Beginning yesterday, my blogs are being written on the road. Only, I am not on the road. See, I started house sitting for the next two months and they don’t have wifi. I am insistent on blogging every day in December. January will probably be spotty. Just a heads up.
So, here I am at Caribou Coffee in Woodbury, MN. Last night I was at Dunn Bros in Hudson but they closed before I was done so I drove to the Starbucks parking lot to finish. I have to laugh at that- me in my winter jacket with the car running finishing everything up and posting it. Right now I am here after a full day at my part time seasonal job at Eddie Bauer at Woodbury Lakes. I am relatively glazed over as I am also recovering from a cold. But the show must go on!
Tonight I am grateful for WeatherVane Creamery’s Advisory Team.
Advisory Team- Max Neuhaus (top left), Paul Rode, Kevin Pechacek, Leo Bogee (bottom left), Tasha Burilini-Olson (center)
WeatherVane’s lawyer, Max Neuhaus, was an early supporter. He has advised on many of the investor issues and got us all set up as an LLC. He also did a killer job on introducing me at Empowering Taste. He’s a new dad, a River Falls native, and has an impressive résumé.
Paul Rode is the owner of Agave Kitchen in Hudson. More than one person told me that I *had* to meet him and that he would probably love to work with me. I got an introduction and soon we were meeting weekly to talk about the business plan and getting financing. The first time I meet him, he’s surrounded by a bunch of men in the Bullpen Cantina with a stack of bills in front of him. When I walk in the room, everyone scatters. The first ten minutes, he doesn’t make any eye contact. I sit down next to him and start talking about WeatherVane Creamery and what I am up to. All of a sudden, he looks up, looks me square in the eyes and says “You remind me of myself ten years ago.” From then on, he was on Team WeatherVane.
I met Kevin Pechacek, the owner of The WestWind Supper Club in River Falls, after a River Falls Chamber of Commerce event. I introduced myself and asked if he’d be interested in looking over the business plan and talking sometime. We did end up having a great conversation and I quickly figured out that Kevin is both the type of business person and leader that I want to be. He’s compassionate, loves to make a difference with his communities, and has a sharp business sense. The day I asked him if he wanted to join the team, he seemed very moved and said he’d be honored. That was quite a trip for me.
Leo Bogee and I met through my boyfriend, Shawn. Leo has started various businesses and has good knowledge about the food industry, incorporation strategies, and investors. The one thing that stands out about my first conversation with Leo is what he told me he could offer me: he said that crazy things would happen on this journey and to call him when my body started telling me that there was something wrong- like when I started gaining or losing weight. I thought that was an interesting and insightful way of gauging things. Leo is definitely wise and also is a wonderful team player. He plays 100% full out.
Last but not least, Tasha Burilini-Olson. Tasha was a big fan of WeatherVane Creamery at the get go. She was the marketing and retail manager at the Burnett Dairy Coop and she enthusiastically sent samples to do grilled cheese trials with and was excited that we were using their cheese in the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Competition. From there, I asked her a few questions about the business to help me with some points of my business plan. She was happy to share the information. When I had the rest of the team hashed out, I was thinking that I would like a woman to round things out and asked Tasha to join. She eagerly said yes and, as it turns out, is originally from neighboring town Ellsworth and was working on a store remodel for the dairy coop store. She was learning valuable things that I, also needed to learn. She is the perfect addition to the team.
So there you have it. The whole team. Mostly what stands out about all of them, and especially as a group, is how amazing and accomplished they are. To have them on my side is both an honor and humbling. And I was proud to introduce them all to each other on our conference calls and then in person at Empowering Taste. Who they are for me is Commitment, Team, and Love. Thanks, guys.