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OUR STORY
On a quiet Friday evening in a dim, smoke-filled room, Dr. Ordovich and Justin Slusher poured wine generously into their glasses, smoking cigars while preparing to dissect a fresh brain specimen. Justin, acting as anatomist's assistant, began prepping the dissection table when suddenly, they were interrupted by a thundering shake. Picture frames fell off the walls. Their wine glasses nearly tipped. Then a strange, static, and near deafening swirling sound preceded the appearance of a large, metallic phantom.
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"A phantom!" shouted Justin, stepping back in fright. Though he was wrong. "No sir," exclaimed Ordovich, "You are wrong." As a large, shimmering door slowly opens, Ordovich whispers "It's a...time machine."
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A man stumbles out, evidently under the influence of some drink or spirit. He mumbles a few words in French. Looks up through the mist. "Ah!" he exclaims, running over towards the two men and their dissection table.
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"Who the hell are you?" Ordovich inquires.
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"I am Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, you fool!" As he looks over at their dissection table, he grabs a full wine glass, sniffs it, grimaces and shouts, "Rubbish!" throwing the glass across the room. He then swipes the brain off the table shouting, "Useless!" He then pulls a note from his coat's inside pocket and places it on the table. He says, in a near whisper, "This is what you need, gentlemen. It's what inspired me to create this very machine, and so much more." He then laughs, turns back towards his machine shouting, "Cheers, gentlemen! Use my invention wisely!" And in moments, they were alone again.
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The two men, bewildered, stared at the paper. It wasn't a time-machine diagram, but a simple recipe using alcohol and botannicals. At the top of the page, it was titled "Are You Absinthe Minded?"
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Randall D. Ordovich Clarkson, MD
CO-FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SALES, MARKETING, & FINANCE
After graduating from ASU with Magna Cum Laude honors in Biology, Ordovich moved to Portland, OR in 2009 where he worked in the field of musical entertainment. This is the time he was first introduced to Absinthe and immediately fell in love. In 2011, he attended Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, an island located in the West Indies. During his holidays, he would travel throughout the French West Indian islands and took a trip to Paris where he experienced a large variety of French absinthe brands in addition to pastis, an anise-based absinthe substitute. Ordovich graduated from Ross University obtaining his MD in 2016. With a love for the art of craft alcohol, Ordovich decided to establish Arizona’s first absinthe brand in lieu of pursuing traditional medical practice. In 2017, Ordovich proposed this idea with childhood friend, Justin Slusher, and both decided to team up in this entrepreneurial pursuit. Today, Ordovich runs Absinthe Minded as CMO and teaches at Grand Canyon University as a professor of biological sciences.
JUSTIN SLUSHER
CO-FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION
Since a young age, Justin has utilized innovation and creativity in pursuing unique passions and career paths. At the age of 13, Justin entered the world of entrepreneurship selling used golf balls at the local golf coarse. This was just the beginning. Justin worked to survive since 15 years of age and acknowledged the need to create a sense of financial stability early on. He worked in several industries, from managing a coffee shop to working construction and even attended college. It wasn’t until meeting his wife when he finally had the motivation needed to carry his career to the next level. His wife was, at the time, selling books online and Justin fell in love with the world of e-commerce. This is when he took the leap to start his own online business. Now, nearly a decade later, he owns his own home where he lives with his wife and 2 children, all of which he provides for through online resale. Justin’s business evolved in many ways, including the types of items featured in his business catelogue, and thus, he learned to adapt to an ever-evolving market. In the summer of 2017, Justin partnered with Ordovich, his child-hood friend, in launching Absinthe Minded where he will utilize the self-developed entrepreneurial skills needed to succeed in a highly competitive market.