01:51 – Justin shares where listeners can listen GCP live, the Tacoma background noises that come with recording at the Union Club, and introduces Deborah. Justin talks the local buzz in the news about her company, Deborah talks about the start of the business, and the frustration she experienced with internet service in rural areas. She talks about the “meet me room” in the internet exchange, where the idea came from, and the license spectrum behind LTE.

12:37 – Scott talks about what he likes about short wave radio, Justin talks about losing cell service in the last power outage, and the issue with internet costs. They talk about the importance of having the internet as a service, Deborah talks about the company's pivot points due to technology changes, and Scott gives props to the magazine 2600. They talk about the rules behind only accepting credit/debit payments, how the cannabis industry is strictly cash, and Deborah talks about the company using crypto as their backbone.

25:12 – They share their love of the mead Justin brought back from his recent trip, Deborah talks about why she wanted to provide a better system of ISP service, and Justin talks about places that would benefit from her service. Justin and Scott talk about their experience with the internet in rural areas, Deborah talks about how people can sign up for the service, and their partner program for those interested in bringing the service to their area. She shares that there are an insufficient number of ISP’s in the US, Jeff asks a coaster question, and Deborah talks about setting up internet service in Nigeria.

38:24 – Deborah talks about wanting to have a more resilient system, the ultimate vision of the architecture, and they discuss the value of everything. She talks about the transparency behind their system, the flexibility users have with the service, and the importance of user choice behind their service. Deborah talks about building a network in Columbia and Jeff talks about why audio is still important.

Thanks, Deborah, for joining GCP to share the awesome unique service your company is providing!

Special Guest: Deborah Simpier.

Sponsored By:

• Die Cut Stickers: Use the code GRITCITY15 at checkout and get 15% off your entire order! · Insanely custom stickers crafted to survive the PNW and beyond! Promo Code: GRITCITY15
• The Union Club: The Union Club is a coworking space contributing to Tacoma's growing artistic and entrepreneurial communities. It combines a maker studio, event hall, and office coworking space, in a 15,000 square foot historic building in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• Althea Expands Coverage to Tacoma
• Internet Service Provider | Althea — Fast, affordable Internet is a right, not a privilege
• Althea on Twitter
• Althea | Facebook
• Althea - YouTube

02:40 – Justin introduces their guest, Brogan talks about the new patron shirts, and Scott shares where listeners can find other GCP t-shirts. Jeff shares what BaseHubs does, Justin talks about his grandfather being stationed in the PNW, and Jeff talks about the plans to expand the company to other areas of the country. He talks about the downfall of the groups on Facebook and Justin talks about the fights that have broken out on Discord.

16:10 – Jeff talks about how the company got started, how connecting the military community is essential, and the requirements for signing up for the app. He talks about the different cities that have reached out asking about bringing the app to their community, the types of questions BaseHubs ask to filter out a business that applies to advertise, and Brogan discusses how helpful BaseHubs would be for a business like his. Jeff talks about the company's price models, Brogan talks about the complexity behind search engine optimization, and Jeff highlights some of the popular companies on the app.

30:06 – Jeff explains how the military community can recommend businesses to be added to the app, their partnership with companies in the community, and how they are rewarding businesses working with them. He talks about getting started in marketing and technology in the '90s, growing up in a newspaper family in eastern Washington, and appreciating how small communities work. Brogan talks about his favorite restaurant app, the frustration with the app, and Jeff talks about deciding not to have ads within the BaseHubs app.

43:06 – Justin talks about his plans for Valentine's Day dinner, Scott talks about the benefits McDonald's has had with only doing drive-through and take-out, and they talk about the crazy things that happen in downtown Seattle. Justin reflects on their conversation with Streetball Supe, Jeff talks about what got him involved in the veteran community, and the nationwide failures with supporting the mental illnesses in our country.

Thanks Jeff, for stopping by to share with our listeners the benefits BaseHubs brings to local military people and families in our community!

Special Guest: Jeff Lanctot.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• SGT Hart's BBQ Sauce - The Best BBQ Sauce in the Pacific Northwest!
• Cactus Restaurants: Southwestern & Mexican Cuisine
• BaseHubs — BaseHubs combines real reviews and recommendations with smart technology, providing military families and Veterans with the ultimate community guide to the South Sound. We match the right people to the right businesses at the right time.
• Bar Bistro Tacoma
• BaseHubs - Home | Facebook
• BaseHubs (@BaseHubs) / Twitter

01:21 – Justin shares how listeners can find GCP online, Olowo-n'djo talks about how often he gets to go back home to Togo, and talks about where he grew up in Togo. He discusses when he began to understand ways he could help uplift the African people, what life was like for him as a child in Togo, and explains how that experience has drove him to do what he is doing today. He talks about how TAF came to be, how the creation of the products was a way for them to generate money to support their mission, and how their business not only helped with creating jobs in Africa, it also created jobs locally as well.

13:13 - Olowo-n'djo talks about how he ended up in Olympia, where the name of the company came from, and the real meaning of Alaffia. He talks about what some of the difficulties are in getting out of poverty, the guiding principles of the organization, and the importance of us to see the world as one community. He talks about the importance of having to do multiple things to make an impact on poverty, the reasoning behind planting 90,000 trees, and how deforestation is contributing to starvation.

25:52 - Olowo-n'djo shares that 1 of 16 women in Togo have a chance to loose their life in giving birth, the impact that has on the children they leave behind, and discusses the schools that Alaffia has built. He talks about the other project of donating bicycles Togo, the impact that has on preventing children from dropping out school, and the amount of human trafficking that is happens in Togo. He talks about the importance of family and culture to him, how the company blew up in 2018, and the organizations intent to make their products accessible and affordable to all American communities.

39:08 – Olowo-n'djo talks about the want to give everyone the ability to give in the world, the fact that changes can be made by things as simple as being mindful about what you purchase, and what he does to relax and have fun. He talks about exercising daily being important to him and that though he knows Alaffia has made a huge stride on removing poverty, he always feels like there is more to do. The guys closedown the show reflecting on the amazing conversation.

Thank you Olowo-n'djo for joining the podcast and sharing the awesome things TAF is doing!

Special Guest: Olowo-n'djo Tchala.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• Alaffia — A movement for change.
• Alaffia (@alaffia) on Instagram — Clean, plant-based & fair trade beauty
• Alaffia on Facebook — We're cultivating beauty, equality, and empowerment in West Africa. Alaffia aims to alleviate poverty and advance gender equality through the Certified Fair Trade of indigenous resources and community empowerment initiatives.
• Alaffia (@AlaffiaSkinCare) on Twitter — Our mission: Alleviate poverty & gender inequality in West Africa thru fair trade of sustainable resources, indigenous knowledge & social investment