Patrick Wendlick

Born in 1966, Patrick is a native of Longview, Washington. By the middle of third grade, the family (Patrick, his Mom, Dad, and a younger sister) had moved to Federal Way where he completed his elementary and high school education…graduating from Federal Way High in 1985, a “certified jock” by his own definition.

Though two sports were his major extracurricular interests (football and track), there was a moment when all that changed.

Patrick’s school locker *just happened* to be right outside the choir room. And he *just happened* to be singing to himself at his locker after school one day during his junior year when the director came out of the choir room. Hearing potential, he asked if Patrick might be willing to come in and audition. Always up for a challenge, Patrick thought “Why not? Sure, I’ll give it a try,” he said.

The director liked what he heard and before long, had matched Patrick up with three classmates and a budding quartet was formed. It was during a rehearsal with that group the Patrick had his “moment”…the ringing of a chord that seemed to change everything. He describes it as not just musical, but emotional as well. Perhaps you know the feeling?

Soon, this fledgling quartet was winning contests in school competitions and feeding their growing desire for more of those *magic moments*. But life moves on and before long Patrick was at the University of Washington, pursuing a degree in Economic Geography. For the first couple of years music took a back seat to keeping up with his studies. But he eventually found the time and joined the UW Singers. Then he organized a chorus at his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta. They finished second in a contest of 31 fraternity choruses.

Patrick graduated in 1990. Though he had already met his wife-to-be, Jill, they waited until her graduation in 1991 before marrying. His principal task at the time was to find employment, somewhere in international trade & transportation. But that proved easier said than done. Ever resourceful, Patrick decided that if he couldn’t find what he had trained for, he should look for something for which he had a passion (other than Jill, of course). That turned out to be COFFEE!

If coffee is your passion and The Northwest is your home, doesn’t that sounds like a match made in heaven? So it has been for both Patrick and Starbucks. He is now in his 23rd year with them, starting as a barista and working his way through a number of responsibilities to his present position. Along the way, and with his UW degree, he was perfectly positioned to head up Starbuck’s entrance into the international arena when that thrust was starting in 1999. He headed Starbucks international planning for the next several years. Now he manages all of the non-coffee retail products for all of the stores in the Americas.