Jason Duff

Background

About Jason Duff

Jason Duff is the Founder of Small Nation. He leads the Small Nation team in developing places, spaces and dreams for small towns and small town entrepreneurs across the country. In 7 years, Jason and his Small Nation team have completely revitalized the city of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Using their “Hustle Hard” approach, they have managed to renovate more than 30 historic buildings that had been sitting empty for decades. Once the buildings were complete, they recruited tenants for 14 new business concepts; strategically identified to bring repeat commerce and animation to their downtown area. These businesses allowed them to create jobs for more than 190 local employees. They created 18 new loft apartments, adding a crucial residential component back to the city’s downtown. The combination of retail, restaurant and residential have brought a once barren and decaying small town Main Street back to life. As part of Small Nation’s efforts, Jason has become a partner with his teammates in the creation and and operation of multiple restaurant concepts. Six Hundred Downtown Brick Oven Pizzeria, is an anchor for Bellefontaine’s downtown and has been featured on the Food Network twice. In July 2018, Six Hundred was recognized by President Trump in a special reception in the rose garden. Brewfontaine, an award-winning local craft beer bar, has earned Craft Beer Association’s Award as the #1 Craft Beer bar in Ohio two years running. Iron City Sports Bar filled a much needed gap in the community, offering a place to gather, enjoy great food and watch the game. Their most recent partnership, Bella Vino Events & Wine Room, brought a truly unique and much needed events venue to downtown Bellefontaine. New concepts are currently in development for 2020.Jason is a nationally published entrepreneurial thought leader and has written or been a contributor in Forbes, Inc. Fortune, Medium, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post and Time.