Meet Matt Nelson
Matt Nelson is the CEO and founder of Modern Training & Development, Inc., a consulting firm supporting training and operations in restaurants, retail, breweries, and more. With over 25 years of experience, he has helped multi-unit operators of all sizes create and improve learning experiences. He has lived in northern Colorado since 1998 and spends most of his time cooking for his wife Erin and playing with his 4 amazing and strange children. He’ll join anyone for a beer at a moment’s notice. Read more about his story below.
Q : Tell us a little about your career and journey
M: I started as a cook for a long time and then eventually I grew into management, conducting corporate trainings. I also worked for Old Chicago for a long time and eventually in 2012, I launched Modern Training & Development. We serve the restaurant and retail industries by conducting training programs. I also wrote a book called “The Renegade Cook.” The content of this book is geared towards cooks and how to develop their career to grow beyond the restaurant environment. Once a month I get to speak at Emily Griffith, a technical college in Denver, where people can apply for a grant to learn the fundamentals of cooking and receive a copy of the book for free. I then started Hopsonomy, an online craft beer training platform, three years ago and we launched this year. The craft beer training courses train teams about craft beer salesmanship.
Q : Give us your elevator pitch – describe your business in a few words and how you got the name.
“A blend of custom and on-demand content for all three brands, but basically premium content as a service for restaurants and retail.”
M: More on our brands:
- The Renegade Cook – is a sister book to the renegade server (Tim Kirkland) written for the people trying to build a career in kitchens.
- Hopsonomy – Helps businesses that sell craft beer match their customers to the perfect beer at the perfect time.
- Modern Training and Development Inc- We develop learning and training content as well as a big value-add with consulting.
Q : Have you always wanted to be doing what you are doing now?
M: I always worked around food and I always loved writing, my sophomore year of college I went to speak with my advisor and she asked why would you play with food when you could play with words? I really wanted to do both and I really loved writing and always had the passion to grow outside of the four walls of a restaurant and contribute more to the industry.
Q : How did you decide to choose coworking and what is your favorite part about it?
M: I chose co-working because I want to be around creative professionals and be in an environment that is completely focused on work. I think because I worked at home for 7 years I needed to get back into a more professional workplace to be motivated by others.
Q : How did you hear about desk chair workspace?
M: I saw the building and the signage a few times while I was going to get beers with my wife and decided it was time to look into it. I made an appointment to look at the space and after the tour, realized “who wouldn’t want to work in here?”
Q : What is your favorite part about desk chair workspace?
M: I think the people who work here are generally happy and engaging. There is a good energy and great relationships in the building and that is really what stands out, outside of being beautiful.
Q : If you could have a drink with anyone, who would it be?
M: Anthony Bourdain – he was a famous award-winning chef from New York who built his “food” career on television. Bourdain would go in the streets and sit down to eat with people. Really get on their level. He also wrote a book called the “Kitchen Confidential”, he was truly an inspiration for me on playing with words and food.
Q : What do you like to do for fun?
M: I like to hang and play with my kids! And drink craft beer!
Q : Besides your own, what is your favorite local business?
M: Loveland Aleworks – I like the space, I like the availability of parking, I like their beer, and I just love it in general.
Share something exciting with us
I am excited about Hopsonomy as we just went through a re-launch! I think it is a better experience for our customers and I am really excited to launch this for our customers!
Check out more from Matt below:
Modern Training | Web | LinkedIn | Email