It’s almost hard to believe there was a time when good coffee just wasn’t a thing. 

But it wasn’t that long ago.

Greg Ubert was working in computer software in the late 1980s, but what really captured his imagination was coffee — real, good coffee; the art and science of roasting.

And, of course, the potential for business. 

“Good coffee just wasn’t widely available,” he said. “It wasn’t around. It wasn’t accessible.” 

When he started Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea in 1991, local-based Stauf’s had been open just a few years, but industry giant Starbucks was still years away from stand-alone Columbus shops.

Ubert started not with a plan to seed the city, state or country with shops, but rather to be a resource — a wholesaler of beans and other supplies and consultant to those who wanted to run shops of their own.

Its customers are those who serve the end customers. That’s still the heart of the business today with hundreds of clients in 40 states plus a franchisee in Bangladesh, but Crimson Cup is gradually building up name recognition of its own with industry awards and a slow rollout of its own stores, including the newest unit at Easton Town Center.

Ubert sat down with Columbus Business First for our Newsmakers podcast. He shared not just the history of the brand and how its evolved in the past 30 years, but also the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on the business — he shares his personal record for consecutive days wearing sweatpants to work — and his hopes for the future.

“People enjoy having a great drink,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to change.”

Newsmakers: 30 years of evolution for Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea

The client wanted the impossible: Give a robot all the skills of a human welder.

Five years ago a custom automotive and marine supplier in Cleveland asked what was then an engineering consulting firm to help him with a labor shortage, and Path Robotics Inc. was born. 

"The tolerances are incredibly tight, that you have to keep with welding," co-founder and CEO Andy Lonsberry said. "And if the gaps  (between pieces of sheet metal) change from 0 to 4 millimeters, you have to be able to make adjustments on the fly, seeing what's coming, move to a weave, go up onto a lift, weld in. 

"And these, again, are things that come very easily for a trained human welder. But for a robot, it's just impossible." 

Except now it's possible.

Path Robotics has since moved to Columbus, and last year launched its first commercial robotics system based on the prototype built by two brothers and a fellow engineer in that factory basement, as Lonsberry told us as the latest guest in Columbus Business First's Newsmakers podcast.

We talk about how the Path team solved its impossible problem, what it's like to work in cramped quarters with your brother, and why at first Lonsberry told Drive Capital, "Go away."

The interview was recorded shortly after the company landed a $56 million venture capital round to expand sales and manufacturing of its AI-powered system. The round was led by VC firm Addition along with returning investors, Columbus-based Drive Capital LLC and California's Basis Set Ventures and Lemnos Lab.

Lonsberry founded the company with his brother, Alex Lonsberry, and fellow engineer Matt Klein. The fourth founder is Ken Lonsberry, their father, on the business side – he didn't have to work in the basement. Today Path has more than 100 employees and could top 160 by year's end.

Welding jargon like "weave" above makes sense in context, but a few terms in the interview might be unfamiliar: Tier One automotive are the very large suppliers to automakers, mass producing the same part. And in welding the "puddle" is the molten metal forming during the weld, which quickly hardens to join the parts.

Newsmakers: Robotics company's path from basement to $56 million VC investment

Lori Duncan wasn't exactly sure what to do with her fine arts degree from Ohio State University. So she went rafting. Professionally. 

Duncan spent her post-college years as a whitewater rafting guide in West Virginia, filling her time during the winter months working in the ski industry. After nearly a decade, she realized it was time to get a "real job," a decision that led her to Columbus' retail industry. 

But that's not where her journey ended. On the latest episode of of Women of Influence podcast, Duncan detailed the winding road that led to her current role as co-owner and operations manager at Powell's Nocterra Brewing. She talked about the impact the pandemic had on the still-young business, what it's like to start a business with your husband, and what lessons she's brought from the world of outdoor sporting to the craft beer space.

Women of Influence: Lori Duncan

There were times, over the past few months, that Luconda Dager didn’t want to get out of bed.

Dager is president of Velvet Ice Cream, and the Utica-based company was outsourcing ice cream production to three partners in the Midwest. The shift followed a listeria scare in April, discovered via the company’s routine testing. It’s also part of an effort to boost capacity after strong demand in 2020.

It’s the right decision for the business, Dager knows, but it’s been a tough one, especially as it entailed some job cuts on the manufacturing side.

Still, even on those days when the challenges of the past few months have seemed overwhelming, Dager knew she didn’t have the option of giving up.

“You just have to get up and go in and be a fearless leader,” said Dager, who chatted with us recently for our Women of Influence podcast.

Check out the full episode to hear more about Dager’s background, her experience rising through the family business, and what flavor of ice cream will always tempt her.

Women Of Influence: Luconda Dager

Moving, whether it be to a new house or a new office, is always overwhelming. Add in widespread business shutdowns amid a rapidly spreading pandemic, and you've got a recipe for some serious stress.

That's what happened to Vickie Thompson-Sandy, who was wrapping up her first year as CEO of The Buckeye Ranch and readying to shepherd the nonprofit's move to a new headquarters when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

"The Buckeye Ranch had purchased a new building in Whitehall, and we were finishing the renovations of that. … We had everything in packing boxes and the movers were moving us that week when we got the executive order to close everything down," Thompson-Sandy recalled during a recent taping of our Women of Influence podcast.

Check out the full episode to hear how Thompson-Sandy and her team handled the disruption, and how they worked to continue delivering necessary services to the young people who rely on the organization. You'll also hear about her favorite and least favorite parts of her job, and find out more about what attracted the Michigan native south to Ohio.

Women of Influence #48: Vickie Thompon-Sandy, The Buckeye Ranch

The Columbus, Ohio, area is one the nation’s most-promising cities. Its job market is growing faster than the national average. The metro area of more than 1.9 million residents is home to 15 Fortune 1000 corporations. It hosts one of the U.S.’s largest academic powers in Ohio State University and counts 23 college campuses in its neighborhoods.  Columbus Business First covers the region’s dynamic business community with the most authoritative report found in Columbus, and its news staff analyzes and provides insights into the business and economic developments that keep the city abuzz.

Newsmakers: 30 years of evolution for Crimson Cup Coffee and Tea

Columbus Business First

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