Success does not always follow a straight line. For Brian Hagerty, it has been built shift by shift, team by team, and lesson by lesson.

From growing up in Monroe Township, New Jersey, to leading multiple restaurant locations as a district manager, Hagerty’s career has centered on one core idea: take care of people, and the rest will follow.

“I learned early on that service is about respect,” he says. “If you respect your team and your customers, you can build something strong.”

This is the story of how he brought that idea to life.

Early Life in Monroe Township, New Jersey

Brian Hagerty was raised in Monroe Township by his parents, Mary Ann and Stuart Hagerty. His early years were active and structured. He played soccer and ran track in high school. Sports taught him discipline and teamwork.

“Track showed me that results come from daily effort,” he says. “You don’t win on race day. You win in practice.”

Outside of sports, music became another outlet. He learned to play guitar and piano. That creative side would later help him connect with people from all walks of life.

After graduating from Monroe Township High School, he attended Coastal Carolina University. During college, he supported St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an experience that shaped his view of responsibility and community.

“It felt important to give back,” he says. “Even small actions matter.”

How Brian Hagerty Built Leadership Skills at Waffle House

Hagerty’s career in the service industry began at Waffle House. What started as a job became a proving ground.

He worked his way up to district manager. In that role, he oversaw multiple locations. He focused on operations, training, and culture.

“My job wasn’t just about numbers,” he says. “It was about building teams that could run strong without me standing there.”

He believed that consistency was the key to scale. That meant clear expectations. Strong associate training. And steady communication.

“If you train people the right way from day one, you don’t have to fix problems later,” he explains.

Hagerty worked to maintain standards across stores. He developed associates into leaders. He emphasized accountability but also support.

“People perform better when they feel prepared,” he says. “Training is not an expense. It’s protection.”

His management style was direct but steady. He valued systems. But he also valued people.

From District Manager to Professional Bartender

After his time in upper management, Hagerty shifted into bartending. It may seem like a step back on paper. In practice, it was a shift in focus.

Bartending allowed him to work face-to-face with customers again. It also let him apply his leadership mindset in a different way.

“Bartending is operations in real time,” he says. “You manage speed, quality, and personality all at once.”

He built a reputation as a top-tier bartender. Not because of flash. But because of consistency.

“You don’t need tricks,” he says. “You need timing and attention.”

The move showed his flexibility. He understood that leadership is not about title. It is about execution.

Lessons in Service Industry Management and Training

Over the years, Hagerty has developed clear views on service industry success.

First, culture drives performance.

“If your associates feel ignored, your customers will feel it too,” he says.

Second, systems reduce chaos.

“Busy shifts don’t scare me,” he says. “Disorganized shifts do.”

Third, leadership requires presence.

“When you’re in management, you can’t hide in the office,” he says. “You have to be on the floor.”

These ideas are not abstract. They came from years of long hours, high-pressure shifts, and real-time problem solving.

He believes strong training creates freedom. When associates understand standards, managers can focus on growth instead of constant correction.

“Maintenance is part of leadership,” he says. “You don’t just train once and walk away.”

Life Outside of Work: Family, Nature, and Music

Outside of the service industry, Hagerty focuses on family and balance. He enjoys nature and spending time at the beach. Music remains part of his life. So does fatherhood.

“Taking care of my children is the most important job I have,” he says.

The structure he learned from sports and the patience he developed in management now carry into his personal life.

He believes in showing up consistently. At work. At home. In the community.

What’s Next for Brian Hagerty?

At this stage, Brian Hagerty is not defined by a job title. He is defined by experience.

His career shows that leadership is portable. The skills built in one environment can transfer to another. Systems thinking. Team development. Operational awareness. Customer focus.

“I’ve always tried to bring big ideas down to simple actions,” he says. “Train well. Communicate clearly. Show respect.”

Those ideas may sound straightforward. But in fast-paced service environments, they are often the difference between chaos and control.

Brian Hagerty’s story is not about hype. It is about steady growth. About learning how to lead. About understanding that success is built through people.

And in the service industry, people are everything.

So let me get this right. After every Democrat in the House and Senate who voted against One, Big, Beautiful Bill — and therefore promoted a roughly $5 trillion tax hike — now a couple of presidential wannabees, like Senators Cory Booker and Chris Van Hollen, are surfacing plans that would end most income taxes for middle-class Americans, this according to a Wall Street Journal news story. The two men have somewhat differing plans, but basically, as I understand it, they would be raising the standard deduction and some other credits, so the first $75,000 of income would not be taxable.

So, are the Democrats possibly rediscovering tax cuts? Is the ghost of John F. Kennedy, who was the last Democratic president to lower tax rates and usher in supply-side economics, is the Kennedy ghost suddenly hovering over their shoulder? Are they admitting that President Trump was right as he walloped them in 2024 with across-the-board tax cuts, no tax on tips, or overtime, big breaks for seniors, et cetera. 

Now I don’t agree with the specifics of the Democratic plan, we’ll talk about it in a minute. But even the merest hint that Democrats believe lower taxes, at least for some people, are better than higher taxes for everybody, might be a good thing. Just maybe.

Now, what Booker and Van Hollen are doing is basically raising the standard deduction on middle-class earners somewhere around $75,000 to $100,000 a year. I’m oversimplifying, but that’s the gist of it. Now here’s the problem, they want to significantly raise taxes on successful earners, upper end earners.

According to the Journal article, Mr. Van Hollen calls for a surtax that climbs as high as 12 percent above existing taxes, which would drive the top rate to nearly 50 percent, or if you live in New York or California, you’d be taxed in the mid 60s percentile. Mr. Booker would raise the top rates from 35 percent and 37 percent into a new 41 percent and 43 percent brackets. 

Confiscatory tax rates like these would squelch work and investment, leading to a depressed economy, higher unemployment, and by the way even larger budget deficits. I don’t care how many people the senators want to shield from income taxes, turning around with punitive tax rates on successful entrepreneurs and wealthy individuals is a nonstarter.

Supply-side economics as Kennedy or Art Laffer would tell you, suggests that when you tax something more you get less of it. Punish success and prosperity, you’ll get less success and prosperity. But if you tax something less, you will encourage work effort and risk taking. And that’s the ticket to prosperity.

As Kennedy said many times, a rising tide will lift all boats. There’s no need to punish some while rewarding others in some kind of bizarre socialist redistribution scheme that has been tried many times before and always failed. But you know what folks? At least there are a couple of Democratic senators who don’t think tax cuts are dirty words. So, is JFK having a comeback?

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In what has become a now-familiar refrain, President Donald Trump on Thursday pressed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates immediately, rather than wait for the next policy meeting.

“Where is the Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome “Too Late” Powell, today? He should be dropping Interest Rates, IMMEDIATELY, not waiting for the next meeting,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post using a mocking nickname for Powell. 

The comments come ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee’s March 17 meeting, when the Fed’s 12-member rate-setting panel will decide whether to change its key interest rate. That benchmark rate helps determine what consumers and businesses pay to borrow money — including for mortgages, car loans and credit cards.

The meeting also comes as the conflict involving Iran has fueled a run-up in energy prices, adding to inflation pressures the Fed is watching closely — and complicating Trump’s pledge to lower costs for Americans.

GAS PRICES SURGE, PINCHING AMERICANS AND HANDING THE GOP A NEW MIDTERM HEADACHE

Oil and gas prices have surged following the depressed flow of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. (Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

This week, oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 as fallout from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continued to roil global markets and investors priced in the risk of tighter supply. 

With oil higher, gasoline and diesel prices are rising fast.

Trump’s demand, however, runs up against how the Fed typically operates.

Rate changes are typically made at scheduled meetings. Still, the Fed has cut rates between meetings during crises, most recently in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump, who nominated Powell to lead the Fed in 2017, has intensified his public campaign in recent months, calling for rates to fall as low as 1% as part of his push to stimulate growth.

For his part, Powell held off initially on rate cuts as the Fed assessed the economic impact of Trump’s evolving trade agenda. That wait-and-see posture kept the Fed’s benchmark rate at 4.25% to 4.5% for a period. The Fed has since lowered rates, and the target range now stands at 3.50% to 3.75%. But even after rate cuts, Trump has escalated his attacks on Powell and the central bank.

TRUMP VS THE FEDERAL RESERVE: HOW THE CLASH REACHED UNCHARTED TERRITORY

President Donald Trump walks behind Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve during an announcement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. (Olivier Douliery/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Trump’s renewed demands also sharpen the long-running tension between the White House and an institution designed to operate independently, with Fed officials insisting rate decisions will be driven by economic data, not political pressure.

That tension has now expanded beyond monetary policy. Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation tied to Powell’s prior testimony to Congress about cost overruns on the Fed’s headquarters renovation project.

Powell, in a rare video statement, called the probe “unprecedented” and described it as another salvo in what he described as Trump’s pressure campaign on the central bank to cut rates. 

POWELL’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES MOVE AFTER TRUMP’S DOJ OPENED ITS CRIMINAL PROBE

The unusually public response followed days of private consultations with advisors and stood out for a Fed chair known for a measured approach.

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The political stakes are heightened by the timing: Powell’s term as chair ends May 15. 

Trump has nominated former Fed governor Kevin Warsh to succeed him, putting the Fed’s next moves and Powell’s final months under even brighter scrutiny.

A new hotspot has emerged for homebuyers looking to leave California, and it’s outdrawing a larger and more well-known metro area within its state in the process.

Reno is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state of Nevada and has surpassed Las Vegas, the Silver State’s largest city, as a more attractive destination for Californians looking to move, a report by Realtor.com found.

The analysis of housing data by Realtor.com found that in 2025, almost 43% of views of online listings in the Reno area came from users in California metropolitan areas, which the outlet said was the highest share in the history of the data series dating back to 2019.

By contrast, about 25% of views of Las Vegas area listings came from California metros, a decrease from a 2023 peak of 27%.

AMERICA’S 10 MOST EXPENSIVE ZIP CODES REVEALED

Reno has emerged as a popular locale for Californians looking to move, surpassing Las Vegas according to a Realtor.com analysis. (iStock)

“The data suggests that Reno has long been popular with California home shoppers, and its popularity is continuing to grow perhaps due to its relative affordability and lower cost of living,” said Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones.

Jones noted that in 2025, Reno brought in more prospective homebuyers from locations throughout the state of California than shoppers from within the local market, who accounted for just over 30% of listing views.

By contrast, homes listed in Las Vegas had 38% of their views came from within the metro area and surpassed those from shoppers in California by more than 12%.

AMERICAN HOMEBUYERS GAIN MOST PURCHASING POWER SINCE 2022

The Truckee River flows through downtown Reno, Nevada. (Andri Tambunan/AFP via Getty Images)

Reno is known as “the Biggest Little City in the World” and is located near Nevada’s border with California, close to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains as well as metro areas in Northern California. Its climate is relatively mild in comparison to that of Las Vegas, which endures sizzling temperatures in the summer months.

Much like Sin City further south in Nevada, Reno is home to casinos and has a significant gambling industry. However, the region’s economy is diversified and major employers in the Reno metro area include Tesla and Panasonic as well as Caesars Entertainment. 

US HOME PRICES ARE RISING – BUT THESE FAST-GROWING MARKETS REMAIN AFFORDABLE

Reno’s housing market and metro area is significantly smaller than that of Las Vegas. (iStock)

The median home listing price in Reno was $636,800 in February, an increase of over 11% from a year ago, according to the Realtor.com report. Median prices in Las Vegas were lower at $464,950 and were down 1.1% from the prior year amid a 23% increase in inventory.

Experts told Realtor.com that the pricing disparity was largely due to market size, with Reno being much smaller and having a more limited supply of houses. That can translate to larger increases in prices when demand rises.

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Despite the disparity, Bay Area residents looking at Reno will find much cheaper houses than what they’re used to in places like San Francisco, which had a median price of $907,000, as well as San Jose with its $1.35 million median price.

Nevada also lacks a state income tax, which makes it an appealing destination for homebuyers looking to preserve more of their income. It also has become popular among high-earning Californians who could be affected by a proposed wealth tax.