About

Coming from a background as general manager at several iconic Auckland bars, Steve set his sights a little higher when he set up shop with Joylab. Steve kicked off in true form, helping Sale St (now Sweat Shop) win best redeveloped bar and best music entertainment value. Today, he’s proud to be a shareholder of The Elephant Wrestler and Regatta.

When he’s not pulling strings at his establishments, Steve can be seen at the baseball field either coaching or playing. If not, he’s probably hanging with the family and cracking jokes to his two awesome kids. If he could, he’d sink a Mount Gay rum with a squeeze of fresh lime with JFK; eager to see what could have been in a world with his continued visionary leadership.

Dave holds certificates in basically everything you can think of regarding hospitality. Even if you just made something up, he probably has a certificate in it. After building his experience both locally and abroad, Dave took a stake in The Zookeeper’s Son, which has more heart than his Waikato roots.

He loves watching the team make magic happen, and loves seeing the team grow even more. He’s partial to a Lagunitas IPA, but his favourite craft will rotate as often as the taps do. If he could, he’d knock a few beers with his old mates who mostly live overseas, catching up on old times and fresh banter.

Sarah-Lee has been a winner since birth. Literally - she won a baby contest. She continued that notion through her life, winning sales rep of the year for Red Bull before moving on to become the general manager at several Auckland bars, and now shareholder of The Flying Moa.

Sarah-Lee is a keen social butterfly, darting between staff and customers with her smile dialed in. She also knows Japanese and enjoys learning other languages, which explains her love for travel. Sarah-Lee loves an Earl Grey Martini, and if that isn’t fancy enough she’d like to share one with the Queen of England because she thinks she would be a good laugh.

Dave boasts over 20 years of experience in hospitality, joining the Joylab team after spending 10 of those with our joint venture partner, DB Breweries. Since then, he’s become a shareholder and helped open several establishments including Garrison, Mama Loco, and Birdie’s. Not a bad effort, so far.

Dave, like many other leaders at Joylab, loves to see his staff grow and better themselves, especially when that growth comes as a positive surprise. Outside of Joylab, Dave is a keen angler and family man. He’s also partial to a classic Appletons and soda with a slice of fresh lime, which he’d share with Bill Clinton to share stories about improving life for others - even if he isn’t perfect (like Dave is).

Mark’s hospitality journey started after studying business, where he worked his way up from dishie to catering for corporates at the 2002-2003 America’s Cup. Mark then took off to Edinburgh and London to open and run his own bars, which were so good that they got snapped up by Fullers. After moving back to New Zealand with his now wife, he found his way into Joylab circles, eventually leading to owning a stake in Sweat Shop - which he proudly claims is the best night out in Auckland on a Friday.

Mark can’t get enough of people smiling, both at work and at home. His own smile can be seen stretching far and wide over a good stout (brewed in-house at Sweat Shop), which can only be beaten should it be had in front of a Foo Fighters concert.

Lance has a vast suite of hospitality knowledge tucked away in his noggin, which grew over the space of 30 years in the industry (his knowledge, not his head). From handyman services through to fine dining and directing, he’s a true lance-of-all-trades; but his favourite part is watching the people around him grow and succeed. He believes in his work and his people, opting to become a shareholder of Joylab to have a greater input in the business.

Lance is feeling top-notch when he’s with his friends and whanau, especially if he can wrap his chops around a couple of beers. If that picture could get any better, he’d introduce Bob Marley due to his legendary inspiration.

After starting a small weekend job in a bar, Andy's love for the hospitality industry flourished, and he went on to open and own Coyote Street Bar in Tauranga for four years. A return to Auckland saw Andy working with hospitality industry stalwarts for another 8 years before bringing his rich experience to Joylab at Regatta.

Raised on a dairy farm, you wouldn't expect Andy to have grown up as a free diver, scuba diver and fisherman, but his whole family shared a love for New Zealand’s coastline and every spare weekend was spent in or on the water, which is why Regatta’s seafood themes fit Andy perfectly. Although a keen mixologist, Andy loves a good champagne - the endless pursuit of perfection is too good a ride to pass; unless the opportunity to have a beer with Richard Branson came up.

Scott opened his first restaurant in Queenstown at the age of 24, then moved on to run bars and restaurants across the world in Australia, Spain and the UK. After successfully clocking the planet, Scott returned to New Zealand where he became a shareholder and helped launch The Postman’s Leg, now a local favourite on the North Shore of Auckland.

Scott loves to see a good transformation, but unlike slapping a wig on in Extreme Makeover he prefers to see people’s confidence soar as they work their way through the rewards of hospitality. Scott also loves his family, and takes quickly to anyone with a quirky sense of humour, which also explains why he’s a Dudley Moore fan. Scott is an avid Tiger beer drinker, and reckons it tastes just as good out of a bottle or can as it does fresh out of the tap.

Jamie comes from over 20 years in hospitality, ten of which were spent running bars in England before moving to New Zealand and starting up with Joylab. Soon after, he was appointed as general manager and is now part owner and operator of Moretons.

Jamie is always on the hunt for developing new, transferable skills that can be used in and out of the workplace with his staff. We’re not sure if fishing is that transferable, but it’s something he likes to do in his spare time. He’s also keen on a cold beer, which he prefers to share with his partner rather than his seven brothers and sisters - it’s just easier (and his partner is a barrel of laughs).

Adam’s story in hospitality started at Degree Gastrobar, where he worked as a glassie before working his way up to bar supervisor, followed by several senior roles at various Auckland bars and nightclubs. After that, Adam set up a consultation and barista training business in Taupo, winning local awards for best new business in 2014. Since then, he’s brought his smarts to Joylab, where he leads the front at Franc’s alongside his beloved team.

Adam clearly enjoys the teaching and training of others, and isn’t against having a laugh with the team when the time is right. He follows a similar mindset at home, spending time with family and a good Negroni - a hallmark drink from his bartending years. If you catch him in the moment, you may find him reminiscing about the time he met Queen Elizabeth II and shook her hand - not many get to claim a royal handshake.

Wendy originally had her sights set on radio, but soon found her way into the world of hospitality which felt like home. After spending many years in the UK working at VIP bars and nightclubs, she moved on to a family entertainment resort which opened up the doors on what else good hospitality can bring. From there, she took a leap and moved to NZ, where she quickly found her family in Joylab.

Wendy finds the biggest reward in making a difference to someone’s day - a humble way to find joy in the present moment. In her spare time, Wendy is on the road with her mates - taking a spin down the coast of NZ with good music and good times to match. To top that off, she’ll sip at a gin sour - but careful on the ice; the sound of ice scraping is her pet peeve (which is ice-ronic for someone in hospitality).

Mike hails from London, UK where he spent 14 years learning the hopes of hospitality. Apparently he’s also a miracle worker, taking a failing business and turning it around within 1 year to be hugely successful. Like that turnaround, he loves to see staff starting off and working their way up to become confident people, both in and outside of work.

Mike is a fan of the world at large, hoping to see as much of it as possible - and if he can’t, he wouldn’t mind catching up with Neil DeGrasse Tyson to help him learn about the rest. If you can get a smooth 20 year Tawny Port in front of Mike, he might just be willing to admit that he’s a keen Downtown Abbey fan, but you didn’t read it here.

Jordan’s BA/BCom from the University of Auckland started him down a path of hospitality management; working his way up from kitchen-hand to general manager within 10 years. His experience even saw him run pop-up establishments from sunrise to sunset, single-handedly running the show to impress curious passersby - and impressing Joylab in the process; where he now works as Business Leader at Goode Brothers, New Lynn.

Jordan’s favourite part of managing Goode Brothers is seeing his team work closely together, as if a family. His love for tight-knit people follows him home, where he’s always keen to spend time with mates over a couple of drinks. He’s also keen on coffee, swearing by it for his daily routines - routines he’d gladly leave behind for the day if he could spend it with Robin Williams for a drink and a laugh.

Susie comes from 6 years of experience in helping key establishments grow for the better. Her background in administration gave her insights into the entire breadth of hospitality, from crunching numbers to customer feedback and beyond. Her skills in all things operations are matched only by her warm and approachable nature with people.

Her favourite moments at work are when a group comes together for an event, full of laugh and joy - she can’t help but want to spread that joy further. She’s a fiend for a good old smoothie, which she can seemingly make from any ingredients. If she could, she’d part with one of her famous smoothies for her partner, ideally a new concoction for every country they visit together.

Vahid is one smart cookie, holding both a Bachelor of Electronics and Communication Engineering and a Bachelor of Science. With the impressive paperwork to back him up, Vahid put his smarts to work; which saw him on a journey to Joylab and picking up a few awards on the way including 2015 Customer Service Excellence award and 2016 Best Food and Retailer award.

His main drive is to help people, either at work or outside. Vahid is partial to a good coffee, which has been a big part of his life - but when he dabbles in something alcoholic it’ll be a good red wine or a Knob Creek bourbon. If he could share a drink with anyone, he’d tee one up with Roger Waters or James Hetfield, who have been musical inspirations on his life.

John made strides in hospitality after working his way up the Skytower (literally), from bartender to manager. With his diploma in Hospitality Management in hand, he then took to the seas, where he managed food, beverages and bars on various cruise lines. John’s skills reaped rewards, with a creative streak that saw new wine pairings increase wine sales over 25% (among other achievements).

John is now heading up one of Joylab’s newest establishments, The Gipsy Moth - where his creative prowess will bring a splash of fresh air to the Auckland Airport. John’s affinity for people works wonders, among staff, friends and family alike. He’s partial to an old-fashioned, which he would share among close friends because “you can laugh with them, admit your sins and be fully yourself without any act”. Wise words.

Clint’s rich background in hospitality has seen him do it all - from flipping burgers to running wedding venues and working at a top 10 fine dining restaurant in Melbourne, Australia. Now he’s proud to call New Zealand home, where he works with Joylab to bring a little spice into Auckland’s day at Mama Loco.

His go-to tactic for running a slick operation is unbeatable customer service - something his regulars clearly appreciate, and something his staff learn a lot from. He’s keen on sports and cooking, which means a Sunday arvo at Clint’s place is tough to beat. You’ll catch him sipping on a beer at half time, wishing he could share it with “King” Richie Mccaw.

Jennah hails from Liverpool, UK where she began her journey to Joylab - a journey which saw her trained in hospitality by Disney in Florida. After graduating from Disney University with newfound knowledge, she brought it back to the UK where she managed several bars and restaurants. That’s when she crossed the world to New Zealand, paving the way to her management of Garrison.

Jennah enjoys the hustle and bustle of hospitality, bringing a spring in her step to the the team which helps them grow for the better - probably due to her 15 years of training as a ballerina. Outside of the workplace, she can be seen catching up with family and friends over Skype, or aspiring to see them in person with a spot of travel. Her favourite drinks are cider, gin, and red wine - but apparently not all in the same glass.