June 2024
Elevate PHX – Bruce Mosby
Bruce Mosby has been in the hospitality and restaurant business since graduating from Cornell University. He currently oversees two of the best performing Peet’s Coffee and Tea franchises in the country that are located in Phoenix Sky Harbor, but his heart lies in nurturing the folks who run his operations.
“I can always make an impact by virtue of focusing on people and building teams,” he said.
Bruce is the founder and president of Mosby and Company, which runs two of the Peet’s airport locations for SSP America. He moved to Phoenix from his native New York in 1997 and immediately got involved in local business community groups like the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce. He also served almost nine years as a member of the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board from 2001-2010 with stints as chairman.
“I just got thoroughly involved to do what I could to support the airport folks,” he said.
That involvement led to running an existing store in 2013, which went from being a leader among Peet’s locations within a relatively short time. Everyone from the airport to the restaurant leadership to the prime contractor wanted to know what Bruce’s trick was. But there was no sleight of hand.
“This is my business. Everything about it is important to me,” he said in explaining his success. “From paying attention to employees, to taking care of customers, to keeping track of everything.”
Being able to be in touch with your business team every hour of every day is necessary when it comes to building a strong cadre of employees.
“Teach them how to do it, the value of doing it, and how it impacts customers, and they will learn the right way to do it,” he said.
Bruce decries what he calls “windshield management: where the boss blows in, blows up, and blows out.” Employees deserve their manager’s best support as much as managers expect employees’ best work. If they’re not doing the job right, either because they don’t know or don’t care, the manager should learn why.
“I want to engage them, to train them thoroughly and guide them.”
Bruce’s philosophy of deeply involving employees has created a culture of success at his Peet’s stores, with both being in the top 5% in the country—and the Peet’s in the high A gates having been the top store in the nation.
The future is bright for Bruce, whose coffee shops contract runs to 2026. And if he has his way, he’ll be here after that too. He has the winning recipe.
“It’s the team, the people, the philosophy,” he said. “We’ve reached a comfort level knowing our team and knowing what to expect.”
Entrepreneurs interested learning more about contracting with one of the Phoenix Airport System properties can start by checking out Doing Business with PHX, DVT, and GYR.