Celebrating Carissa Hermsmeyer - The Jack of All Trades
Cheers to Twenty-Five Years of Non-Stop Grind!
Carissa’s connection to coffee started well before her official career at Dillanos. She began as a barista in 1996, where she was trained by our very own Chris Heyer. Not long after, her path crossed with Dillanos—and the rest is history.
Carissa joined the Dillanos family through Atomic Distributing, a sister company at the time, where she worked as a sales rep. Atomic focused on sauces, syrups, cups, and, as Carissa puts it, “everything but the milk.” Her role there marked the beginning of what would become an incredible 25-year career with Dillanos—and naturally, her story comes with a little DCR history along the way.
Fast forward to today, and Carissa is anything but a one-trick pony. As our Chief of Staff and National Sales and Marketing Manager, she has a hand in just about everything—from sales and business development to Barista 22, e-commerce, our retail website, and storefront. It’s a lot to juggle, but if there’s one thing we know about Carissa, it’s that she’s always ready to take on the next challenge.
"Carissa is someone who gives her all in everything she does, and she always has the greater good in mind. She is someone who I have looked up to for many years, both at work and how she lives her life in general. She sets an amazing example for all of us at Dillanos."
-Dillon Morris
Over the years, she has worked in and led many different areas of the company, including sales, business development, customer service, marketing, project management, and vendor relations.
As Carissa puts it: “I've been fortunate to continually take on new challenges and grow along with the company.“
“What I admire most about Carissa is her curiosity, her adventurous spirit, and her constant desire to learn and grow. She is always thinking about how she can help others, make things better, and leave a positive impact wherever she goes. She is an incredible friend who always gives the best advice, a trusted leader, and someone who makes the people around her better.”
-Debbie Koehler
“Where do I even start with Carissa?! She is an absolute rock star and a staple at Dillanos! Her passion for all things DCR runs deep, and if you know Carissa, you know she’s always networking, connecting people, and making friends everywhere she goes, all over the world! I’ve even gotten to experience some of that with her, including a work trip to Paris where we had the BEST time. Carissa puts 110% into everything she does. The drive, energy, and knowledge she brings to everything she does (and is always willing to share!) is truly inspirational.
It didn’t take long after I started at Dillanos for Carissa to become a mentor to me, and one of the things I value most is the friendship that grew right alongside that mentorship!
Carissa, you are truly one of a kind, and DCR is so lucky to have you. Happy 25th Anniversary!”
-Kristin Johnson
Carissa has managed to excel in so many areas of the company because of her loyalty to and natural embodiment of our Core Values.
Her favorites are:
#3. Be Creative and Resourceful
#6. Embrace Change and Reevaluate Systems
She explains:
“Be Creative and Resourceful is something I've learned from David throughout my career. Whether it's finding a creative solution for a customer, getting ahold of someone when it seems impossible, or digging deeper instead of accepting the first answer. I genuinely enjoy figuring things out, solving problems, and finding creative ways to get things done.”
“Embrace Change and Reevaluate Systems is something I've learned most from Chris Heyer. Over the life of a company, the business and the world around it are constantly changing, and we can't expect everything to stay the same. That doesn't mean changing the foundation of who we are at Dillanos, but sometimes the walls around that foundation need to move so we can continue to grow, stay relevant, and be the best at what we do.“
Clearly, Carissa has plenty of wisdom to give. Which is exactly why we should tune in to find out what her favorite Dillanos coffee is!
With her go-to way of enjoying coffee being straight black, Carissa says Green Planet offers a rounded, balanced, smooth, and delicious taste—a must-have staple for drinking at home.
Over her 25 years at Dillanos, Carissa has made plenty of meaningful memories and had some unforgettable experiences along the way.
“I’ve had the opportunity to travel to coffee origin. Spending that time with customers and coworkers, and seeing how much labor, care, and love goes into coffee gave me an entirely different appreciation for the journey behind every cup.”
And then there are the memories that are just plain funny.
“On a trip to Florida and Georgia with one of our customers, we went canoeing together.
Chris Buck and I ended up in a canoe together, and we managed to run into the shore, some downed trees, branches, and bushes along the way.
The next morning, I discovered that I had a tick in my armpit—and I couldn’t reach it myself. So, unfortunately for Chris, I had to call him for help. There was some crying, a lot of laughing, and definitely an awkward moment or two, but he came to my rescue and helped me get the tick out.”
“It’s one of those stories that makes me laugh because, after 25 years of working alongside people, you develop relationships that go far beyond just being coworkers. You never really expect that one of your colleagues is going to have to remove a tick from your armpit, but that’s the kind of relationship you can build at Dillanos!”
“Having worn so many hats at Dillanos over the past 25 years, Carissa has an incredibly broad and deep understanding of our history, our people, the business, and how all the pieces work together. She’s an incredible teacher who shares perspective, asks thoughtful questions, and helps you understand the “why” behind what we do. In just the last year under her leadership, she’s helped me see and understand Dillanos in a completely new capacity and view the roles we all play through a much broader lens. And she keeps us laughing along the way with a language all her own—the Carissa-isms that inevitably have become part of our vocabulary too - IYKYK! She’s a trusted friend, a mom mentor, and someone I know I can count on. I’m incredibly grateful for the ways she’s helped me grow, both professionally and personally. Cheers to 25 years Carissa!”
-Emily Haney
When asked what she appreciates most about her time at DCR, Carissa had more than one answer:
“The People: There is a lot of tenure at Dillanos, so many of us have essentially grown up together in this industry.
The Relationships: Coffee has such a unique way of bringing people together, and I love being part of an industry that is fun, energetic, relationship-driven.
Chris and David: They genuinely care about their employees and want to create a company where people can thrive both personally and professionally. I've always felt that they care about me as a person, not just as an employee. I often say they're like my big brothers.
Mom Life & Work Life: Being a mother is my most important job, and I've never felt like I had to sacrifice one part of my life in order to be successful in the other. I've been able to have both, and that is something I appreciate tremendously.”
So... When are you publishing your memoir?
Okay, jokes aside—it goes without saying, you really are a jack of all trades.
You’ve been all-in with Dillanos since pretty much the very beginning, and 25 years later,
you have an incredible amount of knowledge, history, and experience to show for it.
But what stands out just as much is how willing you are to share that knowledge, teach others, and help the people around you grow.
You’re a leader, a teacher, a helper, and a friend. Somehow, what you’ve packed into
25 years feels more like 45.
Which means that PTO? Yeah, you’ve earned it. Have the BEST time in Europe next summer!
Thank you for everything you’ve poured into Dillanos and the people here, Carissa.
Cheers to 25 years!!
