Pat Heist, PhD, is well known in the beverage alcohol industry for his ability to solve problems related to the microbiology and biochemistry of fermentations. He spent six years as a professor of medical microbiology at Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine before cofounding Ferm Solutions, Inc., which provides yeast, fermentation products, and technical services to hundreds of distilleries in the U.S. and worldwide. Heist and his research team collaborate with industrial and academic partners on projects related to controlling bacterial contamination during alcohol production and yeast strain selection and improvement for bourbon and other distilled spirits. In 2013, he cofounded Wilderness Trail Distillery, one of the fastest growing premium bourbon whiskey distilleries. Heist is an adjunct professor at the James B. Beam Institute in the Dept. of Agriculture at the Univ. of Kentucky. He earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees from the Univ. of Kentucky related to plant pathology and microbiology.