Originally hailing from San Diego, Cortnie's career in the hospitality industry began with a remarkable 12-year tenure at Starbucks Coffee Company. It was here that she developed a profound passion for creating an incredible company culture. Leveraging this passion and knowledge, she embarked on a new venture in San Francisco, managing the only Nespresso flagship location on the West Coast.
Her journey then led her deeper into the world of hospitality, managing one of San Francisco's most iconic and historic bars. In 2020, she relocated to Phoenix to take on the role of Director of Operations for Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality, an award-winning company renowned for its innovative approach.
During her tenure with Barter & Shake, the team has achieved significant accolades, including winning Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2023 and being listed as one of the Top 50 Bars in North America for two consecutive years. Cortnie's career is driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a dedication to fostering exceptional experiences in the hospitality industry.
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Guiding Growth: Conversations with Community Leaders
Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners. We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul.
Be sure to subscribe to our show for more interviews with community leaders.
This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments. Learn more about our show at https://guidinggrowth.co. View our Privacy Policy at https://modernmoments.com/privacy
Guiding Growth
Conversations with Community Leaders
So often, we define ourselves and others by a title or label. But, who is the person behind the success? Leaders are inspiring, memorable, and often a mystery to those whom they inspire.
Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners.
We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul.
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Guiding Growth is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments
Meet the Hosts
Sarah Watts was named the President & CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce in July 2020. She joined the Chamber’s team in 2008, and throughout her career, has placed emphasis on collaborative dialogue across industry sectors and job functions and enjoys bringing diverse groups together to solve the challenges that the community may encounter.
Sarah is a graduate (summa cum laude) of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a BA in Journalism, emphasis in Public Relations, and a minor in Communication (2002). She is a graduate of the Gilbert Leadership program (Class 21), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Pipeline Management (2019) and Institute for Organizational Management (2020) programs.
Sarah lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with her husband, two children, and two dogs.
Ben Kalkman is the founder of several businesses, including Rocket Media, a marketing agency, and Modern Moments, a wedding and event venue. Creating solutions to solve problems is a key ingredient in what drives Ben’s professional inspiration. Ben lives by a simple purpose, to lead, by living a balanced and focused life and caring enough to make a significant difference in all that I do.
Ben is a graduate of Kansas State University with a BFA degree in graphic design and communication arts. He is a graduate of the Gilbert Leadership program (Class 25), currently serves on the board for Gilbert Parks & Recreation, and is part of several podcast shows, including, Guiding Growth, Shorts-N-Suits, and Modern Moments Blogcast.
Ben resides in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife and nine children.