Kristopher Pockell, 38, is a software engineering manager at Liberty Lake-based OpenEye by day and the co-founder of Spokane Valley-based hot sauce company Elixir Sauce Co. by night.

At Elixir, Pockell manages business operations, including production, maintenance, front office, and information technology. He has played a key part in cultivating what began as a fun concept into a growing brand across the Inland Northwest, leading efforts across product development, manufacturing, compliance, wholesale sales, marketing, and customer relationships. Elixir's products are sold online and at retailers, restaurants, and farmers markets.

He is an appointed member of the Spokane Valley Planning Commission, mentors youth, and has run as an independent for local office.

Pockell grew up in Spokane Valley after his family moved from Southern California in 1989. The youngest of five kids, he was raised by his mother, a stay-at-home mom, and his father, who worked in plastics manufacturing before later quitting to open a saltwater fish store. Pockell worked at the store alongside his parents throughout high school and credits his hands-on experience as an inspiration for his future entrepreneurship. 

How did Elixir Sauce Co. evolve from an idea to a growing regional brand? We started the hot sauce company about five years ago in June and we've been growing every year. There's four of us: my wife Rebekah and I, and my business partner Zak and his wife, Ashley (Steele), who started the company out of a commercial kitchen on Pines.

We outgrew our prep kitchen a couple years ago. There were times where we would be sold out of sauce and we couldn't get time in the kitchen, even overnight, which was rough, but it was such a good deal financially. We waited as long as we possibly could. Then last September, we got our own production facility that we built out off of Mansfield and Pines in the Valley. 

We hired our first employee two years ago, my brother John (Zagajeski), who was in the beer industry forever. He worked at King Beverage when he was in high school and ended up getting into sales. We're super lucky to have him and he does an excellent job. 

We're sold in a bunch of places around town now. In the last month, we just got in our first two grocery stores: Midway Market and we'll be in My Fresh Basket any day now.

How do you balance your dual roles? There's a surprising amount of overlap in a bunch of different ways. I'm a people manager at my day job. I do that because I really like the mentorship aspect and being able to mentor engineers who are just starting out in their careers. 

As a software person, anytime I have a problem that is annoying, I always think of how I can fix it with software. We have created a bunch of our own tools and programs over the years to help us (at Elixir). For example, we built a sales dashboard that tracks where we're at this year compared to last year and where we're at this month compared to last year's month. We've also made software that helps with inventory tracking and production runs.

In the software world, we have to do a bunch of stuff for compliance to maintain all of our certifications. In the hot sauce world, we do the exact same thing. Acidified food is one of the most regulated food industries. We're registered with the (Food and Drug Administration) and we're overseen by the (Washington State Department of Agriculture).

You serve on the Spokane Valley Planning Commission and have run for office. What motivated your civic service? Typically, there's too few people showing up to city council meetings. I think local government affects your life more than state or federal government, especially on a day-to-day basis. 

There was an election that was going to happen for state representative for the 4th District and Suzanne Schmidt held that seat and was running unopposed. I had been telling my friends that just feels un-American to not give people a choice and that someone should run against her. My friends agreed and said, "That somebody should be you."

I did a ridiculous amount of door knocking and thought that I would absolutely hate it. But, it was positive. I didn't have any negative interactions with anybody, but I did get bit by a dog one time.

Why is mentorship a priority for you? I'm always looking for opportunities to help the next generation. My wife and I don't have kids and we don't plan on having kids, but the next generation is all we've got. It's important to give them the best education and the most help we can. It could be the difference between them being successful and them struggling in life. 

It costs you nothing but time to mentor or give advice and we should be doing that as much as possible.

What keeps you loyal to Spokane Valley and its business community? We've got good people here and there are good business owners here. There are so many other small businesses here that are willing to help each other out, even people who ostensibly are competition. 

Take Casey Booey, (of Booey's Gourmet sauce company), who is the nicest guy. When we were first starting out, he offered to help sourcing bottles. He was willing to go the extra mile and we want to give that same experience to other people.

Spokane, generally, is a good place for that. It seems like a lot of people here understand that it's better for everybody if we all work together.

We also buy a lot of peppers locally. We're getting peppers from Vets on the Farm and Neilson Family Farm. We're trying to stay as local as possible to help those other places around here.

Where do you see your professional and community influence in the next decade? I see my professional and community influence growing through leadership, entrepreneurship, and service. Professionally, I hope to continue growing Elixir Sauce Co. into a larger regional brand that supports local jobs, local retailers, and the broader Spokane-area business community. 

I want to continue contributing to Spokane Valley’s long-term future through civic service and practical problem-solving. My involvement with the Planning Commission has deepened my interest in responsible growth, housing, infrastructure, and economic development, and I hope to be part of shaping those conversations in a thoughtful way.

Most of all, I want my influence to come from building meaningful things, like successful businesses, trusted relationships, and a community where people and small businesses have room to grow.