Food trucks in the U.S. have taken many forms, but have long been a popular option for dining. Now as the coronavirus pandemic alters the way we interact and engage with others, these kitchens on wheels may have a new function, especially on college campuses.
Rod Keller, CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer AYRO is jumping at the opportunity to capitalize on the niche industry in a partnership with Gallery Carts. The new collaboration will combine AYRO's expertise in developing electric vehicles with Gallery's expertise in creating food delivery vehicles.
"Colleges are faced with, 'Well how do we provide food and beverage while at the same time, avoiding the mass crowds that you would typically see inside of a cafeteria?'" Keller told Cheddar.
So far, more than $500,000 has been poured into the collaboration as orders for the vehicles continue to amass. Keller said he's confident that as universities and other large campuses seek safer ways to feed their communities amid the pandemic, the need for their services will grow.
AYRO is also banking on buyers in higher education considering the long-term savings electric vehicles can provide. Keller said its electric vehicles save fleet operators at least 50 percent on fuel and energy costs.
"When people are moving cargo from one side of a university to another, or business campus, or hotel and resort, you don't need a full-sized truck with 400 miles of range running on gasoline to do that," Keller said.
Food, paper, and plastic are known to be major factors when it comes to America's trash; but furniture is high on that list, as well. According to the EPA, furniture makes up twelve million tons of waste in landfills every year. It's a problem that one online furniture store is trying to solve. Alpay Koralturk, Founder & CEO of Kaiyo, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Sylvia Jablonski, CIO at Defiance ETFs, breaks down the factors leading to the market's strong start to the week and discusses what investors should be focusing on when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflation.
Bitcoin surged to its highest level on Monday since January 2nd. The gains also come after a late Sunday rally for the cryptocurrency, when it surpassed the key price of $45,000, and also turned positive for 2022. Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise Asset Fund, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what is behind the recent rallies for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Founder and CEO of Capital Postal & Mail Box Service, Takisha Clark, joined Cheddar News to talk about being the first black woman to own a postal franchise, the obstacles she faced when launching her business, and how she overcame them. “I ran into just dealing with lack of resources, dealing with just being a black woman, just trying to become this entrepreneur and be inspiring to others, so it's been a journey," she said. "It's been hard, and I've just been maneuvering through the cracks."
Cross-border payments are big business, and crypto companies want in on the action, which means challenging established remittance services such as Western Union and MoneyGram.
Fast food chain Arby's is collaborating with rapper Pusha T to market the restaurant's new Spicy Fish Sandwich with a diss track aimed at rival McDonald's Filet-O-Fish — an insult to injury considering Pusha T also wrote the "I'm Lovin' It Jingle" for the Golden Arches. Arby's Chief Marketing Officer and President Patrick Schwing joined Cheddar News to discuss the new song and the new sandwich. "We figured out what is the ultimate expression of confidence and that's a diss track," he said. "You've got to really believe in yourself and your product, and when we realize that there's no better person to partner with than Pusha."
Actress, model, author, and entrepreneur Brooke Shields has joined organic CBD company Prospect Farms as its chief brand officer. She joined CEO Brad Tipper to talk to Cheddar News about her coming aboard. Shield’s explained how her involvement with Prospect Farms stemmed from a discussion about her lack of sleep. “I started learning about the positive effects and the different ways that CBD can be introduced to a person's life, and I was just sort of fascinated because it all feels so new to me," she said.
Andrew Chanin, CEO of investment management firm ProcureAM, joined Cheddar to break down the many industries in the space economy and discuss what trends are driving the most growth. "Right now there's been so much media focus on space tourism. Why? Because last year it really debuted itself to the world," he said. "However it's less than 1 percent of the overall space economy, and there are many other parts of space which are actually driving this area."
