North Carolina.
On May 3, Oscar Wong, founder of Highland Brewing Company, attended the Boy Scouts 2023 Citizen of The Year dinner, a fundraiser event where he was selected as the 2023 honoree by the Asheville area Boys Scouts of America.
He did not expect to attain the additional honor of The Order of The Long Leaf Pine, an award reserved “for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments,” presented on behalf of Gov. Roy Cooper.
“That was a total surprise,” Wong said. “The Long Leaf Pine really blew me away. That was definitely something that I would never have dreamed that I’d be in that category, so that was something big. It’s a great honor.”
The governor’s award is presented to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state. Wong’s entrepreneurial and philanthropic works contributed to his being selected as an award recipient.
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“Oscar’s dedication and support of so many others who followed him in the craft beer industry has resulted in thousands of jobs and a new industry that has over a billion-dollar annual economic impact in Asheville,” Dana Stonestreet, executive chair of HomeTrust Bank and chair of the Boy Scouts 2023 Citizen of The Year, said in a news release.
Wong, born in Jamaica, is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a master’s degree in civil/structural engineering. He then worked across the U.S. as an engineer for 25 years. He founded and later sold his nuclear waste processing company in Charlotte, leading to his purchasing a home in Arden to retire in 1992.
In 1994, Highland Brewing was established when Wong began brewing beer in the basement of Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria at 42 Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville, where it operated for more than a decade.
It was the first craft brewery in Asheville since Prohibition and set a foundation for the city’s flourishing craft beverage industry.
What began as a post-retirement project for Wong grew into a thriving beer company with multistate retail distribution and two local taprooms, including a 40-acre main campus at 12 Old Charlotte Highway in East Asheville. A second taproom is at The S&W Market at 56 Patton Ave., near the brewery’s original home.
“I’m kind of stunned, actually. I had no idea this was going to be the way it would go,” Wong said. “My thought at the time was maybe there’d be two or three breweries in town, and I’d be one of them and I’d have a personal watering hole where I could go, but it got much bigger than that.”
Next year, Highland Brewing will celebrate its 30th anniversary.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and I’m tickled pink that my daughter accepted the position to take it over and is doing a wonderful job ― better than I could at this stage,” he said.
Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, stepped into the leadership role of Highland Brewing’s president/CEO and second-generation family owner in 2015.
“Dad’s charisma, wisdom, and genuine interest in people are inspiring. He has always valued doing more over saying more,” Ashburn said in a news release. “He and my mom share those values. For more than 55 years, she has been by his side. I love that we can do this together.”
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Oscar Wong continues to be involved with the company, as well as in the Asheville community.
“Even in the beginning when we had very little money … we didn’t have the cash, but we had beer,” Wong said. “We donate beer to these events to help these volunteer groups, explaining that we may not have the cash to give you, but we can give you the libation to lubricate the cash off your donors.”
Most recently, Wong’s community work has included past president and current member and of the Rotary Club of Asheville. He’s nearing the end of his terms as chair of the Board of Directors for Arc of Buncombe County and a two-term member of the Board of Trustees for UNC Asheville.
“From the time that I’d been in high school, I learned about giving back and volunteering all around the community — this was in Jamaica. I followed it up when I was in college in the same way,” Wong said. “I’ve always felt that wherever you live, to enrich your life, you really need to be a part of the community, not just go to work and go about your business.”
“‘You make money to make a living, you give back to make a life,’” Wong said, paraphrasing a quote attributed to Winston Churchill.
On May 16, a commemorative plaque honoring Wong will be unveiled at Barley’s.
The public dedication of the plaque will be at 4 p.m. May 16 at the Asheville Art Museum, 2 South Pack Square downtown.
For more, visit longleafpinesociety.org and highlandbrewing.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Highland Brewing's Oscar Wong awarded Order of the Long Leaf Pine
