Student owned business mixes fun and ice cream
Due to the efforts of two Utah State University student entrepreneurs, Cold Stone Creamery No. 132 is open for business.
“One of the keys to Cold Stone is that it is locally owned by two students,” said Mike Ware, co-owner and senior in political science. “The money stays here. It helps the economy here and [that] is an incentive to go.”
At Cold Stone, customers select a flavor, a size and at least one mix-in. They are welcome to sample any flavor of ice cream. This way, they can create a myriad of tastes. There is a clear container proclaiming that employees sing when you tip them and a black jar for those “dirty little sample spoons.” On the wall is a bulletin board that displays different combinations and employees are always willing to lend their opinion of what tastes good.
An important part of Cold Stone, Ware said, is the atmosphere the owners create.
Josh Christensen, co-owner and a senior in political science said, “Our motto is: The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience. We have the best ice cream in the world. You can create any kind you want. From the minute you walk in, you are greeted with a cheerful staff … You don’t have to go to ice cream, it’s like a vacation and we want it to be an enjoyable experience for our customers.”
Ware said, “This is a very social place with a fun friendly atmosphere. It’s a place to have fun on a date and leave your worries behind.”
Christensen said, “It’s a good time. We have hosted bands and open mic nights. We try to keep an entertaining factor.”
“We try to have the best service around,” Ware said. “If a customer has a problem, we want to take care of them 100 percent.”
Both owners said they use Nordstrom’s as a comparison to the service they want to give to customers.
“When we first came up here, we hired 12 people,” Ware said. “We look for someone who is outgoing, has a good character and is trustworthy. I can teach them everything else. We need someone who is not nervous, is good with people and is customer-orientated. I think it is important [to hire] someone I can trust. I can go home for lunch and know the store and customers are being taken care of.”
Kimberly Wiser, a store supervisor and a sophomore in apparel and textiles said, “I come into work and usually leave work happier than when I came. It’s awesome and way fun.”
Wiser said she has been working since the store opened a little more than a year ago.
“I’m a lifey,” she said. “It’s fun.”
Working for Ware and Christensen is great, Wiser said.
“They are so in control and have it figured out,” she said.
Christensen said, “This has been a huge learning experience, but we have employees with good, hard work ethics. Cache Valley has been good about accepting us.”
Ware said he and Christensen were friends growing up, as were both sets of their parents and grandparents. They knew the man who owned rights to Cold Stone. They thought Logan would be a cool college town to open a store in, so they bought his percentage of the rights.
“I’m an ice cream lover,” Christensen said. “In San Diego, Cold Stone was the hot new thing. We traveled around and had it everywhere and loved it.”
Christensen said they obtained the money from other businesses he had owned and from private investors.
“The partnership has been great,” Ware said. “We were very green on business when we started, but we had some help and it’s done very well. We have worked hard to meet our projections. It’s kinda like having a baby, you’re tied to it everyone second. If someone doesn’t come in to work, [we are] the last line of defense.
“It’s a lot of hard work. We do everything from balancing our finances to working in the store. There’s more to it than just scooping ice cream,” he said.
“We have the Mercedes of ice cream,” Christensen said. “We make our own ice cream, waffle cones and brownies everyday. It is labor intensive.”
“We are catering to those who want the premium best ice cream,” Ware said.
Cold Stone is the fastest growing chain of its type in the United States, and is going international. Both owners hope to continue to give customers great ice cream and service.