University of Mary alum keeps his community caffeinated and connected.
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or Brian Jackson, ’10, it’s about more than coffee. “It’s about connection,” he said, sitting at a table at his roastery, with the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans in the air. Jackson is the owner of Mighty Missouri Coffee Co., a roastery and coffee shop based in Bismarck. He grew up in Hazen, North Dakota, not far from the shores of Lake Sakakawea. “I love all the adventure, the North Dakota scenery. I’m at the lake every chance I get,” he said. When Jackson graduated from the University of Mary with a degree in communications, he started a job in marketing. But in the back of his mind, he had a dream about building a brand around his love for adventure and the Missouri River. Slowly the pieces started to come together, and all he needed was the product. Coffee was the perfect fit. “I’ve always liked coffee, but I didn’t exactly know much about it. Once I learned more about coffee, from the growing process to the roasting and the brewing, it was hard not to love,” he said.
pol•y•math
noun: a person of great and varied learning. dictionary.com
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Momentum
From there, Jackson took a deep dive into starting his business, learning everything he could about coffee. Some things came naturally, like the creative side. He thanks his professors for that, especially Jerry Anderson. “What I learned in Jerry Anderson’s design class gave me the confidence to do things, like build my logo. That’s what I really love doing, and that was the initial step into business,” Jackson said. Anderson speaks highly of Jackson as a student and said he could tell right away Jackson was motivated and would do well. Jackson took two classes from Anderson
