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Real estate has many moving parts and it takes a lot to make sure everything's going smoothly. In this episode, Justin Brennan of The Brennan Pohle Group joins us to discuss how he and his team are running a tight ship and successfully scaling their business. He goes in-depth on doing proper due diligence and managing worksites and contractors.      [00:01 - 05:59] Don't Go Big Too Soon Justin's background and his team's measured approach to investing Setting up operations and logistics in advance Careful due diligence before doing deals   [06:00 - 14:29] Properly Managing Contractors  Spending time talking to contractors and visiting their worksites Understanding their software, billing, and supply chain The importance of having a foreman on site Don't hire cheap contractors Considerations before paying contractors in advance   [14:30 - 15:22] Closing Segment Reach out to Justin!  Links Below Final Words Tweetable Quotes   “Don't go big too soon despite what you know. Some people say you're going to make mistakes, just don't make big ones.” - Justin Brennan   “Nobody's going to watch your money like you're going to watch your money. You can't expect people to watch your money like you're going to watch it because they're not getting paid your money.”  - Justin Brennan -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   Connect with Justin! Head over to The Brennan Pohle Group website or follow him on LinkedIn. Connect with me:   I love helping others place money outside of traditional investments that both diversify a strategy and provide solid predictable returns.     Facebook   LinkedIn   Like, subscribe, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or whatever platform you listen on.  Thank you for tuning in!   Email me → sam@brickeninvestmentgroup.com Want to read the full show notes of the episode? Check it out below:   Justin Brennan  00:00 Nobody's gonna watch your money like you're gonna watch your money and you can't expect people to watch your money like you're gonna watch it. Because they're not getting paid your money. So for you to say, Oh, I expect them to like work harder do this well, okay, well then give them a piece of the equity and maybe they will. But yeah, no one's gonna work the way you're gonna work. No one's gonna protect your money or your investors' money the way that you are either.    Intro  00:18 Welcome to the How to Scale Commercial Real Estate Show. Whether you are an active or passive investor, we'll teach you how to scale your real estate investing business into something big.     Sam Wilson  00:30 Justin Brennan is the CEO and multifamily investor of the Brennan Pohle Group. They own over 500 units. He's also a real estate broker. Justin, welcome to the show.   Justin Brennan  00:39 Thanks for having me on, man. I appreciate it.   Sam Wilson  00:41 Hey, man, the pleasure is mine. There's three questions I ask every guest who comes on the show: in 90 seconds or less, can you tell me where did you start? Where are you now? How did you get there?   Justin Brennan  00:50 Well, we started in 2010 was the first investment we bought in that was $100,000 condo in the midst of the financial crisis in Murrieta, California, of all places, which is actually the heart of the financial crisis, right in Riverside County. The irony in that, and then that kind of grew from a single condo investment rental property into two to four-unit deals, then we got into five to 10, then 20 to 50. And then now we're into the 90 plus 100 plus unit space, and then you're starting to hit those 200 unit deals.   Sam Wilson  01:21 Got it. I love that it sounds like you guys have taken a very measured approach to your investing. What have been some of the things you feel like you've done really well?   Justin Brennan  01:30 The logistics of setting up operations, especially from going in state to out of state investing, you know, we kind of mastered the different size of deals, not getting too big, too fast. You know, you hear from some syndicators and guys saying, I'll just go big, go big, and, you know, I get it, I get the thought, in theory, they're accurate. But the thing they're missing is that first of all, they never started big. So I don't know how they say that. Number two, there's more zeros in the big stuff and more big mistakes you're gonna make because you're gonna make mistakes. And so I'd rather make mistakes with smaller zeros where you can recoup that versus making a mistake that's 100 to 200 to a million-dollar mistake. And so managing those mistakes to where they were minimized and learning about along the process to where, you know, now we're at a point where you learn as you go is a part of that too. And now I feel like okay, we've gotten through some of those pains to where I'm not going to make the same mistakes twice. I mean, we're dealing with larger numbers, now you're dealing with $30, $40, $50 million deals or not 2 million, right? Or 500,000. So big difference.    Sam Wilson  02:37 Big, big difference there. When you say you got the logistics of operations figured out. What does that mean to you?   Justin Brennan  02:43 Yeah, so when you're going out of state because it was the big thing for us in 2017-18 said, okay, you know, we're in California, it's not the cheapest place to live, we want to grow. So we had to set up operations outside and my business partner Christopher Pohle had ended up purchasing a ranch outside of Austin. So that was kind of now second headquarters was outside of Austin's now we had Midwest and then west coast. And then going into each market, we were interested in primarily Midwest being Kansas City in Missouri, we got Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, stuff like that, Tennessee, in setting up operations about six to nine months in advance, actually pulling in deals. And when I say operations, I mean property management companies, construction crews, logistics, legal accounting, all those things that you're going to deal with from kind of the back office side of things, lay of the land, good neighborhoods, bad neighborhoods, where's the development? Where's pat the progress? Where's the city planning on putting in money? Are there railways and other light rail systems, all these details that go into where's the market for the market, so we don't just go in and start finding deals and then kind of catch tail later. It's six to nine months in advance, get the lay of the land operations set up so that way when deals start flowing, we can execute quickly.   Sam Wilson  03:57 That sounds very time intensive. What is the practical way that you guys have decided to do that without you, Justin moving to Nashville, Tennessee and going okay, let me go spend nine months here and figure out what the city is doing?   Justin Brennan  04:12 I am flying in there consistently during that six to nine months. And spending three, four days of time meetings, driving neighborhoods, learning it. So yeah, it is time-intensive. But it's also avoided us from making really dumb mistakes and getting put into a neighborhood and we're like, we shouldn't have bought here. Right? Right. I mean, so perfect examples. You know, every time we're looking at a deal, I'll go sit at the property at different times in different days of the week. So I'll go in the morning. I'll go midday, and I'll go in the evening and wait for people to come home from work. I'll go on a weekday and weekend, typically a Sunday and I say Monday or Tuesday because I just want to see the flow of the area flow the neighborhood when you're getting past normal due diligence and things like that, right. So you need to understand what you're getting yourself into otherwise, you deal with horror stories like I heard recently from a first-time syndicator, who bought a property had money backing, it was his first bigger deal, didn't do proper due diligence, got into it thought they were getting a great deal because they had a great basis. And on paper, the cap rate looks great cash on cash, everything looks good on paper, then come to find out because of the lack of due diligence, there was a lot of deferred maintenance, a lot of issues with that property neighborhood not being the best setup. And they inherited a lot of delinquencies, bad tenants issues, and it just turned into a complete... And now they've lost well over a million dollars. Well, and the guys, he'll never do another syndication because he'll never get money again. He was backed by good money, good people. But because he operated so poorly, he's basically blackballed. No, right. I say, don't go big too soon, right. Despite what you know, some people say you're gonna make mistakes, just don't make big ones.   Sam Wilson  06:00 When you're setting up your back office, talking about attorneys, title companies, all of those, you know, other than calling your contractors and maybe even going and seeing their work like, what else, what other due diligence is there really to do until you're ready to send them a deal? I mean, there's only so many conversations you can have with a contractor like, Hey, you guys, yeah, we've done these three projects. Okay, cool. Well, and I get one together, I'll call you.   Justin Brennan  06:24 Yeah, exactly. You can certainly go and see some of their work. That's definitely something you want to take a look at. Understanding, you know, there are foremen who run the jobs. What kind of software do they use? How do they do billing? Who does their supply chain? Who's going to order the supplies? Is it going to be you as the owner? Is it going to be them? Yeah. How's their labor force? We're talking about labor shortages, especially these days. Right? So we're dealing with that, you know, in foreman on-site, you know, because a lot of times they're running multiple jobs. So okay, great. So the foreman is going to be here once a day in the mornings in the evenings, who's opening up who's locking units? Is it our job, is it your job, is it our maintenance staff? Logistically, how are we dealing with that? Yeah, what software are you guys using? Are we corresponding through that for just… because when you're doing renovations on value add? It's an assembly line. Right? Right. And so you have to really manage that correctly. So you don't have too many vacancies at a time. Too many not available at a time. It's like this seesaw assembly line battle between your kind of rental guys and your leasing staff. Right. And that blending those two together to where you Okay, five units a month come vacant? How long does it take you to turn those things? How long does it take you to market them? How long does it take people to get in there where you're collecting checks? And I kind of calculate check to check meaning person moves out, you're not getting any money once next person give you a check? Is it 30 days, 60 days, fortify like, what does that look like? Right? In timing that up and then layering over-layering. Because it's a dance, it's not easy to manage that process. And it's not a perfect science. So having a construction crew that gets that in can help you manage that isn't just all over the place is really, really, really important.   Sam Wilson  08:02 Yeah, absolutely. What about that, I guess that the management side of it, is there a certain size of construction company? You guys always look for where you say, Man, you've got to have X number of employees, you got to do X number of dollars in volume a year? Is there anything like that, that goes into that equation on your kind of due diligence?   Justin Brennan  08:20 Yeah, so you should definitely have at least one foreman on-site or an assistant foreman every day. And if you're going to run the jobs, and if they're leaving for a little bit, but they need to pretty much be there constantly in and out every day, touching the job site every day. And then you're typically going to have two workers per unit is kind of what I've seen the best flow from a labor force standpoint. So if you're going into renting a unit, depending on what you're doing to but let's… presuming you're doing a pretty good Reno, and you're adding washer dryers and some electrical work. So there's some rough stuff that has to get done. That usually happens first. See those guys going in and doing the rough electrical, rough plumbing, and then that gets done. So now coming in behind that as some drywall painting cabinet, guys, countertops, fixtures, plumbing, electrical fixture type stuff. Flooring is usually one of the last items going and stuff like that. And then appliances if you're bringing those in. So the two guys per unit. So if you're doing five units at a time, per month, right, that's 10 dudes on-site every day. Yeah. Plus your foreman, right? So Mister contractor, can you supply that? Yes, we can. Okay, what happens if you don't? Right? So just working through some of that logistical stuff? Because we've dealt with it, right. We're the contractor says x. And then there's five guys on site. And then you start falling behind, right? Because now you're not catching up to the rental schedule, right? And then you got to backtrack and all this other stuff. So it's not a perfect science.   Sam Wilson  09:49 No, it's not even like you said, if they say yeah, we can get 10 guys on-site plus a foreman. I mean, if you're not there, when the cat's away, the mice will play, especially in the   Justin Brennan  09:59 And that's where our staff comes on top of that. That's why it's so key. That's why we don't do any deals under 90 units anymore, right? Because 90 units is where the economies of scale come in, where you have on-site management, on-site leasing, on-site maintenance on-site, everybody. And so they're my eyes and ears on it. Plus, we have cameras, right? Plus, we have me, and I'm on-site every other week, and I'll just show up randomly. on purpose, right, and you just have to listen, nobody's gonna watch your money, like you're gonna watch your money and you can't expect people to watch your money like you're gonna watch it. Because they're not getting paid your money, right? So for you say, Oh, I expect them to like work harder. Do this well, okay, well, then give them a piece of the equity and maybe they will write that's maybe, oh, maybe but yeah, no one's gonna work the way you're gonna work. No one's gonna protect your money or your investors' money the way that you are either.   Sam Wilson  10:49 Have you ever made a bad by?   Justin Brennan  10:51 Not yet? Not knock on wood, man. No, not yet. We could have you know, we ended up last year having to pull out of a deal that in hindsight, was kind of it was weird as a blessing because we were finding things out. And then but we had money hard. And there was really wasn't there wasn't an out force legally at that point. But just so happened, there was a fire on one of the properties during escrow, which ended up giving us an out legally. And then hindsight 2020, you're like, gosh, that was actually a good decision. Because it may have ended up being a bad buy for us at the time, you know, kind of looking forward now, six months later, like we got, you know, a lot going on with this other property at the moment. So it would have been put us in a tough spot. So that was a little bit of luck. But I'd say there's no accidents, things happen for a reason. And there are no accidents. The craziest things happen in life.   Sam Wilson  11:46 But what's a lesson or a mistake you've made that you feel like you could help someone else not make?   Justin Brennan  11:52 Don't hire the cheapest contractor. I made that mistake once even though I did my due diligence on them, right? We checked them all out. I even tested them, like on a small portion of the job first to see if they could execute. And they did. And I was like, okay, so you got you got a little $3,000 portion of the job you executed. Okay, now we're gonna graduate you up to the next stage, and then come to find out, they're just full of hot air. And they took about $17,000. And, you know, so I mean, it wasn't a massive mistake that we couldn't recuperate from it, it was a $17,000 mistake. But imagine if that was another contractor on a much and that was only on a 30 unit deal. I say the mistakes are made. Imagine that was a 200-unit deal. And that was a $200,000 mistake, right? Do not ever, people know this intuitively, but just stick with this. Don't ever pay the contractors in advance. I mean, progress payments, you can do a deposit, typically, maybe 25%. But a lot of times, you'll get bids come in and they'll say 50% up front and then 50% Upon completion. Yeah, kiss my you know what, right? I will pay you a 20 to 25% deposit upfront, then we will do progress payments, right, depending on the length of your job, and then you will get the final payment within 30 days of completion.   Sam Wilson  13:12 Yeah, that 25% Upfront is largely contingent upon what they're bringing, if they're not bringing any materials, and it's all straight labor. Correct. If it's straight labor, I would be really hard-pressed to give them anything. Well, sure.   Justin Brennan  13:24 Yeah. So the usually the deposits are typically based on materials they're bringing on site roofing or fencing or, you know, basic stuff, then you're typically paying a 25% deposit, because there's an on site move for materials.   Sam Wilson  13:41 Right, yeah, I get it. I was a contractor for way too long. I completely understand it.   Justin Brennan  13:46  And I'm a licensed GC. So but yeah, I would never, we just learned that battle. And you'd have to fight it a bit because they want some more payment up front. Because they're either, with all due respect, not all of them. So I don't want to aggregate but a lot of really bad money management. So they're floating a job here for job there and money moving here for that here. And they can't really manage their money correctly. So they're taking money from here to pay some guys over here. And you see how that flows. And you're not going to use our job as your cash flow or so.   Sam Wilson  14:15 Right. Not only that, but also just the risk of them. Like you said, backing up and walk and you go oh, okay, well, thanks. Well, that was enjoyable writing you…   Justin Brennan  14:23 I paid you 50% upfront, right? Yeah, you go deposit, but that's specific, usually for materials.   Sam Wilson  14:29 Right. Yep, that makes a heck of a lot of sense. Justin, if our listeners want to get in touch with you, what's the best way to do that?   Justin Brennan  14:35 Google me, man, Justin Brennan on Google. That's probably the easiest way to have some stuff pop up or you can go to our website, which is brennanpohle.com. That's B-R-E-N-N-A-N-P-O-H-L-E.com. And, yeah, read whatever you want.   Sam Wilson  14:53 Great. Sounds good, man. Justin, thanks for your time today. Certainly appreciate it.   Justin Brennan  14:55 You bet. Thank you.   Sam Wilson  14:56 Hey, thanks for listening to the How to Scale Commercial Real Estate Podcast. If you can do me a favor and subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, whatever platform it is you use to listen, if you can do that for us, that would be a fantastic help to the show. It helps us both attract new listeners as well as rank higher on those directories so appreciate you listening. Thanks so much and hope to catch you on the next episode.   

The remarkable Gwendolyn Church joins the podcast this week for an awe-inspiring conversation about Friends of Philip Fish Sanctuary, the aquatic animal sanctuary she founded, based in Reno, NV. Gwendolyn tells the tale of Philip, the betta fish that changed the trajectory of her life and inspired the sanctuary. This passionate animal activist also discusses the misconceptions around fish sentience and… The post Speaking with the Fishes w/ Gwendolyn Church appeared first on Our Hen House.

Chesapeake Gold Corp. is a Canada-based mining company, which is focused on the exploration and development of precious metal deposits in North and Central America. The Company's primary asset is the Metates project (Metates), which is located approximately 175 kilometers northeast of Mazatlan in Durango state and is an undeveloped disseminated in-situ gold, silver deposits in Mexico. The Metates property comprises of fourteen mineral concessions totaling approximately 14,727 hectares. The Company also has a portfolio of exploration properties in Mexico comprising 115,484 hectares in the states of Durango, Oaxaca and Veracruz. It owns interest in Gunpoint Exploration Ltd., which owns the Talapoosa gold project (Talapoosa) located in Lyon County, Nevada. Talapoosa is a low-sulphidation gold/silver property in the Walker Lane gold trend of western Nevada, approximately 45 kilometers east of Reno.

The State of Energy is back in Reno for the 2022 western propane convention. Interviews with Kevin Duncan President of Mountain West Propane from Unita Basin talks  about oil and gas production in Utah.Kevin Jaffee  COO MopekaIOT talk about sonar propane tank gages 

Put on your gayest cowboy duds and throw your vintage convertible into reverse because we're kicking off our season of the Portrait survey's top 10 lesbian or queer films with the 80s sapphic classic, Desert Hearts. Some of the things we cover: CAY'S ENTRANCE!

When you say "Go get 'em!" you think that's short for "Go get them," but you're wrong! We look at the fascinating history of some English pronouns. Plus, we look at how Neil Gaiman uses the subjunctive mood in "American Gods" to underscore moments of uncertainty.WHY "'EM" ISN'T SHORT FOR "THEM"Written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of a forthcoming book on all the speech habits we love to hate. She is also a language expert for "Psychology Today" where she writes a monthly blog, Language in the Wild. You can find her at valeriefridland.com or on Twitter at @FridlandValerie.ReferencesLópez, Ignacio. 2007. The social status of /h/ in English. "Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses." 157-166. "em, pron." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2022, www.oed.com/view/Entry/85779. Accessed 11 April 2022.Algeo, J., Butcher, C. A., & Pyles, T. 2014. "The origins and development of the English language." Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.THE SUBJUNCTIVE IN FICTIONWritten by Edwin Battistella, a professor of linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he has served as a dean and as interim provost. He is the author of "Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump" (OUP, 2020), "Do You Make These Mistakes in English?" (OUP, 2009), "Bad Language" (OUP, 2005), and "The Logic of Markedness" (OUP, 1996).| Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.| Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.| Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.| Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.| Links:https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcastshttps://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribehttps://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirlhttp://twitter.com/grammargirlhttp://facebook.com/grammargirlhttp://facebook.com/grammargirlhttp://instagram.com/thegrammargirlhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Newscast from Capital Public Radio

Editor R. R. Reno is joined by Michael Doran to talk about his article from the May 2018 print edition, “The Theology of Foreign Policy.” They discuss the connection between liberal internationalism and theological modernism, the significance of John Foster Dulles, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Tabitha Schneider, who was once a single mother on welfare, only to become the founder of the Reno Hive Coworking and Incubation Space, is now campaigning for Reno's top elected position. Hear her develop her ideas to make the Biggest Little City better in our interview with Kingkini Sengupta.

It's been a time and a half this past week, with all of the prizes AND hi lo I wanna go to Disneyland. Join us live Monday thru Friday 6-10a on 98.5 KLUC for your chance to win!

A quick one today by Kayla-Jo! Gotta love some dad jokes.

Elaine Parks is a ceramic sculptor who lives in Reno and Tuscarora, a northeast Nevada town with 10 residents. You can get an almost uninterrupted view of the natural world from there—a fact that's informed her sculptures for decades. Lately, she's been processing climate doom.

Wahoos247 Jacquie Franciulli breaks down the 2023 quarterback board and where things stand but she also invites Virginia's top quarterback target in 2024, four-star QB Dante Reno. Reno discusses his recruitment and previews his upcoming visit to UVA later this month.

Um...first off...what teacher trusts a student to move their truck. Second off, this student didn't even have a license. 3rd...I hope it was worth your job sir!

Always have to have some old people in our good feeling stories of the day, and this guy is worth it! 96 years old and still putting other peoples happiness before his own. That's something worth celebrating. 

Happy Tuesday! Is it Friday yet? Anyways...just #BeThe10! The weather is warming up, and maybe all of this Vegas wind will die down soon...

New ID scanners have been implemented in bars and fake IDs are being confiscated by bouncers more than ever before. Kelsey Middleton, Carlos Perez, and Sean Sear preview their upcoming investigation.

What a Monday! We hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and a great weekend. Come hang out with us here and catch up on everything you missed, OR you can catch us live from 6-10am on 98.5 KLUC! 

Chet tried to change this joke a little, but we don't think the FCC would appreciate his version. 

Where the name for WWE Smackdown came from, how fast a single cough AND sneeze can travel, AND would you be surprised to hear that an American did NOT make American cheese? Check out all of this AND MORE with the more you know before you go!

There's a couple different stories today that we had to get through. Think you have  healthy relationships around you? Check out our relationship rehab segment because we need some serious help sometimes!

This week we sit down with Greg Williams from the Lost and Found Gravel Festival and Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship to hear about this years festival and the work SBTS does in the Lost Sierra. Episode Sponsor: The Feed Lost and Found Gravel Festival Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship Support the Podcast Join The Ridership  Automated Transcription, please excuse the typos: Lost and Found [00:00:00] Craig Dalton: Hello, and welcome to the gravel ride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes. Who are pioneering the sport I'm your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don't need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner down, unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. Yeah. This week on the podcast, we have Greg Williams from the lost and found gravel festival and Sierra Buttes trail stewardship organization. Talking about the lost and found gravel event coming up this June in California. And all the great work that his nonprofit does to make the trails in the Los Sierra, an amazing place to visit. Before we jump in we need to thank this Week's sponsor the feed. The feed is the largest online marketplace for sports nutrition. They've got all your favorite sports, nutrition brands in one place. If you've developed an affinity like I have for certain brands. You can hop on over to the feed and mix and match. So you get everything you need in one delivery. If you're a frequent listener, you've probably heard me talk about the feed formula. The feed formula is a customizable nutritional supplement package. Available only from the feed. Feed formulas were developed in conjunction with Dr. Kevin Sprouse. Of the EDF pro cycling team. And uses the same techniques he uses with top athletes. Ensuring they have all their nutritional needs covered. You can customize each packet from a base formula. And add on specific formulas for recovery, for aging, a bunch of different things. If you're not already taking a supplement in your daily routine to support your gravel cycling career. I encourage you to take a look at these. They provide a convenient way in individually wrapped pouches to remember to take all the supplements you need to keep your body operating in tip top shape. Podcast listeners can get 50% off their first order of feed formula by visiting the feed.com/the gravel ride. Remember that's 50% off your first order of the feed formula, simply visit. The feed. Dot com slash the gravel ride. Would that business behind us let's jump right into this week's episode with greg williams Hey, Greg, welcome to the show. [00:02:26] Greg Williams: Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm excited. [00:02:28] Craig Dalton: I am T a man. , we're going to talk about the lost and found gravel grinder a little bit later in the broadcast. And it's a, it's an event that I've wanted to talk about for a couple of years now, actually probably four years, maybe because everybody who ever came back from it was like, this is an amazing event. Let's table that for a minute, because I really want to just start with you and just get a little bit about your background and how you ended up in the region. And then let's talk about the nonprofit, because I think everything you do up there is so intertwined with the gravel event and why it's so special that I think it's important to start. [00:03:02] Greg Williams: Yeah. A little bit of my background. My heritage is Milwaukee Indian up in the Northern Sierra and Nevada city region. And my, my tribe, was displaced almost overnight and my grand great grandfather went he ended up in Downieville actually during the gold rush and. Met this family called the Shaughnessy's, who had, they were opening a supply shop. So shovels and food in town. And my grandfather started building trails and Downieville and running pack meals to the minds. And growing up, it was always, the story that my dad would tell me about Downieville and and it didn't really matter until I got into mountain biking as a teenager and started riding Downieville and I was like, okay, this is it, man. This is my spot. This is, this is what I want to do. And as a teenager, I started guiding a mountain bikes, up in the region and then started running shuttles as well. I opened a bike shop in town 1991, and then started an event that was called the coyote classic in 1995. And now that's the Downieville classic. Downieville has been, a part of my heritage, part of my. My personal economy, part of my survival story. And the town was really starting to transition. I would say, it was a mining town primarily when I got there a lot of dredging on the rivers. And then when that became illegal in California, a lot of the miners in the family started to leave. And about that same time, a lot of the loggers were starting to leave as well. Recreation working with the chamber of commerce and the county kind of became this thing of Hey, will this work here in Downieville? And I think it has, Downieville is a, an international destination. The motels and restaurants, all depend on mountain bike, recreation and tourism. So I think it's a great model of like how recreation can keep a town alive that was, could potentially, have burned out the economy was not doing well. [00:04:59] Craig Dalton: It's so interesting. We often hear about how gravel cycling events have played that same role in rural communities. So it's interesting to hear you reference it back as to how mountain biking was playing that role back in the day for Downieville. Can you just for the listener who may be elsewhere outside of the state of California, can you position their minds as to where Downieville is located? [00:05:23] Greg Williams: Yeah. So Downieville this region, we call it the Los Sierra, and it's basically north of Truckee and north Northwest of Reno. We're about two hours. Like in a car from Sacramento or like 45 minutes from Truckee an hour from Reno like an hour and a half to Chico. So this is zone up here. We call it the Los Sierra. And it was really, there was a mail route back in the gold mining days. And the mailman would ski from Downieville up towards Quincy. And I think got lost a few times. And so it's a name we've stuck with. And part of it's loss of opportunities, loss of revenue. Loss of pride. But we're bringing it back through trying to keep it up, keep it a positive, and that's part of lost and found was, come and find yourself up here. [00:06:07] Craig Dalton: Yeah, amazing. So for the listener, who's obviously like my listener has a gravel orientation. The mountain biking in and around Downieville is absolutely exceptional. And as you mentioned, it's it's got a world renowned ship at this point. People from around the world have heard of Downieville and aspire to ride their bikes there. What makes the trail system so special? [00:06:28] Greg Williams: I think the fact that it Was built during the gold rush. There's a lot and there's a lot of trails, but these trails are like our super rowdy and steep, that's, the character of Downieville is like going fast through the rocks on a cliff. Being scared and then going for a swim and having a cold beer afterwards, so like for us as a trail stewardship, it's really important that we maintain the character of those trails. They were built for mules to go from point a to point B. There was no sustainable running grade. There was no thought of people like enjoying themselves on these trials, or certainly wasn't, they weren't thinking mountain bikes would be on them, but They have the character that people love. And so when we do all of our trail work, we're working really closely with the hydrologist to make sure that these trails are sustainable. They're not putting sediment into the creeks. Our region delivers a lot of clean drinking water to California, 65% between the Yuba and feather. Water's a big thing for us up here. And so as a rough and rowdy trails, so we're striking the balance in Downieville. You can't build those kinds of trails today. The forest service would just say out of spec, but the trails we build, today are just different. They're still as fun and enjoyable. They just, they're just more sustainable. [00:07:44] Craig Dalton: Was it that the fact that. Technically you already existed as mutual paths that you were able to get them effectively grandfathered in the format that they already existed in. [00:07:54] Greg Williams: For sure. And these trails, like in. the seventies, the forest service started to take them into their system. And at the time they were there, their solutions, these trails are open the motorcycles too. So you could ride motorcycles. You could ride e-bikes mountain bikes, hike, equestrian. So a trail for everyone. Those are the best. Those are the trails we like up here. Cause we're not, densely populated. We don't have high use necessarily. A lot of these trails are directional and in a sense that, just how people use them. So it all works really well together. Yeah just historic and some prehistoric from the native folks that were here. [00:08:34] Craig Dalton: You mentioned the Sierra Buttes trail stewardship organization. Can you just talk about the origins of that and what the journey has been like over the time it's existed? [00:08:45] Greg Williams: Yeah. Basically like we, we needed tools to put in people's hands. We were doing trail work days. And those started like with, a group of 10 and everybody had fun. And then the next time we'd have one, there'd be 20 people. And so we were getting these like work parties to where, there was like a hundred people showing up and this was before we had our nonprofit. And so we were. We are struggling to put tools in people's hands. We're good at putting a beer in their hands, on a burger at a barbecue, but we were like, man, we need tools. And we formed our nonprofit status in 2003. And the first grants we wrote were really just to buy tools. And so we started tooling up and then We started hiring folks. Henry O'Donnell who grew up in Downieville. He's our trail boss now. He's been working with us for 16 years and is built, probably a hundred miles of trail with his crews alone. As much as it was about taking care of the trails, it became about taking care of each other and the people and the communities. We like to say we're in the business of revitalizing mountain communities and we use trails as the tool to do it. So we're surrounded by national forest up here. And there's, the jobs traditionally have come from logging and mining. So we see recreation as being sustainable and a chance like for us to be more resilient and retain working families and put kids to work and really educate people on the importance of this place so that they can come up. And join us as land stewards or what the next time there's a bill to vote on for land or water issues, maybe they'll vote. Yes. Because they care about a place. [00:10:18] Craig Dalton: Yeah. Yeah. It's quite impressive. The scale of the organization at this point, imagining you starting it, it's quite straightforward to start a nonprofit, but it's quite difficult to generate a significant amount of donations or grants or funding. What did that path look like to obtain this type of scale, where you're able to meaningfully hire people in the community and do a huge amount of work in the last year? [00:10:44] Greg Williams: Yeah. I think one of the early keys and we didn't realize it at the time was just not being. Like, we could have easily said, Hey, we're Downieville mountain bike organization. Cause we were all mountain bikers. We rode dirt bikes, we all hiked. But because we really landed on trail stewardship and we're more inclusive. I think that was a real gift that we gave ourselves early on. Cause in this whole region we work we work in wilderness areas. We maintain huge chunks of the Pacific crest trail associate. Pacific crest trail. We put outdoor classroom and trail on every school campus and Plumas and Sierra county for the kids to get a trail experience and outdoor classroom. And then we build dirt bike trails, we build mountain bike trails. So if there's a trail in our region, like we want to be able to help. We want to be able to maintain it, build it and engage. Any type of recreate or we can become to come join in. So I think that's been a real key to our success. And then also I think, for me, like just growing up a young entrepreneur, like always having to make my own money not, having a big like support system. Get to be like a survivor, and scrappy and your heads up. And, you're just like, okay, what's the next thing. And we've just honestly had that approach with grants and projects, knowing what key projects to take and not take on too much. And and then in times, like with the pandemic and the big fires we've had up here is to really be able. Quickly react and a thoughtful way, like not just panic and not start down a road or a trail, that's like going to be the wrong one, and if it feels wrong in the beginning, we're like, Hey, what are we doing here? Do we have to do this like quick analysis? Like check-ins And so we've just, I think that's just like part of the nature of being up here. If you're raising your family up here and you've been here For generations, you just know like how it is, and it's, it takes everything sometimes. [00:12:38] Craig Dalton: For the listener who wants to support the organization? Do you accept direct donations or is it all grant based? How do you fund it? [00:12:45] Greg Williams: So we fund it. It's interesting. Cause like in 2019, I would say. Okay. Here's how we fund ourselves. We had lost and found we had the Downieville classic. We had grind Duro. We had a UBA expeditions, which is our guide outfitter business and shuttles like shuttling, almost 9,000 people up the hill. That was like 30% actually Yuba was like 28% of our gross revenue and events were up around like 35%. And and then the pandemic hit and took away all of our events took away our shuttles for a whole year limited our operations as a guide service, and then also took away barbecues and volunteer big days. So we got hit really hard. And during that time, We were like, man, what are we going to do? How do we bring up like donations, like to a higher level without events. And so in 21 when that year closed out, our donations were 38% of our gross. When they were at 3% in 2019, we still had no event. Income. Grants are running a right around 40% of our gross. Basically, we have we have public funding, like through grants and programs. We have private funding, we have foundations and then we have Yuba and we're bringing lost and found back on. So really trying to strengthen all the different, legs of the organization. So that. We're more, we can react more. We can be survivors. Like we want this to be A hundred year organization. And like those two years are just really just a little blip, but but at the same time, like when you're in the middle of it, it's like a big mountain in front of you, and so I think just, we've learned so much, we've learned like what we're made of, we know we know how to better support each other as staff and families. So there's really we're pretty confident in that we just need, honestly, we need an investment up here. We have some big projects. We need people sign up for lost and found whether they're going to come and race, or they're going to come and ride and enjoy the aid stations, or they just want to come help volunteer, just like just help us. And that. [00:14:53] Craig Dalton: percent. Yeah. I hope, I hope for any non-profit that's suffered with the elimination of in-person events over the last couple of years, that as you mentioned, just like stepping up their constituents, willingness to donate directly. And hopefully that can become habitualized. So you keep that 30 odd percent of direct donations. Plus you've got event revenue and all the other in-person things you were talking about and you come out of this even stronger than when you began. [00:15:23] Greg Williams: Yeah. That's certainly the goal and like this year we've we're looking at like peer-to-peer crowdfunding. It is one of the components to folks that are lining up or volunteering. But I think it's new, for people they're like, what do I do? How do I do it? Like my son has type one diabetes. And so I do a ride that benefits. It's totally built in, right? Like you're like, oh Yeah. of course this is what you do. This is how you do it. And so we want to get there with each one of our events and have the funding, help us with our operational costs, help us match up grants, no grant is free. It always costs whether it's time or money or volunteers, there's always a cost. So that's like we want, and we want people to be aware, like not just come do the race and be like, Yeah. that was awesome. But really. Have some ownership and some pride and help us like move this, these communities forward a little bit, [00:16:15] Craig Dalton: yeah. Yeah. I think anybody, you put some rubber on the road or on the trail in the Los Sierra comes away knowing it's a really special area. I'm sure as we get more people up there, they're gonna have a similar love for it and loyalty to it. One of the things that I saw mentioned and saw a couple of friends in the gravel community talking about where was the connected community project. Can you talk about what that's all about? [00:16:40] Greg Williams: Yeah connected communities is really, it's a project that the trails master plan got funded through Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which is a state agency. And and I got invited to, to talk at this mountain venture summit. And I was like, okay, I can just talk about all this stuff like we're doing or the normal stuff, but let's do something cool. And our board president Greg Carter, and I got together and we just had this huge regional map and we just started like laying out sticky notes about each of the towns. And how man, could we connect these with trails? And at the same time, like they're already connected with dirt roads, but how do we promote this? How do we make it to where people can look at a map that's readable? Cause there is 10,000 miles of dirt roads in those regions. So trying to plan a trip is holy crap. I don't even know where to start. There's so many roads. So a big effort is we're going to map out all the high quality gravel, dirt road. At linking the towns so people can start, doing bike packing. Part of our Yuba expeditions guide service will be what we're calling a mountain mule, which is basically hauling your gear from point to point which would be a combination of like overnight camping and then getting you into a town and do some accommodations and restaurants. And then we're going to build 620 miles of single track to connect these towns. part of that's already in the works. Some of it exists already. Some of it's been planned out for a long time. And we're in construction, like connecting Quincy to Taylorsville the next town over. So we have this big project and. It's rolling. It's not, we're not just waiting for the plan to be done. We're actually implementing parts of it. Some of it's an environmental review, so heritage botany, wildlife hydrology surveys are being done. We have two crews that are out ground-truthing all the mapping to ensure that those trails are in the optimum location. But when it's done 15 mountain towns, including Reno and Truckee will be connected all throughout the Los Sierra region was single track. All the dirt roads will be mapped out in such a way that you can plan your adventures. And also know what kind of services each of the town has. And then another component of this is to look at the potential overnight hot locations. But really we want to drive people riding with the main street of the downtown, with their credit card. To patronize these businesses because outside of Reno and Truckee, all these communities are severely disadvantaged economically. So everybody's struggling. And some of these businesses are just hanging on. So this is an opportunity to drive an economy into the region. That's going to last for generations. [00:19:14] Craig Dalton: Yeah, amazing. I love it. I love it so much adventuring to be had in the Los Sierra. No question about. [00:19:22] Greg Williams: Absolutely. We have plenty of room for everybody. [00:19:23] Craig Dalton: Let's move on and let's talk about the lost and found gravel festival. It's coming up here in June, and there's still some slots available. So I want to make sure that people walk away knowing what's the festival all about what's the vibe let's get into it. And I'll ask you some questions to just to figure it all out. [00:19:39] Greg Williams: Yeah. This is an interesting one. And just in terms of how we got into this, and we'd been doing Downieville for a long time and Chris McGovern who's a frame builder. And who also grew up in Nevada city, went to the same high school as I did. I ran into him at Interbike in 2013, and he's dude, you need to do a gravel event. And I'm like, What is that? And And I, and it was just like, man, this is what we used to do when we were kids like ride all these dirt roads, it's oh, that's a thing now. And Chris put this bug in my ear, we started talking more, doing some mapping, invited him and Cameron falconer. Up and we just started like testing routes, like those guys are both super fit. I'm like, I'll drive the support vehicle and meet you guys, here's the map. And so we just started really laying out this course, it started just north of Portola and like Davis and and we got the permits pretty quickly working with the Plumas national forest. And the first year we had around 290 racers and [00:20:37] Craig Dalton: What year was that? Greg? [00:20:38] Greg Williams: I was in 2014. [00:20:40] Craig Dalton: Okay. [00:20:41] Greg Williams: Yeah. And we had great folks like Paul components and WTB who were like, we're doing an aid station. That's going to be a party of its own, and so we had these perfect elements to pull this gravel event off. And then, the second year we doubled the entries the next year, we doubled that again. And like in 2019 we had around 1700 people signed up, we were going to cap it at 2000. And I think just the recipe of like how we do these events, we make them super fun. The courses are great. The aid stations are suburb, just an overall great experience camping live music, all the stuff that we like. And then at the same time, how do we introduce people to this whole new area, and bring them into zones that they wouldn't otherwise get out. So really showcases this region as we're calling it the gravel capital of the west. And that's because it has 10,000 miles of dirt roads. Like you can't find that anywhere in the U S and and there's, great rivers, there's great lakes. There's a fire lookouts. You can visit some of them you can rent for overnight stays. So this is it. This is the gravel capital of the west. [00:21:50] Craig Dalton: I love it. Put a stake in the ground there. What community is Los and fountain based out of. [00:21:55] Greg Williams: It's it starts in the city of Portola, which is right on the headwaters of the middle fork of. the feather river next to the Sierra valley, which is the largest Alpine valley in north America sits around 5,000 feet of elevation with a great big mountain right behind it called Beckworth peak. And right from there, you can hit all these roads, just right off the main paved road. It's perfect. [00:22:18] Craig Dalton: Are you offering multiple course distances? [00:22:21] Greg Williams: Yeah, we have a 35 mile course that has two flagship aid stations on it. And then we have a 60 mile course. That has four aid stations on it. And then we have the hundred that has six aid stations on it. They overlap for the start. Everybody does the first 10 and a half miles, which is a climb up to 7,000 feet. Those are essential in any event is to have a big climb that, that separates people, [00:22:46] Craig Dalton: Yeah, for [00:22:47] Greg Williams: And so those Are elements we learned throughout this. Cause we've had different courses over the years. Some of them were great. Some were like, oh man, don't do that again. [00:22:55] Craig Dalton: Are they what's the starting elevation up there in Portola. [00:22:58] Greg Williams: Yeah. It's I want to say the town is like 5,100. [00:23:02] Craig Dalton: Okay. So starting at 5,100, going up to 7,000 with that first climb, I agree. I feel like back when the events were smaller, it was okay to start off on some single track or something like that. But in this day and age, when you've got a thousand people on a course, definitely great to break it up and to have people find their own, their own tribe in the event. [00:23:21] Greg Williams: Yeah, and we have, we have a great relationship with city of Portola. Going into this year, we were hesitant of man, we don't want to, the last thing we want to do is have to cancel another event. And COVID was still a thing. So we got a late start on this thing, like we're really looking at this as like a rebuild year. We realized like, Hey, we're late to the table here. We also conflict with the Kansas ride. So there's a couple of things like working against us, but at the same time This is going to be a hell of a party. Like we're throwing everything we have at this thing to make sure everybody has a great time and comes back, brings friends the next year. And it, like I said, it was important to city of Portola. They approached us and they were like, Hey stewardship, like we need this event. We just went through two years. Our businesses are hurting. The city helps provide a lot of the camping and infrastructure in the town. So they were a real true partner. And then the Plumas national forest has road crews out there right now, like dialing in all these roads. And what we're hoping is developed, like what we're calling a signature route to where every year the road crew has priorities to take care of on the lost and found routes. So it's every year it's just dial Primo. [00:24:30] Craig Dalton: Yeah. It's one of those events, I didn't realize actually it had been around as long as it has, but that makes sense because I feel like at least in the bay area and Marin county, like you talk about gravel riding and. Lost and found, always comes up and it always comes up with two thumbs up saying oh, you gotta do it. It's great. Riding just a great overall community vibe in a sport that is maybe changing a bit to say the least in terms of the amount of resources and the amount of professional athletes coming into it. I think events that just maintain that community vibe are always going to be the ones that are in people's hearts and that they want to do. [00:25:10] Greg Williams: Yeah. And we, we realized like we get top athletes that come here to put it to each other, but the majority of people are here to just go on a bike ride with their buddies, have the aid stations be able to camp out, have the music like that festival atmosphere. That's where we're really trying to position ourselves as Hey, if you want it. There, there is alternatives if you're just purely eraser, but if you want to come and ride like one of the best courses in the world and have some top brands like cater to you throughout the course that their aid stations, like this is where you want to come. And if you want to help support a community recover after, the wildfires and the pandemic and help an organization. With the, with a grand project, a legacy project, like this is the spot like everybody's welcome. And whether you're writing a check or picking up a shovel your help is welcome. [00:26:01] Craig Dalton: Amazing. You talked about a little bit more about from a mountain bike perspective, the type of terrain that's up there for the gravel course, for those who are coming from outside the area. What type of equipment is important to have underneath you to be successful at lost and found [00:26:17] Greg Williams: Yeah, big tires. I think that's the number one thing is the first year we had people like on road bikes because people didn't really know it. Like gravel racing was anyway. They're like, oh, it's this thing. But these you're in the Sierra Nevada up here and it's, there's spots where man, you're like, it's rough. I think like one year, like Carl Decker rode a hard tail man. Fully rigid. So it's just kinda like a mix. And I think, the course that we have this year, I would say you're totally dialed on a gravel bike, but you're going to want like a 40 C tire maybe with a little thicker casing. Just so you're not flattened. [00:26:53] Craig Dalton: Yep. Are you staying primarily on fire roads through the mountains? There are you getting off into this single track? [00:26:59] Greg Williams: We're at, this is a no single track right ride, but some of the roads have single track? lines, right? Like you want to be, you want your head up, you want to be paying attention. There's ruts there's rocks. There's a smoother line, especially on a gravel bike. You don't want to give yourself a whiplash or, too much excitement. But I would say you're paying attention the whole time. You're not, zoning out because the road is just smooth and you gotta pay attention, plus it's so beautiful out here. Like the wild flowers are gonna be coming out. The rivers are flowing the mountain stuff, snow on them. People will be looking around, but they really need to pay attention. [00:27:35] Craig Dalton: once you get a top that first climb, are you doing a commiserate elevation drop? Is it a big descent? [00:27:41] Greg Williams: It's a sweet so the roads were using too are like some of the better system roads, like we've taken people in some pretty primitive back country roads, and there is a mix of this, but this particular road is one of the nicer maintain. Like around a set, like a price of 5% running grade. So you're able to just like big ring paddle through like really big sweeper turns super enjoyable. And then you have another climb that's around 700 feet, another like descent of a thousand. And then a lot of rolling train. Cause you're connecting all these Alpine valleys as you go. And then for the final you come down like the smoothest road in Plumas county. And and then into this tube that goes under the highway. That's a we negotiate this deal with the landowner there. It's a handshake deal, Hey, races are going to be coming through here, your insured. He's great. I'll have my lawn chair and a cooler of beer here to watch, and that's part of what makes the specialty, right? It's just all the community coming together and people working together and allowing stuff like that riders to come through private property, like ordinarily the guy would not allow that, [00:28:45] Craig Dalton: Yeah, you mentioned you've got ample camping situations up there for athletes and families coming up. Are there also other accommodation possibilities? [00:28:54] Greg Williams: Yeah. There's resorts up here. There's motels. there's a ton of camping, honestly, there's forest service camping around like Davis and some of the valleys that the ride's going to be going through. And then city of Portola they have a city park. That's all grass that has like baseball, baseball, diamonds, a swimming pool, the showers are open. And then there's camping all along the middle fork of the feather river, right in downtown. So the idea is get people to stay in town and then they can just ride their bike to the coffee shop or, head over to the pizza place. So that's part of the reason we moved the race down from starting at lake Davis was like, let's get people downtown. Plus, when the lakes full the amount of land we have to work with, decreases quite a bit. It worked great the first year with 200 riders, but now that we're up around 1200 to 2000, we need more. And this park really allows people to spread out. And then we have a little amphitheater for the music and and then there's nothing like just starting in the middle of a downtown, and then finishing at the same place coming through town. [00:29:54] Craig Dalton: Yeah. I had one final question on finishing. So I've been out there on a great adventure on my gravel bike all day. I crossed the finish line. What's the vibe. What's the scene. When I crossed the finish line at last. [00:30:05] Greg Williams: Yeah. So you're going to get greeted by our local bike team, the Los Sierra composite team. They're gonna, they'll take your bike. They'll wash it. They'll put the, lock it up and the tennis courts. So like a fully secured bike zone. And you're going to walk over and grab a cold Sierra Nevada beer. And then we hire this, like top-notch catering company and mountain magic to do like a top quality meal for ya. Then you're gonna pull up a chair in the park, enjoy a beer, enjoy some live music, eat some food, tell some stories, and then if you have it in you, like the music goes and you can dance all night. [00:30:41] Craig Dalton: I love it, Greg. I think that's an amazing point to end on, and I hope everybody's as stoked about this event as I am. And as stoked about the work that you're doing in the Los Sierra, it really is a special part of California. And I hope everybody clicks on the links in the show notes and goes and checks out the Los and found gravel grinder festival as well as the work you're doing at Sierra. [00:31:04] Greg Williams: Yeah, come on up and play with us. [00:31:06] Craig Dalton: That's going to do it for this week's edition of the gravel ride podcast. I hope you enjoyed that episode with Greg Williams, be sure to check out the lost and found gravel festival. It's definitely going to be an amazing event this year. I've heard only good things about it. So I encourage you to check it out. And grab one of those last available slots. Huge, thanks to our sponsor, the feed. Make sure to go check out the feed formulas to get 15% off. Just visit the feed.com/the gravel ride. If you're interested in connecting with me, I encourage you to join the ridership@wwwdottheridership.com. And if you have an opportunity, please leave a rating or review or visit me@buymeacoffee.com slash the growl ride to support the podcast. Until next time here's to finding some dirt under your wheels

One of the most essential elements of our infrastructure in the United States, for moving freight across the country, for getting travelers and commuters to their destinations, and for addressing the challenges of a changes climate is railroads. There are about 140,000 miles of railroad track in the United States, much of it being severely under-utilized for various reasons. On this episode of Renoites, we welcome Ron Kaminkow. Ron is an Amtrak Engineer based in Reno, Nevada who serves as co-chair of the Nevada Rail Coalition, a "citizen-based initiative that brings together organizations, groups and individuals, including unions, environmental organizations, passenger and freight rail advocacy associations, social justice organizations, and neighborhood and community associations for the purpose of building an expanded and more robust rail system" Ron and Conor discuss the history of the rail network in the United States, the reasons for declining freight and passenger rail (and solutions to reverse the trend), the project of building an industrial union in an industry dominated by smaller craft unions under the banner of the Railroad Workers United, the impact of the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill on passenger rail, plus local issues like passenger connectivity between Reno and the Bay Area and the legacy of the downtown trench project. Thank you so much for listening! Be sure to follow Renoites on Instagram and Facebook and if you'd like to support the show financially visit patreon.com/renoites to become an official patron. Send any comments, feedback or guest suggestions! My email is conor@renoites.com    

Six candidates for Reno mayor discussed housing and infrastructure needs during This Is Reno's first candidate forum ahead of the 2022 primary election. KUNR's Gustavo Sagrero speaks with Lucia Starbuck to learn what the candidates had to say.

Host/comedian TJ Del Reno is joined by Caroline this week to talk about how TJ got ahold of some illegal Borderlands guns, Valve boss gabe Newell was going to say "No" to zombies in Left4Dead, and more!

Ryan from Jacksonville, FL says he is spreading the gospel. He says he believes God wants him to go around 'spreading the truth'. — Anthony from Reno, NV speaks on how he sees righteous anger. Steven from Missouri asks if he should go to college. Smiley from Wilmington, DE asks Jesse why he always goes against 'his own people'. Jesse asks how black people are 'his people'.

A lottery story, a reporter saved a boy from drowning, AND the #1 chess player might have super powers from his medical condition. Check them all out on our good feeling stories of the day!

Happy Monday after Mother's Day! We hope everyone had a great weekend especially because of the great week we are about to have on The Chet Buchanan Show! 

Popstar Cyndi Lauper once sang, “Money Changes Everything” and nothing could be more true. People fight about money every day, and it pits family members against one another. Husbands against wives, siblings against one another, parents vs. children…it goes on and on. One such family that was affected by money was the Mack family in Reno, Nevada. When Charla met Darren Mack and they fell madly in love, Darren didn't mind lavishing his bride with trips and expensive gifts. But when Charla filed for divorce, the wheels fell off the bus, so to speak. Once earning in excess of $40,000.00/month, Darren claimed he only made $5,000.00/month and could afford the financial agreement he made with Charla in Court. But when he was ordered to pay Charla her million-dollar settlement, Darren lost it. He decided murder was the only way to solve his financial problems…but Charla wasn't the only victim he had in mind.------>Thanks to our sponsor CEREBRAL - AFFORDABLE ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, INCLUDING PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE.  You can receive 65% off your first month of medication management and care counseling by going to WWW.CEREBRAL.COM/CONSEQUENCES---->Join us on Facebook and IG: @HARDCORETRUECRIMEWeb: www.crimesandconsequences.com-------->Get ad-free early releases of each episode, plus over 170 exclusive Members Only episodes by going to Patreon.com/tntcrimes or joining our Apple Channel on the Apple Podcast App. ------>Sources: 1) “Love her to death” by John Glatt2) Article: Darren Mack case: Reno judge reflects on assassination attempt3) Article: I-Team Exclusive: Son of convicted murderer Darren Mack claims father killed ex-wife in self-defense4) Article: Judge Chuck Weller, shot by angry pawn shop owner in 2006, decides to retire5) Article: The Darren Mack case: 10 years later6) Video: CBS News: Darren Mack on the stand7) Darren Mack's Murderpedia page8) The Crimes of Darren Mack

Bill Frost (SLUGMag.com & X96 Radio From Hell) and Tommy Milagro (SlamWrestling.net) talk Breeders, Candy, Workin' Moms, Operation Mincemeat, Hacks, Firestarter, Senior Year, The Essex Serpent, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Kids in the Hall 2.0, The Time Traveler's Wife, the next Doctor Who, The Wilds, Reno 911! on Roku Channel, Rassling News, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Outer Range, I Love That for You, Mayans, and Tokyo Vice. Drinking: Raspberry Whiskey Sour and Valhalla Blend iced coffee from OFFICIAL TV Tan sponsors Sugar House Distillery and Watchtower Coffee & Comics. * Yell at us (or order a TV Tan T-shirt) @TVTanPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Gmail.* Rate us: Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Podcasts, Audible, etc.

Local business DJ Trivia has for nearly a decade been hosting games at local bars. But the City of Reno recently decided those games qualify as live entertainment. As a result, a handful of bars have been forced to quit hosting the games – or get an expensive cabaret license.In this episode we hear from two of the business owners impacted by the city's recent crackdown on trivia games. Also: The recent leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft ruling could overturn the longstanding Roe v. Wade decision that gave women the right to choose to have an abortion. The potential change to Roe v. Wade drew swift rebuke in Reno as dozens gathered at the federal courthouse to express their outrage. We chat with the ACLU's Holly Welborn and Lilith Baran to talk about what the potential overhaul will mean for NevadansSpeaking of the ACLU, the civil liberties organization recently sued the state of Nevada for continuing to list cannabis as a schedule 1 controlled substance. That listing by Nevada's board of pharmacy, according to the ACLU, violates the Nevada Constitution in part because the state has legalized cannabis for recreational and medicinal use.Sadmira Ramic with the ACLU explains the reason for the lawsuit.Support the show

Newscast from Capital Public Radio

TRNN viewers may remember a recent interview we published at the beginning of February in which Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez spoke with retired railway engineer Jeff Kurtz about a US District Court blocking railroad workers at BNSF Railway from striking over the recent implementation of a draconian new attendance policy. Even if the story has faded from the headlines, the struggles railroad workers are facing have not gone away in the slightest, and workers and their families have reported that BNSF's “Hi-Viz” policy has been a disaster for them and for the railroad industry. In this crucial follow-up report, Alvarez speaks with Jeff Kurtz and Ron Kaminkow of Railroad Workers United about what workers have been going through since the implementation of this new attendance policy and what can be done about it.Jeff Kurtz was a railway engineer and union member for 40 years. He served as a union officer most of his career, including eight years as president of BLET Local 391 and chairman of the BLET Iowa State Legislative Board, where he oversaw safety and legislative matters for the union in the state for four railroads for 10 years. He retired in 2014 and served as state representative for one term in the Iowa House after winning the 2018 election in his House district. He now works in a volunteer capacity with Railroad Workers United and the local labor chapter of the Iowa Federation of Labor. Ron Kaminkow is currently serving as General Secretary of Railroad Workers United. Prior to hiring out as a brakeman with Conrail in 1996, he served as President of AFSCME Local 634 in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2005, Kaminkow helped to found Railroad Operating Crafts United (ROCU), an RWU predecessor. A former brakeman, conductor, and engineer for Conrail and later NS in Chicago, he formerly worked for Amtrak in Milwaukee and Chicago. He currently is working as an Amtrak engineer in Reno, Nevada, where he is the Vice President of BLET Local 51.Read the transcript of this interview: https://therealnews.com/railroad-workers-are-being-ground-to-dust-who-will-help-themPre-Production/Studio: Maximillian AlvarezPost-Production: Adam ColeyHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-podSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/newsletter-podLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

This is not ok...is it? HOW DO YOU HANDLE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!

Is it weird to get your parents a gift for their anniversary? And if it's a gift card, is that too impersonal?

Why has Rome been fully taken over by boars?! They have even put in a curfew for residents because the problem has gotten so serious and people are getting injured!

Some high school students change the lives of their classmates, a Ukrainian woman finally gets married after a terrible explosion, AND a beached whale was saved?!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! Get after the day and if our day isn't the best, lean on someone else and keep fighting to #BeThe10

Ever met someone who's endured more than you believed possible, yet embodies hope? Catana Malinowski is an author, podcaster, and Transformation Art and Wellness Strategist, and also one of the most resilient humans I know. Her story is difficult to hear, but also undeniable proof there's light through darkness. After surviving mental, emotional, and sexual abuse and major medical challenges, Catana shares her life lessons to help trauma survivors find peace, hope, and love as they forge their own paths of light. About the Guest: Catana L Malinowski is a Transformation Art & Wellness Strategist who helps professionals over 40 find relief from negative triggers and traumas through transformational art and life coaching. She recently launched her podcast, Transformational Art with Catana – Making the Unmanageable Manageable, and she is a #1 International Best Selling Author. Her mission is to empower 10,000 people over the next ten years to reclaim their inner strength so they can live with more joy and peace in their lives. Catana holds a BA degree in Art from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an MS degree in Legal Studies from Purdue Global Online. Catana currently lives in Paris, Tennessee and is a lover of art, her family, nature and helping people.   Links: Email: catana.anewperspective@gmail.com Calendly: https://calendly.com/catana-anewperspective/30min Website: https://clmalinowski.wixsite.com/a-new-perspective Catana's Story Website: www.catanasstory.com Podcast: https://www.transformationalartwithcatana.podbean.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtkM2FHYWBTkYp3y5CfV_yw Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/379952917154843 Sacred Surrender Book: https://www.marygooden.com/sacred-surrender-multi-author-book-639704e5-ddc5-4335-961c-dfb7db5da64e?fbclid=IwAR1tOSVTesWPq1uLq2_R9xrXDyZH7L5UQDwNGEDvA1zdrjiJCdhAeo_erpQ   About the Host: Dan McPherson, International Speaker, Business and Personal Development Coach, and CEO of Leaders Must Lead, is on a mission to help Creatives and Entrepreneurs create and grow profit and understand that Dreams ARE Real. With more than 25 years' experience in corporate roles leading teams of up to 2000 and responsible for more than $150M in revenue, Dan is a recognized expert in leadership, sales, and business strategy. Through his Leaders Must Learn Mastermind, Dreams ARE Real Podcast, Foundations of Success Training, and powerful 1-1 coaching, Dan helps hundreds of entrepreneurs around the world from musicians and artists to chiropractors, coaches, retailers, and beyond experience success and accomplish their goals. To learn more about Dan or to follow him on Social Media, you can find him on: Website: www.leadersmustlead.com Leaders Must Lead Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadersmustlead Free Coaching Assessment: https://leadersmustlead.com/free-coaching-assessment Dreams are Real Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/365493184118010/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadersmustlead/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadersmustlead YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZXypDeFKyZnpeQXcX-AsBQ   Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to my podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a note in the comment section below!   Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to me and greatly appreciated. They help my podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes the show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

As part of a series on the Our Town Reno website called the Last Motel Residents of Reno, we interviewed Skyler, a veteran and resident at the Desert Rose Inn. After a nasty separation, he was on parole with a job at Tesla, but then a stroke set him back. He details his life before and ahead, and why for him the motel has so much value on his journey. Our reporter for this episode is Kingkini Sengupta.

What a fun Star Wars day we had! Especially coming from Disney, our energy was a little crazy but we had fun with it! 

Chet and Kayla battle out their list of Star Wars jokes. Vote on socials for which one was your favorite! @98.5kluc - IG  @985kluc - Twitter 98.5 KLUC - Facebook

Did you know that Cookie Monster has a first name? What about in some part of the world they teach that we only have 6 continents?  Check this all out AND MORE on our podcast! 

Editor R. R. Reno is joined by Justin Lee to talk about his article from the May print edition, “Holy Fear.” Lee reflects on growing up in the evangelical world, the challenges facing evangelicalism today, and the need to recover the animating spirit of the fire-and-brimstone fundamentalist.

Editor R. R. Reno is joined by Justin Lee to talk about his article from the May print edition, “Holy Fear.” Lee reflects on growing up in the evangelical world, the challenges facing evangelicalism today, and the need to recover the animating spirit of the fire-and-brimstone fundamentalist.

James Jenneman (Twitter: @jameslj) is a Libertarian Party Mises Caucus organizer in Minnesota and the host of the Blackbird podcast. He and Aaron discuss the upcoming LP National Convention in Reno, the concept of "post-libertarianism," and how decentralization is the best way to approach the difficult task of opposing people and organizations bent on achieving and holding power. Show notes for this episode: decentralizedrevolution.com/76 Offer feedback and guest suggestions at communications at lpmisescaucus.com TakeHumanAction.com Paid for by Mises PAC --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/misescaucus/message

Dr. Jenna Carmichael is a graduate of the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 at the Sierra Nevada VA Health Care System in Reno, NV, and her PGY2 in Oncology Pharmacy at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA. She spent 5 years working as a Clinical Oncology Pharmacist specializing in Oral Chemotherapy Medication Therapy Management for Geisinger Health Care System and over that time, grew the clinic to over 1000 patients. She also was the PGY2 Oncology Residency Program Director and a clinical researcher. As a high achiever, over time, Jenna became burnt out, unhappy in her career and life, and knew things needed to change. She was able to find herself again through personal discovery and holistic healing methods. Naturally, she wanted to share this knowledge with her patients but found that the traditional Western Medicine structure didn't allow for the combination of all of her knowledge. Dr. Carmichael now runs her own practice as a Holistic Oncology Pharmacist and Health Coach, Wobbly Arrow Wellness. She works virtually with women on the cancer journey looking for a different perspective on wellness. She combines her knowledge in the oncology space along with holistic healing methods of meditation, reiki, and yoga to help empower her clients to choose the path that works the best for their goals. She also offers genetic testing services to get a true, personalized idea of how her clients process their medications for safe and effective therapy. ______ Connect with Jenna via: Website: www.wobblyarrowwellness.com Email: jenna@wobblyarrowwellness.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wobblyarrowwellness Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beacancercontrarian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenna_carmichael/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-carmichael-42267218/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host/comedian TJ Del Reno talks about Kim Kardashian threatens to sue Roblox store for fake sex tape game, Nintendo files an in-game clothing patent, Splatoon 3 announced, Sonic Origins launches a confusing pre-order line up, and Elden Ring's players banned for picking up cursed panties!