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Cover Story - Posted June 25, 2010 2:53 p.m.

photos by Lloyd Wainscott, The Photo Store Portrait Studio

A Day in the Life

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Kimberly and Carli Herbert, The Ground Café
It’s a running joke that the mother-daughter duo and owners of The Ground Café have a drinking problem. When three-times-a-day visits to Starbucks started to get out of hand, and job dissatisfaction caused Kimberly to leave her marketing career, the next natural step was to open a coffee shop.

“I was a Merrill Lynch broker for years and then worked as a marketing director for a publishing company but left it all in 2007,” says Kimberly. “Then a friend of ours approached us about running a coffee shop.”

Kimberly, along with her boyfriend-turned-business partner, Kevin Golden, discussed the proposal, and since they each have a background in finance, they only had to answer one big question: What if we only made $100 a day? Is it still worth it?

In their case, it was. They officially took over the space on the bottom floor of the Chase Tower in June 2008, which, at the time, was called Coffee, Inc.

“We had one month to prepare before taking over the lease,” says Kimberly. “We actually operated as Coffee, Inc. for four months while doing color research, price research and figuring out what to do.”

At the time, Kimberly’s daughter Carli was studying mathematics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. When she heard what Mom was up to, knowing she’d eventually come back home to help, she solicited a job at her favorite local coffee shop.

“I just went up to the owner and said, ‘I have to learn everything for my job in Amarillo,’ and shockingly they hired me, even knowing I was going to leave,” says Carli. There, she learned the basics of coffee-making, customer service and the inner-workings of running a coffee shop. Carli returned to Amarillo in January 2009 to work alongside her mother.

By the fall of 2008, The Ground Café officially replaced Coffee, Inc., and a family member in Oklahoma City designed their logos and branding for the business. From the off, the Herberts knew the foundation of their coffee shop would be heavily influenced by biking.

“We decided to be bike-friendly off the bat,” says Carli. Adds Kimberly, “biking and coffee just go together.”

The family grew up on two wheels, including Kimberly’s son, Casey, who was a BMX racer. It’s obvious from the shop décor – bike spokes for lamp shades and the tandem cycle hanging from the ceiling – these coffee lovers share an equal passion for riding. In fact, for the past decade, Kimberly has heavily supported the MS 150, a fundraising ride for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Kimberly’s mother died at age 52 from complications from the disease.

When the day is done and the shop is clean, they’ll ride their bikes home, taking the long way if it’s a nice day. They’ll meet up with their training team for a distance ride or if it’s winter, then the shop is open later to accommodate the WTAMU students who have evening classes upstairs. Business aside, it’s a casual lifestyle. Enjoyable and loaded with potential.

“There’s talk of expanding, but we’ve not done anything yet” says Kimberly. “We chose this because it fits our lifestyle. I can’t wait to get up every morning and drink our own coffee.”

What kind of coffee, you may wonder, in a place where any concoction can be invented to their specific tastes?

“We like hot black coffee,” she laughs. “And we drink it all day.”

Read more about The Ground Cafe here.

Michael Cruz, Vice President of Operations at BSA Health System
Michael Cruz grew up in what he calls a tight family. He was 13 years old when his father passed away, but this only drew his mother and siblings closer. While this Amarillo native recalls a happy childhood, by the time he graduated high school he was ready to see something different.

“I had appointments to the Naval and Air Force Academies, but I was also accepted to Yale,” he says. “Yale felt right so I went there and worked in the International Law Library.”

By Michael’s sophomore year, he needed financial help to continue attending Yale. In lieu of a loan, he paid for college by starting a full-service laundry company for students on campus. By his senior year, he struck a deal with the Yale president to have 30 laundry rooms cleaned by outside companies, thus creating the largest student-run business in Yale history.

“I had a laundry monopoly,” he laughs. “But the point of that is that it helped me pay for school.”

After graduation, Michael left New Haven for New York City for a career in mergers and acquisitions, a job that required more than 90 hours a week and constant travel, from Latin America to across Europe. He was at the bottom of the totem pole, but none of that mattered. He was living the fast-paced life of a single businessman in the Big Apple.

“It was all about being in New York City. There was so much to do, so much diversity. It was an amazing melting pot,” he says. “Eventually I was promoted to Associate but by then I’d decided to go back for my masters. Education was always important in my family.”

Since he’d fully experienced east coast living, it only made sense to do the opposite, so Michael moved to California to attend Stanford University. Upon graduation, he was faced with the next career move – banking or strategy consulting? Then 9/11 happened and he had his answer. He accepted a job offer consulting in Dallas, bringing him closer to family.

In the end, it still wasn’t a fit. Because consulting is a profession that takes you where the client is, Michael was always on the go. After a three-month stint overseas, it was time to call it quits. He became the vice president of operations for BSA in 2004 and moved back home to Amarillo.

“There was definitely an adjustment period, but what made it palatable was my family being here,” he says. “My sister has a son who’s 13 and I got to coach his Little League team. Things like that made it easier.”

His position at BSA is multi-faceted, as he has 21 directors under him, from the IT infrastructure to the pharmacy, but his sole purpose to make the hospital run smoother with patient satisfaction in the forefront.

“I can do things here in this office that help people, either by bringing great equipment or great doctors here,” says Michael. “I mean, if you’re going to Disney World, you’re stoked about going there. But unless you’re having a baby, you’re not stoked about being here. We want this to be a place where you feel comfortable.”

Business aside, Michael still likes to travel, whether it be a quick flight to Dallas or a little farther to see old friends. He exercises faithfully and is committed to having lunch at least once a month with his mother. His housemates are Rocky and Madeline, two bulldogs who make Michael’s days just that much brighter.

“Every day I walk down the hall and see a mom and a dad with their new baby. And then I see the tail end, an older couple who move slowly down the hallway holding hands,” he says. “It makes me appreciate life.”

Kassie Carrell, Lil’ Women
When Kassie Carrell was a little girl, she spent the Christmas holidays in Mexico with her family, not at a resort but alongside missionaries handing out clothes, coats and shoes to those in need. From very young she developed a compassionate heart for others.

“My parents were in prison ministry so I had a perspective that my friends never did,” says the Snyder, Texas, native. “I saw extreme poverty. I was probably Lillie’s age when I realized we were really blessed. I credit my parents for that.”

Lillie is her 10 year old daughter. Then there’s Rubie, 8, and Gracie, 7. Her husband, James, the girls’ stepfather, calls them his Lil’ Women, which just so happens to be the name of Kassie’s modest clothing line for girls.

Her interest in sewing began when Lillie was a toddler and Kassie, a single mom of three who’d gone back to college, couldn’t afford the nicer dresses she saw in stores. She bought a sewing machine, then some how-to books. Kassie slowly began making simple garments for her daughters and learned to love the art of sewing in the process. Then, a visit to Coasta Rica to study Spanish gave her an idea.

“I met a lady named Patricia who was from Nicaragua. Her children lived with her mother back home while she worked as a maid in Coasta Rica,” she says. “In Nicaragua there is a lot of abuse and prostitution and women often end up being the breadwinners. There I am having the time of my life and this woman is a maid here so she doesn’t have to be a prostitute. Something inside me just said – I have to help her.”

In 2008, Kassie saw firsthand the plight of mothers in Nicaragua. On a mission trip, while painting a sewing room, no less, an idea was born. Kassie decided then that she wanted to teach women in Nicaragua how to sew, to learn a marketable trade, so that they could provide for their families. Never mind Kassie’s meager sewing skills or lack of funds, for she knew everything would unfold in time. She kept the idea to herself and returned home to ponder it more. It was also in 2008 that she and her family moved to Amarillo from Corpus Christi.

“Once I got the idea, I wrote down the things I could do and the things God had to do,” she said. “My first goal was to get my stuff in a store here. My long term goal is to have a manufacturing company in Nicaragua where mothers can work and learn to sew.”

So far, Kassie is off to a great start. She recently placed her first line of Lil’ Women dresses, skirts, and aprons inside NEST on 6th Street, and the proceeds go overseas to support sewing classes for Denelis, a 19-year-old woman whom Kassie met on her trip to Nicaragua. They intend to partner together when the project gets underway.

“It’s going to cost about $7,000 to build a building in Isla de Ometepe, and I know there are loans out there but we feel very strongly about not living in debt, so we’re not going to do that,” says Kassie. “When I’m ready for it, I know it’ll happen.”

While her dream of creating a better life for women in Nicaragua awaits, Kassie spends her days sewing and spending time with her biggest influences. All three of her daughters help her design by sketching new garments, critiquing her creations and being her inspiration.

“Yes, James calls us his Little Women, which is obviously from the book and movie, but I just love the whole era,” she says. “I want to portray that time when little girls play make believe.”

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.