Meet the “Team”

Hey internet! My name is Corey, and I am the owner and founder of Public Pool Consulting, LLC. I have lived in Bellingham, WA for ten years, where I originally came to Bellingham in 2012 to study at Western Washington University, where I earned my Bachelors in mathematics with a minor in computer science and later went back to earn my Masters in chemistry. During that time, I have also worked four years in the food service industry, been an active member of the local music scene, and volunteered as a tutor in local schools for six years. Overall, throughout the past ten years, I have come to love this city and everything that it has to offer.

I created Public Pool in January of 2021 with the intention of helping local restaurants stay afloat during the pandemic, and more importantly, give restaurants the framework to provide all employees with livable wages. After seeing so many local businesses close and feeling the effects of Bellingham becoming increasingly more difficult to survive in financially, this motivated me to put my skill set to use and try my best to help combat this trend.

Since the inception of Public Pool, I have assisted seven different restaurants in our Whatcom county community by helping them create livable wages for their employees as well as savings. It has been amazing to be a part of and has elicited a much more fair and transparent work environment.

However, I know that there is still room to grow and do better. I am not claiming that this framework is the pinnacle of equity and sustainability that restaurants can achieve. But, it’s a step in the right direction. This program has created an open dialogue between restaurant owners, employees, and community members alike, who are all becoming more aware of each others shortcomings and concerns. And because of this, we are all making an effort to work together to achieve a better, more equitable system for everyone.

So I want to close with this. I am just a Bellingham local trying to do my best to help everyone in my community thrive as much as possible. If you have any ideas as to how I can do this better, let me know! Talk to me. I am always up for a phone call or a conversation over a beer/coffee. Thank you for taking the time to learn about me and my mission, I hope to see you around town!