Business Spotlight: Entrepreneur Matt Vann

Posted on 12/19/22 in Greater Circle Business Alliance

This Greater Circle Business Alliance’s (GCBA) business spotlight features local entrepreneur, Matt Vann. Matt is best known for owning a brewpub on Case Western Reserve University’s campus called The Jolly Scholar, which has been operating in University Circle for 18 years and growing each year. Did you know he also owns two other businesses located in University Circle? That’s right! Matt owns and co-founded two restaurant support businesses, Green Light Grocery and Supply Now. Aaron George, co-founder and owner of Supply Now, is a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University. Aaron met Matt during his time as a student, and the two eventually became business partners.

Left: Aaron George, Right: Matt Vann

Green Light Grocery is a food distribution company that connects restaurants to distributors through an all-in-one digital ordering guide with pricing transparency and zero cost to the restaurant. Supply Now is a crisis shopping company that provides on-demand delivery services for restaurants. Supply Now searches, shops, and delivers all your restaurant needs!

GCBA’s Business Coordinator, Anna Zavoda, was able to meet with Matt and Aaron and get the inside scoop! Matt is continuing to expand his business ventures with The Jolly Pizza, opening soon in North Royalton, OH and may have a few more tricks up his sleeve!

get jolly! Green Light Grocery Supply Now

Green Light Grocery interview with Matt Vann:

How long have you been business owners in University Circle?

• Green Light Grocery has been present in University Circle since the start of 2022.

Can you give a brief history of your business? Do you have a misison?

• Our mission is to save restaurants and put transparency in pricing. Green Light Grocery was started during Covid as a project I have been imagining for some time and writing design for. I told myself if I ever get the time, I’m going for it. Covid gave me the time.

Are you a minority, LGBTQ, women, or veteran-owned business?

• We are not, but currently all the ownerships is by Cleveland and more specifically Case Western affiliated members.

What services do you offer?

• We digitize restaurants’ ordering into one simple platform where they can view and order from all of their vendors (or ours at our national pricing) with one button press to send the order. No running around and it’s saving restaurants around 17%.

Who do you serve in our community? Can you describe your clientele?

• Restaurants, hotels, day cares…anybody that is in foodservice.

Do you have any fun facts about your business?

• Through the Case Western Reserve University and University Circle ties we have been able to finance this business internally up to this point. Additionally, we have over 60 letters of intent to begin onboarding customers in Northeast Ohio.

What attracted you to do business in University Circle?

• Case Western Reserve University and the talents in and around this area.

What do you enjoy most about the University Circle community?

• Beer at The Jolly Scholar, our museums, and restaurants.

How do you envision the future of the business community in University Circle?

• We are building restaurant wellness companies and University Circle is my model to make it successful. It was tough during Covid for all of us in the area and that’s what pushed me to follow through with this. If we are prospering down here, the whole area wins. University Circle, we want to be a part of helping you realize your vision and growing your companies.

Supply Now Interview with Aaron George:

How long have you been business owners in University Circle?

• Supply Now has been in business since February of 2018.

Can you give a brief history of your business? Do you have a mission?

• We started as PastryNow, connecting home bakers to college students up late studying. When the pandemic hit and students left campus, we pivoted the business to help restaurants deal with Covid-related supply chain issues by providing them with on-demand shopping and supply delivery services. The Jolly Scholar was our first customer and Matt Vann helped us greatly with customer discovery and building relationships with vendors. Our mission is to help reshape the food service industry and put the power back in restaurant owners’ hands by saving them money and helping them work through labor shortages.

Are you a minority, LGBTQ, women, or veteran owned business?

• We are AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) immigrant owned.

What services do you offer?

• In addition to our 7-days-a-week on-demand delivery services (accessible through our text line and mobile app), we are a digital purchasing and procurement powerhouse. Through our relationship with Green Light Grocery (GLG) (which shows which vendor has the lowest prices for any given product), we are able to save restaurant owners money by price-shopping for them. In addition to this, we offer delivery services for distribution companies, as well as store-to-store transfers for restaurants with many locations.

Who do you serve in our community? Can you describe your clientele?

• We serve restaurant owners trying to stay afloat amid supply-chain issues and staffing shortages. We especially serve independently-owned small restaurants where every penny counts.

Do you have any fun facts about your business?

• As an immigrant entrepreneur, I've had to overcome obstacles when it comes to traditional financing. In order to help other immigrants, I've been working closely with Global Cleveland and CSU to create pathways for immigrants to access financing and help them achieve the American Dream.

What attracted you to do business in University Circle?

• As a Case Western Reserve University graduate, I have lived in the area since 2015 and have always loved it. It is also a concentrated area of great restaurants.

What do you enjoy most about the University Circle community?

• With its close proximity to Cleveland Clinic and CWRU, University Circle is exceptionally diverse. This, along with the sense of community, makes it one of Cleveland's most unique neighborhoods.

How do you envision the future of the business community in University Circle?

• I envision collaboration between companies like ours and CWRU students to grow steadily, helping each other to build the business community.