Catalina Ruiz left Mexico with her husband 24 years ago and found a home in York. She eventually got a job at Just Cupcakes in Central Market and later took over the business and rebranded it to Cupcakes & More.

In this episode of The Founder Beat Podcast, Catalina talks about transitioning from a kindergarten teacher into a baker, the challenges of running a business based in Central Market (especially during the pandemic), and the inspiration behind some of her recent pop-up concepts.

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm Mayer Wealth Advisory PeoplesBank White Rose Leadership Institute York College of Pennsylvania York County Economic Alliance

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

JT Hand served 22 years in the US Army before finding a job with the York Water Company, where he worked his way up to President and CEO in 2020.

In this episode of The Founder Beat Podcast, JT talks about how he managed York Water through the early days of the pandemic, how his military experience helped him lead a company, ways a 200-year-old business finds ways to be innovative, and more.

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm Mayer Wealth Advisory PeoplesBank White Rose Leadership Institute York College of Pennsylvania York County Economic Alliance

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

Today we're chatting with York-based artist Dizz Gavins of Dripped Gawd. His work can be found on murals, mix-tape covers, and even on sneakers. He talks about finding financial freedom as a creative designer, his solution to managing apparel inventory, and his recent work with the York Revolution. Bonus: Rebecca learns what it means "to take an L."

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm Mayer Wealth Advisory PeoplesBank White Rose Leadership Institute York College of Pennsylvania York County Economic Alliance

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

On this episode of The Founder Beat Podcast, we sit down with Molly Halbert, owner of m.elene.

She talks about the challenges of running a boutique clothing shop in downtown York, balancing her time as a single mother and entrepreneur, and the importance — and benefits — of engaging with your community.  

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm Mayer Wealth Advisory PeoplesBank White Rose Leadership Institute York College of Pennsylvania York County Economic Alliance

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

Since starting his hospitality career as a busboy and dishwasher more than 25 years ago, Michael Blum worked his way up to the top of the industry, managing hotels around the country before eventually being tapped as the general manager of the iconic Yorktowne Hotel.

He talks about the challenges of marketing a hotel that isn’t open yet, how a hotel that’s almost 100 years old can be innovative,  and the importance of “good, old-fashioned hospitality.”

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm Mayer Wealth Advisory PeoplesBank White Rose Leadership Institute York College of Pennsylvania York County Economic Alliance

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

On this episode of The Founder Beat Podcast, we sit down with Michelle Wright of Luxe and Mane Salon. 

After initially considering a career in nursing, Michelle enrolled in beauty school shortly after moving to York and earned her cosmetology license. 

She worked for a handful of salons after graduation before opening her own shop in 2015. Business came to a halt in 2020 when the pandemic forced her to shut her doors, and a building fire later that year made her comeback all the more difficult. 

But her ambition and determination prevailed. Today, her business is growing, she's launched a product line, and she has big dreams for the future. 

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm Mayer Wealth Advisory PeoplesBank White Rose Leadership Institute York College of Pennsylvania York County Economic Alliance

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

On this episode of The Founder Beat Podcast, we sit down with Anthony Billet, founder and president of abSketches — the company behind renderings you might have seen of the Yorktowne Hotel, York History Center, and the Codorus Creek Beautification Initiative and plenty more you probably haven't seen in New York and across the globe.

He talks about the challenges of starting and growing a company, managing employees, adding services, and his vision for what's next for his business.

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors:

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool.

On this episode of The Founder Beat Podcast, we sit down with Chelsea Foster, who helped make The Grotto co-working space come to life in downtown York in 2019.

She talks about the early challenges of getting it going, how the The Grotto's fulfilling its mission to be a community center, and a little bit of what The Grotto might be 50 years from now.

About The Founder Beat Podcast

The Founder Beat Podcast is a production of Our York Media. This episode was hosted by Rebecca Hanlon and produced by Brady Pappas and Will Hanlon. For more stories about local entrepreneurs and changemakers, visit TheFounderBeat.com.

Special thanks to our inaugural Benefactors: 

The generosity of our Benefactors allows us to produce a set number of local stories at no cost to readers or the subjects. These Benefactors include:

CGA Law Firm

How to support The Founder Beat

The best way to support is consume and share our content. Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here, sent about every Tuesday morning. Subscribing to this podcast on your favorite podcast app would also be cool. 

Mr. Bob Pullo’s career began back in 1958 when he left high school to become a messenger at the State Street Bank and Trust in Boston. He held various roles within the bank until 1976, after an unexpected layoff, when Mr. Pullo was recruited to be executive vice-president of the York Federal Savings and Loan based in York, Pennsylvania.

He had no concept of York when he moved here with his wife, Donna, and their four children. Five years later, he became president of the bank. He successfully took York Federal to become a publicly traded company and accomplished two ensuing mergers. He is considered one of the area’s most prominent financial leaders.

While he is more recently known for his efforts behind Give Local York, York County’s largest day of giving, Mr. Pullo has the knowledge and experience that any entrepreneur or business leader would benefit to hear. Through Table 19, we hope you’ll hear his story, learn from his experiences, and chat with him about your own business challenges.

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This event wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsor, Business Information Group. If you ever need help with IT, from infrastructure to Wi-Fi solutions, give them a shout (https://businessinformationgroup.com/).

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The Founder Beat is an online magazine that publishes original features on entrepreneurs throughout the Southcentral Pennsylvania region. We empower them by sharing their stories and help them succeed by connecting them to resources throughout the community.

Launched by Our York Media’s Rebecca and Will Hanlon in September 2021, The Founder Beat is funded through the generosity of six local benefactors.

Our coverage currently focuses on York County and will expand to surrounding counties as we develop additional revenue streams to grow our operation. Follow along at TheFounderBeat.com.

What does it mean to love York? Like, really love York. All of York. ❤️

How might our community look if we loved both the thriving market district and the less-frequented blocks not too far away?

How would the children who live there see themselves differently - if they knew they were loved?

Richard Craighead chats with us about the meaning of agape love in the latest episode of The Our York Media Podcast. We hope you find it as thought-provoking as we did.