Podcasts about Bay City

Join host Meg Grier on God and Our Dogs as she interviews Dwaine Rivers of the Rivers Team with Phyllis Browning. Dwaine shares an incredible 12-day journey of faith, persistence, and divine intervention when his daughter's Australian Shepherd, Raya, went missing on her wedding day in Bay City, Texas. This heartwarming story demonstrates how God's fingerprints appear in unexpected places - from a traumatic storm that caused Raya to escape, to an entire community rallying together in prayer and search efforts. Despite crossing busy highways and navigating railroad tracks and canals, Raya was miraculously protected for nearly two weeks. The turning point came through divine guidance from an animal behaviorist who advised a simple but profound approach: just sit quietly with another familiar dog. Within 10 minutes, Raya emerged from the woods, completely healthy. This powerful metaphor reminds us how God patiently waits for us, and sometimes the best way to help those who are lost is simply to be present. Key Takeaways: Faith and persistence in the face of overwhelming odds The power of community support and prayer Trusting expert guidance even when it doesn't make sense God's protection and perfect timing Lessons about approaching lost friends with patience and presence About Dwaine Rivers: Real estate expert with 40+ years of experience, award-winning horseman, community leader, and devoted dog lover with the Rivers Team. 0:00 - Introduction to God and Our Dogs podcast 1:04 - Meet Dwaine Rivers - real estate expert and dog lover 1:49 - The Rivers family: from 10 dogs down to 6 2:15 - The wedding day crisis begins 3:07 - Raya escapes during a storm in Bay City, Texas 3:54 - The groom's remarkable decision at noon 4:36 - Wedding proceeds despite the crisis 4:55 - Bay City community mobilizes in prayer and search 5:15 - Raya spotted across town - crossing railroad tracks and canals 5:58 - Animal behaviorist explains traumatized dog behavior 6:21 - 12 days of searching and divine protection 6:30 - Raya crosses 4-lane highway multiple times unharmed 7:13 - The solution: Dakota, the familiar friend dog 7:38 - Miracle moment: Raya emerges in less than 10 minutes 8:21 - Found 100% healthy after 12 days 8:42 - Lessons about not giving up 9:24 - Priorities: marriage first, then continuing the search 10:54 - Following expert advice that didn't make sense 11:42 - Bay City celebrates - local newspaper covers the story 12:01 - About the Rivers Team real estate services 12:43 - Thought to "paw-nder": being present for neighbors in need 13:34 - Closing and how to connect Host: Meg Grier - Stories@GodAndOurDogs.com Website: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072683640098 God and Our Dogs airs every Saturday at 11:15am on Boerne Radio 103.9FM - www.boerneradio.com. Air Date: 6/20/26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The biggest opportunities often sit in the work everyone else is afraid to touch. In this episode of the IC-DISC Show, I sit down with Scott Abels, a CPA and business valuation specialist in Austin, to talk about why he built his practice around estate, trust, and gift valuations, the one area most professionals avoid. Scott spent 25 years in corporate finance at Dell and Motorola before launching his own firm. He moved from CFO consulting into valuation, then narrowed further into estate and trust work, an area with its own IRS code sections, examination rates above 20% on large estates, and the highest error rate he's seen. He walked through the landmines, retained rights and marketability discounts among them, where a single mistake can wipe out a client's discounts entirely. What struck me was his case for getting the valuation expert in during planning, not after, when it's often too late to fix anything. The same logic shows up in his turnaround standard of 30 to 45 days and the dozen questions he tells attorneys to ask before hiring anyone. Scott also revealed a project he'd been quietly working on, a plain-English book for Texas attorneys, and his answer for how the busiest professionals actually want to be helped. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS * The riches really are in the niches: narrowing from CFO work to a field with fewer than 10 true specialists turned a commodity service into a moat. * The IRS examines large estates more than 20% of the time, because it knows that's where taxpayers try to avoid taxes, so the valuation has to hold up. * Get your valuation expert involved during estate planning, not after; retained rights and other landmines often can't be fixed once the structure is set. * A buy-sell agreement signed and executed perfectly still won't bind the IRS, which weighs economic reality over legal form every time. * Overstep on discounts and the penalty isn't just losing them; the IRS can throw out your whole valuation and re-value with no discounts at all. * Before hiring a valuation pro, ask their guaranteed turnaround time and whether they offer audit defense; vague answers signal it's a side service, not their focus. Contact Details LinkedIn - Scott Abels LINKS Show NotesBe a Guest About IC-DISC AllianceAbout ETG Valuations TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dave: Good morning, Scott. Welcome to the podcast. Scott: Thanks, Dave. Thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to visiting with you. Dave: Sure. So where are you located today? What part of the world are you calling into from today? Scott: I'm in Austin, Texas. Cloudy, Austin, Texas this morning and just up the road from you a bit. Dave: Okay, well, that sounds good. So I've been really excited to have you on here. You were a guest a while back. You've kind of had some updates that I want to talk about. So why don't we just talk out. Scott: Talk. Dave: Give me a little bit of your background, you know, where are you from, what you're, you know, how'd you get to this point in your career? Scott: Sure. So I'm a Texas boy, born and raised. Went off to college, majored in accounting, got my accounting degree at the University of Houston and went, went straight into industry. Got my CPA shortly after. After I graduated and went into industry. And I spent about 25 years in what I call corporate America. Dell, Motorola, in corporate finance. And you know, most of my background is running a business division of a larger business. So it's really understanding how businesses work, how the day to day operation works, how's. How does the business model work from a financial perspective? Because I did that for about 25 years. Started my own consulting business about 15 years ago now. Dave: Okay. Scott: Initially, I started out as a CFO consultant, just kind of using the things that I learned in corporate America for smaller businesses in the. Mainly in the Austin area. And really quickly I, I had a client early on who needed help with business valuation, wanted to buy out a minority partner, and so I went away and got the valuation credential, the cva. It's essentially a CPA for business valuation. Dave: Okay. Scott: And I did a couple of these business valuations and I realized several things really quickly, Dave. I realized that these are like business valuation is like a puzzle. It's like a little business puzzle. And it's just perfectly suited to my background in understanding how businesses work. So I really, I like the work and it's well suited to my background. Other things I realized is as a CFO in Austin, I'm probably one of a thousand. Lots of competition, really. A commoditized service at the time that I started out, probably still is. As a business valuation professional, though, I'm probably one of 15 or 20. Okay. And there's probably only, you know, there's probably fewer than 10 of those that specialize and do nothing but business valuation. It's much more of a niche and you know, Much more of a specialized industry. And it just was a great fit with my background. So that's where I am today. I'm specialized in business valuation. And, you know, my background as a CPA and in corporate America has really kind of lent itself well to what I do currently. Dave: Okay. No, I appreciate that oversight. And, you know, my business is somewhat similar that, you know, there's a saying the riches are in the niches, and I'm convinced. But I find most professionals don't have the courage to really truly focus on a niche because to say yes to the niche, you have to say no to everything else. And so I really respect, you know, niching know, you know, kind of highly focused on the valuation. But then it sounds like you've done. You've decided to niche even further. So talk to me about that. I see what's in your background. I assume that's got something to do with does. Scott: It does. And you know, Dave, I'd like to tell you that I planned this whole thing out and that it was all this, you know, deep thought and yeah, this business research and everything else. But it really just has kind of evolved along the way, you know, from doing CFO work, which is pretty broad, to. To doing business. Valuation was, you know, really a specialization move there. But it made sense for my background and it was a, you know, a good opportunity based on. On, you know, what my skill set was and what I found now after doing valuations for several years is that one area that I think has the, you know, maybe a greater need than any other is estate trust and gift valuations. And, you know, the reason, there's really three reasons that I can think of. One is that it's. It has its own specialized IRS rules and regulations for estate trust and gift. So it's almost like there's every other valuation and then there's estate trust and gift that has its own specialized code sections, and it's very different from typical valuations. Another reason is that the IRS really scrutinizes estate, trust and gift valuations more than any other. So, for example, large estates, they are examined greater than 20% of the time when their returns are. Their tax returns are. That's a really high examination rate. And the reason is because the IRS knows that there's ways in there that taxpayers can avoid taxes. And so, as you might imagine, the IRS is not a big fan of taxpayers avoiding taxes. So they're going to examine those, especially the big estates. So specialized rules. The IRS loves to look at these. And the last reason is this is an area that, where evaluation folks make mistakes probably more than any other is what my research has told me. You know, it cries out for somebody to really specialize in this kind of work. And because, like I said, just because not everybody can do this. The problem is a lot of folks try to do this as a one off. And that's where we really end up hearing the horror stories about how the IRS picks these things apart. So for me, where a lot of people see this as an area of risk they don't want to touch. It's an area that I run to because it, you know, again with my specialization in this area, it allows me to work in the here and to see it as a real opportunity to serve clients better than what they might normally get from their, from their okay CPA or from, you know, from many other valuation professionals. Dave: Yeah, and I suppose it's a little bit like you, like a generalist valuation person. Doing a state trust or gift valuation is a little bit like a corporate attorney who really is great at corporate work. M and a contract work. And then they have a buddy who says, hey, we need to do this, we need to set up some, you know, this is this trust and we need to do some gift work. And the attorney says, yeah, sure, no problem. Right? I mean, technically they're qualified, right. They're a member of the state bar, they have a law degree. And so, you know, and the IRS recognizes that degree. But is it kind of a similar thing where you just, people just don't know what they don't know? Scott: It is. And I just look back to when I started doing these, I didn't know about all of the different code sections either. I wasn't doing these things at the time. And when I started doing these a few years ago, I realized, you know, some of the specialized knowledge and code sections that you have, and after doing them for a number of years now, I think I realized it even more. And it just is, it's a flashpoint area for the irs. They know that there is a lot of potential to go in here and claw back revenue because of things like discounts and retained rights. Things that don't come up in normal, you know, discounts come up in normal valuations, but not the way they do in estate and trust and gift valuations. And it's a, it's an area where you can, you know, clients can take advantage of the rules to save themselves significant taxes, but if they don't do it properly or if they, if they overstep the penalties are huge. So not only do they lose what they thought they had in discounts, for example, but the IRS may completely invalidate their whole valuation and go back and value it for them with no discounts. So the penalties are huge here. Which, again, I think is a reason that I see this as a huge opportunity to help clients navigate what is really a minefield here. It's a, it's an opportunity, but it can potentially be a huge downside if it's not done properly. And being able to offer that kind of specialized knowledge, I think is very valuable to clients and especially to their attorney partners. Dave: Yeah, I can understand that. And, you know, is this is when you get, when you pick up valuation clients in this space, is it like it was in the. When you're doing general value valuations where you just get a call from somebody out of the blue and they say, hey, Scott, you know, I've got this trust set up and I need evaluation done. Is that how the clients come to you? Is it just the actual end user calling you, or does it come to you some other mechanism? Scott: So it's. The short answer is no. It's seldom the end user because the end users don't usually know what they don't know. Right. They are reliant upon an attorney. So in almost every case it's going to be in a state and trust attorney who's going to recognize there's a triggering event where they need to get evaluation done and they'll reach out to me or to another valuation professional at that point in time. And so that's where the whole process usually starts. Interestingly enough, what I share with estate and trust attorneys when I visit with them, have a coffee shop conversation, is that it's even better, more advantageous to them and their clients to get their valuation person, regardless of who that is, to get them involved on the planning side way at the beginning of this, when the estate and trust attorney is putting together the whole, you know, the whole package of here's what we're going to do, here's the way we're going to set these things up, and here's how it's all going to flow. Because, you know, sometimes what we find is we do that valuation way later, way after the estate planning has been done, and we find these issues like retained, retained rights, for example, it's too late, then there's nothing else we can do. It's already, it's going to do, you know, it's going to, it's going to be a negative for the clients at that point. Whereas if we had been involved on the front end of the planning in this thing, we might have been able to say, hey, look, the IRS is going to look at that and they're going to disallow that as far as a tax advantage goes. So let's find a different way, you know, to work around that. But all that work, regardless, it comes in through attorneys or their CPAs. Client CPAs. Attorneys and CPAs who have business owner clients who experience a triggering event. And that's how we get involved. Dave: Yeah. And I know, I know that attorneys get a bad rap in certain circles, but I know that you and I, one, you know, we've known each other a while and one thing we each have in common is we, I think in a different life, either or both of us could have very well gone to law school, practice law. I know you have a brother who's an attorney, but I think early in your professional career, I think you had an insight into the legal profession that I think helped develop that appreciation for the profession. Is that right? So tell me about that. I know there's a story, but I really don't remember much about it. Scott: So you've been digging into my background here, Dave, I can tell. And you've done a good job. So early on. You're exactly right. Early on, I was from a small town in Texas called Bay City, about an hour and a half southwest of Houston there, and small town. And I worked for an attorney who was a family friend, a well known guy in the community. We knew him from church and like family and everything, and he was kind enough to let me work for him as a small one man office during the summer and during breaks and I got exposure to the legal profession like, like you could never get today, you know, here I am, a kid in college, don't have, I don't have any kind of legal skills or background or anything, but. But the one thing I was curious and willing to kind of jump in and wanted to learn stuff. And the attorney's name was Lynn Grebe. He was a general practitioner. So I got to see estate, trust wills, I got to see general business stuff. I got to see divorces, real estate, even did some small criminal defense stuff. So he's a generalist. Dave: Yeah. Small town, you kind of have to be. Scott: Right, exactly. So I went to the courthouse and filed suits and filed documents. I did some legal research, some, you know, lightweight legal research, but. And I listened, you know, I drafted documents for him and I just, I got to spend a lot of time with this guy. He was very generous. And as a one man office, I had access to him on a, you know, on a, you know, full day basis. So I got to see how he thinks, I got to see how attorneys work, I got to see how the legal profession works. And what I figured out was it really is, it's a very logical thinking kind of, you know, of a practice of a work. And, and it just thought, hey, you know, I, I like this. It's logical, it makes sense, Communication is really big. And I was always a good writer and I was just kind of drawn to that work. And I got to see again how a law office works early on. And Lynn was really a, was a professional role model for me. My parents were not professionals, business professionals. So he was, early on he was a role model for me as to how you conduct yourself, how you run a business. And, and I just really, you know, kept a lot of those things that I learned from him early on. And so I, you know, when I got out of college, got my cpa, when I started my own business working with attorneys, it was, it was kind of a natural, comfortable throwback for me, Remembering how law offices work, remembering how attorneys think, the time pressures, the schedules, all of those things that go in with being attorneys. It was kind of a, like I said, a natural return to some of those things for me. The other thing you didn't mention is, you're right, I've got a brother who's an attorney, I've got a son who's an attorney. You know, I can't do lawyer jokes anymore. I'm not allowed to do those without really offending family members. I've learned to, I've learned to huddle with attorneys on a regular basis at home and at work. Yeah. Dave: And the other thing that I've noticed About attorneys and CPAs is that, and I think it's part of what motivates them professionally. And when I tell this to attorneys and CPAs, they kind of all shucks, downplay it, but they really are, in many situations, they're a hero, they're a superhero to their clients. They are either saving them from a dire circumstance like, you know, the client was audited and they have to come in and clean up, or they were sued or they're doing planning that, that really relies on that. And I think one of the things that I especially appreciate about attorneys is they are this in some ways, you know, they're right up there, I think, with the cpa and you can make a case of which one is the more trusted advisor and maybe depends on the circumstances. But I've noticed the attorneys I've met, they really relish that fiduciary duty to their clients. They don't take it lightly. And they really are about the big picture and especially on the estate and trust side. I mean, they're doing work that, that's going to survive them and they're, they have to have a long term focus and a patience and a discipline and they have to be willing to push back on the client and say, yeah, I know it's helpful if we value this business at $5 million, but come on, Charlie, this business is worth $40 million. So maybe we can get some discount, you know, and maybe make it valued at 30 or 35 million. But we can't value it 5 million. And if we do, we're just asking for trouble. Scott: So anyway, that's kind of been my Dave: experience of working with attorneys. How has yours been? Have you had a similar experience? Scott: Yeah, and I go back to Lynn, Lynn Grievy, the attorney that I worked for. You just explained exactly the relationship that Lynn had with his clients. You know, these people looked up to him as a, you know, one of the, one of the towers of the community. He really was the guy that, that, you know, that looked out for the, you know, the common man in, in many ways, like you said. So he really was, you know, just a great figure in the little small town when I was there. And so many of the attorneys that I work with now, and especially estate and trust attorneys, Dave, as I work with these folks and, and I know a number of them and you know, and speak with them on a regular basis, even when we're not working on a particular evaluation case. And they are, like you said, they are not just doing a service for that client, they are doing something for that client's children and grandchildren oftentimes. And the clients are trusting these attorneys, especially the estate and trust attorneys, to know this mountain of regulation and to understand how to help them navigate based on their, their particular circumstances, something that's going to survive them and their children and maybe down to their grandchildren. So I agree with you. Most attorneys that I know relish what it is that they do because they can do something that not everyone can do for those clients and they love making clients happy. Dave: Yeah, yeah, that's certainly been my experience as well. Well, why don't we dive just a little bit more into the estate and trust and valuation discount. What are some other, like, if there's an estate attorney Listening to this, what are some other things that maybe they're not familiar with? As far as landmines or opportunities on the valuation side? What are some other things that come to mind? Scott: You know, it's interesting that you, that you mentioned that there's several IRS code sections that deal with very specialized rules. And so we actually, you know, have done some research to find out what are the rules that most often trip up, you know, attorneys and their clients. And we recently put together a white paper that I've shared with a lot of my trust and estate attorney friends of some of the, in this case, the six top things that tend to trip up attorneys and their clients. And it's, you know, it's things like treating a family buy sell agreement as fair market value. Just because you prepare a buy sell agreement and you go through the formal documents and have everyone sign it and you say, hey, here's what the value of our LLC is going to be. Just because you've done everything properly legally doesn't mean that the IRS is going to accept that. The IRS looks at the economic reality over the legal form. So just because you say, you know, hey, we gave this property away, you know, from this client, this client, you know, gave this property away, and so it's not included at his estate, the IRS looks at it differently and they say, okay, you gave it away, but you gave it away two days before you died. You know, this is almost, it's not, you weren't really looking to give this stuff away. You're looking to avoid taxes to your estate, right? Or let's say that the client says, hey, I'm giving away this, this, this business interest, you know, to my kids, but I'm retaining the right to, to make dividends, you know, from that business interest. The IRS looks at that and says, you're like, we call that retained rights. The IRS says, hey, you're retaining, you know, certain rights to that business that suggests that you still control it. So guess what? That business interest, you know, for $30 million that you said you gave away is not part of your estate. You effectively kept that. We're going to pull that back into your estate now and you're going to owe us taxes on that. And you've got a huge estate. So this means that your marginal tax rate on that business is, you know, it's astronomical. So, so those are some of the types of things. But it's, you know, it's knowing specialized rules like, you know, retained rights. It's another area where the IRS really gets folks is in discounts. Dave: Okay. Scott: Oftentimes. So discounts are a legal tool to use to represent a market reality. And so let me just give you an example there. You know, we have what we call a marketability discount that we can take on a business interest. And what that means is I can't turn this into cash very easily. A marketability discount shows the market reality that my privately held business, if I wanted to liquidate it, it would take me some amount of time and probably a lot of time, probably many months to liquidated. And therefore a, an informed investor would pay me less for that. They would discount that. Dave: That's a, sooner you want to close, the bigger the discount. Scott: Right? Dave: I mean, if you went to an arm's length transaction, that said, I have this $50 million business that would normally require a year of due diligence and you say to them, what will you give me to close on this business in one month? Well, they naturally are going to put a huge discount on that to account for the fact that they're having to skip their normal due diligence to offset their risk. Scott: Yeah, it really is a risk and return thing, is what these discounts represent, but it represents a market reality. Okay. What you can't do, though, what the IRS really frowns on is when maybe, let's say it's a CPA or somebody who only does valuations part time and they, you know, they're going to go look and they're going to say, oh, okay, for, for this type of asset, the average marketability discount is 35%. So boom, there we go. We're going to put 35% on it. They don't bother to explain it in the report because there's nothing to explain. They just went and found the market average. And the IRS is going to say, absolutely not. The discount needs to reflect the market reality of what's going on here. And, and using an average is not acceptable. And there's tons of court cases that show this. Now, if you went, for example, and found a court case with an asset that was very similar to yours, and they took a 50% marketability discount because of certain market realities with that business, and you and your business was very similar and had the same set of facts and circumstances, you might be able to take a 50% discount, but you've used a court case or you've used, you know, solid reasoning for how you did that. You didn't just take an average. So discounts are a huge area that the IRS loves to attack. And then like I said, the Last thing, really is the overriding theme in so many of these estate, trust and gift rules of the IRS is valuing the economic reality over the legal form. So just because you say that you gave something away, if you retain the right and use, you know, the ability to use it and to enjoy it and to have certain rights, the IRS says, I don't care that you've got a legal document that's signed. You didn't really give away those, those things from an economic perspective. And so you lose your discount and we're going to hit you where it hurts, which is in tax dollars. So that's what makes, you know, this area of specialization, you know, so difficult for a lot of folks. You don't want somebody who dabbles in this stuff. You really need to know these rules and to have dealt with them and to be experienced in this. Dave: So that's a really interesting point on the discount because, and I guess it's because these are related party transactions is what causes the scrutiny. Because if you have a $50 million business and you have a unrelated third party and they strike a deal to buy the business for $25 million and that's what everybody agrees to, then that's the price. And there's really no way for any other entity, a government body, a bank, anyone else, to really question it. Or conversely, if they're. A bidding war happens and that $50 million business sells for $100 million, that the contract governs it. As long as, you know, it meets the elements of a contract, that contract is valid. And it just strikes me that I could see somebody being tripped up on this because like you said, they could have all the I's dotted, the T's crossed, it being notarized, being signed by all the parties, I could see all that happening. And it seems like that $50 million business that you valued at $25 million, on the surface, everybody may think, hey, we're in great shape, I's dotted, T's crossed, everybody signed it, we had it notarized, we signed in a fancy office, everybody was sober, we're good. So is that, is it the related party aspect that creates the nuance and the difference? Scott: That. That is a big part of it. So in estate trust work, we're talking about, you know, it's clients that are doing things for themselves that often involves their family members or close friends. And so that's exactly what it is. So if, like you said, if, you know, a sale to an unrelated third party, that's market value, unless there's something else going on under the table. Otherwise, it's, by definition, it's what the market would pay and, you know, a buyer who doesn't have to buy and a seller who doesn't have to sell. But when you're doing these things, when you're gifting something to your children or to your spouse and you're assigning a value to that, it's a much different story, right? Because now it's, that's a family member or a person that's close to you. And you know, the real thing here, that that's, that that causes the friction, Dave, is that, you know, IRS rules allow people to take advantage of certain things to pay less taxes. There's certain things you can do. You can take discounts. The thing is, you can't take, you can't just willy nilly take discounts. They have to be properly supported and they have to be market based. And, and unfortunately, those things are not clear and objective. It's like, okay, you get, you do 1, 2, 3. And it works perfectly every time, right? There's a lot of subjective knowledge that goes into this, but at the end of the day, it needs to make sense to the irs. And they make the assumption they're at, they're adverse from us, right? From us and our clients. And their assumption is this thing is probably wrong unless you can prove to me that it's right. And that may not seem fair, but oftentimes that's kind of the way it is with the valuation. So it's really important to prepare that valuation from the perspective of, I'm expecting that the IRS is going to ask me these questions and they're going to push on me on these areas. And so I want this report to be so clear, when they look at it, it's like, okay, well, I see what he did. I may not fully agree with it, but what he did was reasonable and he didn't take any crazy positions. As opposed to just doing a standard valuation where you don't really speak specifically to some of those issues. You leave those areas of interpretation open for the irs and they're going to take advantage of that every time because they've done way more of these than our client has. Right? Dave: Well, I couldn't. But I always thought that once you did the valuation, you were done, you washed your hands of it. You said, hey, that's it, we got this crazy 80% discount. I'm done, I've washed my hands of this, and I never am going to be asked about this again. Is that how it goes. Scott: And I'm sure that you're being facetious when you ask that question. That's how it goes with some evaluation professionals, unfortunately. But that's not how it goes at atg. The way that we do these things, when we do evaluation like this, we always offer what we call audit defense. And you know, what that means, is that if the IRS picks this thing up and does a first line of examination of this, we're going to represent you. Whether that means sitting down with him face to face or answering emails or getting on a zoom call, we're going to defend our work. And so we're going to talk to the IRS and say, hey, look, here's what we did. Here's why we did it. And, you know, the IRS doesn't always have to agree with you. That's okay. They may not agree with you on everything. They probably won't. But as long as you. As long as you can clearly explain and it makes sense from a market perspective, you're going to be okay. And so when we prepare these things, we know that we are going to be having to explain this to the IRS potentially, and that's the perspective that we take. You know, one of the things we. That we typically say is we think like the irs, before the IRS ever shows up, we're thinking like, okay, what are the questions that they're going to ask? What are the areas that we need to really do? Make sure that we've got this thing perfectly buttoned up and prepare that. Like, we're going to sit down with an IRS agent who's angry and hasn't had his coffee on that day. And so we do that in advance for every one of these, knowing that we're going to. That we're going to be. That we're going to be on the hook if they examine this thing? And so we're never. We don't ever leave the client, you know, hung out to dry. It's like, okay, I do see that from time to time where clients come and they've got a. They've got evaluation, or their attorney comes and says, hey, we got this valuation. And it seemed really great, but the IRS has got all these questions about this 80% discount, and we don't know how to answer them. And we can do what we can do to try to, you know, to try to help the situation. We can't fix those things that, that, you know, if it's. If they've taken. If somebody else has taken a position that's not defensible. Not a whole lot we can do, but hopefully what we can do is just to help to, you know, to smooth it as much as possible or to prepare the client in advance for, you know, for what is likely to happen here is oftentimes what we do. Dave: Well, it sounds like your approach is more thorough and probably takes more time than just, you know, somebody who, you know, has some boilerplate language. They do 10 minutes of research, they say the average discount for this industry should be 40%. They plug it in, they have a five page report and they say that's that. You know, is this one of those things of you, you get what you pay for? It is. Scott: It is. It definitely takes more time for us to do it the way that we do it, which is building that report, assuming that the IRS is going to ask us questions, takes more time and it costs the client a little bit more to do that. But the downside is such that it more than pays for itself. If you think about it, we're, you know, I talk with the clients, with attorney referral partners about this. Where would you rather your client be? Would you rather them be elated about that 80% discount that they got that is not defensible? Or would you. Are you still going to be there when the IRS examines this? They got a 1 in 5 chance of examining it. Are you going to want to be there when you have to give them the bad news that the IRS disallowed the discount? And the problem is, Dave, that if the valuation is off significantly, the IRS doesn't just say, oh, no, that's not 80, it should have been 50%. So we're just going to take the delta. They look at it and they say, it's 80, it should have been 35. You guys screwed this up so bad that we're going to disallow the whole discount. And oh, by the way, that other discount that you took to, you took a control discount, it's automatically disallowed too, because you have so egregiously misstated this. And they can take the final step of saying, we're going to disallow the whole valuation here. We're going to set the value and you don't get any discount. So that's the absolute worst that could happen. But think about it. When they disallow that, that big discount that you've promised your client, and they've probably put the money in the bank and maybe even spent it, now you got to go back and say, hey, we don't. Not only do we not get that. That 50 or 80% discount, but you got to turn around and pay taxes on that whole amount. And, you know, for these larger estates, it could be millions of dollars. It's oftentimes. It's always thousands, hundreds of thousands, oftentimes millions of dollars that the client didn't think they were going to have to pay. They were super happy when they got that really cheap valuation. But. But it's like, okay, would you have paid, you know, 25 or 30% more for the valuation if. If you would have known that it was going to save you this whole debacle? Dave: Yeah. We're talking thousands of dollars in additional fees versus millions or tens of millions of dollars of tax exposure. Scott: Absolutely. That. That is potentially it. So I have never seen a case where, when the IRS reviews these things, where the incremental fee, you know, that the client, you know, would have paid is more than the, you know, the exposure that they have to the irs. It's always, you know, a multiple of that. So that, you know, the easy way to say it is there's huge downside here. And a lot of times, if it's a big estate and, you know, and there's some thorny issues involved, it makes much more sense to go ahead and get these things done right the first time. Dave: Okay. And, I mean, I. I know a lot of attorneys and some of the estate planning attorneys I know just getting ready for this call, I'd asked them, like, what are some of their frustrations with valuations? And one of the things they said is just re. Is responsiveness. They said, there are some firms out there. They said, you know, we're kind of under the gun. We brought the valuation person in too late, and they need three months to do this valuation. And, you know, sometimes it's a part of a large bureaucratic organization, and it's just, you know, there's just that. And my sense is that you all, being a boutique firm, focused purely on this, I'm guessing you have service options where you can turn things around more responsively than, you know, months. Is that true? Scott: Yeah, that is absolutely, Dave. You know, our standard Turnaround is usually 30 to 45 days. Oh, wow. Dave: Okay. Scott: You know, for an estate trust or gift valuation. And we, you know, we don't. As part of our standard package, we don't offer it quicker than that. We can deliver sooner than that. But of course, it's going to be an additional fee if you wait till the last minute. Yeah. Dave: You're paying overtime for your team and Scott: all somebody's got to sleep less when we do this thing and somebody has to sleep less. Dave: And, and that's what they're paying for. Scott: They're paying for those hours of sleep that they missed. But, but you know, Dave, I put together for, for some of my referral partners, I put together a list of 11 or 12 questions that, that they should ask or that they should think about when they're looking for a valuation professional. And this is one of them. You know, you know, one of the questions is do you have the, do you have evaluation credentials? Some of those are easy, but you know, another question is what's your turnaround time on these things? And, and if they say, oh, it's, you know, 60 days, 90 days, we don't know. Those are all signs that either they don't know what they're doing and you know, it's a crapshoot as to how long it's going to take them or they're busy. The valuation is not really their primary line of business. Oftentimes it's happened with CPA firms. Tax, tax or audit is their primary focus. Yeah, maybe the two or three folks that do business valuation part time are slammed with tax deadlines. And so, yeah, so if you call Dave: them in late January, good luck in getting anything done before May. Scott: I have this happen all the time where clients, you know, they don't get any responsiveness during tax season because they, their CPA or you know, a well known firm here in town who may have evaluation person or two that do this stuff. They can't get to it because their primary focus is tax or audit. And even worse is when the clients have questions about evaluation that their CPA firm valuation department did and they can't get anybody to call them back because they're slammed with deadlines. So just, it's another good reason why, you know, I encourage clients or referral partners to ask about those things on the front end. You know, what's your turnaround time? And you know, do you have a guaranteed turnaround time? Do you have, do you offer audit defense if you don't, why, you know, with the big firms, with the, you know, the large regional or national firms, the reason they don't is because they don't have to. They can afford to charge you whatever they want. Dave: Sure. Scott: But you know, but attorneys should ask those questions up front when they're interviewing potential valuation professionals. Ask those questions and you know, get answers on those things beforehand so that you're not, you know, three months later waiting to get that information. Dave: And yeah, it really sounds like you really could be a great resource for estate attorneys. You know, have you ever thought about writing a book or something geared. Sorry, I should have waited for you to finish your drinking coffee. Have you ever thought about writing a book like, geared specifically toward estate planning attorneys on some things they might need to know about valuation in the estate, trust and gift valuation world? Have you even thought about it, Scott? Scott: You know, we should have done the Tonight show together. You could be Ed McMahon and I could be Johnny Carson or Vice, but. Yeah, you're kind enough to bring that up, Dave. Actually, I have just recently written a book. It's actually in print now. I just. I just yesterday, probably two or three weeks away from having copies in my hand. And the name of the book is Business Valuation A Plain English Guide for Texas Attorneys. Oh, wow. Dave: Okay. Scott: It's exactly what it sounds like. It's written in plain English. There's no technical jargon, no acronyms, no mathematical formulas or anything else. What we did was, you know, we wrote a book that. That answers the questions that attorneys have most often. Do I need evaluation? Does it need to be certified? What are the landmines I should look out for? Is there certain terms that I need to understand in order to be conversant in this? That's what we've done. We've written a book. I go around meeting attorneys on a regular basis, as we do, networking, like we all do, and meet them oftentimes in a coffee shop. I call those coffee shop conversations, where it's just a casual conversation with an attorney, and he may. He or she may bring up a. An issue, you know, a specific issue they have with a client or something, and we can just. It's just a casual conversation. And that's what I want this book to be, is I want it to be like a coffee shop conversation where we can just. We can talk about, you know, the basic questions that they need to know. They don't need to know how to do a DCF calculation or a capitalization of earnings. They don't need to worry about what multiples are or anything else they need to know. They just need to have their basic questions answered so they can advise that client properly. Do we need to get an expert involved or do we not? And that's what we've done with this book, and I'm very excited about it and looking forward to. Dave: Yeah. So by the time this episode goes live, I expect your book will be out. And, you know, it's funny, in my niche tax arena of the IC Disc. I always tell our clients and advisors because they always kind of get overwhelmed with the details and the nuances, and they're trying to make sure they remember it. And every year, the same controller has the same question year after year, and they feel bad about it because, like, Dave, I know I asked you about this last year, and I'm asking you again, and I always tell them, I say, hey, look, I deal with this 365 days a year. You deal with it one day a year. And I. And in fact, I just had this call with a client yesterday, and I said, kayla, all you need to know about the IC disc is my phone number. And I'd argue that's all the attorneys need to know. They just need Scott's phone number, because all the other pieces you can take care of. Scott: Absolutely, Absolutely. And that's, you know, that's why I wrote the book, was just to. To be able to be a simple guide, you know, for attorneys to say, what do I do next? What are the questions that I need to. That I've got, and what do I need to do next? Dave: And. Scott: And you're right. Ideally, let me worry about the details, and I can take them through those details and as much, you know, take as much time as they would like. But ultimately, usually when I deal with attorney referral partners, they're just looking for that. That basic guidance. What do we need to do here? What should I look out for? Those types of things. So it's the approach you take with your clients? Yeah. No. Dave: So even though the book is really geared toward the attorney, if you. If the attorney had a client who was, you know, like, say, an engineer, you tend to be detail oriented and is really pushing back. And they say, well, my research says I should be able to get a 70% discount on this. Now, would the book be written in simple enough terms? That attorney could give a copy to a client who's detail oriented to at least cause the client to say, okay, all right, I get it. It's more complicated than I thought. So do you think it's plain language enough for a business owner or somebody, A client of a c. Of an estate attorney? Scott: Yes. The short answer is yes, Dave. I wrote it specifically for attorneys because those are the folks that I talk to the most often, and they're the primary referral partners, the primary point of contact I have when valuation issues come up for a client. But, you know, this book, you know, it would be very helpful for attorneys, CPAs, wealth planners, or the top folks that would find this thing Interesting. And. And it really is written in simple, easy to understand terms. And it covers some of the primary reasons why they might need evaluation. Things like M and A, estate and trust, divorce, business disputes, or IP valuations. And it gives just the basic questions that they need to understand to be conversant enough to know what they need to do next. And I give some very simple but practical examples for most of the issues. Most of the questions that I answer in there, I give simple examples. Here's an example of how this works or how it worked in the past with a client so that they can quickly and easily consume the things that they need to figure out. What are the next steps here? So there. No, no CPA is going to sit down with this book and say, okay, this is going to teach me everything I need to know to do evaluation. It's not meant for those folks. There's plenty of those out there that are written by people, you know, that have every detail in it. Dave: Yeah, textbook type. Scott: Exactly. This is really meant to be just a reference guide, a place to, to guide you so that you can figure out the next steps. Dave: Okay, well, hey. Well, Scott, I think this has been your second time on the podcast. It's been even more fun the second time. As we wrap up here, is there anything I didn't ask you that you wish I had? Scott: I wish you would ask me about my dog, Buddy, my office mate here, but otherwise, I, you know, I. There's nothing that really comes to mind that I could think of, honestly. I think we had a really good discussion about these issues. And, you know, the main thing I would leave you with and your audience with is I enjoy, you know, talking about this. This is, like you said, this is what I do seven days a week. And anytime that somebody has a question about evaluation, especially the state trust and gift valuations, I'm always happy. It's easy to find my contact information on LinkedIn and I'm always happy to have a conversation and, and if I can't help, you know, the person, then I can always point them in the right direction. Happy to be a resource for you, for your clients, for anybody who's got a question. Happy to do that. Dave: And just curious, do you, like, charge for a preliminary conversation like that? Scott: We never charge until the. And unless the client decides to engage us to do the work. So all my conversations are free up front. And, and that's, you know, that's just the way that we do business is we can give you honest information and have that, that, you know, simple conversation with you up front so that you're armed with what you need to make that, well, awesome. Dave: Well, Scott, this has been a lot of fun. Best of luck in the release of your book. I'm looking forward to getting a copy of it. Scott: Thank you, Dave. It's been a pleasure to be on with you again. I appreciate the opportunity. Dave: All right. Hey, you have a great day, buddy. Scott: Thanks.Special Guest: Scott Abels.

Recorded at the Palm Street Studio on a Monday night.  Bartending with Phil makes two delicious shots, the whipped cookie and Neapolitan ice cream shot.  The Windjammer situation is a major fiasco.  You can get awesome lobster nachos and Beaver's Pub in Bay City.  Speaking of Bay City...the bridges and toll situations suck.  Rest in Peace Fred, you will be missed by many as a local legend with and even more legendary business card.   Featuring The Grumpy Griller, Brian "The Blade", Phil Nichol, and Adam Filkins.  Make good choices!

Theft is the number one topic in equipment rental, and after 10 years of running one of the industry's largest owner communities, Ed Craddock of True Value Rental in Bay City, Michigan has seen every scheme in the book. In this episode, Ed walks through how theft methods are evolving, how to train your counter staff to respond, and why staying connected to other operators is still your best defense.

Episode 2322 - This episode starts exactly where civilized society collapses: discussions about Hot Girl Summer logistics, post-breakup weight loss predictions, and whether men and women are even allowed to understand each other anymore.  Kid and the crew bounce between cultural double standards, algorithm-driven outrage, media polarization, and the weird pressure modern society puts on everybody to immediately pick a side and stay angry forever. Hat Trick unloads stories involving co-parenting headaches, relationship dynamics, motel meetups, and the complicated balance between emotional connection and casual fun.  That leads into conversations about infatuation, limerence, jealousy, and why modern relationships feel like a chemistry experiment mixed with social media warfare. The back half of the episode swerves into late-night TV nostalgia, Stephen Colbert's Bay City connection, conspiracy-fueled political rants, AI paranoia, listener-line insanity, and Kid realizing he's spent 2,300 episodes collecting human weirdness like a raccoon dragging shiny garbage into a garage studio.

Episode 120 - Navigating Art, Moving, and Minimalism with a Creative Twist In this episode, we share personal updates about moving and studio downsizing, explore the concept of play and exploration in art, and discuss how minimalism influences creative processes. Join us for insights on how to keep your artistic spirit alive amidst life's transitions.Moving homes and studio downsizing: practical tips and emotional challengesThe importance of moving with emotion versus moving without emotion in artHow artists can choose their medium and streamline supplies for easier transitionsThe role of residency programs like Golden Apple Studio in maintaining creative momentumThe significance of terminology in art: exploring words like play, exploration, and researchThe impact of titles and artist statements in shaping viewer interpretationThe balance between spontaneous and deliberate mark-making in art creationMinimalism in life and art: practical insights and historical referencesPlanning upcoming summer exhibitions and online residencies for artistsStrategies for staying motivated and connected to art through busy or disruptive periods.Links of interestGolden Apple Residency Studio 23 iPhonegraphy Exhibit in Bay City, MIValerie's Virtual Summer Residency on Zoom

In October 1908, northern Michigan burned. The Metz Fire destroyed a village, killed dozens and left hundreds homeless.At the same time, fires threatened communities near Alpena, Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie, where ashes fell on the water “as if from a volcano.”This episode follows the fire through newspaper reports and the firsthand escape account of Mildred Swan, a Bay City teacher who ran through burning orchards and fences to survive.The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

Episode 2321 - The guys open by bitching about Bay City's endless bridge construction, zero workers on site, and locals who'd rather trash a high-school welding project than fix roads. From there it spirals into Facebook's old negative-feed study, why social media is 90% trolls, the joy of ditching your phone for an old iPod, VHS-to-DVD nightmares, and a heartfelt defense of Art Dore's Toughman contests after Sydney Sweeney's new boxing movie name-drops the local legend. Throw in Dice Clay still crushing it, a fat-shaming manifesto, zero interest in ever getting married again, and a vinyl debate about whether Greta Van Fleet is ripping off Zeppelin or keeping the flame alive. Same show, different week. Go Deep.

In the latest episode of Mitten Money, Kevin is joined by Rob Clark to chat about how companies can look beyond the bottom line and give back through conscious capitalism. Rob breaks down corporate community engagement into three pillars: philanthropy, volunteerism, and thought leadership. He explains that real impact happens when you move past simple sponsorships and build true partnerships.They discuss how getting out into the community can be a strong team-building tool that boosts morale, with a key takeaway being that community work should never be done for credit. When it's done for the right reasons, business growth tends to follow naturally.They also share updates on Tri-Star's growth in the Great Lakes Bay region, including a new 4,000-square-foot office opening this fall in downtown Bay City, as well as exciting news about co-host Will Zank, who is welcoming his third child!Comments made are not to be considered endorsements of Tri-Star Trust or its employees. All viewpoints expressed herein belong solely to the commentators, whether or not they are employees or clients, and remain uninfluenced and uncompensated by Tri-Star Trust or any of its affiliates.

So we said we were taking the summer off....however with the great man 10 years gone now, we thought it would be nice to tip our hat to Bowie by chatting ( and voting) on his studio albums, and ultimately come up with the album that we collectively think is our favourite ( picking the ' best' one almost impossible!) Episode 1 has our panel Caroline & Grahame talking with fondness about their favourite Bowie moments, has Grahame singing Paul Quinn singing Golden Years 4o odd years ago ( no, really) and the panel trying & failing to guess his 9 UK No 1 albums. More importantly, we also did a live draw for the last 16 knockout round, with at least 2 heavyweight clashes drawn.Big thanks to Caroline & Grahame - lets see how this one goes...Enjoy & stay safe

On this live episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 8, Episode 7. We see Dre come clean to Nardo and the rest of the BCPD, because she knows where Adam is hiding in Bay City. The news gets back to Pete who races to get filled in. When push comes to shove, does Dre deliver? Also, Avery and Zoey are talking about some heartbreaking thoughts. Sara and Lex catch up. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

May 6, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson discuss Chedrick Greene's special election win. Wayne State University's Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, a political science professor, joins to discuss what this means for Democrats. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 6, 2026 ~ William Pavlov, Manager, Bay City Boat Lines joins Paul W. Smith. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Action Jack chats with Red Wing Aces manager Justin Plein after a season opening win Sunday at Bay City.

On this live episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 8, Episode 5. Adam and Belinda are in Bay City and set up shop in town. Dre gets caught snooping in Adam's lair. but he lets her go. Sophia recounts to Sara what she saw while Sara was "in between". All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

This episode delves into the gritty, atmospheric world of Raymond Chandler's most famous character, Philip Marlowe. Through a detailed exploration of the 1947 radio adaptation "The Long Arm," we uncover how Chandler's storytelling creates a compelling blend of crime, morality, and atmosphere, revealing key insights into noir fiction and detective work.Most detective stories promise x, but this one delivers a knockout dose of gritty reality, a tangled web of murder, corruption, and betrayal in Bay City. When seasoned private eye Philip Marlowe gets a frantic call from a jailed friend claiming his wife has been murdered—and that he's been framed—he steps into a deepening conspiracy that threatens to swallow him whole.In this gripping episode, you'll discover how Marlowe peels back layers of deception, navigating crooked cops, sly gamblers, and shadowy figures who all have secrets to hide. We break down:The dangerous game of small-town corruption and how it ensnares even the savviest playersThe real story behind a frame-up that could topple a city's entire underbellyThe innovative tactics Marlowe uses to outsmart powerful foes and expose the truthThe surprising role of a fat fry cook and a blackjack-sharp gambler in unraveling the killer's identityAnd the chance to see how one man's integrity can turn the tide when everything's on the lineWhy do so many chase secrets that threaten their lives? Because missing this insight could mean staying blind to the patterns of crime that shape cities—and lives. If you're ready to see beneath the surface of every smoke-and-mirrors game, this episode is essential listening. It's for crime fans, mystery seekers, and anyone who believes in the power of clarity when chaos surrounds us.Perfect for those who love stories of resilience and cunning—this isn't just a tale; it's a blueprint for thinking smarter in dangerous times. Hit play, and see the long arm of truth stretch farther than you expected.

This beer should come with a warning label. Bay City's Jucci Gang Hazy Double IPA is a very deceptive drink because up front it's jucy and tropical with hints of candied oranges that drinks super smooth. Then you try and stand up after downing a pint only to realized that this beer is hiding 8.5% ABV among all that haze.

In this episode, we sit down with Jordan Pries, owner of The Electric Kitsch record store in Bay City, Michigan and working musician (he wrote our podcast theme song!), for a clear eyed look at what it takes to survive and stay relevant through 14 years of industry shifts and the rise of Record Store Day. From the early days of RSD to today's global frenzy, Jordan breaks down what has changed, what has not, and what customers rarely see, including the financial realities, supply chain headaches, and the role RSD plays in keeping the lights on. We also explore how running a shop intersects with life as a musician, shaping how music is valued on both sides of the counter, and whether Record Store Day still delivers for the independent stores it was built to support or just makes for one very long Saturday.In the Episode:Jordan Pries (Arc of All), Owner of The Electric KitschMitch Anderson, ProducerCredits:Original intro music by The Arc of All.Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited.Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios.Keep up-to-date with all the latest Hi-Fi, Music, Home Theater, and Headphone news by visiting:https://www.ecoustics.com#hifi #audiophile #vintageaudio #RSD2026 #RecordStoreDay #vinylcommunity #electrickitsch #podcast #ecoustics #blackcircleradio #sourceoflightandpower #blackcircleradio #solp #bcr #instavinyl #vinylcommunity #brickandmortar #smallbusiness #michiganbusiness #musicindustrynews

Sour beers can be an aquired taste and a little daunting for someone getting into craft beer. Where a lot of sour beers focus on the acidity, Bay City takes a different approach and hones in on the fruit for a more balaced sip. Ziggy Sourdust Passion Fruit Sour is a beer that has been in the tasting room for a while, it's now making its way into cans around San Diego just in time for Spring!

When you want an IPA that somewhere between an Non-Alcoholic version and the standard 6% faire, Bay City has you covered! Getaway Day IPA is a 3% ABV beer that deleivers on all the taste, aromas and expectations you have for a standard San Diego IPA but with half the alcohol.

Austin and Rob from Bay City Brewing brought a treat to wrap up a Tuesday! A beer that has been around but is now been dialed in and canned up, Peninsula Lager is an Amber Lager that pays homage to our neighbours to the South. Smooth, roasty and easy drinking this beer belongs next to tacos and some San Diego sunshine.

Baseball season is back and Bay City Brewing has one of the top spots in East Village to be at before a game! All week Austin and Rob stop in to talk about what fantastic liquid they'll be serving at the Faithfull prepare for another winning year. We start with a beer that for the first time ever is being poured at games, Fiesta Island Pilsner.

Host Saeed Khan talks with guests, Detroit Free Press investigative columnist M.L. Elrick, veteran attorneys Steve Fishman and Joel Sklar, community and labor activist Barb Ingalls, veteran journalist Nancy Derringer and Deadline Detroit co-founder Allan Lengel.They talk about: U.S.-Iran ceasefire; Melania Trump's denial; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer withholds dndorsements in U.S. Senate and Secretary of State races (Is she being wimpy?); Would the draft make us think twice about war? What's up with fired Fox 2 News Anchor Taryn Asher? Federal judge in Bay City pleads no contest to drunk driving; the University of Michigan men's basketball team takes it all.  Schmuck of the Week.

On this special live episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 8, Episode 3. Sara is still trying to get the details of what happened in Puerto Rico, but Pete and Lex are being tight-lipped. Vivian and Lex both let Pete know that Daniel may have some PTSD. Nardo gives an update regarding his talk with Evan, along with the theory that Tamara was a part of it. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

Arguably saving the best till last, we recently spent around 30 minutes in the company of Mike Scott from The Waterboys. Our primary conversation was on Fisherman's Blues, the album that came out on top of our Greatest Scottish Albums poll – and Mike was generous in both his recollections on making the record and some of the frustrations that it created for him. However, with the benefit of almost 40 years of perspective, Mike is now rightly proud of what he and his fellow musicians achieved. Mike also gave us a couple of cracking stories connected to the album, including a world-famous producer cold-calling his Mum's house in Ayr, and reminding anyone who needs reminding of his Scottish heritage. Mike has been a big supporting of our polling and chat on X over the last few months, which has been appreciated by everyone connected to our music channel – and we are looking forward to the release of the Atlantic Rain album and the subsequent Fisherman's Blues Revue Tour ( and we're going too!) See you on the other side

We were keen to  try and talk to some of artists involved in the making of some of the very best Scottish albums that make our final  ‘greatest' list. One of those albums was Rip It Up by Orange Juice (a semi-finalist, and we were therefore delighted to be joined by their (and many other great bands) guitarist, Malcolm Ross. Malcolm talked with fondness about how exciting music wasaround that time and gave us some lovely recollections, including being in two great bands in the space of 12 hours, recording the album in Soho London surrounded by goths, and of course making it onto Top Of The Pops. (and that infamous 2nd appearance!) We also collectively agreed that the album has aged verywell, and is fully deserving of the recognition it is now getting. Big thanks to Malcolm and check out the album if you haven'tfor a while. It might surprise you. Enjoy and stay safe

On this episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 8, Episode 2. With the events in Puerto Rico firmly in the rear-view mirror. our favorites in Bay City are trying to make sense of everything. RJ is having flashbacks of killing a man in self-defense. Daniel is suffering from PTSD and scared for his life that Adam is still at large. Avery is still mourning the loss of Damian. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠⁠⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

On this episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 8, Episode 1. Things are getting back to normal in Bay City. Pete and Vivian are reunited with baby Marlon. Sara gets to meet her new grandson. But, before EVERYTHING happened, three years before, Tamara may have been the one who set all this in motion. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

This week's episode takes us all over Michigan in search of wee bit o' the Irish, and share a few fun St. Patrick's Day celebrations around the state. Slainte!We will visit our beloved Bay City and learn a healthy way to celebrate this holiday.  The Bay City Races offer multiple runs and walks so everyone can find a way to participate. We talk with Elizabeth Mayfield from the Bay City Runners Club.We head to Clare to talk to our friends Tim and Kasey Veenkant at the Timeout Tavern Clare where we inadvertantly ended up there on St. Patrick's Day in 2025. (How did that happen?)And we meet Artemus Whitmore of Tailgators Sports Bar in Port Huron, who is one of the main organizers of the annual Pub Crawl.Segment 1-Gonzo and Amy Intro the show.Segment 2-Bay City Races-Elizabeth Mayfield, secretary of the Bay City Runners ClubSegment 3-Clare St. Patrick's Day, Tim and Kasey Veenkant, owners of the Timeout TavernSegment 4-Port Huron Pub Crawl-Artemus Whitmore, Tailgators Sports Bar, organizer of this year's Pub CrawlLearn more about our show at amyandgonzo.com where you can subscribe to our new Substack page to keep up on all of our adventures.

The Taproom Podcast Episode 161: Mike and co-hosts (including brother Josh, Kai and Family) take listeners on a tipsy San Diego brewery crawl and a Tulare tap yard visit. Expect beer reviews of Pure Project, Salty Walrus, Bay City, Burgeon, North Park and Societe, plus playful single-hop tasting notes, pilsners, hazies and blondes. The episode also features recurring — and wildly popular — "pisser reviews" from Tyler and Kai, local brewery shout-outs, stories about running taprooms, podcasting tips with Podbean, and plenty of behind-the-scenes banter, hangovers, and food recaps. Key takeaways: local craft scene highlights, tasting impressions and ratings, taproom culture, and an honest, unfiltered look at a beer-filled weekend.

On this episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 7, Episode 14. Pete has crashed the farce of a wedding and all chaos breaks loose! What happens when Pete and Adam come face to face? Does Sophia's methods work to bring Sara back from the brink of death? All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We are now a creator partner of 1st Phorm! Go over to ⁠1stPhorm.suds-media.com⁠ to join Vinnie on his weight loss journey and get some great 1st Phorm products!Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

Hey, everyone, I'm John Gonzalez from Behind the Mitten. I'm in Bay City, Michigan right now with my good friend Earl Bovia, president of the Bay City Fireworks Festival (July 1-4, 2026). It's a little noisy in here, Earl, because you just made some major announcements about this year's event. "Yeah, we've got a bunch of different acts coming. (Country act) Confederate Railroad on Thursday night. We're doing a Wednesday in the Park free show this year, which is new, Thunderstruck AC/DC tribute is coming in."He added: "It's gonna be a great festival. And also, we just announced today, this is going be the biggest festival we've ever put on. The most fireworks shot up in the air, ever. More than the 50th anniversary and the 50,000 shells we did that year."Gonzo said: "So Earl, also we're celebrating a major milestone for our country."Earl said: "The 250th for the country. that's why our aim is to make this the biggest and best to celebrate the 250th of the country. Earl, where can people get more information about this year's event, which is happening July 1st through the 4th, and buy those cool t-shirts?"He said: "Go to www.baycityfireworksfestival.com, all the information is right there for you."

On this episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to talk all about @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 7, Episode 13. The wedding day is upon us. Adam gets things set to marry Vivian, but will Pete make it in time to stop the wedding? Meanwhile in Bay City, Sara is taking a turn for the worst, but Sophia has a plan. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We have a new sponsor! Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2026 Suds and Squared Circle Media

Is a two-year ban on department legislators from becoming lobbyists possible as individuals like Republican House Speaker Matt Hall try reforming the state Capitol institution? Also, ahead of the May 5 special election in Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw, what should Republicans be doing as their party has been losing 2025-2026 elections throughout the United States. From gameday party chip dips to expected impacts of AI on elections this year, MIRS talks about it all with Tony Zammit – the former Michigan GOP communications director – and Adam Bitely, the public affairs vice president of the Lansing-based Bellwether Public Relations firm (:25). 

Join host Meg Grier on God and Our Dogs as she interviews Dwaine Rivers of the Rivers Team with Phyllis Browning. Dwaine shares an incredible 12-day journey of faith, persistence, and divine intervention when his daughter's Australian Shepherd, Raya, went missing on her wedding day in Bay City, Texas. This heartwarming story demonstrates how God's fingerprints appear in unexpected places - from a traumatic storm that caused Raya to escape, to an entire community rallying together in prayer and search efforts. Despite crossing busy highways and navigating railroad tracks and canals, Raya was miraculously protected for nearly two weeks. The turning point came through divine guidance from an animal behaviorist who advised a simple but profound approach: just sit quietly with another familiar dog. Within 10 minutes, Raya emerged from the woods, completely healthy. This powerful metaphor reminds us how God patiently waits for us, and sometimes the best way to help those who are lost is simply to be present. Key Takeaways: Faith and persistence in the face of overwhelming odds The power of community support and prayer Trusting expert guidance even when it doesn't make sense God's protection and perfect timing Lessons about approaching lost friends with patience and presence About Dwaine Rivers: Real estate expert with 40+ years of experience, award-winning horseman, community leader, and devoted dog lover with the Rivers Team. Timeline 0:00 - Introduction to God and Our Dogs podcast 1:04 - Meet Dwaine Rivers - real estate expert and dog lover 1:49 - The Rivers family: from 10 dogs down to 6 2:15 - The wedding day crisis begins 3:07 - Raya escapes during a storm in Bay City, Texas 3:54 - The groom's remarkable decision at noon 4:36 - Wedding proceeds despite the crisis 4:55 - Bay City community mobilizes in prayer and search 5:15 - Raya spotted across town - crossing railroad tracks and canals 5:58 - Animal behaviorist explains traumatized dog behavior 6:21 - 12 days of searching and divine protection 6:30 - Raya crosses 4-lane highway multiple times unharmed 7:13 - The solution: Dakota, the familiar friend dog 7:38 - Miracle moment: Raya emerges in less than 10 minutes 8:21 - Found 100% healthy after 12 days 8:42 - Lessons about not giving up 9:24 - Priorities: marriage first, then continuing the search 10:54 - Following expert advice that didn't make sense 11:42 - Bay City celebrates - local newspaper covers the story 12:01 - About the Rivers Team real estate services 12:43 - Thought to "paw-nder": being present for neighbors in need 13:34 - Closing and how to connect Host: Meg Grier - Stories@GodAndOurDogs.com Website: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072683640098 God and Our Dogs airs every Saturday at 11:15am on Boerne Radio 103.9FM - www.boerneradio.com. Air Date: 1/24/26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join our Christmas Service live from our Saginaw Campus. Merry Christmas! If you would like more information about Hopevale and be a part of all that is happening, you can download our mobile app by texting HOPEVALEAPP to 77977. You can also go to https://www.hopevale.org/weekly to subscribe to your weekly updates. We want to thank you for giving to the Lord here at Hopevale. It is because of you that we can use digital platforms like this to share the hope of Jesus. To give, you can simply text HOPEVALE to 77977 or go to https://www.hopevale.org/give. You can also mail in your donation to 5360 Shattuck Road, Saginaw, MI 48603. Thanks again! If you need prayer, your Hopevale family is here for you. You can email us at prayer@hopevale.org for our Saginaw campus or bcprayer@hopevale.org for our Bay City campus.

Host Saeed Khan talks with lawyers Bill Seikaly, Steve Fishman and Joel Sklar; community and labor activist Barb Ingalls; veteran journalist Nancy Derringer; and Deadline Detroit co-founder Allan Lengel.They talk about: Trump gets heckled at a Dearborn auto plant and speaks at the Detroit Economic Club; Trump considers military options to attack Iran; Trump launches a criminal probe of his own Fed chairman; Fed prosecutors resign in Minnesota due to DOJ efforts to investigate the widow of a woman killed by ICE in Minneapolis; Sen. Elissa Slotkin is the target of a fed criminal investigation because of a video about refusing illegal orders; Bay City man yells at ICE protestors, says he resigns as CEO of a company he never worked for; Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, passes at 78; Schmuck of the Week.

In this week's episode, The Dancing Housewife sit sdown with Denise Holmes, who began ballroom dancing in January of 2024—at age 69.Denise shares her life story, from growing up in Bay City, Texas to stepping onto the competitive ballroom floor later in life. Along the way, she opens up about living with stage four cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a rare and currently incurable, untreatable and progressive neurological disorder and how ballroom dancing has played a significant role in helping her remain active, engaged, and grounded through ongoing health challenges.We talk about navigating more than 15 brain bleeds, managing persistent dizziness, and the unexpected ways dance has supported both her physical , cognitive and emotional well-being. Denise's story is not about denying difficulty—it's about choosing movement, connection, and purpose in the midst of it.As Denise puts it: “I believe that if not for ballroom dancing, my life would be a lot different.”This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about resilience, late-in-life beginnings, and the unique power of ballroom dance to shape how we move through hard seasons.Subscribe, share, and follow along so you never miss an episode. Happy dancing.Recovery and rehab support for dancers provided by ToneMeUp Pro:https://www.tonemeup-pro.com/en/

Happy New Year Everyone! On this episode, @VinnieSuds and @misfit8690 are back to discuss the next episode of @TheBayTheSeries! We are reviewing Season 7, Episode 8. While Pete, RJ, and Caleb are planning their next moves to find their loved ones, Dante, Reagan, and Frankie are also in Puerto Rico. Whisked away from Bay City for their safety, they realize they are smack dab in the middle of the adventure. All this and so much more!Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications! Like the video and support our channel by giving us Super Chats, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks! You can also view some of our merch right on this YouTube Channel! And remember for 2026, we are giving away a Free T-Shirt every month! To enter, all you need to do is send us a Super Chat, Super Thanks, or Super Sticker, and you get an entry. A random winner will be chosen at the end of every month of 2026 from everyone who sends us a Super on YouTube!The Bay: The Beginning can be found on Amazon Prime!The Bay can be found on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Roku Channel, and Popstar. We have a new sponsor! Dubby Energy is now partnered with Suds Media to bring clean energy and hydration drinks straight to you! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dubby.gg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ use the promo code SUDSMEDIA for 10% off your order!We are officially an affiliate for WWE Shop, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wrestlingmerch.suds-media.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to shop with our official affiliate code.Are you looking for some help with your relationship or your sex life? Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ coachingbylorie.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use promo code WELCOME for 20% off your first session.Go to our Linktree for an All Access Pass to all our stuff!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktree.suds-media.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠©2025 Suds and Squared Circle Media

Kid A.G., El Pres, and Hat Trick pile into The Studio and immediately unload on Bay City's traffic nightmare—Veterans Bridge construction turning every drive into a rage-inducing crawl while the city pretends it's progress.  Hat Trick breaks down small-town politics: old-timers screaming about nonexistent crime waves fueled by Facebook bots and Fox News, demanding a police force the budget can't touch, while the new mayor actually does the homework to shut it down.  Conversation swings to never feeling scared in local dive bars, teenage kids learning to drive, and Hat Trick's daughter already licensed while her son couldn't care less. Fedorov jersey retirement sparks Wings ticket excitement, stories of past games, and old-school hockey nostalgia.  Things get filthy fast—AI chatbots turning lonely people into digital sex addicts, Kid demoing a disturbingly eager bot that escalates from casual to full-on dirty talk in seconds. Hat Trick shares fireman hook-up details (double loads, dripping hours later), debates whether catching your partner sexting an AI would piss you off, and insists women won't ditch real dick for robots.  Stack dating, quiet quitting, media hype, generational gripes, avocado toast myths, and pretentious academic word salads all get roasted.  OnlyFans cash potential, missed pregnant photo ops, feet pics, and spinning off platforms come up alongside hottie worship. Elvis outtakes, facial finish obsessions, AI-generated motorboat songs, and dinosaur-hand jerk fantasies close it out.  Pure rambling Michigan chaos—traffic rants to cum-dripping texts, zero script, all tangents.

Chances are you've heard this low-end thumper in your bass woofers, or have seen him perform around Michigan (as well as the world). He's performed with various national acts, including Bettye LaVette, Sturgill Simpson, Brett Lucas, Mitch Ryder, and more. He's a 'first-call' from the bass master. himself, Michigan's Don Was for multiple studio projects. Chuck Bartels lives, eats, breathes, and is raising a happy family out of Detroit and happy to offer his services for a variety of musical styles, as he often as he can.    Chuck jumped into performing in the early '90s and has rounded the 'bases' with jazz, jam, Americana, blues, tribute showcases, R&B, soul, rock, and so much more. His ability to be as down-to-earth has garnished him quite a 'word-of-mouth' career. The MMHP was so grateful to line up this world-class bassist for a career retrospective in Bay City in early 2025.    In part 2 of 2, Chuck offers background on the recordings he has helped make that should have taken off, his nature balance on home life and touring, his dream gig, and some bands from the past that fans should seek out. This epic hang is perfect for you all, looking to absorb some of the best current and national music that this man has touched. Thank you all for tuning into part one and ENJOY!

Roger Director discusses his last name; how TV is the writers medium; growing up in East Rockaway inhaling DDT; like to tell stories economically so went into journalism; covering a house fire on Guy Lombardo Blvd, jazzed him up; writing a term paper on Lenny Bruce; decided to get a job instead of more education; created Stretch the Limo Driver for Vanity Fair; Sport Magazine; friend suggests him to Steven Bocho; writes a spec Bay City Blues and gets hired; Bay City cancelled and goes to Hill Street Blues; Michael Conrad still on show; his roll call was a great way to hook in audiences; writes poem that is Estherhaus' epitaph; stories were outlined on index cards, given to writers, then polish and assembled into an episode; favorite character was Howard Hunter; mine is Belker; changed TV; Bochco writes about human condition so there's humor in the episodes; going from newspapers to Emmys in year; doesn't remember being Michael O'Donoghue's Silverman leak; did a year profiling Tim Hutton; Knicks v. Lakers fandom; NY Football Giants; going to Moonlighting; pilot go to him; show had no parameters; having crazy ideas and using them; breaking the fourth wall; Rona Barrett clip show; Camille episode with Whoopi Goldberg and slapstick ending; Maddie gets married, America outraged; creating Herbert Viola to be David's sidekick; Charles Rocket; Eva Marie Saint asks for a line reading; working with Orson Welles &Stanley Donnen; writing with Mel Brooks on Mad About You; his new novel, Killing in Havana; writing a roman a clef about his career; writing a book about the 2006 champion NY Giants; liking women's soccer; being a Mets and Yankees fan; working with Charles Floyd Johnson on NCIS; Arliss; working on a show for "people who don't watch televison"

Chances are you've heard this low-end thumper in your bass woofers, or have seen him perform around Michigan (as well as the world). He's performed with various national acts, including Bettye LaVette, Sturgill Simpson, Brett Lucas, Mitch Ryder, and more. He's a 'first-call' from the bass master. himself, Michigan's Don Was for multiple studio projects. Chuck Bartels lives, eats, breathes, and is raising a happy family out of Detroit and happy to offer his services for a variety of musical styles, as he often as he can.    Chuck jumped into performing in the early '90s and has rounded the 'bases' with jazz, jam, Americana, blues, tribute showcases, R&B, soul, rock, and so much more. His ability to be as down-to-earth has garnished him quite a 'word-of-mouth' career. The MMHP was so grateful to line up this world-class bassist for a career retrospective in Bay City in early 2025. In part 1 of 2, Chuck takes us on a journey from his very beginnings, to life on the road with television cameras in his face, Grammy nominations, and the humble outlook of what living in Detroit and playing music for life has afforded him.    Tune in and enjoy the easy conversation!

Send us a textToday we are stepping straight into four decades of controversy, choreography, and calculated control.Madonna.Not just “the Queen of Pop,” but an artist who has treated her own life as a long, shape-shifting performance about power—who gets it, who's allowed to keep it, and what happens when a woman refuses to sit down, shut up, or age politely.I'm George Bartley. Let's begin.Madonna Louise Ciccone was born August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in the Detroit suburbs in a large, strict Catholic family.Her mother dies of breast cancer when Madonna is only five.That single loss—mother, faith, home base—echoes under almost everything that follows.You see it in the Catholic imagery she wears and tears apart, in the recurring themes of abandonment, guilt, and confession. The tabloids called it “blasphemy.” But for Madonna, it's also biography: a daughter arguing with the Church that shaped her and the God who took her mother.As a girl, she is a paradox: straight-A student, disciplined dancer, cheerleader, troublemaker. Teachers remember intelligence and defiance. She wants to be seen, but very much on her own terms.Support the showThank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Interpersonal energy is what distinguishes great conversations from the merely good ones, and we think we've got a great one for you here with S7 E3! Chris Hunter is well known not only to regular listeners, but also wine-loving travelers through Detroit's Metro airport, where he's been an outstanding presence at wine bar Vino Volo. Kassy is someone you'll love meeting, as her confidence, sportsmanship, and good humor clearly mark her as a force to be reckoned with, and her soon-to-open Bay City wine bar, Calypso, will certainly be a must-visit, too. And returning to the panelist table is our very own, spunky and irreverent co-host, Kristie Brablec, who stepped up to fill in for a guest who left us in the lurch. She does it all for you, dear listeners!So yeah, lots of energy, thoughtful provocation, and laughs in this one; you might not even notice you're learning stuff about the wonderful world of wine, it's so much fun! Set the cruise control or pull up a chair, crank the volume, and enjoy a full 1 hour episode of engaging wine talk!Please Like and subscribe, and follow us on Instagram at @therealwineshow. Your support means a lot to us. Thanks!

Dave Landau joins us to talk comedy, Bad Bunny playing Super Bowl LX halftime, Theo Von bombs his Netflix taping, Ariana Grande v. MAGA, and the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Dave Landau joins us in-studio today. The Detroit Tigers are in the playoffs, but we don't have a ton of faith in the team. The Cleveland Guardians don't know how to smoke cigarettes. Riley Greene struck out a bunch of times this season. Normal World covered the Jimmy Kimmel debacle. Tupac Shakur's Godmother died and people are divided about it. Ice Cube's tour bus was firebombed in Portland. Sydney Sweeney is in love with Scooter Braun. Sydney honored Britney Spears with a birthday outfit. Bad Bunny will perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Taylor Swift totally turned it down. Theo Von apparently BOMBED his Netflix special. Dave had a run-in with Warrant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He's also recently been on Joe Rogan and Kill Tony. Ariana Grande pops off against Donald Trump voters. Thomas Jacob Sanford is the turd Grand Blanc church shooter. The comedy bonanza in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is going down. Tim Dillon was BLOWN OUT and hilarious about it. Serena Williams vs cotton. Stuttering John Melendez wants to take the LSAT's and become a lawyer. A raging ICE protestor forgot to put her car in park. Christian TikTok influencer, Noah Glenn Carter, had a nude leak. Dave Landau will be at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle next month. He'll also be in Bay City as well as Jackson. Go see him! He recently rocked Beaverton. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Drew Lane, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon).

Mysterious James and I emerge from our three-night Cannon Beach odyssey to accidentally unlock our cycling superpowers, turning a modest Tillamook target into a shocking 52-mile triumph. It's the usual stuff: ice cream as performance enhancer, and the stunning revelation that hydration might actually matter. But with tomorrow's weather turning and our schedule still behind, will this newfound confidence carry us forward or set us up for an epic crash? Key Highlights Morning departure from Cannon Beach with sunny weather (rain expected tomorrow) Arch Cape Tunnel challenge - one of the less enjoyable parts of the Oregon coast, but navigated successfully with proper lighting and safety gear Strong riding performance despite variable winds - tailwinds providing good speed, headwinds creating challenges around rivers and inlets Confidence boost as both riders felt strong throughout the day, a marked improvement from their struggles the previous day leaving Beaverton Hydration success - Tim credits focused hydration efforts for dramatically improved performance Cape Lookout State Park arrival - described as potentially "the best camp on the coast" with individual pod-like clearings and ocean wave sounds   Route Details Departed Cannon Beach early morning Climbed through Arch Cape Tunnel to Manzanita (20-mile checkpoint) Continued south past Garibaldi and Bay City to Tillamook Extended ride from Tillamook to Cape Lookout State Park Riders met at Safeway in Tillamook for resupply (chicken strips and ice cream)   Camp Review: Cape Lookout State Park Pros: - Excellent location directly on the coast - Individual pod-like campsites with perfect flat ground - Beautiful ocean wave sounds - Great overall facilities Cons: - Long walk to bathhouse/showers - Charging stations only have USB-A ports (no USB-C or standard 110V outlets)   Tomorrow's Plan Targeting Beverly Beach as the main goal South Beach as potential stretch goal (though 70 miles seems too ambitious) Weather forecast: overcast and cool - ideal "James and Tim weather" Still working out end-of-week logistics due to being behind schedule   Technology MVP Perplexity AI proving invaluable for route planning and logistics, including confirming their direct route choice over the longer ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) scenic route.   Statistics Miles Biked: 52 Times Tim arrived before James: 2 (hmm… that's not normal. Foreshadowing…) Power of James's insane phone charger: 100 watts Consecutive nights at Cannon Beach: 3 (do I need to declare it as a part time residence this year?) • • Flats: Zero

The Storm does not cover athletes or gear or hot tubs or whisky bars or helicopters or bros jumping off things. I'm focused on the lift-served skiing world that 99 percent of skiers actually inhabit, and I'm covering it year-round. To support this mission of independent ski journalism, please subscribe to the free or paid versions of the email newsletter.WhoGreg Pack, President and General Manager of Mt. Hood Meadows, OregonRecorded onApril 28, 2025About Mt. Hood MeadowsClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The Drake Family (and other minority shareholders)Located in: Mt. Hood, OregonYear founded: 1968Pass affiliations:* Indy Pass – 2 days, select blackouts* Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackoutsClosest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Summit (:17), Mt. Hood Skibowl (:19), Cooper Spur (:23), Timberline (:26)Base elevation: 4,528 feetSummit elevation: 7,305 feet at top of Cascade Express; 9,000 feet at top of hike-to permit area; 11,249 feet at summit of Mount HoodVertical drop: 2,777 feet lift-served; 4,472 hike-to inbounds; 6,721 feet from Mount Hood summitSkiable acres: 2,150Average annual snowfall: 430 inchesTrail count: 87 (15% beginner, 40% intermediate, 15% advanced, 30% expert)Lift count: 11 (1 six-pack, 5 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 3 doubles, 1 carpet – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mount Hood Meadows' lift fleet)About Cooper SpurClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The Drake FamilyLocated in: Mt. Hood, OregonYear founded: 1927Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackoutsClosest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Mt. Hood Meadows (:22), Summit (:29), Mt. Hood Skibowl (:30), Timberline (:37)Base elevation: 3,969 feetSummit elevation: 4,400 feetVertical drop: 431 feetSkiable acres: 50Average annual snowfall: 250 inchesTrail count: 9 (1 most difficult, 7 more difficult, 1 easier)Lift count: 2 (1 double, 1 ropetow – view Lift Blog's inventory of Cooper Spur's lift fleet)Why I interviewed himVolcanoes are weird. Oh look, an exploding mountain. Because that seems reasonable. Volcanoes sound like something imagined, like dragons or teleportation or dinosaurs*. “So let me get this straight,” I imagine some puzzled Appalachian miner, circa 1852, responding to the fellow across the fire as he tells of his adventures in the Oregon Territory, “you expect me to believe that out thataways they got themselves mountains that just blow their roofs off whenever they feel like it, and shoot off fire and rocks and gas for 50 mile or more, and no one never knows when it's a'comin'? You must think I'm dumber'n that there tree stump.”Turns out volcanoes are real. How humanity survived past day one I have no idea. But here we are, skiing on volcanoes instead of tossing our virgins from the rim as a way of asking the nice mountain to please not explode (seriously how did anyone make it out of the past alive?).And one of the volcanoes we can ski on is Mount Hood. This actually seems more unbelievable to me than the concept of a vengeful nuclear mountain. PNW Nature Bros shield every blade of grass like they're guarding Fort Knox. When, in 2014, federal scientists proposed installing four monitoring stations on Hood, which the U.S. Geological Survey ranks as the sixth-highest threat to erupt out of America's 161 active volcanoes, these morons stalled the process for six years. “I think it is so important to have places like that where we can just step back, out of respect and humility, and appreciate nature for what it is,” a Wilderness Watch official told The New York Times. Personally I think it's so important to install basic monitoring infrastructure so that thousands of people are not incinerated in a predictable volcanic eruption. While “Japan, Iceland and Chile smother their high-threat volcanoes in scientific instruments,” The Times wrote, American Granola Bros say things like, “This is more proof that the Forest Service has abandoned any pretense of administering wilderness as per the letter or spirit of the Wilderness Act.” And Hood and the nation's other volcanoes cackle madly. “These idiots are dumber than the human-sacrifice people,” they say just before belching up an ash cloud that could take down a 747. When officials finally installed these instrument clusters on Hood in 2020, they occupied three boxes that look to be approximately the size of a convenience-store ice freezer, which feels like an acceptable trade-off to mass death and airplanes falling out of the sky.I know that as an outdoor writer I'm supposed to be all pissed off if anyone anywhere suggests any use of even a centimeter of undeveloped land other than giving it back to the deer in a treaty printed on recycled Styrofoam and signed with human blood to symbolize the life we've looted from nature by commandeering 108 square feet to potentially protect millions of lives from volcanic eruption, but this sort of trivial protectionism and willful denial that humans ought to have rights too is the kind of brainless uncompromising overreach that I fear will one day lead to a massive over-correction at the other extreme, in which a federal government exhausted with never being able to do anything strips away or massively dilutes land protections that allow anyone to do anything they can afford. And that's when we get Monster Pete's Arctic Dune Buggies setting up a casino/coal mine/rhinoceros-hunting ranch on the Eliot Glacier and it's like thanks Bros I hope that was worth it to stall the placement of gardenshed-sized public safety infrastructure for six years.Anyway, given the trouble U.S. officials have with installing necessary things on Mount Hood, it's incredible how many unnecessary ones our ancestors were able to build. But in 1927 the good old boys hacked their way into the wilderness and said, “by gum what a spot for snoskiing” and built a bunch of ski areas. And today 31 lifts serve four Mt. Hood ski areas covering a combined 4,845 acres:Which I'm just like, do these Wilderness Watch people not know about this? Perhaps if this and similar groups truly cared about the environmental integrity of Mount Hood they would invest their time, energy, and attention into a long-term regional infrastructure plan that identified parcels for concentrated mixed-use development and non-personal-car-based transit options to mitigate the impact of thousands of skiers traveling up the mountain daily from Portland, rather than in delaying the installation of basic monitoring equipment that notifies humanity of a civilization-shattering volcanic eruption before it happens. But then again I am probably not considering how this would impact the integrity of squirrel poop decomposition below 6,000 feet and the concomitant impacts on pinestand soil erosion which of course would basically end life as we know it on planet Earth.OK this went sideways let me try to salvage it.*Whoops I know dinosaurs were real; I meant to write “the moon landing.” How embarrassing.What we talked aboutA strong 2024-25; recruiting employees in mountains with little nearby housing; why Meadows doesn't compete with Timberline for summer skiing; bye-bye Blue double, Meadows' last standing opening-year chairlift; what it takes to keep an old Riblet operating; the reliability of old versus new chairlifts; Blue's slow-motion demolition and which relics might remain long term; the logic of getting a free anytime buddy lift ticket with your season pass; thoughts on ski area software providers that take a percentage of all sales; why Meadows and Cooper Spur have no pass reciprocity; the ongoing Cooper Spur land exchange; the value of Cooper Spur and Summit on a volcano with three large ski areas; why Meadows hasn't backed away from reciprocal agreements; why Meadows chose Indy over Epic, Ikon, or Mountain Collective; becoming a ski kid when you're not from a ski family; landing at Mountain Creek, New Jersey after a Colorado ski career; how Moonlight Basin started as an independent ski area and eventually became part of Big Sky; the tension underlying Telluride; how the Drake Family, who has managed the ski area since inception, makes decisions; a board that reinvests 100 percent of earnings back into the mountain; why we need large independents in a consolidating world; being independent is “our badge of honor”; whether ownership wants to remain independent long term; potential next lift upgrades; a potential all-new lift line and small expansion; thoughts on a better Heather lift; wild Hood weather and the upper limits of lift service; considering surface lifts on the upper mountain; the challenges of running Cascade Express; the future of the Daisy and Easy Rider doubles; more potential future expansion; and whether we could ever see a ski connection with Timberline Lodge.Why now was a good time for this interviewIt's kind of dumb that 210 episodes into this podcast I've only recorded one Oregon ep: Timberline Lodge President Jeff Kohnstamm, more than three years ago. While Oregon only has 11 active ski areas, and the state ranks 11th-ish in skier visits, it's an important ski state. PNW skiers treat skiing like the Northeast treats baseball or the Midwest treats football or D.C. treats politics: rabid beyond reason. That explains the eight Idaho pods and half dozen each in Washington and B.C. These episodes hit like a hash stand at a Dead show. So why so few Oregon eps?Eh, no reason in particular. There isn't a ski area in North America that I don't want to feature on the podcast, but I can't just order them online like a pizza. Relationships, more than anything, drive the podcast, and The Storm's schedule is primarily opportunity driven. I invite folks on as I meet them or when they do something cool. And sometimes we can connect right away and sometimes it takes months or even years, even if they want to do it. Sometimes we're waiting on contracts or approvals so we can discuss some big project in depth. It can take time to build trust, or to convince a non-podcast person that they have a great story to tell.So we finally get to Meadows. Not to be It-Must-Be-Nice Bro about benefits that arise from clear deliberate life choices, but It must be nice to live in the PNW, where every city sits within 90 minutes of a ripping, open-until-Memorial-Day skyscraper that gets carpet bombed with 400 annual inches but receives between one and four out-of-state visitors per winter. Yeah the ski areas are busy anyway because they don't have enough of them, but busy with Subaru-driving Granola Bros is different than busy with Subaru-driving Granola Bros + Texas Bro whose cowboy boots aren't clicking in right + Florida Bro who bought a Trans Am for his boa constrictor + Midwest Bro rocking Olin 210s he found in Gramp's garage + Hella Rad Cali Bro + New Yorker Bro asking what time they groom Corbet's + Aussie Bro touring the Rockies on a seven-week long weekend + Euro Bro rocking 65 cm underfoot on a two-foot powder day. I have no issue with tourists mind you because I am one but there is something amazing about a ski area that is gigantic and snowy and covered in modern infrastructure while simultaneously being unknown outside of its area code.Yes this is hyperbole. But while everyone in Portland knows that Meadows has the best parking lot views in America and a statistical profile that matches up with Beaver Creek and as many detachable chairlifts as Snowbasin or Snowbird and more snow than Steamboat or Jackson or Palisades or Pow Mow, most of the rest of the world doesn't, and I think they should.Why you should ski Mt. Hood Meadows and Cooper SpurIt's interesting that the 4,845 combined skiable acres of Hood's four ski areas are just a touch larger than the 4,323 acres at Mt. Bachelor, which as far as I know has operated as a single interconnected facility since its 1958 founding. Both are volcanoes whose ski areas operate on U.S. Forest Service land a commutable distance from demographically similar markets, providing a case study in distributed versus centralized management.Bachelor in many ways delivers a better experience. Bachelor's snow is almost always drier and better, an outlier in the kingdom of Cascade Concrete. Skiers can move contiguously across its full acreage, an impossible mission on Balkanized Hood. The mountain runs an efficient, mostly modern 15 lifts to Hood's wild 31, which includes a dozen detachables but also a half dozen vintage Riblet doubles with no safety bars. Bachelor's lifts scale the summit, rather than stopping thousands of feet short as they do on Hood. While neither are Colorado-grade destination ski areas, metro Portland is stuffed with 25 times more people than Bend, and Hood ski areas have an everbusy feel that skiers can often outrun at Bachelor. Bachelor is closer to its mothership – just 26 minutes from Bend to Portland's hour-to-two-hour commutes up to the ski areas. And Bachelor, accessible on all versions of the Ikon Pass and not hamstrung by the confusing counter-branding of multiple ski areas with similar names occupying the same mountain, presents a more clearcut target for the mainstream skier.But Mount Hood's quirky scatterplot ski centers reward skiers in other ways. Four distinct ski areas means four distinct ski cultures, each with its own pace, purpose, customs, traditions, and orientation to the outside world. Timberline Lodge is a funky mix of summertime Bro parks, Government Camp greens, St. Bernards, and its upscale landmark namesake hotel. Cooper Spur is tucked-away, low-key, low-vert family resort skiing. Meadows sprawls, big and steep, with Hood's most interesting terrain. And low-altitude, closest-to-the-city Skibowl is night-lit slowpoke with a vintage all-Riblet lift fleet. Your Epic and Ikon passes are no good here, though Indy gets you Meadows and Cooper Spur. Walk-up lift tickets (still the only way to buy them at Skibowl), are more tier-varied and affordable than those at Bachelor, which can exceed $200 on peak days (though Bachelor heavily discounts access to its beginner lifts, with free access to select novice areas). Bachelor's $1,299 season pass is 30 percent more expensive than Meadows'.This dynamic, of course, showcases single-entity efficiency and market capture versus the messy choice of competition. Yes Free Market Bro you are right sometimes. Hood's ski areas have more inherent motivators to fight on price, forge allegiances like the Timberline-Skibowl joint season pass, invest in risks like night and summer skiing, and run wonky low-tide lift ticket deals. Empowering this flexibility: all four Hood ski areas remain locally owned – Meadows and T-Line by their founding families. Bachelor, of course, is a fiefdom of Park City, Utah-based Powdr, which owns a half-dozen other ski areas across the West.I don't think that Hood is better than Bachelor or that Bachelor is better than Hood. They're different, and you should ski both. But however you dissect the niceties of these not-really-competing-but-close-enough-that-a-comarison-makes-sense ski centers, the on-the-ground reality adds up to this: Hood locals, in general, are a far more contented gang than Bachelor Bros. I don't have any way to quantify this, and Bachelor has its partisans. But I talk to skiers all over the country, all the time. Skiers will complain about anything, and online guttings of even the most beloved mountains exist. But talk to enough people and strong enough patterns emerge to understand that, in general, locals are happy with Mammoth and Alpine Meadows and Sierra-at-Tahoe and A-Basin and Copper and Bridger Bowl and Nub's Nob and Perfect North and Elk and Plattekill and Berkshire East and Smuggs and Loon and Saddleback and, mostly, the Hood ski areas. And locals are generally less happy with Camelback and Seven Springs and Park City and Sunrise and Shasta and Stratton and, lately, former locals' faves Sugarbush and Wildcat. And, as far as I can tell, Bachelor.Potential explanations for Hood happiness versus Bachelor blues abound, all of them partial, none completely satisfactory, all asterisked with the vagaries of skiing and skiers and weather and luck. But my sense is this: Meadows, Timberline, and Skibowl locals are generally content not because they have better skiing than everyplace else or because their ski areas are some grand bargain or because they're not crowded or because they have the best lift systems or terrain parks or grooming or snow conditions, but because Hood, in its haphazard and confounding-to-outsiders borders and layout, has forced its varied operators to hyper-adapt to niche needs in the local market while liberating them from the all-things-to-everyone imperative thrust on isolated operations like Bachelor. They have to decide what they're good at and be good at that all the time, because they have no other option. Hood operators can't be Vail-owned Paoli Peaks, turning in 25-day ski seasons and saying well it's Indiana what do you expect? They have to be independent Perfect North, striving always for triple-digit operating days and saying it's Indiana and we're doing this anyway because if we don't you'll stop coming and we'll all be broke.In this way Hood is a snapshot of old skiing, pre-consolidation, pre-national pass, pre-social media platforms that flung open global windows onto local mountains. Other than Timberline summer parks no one is asking these places to be anything other than very good local ski areas serving rabid local skiers. And they're doing a damn good job.Podcast NotesOn Meadows and Timberline Lodge opening and closing datesOne of the most baffling set of basic facts to get straight in American skiing is the number of ski areas on Mount Hood and the distinction between them. Part of the reason for this is the volcano's famous summer skiing, which takes place not at either of the eponymous ski areas – Mt. Hood Meadows or Mt. Hood Skibowl – but at the awkwardly named Timberline Lodge, which sounds more like a hipster cocktail lounge with a 19th-century fur-trapper aesthetic than the name of a ski resort (which is why no one actually calls it “Timberline Lodge”; I do so only to avoid confusion with the ski area in West Virginia, because people are constantly getting Appalachian ski areas mixed up with those in the Cascades). I couldn't find a comprehensive list of historic closing dates for Meadows and Timberline, but the basic distinction is this: Meadows tends to wrap winter sometime between late April and late May. Timberline goes into August and beyond when it can. Why doesn't Meadows push its season when it is right next door and probably could? We discuss in the pod.On Riblet clipsFun fact about defunct-as-a-company-even-though-a-couple-hundred-of-their-machines-are-still-spinning Riblet chairlifts: rather than clamping on like a vice grip, the end of each chair is woven into the rope via something called an “insert clip.” I wrote about this in my Wildcat pod last year:On Alpental Chair 2A small but vocal segment of Broseph McBros with nothing better to do always reflexively oppose the demolition of legacy fixed-grip lifts to make way for modern machines. Pack does a great job laying out why it's harder to maintain older chairlifts than many skiers may think. I wrote about this here:On Blue's breakover towers and unload rampWe also dropped photos of this into the video version of the pod:On the Cooper Spur land exchangeHere's a somewhat-dated and very biased-against-the-ski-area infographic summarizing the proposed land swap between Meadows and the U.S. Forest Service, from the Cooper Spur Wild & Free Coalition, an organization that “first came together in 2002 to fight Mt. Hood Meadows' plans to develop a sprawling destination resort on the slopes of Mt. Hood near Cooper Spur”:While I find the sanctimonious language in this timeline off-putting, I'm more sympathetic to Enviro Bro here than I was with the eruption-detection controversy discussed up top. Opposing small-footprint, high-impact catastrophe-monitoring equipment on an active volcano to save five bushes but potentially endanger millions of human lives is foolish. But checking sprawling wilderness development by identifying smaller parcels adjacent to already-disturbed lands as alternative sites for denser, hopefully walkable, hopefully mixed-use projects is exactly the sort of thing that every mountain community ought to prioritize.On the combination of Summit and Timberline LodgeThe small Summit Pass ski area in Government Camp operated as an independent entity from its 1927 founding until Timberline Lodge purchased the ski area in 2018. In 2021, the owners connected the two – at least in one direction. Skiers can move 4,540 vertical feet from the top of Timberline's Palmer chair to the base of Summit. While Palmer tends to open late in the season and Summit tends to close early, and while skiers will have to ride shuttles back up to the Timberline lifts until the resort builds a much anticipated gondola connecting the full height, this is technically America's largest lift-served vertical drop.On Meadows' reciprocalsMeadows only has three season pass reciprocal partners, but they're all aspirational spots that passholders would actually travel for: Baker, Schweitzer, and Whitefish. I ask Pack why he continues to offer these exchanges even as larger ski areas such as Brundage and Tamarack move away from them. One bit of context I neglected to include, however, is that neighboring Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Skibowl not only offer a joint pass, but are longtime members of Powder Alliance, which is an incredible regional reciprocal pass that's free for passholders at any of these mountains:On Ski Broadmoor, ColoradoColorado Springs is less convenient to skiing than the name implies – skiers are driving a couple of hours, minimum, to access Monarch or the Summit County ski areas. So I was surprised, when I looked up Pack's original home mountain of Ski Broadmoor, to see that it sat on the city's outskirts:This was never a big ski area, with 600 vertical feet served by an “America The Beautiful Lift” that sounds as though it was named by Donald Trump:The “famous” Broadmoor Hotel built and operated the ski area, according to Colorado Ski History. They sold the hotel in 1986 to the city, which promptly sold it to Vail Associates (now Vail Resorts), in 1988. Vail closed the ski area in 1991 – the only mountain they ever surrendered on. I'll update all my charts and such to reflect this soon.On pre-high-speed KeystoneIt's kind of amazing that Keystone, which now spins seven high-speed chairlifts, didn't install its first detachable until 1990, nearly a decade after neighboring Breckenridge installed the world's first, in 1981. As with many resorts that have aggressively modernized, this means that Keystone once ran more chairlifts than it does today. When Pack started his ski career at the mountain in 1989, Keystone ran 10 frontside aerial lifts (8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 gondola) compared to just six today (2 doubles, 2 sixers, a high-speed quad, and a higher-capacity gondy).On Mountain CreekI've talked about the bananas-ness of Mountain Creek many times. I love this unhinged New Jersey bump in the same way I loved my crazy late uncle who would get wasted at the Bay City fireworks and yell at people driving Toyotas to “Buy American!” (This was the ‘80s in Michigan, dudes. I don't know what to tell you. The auto industry was falling apart and everybody was tripping, especially dudes who worked in – or, in my uncle's case, adjacent to (steel) – the auto industry.)On IntrawestOne of the reasons I did this insane timeline project was so that I would no longer have to sink 30 minutes into Google every time someone said the word “Intrawest.” The timeline was a pain in the ass, but worth it, because now whenever I think “wait exactly what did Intrawest own and when?” I can just say “oh yeah I already did that here you go”:On Moonlight Basin and merging with Big SkyIt's kind of weird how many now-united ski areas started out as separate operations: Beaver Creek and Arrowhead (merged 1997), Canyons and Park City (2014), Whistler and Blackcomb (1997), Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley (connected via gondola in 2022), Carinthia and Mount Snow (1986), Sugarbush and Mount Ellen (connected via chairlift in 1995). Sometimes – Beaver Creek, Mount Snow – the terrain and culture mergers are seamless. Other times – Alpine and the Palisades side of what is now Palisades Tahoe – the connection feels like opening a store that sells four-wheelers and 74-piece high-end dinnerware sets. Like, these things don't go together, Man. But when Big Sky absorbed Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks in 2013, everyone immediately forgot that it was ever any different. This suggests that Big Sky's 2032 Yellowstone Club acquisition will be seamless.**Kidding, Brah. Maybe.On Lehman BrothersNearly two decades later, it's still astonishing how quickly Lehman Brothers, in business for 158 years, collapsed in 2008.On the “mutiny” at TellurideEvery now and then, a reader will ask the very reasonable question about why I never pay any attention to Telluride, one of America's great ski resorts, and one that Pack once led. Mostly it's because management is unstable, making long-term skier experience stories of the sort I mostly focus on hard to tell. And management is mostly unstable because the resort's owner is, by all accounts, willful and boorish and sort of unhinged. Blevins, in The Colorado Sun's “Outsider” newsletter earlier this week:A few months ago, locals in Telluride and Mountain Village began publicly blasting the resort's owner, a rare revolt by a community that has grown weary of the erratic Chuck Horning.For years, residents around the resort had quietly lamented the antics and decisions of the temperamental Horning, the 81-year-old California real estate investor who acquired Telluride Ski & Golf Resort in 2004. It's the only resort Horning has ever owned and over the last 21 years, he has fired several veteran ski area executives — including, earlier this year, his son, Chad.Now, unnamed locals have launched a website, publicly detailing the resort owner's messy management of the Telluride ski area and other businesses across the country.“For years, Chuck Horning has caused harm to us all, both individually and collectively,” reads the opening paragraph of ChuckChuck.ski — which originated when a Telluride councilman in March said that it was “time to chuck Chuck.” “The community deserves something better. For years, we've whispered about the stories, the incidents, the poor decisions we've witnessed. Those stories should no longer be kept secret from everyone that relies on our ski resort for our wellbeing.”The chuckchuck.ski site drags skeletons out of Horning's closet. There are a lot of skeletons in there. The website details a long history of lawsuits across the country accusing Horning and the Newport Federal Financial investment firm he founded in 1970 of fraud.It's a pretty amazing site.On Bogus BasinI was surprised that ostensibly for-profit Meadows regularly re-invests 100 percent of profits into the ski area. Such a model is more typical for explicitly nonprofit outfits such as Bogus Basin, Idaho. Longtime GM Brad Wilson outlined how that ski area functions a few years back:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Throwing Fits on Substack. Our interview with That Mexican OT is for the country boys. That Mexican OT—rapper whose new album Recess is out August 22nd—smoked a joint outside of our office   before spitting bars on yo-yos, chancletas, his collection of grillz and friendship with the legendary Johnny Dang, the surprising lack of creativity in rap nowadays but thankfully it was instilled in him at a young age, his favorite Texas rappers and why his home state is always a culture leader, exotic cowboy boots, he's a big god guy, cowboys vs. country boys, his cars are like his children, just because you're peaceful doesn't mean you're harmless, fear-inducing psychedelic trips, freestyle battle rapping grown men as a child as a party trick for his father, clarifying that onion in his pocket, a bunch of hometown talk because Lawrence has also been to Bay City and is technically family, what it's like stepping into a bullring, his love for women, his nostalgic new music and much more on That Mexican OT's interview with The Only Podcast That Matters™.