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How do you turn 5,127 failures into a multi-billion-dollar empire? James Dyson turned dust into possibility, failure into discovery, and frustration into revolution. Dyson didn't just build a better vacuum; he redefined a whole industry. Facing thousands of failed prototypes, crushing financial setbacks, and a dismissive industry that insisted a superior vacuum was impossible, Dyson transformed doubt into fuel that created an empire he still owns and operates today. Dyson's genius stretched far beyond engineering. He was a contrarian thinker whose natural state was to defy the experts. From reinventing hand dryers to fans and hairdryers, Dyson repeatedly turned mundane frustrations into game-changing products. His relentless curiosity and willingness to fail publicly set new standards for innovation. When competitors mocked him, he stayed focused. When patents were threatened, he defended fiercely. Dyson's story is one of unwavering persistence, unorthodox creativity, and the courage to trust his own instincts—even when everyone else doubted. This is the story of James Dyson. Learn how one decision can change everything for a whole family. This episode is for informational purposes only and is based on Against the Odds: An Autobiography by James Dyson. Quotes from Against the Odds and James Dyson's Invention: A Life (02:35) Prologue: The Kitchen Floor Experiment PART 1 - EARLY SPARKS OF TENACITY (05:05) A Childhood of Resilience and Determination (08:19) Gresham's School (11:25) From Art to Engineering: A Defiance of Convention (14:58) A Mentor: Jeremy Fry (17:37) Just Build It (19:23) The Sea Truck (22:16) Lessons From The Egyptians (24:16) Misfit Mentality PART 2: FIRST INVENTIONS AND HARD LESSONS (26:48) Reinventing The Wheel(barrow) (28:54) Popular Not Profitable (30:56) Leaving Ballbarrow with Nothing (34:09) History of the Vaccuum (36:23) Cyclone in a Sawmill (39:17) 5,127 Prototypes (41:57) Industry Rejection (44:14) Building the Business PART 3: BUILDING AN EMPIRE (48:15) Passion Over Profit (50:04) Beyond Vacuums (53:08) R&D Culture & Iterative Design (55:44) Patent Wars & Legal Battles (57:49) Value of Keeping Ownership (59:59) Recap of Dyson's Journey (01:02:55) SHANE'S REFLECTIONS Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of all episodes, join our membership: fs.blog/membership and get your own private feed. Newsletter - The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at fs.blog/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of the Woodpreneur podcast, hosts Steve Larosiliere and Jennifer Alger interview Nick Mooers from Maverick Sawmill. They discuss the growth of Nick's business during the pandemic, exciting projects, including a massive walnut table, and the development of a new shop to enhance operational efficiency. Nick shares insights on leadership, industry trends, and the balance between raw and finished products. The conversation also touches on marketing strategies for high-end builds and the importance of relationships in the luxury market. Takeaways The pandemic drove significant growth in home renovation projects and woodworking demandMaverick Sawmill specializes in oversized walnut pieces and has developed a unique 50/50 balance between raw and finished productsNick emphasizes the critical importance of team dynamics, leadership, and relationship buildingA new shop is being developed to enhance operational efficiency and support business growthEpoxy projects and home and garden shows have emerged as important trends in the woodworking industry Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Maverick Sawmill 01:00 Business Growth During the Pandemic 02:40 Exciting Projects and New Shop Development 05:19 Operational Success Factors 09:51 Leadership and Team Dynamics 11:06 Industry Trends and Innovations 13:12 Balancing Raw and Finished Products 15:18 Investments in Machinery and Efficiency 19:01 Future Plans and Moving Challenges 20:24 Marketing Strategies for High-End Builds Get a FREE Trial to our Woodpreneur Network Community and get the skills, network, and mentoring to level up your business join here: https://woodpreneurnetwork.com/ You can connect with Nick at: https://www.instagram.com/mavericksawmill/
National Rural News Wednesday March 19 In today's National Rural News: Federal trade Minister meets with United States counterpart on tariffs, Sawmill closure on the New South Wales North Coast, new ways to reduce agricultural methane emissions -- plus the latest from the markets and more. Subscribe to the National Rural News podcast: http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Send us a textMeg and Bobby are joined by Tammy Dorsett, co-founder of The Gap at Sawmill Meadow. Tammy discusses how her family supported her son's transition away from college and his path to relaunching into the world with purpose and responsibility. This experience inspired the creation of The Gap at Sawmill Meadow, a faith-based program designed to help emerging adults who aren't yet ready for college or the workforce make the most of a purposeful "Gap Year" to prepare for the future. They are doing the beautiful work in helping new adult practice how to be before they decide what to do. About The Gap at Sawmill MeadowConnect on InstagramConnect on Facebook Resources For ParentsBarna Impact 360 ReportAbout Tammy Tammy Dorsett co-founded The Gap at Sawmill Meadow with her husband of 29 years, Matt Dorsett. Through Matt and Tammy's personal story with their oldest child, they realized that the “normalized” path after high school is often not the best path for all new adults. After a long career as a physical therapist in many different settings, she felt called to move into the nonprofit space to start a faith-based, structured, Gap Year option that is financially accessible to all new adults who are bold enough to consider a different path. Tammy and Matt have three children who are new adults. Tammy has served at her church in various capacities over the past 27 years, most recently co-leading a community group of newly married adults. Tammy loves all things cooking and loves exercising outdoors – especially at the beach or in the mountains. About Empowered Homes Who we are? The primary purpose of Empowered Homes is to connect church and home by equipping families, leaders and ministries to grow in the areas of marriage, parenting, personal growth. discipleship strategy, family ministry, and leadership development. We value the family as the first institution designed by God for spiritual formation, relationships, and reflecting His image. We seek to ensure that every element of church life supports and equips that essential role. What we do? Empowered Homes Ministry provides practical, gospel-based resources to connect church and home. The majority of our resources are offered online through our website empoweredhomes.org. We also partner with churches and ministries to provide conferences, equipping events & ministry coaching.Empowered Homes Podcast Show us some Love! Do you appreciate The Empowered Homes Podcast? Like, subscribe, comment, share. Every bit of your engagement helps us be open-handed in sharing resources to grow strong families, leaders and ministries. Thanks for your help in Empowering Homes for the gospel! FB : https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweredHomesResources Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredhomesresources/ Youtube: ...
The Gristmill and Sawmill at Spring Mill State ParkToday we will visit Spring Mill State Park near Mitchell, Indiana and learn about the gristmill and sawmill in the Pioneer Village. From the BookSpring Mill State ParkThe Author's WebsiteThe Author on LocalsThe Author on FacebookThe Author on TwitterThe Author on RumbleThe Author on YouTubeThe Author's Amazon Page
On today's episode of the REX Rural Exchange news podcast, Dom talks with Kirsty McKay, co-owner of Sawmill Brewery and Smoko Room in Matakana, about becoming the first brewery in NZ to achieve B Corp certification, the consolidation of the craft beer market and the changing tastes of beer drinkers. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.
In this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, host Steve Larosiliere speaks with Bucky and Melissa Miller of Miller's Rustic Sawmill. They share their journey from tree work to establishing a successful sawmill business, emphasizing the importance of community engagement, innovative marketing strategies, and balancing roles within their partnership. The Millers discuss their product offerings, including live-edge slabs and custom furniture, and how they've revitalized their small town while navigating growth challenges and opportunities. Takeaways Starting a sawmill allowed them to stay closer to home.Community engagement has been a cornerstone of their success.Facebook Live sales boosted visibility and expanded their market.High-quality, custom products set them apart.Balancing risks and opportunities drives their strategy. Chapters 00:00 - The Journey Begins: From Tree Work to Sawmill 02:56 - Building a Business: The Early Years 05:47 - Community Impact: Revitalizing King City 09:01 - Product Offerings: From Slabs to Custom Builds 11:54 - Navigating Risks and Opportunities 15:12 - Innovative Sales Strategies: Live Sales and Beyond 17:55 - Balancing Roles: The Power of Partnership 21:11 - Future Growth: Expanding the Brand 24:05 - Final Thoughts: Building a Legacy Get a FREE Trial to our Woodpreneur Network Community and get the skills, network, and mentoring to level up your business join here: https://woodpreneurnetwork.com/ Connect with Millers: https://millersrusticsawmill.com/ https://www.instagram.com/millersrusticsawmill https://www.facebook.com/millersrusticsawmill
In this episode of "Who Killed...?, I dive into the intriguing tale of a disgruntled mill owner, undersheriff Neil Marshall, and Dr. Frank E. Thurber, who I believe is a distant relative. Set in the picturesque M-22 area near Traverse City, this episode explores the events surrounding a murder that took place on August 10, 1889, revealing the complexities of the case and the historical context behind it. Tune in for a compelling exploration of family history, mystery, and the lingering impact of past events. The story centers on a violent confrontation in 1889 between mill owner C.T. Wright and law enforcement officials, highlighting the tensions between individual business interests and legal authority. This incident occurred in Otter Creek, Michigan, where the lumber industry thrived. C.T. Wright was a significant player in the local economy as the Otter Creek Lumber Company owner. Wright's refusal to pay taxes on his mill property had led to a legal dispute with the township, creating a backdrop of tension that ultimately culminated in violence. The situation escalated when Deputy Sheriff Neil Marshall and Dr. Frank E. Thurber confronted Wright about his unpaid taxes. Sources: https://www.newspapers.com/image/334063526/?match=1&clipping_id=159421994 https://www.newspapers.com/image/55698272/?match=1&terms=Frank%20E.%20Thurber https://www.newspapers.com/image/1111729315/?match=1&terms=C.%20T.%20Wright https://www.newspapers.com/image/1111729315/?match=1&clipping_id=159420734 https://www.newspapers.com/image/33445724/?match=1&terms=Frank%20E.%20Thurber https://www.newspapers.com/image/301345538/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/55699420/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/55698272/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/traverse-city-record-eagle/159377240/ Buy Larry Wakefield's books HERE The excerpts I read on this episode can be found in the book Aral: Ghost Towns of Michigan Volume I by Larry Wakefield, under the title, "Murder at the Sawmill." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This episode is sponsored by Evergreen Privatstiftung. Check out the Evergreen Prize here with a chance to win € 300.000,- In this episode of the WoodCAST: George Schmidbauer. Business Development Manager at the North Fork Lumber Company. A samwilling company based in California with a rich history in processing wood. We talk about the family history in wood processing, current products and future processes to strengthen the Californian wood industry once again. This episode was recored on the 1st of August 2024. Support the showAnyone who would like to support the WoodCAST
In this episode of "Who Killed...?, I dive into the intriguing tale of a disgruntled mill owner, undersheriff Neil Marshall, and Dr. Frank E. Thurber, who I believe is a distant relative. Set in the picturesque M-22 area near Traverse City, this episode explores the events surrounding a murder that took place on August 10, 1889, revealing the complexities of the case and the historical context behind it. Tune in for a compelling exploration of family history, mystery, and the lingering impact of past events. The story centers on a violent confrontation in 1889 between mill owner C.T. Wright and law enforcement officials, highlighting the tensions between individual business interests and legal authority. This incident occurred in Otter Creek, Michigan, where the lumber industry thrived. C.T. Wright was a significant player in the local economy as the Otter Creek Lumber Company owner. Wright's refusal to pay taxes on his mill property had led to a legal dispute with the township, creating a backdrop of tension that ultimately culminated in violence. The situation escalated when Deputy Sheriff Neil Marshall and Dr. Frank E. Thurber confronted Wright about his unpaid taxes. Sources: https://www.newspapers.com/image/334063526/?match=1&clipping_id=159421994 https://www.newspapers.com/image/55698272/?match=1&terms=Frank%20E.%20Thurber https://www.newspapers.com/image/1111729315/?match=1&terms=C.%20T.%20Wright https://www.newspapers.com/image/1111729315/?match=1&clipping_id=159420734 https://www.newspapers.com/image/33445724/?match=1&terms=Frank%20E.%20Thurber https://www.newspapers.com/image/301345538/?match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/55699420/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/55698272/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/traverse-city-record-eagle/159377240/ Buy Larry Wakefield's books HERE The excerpts I read on this episode can be found in the book Aral: Ghost Towns of Michigan Volume I by Larry Wakefield, under the title, "Murder at the Sawmill." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A legal fight is brewing in Eastern Oregon where a coalition of timber interests is trying to block the sale of the only sawmill still operating in Grant County to Iron Triangle, a logging company in John Day. The Malheur Forest Fairness Coalition filed a federal lawsuit last year against Iron Triangle and the sawmill, Malheur Lumber, alleging that the two companies were conspiring to stifle competition. Although the suit was dismissed in September, it is currently being appealed, with the coalition threatening further legal action if the sale is pursued. As first reported in The Blue Mountain Eagle, Malheur Lumber, announced in July it was shutting down after more than 40 years. It cited a range of factors that led to the decision, including difficulty hiring reliable workers and a lack of housing to recruit them. The company’s financial woes are emblematic of the state of the timber industry in Oregon where seven mills announced their closures this year. Bennett Hall is the editor of the Blue Mountain Eagle. He joins us to share his reporting on this issue and how federal assistance could once again offer a lifeline to timber operations in Grant County and the region.
Live from St. Andrews Cinema, in St. Charles, Missouri, The Anthony Rogers Show. Brought to you by The Saw Mill in West Alton / 1097453184240079 Deer Own Family Farms / deerowlfamilyfarms Sinse Cannabis https://sinsecannabis.com/ About Anthony Rogers Stand up comic, Professional tourist, Entrepreneur, and Host of The Anthony Rogers Show podcast / betterthanthebeatles https://www.AnthonyRogers.US About Tony Patrico Canceled 105.7 The Point radio producer Tony Patrico currently of the Man Dad Pod. ManDadPod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... About Brandon McNamee Broker/Owner of Mac Reality Group and The Natty King - The End is Near, so Let's Drink Beer
This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Oct. 17. It dropped for free subscribers on Oct. 24. To receive future episodes as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:When we recorded this podcast, Norway Mountain's adult season pass rates were set at $289. They have since increased by $100, but Hoppe is offering a $100 discount with the code “storm” through Nov. 1, 2024.WhoJustin Hoppe, Owner of Norway Mountain, MichiganRecorded onSeptember 16, 2024About Norway MountainOwned by: Justin HoppeLocated in: Norway, MichiganYear founded: Around 1974, as Norvul ski area; then Vulcan USA; then Briar Mountain; then Mont Brier; and finally Norway Mountain from ~1993 to 2012; then from 2014 to 2017; re-opened 2024Pass affiliations: Freedom Pass – 3 days each at these ski areas:Closest neighboring ski areas: Pine Mountain (:22), Keyes Peak (:35), Crystella (:46), Gladstone (:59), Ski Brule (1:04)Base elevation: 835 feetSummit elevation: 1,335 feetVertical drop: 500 feetSkiable Acres: 186Average annual snowfall: 50 inchesTrail count: 15Lift count: 6 (1 triple, 2 doubles, 3 handle tows)The map above is what Norway currently displays on its website. Here's a 2007 map that's substantively the same, but with higher resolution:View historic Norway Mountain trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himWhat a noble act: to resurrect a dead ski area. I'll acknowledge that a ski area is just a business. But it's also a (usually) irreplaceable community asset, an organ without which the body can live but does not function quite right. We read about factories closing up and towns dying along with them. This is because the jobs leave, yes, but there's an identity piece too. As General Motors pulled out of Saginaw and Flint in the 1980s and ‘90s, I watched, from a small town nearby, those places lose a part of their essence, their swagger and character. People were proud to have a GM factory in town, to have a GM job with a good wage, to be a piece of a global something that everyone knew about.Something less profound but similar happens when a ski area shuts down. I've written before about Apple Mountain, the 200-vertical-foot bump in Freeland, Michigan where I spent my second-ever day on skis:[Apple Mountain] has been closed since 2017. Something about the snowmaking system that's either too hard or too expensive to fix. That leaves Michigan's Tri-Cities – Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw, with a total metro population approaching 400,000 – with no functioning ski area. Snow Snake is only about 40 minutes north of Midland, and Mt. Holly is less than an hour south of Saginaw. But Apple Mountain, tucked into the backwoods behind Freeland, sat dead in the middle of the triangle. It was accessible to almost any schoolkid, and, humble as it was, stoked that fire for thousands of what became lifelong skiers.What skiing has lost without Apple Mountain is impossible to calculate. I would argue that it was one of the more important ski areas anywhere. Winters in mid-Michigan are long, cold, snowy, and dull. People need something to do. But skiing is not an obvious solution: this is the flattest place you can imagine. To have skiing – any skiing – in the region was a joy and a novelty. There was no redundancy, no competing ski center. And so the place was impossibly busy at all times, minting skiers who would go off to start ski newsletters and run huge resorts on the other side of the country.When the factory closes, the jobs go, and often nothing replaces them. Losing a ski area is similar. The skiers go, and nothing replaces them. The kids just do other things. They never become skiers.Children of Men, released in 2006, envisions a world 18 years after women have stopped having babies. Humanity lives on, but has collectively lost its soul. Violence and disorder reign. The movie is heralded for its extended single-shot battle scenes, but Children of Men's most remarkable moment is when a baby, born in the midst of a firefight, momentarily paralyzes the war as her protectors parade her to sanctuary:Humanity needs babies like winter needs skiers. But we have to keep making more.Yes, I'm being hyperbolic about the importance of resurrecting a lost ski area. If you're new here, that part of My Brand™. A competing, similar-sized ski center, Pine Mountain, is only 20 minutes from Norway. But that's 13 miles, which for a kid may as well be 1,000. Re-opening Norway is going to seed new skiers. Some of them will ski four times and forget about it and some of them will take spring break trips to Colorado when they get to college and a few of them may wrap their lives around it.And if they don't ever ski? Well, who knows. I almost didn't become a skier. I was 14 when my buddy said “Hey let's take the bus to Mott Mountain after school,” and I said “OK,” and even though I was Very Bad at it, I went again a few weeks later at Apple Mountain. Both of those hills are closed now. If I were growing up in Central Michigan now, would I have become a skier? What would I be if I wasn't one? How awful would that be?What we talked aboutBack from the dead; the West Michigan snowbelt; the power of the ski family; Caberfae; Pando's not for sale; when you decide to buy a lost ski area; how lost Norway was almost lost forever; the small business mindset; surprise bills; what a ski area looks like when it's sat idle for six years; piecing a sold-off snowmaking system back together; Norway's very unique lift fleet; glades; the trailmap; Norway's new logo; the Wild West of websites; the power of social media; where to even begin when you buy a ski area; the ups and downs of living at your ski area; shifting from renovation to operation; Norway's uneven history and why this time is different; is there enough room for Pine Mountain and Norway in such a small market?; why night skiing won't return on a regular basis this winter; send the school buses; it doesn't snow much but at least it stays cold; can Norway revitalize its legendary ski school?; and why Norway joined the Freedom Pass. Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewHello Mr. Television Network Executive. Thank you for agreeing to hear my pitch. I understand I have 10 minutes with you, which is perfect, because what I'm proposing will take no fewer than five years, while simultaneously taking 10 years off both our lives. Because my show is called Who Wants to Own a Ski Area?The show works like this: contestants will navigate a series of logic puzzles, challenges, and obstacle courses. These will act as elimination rounds. We can base everyone at an abandoned ski resort, like in The Last of Us, where they will live while games materialize at random. Some examples:* It's 3 a.m. Everyone is sleeping. Alarms blare. A large structure has caught fire. The water has been cut off, but somehow you're standing in a knee-deep flood. Your firefighting arsenal consists of a bucket. You call the local volunteer fire department, which promises you they will “be along whenever Ed gits up here with the gay-rage door keys.” Whoever keeps the building from melting into a pile of ashes wins.* It's state inspection day. All machinery must be in working order. We present each contestant with a pile of sprockets, hoses, wires, clips, and metal parts of varying sizes and thickness. Their instructions are to rebuild this machine. We do not tell them what the machine is supposed to be. The good news is that the instruction manual is sitting right there. The bad news is that it's written in Polish. The pile is missing approximately seven to 20 percent of the machine's parts, without which the device may operate, but perhaps not in a way compatible with human life. Whoever's put-together machine leads to the fewest deaths advances to the next round.* The contestants are introduced to Big Jim. Big Jim has worked at the ski area since 1604. He has been through 45 ownership groups, knows everything about the mountain, and everyone on the mountain. Because of this, Big Jim knows you can't fire him lest you stoke a rebellion of labor and/or clientele. And he can tell you which pipes are where without you having to dig up half the mountain. But Big Jim keeps as much from getting done as he actually does. He resists the adoption of “fads” such as snowmaking, credit cards, and the internet. The challenge facing contestants is to get Big Jim to send a text message. He asks why the letters are arranged “all stupid” on the keyboard. The appearance of an emoji causes him to punch the phone several times and heave it into the woods.* Next we introduce the contestants to Fran and Freddy Filmore from Frankenmuth. The Filmores have been season passholders since the Lincoln Administration. They have nine kids in ski school, each of which has special dietary needs. Their phones are loaded with photos of problems: of liftlines, of dirt patches postholing trails, of an unsmiling parking attendant, of abandoned boot bags occupying cafeteria tables, of skis and snowboards and poles scattered across the snow rather than being placed on the racks that are right there for goodness sake. The Filmores want answers. The Filmores also want you to bring back Stray Cat Wednesdays, in which you could trade a stray cat for a lift ticket. But the Filmores are not actually concerned with solutions. No matter the quickness or efficacy of a remedy, they still “have concerns.” Surely you have 90 minutes to discuss this. Then the fire alarm goes off.* Next, the contestents will meet Hella Henry and his boys Donuts, Doznuts, Deeznuts, Jam Box, and 40 Ounce. HH and the Crushnutz Krew, as they call themselves, are among your most loyal customers. Though they are all under the age of 20, it is unclear how any of them could attend school or hold down a job, since they are at your hill for 10 to 12 hours per day. During that time, the crew typically completes three runs. They spend the rest of their time vaping, watching videos on their phones, and sitting six wide just below a blind lip in the terrain park. The first contestant to elicit a response from the Crushnutz Krew that is anything other than “that's chill” wins.The victor will win their very own ski area, complete with a several-thousand person Friends of [Insert Ski Area Name] group where 98 percent of the posts are complaints about the ski area. The ski center will be functional, but one popped bolt away from catastrophe in four dozen locations. The chairlifts will be made by a company that went out of business in 1912. The groomer will be towed by a yak. The baselodge will accommodate four percent of the skiers who show up on a busy day. The snowmaking “system” draws its water from a birdbath. Oh, and it's in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter, and they're going to have to find people to work there.Oh, you love it Mr. Television Network Executive? That's so amazing. Now I can quit my job and just watch the money pile up. What do I do for a living? Well, I run a ski area.Hoppe won the contest. And I wanted to wish him luck.What I got wrongI lumped Ski Brule in with Pine Mountain as ski areas that are near Norway. While only 20-ish minutes separate Pine and Norway, Brule is in fact more than an hour away.Why you should ski Norway MountainYou can ski every run on Norway Mountain in one visit. There's something satisfying in that. You can drive off at the end of the day and not feel like you missed anything.There are hundreds of ski areas in North America like this. Most of them manage, somehow, to stuff the full spectrum of ski experience into an area equal to one corner of one of Vail's 90 or whatever Legendary Back Bowls. There are easy runs and hard runs. Long runs and short runs. Narrow runs and wide runs. Runs under the lifts and runs twisting through the trees. Some sort of tree-skiing. Some sort of terrain park. A little windlip that isn't supposed to be a cornice but skis like one, 9-year-olds leaping off it one after the next and turning around to watch each other after they land. Sometimes there is powder. Sometimes there is ice. Sometimes the grooming is magnificent. Sometimes the snow really sucks. Over two to four hours and 20 to 30 chairlift rides, you can fully absorb what a ski area is and why it exists.This is an experience that is more difficult to replicate at our battleship resorts, with 200 runs scribbled over successive peaks like a medieval war map. I ski these resorts differently. Where are the blacks? Where are the trees? Where are the bumps? I go right for them and I don't bother with anything else. And that eats up three or four days even at a known-cruiser like Keystone. In a half-dozen trips into Little Cottonwood Canyon, I've skied a top-to-bottom groomer maybe twice. Because skiing groomers at Alta-Snowbird is like ordering pizza at a sushi restaurant. Like why did you even come here?But even after LCC fluff, when I've descended back to the terrestrial realm, I still like skiing the Norway Mountains of the land. Big mountains are wonderful, but they come with big hassle, big crowds, big traffic, big attitudes, big egos. At Norway you can pull practically up to the lifts and be skiing seven minutes later, after booting up and buying your lift ticket. You can ski right onto the lift and the guy in the Carhartt will nod at you and if you're just a little creative and thoughtful every run will feel distinct. And you can roll into the chalet and grab a pastie and bomb the whole mountain again after lunch.And it will all feel different on that second lap. When there are 25 runs instead of 250, you absorb them differently. The rush to see it all evaporates. You can linger with it, mingle with the mountain, talk to it in a way that's harder up top. It's all so awesome in its own way.Podcast NotesOn Pando Ski CenterI grew up about two hours from the now-lost Pando Ski Center, but I never skied there. When I did make it to that side of Michigan, I opted to ski Cannonsburg, the still-functioning multi-lift ski center seven minutes up the road. Of course, in the Storm Wandering Mode that is my default ski orientation nowadays, I would have simply hit both. But that's no longer possible, because Cannonsburg purchased Pando in 2015 and subsequently closed it. Probably forever.Hoppe and I discuss this a bit on the pod. He actually tried to buy the joint. Too many problems with it, he was told. So he bought some of the ski area's snowguns and other equipment. Better that at least something lives on.Pando didn't leave much behind. The only trailmap I can find is part of this Ski write-up from February 1977:Apparently Pando was a onetime snowboarding hotspot. Here's a circa 2013 video of a snowboarder doing snowboarderly stuff:On CannonsburgWhile statistically humble, with just 250 vertical feet, Cannonsburg is the closest skiing to metropolitan Grand Rapids, Michigan, population 1.08 million. That ensures that the parks-oriented bump is busy at all times:On CaberfaeOne of Hoppe's (and my) favorite ski areas is Caberfae. This was my go-to when I lived in Central Michigan, as it delivered both decent vert (485 feet), and an interesting trail network (the map undersells it):The Meyer family has owned and operated Caberfae for decades, and they constantly improve the place. GM Tim Meyer joined me on the pod a few years back to tell the story.On Norway's proximity to Pine MountainNorway sits just 23 minutes down US 2 from Pine Mountain. The two ski areas sport eerily similar profiles: both measure 500 vertical feet and run two double chairs and one triple. Both face the twin challenges of low snowfall (around 60 inches per season), and a relatively thin local population base (Iron Mountain's metro area is home to around 32,500 people). It's no great surprise that Norway struggled in previous iterations. Here's a look at Pine:On Big TupperI mention Big Tupper as a lost ski area that will have an extra hard time coming back since it's been stripped (I think completely), of snowmaking. This ski area isn't necessarily totally dead: the lifts are still standing, and the property is going to auction next month, but it will take tens of millions to get the place running again. It was at one time a fairly substantial operation, as this circa 1997 trailmap shows:On Sneller chairliftsNorway runs two Sneller double chairs. Only one other Sneller is still spinning, at Ski Sawmill, a short and remote Pennsylvania bump. Lift Blog catalogued the machine here. It wasn't spinning when I skied Sawmill a couple of years ago, but I did snag some photos:On Norway's new logoIn general, animals make good logos. Hoppe designed this one himself:On social mediaHoppe has done a nice job of updating Norway's rebuild progress on social media, mostly via the mountain's Facebook page. Here are links to a few other social accounts we discussed:* Skiers and Snowboarders of the Midwest is a big champion of ski areas of all sizes throughout the region. The Midwest Skiers group is pretty good too.* Magic Mountain, Vermont, an underdog for decades, finally dug itself out of the afterthoughts pile at least in part due to the strength of its Instagram and Twitter presence.* The formerly dumpy Holiday Mountain, New York, has meticulously documented its rebuild under new ownership on Instagram and Facebook.On NeighborsMy 17-year-old brain could not comprehend the notion that two ski areas operated across the street from – and independent of – one another. But there they were: Nub's Nob and Boyne Highlands (now The Highlands), each an opposite turn off Pleasantview Road.We turned right, to Nub's, because we were in high school and because we all made like $4.50 an hour and because Nub's probably had like 10-Cent Tuesdays or something.I've since skied both mountains many times, but the novelty has never faded. Having one of something so special as a ski area in your community is marvelous. Having two is like Dang who won the lottery? There are, of course, examples of this all over the country – Sugarbush/Mad River Glen, Stowe/Smugglers' Notch, Alta/Snowbird, Timberline/Meadows/Skibowl – and it's incredible how distinct each one's identity remains even with shared borders and, often, passes.On UP ski areasMichigan's Upper Peninsula is a very particular animal. Only three percent of the state's 10 million residents live north of the Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Bridge. Lower Peninsula skiers are far more likely to visit Colorado or Vermont than their far-north in-state ski areas, which are a 10-plus hour drive from the more populous southern tiers. While Bohemia's ultra-cheap pass and rowdy terrain have somewhat upset that equation, the UP remains, for purposes of skiing and ski culture, essentially a separate state.My point is that it's worth organizing the state's ski areas in the way that they practically exist in skiers minds. So I've separated the UP from the Lower Peninsula. Since Michigan is also home to an outsized number of town ropetows, I've also split surface-lift-only operations into their own categories:On last winter being very bad with record-low skier visitsSkier visits were down in every region of the United States last winter, but they all but collapsed in the Midwest, with a 26.7 percent plunge, according to the annual Kottke Demographic Report. Michigan alone was down nearly a half million skier visits. Check out these numbers:For comparison, overall skier numbers dropped just six percent in the Northeast, and five percent in the Rockies.The Storm publishes year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 66/100 in 2024, and number 566 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with Kirsty McKay, co-owner of Sawmill Brewery and Smoko Room in Matakana, about becoming the first brewery in NZ to achieve B Corp certification, the consolidation of the craft beer market and the changing tastes of beer drinkers... He talks with Matt Holden from Mates of Mates for Mates (#MOM4M) about the Hawke's Bay A&P Rural Roundup coming up this Thursday (Oct 24th), what's on offer this time round and the idea behind the event... And he talks with Bernard Anselmi, Herd-i Area Sales Manager, about what the Herd-i system offers farmers, its use of AI technology in detecting lameness and the upcoming on-farm demonstration days in Southland. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.
Winstone has shut down two mills, citing high electricity costs, but in Kawerau, Sequal sawmill is scaling up to meet demand
Rochester restaurant royalty, Sami Mina, the founder of Aladdin's, Pomodoro, and several other Rochester hot spots, sits down with Pauly to talk through his entrepreneurial journey.Mentioned in this episode:Sweet Pea Plant Based KitchenBased in Rochester, NY, Sweet Pea is a plant-powered kitchen creating transformative ways of wellness. Harnessing the power of food as medicine, we help you realize your happiest, healthiest self. Use promo code Lunchador15 for 15% off your order! https://sweetpeaplantbased.comJoe Bean RoastersJoe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone. https://shop.joebeanroasters.comBehind the Studio DoorHosted by Molly Darling and Christian Rivera, Behind the Studio Door takes listeners on a captivating exploration of artists and their creative processes. Through deep and meaningful conversations, they uncover the stories and experiences that shape the outward expression of their work. https://behind-the-studio-door.captivate.fm/Mind of MagnusArtist Magnus Champlin Interviews guests sharing the stories and life adventures with the goal of expanding minds.
In this episode, Steve Larosiliere interviews Joey Kochlacs of Santa Cruz Sustainable Sawmill. Joey shares his journey in the wood industry, from milling and selling raw wood to crafting high-end furniture and premium guitar tops. Recently, he took a significant step by forming an LLC to expand his business, bringing on new team members in the process. While he primarily markets his products through Instagram and word of mouth, Joey is now seeking strategies to attract high-end clients, especially in a challenging economy. Steve suggests focusing on brand building, creating a strong community, and targeting affluent individuals and high-end furniture makers. You can find more about Joey's work at kochlacswood.com. Key Takeaways: Joey Kochlacs has operated under the name Cokeless Wood for the past 10 years and recently established his LLC, Santa Cruz Sustainable Sawmill.He sources logs from tree services and property owners, milling them into high-end wood products, including furniture and guitar tops.While Instagram and word of mouth have been his primary marketing tools, Joey is exploring ways to attract high-end clients during slower economic times.Steve advises Joey to focus on building his brand, developing a community around it, and specifically targeting affluent individuals and high-end furniture makers to grow his business. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background03:29 Marketing Strategies05:24 Popular Wood Species07:31 Current Marketing Channels11:38 New Members and Shop Space13:51 Strategies for Attracting High-End Clients Get a FREE Trial to our Woodpreneur Network Community and get the skills, network, and mentoring to level up your business join here: https://woodpreneurnetwork.com/ Connect with Joey at: https://www.instagram.com/joeykochlacs_furnituremaker/ https://www.instagram.com/santa_cruz_sustainable_sawmill/
2024 HAUNT SEASON IS HERE!!!! Mike has the chance to break down what it takes to make the incredible Chicago Haunt Builders' List with the very people responsible for constructing the monstrosity. Amanda Stolarski, April of The Kozy Kauldron, & recurring guest Jim Slanker explain the process of organizing the Chicagoland home haunts into one consolidated spreadsheet & then into a list for the entire haunt community & its fans to enjoy! The trio also describe their own home haunts as well as charities that they support with donations & even their 2024 haunt season plans! https://chicagohauntbuilders.com/list Then, take a trip to Merrill, Wisconsin to meet Allyson English, Kristin Tobin & Jerry Hersil who are the minds behind the Haunted Sawmill: a non-profit haunted house that does so much for their community & even their internal haunt community! Check out all of their hard work & help them help some outstanding causes while scaring Cheeseheads to the fullest: https://hauntedsawmill.org
Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Today is Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Capture great memories with a pic in an Almost Heaven swing and a visit to some of the state's most beautiful waterfalls…Move over, Dollywood, as West Virginia's first mountain coaster prepares to open in Mercer County…and share your innovative ideas at the Pitch Southern West Virginia Business Idea Competition…on today's daily304. #1 – From WV TOURISM – Looking for a fun adventure in the Mountain State? Hit two birds with one stone by stopping by an Almost Heaven Swing for a photo and visiting one of the waterfalls listed on the West Virginia Waterfall Trail! Plan a getaway to Blackwater Falls State Park, where you can take a hike and explore several stunning waterfalls as well as capture a photo on the oversized handcrafted swing. It's a great way to preserve vacation memories. Or, enjoy a tour on the new Rail Explorers Railbikes in Clay County, where you'll find an Almost Heaven swing as well as the Devil's Sawmill waterfall on Buffalo Creek. Check out wvtourism.com for a list of additional places to visit. And don't forget to download your free mobile passport to the West Virginia Waterfall Trail and share your scenic photos using #AlmostHeaven! Read more: https://wvtourism.com/explore-the-perfect-pair-almost-heaven-swings-waterfalls-in-west-virginia/ #2 – From WV NEWS – A new mountain coaster is on track to open at Brush Creek Falls Resort in Mercer County by mid-October, weather permitting. The resort has been steadily adding features to enhance the guest experience. Upcoming developments include a ropes course with an observation deck, a hiking trail connecting the resort to Brush Creek Falls, an arcade, a taproom featuring local brews, and a moonshine distillery inspired by similar attractions in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The resort currently offers cabins, RV lots, putt-putt golf, gem mining, and more, ensuring a variety of activities for all ages. Read more: https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/brush-creek-falls-resort-set-to-open-new-rollercoaster-and-expanded-attractions-this-fall/article_b023e8a0-6bd2-11ef-838a-d71fc3fdacb7.html #3 – From WV HIVE – Got a great idea for an innovative new product? The WV Hive Network has announced the Fall 2024 installment of its Pitch Southern West Virginia Business Idea Competition. During the in-person competition, you will have five minutes to present your idea to a panel of judges and explain why it is innovative and how it will make a difference to southern WV. The competition, to be held at WVU Tech in Beckley, is open to residents and businesses located in select southern counties as well as WVU Tech students. The deadline to apply is noon on October 15. Learn more: https://wvhive.com/business-idea-competition/ Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo. That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.
In our 50th episode we turn back towards Nature's Benefits and cut further into Timber and Wood Products by discussing Wood Innovations and Biomass Utilization with a program specialist from the Pacific Southwest Regional Office. We talk grants, mass timber, forward-thinking projects, tribal initiatives, urban forestry and more with guests from the Angeles National Forest and a sawmill owner in Los Angeles. Pacific Southwest Region's Wood and Biomass Utilization Program National USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations For tons more information (Forest Focus Ep. 50 Homepage)
The chair of the trade association representing New Zealand's largest electricity users says Winstone Pulp is not the only company struggling with energy costs. Major Electricity Users' Group chair John Harbord spoke to Corin Dann.
Quick recording with my Zoom H2n handy recorder. I'm at home with a bad flu, so I'm a little congested. Recorded with my Gold Tone WL-250 in Sawmill tuning (gDGCD).
Quick recording with my Zoom H2n handy recorder. I'm at home with a bad flu, so I'm a little congested. Recorded with my Gold Tone WL-250 in Sawmill tuning (gDGCD).
Quick recording with my Zoom H2n handy recorder. I'm at home with a bad flu, so I'm a little congested. Recorded with my Gold Tone WL-250 in Sawmill tuning (gDGCD).
Quick recording with my Zoom H2n handy recorder. I'm at home with a bad flu, so I'm a little congested. Recorded with my Gold Tone WL-250 in Sawmill tuning (gDGCD).
Canada Immigration Provincial pick under Changes affecting the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream by Ontario on 04 July 2024 | Good day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC news, I am Joy Stephen, a certified Canadian Immigration practitioner, and I bring to you this Provincial News Bulletin from the province of Ontario. This recording originates from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario. | Ontario selected potential PNP nominees under Changes affecting the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream on 04/07/2024. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) made changes to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program's Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream. To qualify, an applicant must have a job-offer from an Ontario employer in an eligible occupation. The changes expand the list of occupations eligible for the stream for positions located outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The newly-added occupations are: NOC 14400 - Shippers and Receivers NOC 14402 - Production logistics workers NOC 65320 - Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations NOC 74200 - Railway yard and track maintenance workers NOC 74203 - Automotive and heavy truck and equipment parts installers and servicers NOC 74204 - Utility maintenance workers NOC 74205 - Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers NOC 75101 - Material handlers NOC 75119 - Other trades helpers and labourers NOC 75211 - Railway and motor transport labourers NOC 75212 - Public works and maintenance labourers NOC 85102 - Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers NOC 94101 - Foundry workers NOC 94102 - Glass forming and finishing machine operators and glass cutters NOC 94103 - Concrete, clay and stone forming operators NOC 94104 - Inspectors and testers, mineral and metal processing NOC 94112 - Rubber processing machine operators and related workers NOC 94120 - Sawmill machine operators NOC 94121 - Pulp mill, papermaking and finishing machine operators NOC 94123 - Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders NOC 94142 - Fish and seafood plant workers NOC 94143 - Testers and graders, food and beverage processing NOC 94200 - Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers NOC 94202 - Assemblers and inspectors, electrical appliance, apparatus and equipment manufacturing NOC 94203 - Assemblers, fabricators and inspectors, industrial electrical motors and transformers NOC 94205 - Machine operators and inspectors, electrical apparatus manufacturing NOC 94211 - Assemblers and inspectors of other wood products NOC 94212 - Plastic products assemblers, finishers and inspectors NOC 95100 - Labourers in mineral and metal processing NOC 95101 - Labourers in metal fabrication NOC 95103 - Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing NOC 95104 - Labourers in rubber and plastic products manufacturing NOC 95106 - Labourers in food and beverage processing NOC 95107 - Labourers in fish and seafood processing In addition, the following occupation was added for positions located in any location in Ontario (inside and outside the Greater Toronto Area): NOC 75119 - Other trades helpers and labourers MLITSD held consultations on the Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills stream in fall 2023 and the changes are responsive to feedback the ministry received. The amendments came into effect on July 1st, 2024, and do not affect individuals who have already submitted an application. The updated regulations can be found on Ontario's e-Laws website: Ontario Regulation 422/17 (General). | You can always access past news from the Province of Ontario by visiting this link:
We're back with our second episode in our Homestead Tools series! Make sure to check out Episode 53 - Essential Tools for Your Homestead if you haven't already listened to that one. Today we're moving past the basic tools that we previously covered and talking about some investments that can really help to level up your projects. Mike answers my questions about everything from cutting metal and welding to a variety of options for sawing your own lumber, and so much more! We hope this episode will be super useful for you. Here is the Miller welding app that Mike mentions. Our third installment in this series will talk about tool maintenance so that you can make sure to protect your investments! ~*~*~*~ Our new website and farm shop are finally up! All of our seasonings, including our smoked jalapeno salt and smoked garlic salt, are back in stock and ready to ship. Your support helps us to keep growing, literally and figuratively
Warp: Don't let payroll and compliance hold your startup back: visit https://joinwarp.com/peel to get started and receive a $1,000 gift card when you first run payroll. Get first-party targeting with Brave's private ad platform: cookieless and future proof ad formats for all your business needs. Performance meets privacy. Head to https://brave.com/ads/ and mention “Turpentine” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. Lisa Wehden is the Founder and CEO of Plymoth, making fast and simple immigration for technologists. We go deep on the broken US immigration system, how its holding back US innovation, and the secret 0-1A Visa you can get in as fast as four weeks. Lisa lived in a sawmill while building her first climate tech startup, and we go inside that journey, giving the VC money she raised back to start Plymouth, raising grants to fund it, and how she broke into Silicon Valley as an outsider. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (04:51) The state of US immigration (09:26) Why immigrants are good founders (11:43) The secret O-1A Visa (12:18) Why the O-1A is easier to get (16:54) Founders that have gotten their O-1A (20:00) Getting a Visa in four weeks with Plymouth (22:01) The 500-page, physical paper Visa application (25:57) Lisa's US immigration COVID hobby (27:58) Living in a Sawmill building a climate tech startup (30:59) Giving VCs their money back (32:19) Joining Interact in SF (33:51) Raising grant money instead of VC (34:40) Becoming a paralegal to learn the industry (37:24) The Plymouth 100 community (39:20) How Lisa raised grant funding from Eric Schmidt and Tyler Cowen (43:55) Talent is the bottleneck to AI development (46:04) How to break into Silicon Valley as an outsider (52:43) Hiring on hopes and fears (55:31) "Write it down, make it happen" (56:45) Benefits of doing a calendar audit (1:01:54) Anyone can be an entrepreneur (1:04:53) Why Lisa doesn't work from her phone (1:06:38) How to fix the US immigration system More on Plymouth Street: https://www.plymouthstreet.com/ Referenced: Interact: https://joininteract.com Lisa's 0-1 Visa Guide: https://lisa-wehden.medium.com/a-guide-to-applying-for-the-o-1-visa-for-extraordinary-individuals-8ca5f22ff86b Writing a forwardable email intro: https://also.roybahat.com/introductions-and-the-forward-intro-email-14e2827716a1 Where to find Lisa: Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisawehden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-wehden-aa111385/ Where to find Turner: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovak LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovak/ Newsletter: https://www.thespl.it/
Send us a message, or for a reply send us an email at thebrokenarrowpod@gmail.comIt was another great year at the Sawmill Traditional Archery shoot. Join us as we sit down around the fire and enjoy some fun conversations.
Despite one of the most famous producers of this style of beer going out of business, The California Common was one of the first styles of beer that was uniquely Californian. Barley and Sword pay homage to that OG brewery and beer style with their Sawmill Steam beer.
A historic sawmill in Digby County, NS, was destroyed by fire this weekend, and on PEI the Abegweit First Nation hosted the first mawi'omi, or powwow, of the season. And on the phone-in: we discuss memory loss and how to avoid it with Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose.
Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Today is Saturday, June 8, 2024. The WV Waterfall Trail continues to grow with the addition of 3 more waterfalls; download your mobile passport, check in at the falls and earn cool prizes along the way…a unique rail bike tour opens in Clay County, showcasing 12 miles of wild and wonderful WV landscape…and a new manufacturing facility is opening in Wood County, bringing more jobs to #YesWV…on today's daily304. #1 – From THE INTER-MOUNTAIN – Gov. Jim Justice has announced that the West Virginia Waterfall has surpassed 75,000 participant check-ins. The popularity of the nation's first statewide waterfall trail continues to grow, with data showing that visitors from all 50 U.S. states and 41 countries are now joining the fun. As the summer season kicks off, the Department of Tourism is adding three more falls, bringing the total number of stellar stops along the trail to 43. The three new falls are Clear Fork Rail Trail Waterfall in Raleigh County, White Oak Falls in Mercer County and Devil's Sawmill in Clay. The trail continues to receive remarkable participation, as more than 10,000 prizes have been awarded to visitors for their adventuring efforts. Visit wvtourism.com to learn more and get your free West Virginia Waterfall Trail mobile passport. Read more: https://www.theintermountain.com/news/communities/2024/05/justice-announces-additions-to-wv-waterfall-trail/ #2 – From LOOTPRESS – A unique rail bike experience is opening today in Clay County. Rail Explorers has announced the opening of their newest attraction, the Elk River Division, on Saturday, June 8, 2024. This unique rail bike tour offers a 12-mile round trip journey through the scenic landscapes of Clay County, along the historic Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the rich history of the railroad, which began operations in 1904. Today, visitors can explore the past as they pedal through the woods and clear waters of Buffalo Creek. The tour features many different sights, including a wrecked train car, waterfalls, and tall cliffs. Read more: https://www.lootpress.com/new-rail-bike-tour-to-open-in-clay-county/ #3 – From NEWS & SENTINEL – A Japanese company is looking forward to starting its work in West Virginia which many local and state officials said will help foster international relationships and provide a base for future development. The SOMAR North America Corp. production facility will initially employ 25 people with the potential to grow and expand in the future. The new facility is located within the Polymer Alliance Zone Industrial Park in Davisville, utilizing the 80,000-square-foot former Pactiv building, which was a plastics recycling facility. SOMAR has a wide range of products and this location will be used to manufacture an epoxy resin product used in the automotive sector for electric motors, motors for electric vehicles and hybrid cars, officials said. Read more: https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/business/2024/06/state-local-officials-tour-site-of-somar-facility/ Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo. That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.
Join us on this episode of the Grazing Grass Podcast as we welcome William Vogl from Vogl Homestead. Listen in as William shares his incredible journey in regenerative grazing, discussing his experiences in grass-based livestock production and the unique challenges of farming at high elevation with variable weather conditions. From raising sheep to managing forest understories, William provides insights into his diverse operations and how he maximizes the use of small acreages. He also reflects on his family's influence, transitioning from a homestead garden to a comprehensive regenerative farming operation, and his future plans, including setting up a sawmill while balancing a full-time job as a firefighter.In our conversation, William and I explore the nuances of starting a sheep farm, focusing on the benefits and challenges of raising White Dorpers in Colorado. We discuss his preference for hair sheep, the selection process, and the advantages they offer over cattle for smaller acreages. William also shares his experiences with electric fencing, predator control using Colorado Mountain Dogs, and the initial skepticism from his cattle-rearing family. He highlights the ease of managing sheep compared to cattle, emphasizing their lower risk of injury and simpler handling requirements.Additionally, we touch on practical aspects of grazing management, the role of livestock guardian dogs, and the benefits of prescribed grazing. William provides valuable tips for beginner farmers, stressing the importance of starting small and taking care of oneself to avoid burnout. We also discuss innovative composting techniques for pasture improvement and the significance of marketing sheep as a sustainable meat option. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or just starting, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for anyone interested in regenerative farming practices.Links Mentioned in the Episode:Vogl Homestead on FacebookVisit our Sponsors:Noble Research InstituteKencove Farm Fence
GUEST: Kurt Niquidet, Vice President and Chief Economist of COFI (B.C Council of Forest Industries) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part 2 of chatting Crowded House at the Leigh Sawmill Cafe 24 February 2008 with Luke from Welly. Performances include: when you come, twice if your lucky, either side of the world, everything is good for you, something so strong, not the girl you think you are, bound to rescue. Listener cover: You're the one to make me cry by Ben ToddYou can significantly support the continuation of the 240 podcast for a donation of just a couple dollars per month. This goes directly towards covering the podcast hosting fees. Big thank yous if you are in a position to help. Head over here to: http://patreon.com/240neilfinn
“Dutch” Chris Moyer has served 31 years in the Unites States Army, 26 of which were Special Operations Command with experience with the 19th Special Forces Group, 1st/75th Ranger Battalion culminating with 14 years as a USASOC Operator. Dutch planned and conducted small unit tactics in support of Unconventional Warfare, Special Reconnaissance, and Foreign Internal Defense and Direct Action Missions. He took part in over 1000 of successful combat assaults in classified and unclassified missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. In this episode, we catch up with Dutch at the Sawmill Training Complex in Laurens, SC and talk about what the Sawmill facility offers.
This podcast is intended as an “alert” to lenders and those across the market in regard to a notable, increased level of distress that the Hilco Forestry team is observing in the sawmill market. Detailed observations are action steps are discussed.
Luke dials in from Wellington to reexamine Intriguer and explore recordings from Crowded House at the Leigh Sawmill Cafe 24 February 2008. Performances include: The only way to go is forwards, Falling dove, Beautiful life, Isolation, Turn it around. Listener cover: Better be home soon by Luke Marlow. Check out his band Search For Yetti: Video for What You Mean To Me: https://youtu.be/Rs8CVGaLHLQ?si=XyCvTjCV6IoSjNUy Listen and purchase music from Search For Yeti's bandcamp: https://searchforyeti.bandcamp.com/track/what-you-mean-to-meYou can significantly support the continuation of the 240 podcast for a donation of just a couple dollars per month. This goes directly towards covering the podcast hosting fees. Big thank yous if you are in a position to help. Head over here to: http://patreon.com/240neilfinn
Monday March 11, 2024 OSHA Proposes $2.5 Million fine for Alabama Sawmill death
It is said that in a section of Eaton, Massachusetts, a local wizard, Nathan Selee (according to the town sign) employed satanic imps to run his Satanic Sawmill in the dead of night. Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore this legend and the area reported to be home to a sawmill back in the 18th century. The Satanic Sawmill - A New England Legends Podcast Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends For more episodes join us here each Monday or visit their website to catch up on the hundreds of tales that legends are made of. https://ournewenglandlegends.com/category/podcasts/ Follow Jeff Belanger here: https://jeffbelanger.com/ SUPPORT THE SPONSORS THAT SUPPORT THIS SHOW This Show is Sponsored by BetterHelp - Visit www.BetterHelp.com/P60 for 10% off your first month. Factor Meals - Head to www.FactorMeals.com/P6050 and use code P6050 to save 50% off Mint Mobile - To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for FREE, go to www.MintMobile.com/P60 Rocket Money - Start saving money and reclaim control over your finances with www.RocketMoney.com/P60See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Owning raw land, timberland, and farmland is often the domain of the wealthy. This is partly because it is difficult to obtain loans for this property. Today, we discuss an income-producing timberland that also tends to increase in value. For under $7,000 you can own quarter-acre parcels of producing teak trees in Panama and Nicaragua. You can invest yourself. All at once, this provides diversification with a hard asset in a foreign nation and a different product type. Over a twenty-five year period, each $7K quarter-acre teak parcel is projected to return $94K. You get title to the property. Learn more at: www.GREmarketplace.com/Teak With ownership of two quarter-acre parcels, you can qualify for a second residency in Panama for under $22K with legal fees, etc. A SFR does not grow into a duplex. But teak trees grow in volume while its unit price typically appreciates. Teak price growth is historically 5.5% annually. I've met the company CEO and Chairman in-person. This provider has offered this opportunity for 24+ years. They've recently added a sawmill, increasing profits. What are the risks of teak tree investing? Disease, pests, fire, geopolitics and more. They are proven mitigation plans. In-person teak tours for prospective investors are offered. Trees grow through recessions, COVID, market cycles, and Fed rate decisions. Learn more about teak tree investing at: GREmarketplace.com/Teak Timestamps: Welcome to Get Rich Education (00:00:01) Keith Weinhold introduces the podcast and emphasizes the importance of real estate and financial information. The US economy and land ownership (00:01:44) Keith discusses the strength of the US economy and the importance of diverse and resilient real estate portfolios. America's top 100 landowners (00:02:29) Keith talks about the largest landowners in America and the reasons why land ownership is often associated with the wealthy. Investing like a billionaire (00:05:32) Keith introduces the topic of investing in producing land and the benefits of owning producing land. Introduction to ECI Development (00:06:21) Keith introduces Michael Cobb and discusses the company's projects in Latin America. Marriott resort project in Belize (00:07:08) Mike talks about the construction of a Marriott resort in Ambergris Key, Belize, and the challenges of financing such projects. Development and tourism in Belize (00:08:37) Michael Cobb discusses the development and popularity of Ambergris Key, Belize, and the involvement of major hotel brands. Teak tree parcels investment (00:11:30) Michael Cobb explains the investment opportunity in quarter-acre teak tree parcels and the generational wealth stewardship associated with it. Reasons for teak investing (00:14:05) Michael Cobb discusses the reasons why people are interested in teak investing, including hard asset diversification and international residency opportunities. Cash flow cycles and teak investment (00:16:42) Michael Cobb explains the 25-year cash flow cycle associated with teak investments and the generational income potential. Optimal growing conditions for teak (00:19:26) Michael Cobb discusses the optimal growing conditions for teak and the physical growth of the trees. [End of segment] Teak Plantation Locations and Growth (00:19:42) Discussion on the optimal locations for teak growth and the historical track record of teak price growth. Teak Price Growth and Business Plan (00:20:44) The historical 55% annual increase in the value of teak and the business plan's conservative approach to teak price growth. Physical Properties and Residency Opportunities (00:21:33) The value of teak and the opportunities for achieving residency in Panama by owning teak. Residency and Citizenship (00:24:33) Differentiating between residency and citizenship in Panama and the process and benefits of obtaining permanent residency. Sawmill and Value-Added Component (00:27:56) The integration of a sawmill into the investment proposition and the value-added potential of processing teak into lumber. Sawmill Investment Opportunity (00:30:07) Details of the investment opportunity in the sawmill, including the expected return and investment structure. Risks and Mitigation (00:32:41) Discussion on the risks associated with teak plantation investment abroad and the mitigation strategies in place. Property Management and Tours (00:35:25) Outsourcing property management and the availability of tours to visit the teak plantations in Panama. Long-Term Investment Perspective (00:37:43) The long-term growth potential of teak investments and the comparison to the investment strategies of wealthy families and institutions. Earth's Highest Real Estate (00:38:11) Discussion about Earth's highest point, the equatorial bulge, and the location of teak plantations in Panama and Nicaragua. Investing in Teak Parcels (00:38:11) Information about purchasing teak parcels, the absence of loans, and the potential for building wealth through teak investments. Consultation Disclaimer (00:39:34) Disclaimer about seeking professional advice and the potential for profit or loss in investment strategies. Resources mentioned: Show Page: GetRichEducation.com/490 Learn more about teak investing: GREmarketplace.com/Teak For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments. You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review” Top Properties & Providers: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREmarketplace.com/Coach Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Keith's personal Instagram: @keithweinhold Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold (00:00:01) - Welcome to gray. I'm your host, Keith Reinhold. An affordable way to simultaneously invest like a billionaire. Get diversified in multiple ways with real estate. Help the earth. And if you prefer, even achieve residency in a second nation today and get rich education. When you want the best real estate and finance info, the modern internet experience limits your free articles access, and it's replete with paywalls. And you've got pop ups and push notifications and cookies. Disclaimers are. At no other time in history has it been more vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that actually adds no hype value to your life? See, this is the golden age of quality newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor and it's to the point to get the letter. It couldn't be more simple text gray to 66866. And when you start the free newsletter, you'll also get my one hour fast real estate course completely free. It's called the Don't Quit Your Daydream letter and it wires your mind for wealth. Keith Weinhold (00:01:16) - Make sure you read it. Text gray to 66866. Text gray 266866. Corey Coates (00:01:28) - You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education. Keith Weinhold (00:01:44) - What category? From Sorrento, Italy to Sacramento, California, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Reinhold, and you're listening to get Rich education the Voice of Real Estate since 2014. As we're two months into the year now and the US economy has continued to stay strong. Let me ask, how's your portfolio doing and how resilient is your real estate? How diverse is it? How would you grade yourself on those criteria? Donald Trump (00:02:17) - I would give myself, I would look, I hate to do it, but I will do it. I would give myself an A-plus. Is that enough? Can I go higher than that? Keith Weinhold (00:02:29) - Well, well, whether your, I guess, straight A's or not. Consider this land report.com. They recently published a report about America's top 100 Las donors. Now, Lynn could be vacant and nonresidential, yet have active ranching or agriculture or forestry taking place. Keith Weinhold (00:02:52) - That way the land produces something while it might increase in value at the same time. But the reason that often land is the domain of the wealthy is that it's harder to get loans for land, and therefore one must often pay all cash. Well, by the time they were done. Today, you'll learn about producing land that's actually available at such a low price point that alone typically is not required for you to buy it. In 2024, America's largest land owner is Red Emerson, and that's what the report found. Read and his family owned 2.4 million acres in California, Oregon and Washington through their Timber products company and the number since they became America's largest landowners in 2021, when they acquired 175,000 acres in Oregon from another timber company. Well, with that acquisition, the Emerson surpassed Liberty Media chairman John Malone's 2.2 million acres. And then in third place is CNN founder Ted Turner. Yeah, he's America's third largest landowner, with 2 million acres in the southeast on the Great Plains and across the West. And it was a few years ago now. Keith Weinhold (00:04:05) - It was 2020 when news broke that Microsoft co-founder Bill gates was America's largest farm land owner, with more than 260,000 acres. So the wealthy are attracted to real assets that can produce yield in something like land, which they aren't making more of. That's the backdrop for today. Surely we'll talk about income producing land, although most years it won't pay out and it's available to any investor, big or small. But before we do, let me share that. About ten days ago, I climbed up the highest point on Earth here while we're talking about non-residential real estate. Well, where was it? Where was I? Yes, I was on Earth's highest piece of real estate. Kind of a trivia question here, and I used to think that that must mean Mount Everest, but it's not. So there's a clue for you there. Where is Earth's highest point is you ponder that. I'll give you the answer later. Let's talk about investing like a billionaire with the opportunity to own producing land did it to you? We've discussed this topic before, but it's been quite some time and there have been some important updates, including a sawmill for the production timber. Keith Weinhold (00:05:32) - After success in the computer industry, today's guest formed ECI development in 1996. I suppose going on nearly 30 years now. He served on advisory boards for the Na as a resort community developer. They have projects in Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama, and neighborhoods include homes, condominiums, golf courses and over five miles of beachfront. So they got some really beautiful properties. He and I first met in person in 2016. He and his family lived in Central America from 2002 to 2016. It's always fantastic to have back on grea, and I guess I must button up here because it is the chairman and CEO, Michael Cobb. It's good to be with you. Thanks for having me. Michael Cobb (00:06:21) - Back on the show. It's fun to have these conversations. I didn't realize we met in 2016. That's a little while ago. Keith Weinhold (00:06:27) - Yeah, it has been eight years. Yes, we met in the region then down there and Mike's about the most relatable and down to earth guy that you can find and literally down to earth is. Keith Weinhold (00:06:41) - Besides the resort development, you've made it easy and inexpensive for investors worldwide to buy producing teak tree parcels. But before we discuss that, you've got a project that's drawn a lot of interest on Ambergris Key, Belize, which many of our listeners already know, that's Belize's largest island and its top tourist destination. I have visited and owned property there, and it's coming online next year. It's pretty exciting. Tell us about it. Michael Cobb (00:07:08) - It is exciting. It's been in the works for goodness, eight years. I think we signed our contract with Marriott maybe 7 or 8 years ago. We started construction just about a year ago last January. So almost exactly a year. Yeah, it's a marriott resort, 202 room oceanfront resort. It's fantastic. It will be done in August of 2025. Soft opening heart opening October 25th. So yeah, about 1618 months from now have this project finally finished. You know, the big challenging thing in this part of the world is financing. But it's really hard to get financing or affordable financing. Michael Cobb (00:07:42) - Let me say it that way. Yeah. And so we took our time and we would not start a project until it was fully funded. I think a lot of challenges are people start these projects are kind of betting on the. Com. Right. Oh well we'll figure it out later. And we don't operate that way. We've been around for yeah 28 years. And so we're very very conservative. And until we had all the money to build the hotel, the resort, we did not start. And so we kicked it off last January. It was just down there last week. Steel is arriving. The superstructure is already going up. Yeah, man. It's just so nice to see it really coming to fruition. But you know, it's prudence and patience to take our time, make sure we have all the funding and then launch so that what we start finishes. And that's really been our mantra for almost three decades now. Keith Weinhold (00:08:27) - Make it up, make it real, make it happen. In the largest town there on Ambergris Key, Belize, just a few decades ago, it was still this sleepy fishing village. Keith Weinhold (00:08:37) - And with the setting that that island has and all the great snorkeling and everything else, it's really become popular and is boutique hotels grew into larger hotels. Yeah, it was probably, what, ten years ago perhaps, that you saw some of these big brands start to take more of an interest, like Hilton and Marriott, in branding the buildings what is. Michael Cobb (00:09:00) - And, you know, I give a presentation called Why Belize, Why Right Now? And you nailed it there when you talked about the timelines. Right. And how a country or a region, it's not even a country in this case. Ambergris key. It's very specific. Right. How ambergris Key Belize has moved through this timeline, this path of progress. And at some point it goes from being a niche market or a no name market to a niche market, to a boutique market. And then all of a sudden, you're right, at some point the brand start to pay attention and then you move into popular acceptance and really mainstream tourism. And so, right. Michael Cobb (00:09:31) - The cruise ships started going to Belize about 15 years ago, which put Belize as a country into the mind of a more mainstream traveler. And then you're right, about eight, ten years ago, the brand started to pay attention. And we do. We have a Hilton, we have a curio by Hilton, we have an autograph by Marriott, our company, ECI. We picked up the best Western franchise, and so we operate a Best Western on the island for that middle class market. And then Marriott, obviously, for the very high end traveler who wants an oceanfront 4 or 5 star kind of property. So yeah, but the brands are paying attention. And by the way, we're just seeing the beginning of that happening. This popularity curve Belize has entered what I would call the fast growth period. And over the next five, maybe eight years, we're going to see incredible growth in the tourism industry. Airlift is up. JetBlue just started flying down. So we're starting to WestJet. So we've got Canadian Air. Michael Cobb (00:10:22) - We've got a discount carrier southwest. So when those things start to happen what you see is a market dynamism that's you know really it's exciting and it's going to change. Very, very rapidly. The pace of change is going to grow rapidly as well. So great time to look at Belize. If folks are interested in sort of that positioning in the path of progress in the marketplace. Keith Weinhold (00:10:43) - Each time I visit Ambergris Key, Belize, the level of development increase is palpable. And, you know, this is an opportunity for a US or Canadian buyer or a buyer from outside that nation to come in. And it's just a very easy step with the English language and the common law in Belize, where you can invest yourself in this Marriott project that Mike discussed. Now, Mike, a while ago, to change topics, you recognize that the world has been really deforested and losing its valuable teak hardwood forests so continuously since 1999, you've offered a program so that individual investors at a really affordable price. We'll get to that price later. Keith Weinhold (00:11:30) - They can own quarter acre parcels with the property deeded in their name, and reap the benefits and returns from the growth of the teakwood on top of the land. And now this is pretty novel, because for hundreds of years, only the hedge funds and super wealthy had access to an investment like this. So get us up to date with what you're doing on the teak hardwoods, because I know that so many of our listeners and viewers have already gotten involved. Michael Cobb (00:11:56) - They haven't really. Thank you for being one of the people who put the word out there. Right? Because most people don't even know you can own teak or let's just back it up and you say, own timber, right? You start there. You're right. Only the super rich land barons, hedge funds. Those are the people that have always owned timber for centuries. Right. And so I think in most people's minds it's like, oh, I can't even get there. How would I even do that? Right. Well, then you take it overseas and you take it into something very, very specific, like teak timber. Michael Cobb (00:12:25) - That's just not on anyone's radar. So. So you have done a great job. Thank you for getting the word out to just let folks know that this is something that they can do. So quarter acre teak parcels. We are now on our third plantation in Panama. We have one in Nicaragua as well. And so we're in our third plantation in Panama. Just because of the incredible number of folks, well over a thousand folks now who have decided they want to invest in own teak. You said something really interesting, Keith. You said you get to own the land, you get title to land and you get the harvest of the trees. That's absolutely correct. But it gets better because when the trees are harvested, they get replanted. And then the next generation of people your children, your grandchildren, whoever that might be, get the next harvest. But because you still own the land and the trees are replanted, a third harvest, you know, and a fourth harvest. So what you've really created with teak ownership is generational wealth stewardship. Michael Cobb (00:13:24) - And that is something that's just so far beyond the comprehension of so many people that it can be so easy and so affordable to do. Keith Weinhold (00:13:32) - I'm an investor myself in producing land like this in Latin America, so I know what some of my reasons are for being interested in this. And yes, it's more than the fact that I'm just a geography guy. It's the fact that I know I'm diversifying in multiple ways at the same time, a different product type in residential real estate. And I'm getting international diversification in a different nation, for starters. So are those some of the reasons that you see for why so many people are interested in teak investing like this? What are their reasons? Michael Cobb (00:14:05) - Yeah, I think you've nailed a big part of it, which is the hard asset. A lot of folks, your listeners, readers in the news that are right, I mean, hard assets are important. I hope more people recognize that. Right. And more and more people are, thank goodness. So hard. Asset real estate being this particular hard asset. Michael Cobb (00:14:22) - Right. And then the international diversification, one of the challenges we have is us, especially in Canadians to some degree, is that we kind of locked into the US system like we can own, say, Toyota stock, right? Japanese company, we can own Nestlé, a Swiss company, but generally we're doing it on the New York Stock Exchange. And so even if we own an international stock, it's still the US basket are still the Canadian basket that we hold it in. Right. And so when you physically own a titled property outside your home country, you have now truly diversified internationally. And there's a lot of prudence in that. And even just tiny little percentages of your portfolio, 5% of your portfolio, 10% of your portfolio outside your home country and hard assets is prudent because you want some other baskets for those nest eggs. Antiqued because it's such a low price point of entry with a huge yield, by the way, that it has become very, very popular for folks who want that international diversification in a hard asset. Michael Cobb (00:15:23) - But to have the true international diversification because it's a physical asset outside your home country. And then I. Just say this and we can pick up on the theme or not. The other reason that people are looking at teak in Panama and Nicaragua, by the way, both countries, is because of the availability or the qualification for a visa for a second residency. And a lot of times people look at that as a plan B, if we kind of think maybe the US is going off the rails or Canada or wherever your home country is at, or it could go off the rails. Doesn't have to be now. It could be going off the rails in the future. You sort of that Boy Scout mentality of, you know what, I want a plan B, and if we have a second residency outside our home country, we now have an option. If we don't like the way things are going or where they get to, we can actually pick up and we can move and we have the right legal right, because we have a residency to live in another country. Michael Cobb (00:16:17) - That's another reason that a lot of people have picked up the teak because it qualifies you for that residency. But I think the bigger reason is the international hard asset diversification. I think that's the leading reason people do it. Keith Weinhold (00:16:31) - I want to ask you more about the residency shortly, but tell us more about the investment. We're thinking about maybe capital growth as the trees grow. And then what about the income? Michael Cobb (00:16:42) - Sure. And so I think let me back it up. A lot of people think in cash flow cycles, right? If we have a job, we get paid every two weeks. You know, you have a lot of folks that have invested in properties. We get a monthly rent check, right? Or if we have stocks, maybe we get a quarterly or annual dividend. Right. So those are the what I would call the common time frames that we think about in cash flow. But what the Uber wealthy, what the hedge funds, what the family offices, what the endowment for places like Harvard, Yale, these big institution or big institutional thinkers have known for centuries is that there are actually other cash flow cycles that are largely ignored by the what I would say, the average investor. Michael Cobb (00:17:21) - And those cash flow cycles are much longer. Teak, for example, is a 25 year cash flow cycle, right? You plant the trees and in 25 years you harvest them. You plant them again, not them. You plant new ones, right? In 25 years you harvest those and then so on and so on. So what you're creating is this 25 year cash flow machine. Now the kinds of returns are truly outsized. I mean you're talking about double digit ers. Now a lot of people say, well Mike, that's great. But what happens if I need the money in year 15? You can't have it because there is no money in year 15. Your trees are still growing, right? So it's this weird investment timeline. It's almost flatlined until the very end. And then it jumps way up and then it drops back down to a flatline again. And so it'd be silly to put tons of money into teak unless you had thousand times tons of money, right? But for some small piece of your investment portfolio where you have enough cash flow coming in from your maybe your job, your rent, your dividends, whatever, that a small piece that moves into this 25 year cash flow cycle with the thought process that this is how I steward wealth into the future, to children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, because the 25 year cycle is almost generational, right? In fact, in the US, it probably is generational because we're having children in the ages of, you know, 25 to 30. Michael Cobb (00:18:44) - So it kind of starts to line up with generational income as opposed to, you know, sort of that whatever biweekly, monthly, yearly income. So it's just a different cash flow cycle. Keith Weinhold (00:18:56) - That's right. And I brought up before that, when you think about the growth of one of your investments, you now get to think about it in two ways. If you own a duplex, it might have growth in its price. However, it doesn't grow into a fourplex and have growth in its price. However, with teak, you might have an increase in the value of the wood, perhaps on a board foot unit basis, and at the same time it is growing in height and volume. Michael Cobb (00:19:26) - Absolutely no. That's a cute way to say it. I never really thought about a duplex growing into a fourplex, right? That's good. Exactly. And so what you do, you're right. You have the physical growth of the trees. And we have located our plantations in the optimal growing conditions, fatigue. And they are very known. Michael Cobb (00:19:42) - Right? I mean, the British started plantation growing teak 350 almost 400 years ago in Southeast Asia. And so the Brits have just meticulously kept statistical records of every plantation that they were involved with the altitude, soil type, rainfall, temperature, on and on and on. And so it's really well known exactly where teak will grow well, and both where we have our plantations, it does Nicaragua and Panama, and we'll stick on Panama today, but the locations are dead center bull's eye locations for the best optimal growing of teak. So you have this growth of a physical thing, right. But you mentioned the board foot price. And by the way, the track record on teak being grown in plantations is 350 years. So what a track record, right? But since 1970. Two. The average price of teak over 5152 years has been 5.5% a year. That's the growth in the price of teak, right? And so you know who knows the future, right? I mean, the future is the future, right. Michael Cobb (00:20:44) - But if a 50 year track record on a 5.5% increase in the value of the teak itself is pretty powerful, right? That's the long track record of nice growth. And when we factor in our teak into our business plan, we take that 5.5 and we make it zero. We just say, what if there is no increase in the price of teak over 25 years? How much will the tree grow? And if that tree is cut down and is sold as lumber? When we'll talk about our Solomon in a minute. If that tree is sold as lumber, what's the value of that lumber today? And what will the tree be worth in that value 25 years from now? And so if things do continue to increase at 5.5% a year, that's just all gravy. And that just starts to take that rate of return and just ratcheted up even further. Keith Weinhold (00:21:33) - Teak has a number of physical properties that make it valuable, from its beauty to its fire resistance and more. Mike has now touched on a few interesting things. Keith Weinhold (00:21:44) - We'll come back and talk about that soon, including how you can achieve residency in Panama by owning teak, what the risks are, and more about their sawmill that he just mentioned, adding value to the operation there. And then we're going to talk about what the prices are. We're talking with ECI Development Chairman and CEO Michael Cobb more when we come back. I'm your host, Keith Wynn. You know, I'll just tell you, for the most passive part of my real estate investing, personally, I put my own dollars with Freedom Family Investments because their funds pay me a stream of regular cash flow in returns, or better than a bank savings account, up to 12%. Their minimums are as low as 25 K. You don't even need to be accredited for some of them. It's all backed by real estate and that kind of love. How the tax benefit of doing this can offset capital gains and your W-2 jobs income. And they've always given me exactly their stated return paid on time. So it's steady income, no surprises while I'm sleeping or just doing the things I love. Keith Weinhold (00:22:52) - For a little insider tip, I've invested in their power fund to get going on that text family to 66866. Oh, and this isn't a solicitation. If you want to invest where I do, just go ahead and text family to six, 686, six. Role under this specific expert with income property, you need Ridge Lending Group and MLS for 256 injury history from beginners to veterans. They provided our listeners with more mortgages than anyone. It's where I get my own loans for single family rentals up to four Plex's. Start your pre-qualification and chat with President Charlie Ridge personally. They'll even customize a plan tailored to you for growing your portfolio. Start at Ridge Lending group.com Ridge lending group.com. Speaker 5 (00:23:49) - This is the Real World Network's Cathy Fekete, and you are listening to the always valuable get Rich education with Keith Reinhold. Keith Weinhold (00:24:06) - You're listening to the SOS created more financial freedom for busy people just like you than nearly any show in the world. This is guitarist education. I'm your host, Keith Whitehill. We're talking with ECI development chairman and CEO Mike Cobb about teak hardwood investing in Panama and Nicaragua. Keith Weinhold (00:24:22) - Like, tell us more about how one can achieve residency, for example, in Panama if they own teak there maybe just how residency varies from citizenship? Michael Cobb (00:24:33) - Sure. Well, why don't we start with the second part, how residency differs from citizenship. And there's a good place to start. You know, citizenship is you become a citizen of the country. You have a passport, you can vote. You have every legal right of that country. Right. The decision would have residency to use a US term is like a green card, right? It's the legal permission to live in that country for some period of time. Many of them are permanent. In fact, Panama's is permanent. So once you have a Panama permanent residency, you could literally pick up, you could move there tomorrow, and you could live for the rest of your life in Panama. And so it gives you the legal right to live there. But you don't have a passport. You can't vote. I guess that's the main difference, right? You don't have a passport, you can't vote. Michael Cobb (00:25:18) - But for most people, in fact, the overwhelming majority of people, a residency delivers exactly what somebody wants, which is the ability to live somewhere. Right? And we don't care if we vote or not. I mean, right, we'd still be citizens of our home country, US, Canada, or wherever we can vote back home or citizen. We have our passport from those countries, but the right to live somewhere else is powerful. And so the teak in Panama qualifies you in two ways for two quarter acre parcels, and then the legal fees and stuff like that. It's just under 22,000. A little less gives you permanent residency in Panama. Right? That's such an affordable way to be able to I call it the back pocket. Right. The insurance policy or the plan B in the sense that, like, I think a lot of folks are worried about the direction things are headed. And, you know, you have the teak parcels, which are going to produce a tremendous return. And then this byproduct that you qualify for and you have to go, you have to get down there a couple times. Michael Cobb (00:26:16) - I mean, there's a little bit of administrative stuff, some legal fees, that's all included in that 22,000. Right. So that's all included. You have to go there a couple times. So there's a little bit of friction I would say. But when you get finished with that friction, you are a permanent resident of Panama and you only have to go there one day every two years. So you fly down every other year, whatever. Go, go talk to your trees, maybe sing to your trees a little bit, whatever you want to do and fly. All right. And you have a permanent residency. So it's a very easy, fast way to get that plan B now in the future, if you ever said, well, I really love Panama, I'd like to live here. Panama is beautiful. The city itself, it's got skyscrapers, apartments on the 50th floor of use or killer. You can be out on the beach or somewhere. You can be up in the mountains. So there are a lot of different climates and geographies in Panama where you might say to yourself, yeah, I think I want to come down here and live someday. Michael Cobb (00:27:09) - Well, you already have your residency. You already have the legal right to do that. Keith Weinhold (00:27:14) - Yeah, I mean, 100%. Now, Panama isn't predominantly English speaking like Belize is, but Panama just has a lot of inherent familiarity and feel to a lot of Americans. Since the canal is there and there is that strong American presence, and they've even dollarization their economy there, for example, in Panama. So it might be that nice plan B for you. And tell us more about the residency and the investment into the sawmill and how that works. So it sounds like there's now a value added component is you essentially vertically integrated and now have this sawmill with the teeth. Tell us more about that. Michael Cobb (00:27:56) - So we've always factored in the sawmill into the investment proposition. Because if we were to just take the logs for example, 25 years, you cut down the trees, you stick the logs in the container and send them off to China or India, which is where most of the logs go. The return on investments. Michael Cobb (00:28:13) - It's not great, it's okay, but it's not great. The way you actually get a phenomenal return on investment is you take those logs and you turn them into lumber, which has about a 3 to 4 x differential, or what we call first stage end product or simple end product, which would be something like flooring, which is basically lumber that's been finished one more level rooted and bulldozed so that you can put them together right on a wood floor. So those two modifications from the log all the way to the first degree of finished product, the returns start to really jack it up into that double digit IRR right over 25 years, which again is phenomenal. So we talked about price. But just to give an idea, a $7,000 quarter acre parcel at harvest turned into lumber and first level finished. Product turns into about $94,000, right? So 7000 turns into $90,000, which is a tremendous return. But the way you get that return is to deliver to the marketplace lumber and first grade finished product. And so Soma has always been part of our business plan. Michael Cobb (00:29:19) - Well, we are now two years away from our harvest on our first plantation, the one I planted back in 1999. Right? I mean, it's incredible thinking that, you know, 20, gosh, 24 years ago planted a teak plantation. So we're two years from harvest. We have one more set of kind of odds and end thinning of just trees that didn't quite grow. Right. We're going to use those thinning over the next couple of years to practice in our sawmill. Because you know what? We are going to make mistakes. I mean, you don't ever get it right the first time. So we're going to make mistakes. We're going to learn from them. And by the time we actually do the real harvest of that first plantation, 100 acres of teak, two years from now, we will be up to speed with our sawmill will size up, we'll capacity up to do that. But yeah, so folks can actually we have a $2 million opening in the sawmill. And it's a real simple formula. Michael Cobb (00:30:07) - It's two times your money and then a proportionate 10% interest in the sawmill. So for example, just rough numbers off the top of my head. You put in $100,000, you get twice your money back in about a 3 to 4 year period. As a sawmill really becomes operational. We take the first harvest, like the thinning, aren't going to produce much. In fact, we hope to just basically kind of break even over the next two years while we practice. Then we cut down 100 acres of teak. We start putting that through the sawmill, right? So you get two extra money, you invest 100 to get back to 100, and then your return would be about 13 or $14,000 a year. On going after that, because you get a 10% carried interest in the sawmill into the future as well. So that's the investment opportunity that produces a shorter cash flow, much tighter on the cash flow. But then a nice trailer for many years. But the investment is 100,000. So it's a more significant investment than, say, somebody wanting a little bite sized piece of a quarter acre parcel or two quarter acre type parcels paired with the residency that gets you that. Michael Cobb (00:31:13) - So a couple different levels of investment depending on what your goals are, but also what your timelines are. Keith Weinhold (00:31:19) - We described the sawmill investment numbers there. And then just to clarify, on the quarter acre parcels, they cost $7,000 each with an expected value or return of $94,000 after 25 years. Michael Cobb (00:31:37) - That's correct. 6880. I'm using round numbers, but 6880 is the quarter acre teak and right at harvest when it processes through the sawmill. A little over that, but $94,000 is returned to the investor along the way. I'll mention this. There are maintenance fees. It's about $150 a year. We just take a credit card. We just tap it once a year. That takes care of property taxes, thinning, cleaning, anything that they have to do with the plantation. So $150 a year, your maintenance fee. But yeah, 6880 turns into 94,025 years. If teak continues to go up at 5.5% a year, the return would be better than that. Keith Weinhold (00:32:16) - You probably have investors that come in oftentimes from North America, maybe some from Europe, and they see this as a really low cost of entry, $6,880 for one quarter acre parcel. Keith Weinhold (00:32:29) - So are there any risks that one should consider? Therefore, if they're a first time investor abroad, maybe something they're not thinking about if they buy a rental single family home in their own hometown? Michael Cobb (00:32:41) - Yeah. Very different. I mean, in some ways it's very different. In other ways it's pretty similar. Right. You're going to get title to the property. The process of getting title will be a little different. You're going to have to send in copies of your passport, a notarized utility bill. Just some things that you wouldn't have to do if you were buying a property in the States. But at the end of the day, you will get what's called Escritorio Publica public title. So it's a registered land deed. And so that part of it's all pretty similar risk factors. Absolutely. The business plan has them in there. But the big ones are any kind of disease. It's monoculture. So I mean a disease could come through and kill all the trees. Right. The good thing there is, again, teak has a 350 year track record of being managed and grown in plantations. Michael Cobb (00:33:24) - So it has a long track record where they've kind of figured out, well, if this happens, then do this or if this pest comes along. This is how we, you know, we mitigate that, but nothing can mitigate all risk. That fire is an interesting one. Fire is a risk in the first three years of teak. So we call it baby teak. But once the tea trees are 3 to 4 years old, they're really above any kind of fire. Because you clean the plantation and the guys are in there with the machetes chopping to keep the, you know, the brushed and grass down in the dry season, which, by the way, you mention the qualities of teak, the hardness of teak is actually the most. Prized quality. And so the hardest of the teak that we get will actually be taken and sold as marine lumber, which is an unbelievable differential in price. But only 5 to 10% of your teak would qualify as marine lumber. So it's a small percentage, but the value of that is very, very high because it's set to hardwood. Michael Cobb (00:34:20) - But the rest of the tree is also likewise very hard. The dry season is what cures the teak. And so in the dry season teak drops its leaves. And so it's very resistant to fire. If you do good maintenance on the plantation, we do so fires only a risk really in the first three years. And we actually warranty the trees of a fire comes through. In the first three years. We replant the plantation for any parts that are burned. So there's sort of a warranty that comes with the first three years. I mean, the other risks are political risk. What if Panama goes off the rails? The good thing about Panama, it's got the canal. And that is a major, vital strategic US interest. I just don't see the US letting Panama kind of go off the rails. But it could. But those I think are the three what I would call main risk factors. And we mitigate those to the best way possible. Keith Weinhold (00:35:13) - You heard Mike mention about the thinning and cleaning. Yes, there is ongoing management, but that is already handled and taken care of in any of the prices that you already mentioned. Keith Weinhold (00:35:24) - Is that right, Mike? Michael Cobb (00:35:25) - Yeah, correct. And we outsource to a company called Geo Forest. All Geo Forest, all. They've been our plantation manager from since 1999. And and they're phenomenal. What they do, their world class. They've been doing it for longer than 25 years, maybe 30 years at this point. But we outsource what we have to outsource because we're not management plantation managers. So we can find folks that are. Keith Weinhold (00:35:47) - The same property manager for a quarter century, a property manager that actually doesn't get fired. Hey, that's a novel concept. Two times two is what some investors back here in the U.S. are thinking with their residential real estate investments. If you want to learn more about this investment, I encourage you to check it out. You can do that through Gray Marketplace at Gray marketplace.com/teak. Mike, do you still offer tours. Michael Cobb (00:36:16) - Oh my goodness yes. And I hope that you will take us up on the opportunity to come down and see the dairy and province. But yes, we do. Michael Cobb (00:36:24) - And I don't know the dates off the top of my head, but for folks who are interested, uh, two things. One, we actually run a tour that's fun because it's a group of people and it's just, you know, you come down and you do it. But if somebody says, hey, I can't make those dates, but I want to come see the trees. Yeah, it's very reasonable. I think it's a couple hundred bucks. They pick you up at your hotel, they'll run you out to the plantation, bring you back. But it's a whole day. I mean, it's four hours outside of Panama City and four hours back, so it's a long day. And if it's a couple, it's still 200. It's basically for the vehicle out and back. Right? The driver and the vehicle. So you can come anytime or you can come with a group. And if you come with a group there is no charge. I mean, we get the van or the bus and we pay for it all. Michael Cobb (00:37:03) - And yeah, we make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and we have fun. Keith Weinhold (00:37:07) - All right. Well, I think people have probably covered for the tea more than the sandwiches, but that is a nice touch that you do for people because you do that whether someone is a great investor or not, whether they haven't invested at all yet, and they just want to go ahead and check it out. And you can learn more about those dates at GR marketplace.com/teague Mike, it's always such a fun chat to discuss something so exotic. It's been great having you back on the show. Michael Cobb (00:37:34) - Nice to be back with you. I look forward to seeing you in Panama one of these days. Keith Weinhold (00:37:43) - Trees grow through recessions, they grow through market cycles, they grow through Covid, and trees just keep growing through every single fed rate decision. The wealthiest families on the planet, the top 1%. They have locked up vast portions of their wealth for timeframes even longer than the 25 year peak harvest cycle. In fact, Harvard has fully 10% of its endowment, specifically in timber. Keith Weinhold (00:38:11) - To follow up on what I asked earlier, as we're discussing non-residential real estate today, Earth's highest point above sea level is Mount Everest. The highest from base to peak is Monica. But Earth's highest piece of land, uh, the highest point is measured from the center of the Earth is Chimborazo Volcano, Ecuador. That's because Earth is not a perfect sphere. But there's an equatorial bulge. That's what I was climbing ten days ago. Earth's highest real estate, Chimborazo, was also there for the closest real estate to the sun and moon. But back down here at a lower elevation where the teak plantations are in Panama and Nicaragua, there are no loans for teak. But at prices under seven K, many GRI listeners have found that they don't need a loan and they have bought ten or more parcels. But you can buy as few as 1 or 2 a quarter acre teak parcels and then later cash it out for yourself or build that wealth legacy for your family. Kind of like the top 1%. If it sounds interesting to you, learn more. Keith Weinhold (00:39:22) - Get started at GR marketplace.com/t. Until next week. I'm your host, Keith Wild. Don't quit your day dream. Speaker 6 (00:39:34) - Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get Rich education LLC exclusively. The. Keith Weinhold (00:40:02) - The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building. Get rich education.com.
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In Episode 335 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore a section of Easton, Massachusetts, that was home to a sawmill back in the 18th century. The mill was owned by Nathan Selee, a local wizard who (according to the town sign) employed satanic imps to run his mill in the dead of night. See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-335-nathan-selees-satanic-sawmill/ Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends Join us for Zombie Prom - Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 7PM in Milford, Massachusetts: https://www.facebook.com/events/1593789218121732/
Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Friday, January 26, 2024.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate her daily news digest and share it with our audience—tune in every morning on the TRNN podcast feed to hear about the latest important news stories from Canada and around the world.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help 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
(The podcast version of this show only contains the interview with Paul Gangloff. The shop demonstration was not included due to lack of being able to see what was actually happening during the demonstrations. To view the entire show go to our YouTube video at: https://youtu.be/8tiW0troxMI )Are you a woodworker? Do you like heavy equipment or building things? This show is packed full of great stuff. In this show, Hutch and Kyle visit business owner, Paul Gangloff. Paul owns and continues to run his family business of Riverside Electric. However, as Paul has been able to hand the family off to be run by very capable hands, he continues with his entrepreneurial spirit. Paul loves working with timber so he started up his own sawmill business. Paul spends the first part of the show demonstrating his saws and how they go about cutting lumber. He has four different models of saws that can cut from the smallest of logs to some of the biggest trees you will find in the forest. We got the opportunity to see several of them in action. As Paul and his crew talk, (Richie and Leon), you can hear the enthusiasm in their voice with running the saws and seeing what God reveals in each cut of these beautiful timbers. But what is more amazing is how Paul and his crew never miss a chance to give credit where credit is due. In this case, All The Glory Goes To God! That's right, from the beauty of the wood, to the running of his daily business, Paul understands where all things come from. He wasn't always like this, but through a cascade of events, God got his attention and he chose to respond in a positive light. With all his decision to name God as the CEO of everything he does, God has not be light on the blessings. It seems that in nearly every conversation Paul is able to find a place to give God the glory. But like all of us, Paul has had his share of adversity. And in these times, Paul believes he has to stick with his faith and continue to trust in the goodness of God. This is a great story of how God can write your life story if you give him the chance. He can out give you, out bless you, and out love you in all circumstances. Maybe it's time for you and I to stop talking about how we believe in God's provision and actually live as if we believe in his provision. https://riverside-elec.comhttps://riversidelogandsaw.orghttps://rocksolidfamilies.org#Rocksolidfamilies,#familytherapy,#marriagecounseling,#parenting,#faithbasedcounseling,#counseling,#Strongdads,#coaching,#lifecoach,#lifecoaching,#marriagecoaching,#marriageandfamily,#control,#security,#respect,#affection,#love,#purpose,#faith,#deckbuilder,#carpenter,#godscalling,#woodworking,#cuttingtimber,#woodmiser,#hobbiesSupport the show
Access our training - $200K and 300 Leads in 15 Days for Woodpreneurs here: https://go.buildergrowth.io/optin-wms “I want to continue to grow in the direction of growing as opposed to scale back.” -Jeff Weldon Welcome to a brand-new episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast. Today, your host Steve Larosiliere is joined by Jeff Weldon from Lucky Nelson Sawmill. Jeff shared his story, revealing the roots of his passion for woodworking and the evolution of his business. Let's explore how Lucky Nelson's journey from tree service to artisanal wood products unfolded. Jeff's story begins with a family legacy deeply rooted in the timber industry. His father owned a tree company for over three decades, instilling a love for woodcraft in Jeff from a young age. After years of working alongside his father, Jeff found himself at a crossroads when his dad sold the business due to health issues. This pivotal moment led him to contemplate how he could turn the discarded wood into a profitable venture. Listen now and get the whole story! “ First time I've ever seen the table with a natural edge on both sides. I've never seen that before, up until that point. And immediately I'm like, I gotta figure out how to do this. Yeah, that I started out with the chainsaw mill. You know, pretty much right away. I was like, on it. “ -Jeff Weldon From Tree Service to Wood Artisan: Inspired by a desire to create something unique, Jeff explored the world of woodworking. Having dabbled in the cabinetmakers union and equipped with a vision, he stumbled upon the potential of live-edge tables during a tree work project. This discovery ignited his entrepreneurial spirit, propelling him to invest in a chainsaw mill and embark on the journey of crafting live-edge wood products. The Birth of Lucky Nelson's: In 2016, armed with a chainsaw mill, Jeff started Lucky Nelson's, named after a beloved family pet. He began selling green slabs through platforms like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and his own business page. The demand for his products grew, prompting Jeff to acquire a Wood-Mizer LT 40 Stan sawmill and establish a dedicated workspace. Growing Pains and Milestones: As the business expanded, Jeff faced the challenge of balancing his time between working for his father and managing his growing wood products enterprise. The turning point came when he realized that Lucky Nelson's had the potential to be a full-time venture. Jeff moved into a larger workshop, signaling the serious commitment to his passion. Diverse Products and Services: Lucky Nelson's portfolio includes an array of projects, from live-edge tables to custom wood countertops. Jeff's dedication to utilizing local wood is evident, and he even takes on portable sawmill jobs, showcasing the diversity of his skills. Approximately half of his projects involve creating full-circle pieces, from milling the wood to crafting the final furniture. Marketing and Future Aspirations: To reach a wider audience, Jeff employs a mix of online platforms, including Google, Facebook, and Instagram, running ads to enhance visibility. While contemplating the future, he envisions expanding Lucky Nelson's with a larger shop, introducing additional woodworking machinery, and emphasizing the use of local hardwoods. Navigating Business Challenges: Jeff candidly discusses the challenges of time management and the desire to streamline processes like customer relationship management (CRM) and email marketing. He acknowledges the need for a mentor and recognizes the importance of seeking advice to navigate the complexities of business growth. Want to get in touch with Jeff Weldon? Contact him through: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckynelsonssawmill/ Website: Lucky Nelson's (luckynelsons.com)
This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on Oct. 13. It dropped for free subscribers on Oct. 20. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoAmy Ohran, Vice President and General Manager of Northstar, CaliforniaRecorded onOctober 2, 2023About NorthstarClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: EPR Properties, operated by Vail ResortsLocated in: Truckee, CaliforniaYear founded: 1972Pass affiliations:* Epic Pass: unlimited* Epic Local Pass: unlimited with holiday blackouts* Tahoe Local: unlimited with holiday blackouts* Tahoe Value: unlimited with holiday and Saturday blackouts* Epic Day Pass: access with all resorts and 32-resorts tiersClosest neighboring ski areas: Boreal (:21), Tahoe Donner (:22), Palisades Tahoe (:25), Diamond Peak (:25), Soda Springs (:25), Kingvale (:27), Sugar Bowl (:28), Donner Ski Ranch (:29), Mt. Rose (:30), Homewood (:35), Heavenly (:57) - travel times vary considerably pending traffic, weather, and time of year.Base elevation: 6,330 feet (at the village)Summit elevation: 8,610 feet (top of Mt. Pluto)Vertical drop: 2,280 feetSkiable Acres: 3,170 acresAverage annual snowfall: 350 inchesTrail count: 100 (27% advanced, 60% intermediate, 13% beginner)Lift count: 20 (1 six-passenger gondola, 1 pulse gondola, 1 six/eight-passenger chondola, 1 high-speed six pack, 6 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 1 platter, 1 ropetow, 5 carpets – view Lift Blog's inventory of Northstar's lift fleet)Why I interviewed herI am slowly working my way through the continent's great ski regions. Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek, Ski Cooper, Keystone, Breckenridge, and A-Basin along the I-70 corridor (Copper is coming). Snowbird, Solitude, Deer Valley, Sundance, and Snowbasin in the Wasatch (Park City is next). Jay Peak, Smugglers' Notch, Bolton Valley, Mad River Glen, Sugarbush, and Killington in Northern Vermont.I'm a little behind in Tahoe. Before today, the only entrants into this worthy tome have been with the leaders of Palisades Tahoe and Heavenly. But I'm working my way around the lake. Northstar today. Mount Rose in November. I'll get to the rest as soon as I'm able (you can always access the full podcast archive, and view the upcoming schedule, here or from the stormskiing.com homepage).I don't only cover megaresorts, of course, and the episodes with family-owned ski area operators always resonate deeply with my listeners. Many of you would prefer that I focus my energies solely on these under-covered gems. But corporate megaresorts matter a lot. They are where the vast majority of skier visits occur, and therefore are the backdrop to most skiers' wintertime stories. I personally love skiing them. They tend to be vast and varied, with excellent lift networks and gladed kingdoms mostly ignored by the masses. The “corporate blandness” so abhorred by posturing Brobots is, in practice, a sort of urban myth of the mountains. Vail Mountain and Stowe have as much quirk and character as Alta and Mad River Glen. Anyone who tells you different either hasn't skied them all, or is confusing popularity with soullessness.Every ski area guards terrain virtues that no amount of marketing can beat out of it. Northstar has plenty: expansive glades, big snowfalls, terrific park, long fall-line runs. Unfortunately, the mountain is the LA Clippers of Lake Tahoe, overshadowed, always, by big Palisades, the LA Lakers of big-time Cali skiing.But Northstar is a hella good ski area, as any NoCal shredder who's honest with themselves will admit. It's not KT-22, but it isn't trying to be. Most skier fantasize about lapping the Mothership, just as, I suppose, many playground basketball players fantasize about dunking from the freethrow line. In truth, most are better off lobbing shots from 15 feet out, just as most skiers are going to have a better day off Martis or Backside at Northstar than off the beastly pistes five miles southwest. But that revelation, relatively easy to arrive at, can be hard for progression-minded skiers to admit. And Northstar, because of that, often doesn't get the credit it deserves. But it's worth a deeper look.What we talked aboutTahoe's incredible 2022-23 winter; hey where'd our trail signs go?; comparing last year's big winter to the record 2016-17 season; navigating the Cottonwoods in a VW Bug; old-school Cottonwoods; rock-climbing as leadership academy; Bend in the 1990s; how two of Tahoe's smallest ski areas stay relevant in a land of giants; the importance of parks culture to Northstar; trying to be special in Tahoe's all-star lineup; Northstar's natural wind protection; who really owns Northstar; potential expansions on Sawtooth Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and Sawmill; potential terrain expansion within the current footprint; last year's Comstock lift upgrade; contemplating the future of the Rendezvous lift; which lift upgrade could come next; the proposed Castle Peak transport gondola; paid parking; the Epic Pass; a little-known benefit of the Tahoe Local Pass; the impact of Saturday blackouts; and Tōst.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewVail Resorts' 2022 Epic Lift upgrade struck me as a mind-bending exercise. Not just because the company was attempting to build 21 new lifts in a single summer (they managed to complete 18), but because that number represents a fraction of Vail's hundreds of lifts across its 37 North American resorts. Vail Mountain alone houses 18 high-speed chairlifts and two gondolas. Park City owns 16 detachables. Whistler has six or nine gondolas – depending on how you count them – and 13 high-speed chairs. You can keep counting through Heavenly, Breckenridge, Keystone – how do you even maintain such a sprawling network, let alone continue to upgrade it?Northstar managed to snag a piece of Vail's largess, securing a four-to-six replacement for the Comstock Express. It was just the third major lift upgrade since Vail bought the joint in 2010, following the 2011 addition of the Promised Land Express quad and the 2015 replacement of the Big Springs Gondola. So why Comstock? And what's next for a ski area with a trio of high-speed quads (Arrow, Backside, Vista), that are approaching that 30-year expiration date for first-generation detachable lifts?Tahoe is also one of several U.S. ski regions coping with a generational crisis of untenable congestion and cost. The culprits, in no particular order, are an over-reliance on individual automobiles as the primary mechanism of ski resort access, megapasses that enable and empower more frequent skiing, a Covid-driven exodus from cities, a permanent shift to remote work, short-term rentals choking local housing stock, and reflexive opposition to any development of any kind by an array of NIMBYs and leaf defenders.Northstar, an enormous and easy-to-access megaresort owned by the world's largest ski area operator and seated in America's most populous state, sits in the bullseye of several of these megatrends. The resort is responding with a big toolbox, tiering access across a variety of Epic Passes, implementing a partial paid parking plan, and continuing a masterplan that would increase on-mountain beds and decrease automobile congestion. Like every ski area, it's a work in progress, never quite finished and never quite perfect, but tiptoeing maybe a little closer to it every year.What I got wrongAbout the relative size of NorthstarI noted in Ohran's podcast intro that Northstar was America's ninth largest ski area. That's technically still true, but once Steamboat officially opens its Mahogany Ridge expansion this winter, the Alterra-owned resort will shoot up to the number eight spot, kicking Northstar down to number 10. Looking a few years down the road, Deer Valley is set to demote Northstar to number 11, once Mt. Fancypants completes its 3,700-acre expansion (boosting the mountain to 5,726 acres), and takes the fourth-place spot between Big Sky and Vail Mountain.About the coming ski seasonI noted that Northstar was opening, “probably around Thanksgiving.” The resort's scheduled opening date is Nov. 17.About Powdr's Tahoe complexI asked Ohran about her experience running Powdr's “three ski areas” in Tahoe, before correcting that to “two ski areas.” The confusion stemmed from the three distinct brands that Powdr operates in Tahoe: the Soda Springs ski area, the Boreal ski area, and the Woodward terrain park. While these are distinct brands, Woodward's winter facilities are part of Boreal ski area:Why you should ski NorthstarThe Brobots won't do much to surprise or interest you. That's why they're the Brobots. Rote takes, recited like multiplication tables, lacking nuance or context, designed to pledge allegiance to Brobot Nation. The Brobots hate Vail and the Ikon Pass. They despise “corporate” skiing, without ever defining what that is. They rage against ski-town congestion and traffic, while reflexively opposing any solutions that would require change of any kind. They worship dive bars, weed, and beanie caps. They despise tourists, chairlift safety bars, slopeside condos, and paid parking of any kind. They are the Brobots.Lake Tah-Bro is a subspecies of Brobotus Americanus. Lake Tah-Bro wishes you weren't here, but since you are, he wants you to understand his commandments. One of which is this: “Flatstar” is not cool. Like you. Real-ass skiers ski Palisades (steep), Alpine (chill), or Kirkwood (wild). But OK, if you must, go see for yourself. Tah-Bro won't be joining you. He has to go buy a six-pack of craft beer to celebrate his six-month anniversary of moving here from Virginia, while tapping out a Tweet reminding everyone that he's a local.It must be an exhausting way to live, having to constantly remind everyone how ridiculously cool you are. But luckily for you, I don't care about being cool. I'm a dad with two kids. I drive a minivan. I drink Miller Lite and rarely drive past a Taco Bell. My musical tastes are straightforward and mainstream. I track my ski days on an app and take a lot of pictures. I am not 100 percent sure which brand of ski boots I own (I trusted the bootfitter). My primary Brobot trait is that I like to ski mostly off-piste. Otherwise you can call me Sir Basic Bro. Or don't. I won't see it anyway – I stopped reading social media comments a long time ago.Brah do you have a point here? Yes. My point is this: I am supremely qualified to tell you that Northstar is a great ski area. It is huge. It is interesting. It has more glades than you could manage if you spent all winter trying. It is threaded with an excellent high-speed lift network that, during the week, rarely has an over-abundance of skiers to actually ride it. You can cruise the wide-open or sail the empty trees. Park Brahs can park-out on the Vista Park Brah.But if you take my advice and lap the place for an afternoon and find that it's just too flat for your radness, simply ask Ski Patrol if you can borrow a pair of scissors. Then cut the sleeves off your jacket and all under-layers, and descend each run in an arms-up posture of supreme muscle-itude. Everyone will be aware of and in awe of your studliness, and know that you are only skiing Flatstar as a sort of joke, the mountain a prop to your impossibly cool lifestyle. Your Instapost followers will love it.Podcast NotesOn Tahoe's competitive landscapeTahoe hosts one of the densest clusters of ski areas in North America. Here are the 16 currently in operation:On Northstar's masterplan Northstar's 2017 masterplan outlines several potential expansions, each of which we discuss in the podcast:On the “My Epic” appOhran referenced Vail's new My Epic app, which I devoted a section to explaining in the article accompanying my recent Keystone podcast. The Epic Pass website notes that the app will be “launching in October.”On Northstar's original brand campaignI couldn't find any relics from Northstar's 1972 “Everything in the middle of nowhere” ad campaign. I did, however, find this 1978 trailmap noting that all-day adult lift tickets cost $13:That's $64.02 adjusted for inflation, in case you're wondering.The Sierra Sun ran a nice little history of Northstar last year, in honor of the resort's 50-year anniversary:On Dec. 22, 1972, Northstar-at-Tahoe began spinning its original five lifts, operating under the motto “Everything in the middle of nowhere.” The first lifts were given alphabetic names A, B, C, and D. A T-chair provided access to mid-mountain from the village. The cost for an adult to ski for the day in 1972 was $8, gear could be rented for $7.50, and a room for the night at the resort was $30. …The 1980s brought further growth to the resort and in 1988 the first snowboarders took their turns at the resort. That year, George N. Gillett Jr., president of Colorado's Vail Associates purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe. By 1992, Gillett had run into financial troubles and lost Vail Associates. Gillett managed to come away with enough resources to form Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. Gillett's new company focused on real estate development and creating multi-season resorts. In 1996, the company acquired Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Bear Mountain for $127 million, and began developing the Big Springs area at Northstar. …The new millennium brought with it a joint venture between Booth Creek Ski Holdings and East West Partners with the aim to complete the resort's real estate and mountain development plan. The first phase of the project opened in 2004 and included the foundation for the village along with the completion of Iron Horse North, Iron Horse South, and the Great Bear Lodge buildings. The ice rink and surrounding commercial space were completed during this time. Skiers and riders were also treated to new terrain with the installation of Lookout Lift.From 2005 through 2008 work continued at the base of the mountain to complete the gondola building along with the Catamount and Big Horn buildings in the village. Collaboration between East West Partners and Hyatt Corp also began at this time, leading to the Northstar Lodge Hyatt project. The first building was started in May 2007 and completed in December 2008. Along with these came the Village Swim & Fitness center and the Highlands Gondola from the Northstar Lodge to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and neighboring building.In 2010, Vail Resorts, Inc., entered the fray and purchased Northstar-at-Tahoe from Booth Creek for $63 million, and later renamed it Northstar California Resort.On Matt JonesOhran mentions Kirkwood GM Matt Jones once or twice during the pod, which we recorded on Oct. 2. This past Tuesday, Oct. 10, Alterra announced that they had hired Jones as the new president and chief operating officer of Stratton, Vermont.On that deep deep winterWhen I was skiing around Northstar in March, I snagged a bunch of hey-where'd-the-world-go shots of stuff buried in snow:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 85/100 in 2023, and number 471 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Want to send feedback? Reply to this email and I will answer (unless you sound insane, or, more likely, I just get busy). You can also email skiing@substack.com. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe
This week we invite the enchanting Naomi Gossman, celebrated for her role as Pepper in the acclaimed Emmy Winning series "American Horror Story". We reminisce about the past, discussing Naomi's journey from auditioning for the series to becoming one of its standout characters and filming season one of Gown and Out in Beverly Hills with her. The conversation is anything but ordinary, ranging from Naomi's candid experiences at a clothing optional campground, her exploration of gay glory holes and the intriguing history of Armenian coffee, to Pol' and Patrik's hilariously unfortunate stay at a straight Swingers Resort in Mexico. However, the crux of this episode is Pols' uncanny ability to predict the future through reading coffee grinds, a skill he inherited from his grandmother. As Naomi sips her Armenian coffee, the stage is set for Pol to showcase his mystical talent. His reading touches upon Naomi's upcoming travels, her evolving personal relationships, and even foretells an unexpected visit from a lanky messenger. Naomi reflects on Pol's revelations, affirming many of his insights, particularly about the man in her life. The trio's camaraderie is palpable throughout, especially during the “Runway Rundown”, where they humorously critique celebrity outfits on Kim Kardashian, Jessica Lange and Naomi herself. During the entertaining “American Whore Story Game” Naomi playfully reveals her adventurous side of where she has had sex. We wind down with mutual admiration for Pol's precise coffee reading, ending on a high, with everyone eager for Naomi's future and what might unfold. Tune in for an episode filled with laughter, mysticism, and heartfelt conversations. Naomi Gossman gets so candidly 'undressed' by her friends, Patrik and Pol'. This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or the Hurrdat Media YouTube channel! CHAPTERS: [02:00] Does driving a Smart Car make me Smart? [04:45] I am my own Pepper. [05:23]. Acting for 22 years and then came American Horror Story. [07:05] I am coffee junkie, but never had a taste of Armenian. [09:57] “American Whore Story” is my life..my way. [11:33] Do straight Glory-Holes.exist? [12:23] The Saw Mill with a bunch of gay men and a garage! [15:01] Gay boys at a straight swingers resort in Mexico. [15:50] My Costa Rica crazy poop pavilion with 80 strangers. [16:48] Discovering motor-boating at a straight singers resort. WHAT?!? [19:44] Kama Sutra Saturdays are fun. [23:20] Extra! Extra! Now I am a principal. [26:53] The untimely death of Pepper. [27:36] Kim Kardashian the 4 billion dollar reality star! Runway Rundown - The good, the bad, and the ugly celebrity looks. [36:44] Kim Kardashian steals Pepper's look. [40:30] Naomi Grossman wearing Darth Vader shoes? [45:40] Jessica Lange needs a make-over. [45:45 Bitch stole my look…actually it was Lady Gaga. GAME TIME “American Whore Story Game”! This game is about cities where Naomi has had sex and if she hasn't had sex in either city which city does she want to have sex in. [52:10]Sin City or Broadway? [53:01] Ice Ice Baby? [54:26] Chopsticks Anyone? [57:20] Which island is better? Armenian Coffee Reading [01:03:20] Self centered, reflected and aware to where? [1:05:02] Someone's moving in! [01:09:31] Tall, skinny and lanky stay tuned. Subscribe to our audio: linktr.ee/undressedpod Follow Pol Atteu: Instagram: @polatteu Tiktok: @polatteu Twitter: @polatteu Follow Patrik Simpson: Instagram: @patriksimpson Tiktok: @patriksimpsonbh Follow Snow White 90210: Instagram: @snowwhite90210 Twitter: @SnowWhite9010 Watch Season 4 of Gown and Out In Beverly Hills on Prime Video. #UndressedPodcast Armenian Coffee Reading: www.polatteu.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Elliot and Dan got together this time around to recap the week in hacks, and it looks like the Hackaday writing crew very much had cars on their minds. We both took the bait, with tales of privacy-violating cars and taillights that can both cripple a pickup and financially cripple its owner. We went medieval -- OK, more like renaissance -- on a sawmill, pulled a popular YouTuber out of the toilet, and pondered what an animal-free circus would be like. Is RadioShack coming back? Can an ESP32 board get much smaller than this? And where are all the retro(computer)virus writers? We delve into these questions and more, while still saving a little time to wax on about personal projects. And although the show is peppered with GSM interference (Elliot says sorry!) it's not actually a clue for the What's That Sound. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
Skip James's most famous lyric was “I'd rather be the Devil” and he put his money where his mouth was. He shot a man dead, spent time as a pimp and a bootlegger, and womanized up and down the United States. Skip may have eventually found religion, and even recognition as the last great bluesman to be discovered by white America, but all that devilish living–and a possible hex–would bring his lifestyle to a brutal end. To view the full list of contributors, see the show notes at www.disgracelandpod.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices