The Stars
The founding team at Picky Bars is stoked to meet you. We're a group of pro athletes/misfits juggling training, racing, and traveling with owning and operating a blowing up business! We're always working our hardest to make sure that you get an awesome, fun, delicious, healthy product in your hands (and then in your mouth) as soon as possible. It is our mission to spread the Picky Love, and we hope you enjoy!
Steph: Gluten-Free Guru, Social Media Master!
AKA "Tiny," is a pro-marathoner. She is just like a regular person, except smaller. When her fiance Ben does her laundry, he can't even fold her clothes with his big hands. Her marathon PR is 2:29.35 from Houston 2011." She is an emerging star with her recent 3rd American finish at the Boston Marathon 2013. Her laugh is pee-your-pants ridiculous, and she will literally fold in half in utter despair at a good joke. Since discovering she has Celiac disease, she laid the smack down on her diet and set the standard for quality in our bars.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steph_Rothstein, Web: www.stephandbenbruce.com
Lauren: Mad Scientist/Kitchen Genius, Ambassador Extraordinaire!
AKA "L-Train" is essentially a quirky dork but we love her. When she went cliff diving at the age of six with the teenagers, her Dad proudly proclaimed, "My girl's got balls the size of Texas!" And for some strange reason, Lauren thinks that's the coolest compliment ever and continues to try to earn it. She writes advice, blogs, and takes issue with not being able to lead four lives simultaneously. She graduated Stanford as one of the most decorated American distance runners of all time, has gone on to win two USA titles, and expects the next few years to be her best yet.
Web: http://asklaurenfleshman.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenfleshman
Jesse: Biz Freak/Marketing Machine, The Man Behind the Curtain!
Jesse is the most talented person we know. Listed among his accomplishments are 3X Wildflower champion (first make ever to win three in a row), All-American runner, mechanical engineering master, broken neck survivor, high tech company founder and MBA receiver. Even his gluten derived "aroma" became the inspiration for an amazing energy bar! Now he splits time between professional triathlon, building the Picky Empire, and last but certainly not least, husband duties. You could call also call him our lead tester - between work and training for three sports, he literally takes down six Picky Bars a day. In exchange, he provides some quirky marketing ideas and is responsible for making sure the business doesn't go broke.
Web: http://leapdaysports.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/jessemthomas
The Rest of the Crew
Introducing....(drumroll please!).....Loren Polster, Patrick O'Neil, and Laurel Mathesien! These are the most important people to know in the Picky Bar family. Collectively, they are responsible for... everything.
Loren: Creative Marketing Genius/Design Geek, Fooseball Master
Loren is the nerdy, creative genius that produces all of our visual content and does a bunch of other stuff that no one understands. He's spent a nomadic last couple of years, and eventually landed in Eugene after living in New Zealand. Apart from being Jesse’s cousin, his claim to fame is being the undisputed foosball champion of the Picky Bar team (we’re currently waiting for someone to take him down—please).
Patrick: "Problem Solver, the only "Organized" Picky Crew Member
Patrick is a 2007 NCAA Div I Champ in the 200 Fly (kind of a big deal, folks). This lifelong stud-swimmer was brought on literally as "Problem Solver," and has been introducing Pickyland to this exotic idea of "Organization." It sounds pretty wild, but we're gonna give it a shot. He went to U of O (like Jesse) for his MBA in Sports Marketing, but for his undergrad went to Cal (Lauren and Jesse's undergrad rival). No fistfights yet, but since Patrick is a diehard Cal fan, the seed for tension has been planted. Behind the diehard fan, is probably the biggest Apple geek you'll ever meet. He once worked at an Apple store for "fun" on the weekends—when he had a full time job. Between Jesse's infatuation with spreadsheets, and Loren's default Apple allegiance, there's a perfect little storm of nerdiness brewing in Pickyland. Most importantly, he's a pleasure to have around and he's going to be key in helping us spread the Picky Revolution.
Laurel: Shipper / Rep / Picky Bar’s Model Employee
Laurel ships our bars, runs our event booths, and basically does whatever we ask her to. That’s a model employee, folks. With a super small start up like ours, it’s crucial that everyone’s ‘tude’ is positive and proactive—and hers is definitely that... every day. Hailing from “So Cal,” boasting a background in Soccer and Swimming, this athletic lady fits in perfectly at Picky Bars. With 3 marathons under her belt, you’d never have guessed she actually used to loathe running. Rumor has it that she would hide in the bathroom during track practice and only come out at the end for the Jelly Bellies (we’re not judging—JB’s rule). It took a transfer to UO for her to find her inner runner, and now she’s hooked. On the side, she teaches workout classes at UO and takes hilarious pictures with her comic book loving husband, Matt (scope the superhero smirk).
