In the Middle on the Sidelines at the Convention

For One Missoula Company, the Democrats Are Just the Latest Convention-Goers

By Robert Struckman, 8-26-08

	Turning them out to wake up the Democrats, Missoula-based Chad Morgan goes to all of Liquid Planet's new locations.

One organization with a prominent—although not political—role at the Democratic National Convention in Denver is Liquid Planet, the Missoula-based beverage purveyor.

The company’s familiar logo of a Classical figure drinking from a globe-shaped jug has a prominent spot inside the main entrance of the Colorado Convention Center.

“Oh yeah. We’re here,” said Chad Morgan, Liquid Planet’s vice president of development, in the middle of a busy late morning spree of latte-making. “We’re building outside as well.”

I asked him if he was here for the convention.

“No. Well, yes. It is convention-related,” he said, meaning related to conventions in the larger sense, and not in this particular case of the resident Democrats.

Liquid Planet is a national partner of Centerplate, a national company that managers conventions and sporting arenas in, for example, Portland, San Francisco and San Diego.

Morgan turned back to his espresso maker and whipped out two more lattes.

“So, yeah. We’re not here for the convention. This is just one of the events,” he said.

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