by Sean Luster
This fall, College of Business and Economics students were treated to an inspirational lecture and Q&A with Travis Boersma, one of the founders of Dutch Bros. Coffee. Travis and his older brother Dane started Dutch Bros. in the early 90s, and the company has blossomed into a growing empire of drive-thru coffee locations throughout the Western U.S. From the start, the brothers made it their mission to not only provide great coffee but to share a positive and enthusiastic outlook with their customers.
That high-energy, optimistic attitude was apparent throughout the lecture, as Travis wove an amazing tale of humble beginnings working on the family farm, to operating a coffee push cart with a pop-up tent, to becoming “the country’s largest privately held, drive-thru coffee company.” Even having experienced a handful of trials and tribulations, Travis made it clear that having a winning attitude and striving to do better were obvious success factors.
“Travis had a big impact on me with his down-to-earth attitude and the experiences he’s had starting a business with his brother,” said MBA Career Track student, Sean Luster. “His talk inspired me to continue to push myself and keep growing as a professional and as a person.”
The packed crowd of students and faculty in the audience walked away with a wealth of wisdom and a smile (of course) because Travis, living the Dutch Bros. creed, would not have it any other way.