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Posted on Thu, Feb 4, 2010 : 5:56 a.m.

Executive Profile: Lisa Bee, co-owner, Sweetwaters Cafe

By Sarah Rigg

Lisa Bee.jpg

Lisa Bee

People— they’re the best part of the job and the most challenging part of the job for Lisa Bee, co-owner of Sweetwaters Café in downtown Ann Arbor.

“I get to meet so many different people,” Bee said. “Not just the customers, but also the staff.” Bee said that  former Sweetwaters employees move away after college, but often come back to let her and her husband, Wei, know how they area doing.

Bee said that while customers are loyal and have made many useful suggestions, they’re also the first to let her know when they don’t like something or want something to be changed, from adding new beverage selections to repairs or remodeling work on the shop.

“I’m really thankful for those people, though,” Bee said. “Our customers set a very high bar for us. They make us who we are.”

Sweetwaters encourages feedback from customers in a variety of forms, including the ability to post “SweetStories” about customers’ personal experiences to the coffee house’s Web site.

“Those are so much fun,” Bee said. “I’m always surprised by the stories people tell.”

Bee and her husband both grew up in the restaurant business— each came from a family that ran a Chinese restaurant. Bee said that after college she and her husband knew they wanted to start their own business, but didn’t want to run a full-scale restaurant. Coffee houses were just catching on, and that kind of business seemed “manageable.”

Bee said finding the space for Sweetwaters’ first location was easy. At one time, she worked in the stained glass studio that used to occupy the space now filled by her coffee and tea business. Over the years, two new Sweetwaters locations have been added: one in Kerrytown and another in a shopping center on Plymouth Road.

Coffee houses are more common now than when Sweetwaters was established, but Bee said the “warmth of the atmosphere” is what makes her business unique. It’s large enough to host big business meetings but also feels friendly enough that people want to stop and linger over their coffee or tea rather than making a “grab-and-go” visit on the way in to work in the morning, Bee said.

Bee said perhaps the biggest surprise about running Sweetwaters is how much of a role creativity plays in running the coffee house.

“I didn’t necessarily expect to have as many creative opportunities, from product development to marketing,” Bee said. “I have a lot of fun with this business.”

Background

Education: University of Michigan.

Family: Husband: Wei. Children: James, Tyler, Connor.

Residence: Ann Arbor.

Business Insights

Best business decision: Opening Sweetwaters. I've met so many great people.

Worst business decision: Any time I haven't made my objectives clearly known.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Listening to our customers. They always have so many great ideas.

Personal hero: My Dad.

How do you motivate people? Being fair and honest go a long way.

What advice would you give to yourself in college? Participate in activities that you’ve never tried before.

Word that best describes you: Reserved.

First Web site you check in the morning:
My e-mail.

Confessions

What keeps you up at night? My kids.

Pet peeve: Dishonesty.

Guilty pleasure: Fresh figs and muscat grapes.

First job: Hostess at my parents’ restaurant.

First choice for a new career: Something in art or design.

Treasures

Favorite cause: Ones that help those that can't help themselves.

Favorite book:
“Who’s Behind the Fairy Doors” by Jonathan Wright.

Favorite movie: “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Big Fish.”

Favorite hobby: Spending time with my boys uninterrupted and distraction-free.

Favorite restaurant: Any restaurant that serves Hong Kong style dim sum.

LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.

Typical Saturday: Sleeping in, making a wonderful breakfast for my family, and driving kids to their activities.

What team do you root for?
To the great dismay of my husband, I don't follow any sports team.

Wheels: I'm a mom of three boys, so a minivan.

Who would play you in a movie? Julia Louis Dreyfus— she’s funny and wacky.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to AnnArbor.com.