Podcast appearances and mentions of river market

Louis and Chris dive into seven American highways that should be removed to improve city life and reconnect communities divided by urban renewal projects of the past.• Kansas City's North Loop divides downtown from the historic River Market area, destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses• Syracuse's I-81 removal project is moving forward with plans to replace the downtown viaduct with a boulevard• New Orleans' Claiborne Expressway displaced 1,500 people and continues to harm adjacent neighborhoods• Baltimore's "Highway to Nowhere" spans just 14 city blocks but demolished 900 homes and serves no transportation purpose• Portland Maine's I-295 occupies valuable waterfront property that could be reclaimed for public use and housing• Oakland's 980 freeway runs through downtown at below capacity and sits on land that could address the housing crisis• Milwaukee's I-794 removal proposal has state support and would reconnect neighborhoods to downtown and the waterfrontIf you'd like to support the show directly, you can do so via our Patreon or by checking out our merch store. Let us know in the comments if there are other highways you think should be removed.Send us a textSupport the show

In this episode, we sit down with Wilmer Lau, partner at TOMO Spaces, to explore their journey in reimagining community living through innovative housing solutions. Wilmer shares insights from his eight years in China, the transformation of New Westminster's River Market, and the vision behind TOMO Main's co-housing project. We discuss why co-housing remains rare in Vancouver, the opportunities and challenges of multiplex developments, and the importance of "aging in place." From Kitsilano projects to addy's first property at Trout Lake, Wilmer provides a candid look at the rewards and risks of building vibrant, community-oriented homes. TOMO Spaces - https://tomospaces.com/ Sign up for addy - https://addyinvest.ca/ Disclaimer Purchasing investments made accessible through addy will unless otherwise indicated be conducted by by registered dealers (including, in the case of exempt market products, exempt market dealers), registered or exempt funding portals or directly by issuers of securities. The information provided on addy's website, webinars, blog, emails and accompanying material is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute or form any part of any offer or invitation or other solicitation or recommendation to purchase any securities. It should not be considered financial or professional advice. You should consult with a professional to determine what may be best for your individual needs. Forward-Looking Statements Some information contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the words "intention", "will", "may", "can", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although addy believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since addy can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and addy does not undertake any obligations to publicly update and/or revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of additional information, future events and/or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

There has been an arrest made in the case of the break in at Betty Rae's Ice Cream in the River Market.

Matt Shatto, Owner of Betty Rae's Ice Cream, joins Pete Mundo to discuss the latest break in at their store down in the River Market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After another break in at the River Market location of Betty Rae's, he is asking for changes to stop this issue.

The River Market is removing the surge pricing for parking. What is the next best move for paying for parking in the area?

The Red River Market is so much more than a "farmers market' Simone Wai joins Abby Miller on the KFGO Morning Crew to give you a taste of summer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An engaging fireside chat with Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim as he delves into pressing topics such as housing affordability, zoning changes, the missing middle program, First Nations developments, transportation, and much more. Mayor Sim graciously fielded a multitude of questions from a packed audience during this unforgettable evening. This exclusive event unfolded at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club, drawing a diverse crowd that spanned various sectors of the real estate industry. Among the attendees were real estate developers, commercial brokers, legal professionals, service providers, and numerous enthusiastic addy members—all eagerly anticipating Mayor Sim's valuable insights into the multifaceted world of Vancouver's real estate landscape. More on Ken Sim ABC Vancouver Event Photos and Recap Event Sponsors Thanks to our event sponsors for their support. Tomo is a Vancouver-based real estate company. “We build at the intersection of “hardwhere” and “softwhere,” where physical space and intangible activities meet. As developers, operators, and researchers, we believe in the power of place to enable people to do amazing things. Our research-driven approach challenges us to engage with complex urban issues. Since 2005, we've cultivated award-winning places like Schoolhouse in Vancouver and River Market in New Westminster.” https://tomospaces.com/ REW – “Bringing people together over property is the role of our flagship: REW.ca REW.ca is a real-time window into the real estate market and it's where millions of Canadians start their real estate adventures. REW.ca combines the best available content with best-in-class experience to create millions of connections and new opportunities for homeseekers, real estate professionals and our valued partners.” https://www.rew.ca/ Talk Shop - Talk Shop is the leader in the next generation of PR. Balancing earned media, paid exposure, digital marketing and thought leadership opportunities, Talk Shop creates award-winning strategies that push creative boundaries and exceed expectations. Operating in industries that make up the lifeblood of the economy, Talk Shop specializes in work with brands in the lifestyle, technology, professional services, finance and real estate sector. Ranked as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, Talk Shop employs the best talent in the industry who share a common vision of making an impact in the field. https://www.talkshopmedia.com/ Disclaimer The information provided on addy's website, webinars, blog, emails and accompanying material is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute or form any part of any offer or invitation or other solicitation or recommendation to purchase any securities. It should not be considered financial or professional advice. You should consult with a professional to determine what may be best for your individual needs.

Bob Quinn and David Geiger are joined by USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie and talk about carbon units and impact for livestock producers, Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition reports on groundbreaking for new locks on the Mississippi and benefits for growers, and Don Roose closes out the show with market analysis.

Just like Ernie Banks, Nigel and Nick decided to play two last weekend. In the first stop for their Sunday Funday tour, the dynamic duo headed to Kansas City's River Market area and Strange Days Brewing for a conversation with Co-owner Chris Beier and head brewer Trevor Schlam. Many beers were consumed during the day and we may or may not tell Junior the names of said beers. But he, and the rest of you, will have to come back next week for the Sunday nightcap interview with Memphis' Beale Street Brewing.

The Coffee Club from Monday April 17th, 2023.  Guests include Kaci Boniface of Black Frame and Simone Wai of Red River Market.  

The Red River Market takes over West Acres mall this Saturday with over 40 local vendors, live music and more!  We chatted with Simone to get all of the details and try some of the amazing baked goods! Check out our chat! 

Sharing downloads with the Benevolent Galactic Beings of Light! Come and join us in our soft opening on Jan 7th at River Market. Namaste

In this episode James McWard talks about his grain merchandising career experiences with Viserion Grain, LLC. In particular he discusses the marketing challenges brought about by the record low 2022 water levels on the Mississippi River. 

07/08/22: Joel is joined by the Red River Market Organizer, Simone Wai, to talk about the opening of the Red River Market this weekend in Downtown Fargo. The Red River Market, the Fargo-Moorhead area's largest farmers' market, is opening on Saturday, July 9th for its 8th season. You'll also hear Jack Michaels and Rusty Halvorson in the second half of the interview have a riveting conversation about fair food.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simone Wai joins It Takes 2 with the details on the opening day of the Red River Market in 2022. 10 new vendors, music, cooking classes and so much more. It's hard to imagine a time without the downtown staple that is the Red River Market but after 8 years - they are just getting started! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parking at Kansas City's River Market used to be free on the weekends, but city officials are now raising prices with the hopes of cutting down on congestion. Plus, how one Kansas City broadcast pioneer started the nation's longest-running Black-owned radio station.

Mayor Maddox joins Alexis Clark and Kelsey Rush at the Tuscaloosa River Market. To stay up-to-date with the City of Tuscaloosa, visit Tuscaloosa.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor.

After taking a short break from What's Up KC, Mallory is back and better than ever giving YOU a new experience. Now you can actually SEE what's going on in Kansas City, because What's Up KC now has VIDEO! Mallory tries DoubleTap KC, a VR bar in the River Market, with Katie AND attempts to find a few hearts with Parade of Hearts, an art experience across the KC metro!

The top headlines from The Kansas City Star on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022, including: Who is Jaylon Elmore, charged with attempted capital murder in a shooting at Olathe East High School?, Sen. Roy Blunt joined the calls Tuesday for former Gov. Eric Greitens to drop out of the U.S Senate race after allegations that he mentally and physically abused his ex-wife and children and free weekend parking in Kansas City's River Market neighborhood will soon be a thing of the past.

In today's episode, Chris is joined by Casey Flannery, a commercial Real Estate Broker specializing in office lease relationship and co-creator of #CREchat. Listen in as she shares how she helped bring Big River Market to a food desert in downtown Memphis.  Sign up for Chris' Private "Ask Me Anything" AMA on March 6th: https://t.co/IhItfoR2mm (https://t.co/IhItfoR2mm)   

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has free admission to the exhibit for the month of February, so of course Mallory and Trace head to the Jazz District to check it out! They also grab some lunch at the ONLY hockey bar in Kansas City - The Blue Line in the River Market.

Kendall Nick shares how just a few moments of courage set her on a path of healing and began to transform her relationship with Jesus Christ. Once she started talking to God as a friend, her relationship with Christ became more intimate and personal, which ever so subtly began to change her life. Kendall is actively pursuing sainthood by living out the words of Mother Teresa, “Do small things with great love.” Kendall shares how Feeding Homeless Friends got started, a personal apostolate she began which serves those in the River Market area in Kansas City every other Friday night. They bring food, clothes, consistency and comfort to those who lack it. They have built friendships, shared stories, and are impacting lives just by showing up. To learn more or get involved with Kendall's ministry, check out the Show Notes! Show Notes: - Feeding Homeless Friends

TACOS AT A HOCKEY BAR?! You betcha! We're taste testing the tasty tacos at THE BLUE LINE HOCKEY BAR in the RIVER MARKET this week on T3 with special guest Taco Reviewers Actor/Dancer/KC Native/NYC Dweller/Sketch Comedian/Tik Toker/Cheese Lover GABBIE FRIED and returning guest Actor/Hockey Fanatic/INXS & Don Johnson Super Fan KEVIN McGANNON! As the Tampa Bay Lightning secure the Stanley Cup we're talking LITTLE KNOWN & STRANGE HOCKEY FUN FACTS & TIDBITS and Kevin teaches us some HOCKEY SLANG! We also chat about the STANLEY CUP and ask "What kind of food would you eat out of the Cup?" and "Would you lick the Stanley Cup?" Also: Could a baby take a bath in the Stanley Cup? Gabbie fills us in on NYC Tacos, tells us about some BAD New York City TACO DATES and reveals her dream to ride on a ZAMBONI! AND: Are Skyscraper Sodas at Winstead's cancelled because of Covid? In the TACO TICKER we taco 'bout Taco Bell Recycling their sauce packets and T. Bell is bringing back the Flamin' Hot Doritos Locos Taco for the NBA FINALS! We also touch upon the CHICKEN STREET TACO KITS from HY VEE being re-called!! CHECK YOUR FREEZER! The gang also unpacks some KenTacoHut memories and Gabbie reveals a deep dark taco secret...!! In Town of The Taco we talk BEST PLACE IN KC TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL and KC NEEDS A (BLANK!) ALL OF THIS AND: Montreal Mexican and Italian Food! Gabbie's struggles with spicy foods! Childhood Choco Taco Tales! JAPAN: Not a good place to open up a WalkingTaco Stand! AND: A Taco The Town Tik Tok? What could that be? AND DON'T MISS: Our guests re-creating some of the Worst laughs They've Ever Heard! TACO THE TOWN AND KC!! An unstoppable combo much Like Tacos & Hockey! We'll never get our chiclets knocked out during a Gong Show by some Hoser with flowing lettuce! Editor: MATT ALLEN. Music: SUNEATERS courtesy of LOTUSPOOL RECORDS.

Welcome to the StartupBREW Fargo Podcast! This week we were joined by Renae Mitchell with juiceboxfargo & Alyssa Jones with EXIT 44 - Flowers & More. juiceboxfargo is working to help others achieve optimum health and wellness by experiencing the power of raw fruits and vegetables. They offer locally sourced and organic cold-pressed juice, wellness shots and cleanse packages!EXIT 44 - Flowers & More is  diving into the local flower farm movement to bring sustainable growing practices to the flower industry of the Fargo/Moorhead area. They have two acres of growing space with over 100 different varieties of beautiful blooms. Visit our website to learn more about StartupBREW Fargo.

Find the ultra popular Red River Market at the NEW Broadway Square in downtown Fargo. A perfect pairing, the Red River Market brings local vendors of veggies, fruit, preserves, bread and home goods to the gorgeous new public gathering space. Again, this season they will accept and match EBT/SNAP. We'll see you downtown at the Red River Market! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ep 251 | Aired 6/30/2021 News Flash…next week, we're moving to Saturdays at 11:00 AM on 101.1 the Answer. But our regularly scheduled program at 2:00 PM, Friday on KABF will stay the same. Tonight will be our last show during the 6:00 PM time slot. The staff of Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy have pulled all the stops out for our last show in this time slot, by combining two interviews of Arkansas River entrepreneurs into one fantastic listening experience. Mr. John Burkhalter, engineer and developer of the new Rock City Yacht Club, talks about the amenities his new yacht club will bring to Little Rock along its Arkansas River shore; boat docks, apartments, recreational rentals and a restaurant. Mr. Sam Ellis, owner and founder of Rock Town River Outfitters, shares his love of the River Market by offering bike and kayak rentals to out-of-towners and residents alike, with maps and tours so you can enjoy a sunset kayak tour of downtown Little Rock along the shores of the Arkansas River.

On this episode, Vince and Eddie discuss the greatest duos in Movie and TV history. And we drank: The Location: The Blue Line, River Market, Kansas City Mo. The Beer: Eddie: Bells Two Hearted Ale.  Rating: 5.7 Vince: Cinder Block Real Fine Liquid beer. Rating: 9.2 Please Follow us on: Facebook: http://facebook.com/technicallydrinking Instagram: http://instagram.com/technicallydrinking Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TechDrinkPod Untappd: https://untappd.com/user/TechnicallyDrinking

Celebrate Women's History Month by catching up with three powerhouse women in Kansas City's restaurant and retail scenes. Cocktail wizard Mari Matsumoto stops by to dish on her mixology magic, where she eats downtown (and what she orders) AND some breaking news! Then, we'll catch up with Erin Kelley, general manager, and Olivia Kohlstaedt, marketing manager, of KATE boutique in the River Market. They've got the dish on KATE's namesake, spring trends and what to expect on Delaware Street this spring. Plus: The final KC Carryout Challenge!

Mark Schlake spent most of his career creating and designing software for country clubs. He is now in his third act, spending his days painting and writing with us at the WWKC. Mark and his wife Janet have a very special red bag, and if you join us on Patreon you will get to see said bag and its contents. Plus an extra reading by Mark and our full conversation. https://www.artfilling.com/ Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. In Season One of Confessing Animals podcast, co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire Capitalist society. The theme for Season One is Translation. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raineswww.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastwww.confessinganimalspodcast.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/poetjenharris)

Hello, everyone, and welcome to The To Do List! In this episode, we highlight some of our favorite experiences while visiting Arkansas. Even though we did travel to numerous cities in the state, most of our focus was on Little Rock. We describe our visits to The Central High School Visitor Center, The Clinton Presidential Center, and The River Market. We provide a little history, a little fun, a little ditty, and a Little Rock! Listen in to hear about our adventures. We are always open to suggestions on future episodes, so please send them our way via email, Facebook, and Instagram. https://www.facebook.com/PodcastToDoList/ www.instagram.com/podcasttodolist/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCckF03-JG_kvEy4jsc-wH3Q/featured https://podcastthetodolist.wordpress.com/ Thank you and enjoy! Music by Kevin MacLeod (Aurea Carmina)

12-9: Steve Stegall, Owner of The Blue Line in River Market by KCMO Talk Radio

12-1: Steve Stegall, Owner of The Blue Line in River Market by KCMO Talk Radio

Strange Days is located in the River Market in downtown Kansas City. They opened in March of 2018 and are currently open Thurs - Sunday. On the show today is Chris Beier, one of the founders and owners of the brewery.Topics Include:The origin of the brewery and how it became a soccer spot Dealing with COVID adjustments Future expansionsCurrent and upcoming beersCraft beer community / Beer festivalsTo find out more about the brewery or place an order for beer, head to www.strangedaysbrewing.com

The Winners take their final day of leisure to look around the River Market to prepare for the coming journey, but it's not weapons or armor they encounter this time around.  

Thanks to our sponsors for this week's episode:Orange Theory BentonvilleSmile ShoppeWhat to Eat - European Food: Burg Der Gustropub - https://leisurlist.com/feed/venue/burg-der-gustropub/detailsEuropean Gourmet of NWA - https://leisurlist.com/feed/venue/european-gourmet-of-nwa/detailsZiggywurst - https://leisurlist.com/feed/venue/ziggywurst/detailsCrepes Paulette - https://leisurlist.com/feed/venue/crepes-paulette-storefront/detailsWhat to See & Do - Road Trip to Little RockSummer Food Road Trip to Little Rock - https://leisurlist.com/feed/article/summer-road-trip-little-rock/detailsStoby's - https://stobys.com/The Heights - https://www.littlerock.com/explore/midtown/heightsTulips - https://www.tulipsinlittlerock.com/Eggshells Kitchen Company - https://www.eggshellskitchencompany.com/Mugs Cafe - https://www.mugscafecoffee.com/Heights Taco & Tamale - https://www.heightstacotamale.com/Zaza's Salad & Pizza - https://www.zazapizzaandsalad.com/menu-littlerock-1-1US Pizza - https://uspizzaco.net/The River Market - https://www.rivermarket.info/ and Farmers Market - https://www.rivermarket.info/farmers-market@ the corner - https://www.thecornerlr.com/Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro - https://www.facebook.com/dizzysgypsybistroIriana's Pizza - http://www.irianaspizza.com/Kilwin's Ice Cream - https://www.kilwins.com/stores/kilwins-little-rockNexus Coffee & Creative - https://www.nexuscoffeear.com/ William J. Clinton Library and Museum - https://www.clintonlibrary.gov/Museum of Discovery - https://museumofdiscovery.org/What's New: Girls Gone BBQ - https://www.facebook.com/girlsgonebbqnwaCrazy Willy's Ice Cream - https://www.facebook.com/CrazyWillysIceCream

In today's social and gaming crossover, we visit 'DoubleTapKC' - a brand new virtual reality bar in the River Market area of Kansas City, Missouri. We chat with co-owner Terry Keith on the emergence of VR Gaming in the current landscape and how the venue's added social aspect makes it a fun and unique place to hang-out with friends and family. Terry also shares his thoughts on the inclusion of VR gaming in E-Sports and well as what the future holds for the latest technology.Links:DoubleTapKC website:https://www.doubletapkc.com/DoubleTapKC Social Medias:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doubletapkcInstagram: @doubletapkcTwitter: @doubletapkc--For more information on our show, visit brosandblokes.com or check out our social media platforms and support pages:Facebook: @brosandblokesTwitter: @brosandblokesInstagram: @brosandblokesTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/brosandblokesYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQBPMTY_DQs16Xyh_cfYesg/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brosandblokesSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/brosandblokes)

Welcome in to State Your Line, voted the Best Local Podcast in Kansas City in The Pitch Magazine and Kansas City Magazine in 2019! This week the Ritz brothers interview Terry Keith, owner and founder of Double Tap KC, a new bar in the River Market that mixes booze, fun, and gaming! This episode includes some of our favorite segments: Kansas Citian of the Week Openings and Closing What'd we try this week Personal Pine Tar Mixed Plate of things we are a 99 overall at

Joe Burgum joins It Takes Two with all of the new policies and procedures that the Red River Market has put into place for 2020. Great food, great communities and even some information on using the SNAP/EBT benefits!  Foodie Friday is brought to you by Prime Cut Meats on south University Drive in Fargo. www.primecutmeats.com See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Red River Market opens Saturday, July 11th.  The farmer's market will be every Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 63 5th St. N.  Bonnie and Doug visit with organizer Simone Wai to find out what we can expect and what might be different this year. This podcast is brought to you by One Oak Place, a 55 and better living community which is all about resident choice.  (Listen to Bonnie and Doug every Monday through Friday from 5-8 am on the “KFGO Morning Crew” and be part of our morning show by getting involved in our "Question of the Day" or by calling in weather and traffic information. Also make sure you like our KFGO Morning Crew Facebook page).  

Ep 199 | Aired 7/1/2020 Join me today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy, as I speak with entrepreneur, longtime friend, and clothing designer for the stars, Ms. Connie Fails. Fails has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Vanity Fair, People, Today Show, and on Good Morning America. I first met Connie while she sat sewing in her small shop above "Run of The Mill," a times-past boutique in the Hillcrest neighborhood. She was a hippy of sorts -- artsy, creative and different; married to another interesting person - a New Yorker - Leslie Fails. She would later move her business into a store front that was simply called "Connie Fails" and begin her retail and design career in earnest. And what a career it has been! One of Connie’s designs was Hillary Rodham Clinton’s first Gubernatorial inaugural gown worn in 1979, and is on permanent display at the Old State House Museum in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. When Bill Clinton was elected President, Connie designed the First Lady’s inaugural patterned suit and famous blue hat. When the Clinton Museum Retail Store was founded in the River Market district of Little Rock, Hillary naturally called upon Connie - with her years of experience in retail, design and a good eye for buying - to execute the opening and manage the new store. Today, Connie, a forever fashion designer, is most proud of her work developing and managing a fashion show called Curbside Couture. This innovative concept is a student mentoring program where youths design fashion out of recycled materials, culminating in a gala runway show at the Clinton Center.

Swell Spark is a company with concepts such as escape rooms and axe throwing They are known for Blade and Timber and breakout escape rooms, have 11 storefronts nationwide and believe in the importance of having fun to bring people together for shared experiences. Matt was a high school guidance counselor and owned a soda shop when he started an escape room as a side hustle and expanded to six locations within two years They started the axe throwing trend and expanded to six locations around the country. Hoping to launch a new concept in April 2020.   www.swellspark.com TRANSCRIPTION: Joel Goldberg: Matt, there are a million things that you're involved in, which means there are a million things that I want to talk to you about. How would you describe yourself?   Matt Baysinger: I love having fun. I know that sounds really cheesy, maybe even sounds cutesie or something along those lines, even cheap. Right? But I just really believe that having fun is important. I think it brings people together. That's always kind of been my MO, not even in a professional sense, just in a life sense. Then from a company standpoint, we really made it the company MO as well. We want to gather people for shared experiences. We want to have a heck of a lot of fun together.   Joel Goldberg: You do that, I'm sure, and then we'll talk about the culture of your company but also anyone that is going to something that you own or run, that's the goal across the board. It's not just, hey, we're this company, come and do this. You're offering people a lot of ways to have fun.   Matt Baysinger: Yeah. The two major brands that we have that folks recognize us for the most are Blade & Timber and then Breakout KC here in Kansas City. We have 11 storefronts around the country from Kansas City to Honolulu. We've been doing this for five years. In that, we've also done things like Choir Bar and Epic Aloha and other kind of popup ideas. I think we are seekers of fun, and so there's a couple check boxes of, "Does it do this? Does it do that?" And I think at the end of the day if it's going to get people together, if it's going to give them a more compelling thing to do than stare at their phone, then it's something that we're interested in pursuing.   Joel Goldberg: Let's start with... You want to start with Breakout KC or Blade & Timber?   Matt Baysinger: Let's do it.   Joel Goldberg: Let's start with Breakout KC. Of course, everybody knows about these escape rooms now. If you've never done one before... I hadn't done one and then suddenly I think my family and everybody... My kids had done them and even my wife had done one at some point. Then suddenly we've got my parents and my kids and this and that. We're all in this room together, and it's exactly what you said. We're having a lot of fun together. This is really cool. Tell me about the origins of that.   Matt Baysinger: My wife, Emily and I, we were traveling to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2014. We had this eight hour stopover in Nashville before we really got going into Chattanooga to visit some friends. We were looking for something to do in Nashville. Never had been to the city. Seemed like a good place. We pull up Trip Advisor. We're thinking what music tour can we do or what sort of entertainment. We pull up, and the number one thing on Trip Advisor is this thing called The Escape Game, and it's a picture of a house. We're like, "What is this?"   Matt Baysinger: We didn't end up going on that trip, not knowing what it was. We were going to visit Emily's friend in Chattanooga, which meant I had a whole week to research escape rooms. Over the course of a week, one, I was like, "This looks fun." But, two, it was this brand new experience, this brand new industry in the United States. I came back really kind of rejuvenated from that trip. I pulled in one of my best friends, Ryan, who was in kind of more design fabrication construction. I said, "Ryan, we got to look into this thing. We have to. I think we can do this, and I think we can do it better than anybody."   Matt Baysinger: The basic idea for those who have not played an escape room is there's this dramatic experience. It's as though you're Jason Bourne or you're James Bond. It not like you're locked in a room. That was the old version of escape rooms. But you have to solve something. You have to be the hero of a great story. For us, we have 11 different experiences just in the Kansas City area alone, so 11 different movies that you get to play the part in essence. As you mentioned, they are a phenomenal opportunity to hang out with friends or family or coworkers. It's stinking fun.   Joel Goldberg: Yeah. How do you go from this looks cool to this is going to be our business?   Matt Baysinger: Sure. This was 2014. As a matter of fact, the first time that Ryan and I got together to really talk about this was the Wild Card Game in 2014. That was when the spark ignited. Honestly, when we first started, it was going to be a side hustle. We thought, "Hey, we can do this on the weekends. It might be some passive income. We can build these things. If we end up making a couple of bucks, awesome." And we thought that we would.   Matt Baysinger: I was working two jobs at that time. I was a high school guidance counselor at St. James Academy in Lenexa, and I had just started this soda shop, Mass Street Soda, within the last year. We didn't anticipate it doing what it has done. It's been an amazing ride. But we opened. We were able to get some friends in who shared it. I think there was just an appetite for something new among our customers, among the folks who came and supported us. Within two years, we had expanded out to six locations, largely because we thought that we could, and we thought that we should.   Joel Goldberg: Were you doing it differently than everybody else? Were you guys able to take it to a different place?   Matt Baysinger: Yeah, I think we did a really good job with telling great stories and letting people be heroes of great stories. I think even more so, Kansas City... I think it's the most underrated city in America. When people take a stab at something new in this city, if it is of high quality, what we found is more often than not, the city and the community at whole kind of wraps their arms around you. They're like, "Hey, we take care of our own."   Matt Baysinger: So we went from opening to being the top rated escape room in the country within about nine months. We had more reviews on Trip Advisor than anybody else. We had people waiting sometimes three or four weeks to get a spot to come in. I think honestly that's largely due to we told great compelling stories, but I think more importantly we've always had a super high focus on customer service. Whether you have a good time in the room or not, I can't really control that. But we can control how we treat you before the room, during the room, after the room, to make sure that you have just incredible interactions with real people the entire time.   Joel Goldberg: Was there a tipping point with that one where you said... Obviously, you believed this to be successful.   Matt Baysinger: Right.   Joel Goldberg: But like you said, a nice side hustle. What or when was the tipping point where you said, "Wait a minute. This side hustle is actually going to become the main hustle"?   Matt Baysinger: Sure. Ryan was a firefighter at the time. Again, I had these other jobs as well. We had this single phone number that would ring to both of our phones. The general rule, because it was the two of us, was, hey, if you can answer the phone go ahead and answer, and if you can't after five rings the other person might answer it. Normally, we'd get one or two calls a day in the first couple weeks. We'd have maybe one or two bookings a day. We only had one room.   Matt Baysinger: I vividly remember this experience. Ryan and I, we were building out the second room, and he's up on a ladder. The first call comes in of that day, and I call, hey, Matt... This is Matt with Blade & Timber. How can I help you? We want to book. Great. While I'm on the phone, Ryan's phone rings. Hey, this is Ryan with Blade & Timber. While we're on the phone, I get a beep in. Hey, can I put you on hold for a second? What had happened is two days before that... I went to high school with Matt Besler. We've been friends for quite some time. I said, "Hey, Matt, we started this new thing. Would you come? Bring some friends if you want to."   Matt Baysinger: Well, Matt brought almost the entire Sporting Kansas City team. They posted on their Instagram and Facebook-   Joel Goldberg: That was it.   Matt Baysinger: ... and honestly, that was it. People started hearing about what we were doing. I think it was that day or the next day is when we started booking out not just days in advance but weeks in advance. Within a couple short weeks, we were quitting our other jobs, saying, okay, let's go all in on this and trying to grow that thing as well as we could.   Joel Goldberg: This might be a dumb question or certainly... And I don't mean for it to be offensive because I know you believed in your product. If the soccer star with the whole soccer team does not do that, do you still get to where you are in just a matter of... Would it have taken longer?   Matt Baysinger: I think so. We still had a great product. That was, I think, the kickstart that we needed. But you know as well as anybody that you can have amazing marketing, but if your product sucks, people are going to say, "Wow, that was amazing marketing. They tricked me into doing this thing." The mountain of momentum came when very quickly we were the top rated experience in Kansas City more than the museums, more than the K, more than all these things.   Matt Baysinger: When you looked on Trip Advisor at things to do, we were the thing to do. Might that have taken a little bit longer? Yeah, absolutely. But I think when a lot of folks ask me why we've had success or what that goes back to, I talk about people. I talk about the relationships that I've had and the relationships that I've cultivated over time. Matt was generous enough to come along and help kickstart us, and that was awesome. I'm grateful for him. He probably wants commission right now that he's here in this podcast. I think if you put a great product out there as long as folks find a way to know about it, good things will come.   Joel Goldberg: Well, and we could also add in good people in terms of those connections. Okay, you had a long history with Matt Besler. Matt Besler also happens to be a very good person.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely.   Joel Goldberg: So it's one thing to be a soccer star and sporting has such a loyal and unbelievable following, but part of that following is the culture that they have too.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely.   Joel Goldberg: I'm guessing that that kind of all aligned with who you all are.   Matt Baysinger: It was I would say accidental strategic in the early days and that what we've come to find is that we actually overlap pretty well with the type of fans that Sporting Kansas City has. There's not as many folks at MLS Games as there are at Chiefs' games or at Royals' games, but they're oftentimes far more rabid fans. They're far more invested in their team. Coming from that area right by Cerner and some folks that are techy and geeky, escape rooms, they're a little bit nerdy.   Matt Baysinger: It is a more active form of entertainment than just going out and grabbing a few beers or something like that. You have to think.   Joel Goldberg: You have to think.   Matt Baysinger: But that's the fun of it. That's not to say... I think the fear for a lot of people is that they're going to be not smart enough for an escape room. Escape rooms are built for everybody. We definitely had some happy accidents in the early days as far as who we catered to, who we advertised to, who we marketed through and with. I will happily take advantage of those happy accidents that we've had.   Joel Goldberg: I always say never apologize for those. They don't really happen by accident either I don't think. You can stumble into something. I guess what I would say is that you can have that happen by accident, but ultimately it's up to you to capitalize on it.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely.   Joel Goldberg: And a lot of people don't.   Matt Baysinger: Sure.   Joel Goldberg: And so then maybe it's not meant to be. You obviously did. How about... I know you've got a passion for film or film background. How much did that help in terms of the stories you guys were telling?   Matt Baysinger: Sure. I think quite a bit. My former company was just Baysinger Films, and we did work for Nike and Google and McDonald's and things like this. We also did weddings and just telling people's stories. Again, in the early days Ryan comes from this fabrication background, a wicked smart guy as well. We went to high school together. And I came really from more of a marketing, so I was like, man, I can market this stuff if you can help build it. I'm far more conceptual than Ryan is. I'm for better or worse. We tried to use every skill or talent that we had to push the envelope forward just a little bit more in the early days. I think fortunately we had a pretty good mix between the two of us, and then we had some really amazing folks come on board to help us with that as well.   Joel Goldberg: All right. You have the escape rooms, and everybody's throwing axes nowadays.   Matt Baysinger: Yep.   Joel Goldberg: That has become-   Matt Baysinger: Because of us, right?   Joel Goldberg: Yes. Well, it's become a thing.   Matt Baysinger: Yeah.   Joel Goldberg: No one in their wildest dreams would've ever imagined that that's something you could do outside of some kind of 2:00 in the morning programming on ESPN10 or whatever it was.   Matt Baysinger: The Ocho.   Joel Goldberg: Yeah, The Ocho. Oh man, how long ago that was. So how did this come about?   Matt Baysinger: Little context, right? In the early days of the escape room, I vividly... And I've told this story before. But I remember this moment of we lived on coffee at the time and Quay Coffee is down the street, amazing coffee shop in the River Market. We were there twice a day because we were working the stereotypical long hours that you do in startup. This group of gals probably, I don't know, 16, 17, 18 years old had just broken out from one of our escape rooms with 10 seconds to go, so they were hyped.   Matt Baysinger: Their immediate conversation is, hey, let's go grab something to eat. They're walking down, and they end up walking to Quay. I'm 10 paces behind them, which is a little awkward, but whatever. They get out of our escape room; we take the group photo of them; they celebrate; high fives; I think, get some T-shirts; start walking. They walk two blocks to Key Coffee. I'm right behind them the whole time. Seventeen-year-old gals. Not a single one of them pulls their phone out. They are just talking to each other trying to figure out what just happened. "Hey, I was doing this thing, and I pulled down on the antlers, and then... oh, that was when the door opened. Oh, my gosh, I was doing this other... " They're piecing together how they actually broke out of this room because it's just been pure something to that point.   Matt Baysinger: That was the moment that we kind of realized, "Oh, my gosh we've built something more exciting than your cellphone." I know that sounds maybe a little silly, but you know it's-   Joel Goldberg: No, I think everyone gets it actually.   Matt Baysinger: And so the question immediately became how else can we do this. We never anticipated being an escape room company. We really found ourselves in this what we call small box entertainment. From almost day one we said, "Escape rooms, and... " We looked at all these other concepts, all these other things. And then as we were just researching online at some point we saw this pub in London that had an axe throwing range in it. We were like, "Huh? Axe throwing and alcohol. That sounds kind of fun. That sounds kind of different."   Matt Baysinger: The building that we're in right now we actually built an axe throwing lane on the top floor. We have ping-pong tables and arcade games and all of the stuff that you would expect a bunch of 20 and 30 year olds to have in their offices.   Matt Baysinger: The moment that we made an axe throwing lane on our top floor people stopped playing ping-pong, and they stopped playing the arcades, and they stopped... All you would hear is people talking over lunch hour of, "Oh, man, I can't believe you got me. I'm going to get you next game." Our staff started getting really into it.   Joel Goldberg: So the same way that those girls were talking about that escape room, putting the phones away and actually having... What is this? Oh, a conversation.   Matt Baysinger: Right.   Joel Goldberg: You saw a similar type of energy.   Matt Baysinger: Yeah. Again, as silly as it sounds, people like doing stuff. People like learning new skills. I think one of the reasons golf is declining is because it's really hard, and it's really expensive, and there's kind of a high barrier for entry to get into it. With axe throwing, we got to a point where we felt like we could teach anybody how to throw an axe in five minutes or less. When it became that simple, it's like, "If my mom can do this, then anybody can do this." I love you, mom.   Matt Baysinger: She doesn't have an athletic bone in her body, and she's able to hit bulls eyes underhand with an axe. Once we got to that point we were like, "There's something here." The next question was, "What kind of landlord would in their wildest imagination allow us to throw axes in their building?" Truth be told, we got denied by probably five or six landlords in Kansas City who were like, "This isn't going to work," or "It doesn't sounds safe," or whatever.   Matt Baysinger: But we were able to open in the West Bottoms, and I think once we had the proof of concept, same story. We've been able to expand to six locations, seventh coming. Actually, we only have five now that I think about it.   Joel Goldberg: We'll get into that one.   Matt Baysinger: What's been fun about axe throwing... I guess, quick little tangent. Our second location of our escape room was Honolulu, Hawaii, so Kansas City to Honolulu. What's been really fun, we took axe throwing-   Joel Goldberg: Let me stop you real quick. How'd did you go from... I mean, it seems like why wouldn't you, right?   Matt Baysinger: Right.   Joel Goldberg: It's not that easy. It can't be that easy.   Matt Baysinger: So mom graduated high school in Hawaii. Dad was [inaudible 00:17:12]. Our grandfather was military. So we did have kind of a familial connection out there, but also it's a large metro. It's a large metro, and quite frankly, there's not a lot to do once the sun goes down, especially if you're not into drinking or clubbing. What's been really neat with axe throwing with Blade & Timber, we have locations here. We're down in Wichita. We're in Seattle. We're in Honolulu. Those are very different people groups in all of those cities.   Matt Baysinger: They have different voting histories. They have different make ups of skin tones and skin colors and all sorts of stuff. But what's really fun is that people love axe throwing in all of those markets. People love having fun in all of those markets. It's been just from a human standpoint to see that this is something that's kind of universally needed is this table for community. It's been a really cool byproduct of what we do.   Joel Goldberg: When you put that axe throwing lane upstairs, it was just something else fun or cool to do because you guys have that cool type of office? How did you end up with that axe throwing lane upstairs?   Matt Baysinger: Even when you go back to escape rooms we test it first. I think a lot of people think that it was just striking gold, but we built our first escape room in the spare bedroom of my house. When it came to axe throwing, we can make some educated guesses, but we want to at least test it out for logistics. Upstairs the initial goal was simply, hey, let's figure out what axe we need to use. Let's figure out how far or close you should stand. Let's figure out if you should spin it once or twice. It was really to test the concept.   Matt Baysinger: When we put it up there, we knew that it was something that we were interested in doing as long as we could figure it out. People just figured it out a lot sooner than we would've anticipated.   Joel Goldberg: How did that compare in terms of interest, growth, to the escape rooms? Was it the same type of pattern? Were you stumbling upon the same thing or was it a different animal?   Matt Baysinger: Yeah, there were obviously some differences. There were obviously some similarities. But I think when you take a step back, people ask, "All right, Matt, you're with Swell Spark, what does Swell Spark do?" Nothing. The answer is nothing. Swell Spark is an operating group. It's a group of about 20 people here at headquarters who serve all of our concepts. In that capacity, when you look at the long-term growth plans for Swell Spark to be a long-term sustainable company, we need to launch new concepts. That's in our DNA. We have committed to be a perpetual startup of concepts.   Matt Baysinger: With that, we talk about velocity, and we talk about velocity of different metropolitan areas. We were able to open our escape rooms in two major metros, being Kansas City and Honolulu. We've been able so far to open our axe throwing in four major metros.   Joel Goldberg: Which is Kansas City-   Matt Baysinger: Kansas City, Honolulu, Seattle, and we're about to open Portland as well. When you look at the big picture, what do we do and what it is that we're about, we get velocity in metros. Once we open one concept in a metro, we start to accumulate data on who's coming. We start to accumulate data on who we should market to, what parts of town we should be in, what parts of town we should avoid. Realistically, once we opened Blade & Timber, we were able to do a cross promotion with Breakout KC and invite 70,000 people to come out. You can imagine what day one looked like when they're 70,000 invitations to be the first to do something in Kansas City.   Matt Baysinger: And so, it exploded. Our first kind of soft opening VIP night, which was literally just me and Ryan posting on Facebook, I think had 300 people show up.   Joel Goldberg: Wow.   Matt Baysinger: We always set up our experiences to be easy on the eyes. So we set up a photo booth in Blade & Timber and put some places in where it would make it real easy to take a photo so people share on our behalf, which we love. I have three kids, six, four and two. My wife, she probably wishes she didn't start this, but she started making a book a year per kid. It's just a scrapbook, a well-designed scrapbook. We just had all three of their birthdays in the last couple months. And so we're going through and making the new pages or the new years. The pages in those scrapbooks are never about the things we bought for them.   Matt Baysinger: There's never a picture of, "Oh, here's your toy that you enjoyed." It's like, "No, here's the stuff we did." Honestly, I think people are, not to say waking up to that idea, but bowling is the great example. Bowling was America's sport for a long time. There's countless research that's been done about this. Bowling died. There's a lot of reasons it died. What the problem is is a lot of people said, "Oh, well, it was because bowling wasn't fun," when really it was a lack of community.   Matt Baysinger: For us to have the opportunity to give people that again is just so special. I think people crave it. It's easy to stay in your house. It's easy to watch Netflix and order food. There's nothing wrong with either of those things as long as they're balanced with spending time with your friends and being around other people. We love to provide those opportunities.   Joel Goldberg: That's one of the things of why we like vacations. You actually get a chance to go and do things.   Matt Baysinger: Right.   Joel Goldberg: Not everything needs to be Disney World and waiting in the lines and all that and people may like certain things. We actually took our kids last year to Disney and Universal and all that for the first time ever. They're now 16 and 14, so they were 15 and 13 at that point. And they'll remember that forever.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely.   Joel Goldberg: It might not be a specific ride. It might be just walking around and the Harry Potter stuff. Who knows? It is something that they will and we will remember forever those moments.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely. I'm a KU grade. I'm a big Jayhawks fan. Even to go to 2014 and 2015 with the Royals, I've been to a whole lot of baseball games over the years. Those are fun, but you're generally watching other people do things. One of the reasons I think Allen Fieldhouse is such a special environment is because as a fan you feel like you're part of it. You're shredding newspaper. You're tossing it in the air. There's these little things you do with your hands. You are a part of your own entertainment experience.   Matt Baysinger: In 2014, that Wild Card Game I think I gave 700 high fives. Everyone who was there that's going to be a special memory because we got to be part of it to a degree.   Joel Goldberg: There is a reason why people have these crazy superstitions, and they ramp up, and it's not just in Kansas City. It's in every single city.   Matt Baysinger: Sure.   Joel Goldberg: How many people do you know that say, "We had to sit in this spot for this game," and if you came in and you weren't there before, you were kicked out. There were actually families that weren't watching the game together because that became their involvement and their experience. Right?   Matt Baysinger: Yeah, absolutely.   Joel Goldberg: As crazy and silly as those things are, they're fun because you're involved.   Matt Baysinger: They make it more memorable.   Joel Goldberg: You feel like you're a part of it even if you're wearing the same underwear for... Yeah.   Matt Baysinger: Make sure you wear your same shirt, your flannel shirt, every time you come to Breakout or Blade & Timber. It'll be your lucky shirt to get bulls eyes.   Joel Goldberg: Whatever it takes. I do want to ask you in a little bit about what's next. Before we get into the baseball theme questions, I'm curious now where you're at. You and I are in a group together, so I've had the chance to watch you operate a little bit. I haven't probably shown up as much as others or I should. Maybe you have. I don't know. What I've been though is I've just been really impressed with just your thirst for knowledge, your thirst to become better I think as a leader. I don't know if that's something you ever thought about getting into. I don't know that you could've envisioned any of the way this all went other than the fact that you seem to be to me a guy that's always thinking and driven and wanting to come up with new ideas.   Joel Goldberg: But now you're running companies all around the country. And I know you have to have a culture in the way you want things done, and that could be a little bit unnerving to say, "Wait a minute. How are things going in Hawaii? I'm sitting here in Kansas City."   Matt Baysinger: Right.   Joel Goldberg: What have you learned?   Matt Baysinger: We were talking before the podcast started is all we can do is tell our story. I look back at, my undergrad was sociology. Then I worked in athletics for a while, and I got a master's in education administration. I worked as a high school guidance counselor. I worked as a barista. I started a soda shop. I have a film company. None of it makes sense. But I think when you take a step back a little bit more, all of it makes sense.   Matt Baysinger: One, as you iterated, the people, the relationships that you build along the way matter. I think more than that we went through recently, and we talked about what it is that we actually look for in employees. It was kind of tucked in the back of my head, but we finally spit it out and said, "We want people who are eager to learn. We want people who are coachable." I had the opportunity to run track at the University of Kansas, and I got there because I was fast. Without being overly pretentious, I was a fast runner. I got a lot faster because I had a great coach.   Matt Baysinger: I think sometimes when you get to the metaphorical big leagues of running your own company it's easy to think that you know it all. I think the more that I have realized that our business while it is strange, it's not unlike other businesses. There are things that apply to just about every business on earth, and the more that we've realized that... At first, I was kind of upset about it like, "Oh, I thought we were doing something special. I thought we were venturing out into the world," but I've realized no. A lot of the problems that we face are the same problems that other people have faced, and what that means is there's wisdom in finding the answers they found so that we can skip those painful steps and get to better solutions without having to reinvent the wheel ourselves.   Matt Baysinger: The startup community, the small business community in Kansas City, is unlike anything I've encountered. We've been able to travel a lot. There are a special group of folks here who are invested in making the cream rise to the top. If I can be a part of that, man, I'll take that opportunity any day.   Joel Goldberg: Yeah, that's pretty powerful. Before we get to the baseball theme questions, so how many stores or properties total around the country right now? We talked about the different cities.   Matt Baysinger: Yeah, we had 11. One of our stores just burned down two weeks ago, which was a huge bummer. So technically we're at 10. We'll be at 12 by quarter two of 2020.   Joel Goldberg: This is Blade & Timber and escape rooms?   Matt Baysinger: Yes, that's correct. We hope to launch our next concept in April-ish of 2020. That'll depend on our construction contracts and whatnot. But we have something new coming to Kansas City.   Joel Goldberg: Which I'm sure you can't tell me.   Matt Baysinger: Nope.   Joel Goldberg: But it'll be I'm guessing something as ground breaking or original as an escape room was in 2014 and as original as axe throwing was a few years back.   Matt Baysinger: We have found that fun maybe looks different in other countries or other regions.   Joel Goldberg: There's a hint.   Matt Baysinger: But that doesn't make it any less fun. I think oftentimes it's simply that we don't realize the opportunity that there is to do this really fun thing.   Joel Goldberg: Put it this way. I'm not trying to get it... I live in this world where with baseball and athletes where you just know you're not going to get the answer, so that's fine. But when this thing comes out, will it initially be something saying, "Wait? Really? Never thought about that before"?   Matt Baysinger: I think you're going to chuckle at its simplicity.   Joel Goldberg: Okay.   Matt Baysinger: Yep.   Joel Goldberg: All right, fair enough. Baseball themed questions. What would you say professionally is the biggest home run you've hit?   Matt Baysinger: That first risk of Breakout KC. That was the launching pad for sure. Honestly, as I say it though, I think the biggest home run that we hit was Breakout Waikiki, our second location. The reason I say that is we had to open a location 3,800 miles from here, 15 hours of travel at best. We had to set it up in a way that it could run without me being there, which is a hard transition for an entrepreneur to build process and to build functions that can exist without you being the one to do it.   Matt Baysinger: It was successful. That's why I'm calling it a home run, but I think more so it forced us to take a step back and think about how to grow well. Since that point, every other location we've done since then has been closer, but we've been able to grow 10 locations in four years. We've been able to increase our sales by 55% a year for four years now, and that's because we had to work out a lot of those kinks early on with Breakout Waikiki.   Joel Goldberg: What's the swing and miss? You've talked a lot about learning.   Matt Baysinger: Sure.   Joel Goldberg: What's a big swing and miss, and what did you learn from it?   Matt Baysinger: We did this project called Epic Aloha in Hawaii as well. This was a 6,000 square foot walkable Instagramable museum. Again, it checked the boxes. Shared experiences? Absolutely. Bring people together. Amazing concepts. All of those things. Honestly, from an installation standpoint it might've been the best thing we've every built. It went out of business in 10 months. Granted, it was a 12 month lease. We went to the wrong space. Not to oversimplify it, but what was bizarre about that concept, we became the seventh highest rated attraction in all of Hawaii. You're talking Pearl Harbor and then Waikiki Beach and then a handful of others, and then Epic Aloha.   Matt Baysinger: We had this insane problem that everyone loved us but nobody knew about us. We just couldn't overcome that. Unfortunately, we closed that one a little bit early. We took a bath on it in many ways, but also we realized what we were capable of. I'm the eternal optimist, so we're always going to find the positives, but from a numbers standpoint, golly, that was bad. From a learning standpoint, we know what a fast ball looks like now. We know what a curve ball looks like, and I think we know how to handle those a little bit better moving forward.   Joel Goldberg: That's good. Small ball. How would you define small ball to Swell Spark or to any of your entities in terms of the little things?   Matt Baysinger: You know, I wouldn't call myself a futurist, but I think our world is changing a lot. I think one of the things that differentiates us from just about anybody else is our emphasis on customer service. I believe it's all about the relationships, I really do. The thing can be cool, but if you do a cool thing with terrible people, you're not going to enjoy it. We focus on our people first, and I think when our people are feeling loved, when they're feeling supported as employees, it allows them to do that with customers as well.   Matt Baysinger: Our blocking and tackling or our small ball is we got to make sure that the people are even better than the experience that we offer.   Joel Goldberg: Four final questions that I ask every guest. These will vary by guest. Four final questions as we round the bases. Do you have a favorite story or scene that you've done over the years?   Matt Baysinger: Halloween is a big deal for my wife and I. This isn't going to be the answer that you asked for.   Joel Goldberg: That's okay.   Matt Baysinger: Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. It's an amazing movie. When you talk about how I got into all this, my junior year of college I grew my hair out just so I could shave it down to look like Forrest Gump. I sat on a bench on KU's campus and I passed out chocolates for four hours and told stories. I think that probably as much as anything iterates who I am and what we stand for, which is, man, we like to have fun. We love to do that through Halloween as well. I think from a company standpoint I told you about the gals walking, and that's been a pivotal moment for us.   Matt Baysinger: I just love when I get to see reviews... I love on a regular basis is people will say, "This is the best thing I've done this year," or "This is the best birthday party I've ever had." As cheesy as it may sound, that is all of the motivation or story that I need to know that we're doing something positive.   Joel Goldberg: All right. The second question, which has to do with storytelling or perhaps in this case, fake storytelling. You know where I'm going. I didn't know you that well, and I'm still getting to know you. But when this whole thing popped up, and it was written about... It was one of those just epic... Back in the day we used to call it a burn, I guess. You know?   Matt Baysinger: Sure. Yeah, sick burn.   Joel Goldberg: Sick burn. Yeah. This was back in July. I just remember reading this, and I had goosebumps because basically you dealt with what I'm sure a lot of very proud, hardworking business owners deal with. And we live in a world... We're all guilty of it. I try to remind myself all the time that just because it's on Yelp doesn't mean it's true.   Matt Baysinger: Sure.   Joel Goldberg: In the case, somebody basically accused one of your employees of Blade & Timber of some racist stuff. Your reply was beautiful. I'll just read a little bit of it because you responded to him, and you said, "The best part of this is that you tried to paint a picture of my man, Jordan, as rude and racist. This is the exact same Jordan whose own mother immigrated to the US from Mexico. You have the audacity to call out a staff member by name, yet you have to make up a story and hide behind a fake Yelp alias to try to stir the pot. If one of our staff members was actually being racist, I can assure you that we would take action, but in this scenario you're just using a fake name to tell a fake story to try and paint a fake picture about a real and honest person that's just trying to do his job. I can't let that fly here. If I could give you a Yelp rating, you would earn zero stars."   Joel Goldberg: It got a lot of attention as it should have.   Matt Baysinger: It did. Yeah.   Joel Goldberg: That's just some of it. But I can only imagine the fire that burned in you when this happened, and then being the storyteller, the chance for you to tell that story.   Matt Baysinger: The first revision of my response was a little bit punchier.   Joel Goldberg: This was pretty punchy.   Matt Baysinger: Yeah. Jessie, our Director of Communications, asked me to tone it down a little bit. But, you know, this was... It's a weird world online. Right?   Joel Goldberg: Yeah, it is.   Matt Baysinger: People can say things unchecked. And we had this situation where we threw some kids out for underage drinking. This was the way that they decided to retaliate against us. We're smart enough to... I mean, we have audio and video of everything that happens in our store. Honestly, I read the review, and I was first fired up that one of our staff members had done something stupid. I was like, "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe that Jordan was racist." These are the things flying through my head.   Matt Baysinger: I dive in, and I get the real story. Then my level of anger went through the roof. We ask a lot of our employees. It's not easy to have great customer service and to love and serve people well especially when they suck. In this situation, we reviewed the tapes. It was pretty clear that Jordan had done exactly what we had asked him to do in the situation. There wasn't a racist bone in his body in this situation. It just felt like the right opportunity and the right thing to do to stand up for him.   Matt Baysinger: Whenever you talk about things like racism online, you set yourself up for potential windfall. So we were nervous about that quite frankly, but the response was amazing in that I think anyone who understood the character of our company and understood what we really stand for, they then had the opportunity to choose which story to believe. I think pretty much universally folks realize that ours was the right one. And I think people were... I think they were glad to see a small business like us stand up to the review machine that has taken down so many other businesses and so many other people.   Joel Goldberg: Just a follow up before we move on, I'm curious if, one, you ever heard from that kid or anyone associated with him? And, two, what did you hear from people like Jordan and your employees?   Matt Baysinger: Our employees were extravagant. Extravagant? No, they were excited that we did something. I think in some ways it would've been really easy for us to ignore it or maybe try to get the review taken down or something like that. The gentleman who posted did it under a fake name.   Joel Goldberg: Of course.   Matt Baysinger: We know his real name. We know his real address. We know where he goes to school. We know his friends' names. We didn't call him out publicly. We didn't put his real name out there for obvious reasons. He's a kid, right? We don't want one stupid decision to define somebody. If he ever wants to come throw axes, we'd love to have him back. He's just got to use his real name.   Joel Goldberg: Right, and not be drinking underage.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely, absolutely. He's got to do it the way that we ask him to do it. But we're quick to forgive as well. We'd be honored to have him back.   Joel Goldberg: You guys handled it the right way.   Matt Baysinger: I appreciate it.   Joel Goldberg: You all did. I've grown up too to realize that people will take shots at me on Twitter. You know what? Most of it is just not worth replying to. If it gets personal and there's some kind of danger to my family, then we can block them.   Matt Baysinger: Sure.   Joel Goldberg: Otherwise, mute them. It doesn't matter. I realized one night somebody was walking by our set, and they yell out. It's a group of six or seven people after the game. They were walking through the outfield. The guy yells, "Hey, Goldberg, you suck." Fine. Yeah, maybe. Not everybody's going to like my broadcast style. I totally get that. I just kind of looked at them, and I waved. As he saw me turn, I said, "Hey, what's going on? Thanks for watching." He just kind of turned and hid, and he wouldn't look back.   Matt Baysinger: Yep.   Joel Goldberg: I said, "Come on, I'd love to shake your hand." He just kept on moving.   Matt Baysinger: Sure.   Joel Goldberg: And that right there was Twitter in person.   Matt Baysinger: Absolutely.   Joel Goldberg: That was Yelp in person.   Matt Baysinger: Yep.   Joel Goldberg: Which by the way, there's plenty of positive on there too. It's just so easy, we know this, to hide behind something.   Matt Baysinger: It is.   Joel Goldberg: Okay, third question. What then would be the scouting report of Matt Baysinger, the track athlete, back in the day?   Matt Baysinger: I was a giant 800 meter runner. I probably outweighed both my competitors by 200 pounds, which made it real fun for some of the relay races in particular. I had a pretty decent career. I was seven time all big 12. Got to run on our four by four all four years. For being a walk on at KU, I feel really good. I got to hang out with my old Coach Redwine this weekend. They did this amazing event at KU where they brought in elementary age kids, and so my kindergartner was able to come and learn how to do hurdles and stuff like that. But, KU Redwine's he's one of the best people I ever met in my life, and he gave me an incredible opportunity and taught me well.   Joel Goldberg: All right, final question. The walk off question because we already talked about in general terms at least what is next. So we'll walk off with this. What kind of axe thrower are you?   Matt Baysinger: I'm good enough to beat you.   Joel Goldberg: Okay. You haven't seen me throw yet, but you're probably right.   Matt Baysinger: And I'm willing to find out. There's a lot of folks in this building who would handle me pretty well with an axe, but I can hold my own. I can stick it to the board just about every time. I'm known to lots of fours, just not a lot of bulls eyes. I'd be a good fit for the Royals. I'm not going to hit your home runs, but I'm going to get on the bases.   Joel Goldberg: Lay down a bunt every now and then. Good singles hitter. Opposite field.   Matt Baysinger: Blocking and tackling, you know, do the small things.   Joel Goldberg: Well, the small things are working. They certainly are turning into big things with many more big things to come. Can't wait to find out what this new venture is. I'm pretty sure we'll all hear about it.   Matt Baysinger: We'll invite you out.   Joel Goldberg: Yes, please. So that is when?   Matt Baysinger: We're hoping for quarter one, quarter two of 2020.   Joel Goldberg: Okay. So not too far off.   Matt Baysinger: Nope.   Joel Goldberg: Matt, congratulations on all the success to all of you and I know a lot more good things to come. I appreciate you doing this.   Matt Baysinger: I sure appreciate it.   Joel Goldberg: All right. That is Matt Baysinger. Hope to catch you next time on Rounding the Bases. You can reach me on my website at joelgoldbergmedia.com. Thanks, everyone, for listening.  

In this week’s episode, we provide perspective and conversation on the creation of Entertainment District in River Market and the results of citizen surveys regarding the revitalization of Hindman Park and War Memorial Park. We also talk with BK Simmons regarding his involvement in three new projects Venture Noire, Tribe 9, and High Street Equity. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/arktimes-rock-the-culture/message

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, we are sitting down with JT Daniels, mural artist and Northeast resident. He discusses his work, which includes the mural outside Betty Rae's Ice Cream in the River Market, Charlie Parker's Mood outside the Gem Theater in the 18th and Vine District, and a recent mural he did outside Ten Thousand Villages in downtown Overland Park. He also talks about the phrases he incorporates into his murals.

This week: I give my impression of a new Garment District coffee spot. A little analysis on downtown/midtown coffee shop density. A look at the most recent changes coming to the River Market (including some controversy). New locales in burgers, and blue agave. The latest in the sudden closure of a performing arts venue. And Potholecalypse 2019 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/streetwavve/support

Travel Expert and Continent Hopper BROOKE ROBERTS (@thenewdorothy, Brazenist) joins us on T3 this week as we taste test the tasty tacos at TRIBE STREET KITCHEN in the River Market! Brooke shares with us some of her best travel stories (THE TOP 4 PLACES TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE!) and globe trotting travel tips as well as tales about growing up in Southeastern Kansas and saving up her money for some Taco Tico! There's a lotta TACO TICO talk in this episode as well as Overseas Taco Talk! IN THIS EPISODE: Dave tries to convince Brooke to travel to the exotic locale of Belton, Missouri! Dave and Brooke talk about their Grandpa's Tattoos! Dave reveals a bad taco date he once had! In the TACO TICKER: We talk Taco Bell's Galentine's Day Party Tips, Taco Bell opening up in Thailand and we even touch upon the new Guy Fieri Taco Joint opening up in the P&L! This one has it all: STREET MEATS! INDIAN FOOD! DRACULA'S CASTLE! BEST OVERSEAS EATS! EATING IN THE WORLD'S FANCIEST McDONALD'S! Brooke's Favorite Overseas Customs! In TOWN OF THE TACO we discuss KC's Most Underrated or Hidden Attraction! As well as How do you describe KC to someone who has never been here? ALSO: We talk a lotta tongue (lengua, that is) and Brooke tells us about the time she visited DAVE'S COZY LITTLE HOSTEL!! Climb aboard this taco caravan! Wondrous taco adventures await!" 

On this episode of Technically Drinking we are going to toast and cheer a great life and a great man that is Stan Lee in a very unique, raucous and reverent tribute (Screw you Bill Maher). We draft and create a team of ONLY those characters created by Stan Lee and then rate them according to Teamwork, Looks, Power, and "Oh Shit!"  You may be surprised at the teams and who actually wins!   We also visit Strange Days Brewery in the River Market area of Kansas City.  Chris Beier, Business Strategy Executive joins us and gives the lowdown on each beer.   This was a fun one!  Hope you enjoy it!   Eddie: The Mexican- Rating: 7.9 Eden: Strawberry Sunday IPA - Rating: 7.2       Georgia On my Mind Peach Gose - Rating: 6.42 Vince: Japanese Black IPA - Rating: 9.014   Every character ever created by Stan Lee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Characters_created_by_Stan_Lee   Please Follow us on: Facebook: http://facebook.com/technicallydrinking Instagram: http://instagram.com/technicallydrinking Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TechDrinkPod Untappd: https://untappd.com/user/TechnicallyDrinking

Doing the show again from Cascone's Diner in the River Market with my awesome friend Holly Wood. I'm asking her the questions every man wants to know about women but are too afraid to ask. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/everyoneneedsalittle/support

0605 On the Move : River Market 곤지암

Today, we sit down with the Director of Events for Pawn & Pint, the gaming tavern in Kansas City, Missouri we visited earlier this month. Join us as we chat with Donald the GM in the Sam Adams Memorial Nook at their location in KC’s River Market. To see more of our visit to Pawn & Pint, check out our blog at http://www.southgatemediagroup.com/dice-voyeurs-blog! Hosts: John and Roxy Thompson Check out Passionerdly at: passionerdly.com facebook.com/passionerdly Twitter/Instagram: @tometravelers, @passionerdly, @roowerks patreon.com/passionerdly Check out The Nerd’s Domain at: nerdsdom.com facebook.com/nerdsdomain twitter.com/nerdsdomain teepublic.com/user/nerdsdomain Check out Pawn & Pint at: pawnsandpints.com facebook.com/pawnsandpints twitter.com/pawnandpint Music "Alto Sax C minor 90bpm" by simundsouza, FreeSound.org Additional Sound Credit fennelliott, sagetyrtle, NotARobot99, Timbre on FreeSound.org

This week, we’re taking a bit of a break from reviews to interview the owner and proprietor of Pawn & Pint, a gaming tavern in Kansas City, Missouri. Join us as we chat with Ed Schmalz in the Sam Adams Memorial Nook at their location in KC’s River Market. To see more of our visit to Pawn & Pint, check out our blog at http://www.southgatemediagroup.com/dice-voyeurs-blog! Hosts: John and Roxy Thompson Check out Passionerdly at: passionerdly.com facebook.com/passionerdly Twitter/Instagram: @tometravelers, @passionerdly, @roowerks patreon.com/passionerdly Check out The Nerd’s Domain at: nerdsdom.com facebook.com/nerdsdomain twitter.com/nerdsdomain teepublic.com/user/nerdsdomain Check out Pawn & Pint at: pawnsandpints.com facebook.com/pawnsandpints twitter.com/pawnandpint Music "Alto Sax C minor 90bpm" by simundsouza, FreeSound.org Additional Sound Credit fennelliott, sagetyrtle, NotARobot99, Timbre on FreeSound.org

Dave is joined by Lady Severe and Madame MacKay from KC's own Burlesque Downtown Underground burlesque troupe and they test out some tacos from the River Market's KC Taco Company! They chat about their upcoming 10th Anniversary Valentine's Day performance on Feb. 10th and also cover everything else under the taco sun! Topics covered this episode: KC's rich burlesque history, Apocalyptic Tacos, tacos as currency, "What if Tacos were poison?" and how the girls can incorporate more tacos into their future performances! Perhaps the naughtiest and sauciest TACO THE TOWN to date!

Christian Arnold, co-founder of Clockwork Architecture and Design joins host Kelly Scanlon for Smart Companies KC. The Clockwork AD team came together in 2004 and is comprised of designers who work fast and smart within diverse markets and to date have never missed a deadline. Located in Kansas City’s River Market, Clockwork is a growing company. The firm invested an additional one million dollars in 2013 to enlarge its footprint in Kansas City and hire additional staff. Listen in and discover the secret to its continued success. To hear more shows hosted by Kelly Scanlon, visit our archives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Damgoode Pies owner Jeff Trine talks with the Foodcast about the new location he's opening in the former Bosco's space in the River Market. We're discussing the beer Damgoode Pies will be making under the new Damgoode Brews label and how the company is encouraging new brewers in Central Arkansas' beer scene. Plus, how Damgoode Pies got its start and a conversation about some of Jeff's favorite pizza toppings.