TALK CINCY, THE PROGRAM IS CALLED MORTAR. WE'LL SHOW YOU THE GRAND OPENING OF ITS NEW FACILITY AND TALK ABOUT HOW THIS CREATIVE VENTURE IS CHANGING THE WAY A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DOING BUSINESS IN CINCINNATI. FROM 바카라게임. THIS IS THE EMMY AWARD WINNING SHOW. LET'S TALK CINCY PRESENTED BY WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP. PUT OUR FINANCIAL STRENGTH BEHIND YOU. HELLO EVERYONE, I'M COURTIS FULLER AND WELCOME TO LET'S TALK CINCY. TODAY WE WILL TALK ABOUT AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS HELPED BRING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DREAMS OF A LOT OF FOLKS INTO REALITY. MORTAR CINCINNATI HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR ABOUT THE PAST DECADE, AND NOT LONG AGO, THE UNVEILING OF NEW HEADQUARTERS OVER IN WALNUT HILLS REALLY TAKING MORTAR TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. WITH ME NOW IS THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF MORTAR, ALAN WOODS, AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU AS WELL. YOU KNOW, WHEN I SAY TAKING IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, IS IT REALLY HAS. BUT LET'S GO BACK FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MORTAR, BUT TALK ABOUT ITS GENESIS AND AND HOW IT'S DEVELOPED. YEAH. SO 2014, WHICH FEELS SO LONG AGO AT THIS POINT. THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED. SO WE STARTED IN OVER-THE-RHINE WITH THIS VISION OF REALLY HELPING ENTREPRENEURS WHO LIVED IN THE AREA BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF THAT KIND OF RENAISSANCE THAT WAS TAKING PLACE IN THE AREA. AND WE DIDN'T WANT THE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN THE ORIGINAL RESIDENTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO BE LEFT OUT OF THAT. SO WE WERE LOOKING AT A PRIMARILY BLACK AUDIENCE OF ENTREPRENEURS WHO HAVE THESE BRILLIANT IDEAS, AND WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOME AUNT OR GRANDMOTHER IN THESE APARTMENTS WHO COULD OUT COOK EVERY RESTAURANT OVER THE RHINE. AND WE WANTED TO SEE HOW WE COULD ASSIST THEM IN THEIR PROCESS OF STARTING A BUSINESS. SO WHERE DID THIS IDEA OF MORTAR EVEN BEGIN? I MEAN, YOU'RE WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE ONE DAY AND YOU SAY, HEY, I WANT TO DO THIS. YEAH, IT WAS REALLY JUST KIND OF WALKING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU KNOW, I HAD AT THAT TIME OUR TWO, MY TWO OTHER CO-FOUNDERS, DEREK BRAZILE AND WILLIAM THOMAS, WERE REALLY THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE COULD PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER TO SEE HOW WE COULD BE A PART OF THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM. AND WE REALLY WANTED TO SEE WHAT WAS MISSING. AND A LOT OF IT WAS THIS LACK OF FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THE MOM AND POP SHOPS THAT WERE IN THAT AREA. THERE ARE A LOT OF INCUBATORS WHO FOCUS ON TECH, OR FOCUS ON BUSINESSES THAT HAVE ALREADY MADE $1 MILLION, BUT THERE WEREN'T A LOT THAT WERE FOCUSED ON THE ONES THAT WERE JUST STARTING OR TRYING TO SCALE OR GET TO THAT POINT WHERE THEY WOULD BE IN POSITION TO MAKE THE MILLION DOLLARS. SO THAT WAS REALLY THE GENESIS OF THAT. AND PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW YOU'RE NOT ORIGINALLY FROM CINCINNATI. SO YOU CAME HERE WITH A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE TOWN AND THE PEOPLE AND THE POTENTIAL. EXACTLY. HERE IN CINCINNATI, I THINK SOMETIMES WHEN YOU ARE BORN AND RAISED IN CINCINNATI, YOU ARE USED TO WHAT CINCINNATI IS AND YOU ACCEPT IT FOR WHAT IT IS. BUT WHEN YOU COME FROM OUTSIDE, YOU DO HAVE THAT FRESH PERSPECTIVE. YOU DO HAVE A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT, AND YOU'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY WITH FRESH EYES. AND SO I THINK THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING A PART OF FOUNDING MORTAR, WAS THAT TWO OF OUR THREE FOUNDERS WERE NOT FROM CINCINNATI. AND SO WE HAD BOTH KIND OF COME HERE AND KIND OF PARTNERED UP WITH WILLIAM AND REALLY WANTED TO SEE HOW WE COULD MAKE THIS THING HAPPEN. BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE LOOKED AT IT AS AN EXPERIMENT. IT'S A IT'S A THING THAT WE WANTED TO TEST. THIS HYPOTHESIS. AND THEN SO THERE'S A CONSTANT PIVOT IN THAT, BECAUSE THE THINGS THAT ARE WORKING, WE CONTINUE TO GO THAT DIRECTION. AND WHEN THINGS DON'T WORK, WE'RE NOT AFRAID TO, YOU KNOW, GO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR ENTREPRENEURS IS THAT THEY'VE SEEN US GO THROUGH THAT AS WELL, SO THEY CAN KIND OF LOOK TO US FOR THAT MENTORSHIP AND GUIDANCE THROUGH THE PROCESS. I KNOW THERE ARE INCUBATOR PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, BUT MAYBE IT'S JUST BECAUSE I LIVE HERE, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT MORTAR. HAVE YOU COMPARED IT TO OTHER PROGRAMS OF OF LIKE KIND? YEAH, DEFINITELY. WE DID A LOT OF RESEARCH STARTING OUT, AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NOTICED WAS THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROGRAMS. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE FUNDING MECHANISMS, BUT THERE ARE VERY FEW PROGRAMS THAT KIND OF COUPLED ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE UNDER ONE ROOF. AND NOW WE HAVE ONE ROOF TO DO IT UNDER. SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WE HAVE OUR ACADEMY PROGRAM, WE HAVE ONGOING ALUMNI PROGRAMING AND WORKSHOPS THAT KIND OF BUILD THAT NETWORK AND THAT CONNECTION POINT. BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE PHYSICAL SPACE WHERE YOU CAN TEST YOUR IDEAS OUT AND OUR POP UP SHOPS, OR WE HAVE A CAFE THAT WILL BE COMING WHERE FOOD ENTREPRENEURS CAN TEST THEIR CONCEPTS. BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE FUNDING MECHANISM WHERE WE ACTUALLY JUST CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF $1 MILLION THAT WE PUT BACK INTO THE HANDS OF OUR ENTREPRENEURS AROUND THE COUNTRY. SO TAKING ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND KIND OF COUPLING IT WITH ADVOCACY AND HOW WE ARE TALKING ABOUT POLICY CHANGE AND CREATING LEGISLATION THAT HELPS ENTREPRENEURS, I THINK THAT IS THE MAJOR DIFFERENTIATOR FOR US. AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE OTHER LOCATIONS WE HAVE AROUND THE COUNTRY, THEY'VE SEEN THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT EFFECTIVELY, AND THEY WANT US TO COME TO THEIR CITIES TO DO SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR THERE. SO YEAH, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE UNVEILING OF THE NEW FACILITY. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT, AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS YOU HAVE WITH SO MANY PEOPLE. I MEAN, IT'S PRETTY IT'S ALWAYS BEEN IMPRESSIVE. AND I'VE SAID THAT TO YOU. SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK AND COME BACK IN JUST A MOMENT. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. I'M CURTIS FULLER HERE WITH ME, ALLEN WOODS, WHO IS THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF MORTAR CINCINNATI. AND ANOTHER GUY WHO HAS JOINED US HERE, MATT CUFF. IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN OVER TO JUSQU'EN BARBECUE, THAT'S THE GUY. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. AND WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, MATT. SINCE YOU ARE JOINING US, WE SHOULD FIRST OF ALL ASK HOW YOUR BUSINESS IS COMING ALONG. HOW LONG? BECAUSE JUST HURON HAS BEEN AROUND. FOR HOW LONG NOW? 16 YEARS BE 16 YEARS IN JUNE. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. YEAH, I KNOW YOU JUST OPENED A SPOT UP IN COLLEGE HILL. YEP. JUST OPENED COLLEGE HILL JANUARY OF 23 AND WE JUST RECENTLY LAUNCHED OUR EVENT SPACE IN COLLEGE HILL AS WELL. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. HOW DID YOU GET CONNECTED TO THIS GUY? I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER. RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. HE'S PROBABLY HE'S PROBABLY STOPPED BY THE RESTAURANT. ONE OF MORTAR'S CO-FOUNDERS, DERRICK, IS FROM CLEVELAND, SO HIM AND I HIT IT OFF WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST LOCATION OUT IN NEWTOWN. AND SO DERRICK AND I CONNECTED, AND I THINK DERRICK CONNECTED ME TO ALLEN. AND INITIALLY IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD SEE EACH OTHER OUT AND ABOUT. CINCINNATI IS KIND OF SMALL LIKE THAT AND JUST KIND OF RAN INTO SOME OF THE SAME CIRCLES. BUT HIM AND I HAVE A REALLY GOOD SYNERGY IN TERMS OF, OF BUSINESS AND GROWTH AND, AND COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION. AND SO WE HIT IT OFF, OUR WIVES HIT IT OFF. AND SO WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS EVER SINCE. YEAH, IT IS INTERESTING BECAUSE THAT'S THAT'S HOW IT WORKS. THOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE ARE THE FOUNDATION TO HOW YOU CAN REALLY BE SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS. HAVING THIS GUY WHO'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN HIS HIS BUSINESS VENTURE, CONNECT WITH YOU, HAS ALSO BEEN GOOD. YEAH, IT'S BEEN GOOD. AS MATT MENTIONED, THERE'S A GOOD SYNERGY THERE AND PEOPLE WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THAT THEY KNOW, LIKE AND TRUST, YOU KNOW. AND SO THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ALSO WANT TO CONNECT WITH IN COMMUNITY. AND SO IT'S BEEN REALLY INTERESTING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH MATT DURING THE PANDEMIC AND SEEING HOW HIS JOURNEY WAS AND OFFER SOME SUGGESTIONS AND JUST HEAR HIS INSIGHTS. AND SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED SOMEBODY TO LISTEN TO YOU. AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO VENT, OR IF YOU WANT THAT ADVICE, YOU KNOW THAT'S A GOOD TIME TO HAVE THAT. BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO HAVE THOSE CONNECTION POINTS, BECAUSE ENTREPRENEURSHIP CAN FEEL VERY LONELY. AND SOMETIMES THERE AREN'T PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE THAT AREN'T ENTREPRENEURS WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE THAT ENTREPRENEUR. AND SO JUST BEING AROUND OTHER ENTREPRENEURS CAN BE REALLY HELPFUL THROUGH THAT JOURNEY. WALNUT HILLS SEEMS LIKE THAT'S BEEN A GOLD MINE FOR YOU BECAUSE IT IS A A GROWING COMMUNITY, A VIBRANT COMMUNITY. NOW, I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT WHERE WALNUT HILLS WAS, LET'S SAY TEN YEARS AGO, AND THE CITY HAS INVESTED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. I WOULD IMAGINE THAT'S WORKED OUT, OBVIOUSLY, FOR YOU. YEAH, I THINK EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO. BUT THE MORE IMPORTANT THING FOR US AND WHY WE EVEN HOW WE EVEN WOUND UP IN WALNUT HILLS WHEN WE WERE IN NEWTOWN, YOU KNOW, OUR OUR BUSINESS IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE. AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO IMPACT THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE, WHICH REALLY NEWTOWN REALLY CONSTRAINED US BECAUSE IT'S NOT ON A BUS ROUTE. AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS THAT PEOPLE IN ENTRY LEVEL JOBS HAVE IS TRANSPORTATION. SO WE LOOKED AROUND THE CITY. WALNUT HILLS IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST BUS HUBS IN THE CITY. AND SO WALNUT HILLS HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD FOR US IN THAT, IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING TO WALNUT HILLS, RIGHT? AND SO WE'RE REALLY ABLE TO REACH OUT TO A BROADER ASPECT OF CINCINNATI IN GENERAL, BECAUSE WALNUT HILLS IS SO CENTRALLY LOCATED. YEAH. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS NEW PLACE THAT WAS UNVEILED. YEAH, IT'S IN A HISTORIC BUILDING RIGHT ON GILBERT AVENUE, WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE TO JUST ALLEN. I KNOW EXACTLY. WE'RE JUST CHILLING. YEAH, DEFINITELY. HOW DID THAT ALL COME ABOUT? YEAH, IT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SYNERGY, THERE WERE IRONICALLY, IT STARTED WITH A CONVERSATION IN SOUTH AFRICA, YOU KNOW, SO I WAS ON A TRIP WITH CROSSROADS, A COUPLE ENTREPRENEURS WENT TO DO SOME TEACHING OUT THERE AND TO TO WORK WITH SOME OF THEIR ENTREPRENEURS. AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE ON THAT TRIP WAS STEVE SMITH FROM MODEL GROUP. WE WERE VERY EARLY IN THE JOURNEY OF MORTAR, AND WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT WHAT OUR ULTIMATE VISION WAS AND WHERE I WANTED TO GO WITH MORTAR, AND HE REALLY WAS INTERESTED AND REALLY JUST WANTED TO INVEST IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR VISION COULD COME TRUE, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT THEY DO IN COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN A MAJOR PART OF BUILDING UP, YOU KNOW, THE AREA IN WALNUT HILLS. AND SO WE STARTED HAVING THAT CONVERSATION. WE DID A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH MAYOR CRANLEY WAY BACK IN 2016. AND THROUGH THAT PROCESS, IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE PROJECT WAS ON AND OFF, AND WE WEREN'T SURE. THEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, AND THEN THERE WAS THAT REASSURANCE IN TALKING TO MODEL GROUP THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND SAYING, WE STILL WANT TO DO THIS. WE'RE COMMITTED TO IT. BEING ABLE TO GET FUNDING FROM THE CITY AND LOTS OF OTHER LOCAL PARTNERS THROUGH THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL TO MAKE THIS THING COME TO FRUITION. YEAH, I WANT TO TAKE ANOTHER BREAK. THEN WE'RE GOING TO REALLY GO INSIDE THE THE NEW FACILITY. TALK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE WITH FOLKS LIKE MATT AND OTHERS. SO WE'LL BE BACK IN A MOMENT. PERFECT. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. I THINK THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING DURING THE BREAK ARE JUST AS INTERESTING AS THE ONES THAT WE'LL HAVE HERE, AND WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IS MATT, YOU'VE GOTTEN NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING AT JUST Q AND I YEAH, WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT VISITS VISITED YOUR PLACE, BUT TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE RECOGNITION THAT YOU'VE GOT. YEAH, WE WERE JUST WE WERE JUST FEATURED IN TEXAS MONTHLY MAGAZINE, WHICH IS KIND OF THE AFICIONADO OF LIKE, TEXAS BARBECUE. THEY DO THE RANKINGS EVERY YEAR ON LIKE, THE BEST BARBECUE IN THE WORLD, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT. AND AND WE'RE A TEXAS STYLE BARBECUE RESTAURANT. AND SO TO BE VALIDATED OUTSIDE OF TEXAS, IT'S PRETTY COOL. YEAH. YEAH, THAT IT IS. SO YOU DECIDE ON THIS HISTORIC BUILDING THAT YOU WANT TO CREATE THIS HUB FOR, FOR OTHER BUSINESSES LIKE, LIKE MATT. SO EXPLAIN HOW THAT ALL CAME ABOUT, BECAUSE THIS IS A PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT. YEAH. PEOPLE PUT A LOT OF MONEY ON THE TABLE FOR THIS. THERE'S A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN THIS, A LOT OF SWEAT EQUITY AND A LOT OF ACTUAL EQUITY. RIGHT. SO SO WE BUILT THIS BUILDING WITH THE PREMISE OF CREATING A SPACE THAT WOULD BE A HUB FOR ENTREPRENEURS TO COME AND REALLY FIND EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED IN ONE SPACE. SO WHETHER IT IS THAT THEY WANT TO HAVE A RETAIL OPPORTUNITY, SO WE HAVE A POP UP IN THERE WHERE THEY CAN DO POP UP SHOPS. WE HAVE A CAFE THAT WILL BE COMING IN THE SPRING, WHERE FOOD ENTREPRENEURS CAN TEST THEIR CONCEPTS. WE HAVE CO-WORKING SPACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN JUST COME IN, GRAB A DESK AND SIT THERE AND WORK ON THE THINGS. JUST GET OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE. THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING AT HOME OR IN OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS, AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR INNOVATION AND SOME CREATIVITY IN A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY. AND SO WE'VE CREATED THAT IN THIS SPACE, PERMANENT OFFICE SPACE. YEAH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE PERMANENT OFFICE SPACE. SO MATT IS ONE OF OUR TENANTS IN THE BUILDING AS WELL. AND THEN ON THE NONPROFIT SIDE, HIS WIFE RUNS A NONPROFIT, SO SHE HAS AN OFFICE AS WELL. THE WALNUT HILLS REDEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, WHICH IS THE LOCAL CDC. THEY HAVE AN OFFICE IN THE BUILDING, AND WE STARTED THE PROJECT WITH THEM. SO IT'S REALLY COOL TO HAVE THAT FULL CIRCLE MOMENT WHERE THEY ARE NOW A TENANT IN OUR BUILDING, AND WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF WORK WITH THEM AND COLLABORATE ON MAKING SURE THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON DIVERSITY AND EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STEPPING AWAY FROM THAT. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE STICKING TO THOSE PRINCIPLES THAT HAVE MADE WALNUT HILLS THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IT IS OVER THE DECADES THAT IT'S BEEN A DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE CENTURIES, YOU KNOW, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO KEEP THAT GOING FORWARD BY CREATING THAT ENVIRONMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS LIKE MATT AND OTHERS TO COME INTO THAT SPACE. WE EVEN HAVE SPACE FOR YOU TO COME IN AND, YOU KNOW, DO MORNING MEDITATIONS OR YOGA CLASSES. AND WE'VE HAD PEOPLE HOST BABY SHOWERS OR WORKSHOPS OR EVENTS IN OUR SPACE AS WELL. SO WE REALLY WANT TO CREATE THAT COMMUNITY HUB WHERE PEOPLE CAN CONNECT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WALNUT HILLS, BUT PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER. ABSOLUTELY. WALNUT HILLS IS JUST THE LOCATION. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. WE LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS THE EPICENTER FOR THIS NEW MOVEMENT FOR CINCINNATI. YOU KNOW, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF NONPROFITS THAT ARE LOCATED IN WALNUT HILLS NOW. ARTWORKS JUST DID A PROJECT THERE A HALF A BLOCK DOWN FROM US. CINCY NICE, WHICH DOES A LOT OF COMMUNITY ACTIVATIONS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, REALLY WANTING TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING WORK IN WALNUT HILLS, BUT ALSO ALL ACROSS THE CITY. AND EVEN WITH US ALL ACROSS THE NATION. SO I THINK THAT BEING ABLE TO BE A FOOD ENTREPRENEUR WHO COMES IN AND RUBS ELBOWS WITH MATT AND IT CREATES THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK ADVICE OR HAVE THOSE NATURAL CONVERSATIONS THAT YOU MAY NOT NORMALLY BE ABLE TO HAVE WITH SOMEBODY WHO'S SEEN THE LEVEL OF SUCCESS THAT MATT HAS HAD OR MORTAR HAS HAD. AND SO WE REALLY WANT TO CREATE THAT ENVIRONMENT WHERE IT HAPPENS NATURALLY AND PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO COME IN AND GET WHAT THEY NEED TO MOVE THEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL. AND HAS MORTAR HELPED YOU NAVIGATE ALL THE THE POLITICS, IF YOU WILL? AND I DON'T SAY THAT IN A NEGATIVE SENSE. THE POLITICS OF DOING BUSINESS IN CINCINNATI, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE YOU GOT TO MEET A LOT OF AVENUES. YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BUSINESS THRIVES. HOW HAS THAT HOW HAS THAT WORKED OUT? YEAH, I THINK ALLEN SAID IT A COUPLE OF TIMES. REALLY. IT'S THE COMMUNITY AND CONNECTIVITY, RIGHT? JUST BEING ABLE TO HAVE OTHER ENTREPRENEURIAL OTHER ENTREPRENEURS THAT ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL OF YOU THAT HAVE WENT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, ASK ADVICE, BOUNCE IDEAS OFF EACH OTHER, THAT SORT OF THING. IT'S IMPORTANT. I MEAN, WE CAN'T I CAN'T DO ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON MY OWN. I CAN'T DO IT IN A SILO. AND SO BEING ABLE TO OPERATE WITHIN A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE LIKE, LIKE ALLEN AND MORTAR AND THEN THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT LIKE, LIKE HE SAID, THAT WOULD COME, THAT I WOULD COME IN CONTACT WITH WHILE INTERACTING WITH IN THE BUILDING. IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING. YEAH, YEAH. AND WE'LL WE'LL MENTION IT A LITTLE BIT LATER. BUT IF SOMEONE IS INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT MORTAR, GETTING CONNECTED WITH IT, EVEN FINDING SOME SPACE IN THE NEW LOCATION, HOW WOULD THEY DO THAT? YEAH, THEY CAN FIND US ON INSTAGRAM. EVERY OR EVERY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM. THAT'S AT WE ARE MORTAR. IF THEY WANT MORE INFORMATION SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE BUILDING, OUR HANDLE IS AT AT THE MORTAR BUILDING. AND IF THEY WANT MORE INFORMATION, JUST WANT TO EMAIL. IT'S THE BUILDING AT. WE ARE MORTAR.COM AND THEY ARE ABLE TO EMAIL US. WE CAN SEND THEM ALL OF OUR RATES FOR COWORKING FOR IF THEY WANT TO DO A WORKSHOP, OR IF THEY JUST WANT TO COME TO SOME OF THE FREE WORKSHOPS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT TALK ABOUT FINANCIAL LITERACY AND WELLNESS AND HOW TO INGRAIN THOSE THINGS INTO STARTING OR SCALING YOUR BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY NOW AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THAT RESOLUTION OF STARTING A BUSINESS, AND WE WANT TO BE AS HELPFUL AS WE CAN TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY TO HELP THEM DO THAT. YEAH, AS SUCCESSFUL AS YOU HAVE BEEN OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS TO SAY WHAT'S NEXT SEEMS LIKE. BUT I KNOW KNOWING YOU, YOU'RE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AFTER THE BREAK. BACK IN A MOMENT. WELCOME BACK. WELCOME BACK. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH ALLEN WOODS, WHO IS THE CEO AND FOUNDER OF MORTAR CINCINNATI, AND THEN MATT CUFF, WHO IS THE OWNER OF JUST Q AND BARBECUE RESTAURANT. I WILL ASK THE QUESTION THAT MY PRODUCER WANTED TO KNOW, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANY PARTICULAR BUSINESSES OR IS IT JUST OPEN TO WHOMEVER? WE OPEN OUR DOORS TO ALMOST ANY TYPE OF BUSINESS. THERE'S AN APPLICATION PROCESS PEOPLE CAN GO THROUGH ON OUR WEBSITE, BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF TIMES, ESPECIALLY THESE DAYS, PEOPLE THINK IT'S JUST HI TECH OR YEAH, NO, NO, WE WANT PEOPLE TO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS, WHATEVER THAT THING IS. BUT IN THAT PROCESS, WE WANT YOU TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE A DIFFERENTIATOR FROM WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING. SO IF YOU WANT TO DO A CUPCAKE SHOP, IT HAS TO BE INNOVATIVE. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT EVERY OTHER CUPCAKE SHOP IS NOT DOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BUT PEOPLE CAN FILL OUT THAT APPLICATION ON OUR WEBSITE, GO THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, AND WE'LL EVEN HELP THEM, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT INTO THE PROGRAM NOW, WE'LL HELP THEM TO KIND OF FINE TUNE THAT AND GET SOME IDEAS ON HOW THEY CAN ENHANCE THAT PROCESS. AND SO, MATT, YOU COME INTO THIS PROCESS, YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR BUSINESS ESTABLISHED, BUT YOU COME IN, DO SOME OF THE WORKSHOPS AND AND STILL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN TAKE IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL. I WOULD ASSUME. YEAH. AND IN BUSINESS, ESPECIALLY IN A RESTAURANT BUSINESS, THE LANDSCAPE OF OUR INDUSTRY THESE DAYS IS YOU ALWAYS NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT INNOVATION. YOU ALWAYS WE ALWAYS NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE GUEST EXPERIENCE AND HOW CAN WE AS AN ORGANIZATION JUST DO A BETTER JOB OF MEETING THAT JUST TO STAY VIABLE IN THE EVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF JUST CONSUMER HABITS? AND SO WE AS AN ORGANIZATION REACHED A BIT. WE REACHED A POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, I SPECIFICALLY NEEDED A PLACE WHERE I CAN GO AND BE ABLE TO WORK OUTSIDE OF THE RESTAURANT SO I CAN REALLY FOCUS ON WORKING ON THE BUSINESS INSTEAD OF BEING IN THE BUSINESS. THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO DO, ESPECIALLY WHEN, YOU KNOW, FOR SO LONG I'VE BEEN THE FACE OF THE BRAND. AND SO WHEN PEOPLE SEE ME IN THE RESTAURANT, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A LONG CONVERSATION TYPICALLY. I MEAN, I WANT TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION, BUT IT JUST USUALLY MEANS NO WORK IS GETTING DONE. SO WHEN WHEN, YOU KNOW, ALLEN, I, HE TOLD ME ABOUT THE BUILDING AND I HEARD ABOUT IT AND KIND OF FOLLOWED IT THROUGH THE YEARS. IS REALLY EXCITING FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A PLACE THAT'S STILL IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE OUR BUSINESS IN. LIKE YOU SAID, WALKING DISTANCE TO THE RESTAURANT TO BE ABLE TO GET AWAY FROM THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS AND REALLY FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, THAT WHAT'S NEXT, WHAT'S THE INNOVATION LOOK LIKE, WHAT'S THE STRATEGY, WHAT'S THE PLAN, WHAT'S THE SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES AND ALL THAT STUFF? YEAH, WE GOT ABOUT TWO MINUTES LEFT. WHAT'S NEXT FOR MORTAR? YOU KNOW, COURTIS, WE'RE WE'RE JUST FOR ONE. WE'RE GOING TO SUSTAIN. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT SOMETIMES IS TO NOT ALWAYS TRY TO CLIMB THE NEXT MOUNTAIN. AS SOON AS YOU GET OFF OF THE ONE. SO. SO PART OF IT IS KIND OF A RECOVERY PROCESS. THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE BEEN REALLY DIFFICULT FOR US, IN WORKING WITH CONSTRUCTION. THAT WAS OUR FIRST TIME EVER DOING CONSTRUCTION, BUT WE DO HAVE OUR DIGITAL CURRICULUM THAT WILL BE LAUNCHING IN THE SPRING, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY TAKING THE CULTURALLY COMPETENT CURRICULUM THAT WE'VE WRITTEN AND USED AROUND THE COUNTRY AND PUTTING IT IN A PLATFORM THAT PEOPLE CAN DO IT ON THEIR MOBILE DEVICES. WE'VE ACTUALLY RECEIVED A GRANT FROM BURTON D MORGAN AND PROJECT REDWOOD TO OFFER THAT FIRST FIVE WEEKS OF OUR CURRICULUM ABSOLUTELY FREE, SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THAT. THAT'LL BE COMING PRETTY SOON. WOW. YEAH. SEE, I HANG OUT WITH THIS GUY BECAUSE THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION. SO WE GAVE IT BEFORE. BUT SHARE ONCE AGAIN HOW PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH YOU. ABSOLUTELY. AGAIN, I KNOW THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL MEDIA AND EVERYTHING, BUT YEAH, WE'RE LOCATED AT 2453 GILBERT AVENUE. SO YOU OLD BANK BUILDING. ABSOLUTELY. IT USED TO BE A FIFTH THIRD. SO YOU CAN POP IN TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 11 TO 4. JUST COME IN, YOU KNOW, COME, COME AND HANG OUT WITH US. TALK TO OUR STAFF. BUT THEN YOU CAN FIND OUR EMAIL. IS THE BUILDING THAT WE ARE MORTAR.COM. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. HEY, THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING IN. HE DIDN'T BRING BARBECUE, BUT THE NEXT TIME HE'LL BRING BARBECUE. HEY, THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR YOU FOR THIS EDITION OF LET'S TALK CINCY. I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER PROGRAM. HAVE A NICE DAY AND A BETTER DAY TOMORROW.