As owner and operator of 10 restaurants and brewpubs in Colorado, Lee Driscoll knows his business.
In June, Breckenridge-Wynkoop will open The Farmhouse in Littleton, a new energy-efficient restaurant, tasting room and brewhouse. Outside the brewing world, Driscoll serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the Colorado Restaurant Association and the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District. He also serves on the finance committees of the John Hickenlooper for Governor and Michael Bennet for U.S. Senate campaigns.
He chatted with Taking Care of Business in advance of the Denver Metro Chamber’s Your Conversation With, where he’ll be the focus of a roundtable conversation on June 9.
Taking Care of Business: You didn’t always work in breweries. What was your first job?
Lee Driscoll: My first professional job was as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan from 1989 to 1994.
Working as an ADA at that time in Manhattan was a crazy job. It was the height of the crack epidemic and we were literally overwhelmed with crime. By default, as a young ADA we were given a great deal of authority in making decisions that had very significant impacts on people’s lives. Despite seeing some terrible things it was the most fun and rewarding job I have had.
TCB: So how’d you transfer those skills?
Driscoll: I made the transition from public service as an assistant district attorney to business in my early 30s. Honestly, this was a very difficult transition and many of skills I learned were not transferable. I had a very steep learning curve.
Now that I am older and have a more senior-executive position in my company, I believe I have a much more transferable set of skills, but it was not easy getting there.
TCB: Tell us about your leadership style.
Driscoll: I am a delegator. I like to empower individuals who work for me to solve problems themselves. When they do need to come to me I like it when they have formed a view as to the best decision, rather than to simply present me with choices. This style has generally worked well for me, but not all the time. The critical piece is having really good people to delegate to.
TCB: What do you think is great about the Denver business community?
Driscoll: I have found members of the Denver business community to be very welcoming. I believe that one reason for this is that Denver still remains a small enough community that individuals’ reputations matter. Many of the people that I have done work with I also overlap with in other areas, such as charitable organizations. When one has an opportunity to meet business people outside of the traditional business setting they tend to be more accessible and interested in establishing a common bond or interest that then carries over into a traditional business relationship.
Want to hear more? Get to know more about Driscoll at Your Conversation With on June 9. Click here to register for this free event.
Jessica Schwartz is a programs specialist with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
[Photo by zachleat]