Good morning, and welcome back to the BizSTL Leadership newsletter. Among this week’s highlights:
Gastronauts Food Group, which includes leaders from Taco Buddha, Hi-Pointe Drive-in, Sugarfire Smokehouse, and Lewis & Clark Capital, is leveraging its resources to grow its respective brands in St. Louis and beyond.
ChiChi Foods, a breakfast startup that launched at Washington University, will be featured on the new Amazon Prime Video show 60 Day Hustle.
Calendar highlights include the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis' Dialogue with the Fed, as well as application deadlines for WEPOWER's Business Accelerator and STL Startup Week.
Have feedback about this newsletter or story ideas for future editions? Do you know of any networking events we can share? Please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. Until next time, have a great week!
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DEEP DIVE
Gastronauts Food Group looks to expand Hi-Pointe Drive-In and Taco Buddha beyond St. Louis
Kurt Eller (of Taco Buddha), Ben Hillman (of Hi-Pointe Drive-In and Lewis & Clark Capital), and Mike Johnson (of Sugarfire Smokehouse and Hi-Pointe Drive-In) teamed up to create something bigger than the sum of the parts. “Gastronauts is the connector, and [local private equity firm] Lewis & Clark Capital is the backer behind it,” Hillman says.
Growing the brands: “We have to be differentiated and stay true to who we are but also have the resources to compete with the big players and national chains,” Hillman says. “Gastronauts allows us to leverage each other, pool our resources, and compete with those big players. Things like infrastructure, HR, supply chain, and real estate are much more important than you’d think.”
Collaborative benefits: “Things like buying power are also important when we talk about expanding,” Johnson says. “When we opened more Hi-Pointes, our pricing got better because we were buying so much more stuff. This increases our buying power and helps to keep the costs down. A lot of these things we’re talking about is the meat of the business.”
At Sapaugh Cadillac, each vehicle is handpicked for exceptional quality. As a family-owned dealership, their focus is providing a customer-centric experience. Their team of expert technicians and friendly staff, along with the area’s biggest selection of Cadillacs, ensures top-notch care and performance, guaranteeing the best experience with every visit.
How ChiChi Foods is turning chickpeas into your new favorite breakfast
The startup, which traces its St. Louis roots to a Washington University entrepreneurship course, will be featured on Amazon Prime Video’s 60 Day Hustle, which premieres August 8.
Steady growth: Chiara Munzi, 23, and Izzy Gorton, 21, started selling their chickpea oatmeal online and at local farmers’ markets in 2023. The first St. Louis store to pick up their product was United Provisions in the Delmar Loop. Later, they expanded to several area Straubs locations. “I think in a bigger city, it would have been a lot harder to do this kind of thing,” Munzi says.
Valuable support: Munzi and Gorton say they owe much of their success to several mentors, including local entrepreneurial business leaders Jerry Rosen and Todd Siwak, CPG founder and CFO Russell Kohn, and Tara Bosch, the founder of SmartSweets.
Dialogue with the Fed—Real Estate Realities: Current Perspectives on the Housing Market
This discussion will focus on recent housing market trends in St. Louis and beyond. Kathleen Navin, a senior business economist in the Supervision, Credit and Learning Division at the St. Louis Fed, will dive into pricing data, inventory, demographic trends, and more. Fed economists Charles Gascon and Victoria Gregory will offer additional insights. 5:30–7 p.m. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 1 Federal Reserve Bank Plaza. Free; register online.
AUGUST 9
Application deadline for WEPOWER Business Accelerator’s 2024 cohort
The St. Louis-based nonprofit WEPOWER is launching a 10-week, industry-agnostic accelerator for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs this fall. WEPOWER’s program will include business coaching, accounting assistance, marketing, and access to capital. To participate in this year’s cohort, apply by Friday, August 9. For more information, visit the website.
NOVEMBER 11–15
STL Startup Week 2024
Organizers for this year’s STL Startup Week are seeking speakers who can share insights, experiences, and expert advice about what it means to be a trailblazer in the startup world. The week will feature five tracks: marketing and branding, people and culture, product and design, capital, and growth. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 9. For more information, visit the website.
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