SOTS: PATRICK DEMPSEY ON BUYING COFFEE CHAIN (SOTS 1:16)

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Courtesy CNN/ "Erin Burnett OutFront"

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Patrick Dempsey being interviewed about winning the right to buy Seattle-based Tully's Coffee chain and beating out Starbucks for the acquisition.

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Patrick Dempsey's Global Baristas group is becoming the proud owner of Seattle-based Tully's Coffee chain. The group won at a bankruptcy auction for the chain with a bid of almost 10-million dollars. Dempsey reacts to C-N-N about the good news... and the importance of beating out Starbucks at the auction!

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ERIN BURNETT: WHY DID YOU WANT TO DO THIS? WHY BUY A COFFEE CHAIN?

Dempsey: "Tully's is a beloved brand here. There's such a loyal following between the workers and the customers that it just felt right. And it came together, in many ways, quite easily. It's real exciting to be a part of this movement. It was a brand that needed to be preserved, there were 500 jobs at stake, and it just felt right. And I'm really excited about this. We've had a great day today, going around to all the different stores and meeting the managers and employees and the customers, and you find the passion behind the brand and this company is really quite exciting."

ERIN BURNETT: IT WAS FUNNY, YOU TWEETED OUT LAST NIGHT -- THIS CAUGHT EVERYONE'S ATTENTION -- "WE MET THE GREEN MONSTER, LOOKED HER IN THE EYE, AND SHE BLINKED. WE GOT IT. THANK YOU, SEATTLE." OBVIOUSLY THERE TALKING ABOUT THE MERMAID.

Dempsey: "Yes. I mean, this was a company that wanted to bury this company and to put 500 people out of work. It was an emotional 13 hours in the room to try to get this company and to save these jobs. It was a very long battle."