Axios Philadelphia

April 24, 2023
Hi, Monday! Welcome back to your favorite newsletter.
- Mostly sunny with a high near 60.
📍 Situational awareness: The first virtual public meeting will be held tonight with the artists competing to design a new Harriet Tubman statue for the city. Register here.
Today's newsletter is 952 words, a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: State of craft beer


Four of Pennsylvania's craft brewers were among the country's top 50 producers last year, even as the industry faces an inflection point.
Why it matters: After rebounding from the pandemic, 2022 marked the first time in history the industry didn't see year-over-year production percentage growth, Axios’ John Frank writes.
Zoom in: Pottsville-based D.G. Yuengling and Sons — the U.S.'s oldest brewery — maintained its No. 1 ranking for production, per an annual report from the Brewers Association released last week.
- #6: Artisanal Brewing Ventures, a collection of breweries that owns Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, rose two spots from last year.
- #25: Troegs Brewing Co., based in Hershey, slipped one spot in the rankings.
- #31: Pittsburgh Brewing Co., which didn't make the list last year, nabbed a ranking.
The intrigue: All four landed in the top 50 U.S. breweries overall, a club dominated by Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors.
State of beer: The number of craft breweries opening decreased for the second consecutive year, while the closings rate increased to 3%.
Yes, but: Craft fared better than the overall beer market, which saw production volume decline 3% in 2022. And the number of craft breweries climbed to an all-time high of 9,552.
By the numbers: Pennsylvania has more than 500 active breweries, per the Brewers Association.
- 46 opened last year, while 17 closed.
What they’re saying: Craft beer's boom over the last decade appears to have ended as growth and sales slow and competition increases, Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, tells Axios.
- The industry is "going to have to find some new direction and new opportunities if it’s going to grow like it did before."
2. 📈 Offices for rent

The Philly metro area is seeing more available office space.
Why it matters: The data is a sign that the office market's distress from remote work could soon get worse — and that vacancies will likely go higher — Axios' Emily Peck writes.
Zoom in: About 11.4% of Philly-area office space was available to rent in the first quarter of 2020, according to CoStar, a commercial real estate information company.
- Availability jumped to 15% in the first quarter of 2023.
Of note: Philly had the 10th-largest tech workforce in 2021 among the 15 largest U.S. metros, per the Economy League of Philadelphia.
Details: Availability is different from vacancy.
- Availability includes empty offices and occupied space where tenants notified landlords they’re not renewing.
- And, crucially, availability takes into account leased space where a tenant is trying to sublet.
3. Cheat sheet: Mayoral endorsements
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Some of the Dems running for mayor are racking up endorsements as the May 16 primary nears.
Yes, but: Interest groups have not coalesced around a single candidate. For instance, organized labor, which is influential in city elections, has split its support among a few contenders.
- The upshot: No one has garnered frontrunner status.
Between the lines: Not all endorsements are equal.
- An endorsement from certain groups can unlock significant campaign funding and robust turnout-the-vote efforts.
Of note: The Philadelphia Democratic City Committee isn't endorsing anyone for mayor.
- Instead, each of the city’s 66 political wards will make its own endorsements. Certain wards have consistently high voter turnout rates.
Here are some of the most notable endorsements so far:
Jeff Brown:
- AFSCME District Council 33 (Philly’s largest municipal union)
- Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5
- Temple University Police Association
- TWU Transport Workers Union Local 234
- United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 152
- Teamsters Joint Council 53
Helen Gym:
- Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
- AFSCME DC47 (municipal workers)
- Unite Here Philly (hospitality workers)
- Reclaim Philadelphia (progressives)
- Working Families Party (progressives)
- One Pennsylvania (progressives)
- Wards 1, 2, 18, 39A, among others
Cherelle Parker:
- Philadelphia Building Trades Council
- Eastern Atlantic States Council of Carpenters
- IBEW Local 98 (electricians)
- SEIU 32BJ
- U.S. Reps. Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle
- Philadelphia Council President Darrell Clarke
- State Sens. Sharif Street, Vincent Hughes and Tina Tartaglione
- She has the majority of wards, including 20, 23, 27, 45, 54, 59, 61, 66
Rebecca Rhynhart:
- Former Philly mayors Michael Nutter and John Street
- Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board
- Wards 5, 8, 9, 15, among others
4. News market: Super PAC hearing
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
💲 Super PAC For a Better Philadelphia agreed to maintain terms of a temporary court-ordered injunction preventing it from spending more money to influence the mayoral primary in favor of Jeff Brown.
- The deal must be approved by a judge, who could also decide at today’s hearing whether the super PAC ran afoul of his order by circulating fliers to voters mimicking Brown’s campaign message. (Inquirer)
🐝 The rooftops of Parkway Central and Richmond libraries are home to apiaries, collections of beehives stored in partnership with Philadelphia Bee Co. The company does swarm removal, sells bee products and hosts educational events about pollinators. (Billy Penn)
🏫 Charles W. Henry School in West Mount Airy is switching over to virtual learning today after the discovery of asbestos. It’s the fifth district school to close because of the hazard. (CBS 21)
New jobs to check out
💼 See who’s hiring around the city.
- Regional Director of Quality, Improvement & Compliance at Trinity Health.
- Director, Analytical Development, Cell Therapy at Resilience.
- Sr. Manager, Engineered Solutions (GTM Data Solutions) at Hitachi.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
5. 🏀 Hold your breath, Sixers fans
Sixers center Joel Embiid. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid is a toss-up for the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Driving the news: Embiid suffered a sprained knee in Game 3 and was forced to watch from the bench as his team closed out the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday in a 96-88 win.
- It was the first time the Sixers swept a team in a best-of-seven series since 1985, per ESPN.
Yes, but: The focus immediately turned to whether Embiid will be ready for the next round against either the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks.
What they’re saying: 76ers coach Doc Rivers told ESPN there’s a 50% chance that Embiid suits up.
- The team gets at least a week of rest to prepare for its next opponent.
😋 Isaac ate way too much this weekend.
🔦 Mike is starting a survival kit after losing his power over the weekend.
Today's newsletter was edited by Kristen Hinman and copy edited by Bill Kole.
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