This weekend I got the chance to hang out with my good friend Russell Warner. He was in town for the annual Proponent Group summit, and decided to stick around for a few days and play some golf. He ended up playing Grayhawk Golf Club, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and I took him up to Quintero Golf Club just outside of Peoria, Arizona. We also got the chance to have dinner and talk about his brand.
I met Russell a few years ago at a Proponent Group summit, and we have stayed in touch all these years using Facebook and Twitter. He introduced me to Richard Adby, and they tend to travel together. On this trip, he left Richard back home (they live in Switzerland) and brought Katja Eisenmenger with him this trip. She plays golf, too. I have never seen someone hit the ball as straight as she does. I stopped watching her hit because every time she was in the middle of the fairway!
Dinner at Olive & Ivy
On Saturday night, after golf, we headed to Old Town Scottsdale for dinner. It was their last night in town, and I wanted to make sure they had a good meal before they left. I asked Sheryl to make dinner reservations, and she grabbed a table at Olive & Ivy Restaurant + Marketplace, a Fox Restaurant Concepts restaurant in Old Town. Russel was staying at Talking Stick Resort, so Old Town wasn’t too far for him. We met at 8:15 for dinner.
The food was amazing. I was VERY impressed with this place, and everything we had was delicious. Also, Russell picked up the check… Which was uncalled for. I can’t thank him enough for buying dinner. Next time, dinner is on me! After dinner we headed to a wine bar for a nightcap.
It was great seeing him and catching up. I typically only see him once or twice a year, but hopefully that will change going forward. We are headed to Zurich next year on our way to Munich for Oktoberfest. They live not 30 minutes outside of Zurich, and plan on seeing them while we are in town. I hope they join us at Oktoberfest. That would be a blast.
Russell, it was great seeing you. Katja, it was a pleasure meeting you. Have fun in Orlando (they were stopping in Orlando on the way back to Switzerland) and I look forward to seeing you guys again soon. Bis spotter!
