SAN MARCOS - Greg Koch, co-founder of thriving Stone Brewery in Escondido, does not look like a typical chief executive officer with his bleached blond hair, earrings in both ears and all-black casual clothing.

And the approach to marketing and management that Koch shared with 100 business students at Cal State San Marcos on Wednesday was also anything but typical.

Koch told the students that his brewery does no advertising, and that he does not believe in age-based or gender-based marketing.

"If you have a quality product, people will find you," Koch told students gathered for the university's "In the Executive's Chair" speaker series. "We are not interested in taking over the world. If people like our beer and we grow, then that's great."

Such a laid-back attitude hasn't prevented Stone from growing extremely quickly in its first 10 years. The company, which brews beer for distribution to 20 states, was recently forced to move from San Marcos to Escondido so that it could increase production from 35,000 barrels a year up to an eventual 200,000 barrels per year.

"Radio advertising executives try to tell me what a beer drinker looks like, but beer drinkers come in all different forms," said Koch, explaining his aversion to marketing and advertising.

He said that such things might work for Budweiser, Coors and Miller. But he said those companies are simply selling "light, yellow, fizzy water" that no one enjoys, so they need marketing to succeed.

Koch also explained his company's offbeat approach to hiring.

"We look for people who have a love and passion for what we do here," Koch said. "We look for beer geeks, which is a term of honor among brewers. The best things in life are almost always created by enthusiasts themselves."

Stone tends to attract creative people, said Koch, explaining that the 100-member staff includes multiple musicians and some glass-blowing artists.

While Stone eschews a classic marketing approach, the company does have a logo featuring a fierce gargoyle. Stone also gives catchy names to some of its 11 individual brews, including Arrogant Bastard Ale and Ruination India Pale Ale.

Koch said he did not test-market the logo or the names, they were just stumbled upon.

"If you listen to a beer, it will tell you a lot," Koch said. "You don't need the label to tell you that Arrogant Bastard Ale is a big, angry beer. When I tasted it for the first time, I knew that had to be the name."

He said the gargoyle logo is a metaphor for microbreweries, such as Stone, fighting off the evil spirits harming beer around the world. Those evils include preservatives, cheap ingredients and pasteurization, Koch said.

Koch got the idea to start a brewery while working in Los Angeles in the recording industry. He and Stone co-founder Steve Wagner spent three years deciding how to launch the company.

After the presentation, students said they were impressed by Koch and his determination, but also said that his approach might not work for everyone.

"I am a marketing major, so not marketing a product is weird to me," Tarah Brewer said. "But it clearly works for him."

Chris Chapman said he was impressed that Koch has maintained a small-company atmosphere despite Stone's expansion.

- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 761-4410 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.