Turning sports trading cards into a $5M business, and all the beer news

06/12/23 • 46 min

Andy and special guest host Meg Erpenbeck, the Courier's digital editor, talk about MadTree Brewing's third location, a Cincinnati startup's Mach 5 space plane, plans to fill vacant storefronts in OTR, the zoo's $680 million impact and how the Blackburn sisters are shaking up the Bengals.
Interview starts at (25:56). Greg Rouse turned a pandemic hobby into a $5 million business. His sons launched Braxton Brewing Co., where he is also a co-founder, but amid Covid-19 shutdowns, Rouse and eldest son Jake rekindled their love of sports trading cards and started "breaking" packs of cards online, a combination of ecommerce and live-streaming on social media. From that grew Hit Seekers, which opened a brick-and-mortar shop last year and has grown revenue 4,228% since its founding in 2020.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Previous Episode

Universal basic income in Cincinnati and Prolink CEO Tony Munafo on leaving a legacy

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about Mayor Aftab Pureval's plans for new social programs, including a version of universal basic income in Cincinnati; a Tolkein-inspired brewery opening in Northern Kentucky; a plea deal by an indicted former city council member; and a $150 million development on the West Side.
Interview starts at (20:02). Tony Munafo's dad always wanted to own his own business with his sons. In his mind, that meant a Subway franchise. But he was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 29 and died on Tony's first day of high school. At his funeral, the line to view the casket was 3.5 hours long. For Tony, that was his first concrete example of leaving a legacy. He went on to start Prolink with his brother Mike, and the duo has grown it to one of Cincinnati's largest and fastest-growing private companies.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Next Episode

Cincinnati's housing market is just crazy at this point, and former mayor Mark Mallory on the Brent Spence replacement bridge

Hosts Andy and Tom talk about the completely bonkers local housing market, Charlotte's latest salvo in an effort to take the Western & Southern Open from Cincinnati, an Amtrak plan to increase train service, the founder of a local distillery retiring and a new leader for Skyline Chili.
Interview starts at (19:18). The Brent Spence Bridge has been functionally obsolete for some time now, but a plan to build a companion bridge to help alleviate traffic seems to be moving forward after decades of talk. Now a group wants to change those plans in an effort to recapture 30 acres of land in downtown Cincinnati. Former mayor Mark Mallory joins the podcast and guest host Chris Wetterich to talk about the Bridge Forward plan.

Above the Fold is a podcast by the Cincinnati Business Courier.