Recent Grad Is Brewing Success
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Tricia Zimmer Ferguson |
Owner of an award-winning family business, Tricia Zimmer Ferguson, may have entrepreneurship – and perhaps coffee – in her veins. But as a Mizzou alumna and supporter, she definitely bleeds black and gold.
Having grown up in a family of entrepreneurs, she never doubted her plan to attend the MU Trulaske College of Business and become an entrepreneur herself. Her grandfather started one of the first all-country radio stations in the U.S. in the 1950s, and today her family owns nine radio stations in mid-Missouri.
As a student, Ferguson was involved in a multitude of activities and was selected to be the student speaker at the dedication of Cornell Hall. After graduation, she joined the Rotational Development Program at Edward Jones.
A couple of years later, she was able to fulfill her dream of running her own business when her family discovered a coffee shop in a historic neighborhood in St. Louis that they believed was a concept with substantial potential for expansion. "When we crossed paths with Kaldi's Coffee, we had an instant vision for the company and the deal just made sense," she says. "As a family we always had some of our best business talks together over coffee or at a restaurant."
In 2005, Ferguson, along with her family, purchased Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company. Since then, new retail locations have been added in St. Louis, Springfield, and Columbia. Kaldi's was selected as one of the "Top 10 places to get your daily fix of coffee" by GQ magazine in November 2009. She and her family have expanded wholesale operations, invested in another coffee venture in Hawaii, and their plans include owning a coffee farm.
Promoting education and awareness of specialty coffee is very important to Ferguson and is one of the company's main missions. For example, baristas have a three-level certification and in-store "cuppings" (like wine tastings) are held almost weekly.
Fellow alumna Susan Conrad (BS BA '87), president of EICON Properties, says, "Tricia's passion for the business and energetic approach are contagious. She is an excellent communicator and team builder. She encourages others to think big and take risks."
Ferguson has used her management background and passion for entrepreneurship to jump-start several charitable initiatives, both at Mizzou and in her community. For example, in 2007 she and her husband, Josh, started a $25,000 endowment in the Trulaske College of Business to provide scholarships and professional development for female students with leadership potential.
Ferguson has served on the Recent Alumni Advisory Board and as a member of the college's Management Advisory Board, she helped implement a new mentoring program. She is also a member in the Griffiths Leadership Society for Women at Mizzou. In St. Louis, Ferguson launched her company's support of Urban Future Organization, and Variety, The Children's Charity. She recently received the St. Louis Business Journal's "30 under 30" recognition, which is given to outstanding young business people.
Of all her accomplishments, the one about which Ferguson is most proud is being involved in a family business in an industry they are very passionate about. Her husband, Josh (BS '03), and her brother, Tyler Zimmer (BS '08), are part of the company. "There is nothing more fulfilling than working alongside the people you love and respect most, while doing something you enjoy," Ferguson says.