+ In every job that I have ever held there is one constant...

and that is creating an experience in some form of service for people. My first job was as a bank teller and learned from my father the importance of people in building a great bank as well as company that people believe in more than just a place to save, invest, hold, or ask to loan money from. My next stop was as a Durable Medical Equipment Salesman & Home Installer, where your clients may only see one smile that week, and when you enter their home, that smile is you. So making that quick stop, a couple minutes longer, building a lasting relationship and in turn that person understands we are invested in them and not just in dropping off oxygen and making money. In college, I worked in all facets of a pharmacy from delivery driver to clerk to technician, in that job you are the middle man for doctors, insurance companies and the patients. One thing I will always remember is very few people go to the pharmacy for good news, so being a positive in a negative day can change a clients day. Also finding those perfect words that might soften the blow can make a big difference in how the client reacts to cost or bad news. I even taught entry level science courses in grad school, where I honed my ability to teach and see the eyes light up when students thoroughly understood a concept and the joy of seeing people reach closer to their college and career goals. A feeling that words cannot describe in my opinion, its very altruistic and just warms your heart to see your students succeed. I moved to Kansas City following college, and worked in a laboratory setting, while honing my craft as a bartender on the Country Club plaza at Brio. Could never have imagined how much went into running a restaurant which I learned first hand as a server and then bartender and trainer. I eventually moved on to help open Parkway on the plaza, which allowed me to delve even deeper into wine, spirits, & cocktail knowledge which I found to be an extreme passion of mine. Following that I was offered a position as Lead Bartender & Beverage Manager at The Drum Room, where I learned so much more than just spirits or wine, but how to build a family of people that believed in taking that bar to a higher level that only a team could do. Beyond that I took a position at The Fontaine as their Bar Manager & Beverage Director, in turn allowing me to dial in my eye for maximum profitability as far as a bar goes and also my training/teaching techniques for an optimum bar operation. If you make every job about the people, from your employees to your patrons, you will be a success because people are what you are investing in and that will create “The Experience” that sets you apart from most people or companies.

+ My take on Jeff after working together side by side for the last 12 years...

"One of the most pure and honest human beings you will ever meet, I have had the joy of knowing Jeff for almost 13 years now and can say without a doubt that he is the best human being I know, his examples of humility & selflessness continue to blow me away on a daily basis. Beyond that, every person that has had the privelage of knowing Jeff is a better person because of what he brings into your life. He is truly one of a kind."