An Off the Rails Roundup
Sometimes, the things that stir the most debate aren’t sweeping policy changes, but whether or not you have to pay a dollar to park near Brassica.
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Category: Business
Leadership Columbus
Leadership is more than just a title—it’s about influence, impact, and the ability to drive meaningful change. In this week’s episode, I sat down with Kate Bauer, the new Executive Director of Leadership Columbus, to discuss the launch of this year’s Signature Program and the vision for the future of leadership in our city.
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Crafting Curiosity with Holden Ellis
Holden Ellis, a creative studio in Columbus, just celebrated its 10-year anniversary—a milestone that founder and CEO Josh Fitzwater describes as a testament to resilience, creativity, and teamwork. I sat down with Fitzwater to discuss the journey of Holden Ellis, from its humble beginnings to becoming a sought-after agency specializing in healthcare branding and digital experiences. Building a business from the ground up taught him lessons about prioritizing his team, navigating cash flow challenges, and staying true to the agency’s mission of “making people curious.” In our conversation, he shared insights on the evolving role of creativity in healthcare and why staying small and nimble remains central to his vision.
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Summer News Roundup
We are diving into the most read stories shaping the landscape of the city. These are the top stories that have captured the attention of our community—not necessarily the most important or significant, but the ones that people just couldn’t stop reading.
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Donatos CEO Tom Krouse
Every piece is important. For Tom Krouse, the outgoing CEO of Donatos Pizza, this tagline is more than just a catchphrase. With his departure this fall, we sat down to discuss his journey at Donatos. We’ll explore the key strategies behind their expansion, including the decision to focus on franchising and the early adoption of online ordering technology.
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Doodles & Digits
Passions can take you on different paths. That’s true for Carolyn Farkas who transformed her passion for teaching into a successful series on PBS. We sat down to discuss her journey, the future of education, the need for engaging and relevant learning experiences, and the importance of better communication and collaboration between parents, teachers, and the community as a whole.
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Ghost Kitchens and Virtual Brands
Ordering food on a delivery app? You may not know precisely where your dinner came from.
Columbus Underground Associate Editor Susan Post went down the rabbit hole of ghost kitchens and virtual brands in the restaurant industry.
In today’s episode, we explore the burgeoning scene of ghost kitchens in Columbus, unraveling their advantages, and the complex challenges they bring to the table.
But it’s not all about convenience. We’ll discuss the transparency issues these virtual brands pose, how they can be misleading to customers, and the implications for food origin disclosure.
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Columbus Downtown Development Corporation
Downtown Columbus has continued to evolve over the last 20 years. That evolution has been more prescriptive than some might know. The Columbus Downtown Development Corporation was created in 2002 to implement the city’s strategic plan for Downtown and it has continued to iterate on the policies and projects that allow the neighborhood to reach its potential. On the occasion of its next strategic plan initiative, the organization’s president, Amy Taylor, discusses the organization’s history, tactics, and why they are pivoting to focus more on people.
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Eastland Mall
Eastland Mall, once a thriving hub of retail activity in Columbus, has closed its doors for good. Historian Doug Motz takes a look back at the history of the mall and examines its impact on the local community, the retail industry, and the city as a whole. We also discuss the political fights that have always followed developments in Columbus and the need to look at the plan for the neighborhood now that Eastland is gone.
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The Columbus Beer Scene
Sours, IPAs, and stouts, oh my! Dan Whalen, a reporter for Columbus Underground, has quickly become well-versed in the local brewery and beer scene, despite only living in Columbus for two years. We talked about the high quality, diverse selection, and unpretentious atmosphere of the beer scene in Columbus, as well as ways for people to expand their taste preferences and the current trends in the city.
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Alternative Transit
How should eScooters, ride-hailing apps, and car-share services be considered in the conversation about alternative transportation? Can we think of them as a public good when they are for-profit entities? This week, Columbus Underground reporter Brent Warren discusses the options for last-mile transit that exist in Columbus, how they came to be, and the motivations and incentives for the companies that get us from point A to point B.
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Homeport
54,000 households in Central Ohio pay 50% of their income for housing. Homeport, along with other Columbus-based organizations, are working to fix that. This week, Homeport President and CEO Bruce Luecke discusses their work, the growing need for affordable housing in Columbus, and the contributing factors that hamper Columbus’s housing market.
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