Having grown up in a small town in eastern NC as the daughter of two local business owners, Tina has been aware from an early age of the role that businesses can and do play in community and economic development.  She spent her early career working with the US Environmental Protection Agency as an environmental engineer enforcing the Clean Air Act, effectively forcing companies to take responsibility for their environmental impacts.  From this work, Tina was inspired to find more proactive ways to engage businesses in socially and environmentally responsible approaches. This led her to the dual degree program between UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Department of City and Regional Planning, where she received both an MBA and a MCRP. Tina is convinced that the power of business can be used to solve social and environmental problems. As Co-CEO of Firsthand Foods she is responsible for financial planning and management, directing sales and marketing efforts, building and maintaining internal business systems, leadership of day-to-day business management activities and decisions, and providing strategic direction toward long-term business goals. Tina also holds both a B.A. in Women’s Studies from UC Santa Cruz and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley.  

The daughter of an avid cook and an organic gardener, Jennifer grew up appreciating food and its profound connection to personal health and the environment.  During her early career as a researcher for the Natural Resources Defense Council in California, Jennifer specialized in developing policy solutions to advance sustainable food and farming systems.  She spent a lot of time learning from farmers and was often called upon to build bridges between environmental advocacy and agricultural communities. When she moved to North Carolina in 1996, Jennifer founded Curtis Consulting to help facilitate change in agriculture from the ground up – creating applied tools, strong partnerships, and market-based incentives.  In 2006, Jennifer became the Director of NC Choices, a Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) initiative, dedicated to developing market opportunities for pasture-based livestock producers.  The author of numerous publications, Jennifer recently wrote the CEFS’ report From Farm to Fork: A Guide to Building North Carolina’s Sustainable, Local Food Economy.  As Co-CEO of Firsthand Foods, Jennifer is responsible for creating producer networks and protocols, managing supply-side scheduling, directing media & public relations, developing funding proposals, and assisting with marketing and sales.  Jennifer has a B.A. in Community Health Education from the University of Oregon and an M.S. in Environmental Management & Policy from the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health in Chapel Hill. 

Drew started his career in food service over 20 years ago in his parents’ pizza shop in Ohio.  He has since worked in restaurants in the Triangle area as well as in Las Vegas, NV.  In 2006, Drew opened Piedmont restaurant in Durham and it was there that his interest in local produce and meat expanded.   As Sales & Distribution Manager, Drew brings to Firsthand Foods a strong & varied culinary background and a unique perspective on our restaurant customer’s needs.  Drew manages Firsthand Food’s Sausage Wagon, coordinates product development, and oversees wholesale orders and distribution.