Meet Beth Falkenberg, Director of Supply Chain
This month we’d like to introduce you to Beth! She juggles a lot of responsibilities here at Cameron’s and does it with a smile on her face. She’s one of the most friendly people at the office, whether chatting about vacation or weekend plans. Read on to learn more about her!
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on a dairy farm near Cadott, Wisconsin. I enjoyed growing up in a small town, you learned a good work ethic and good values – lots of hard work though. You learn that you work first and play later, at least that’s what we did on the farm.
Where do you live now?
Now I live in Apple Valley with my husband Tom and our dog Abbey. We have 3 kids, all went to UW-Madison, and all of them are coming home this summer! For the first time all 3 kids will be living in Minneapolis as adults, which is kind of crazy but it will be fun! Lauren is 27, she is a pediatric nurse. She recently completed a 7 year commission with the Navy where she spent time in San Diego and Italy. Daniel is 25, he is an aerospace quality engineer and is also working on his master’s degree at St Thomas. He and his girlfriend, Amanda are amazing cooks and love trying new restaurants. And Jon is 22, he just graduated from Madison with a business degree this month. His plans are to travel with college buddies out West after graduation, then move into an apartment near Uptown before starting a new job with Target in downtown Minneapolis.
When did you first try Cameron’s?
Actually, I don’t drink coffee if you can believe that — I have just not acquired the taste, I do love the smell though! But my husband drinks Cameron’s by the gallon, so between the two of us we work out to an average coffee drinking family. Two of my kids drink it too.
What’s your husband’s favorite Cameron’s blend, and how does he like to brew it?
Roastmaster’s Blend and Woods & Water are his favorites, but he’ll drink any of them. On the weekends he likes to experiment and mix different kinds to make his own blends that can never be repeated. He brews it in a regular drip brewer, and drinks it straight up during the week but will add a bit of cream and raw sugar on the weekends.
When did you start working at Cameron’s, and what do you do?
I’ve been at Cameron’s two and a half years now. I manage all of the demand and supply planning, sales forecasting, production planning, capacity planning – basically figuring out how much we should make and when, so we don’t make too much or not enough. It keeps me busy that’s for sure!
What’s your favorite part of working at Cameron’s?
The people! Really good people, it’s really good group. Everyone is dedicated and willing to pitch in. It’s also fun to be part of a growing company, I’ve had the good fortune to experience that several times in my past too. It’s a challenge but very rewarding.
What does your ideal Saturday morning look like?
Saturday mornings we have breakfast, we normally don’t during the week. I usually make breakfast, and of course Tom has his coffee, and I have my hot chocolate.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
We’ve been getting into exploring new things in the cities. If we have a free Saturday, we usually go somewhere in the afternoon, something outside of Apple Valley. Last fall we started to get into trying all the new craft breweries. Our kids will be living in Northeast Minneapolis, St Louis Park and Uptown so we have quite a few neighborhoods to explore this summer!
Recently we’ve been focused on exploring Northeast Minneapolis. I just love it, it’s so fun. Northeast has a good mix of new stuff & old, traditional places that remind me of Wisconsin, a lot of character and a good clientele with a lot of regulars.
We also really like to travel. When our kids were growing up, we made it to all 50 states with our traveling, I think that’s where Lauren got the bug. They’re all super comfortable traveling now. I do a lot of trip planning, we get home from one trip and I start planning the next. We just did Costa Rica, this summer we’re going to New York, and thinking about Ireland later this year.
What’s your favorite place to grab food or a drink?
My new place I’ve found that I like is Mayslack’s in Northeast — it has a lot of character. We seem to end up there a lot. We like Vivo in Apple Valley, it’s good food and they have an outdoor patio which is great in summer. For beer we really like Steel Toe in St. Louis Park, and Modist downtown. Union 32 Craft House in Eagan is good too, it’s a pour-your-own beer place.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I thought I was going to go into something medical because my mother told me you can always get a job in the medical field. After about 3 failed attempts I realized needles and blood make me queasy so I switched to business and found that to be a much better fit!
