Cup of Joe program celebrates 10th anniversary
A local entrepreneurial program is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Cup of Joe is a weekly program that invites area entrepreneurs to learn more about what other local businesses are doing and provide insight into how to improve their efforts.
Annette Weeks, one of the founding members of Cup of Joe, explained the importance of the program.
“We started Cup of Joe 10 years ago to cultivate and support entrepreneurs, business owners,” Weeks said. “And so that we’re here 10 years later celebrating this is an amazing feeling, but it also tells the need. It shows the need that people have consistently showed up every single week to not only present about their businesses, but also to be in the audience to support the business owners.”
Modeled after the One Million Cups program in Kansas City, Weeks says that Cup of Joe brings owners together to discuss and learn more about the local business community.
Jason Chase, another founding member of Cup of Joe, explained the importance of small businesses in St. Joseph.
”St. Joseph is a great place to live, work and play, and I think small businesses are instrumental in making that happen,” Chase said. “And I think this just goes to show that over the 10 years that we’ve needed to see that in St. Joe.”
Weeks shared that throughout the past 10 years, Cup of Joe has had over 900 businesses present and over 23,000 people participate.
The program has also served over 69,000 cups of coffee and has garnered over 700,000 views on Facebook Live.
Throughout February, the organization is hosting several events to commemorate the special milestone and recognize those involved.
The month-long celebration includes talks by some of the original entrepreneurs who presented during Cup of Joe’s first year. The schedule is:
Wednesday, Feb. 5
Encore presenter “Original” Susan Campbell from SJC Marketing
Encore presenter “Original” Kaitlyn (Ruoff) Paxton from Huckleberry Gardens
Encore presenter “Original” Ben Kittrell from Bookboost.ai
Business Showcase. Various business owners associated with Cup of Joe will share their business stories and how Cup of Joe has impacted them.
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Encore presenter “Original” Alan Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Co., Chillicothe
Encore presenter “Original” Ben Schultz from Fountain City Partners
Encore presenter “Original” Bob Wollenman from Deluxe Truck Stop
Entrepreneur Hot Topic Panel Workshop immediately following Cup of Joe
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Encore presenter “Original” Nathan Nold from Firehouse Subs
Encore presenter “Original” Casey Adams from TechMC
Encore presenter “Original” Andy Rieger from J. Rieger & Company, Kansas City
Business Resource Fair hosted by partner organizations: MOKAN Regional Council, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, HNB Bank, Commerce Bank, Aspire Business Consulting and the St Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Wednesday, Feb. 26
Cup of Joe team member reunion
Business updates
Recognition ceremony
Cup of Joe Book Club: “Innovation Stack” by Jim McKelvey
For more information about Cup of Joe and to get involved, visit their website at cupofjoe-sj.com.
