Charity: Loving All Animals
By Noe Gutierrez
The success of The Hood Bar & Pizza may not have continued if a certain gentleman did not step in to take the helm. Sir Brad Guth is that man. Guth is no stranger to the business world. He has a storied career in sales. “I began a career in retail as Buyer for Macy’s Department store where I bought girls sportswear and dresses for 10 years. I then moved on to become the Senior Vice President of Product Development for a chain of women’s sportswear stores in the Midwest called Paul Harris. I spent three years with Paul Harris, traveled the world creating exclusive fashions for the company before moving to the East Coast to become Vice President of Merchandising for The Avenue stores, a 550 store chain of apparel selling special sizes. After a few years with The Avenue, I become the president of retail for an exclusive chain of stores selling men’s and woman’s sportswear. I spent 13 years with this company building and developing their retail portfolio across the United States, Puerto Rico, and taking the company international into Canada. In 2003, I purchased my home in Palm Desert where I would spend every other weekend as I had a West Coast office located in Las Vegas. After 13 years of building a 46 store chain of stores which involved heavy and frequent travel demands, I decided to make Palm Desert my full time home, left the company, and acquired The Hood Bar & Pizza.” Since his takeover The Hood has continued to flourish.
Guth takes the customer service approach to all who enter The Hood. “I believe my success has been attributed in many instances because I am a huge believer in offering great service to all guests. I feel strongly that a guest in a store or a guest at The Hood should be treated like a guest in my own home. The guest experience should be a good one and people should leave feeling positive about what they just experienced.”
Guth is the oldest of 11 biological brothers and sisters. “I was adopted at birth and grew up in a wonderful family with one sister, also adopted. In 2009, I was fortunate enough to be found by my youngest birth brother on Facebook and shortly thereafter met my entire biological family with whom I developed great relationships. I think meeting my biological family when I was in my forties is one of the most interesting parts of my life. I myself adopted a daughter who is my pride and joy and have two terrific grandkids that I love hanging out with.”
Being with loved ones and his family is Guth’s priority. “I love to hang out with my daughter and my grand kids, my partner Eddie, and very best friend. Just being together enjoying a meal, spending time in the pool, or just talking is a great way for me to spend the day. We take one big family vacation each year which is something to always look forward to.”
You can find Guth at The Hood interacting with his customers and staff. “I actually love spending time at my own bar; watching my new found friends have a good time is very rewarding for me. I enjoy going to the movies, eating out, and being social.”
Guth’s adoptive mother is his true inspiration. “She instilled values and principals in me that have lasted a lifetime. She raised me by example teaching me to be honest and fair, treat people like I want to be treated, and to do the right thing. She was a hard worker, worked two jobs, and raised two kids, and at the same time went to school throughout her adult life to learn new trades. She became a model at age 40, a travel agent at 50 – travelled the world on her own. She was a risk taker and I followed her examples; a risk taker myself and strong work ethic. She was the least judgmental person I know and always looked for the ‘good’ in every situation and person she encountered. I strive to do the same.”
Guth has also considered getting more involved in his city. “I actually have an interest in getting involved in city politics and may try and run for city council one day. It is such a great city with a lot to offer and I enjoy being here. I’m amazed at how beautiful it is. Not only Palm Desert, but the entire desert community is a great place to live.”
Guth reflects on his decision to leave the big business world: “I left a solid career and job after 13 years to take the risk of buying a pizzeria, bar and entertainment venue. It’s been an interesting ride but I have found the bar is just like retail so I have followed my guiding principles, which are just to try and create the best guest experience possible and enhance what was already a fun place to be.”
Guth is in the process of determining the charity he will donate to in honor of his pick as one of Coachella Valley Weekly’s Top Men & Women event. ”I would love to support Loving All Animals as my partner and I just adopted a new puppy who has turned out to be deaf – which makes her even more special.”
