Who swims to work? Lisa Persson Brown does! The quiet waters of Pasquiset Pond, near Charlestown in rural Rhode Island, offer one of America’s more pleasant commutes to work. When the weather’s fine and the sun is shining, Lisa slips out her backdoor and strokes her way to The Nordic, her family’s famous fourth-generation restaurant and park. On slightly cloudy days, in case of rain, she tows her kayak behind her for the return trip.
Lisa, a second-generation co-owner, along with siblings Steve and Nancy Persson, oversees a family smorgasbord that counts sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, even a helpful if not-quite-old-enough grandchild or two, among its staff. It’s today’s result of a journey that began almost a century ago, when Swedish Karl and Danish Irma Persson immigrated to Brooklyn, N.Y., from Scandinavia to start a new life in the land of opportunity. Their son, Dick, married Gudny (Goody) from Norway, reinforcing the Viking bloodlines.
In 1963, Dick and Goody purchased a 28-acre plot on the shores of the pond and began experimenting with a summer camp offering rental cottages, dining facilities and recreational activities. As a seasonal business, the going was tough, but they stuck it out, settling on The Nordic Lodge as a solid moniker reflecting their shared ethnic heritage. Seventeen years later, the loss of a beloved all-you-can-eat establishment in town offered the Perssons a chance to expand their operations and open up an all-season dining hall, creating a self-sustaining family business dubbed simply The Nordic.
‘Cards on the Table’
From the get-go it’s been family all the way. “Any family members that don’t work at The Nordic have made the choice not to,” says third-generation Jake Dolbey, Lisa’s son and director of accounts receivable and social media manager. “All have worked here at some point, but the restaurant business most certainly is not for everyone, even those who grew up in it.”
And grow up in it they do. Lisa notes the family does not have a training program for the next generation: “Exposure to all aspects of the business has been part of their lives since they were babies. They truly have grown up in the restaurant as we did. We evaluate strengths and nudge family members to where those strengths can be of greatest value.”
Working together, day in and day out, brings its own joys and stresses. “Being part of the team with the shared goal of providing an impressive dining experience to our guests motivates us,” Lisa says. “Owners bus tables, scrub pots and pans, clean restrooms. No job is beneath anyone here.” To keep things on track, the family has weekly manager meetings, cousins’ meetings and bimonthly all-family gatherings. To address and resolve conflict, Lisa says, “We talk it out. ‘Cards on the table’ is a line commonly used in our family.”
One might say the family goes overboard with meetings, but it’s part of the plan, kitchen manager and nephew Kyle Log notes. “At least once a week, we are all in the same room together discussing anything that comes up, the good, the bad, we talk about the hard things. That enables us to work through it and team together cohesively.”
‘Family, Unity and Quality’
Gorging without restraint on the finest seafood and comfort fare Rhode Island can offer is nirvana for many, but some visitors need a bit more. Jake’s cousin, Karly MacGlaflin, is the farm caretaker and gardener as well as manager of The Nordic store, doing business in branded goodies and keepsakes. “We have alpacas, a miniature donkey, a quarter horse, and it’s a joy to see the happiness our animals bring to visitors, especially the little ones.” The garden Karly tends sometimes provides fresh flowers as well. In addition, outdoor tables, cabanas, Adirondack chairs, fire pits, ballgames and local musical talent in summer along the lakeside harken back nostalgically to the days of old-fashioned summer camp.
But there’s little that constitutes as old-fashioned about the business of The Nordic. “We have a fairly large social media presence which represents the vast majority of our marketing efforts,” Jake explains. “We are also on the cutting edge of kitchen technology as it pertains to our ovens, warmers, steamers, dishwashers and all the various equipment we use here on a daily basis.”
Lisa is the last of the second generation, and she’s calling it quits at the end of this year, joining her siblings Steve and Nancy in blissful retirement. “We all want the same things,” Lisa says, “family, unity and quality, to nurture this business as the gift it really is. We all have a deep level of pride and commitment to its success and the success of all our employees.” The biggest challenges she sees in the coming years revolve around “continuing to honor each other’s strengths and having the ability to overlook small matters.”
As long as the family can deliver value and delight customers, occasional family conflict is just background noise. And if Jake and Karly and the rest of the third- and fourth-generation need a coach, Lisa says, it’s still an easy swim across the lake to help sort things out.