Moments & Milestones
The Making of a Timeless Hospitality Business
Inviting People Into the Journey
The best hospitality invites people not just to the table, but into the experience.
The Teacher I Never Met
As we build The 601 Group, I find myself thinking less about what to copy and more about what to avoid.
That may sound counterintuitive. Most founders look for models. Playbooks. Case studies. Best practices. I do too. But over the past 25 years, I’ve had a vantage point that most operators never get.
People, Then Profits
Two weeks into owning and operating The Local Epicurean Grand Rapids, most of the decisions we’ve made don’t show up as wins on a P&L.
The Button
This morning, I clicked a button.
It said Initiate Payment.
Nothing dramatic about it. No fireworks. No applause. Just a confirmation screen and a deep breath.
The Next Chapter
Some things take a long time to become public.
Not because they’re uncertain, but because they’re already in motion.
What to Make of a Life
This week, I had the chance to spend time with Jim Collins again.
Not for a formal keynote. Not for a public conversation. Just time. A sneak peek at the work he’s been quietly building toward for years—his upcoming book, What to Make of a Life.
Inviting People In, On Purpose
For the past couple of months, I haven’t written here—intentionally, as it turns out.
Not because nothing was happening. Quite the opposite. We’ve been heads down learning something I avoided for a long time: marketing.
In It, On It, All In: Rethinking the Leadership Pendulum
One of the most common leadership mantras I’ve heard—especially as businesses scale—is that leaders must “get out of the weeds” and “work on the business, not in it.”
It’s well-intentioned advice. And in many ways, it’s necessary. Leaders can’t afford to be consumed by the day-to-day forever. Someone has to think about the bigger picture, the systems, the long-term strategy. Someone has to work on the business.
The Map Is Not the Territory
This week I had the privilege of a private conversation with a Fortune 50 CEO. Among the many insights he shared, one comment stopped me cold:
Building Standards of Excellence
When you’re building a business, it’s easy to get caught up in the scoreboard. Sales numbers, growth, expansion plans—they all feel urgent. But real, enduring success doesn’t come from chasing numbers. It comes from creating standards—clear expectations for how we do things, big and small—and then living by them every day.
A Leap I Had No Business Taking
Looking back on Failure Lab Atlanta, the event I had no business producing, and how that leap set the stage for building The 601 Group.
In early 2015, I did something wildly out of my comfort zone. I read an article about a new event called Failure Lab, launched in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had hosted a program at East Grand Rapids High School, my alma mater, where people stood on stage and told raw, vulnerable stories of failure.
The Lost Art of Design
Driving down the street the other day, I noticed a new Taco Bell going up. Nothing against Taco Bell, but it struck me how every new QSR, Starbucks, or bank seems to come in the same box. A simple rectangle with drive-thru lanes, muted paneling, the same predictable lines. Functional, yes. But inspiring? Not really.
When the Room is Buzzing
This past Thursday night, The Local Epicurean East Lansing hosted our largest private class yet: a full 60-person Pasta 101 experience.
Why Hospitality Needs a New Playbook
For decades, the restaurant business has been built on the same formula: find a space, fill it with tables, and hope that enough guests cycle through each night to make the numbers work. The problem? The math is broken.
Life. Work. One and the Same.
Steve Jobs once said, “[Work] is still my life but it is not all of my life.” I’ve always connected with that idea, though in my case, the line between the two can feel almost invisible.
Growth Over Goals
Why We Focus on Progress, Not Perfect Plans
There’s a quote I heard recently (can’t recall where) that captured something I’ve been thinking about for a long time:
“Prioritize growth over goals.”
The Long Opening
Reflections on the first year at The Local Epicurean East Lansing
There’s a moment, sometime between signing a lease and unlocking the door on opening day, when the adrenaline kicks in. Everything feels possible. You can see the space in your mind: full tables, happy customers, the sound of clinking glasses, a line at the counter. The buildout moves fast, the launch gets close, and the vision begins to feel real.
The Hedgehog Concept
Jim Collins teaches us that great companies focus relentlessly on the intersection of three simple circles:
What you can be the best in the world at
What you are deeply passionate about
What drives your economic engine
The Magic of Gathering Over Food…
And Why We Built The Local Epicurean Around It
Across time and culture, one truth remains: when people want to connect, they gather around food.
The 20-Mile March: Why We’re Building for the Long Haul
In Great by Choice, Jim Collins introduces one of my favorite concepts: the 20-Mile March. It's a deceptively simple idea, but one that’s shaped how I think about business, leadership, and growth—especially as we build The 601 Group.