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Brian Sheehy

Age: 39

Place of birth: Boston, MA but moved to Kerry at age 3.

Where you live: San Francisco.

Name of Company you work for: Future Bars Inc.

City you work in: San Francisco.

Profession: CEO of Future Bars Inc.

Why I chose this career: Growing up in West Kerry allowed for the natural hospitality to be an innate aspect of growing up, and assured contact with tourists from around the world which instilled a desire to travel and explore. Choosing a career in hospitality offered the opportunity to travel beyond Ireland for a few years, but also offered a very bright future in Ireland.

Status: Married

Family: Married to Saralyn, two sons, Jack and Owen.

The proudest moment of my career: The day I had lunch with Bill Marriott, the great hotelier, when he told me to “take care of your people, and your people will take care of the guest.”

Biography: Brian Sheehy was born in Boston, and at the age of three had the very good fortune of moving to West Kerry with his parents. With the large and extended Sheehy and Maunsell family connections in Boston, growing up in Ireland always presented the opportunity and invitation to cross the pond, at least for a while. Within days of completing his degree in Hotel Management in Galway, Sheehy arrived in Boston to join Marriott Hotels.

Over the next 10 years he moved from Boston to San Francisco holding management positions in every department at Marriott, and then for three years led the sales effort at Kimpton Hotels. During this time at Kimpton, Sheehy founded Future Bars, Inc. This premium bar company would have at its core the same management principles employed at great hotels.

First and foremost was the principle of creating an exceptional guest experience. In 2005, Sheehy left the hotel business to focus full time on the development of his bar ventures. Since then, Future Bars has grown to a collection of five authentic cocktail bars in San Francisco, plus a premium spirits and wine store called Cask.

Most notably, his Bourbon & Branch, a 1920s speakeasy, has been awarded Best Bar in the U.S. by Esquire Magazine, and is often featured in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal with regards to cocktails and spirits innovation.

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