"Have you looked into getting it to a publisher?' "Tripio. The book?' I responded. Howard appeared to be not overly concerned with my book sales. 'Oh, yea early on. But I found the process to be too much like looking for a job. Like sending out countless resumes...and crossing your fingers. I have had enough... Continue Reading →
Too easy to criticize Starbucks?
Kevin Knox answers another of my questions Question-In the blogosphere, Starbucks seems to be an easy target to hate on for easy clicks. It tends to bother me. Does it bother you? Or is it deserved? Kevin's Answer-I think most of the criticism is uninformed. Howard Schultz deserves enormous respect on the business side (along... Continue Reading →
A Tripio back in time with Kevin Knox-Was Starbucks inevitable??
Question for Kevin-If Howard (Schultz) had stayed at Xerox, would Starbucks have come to be? In other words was a company like Starbucks inevitable to some degree? Answer - Without a doubt Starbucks would have remained regional without Howard. I had a conversation with Jerry Baldwin after the buyout and his move down to Peet’s... Continue Reading →
A Tripio back in time with Kevin Knox -Gift suggestions for any coffee lover
In a post a couple months ago, I said I didn't really care too much what your choice of coffee beverage was. Sorry, if I have too much gravitas for cheap click bait, its just who I am. As a middle path, I offer a few ideas for gifts this season for the coffee lover... Continue Reading →
A Tripio back in time with Kevin Knox and Howard Behar
"There must be a game at Wrigley tonight. It is Monday and there are more people around than usual. Looks like they plan on having some fun. I love living here, walking these streets and making them mine. I am beginning to realize that my job at Cosmodemonic * gives me something of an edge... Continue Reading →
A Tripio back in time as Kevin Knox talks Starbucks
Tripio excerpts- 'My Amtrak is heading into suburban Chicago for real now. The Cosmodemonic might have a store in each suburb in a few years. Is there that much good coffee on the planet? There are rumblings of another roasting plant on the east coast. Cosmodemonic don’t play." "It had been rainy and cloudy for... Continue Reading →
A Tripio back in time with Kevin Knox and Howard Behar-Part 1
I recently caught up with two men who were working for Starbucks before most anyone knew or cared about much about coffee in this country. I wanted to provide a unique look back at the now legendary company through the lens of my historical fiction novel, Tripio. By that I mean, I hope that this... Continue Reading →
What I want from Tripio-doesn’t matter
A look back on the one year anniversary of this post It is school day morning and my teenage son just asked if he could stay home today because he couldn’t get to sleep last night. He was asleep at dinner time and I tried to wake him up. I had made a good... Continue Reading →
What if I stayed at Starbucks?
“I think I wrote Tripio in part to close the loop of "what if”?” Those are my words from an email to Kevin Knox. I was thanking him for reading Tripio and providing the great blurb I used on the back cover. The “what if?” refers to the proposition embedded in Tripio that Jay could... Continue Reading →