Watershed is thrilled to welcome Noah Glovsky ‘16 as its newest alumni member of the Board of Trustees! After a few years on the east coast for college, Noah returned to live and work in Boulder, starting his full-time position as Director of Operations at Zoe Ma Ma and Dragonfly Noodles in 2021, just as the pandemic restrictions were loosening and the hiring challenges were beginning. We wanted to know more about Noah’s professional path, what interests and challenges him in his current position, and what draws him to board service at Watershed.
After graduating from Watershed, Noah headed off to Babson College to study business. This seemed like a natural step to Noah who states, “I remember wanting to be a CEO at age 8. In middle school and early high school, gaming became a huge part of my life and I wanted to be a professional gamer. Then, in 11th grade, I took a course called, “Entrepreneurship and Sustainability” taught by Pablo. That experience totally shifted my direction. I loved the teamwork, problem solving, and start-up mentality. In that class we created an actual business pitch and my group even entered some local start-up competitions. It was exhilarating!”
While he enjoyed learning about business and finance at Babson, Noah found himself adrift. He soon realized that he wasn’t able to connect his classroom learning to a passion or even to the real-world. He was left yearning for something to anchor his learning. He also found himself missing his high school job and the food at Zoe Ma Ma in Boulder. A lot. Slowly a question began to form, “Can I marry my love of good food, hospitality, and business?” It wasn’t long before Noah found Cornell University and their School of Hotel Administration. He transferred.
“Cornell was a game changer for me,” said Noah. “I was able to design my course work around hands-on, integrated experiences- a learning style that I experienced at Watershed and knew worked well for me. The Hotel Leadership Development Program, in particular, included tons of on the job training in all facets of hotel and restaurant work, including supervisory roles. Understanding all aspects of a business is critical to successful management.”
When the pandemic hit, Noah headed back to Boulder and also found himself back at Zoe Ma Ma. “Restaurants were in tumult in 2020 and 2021. Zoe Ma Ma and Dragonfly Noodle (then called Chimera) needed help in all areas of their restaurants. Always up for a challenge, when Noah saw a need he thought he could help with, he filled it. When the pandemic threw new challenges to the restaurant industry, his creative, problem-solving mind kicked in. “It’s been a wild time– full of hard work and worry, but also full of teamwork and opportunity,” Noah reflects. “I can’t think of a better time to have wrapped up my degree and started my career. Within a very short time, I was able to demonstrate my passion, my commitment to customer experience, and my mentorship skills– I moved from washing dishes to Director of Operations in a year!”
The most recent challenge for small restaurants has been hiring and retaining staff. “My corporation has set aggressive growth targets. One of my jobs is to staff-up for growth. Larger restaurants and businesses around us were offering big signing bonuses in addition to wage increases. We couldn’t out-compete big shops with big money– we had to get creative. So, in addition to raising wages as much as we could, I launched Zoe Ma Ma’s Leadership Training Program. We’ve created a curriculum and on the job training designed to attract aspiring leaders to the hospitality industry. We provide on the job training in all areas of restaurant work as well as customized goal setting and feedback to our trainees in the areas they’ll need for success in this industry. Upon successful completion of our program, employees will have learned the leadership, character, and technical skills necessary to manage any of our current or upcoming restaurants.” And, it’s working! In one year’s time, one person has ‘graduated’ and four more are at various stages in the program. “During a time marked by record employee shortages, we were able to attract talented and committed individuals who I believe will experience long-time personal and professional success in the industry,” said Noah, “that feels good.”
So, then, why Watershed? Why now? In particular, why serve on Watershed’s Board of Trustees at this time? Clearly Noah has copious energy, talent, and a willingness to try new things. “Mostly, I want to give back,” said Noah. “When I think of the things I love about my work– hands on, maximizing customer experience, optimizing operations, and problem solving– I can trace direct lines to my Watershed experience. At Watershed, I learned the importance of leadership, empathy, and character skills. We were challenged to think about solutions to the world’s great challenges, and were exposed to the idea of life service and work that matters. I learned the value of trying to understand the people I’m working with and for and then to reflect on how I can use that understanding to work better. All of these skills and values are things that I employ every single day as Director of Operations at Zoe Ma Ma and Dragonfly Noodle. Watershed gave me so much. I want to be sure that Watershed is in the strongest position possible to continue to give the same level of full-person educational experience for generations to come.”
