May 10

May 10 Tyler Hill | Loyal Coffee

Tyler's reputation as a kind and sincere man precedes him. While asking a few people for input on who I should include in this set of features, Tyler's name resoundingly appeared on the list. It's very simple, Tyler's heart to make humans feel welcome no matter how many times he has or hasn't met them stands out. He's easy to work with. He's supportive of people's dreams and what they're pouring their energy into and he's authentic. I feel like the word authentic is so oversaturated these days, however, it's fitting in this sense. During the setup of this shoot, he asked if he should wear something specific or show up in "Tyler Hill style" which "could be anything from a jersey to a jean vest." How can you give specifics on what to wear to someone whose style is summed up in these two items? "Come however you feel like dressing, Tyler... I just want to take some photos of who you are." Tyler rolled up to the studio in a shirt that said, "filter coffee not people" ... I loved it. // I have a love/hate with graphic tees. This one made me stop and think and it stuck with me all day and the days after. My unhealthy enneagram number says I can become critical in unhealthy seasons. Like a fly to a venus trap this was a quick stick that reminded me just not to filter people. Just don't. It seems as though Tyler is busy making every moment count with each person he crosses paths with and so I'm pretty sure that's why he popped up on the list more than once. Tyler! Cheers to you... You're doing good things. -km

Q: "Whiskey or Bourbon?" -km
A: "I am all about that Distillery 291 Bourbon Whiskey!" -TH

**What movie can you watch on repeat and never get tired of?**

A: "The Mighty Ducks" - TH

Q: "What part of your career keeps you coming back every day?" -km
A: "There are two things that specifically stick out to me, but really it all has to do with the people. I feel so lucky that team and I get to create meaningful experiences for guests. By intentionally creating an atmosphere and curating an experience from beginning to end, we are blessed with the opportunity to positively impact the lives of our guests every day. The second thing that really keeps me coming back is by business partners and my team. I get to work alongside some of the most caring, compassionate, hardworking, and hospitable people on the planet. If I did not have my team I don't know what I would do." - TH

Q: "What is one accomplishment that you're most proud of?" -km
A: "My wife and I recently set a goal to pay off all our debt in one year. We moved in with our grandma, worked 5 jobs between the both of us, and ended up reaching our goal! We celebrated with a super sweet trip to Disneyland!" - TH

1 MM $

**What would you NOT do for 1 million dollars?**

Q: "What would you NOT do for 1 million dollars?" - KM
A: "Root for the Los Angeles Dodgers." - TH

Q: "Do you have a word or one big goal for 2018?"
A: "My biggest goal for this year is to continue making Loyal Coffee a place that engages, encourages, and elevates every community we interact with. I also set a personal goal to launch a hospitality podcast and vlog in 2018. I am roughly 2 months away from them going live!!!!"

Q: "How did you end up in your career?" -KM
A: "

There are two major things that fueled my journey to where I am. 1. My love for coffee. 2. My even greater love for hospitality.

I fell in love with coffee while I was in college. There was a coffee company close to my college and it was there that I first noticed that different coffees had diversity in flavor and it literally blew my mind. I needed to learn more. I applied at that company 5 times and they never hired me. I resorted to books from the library and youtube to expand my coffee knowledge. A few years later, Eric Nicol, who was the founding general manager at The Principal's Office called me and asked if I wanted to work there and learn about coffee. I said yes and the rest was history. I was going to be a coffee professional for the rest of my life.

I really learned how impactful hospitality and guest experience could be about 5 years ago when my mom had a heart transplant. It was a few days after she had her transplant and my family had been through a great deal over the previous 8 years. Some of our family members decided to take a day away from the hospital and let my mom rest. So we went to Disneyland. While we were there everything was so perfect. The cast members were so kind and helpful, the atmosphere was fun, and the all around experience gave us a beautiful escape from all the ups and downs. It was almost as if the entire Disneyland empire knew my mom was sick and was being extra kind to us. But the truth was, they were simply doing business as usual. It was so beautiful to me that business as usual was just part of the experience they worked to create every day

Ever since then, I've been obsessed with trying to create atmospheres for people that can impact their day the same way Disneyland did for me that day. Lucky for me, I get to serve people coffee and creating meaningful experiences for them at the same time!" -TH

Thanks for reading through these posts, friends! Justin and I love experiencing people's dreams coming to life alongside of them and I'm so blessed to get to interact with a fraction of the incredible humans doing really culture shaping things for this city! xx-km