The Green Monkey

Bios

• Rusty Sutton

  Founder & Co-Owner

  I have been building the concept of The Green Monkey for many years. I am very passionate about building a gift shop and neighborhood bar into a place that welcomes all people. I love meeting and interacting with all the MonkeyFans (This is what we call our customers) helping them pick out the perfect birthday or holiday gift or them soon to be favorite new beer! I you leave a little happier than you came. I’m proud to be one of the founding members of the Annual OUTRaleigh festival held every year on the first Saturday of May in downtown Raleigh. I enjoy working side by side with Drew, my life-partner of 30 years. (Yeah, he still hasn’t married me yet!!) Drew is always there to get me through those rough days of growing and owning a small business. I hope to retire to the Outer Banks of NC with Drew in the future.

• Drew Temple

  Co-Owner

  It wasn’t too long ago that I was working a full-time job and part-time at nights and weekends at The Green Monkey. (Somebody had to pay the bills while we got this thing off the ground, right?) In December 2018, we took a leap of faith, and I took my position as co-owner. Now, Rusty and I run the day to day operations of The Green Monkey together. We have always been supporters of the LGBTQ community and reside in Clayton NC. I hope to retire to the Outer Banks of NC with Rusty in the future.

• Laura Jane Ward

  Gift & Beer Consultant

  Hey y’all, I’m Laura Jane! I’ve been part of the Monkey Tribe for almost 2 years. When I’m not working at the Green Monkey you can find me on a random adventure with my friends, watching reruns of The Golden Girls, desperately trying to be a better plant owner and curate my succulent collection, searching for the perfect shade of lipstick, hanging out with my kitty Sophia Petrillo, or cooking with my boyfriend (a.k.a. talking and watching him cook). My favorite types of beer are IPAs, pale ales, sours, and gose. My favorite types of wine are Pinot Noir, red blends, Malbec, and well...anything red now that I think of it! A few of my favorite product lines include Dena Morris cards, Tiramisu, and Kitras.

• Ron Leedy

  Gift & Beer Consultant

  I have been a Monkey Fan from the days when the GM was open on Mondays until 7pm and I would stop in on my way home from work and hang out for about an hour before Rusty would close up. I moved to Raleigh from Michigan, 27 years ago to prepare for those Monday visits. I have watched the Monkey evolve into what it is today and while I miss the quiet times when I could just hang out and take advantage of the free WiFi, I do enjoy seeing the pleasure on Rusty and Drew’s face as they experience the continued success of the GM. My bio is probably simple as I am one of 5 kids and a twin to a very sweet “ older” sister. ( 13.5 minutes older ) Since she has all the sweetness this will now explain my grumpy personality. Now for those few and those are very few, that get to know me better, that grumpiness fades. My ideal day consists of golfing and binge-watching on Netflix or Hulu while ordering a Pizza. I am not a beer or wine drinker but I am enjoying learning more about both through the GM. I am a lover of horses, cruises, bowling, movies, walks on the beach and trips to Michigan to see my family(yes even in the snow) and I value the friendships I keep close to my heart. That is all.