Cactus News & Blog

Jodi at Cactus Alki Beach

Meeting and working with impressive leaders is one of the greatest joys of operating a restaurant group. One thing we’ve learned over our 30 year history is that running restaurants requires a strong and diversified skill set as well as tireless drive and determination to succeed. We’re super proud of all our managers across the company and know that they are the “secret” to our success. But today we’d like to spotlight the achievements of one of our brightest stars by congratulating her for her accomplishments outside the business and by thanking her for her service to our country. Please join us in congratulating Jodi Buschko for her recent promotion to Staff Sergeant within the US Army Reserves. Jodi, we are so proud of you and are inspired by your tireless drive to succeed!

Basic training

Staff Sergeant Buschko

Jodi has always had a life goal of joining the military, having a long history of strong military service in her family and a strong personal desire to serve her country. In November of 2013, Jodi acted on her dream and officially enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Chemical Weapons Specialist. After nearly a year of training, Jodi returned to West Seattle and walked into Cactus with an application in hand (in the dead of winter, which the absolute worst time to look for a job on the beach)! While we were not hiring, Jodi made such a positive impression on us that we felt compelled to bring her on board…and we’re super glad that we did.

We could wax on about Jodi’s accomplishments but we feel the timeline below will do a better job of highlighting her exceptional career growth both inside and outside of the restaurant. Here’s what she’s been up to since joining the company:

Click to enlarge image.

Staff Sergeant Buschko on the range

Jodi, you are an inspiration to all of us and we’re so grateful for your service to both company & country. Your success in the restaurant group alone has been remarkable, but to know that you’ve simultaneously achieved your degree in Hospitality Management and that you’ve been promoted to the prestigious rank of Staff Sergeant while working full time is beyond remarkable. Congratulations from all of us on the Cactus team and thank you for being a huge part of what makes this such a great company! With leaders like you on board, we know that we have a bright future ahead.