Six minority-owned businesses, including a street taco concept slated to open its first brick-and-mortar space later this year, have been named finalists in an innovation competition launched by publicly traded Paycor and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The winner of “Earn Your Stripes,” which will culminate June 14 in a pitch-style contest at Paycor Stadium, will received a special sponsorship package from the Bengals for the 2023 season featuring a variety of marketing assets, signage and tickets. The value of the package has not been disclosed.
The goal is to give local, diversely owned businesses the ability to “amplify and promote their business on a grand scale," Paycor said.
The finalists include:
- Pata Roja Taqueria is a Mexico City-style street taco concept founded in 2018 by Mortar co-founder Derrick Braziel. Pata Roja, born as a pop-up food cart, will open a brick-and-mortar space this year at 52 E. Court St. after signing a lease with Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC).
- BoxFull is a care package concept founded during the earliest days of the Covid pandemic by Jen Barcenas. Each BoxFull comes with a plush stuffed animal and personalized message.
- HTH Safety Solutions, founded by CEO Angela Buckalew, provides onsite heath and safety training and consulting services for universities, schools, foster care agencies, nursing homes, commercial and residential contractors, community developments and other medical facilities to protect workers from injuries and illness on the job.
- Charmed Handmade Jewelry, founded by former Winton Hills Academy teacher Alisa Tucker, offers several lines of jewelry with customized themes and team-inspired designs.
- The Empower Group, led Elle Baker and Basette Smith, is building toolkits and onboarding solutions for companies to launch successful Fair Chance workplace practices. Fair Chance is a nationwide call to action to create job opportunities for people impacted by the criminal justice system. The Empower Group most recently graduated Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub’s ElevateEquity cohort in April.
- Magnificent Morsels Catering is a Cincinnati-based catering company led by CEO Crystal Render. In 2022, Magnificent Morsels was among 10 selected for the Executive Business Accelerator cohort out of hundreds of applicants. That program aims to help owners of Cincinnati businesses – those that have moved beyond the startup phase – reach the next tier of success while fostering more inclusive growth in the local economy.
Earn Your Stripes is the latest move from payroll software maker Paycor (Nasdaq: PYCR) as part of its 16-year naming rights deal inked with the Bengals before the start of the 2022 season. Paycor CEO Raul Villar Jr. previously told the Business Courier partnering with the Bengals – and gaining access to the NFL's national audience – would help put his company on the map.
It's a sentiment he echoed with the pitch challenge. Applicants for the challenge had to be local to the Tri-State and minority-owned, with revenue totaling less than $5 million.
“We are excited to introduce this life-changing contest for small businesses,” Villar said in a release. “Through our ongoing partnership with the Cincinnati Bengals, we have a great opportunity to highlight some extraordinary winning businesses.”
