Nick Gaich
“ Volunteerism provides an inner strength . It gives you accelerated powers to see life differently and adjust , change or reinforce your mindset .”
Owner - Craft Roots Vegan Bar & Grill , CEO - Nick Gaich & Associates , CEO / President - MH Chamber of Commerce . ngahealthcareconsulting . com / craftroots-mh . com / nick @ morganhillchamber . com
Many Morgan Hill folks have encountered the affable and soft-spoken Nick Gaich at events he ’ s helped to organize as the interim CEO and president of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce , or while enjoying great food at the vegan restaurant Craft Roots . But Gaich ’ s roles in the community are legion : he ’ s Board President of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation , Healthcare Strategy Officer of Sue ’ s Story Project and President of BookSmart Community Advantage , to name a few of his roles . He ’ s also founder and CEO of Nick Gaich and Associates , a firm dedicated to providing executive coaching , leadership development , strategic planning , and operational performance .
Since 1989 , when a job with Stanford drew Gaich , his wife Ellyn , and their two kids out to the Bay Area , Morgan Hill resonated as a special place that would offer a “ family friendly environment ” as well as “ unique differences in physical presence , community connectedness and an opportunity to grow , learn and feel safe ,” he said .
Since then he ’ s had myriad opportunities to give back to the community he loves , and sees it as an honor and a privilege . For each of the areas he volunteers , there is a personal reason that draws him to it , such as The Sue ’ s Story Project , which brings awareness to the lesser known form of dementia , Lewy Body
Dementia . Gaich ’ s mother suffers from dementia . But an even greater drive is to return the favor of support and care that he feels he received from mentors along the way . “ Whenever I ’ ve tried to give to someone , there ’ s always a greater gift back .”
He believes that everyone should have the opportunity to volunteer , for many reasons . “ I ’ m hoping people realize there ’ s greater good in front of them than some of the chaos in just day to day issues . We can all give something that ’ s going to benefit others .”
Volunteering can bring people together who might not always see eye to eye , he said . “ There ’ s more collective strength and common ground than we realize and if we would focus our energies on that , all of the peripheral issues can be tamped down and focused in a more mindful and purposeful way .”
In addition to his volunteer work , Gaich is extremely proud of the family business , Craft Roots , opened about six months before the first lockdown of the pandemic in 2020 , with son Justin and his partner Nyssa .
“ Craft Roots has been a wonderful gift , for both Ellyn and myself , because we ’ ve had a chance to work closely with Justin and Nyssa . I ’ m learning through their eyes and that ’ s a gift that has been priceless .”
gmhtoday . com gmhTODAY Magazine WINTER 2022 21