Images by The Newsletter ’05
It was warm and congenial evening in the Missouri city of St. Louis, as Square, a mobile payment company, put together a stellar performance of business professionals. If you use any form of Square/Block for your business, then you were definitely invited.
I voted in the proxy a few weeks ago, so I was theorizing my place in the kingdom of many. It truly was the place to be. In addition to the great business professionals, we took in the beauty of the venue, Third Degree Glass Factory.
About Third Degree Glass Factory
ESTABLISHED IN 2002,
Founders Jim McKelvey and Doug Auer opened the doors to Third Degree Glass Factory as the only publicly accessible glass art studio & education center in St. Louis. Doing much of the work themselves with assistance from aspiring glass artists, they transformed a dilapidated 1930’s car dealership and service station into a state-of-the-art glass facility with over 8,000 sq. ft. of usable space.
By renovating the building and providing classes and events during day and evening hours, Third Degree has become the anchor of the neighborhood.
What started simply as a passion for glass art has blossomed into a multifaceted gallery, studio, and private event space. Third Degree offers everyone an opportunity to discover the incredible qualities of glass in its many stages, and to have an amazing experience with it in whatever capacity they might find it.
About Square: Reference-Wikipedia
Dec 1, 2021 — Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) announced today that it is changing its name to Block. Block will be the name for the company as a corporate entity.
The original inspiration for Square occurred to Jack Dorsey in 2009 when his friend (Third Degree) Jim McKelvey was unable to complete a $2,000 sale of his glass faucets and fittings because he could not accept credit cards. Co-founders Dorsey—who also co-founded Twitter—and McKelvey began developing the company out of a small office in St. Louis.The name “Square” derives from the company’s square-shaped card readers.
In October 2020, Square put approximately 1% of their total assets ($50 million) in Bitcoin (4,709 bitcoins), citing Bitcoin’s “potential to be a more ubiquitous currency in the future” as their main reasoning.The company purchased approximately 3,318 bitcoins in February 2021 for a cost of around $170 million, bringing Square’s total holdings to around 8,027 bitcoins (equivalent to around US$500 million in 2021, around US$190 million as of February 2023).
And it is so hard to believe a company based in San Francisco, even though most operational accords are moving home to St. Louis, started in a small office in Missouri.
And I must say, I couldn’t get into the door fast enough. Because, the lovely and fast paced servers were throwing wine and delicious familiar St. Louis’ bites at my palate.
The menu: Portions of veggie slices on crackers, lamb and chicken kabobs, pulled pork bite size sandwiches, egg rolls, tea cakes, and spicy tomato dip with pastry. In addition to the succulent delicacies, you had your choice of an open bar with craft beer, wine, spirits and even the infamous, but beloved Bud Light Beer.
Equally important, there were some exciting people to meet, in an unexpected fashion, through receiving some spiritual blessings by entrepreneur Pastor Denean Catching and her husband First Husband Catching, of Writing on the Wall.
Futhermore, I met a young lady, who was owner of Vegan Cake Spot, an attorney-Steven Lewis Law Office, a few Square tech members from the downtown office, an old buddy, retired fireman turned real-estate mogul Terry Tatum and his lovely wife, and a host of other great business professionals.
So, I am guessing they just swiped their way into the heart of the Square, if you will. Great evening,and as a very minority stock holder, I do look forward to many more. Kudos to Square/Block.