OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Kris Pierce, Chief of Public Affairs for the 55th Wing and Offutt Air Force Base
Hello OmahaNebraska.com, here with…
…Kris Pierce. I’m the Chief of Public Affairs for the 55th Wing and Offutt Air Force Base.
How did you get here? And what did you do before?
I’ve been in the seat since May of this year. Prior to that, I was five years with US STRATCOM Public Affairs Office at STRATCOM. I was the Chief of Strategic Outreach and Command Information. And then from there, actually, in February, this position became available. But I was a Strat Fellow. [Strategic Leadership Fellows Program], is a program in cooperation with UNO. We did a research paper on the strategic questions that STRATCOM had when I was there. When I got done with that class in May, I came over here to the 55th Wing, and I’ve sort of been in the seat, and then officially was presented with the offer last week, so I’m now in the seat full time.
Congratulations!
Please tell us about the air show. We’re so excited to have it back.
Yeah, the air show is great. So of course, as you know, we haven’t had it in six years. We had the Flood of 2019, that canceled that show. And then we had COVID. And then, right when COVID was over, was about the time ..we finally got funding for a full runway replacement, which then meant that we wasn’t able to have an air show for those years.
So we’re really excited about it. Excited that we’ve got the Thunderbirds coming back to Omaha. So, it’s this Saturday and Sunday. The Air Force’s Thunderbirds are the premier demonstration [team]. We also have the United States Army parachute demonstration team, the Golden Knights, will be here. And then we have about, oh, I think, 16 to 20 different aerial demonstrations. And then we also have what’s called static displays. We have about 40 different aircraft that the public will be able to look at. There’s a couple to walk through. So, that’s really exciting this year.
This year we started a STEM program, so we’re doing a STEM tent. We’ve got some great partners with that to reach out to kids and young adults about the importance of STEM, how STEM is important, not only to the military, but also in all jobs that we have nowadays with how technology has advanced, engineering has advanced, mathematics, you know. So we are really starting to gear toward making sure that we provide that outreach to them. I think we have the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium as a partner for that, along with Metro Community College. STEMaha is another partner for that tent. So that’s going to be really exciting.
We also have a fun zone, a Kids Fun Zone, with bouncy houses and things like that for the kids.
I think it’s going to be a great time. I think there’s been a lot of anticipation for this show because we haven’t had it for so long, but we are just absolutely excited.
You can find more information at offuttairshow.com on that. We have all the performers and their profiles, all the static displays that we’ll have, and then we also have a huge and ever-growing FAQ program.
The other thing, I would encourage your readers to look at our parking program, because we have several off-base parking areas that will have bus shuttles from those parking areas, like, I think American Heroes Park, Bellevue West, and the Northrop Grumman parking lot, and we will have busses that will go from there and bring them to the air show. Part of that is because the flood and all the reconstruction that we’ve had has really taken about 5000 parking spaces that we’ve normally had for air shows-out. So that’s really limited to us.
But for the air show, I think another important message is for on-base parking. There’s only three categories that that we can do on base. It’s those with DoD IDs, anyone with a handicap placard, whether it be a hang tag or a license plate. And then then we had some premium seating that we sold as part of our fundraising to help with our force support services group. So those are the three that can park on base. Everyone else will have to park in one of the areas off base.
Thank you. Anything else you would like to add, or any other question?
The other thing I’d like to add is the 55th Wing and Offutt Air Force, Base is really starting to grow in its importance to national security. And we got a great message from General Wilsbach, the ACC [Air Combat Command] Commander who visited the last two days. He is our higher headquarters command. The community should know how important Offutt is to national defense. Not only do we host US STRATCOM and the 55th Wing and Offutt Air Force Base supports them in many, many things, but we as a Wing are hugely important in national security. And I think that’s that should be a sense of pride for our community. Our community has … in all of DoD [Department of Defense], I think the surrounding community, the Bellevue, Omaha, La Vista, Papillion area has-we are fortunate- probably the most supportive civic community groups that we see around the country.
Its support for this base, for the support of the service members here on this base, is just outpouring. It’s always, always, always, “How can we help?” Whether it be Rusty Hike, whether it be Senator Sanders, whether it be Governor Pillen, Senator Ricketts, Senator Fischer …, they’re always asking us, “How can we help? How can we as a community support Offutt in what you guys do to support your men and women in uniform.” I think that you will not find a better community support structure in across this country than you do here at Offutt.
Thank you so much. We found it very supportive here as well… we decided this was home.
That happens a lot. I think the state legislature has really been a huge advocate- a few years back when they did, they passed, I can’t remember the bill, but just not tax military retirement.
I know Ron, personally. I’ve known Ron for several years. Many veterans who come to Offutt and whatever, whether it be STRATCOM 55th Wing, between the 557th Weather Wing say, “We love this community.” You know the old phrase,” It’s easy to get on it, but it’s hard to get off it/Offutt.”
But it was the economic environment that wasn’t always friendly. And I think the state legislature, and I think starting with Governor Ricketts and Governor Heineman saw that and really pushed for, you know, military retirement shouldn’t be taxed by Nebraska, and that has really been a very positive effect- that change- to our military community who’s going to retire and settle here. So, I think the state is doing the right things to make this a more veteran retiree friendly community.
Good Vibez is Omaha’s premier family-friendly open mic experience, and we’re thrilled to invite you to our next extraordinary event. For 2024, our theme is “Pay It Forward,” reflecting our commitment to generosity and community spirit. This year, we’re blending our exciting open mic with a variety of vendors and fun activities to make each event both enjoyable and impactful. Attending means enjoying great performances and contributing to a worthy cause.
Each Good Vibez event is carefully planned to raise funds for local nonprofits. By participating, you support these vital organizations and their important work in our community. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy a night out with family and friends while giving back to the community we all cherish.
Good Vibez event flyer with text, “Family Friendly; Open Mic; Sunday, August 4; Thompson Center at UNO; Omaha, NE; Hosted by Humbl Kingz; Featuring: Dylan Ferguson; $5 Suggested Donation; Proceeds will go to help fund Dylan’s mission to Ethiopia; Sponsored by FirstStudent”.
On Sunday, August 4, we’re hosting our open mic for the second time at the Thompson Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus (6705 Dodge St., Omaha). This venue provides a fantastic space for an evening of fun, music, and camaraderie.
Dylan with microphone and t-shirt with text, “Faithfully United”.
This event will feature Dylan Ferguson, a remarkable worship leader from Wildewood Christian Church. Dylan’s inspiring music will be a highlight of the evening, and we’re excited to support his mission to Ethiopia. His work focuses on bringing hope and life to communities in need, and our event will help fund this important cause.
We aim to unite the community around this meaningful mission. By attending our open mic, you’re not only having a great time but also contributing to a cause that can significantly impact a hurting land. Your support amplifies the efforts of those dedicated to improving lives and spreading hope.
Join us for an evening of family fun, creativity, and community spirit. Whether you want to showcase your own talents or enjoy those of others, there will be something for everyone. Bring your family and friends for a night filled with laughter, inspiration, and connection. It’s a chance to share your skills, discover new talents, and support a worthy cause.
To support Dylan Ferguson’s mission and the incredible work in Ethiopia, we suggest a donation of $5 per person at the door. Every dollar raised goes directly to this cause, and your presence plays a crucial role in our fundraising efforts. It’s also a wonderful way to engage with your community and support impactful initiatives.
Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 4, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Thompson Center at UNO, located at 6705 Dodge St., Omaha, NE. We look forward to a memorable evening of music, laughter, and community. Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of something special and help spread good vibes while making a positive impact.
See you there!
Good Vibez Family Friendly Open Mic
Thompson Alumni Center at UNO
6705 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE
Sunday, August 4
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
$5 suggested donation
OmahaNebraska.com Interview with Isaiah Sheese, owner and founder of Archetype Coffee
Isiah Sheese, preparing cappuccino at Archetype Coffee in Millwork Commons
You’ve won a lot of awards! Your coffee is fantastic! Tell me a little bit about your journey to this point and then about all the cool things…
Where am I supposed to start?
I left it really open, so wherever you want.
I started drinking coffee as a little kid, maybe five and six. I don’t know. That’s where it all began, probably. I’ve been in the industry… I think this year is probably my 20th or 21st year. Just kind of started…had a friend in Tulsa that opened this shop, and she asked if I’d help. So it’s kind of like the old-school Mom-and-Pop shop where you have blenders and 30 syrups, and, you know, change the art out once a month. I just kind of started out like that. Then when I was in Tulsa, there was a roastery there that was doing really good things. I had a lot of interest in diving into more serious coffee, so I ended up working for that company, which is called Double Shot Coffee Company. Their, like, claim to fame was they were sued by Starbucks and won…
Wow.
…because of the name. And so that was kind of like their claim to fame. But anyways, after working at the roastery, he eventually took me on a trip to Colombia and then it was just kind of like a slippery slope into falling in love with, like, the whole coffee industry. From there it was… I did coffee in Tulsa for probably, like, seven, eight years, and then I was in Milwaukee working at Anodyne Coffee Roasters for two years. I was their quality control cupper. So basically, like, everything we roasted, everything that went out, I tasted everything. So lots of slurping. And then their wholesale trainer. And then when we were getting ready to move from Milwaukee to Omaha it was just kind of like that pivotal point of “What am I going to do?” You know, I’m getting a little bit older. And so it’s like either chase your dreams and take the jump in opening a business, or, you know, change careers.
So the last, like, six months that I was in Milwaukee, I took a small business plan writing course. And so at the end of your six months, you come out with, like, a business plan. So when I moved to Omaha, I just kind of hit the ground running. Yeah. So we’ve been here eleven years, and Archetype just turned ten in May.
How did you decide to make the jump? That’s a hard part for a lot of entrepreneurs.
It was just like—how old am I now? I turned 43. When I got here, I was, like, 30. It was just kind of one of those, like, either chase your dream or go do something else. You know. And so I think I’m still young and dumb enough to, like… I also don’t have children, so, you know, like, the risk—yes, the risk was big, but it also wasn’t gonna affect anyone except for myself. And my wife has her own career separate from mine, so it wasn’t going to really affect her. So it was just kind of like do it, you know, give it a chance, and if it works, awesome. If it doesn’t, well, at least you tried it. So I think for me it was just like… I think the potential benefits far outweighed the risk for me. I think so many people have these dreams and they never give it a shot, you know? And so like I said, I think I’m dumb enough just to step out on the water and see if I walk or if I sink.
It takes a lot of courage to make that jump.
Yeah, absolutely. But I don’t think you want to live life with “what ifs.” You know what I mean? Like, you don’t want to be on your deathbed thinking about “What if I did that?” or “What if I would have done that?”
I know a lot of people like that and I’m always trying to encourage them because the older people I know with the “what ifs” are miserable.
They’re miserable.
And even if you tried it and you found out it wasn’t what you thought it would be…You tried it, right?
Yeah. That’s a good story. Yeah, it’s a great memory.
Some people do something that they wanted to do and they find out, whoa, there’s all these other things I never knew about. I don’t like this.
Yeah.
But they did it, so there’s no regret.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So I mean, I was kind of the same deal. I definitely did not want to have that regret of, like… Man, you know, what if I never would have done that, so…
You have huge experience in the coffee industry.
Yeah.
What are the things to you that make that perfect cup or that perfect bean?
Oh. That’s a deep dive. Coffee is one of those things. It’s like it’s a recipe. So you have to have good water, you need to have, obviously, good coffee. So getting good coffee is making sure you’re sourcing quality green, then you’re roasting it well, then you have to have a good grinder. And then it’s understanding what each variable does, so your brew ratio, your temperature, your grind size, the time… so, like, the water contact time and then agitation so you just kind of have to master all of those things. Put it together and you have a great cup every time.
That sounds like a good equation.
Yeah.
What do you like about Omaha and why Omaha?
Well, why Omaha was because my wife got a job here, so that’s how we ended up in Omaha. But I’d say Omaha is just one of those Midwestern cities that has a great community. You know, I’ve always grown up in the Midwest, and so I definitely have… there’s a little bit of the charm to the Midwest that the coasts don’t have. I think it’s like if you’re in the Midwest, you’re choosing to be there. Like, the coasts are… You know, you have New York, L.A., San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and then, like, the fly-over country. But it’s a great community of people, very passionate and hard workers. And so I think probably what I love about Omaha the most is just the people. Yeah.
I fell in love with it, too, for the people. The joke is it certainly wasn’t the weather.
No. Yeah. I mean, I think my two biggest beefs have always been the winters are brutal, and if you’re going to have that brutal of the winter, your summer should be pretty nice, and we have just as hot of summer as everyone else.
We used to joke that there’s two seasons: too hot and too cold.
It’s true. And then there is just like the airport is… flying in and out of Omaha is tricky, but yeah.
What kind of awards and things have you done? I know that list is pretty long.
Yeah. So I’m the 2023 U.S. Barista Champion [United States Coffee Championships], and then I ended up finishing fourth at Worlds [World of Coffee] in Athens, so I’ve competed for nine years, and out of the nine years I’ve placed top six in every qualifier, with the exception of one, and then before winning the U.S. Barista Championship, I’d come in fifth in the U.S., I’d come in eighth in the U.S., I’d come in 12th in the U.S. So, yeah… so lots of grinding it out, figuring out the competition, and understanding the game.
I took two years off to judge as well. So in 2021 there was a lottery to compete because of COVID still, and so I wasn’t able to compete. But since I’d judged previously, I was able to judge, so I went to Boston for the finals and I judged quarterfinals and semifinals just to gain more experience and understanding of… you know, constantly learning the competition and figuring it out, which ultimately ended up helping me win.
What’s your favorite coffee? If you could pick one or a couple that you have.
Favorite coffee? I don’t know. The way that we buy coffee is we buy it seasonally. Throughout the year you get different coffees, so usually it’s just like whatever’s fresh, whatever’s new. It’s kind of like I get tired of drinking the same things over and over again, and the same profile. The romance of coffee is each year is going to be different, even if you’re buying from the same farm, depending on how much rain they have and depending on… yeah, the drying. Like, all those things affect it. And so for me, like, we have… our fresh crop Ethiopian coffees just arrived. So after I leave here, I’ll go cup those and see how they taste, and if they’re great then we’ll bring them in. We also have fresh crop Costa Rica coming in and fresh crop Mexico.
I don’t know. I enjoy drinking a wide variety of different origins, but I would say during competition season, drinking competition coffee, there’s nothing like it. They’re very rare coffees, they’re usually really expensive and we usually get a very small amount of them. And so anytime I get a chance to drink those coffees, it’s otherworldly for sure.
What other locations do you have and where? Also, are you in other places?
In Omaha, we have three locations. We’ve got the Blackstone location at 40th and Farnam. That was our first, and that one turned 10 in May. Our second location where we now have our roastery training lab is at 13th and William, basically. It’s catty-corner from where the Bohemian Cafe used to be. So that’s where our training lab, roastery, and cafe is, and that one turns 6 in August, so that one turns 6 next month, which is crazy to think. And then our third one is the Millwork location, and that one turns 3 in October. And then we have others that serve our coffee, and Via Farina, Dolomiti and we have wholesale customers, like, outside of Omaha. On our website, we sell all over the world. I mean, we’ve shipped it everywhere. We have people that have subscriptions, and they get coffee once a month from us or twice a month. Yeah, all kinds of fun stuff.
What’s new on the horizon?
We’re getting ready to launch our new website, which is going to be incredible. When you open a business… I opened Archetype because I wanted to make coffee and be a part of the community and those things. And then all of a sudden you have to have a brand, and you have to start making T-shirts and hats, and now you need to have a website, and now you need to have Instagram and all the things. And so I think… being very naïve, I wasn’t thinking about those things. When we launched our website, it’s a very modest website. It doesn’t really represent who we are as a coffee company. But when your passion is focusing on coffee and people, you kind of push those other things to the side. And so we haven’t focused on that a long time, but now that we have kind of like a global recognition, we need the website to match our branding. So we’ve been working really hard on that, trying to get it up and going.
That’s hard because you can’t wear all your hats forever.
That’s the other thing I’d say about being a small business owner is like, when do you pass off a hat? Because if you’re not doing it, you’re paying someone to do it until you get to a certain growth point. It’s like you need to keep doing all the things. And so I think the other part is trying to figure out the balance. But yeah, so the website will hopefully be launching in August is our goal. So that’s kind of like the next big thing on the horizon, and then we’d like to turn the training lab into kind of like a tasting lab where we could do events, whether it’s weekly or monthly, whether we’re doing trainings or whether we’re showcasing a lot of our competition coffees or the stuff that we end up doing on a competition stage that really isn’t conducive in a cafe setting. We’ll try to offer more of those opportunities for the public to buy tickets and come and sit through a presentation. And try to expose Omaha to some of those crazier coffees that we can’t just put on the shelf and try to sell.
And you’ve been a great sponsor for One Million Cups with the coffee.
Oh, yeah, yeah. One Million Cups is a super cool event. Once again, they’re helping… I think giving people the impetus and opportunity to network with other people that have taken the risk of entrepreneurship, and so I think it’s a cool organization, just to see how they are trying to continue to foster that and pass it towards the younger generation to do it, take a risk.
What’s the worst that can happen? Nothing too terrible, right? So yeah, One Million Cups has done a great job in advocating for entrepreneurship and helping people network and make connections. I think that’s a huge thing, and it’s also a great support group.
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely road sometimes, so it’s nice if you have those people that have walked down that same journey and risk, and go to share those war stories and hopefully encourage each other. And yeah, it’s a great organization.
What are your next plans?
This next year, I’m taking some time to focus on competition. The goal is to win in the U.S. again and then give World’s another shot. Usually you don’t win the World in the first year. It would be interesting to see the statistics and find out if anyone has ever won World the first year. I think there might only be a couple. It usually takes a couple of times. My goal is to kind of treat this competition season almost more like a job. So I’ll be stepping back from some of my leadership at Archetype, not doing all the day-to-day or working behind the machine like I do and give me the opportunity to focus on competition. I’ll leave for Colombia on Sunday to work with the farmer that I competed with and came in fourth with at World’s.
Tell me a little bit about the competitive organization.
It’s all under the SCA, which is the Specialty Coffee Association. In the recent championship, whoever wins each country represents their country at World’s. And World’s changes locations every year. So I was just in South Korea in April, helping last year’s U.S. champion, and so this upcoming World in 2025 will be in Milan. But yeah, you have 15 minutes. You’re serving 4 judges. You have two technical judges and a head judge. You serve them each a single espresso, a single milk drink, and then you create a signature beverage and then they judge you on coffee knowledge, bar management, taste, accuracy, waste, and you’re serving these 12 drinks all while giving basically like a coffee Ted Talk. Yeah. So it’s kind of a tricky competition. It’s multifaceted, being able to execute the drinks to perfection while also eloquently coming up with the talk, connecting the whole story from start to finish.
It certainly sounds tough.
It’s tricky. Yeah, like I said, it took me 9 years to win the U.S. The hardest countries to win are the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, China. Those are probably the toughest countries to win. And so yeah, the competition is really high, and yeah, it’s a very tricky competition.
Thank you very much.
Oat milk cappuccino with beautiful heart flower foam design in pink cup with blue saucer on wood table
Isiah made the coffee pictured above. It was the best cappuccino I have ever had!
Archetype Coffee has three great locations to serve you that perfect cup of coffee!
Archetype Coffee -The Blackstone District
3926 Farnam St.
Omaha, NE 68131
Archetype Coffee-Little Bohemia
1419 S. 13th St.
Omaha, NE 68108
Archetype Coffee-Ashton at Millwork Commons
1229 Millwork Ave, Suite 101
Omaha, NE 68102
