Ticker || July - August 2020
Helping Hand Digital developer Jonah Liss is our Young CEO of the Year. BY GRACE TURNER RYAN GOODMAN
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onah Liss is doing the opposite of most companies, and finding success. In an effort to help older Americans and those with compromised immune systems, he’s as hands-on as possible in managing his new online platform, Mediumize. Liss, who turns 17 in early August, founded Mediumize in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His free website, mediumize.com, provides an avenue through which older people and those with compromised immune systems can have groceries and other supplies delivered, or request technological help. While Liss has the know-how to automate the system, he prefers to act as a middleman for every request, pairing those who need help with volunteers based on location. “My goal has always been to keep the process as manual as possible,” he says. Liss says many of the older citizens the platform serves aren’t as familiar with technology as their younger counterparts, and they feel better when their requests are answered by a human instead of a bot — which has led to Liss’ handson approach.
SENIOR POWER Pairing technical expertise and a benevolent spirit, Jonah Liss developed a free digital platform called Mediumize that helps seniors and others with home deliveries and tech assistance.
After clients fill out an online form that asks for their name, contact information, address, service required and items needed, payment logistics, and why they consider themselves high-risk, Liss pairs each up with a volunteer. To sidestep the product search process on grocery order platforms, Mediumize clients can make general requests such as asking for a dozen eggs and a gallon of milk, or they can specify a brand and more. From there, a volunteer — who’s required to wear a mask and gloves while shopping and delivering any purchases — keeps in touch with the client. The client is able to select a preferred method of payment, ranging from cash to utilizing an online app. Mediumize also offers help with technology. Clients fill out a form that asks them to list the online service they need help with, and Liss finds
a volunteer to contact them and walk them through the process step by step. The service was especially helpful while stay-at-home orders were in place, and technology was the best way to keep in touch with loved ones, Liss says. The platform also helps coordinate personal protective equipment procurement for front line workers through various community initiatives. Even after the pandemic, Liss, who is going into his senior year at International Academy in Bloomfield Hills, plans to continue his work with the platform. He works to continue to improve the user experience. As of early June, Mediumize was available in 151 cities across 18 states and provinces. While clients can tip volunteers, Liss isn’t making money off the platform. “It’s constantly going to be evolving and repurposed, just to be able to help people,” he says.
PDA Q&A: The E-Interview || By R.J. King
GENEVIEVE VANG
Owner and Chef Bangkok 96, Dearborn
26 DBUSINESS || JULY - AUGUST 2020
DB: WHERE ARE YOU? GV: I’m at the restaurant in Dearborn. We were closed for four weeks, but we reopened for carry-out orders (in mid-May), and we just launched online ordering. Our Detroit location (at Detroit Shipping Co.) is still closed. DB: HOW’S IT GOING? GV: We’ve been very busy. A lot of people are calling or coming here to place orders. We did a great job about letting people know about
our reopening with social media, and when we reopened things just skyrocketed. Right now, we have 30 people (working) in the restaurant. DB: WHAT WAS COVID-19 LIKE? GV: It was scary. I’m originally from Laos, and my husband and our family have never seen anything like it. We make sure we test every employee every day, from morning to evening. We take pictures. We’ve been very safe.
DB: WHAT ARE PEOPLE ORDERING? GV: We have the full menu. Popular dishes are pad thai, Thai steak, Bangkok fried rice, and our curry dishes. We’ll keep doing carry-out until there’s a (COVID-19) vaccine. My customers want me to open the (120-seat) dining room, but we want to be safe. We may add a drive-thru window, but that could be $8,000, so we’re holding off on that for now.
DB: HOW ABOUT DELIVERIES? GV: We’re looking at that. I want to make sure we choose the right delivery partner. When we started online ordering, our business went up 30 percent. Plus, right now, we don’t have the dining room expenses like cleaning the dishes, serving the food, and no linens. For a mom-and-pop shop, we’re learning a lot and adjusting every day. That’s what entrepreneurs do.