Beer Nuts bringing rivals together

Brett Drake, Reporter

Inside the walls of Beer Nuts, seven Pioneers and two Saints have learned to set aside their rivalry. Over the last two years these students have come to occupy half of the part-time work force for shipping and retail.

Central Catholic senior Will Hoscheidt said he started working at Beer Nuts because his parents stopped paying for “normal things.”

“I needed some money,” Hoscheidt said, “and as soon as I turned 16, I had to go out and find a job.”

What initially brought in the flood of new workers was a connection to hiring manager Patti Penn.  Penn has two students attending U-High (Peyton and Parker) and said she found it easy to hire students she already knew and trusted.

“Most of the kids that came in and asked me for a job, I already knew and knew how good of kids they were,” Penn said. “I hired them because not only did they need a job, but they could help us out in different ways than our other employees.”

Some of the jobs have included heavy lifting and the manual labor necessary to run the facilities.  In addition to the income, the part-timers have acquired a variety of employment skills.  

“I’ve learned to solve problems and not stress in the midst of those problems,” senior Alex Browning said. “And I’ve learned people skills by working with customers to get them what they want.”

Of course, the rivalry still exists, but the students manage to both represent their schools and get along with each other, especially now that football season is over.

“There’s still a rivalry,” Hoscheidt said with a smile. “But working together definitely takes some of the hatred out of it.”