Drink 9: Stockpot Lemonade

The Story: I remember first meeting Mark in 2002 when I was working at Business NH Magazine. He was working for Governor Benson at the time and came by the office to drop off a resume. It was after 5 when he arrived so I met him at the door on Chestnut Street where we chatted for a few minutes, at which time he told me he was also a Central High graduate. (It turns out, he graduated with Will.) It turns out that Mark was a Candia kid as well, so we went to the same (very small) grammar school and grew up with a lot of the same kids.

Regardless of having attended the correct high school, Mark’s resume was outstanding and I hired him as a writer for the magazine. When I left, I moved to a law firm as their director of client development and hired Mark to come along with me there, too. Today, he writes for me at Savoir Faire, although he has a real estate business and does political consulting.

I guess you could say I like working with Mark, seeing as I have hired him everywhere I’ve worked for the past 10 years. Now that I think of it, I’ve probably worked longer and better with him than pretty much anyone in my entire career. (Good for you, Mark, for putting up with me for so long!) During that time, Mark has become a good friend and exceptional sounding board. His work is not only excellent, it has made me look good for many, many years. He has also been one of my biggest cheerleaders, rooting me on giving me encouragement in every one of my endeavors, whether successful or not.

Mark and I will always have a sort of “survivor” connection, in that we feel like we ‘survived’ our stints at the law firm. While the job descriptions were pretty much ideal for each of us, it was not a great environment for either one of us. There’s an innate elitism in a large law firm that didn’t sit well with us.

As products of reasonably humble beginnings who both worked hard to get where we are, we both believe that people should be measured by their accomplishments and achievements and not by the letters after their name or the plaques on their walls. That’s probably why we’ve both struck out on our own – with success on both counts. As masters of our own destinies, we ensure that we’re playing our own game by rules we can respect and believe in.

The Drink: This is an instance where the location had more meaning than the drink. Mark and I both have backgrounds in the media. He worked for the Portsmouth Herald and I worked for The Boston Globe. Then we worked together at Business NH Magazine.

We told the bartender about The 40 Drinks Project and he recommended a Stockpot Lemonade, which was absolutely delicious! (The Stockpot is another bar in Portsmouth and our bartender used to work there. That lemonade is their signature drink.)

Outtake:
I can’t help but add this photo! Sorry, Mark! It’s just so “you!” xoxoxo