These are the first businesses to put their name on this show. They signed on for the 2026 founding season, September through December, before a single sponsored episode had aired. That is worth saying out loud.
We keep the roster small on purpose. One presenting sponsor, three segment slots, and a handful of supporting spots. If you hear a name on this show, it is because a real business wanted to reach Coug Nation, and because we wanted them here.

Ben is the presenting sponsor of Cougs on The Couch for the 2026 founding season, and the only one. He is a broker with Premiere Property Group working southwest Washington and northwest Oregon out of Battle Ground, and he goes by the Cowboy Realtor. City smarts, country charm.
His pitch is simple enough that it is easy to skim past. Real estate is a relationship business, not a transaction, and he is not satisfied until you are. Read the reviews on his site and the same handful of words keep coming back. Available. Organized. Patient. Honest. He hears it from first-time buyers, from sellers, and from the agents sitting across the table from him, which is the version that actually counts.
Buying or selling anywhere from Vancouver up through Ridgefield and Battle Ground, or down into the Portland metro? Give him a call.

Paddock started the way a lot of good companies do, out of a problem. Cory and Blake Preston were running a cocktail bar in Pullman when the pandemic shut the doors, so they kept the lights on selling their cocktails to go. That stopgap turned into a canning line. Today it is a small-batch spirits company built on seven-times-distilled vodka and real flavor combinations, gluten free and sparkling, distilled and canned right there on the Palouse.
Then it got serious. After teaming up with Nick Robertson, Nick Lee, and Tony Poston, Paddock took Best in Class for vodka-based ready-to-drink cocktails at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, beating every major canned cocktail brand in the category. Gold and double gold out of San Francisco in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
The one to grab on a Saturday is Ol’ Crimson, a blackberry and pomegranate cocktail they launched in 2025. A portion of every sale goes to the Cougar Collective, which funds NIL for Washington State athletes. Award-winning cocktails made by Cougs, canned in Pullman, with money flowing back to the program. You will not find a sponsor more on brand for this show.
Available at retailers across Washington and Idaho. 21+, please enjoy responsibly.

Less stress, more free time. That is how Jon Erickson describes the point of the work, and it beats most of what the industry puts on a brochure.
Jon is a Pullman High and Washington State grad who founded Fortress Mega in 2014 with Rob Thompson. The firm is independent, so they are not stuck selling one company’s shelf, and they work to the fiduciary standard with fees disclosed up front instead of buried in a commission. Most of their clients are retirees or people close enough to see it coming.
Jon calls it a family-style practice. He is part of his clients’ lives and they are part of his, and he has said he wants to genuinely like the people he works with, not just serve them. Coug to Coug, that tracks.
Jon R. Erickson, CFP®, CEBS® · Owner & Founder
The 2026 founding season runs September through December. Two a week, every week, straight to the WSU fans who actually watch all the way through. Founding partners lock their pricing and get first refusal on the same tier in 2027.
Categories are first come, first protected. Once a business claims one, it is theirs for the season.
Ask About a SlotCougs on The Couch is an independent fan podcast produced by The Couch GM, LLC. It is not affiliated with Washington State University or the Pac-12. Our sponsors pay for placement on the show. They do not get a vote on what we say about the program, the roster, or the coaching staff.
Investment Advisory Services offered through Regal Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. Fortress Mega, LLC is independent of Regal Investment Advisors. Registrations with the SEC does not imply any level of skill or training.
Cougs on The Couch is paid by Fortress Mega to promote its services. The hosts are not clients of Fortress Mega and receive no advisory services from the firm. This compensation creates a conflict of interest.
Paddock Spirits Co products contain alcohol and are intended for adults 21 and over. Please enjoy responsibly.