Today we’d like to introduce you to Walt Anderson.
Walt, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
“I’m going to need you to take me to this place where you are going with the girls all the time.” This was my response to my wife telling me that she had just met a new refugee from Syria at her new favorite spot, Refuge Coffee Co. in Clarkston, GA. Refuge had just opened a few months before. Our family did a short season of homeschooling (it was not our cup of tea) and during this time, my wife got wind of a new upstart coffee shop that employed and developed refugees in Clarkston. This little town just outside of Atlanta has been a resettlement location for refugees for years and is richly diverse.
To be honest, I had never met a person who was a refugee and had been more influenced by negative media stories about them; then I cared to admit at the time. I wasn’t aggressively or intentionally anti-refugee but I was simply ignorant and therefore at the mercy of whatever information a news agency chose to give me. I certainly was viewing the refugee situation from a distance but I was about to move in and get a closer look. I did take a trip over to Refuge Coffee and over time the distance in my heart began to fade away. The miles that they had traveled to reach our shores inspired me to take a trip of the soul to see them as people with hopes and dreams instead of threats to our “American Way of Life.”
I began to realize that there is nothing more American than welcoming the person who has lost their place in their country of origin and helping them start a new story in a new land. That is truly what our country has been about from the very beginning. Once I put flesh around the subject of Refugees I realized that even though we may speak differently, have different customs, enjoy different foods and perhaps even practice different faiths; we have the same dreams: to live a meaningful life, to do something we love and to provide for those we care about.
Throughout my time as a supporter of Refuge Coffee Co., then a volunteer at Refuge Coffee Co. later as a staff member and now as the COO, I have been compelled by the stories of my heroes. I no longer dehumanize refugees and immigrants by lumping them into one large category, but instead, see them as unique individuals created in the image of God. Rather than a mystery Refugee from a war-torn Middle East I now see Ahmad, Ali, Malek and Somayyah as my friends. Instead of seeing strangers from a distant African or Asian nation, I now see my children run to embrace Leon, Andenet, Frey, Tha and Abrahaley. I do not involve myself deeply into politics so please resist the temptation to turn this into some sort of political commentary.
I do believe that we should be thoughtful about the way in which we allow people into this country, but I also believe that the foundation of that thoughtful system should be a heart of welcome and openness to those who have lost their homes by no fault of their own. I would like to invite you to listen to people’s stories from their own mouths. Often we allow third-person accounts to determine how we feel about entire groups of people rather than allowing those people to speak for themselves.
When you listen to a person’s story and make the effort to truly hear them you have the chance to give a voice to the voiceless. Like me, many of you reading this have never had your voice silenced. What that means is that we have the responsibility to use that privilege as a platform to allow those without a voice to speak. How can you stretch your thinking in your present setting to allow margin for those whom you have only viewed from a distance? I encourage you to find a way to move in and to love.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I spent most my twenties trying to figure out who I was. I didn’t realize it at the time but my incessant discontent and moving from one job to another was more about me lacking self-awareness than it was about me discovering some elusive perfect “fit.” Once I switched my mentality from thinking about life, career, family and faith as a destination to thinking about it as a journey, I was able to find the perspective I lacked.
As I entered my 30’s, I knew that I needed to prove to myself that I had the persevering ability to see something through. After a decade of religious work, I began a career in the restaurant/hospitality business. I soon discovered what I thought to be my dream career. I pursued it with all of my energy, passion and soul. For seven years, I worked tirelessly toward my goal. As I was just before realizing my perceived dream, it all fell apart for reasons I still don’t fully understand. I was struck and disheartened. I did not know what to do next.
I had finally seen something all the way to the very end and it didn’t work out. I had already been working as the Job Training Coordinator at Refuge Coffee Co. as a part-time hustle. During the same week that that door closed, I was approached by the founder of Refuge Coffee Co. and asked if I would consider becoming the Chief Operating Officer? This was the perfect blend of my experience working with people in religious work and my years of experience in the restaurant business.
Even though it would take me a few months to emotionally move on from that failure, I began to realize that I had been uniquely prepared to lead Refuge Coffee Co. into the next chapter by being able to: 1. Develop people through our platform of job creation and training for the Refugee populations of Georgia and 2. Build teams that create amazing experiences and coffee beverages for our loyal customers.
Please Tell us about Refuge Coffee Co.
Refuge Coffee Co., a 501c3 non-profit business, exists to serve the global community in Clarkston through coffee-related job creation, job training, social networking, and commerce. We dream of a more vibrant Clarkston, one where refugees have opportunities to thrive, where they move from survival in their first days here to building a life. Where people from greater Atlanta and beyond discover the multi-textured beauty of a global culture right here in our own backyard. We believe in the resilience of our refugee neighbors. We see incredible strength in our barista/trainees.
Our goal is to join in the task of empowering our refugee friends to use their many gifts to help us create refuge. We are committed to serving great coffee and engaging all people we come in contact with telling a more beautiful refugee story. In addition to our location in Clarkston, we have recently opened our second location on Auburn Ave. and will be purchasing our third coffee truck to add to our catering fleet.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
I have realized over the years that I live for “light bulb moments.” Whether that is light bulb moments personally, professionally or in the lives of others, success for me is not about building a bank account or an empire, rather it is about impact and influence. Helping people to discover those “Aha!” moments and then sustain that energy over time is what I wake up to do each day. I want to be the best husband and father I can be and I want to not simply build businesses but build people.
Gene Kansas, a friend of mine, speaks of it in this way, “Buildings, while of cultural and historical significance, are essentially irrelevant without people. It’s the people who cultivate the culture, make history, and bring life to and around the built environment. And, in doing so, their energy and reverence and enjoyment of place contributes to the benefit of community.” I would love to be a person who is remembered for curating and cultivating a family that is loved and loving, an organization that is healthy and growing and contributing to a welcoming culture that is reproducing itself in other parts of the city and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Address: 145 Auburn Ave. NE Ste A Atlanta, GA 30303 4170 E Ponce De Leon Ave. Clarkston, GA 30021
- Website: www.refugecoffeeco.com
- Phone: 929-314-4837
- Email: walt@refugecoffeeco.com
- Instagram: refugecoffeeco
- Facebook: refugecoffeeco
- Twitter: @refugecoffeeco
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/refuge-coffee-co-clarkston
Image Credit:
Joe Gonzales, Sage Grey, Kurt Roaenahuer
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