熊猫在线视频

Timothy Gravel, B.B.A. Accounting 鈥�90, will receive the 2017 Alumni of Achievement award at the Homecoming Breakfast on Oct. 13.

Tim Gravel, owner and CEO of Kaladi Brothers Coffee, is committed to his company鈥檚 鈥淐atalyst for Community鈥� motto. 熊猫在线视频ns, he said, have supported him since he drove into town in his Volkswagen van as a teenager, looking to get a college degree.

Originally from Livermore, California, Tim came to 熊猫在线视频 in 6th grade with his dad, his grandpa, and a dog-eared Milepost to fish every creek they could find. Years later, memories of that trip spurred him to head North after high school, where he found the connections, the college and the kindness that set him on the path to today.

First Brew

While at UAA, Tim worked a side job waiting tables at Red Robin alongside Mark Overly, the friend who first connected him to Kaladi. At the time, the company was primarily a wholesale roaster (plus one espresso cart on 4th Avenue). It was a small operation, so when a big client like 熊猫在线视频 Commercial Company called in an order, Kaladi needed extra hands in the warehouse to meet demands.

鈥淲e just did it for fun. No one got paid,鈥� Tim said. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 employees, we were friends.鈥�

After graduation, Tim went the traditional route with his accounting degree and soon started at a local firm. Every morning, even in winters, he would dress in a suit and loafers and drive that freezing-cold Volkswagen bus downtown.

鈥淚 really thought I had to be an auditor, because I couldn鈥檛 see past that,鈥� Tim said. That changed when he ran into Mark again鈥攖hen a co-owner of Kaladi鈥攁t a Christmas party a few years after graduation. Mark asked if Tim would mind looking at their accounting books for the year. 鈥淚 said sure鈥� And then I never left,鈥� Tim laughed. That was more than 20 years ago.

When Tim stepped in, Kaladi had expanded (slightly) to one caf茅 and six employees, all of whom were fun-loving 20-somethings with a gift-giving habit.

鈥淚t was kind of a culture shock to me,鈥� he said. Tim would tell Mark to rein in all the donations, and Mark would always reassure him. 鈥淚f you take care of the community, it鈥檒l all work out,鈥� Tim recalled. It鈥檚 a mantra he鈥檚 shared with Kaladi鈥檚 finance staff ever since.

That being said, Tim credits his degree for keeping the company grounded. 鈥淎ccounting was critical,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think it was a necessary piece for Kaladi to go forward.鈥� When he started, the company was planning to open a caf茅 in New Sagaya, but tasked Tim with figuring out the financing. 鈥淚t was all very new.鈥�

Kaladi has since expanded its coffee kingdom, with more than 200 employees and 15 caf茅s (including one in Seattle), plus the Rustic Goat restaurant in Turnagain and Black Cup in Midtown. All told, Kaladi roasts 1.2 million pound of coffee each year.

Caffeinating a Community

熊猫在线视频 and Kaladi are intertwined. Sure, winter darkness necessitates caffeine, but it also promotes community. People here have a willingness to help, Tim said.

And that, at its core, is the Kaladi ideal. Anyone who鈥檚 seen the Kaladi truck at a festival or 5K knows the value Kaladi places on community. It鈥檚 right there in the motto.

Tim remembers when the core Kaladi crew brainstormed the 鈥淐atalyst for Community鈥� brand at a cabin one winter. The company was then growing 100 percent annually. 鈥淸We were] just constantly in this growth pattern, but it needed to be about something more,鈥� Tim noted. 鈥淭he culture just evolved [to] making it about a community and not just coffee.鈥�

For an example, take New Year鈥檚 Day and the work of Dale Tran 鈥�15. When Dale started as CFO, he, like Tim, was surprised by the company鈥檚 culture of giving. But then he took the reins and ran with it. In the past five years, Dale elevated the company鈥檚 New Year鈥檚 Day of Giving鈥攚herein the company donates all Jan. 1 coffee sales to a locally based charity鈥攁nd brought in corporate donors. Suddenly, Kaladi was donating $100,000 in a single day. (Dale passed away this year, but the tradition will live on. In recognition of his contributions, the Dale Tran New Year鈥檚 Day of Giving.)

Little Effort, Big Results

Though Tim was integral to Kaladi鈥檚 growth, he won鈥檛 take the credit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of people鈥檚 efforts to make this company what it is,鈥� he noted. That includes several UAA grads, like Dale, COO Michele Parkhurst 鈥�08, Wholesale Manager Dave Garcia 鈥�99 and Julia Kelly 鈥�16 in accounting and human resources.

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a UAA office, and it wasn鈥檛 planned that way,鈥� Tim admitted. 鈥淛ust a lot of good people come from UAA that have this community-minded attitude.鈥�

For an example, he recalled a time when he fell asleep studying in the Spine over UAA Drive. A professor woke him up to check on him. 鈥淸She] kind of just touched base with me on a personal level and actually invited me to dinner that night,鈥� he recalled.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 like I was a star student who was struggling. I was the mediocre student who could have been passed over super-simply. That little extra effort made a huge difference in my life.鈥�

And, indirectly, it made a difference for the whole Anchorage community.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that instructor knows it 鈥� but they kept me here in 熊猫在线视频,鈥� Tim said. 鈥淚 was really ready to go and I was talking to my parents about moving back home.

鈥淗ad that happened, I don鈥檛 know what Kaladi would be.鈥�