Hosts Alysse Bryson and Libby Sundgren chat with Brad Brotherton, fourth-generation owner of Brotherton Cadillac and Brotherton Buick GMC, about his journey fusing business and philanthropy. Brad shares the story behind the creation of Celebrity Steak-Out — a grassroots fundraiser that’s helped raise millions for Fred Hutch Cancer Center and boasts celeb guests like Joel McHale — and gives listeners an inside look at what it takes to build unforgettable, purpose-driven events that engage the community year after year. If you’re curious about turning passion into impact or want tips on event leadership from someone who lives it, this episode is for you.
Resources Mentioned:
- Brad Brotherton: LinkedIn
- Brotherton Automotive
- Celebrity Steak-Out
- Alysse & Libby: Bios & LinkedIn
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Transcript
The following transcript is not certified. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. The information contained within this document is for general information purposes only.
Brad Brotherton [00:00:00]:
One year, I just asked him, you know, do you know how to emcee an event? His. His wife said, no, he doesn’t know how to.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:08]:
I can confirm that he has been given many scripts, and he usually does his own script, but they’re better than what could ever be written for him. Let’s be clear.
Brad Brotherton [00:00:17]:
Yeah, he did forget to introduce me one year.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:20]:
Oh, yeah, that was funny. He went to sit down, he was like, all right, now you guys have dinner. No, that’s not what’s happening. Happening.
Brad Brotherton [00:00:26]:
And you all. The stage is empty.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:27]:
Introduce Brad. And he’s like, oh, right, right, right, right. But he’s so good. He just made it seem like he.
Alysse Bryson [00:00:33]:
Was part of the show. Welcome to Beats Working Winning the Game of Events, where we share stories and strategies to turn any event or life moment into something unforgettable.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:44]:
Events are wild, and the people who work in them are some of the most resilient humans on earth. If you know, you know.
Alysse Bryson [00:00:52]:
So come with us behind the curtain for a look at their most memorable experiences.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:57]:
As they say, the show must go on. So let’s get on with the show. Welcome to Beats Working Winning the Game of Events. Today we are so excited because we have one of our very favorite people on the show. Brad Brotherton is the fourth generation owner of Brotherton Cadillac and Brotherton Buick GMC in Renton, brotherton Cadillac Northwest in Shoreline. He’s proudly carrying forward a family legacy that’s built on more than just selling cars. Very good cars, by the way. The family legacy is really about making a difference.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:36]:
And since taking over in 2005, Brad has embedded community into the DNA of his dealerships. It was always there, but he has just made it something that they truly live and breathe year round. From running ad campaigns for nonprofits to creating meaningful events that raise millions for causes close to his heart. After his dad’s battle with cancer, Brad was inspired to give back in the biggest way he could think of. He’s the driving force behind the annual event, Celebrity Stakeout. It’s a grassroots community fundraiser that’s raised millions for Fred Hutch and its mission to advance cancer research. They have deep ties to the Seattle region and a passion for philanthropy. Brad and the Brothertons are always using their business as a force for good, and I think that everyone can attest when they hear this.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:32]:
Brad leads with heart, hustle and horsepower. Car puns.
Brad Brotherton [00:02:36]:
Nice. Nice. Sweet. Thank you for such a very nice introduction. Thank you so much. Yeah, that was awesome.
Alysse Bryson [00:02:45]:
I’m an fob. I’ve Been. I’ve been an FOB for a long time. Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:49]:
Fob. Friend of Brad. We have stickers.
Brad Brotherton [00:02:51]:
That’s it. Yeah, yeah, that’s. We created that. That was the. And. And we use it today. We still use the. The term FOB today.
Brad Brotherton [00:03:00]:
It’s written in our logbook. So when I come in in the morning and I look at who’s come in there, it’ll say, you know, walk in, Internet lead, phone call, fob. So it’s pretty cool.
Libby Sundgren [00:03:10]:
Yeah. All these years later, I always skip the desk. I just go straight upstairs. But if they saw me, I hope they’d write FOB or csa.
Brad Brotherton [00:03:19]:
Well, they. I get a text. Libby’s here. Oh, yeah, I know. She’s sitting in my office.
Alysse Bryson [00:03:25]:
Get her out of my office.
Libby Sundgren [00:03:26]:
Get her out of here. Okay. So, Brad, tell us about when you decided to launch Celebrity Stakeout. Elise and I were both there at the time. I was not working with you closely, but Elise was. So what inspired the idea? And let’s talk about what that early planning phase looked like.
Brad Brotherton [00:03:45]:
Awesome. Well, I’ll. It’ll. I would have to go back in time. Right. So I was on the board of the Moyer foundation for several years, and in brotherton form, I typically kind of overstay. So I was on the board, I think, for nine years. You know, it’s a three year role.
Brad Brotherton [00:04:02]:
And I was there for nine years. But we had. They had an event called Catch Cure for Cancer that they would run every summer. And it was grassroots campaign, kids selling lemonade stands and donating the money to charity or, you know, whatever. It was really a grassroots effort with the benefits going to the Hutch. And so we would do a campaign at the dealership where customers would buy cars. And if they donated $100, we’d match the donation if they donate $50. Whatever it was.
Brad Brotherton [00:04:32]:
And that was kind of what it was at the time, was Catch. Care for Cancer. And so Karen Moyer and I had done some TV campaigns to promote it, and it would raise about $60,000 a summer. It was just fun. It was fun to see the community get together and do these kind of special grassroots events. Fast forward. My dad got diagnosed with cancer, and I had called Karen and said, you know, who do we go see? He’s got a diagnosis. He’s at this other hospital.
Brad Brotherton [00:05:08]:
And she said, see this person? Talk to this person. And, you know, at the Hutch. And so he was being treated at the Hutch. And he was a gregarious, you know, outgoing individual. He had a big Personality and, you know, kind of wherever he went, he’d leave an impact. And he was a regular at Morton’s Steakhouse in downtown Seattle. And so the people at Morton’s were like, we’re devastated that your dad has cancer. Oh, no, I got to back up.
Brad Brotherton [00:05:36]:
So. No. So I, I, We. We’ve turned Catch a Cure into Brothers and Family Fun Fest. Oh, that was first.
Alysse Bryson [00:05:48]:
Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:05:49]:
Music to Elise’s ears.
Brad Brotherton [00:05:50]:
Oh, my God. Yeah. And so we have. We have three acres across the street where we display all our cars, since we’ve got 500 cars out there. And we got this crazy idea to bring in bouncy houses and clowns and dunk tanks. Dunk tanks.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:09]:
I know, because I worked the dunk tank.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:11]:
I remember very well.
Brad Brotherton [00:06:12]:
Yes, I did the dunk tank. I was in the dunk tank.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:16]:
I think that’s when it made the most money. Quite honestly, I’ve been.
Brad Brotherton [00:06:19]:
My kids were the ones who dunked it.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:21]:
Yeah, they were. They were very excited.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:23]:
Yes.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:23]:
They were so little then, too. They were little.
Brad Brotherton [00:06:26]:
I have the. I have the COVID Do you want me to go get it? Like the. With Chaz spinning the wheel.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:32]:
Oh, yeah.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:34]:
Oh, there it is.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:36]:
Oh, that’s cute. Was that the ad?
Brad Brotherton [00:06:41]:
I think so.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:42]:
It was. And that’s Connie in the background, I’m pretty sure.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:45]:
Oh, yeah, that is Connie.
Brad Brotherton [00:06:47]:
Oh, yeah. There’s Chazzle.
Alysse Bryson [00:06:50]:
So little. Yeah. I can still feel the burn on my shoulders. The Brotherton burn from that day sitting in the parking lot for hours.
Brad Brotherton [00:06:58]:
Oh, I know. Mine is from. Mine was from the neck out. Hands. Yeah, yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:07:05]:
So you started Brotherton Family Fun Fest. And the, as we have heard from the Brotherton Byrne, it. You guys loved that event, but maybe wanted to try something different.
Alysse Bryson [00:07:18]:
And inside. And inside.
Brad Brotherton [00:07:21]:
Because it was summertime. Actually, the fun thing was we had, you know, we had the parking lot. We would bus people in from the bus. Do you remember the bus driver? I think the bus had a pole in it. He would drive people, drop people off. And so we had tons of kids here because they were. It was just a, like, squirt guns and clowns and all that stuff. And as kids would leave, they would say, Mr.
Brad Brotherton [00:07:44]:
Rotherton, that’s the best birthday party ever. It’s like, wasn’t my birthday.
Libby Sundgren [00:07:52]:
Not my birthday.
Brad Brotherton [00:07:53]:
So close. But yeah, but we raised. We raised some money, which was great. And then so, you know, dad has cancer, and everybody kind of knows he’s got it, and he was a regular at Morton’s. And so the folks at Morton’s had approached me and said, you know, we want to do something. We just don’t know what to do. We feel terrible. And I said, you know, I have this thing, this, you know, Brotherton family fun fest Catcher care for cancer.
Brad Brotherton [00:08:20]:
And the Moyer foundation had a celebrity waiters years ago at Union Square Grill. And I said, I have this property, you know, would you guys be willing to host the event? And. And, you know, we’re. We’re just trying to raise money for cancer research at the Hutch. And so the. I. It’s gotta, like, not cost us anything. And so.
Brad Brotherton [00:08:41]:
So Michael Hanke. You guys all remember Michael. Michael reached out to the people at Morton’s and said, we’re gonna charge you for everything but the stakes, and. Or, no, we’re gonna not charge you for everything but the steak. So the steak is the only thing that we can’t comp. And the. And the wait staff was generous with their labor, and, yeah, it was just a. They all rallied around it.
Brad Brotherton [00:09:00]:
So I approached our staff and said, hey, you know, the Mortons has offered to do this off property. And they’re like, yes, get it out of here. We support the decision. And so it was. It was first there. So I came to you, Elise, and said, you know, how do we do this thing? And turned into. I mean, it wasn’t Married with rock there that first year.
Alysse Bryson [00:09:26]:
I think that was the second year. But your dad was. Your dad was there.
Brad Brotherton [00:09:30]:
Oh, that’s right. Dad was there the first year. Yeah.
Alysse Bryson [00:09:32]:
Yeah, Biff was there, which was. Which was.
Brad Brotherton [00:09:33]:
Really. Did Mario’s. Yeah, so we did Mario’s upstairs, had the. The silent auction upstairs, and then had the dinner downstairs. And so, yeah, I remember that. Yeah. My dad, he was not well, but he was happy. He felt really honored to have that event around him, and.
Brad Brotherton [00:09:52]:
And everybody really got to kind of put their hands on him and. And, you know, just. I don’t know, just. It was cool.
Libby Sundgren [00:09:59]:
Love it.
Alysse Bryson [00:10:00]:
Yeah, it was a great night.
Libby Sundgren [00:10:02]:
What’s so cool about celebrity stakeout, I think, is that you’re not. You’re not a traditional event planner, and. But you’re good at it. But it’s not technically in your bio, but this event was really just something that was born out of just this deep love that people have, you know, had and have for you and for your dad and the support that you. That the Brothertons give the community was really something that people wanted to give back to you. So it just was a. I just think that that’s a really cool way for A bunch of people to come together and just. We don’t really know how to do this, but we’re going to do it, and just because we, like, want to support each other.
Brad Brotherton [00:10:54]:
But it’s probably the coolest part, is the amount of people that say, yes, that. That they want to be a part of it and that they continue to support it every year. And it’s just really. I mean, it just. It makes you feel good that people want to get together and make a difference. And this event is. Is one of those things that really gets people close to the researchers and the scientists and the. And the story.
Brad Brotherton [00:11:22]:
I mean, I remember years ago, Steve Rabel, I was at an event, and Steve Rabel said, who in here hasn’t been touched by cancer? And I. I really had never had a cancer experience, you know, where it was close to me. And, you know, I think everybody has now. I think we’ve all been touched by it. And, you know, it could be an age thing, it could be a environmental thing, it could be, you know, where we live, I don’t know. But it’s, you know, everybody really wants to make a difference. Every. In the.
Brad Brotherton [00:11:50]:
In the early years, we’d have a scientist speak at the event, and we still do, but they, you know, people would say, I. I was in my hairdresser and they were talking about this rare form of blood cancer that her dad has. And I introduced them to the hutch, and they. Hutches cured them. Right. And so it’s, you know, it’s that kind of connection that’s super cool, you know, in this area and like this.
Alysse Bryson [00:12:17]:
Well, and one of the things I’ll say about having attended the event many, many, many times, not every single one, but a lot of them is you can feel. You can feel it in the room. You can feel the energy. You can feel the love. And while you might, you know, it’s clear that a lot of people there know each other, you could come in as an outsider and be just engulfed in the love and in the vibe and in the fun. It is one of the funnest fundraising dinners that happens throughout the year. And I can say that because I’ve been to almost all of them at some point, and this one is by far the funnest. I mean, people are just truly having fun.
Alysse Bryson [00:12:56]:
Sometimes too much fun, but a lot of fun. A lot of fun. Only when. Only the years where there was the ice. The ice luge thing in the back room.
Brad Brotherton [00:13:06]:
Oh, yeah, the vodka luge.
Alysse Bryson [00:13:08]:
The vodka luge. That was it.
Libby Sundgren [00:13:10]:
Yes.
Brad Brotherton [00:13:11]:
Was That a one year. That was a one year surgery.
Alysse Bryson [00:13:14]:
I think that was only a one year thing, but, yeah, that was super fun. Super fun.
Brad Brotherton [00:13:18]:
Yeah, I agree. It’s. You know, the meal started with. That was dad’s favorite meal at Morton Steakhouse. Right. So it was a big piece of tenderloin. It was a big piece of broccoli and a baked potato. And it’s evolved a little bit, but we still want that luxury meal.
Brad Brotherton [00:13:36]:
Because how many. I mean, I’ve. I’ve been to a couple events where we, you know, got dropped off by a driver, and I sent him to go get Dick’s burgers for the after dinner dinner, because it was just a teeny, tiny little, you know, like, that was a salad.
Libby Sundgren [00:13:51]:
It was an appetizer.
Brad Brotherton [00:13:53]:
Yeah. It was like sprouts wrapped in a piece of cucumber. Is that the moosh? Moosh. They’re like, oh, that’s your salad. It’s like, I’m a hungry. Dinner.
Libby Sundgren [00:14:05]:
Dinner.
Brad Brotherton [00:14:06]:
Yeah. So Dick’s Deluxe is satiated the table. So I don’t want any of that. We don’t want that at our event. We really want our event to stand out as a. You get your money’s worth. And then. And then the activity and the fun part of it as well.
Brad Brotherton [00:14:20]:
I mean, there’s just a really great energy. And again, it’s one of those things where we, you know, we have celebrities pour wine and help serve, and, you know, having that element is. Adds to the event and the energy of the event because they’re really great people that, again, just say yes because of the nature of the event and then what the Hutch does in our community, for our community. And so it’s just awesome to get that kind of support.
Alysse Bryson [00:14:50]:
And it was super awesome. You mentioned it a little bit before, but the year that Duff McKagan’s wife was filming a reality TV show, and the E. Channel contacted us and asked if they could film at the event. And, like, we talked about it. We were like, I don’t know, but. And everybody was gonna have to sign a form, and we’re like, oh, the paperwork. Like, is it worth it? And then after the fact, you’re like, we’re gonna have a film crew in every event. This was amazing.
Libby Sundgren [00:15:15]:
It was fun.
Alysse Bryson [00:15:16]:
So fun.
Libby Sundgren [00:15:16]:
That was wild.
Alysse Bryson [00:15:17]:
So fun.
Brad Brotherton [00:15:18]:
Yeah. Yep. Kevin. It just, again, it made it unique and added to the energy. It was. It was awesome. Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:15:25]:
There’s always something interesting on event day at Celebrities Takeout. Always something interesting. And for the last few years, John Curley John Curley’s been the auctioneer. Always. He’s always been the auctioneer. But the last few years, our MC has been local homeboy Joel McHale.
Brad Brotherton [00:15:48]:
Yeah. Yep. Joel’s. Joel’s another guy. Yeah, Islanders. Go Islanders. Joel and I went to high school together, and he had donated a couple of auction items, you know, a meet and greet or go be on the set of the community or. Yeah, the sue the Soup was one.
Brad Brotherton [00:16:06]:
You know, we stayed friends, you know, post high school, and so we had this connection of doing that. And then one year, I just asked him, you know, do you know how to emcee an event? His. His wife said, no, he doesn’t know how to.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:21]:
I can confirm that he has been given many scripts, and he usually does his own script, but they’re better than what could ever be written for him. Let’s be clear.
Brad Brotherton [00:16:31]:
Yeah, he did forget to introduce me one year.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:33]:
Oh, yeah, that was funny. He went to sit down, he was like, all right, now you guys have dinner. No, that’s not what’s happening.
Brad Brotherton [00:16:39]:
The stage is empty, Brad.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:42]:
Oh, right, right, right, right. But he’s so good. He just made it seem like it.
Alysse Bryson [00:16:46]:
Was part of the show.
Brad Brotherton [00:16:47]:
Yeah, it was great.
Alysse Bryson [00:16:48]:
Well, and there were many years that he had to do a video coming in because he was off site filming something and wasn’t able to be on location.
Brad Brotherton [00:16:56]:
He would pitch the. His auction item, and. Yeah, he was always clever and funny. Yeah. And then John Curley, obviously, is the auctioneer. Tremendous amount of energy. And those guys, they. They feed off each other in a way that.
Libby Sundgren [00:17:10]:
I mean, it’s an entertainment show. For sure.
Alysse Bryson [00:17:13]:
For sure.
Libby Sundgren [00:17:14]:
And it’s back at the Paramount in Seattle this year, the historic Paramount Theater, which I think is very fitting when you’re watching Joel and John together. It’s a show.
Brad Brotherton [00:17:24]:
Yeah, it’s a show.
Alysse Bryson [00:17:25]:
Yeah.
Brad Brotherton [00:17:26]:
You know, so the Paramount part. So we. We support Broadway at the Paramount. So we’re where. It’s kind of part of our arts support in the business. And so when we negotiated our deal with them, we said we want the use of the space at no charge. And so with the idea that if the dates would line up, we’d have this incredible event space. And so the line item for the event space isn’t.
Brad Brotherton [00:17:53]:
Isn’t something we. We have to raise money for. So it’s, again, trying to reduce our expenses so we can raise more money for the researchers and cancer researchers at the Hutch. So leveraging those relationships has always been really important.
Alysse Bryson [00:18:08]:
Brad, what does it feel like Year after year, to walk into this event, you’ve done all the prep. You’ve done the hours and hours and hours of phone calls and meetings with Libby. And then you walk in and, you know, you and Amy are dressed to the nines. She’s probably laid out the outfits. And you walk in and you just see all these people showing up for this. Cause year after year. How does that make you feel?
Brad Brotherton [00:18:33]:
Well, I think walking in with Amy is, you know, it’s the play. You see everybody kind of putting everything together. Libby’s got her clipboard.
Libby Sundgren [00:18:42]:
You know, I’m in leggings, I’m sweating. They’re like, are you gonna change?
Brad Brotherton [00:18:46]:
Or like, she doesn’t. She doesn’t have her dress on yet. She’s. Nope. And so, you know, Amy and I walk in and. And we kind of take it in and we try and get a photo together because it’s, you know, as it. As it starts to get busy, we start seeing our friends and it, you know, we don’t. We.
Brad Brotherton [00:19:03]:
We start to, you know, start to become, you know, the. The event people, so to speak. But the. It’s. It’s. I think every year I worry that no one’s going to show up, you know, and so I worry that there’s traffic or a storm or a Mariner game or, you know, something that’s going to, you know, in the way of. Of people getting there. And so as people start to show up, I go, oh, okay, good, they’re here.
Brad Brotherton [00:19:33]:
You know, and. And, you know, and it’s just really, you know, as more and more people show up, this energy that I get to feed off of, you know, it’s just. It’s really special. And so it is. It’s a real warm feeling. And we feel just blessed that. That we have the kind of support to do something like this. And so it.
Brad Brotherton [00:19:53]:
It just reaffirm, kind of reaffirms all the energy, as you said, the calls and the, you know, the hours and hours that are. Spend thinking of auction items and. And thinking who to. Who should come and, you know, asking, you know, partners for sponsorship and, you know, and just. And making sure that we’re delivering a good event and. And that it’s. That people see it as fresh and interesting and that they want to come back to every year. I mean, that’s.
Brad Brotherton [00:20:22]:
Amy and I talk about that all the time. We really want it to be an event that people want to come to every year. And so we. We want to make things different and fresh. And so that’s One of the cool things. And so as people show up, it makes you feel like, okay, we did a good job. And then the energy of the night is, you know, lights up, lights out. It’s really a lot of fun after.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:45]:
The event is over. I mean, you just spoke a little to. How you measure. How do you measure?
Brad Brotherton [00:20:53]:
Are you talking like.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:54]:
Like, so it’s 3am Measure the success of this event. So, I mean, yes. Having people want to come back, that’s totally something, you know, but is. So is that what the measure of a success is that people actually come back next year, or is it that you guys have a boat day in Burger Master the next day? I mean.
Brad Brotherton [00:21:19]:
I mean, that’s a. That’s a personal life success. Like the Burger Master after that. Yeah, that I. That. That’s like the reward in the end. Fries. Delish.
Brad Brotherton [00:21:34]:
Yeah, there’s. Yeah. Yeah. Taking the day off, we, you know, stakeouts ruined a lot of following days, so to speak. You know, so it used to be every. I mean, this year we’re on a Wednesday night, but it was on Tuesdays, and we’d say, well, Saekout can ruin a lot of Wednesdays, so rest of.
Libby Sundgren [00:21:49]:
The week, we’re just. We’re just hanging on. I do think one of my favorite parts about Celebrity Stakeout is talking to you and Amy on speakerphone the next day and sharing, like, funny stories and our memories of the night before. And just. That’s one of my measures of success. If we have a good conference call where we’re sharing good things. Not. Oh, no, what did we do?
Brad Brotherton [00:22:20]:
Yeah, I don’t think. I don’t think we’ve had the. What did we do? I mean, there’s been little moment. Yeah, there’s been little moments. But, no, I think that the years have been good, and I think the conversations, the giggle conversations afterwards are fun. Like, it’s. Yeah. And so, yeah, it’s a lot of fun.
Brad Brotherton [00:22:38]:
So you asked me how I measure its success. I don’t go in with high expectations. My expectations are that if we put on a fun event and everybody’s happy and there’s no drama, then it’s successful, and then the event should take care of the fundraising piece. Nobody’s job’s on the line if it doesn’t yield a half a million dollars or something like that for cancer research. So. But that’s, you know, I think if there’s a goal, it’s. We want to raise as much money as we can for the researchers so that we can, you know, make it easier for a family going through cancer or create another survivor or, you know, create the curve for cancer is the ultimate goal. And, you know, that’s certainly part of the conversation we have when we talk to the people that we’re going to be supporting and raising money for is, you know, when they say that they believe that the cure for cancer lies within the cure for multiple myeloma because multiple myeloma is incurable.
Brad Brotherton [00:23:40]:
But. But they’ve been able to do so much with multiple myeloma as far as extending the lives of the people that are being treated, you know, that there. There may be a cure for multiple myeloma, you know, soon. And, you know, our first stakeout, we raised money for car t cell research. Damon Green, Damien Green was our scientist. That car t cell that we funded then, which would have cured my or saved my dad if it were available, it was only in mice at the time or the only testing mice in the time. One of our speakers, six or seven years ago, was cured of his multiple myeloma by having the car t cell research. So, you know, the stuff we’re doing is creating a real impact for cancer patients and cancer survivors.
Brad Brotherton [00:24:28]:
And that’s an objective that I see us as being successful. That’s a measurement saying, okay, yeah, we’re doing really good stuff.
Libby Sundgren [00:24:40]:
Yeah, that was a really cool full circle moment.
Brad Brotherton [00:24:42]:
Yeah, it’s a feel good thing. Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:24:46]:
I think a lot of people probably share this with us. I also lost my dad to cancer, and he had esophageal cancer. And even just, you know, in the last, you know, 10 years, they’ve made the things that they thought they could do. Maybe when he had it, they’re definitely doing now. And it’s really saving people’s lives. And I agree that that is one really fulfilling thing about doing events that benefit Fred Hutch is that, you know, my dad. My dad couldn’t be saved. And, you know, your dad was definitely given time to be with his people and to keep living his life, but, you know, he couldn’t be saved at the time either.
Libby Sundgren [00:25:30]:
But our hope is that in the future, other dads get to stick around longer with their kids and their family and their friends.
Brad Brotherton [00:25:39]:
No doubt. Yeah, no doubt. If you’re diagnosed with multiple myeloma today, it’s not a death sentence. It’s. It’s. You know, there’s. There are treatments that can put multiple myeloma in what’s called smoldering myeloma. So you still have it because it’s not curable, but you can live your life, you know, so there’s, there’s.
Brad Brotherton [00:25:57]:
And that’s, that’s work that’s being done at the Hutch and. Which is pretty incredible. And, and again, I, I say it every year that if my dad were diagnosed today, he’d be alive, you know, and the Hutch did give him three years of time and it was time with his grandkids, which were super important to them, you know, and that’s. We’re really thankful for the Hutch, for that experience. No doubt.
Alysse Bryson [00:26:21]:
Brad, one of the things I want to double down on is the fact that you do this event in part. Yes, for your dad. Yes, for a good cause. But you run your business differently than most car dealerships because you are, have always been, as long as I have known you, community first. And you put such an emphasis on helping the people in your community, whether it’s the backyard in, you know, right. Directly where the dealerships are located, or your own personal backyard or just the Seattle area at large. What do you think other business owners can learn from what you have learned as far as shifting the mindset and putting community first when you think about your marketing? Because that is a marketing strategy that you have that a lot of people don’t have, but I’ve seen it work for you year after year after year.
Brad Brotherton [00:27:14]:
So. So I will say that car dealers in general are a very philanthropic, generous group of businesses. I don’t know any other business that, that doesn’t. We were. We use our relationships with our partners to try and, you know, maximize the result. And so, you know, I could just write checks everywhere and they would be checks everywhere. But if I can say to Como, we’d really like to partner with this event and make it better, a better event and get them access to a broader community, that’s a greater result. And it didn’t cost me any more.
Brad Brotherton [00:28:03]:
It just was me looking at my network going, how do we leverage that for the greater good? And years ago, I wrote a business plan on cause based marketing. I watched my own behaviors on, or I didn’t watch my own behaviors, but I paid attention to my own behaviors. And it was the yammy yogurt. I think it was yammy that had the, they had a. The pink ribbon on it right next to the yogurt with no ribbon on it. And I would always grab the pink ribbon yogurt. And I was like, well, the cost is exactly the same. But I made a choice to do, to change my purchase behavior based on the cause they’re supporting and you know, so I think that that was probably the first when I got real serious about it and started to organize it in a fashion that said if I’m going to, if brotherton’s going to be involved, we have to be involved.
Brad Brotherton [00:29:02]:
You know. And so we try to support everybody that asks and you know, customers, you know, we do ask, are you currently a customer of the business? Is it a 501C3? We validate the organization and you know, if we can’t, if we can’t activate an event. An event or if we can’t make a cash donation, we’ll donate an auction item for them. So hopefully they have an option where they can, we can donate in a car spa where we detail the car and do service work or something like that so they can try and raise money. But yeah, it’s, I think I’ve had several people buy from us because of the support of something we did. Whether it was a school event or a baseball team or you know, I mean we’ve, we’ve kind of whether stakeout or you know, a golf tournament. I mean there’s, there’s been several people who we’ve been long standing customers because of our support in the community. And so it, when you hear that feedback, you get that feedback.
Brad Brotherton [00:30:06]:
You know, it’s something you want to continue to do.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:09]:
One thing. So celebrity stakeout started in 2010 but this year. 2015. Yeah. As you can see as Brad’s fit, he’s got all the signatures on the apron.
Alysse Bryson [00:30:22]:
2025 Libby. You just said 20.
Brad Brotherton [00:30:24]:
2025 Libby.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:26]:
Oh, I said 20. Oh yeah.
Alysse Bryson [00:30:28]:
I just want to bring you into the current decade. If we.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:30]:
Yeah, it’s my 10 year anniversary this year. So maybe that’s what you know, my. Whatever. Anyway, 2025. It’s now 2025. I have taken us back in time.
Brad Brotherton [00:30:40]:
You’ve had babies during stakeout like. Well, not like during the event.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:44]:
Not in the event. Yeah, I have been with child during the event two times.
Brad Brotherton [00:30:51]:
Yes. Yep.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:53]:
So but this year 2025 is a little bit different because it is merging with your good friend Jacob Green’s event. Can you tell us.
Brad Brotherton [00:31:03]:
Yes.
Libby Sundgren [00:31:03]:
When in his is. Has been a golf tournament and auction and dinner that’s been going for decades. So can you give us just a quick, quick four one, one on why these two brilliant masterminds have come together as one?
Brad Brotherton [00:31:22]:
Well, I mean Jacob’s one of those guys that, you know, he walks the walk. Right. He’s. He gives so much to the community when he’s here. He’s, he’s just, he, he truly makes a difference. And you know, he lost his father to cancer. I lost my father to cancer. When I was going through that, he was there for me.
Brad Brotherton [00:31:45]:
He would randomly reach out and just check in. And so I, you know, I told him about stakeout. He’s like, whatever you need, I’m, I’m in. And he’s just, he’s one of those guys that truly gives back. And we, and we’ve supported his golf tournament for years again with car sponsorship. So we do hole in ones or we drive his celebrities around, get him to the airport, the hotel and things like that to try and reduce his expenses. And so we’ve, there’s been a lot of common, obviously the Hutches are common cause and with my own cancer last year and I know we haven’t really discussed it, but I had cancer last year and we had to cancel stakeout. And when I was done, you know, I reached out to Jacob and just asked him, I said, you know what, I’d really love to see us do more with our two events if we can merge them together.
Brad Brotherton [00:32:43]:
And he was thrilled and on board and I’m thrilled and on board. And golf is at Newcastle. Um, we have 140 spots and it sold out in weeks. I don’t even think we marketed like yeah, it wasn’t promoted. And so next year we’re going to have both courses so we can have double the amount of golfers. And then stakeout is usually about a 300 person event and I, we haven’t done the big push and we’re already at 400 people and so that’ll eventually sell out. I think depending how much editing this, this podcast takes, even maybe for the podcast is released and so but you can let your moms know that they’re invited so if they wanna, if they wanna come. Yeah, you know Jacob and I are, are like minded and, and really want to make a difference in the community.
Brad Brotherton [00:33:39]:
And he’s got a, you know, he’s, he’s such a generous, kind and a good friend and he’s just one of those guys that, that people want to support. And so we really felt that, that making Stakeout, his gala and making his golf tournament, our golf tournament, you know, merging them together where we can, we can do a lot more for the community. And you know the Seahawks came in in a big way, is supporting this year and you know, Darren Alger came in in a big way this year and you know, we’ve been able to to, you know, people are just saying yes. And so it’s. We’ve had a lot of support, which is wonderful.
Libby Sundgren [00:34:23]:
Yeah.
Brad Brotherton [00:34:23]:
So we think it’s going to be an incredible event.
Libby Sundgren [00:34:25]:
It is. It is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. In the middle of the friendship. Isn’t that like a movie quote? It’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I think it’s like a gangster. Isn’t like a gangster movie when they say this is the beginning of a beautiful.
Brad Brotherton [00:34:43]:
I was going with, like gangster.
Alysse Bryson [00:34:45]:
Libby, do you want to talk in your mafia voice? You want to talk in your mafia voice for a minute?
Libby Sundgren [00:34:50]:
No, but Gone with the Wind, maybe. Yeah, maybe. I don’t know.
Brad Brotherton [00:34:54]:
Well, I think that. I think it’s like an old, Old, like before our time kind of movie.
Libby Sundgren [00:35:00]:
We’re so young, we would never have seen a movie with that quote. Okay, so what is one piece of advice you’d give to somebody, business owner or just a business worker, someone who wants to do an event for their community? What’s one tip that you would give them if they want to get started on their own event journey?
Brad Brotherton [00:35:22]:
I mean, I think the first thing I did is I looked at who I could ask to support. And so, I mean, number one, find the cause, right? Find the cause that you’re passionate about. Because I think passion, no matter what it is, if you’re passionate about something, people get inspired by passion. And whether it’s the car business or coaching or running an event, I think passion inspires others. And so make sure you’re passionate about it. And then for me, I looked at who could I ask to be involved? And so I looked at my network, and that was a really important part to stake out success is. Is that we’ve got a network that supports and continues to support the event there. You know, we’ve had partners since day one.
Brad Brotherton [00:36:13]:
We’ve had people that have only missed one event. We’ve had, you know, so there’s a. They. They’re people that connect to it. And so, you know, finding that. And as you look at those things, I guess make sure that what you’re asking for is within something that they would support, you know, for support. If our. If my main objective is to support cancer, the customers, you know, that, that.
Brad Brotherton [00:36:38]:
And then, you know, childhood cancers are awful, as we all know. And so if those things are the things that we support, you know, approaching me for Fish and Wildlife, because I just got an email from Fish and Wildlife wouldn’t, you know, wouldn’t be, you know, saving the salmon. Although I think they’re very important. And that’s not where.
Libby Sundgren [00:37:03]:
And delicious.
Brad Brotherton [00:37:04]:
They’re so good and delicious. They’re so good sustainability. But yeah, so just, I think, I think, you know, and then finding partners and, and then, you know, delivering on. On what you. You say one of the most frustrating things early on in business was I would get involved with a charitable organization and the next time I would see them, was it the next time they asked. And that’s frustrating as a business owner because you’re like, that thousand dollars was a thousand. That was a thousand dollars. And I know you people think that we’re, we have all this extra money and we can just throw money around, but no, I want to, like, that’s real money.
Brad Brotherton [00:37:40]:
And, and so I want to have a connection to the success somehow of what we did. And I want to have a relationship with that organization so that it’s not just one and done, because that’s. The other piece is maintaining as you have an event, especially one of this size, we want to maintain those relationships all year round. So we’re, we’re talking to our sponsors in February for an event in August. Right. So we’re thanking them in September and October, and we’re celebrating the successes. So everybody feels like the event is. Everybody knows it’s still going on and they still feel a connection to the event all year round.
Alysse Bryson [00:38:30]:
That’s just really good event culture. That’s what that is. It’s community building at its finest, for sure. Well, you can’t get in on this year’s golf tournament because it’s sold out, but there will probably be. Maybe there’ll still be some tickets left to the event at the Paramount. We will put all of the links in the show notes. And Brad, thank you so much for joining us today in your very fancy apron. Okay, that’s a wrap of this episode of Beats Working.
Alysse Bryson [00:38:58]:
If you have an idea or you want to reach out, please email us at infoatsworking show. And please remember, every detail matters, every moment counts, and no matter what, the show must go on. Thanks for listening to Beats Winning the game of events, where we explore what it takes to make moments unforgettable.
Libby Sundgren [00:39:19]:
If you’re leaving with a little more inspiration, a little more perspective, and a big sideache from all of the laughing at our funny jokes, then we’ve done our job.
Alysse Bryson [00:39:28]:
Beats working as a work P2P production. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review us on your favorite podcast platforms.
Libby Sundgren [00:39:38]:
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