At tonight’s Columbus City Council meeting, the next recipient of the Reese Neader Memorial Award for Entrepreneurship and Social Change will be honored. Letha Pugh, co-owner of Bake Me Happy gluten-free bakery in Merion Village, was chosen from the latest pool of applicants.
“There are many reasons why I do what I do and many people who help me along the way,” said Pugh on Facebook. “Reese was one of those people and continues to be a support to me.”
City Council created the Reese Neader Memorial Award for Entrepreneurship and Social Change to honor Reese Neader, who passed away in December of 2016. Pugh will be the second receipient, the first being Coffee Crafters Academy in March of 2017.
The award was started to “carry on the legacy of Reese Neader and recognize entrepreneurs working towards the common good” and is “presented quarterly to a small business or entrepreneur in Columbus working to improve neighborhoods, create jobs, and boost the quality of life for the people of our city.”
“Letha Pugh is a connector and a leader,” said Columbus City Councilmember Shannon Hardin. “She cares deeply about the south side and is turning Bake Me Happy into a hub that can provide both community space and jobs to Merion Village.”
With her wife Wendy Miller Pugh, Pugh has grown Bake Me Happy into a bustling grab-and-go bakery, a growing wholesale business, and a soon to come full service bakery counter and coffee shop.
Letha Pugh will be recognized at the City Council meeting on Monday, July 24 at 5 p.m.
For more about Bake Me Happy, visit bakemehappygf.com.