Daniel Hintz, Founder/CEO of Velocity Group + Co-owner of Bauhaus Biergarten
📷: Get Your Stein On Bauhaus Swag
Where do you call home in Northwest Arkansas?
Bentonville, AR
Where are you from originally? Where did you relocate from? Tell us about the journey.
Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Traveled lots of places around the world and was last in Seattle, Washington before moving to Northwest Arkansas with my wife Kassie Misiewicz in 2003. My mom and her partner had moved to Eureka Springs and told us about the emerging opportunities in the area. We were looking for our next move and visited the area. We met a lot of Fayetteville creatives and found an immediate connection. Kassie landed a job with the Walton Arts Center and I became the Executive Director of Fayetteville Downtown Partners, which got us quickly and deeply involved in the local community. We just grew from there!
What are some of your favorite things about the region?
I love the regional collaboration, the energy of yes-and, along with the constant conversations around what’s next. The local food scene is incredibly dynamic – from James Beard nominated chefs to amazing food trucks – and access to local products is incredible. We certainly have our challenges, as any fast-growing community does, but we also have a vast collection of folks working hard to find solutions that will continue to make NWA a great place to live and explore. It’s hard to be specific because my favorite things vary based on how I’m feeling that day. It’s great to live in a community that has so many resources to scratch whatever experience itch you have at the time. And if you don’t find it in NWA, we’re within driving distance to an amazing array of things to do around Arkansas and other states.
Someone that has never been to the region is coming for 24 hours, what should they do, where should they go?
I’d need to publish a list that would take a decade to read. There is so much to do and so many cool people to meet, but I often tell folks to take a tasting tour of our cities. Get an Uber and visit each downtown in NWA to grab little bites from a wide variety of awesome places. We also have an incredible array of breweries, so the Ale Trail offers a really fun liquid tour of the region. Check in with the local Convention and Visitors Bureaus or downtown associations, as they have great staff who can help guide you to lots of tasty and fun adventures.
📷: Daniel at First Friday in Downtown Bentonville, July 2011
📷: Daniel helped organize the Smallest St. Patricks Day Parade in Springdale
What do you do in your free time?
I love to cook, so spending time in my kitchen with friends and family is my happy place.
Tell us something about yourself folks might not know.
I played the bagpipes at one point in my life.
What causes are you passionate about? What inspires you?
Great places that inspire people and elevate the human spirit are certainly a passion of mine, as that is what I focus on as part of my work all over North America. Great food, audacious architecture, big ideas, positive actions, collaboration and partnership, trust, and respect—these are the things that I find invigorating!
Describe Northwest Arkansas in a few words.
Provocative, Fascinating, Maturing
What is the origin story of Bauhaus Biergarten?
I had just finished working on the downtown master plan for Springdale and some partners and I ended up acquiring several historic properties on Holcomb Street that we saved from further deterioration. During this process, I identified the garage and space under the yard of trees in one of the buildings as a great place for a restaurant. While developing several different potential concepts, I met Chef Jennifer Hill Booker, a very talented chef from Atlanta. We ended up cooking together for two years during the Fayetteville Roots Festival and just hit it off. Chef Jennifer had graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in France and lived in Germany, while I had worked for a German chef as part of my culinary experience and also grew up in Milwaukee around this type of vibe. It all just seemed to come together. As we told the Bauhaus story, our friends, family, and colleagues banded together to help us get the concept up and running. We are very grateful for our amazing collection of humans.
Tell us something about Bauhaus folks might not know.
So much of our Bauhaus experience—from local construction partners like Buffalo Builders to our food vendors like Tucher Brewery in Nuremberg, Germany, and the Rios Family Farm in Northwest Arkansas—was built around collaborations and storytelling. Our sausages come from Usinger’s, an amazing 150-year-old family-owned butchery in downtown Milwaukee. We carry Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen from the world’s oldest brewery, which started in 1040. We partner with Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food and often hire their students. We work closely with other restaurants and bars in downtown Springdale, collaborating on great programs like our Smallest St. Patrick’s Day Parade (a tip of the hat to our friends in Hot Springs). We also have great collaborative partnerships with nonprofit organizations like Arts One, NWA Film Club, Springdale Running Club, Downtown Springdale Alliance, photographer Meredith Mashburn through our Bauhaus Salon Series, and so many more incredible friends across the region. Chef Jennifer and I also have national connections through our work around the country that we are looking to leverage in support of Bauhaus, downtown Springdale, and Northwest Arkansas.
📷: Daniel and Chef Jennifer Hill Booker
📷: Daniel ❤️ Kassie
What are you most proud of?
Nothing can ever beat being a husband and a dad. That informs so much of who I am and why I do what I do in the world.
Can you tell us about some of the most rewarding efforts you’ve been a part of regionally?
I’ve been able to participate in many amazing projects across Northwest Arkansas, having worked on regional economic development strategies, downtown master plans, regional and local food systems, entrepreneurial ecosystem initiatives, policies and projects that strengthen the arts and creative economy, and helped support a tapestry of individuals making big things happen. It has been an honor and a privilege to play alongside so many talented people. This region has been an incredible platform to learn and grow personally and professionally. I am very grateful for these opportunities.
How would you describe living in Northwest Arkansas? What advice would you have for someone relocating here?
We are an incredibly dynamic region filled with amazing opportunities and incredibly talented people. The hustle is real here, and it isn’t always easy to get things rolling, but as you network, those ideas begin to attract attention. This is a region of doers, so you’ll find success if you roll up your sleeves and get involved.
What is your hope for the future of the region?
We are growing at an exponential rate, and it is my hope that all efforts prioritize ways to ensure access and opportunity are afforded to as many people as possible. Just imagine a Northwest Arkansas that unleashes the true majesty and power of all the amazing talent, wisdom, and experience found here!
