Siena Saxbys is 100 percent student run – from the front line baristas to the front facing CEO.
Coffee was never an experience for Jack Esposito '28 (above, 2nd from right, flanked by his parents). He used it, only occasionally, as a means of caffeine delivery, but it was always black and never about the taste. That was six months ago. But now...
"I can make eight different cold brews off the top of my head."
Jack is the inaugural CEO of Siena Saxbys, the University's new café and learning lab. He's leading a team of more than 40 Siena students/employees, and in this highly visible position, he's become the face of the franchise. It's a spotlight he didn't expect.
"Personally, I used to fly under the radar and do my own thing. It's pretty strange that all of a sudden everyone knows who I am. But I'm not the same person I was a few years ago."
A few years ago, Jack was in high school. By his own account, he was overweight, and whenever possible, blending in. One day though, he went to the gym, liked the way it felt, and went back the next day. He started lifting and running five days a week and says he found himself. Then he came to Siena and found his people.
"My dad always says that like attracts like. People choose Siena for a reason. We're all different, but there's something that connects all of us. Being on this campus builds character, and we have these shared experiences. My moral compass hasn't changed since I started college, but everything else, I'm a completely different person."
Jack's dad is a chiropractor by trade, and now on the faculty at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. He told his son to follow his brain wherever it went. Jack's brain always went to business, numbers, and money. That's why he decided to major in accounting. Being a CEO? That was never on his radar.
"I'm on the Student Senate, and that's how I heard about the Saxbys CEO position. I decided to apply because, why not? I went through the whole interview process, and when Nick, the Saxbys CEO (above, left), offered me the job, I just sat with the responsibility for a while. I realized, 'Wow, this is a big moment for Siena, and I'm the front face of it."
The grand opening was a massive success, but a line that wrapped around Casey's was also a problem. It's on Jack to solve problems and work through countless other logistics. He attended a student CEO bootcamp at Saxby's headquarters in Philadelphia, but he knows much of the job he'll have to figure out on the fly. And then, in a year, he'll hand the CEO title off to someone else.
"My plan is still to pursue my CPA. But there's so much managerial experience that I can take away from this opportunity. I'm sure I'll be able to leverage that in the accounting field."
There will certainly be chances in his career to lead a team, or lead a division, and Jack is no longer afraid of the spotlight. And he no longer takes his coffee black.
