Today I meet John Poister, President of a local startup call Pittsburgh Business Radio.
Pittsburgh Business Radio is the name of the local programming that airs on WMNY 1360AM. They cover the news and local economy. Here is what their website says about the programming:
At PBR, we believe in Pittsburgh. From the dark days following the out migration of manufacturing from the area 20 years ago, we have seen a lot of improvement. Pittsburgh is in a unique position to grow, and there are signs of recovery throughout Downtown, the Southside and the Airport Corridor, but there needs to be more.
So, what will elevate the area? We think the key is business development. Business drives commerce. A strong business environment brings progress. It fosters business growth and entrepreneurs with new ideas-starting new businesses.
I took the few minuets I had with John to ask about the finical situation at PBR. If you listen to 1360AM you will hear fonder Ron Morris sometimes talk about how grim things are at the station. Recently Ron stopped and I wondered if it was because the writing was on the wall or if things were starting to looking up.
John told me that things were looking grim for a little bit, but the station recently got a few new sponsors. He also said it’s going to take time for people to find the station and its local programming, so they are prepared to weather a few rough patches. I think this one was a little rougher then expected, since the station started a few days before the big housing crash.
On a positive note, a startup like this is just what this city needs and I am glad PBR radio is seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. If you want to listen to the programming you have many options to do so. You can listen via podcast, streaming online, and on the radio. Visit PBRRadio.com for all the details.
Hyperactive Bob is the name of the “predictive kitchen management solution” from HyperActive Technologies, based in Pittsburgh, PA. Talk about having a Big Brother around, HyperActive Bob is for quick service restaurants to sort of, well, spy on their employees through a collection of cameras that then report back on several factors. According to their website, here’s what Bob does:
- Predicts what you’ll need to cook and when you’ll need to cook it more quickly and accurately
- Provides customers with the hottest, freshest food possible, while minimizing both food costs and training costs
- Frees your managers to spend more time on their other work, and at the same time, let your cooks perform like seasoned professionals
If you’ve seen the movie, Fight Club, you will understand why Tyler Durden would view the cameras in restaurants as an invasion of privacy. You also probably hope that every restaurant has an equivalent apparatus for ensuring “food quality”. If you’re like me, you just hope that most people do the right thing most of the time, and don’t feel a need for infringing on employee freedom.
I discovered HyperActive Bob while reading last week’s tech section in the Economist. Read the whole article on ‘machines that can see’.
Green Printer
Ever go to a business conference and receive brochure after brochure, sheets upon sheets of marketing collateral, and fancy color prints that are oh, so pretty, but get stuffed in the recycle bin as soon as you return to your office?
Well, now you, as an individual, can feel a little less guilty, and businesses can promote their “eco-friendliness”, as well, by using a green printer. No, they don’t print out your marketing materials IN green, they only use recycled paper and soy- and vegetable-based inks to print. And the quality is often just as good as if you went to a regular printer.
Print Net Inc. is “the ultimate source for eco-printing and packaging”, and is at the forefront of Green Technology in Pittsburgh. In 2008, Print Net won the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Tech 50 Awards for Green Technology, a prestigious award that recognizes southwestern Pennsylvanian companies for leadership in technology.
Having used Print Net myself for business cards and promotional pieces, I am very happy with both the quality and the service. From books to brochures to binding to packaging and more, Print Net handles a mix of printing needs.
And they make you feel good about not destroying planet earth. Yay!
As many of you know I write for another blog call, MrBaconpants. Well around the same time I started this blog was the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. I had a lot of obligations to help promote and setup the event. Then when I came back a horrible tragedy struck close to home and…
What I am trying to say is this site is now sitting on the back burner.
I would like to be able to move it to one of my front burners but I don’t have the resources at the moment. My bacon blog, my day job, and helping my friend, are taking claim to my front burners. I would greatly appreciate it if one of you would lend me a helping hand with getting this site up and running. I need content.
I am able to write content but I need a jump start. All I would need is an idea or story summery. Then I could flesh it out in to a post. You can also just send me guest posts (150 words) and I will publish them with a byline.
I know a lot of people were excited about this site, but life gave me a big plate of the unexpected to come to terms with. Just give it time and with your help Startup Pittsburgh is going to be a great success.
