Retired Lieutenant Colonel Mark Douglass knows how to light up a room with “war stories” and a lifetime of lessons learned in just a short time taking his barbecue sauce to market. He thought he’d start with the original barbecue sauce.
“There are four different flavors and the hot and spicy won’t overwhelm you. There is hickory, mesquite and the original.” He joked, “the people who make it love this. They are very happy we went from one to four. They make more money!”
Columbia County Chamber President Russell Lahodney interviewed Douglass outside the steps of the Jones Creek Country Club in advance of a southern lunch with ribs, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and a sample of the Warrior’s Choice sauces.
Joining him were a Chamber ambassador, his wife YuKyong and media members.
Plans are to focus on selling on-line, holiday gift-sets and eventually placement on store shelves in upscale supermarkets and wholesale clubs.
A portion of each sale goes to help disabled veterans.
Military service has been a long and proud family tradition, dating back to the Civil War and continuing to the present with Mark’s son.
Next up is a line of frozen pizzas, casseroles, toffee bars, party bars, and chocolate/oatmeal cookies that have been treasured family recipes for more than 60 years.
“I’ve wanted to do this for more than 30 years. When the pandemic hit, things were slow, so I decided to go full throttle,” added Douglass.