Since the beginning of the year, Jack Heekin and his business partner, Tom O'Brian, have been steering their
Pedal Wagon around Cincinnati, putting smiles on the faces of their customers and bringing business into local bars.
The 15-person, pedal powered machine, has been booked with four pub crawls on Friday and Saturday nights as well as several on weekdays. With business continuing to grow, Heekin and O'Brian are adding a second Pedal Wagon to their fleet. The second wagon will allow for more tours and new promotions, including a deal with the Cincinnati Reds.
Heekin contacted the Reds about collaborating on a home game promotion that will sell group tickets to Pedal Wagon riders and give them a five-stop pub crawl before the baseball game. Heekin notes that some Reds fans may already have season tickets and still be interested in the Pedal Wagon pub crawl, so it will also be available without the discounted Reds tickets.
"It's just another way to get people downtown and into local businesses," Heekin says. "That was our goal from the start."
Heekin hopes the partnership will also bring a more festive atmosphere to the Banks during home games and will also give Pedal Wagon riders discounts at the selected stops.
"All the businesses we've worked with so far have been very thankful for the business we bring, and we feel the same way," Heekin says. "This will help us do more of that."
Heekin and O'Brian hope to have three pedal wagons on the streets of Cincinnati by the end of the year, and their second one will be on the streets in three to four weeks. Another goal the pair has, to obtain an open container license for the Pedal Wagons, will have to wait for the winter months.
"As much fun as it would be to get the license, we don't want that to be the focus," Heekin says. "We really just want to get people out to enjoy the city. The more wagons we have, the more we can do that."
By Evan Wallis
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