Our Team.
Johnny Dawbarn
Johnny is an expert when it comes to concept development and creating meaningful customer experiences. After spending almost a lifetime with Hallmark Cards as an Illustrator, Designer, Art Director, Creative Visual Strategist & Lead Innovation Specialist/Incubator in New Business Development, Johnny struck out on his own. In recent years, he’s worked with about 100 of the brands you know, including freelance work with Stumptown Coffee, Shaun White’s Air+Style, Lou & Grey, West Elm, SXSW, Starbucks, and Made in KC. Johnny is the owner of HITIDES Coffee and Collective EX in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, which serves as Lei Away event headquarters. He is the lead creative designer behind the Lei Away brand, including the logo, merch, and the exclusive event mug.
Bryan Azorsky
Bryan is an inventor, entrepreneur, and maker of physical and digital products. He’s been developing and designing consumer products for the last 27 years and was awarded his first US Patent in 2018. In 2016, Bryan created the Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club, a monthly subscription club that features a new t-shirt design every month, based on original reference art from a long lost tiki bar. Bryan is bringing his experience working on the Paris of the Plains Cocktail Festival for several years and his spirit and bartender relationships from his days in the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG) to the Lei Away event. @azorsky @tiki_bar_t-shirt_club
Jordan Waterman
Jordan is known in the City of Fountains for his home tiki bar, The Black Flamingo, offering tropical escapism and great conversations on the local history of Kansas City tiki, both old and new. Only being immersed in escapism for about five years, Jordan hit the ground running and hasn't looked back. He currently does pop-ups around the city, both private and public, with his wife, Morgan. He is always looking to add more tiki mugs, aloha shirts, and rum to his collection. Jordan is happy to work alongside his friends to bring something special to Kansas City - tropical escapism in a land-locked town! @the_black_flamingo_nkc
Heather Getz
Heather brings many years of event management and marketing experience to the Lei Away table, including large, in-person conferences, online conferences, community events, and live music for a local wine bar. Her love of all things tiki and tropical began longer ago than she'd care to say, but she was introduced to exotica music over two decades ago, and the rest is history. Her home is affectionately referred to as Heather's Hukilau Hideaway and her home WiFi network is named AlohaHiFiAndWiFi, but don't even try to guess the password. Heather is thrilled and honored to be part of the team bringing you Lei Away for the first time and she can't wait to see you there!
