Nick Fetzer (BBA ’23) is changing attitudes about disability—one smile and cup of coffee at a time.
Nick is the general manager and part-owner of the newly opened Bitty & Beau’s Coffee franchise in Boulder, Colorado, which focuses on employing and empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When his family first proposed opening the store, with Nick serving as general manager, he quickly got on board after visiting his local Bitty & Beau’s and feeling the love there among staff and customers.
“This is my dream company and dream opportunity,” says Nick, who celebrated the grand opening of the store just months after his graduation from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Degree in hand, the management and human resources major was well prepared to take on the nitty-gritty business tasks that come with being a general manager, including marketing, training, and hiring a team of nearly two dozen employees—which included some former connections from the all-abilities summer camp he volunteered and worked at throughout high school and college.
Now, with a successful grand opening under his belt, Nick is focused on building upon his store’s initial momentum, and opening people’s eyes to what his employees are capable of.
“We want people to understand that this is a profitable business model, that working with individuals with disabilities can absolutely make a profit,” Nick says. “Success is people walking in the door and seeing that this works.”