Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Goldberg Heller.
Beth, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a Chicago girl, born and raised. Most of my career has been spent around the food service industry. I started my first job at 14 years old, at a bakery near where we lived. They hired my best friend and me to work during the summer after our freshman year of high school. The following summer I worked in the take-out department of Bigsby’s Bar & Grill, the restaurant associated with the legendary upscale men’s clothier. The next summer I got really lucky, securing one of the coveted hostess positions at the trendy Sweet Bean Cafe in the Gold Coast. My boss there was famed Chicago restaurateur Jason Chan, who is still a close friend. In college I worked at a local bagel shop in Champaign, IL called Bagelman’s.
During my freshman year of college, my late father and brother were lunching together at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse in River North. They were looking at photos from my high school graduation from the Latin School of Chicago when one of the managers walked by their table and asked “who’s that cute girl”. My father responded “my daughter! Are you hiring?”. I had an interview the very next day and had barely returned home when I got a call with a job offer. I returned to Harry’s for work as a hostess every summer and Christmas break during college. This was the start of an over 20-year career working at Harry Caray’s.
After graduating from the University of Illinois – Champaign-Urbana with my bachelor’s degree in marketing, I was ready to follow in the footsteps of my brother Steve (who was with my dad at Harry’s the day I was offered the interview). He had a successful career in marketing at Procter & Gamble and I thought I would do what he did and work my way up. However, Harry’s CEO and my future mentor, Grant DePorter, offered me another option: an entry level job as Harry’s first ever Marketing Associate. I took the job and for me the rest was history.
During my 22 years of working at Harry Caray’s, I advanced from hostess to Marketing Associate, to Marketing Manager, to Director of Marketing and finally to Vice President, Marketing and Partner. Harry’s grew from the one restaurant to a group that included seven restaurants, a catering company and the Chicago Sports Museum. I was in the thick of it all and couldn’t have been happier. A few highlights of my time at Harry’s include:
– The destruction of the “Infamous Cubs Foul Ball”. In Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the Chicago Cubs were five outs away from beating the Florida Marlins and making it to their first World Series since 1945 (at that point they hadn’t won since 1908). A fly ball that may have been catchable was interfered with by fans and the Cubs wound up losing the game, then losing the NLCS and not making it to the World Series. Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group purchased the ball for $113,824.16 with the plan of destroying it and making sure it didn’t end up as a Florida Marlin’s trophy. The event featured a concert by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick, prior to Oscar-winning special effects director Michael Lantieri blowing up the ball live on television, which was broadcast live around the world. Most importantly, the event raised over $1 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in honor of Cubs great Ron Santo.
– Opening the Chicago Sports Museum at Water Tower Place. In 2014, Harry’s debuted this unique museum to showcase the greatest moments and athletes in Chicago’s history. Grant and I worked with design agency Luci Creative to design and create the facility. Among countless other things, I was fortunate to play a role curating the extensive collection of memorabilia displayed within the space.
– The celebration events for the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. Immediately after landing in Chicago after winning the Stanley Cup in 2010 and 2013, the Hawks organization, including all the players and owners/executives, headed straight to Harry’s in Rosemont. It was fun to be among the first to “meet” the Cup.
– Creating “Woody’s Winter Warm Up”, benefitting former Cubs player Kerry Wood’s foundation and raising money for underprivileged children in Chicago. After the Cubs won the World Series, I decided it was the right time to take a break from my day-to-day job at Harry’s to spend more time with my kids and mother. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, however, I continue to remain active as a partner and overall supporter.
When I left Harry’s a year ago I didn’t have a plan beyond focusing on my family. I was going to take a break and spend some time doing things I never had time to do when I was working. That thought didn’t last long. I was approached by dozens of companies asking for my help or offering me a job. I believe no one thought I would ever leave Harry’s – which is fair because I didn’t think I would either. At first, I turned all of these offers down. I didn’t leave because I was unhappy or because I wanted a new job. Still, I wasn’t sure what my next step should be. I decided to pick a few of these companies that were doing interesting things and work with them. It was then that Beth Heller Consulting was born! Creating my own company allows me to work with brands and charities that I believe in – helping them connect to influencers and give back to the community.
The philanthropic aspect of work is something I feel strongly about. My husband Rich and I are avid supporters of the arts community, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, EXPO Chicago and RxArt. In addition, I sit on the Board of Trustees at the Latin School of Chicago, where as I mentioned, I am also an alumnus; I continue to work with Sarah and Kerry Wood on their “Wood Family Foundation” endeavors, which has provided assistance to underprivileged children in Chicago for over a decade. I recently co-chaired one of Chicago’s more high-profile events, the 2017 Green Tie Ball, which raises money for Gateway Green to clean and beautify Chicago.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel fortunate that my career has been a relatively smooth road. Without question, luck played a tremendous role in my good fortune. Were it not for my father dining at Harry Caray’s that day and asking the manager about me, I may have never met Grant DePorter, a true marketing genius. These days, not many people can say they worked at one place for as long as I did. I had the best job I could have asked for, and along the way created a family and made great connections and friendships. And now I am grateful to be working for myself and sharing my skills with some amazing companies and foundations.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Beth Heller Consulting – what should we know?
I like to think of my business as very “niche-y”. I connect select brands and charities with influencers, typically athletes, actors and musicians. I help with their marketing strategy. My expertise also includes concepting and developing high-profile events that create pathways to give back to the community and garner positive press. Growing up in Chicago, attending college nearby and working my entire career in the city has allowed me to develop invaluable relationships. I am careful to never abuse these relationships, and make sure whatever opportunity I am bringing to either party is a win for all parties involved. I like to think that sets me apart, as it’s important to me to be authentic and not take advantage of anyone or any opportunity. In addition, I am rather selective with whom I work. I want to make sure it’s a fit for both of us.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
It’s hard to pick one so here’s two: Honesty and Passion.
There’s nothing more important to me than being honest and being around honest people. I am lucky to have made strong relationships and friendships throughout my life. I attribute the sustainability of these relationships to being honest with my network of friends and business associates. People trust me – they know I will not lie, that I will always speak my mind, and that I will always try and take care of them. When you trust someone you’re willing to go the extra mile for them, and I think that is one important key to my success.
There’s a saying that “if we find our passion in life, then success will come easy”. I find that statement to be true, especially for me. Passion is what drives me. I am passionate about my clients. I am passionate about my family and friends. I am passionate about contemporary art. I am passionate about sports. Passion gives me a reason to keep learning and working hard. I never turn off – not because anyone is asking me not to, but because when I feel passionate about something, I am inspired and I want to make it better. Throughout my years of managing countless employees, I learned you cannot teach someone to have passion – they either have it or they don’t. And those that do turn out to be the best and most successful employees. I think maybe that’s what Grant DePorter saw in me all those years ago.
Contact Info:
- Website: bethheller.com
- Phone: 312.953.5879
- Email: beth@bethheller.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethhellerconsulting/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-heller-3a657a6/
Image Credit:
Jackson Chance Foundation for their photos
Mila Samokohina from the Green Tie Ball
Rest I took…
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