Employee health coaches in the workplace and a mobile food truck for dogs were the entrepreneurial pitches at this week’s 1 Million Cups at the Kauffman Foundation.
Korben Konrady, founder of BARR Corporate Health, is a Kansas City native who now lives in San Diego. He was back in his hometown to talk about how his startup helps companies with 50 to 1,000 employees optimize their corporate wellness programs by providing weekly visits from professional health coaches.
Konrady said he embraced Obamacare and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He said it was “not a political discussion,” because “the genie’s out of the bottle” and it will bring many future business opportunities to those in the health care industry.
“Wellness is going to have an absolute tidal wave as soon as the employer mandate (begins) in 2015…,” Konrady said. “Obamacare is why I started this business. Once I stuck my nose into the bill, I saw there were a huge number of employer incentives there.”
Online corporate wellness programs may be less expensive, Konrady said, but they typically engage only 10 to 20 percent of a company’s employees, compared to engaging 70 to 80 percent of employees when a health coach makes regular onsite visits.
And because Barr Corporate Health requires its client companies to have health coaches at all employee meetings, “we’re going to get a 100-percent touch with all employees,” Konrady said.
Promoting Good Dog 2 Go, a mobile food truck for dogs, was Lana Robison, who launched the business with her husband, Kyle. The motivation was to supply dog owners with preservative-free healthy treats for their pets at dog-friendly sites around town, including dog parks.
“It’s kind of like taking your kid somewhere fun … and you’ll splurge on a treat,” Robison said.
The business grew from the Robisons sharing their home-baked dog goodies with family and friends who wanted to treat their canines. After spotting a parking lot full of food trucks during a 2012 visit to Austin, Texas, the couple was inspired to start what they now call “Kansas City’s first mobile food truck for dogs.”
Good Dog 2 Go’s top-selling treats are “peanut butter oat bone” and “bacon cheese bone.” But more exotic treats are also available, including a probiotic frozen yogurt dubbed “The Bear and the Rat.” The average dog-treat sale from the truck is $5 to $8, Robison said. The product is also available at two retail locations: Coffee Girls in Waldo and Camp Bow Wow in Olathe.
