he Truman Alumni Association - Alumni - Truman State University

Krystle Bertoncin (’08), Ames, Iowa, is a
customer service representative for CDS
Global.
Robert Brossett (’08) and Heather
(McWilliams) Brossett live in Saint
Robert, Mo. Robert is an executive officer in
the U.S. Army. Heather is a dental assistant
at Saint Robert Family Dental.
Jenifer Calandra (’08), Lincoln, Neb., is a
teaching assistant at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and
Mass Communication.
Chelsey Cole (’08) lives in Los Angeles,
Calif.
Andrew Greiner (’08, ’09), Des Moines,
Iowa, received a master of accountancy
degree from Truman State University in
2009 and is a tax associate with Clifton
Gunderson LLP.
Brandi Hass (’08) resides in Denver, Colo.
Marissa LaRose (’08), Washington, D.C., is
a production coordinator for Arena Stage.
Ashley (Richards) Meyer (’08) and Marty
Meyer (’08) were married on Sept. 5,
2009, at the St. Louis Zoo. They live in
Columbia, Mo. Ashley is a supervisor for
Michaels Arts and Crafts. Marty is a corrections
officer with Boone County Sheriff’s
Department.
Jane Reiling (’08, ’09), St. Louis, Mo., is a
teacher with the Parkway School District.
E-mail jnreiling@gmail.com.
Kaitlyn Sullivan (’08) lives in Laramie, Wyo.
E-mail kaitlynraesullivan@gmail.com.
Chelsea (Brown) Wire (’08) and Philip
Wire (’08) reside in Edwardsville, Ill.
2009
Whitney Ballsrud (’09), St. Louis, Mo., is a
corps member/elementary school teacher
with Teach for America.
Molly Bender (’09), Oak Lawn, Ill., is an
auditor for the Defense Contract Audit
Agency.
Christy Clemenson (’09) lives in Saint
Peters, Mo.
Sarah Collier (’09), St. Charles, Mo., is an
intern with BKD. E-mail
smcollier23@gmail.com.
Michael Deckard (’09) was admitted as a
full-time PhD student/research assistant in
the Department of Criminology and Criminal
Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
E-mail michaeljdeckard@gmail.com.
Robyn Esmahan (’09), Albany, Mo., is a
library assistant at Albany City Carnegie
Public Library.
Kara Fillman (’09), O’Fallon, Ill., writes:
“After a year of Americorps service with the
St. Louis Healthy Marriage Coalition, I will
attend Texas A&M University’s Bush School
of Government and Public Service for a
master’s degree in international affairs.”
Politics and Barbeque
Political science major Heath Hall (’97)
knew he was headed for law school
following his undergraduate days at
Truman. Well, it was either that or culinary
school. But even though law school won out,
Hall hasn’t let his culinary interests go to
waste.
While at Truman, Hall interned for a
senator on Capitol Hill and went on to attend
law school at the University of Missouri-
Kansas City. After becoming a lawyer, he
returned to Washington.
The idea for Pork Barrel BBQ was hatched
late one night while working on Capitol Hill.
After eating pizza the few nights previous,
Hall and his current business partner, Brett
Thompson, were working on the Senate
budget and thought that barbecue food was
just what the area needed. All the while,
senators were discussing pork barrel spending
on the television.
“So they were talking about pork barrel
spending, we were talking about food, and
thought Pork Barrel BBQ; that would be a
pretty good name for a barbecue company or
restaurant,” Hall said.
The Pork Barrel BBQ idea didn’t come up
for serious consideration until a few years later
when the duo decided to give it a try. Having
asked friends, now known as the “Kitchen
Cabinet,” to evaluate various homemade rubs,
Hall and Thompson developed the master
formula in summer 2008. From there, Pork
Barrel BBQ sold the first bottle of rub in
December 2008.
Within six months, Pork Barrel BBQ was
contacted by Mark Burnett, producer of
Survivor, after he discovered Pork Barrel
through social media. In fact, Pork Barrel is
the most followed barbecue site on Twitter.
Burnett’s latest production was Shark Tank
for ABC, and he invited Hall and Thompson
to come on the show to vie for funding from
one of five venture capitalists.
In Hall’s episode, which aired in September
2009, real-estate mogul Barbara Corcoran
bought into the company and even told Hall
Dainielle Fox (’09), Florissant, Mo., is a
certified pharmacy technician with
Walgreens Pharmacy. E-mail
mzdfox@gmail.com.
Katie (Cleaveland) Garcia (’09) and
David Garcia (’08) live in Fairbanks,
Heath Hall (’97) (on right) shown with his
business partner Brett Thompson. Last
September, the two appeared on an episode of
Shark Tank, a reality television show where
entrepreneurs presented business proposals to
business tycoons and tried to convince them to
invest in their business.
she could see him in a pig costume. From
there, Pork Barrel BBQ took off.
Before the show, Hall’s product was sold in
five stores in the D.C. area. Today, Pork Barrel
BBQ is now on the shelves of more than
1,000 stores in 40 states.
“We’re continually growing it; we’ve got a
number of things we are working on right
now,” Hall said. “By the end of the year, it’s
possible we could be close to being in all 50
states.”
Hall and Thompson have also competed in
barbecue competitions and are working to
open Pork Barrel BBQ’s first restaurant in
Alexandria, Va., this summer.
As if all of this doesn’t keep the two busy,
both Hall and Thompson work full-time; Hall
as a policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation
and Thompson as a lobbyist.
Hall says that even if Pork Barrel becomes
a full-time job somewhere down the road,
politics will still be a part of his life. “I don’t
think I would ever fully be out of [politics].
What that means exactly, I don’t know,” Hall
said. “I think I would always be involved in
some way.”― Amanda Goeser
Alaska. Katie is an RN at SSM St. Clare
Health Center, and David is a 1st lieutenant
in the United States Army.
Meredith Harrison (’09), New York, N.Y.,
is pursuing an MS in communicative sciences
and disorders from New York University and
Summer 2010 29