I’ve been working at Mars Wrigley for 14 years. In that time I’ve had formal development conversations every six months, feedback loops every quarter, access to classes, committees, cross-functional projects, and mentors. The company didn’t just give me a job — it gave me a career. It invested in who I was becoming, not just…
When we bought the Windsor it wasn’t just losing money. It had no identity. The window had a giant 4×8 banner across the bottom half — “Gaming Café, Pizza, Beer Special, $10 Go Bears.” Above it were a few neon beer signs. From the outside, as a passerby, that’s all you’d know about us. They…
I’m just going to say it upfront — buying The Beer and Now when I did was probably impatient. I probably should have waited, but there’s this other side of me that wants to jump on any opportunity when I can. But if you’ve been reading along, you already know that I am a lot…
Every bar owner has an origin story. Mine starts with a limousine, a fire, and a walk around my neighborhood at midnight while my wife and newborn were asleep. But what good would this story be if I didn’t give a 20 year lead up to it. SMALL BAR, DIVISION STREET, CHICAGO When I was…
I’m Al. I’m roughly 40 years old, married with two kids, and I work full-time as a Focused Improvement Manager at Mars Wrigley. I’ve spent 14 years in manufacturing, traveling to factories in Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Nevada, Canada — helping teams solve their most expensive, most complex problems. I would never consider myself the best…