Today we had a lunch session with Tierra Thorne, who is a Pitt Business EIR as well as a social worker and CEO of Blanket and Board. Blanket and Board is a business that provides charcuterie layouts for different occasions for people in the Pittsburgh area. Her food and its layout were stunning, but what I found even more beautiful was the story behind her company. The focus of her company is to bring people together by breaking down barriers and creating a space for understanding, which stemmed especially after the tragic events of the pandemic and the death of George Floyd. After these events in particular, she was able to provide a service for people in a way that they could connect even through social distancing, and provide that space for understanding and connection between people.

Talking about Tierra’s business with her made me realize the importance that the mission of a company can really compel people and give them a reason why they want to be your customer. Creating this deeper meaning behind your company allows for customers to see who you really are and want to create a connection with you and support your business. It shows that you are more than just your business and that you empathize with real people as well. This is meaningful to me as I pursue a future career because it shows potentially the companies that I strive to either intern for or work for. I want a deeper meaning behind what I do and to show people that I do empathize with them in the business. Whether this is in the aspect of creating a business or playing a role in one, I would have extreme pride to create connections with the community in this way.

We also continued drafting our initial Scope of Work’s today and have a pretty strong projection for our goals regarding our trip to Ireland. We are really excited to push ourselves deeper into the research and development in this project and help real small businesses in the Carrigart community.