Brian Moreno jokes that he’s a “glorified volunteer.”

But that doesn’t quite capture what the 38-year-old West Richland man does for the Tri-Cities, the region and the state. He’s a business owner twice over, and he volunteers as a leader with numerous local and state organizations, from the Washington Hospitality Association to the Washington State Patrol.

Moreno’s goal is to add value to whatever group he’s working with or task he’s working on – and he seems to be doing that and then some. 

He works as a leadership consultant through his company Steward Leaders, in addition to running the McDonald’s restaurant in Othello with his father.

His vast volunteer work also is a deeply meaningful part of his life.

He’ll share his wisdom on creating a successful working environment on Nov. 7 during Tri-Cities Area Journal of Businesses’ first-ever Best Places to Work event. Moreno is the guest speaker for the event, which runs from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

Tickets still are available; the cost is $45 per person.

Best Places to Work is a new Journal of Business program aimed at celebrating quality local employers as determined by employer and employee surveys. 

Family business

Moreno spent most of his childhood in Othello, where his father opened a McDonald’s. After high school, Moreno went to work in sales for the Tri-City Americans hockey team – a job that he enjoyed.

But he was lacking direction, he said. “I dropped out of Columbia Basin College (and) wasn’t really sure where to go. Around that time frame is when my dad was like, ‘Have you thought about coming back?’” he said.

So, he wound up in the family business and now is managing partner. 

Along the way, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kaplan University, a Master of Business Administration from Washington State University and a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Harvard Extension School, one of the 12 degree-granting schools at Harvard University that serves those who wish to pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees part time.

Moreno also started Steward Leaders, where “we work with public, private and nonprofit partners that want to live their values at the highest level. Our projects range from individual coaching and high-performance team calibration to regional and systemic change,” the company website says.

The call to serve

Moreno also is committed to volunteer work, saying he gets back at least as much as he gives. “It is incredibly rewarding to be invited into these conversations, to create programs, to make change,” he said.

His first volunteer board experience was with the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He’s currently chairman of the Washington Hospitality Association and co-president of the Washington State Leadership Board; he’s a Columbia Ability Alliance board member; and he serves on advisory boards for Washington State University, Columbia Basin College, Pasco Police Department and Washington State Patrol.

He’s also worked with other groups, including the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs and the state Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise.

A local nonprofit, Mikey’s Chance Canine Rescue, also has a special place in his heart. His wife, Andrea, runs the group dedicated to saving dogs.

The Moreno family, which includes son Greyson, 14, has a “non-zero” number of pups at home, Moreno said. “They’re all rescues. They all have their own quirky stories,” he said, including their 80-pound black lab, Gauge, who’s not the best at judging distances, hence his name. 

Gauge was the size of a kitten when they took him in, Moreno said.

Moreno hopes his volunteer work inspires others. 

“Anybody can do what I do. I’m just the guy that’s willing to send calendar invites and be like, ‘I’ll type that paper, and I’ll follow up on that assignment,’” he told the Journal of Business. “People are hungry for volunteers and for other people’s perspectives. If you show up, there’s a world of opportunity ahead of you, and you can create amazing things.”

Healthy workplaces

Moreno also finds meaning in his consulting work and at the restaurant. 

In his view, creating a healthy workplace for his McDonald’s team is about keeping it simple and making sure he’s focusing on the right things.

“Our ‘why’ at the organization is, we’re happy people making people happy. So, when I wake up in the morning, I only have to ask myself the question, ‘Do I have happy people?’ And if not, what am I doing about it?” he said. 

Moreno said he’s looking forward to the Best Places to Work event, where he’ll talk about how employers have the opportunity to create transformational change through fulfilling work. When employees are successful and happy in their jobs, that ripples out to their families, friends, neighbors and the community as a whole, he said. 

He’ll also touch on why competition among employers for workers isn’t optimal. “There’s a much healthier way to look at it, and we’ll talk about that at the session,” he said. He added that, “(employers) can learn from each other. This is a great opportunity to share. That’s why these sorts of events exist – to figure out, how can we do more of something really great?”

Best Places to Work tickets

For tickets to hear Moreno’s talk and learn about the best practices for employee engagement from the winners in our Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia program, go to: tcjournal.biz/BPTW.