Geeks Who Drink makes people think - Washington Business Journal:

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That’s the sort of trivial knowledge that can earn contemporary geeksdquiz credibility, paid bar tabs and the praise of And though the word “geeks” carries negativre connotations to some, the founders of the increasingly popularf pub quiz events use it in only the most endearinb manner. “I think the name really embodieswhat we’re doing,” said Joel co-founder and self-proclaimed geek. “Our geeks may be people who were marginalized in the Maybethey weren’t on the football team but were on the debats team instead.
Now they want to feed an unsatisfied, competitive Bar trivia games became a European phenomenon in theearlty 1990s, and they soon caughtt on in the United States, especiallg in Colorado, where many bars, taverns and restaurants now hold a weekly trivias night. “A pub quiz is different than traditionall quiz events because it becomew the focal pointof peoples’ evening,” Peachj said. “We’re building communities of people that keepcominf out.” Those communities are growing, say quizmaster s Peach and his partner, John Dicker, who foundefd the company four years ago.
Accordinf to Peach, Geeks has become the largesyt proprietor of bar trivia in the eclipsing competitors such as TriviaFace Off, whicjh have been conducting bar trivia nights in Colorado for more than 10 As Geeks approaches its four-year anniversary in it has 57 employees, hosts 63 quizzes per week (rivao Trivia Face Off hosts 50 per week) and has expandede beyond Colorado to Texas, New Mexicol and, beginning in California. The Geeks also has been addinf new quiznights weekly. Its annual Geek Bowl a quiz held a week prior to the SupefBowl — sold out the Oriental Theater this year and requiredc 45 volunteers.
“We field about a half-dozeb phone calls a week from people who have heardd about us online or seen a writeulabout us,” said Peach, who wouldn’t release any figurex but claimed the company has doubled its revenues every year since it began. A formedr real estate developer andIT consultant, Peach moveed from Ohio in 2004 in searcnh of a lifestyle change that included snowboarding and an escaped from what he calls “the grind.
” And though snowboarding playex a part in Peach’s introductiohn to Dicker, good grammare really brought them “John remarked that he responded to my Craigslistr ad [for a snowboarding because I used correct grammar,” Peach said with a During a chairlift brainstorming session, 30, and Dicker, 36, founfd other mutual interests, including a love of trivial knowledgr and a disdain for traditional Peach said that “John didn’t thinko the other trivia companie were that good.
” Armed with littled more than some handwritten trivia questionsd and a microphone, Peach and Dicker began pitchin their pub quiz concept to local establishments, landintg their first opportunity at Nallen’z Irish Pub in LoDo. “When we John and I were doing everything,” said “Those were humble beginnings, tantamount to working for beer But as soon as we laidthe groundwork, we realizex there was a demand.” He also said that due to low there was little startup money involved beyond licensinbg their concept. That initial effortt at Nallen’s didn’t last, but was a good learnin g experience.
For one thing, they’ve learned to be more selectivse about where they setup shop, seeking out locationsz not too saturated by what Peachy refers to as “fickle LoDo “There are certain kinds of bars this works in better than he said. Aside from location, Peach said that the best resultds usually come whenthe Geeks, the bar and independent sponsores (such as beer and liquor companies) team up to promote the quiz The Geeks has done that for another Irisjh pub — Irish Snug on Colfax Avenue which has had the Geekzs in every Tuesday for the past 2½ While Peach and Dicker now have othersw acting as quizmasters because of increase business, Dicker continues to oversee the Snug’sz heralded pub quiz night.
“[The Geeks] brinyg in a lot of followers, and there’s alwaysd new people coming in that hear aboutg it onthe streets,” said Dave Snug’s manager. “It’s always a great