New Beginnings

Good evening friends!

There is so much going on I doubt that I will even come close to capturing it all here! Yes, yes, it has been a very long time since I have written. Admittedly I am somewhat unapologetic as launching Nexus and still working full time has been quite a chore.

I want to start with what is the most exciting news I have had: Our beans are leaving Bengkulu as I type, heading to Jakarta, then boarding a ship towards the states. We expect see them sometime in mid February.

While that is exciting on its own the really exciting thing to hear is the impact that our partnership is already starting to have. Through this partnership indigenous leaders are being trained and empowered to make a difference in their own villages. The financial impact is helping our partners, Nexus, but most importantly it is providing a solid base for the farmers in the villages.

To be honest I am completely overwhelmed with joy, it has left me speechless and near tears. I am thankful to be part of this fine journey. It amazes me to think this is only the beginning.

On the Nexus side we are progressing nicely.

We have hired one of our managers and the man who will be heading the Cleveland, I Love You campaign: Jason Hickerson. He and his wife will be moving here in the coming weeks to lead the way in serving our city, organizing volunteerism, and building partnerships. All that and he will also be running Nexus event space as we seek to have some of the best community functions and entertainment in Cleveland.

Here is an artist rendering of the event space concept:

Among other exciting items: We are meeting with local farmers this week, interviewing potential barista managers, and moving forward with construction. Demolition has been virtually completed and we are basically just waiting on approval from the city.

Our teams are plugging away in areas of technology, marketing, and human resources. It has been awesome to see what great talent we have in our community.

The new logo has been completed as well. Expect to see some signage in the space in the coming weeks as well as a formal press release soon.

I'll try to post more as it happens.

MickeyD