The Tri-Village Chamber Partnership's "Business Inspires" podcast released its 100th episode Aug. 3, capping nearly a decade of 20- to 25-minute interviews with local business owners across Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington and Marble Cliff.

The milestone episode reunited current co-hosts Katie Ellis and Brett Johnson with original host Michelle Wilson, who launched the show when she was the chamber's executive director.

"Here we are 100 episodes later, it stuck," Wilson said during the recording. "It would have been shortsighted to not try it."

Johnson, a chamber board member and owner of Circle 270 Media Podcast Consultants, pitched the idea to Wilson when podcasting was still a fringe medium. The chamber says it was the first in central Ohio to launch a podcast of this kind, and other smaller chambers outside the Columbus metro reached out early on to ask how it was done.

Wilson hosted for years before handing the mic to Stephanie Evans, then a chamber leader who is now fiscal officer for the Village of Marble Cliff. David Polachowski took over next, stepping in just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. He is now executive director at the Hardin Bowler Foundation of Worthington.

When Ellis became president and CEO, she tapped Johnson as co-host, leaning on his radio background. The show is co-produced by the chamber and Circle 270 Media.

Over 100 episodes, guests have included owners from Crema, Anthony Thomas, Panzera's Pizza and Winans Coffee and Chocolate in Grandview Yard. The format shifted from in-person recordings to an online video setup about a year ago, a change accelerated by pandemic-era habits and the chamber's move to a co-working space.

Beyond business profiles, the podcast now promotes chamber events, reaching members who may not read the newsletter or check social media.

$500 annual sponsorships now available

Ellis announced during the episode that the chamber is selling podcast sponsorships for $500 per 12 months. Sponsors get a dynamic audio ad that runs on every episode, past and future, for the sponsorship year. It's the chamber's first non-event-based sponsorship offering, according to the chamber's podcast page.

The format works. Every guest across 100 episodes has been enthusiastic about participating, according to Johnson.

The podcast milestone comes as the Tri-Village Chamber Partnership marks its 10th anniversary as a merged organization. A celebration is planned for Oct. 26.