We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heidi Rolf a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heidi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

So much of my work is marketing; creating content for platforms designed to keep users consuming content. This has been morally difficult for me because I believe humans were meant to be out experiencing life and I feel our addiction to technology—phones & social media in particular—is responsible for a lot of mental health issues. So I’ve really grappled with the fact that my job is to create content for people to consume through those apps. In the last few months I’ve gotten deeply introspective about my career, which started out in design and transitioned to a more digital, temporary world. I decided I can live with myself because the marketing I do is designed to get people out of their homes, and into one of our bars or restaurants. Which brings me to what I feel my mission through my work with Buildings and Food is.

Buildings and Food is a hospitality brand—and I believe in the value of hospitality. Ultimately what I want is for friends, families, or individuals to come into one of our places and for an hour or more feel taken care of. I want them to enjoy good food and beverage, a great environment, and unparalleled service. Through my work I can remind them of what I believe is one of humanity’s greatest joys: companionship over quality food & drink. I often go into our venues on my own, and even if I’m having the worst day our team makes me feel seen—they care for me, I feel better for having been there. That’s my mission, our company’s mission is more robust but not dissimilar.

“We push the boundaries of hospitality while we protect and preserve its traditions. We reject cynicism, and we never play defense. We build good careers for our people, and we look out for each other and our community.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I graduated from Kent State University with a BFA in Visual Communication Design and a minor in Studio Art in 2011. I immediately began a freelance career in design and photography. I was particularly drawn to building brands for businesses I felt had missions/values that aligned with my own, and to portraiture photography. I am deeply nostalgic and being able to capture moments that will make calling up memories easier feels important to me.

I worked with a Cleveland branding agency for a few years and grew weary of branding a company and sending them on their way. I wanted to build meaningful relationships with clients that lasted beyond these initial brand builds. I wanted to evolve with them. My boss and I mutually parted ways to pursue separate goals and I began working with retainer clients on a long term basis. The one that filled my cup the most was The Spotted Owl, a craft cocktail bar formerly in Tremont, where I had had many of my most special experiences as a patron. I love(d) working with the owner Will Hollingsworth who is one of the biggest idea people I’ve ever known. During the pandemic he asked me to join his team full-time as we moved to a world largely online. I did so and since then our business has grown and now includes Prosperity Social Club, Good Company in Cleveland and soon Akron, Old 86, To the Bar Co., La Cave Du Vin, Peristyle Coffee, with more big projects in the works.

I am proud of each and every brand under our umbrella. They all offer a unique product and are run by incredible teams. I’m grateful to work for a boss who pushes me to be better, listens to my ideas, takes critical feedback and builds a better business around it. It feels good to contribute to a community I love so much through our restaurants and bars. I want cool places for my people to go, and I want to see the people in our company have opportunities they might not otherwise have. I feel really lucky to work with Buildings and Food and am excited to see where we go.

Any advice for managing a team?

I think communication is so important. I know it seems obvious but I think in a business with a lot of people and moving parts it can be easy to neglect. I am in constant conversations with our executive team and GMs. We don’t just talk about work; we talk about mental health, strategies for having fulfilling lives, we have hard conversations and provide each other with constructive feedback when necessary. It’s important to hold one another accountable, to always strive to be better and I think in doing so working together feels better. I want to stress the importance in particular of being open about mental health. I recently had a pretty tough breakdown. My boss encouraged me to take time off and checked on me constantly for whatever I might need. It goes a long way. Businesses are made up of humans, and we need to take care of one another.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Creative people don’t feel creative all the time. Working in a field where you are being paid for something that you can’t always access can be incredibly stressful. My creativity relies heavily on me not being burnt out and on my mental health being solid. Sometimes the ideas just aren’t there and that can be tough. It’s important as a creative to know how to move through those slumps. I often forget the value of going to see new films, art exhibits, or spending time with other creatives and innovators. I’m not that innovative on my own, but when I collaborate with someone else it’s cool to see what can unfold and it’s so good for my spirit. I think being an artist can sometimes feel isolating, like you need to figure out creative ideas in your own head by yourself. But my best artistry comes when I find inspiration out in the world with other people who think differently than me.

Contact Info:

• Website: buildings-food.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/heidimrolf

Image Credits
The first and second images I uploaded (first is of me and will, second is of me and kathleen sullivan) were taken by Mckenzie Beynon, the rest were taken by me.