The legacy of Tervis means more than making trendy tumblers to Rogan Donelly. His family moved the company to Osprey more than a half century ago, so, when he took on the role of CEO in 2016, he brought a love of the brand that goes back generations. So what else in Donelly’s life merits raising a glass? 

Norbert’s Value Proposition 

Norbert Donelly, my father and the chairperson of the board at Tervis, in the 1980s put forward the company’s value proposition of personalization, customization and rapid delivery. I keep asking questions on how we did things in the past and what has gotten us here today. A lot stems for value proposition. In May, we launched a stainless steel Tervis tumbler, the first time we have gotten away from plastic in 71 years of history, but our customers were screaming they wanted this product. So we figured out how to stay true to the brand and company. That’s just one way we continue to look at the past and Norbert’s value proposition.

Fritz

He’s a German Shepherd, and I takehim to work everyday. He’s three years old and very well-behaved. I like to have him here. It reinstates that while we’re certainly a large company, it’s good to remember we are aprivately held family-operated company. Having a dog here takes the corporate-ness or bureaucracy out. At the end of the day, we all have families and we’re individuals working as a team to produce a great product. The days get long and stressful, but having Fritz here begging for treats or playing ball—people are constantly playing with him—is a good stress reliever. 

Football  

I played with the Sarasota Sun Devils in Pop Warner starting in first grade, and kept playing all through high school and college; I went to Bowdoin, a small liberal arts college in Andover, Massachusetts, and played football all four years. I was an offensive lineman. It taught me a lot about discipline and punctuality. At the end of day, no one likes practice, but you have to put in the work and effort to have a lot of fun on game day. 

Spearfishing

I’m a huge diver and spear fisherman.Florida is the best state in the country because you can go fishing, diving or spearfishing in the morning and deer hunting in the evening. We’ll go just off the coast of Siesta Key, usually about 15 miles out. I just have a single-engine, 25-foot bay boat, the most we’ll ever go is 20 or 30 miles out.

Silver Screen Dream  

I’m a huge movie guy and even produced a film, Boys of Abu Ghraib, with a buddy. It’s about a guy who comes back to the States after being a guard at Abu Ghraib and how that still has an effect on him. We filmed it in New Mexico and worked with everything from the script to the actors, even looking at business side and the contracts for actors, which are insane. But I got my name on IMDB.com, which was fun. That’s the end of that though. I will focus on selling drinkware and leave movie producing to the guys in Hollywood.

Running in Nantucket   

I have a summer home in Nantucket, off the coast of Cape Cod. My family has a place up there, and we would spend time up there. I have a lot of friends who I grew up with during those summers. We will meet for the Nantucket Triathlon; I try and do it every year and so far so good. For me, a triathlon is a social event, and I make a trip out with my friends. It’s a reason to exercise and stay healthy; you are training for a purpose. You have a goal out there, and that makes it a little more worth it. It’s also a reason to have a nice cold beer afterward—in a Tervis. 

Buenos Aires

I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot, but my favorite place in the world is probably Argentina. I went in 2010. It has similar weather to us in Sarasota. They used to call it the Paris of South America. It has this gorgeous architecture. For me, it was the culture and arts, the museums. The people are great. It was a good time in my life, coming into maturity, growing within my business and career. I tried to learn as much about their culture and think about how to implement that into our culture. 

Owen’s Fish Camp  

The decor nails Old Florida, with the band outside and the tire swing, and the food is exciting too. Definitely get the chicken-fried lobster tail, which is absolutely amazing, and then get the oysters. I like to go with friends when they have the band outside.

Guy Harvey 

It’s also my affinity for the water and fishing, but he is one of my favorite artist licenses we have. He’s come to the factory and gone out on the floor, and always lets people take pictures with him. He’ll sign wraps and shirts. 

Lobster Season

I have my Guy Harvey diving tumbler and water bottle, which references the lobster mini-season. We’ll stay out in the camper, and when we hit our limit, take half f the lobsters home and grill them.

Winslow Rifles

My grandfather John Winslow brought Tervis to the area, but he also had a rifle company, Winslow Arms, and I have a collection of his rifles. Like Tervis, they were all made in America, and were about high-quality precision and functionality. They are just beautiful, ornate rifles, and all had ivory stocks and were all handcrafted. Today they are hard to get, and when I see one at auction I have to grab it. One of my favorite rifles—I forget the gauge—has a beautiful ivory design all throughout the rifle. It’s just beautiful. I’m afraid to fire it. It seems more like a work of art.