Food Trucks: Not Just A Seasonal Business
As the summer sizzle begins to cool off, restaurateurs look for ways to welcome the coming cold months by incorporating the winter season into their business model. Perhaps they will begin to offer...
View ArticleBlu Olive “Pops-Up” at Hey Hey Bar & Grill
The pop-up restaurant concept is nothing new to Columbus. You may have paid a visit to Little Eater’s pop-up at The Hills Market Downtown this past fall. Chances are you have heard about Hot Chicken...
View ArticleECDI Playing Big Role in Columbus’ Vibrant Startup Scene
We already knew that Columbus has just been named the “Most Intelligent Community in the World.” Now, we find out that another national ranking has rated us most improved as a community for startups....
View ArticleECDI Makes Its Mark On The North Market
Not much in this world sells itself. Like cat videos, bacon and Buckeye football, the North Market is a ubiquitous staple of downtown Columbus that needs no marketing team to assert its presence. A...
View ArticleECDI’s Minor Home Repair Program: Helping Those Who Help Others
When it comes to economic development, there is, as they say, more than one way to skin a rabbit. ECDI’s Minor Home Repair Program, funded by the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the State of...
View ArticleChanging the Landscape of Healthy Eating
“That’s my thing,” Jennifer Cuevas tells me, “I like to make meals and invite friends over and then at the end tell them it was gluten, grain and soy free.” Cuevas, owner and operator of The Gluten...
View ArticleStartup Week Comes Back to Columbus May 2
Columbus is ready to welcome back “Columbus Startup Week,” the annual event sponsored by Chase, celebrating entrepreneurial cities across the country. Beginning Monday, May 2, five days of programming...
View ArticleWooden Shoe Coffee Launches Mobile Trailer
It’s safe to say Columbus can’t get enough coffee, and a new coffee trailer is further caffeinating the masses with a bit of Dutch flair. Launched in mid-May by Derek van der Sluijs, Wooden Shoe Coffee...
View ArticleThe Enterprising Engineer
When Joyce Johnson left her job to take care of her first child in 1984, her employer convinced her to return and work from home. Taking full advantage of the situation, and using her electrical...
View ArticleCenter for Social Enterprise Development Celebrates Year Two
On August 2, 2016, the Center for Social Enterprise Development (CSED), joined by social entrepreneurs, funders and community partners, came together for its second annual Positioned to Prosper event...
View ArticleNews Roundup: ECDI Impact Report, SEA Change Festival, Rev1 Demo Day &...
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the small business community. From measuring impact, to honoring business owners, to upcoming events highlighting the variety of businesses thriving in the...
View ArticleECDI Launching B2B Directory
Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Connected. ECDI’s soon-to-be launched Business-to-Business (B2B) Directory is the largest directory of small business owners from across the state of Ohio. The directory, which...
View ArticleTop Chef Judge Tom Colicchio Provides Advice to Central Ohio’s Food-based...
It’s not every day that one of the most recognizable chefs in the world comes to Columbus. Tom Colicchio, producer and judge on Bravo’s hit TV show, Top Chef, was in Columbus this week to present the...
View ArticleECDI Breaking Barriers for Small Business Contractors to Secure Large-Scale...
With all the recent development enhancing Central Ohio it would seem that there should be ample commercial construction project bids up for grabs for both general contractors and smaller...
View ArticleWomen’s Entrepreneurship Panel Talks Grit & Grind of Starting a Business
A group of women business owners recently gathered at the Women’s Business Center of Ohio to discuss the grit and grind that goes into building a business. Councilmember Liz Brown and the WBC organized...
View Article#MyECDI Tells Stories Unique to Central Ohio’s Entrepreneurs
Since 2004, ECDI has assisted Ohio’s entrepreneurs in a myriad of ways. From providing capital to entrepreneurs looking to expand their businesses, to working with refugee clients to better understand...
View ArticleYear in Review: July – December
As we (many of us gladly) bid farewell to 2016, The Metropreneur provides a rundown of what’s been happening in the small business community over the latter half of the year. Tiny homes, grooming and...
View ArticleColumbus Aims to Reduce Poverty Through Targeted Neighborhood Development Plans
“Neighborhoods! Neighborhoods! Neighborhoods!” Mayor Andrew Ginther has made neighborhood revitalization a top priority for his administration since he took office over a year ago. A quick glance at...
View ArticleOff The Beaten Path Coffee: A Food Fort Success
Steve Johnson is not your typical “foodie-preneur.” Initially a farmer by trade, Johnson’s entrepreneurial fire wasn’t sparked until a tornado took his crops alongside half of his agriculture...
View ArticleECDI Celebrates The Work Of Departed Colleague James Grills
On May 6, 2017, the ECDI family had to say a tough goodbye to beloved colleague James Grills, who lost his battle with cancer. One of ECDI’s most admired employees, Grills brought an infectious energy...
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