WHO: Grant Schultz, 33
WHAT: Assistant Lead Pastor, Valleybrook Church
LIVES: Eau Claire
IN THE CITY FOR: 12 years

Grant is a local pastor and lifelong area kid who attended Pedersen Elementary, Liberty Christian School, Elk Mound High, UW-River Falls, and UWEC. He has the unique joy of being equal parts Railroader, Eagle, Mounder, Falcon, and Blugold. Eau Claire has been his lifelong social/cultural hub: it all started with London Square Mall and Prange Way, moved through the local band scene during and after college, and has landed currently in the husband/dad/pastor arena. Check out his weekly gig in the old Hollywood Theater sometime. It’s pretty sweet.

What place in town considers you a “regular?” Not sure. One of my most regular stops is the Starbucks drive-thru on Hastings Way. Love the people there. What’s up, Nate, Josh, and Cheever? Other than that, I stop in for a delicious Americano at Acoustic Cafe downtown on a pretty regular basis.

What’s your favorite local festival? The International Fall Festival is always super fun. Where else can you buy a $7 gyro? JK. The kids love it and it’s fun for the whole family to wander around and look at stuff, even if we don’t buy anything.  

"... now I’m a pastor at Valleybrook Church. Most obscure job? Not sure. Maybe the giant knife thing."

On your death bed, you get one meal from a local restaurant, what would it be? If I was dying, but could still eat, I would request the Red Curry with shrimp from Pad Thai. A couple years ago, I was a Bourdain-inspired, curry-trying newbie, and now I’m totally hooked. Extra spicy, please. I’m gonna make it count. Water Street or Downtown? I’m definitely a Downtown guy. No offense, Water Street. My office is downtown, and I’m there pretty much every day. I guess I’m just a spatially loyal guy.  

What book, TV show, or movie would you recommend to the members of our city council? I’d recommend the book Leading With a Limp by Dan Allender. Not one of us is perfect, which makes us even better leaders.

What book are you currently reading? It’s a C.S. Lewis classic: Mere Christianity. What sort of economic development would you like to see in our area? It would be awesome to see some continued redevelopment that would generate more foot traffic to the Barstow and Graham area of downtown. There’s a bunch of great local businesses downtown, and looking out my office window onto Barstow, I really wish I’d see more people milling around, discovering how cool our downtown area is.

Who would win in a fight and why: The Z-100 Z-Cat or the B-95 Bee? I don’t know much about any local radio stations, but I learned from the movie Jerry Maguire that bees can smell fear, which I assume means they could even smell a cat’s fear. Something tells me this Z-Cat is afraid of bees, so the fight is over before it even starts.

What’s the most obscure job you’ve held locally? Well, here’s my local job rundown: I used a giant knife to shear Christmas trees at Pleasant Valley Tree Farm, was a paint boy at Menards, slung videos at the now nonexistent Video Plus, was inventory manager at Borders for a while, planned seminars at NBI, worked as Communications Specialist at the Wisconsin Farmers Union for a couple years, and now I’m a pastor at Valleybrook Church. Most obscure? Not sure. Maybe the giant knife thing.