CWU Alumna Brings Sweet Treats to Local and Wildcat Communities

If you attended the alumni association football tailgates last season, you may have stopped by ‘The Gettin’ Place’ to get shave ice, or on the colder days, hot cocoa and apple cider.

The owner of the mobile shave ice truck, Tiffney Jacobson, enjoys having fun with her new business and spreading happiness through the community, but her path to get there wasn’t always easy.

Moving to Washington in 2006 with her 3-year-old son and a baby on the way, Jacobson found herself realizing that she wanted to set her focus on creating a great life for her family.

When her youngest son began Head Start, a program that supports children's growth through services that support early learning and development, health, and family well-being, it sparked something in Jacobson.

“I decided it was time for me to do something with my life,” she said. “I wanted my boys to see anything is possible if you want it bad enough, put in the effort, and hard work to get there.”

Jacobson decided to attend college at Central Washington University where she graduated in 2014 with her degree in business administration with a specialization in supply chain management and organizational management.

“I'm positive that my time at Central has helped with almost every aspect of opening a business,” said Jacobson. “Everything from knowing what key performance indicators to keep track of so we can reach our goals to the metrics and tools needed to figure out the value of my business, plus everything between, including networking, understanding revenue growth, and calculating profit/loss margins.”

Also working full time at a pharmacy, Jacobson started The Gettin’ Place as a side gig last year to serve the community and make extra money to support her family.

Jacobson enjoys selling shave ice and warm beverages throughout the county and says that seeing the excitement of kids and adults when she shows up brings her much joy. Last year she even had the chance to bring that excitement to our alumni and Wildcat fans at our football pregame tailgates.

“Being invited to the tailgate was an amazing opportunity for growth and learning for me personally and professionally,” said Jacobson. “I'm super grateful we were able to be a part of the tailgate and hope to do it again next year!”

When asked what advice she would give to the Wildcat family, Jacobson said, “Never limit yourself because of the fear of failure or the unknown. Take things one step and one day at a time and deal with the problems as they arise. Eventually everything works out in the end.”

As we begin to enjoy the warmer days that spring has in store for us, make sure to keep an eye out in Kittitas County for The Getting’ Place and stop in to get a delicious made-to-order treat. Follow them on Facebook(link is external) to see where they are planning on being or book them for your next party or event!