Molly Moon Neitzel

CEO

• What is your position at mm’s?
  i am the founder & ceo
• What did you do before mm’s?
  for most of my twenties, i was the executive director of Music for America, a national political nonprofit that partnered with bands to register their fans to vote and then did young voter turn-out work. before that, i was a fundraising event planner for medical research at UW and uncompensated care at Harborview. before that i was student body president at University of Montana. i’ve also dabbled in starting social media profiles for labor unions and progressive candidates, nannying, lobbying, and i ran Dow Constantine’s 2007 re-election campaign against Goodspace Guy.
• Where are you from?
  i grew up in Boise, Idaho
• What are some of your hobbies?
  i’m trying to garden (but I’m not very good at it), i also spend a lot of time being politically active and supporting causes that are important to me, like paid family leave and other policies that further worker’s and women’s rights.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  my favorite is always a combination of rich cream, sweetness and salt! that’s why my favorite sundae of salted caramel, melted chocolate, hot fudge and candied hazelnuts is always on the menu!

Click here to learn more about molly in her 2018 end of year letter.

Denise Brown

COO

• What is your position at mm’s?
  I’m the Director of Finance and HR. I work closely with Sebastian and Elboine to take care of the financial aspects of our business and to make sure our mooncrew have the resources they need to stay happy and healthy. On the financial side, I handle the payroll, pay the bills, prepare the financial reports, write the annual budget, and analyze data to help Operations and Marketing implement the policies and programs that ensure our business runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Elboine and I also serve as the primary resource for mooncrew support including onboarding new hires, providing employee assistance resources, and managing our benefits – health insurance, life insurance, transportation subsidies and our 401K plan.
• What did you do before mm’s?
  I cut my teeth on all things accounting and HR in the marine industry, where I spent 20 years honing my craft and preparing for my dream job of Ice Cream Mathematician at Molly Moon’s.
• Where are you from?
  I grew up in Alaska but headed south to Seattle as soon as I was old enough to leave the nest. I hate cold weather, so I’ve had to channel my childhood feelings into an all-consuming passion for ice cream.
• What are some of your hobbies?
  I love travel, yoga, food and cats. My happiest moments include any combination of these things. I’m excited by creative people, cleaver ideas, innovative thinkers, cats with funny ears, ice cream and art.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  My favorite Molly Moon’s anything is our amazing mooncrew team! I love the people I work with - they never fail to make me smile and inspire me to be the best version of myself every day. My second favorite thing is our seasonal s’mores flavor circa 2017!

Elboine Henry

Director of HR

• What is your position at mm’s?
  I’m the HR Manager. My job is to support the employment experience of our mooncrew! I do everything from recruiting to hiring, handling benefits, providing resources, and making sure we keep mooncrew morale along with our company values at the forefront of all that we do! I work closely with Denise to ensure that our crew feels supported and making sure they have all the resources available to them when needed.

• What did you do before mm’s?
  Prior to joining the mooncrew, I first worked in banking and then in healthcare. I started to feel like I wanted to do something different and was led to Molly Moon’s by family members who worked for the company and really loved their jobs here. So here I am! I started as a seasonal scooper in the Columbia City shop and through the company’s career pathways program I’ve been able to learn all things Molly Moon’s. In less than 4 years the cp program has allowed me to grow and transition through all of the companies in-shop front of house roles (scooper, shift lead, assistant manager, and shop manager) before joining the HQ team in my current role!

• Where are you from?
  I am homemade in Seattle…specifically the Central District.
• What are some of your hobbies?
  I love to bake! Especially during the holiday season!
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon’s product, ice cream or otherwise?
  My absolute favorite thing about Molly Moon’s is our mooncrew!! We have such an amazing community here and we take care of one another in a way that I have never experienced with any other company. HOWEVER!!! Chocolate caramel pretzel aka capitol hill crunch comes in a VERY close second because I do love sweet & salty treats!

Katie Cole

Director of Marketing and Social Impact

• What is your position at mm's?
  As Marketing Director my goal is to work with Sarah and Gal to clearly express Molly Moon's values: to be smart, generous, homemade, joyful, and brave. We do this through PR, events, product innovation, partnerships, promotions, while always considering our customers insight and desires. As Director of Outside Sales, I create and foster relationships with a clientele that ranges from Seattle Children's Hospital to PCC Natural Markets and other business that want the best ice cream in Seattle (ours of course!).
• What did you do before mm's?
  I've been using food as a conduit for cultivating conversations and relationships between all sorts of people for over a decade. Much of my marketing knowhow was formed during my time at Tom Douglas Restaurants where I learned about hospitality and all things food-related by some of the best in the biz!
• Where are you from?
  I was born in Southern California but raised predominantly in Issaquah, WA. At 18 I hightailed it to Seattle where I've been ever since.
• What are some of your hobbies?
  Food is my hobby (so I'm lucky it's also my job!). I love reading cookbooks. I love researching ingredients. I love grocery shopping. I love taking on a time consuming food project, like making a ramen stock from scratch. I love it all! On occasion I take up a physical activity to counterbalance all of my time spent immersed in my hobby.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  I love our little Minimoons! They remind me of being a kid, eating one of those pre-packaged ice cream cups, but instead of the orange creamsicle flavor, ours are filled with MM's ice cream. If ice cream isn't being delivered straight into your mouth via cone, I think a wood spoon is the next best bet! Minimoons have those cute little spoons tucked under the lid.

Zach Demers

Director of Operations and Outside Sales

• What is your position at mm's?
  I am an Area Manager so I’m responsible for shop operations and supporting managers to make sure our shops and teams are clicking on all cylinders. I strive to be a bridge that helps keep the shops and the HQ team closely connected.
• What did you do before mm's?
  Most recently I was a District Manager for a Seattle based sandwich shop but I have also worked in the grocery and food service distribution industries along with some BOH restaurant shenanigans back when I had a higher threshold for discomfort.
• Where are you from?
  I’m from a tiny hamlet of a town called San Geronimo (about an hour north of San Francisco) that people don’t even realize they’re driving through.
• What are some of your hobbies?
  Hobbies?! I am the lucky father of baby twin girls so my main hobby now is napping when (and if) the opportunity arises. Eventually I look forward to traveling, camping/backpacking, skiing, and cooking up a storm again. For the time being I’m thankful I can still find time to nerd out on baseball and wine.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  There is a sneaky wholesale ice cream sandwich that may or may not exist that I’m obsessed with. The seasonal Sasquatch flavor is also alarmingly addictive.

Louisa Greenaway

Director of Shop Operations

• What is your position at mm’s?
  Director of Shop Operations.

• What did you do before mm’s?
  I lived in Whistler Canada enjoying the glorious mountain life year round, snowboarding in the winter, mountain biking in the summer.

• Where are you from?
  Cornwall, it's a Celtic nation at the southwestern tip of England.

• What are some of your hobbies?
  Reading, playing tennis, gardening, bird watching, camping (generally anything fun & outside in nature!)

• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  Vegan theo chocolate ice cream it's mousse-y and so delicious - topped with our crunchy candied hazelnuts.

Iris Estell

Head Chef

• What is your position at mm’s? As Head Chef I steer the course on everything related to physically making our products. The majority of our stores produce their own ice creams and toppings on site and I am supporting those teams to ensure everyone has the materials, information and training they need to make the best ice cream day in and day out. I work with the chef and marketing teams as well as our ceo, Molly, to come up with all the seasonal flavors that are featured each month. Building relationships with farmers and the producers of ingredients we use, is also within my realm.
• What did you do before mm’s? One of my first jobs in high school was at an ice cream store, where I scooped ice cream and eventually learned how to make it as well. It was part of the inspiration to pursue a career in pastry. I went to culinary school and have a degree in Baking and Pastry. I have worked as a pastry cook and pastry chef, in large and small restaurant settings, baked for a grocery store, and managed high volume dessert wholesale production. I love learning all the ways I can connect with people through our shared delight in all things sweet!
• Where are you from? I'm from Missoula, Montana. Went to culinary school in Denver. Then had a brief stint in Bellingham, before settling in Seattle in 2007.
• What are some of your hobbies? My great grandmother and I spent a lot of time together on sewing, crochet and knitting projects and I continue to dabble in some fiber arts. I have recently been trying out some embroidery and have nearly re-created Van Gogh's Starry Night in colored thread! I love to get lost in long complicated science fiction or fantasy series in both book and movie format and am excited my son is reaching the age where I can start sharing some of my favorite sci-fi worlds with him.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise? I adore our Blackberry Creme Fraiche! It is almost always a featured seasonal in December each year. I think it is the perfect balance of sweetness and love the complex rich flavors of the creme fraiche paired with the bright tartness from the fruit.

Kevin Neitzel

Facilities Consultant

• What is your position at mm's?
  I am the facilities consultant. I am in charge of keeping the physical plants, i.e. shops, running smoothly. Fixing things myself or getting it done.
• What did you do before mm's?
  I have been involved in construction, one way or another, for 40 years. I did a stint in the sign industry for a while.
• Where are you from?
  I just moved to Seattle from Boise, Idaho where I have lived since 1981.
• What are some of your hobbies?
  I enjoy whitewater rafting quite a bit, Travel of course. I look forward to exploring Western Washington.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  I was crestfallen when I learned we no longer make Maple Bacon but Baracky Road was my favorite.

Jake Harvey

Delivery Logistics Manager

• What is your position at mm’s?
  I'm the Delivery Logistics Manager. In my role, I manage the team that makes sure that all of our shops have everything they need to make and sell ice cream. I also coordinate wholesale ice cream deliveries, help out with ordering and inventory management, and manage our online store.

• What did you do before mm’s?
  Before coming to Molly Moon's, I studied architecture/industrial design and worked as a commercial glassblower.

• Where are you from?
  I'm originally from Virginia but after living here for the last 10 years Seattle feels like home.

• What are some of your hobbies?
  My partner and I own three greyhounds that are professional couch potatoes. When I'm not at home hanging out with them, I like riding my motorcycle and going for cold water swims in the Puget Sound. I've also recently become a huge fan of Formula 1 Racing.

• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  Our Vegan Coconut Chunk Ice Cream has a special place in my heart.

Sebastian Hulbert

Bookkeeper

• What is your position at mm’s?
  I'm the Bookkeeper! I keep the books.

• What did you do before mm’s?
  I was the Inventory Database Administrator for Sugar Mountain (the company that owns Beecher's Cheese).

• Where are you from?
  Born in Florida but moved to Seattle when I was 9 so I have all the same passive aggressive Seattle energy but I love the sun.

• What are some of your hobbies?
  I'm deep into board games (I have over 200!), Theater (sometimes I act!), and using exclamation points (it's egregious!).

• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  The graham cracker crust in the Key Lime Pie ice cream.

Sarah Nako

Visual Specialist

• What is your position at mm’s?
  Visual specialist/graphic designer. I’m part of the marketing team and my job is to communicate all things molly moon’s, visually. That can mean designing fun new merch, painting a wall mural for one of our scoop shops, beautifying kitchen recipe cards or anything else to help tell our story.
• What did you do before mm’s?
  I worked in Seattle advertising designing and making ads for the Seattle Mariners, the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Goodwill, the Wing Luke Museum and others. Now with molly moon’s, I’ve basically got to work for all of my top favorite Seattle brands and it feels like a dream!
• Where are you from?
  I was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii but call Seattle my 2nd home now.
• What are some of your hobbies?
  Besides eating ice cream, I love baseball (the M's have my heart), taking score at baseball games, adding to my sneaker/ballcap collection, doing my makeup and watching reality TV.
• What is, or has been your favorite molly moon's product, ice cream or otherwise?
  CHERRY CHUNK FOREVER.
  Cherry Chunk Drop Day is basically a personal holiday for me at this point.