Part of a recurring series where we ask a Full Contact employee a couple of off-the-wall (and yet revealing) questions.
1. Who are you, and what is your role at Full Contact?
My name is Dan Gross (yes, like “disgusting” or “144 of something”), and I am a Management Supervisor.
2. Speaking of roles, who is your personal role model? (And tell us why)
That’s a hard question, because I don’t want to offend my Mom! I would have to say Danny Meyer, the restaurant and hospitality mogul. Danny started his restaurant empire at age 27 and hasn’t stopped since then. I have been in restaurant marketing and the restaurant business for almost a decade and know how risky it can be. Success is rare and incredibly difficult to achieve – let alone sustain. You don’t get there alone; he has most definitely surrounded himself with creative and highly motivated people, which in my opinion is half the formula. Most people know him for Shake Shack, but that is just one of his many properties. Danny walked by me at a party at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic last June, and I totally “fanboyed” out.
3. What’s the best piece of advice you ever received (and then ignored)?
My grandfather always told me I needed to learn how to play Golf (“It’s good for making meaningful business connections”). I wish I was a better golfer.
4. If you could magically become anyone else in the world, who would it be and why?
Easy one. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. No question.
5. And while we are imagining things, what is your Full Contact superpower?
I think it would be “glamouring” from True Blood. I think I can be quite persuasive if I am passionate about a point of view or a direction.
6. We know you do amazing things at Full Contact, but what do you do that’s kind of amazing outside of these four walls?
As you can see from the above, I am very passionate about the restaurant business and about making a positive impact in my community. That’s why I invest in restaurant concepts in both Boston and Cambridge. I really believe in these chefs/friends and their unique visions, and I want to help them make our beloved city a better place to eat, drink and enjoy.
7. And finally, how do you make Full Contact in your job?
I am Full Contact, because I live and breath this industry. I am all in, fully invested in my clients’ businesses and always thinking about fun, new and innovative ways to grow my knowledge base. Even when I am not at work I am constantly reading, learning, tweeting, ‘gramming, and tumbling (the site not the gymnastics maneuver). I continue to be amazed by how many different ways we have to soak in and dole out information. I apply this in my personal and my business day.