Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.
Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter.
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Brandon Dennison, "Planting Hope in the Coalfield" / Starbucks "Upstanders"
Road trips by executives who are potential 2020 presidential candidates is becoming a thing ... Starbucks today releases "Upstanders Season 2," an original online video series featuring 11 stories of "courage and humanity," from Montana and Utah, to Ohio and West Virginia. It's written and produced by Howard Schultz, Starbucks executive chairman, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Starbucks executive producer and a former senior WashPost editor.
Schultz gets extra attention because he's a plausible Democratic presidential candidate. The WashPost noted last month: "Schultz ... recently penned an op-ed after the tragedy in Charlottesville and traveled to Houston after Hurricane Harvey. And he's offered pretty flimsy denials about whether he will run."
We talked by phone with Howard and Rajiv yesterday for a sneak peek:
- Howard: "Last year when we launched 'Upstanders,' I don't think we had any understanding about what the reach would be, in terms of literally the tens of millions of people who watched the original series ... [T]he American people longing for uplifting, truthful stories."
- A Howard favorite: "Rajiv and I were both struck by the despair and the hopelessness of what's happened in West Virginia as a result of coal mining going away ... And yet, we met a young man [Brandon Dennison] who's from West Virginia, has an M.B.A., has a bright future and came back home to start what I would loosely call an 'entrepreneurial lab' ... to create new jobs."
- Rajiv: "Howard and I travelled to West Virginia earlier this year. We spent two days on the ground, and we didn't go in knowing the story we were going to tell. ... [W]e travelled kind of the breadth of the state together, and it was in Huntington ... where we met Brandon Dennison, and discovered this great story."
The series is available online here, Amazon Prime Video and Audible.