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Tim has been an owner at Summit Coffee since 2003. Prior to that, he drank a lot of Summit Coffee while studying (at Davidson College) and touring (with the band Cast Iron Filter). At Summit, Tim is able to combine all of his loves in one great place: coffee, people, beer, music, running and art. T’s vision for Summit revolves around the need for constant creativity. Don’t expect things at Summit to stay the same for very long. We work hard to keep it familiar, but we also work hard to push it forward. In addition to the coffee biz, Mr. H. is also a high school teacher and coach at the nearby Woodlawn School. He is better known as husband of Beth and dad of Zoë and Miles. Drop him a line at tim@summitcoffee.com.

A much more humble and cool guy than his serious corporate background might suggest, Tom has been with Summit for 7 years. He recently retired from his corporate gig after more than 30 years in Human Resources. He enjoys the creative challenges of working in a grassroots environment. Tom is a marathoner, triathlete, travel junkie, and all-around family man.

Brian rejoined the staff at Summit coffee following four years as an editor and sports journalist. Prior to his writing career, B worked as a Summit barista for all four of his years as an undergraduate across the street at Davidson College. He even met wife, Tyler, on a particularly memorable Sunday morning at the Summit. In addition to logging some hours behind the bar, Brian oversees all marketing and events. B is an avid runner, adventure seeker and all-around sweet guy. You can reach him at brian@summitcoffee.com.

Dave has been at Summit longer than any other human, machine, or piece of furniture. For 13 years, Dave has been a go-to-guy in Davidson for great coffee, good conversations and general awesomeness. Dave is a craftsman through and through. By day he crafts extraordinary lattes and cappucinos, by night Dave has been known to make jewelry, art, furniture and surf boards. He also has really cool tattoos. Dave is our director of coffee and barista training. You can holler at him by e-mailing dave@summitcoffee.com.

Becky is our resident consultant on culture and the unofficial Summit mom. We count on Becky for fashion advice, design instincts and — basically — to take care of us. Becky hails from the UK where she earned a degree in aromatherapy and worked for a decade pouring pints at a pub. When she moved stateside, she traded those pub nights for coffee shop mornings. Now Becks opens the store six days a week. Her sunny disposition never wanes, even on those dark cold mornings in the dead of winter. And she says words like “loo” and “naff.” She and her husband, Reuben, have three lovely daughters who keep Becky on the go even during her hours off. Becky also manages all of our vendor accounts. You can e-mail her at becky@summitcoffee.com.

Jim is the man. You can find him on Main Street slinging beans and beers five nights a week. He joins Summit following a stint at Caribou coffee. He is deceptively quick and deceptively warm and fuzzy (if you’re lucky). He also plays a mean guitar. Don’t email Jim, though, just drop by Summit after 4 PM and you have an 85% chance of seeing him. If you’re lucky.

Among many other talents, Chris has sweet sideburns. Seriously. Chris joined the Summit staff after learning the coffee trade from an ex-Summit employee at Three Goats Coffee in Mooresville. Chris is a Statesville, NC native, where he attended the same elementary school as fellow night-guy Jim Boggs. The two have been buds for nearly two decades. Like 50 percent of the staff, Chris is a guitarist (he turns it up to 11!). He’s also a good dude.

Jesse has been coming to Summit since he was ten. Stepdad Steve used to manage the store, so the Summit beans have found their way into his genetic code. Jesse digs friendly chats with customers and getting creative with his latte art. Ever seen a Grateful Dead logo etched into your frothed milk? Jesse’s got it down. When he’s not working his magic at the Summit, he’s down the street at our favorite music shop, The Birdsnest, where he is a guitar instructor.

Brit joins the Summit Coffee crew following a circuitous route that has included cafe gigs in Western Carolina, Vermont, and … India! She is passionate about Direct Trade coffee, photography and a plethora of other subjects. Oh, and she also plays the accordion. That’s right: the accordion. Hang around Brit and you’ll learn something new every day.

The newest member of this esteemed cafe crew, Jonathan came to us knowing only enough about coffee to get himself properly caffeinated in the morning. And that’s what brought him to Summit in the first place; the Sumatra coffee in particular. He convinced us he was a helluvaguy, and we’re trying to make him a helluvabarista. Jonathan is also a sports fanatic. If you need an extra for a pick-up game, he’s your man. When he’s not learning the coffee trade, he volunteers with youth sports at the local Y.

Alex is an undergraduate student at nearby Davidson College where he is an Arabic Studies major. Dude speaks Arabic. Alex has been logging shifts at Summit in his spare time for two years. Sunday mornings at Summit are his bread and butter. He is also a runner and a guitarist.

Michael has been the Summit accountant for more than a decade. He first became fast friends with the Helfrich family due to their shared affinity for the defunct hockey franchise, the Hartford Whalers. Mike is an up-for-anything, always grateful guy. When the Summit soccer team needed a goalie, Mike graciously stood between the pipes. He was awful. But even as the tenth goal of the game went through his legs he was all smiles. He was equally effective as the power forward for the Summit hoops team (which went 0 for 2 seasons). Mike is an avid cyclist, cold-weather camper, and an aspiring bartender for the Freckled Dog Pub.