Lenka Johnson Brings Southern Comfort, One Flapjack at a Time

By Taylor Luker, Jaime Tavarez, and Catherine May

The owner of Farmer’s Table puts her own personal spin to the restaurant she has now owned for seven years. Keeping it local, and keeping it country are her main ingredients for this family oriented establishment.

Servers at Farmer's Table work at the cash register.

The Dining Experience

FORT COLLINS, Colo.--  Strolling along one bright Wednesday afternoon, we could see people laughing and sipping coffee through the restaurant windows. As we opened the glass door, the smell of a delicious breakfast invigorated our senses, and made our mouths begin to water.

Stepping inside we noticed a collection of antiques and trinkets decorating the walls and shelves with a rustic, country charm. Everyone was sitting close together in old diner chairs around small tables with paisley tablecloths.

A smiling hostess asked us to sit down, her t-shirt blotched with espresso and gravy stains, and handed us menus.

We noticed an older woman sitting alone, staring at a biscuit with strawberry jelly and a small black coffee. As we wondered how alone she really was, the waitress came over with a cheerful grin and a check. They talked for a while, and the old woman’s face lit up with a smile.

“She’s one of our regulars,” the waitress told us as she wrote our drink order. We looked around the packed dinning room and agreed that people are far from alone when around the family of the Farmers Table.

This is the epitome of a hometown.

The patrons of the restaurant are down-to-earth and comforting in their laid-back demeanor. Even after a night of adventure, the younger crowd is up early on weekends and ready for some signature skillets and gigantic cinnamon rolls.

It is an atmosphere unlike most to be found in the busy mentality of today. Everyone was taking time to relax by savoring each bite.

Although the desks were busy and people crowd the door, the staff is upbeat and talkative.

The owner, Lenka Johnson, with her husband Brian Johnson, walks around the restaurant with a joyful manner. The customers greet her by name, and she pulls up a chair like they’ve been friends forever.

This is just the atmosphere Johnson wanted when she acquired the restaurant just seven years ago.

The Past

Her husband, Brian Johnson, already had a cabin in Colorado, but the family decided to move to Fort Collins for the small-town feel.

“Fort Collins just seemed like a good place to be.” She likes the ranchers that come in because they remind her of home.

Johnson’s husband was working as financial adviser when the previous owner, Virgil, said that he was selling the restaurant after 13 years. The couple was interested, and the two ended up taking over the business.

“It was kind of crazy actually.” Johnson said, laughing. She never could see herself running a restaurant, but it has become something she takes pride in doing.

After meeting her college sweetheart at Rice University in Texas, Johnson graduated with a degree in biology, which she originally wanted to use for environmental law.

This ambition came from an experience when she was young. There was a creek nearby her house that the state government wanted to close up. She saw the protesters and became passionate about how it would affect the wildlife by her house. Eventually a group of environmental lawyers came to help, and the intervention was prevented.  

Johnson never pursued a career in environmental law. But she is happy anyway. “I still use [the biology degree] when I’m gardening,” she jokes.

Johnson knew after marriage that she was destined for something else. She just wasn’t sure what. “I knew I wanted to be a mom someday, and that’s about it,” she says.

Johnson and her husband have been married for 30 years now, with a daughter at Colorado University Boulder, and another still at Fossil Ridge High School.

Although Colorado is the perfect place for her and her family, it is hard not to get homesick, especially for some of the food.

“I love shrimp from the Gulf!” Johnson exclaims. “There’s nothing like seafood in Colorado.” She greatly misses the seafood that was readily available where she lived in Texas.

“Guys would come up to the door offering to sell some of the shrimp they caught that day,” she said. She always bought it. “It was great.”

Johnson is still contemplating adding seafood to the menu, but the difficulty of shipping it so far is holding her back.

The Farmer's Table has several specials for Christmastime.

Country Style

Staying local and supporting other local business is very important to Johnson. This family style business tries to uphold this value in an economy becoming fast-paced and commercialized.

“We try to buy as much locally as we can,” Johnson says. “It gets harder in the winter, but we try.”

Although Johnson stands strong to her values, she is still open to suggestions from customers about improvement. “Sometimes we have people tell us to call and let them know when we’re serving particular things. I’m like, ‘alright, I can do that.’” Customers also contribute favorite recipes to the restaurant.

Johnson still misses her family and roots in Texas and hopes to return home someday, even if the restaurant is a big part of her life.

“Ill probably retire to the [Texas] hill country someday. We’ll see. That’s a long way off.”

The Farmer’s Table reminds its customers of the agricultural side of Fort Collins, and with her childhood spent exploring the Texas plains, Johnson wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The style? That’s just me,” Johnson explains, looking around at the decorations. “I’m a country girl. I just like being in the country.”

Instead of traditional curtains, the restaurant’s big windows feature collections of vintage and antique aprons as valances. “I collect aprons,” Johnson explains. “They’re all handmade.”

“Sometimes we wear [the aprons],” she says. “It depends on our mood.” She laughs. “We’re independent. We don’t cater to anyone. And we’re kind of crazy.”


The Regular- Miss Anne

Sitting on the other side of the restaurant was an older women with salt and pepper hair and a charming personality.

She could not hold back her excited expression as we walked up to the table, and raved about the owner and her restaurant.

A widow, and far from her home in Missouri, Miss Anne eats at least one meal a day with Johnson and all the staff. “I get home food here, and that’s what I like.”

“It’s just kind of like coming together with my family for a meal,” Miss Anne told us.

“I love Lenka and Brian. I just love coming to a place with down-to-earth people, and good food.”




Ambitions

Johnson made sure to rave about her staff and her accomplishments with the family oriented restaurant.

“I just think this is a fun place. We’re like a big family,” she said, smiling. During the short time, we gained a small sense of her family.

Getting the whole staff in on a group picture, Johnson called for everyone to join in. “It’s time for a family picture, you guys!”

The group stood close together and joked with each other. Several of them asked for copies of the photo.

Their eager smiles illuminated the photo, while Johnson stood proudly at the middle of the group, her presence resembling the southern comfort and family values of the delicious environment at the Farmer’s Table.

The Farmer’s Table Restaurant is located at 2140 West Elizabeth St. in Fort Collins. The restaurant is open every day from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their website is http://farmerstablerestaurant.com/

The Big Show with JoJo

By Kathleen Spence and Chelsea Metheny

JoJo, DJ for "The Big Show", talks about his life and involvement in the radio business, and the diversification of his career.  

FORT COLLINS, Colo.— It is an unusually warm November day at 87.7 The Ticket. JoJo walks into his office, flips on the coffee maker, and settles into his plush chair. He tosses down the morning newspaper next to his computer, opening it to the sports section. Logging on to the Internet, he browses ESPN and Sports Illustrated for the top headlines, his eyes lighting up like a true sports fan.

87.7 The Ticket, is a sports radio station based out of Denver and is a part of Front Range Sports Network. It is a relatively new station, and its sole purpose is to broadcast sports news.

“JoJo,” also known as David Turneaugh, always starts his day with the newspaper, checking for the latest news in the sports world.

“A lot of folks do not really read the newspaper anymore since you can find all that is in it on the Web, but that is something that’s a bit old school about me,” said Turneaugh. “I take a ton of notes from reading the paper, then I move on to what the latest news is on ESPN.”

With a quick look at his watch, he turns to a yellow folder behind him and pulls out a sheet of paper with the names of each person he will be interviewing. He walks briskly down the hall to his producer to double check that all the phone numbers and time slots are correct.

“Once that is all done I always reach out to my co-hosts and my producer to see where we want to go on the show that day,” said Turneaugh. “It’s about putting the pieces of the puzzle together to hit the hot topics of the day, get the interviews and give us the time needed to react to what has been said.”

Turneaugh helps run “The Big Show” with the help of his co-workers, “GMan” and “Les”. JoJo is the lead host, making him in charge of the business end of the show; commercial breaks, updates on station information and making sure the show starts and ends on time.

“I play the role of the driver. The “lead-dog” as I refer to it as,” said a smiling Turneaugh. “I have to be the business end of the show, update you on station info. Make sure to stop on time for the required commercial breaks.”

Turneaugh has not always been in sports radio. He has traveled all over the country working in all types of radio. In Colorado alone, he has held many jobs from all over the spectrum. From working in Top 40 type music to working in country music; it seems as though he has done it all.

“I knew when I hired JoJo, he would be a great asset to the station,” said Operations Manager Tim Spence. “He had no experience in sports talk radio, but he’s had over 30 years experience in radio. You know a good personality when you hear one.”

Getting Started In Radio

From Sacremento to Grand Rapids, Kansas City to Milwaukee, Turneaugh has taken the radio broadcasting industry by storm.

“I started at age 11 in Yakima, Washington helping my dad put on music and cleaning the studio,” said Turneaugh with a smirk. “I DJed Top 40 music all over the Mid-West and when I moved to Colorado, I first worked at the country station KYGO, then went to KISS FM and worked as the music director.”

After years of being a DJ, Turneaugh has immersed himself in satellite radio, a major leap from traditional broadcasting.

“Most recently I worked at a satellite radio station and did my own show. I recorded myself for 45 minutes and then that aired for five hours,” said Turneaugh. “It really is strange how satellite radio works, not too much work goes into it as a DJ.”

On the Air

Turneaugh’s job does not always involve being cooped up in the studio. Most weeks, his show is on remote, which consists of broadcasting the show from other locations besides the radio station, such as restaurants and bars in the Denver area.

There is a lot of work that goes into a remote, but the majority of it does not fall on Turneaugh’s shoulders. The broadcasters go on a remote to broadcast and hopefully draw in more listeners as a way of promoting the show. Its an advantage to the radio station to have the ability to hang banners where they can be seen outside the location by traffic and as many passersby as possible.

“For the show I do, the majority of our broadcasts are on remote,” said Turneaugh. “We tend to interview a lot of players from all the sports teams and also sometimes we discuss a certain event that has happened in their sport field. We like to do these because it helps bring in listeners”

When on air, Turneaugh and his partners focus on the current events of the sports world. When discussing topics, it is a normal thing to hear from callers. These people are the ones that keep the conversation interesting, and allure listeners.

“I love angry callers! It is such a normal thing for these people to call in everyday,” said Turneaugh. “If one of us has found a way to make them call in, then that has made my day. You know, 1% of listeners are actually active listeners. Just because they are angry doesn’t necessarily mean they are angry at us.”

As Turneaugh reminisces of past experiences with opinionated callers, he explains his drive for keeping the talk show rolling on air.

“I am a huge sports fan,” Turneaugh said. “I have been in the radio business doing something that I love to talk about. If you don’t love what you are doing and talking about, you won’t be good at your job.”

His fellow broadcasters, “GMan” and “Les” are a major part of making the show run smoothly as listeners call in.

“I have two strong personalities on the show playing referee,” Turneaugh laughs. “We all have a turn at that. Both guys I work with have a sports background.”

From Madonna to Sports Radio

For someone who has been in the radio industry for 30 years, Turneaugh has had transition himself constantly, whether it was playing music or interviewing athletes.

“You have to be a fan of a team or different sports,” Turneaugh explained. “If you DJ country, you have to be a fan of country.”

Transforming from a DJ to a talk show host came with perks, as Turneaugh has had the opportunity to interview many famous people.

“I’ve interviewed people from all over different kinds of entertainment,” Turneaugh said. “When I was in Top 40 music, I interviewed Madonna and George Strait. On the political and entertainment spectrum, I’ve talked to Bill Clinton, Larry King, and Dick Clark.”

During his stint at being a DJ, Turneaugh combined tunes from records in the actual music business to songs that were hitting the charts. Back then, he was used to working with 8 track players and CD’s, technology that is arguably obsolete in contemporary radio broadcasting. The growth in technology ultimately forced Turneaugh to once again transform and adapt to a new broadcasting environment.

The Future of Radio

There is no doubt that the radio industry has suffered in the 21st century with the media focusing more on Internet content and the invention of the IPod to distribute music. However, Turneaugh has high hopes for the continuance of modern radio.

“You can’t get current events on the iPod or the friendly voice you get on the radio,” Turneaugh explains. “You get zero entertainment value from that. On the local radio, you get somebody telling you local stories, like warning you about a current winter storm watch. You just can’t get that from an iPod.”

When Turneaugh got his start in radio, the industry looked a lot different than it does now, especially when it comes to entering the industry as a young adult.

“I don’t have a college degree. I thought about going to college, but I knew I had been doing radio for seven years and I knew I had some experience,” said Turneaugh. “Nowadays, I would suggest for students to get a college degree or go to broadcasting school.”

On his 11th birthday, his father gave him a job working the weekend air shift, which consisted of waking up at the crack of dawn and turning on the transmitter. This small job paved the way to Turneaugh’s success.

“It’s all about knowing that you have to start in that entry level position,” Turneaugh said, laughing and shuffling the newspaper in front of him. “I had to start at really low levels.”

With the evolution of the broadcasting industry and the decreasing number of entry level positions, Turneaugh believes that breaking into the industry is all about strategy.

“Students need to get their start in a large market. It’s the people who are willing to travel to go wherever they have to go—they will succeed,” Turneaugh explained. “You have to be willing to put your foot in the door because this business can be a discouraging one. If you can get passed getting discouraged, then the opportunity is there to succeed.”



Media contributions via Lauren Heil
Photos via Kathleen Spence

The Front Man Vindicates Life on the Main Stage

By Chadwick Bowman

The ambitious lead singer Sean Kennedy of Tickle Me Pink looks to re-establish his band back atop the trifling music industry that has spit them out after early success. He is the anxious and colorful ringleader amidst a disorderly rock scene that he desperately tries to manipulate.

For more information visit Tickle Me Pink

First Meeting

Fort Collins, Colo. — The tattoo shop was empty in the early afternoon. Sean Kennedy’s mentor was on phone at the front desk and ignored me when I walked in. The rocker was in the back, I recognized his face from the magazines and the music videos.

He was casually preparing an impression for his next tattoo, if he could find space on his body that already had not depicted colorful significance or mythology that wrapped around his limbs.

Kennedy has an anxious personality.  When he’s not writing, recording or rehearsing, he devotes himself to his other passions like apprenticing as a tattoo artist. My intuition tells me he enjoys tattooing, it is apparent from his arms and neck.

Sean Kennedy is the lead singer of the Fort Collins based band, Tickle Me Pink, which in the past few years has seen there fair share of peaks and valleys. Kennedy takes on the leadership role, attempting to steer a group of ragtag rockers toward success, all-the-while trying to maintain and organize his off-stage life.

“I can’t do the usual work day, in fact, I won’t do it,” Kennedy said. “I’ve always seem to do just fine only doing things I want to do, like music.”

He spoke with a low-lying voice, as if the strain of talking too much will affect his singing. He was wearing a mesh tank-top splashed with color and blue jeans. His hair was long, brown with blonde streaks and flat, which sprayed out from underneath his black beanie.

His demeanor expressed that his mind was busy, yet at the same time, he spoke collected. He was optimistic about the show the next night at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins. Kennedy hoped to play off the momentum from their newly released, three song extended play album titled “On Your Way Down.”

The energy from the EP was pushing the group that has stumbled the last few years. Tickle Me Pink is relying on Kennedy to position the band to stimulate a new crop of listeners. Just two years ago, the band was poised to become a new powerhouse in the mid-west music scene. Tickle Me Pink was bolstered by rock jock and DJ personality, Nerf, of radio station KTCL in Denver. They were getting plenty of airtime, and were laying-down tracks at the infamous recording studio, the Blasting Room in Fort Collins.

“They put on a performance that I really didn’t expect to be so blown way by but I was,” Nerf said during a Tickle Me Pink performance. “I went out to the counter and bought every one of there EPs they had for sale.”

Nerf claims that in general, rock stars are lazy, and that it is everyone else behind the scenes does all the arduous work. My interaction with Kennedy gave me the opposite impression. Tickle Me Pink is currently unsigned from any record label, putting pressure on him to market the band. With no label, they have not put out a new full length album in five years, much to the dismay of some petulant fans.

“We were geared towards releasing the EP to our Colorado fans,” Kennedy said. “And this show is something to give to fans who have been waiting.”

Sean hopes that the EP and a Colorado mini-tour can reinvigorate their local base. But new music is not the only difference that loyal fans will notice at the show.

New bassist, Darius Pope, will be performing with Tickle Me Pink at the Aggie for the first time. The band’s skid began when the original bassist, as well as life-long friend, Johnny Schou, died of a suspected accidental substance overdose in 2008. Pope is the first bassist out of nine auditioned that the band feels confident in replacing Schou.

“Darius is just a monster,” Kennedy said. “You kinda just know if someone is right for you. You just vibe with them when you hear them play.”

Pre-Show

The Aggie theatre is located in the heart of Old Town, I arrived on time to a mass of people posted up behind the venue, sitting on curbs and leaning up against large trailers, all of whom waiting for Kennedy. The mob consisted of the opening act performers, as well as the roadies and girlfriends.

Kennedy drove himself and pulled up in a large truck. Those who noticed his presence began to unpack vans and trailers, like a group of mid level employees scattering from the water cooler when the boss walked in.

Kennedy greeted the new bassist, who stood out like a sore thumb. He’s a big black man, wearing a striped purple shirt and designer jeans.

The big silver door behind them swung open and without hesitation the opening acts began to shuffle in. People, instruments and amps bottle-necked through the rear door just behind the stage, in anything but an organized fashion.

I asked Kennedy what he does for a pre-show routine.

“I played Frisbee golf today,” he said with a smile, exuding confidence.

He seemed calm, and took a deep breathe and got to work. The actual show is the easy part he said, the next few hours is long.

I sat back watching the chaos that is setting up a stage for a rock ‘n’ roll show. After a few minutes of this unfolding, Kennedy looked at me, ripped-off his same black beanie, shuffled his fingers through his long, multi-colored hair and said that there is way too much stuff do.

Tickle Me Pink performed their sound check with Kennedy running back and forth on stage. He was sweating into the same tank top that he had on the day before.  His goal was complete harmonization as he analyzed the intricate details of each knob, string, lyric and drum stick. This task seemed to symbolize his real life, which he relentlessly attempts to balance and harmonize. As he seemed flustered, the other band members worked their instruments, in and out, but spent more time testing new riffs and antagonizing each other.

They matched instrument with instrument, and instrument with microphone, and microphone with microphone, and microphones to the lights. When this process was done, Kennedy was noticeably frustrated as he propelled out the back door, leaving the band behind.

The members of Tickle Me Pink rocked Old Town with
their heavy-hitting melodies including "Typical," "Madeline"
and "Strange Life." The band played for a sold out crowd
of loyal fans, dancing, moshing and singing to every word.
Photos courtesy of The Rocky Mountain Collegian.

The Show

I spent time with the fans outside waiting in line. Younger kids were sporting “Tickle Me Pink” T-shirts and said this was their sixth show. For others that I spoke with however, they were first timers.

“I’ve never seen them before, but I like to support local bands,” said Joe Olson a Fort Collins resident. “I’ve heard a lot about them.”

It seemed like tonight was going to be a good turnout. A concern of Kennedy's was whether or not the band could sell out the show.

Kennedy returned to the venue after the opening acts had already taken the stage. He disappeared for an hour, while the rest of Tickle Me Pink fraternized with fans and family and drank beer. Kennedy doesn’t drink.

He surprised everyone when he shed his ever-present black beanie. On his sabbatical he apparently decided to have about three inches cut from his hair. One band member said he had never seen it that short. It revealed his gauged ear piercings I hadn’t noticed before. It was more of the same punk-rock supplements that personify a style of music.

Kennedy arrived with his girlfriend, who is also his hair stylist. She offered to get him something to eat, but scolded her to not bring back any cheese.

“I don’t eat cheese on show days,” he told me. “Dairy cuts your throat and makes you suck at singing.”

As he waited for his snack, he finally had time to sit down before the show, to relax. We talked about what he sees for the future of his band. He explained that finding a label is the forefront of the band's priorities.

“There’s a lot of material that were sitting on, and more that we want to say,” Kennedy said. “The industry is in a fragile state right now.”

Backstage, people continue to come in and out. For the most part, Kennedy ignored them. He told me that it was a slippery slope to delve too deep into the promotion aspect of the music industry.

“Once you start to focus on that kind of shit, you lose sight of the music, and I'm guilty of that a lot of times.”

As the crowd outside began to get more and more rowdy in anticipation for Tickle Me Pink, Kennedy looked more and more relaxed. He seemed to slip into a dauntless comfort, as if there is no where else he is supposed to be, and this is what he is supposed to be doing.

He expressed ultimately, that whether the band continues to prosper or not, he is surrounded by friends and not shoved into a classroom or an office where he would be glued-down and fidgety. Instead, he can scream, curse, jump, hive-five, head-bang and even kung-fu-kick in front of fans that enjoy seeing him do it.

“We want to be happy with our music that we are playing every night,” he said. “We want to turn as many people on to our music as possible. But our number one goal is to enjoy what were doing.”

Contributions by Media Editor Nick Hensley

A Bottle to Brew with Doug Odell

Doug Odell is the master mind and self proclaimed brew master behind Fort Collin's Odell Brewery Company. Our reporters had the chance of getting next the CEO and watching him do what comes as second nature to him.


By Spenser Hanson



Photograph by Janelle Kienast/Journalism 210


Fort Collins, Colo. — Just as the buildings are getting smaller, on the other side of the train tracks, stands a picture out of a rural farm town. Only it isn’t in the Great Plains of America, the picturesque red barn is on the outskirts of downtown Fort Collins. As the building gets closer, the on the country feel beings to dissipate because of the over bearing egg-colored silos that look as if they are growing out of the building. These canisters have a large maroon leaf on their side in the shape of a hop. This is where Doug Odell crafts his masterpieces.

Doug Odell, owner of Odell Brewing Company, is no ordinary man despite the average Joe look that his blue denim jeans and casual black button-up shirt might suggest. He presents himself humbly, and is quick to apologize for his slight lisp from the fake tooth he just had put in, but is unapparent to anyone but himself. His mouth and beard move in harmony as he discusses his favorite brew that he invented, which happens to be Odell’s India Pale Ale. The strength and ambiance of the hops reflect his passion and knowledge for the technique he uses when he makes his form of art. This form of art, which is the beer that he brews, is extraordinary in taste and quality, winning awards year after year.

“We get most of our hops from Washington state. Some are grown in Oregon, and we used to get some from England.”

When asked how someone knows a good hop from a bad hop, Odell simply replies, “You Like it a lot”

While extending on his answer he says, “ For instance, Centennial has a combination of a floral and a citrusy characteristic. And not too unbalanced on one of those.”

Odell is excited to explain how he got his beginnings. It’s a coming of age story. There’s adversity and there were times he thought about quitting. Yet in all of his time, he is still just as eager to share what makes a great beer.

He goes into the characteristics of hops and their oils. He is emphatic with his gestures, moving his hands across the entire copper table. His favorite, the India Pale Ale, has the most hops of the beers that he brews.

As the conversation moves from questions about day-to-day operations to broadening the horizons of the company, he begins to have a willingness and confidence in his words. He is giddy, it may seem to transfer the dialogue into the actual brewery. As he swiftly makes his way through the bar atmosphere that instantly flashes by, Odell bursts through the doors that separate the laboring machines from the finished product that is fresh on tap.


Photograph by Janelle Kenast/ Journalism 210

"The floor is wet. The dankness of the
atmosphere is almost resonant
to the south"

It’s loud. It’s pungent. The aroma of hops and barley musk around in the factory setting that creates over 9,000 gallons of beer each day. The floor is wet. The dankness of the atmosphere is almost resonant to the south, where moisture is so thick in the air that you don’t get dry out of a shower, only here the humidity is that of beer. Beer that he brews; beer that he is showing go from a dry form of cereal looking barley, to an almost oatmeal, to a liquid form that is stored and chilled in over-sized silver fermentation tanks, to a brown bottle with a green cap. They’re making a local favorite, Isolation Ale, the winter ale featured by Doug and his crew.


The next ingredient Odell wants to discuss is the malted barley. The barley is what gives the beer its color and body.

“All malting is, for the pale malt, is soaking the barley for about forty-eight hours."

The entire time he explains this process, he is showing off the grain. Each one has a different color. The crystal malt has a pale hue, the chocolate malt is brown. Odell shares these small rice looking seeds that are edible. When eaten they crunch around. They’re hard. Almost like a cereal that has been left on the shelf for too long, far too long.


“The chocolate one gives our stouts their darker color, and even has a slight taste of coffee in it.”

Which is true. It’s dry and hard, practically just as harsh as an espresso bean. But after days of being worked upon, will be turned into a rich dark beer, best enjoyed with a rich dessert.

The final ingredient that he chooses to illustrate is the yeast. Live yeast. That means the yeast is alive. Literally, alive. The fact that the yeast is alive is crucial to the brewing process however. Without this, the sugars in gigantic fermentation tanks wouldn’t get digested. This process allows for the beer to become a finished and drinkable product. Doug explains all of this, while standing causally upon a machine that he goes into further detail with.

“During high fermentation there is an unbelievable amount of yeast in suspension that is eating all the sugar. There can be 60 million cells per milliliter of yeast.”

“What’s higher than trillions? That’s how many cells there are.”

After the cooling process of the newly formed liquid, there can be as many as eight million cells per milliliter still. This is what the machine he is leaned against is used for. The filtering machine is a complex device that has the beer go through multiple tubes that work to gather the live yeast. After the new product is completed, Doug is going to show where the beer gets pumped into kegs and bottles.

" His mouth and beard move in harmony as he discusses his favorite brew that he invented, which happens to be Odell’s India Pale Ale."

But before he can go into the next room, he has to show off his prized possession, the pilot system. This contraption is basically a small brewery that could fit into a common living room of a house. The fermentation tanks are about a tenth of the size, but so are the batches. This is where he and all of his colleagues devise new beers. Sometimes twice a week will they be down in this area to develop something new and exciting from Odell’s. These pilot beers are only served back in the bar setting though. Not many people ever get to taste what he comes up with on a regular basis, which is what makes this brewery a “small operation” according to Doug.

Once the smirk on his face that of his miniature brewery, he walks through a set of double doors into a large room stock piled with kegs and machines to fill them. The ceiling is probably thirty feet high, with kegs reaching all the way up to try and escape it seems.

The machines on this side of the room clean, rinse, clean, power wash, rinse, clean, and rinse the kegs. This is how clean he has to have everything that leaves his plant to be. Doug takes a certain pride in his brewery. This is not to be confused with hubris however, because Odell’s brewery has won awards year after year because of their ethics, philanthropy, and most recently, their environmentalism.

As the process is shown with little effort and much enthusiasm, Doug finishes the circle of life that is his brewery by waltzing back into the tap room. This bar was once seen as just a meeting place for the founder of the Odell Brewing Company. It now is a comfortable setting that opens at 11:00 am every day besides Sunday. This comfortable setting is made so by the now friend named Doug Odell, who is as passionate about beer as a Bavarian brew master. Doug makes what may look like a seemingly ordinary barn, grain, or even man, into a top of the line brewery, a warming beer, and even a friend to all that steps foot into his abode.



Video by Joi Dandridge /Journalism 210

Joi Dandridge and Janelle Kienast contributed reporting to this story from Fort Collins.

Patagonia CEO, Casey Sheahan Strives to Balance Work and Home

The environmentally friendly family man, Casey Sheahan breaks down his past present and future as CEO of Patagonia.

By Erin Eastburn and Sam Hernandez 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- When most people think of the term CEO, one thinks of high power and big bucks. But for Patagonia CEO, Casey Sheahan, a balanced life and genuine outlook proves to be successful.

The Support Behind the Man

As you drive up the steep dirt driveway of the Sheahan family house, in Carbondale, Colo. the natural architecture blends into the mountainous landscape behind it. Sady, the family’s 12-year-old Australian Sheppard greets you with a couple welcoming barks, which sound more like howls. 

This friendly welcoming is part of Casey Sheahans routine arrival home. The busy CEO family man splits his time between work with outdoor apparel and accessory company Patagonia in California and life in Colorado. 

“Because I commute weekly to California from Colorado, I only have time for my job and my family,” Casey Sheahan said.

As you walk up the sharply carved stone stairs, leading to their window lit house, you automatically feel welcomed by the family and humble earthy artwork, architecture, furniture and spirit of their home.

One can hear a small river below and in the distance are towering snow-covered peaks. Since 2005, the family of four has called this home.

For Sheahan, his close-knit family makes everything worthwhile. They provide him with the support needed to run one of the largest privately owned outdoor apparel and accessory companies.

“It’s the most important thing,” Casey Sheahan said referring to his family.

The Sheahan family is one that could provide endless inspiration to outdoor enthusiast . Both Casey and wife Tara Sheahan have been competitive athletes throughout their lives and passed down their athletic abilities to both their sons Caelin, 20-years old and Aidan, 18-years old.

The family often takes trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to fish, camp, and ski together.

“Every moment I spend with my dad I try to learn as much as I can from his actions and mentalities, I do not take for granted the time I am given with him,” Aidan Sheahan said in regards to his Dad’s current position with Patagonia and the valued time spent together.

To Sheahan, happiness is so important for him and his family. When asked about wanting his two sons to experience a similar career as him?

Casey Sheahan said, “I want my boys to do whatever makes them happy in life and aligns most closely with their true passions. When they go to work, they too should be leaping up the stairs to the office two at a time.”

From POWDER to Patagonia

It isn’t easy being the CEO of a major outdoor sporting company like Patagonia, and for every successful ending comes a interesting beginning.

“I have had various roles in the outdoor and ski industries for 35 years.” Casey Sheahan said.

With about 1,000 applications per job, Sheahan knows how successful the business has become and how many people would love to work for Patagonia.

Throughout the 1980s, Sheahan started discovering his passion for the outdoors when he began working for ski magazine, POWDER.

He found a position as a journalist. From his experience with snow sports, he understood both angles to every story. Throughout his time with the publication, he also developed photography skills and became a valued employee of the company.

Eventually, Sheahan became editor of the magazine. He found himself traveling to remote locations, visiting places one only dreams about or sees in magazines.

“I've gone pretty much all over the world,” Casey Sheahan said.

In 1990 Sheahan began working for Nike’s outdoor division. Working with this large corporation helped Sheahan develop valuable experience that drove him towards his current position at Patagonia.

“Nike was a great experience and helped me develop basic business skills as well as product marketing experience,” Casey Sheahan said.

After his experience with Nike, in 1994, Sheahan joined the Merrell Footwear team and was named Vice President of Marketing in 1994.

After being with Merrell Footwear for three years, Sheahan made the transition to Boulder, Colo. based company Kelty. Kelty is a small outdoors supply company specializing in camping equipment.
Sheahan continued developing this company and created a strong legacy when he left in 2005 to work with Patagonia.

“Being CEO of Patagonia is a real honor and I feel like it is the culmination to a fun career in an industry that makes products for activities I love,” said Casey Sheahan.

The Stanford graduate gives off a laid-back vibe for a CEO of a major company, but still holds traits that are important for running a company.

“I'm a believer in the power of companies that are propelled by strong vision, mission and values,” Sheahan said.

With more and more companies headed down the “green” route, Patagonia is leading the way for sustainability and environmental awareness.

World of Green

“This big, beautiful blue ball we live on is paradise,” said Casey Sheahan, “And it's all we've got so we better take care of it!”

Sheahan lives an environmentally friendly lifestyle. He has developed many of his everyday life and business practices based on his view of living an eco-friendly life and caring for this planet we call home.

As CEO, Sheahan and Patagonia have made the effort to incorporate ways to help the environment through the products themselves.

“We know that everything we do as a company pollutes to some degree, but we try to minimize our impacts as much as possible,” Casey Sheahan said.

Patagonia has tried to minimize their impact on the environment in many ways, one of which includes giving one percent of their sales to supporting grassroots environmental causes.

The company also recycles apparel. For 2010 they made a goal to make 100 percent recyclable products. With such ambitious goals, the company managed to make it to 70 percent, but is continually increasing their eco-friendly ways. Patagonia’s new objective for the year 2015 is to have a landfill free product line.

In addition to his involvement in environmentally friendly practices at work, Sheahan has also enjoyed supporting his family with their goals involving the environment.

“I have also enjoyed helping my wife Tara launch the Conscious Global Leadership Institute which ties nicely to my work at Patagonia and our position as one of the most socially and environmentally responsible companies in the world.”

According to an interview between Alex Bogusky and Sheahan on Bogusky’s YouTube Channel, FearLessQA; Patagonia has joined forces with Wal-Mart to help them reduce their global footprint through both companies involvement with Conscious Global Leadership.

Patagonia’s big success in sustainability has been the launch of the Footprint Chronicles, a link on their website which will allow users to track the impact of a specific product all the way from the design of the product to the delivery. With photos of the fabric from Japan to the factories the products are sewn, users can see each and every step of the process.

“The process of global transformation begins with personal transformation,” Casey Sheahan said.

Interview, Interview, Interview

From Sheahans experience he has developed a set of morals and has transferred them to his career ambitions. From this he stands for a company and lifestyle that is true to the person he has become, creating a successful business tactic and personal life. 

“Interview, interview, interview. Find a company you love and be relentless in pursuing any opportunity with them,” Casey Sheahan said. “Don't give up if it seems daunting to get a job, keep showing up in person; don’t let the HR [Human Resources] department keep you at bay.”

Sheahan believes from his ambitious goals he has become a major leader in our society.

“What is most inspiring about my dad to me is the expressions he gives off of leadership,” Aidan Sheahan said. “Casey has had many experiences throughout the world, good and bad, which have shaped him to be the person he is today.”

Sheahan also encourages people to understand that life should be spent doing something you love.

“We have to stand up and do something. If you don't stand for something as a person or a corporation, you stand for nothing,” Casey Sheahan said.

 

Digital Media Created By Demi Sullivan

Passion for Tea Brings International Success to Fearless Entrepreneur

By Tara DeMuth and Tasia DeMuth

Barry Cooper, owner of the international Cooper Tea Co., describes his childhood in Africa, the secrets to his success and the qualities unique to his company.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The smell of burnt potatoes filled the quaint, yet sophisticated home of Barry Cooper, as the charming tea man began talking about his life and success. The charismatic, Sean Connery look alike, smiled widely as he wondered aloud if his wife would notice the strong burning aroma.

“You see I have this thing of cooking on high heat,” Cooper laughed. “My wife tells me not to, but I say that I have it under control. I guess today I didn’t.”

Cooper continues to smile and chuckle as he sits down in his study, a room complete with many books and two comfortable arm chairs. Quickly he delves into the many fascinating facets of his life that have led him to his international success.

The Beginnings of a Tea Master

Born in England, Cooper has the appearance and debonair of a gentleman. However, Cooper was raised in Africa, a nation that contrasts in decorum, as it is characterized as raw, dangerous and beautiful.

“I was living in one of the most natural places at that point,” Cooper said.“ Africa was a playing field of new discoveries and interactions with animals that most children never get.”

Cooper’s boyhood consisted of adventures that many children only read about in safari stories. His playground was the vast land of Africa and his playmates were the wild animals that inhabited the area.

One such adventure taught Cooper a lesson in the relentlessness of baboons.

Cooper was sent by his father to get some water. As he was walking, he spotted two baboons.

“Have you ever seen baboons?” Cooper asked excitedly. “They’re nasty creatures, with big red behinds, just truly angry animals.”

Upon approaching the baboons, Cooper threw a rock at them.

“I was being real macho throwing the rock,” Cooper said.

After Cooper got his water, he returned to see a large group of baboons waiting with rocks in hand. The animals chased him back to his campsite throwing rocks at him all the way. The baboons then posted a lookout, eventually causing Cooper and his family to move camp sites.

“My father was so angry,” Cooper chuckled.

Cooper’s father was a military man who trained troops on insurgency techniques and his mother was a spy for the MI6 secret intelligence agency. The family moved to Kenya when Cooper was 5.

Cooper’s childhood was stuck in the time of the Mau Mau rebellion. The Mau Mau, similar to freedom fighters, fought against laws that were considered patronizing to the native Kenyans. Since Kenya was a British colony, the native Africans were a ruled people.

“In Kenya, they talked about the rights of Africans to have the right to rule themselves,” said Cooper.

After Cooper graduated high school, he decided to pursue a career in his first passion of writing. He started reporting, but soon realized that journalism would not lead him to professional success.

“To be a journalist you need to be a reporter,” said Cooper. “I didn’t enjoy being a reporter and hearing all the sad stories of life.”

So Cooper resigned from the newspaper and considered joining the military.

“I went down to London and I didn’t have a clue what to do,” said Cooper. “So I guess I’ll go in the armed forces.”

However, his life and path was changed completely when he met his grandmother’s next door neighbor, Stevie Finch.

“She changed my life,” said Cooper. “I owe her everything because, by convincing me not to join the army, she changed my path. It’s like if you have a T in the road, one way was the military and the other was whatever else was out there for me.”

Cooper didn’t join the military and, with little money, took a job opening at Lipton.

“I never even thought of a tea profession,” said Cooper. “There was no passion at first, it was just applying to a job.”

However, this job would catapult a passion that would ultimately result in Cooper’s own tea company.

“I just know that when I walked into that tea room in Lipton I had come home,” said Cooper.

Once embedded in the tea profession, Cooper quickly found success. At the age of 23, he was given the opportunity to run a tea trading office in Uganda.

“They gave me a country, Uganda,” said Cooper.

Though to many, the task may seem daunting, Cooper accepted the challenge earnestly.

“I never thought to myself, ‘oh my gosh I can’t do this,’” said Cooper. “It was more like, ‘damn this is fun,’ and as soon as you say that, it stops being work.”

Though Cooper fearlessly traded tea, Uganda posed many threats to his safety while he was working.

“I had a German shepherd that used to protect me because Africans hated big dogs,” said Cooper. “It was dangerous for a white man out there alone. I imagine that she saved my life a couple times.”

Uganda was even more dangerous than Kenya, and, ultimately, these perils would lead Cooper away from the country. However, his time in the country would teach him to have fearlessness in pursuing his aspirations.

“There were nights when I was alone in the car at night when it was pitch black then I was scared shitless, but the job never scared me,” said Cooper. “I grew a huge amount but I learned not to be afraid of challenges of the mind.”

A Company Begins to Brew

When Cooper did leave Uganda, Lipton quickly offered him a position as a tea taster in America.

In 1999, Cooper was asked by 7-Eleven to produce a bag-in-a-box concentrate that would allow consumers to have an all-natural tea as instantly as soda.

For four years, Cooper dedicated himself to creating this innovative product. In 2003, the concoction was perfected and Cooper Tea Co. was born.

Today, Cooper’s tea is sold across the nation as a healthy alternative to other fountain drinks.

“They (other fountain drinks) have 23 ingredients,” said Cooper. “Look at my label of ingredients. It’s tea and water.”

In 2010, Cooper’s tea received USDA Organic certification for their unsweetened, all-natural tea, further establishing his product as a healthy alternative to other teas.

“Cooper Tea Co. is the only tea company in North America, probably the world, that has a natural tea concentrate available nationally,” said Cooper. “That’s astonishing when you think of these companies like Coca-Cola, that the only company to have an FDA approved organic tea is Cooper Tea Co.”

Along with producing a 100 percent organic product, Cooper’s genius came when he created the teapod. This invention, which uses the same levels of heat and pressure as an espresso machine, allows tea, hot or cold, to be produced in seconds.

Cooper’s next focus is on producing a bottled tea and on an energy drink that contains the extra benefits of antioxidants and vitamins without the pitfalls of preservatives and artificial flavors.

Fear: Not Cooper’s Cup of Tea

Through all of Cooper’s failures and successes, he has learned the value of luck and risk. Every year, at the Entrepreneurial School of Business at CU, Cooper centers a lecture around two lessons important to him.

The first lesson is that luck is pinnacle to success in business.

“I’d rather be lucky than good,” said Cooper. “I truly believe that there is an element to business that involves luck.”

The second lesson is centered around accepting the risk of success and being able to live with that risk every day.

When he first sought out to form Cooper Tea Co., Cooper and his family took on a lot of risk.

“My wife is probably the most important person, because she had to accept all the risk,” said Cooper. “She just had to have the faith in me to do it, and if I failed everything then everything would be gone.”

Today, Cooper smiles broadly as he explains the potential outcome of the risk that he and his family assumed.

“The backup plan was to pile the kids in the car and go to Texas to mow lawns,” laughed Cooper. “Guess what? It’s still the backup plan.”

In his lecture, Cooper explains how, with more success, comes more risk and, consequently, more fear. However, this vicious cycle is viewed simply as part of the process by Cooper.

“Show me fear. It’s all up here,” said Cooper, as he points emphatically to his head. “It’s something that we manufacture.”

For those who know Cooper, they both admire and recognize the benefits that his fearless approach to business have provided for him.

“He has taken great risks, not only in working at Celestial Seasonings when it was a start-up company, but by then starting his own company,” said professional colleague and friend, Trip DeMuth. “He doesn’t settle for the safety of an established position, but rather continues to pursue his ambitions.”

When Cooper discusses risk and fear, he does so earnestly. He emphasizes the waste of fear, as risk is part of living. Further, he promotes living without regret.

“The last thing I want to do is look up at my death bed and say if it was that easy then I would do more,” said Cooper. “You can’t make willy nilly choices, but if you’re not risking, then you’re not living.”

Thus, fearlessly going through life, Cooper accepts challenges and embraces risks. He brings tea to the world without distributing preservatives and he continues to hone his skills in tea to bring even more healthful products to the public.

His ambition and charm make Cooper a likable success story. His twinkling smile, coupled with his rigorous courage, inspire respect, even if he does burn a potato or two.


Tea man, Barry Cooper, traveling around the world in search of teas and markets to supplement his company. (via Barry Cooper)

Coping with Cancer from a Distance

Colorado State University sophomore Laura Heiberger deals with being away from home while her mom battles breast cancer.

By KN Scheirman

She stares ahead at the wall with her soft brown eyes, absorbed in her memories as she talks about the difficult past nine months.  She speaks matter of factly, calmly, even, showing little emotion. She is a tiny woman but she is strong; just like her mother and just like her mother raised her to be. The two are alike in many ways and close, which is what made it so difficult for Colorado State University sophomore Laura Heiberger to be hundreds of miles away, living in Iowa, Mich., and Colo., while her mother, Julie, battled breast cancer in Illinois. She has been home less than fifteen days since the diagnosis.

Terrifying Text

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — It started with a text message consisting of two sentences. “I got the results of the lumpectomy. I have breast cancer.” Two sentences and Laura’s reality suddenly changed.

Seconds before, the streets of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. were peaceful as Laura drove home from dinner with her grandparents during spring break her freshman year of college, recording everything with her camera as they passed by the beach where people were walking along barefoot, squidging their toes into the grainy, soft sand as darkness fell. 

One text message and two sentences later, Laura’s peaceful moment turned sour. She felt a lump in her throat, a drop in her stomach and felt an immediate reaction of panic and then, just as quickly, a second reaction: not knowing how to react. She tuned out her nana’s jabbering, tuned out the radio and dropped her camera onto the beige leather car seat. Frozen for several minutes as thought after thought rushed into her head. As she tried to figure out how to respond to the text message.

Three more words popped up on the phone screen. “Are you OK?” She had never been less OK but she responded to her mom. Two words. “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t want to be like well I’m really scared for you because that’s a chink in the chain of her support system,” Laura said. “I had no idea what to say. Do you go and try to talk to her about her emotional state? Or do you not want to focus on that because she’s already, maybe, a mess?...I didn’t know.”

Julie’s reaction was similar. “At first you’re incredulous. You don’t think it can happen to you and you want to be strong and brave for your family. For your husband and your children,” she said. “It was a shock and it was hard.”

The Beginning 

Julie had been in for a mammogram in early March, the week before spring break, and the results were questionable because the doctor’s weren’t sure if she had a tumor or dense breast tissue. She went in for a second mammogram a couple of days later to determine what it was. This time, the doctors were pretty sure there was cancerous tissue so they did a lumpectomy in which they surgically removed the tumor and surrounding tissue. The tumor was malignant. The doctors didn’t know how bad the cancer was at first. There was a chance it had metastasized and had entered her lymphnodes.

“ I definitely couldn’t really focus my school work the week after break because [we didn’t know how bad it was,” Laura said. “I was really worried that maybe it had metastasized…  I kept telling myself it will be fine, she’ll be able to get through it just fine, we’re not that unfortunate, hopefully.”

They weren’t that unfortunate. Doctors informed her mom that the cancer had not metastasized and would be fairly easy to treat using a combination of lumpectomies or a mastectomy as well as chemotherapy.

The doctors started treatment right away. Seeing cancer take a not only a physical but a mental toll on Julie was difficult for Laura.

“She’s always had this attitude ‘I’m kind of a little woman but don’t cross me because I’m fierce…and I’m strong, nobody needs to take care of me or hold my hand, I’m fine, I can deal with it.’ [But cancer] isn’t something you can really control and that really made her vulnerable because it broke her attitude that she could beat anything that came her way on her own,” Laura said.

Coping with Cancer from a Distance

“It was like in trying to create a fun year and a fun life for myself, I preplanned setting myself apart from my mom when she went through all this. It was just a series of ‘wow, this sucks’ because it was one thing after another,” Laura said.

While Laura completed her freshman year at the University of Iowa, Julie was deciding whether to try to fight the cancer by getting more lumpectomies, the riskier treatment option, or by having the doctors completely remove her breasts through a mastectomy.

“My mom was having emotional issues,” Laura said. “It was really hard because you need to talk that out and [I wasn’t at home.]  I put my two cents in whenever I could, when I was talking to her on the phone or when I came in for a day on the weekends and I think the women helped her decide she should get a mastectomy.”

She and her sister had accepted summer jobs in Mich. on Mackinac Island in January. After the diagnosis, they considered staying with Julie but she convinced them to go.

“She said, ‘if you stay, it’s not going to be fun for you and it’s not going to be fun for me’ and she really wanted us to get the experience,” Laura said.

It was more difficult being away that summer than any other time because that was when Julie was going through chemotherapy.

The best she and her sister could do was offer emotional support via telephone and during the two times she visited them. The first time she visited them was a bit of a shock. She looked so weak and it was the first time they had seen her without her hair. “[To help,] we turned her bald headed-ness, cancer patient-ness into some jokes and we took pictures and pretended she was GI Jane,” Laura said.

Laura didn’t like the University of Iowa campus or the party school atmosphere and decided to transfer to CSU in December of her freshman year. “[After we found out about the cancer,] I considered not transferring schools but at that point, I would have had to go to community college for a year, which my parents wouldn’t have been OK with,” Laura said.

The last major surgery her mom had was reconstructive surgery, which took place this fall during Laura’s first semester at CSU.  It did not go well because the doctor didn’t make Julie’s breasts as big as she wanted them to be.

Laura emphasized the positive.  “I said at least they’re not saggy like they were before… She needs help sometimes looking at the more positive things. Just because you have cancer, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a happy person, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have good days,” Laura said.

Ready for Research

Laura’s interest in genetics and cancer research started when she took biology in high school. After this experience with her mom, she knew cancer research was her future career.

“For a lot of people cancer just ends up being an inherent predisposition,” Laura said. “It’s right there and it’s a code and it’s really interesting to play with that code to combat what’s going wrong in your body that’s caused by your body.”

More than anything though, she just wants to help people like her mother.

“Cancer affects so many people and it seems like people are victims for no reason,” Laura said. “I really want to help those people. I like to help people and I like biology so I thought [cancer research] was the perfect union.”

She is currently working at the Medford Lab, scrubbing and cleaning. She wants to be able to eventually become involved in research.

The Next Step

The fact that she and her sister, Erika, could also end up with breast cancer is another daunting reality to deal with. “The next step is asking should my sister and I start getting mammograms…or should we hold it off because [my mom] got it later?” Laura said. “I’m going to keep it in my mind that I might and probably will get breast cancer.”

Winter Wonderland

Laura is going home today. She has been counting down the days since she got back from Thanksgiving break. It’s the longest amount of time she’ll have spent with her mother since the diagnosis. Not only that, but her mom is done with her chemotherapy and almost entirely healed from her reconstructive surgery. She is cancer free.

“There’s always a chance that it could come back but her doctors are pretty confident that she’s good and clear to go,” said Laura. “That’s what’s making Christmas break so exciting: the prognosis looks really good. I’m really excited and I know she’s really excited even though she won’t admit how much she misses me. I think she misses me and I miss her too.”

“It will be nice. Hopefully we’ll be able to go to [Chicago- and we’ll try to make cutout cookies,” Julie said.

In less than a day, Laura will be reunited with her whole family – her parents, her sister, and her brother, Daniel. They will make cutout cookies, listen to the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” soundtrack,  eat shrimp cocktail and drink eggnog while they decorate the tree. Just like every year. But this year, it’s going to feel more special. They are going to be celebrating life.

Reporter Christopher O'Toole contributed to this report.