Tavern Talk: Why the Tavern Means So Much to Me
“I didn't want to build [just] a manufacturing company. I wanted to build a place where people felt connected” - Mike Orazen, Founder
Tavern Talk: Why the Tavern Means So Much to Me
When I first leased the property in 2017, the outbuilding didn’t even come with it.
It was just a yellow aluminum pole barn behind the main facility — used as a car garage by the previous owner. I didn’t think much about it.
In 2019, when I bought the entire property, I finally had access to it.
I remember standing inside that building alone one afternoon. Concrete floor. Metal walls. Quiet. Empty.
And I started thinking about what Orazen was becoming — and what I wanted it to be.
We were growing.
Adding employees.
Building stronger relationships with customers and suppliers.
But I didn’t just want to build a successful manufacturing company.
I wanted to build a place where people felt connected.
Building More Than a Business
Over time, that plain metal building began to change.
We covered the walls in reclaimed barnwood — wood that had lived a full life before it ever got here.
My friend Rick Began built an incredible bar by hand. Not something ordered from a catalog. Something crafted.
We brought in old leather furniture that feels warm and familiar.
Hung TVs.
Built a real stage.
Installed an elite sound system.
It stopped feeling like a garage.
It started feeling like a place people wanted to stay.
Why It Exists
The tavern exists because I believe deeply in two things.
Family.
Not just the family you go home to — although that matters more than anything.
But your work family.
Your friends.
Your community.
Business can easily become transactional and sterile. Titles. KPIs. Deadlines.
But life isn’t lived that way.
When we host live music nights five or six times a year — when employees bring their spouses and kids, when suppliers stand shoulder to shoulder with production team members at the bar, when customers stay long after the music ends — something shifts.
People relax.
They talk differently.
They see each other as human beings first.
Our annual Christmas party.
The beer pong tournament.
The white elephant gift exchange.
These moments matter.
Because when people feel genuinely cared for, they care more in return.
About the work.
About the team.
About getting it right.
That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident.
You build it.
Living Authentically
The second reason the tavern exists is personal.
I’ve never believed in being one person at work and another at home.
Music has always been part of who I am. So standing on that stage with the Orazen Tavern Band — playing for employees, friends, customers — isn’t a side hobby.
It’s alignment.
It’s integration.
It’s bringing all parts of my life into one space.
And I want the same freedom for everyone here.
No masks.
No corporate personas.
No splitting your identity in half when you walk through the door.
When people can show up fully — with their personality, their passions, their families — the way they work changes.
It becomes less about pressure.
And more about pride.
Less about transactions.
And more about trust.
Relationships Before Revenue
We invite suppliers and customers into the tavern for a reason.
Because relationships built only around contracts are fragile.
But relationships built around shared experiences — around laughter, conversation, music, and family — are strong.
When someone experiences our culture firsthand, they understand who we are long before they see a quote.
And that shapes how we do business together.
Why Tavern Talk
Tavern Talk is where we’ll share the stories behind this space.
The lessons we’re learning about leadership.
The realities of building culture intentionally.
The belief that you can run a disciplined, high-performing manufacturing company without sacrificing heart.
The tavern is a building.
But it’s also a commitment.
A commitment to family.
To authenticity.
To community.
To building something that outlasts spreadsheets and quarterly reports.
That old yellow pole barn became something far more important than I ever expected.
It became a reminder of who we are — and who we choose to be.
And that choice is intentional.
Welcome to Tavern Talk.
— Mike Orazen
Founder, Orazen Extruded Polymers
