Tom Ruff

Tom is the founder and CEO of Orange Bike Brewing Company, Portland, Maine’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery and one of only 21 gluten-free breweries in the country. As a mission-driven business, Orange Bike is committed to making world-class beer that is naturally gluten-free, in addition to building an exceptionally different company with a mission beyond the beer.

Orange Bike intends to be a center and symbol of positive change in Maine and beyond. With a focus on the triple bottom line – social, environmental, and financial – the OBB team is committed to setting a new standard within the craft beer industry.

In addition to pioneering a new standard in sustainable brewing, OBB is defined by its commitment to making a positive impact on the local community, welcoming Maine's rich diversity of people in a spirit of hospitality, inclusivity, dignity, and friendship, and expanding the potential for meaningful new jobs for our community.

Orange Bike Brewing will continuously focus on being a space where everyone feels they truly belong.

Before launching Orange Bike Brewing, Tom was the founder and CEO of Tom Ruff Executive Search, a highly successful recruiting firm he led and grew for three decades. A native midwesterner, Tom built that company on a foundation of integrity, friendliness, and hard work; by the time he sold it in 2022, it had become one of the top healthcare search firms in the country, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Dallas. His firm was awarded exclusive contracts and built elite sales forces with some of the leading healthcare companies in the world, including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, and Medtronic.

Tom, who lives in Cape Elizabeth with his wife Meg and daughter Lula, is known around Portland, Maine, as "the guy on the orange bike." He bought the bike during COVID-19 to spend more time outdoors with his daughter. He's logged over 5000 miles so far, and both he and the bike are still going strong. Twice hit by cars – fortunately, while Lula was not aboard – he has become a bike activist. He supports and volunteers for the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

Tom mentors several academic institutions’ students as Orange Bike has worked with nine universities and 38 college students over the last two years. He is also a mentor for the B Labs “Level” program supporting businesses led by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color who identify as women and the 22/23 Techstars’ Class for Northeastern University’s Roux Institute.