Meet Brian Christoffersen | Plant Lover & Problem Solver

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Christoffersen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
It’s definitely a difficult line to walk. I have to balance my full-time job, my small business, and spending time with my fiance, our animals, and friends/family. The first year wasn’t too bad as I was just dipping my toe in to test the waters a bit. The 2nd year (last year) was a little harder, trying to find time to make sure I had my products prepared, finding time to replenish my stock, and being able to actually relax and take time for myself. Overall, I think I struck a pretty fair balance between everything. Communicating to my partner and being understanding of her needs also made a big difference in overall happiness and satisfaction.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started my working career a long time ago as a kid delivering newspapers, back when that was still a thing. I learned early on the value of working smarter and efficiently. Fast forward to my jobs post-college. I went from working as a cashier at Target to helping run the Electronics department. From there I decided to get my Master’s Degree in Sports Management and work in the sports world. I had the pleasure of working for the Kalamazoo Wings for a season and helping run adult rec sports leagues through what is now Jam Sports. At that point, I stumbled into a job working at St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw, MI. This set me down the path of advancing my career forward and wanting more. I started as a Wine Consultant, worked my way into one of the leadership roles, and eventually getting moved to full-time as our Direct Shipping Manager where I learned a lot about logistics and operations. The things I learned in that role helped propel me to my current role as Operations Administrator for Imperial Beverage.

I faced a handful of challenges along the way, mostly internal ones. It’s taken me a long time to feel comfortable and confident in the skills I have, and even how to market myself to others. A lot of the confidence I have now comes from the amazing support I’ve gotten from my partner. She’s helped me in so many ways, highlighting skills I didn’t think I had or showing me how valuable I can/could be.

I’ve taken pieces from every role I’ve had in my working career and applied them to the next one every time. These include being customer focused, thinking critically and solving puzzles, working with others on/as a team, and even a bunch of random skills that can be applied broadly or very specifically. Because I’ve worked in so many industries, my ability to learn a new task or skill quickly comes so naturally and is appreciated by others.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Thankfully, there are a good amount of things to do in and around Kalamazoo.

Day 1: explore local breweries – there are a lot. Starting down in Portage, going to Presidential Brewing & Latitude 42. Migrate a further north and hitting up One Well for drinks, excellent food, and games. Then swing over to Apoptosis then Brite Eyes. Finally a quick stop at The Beer Exchange and finishing up with dinner and beers at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe downtown.

Day 2: (let’s assume it’s a Saturday) check out the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market in the morning for local produce and local artists/artisans. Grab brunch at 600 Kitchen & Bar, then head downtown to wander the shops and grab a drink. Later, head to Mayor’s Riverfront Park to catch a Kalamazoo Growlers game and fireworks.

Day 3: Grab breakfast at a local favorite: Nina’s Cafe, then head up to Grand Rapids for some bigger city exploration. Tour more breweries: begin at Brewery Vivant in East GR, zip over to Grand Rapids Brewing Company, up to Atwater then Mitten Brewing Company. Grab lunch at Hop Cat GR. Explore one of my favorite antique stores: Warehouse One, then head over to Founder’s Brewing for more beers and dinner.

Day 4: Lake Michigan Beach Day. Head over to Warren Dunes state park to explore the dunes and hang on the beach. After soaking in the sun, building epic sandcastles, and enjoying the beautiful lake, we’d head down to Journeyman Distillery for a distillery tour, dinner, and drinks.

Day 5: With all the adventuring above, this would be a perfect spot to hang low. Play the day by ear, perhaps a chill day ending with a bonfire at the house.

Day 6: Wineries in and around the area. Start in Coloma at Contessa Wine Cellars, then swinging up to Karma Vista. Head over to Paw Paw to grab a burger or dog at Red’s, spending a good amount of time tasting, touring, and beveraging at St. Julian Winery. Pitstops on the way back home at Cody Kresta & Lawton Ridge. Finally, capping the day with a nice dinner at Roca.

Day 7: probably best to keep it chill and catch a movie. Or, if more adventuring is desired, head up to Saugatuck to visit Oval Beach, wandering the shops downtown, and checking out Saugatuck Antique Pavillion before finishing with dinner at Saugatuck Brewing (the original location).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Absolutely my fiance/future wife (getting married this fall, Oct 2024). It was her beautiful mind that came up with the name The Plant Daddy, and encouragement to take my hobbies, mash them together, and share those with others. Her support has definitely helped me get to the point I’m at now. It hasn’t all been easy, as I’ve had to find the balance between time spent on The Plant Daddy and time spent together, but keeping open communication of what I’m doing, when I’m doing it, and even how long it’ll take, has made a huge difference. Her help in the day-to-day stuff has been incredible. A lot of what I do couldn’t have been done without her and her help.

I very much also owe a lot to my dad. Growing up, we’d spend lots of time outside working on our garden and/or landscaping the yard. I very much get a lot of my love of everything plants from him and spending that time together. Those times also encouraged me to start my own food garden(s) wherever I’ve lived, whether in an apartment, house, or even my college dorm.

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-christoffersen/

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