The Man Behind the Name

As co-founder of PKGD Group, it was hypothesized that there could be some interest in my ramblings.

To introduce myself more formally, my name is Jeff Ernst – dubbed by others as “El Jefe” - Chief Left Brain of PKGD Group.

It’s been rumored I’m a Renaissance man – born into a military family for 20+ years of my life, which led to seeing a lot of the country and the world from a very young age. In college, I ended up with degrees in Business Administration and Philosophy but have always proclaimed I gained far more from Philosophy. It taught me to think, analyze and critique beyond the obvious, to see the permutations and see the path through to the end.

An Entrepreneurial Journey

It's fair to say I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life. At age 7, after returning stateside after two years in Germany and spending a year living in a small town of less than 100 people where my grandparents were from, I decided the opportunity was to walk sunflower fields and pick up the heads the combines didn’t. I put them in garbage bags and stuffed them in the trunk of my parents ‘76 Cutlass, took them to my uncle to run my bounty through his combine, put it in a truck and had it hauled off to the South Dakota Wheat Growers elevator and earned a little more than $300.

My resume and experiences meander – from golf equipment specialist/club designer, cross country ski importer, design agency owner, and technology/call center management, to wild days within the world of custom motorcycles, trying my hand in college administration and other way stations such as senior living marketing director, bike shop manager, tech entrepreneur to falling into this passion and purpose that became the spirits business ten years ago.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons. I’ve failed more than once. And I’ve jumped back up every time.

A Life of Friendship and Purpose

Somewhere in this connect-the-dots journey, my co-founder Shawn Miller and best friend met some 40+ years ago. We’ve been fortunate enough to share the good times, make it through the less pleasant times and jumped into to the spirited life that has become PKGD Group.

In all that, there are stories to be shared, thoughts to be pondered and I hope you choose to read one or two. And in this AI-‘enriched’ world, I will affirm I not only typed out every word, but I also have always steadfastly refused to proofread. Salud!