UNOH Alum Matt Diano is Brewing a New Path

Posted on Friday, July 11, 2025

UNOH Alum Matt Diano (front), Managing Partner of Coffee Doctors

Written by contributing columnist, Melanie Barnas-Simmons, UNOH VP, Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations

For UNOH alumnus Matt Diano, the road to entrepreneurship has been anything but ordinary — stretching from the garages of New Jersey to the coffee houses of the Pacific Northwest.

Originally from Cranbury, New Jersey, Diano started working for the NJ Turnpike Authority while a teenager and attended a vocational-technical high school.  He knew early on that he wanted to pursue hands-on, technical work. But he also wanted that full college experience.

"I chose UNOH because I wanted to get an actual degree rather than just a certificate," he explains. In 2011, he graduated with a degree in Automotive and High Performance Motorsports Technology.

After returning home, it didn’t take long for Diano to set his sights on the dealership world, first landing a job at a Chevy dealership, and eventually moving to a BMW dealership, where he advanced from maintenance roles to become a Service Advisor and Intake Manager.

"I loved working on cars, but I started to wonder if it was something I wanted to do as my profession long term," Diano recalls. While working for the BMW dealership full-time, Diano was also working mornings at Starbucks and dreaming of moving west for a fresh start.

That opportunity came in 2017, when Diano spotted an opening at the flagship Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle. He applied, was hired, and packed up to move cross-country. The shift marked a turning point in both geography and career focus.

While working at Starbucks, Diano progressed through management and ultimately transitioned to the service side of the coffee industry with Vixxo — the company responsible for servicing Starbucks’ coffee equipment nationwide.

"It was the perfect marriage of my two loves: the coffee industry and working on machines," Diano says.

As a field technician and later as a trainer and manager, he traveled the country, teaching other technicians how to repair and maintain sophisticated commercial coffee equipment.

In December 2023, a new opportunity came knocking. Diano was invited to partner in launching a new venture, Coffee Doctors, a company focused on servicing coffee machines for clients beyond Starbucks. Now a Managing Partner, Diano and his team of six technicians serve clients across Washington and California, with more growth on the horizon.

"One of my dreams now is to create an academy to train students in everything I’ve learned about servicing these machines," he shares. "I love teaching and working in the skilled trades — that’s where I feel the most fulfilled."

From automotive shops to coffee shops, Diano’s journey highlights the power of adaptability, entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and hands-on skills — values he first honed at UNOH.

Category: Campus & Community

Keywords: Alumni