AUBURN — The Magnetize Maine Summit on Friday was a morning of craft brew and introspection.

In a tux and bow tie, keynote speaker David Pease challenged employers to ask themselves whether their company is a fun place to work.

Is it supportive? Liberal with appreciation? More focused on those paddling the company canoe ahead or on those trying to sink it?

“Are all of the people that work in your organization passionate about their work?” Pease asked. “Are you? A great company has a purpose and it’s also ensuring that people are passionate every day about the work they’re doing.”

The statewide conference, hosted by Uplift LA, drew 150 people from 13 Maine counties to the Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch to focus on how to engage and retain workers.

Pease, director of talent, diversity and inclusion at Bangor Savings Bank, said the average American only stays with one company for four years. For millennials, it’s even less, 2.8 years.

Everything you can do to beat those odds only helps your company, he said. “That’s your competitive advantage when you can get people to stay longer in your organization.”

Employees want to feel like they have autonomy and feel like they have a say in company decisions, according to Pease.

Workers “don’t leave companies, they don’t leave jobs — they’re truly leaving managers,” he said. “Spend time with your people, give them goals, give them feedback. That is what people want.”

After his keynote, Pease led a panel of three craft brewers to talk about what’s worked for them.

“Our culture is about empowering the employee,” said Ian Dorsey, president and CEO of Mast Landing Brewing in Westbrook, which this week was named one of the fastest-growing craft brewers in the country. “I don’t want any person on our team whatsoever to feel like they’re just coming in to do this 9-to-5 shift.”

Andrew Geaghan, an owner and head brewer at Geaghan Bros. Brewing in Bangor, said the owners are the only people at that brewery who haven’t gotten raises each of the past five years.

“It’s a challenge every day, especially when you’re balancing low-to-no profits to sometimes big losses, how do you continue to keep people engaged?” he said. “It’s really shining a light on our people and encouraging our crew, rewarding our crew with freedom and flexibility and the ability to engage and think and do.”

Luke Livington, founder and owner of Baxter Brewing Co. in Lewiston, said employees there draw inspiration from their surroundings at the Bates Mill, “trying to live up to the hard work our walls have seen for almost 200 years.”

“There are very few people involved in craft beer who suck — they do sort of weed themselves out because what we do has such slim margins and is such hard work,” Livingston said. “Brewing is dirty and hot and sweaty and not lucrative and what we do is a passion. People either, naturally I think, get it or they don’t. The ones who stick around are wonderful.”

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