“It’s all about relationships and making sure the product you’re carrying is fully warrantable, which means most of the time you have local representation,” he explained. “It’s also making sure you take care of problems quickly, verses someone who passes the buck and says it’s a manufacturers problem and doesn’t take care of that customer.”
When he’s not investing his time in flooring, Parsons is busy pouring.
A self-described beer lover, Parsons – alongside brewmaster Rob Stryker – started brewing under the name Heathen Brewing in late 2011. The name, as he explained it, pays homage to his grandfather, who would call him a “little heathen” every time he got unruly.
Parsons’ brewery is located on his own property in northeast Vancouver. That fact, he said, has helped him to control costs.
“Because I own the building and I’m also the landlord I can control a certain amount of overhead and be that much leaner and meaner when it comes to producing beer,” he said.
Currently, Heathen Brewing features seven beers on tap. However, Parsons said a new microbrew system will allow him to push that number to 14 or 16 within the next three months.
According to Parsons, his brewery is making a name for itself by daring to try new things. Heathen flavors range from a Dr. Pepper-inspired beer, to mint Schnapps and grasshopper cookie.
“We’ve gotten a cult following, at least in the proximity of our brewery, where people come by on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to get growler fills and to give us feedback on our experimental stuff,” he said.
Parsons said he would like to open a pub within the next seven years. In the meantime, he stays plenty busy with his commitments to the brewery and to Cascade Flooring America.
When asked what he has learned from running two businesses simultaneously, Parsons stated simply, “It’s all about people; It’s all about relationships, service and quality of product on both sides.”
{jathumbnail off}
