Corey Favor is working to build the Columbus community of entrepreneurs and creatives by hosting an annual multi-day conference that centers around creatives of color. Creative control fest aims for the mutual exchange of resources in art design tech and more.

While [gath•er] might just seem like a trendy community rental space in Delaware, Stacy Stultz had a much bigger idea in mind when she started her own business. Stacy believes in the power of connection and she hopes to help cultivate relationships by creating a destination where the community of Delaware can come together to connect and collaborate.

The idea of the suit shop Pursuit was born in class at Ohio State while Nate Demars was studying to earn his MBA. In 2015 Nate moved into the Short North and since then, he has catapulted his businesses success, opening a second location in Cincinnati and partnering with the Columbus Crew and the US Men’s Curling Team.

Kevin Crowley worked in the restaurant business his whole adult life, and his dream was always to own his own restaurant. After meeting his wife at Ohio State while he was getting his MBA, he decided Columbus was the perfect place to open up shop. Lox Bagel Shop to be exact, where he makes hand rolled, boiled and baked bagels and bagel sandwiches using only the best ingredients.

Lindsay Fork became a business owner after buying La Jeune Mariee in 2008 and after growing the business rapidly she opened another bridal shop in 2011 called LUXERedux, where the bride can walk away with a dress the same day she goes in. 8 years later, Lindsay and her businesses continue to flourish in the Columbus market.

Cameron Mitchell finished nearly dead last in his high school class, 592 of 599. His first job ever was in 1980 as a dish washer at a local restaurant earning $2.65 an hour. He now owns a $300 million empire with 55 restaurants across the country offering everything from fine dining to steakhouses to gastropubs.

Working in economic development for 15 years and then real estate for 5, Graham Allison was searching for more economic incentives to help his clients in 2017, when he learned about the new Opportunity Zones. Since then, he has become an expert in his field to the point that Graham was even a speaker at the Opportunity Zone Expo in Los Angeles on January 25. Even though his business is just one year old, he is sure it will continue to grow rapidly.

After giving birth to her first child, Kim Pheiffer decided to quit her well-paying corporate job to start her own interior design company. Now, KP Design and Associates has a team of 20 women who can do anything from a simple paint consultation to a full remodel of a bathroom or kitchen, specializing in residential design. Winning ‘Best Design Firm in Columbus,’ Kim’s company is continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

When Jeremy Fox was attending Butler University in Indiana he fell in love with a bagel shop called Broad Ripple Bagel Deli. When Jeremy got to Columbus he noticed that the Short North was much like Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, but it was just missing one thing: a bagel shop. So Jeremy started with a food cart called Short North Bagel Deli and now is the owner of the brick and mortar shop; Blocks Bagels Bexley, which he intends to continue to grow.

After moving to Columbus from Bucyrus, Ohio, to attend The Ohio State University, Joseph fell in love and hasn’t left since. He studied law at the Mortiz College and worked for many years until his firm split, leaving him to take charge and start the Nigh Law Group, focusing on a variety of family law services.

After a trip to Munich with his wife, the world of beer and brewing was really opened up for Michael. He made his first IPA from a kit and while the beer wasn’t great, he loved the process and kept brewing and started winning some awards. He enjoyed the science, the problem solving and the artistic elements of brewing. The obsession is what lead to him taking a job as a professional pub brewer and eventually opening Lineage Brewing.

Dave started doing crossfit by himself while he was living in Rochester, New York, when he found the new workout craze online. One year later he moved to Columbus, Ohio where he worked out at local crossfit gyms, slowly getting better and better until he found himself coaching others. After falling in love with coaching, Dave decided to open his own gym in 2016.

Born and Raised in Columbus, Brian saw the need for a healthy, natural fast food option on Ohio State’s campus, so he opened a pho food cart. Since then, he has expanded into corporate food courts and will soon open his first brick and mortar Pho Fast restaurant in the Columbus area.

After working in the fashion industry in New York and California, Maren decided to move back to Columbus to open her own boutique. Twelve years after beginning as a pop-up boutique in 2006, Rowe has earned its place as one of the top boutique shopping destinations in Ohio — and Maren has her eye on expansion.

Randy McDermott prides himself on providing his clients with a better dumpster rental experience. McDermott learned a lot about how to be the biggest company while working for the largest public waste hauler in North America, but he decided that it was time to provide homeowners with a transparent, friendly, professional and clean service. His goal is not to compete with the largest players in the industry, but to out-perform them. When you choose Dump-A-Box Dumpster Rentals you are choosing the best.

She was born in Tampa, Florida and went to school at Clemson University, but Brittany Tutwiler and her mother and now business partner knew Columbus was the right spot to purchase a staffing franchise. Since then, Brittany has risen to the top of the Columbus staffing market and has become independent and isn’t stopping anytime soon.

In 2012, Lindsay & Alex started using reclaimed wood to build one of a kind furniture. With the support of their Columbus community, they’ve grown, evolved, expanded their business and the range of materials they use in their work. They are driven to build pieces of furniture that are sure to be heirlooms for generations to come.

Turbo Debt Recovery is a debt collection agency that focuses on collecting outstanding commercial, healthcare, and government debt. In addition to collecting your outstanding debt, we take a firm stance on compliance. With 25 years of experience, Turbo Debt Recovery knows what it takes to get your money as fast as possible.

When Mikey’s Late Night Slice first opened up, they weren’t even making our own pizza. They were buying whole pies and reselling the slices. They outgrew that very quickly and started making pizza the way they liked to eat pizza. Big floppy slices that you can fold up. Chunky sauce but a little bit thin, kind of spice heavy and salty breadstick around the edge. Mikey and his partners nailed their recipe in the first few months and its changed very little since they first opened ten years ago.

While working for the larger collision repair organizations, Maurice realized that he was restricted from repairing vehicles properly because of the management. Certain parts and procedures that they knew were incorrect, were ignored for the sake of profit. So, he started his own full service automotive repair facility specializing in collision repair. They work for the customer and not the insurance company so they are not contractually bound to repair your car in a substandard fashion like insurance shops. Instead they focus on quality parts and optimal repair results.

While working for a design firm, Mark realized how much environment affected creativity & collaboration. Mark knew that turning this notion into a new business would bring success. Guests now walk in the sparkspace door and say, “WOW! What a space! This is going to be a great meeting!” After 18 years, they still say that every day when they walk in. For Mark, it’s all about creating and building something unique that solves a problem for someone. He’s wired for hospitality and creativity and personal development, and likes to solve problems and provide solutions that help people have top-notch experiences in those areas.