One of my first coffee memories is sitting around a campfire with family and friends waiting on the percolator to finish brewing. That simple coffee memory is about more than a brewed beverage. It's how coffee and people are connected.  

When I decided to launch into the coffee business, my goal was to focus on service and people.   I bought my first coffee shop and increased year-over-year sales by 20%. I successfully opened our second coffee shop two years later with the same passion for people and love for coffee and grew  year-over-year sales again even during the 2020 Pandemic. My focus on drive-thru service, mobile app engagement, and workflow resulted in increased revenue.

I believe that we are in the people business and coffee is what we sell. We, as Wake Oasis Owners,  have a unique opportunity  to positively influence thousands of people each week through our amazing service and delicious drinks. Owning my Wake Oasis Coffee shops have been an amazing way to own a profitable business and enjoy a lifestyle in a community-building setting.  Whether our customers drive thru, dine in, or pick up using our mobile app, we interact with our community daily with amazing cups of joy.

I first discovered coffee during my college days and my first career as an accountant for one of the Big Four firms to get me through my days. One day I received my first bag of hazelnut-flavored coffee as a housewarming gift in 1988 and it was unlike any other coffee I ever had in richness, flavor and cup quality. I was hooked. I sought out specialty or gourmet coffee when traveling and saw newer coffee houses popping up with delicious cappuccinos and lattes and long waits to get a drink, sit and converse or read.

In 1994 I opened my first coffee shop and then began roasting coffee beans in 1995. I expanded my retail operations to four locations and a roasting plant and in 2000, I exited retail to focus on wholesale roasting and distribution with Stockton Graham & Co. in Raleigh, NC. 

Later in 2011, I purchased Dilworth Coffee Wholesale Roasting.

The most joyful and fulfilling elements of my work have been helping hundreds of entrepreneurs realize their coffee and business dreams, training team members to learn new skills and watching them as they fall in love with coffee and every part of the business. 

Working through our direct-trade program to directly source over 40 percent of our usage has helped our farmers increase their average revenue over 50 percent.

Knowing the difference that our purchases make to the farmers and workers on the farm where our coffee beans are grown, it becomes more than just a cup of coffee. It truly is a cup of joy.