Peet's--Savor the Flavor

Dan Charoenrath, Store Manager at Peet's Coffee and Tea in Thousand Oaks, CA, gave a very  interesting and enlightening "guest lecture" in my Principles of Marketing class today. The charismatic and charming Peet's leader did a superb job of engaging the management and communications majors in my class.

Using a variety of personal examples, Dan underscored the major reasons for the retail roaster's success including the importance of wise selection of the best people available, the freshness of the coffee and tea and the power of the Peet's brand including display expertise and signage.

Under Dan's leadership, the partnership between Peet's and CLU has grown substantially in the past couple of years, one of the most recent, sterling examples of "town-gown" relations we began in earnest while I was the university's first vice president of marketing and communications beginning in the 2002-2003 academic year.

Students benefit significantly when thoughtful business leaders volunteer their time in the classroom sharing their successes and failures. "Hats off" to Peet's and Dan Charoenrath for this lively, productive exchange.