Image from beetownhive.com
Bloomington, Indiana, is not a place that comes to mind when you think of bustling nightlife. Frustrated with that fact, in January of this year, Ron Patton and a few business partners came up with the idea to improve the bar scene by combining a restaurant and a nightclub. Patton and partners got a lead on a venue for the nightclub that turned out to have the largest dance floor of any club in southern Indiana. From there, the plans for launching Hive commenced.
Over the course of several months, Patton and partners began developing a series of business plans that centers around the focus of transforming Bloomington’s nightlife. After serious development, their final business plan encompasses their hopes for Hive, which boasts things like live entertainment as well as a gourmet menu that incorporates only fresh food prepared as ordered.
As the plans progressed, some of the people originally involved with developing Hive were unable to continue working on the project. However, Patton was able to recruit former classmate, Jordan Reusser; a top chef in southern Indiana, Kevin Tepool; as well as an Indiana University law student, Chris Irak; who all joined the project as co-owners and have a combined 20 years of work experience.
Patton is a student at Indiana University studying Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation with a minor in International Business. Notably, Patton has worked as a promoter for big name entertainers like The Chainsmokers, Rick Ross, Juicy J and MGK, just to name a few. Furthermore, he has an unprecedented social media presence that will allow the company to market their business much easier than their competition.
Patton initially reached out to Reusser for his help with the financial aspects of the business plan. Over time, he decided that it would be in the company’s best interest to have him manage Hive’s cash flow and treasury aspects. Currently, Reusser is a senior at Ohio University who has been involved with startups and small business his entire life and will be graduating this fall with concentrations in Finance, Business Law, Real Estate and Philosophy.
Kevin Tepool, Hive’s head chef as well as co-owner, has always had a passion for cooking and has been cooking professionally for 8 years. Tepool graduated from Indiana State University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Taking a page from Whole Foods, the top chef desires to serve only food made from the freshest ingredients and maybe even grow some of the ingredients in house as a quality control measure.
Chris Irak graduated in 2012 from the Kelley School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in Finance, and is currently a J.D. student at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. In addition to his impressive academic record, Irak has extensive startup and financial experience. He will be handling the majority of the company’s legal consultation while also helping with day-to-day management.
With the help of numerous investors, Hive is expected to open its doors around January/February 2015. For updates and more, you can follow them on Twitter @BeetownHive, Facebook: www.facebook.com/beetownhive or visit their website www.beetownhive.com.
