The Day When “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” Was Actually Useful
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It is said that many of the best business ideas are often derived from a simple need.
And one day, all Robb Myer needed was a place to have lunch.
He was in San Francisco, and it was lunchtime. He went to a restaurant that had a reputation for long wait times, and they put his name on a chalkboard. Quaint, but uninformative. There was no formal indication of just how long the wait would be. Pass.
Next place he went, he put his name in the queue and was told the wait would be “about an hour”….better, but not really all that specific. Pass
One more stop, one more line. But when he was told, “OK, just give us your phone number, and we’ll call you when the table’s ready,” it was truly a “Wait, what?” moment for Robb.
You can do that? Really?
Sure, there was still a wait, about as long as the other spots, actually, but at least now, Robb could go run some errands, work out, go for a walk, or just do whatever. He was free, and not tethered by the actual, physical line at the restaurant.
“Why didn’t more places take this very simple step,”, Robb thought. And putting his technical aptitude and entrepreneurial mind to work, Robb wondered if that process could be automated. How about if the restaurant sent a text, instead of a call? How about if you knew how long the line was going to be in advance, without have to physically set foot in the establishment?
And soon, after substantial research on both the customer and restaurant ends of the process, No Wait was born.
And grew. And grew. And in the process, No Wait streamlined the process….substantially……of waiting in line for your next meal, for restaurants throughout the country. It was a technology that was taking the restaurant and hospitality industries by storm, and many were taking notice.
Ultimately, one of the online titans of customer-based online hospitality, Yelp, took notice.
And liked it.
And bought it.
For $40 Million, in March of 2017.
And thus, Robb Myer became the newest in a long string of Western Pennsylvania entrepreneurial success stories, and he has moved on to mentor the future Robb Myers of the world, as the Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University (his alma mater), while continuing to shape his own legacy as one of the most innovative, enterprising minds in the country.
(And an award-winning one to boot, including the “Entrepreneur” award in the 2018 Carnegie Science Awards. No small feat, considering the lofty standards of the judging paired, chaired by ANOTHER Western Pennsylvania entrepreneurial success story you may have heard of.)
All because he just needed to find a place to have lunch.
On this edition of “The Raja Show”, Robb joins Raja in studio to discuss his story, that of No Wait, and the impact that No Wait, and other successful startups, have had in boosting the region’s profile on the national, if not global, entrepreneurial landscape. It’s a true success story born in Western Pennsylvania, and Raja is excited to share it on his show.
Listen to the full show here.
Four Generations…..130 Years….And Counting: How John Henne’s Business Remains the Crown Jewel of Its Field
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For those who have experienced “The Big Day”, there is perhaps no more everlasting centerpiece of the proceedings than the wedding ring itself. The exchange of the rings and the ensuing vows between husband and wife marks the beginning of a new chapter of married life….
(….and the culmination of months and months of stress and aggravation that planning for said Big Day entails….but mostly the “new chapter” part)
As the fourth generation owner of
Henne Jewelers, a leading Pittsburgh jewelry retailer based in large part on its specialty wedding rings, John Henne recognizes that a successful marriage is more than just picking out the right ring.
Far more.
That’s why, among other initiatives, John established the “To Have and To Hold” program in his store. Couples that shop for the ring at Henne don’t just get that ring, but also the incentivisation to make the marriage last, from giving the couple books on marital advice to purchase discounts if the couple seeks out pre-marital counseling.
Even if, to John, “til death do us part” means “no repeat business”, it’s a trade-off he’s willing to make for the sake of doing his part to ensure the lifelong happiness of the couple. This level of kindness is innate in John Henne, just as it was for his father before him, and his grandfather, and his great grandfather, RJ Henne, who founded Henne Jewelers in 1887.
And as John carries on the family tradition (with hopes….but no pressure….that maybe, just maybe…. one of his young sons will carry on the business), he does it with the reputation of kindness and generosity that has become synonymous with the Henne name.
On this edition of
“The Raja Show”, John talks with Raja about his story, and his family’s story, and the values that have been passed down along the way, values that have enabled Henne to be a true industry leader and innovator in the jewelry industry.
Hear the episode in its entirety
here.
Edison…..Westinghouse…..Betler: The 150-Year (And Counting) Evolution of Industry, and Leadership
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When you read the headlines in 2018 about significant mergers (and potential mergers) in the world of business, you’re no doubt reading about the biggest names in industry, be it Disney/Fox, Sirius/Pandora, AT&T/Time Warner and others.
That said, in our region, there is none larger than the headline about one that happened just a few months ago, between two hallmark companies to create a global leader for rail equipment, services and software. An $11 Billion merger that will not only keep an industry titan home in Western Pennsylvania, but will provide the infrastructure for the resulting firm to grow and prosper, benefiting the region for decades to come
And Ray Betler was keenly aware of this headline. In fact, he oversaw it.
As President and CEO of Wabtec, Ray engineered the transportation firm’s recent merger with GE Transportation, ascending the company to Fortune 500 status and further cementing the Wilmerding-based company’s legacy here in Western Pennsylvania. And it’s a legacy that is not lost on Ray one bit, as he follows the footsteps of not only George Westinghouse (founder of the eponymous company that would become Wabtec), but now Thomas Edison as well.
And while being the leader of this company is important to Ray, it’s what he does WITH that leadership that matters more. An ardent student of the philosophy of “servant leadership”, Ray is devoted to sharing the power, and putting the needs of his constituents first and foremost. It’s a philosophy that has served him well throughout his career, and one that stands out even among the most exceptional of CEOs in a variety of industries.
On this edition of “The Raja Show”, Ray joins another successful CEO who believes in the philosophy of servant leadership as he is the in-studio guest. Ray and Raja discuss the inside story of the recent merger, what it means for the employees of the company, and the region as a whole, as well as Ray’s belief in what makes a leader truly effective.
You can hear the episode in its entirety here.
