Hey Team! We’re in the home stretch of the Whitefish Bay project. All of the planning, permitting, quoting, etc has brought us to this fast and furious (and dusty) stretch of work we’re currently in.
WHITEFISH BAY – Eric and I are meeting with the contractors every Monday to review the project’s progress and estimate completion timeline. As with any large project, there’s some new challenge that comes up every week. It’s been a fun process, but I know we’ll all be glad when the build is finished and we can finally get our team in the space. We have about three more weeks of the rough in (electrical and plumbing) and concrete elements, then we’ll begin with tile, painting, and other finishes. The current timeline for us to get the space from the contractors is the first week of November. While we’re still too far out to lock in an exact open date, we’d love to get everything aligned for December 1st. We’ll keep you posted! Karen has scheduled a digital meet & greet meeting for cafe team members who are planning on transferring over to be a part of this team on a temporary or permanent basis. If you’re interested in being a part of the team that launches this cafe, please reach out to us asap by emailing teams@stonecreekcoffee.com to express your interest.
Shout out to the Downer Kitchen Team for their work on the new PM menu (4-9pm) that many of us got to taste elements from during the Friends and Family night last Thursday. Everything is so delicious, and I personally can’t wait to see more people experience it in the coming months. This Thursday through Sunday we have one more preview weekend for some of the items from the PM Bowls & Boards menu. So, encourage folks to come taste what we’ve been cooking for the new space.
THE BAKERY EXPANSION – Even while we work to get WFB across the finish line, we’ll be executing our bakery expansion over the next six weeks so we’re ready for the increased production volume that will accompany WFB’s opening. In this expansion, we’ll be taking over half of the meeting room space to the north of the current bakery. We’re adding more working space and larger equipment for laminated products and breads.
It’s going to be fun to come to the end of 2023 and look back on all we were able to accomplish this year – with projects above coming to completion as well as the Oconomowoc remodel early in the year.
2024 PLANNING – Having accomplished those goals, we’ll begin work on the roadmap we’ve established through 2026. While we’re still considering adding a hot kitchen to the Factory, that project is on hold until the Whitefish Bay cafe is open, stable, and thriving. Our first priority heading into the new year is to establish a dedicated wholesale and web-sales focused sales team. We see the growth of these two business units as a necessary component of continuing to strengthen our company and broaden our reach within our community. We plan to hire two new roles to begin this work before the end of 2023. Meanwhile, our Financial Director Garrett and I are working with the other team leaders in the company to craft our financial models and budgets to guide us in 2024.
OCTOBER WORKSHOPS – The summer flew by. I can’t believe it’s time for our next round of workshops already. This round will be a bit of a change from the way we’ve done these in the past. We will host the teams at the Factory. The first hour will be spent with the Teams & People team as we give some company updates and do some training on Pay & Performance Reviews. Our goal for this time is to help each employee feel equipped for their P & P’s. We want you to know what to expect as well as how to prepare for these meetings with your Team Leader three times per year. After we go through this training together, you will meet with your team leader for an extended period of time to work on team-centric hots and nots and any other agenda items you have together. We want to provide more time for each team to focus on the items that are most important to making their work and environment more effective and healthy.
SEASONAL HEALTH & SAFETY – Most of you are probably aware that respiratory illnesses are on the rise as the weather cools. The Teams & People team is monitoring and will be releasing the annual Seasonal Health & Safety Guide. Please look for that in a separate notification on Thursday. In the meantime, if you are feeling unwell, please do not come to work. Call in to your team leader as soon as you’re not feeling well and stay home. If you test positive for COVID at any point, please report this to Teams & People by email teams@stonecreekcoffee.com. That team will then communicate with you regarding the amount of time you will need to stay home and/or mask upon returning to work. Please err on the side of caring for your coworkers.
There’s a lot more I could talk about (December Employee Trip, some new cold brew stuff), but I don’t want to take up your whole day. Never hesitate to stop me in a cafe if you have any questions. I’m always open to connecting. You can also send me a quick email at dpond@stonecreekcoffee.com.
It’s gonna be a fun few months as we enter the home stretch of 2023. Thank you so much for all of your work in helping move SCC forward this year!
Drew P
Director of Development & Co-Owner
(940) 733-1414