The West Seattle Herald was offered the opportunity to tour and enjoy Hawks Island, a tailgate barge on Pier 66 created by American Express and free to their card holders. While the “island” will only be open for Sunday’s game against the Panthers it is one of the first signifiers of the multi-year partnership that was recently reached between the Seahawks and American Express.

Tickets to the island are “sold out” and there are no immediate plans to bring the barge back for future games but American Express has promised that this is a mere preview of things to come.

So, how was it? The island itself was approximately the size of two full basketball courts and featured cabanas, a recreation of the Century Link football field on the floor, a bandstand and offered some of the most breathe-taking views of the Seattle waterfront. It is strange to use the words “chic” and “sophisticated” to describe a tailgate venue but those would be the only descriptors that could do it justice.

As impressive as the island was the highlight of the unveiling had to be the speaker panel titled “How the Seahawks Inspire Small Business Creativity”, featuring former Seahawk Marcus Trufant. Moderated by American Express’s Gunther Bright the stage was also shared by My Sweet Lil Cakes founder Jesse Lee and Bread and Circuses co-founder Syd Suntha. Trufant is the owner of the Tru Experience Car Detailing based out of Tacoma and Bellevue. Nancy Porzio with the Small Business Administration kicked things off with a brief rundown of services that are available to small business owners through the SBA.

The panel worked essentially as a round-table with Bright throwing out a question or topic for the three business owners to answer or elaborate upon. What was most fascinating was how unique each of the panelists’ experiences were from one another and how aptly each represented the spirit of Seattle at its most savvy and enterprising. From Trufant’s start in the NFL to Lee’s original aspirations to make it as a “street poet” and Suntha’s start as a band manager in the music industry each man had to forge their own path to their current situation.

For My Lil Sweet Cakes the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl win was their defining moment. The night before the victory parade Lee noticed that there didn’t seem to be very many food stands or food trucks setting up. Determined to be a part of the parade he and his team stayed up all night making goods and set up and impromptu stand in Westlake Center. That day would prove not only to earn them phenomenal sales but set the tone for the company’s future. By the end of the day Seafair would ask him to bring My Sweet Lil Cakes to their events and Marshawn Lynch, “Beastmode” himself, would eat one of their pastries as he rolled through downtown.

Suntha’s start in the food truck industry began with a quick observation of the competition. He noticed that most food trucks never switched up their menu. Determined to be different Bread and Circuses prides themselves on living out the maxim of their namesake (it comes from the Roman proverb that politicians would use meaning “give the people what they want”) ask their customers to dictate the menu. As Suntha explained if a customer asks for brunch on the menu he and his cooks will do brunch. Ask for virtually any food item from around the world and he and his cooks will figure out how to make it and serve it up.

After finishing up his NFL career Trufant partnered up with a friend on the Tru Experience. Since then Trufant has come to learn the constant flux of small business ownership. His schedule, as opposed to the extremely regimental one of a pro athlete, is hectic from morning to night. His partner that he started with is gone and the model for his business is ever evolving. But Trufant has aspirations to become the official detailing choice not just for the Seahawks but for the whole of the NFL. By the way, for any storefronts with space to lease in West Seattle, Trufant’s business is mostly mobile at the moment (there is an office in Bellevue) and they are looking for a more permanent location to base their operations.

Listening to their stories was truly an inspiration and the drive and motivation that each speaker exuded was contagious. These are each businesses that should make every Seattleite swell with pride that they started here.

To learn more about each business visit:
www.thetruexperience.com
www.eatbreadandcircuses.com
www.mysweetlilcakes.com