Women In Beverage
up working there after racking up a big bill . When I realized I could be making money in the place I was spending so much , I was hooked !
What makes you a successful leader ? LM : I think being a successful leader requires willingness to listen , adapt and to be led by others when needed .
My whole origin story was based on women giving me a chance and helping me grow , leading me to find my path in this industry .
IM : I think the key of leadership is knowing and understanding delegation of tasks and jobs . We are only as successful as the teams we have around us , because not one person is capable of doing it all .
Having a good team of partners , and also mentees / people who want to learn , allows a good leader to teach while leading . With every teaching experience , there is the opportunity to learn .
I am lucky enough to have all of my amazing partners to create my businesses . Lynnette was kind enough to work with me ( at the time , a younger and greener and unknown bartender ) because she liked the ideas we had together . We used her connections to rise up Speed Rack , and with that my career came with it .
Same with Julie Reiner and Susan Fedroff ; I worked for them for years and then opened up my bar Leyenda with them . A rising tide raises all ships , and I have certainly benefited from that .
How has your company benefited from having women at the table making decisions ? LM : I don ’ t know any other way ! I am one of four sisters and culturally and in our home women made many decisions .
I gravitated towards spaces with strong women in the lead positions because that is what felt natural to me . I guess not feeling like it was odd or strange helped me keep pushing for it to be the norm in more places and spaces .
IM : I work best with women . I think women work steadily and efficiently and that has been the case in my businesses .
Who are your professional role models ? LM : I really admire [ Norwegian bartender / liquor company owner / digital innovator ] Monica Berg . She is very thoughtful and pushes boundaries with how she views hospitality . For the many years I have known her , she offers strong and different perspectives that are thought provoking in a positive manner .
IM : My role models are many . Beyond Lynnette and Julie and Susan , I am inspired by those women ( and others !) who manage to work hard to play hard . People who take this industry to live their life how they want it . Carina de Soto , Natasha David and Shirley Brooks show
that motherhood and Ivy Mix family is doable while owning businesses and bartending , and I have huge respect for that .
Brandi Pollock
Brandi Pollock is the owner of Fisher ' s Liquor Barn , Fisher ’ s Market and The Venue at Fisher ’ s in Grand Junction , CO .
How did you get into the beverage alcohol business ? I started out at Fisher ’ s Liquor Barn in 1999 when I was 17 . I started out doing payroll , sales tax , accounts payable , accounts receivable , human resources and inventory .
My dad started our original store in 1980 , and he reached a point that he needed a new bookkeeper . I jumped in telling him , “ I will do it ! “ I can learn !”
So I was able to learn everything from my dad and an associate at our accounting firm . She spent hours with me teaching me to understand where we get the numbers , and how to compute every aspect .
Who are your professional role models ? My dad taught me the most . He had been
Brandi Pollock
doing most of the things in the store himself , so as I learned one aspect of the store , I would learn another . By the time I turned 21 and was finally able to sell alcohol and bartend for our store , I started doing those things as well .
I love every aspect of the store ! At 25 I became majority owner of the store and a few years later we bought a natural meat market ( Fisher ’ s Market ). It ’ s the perfect combination ! I love to eat great food and love amazing wines .
In 2019 we bought out my parents . My husband ( Jay Pollock ) loves the business as much as I do , and we are a great team . We have now added a catering division , so we can take care of our customers every need for food and entertaining .
What makes you a successful leader ? Our employees are like family ! We couldn ’ t do anything without them and their years of knowledge and expertise . We have employees that have came from distributors , straight out of college and how have been long time friends that wanted to come to work for us .
How has your company benefited from having women at the table making decisions ? Being a woman I the liquor industry was hard at first , I felt I didn ’ t have the respect from suppliers , distributors and staff . I was the owners ’ daughter and my parents kept reminding me that someday I would earn the respect from each of them .
At such a young age I didn ’ t think it came quick enough , I mean I signed their paycheck , why didn ’ t they respect me ? Then one day it all clicked ! I went from being “ Wayne Fisher ’ s daughter ” to people asking my dad if I was his dad .
It ’ s become a joke around the store : My dad says now “ I ’ m just the dad . I ’ m Brandi Pollock ’ s dad .” It makes us laugh ,
12 2021 Women in Beverage