Matt Tolbert prepares barbecue at local events including at Leander ISD booster club fundraiser events.[/caption]
Writing checks to support student groups at Rouse High School might be easier, but Leander resident Matt Tolbert says cooking barbecue for crowds at fundraising events is more fun.
Tolbert said he has been donating to youth groups and athletics programs, as well as cooking at barbecue events and competitions as a hobby, for many years. When his sons, Toby and Thomas, became involved in the wrestling and football programs at RHS, he cooked up the idea to combine his philanthropic and culinary efforts. Although Tolbert does most of the cooking himself—sometimes smoking brisket throughout the night prior to an event—the student athletes are expected to take and prepare orders, work as cashiers, serve the customers, and handle the sales and marketing, he said.
“The good thing about [these events] for me as a business owner is instead of just writing the booster club a check, this way the athletes [are] working for it in a sense,” Tolbert said.
Tolbert is the founder and president of Global Electric Services, an industrial electrical contractor based in Austin.
His company, now in its 25th year, works mostly with developers and builders of commercial buildings, such as The Austonian in Austin, he said.
One of Tolbert’s favorite local events is the Leander Liberty Fest on July 4, at which he has been a vendor along with the RHS’ wrestling booster club parents and students for the past four years. Working under a temporary food permit from Williamson County, the group earned about $3,000 selling barbecue at this year’s event.
“It’s really fun to watch. ... There’s always a few [athletes] that just step up,” Tolbert said. “Instead of just playing football or wrestling, they really get the mentality of working together.”
A key ingredient to Tolbert’s food service operation is his 27-foot-long covered barbecue trailer, which includes a 15-foot-long barbecue pit, a flat-iron grill and a gas grill that can accommodate 100 hamburgers at once.
At the annual LISD Spirit Day hosted by the Leander Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center in July, Tolbert took the trailer along with the football booster club and players to serve brisket, sausage and ribs as a fundraiser.
“[The food] was wonderful, and the attendees at the lunch loved it,” Leander chamber president Bridget Brandt said. “The chamber is an active supporter of LISD and its student organizations. When Matt approached us with an opportunity to further expand the reach of this day, it was a perfect match.”
Brad Bresnehen, a wrestling team assistant coach, football defensive line coach and biology teacher at RHS, said the students have learned about developing a work ethic from watching Tolbert.
“Matt never stops working,” Bresnehen said. “Not only is he usually the brains behind the operation that we’re pulling, he’s also the labor. He’s a great example for the 14-[and]15-year-old kids that don’t know how to work yet.”
Tolbert got his start as an electrician through an industrial trades program when he was a student at Anderson High School in Austin. The program allowed students to go to classes in the mornings and work in their trade the rest of the day.
Last year, when the wrestling team needed to purchase $8,000 worth of wall pads for the mat room, Bresnehen said Tolbert was very influential in raising the needed funds.
“Matt really, truly has a heart to serve,” Bresnehen said. “If you’re willing to put a little work in, he’s going to bend over backwards to help you, especially [for the] kids.”
