Yetta Vorobik

Like the legs of wine swirled in a glass, Yetta Vorobik’s communication degree has left an impression.

This Northwest Washington native completed her degree at Portland State in 2006 and put her flair for entrepreneurship to work by opening The Hop and Vine, a full service bar in Portland, Oregon.

She chose the eclectic space on the corner of NE Killingsworth and Campbell because Yetta wanted to be a part of an up and coming neighborhood. The bar features drinks including beer and wine flight specials and concoctions from mimosas to mojitos.

When Yetta is not tending her herb garden, or experimenting with new brie recipes, she uses the communication concepts she studied at Portland State when she talks with distributors, employees, and customers.

She especially appreciated courses taught by Jil Freeman and Gisele Tierney where she learned how to “really listen” to people and manage relationships. She uses these skills when slinging drinks while interacting with her diverse patrons. The interpersonal wisdom gained has proven to be indispensible in business: “It’s about interpreting everyday life. You get so many people in an out of The Hop and Vine, and it’s so interesting seeing and hearing their stories.”

Her willingness to take on new ventures has translated well from her academic experience to her professional outlook. Yetta says the best part of her job is the opportunity to learn something new every day. One of the more difficult aspects of her job is also an exercise in Interpersonal Communication 101: maintaining boundaries with customers while providing excellent service.

Regarding advice for anyone considering starting her own business, Yetta states, “Be prepared to work at least 100 hours a week. It’s a lot of time and effort and not everything will go the way you want it to, and you’ll just have to roll with the punches.”

Yetta has indeed rolled with the punches – her hard work has paid off in rewarding relationships and meeting her goal of running her own business.

Story and photo by Melissa Shavlik