Podcasts about us small business administration

Codie interviews Kelly Loeffler, a successful entrepreneur and the administrator of the US Small Business Administration, who shares her journey from humble beginnings on a family farm to becoming a billionaire and a leader in the business world. Loeffler emphasizes the need for small businesses to access capital and navigate regulations, while also highlighting the potential for a manufacturing renaissance in America. Get the 2025 State of Main Street Report HERE:  https://info.contrarianthinking.co/state-of-main-street-report-2025 Chapters 00:00 From Humble Beginnings to Billionaire Success 03:08 The Power of Partnership in Business 05:47 Overcoming Setbacks and Embracing Tenacity 09:05 Lessons from Sports: Leadership and Decision Making 11:53 The Future of Small Business: Opportunities and Challenges 15:06 Unlocking Hidden Resources for Small Businesses 17:52 The Importance of Community and Collaboration 20:46 Navigating Regulations and Accessing Capital 23:47 The Made in America Initiative and Manufacturing Renaissance 26:54 Final Thoughts: Empowering Small Businesses for Success MORE FROM BIGDEAL:

Tadd Mick, Noelie Achen and Chris Schaffner are the owners of Tradewinds Charters in Depoe Bay. They recently won a statewide award from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The national winner of the Small Business Person of the Year award will be announced in May. Tadd Mick is the president of Tradewinds Charters, and Noelie Achen is the vice president. They’ll head to Washington D.C. next month to receive their award. Achen and Mick join us to share more about their business.

Tamara Keefe, Founder of Clementine's joins Megan Lynch to talk about Clementine's being selected as small business person of the year for Missouri by US Small Business Administration.

This special episode of The Mindful Business Security Show is the second in a multi-part series about how to start a business.   In this episode, Accidental CISO is again accompanied by Joe Brinkley, TheBlindHacker. Joe is a business owner, content creator, and cybersecurity consultant. With an entrepreneurial journey spanning more than a decade, his business interests range from cyber to real estate, and everything in between. Join them as they wrap up this series about starting a business and discuss keys to success. Helpful resources mentioned in this episode: US Small Business Administration: https://www.sba.gov/  SCORE: https://www.score.org/   You can find Joe on Twitch and X, @TheBlindHacker.   Are you struggling with how to deal with Cybersecurity, Information Security, or Risk Management in your organization? Be a caller on a future episode of the show. Visit our podcast page and sign up now!   Website: https://www.focivity.com/podcast Show Store: https://shop.mindfulsmbshow.com/ Twitter: @mindfulsmbshow Hosted by: @AccidentalCISO Produced by: @Focivity Music by Michael Korbin from Pixabay

The conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. In this special Veterans Day episode, host Janet Michael and co-host Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA talk with John Kline, veteran/owner of Veterans Subs. John shares the history of Veteran Subs, a business he started to combine his passion for supporting veterans with his dream of owning a restaurant. Over the past two years, despite some challenges, the business has grown thanks to strong community support. John discusses the unique aspects of Veteran Subs, such as hosting veteran group meetings and fundraisers and donating a percentage of their sales to veteran organizations. Carl provides advice on establishing a nonprofit arm to maximize funding opportunities and streamline contributions, which John considers as part of the company's future plans. The conversation also covers Veteran Subs' extensive menu, which includes deli sandwiches, sides, and health-conscious options like "subs in a bowl." Carl suggests marketing strategies like taste tests and emphasizing fresh, in-house-made items to attract more customers. John talks about the importance of community engagement and how his military background influences his business decisions. The radio portion of the episode concludes with details on how customers can order from Veteran Subs and the importance of location and marketing for continued growth. Listeners are encouraged to visit veteranssubs.com and follow them on Facebook for more information. In the podcast conversation, Janet, Carl, and John discuss various aspects of running and marketing a small business, specifically focusing on a sub sandwich/deli restaurant owned by John. The conversation starts with Janet addressing issues with the consistency of the restaurant's marketing materials, including discrepancies between the website's contents and what is actually offered at the restaurant. Carl and Janet highlight the importance of uniformity in branding to avoid customer confusion. John explains the restaurant's operational challenges, like long working hours and the difficulty of noticing issues that are obvious to an outsider. They stress the value of an external viewpoint to identify and fix these problems. The discussion then shifts to various support programs for veterans, such as “Boots to Business,” which provides resources and support for veterans starting their own businesses. Carl and Janet provide insights about utilizing these veteran-focused programs to leverage support and network within the veteran community. Janet underscores the significance of customer interaction and networking, advising John to engage more with the local veterans' community by highlighting their stories on social media. Carl suggests securing intellectual property, like recipe trademarks, and exploring additional revenue streams, such as selling unique branded items. They address marketing strategies, comparing the effectiveness of social media campaigns against traditional methods like mailing brochures. Both Carl and Janet emphasize the importance of direct, engaging marketing efforts, such as attending local events and offering food samples, over spending money on mailers. They advise John to leverage his veteran status in marketing by using slogans to build stronger community ties. John shares his struggle with marketing due to limited resources. Carl advises considering franchising as a way to manage branding and marketing challenges systematically. They also discuss location strategy, noting the constraints of the current spot and the potential for better foot traffic in a more visible or easily accessible location. The conversation closes with Carl and Janet offering further practical marketing advice, like partnering with local institutions for catering and using student interns for research and development tasks to alleviate workload. They recommend tapping into local economic development offices for location scouting to improve visibility and access. Throughout, both Carl and Janet provide John with practical advice and strategic insights aimed at helping him scale his business and improve its market presence. The discussion was supportive and collaborative, focusing on actionable steps John can take to strengthen his restaurant's business model and marketing strategies. Hear more conversations like these by clicking here.

In this engaging episode of 10x Your Team with Cam & Otis, Michael "Buzz" Buzinski shares his insights on the art of digital marketing and its impact on business growth. Buzz discusses the importance of aligning marketing strategies with business objectives and how to effectively connect with your target audience. The conversation covers practical approaches to enhancing your digital presence, leveraging data for informed decision-making, and the creative strategies that can set your business apart. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or new to the field, this episode offers valuable insights to help you elevate your marketing game and achieve tangible results.More About Buzz:Michael Buzinski is a lifelong entrepreneur, digital marketing thought leader and author. Dubbed a "visionary marketer" by the American Marketing Association, Michael's sole mission is to help entrepreneurs avoid the time drain and frustration of managing profitable digital marketing campaigns. Buzz, as many call him, has simplified digital marketing success with the Rule of 26 and is on a mission to double the website revenue of service-based businesses across America. Buzz built a multi-million dollar creative agency and has worked with over 750 enterprise-level and SMB companies over the last 20+ years. His gift is to simplify digital marketing to the point where everyone understands it and help business owners focus on what will drastically move their revenue needle. Michael teaches marketing seminars for the US Small Business Administration and Small Business Development Center seminars. He also volunteers as a mentor for up-and-coming veteran entrepreneurs through the Warrior Rising program.#10xYourTeam #DigitalMarketing #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #TargetAudience #DataDriven #CreativeStrategies #MarketingInsights #LeadershipPodcast #CamAndOtis #MichaelBuzzBuzinski #MarketingExcellence #BusinessSuccess #MarketingTipsChapters:Introduction and Buzz's BackgroundTime: 00:00 - 05:00Description: Opening remarks and introduction of Michael "Buzz" Buzinski, highlighting his journey in digital marketing.Aligning Marketing with Business ObjectivesTime: 05:01 - 15:00Description: Discussion on the importance of aligning marketing strategies with overall business goals.Reaching and Engaging Your Target AudienceTime: 15:01 - 25:00Description: Buzz shares insights on effectively connecting with and engaging your target audience.Enhancing Your Digital PresenceTime: 25:01 - 35:00Description: Strategies for improving online visibility and creating a strong digital footprint.Data-Driven Marketing DecisionsTime: 35:01 - 45:00Description: Exploring how data can inform marketing strategies and improve campaign outcomes.Creative Strategies for Business GrowthTime: 45:01 - EndDescription: Buzz discusses the role of creativity in crafting compelling marketing messages and campaigns.Michael "Buzz" Buzinskihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbuzinski/https://www.linkedin.com/company/buzzworthymarketing/about/https://buzzworthy.biz/

Good morning and happy Wednesday! Our guest this morning is Mr. Timothy Watkins of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Today we will talk about disaster relief resources and available help locally here in Aurora and our surrounding counties. For more information on disaster assistance including requirements and eligibility, visit the website here: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance Let's get ready to learn, here's the news: - Get ready for the Super Heroes Luncheon! Wednesday, November 6th from 11:15 am to 1:00 pm our friends of CASA Kane County will host this fantastic event at Waubonsee Community College's Sugar Grove campus. The community will have the opportunity to learn more about the mission of CASA including how to volunteer, and also hear a powerful story from a guest speaker Josh Shipp. Tickets are available online. Visit the link here and be a superhero! https://casakanecounty.org/casa-events/superheroes-luncheon/ - Wednesday, October 30th join Family Focus for a fun family event! This will be the first trunk-ot-treat event at their new location and this event is free and open to the public. Everyone is invited! Come have fun with Family Focus! Have a great rest of the day! Good Morning Aurora will return with more news, weather and the very best of Aurora. Subscribe to the show on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/GoodMorningAuroraPodcast The second largest city's first daily news podcast is here. Tune in 5 days a week, Monday thru Friday to our FB Live from 9 am to 10 am. Make sure to like and subscribe to stay updated on all things Aurora. Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodmorningaurorailInstagram: goodmorningaurorail Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6dVweK5Zc4uPVQQ0Fp1vEP... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../good-morning.../id1513229463 Anchor: https://anchor.fm/goodmorningaurora ACTV (Aurora Community Television): https://www.aurora-il.org/309/Aurora-Community-TV #positivevibes #positiveenergy #auroradowntown #kanecountyil #genevail #localnews #saintcharlesil #northaurorail #aurorail #auroraillinois #cityofaurorail #auroramedia #auroranews #goodmorningaurora #news #dailynews #subscribe #talkshows #morningshow #wednesday #smallbusiness --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/goodmorningaurora/support

The conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. In this episode, host Janet Michael and co-host Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA dive into the importance of early planning for small businesses, particularly for festive events like Black Friday and the December holidays. Janet emphasizes that small businesses often get too caught up in daily operations and miss out on early preparations, leading to missed opportunities. Carl concurs, adding that many small businesses fail to recognize the need to start preparations well in advance to attract customers during peak seasons. They discuss the tendency of small businesses to underestimate consumer behavior patterns, noting that unlike small business owners, consumers do not always wait until the last minute for holiday shopping. Carl brings up an interesting point about bus tours and the older generation, who plan their shopping trips well in advance and are a lucrative market for unique, local products. The conversation then shifts to the Virginia 250th anniversary celebrations and the various opportunities it presents for small businesses and local communities. Carl reveals that there are federal funds and grants available for businesses to develop products and events tied to the celebrations. They emphasize the importance of communities collaborating to host events that can attract tourism and boost local economies. In the latter part of the episode, Janet touches upon the significance of self-promotion for small businesses. Many business owners shy away from nominating themselves for awards or promoting their community-driven efforts, which Carl believes is a missed opportunity. He explains that recognition through awards can generate free marketing and increase business. He reminds listeners that nominations are currently open for Small Business Person of the Year on the SBA website. Click here for details. Nominees from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam will compete for the title of the National Small Business Person of the Year, SBA's signature award. One from each will be selected. Nominees must demonstrate success in business as well as contributions to their local communities. Previous award winners include Superstition Meadery, Landmark Pest Management, Maui Brewing Company, Equator Coffee & Teas, Pacifica, and Missouri Star Quilt Company. The deadline for submission is December 5, 2024, at 4pm ET. National Small Business Week is May 4-10, 2025.  They talk extensively about data collection, especially the importance of tracking customer information such as zip codes. This data can provide valuable insights into where a business's customer base is located and help in targeted marketing efforts. Carl advises small businesses to utilize interns or marketing resources to analyze this data for better decision-making. They also discuss the value of having a dedicated website for a business, separate from social media accounts. While social media can be a powerful tool, a business website provides credibility and a platform for professional engagement. Wrapping up, the episode calls for small businesses to plan their marketing strategies well in advance and utilize all available resources for effective promotion. They encourage businesses to be proactive, leverage local tourism events, and not hesitate to seek recognition for their contributions to the community. To listen to more conversations in this series, visit: https://bit.ly/ValleyTodaySBA 

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 09.13.2024 Chris Pilkerton, Former Cabinet member and head of the US Small Business Administration, talks about his book “Plandemic: Covid, PPP & A Small Business Prescription for the Next Global Economic Crisis” https://twitter.com/cpilkerton https://www.amazon.com/Plandemic-Business-Prescription-Global-Economic/dp/B0DCN6LJTM   https://newstalkstl.com/  FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones    FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps    24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMS  RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 0:00 SEG 1 Vice Presidential debate predictions 18:35 SEG 2 Chris Pilkerton, Former Cabinet member and head of the US Small Business Administration, talks about his book “Plandemic: Covid, PPP & A Small Business Prescription for the Next Global Economic Crisis” https://twitter.com/cpilkerton https://www.amazon.com/Plandemic-Business-Prescription-Global-Economic/dp/B0DCN6LJTM 36:48 SEG 3 Boeing workers decide to strike https://newstalkstl.com/  FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones    FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps    24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMS  RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 09.13.2024 Chris Pilkerton, Former Cabinet member and head of the US Small Business Administration, talks about his book “Plandemic: Covid, PPP & A Small Business Prescription for the Next Global Economic Crisis” https://twitter.com/cpilkerton https://www.amazon.com/Plandemic-Business-Prescription-Global-Economic/dp/B0DCN6LJTM   https://newstalkstl.com/  FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones    FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps    24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMS  RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE TIM JONES AND CHRIS ARPS SHOW 0:00 SEG 1 Vice Presidential debate predictions 18:35 SEG 2 Chris Pilkerton, Former Cabinet member and head of the US Small Business Administration, talks about his book “Plandemic: Covid, PPP & A Small Business Prescription for the Next Global Economic Crisis” https://twitter.com/cpilkerton https://www.amazon.com/Plandemic-Business-Prescription-Global-Economic/dp/B0DCN6LJTM 36:48 SEG 3 Boeing workers decide to strike https://newstalkstl.com/  FOLLOW TIM - https://twitter.com/SpeakerTimJones    FOLLOW CHRIS - https://twitter.com/chris_arps    24/7 LIVESTREAM - http://bit.ly/NEWSTALKSTLSTREAMS  RUMBLE - https://rumble.com/NewsTalkSTL   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. In this episode, host Janet Michael and co-host Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA dive into the inspiring story of Amber Koehler, who has successfully run a secondhand store - Twice is Nice Consignment Boutique - for 13 years. She took over the struggling business, originally not well-received under previous owners, and transformed it into a beloved community staple. Amber's journey started with a passion for clothes and affordability, which evolved into a strong focus on sustainability. Amber shares the diverse history of her shop, highlighting its evolution from a strip mall consignment store to a location focused on women's clothing, fair trade, and locally made items. She talks about the introduction of fair trade items from countries like India, El Salvador, and Guatemala, and how she's able to offer these at affordable prices due to her long-term relationship with the Fair Trade Program. A significant aspect of Amber's business model is its community engagement. She discusses partnerships with local organizations such as the Laurel Center, Recovery Connection, and Froggy's Closet to support abused women, individuals recovering from substance abuse, and children in the foster care system. Amber's store provides a sense of normalcy and support through dedicated shopping programs for these clients. The conversation also delves into Amber's creation of sustainable, organic products under her brand The Greener Good. She emphasizes the use of natural ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, and the importance of sustainability in her business practices. Amber's dedication to the environment extends to her consignment model, where she avoids fast fashion and focuses on long-term relationships with customers and consignors. Amber discusses the challenges and successes of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, from community support with financial donations to adapting business operations. She highlights the importance of maintaining a personalized customer relationship, knowing clients by name, and understanding their needs and preferences. The episode wraps up with insights into the growing trend of sustainability among younger generations and the importance of community in small business success. Amber's story is a testament to the impact of passion, community focus, and sustainable practices in building a successful and loved business. Learn more on her website: https://www.twiceisniceshoppe.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. In this episode we travel to Nana's Blue Greenhouse for a chat with owners and flower farmers, Janel Louk and Rachel Butler.  Janel delves into the reality of flower farming, pointing out the 'dead things' are seed producers and the 'beauty of transitioning seasons.' She explains how the end of spring and beginning of summer impact their timing and planning, which is further complicated by unexpected weather conditions like droughts. We discuss the behind-the-scenes work that goes into flower farming, highlighting its labor-intensive nature and how it's often romanticized on social media. Rachel adds that viewers only see the 'picture-perfect' side, not the hard work and mud-caked boots involved. Janel shares the strategic planning required for weddings and other events, explaining the detailed process of selecting flowers that meet specific needs and timelines. This includes factoring in unpredictable elements like frosts and droughts. The group discusses collaborative efforts, emphasizing the importance of partnerships within the farming community. Janel notes the significant role of networking and forming connections to help sustain and grow their business. Rachel elaborates on their breeding program, explaining how they develop new flower varieties, particularly dahlias, and the meticulous process involved. This breeding program is a blend of science, art, and passion for unique and resilient flowers. They touch on educational aspects, with Rachel sharing insights about holistic practices, using plants for medicinal purposes, and the importance of bees and pollination methods. The discussion underscores the depth of knowledge required to run such a business and the ongoing learning curve. Janet wraps up by covering their upcoming plans like the Charm Bar + Wine Sale + Bouquet Bar at Woodstock Cafe on July 27, 2024, their appearances at the Strasburg Farmer's Market, and customized event offerings, reflecting on how the business adapts to trends without being overly reliant on them. Learn more about Nana's Blue Greenhouse on their website: https://nanasbluegreenhouse.com/ and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, AND YouTube.  To listen to my conversation with Janel & Rachel in August 2022, click here.  

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. In this episode we travel to the town of Mount Jackson to meet with Olivia Hilton, town manager along with several small businesses located there: Joe Proctor, Vice President & General Manager of Shenandoah Caverns, his daughter Ashley who is their Director of Events & Marketing, Tina Bowman, owner of Shenandoah Bowling Lanes, Taylor Allebaugh, owner of Wildflower Wellness Spa, Tasha Blu, owner of Rooted Beauty Collective, and Jada McClanahan, owner of Coffee to Grow. We explore a variety of topics centering on local business operations, tourism, and community development. Everyone exchanges ideas on how to leverage their unique offerings to attract more visitors and foster economic growth and collaboration. Carl to shares his enthusiasm for unique attractions like the local duck pin bowling alley, managed by Tina. Tina detailed the historic significance of her business, recognized as the oldest bowling alley in Virginia. She discussed challenges related to maintaining the aging equipment. The group explores solutions, including Carl's suggestion to involve local trade schools in reproducing hard-to-find parts using classic manufacturing techniques. Attention shifts to promoting tourism, with Carl emphasizing the potential of highlighting Mount Jackson's rich Native American history. Olivia shares plans for the 250th anniversary celebrations, discussing potential funding and marketing opportunities to support local attractions. Joe and Ashley describe Shenandoah Caverns' historical significance and detail their attractions, including American Celebrations on Parade and the Yellow Barn. They underscore how interconnected local businesses could benefit the community as a whole. Jada introduces her coffee shop, Coffee to Grow, which specializes in Costa Rican coffee and uses traditional brewing methods. She shares her journey from drinking commercial coffee to becoming passionate about more refined brewing techniques. Her shop also offers unique coffee flavors, such as chocolate banana and butter rum. Jada is in the process of introducing online ordering and shares her success with hosting community events, like book clubs and tea parties. Taylor details the offerings at Wildflower Wellness Spa, which include massages, nail services, and specialized treatments like hot stone massages, along with her traditional Native American massage training. Tasha discussed her business, Rooted Beauty Collective, which provides hair and makeup services, particularly for weddings - even traveling to meet brides wherever they need her service. They both highlighted how their businesses offer unique, high-quality services that attract both locals and visitors. The discussion then shifts to potential community events, with Olivia presenting the idea for Tater Fest, a quirky festival celebrating the local potato chip factory and other agricultural products. This event, scheduled for September 28, 2024, will feature unique activities like a potato salad contest and a couch potato 5K. The group collectively discussed other promotional strategies to make Mount Jackson more appealing to tourists, including a coffee trail. Our conversation showcases the rich tapestry of offerings in Mount Jackson, highlighting how cohesive efforts can significantly bolster local tourism and business prosperity.  

US Small Business Administration plans to unveil new government backed credit lines of up to $5 million for small businesses. This new lending product is aimed to increase access to simpler working capital lines to increase sales, support operations, and grow their businesses. Business owners interested in learning more and/or applying for the program should go to the SBA website at sba.gov

Kruser talks to Carl Dombek from the US Small Business Administration's Business Recovery Center and Bill Meck joins the show to talk about the largest collection of fossilized poop in hour 2.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carl Dombek from the US Small Business Administration's Business Recovery Center joins Kruser to talk about what they are doing to help those who were effected by the recent tornados to recover.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. In this episode we cover a variety of business topics including small businesses, manufacturing, community involvement, marketing, and trends in the business world.

This week's episode features guest Joe Whitten, CEO and co-founder of Apparel Impact, a family- and veteran-owned textile recycling organization in Hooksett, that was recently named Veteran-Owned Business of the Year by the NH district of the US Small Business Administration. The discussion touches upon Apparel Impact's mission to divert textile waste from landfills, how Joe's military background helped forge his entrepreneurial path, and the new "Team Impact" comic book that's helping the next generation better learn to recycle clothing.

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CONGRESSMAN:    https://www.boatingunited.org/take-action/congress-protect-boaters-speed-restrictions/?   Summary   In this conversation, Katie C. Sawyer and John DePersenaire discuss the proposed rule for the North Atlantic right whale situation and its implications for boaters and seaboard communities. They highlight the importance of speed for recreational fishermen and the economic impact of the proposed rule. They also emphasize the need for collaboration and the use of technology to address the issue. The regulatory process and timeline are also discussed. The conversation discusses the dual path process of rulemaking, with an interagency review and a public side. The role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is explained, along with the challenges of the public not being aware of any changes made to the rule. The formation and work of the Whale and Vessel Safety Task Force is highlighted. The current stage of the rule being in OIRA's hands is discussed, along with the strategy for the ongoing public comment period. The involvement of the Small Business Administration and the importance of a comprehensive approach are emphasized. The potential of recreational anglers as an untapped resource is mentioned, and a call to action is made to reach out to local congressmen and participate in the Boating United action alert.   Takeaways   The proposed rule for the North Atlantic right whale situation has significant implications for fishermen, including economic impact and access to fisheries. Speed is essential for fishermen to reach fishing grounds and maximize their trips, and the proposed rule would greatly restrict their ability to do so. Collaboration and the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence and marine electronics, can help reduce the risk of vessel strikes on whales. The regulatory process for the proposed rule involves public comments and review by various agencies, with the final decision taking into account economic impacts and other factors. The rulemaking process involves both an interagency review and a public side, with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) playing a key role. The public is not made aware of any changes made to the rule during the interagency review, creating uncertainty. The Whale and Vessel Safety Task Force is working on a comprehensive approach to reduce vessel strike risk and protect North Atlantic right whales. The current stage of the rule is in OIRA's hands, and there is an ongoing public comment period.a The involvement of the Small Business Administration and the need for a balanced approach that considers both industry needs and whale protection are important. Recreational anglers have the potential to contribute valuable information and technology to mitigate the risk of vessel strikes.   Transcript   Katie (01:42.718) What's up, you guys? Welcome to the Katie C. Sawyer podcast. I'm sitting down with John DePerson here today. John, tell us a little bit about yourself and who you are. John DePersenaire (02:26.149) Yeah, sure. Thank you, Katie. And thanks for having me on. So my name is John DePersonere and I'm the Director of Government Affairs. So that's a really broad title and it really encompasses a lot of different aspects of my portfolio of work. So obviously things like regulatory issues, government affairs issues, things that have to do with either regulatory or legislation that impacts us as a manufacturer in the marine industry, but also how our customers use the boats. So like fisheries management, that's all really important part of that. as well, but also then on the sustainability side, looking at things like efficiency, looking at our energy use, looking at our waste stream, all those sort of things, supporting efforts to support fish habitat and some other projects that we're doing. So it's a really broad scope of work and it's really, really interesting. Katie (03:23.458) That's awesome. That's a huge responsibility on your end. And like you said, broad. Before I started fishing, I was working, not even close, but I was working as director of environmental health and safety for an oil and gas company. And it's just like there's like this entire channel of products that you're supposed to manage. And you're like, I like this is so, so broad. But that's amazing. I'm really, really honored to be sitting with you here today. Thank you so much for giving your time. I really want to jump into what's going on. on right now with the North Atlantic right whale situation and the proposed rule that was set forth in August of 2022 and how that's affected us and what we can see moving forward. So can you just give us a little bit of a status on what's going on with the right whales and what the what rule was proposed as a reaction of that? John DePersenaire (04:17.536) Yeah, so, you know, this is an issue the industry has really been following carefully for the past year and a half now. And as you said, you know, this proposed rule came out in August of 2022, and it was driven by NOAA. So NOAA has a an office within it's called the Office of Protective Resources. And their job is to carry out and implement. the mandates of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. So with North Atlantic right whales, they are, there's no question that they are in pretty serious, dire concern in terms of a population size. And just, you know, recognizing the history of that species, it really was one of the targeted, most targeted species in commercial whaling for centuries, which really- drove down the population, but also imposed some sort of ecological constraints, which just made it much harder to rebuild when commercial whaling stops. So like when you fish a, or not even fish, but when you hunt a population down that low, you start to have genetic issues. And we see that like with, you know, upland hunting and things like that, you try to manage for a strong gene stock. And so that was one of the constraints. So that like, you know, if you look at reproductive output for North Atlantic right whales, it has been trailing off. And so it just makes it that much harder to rebuild. So they know the two main sources of mortality for North Atlantic right whales are entanglement with fishing gear, mostly lobster pots up in Massachusetts and North and also up in Canada where they spend their summers and vessel strikes. And so NOAA has been trying to... up with management measures that addressed those two sources of mortality. And so the rule that came out in August, that was directed towards the latter, that was directed towards reducing risk of vessel strikes. And what that did was it expanded upon an existing rule that was in place starting in 2008. And what it did was it dropped the size class of vessel that would be subject to vessel speed rules. It expanded the areas that would be subject to the seasonal management areas. John DePersenaire (06:39.036) And it also expanded the vessels. So it dropped it down from 65 and above down to 35 feet and above. And so what that really did was originally the 2008 rule was really focused more on the ocean-going vessels, so like the container ships, the tankers, some of those really high displacement, high tonnage boats. It also captured some of the recreational fleet as well. but the intent was really the bigger ocean growing vessels. And so this step now starts to bring in a massively different segment of the fleet now. And you're starting to bring in center consoles and a whole bunch of boats that have probably never even seen a North Atlantic right whale. And so this is all about reducing risk. And this is what is somewhat different than what we typically deal with fisheries management. Katie, I know you're really versed on highly migratory species, you know, and so a lot of times we're dealing with, you know, quota setting and, you know, really specific percent reductions, trying to get to a sustainable biomass and things like that. So we can tailor regulations based on that percent reduction we have to achieve. This is a little bit more nebulous in the sense that we don't actually have that number that we need to reduce risk by. And so that's a really challenging thing. for us to look at. And so we're just not versed in trying to figure out how we come up with a solution to that. And so when we first saw the rule, we're like, oh my God, this is gonna impact a vast number of boats. For a lot of people, it's gonna go into effect November 1st and last through the end of May. So those are really, really important times of year for up and down the coast now. I mean, as you know, like we have some of the best tuna fishing off of... New York and New Jersey now in November and December, which is crazy to think, but I mean, it's just, those are no longer months when people have their boat out of the water and up on the hard for the winter. It's, you know, we're fishing all the way through January. And so that becomes a real, real big impact. Also guys that move their boats from say our area down to South Florida in the fall, you know, they're gonna be subject to this. And so what, you know, typically is a... John DePersenaire (09:02.128) know, two, three day trip now becomes something massively different when you're going 10 knots. And so there's all sort of implications that we have to think about in terms of impacts of this. But one of our biggest criticisms was obviously, you know, a recreational boat hitting a North Atlantic right whale is an extremely rare instance. In fact, we have some third party analysis that really shows that it is like that one in a million chance. I mean, that really is numbers of boats and the numbers of strikes that are attributed to those boats under 65 feet. But the other thing that we were we were sort of upset about was that there was really no alternative in there that took into consideration technology, right? And so, you know, Katie, I know you've run boats for a long time and, you know, boats are constantly improving it. And so for, you know, every time you come out with a new model, it's always safer than the last model. And that's just a function of, you know, engineering, design, improvements in marine electronics. And so safety is just one of those key elements when you're building boats, you know, safety, efficiency, performance, amenities are sort of like the top four things, right? And so a big part of safety is collision avoidance. Like, and we don't want to hit anything that's on the water. I mean, you know, like, Katie (10:29.37) I think what a lot of people don't understand is that a vessel between 35-65 foot, if it hits a whale, we know and there's gonna be damage. There's gonna be significant damage to the vessel and like you said, potentially the safety of the people on board. That's a really good point. John DePersenaire (10:47.82) Yeah, so I mean, the point is, is that, you know, this is a space that, you know, we and other builders and the whole marine industry are constantly working on. It's not like we just heard about this rule and like, now let's figure out something to do here to not hit whales. Like this is just something we do and not to put it in a in-person way, but a North Atlantic right whale is just another object in the water that we do not want to hit. And we have been developing products over these years that allows us not to hit them at a reduced rate. So. We've been making progress on this and we were, it was unfortunate that there were no alternatives that kind of gave us credit for that or provided an opportunity to explore how technology can reduce risk. So, of course. Katie (11:31.502) I'm going to stop you right there before you go on because this is a great segue. The first thing I want to touch on is you said a couple things throughout that were interesting points. So from what I understand, correct me if I'm wrong, in 2008 there were speed reduction zones put in place in the Atlantic Northwest of the ocean, Atlantic Northwest, Northeast of the U.S. That always gets confusing for me. Where speed reduction zones for ships above 65 foot. length. Is that correct? John DePersenaire (12:03.6) That is correct. And most of those areas were around sort of the entrances to major courts. So like the approach to New York Harbor, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Cape Fear. Then there was also areas south of Cape Hatteras where there are seasonal nursing areas and calving areas. So like where the mother and the calf are spending a lot of time down there in the winter time. And they are vulnerable down there, there's no question. Katie (12:29.118) Yeah, for sure. And it's specific in areas where you see a lot of cargo ships coming through because it's significant to global trade and economy. Now, can you tell us a little bit about how, if there was any impact on our economy based on the speed reduction zones for vessels of that size? John DePersenaire (12:49.304) Yeah, I mean, you know, one thing that's been interesting about this rule is it sort of brought a lot of different sectors together that typically didn't work on, you know, issues together. And so one of those, well, a couple of those sectors were pilots, you know, fast ferries, the shipping interests, the ports, and, you know, so offshore wind, you know, they all have really big concerns and they... speculate it's going to have implications not only for their operational needs, but also you think about just getting product to shelves. Does that impact supply chain issues? Does that impact availability of products? Does that impact cost to the consumer? So all those sort of things are playing into this and they certainly have implications that are not discrete to recreational fishing and boating, this is something that would impact a significantly broad part of the maritime commerce in general. Katie (13:56.398) Mm-hmm. But, okay, let's talk about how you said it's difficult, I believe, I think you said that it's difficult to quantify the population of whales right now. Do we know how long it takes for them to reproduce and they have how many, they have one pup, I think it's a pup, right, a whale? I'm not sure, one baby, a calf, that's right. A calf at a time, correct? And every now and then too, but like you were saying, John DePersenaire (14:18.835) Cheers. Katie (14:27.912) significantly decreased base to overfishing or over harvesting. So in the past, way years ago. So I just want to like really clear up the blurry areas of the last 15 years of regulation to help protect these Atlantic right whales. Is that what you said? Is it the population's difficult to quantify? John DePersenaire (14:53.912) Well, it's not typically challenging to quantify it. And in fact, North Atlantic right whales are probably one of the most studied and monitored large marine mammal populations in the world. I mean, that's a fact. What I think difficult is that, again, we're not seeing reproductive output that would sort of get us to that number that they believe it needs to be at to be considered sustainable. And so, like, for example, I'm not a North Atlantic right whale biologist, so I don't know the exact numbers in terms of, you know, their gestation period and how, you know, their sort of calving cycle. But I do know from a management standpoint, the agency is sort of looking for 50 calves a year to, for many years to get the population to a sustainable level. And if you look at reproductive output over the past, you know, 10 years, I don't think we've gotten to 50 once, you know. So it's sort of underperforming and there's a lot of reasons for that. You know, genetic issues are one, the population size is small, so it's harder for them to communicate and find the mates. You know, there's things happening with climate change and their food source, you know, they're really dependent on copepods and, you know, they're not sort of like a humpback that can, you know, switch from, you know, herring to bunker to, you know, anchovy, you know, like, you know, they're really discreet feeders and they are really keyed in on copepods. And so their availability of copepods is somewhat changing and perhaps putting them in more areas where they're vulnerable to things like ship strikes. So there's a lot of challenges that are happening there. Katie (16:37.45) Yes, excellent answer. I love it. So what we're seeing is we're trying to, well, Noah put forth a rule, a proposed rule to try and limit the speed of vessels to help protect these whales, but there's lots of potential issues associated with that. Now you mentioned taking into... Now, you mentioned taking into account technology. Can you go on that a little bit for me? John DePersenaire (17:07.936) Yeah, so, you know, and I think it's important, maybe your audience, it's not really important, but yeah, I know for some people involved with this issue, this is important, and they don't quite understand this, that for us, speed is an essential element of our boats, right? Not only is it, you know, safer, you know, to run a boat when it's, you know, operating at a, you know, at the most optimal speed. But for us, we're not necessarily designed to be out in weather that a container ship can be out in. And so speed allows us to maximize on these weather windows of opportunity, right? And so if we are trying to get to fishing grounds and it takes us say two hours to get out there, we can conduct our trip and get back before that weather turns and makes it unsafe out there. If we are now forced to, you know, to have that two hour trip now become six hours to get out to wherever those grounds are, that could put us in a unsafe situation or we just canceled the trip altogether because the weather window was not big enough. So speed is one of those things and just everything about our vessels is designed around performance, speed and range. And that's really the only way recreational guys can access the fisheries. I mean, we are not... commercial fishermen where we can go out, you know, 10 days at a time and, you know, say goodbye to the family and say, Hey, I'm going marlin fishing. I'll be back in 10 days. Maybe some people can do that, but you know, it's a different, it's a different element for us, you know? And so speed is, is it's not something we can dismiss and say, well, you guys can just go slow and still carry on your way. Like it doesn't work that way. Speed is an essential element of our boats. Katie (18:42.37) Yeah. Katie (18:54.002) And why is it important for these fishermen to be able to get out to the fishing grounds instead of canceling their trip when there's weather? Like tell us about the economic benefits of that. John DePersenaire (19:02.964) Oh, I mean, yeah, I mean, so well, I mean, it's well, first of all, it's it drives a significant economic impact. I mean, so just from Viking standpoint, I mean, this is a really prime example. You know, we're the leader of the world leader in terms of building sport fish boats. You know, we produce the most in the world and our boats are really designed exactly to go far and fast and engage the highly migratory species. And so if you take away our ability to. to go fast and access the fish that our boats are designed to do. I mean, the value of that goes down significantly, you know. And so, you know, we have over 2,000 employees that are just building boats to go fast and offshore. I mean, that's exactly what we have a workforce that's doing every day, you know, and that includes electronics folks and everything. So the impact is it just cannot be understated more. And I think what was so alarming in Katie (19:49.055) locally. John DePersenaire (20:03.46) the proposed rule in terms of the cost benefit analysis that NOAA put together, they did not understand that trips would be canceled and people wouldn't even take trips under a 10 knot limit. And so yeah, and this is the other thing that's really important. So it's not like these areas are going to be really, you know, discrete like they were in 2008 and they were around just, you know, entrances to inlets and ports and things like that. know, in some cases, like in the Middle Atlantic, they're going offshore 90, 100 miles, you know, and so, you know, it's hard to imagine even going 20 or 30 miles at 10 knots in a recreational boat. I mean, it's just, it's hard to imagine that. And I just know that would just drive people not to do it. Their boats would come out, you know, December or October 31st, they wouldn't go back in until June 1st, and, you know, you're missing a massive amount of economic activity for that. Katie (20:42.614) No, it's... John DePersenaire (20:57.268) And also, I mean, you're really denying a lot of people access to fisheries. So, you know, I know you're a big, you know, HMS fisherman. And so that's one of those fisheries where only the public can only access that through a boat. Like, so the HMS permit that everyone gets that goes out in Marlin and tuna fishes, you know, that's assigned to a vessel. It's not like you can fish for them from shore. It's just illegal to do that, quite frankly, which is an interesting discussion all in itself. But. Katie (20:57.364) Yeah. Katie (21:21.751) Yeah. John DePersenaire (21:25.42) So you have to go out on either your own boat, your friend's boat, a charter boat, a headboat, you know? And so when you start to think about how this would impact those boats, you almost become, it almost becomes an obstacle for the public to access those fisheries, which are really economically valuable, sustainably managed and really good eating, you know, for some of them, not marlin, of course. Katie (21:47.074) Mm-hmm. Yep. No. Yeah. John DePersenaire (21:50.36) But you know what I mean, so it becomes this impediment for the public to access a well-managed resource. And I think that's like a really unintended consequence that they didn't quite think about when they put this into place. Katie (22:02.166) Right, definitely. Because, I mean, it's not just, like you said, it's not just all the jobs that would be at risk at Viking. It's all of these seaboard communities that depend on the tourism, that depend on people wanting to go offshore and go fishing recreationally. Didn't you tell me, John, that you did a impact study on one specific operation and the amount of economic loss that company would had was just exponential? What was that? John DePersenaire (22:30.188) Yeah, so that's a tour boat captain out of North Jersey. And his specialty is getting folks out, particularly in the fall, to chase striped bass and tuna. And he's built a great business on that. He's got several captains, quite a few mates. He's got three boats. And just looking at his operation between the times that this rule would be in effect between November 1st and the end of May. He was looking at losing 70 trips. And so that was roughly working out to $140,000 a year, just for him. And it's not just him as the owner operator, but his mates, the other captains that run that boat, the people that detail and service his boat, the people he buys the bait from. It's just that you talked about, yeah, the marina where, I mean, all that shoreside infrastructure that supports the recreational fishery and commercial fishery would be impacted. Katie (23:09.567) Yeah. Katie (23:17.226) The Marina. All the support. Katie (23:28.09) Yeah. And then you have situations like, for example, the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, where I mean, it's not really in the zone, but you have I'm sorry, not really in the time frame, but you have so many people coming to these communities and it's quantifiable millions of dollars being brought into these communities just so that people can be a part of the recreational fishing sector. Like, I mean, that's crazy. That's crazy to me. Hotels, restaurants, all of that Katie (23:57.904) really big in the northeast. So I find that interesting. I'd like to also touch a little bit on how we have... there seems to be like a big disconnect between what people are, how some people are dubbed environmentalists. It's kind of like a like a bad word sometimes in our industry, which is strange because in my mind, like I'm an environmentalist 100%. I have a master's degree in environmental science, you know, like I, I'm an environmentalist, but I love the ocean. I'm also a fisherman. And I think that there's like this stipulation between the parties other every single time. And for example, I think that a lot of people think that fishermen aren't conservationists, that fishermen don't love the ocean, but we're the ones that are spending our lives out on the ocean that want to share that with other people. And I think it's important to really highlight the fact that a lot of times you'll see polarization between the parties, but that involving different stakeholders is really important in making educated good benefit of the whale population. You touched on how this has brought together a lot of different stakeholders. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? John DePersenaire (25:18.348) Yeah, and that's a really good perspective. And so, you know, one of the things that when we saw the rule come out and sort of analyzed it, and, you know, we obviously knew it was gonna have impacts from an economic standpoint and an access standpoint. But we also knew that there was other ways of addressing this. Like, we just feel like we're too smart of an industry not to come up with another way of, or providing another tool to help with this issue. And so what we did was we pulled together a task force of experts in various different fields, from marine electronics to analyzing very high resolution satellite to artificial intelligence, processing thermal imagery and visual imagery, forward-facing sonar, modelers that work on crime analysis, but they can see an application here for managing whales, even friends at like, you know, ROFs, which, you know, I know a lot of your listeners are really familiar with, you know, they have a really interesting approach that, you know, they analyze sea conditions looking for marlin and tuna, but that same application can be used to figure out where we may want to focus management efforts for North Atlantic right whale. So all of this gives us the ability to start to think about how we could more... Katie (26:36.45) So cool. John DePersenaire (26:43.3) dynamically manage this and also have more nuanced approaches that are consistent with what we see in terms of differences of risk across vessel classes. So like what we may want to see for say an ocean going vessel, like a container ship, may not be the best approach for what we see on a 35 foot center console. You know, there's just the attributes of those vessels. It's just vastly different. there's safety concerns that, say the center console can take a base of action, whereas a container ship just, they're not at liberty to take action or slow down or any of those things. So the idea of this task force was really to look at ways that we could start to think about it on that more nuanced level. And also a big part of that was really putting an aggressive thought towards leveraging technology. And again, I... spoke before about how we're always building a safer boat every day. It's not like we build a less safe boat tomorrow. We're just constantly improving upon that. But what's really interesting about the task force is that we've put this really aggressive focus on marine mammals. So we've always been trying to avoid anything that's in the water. And now we've just sort of thought about how we can be more. narrowly focused to speed up acceleration for marine mammals. So for instance, we did a pilot project last December off the coast of New Jersey and we affixed, you know, so Viking, Atlantic Marine Electronics, working with a company, you know, so we put a FLIR on top of a commercial fishing boat out of Barnegotte Light, you know, and FLIR is something you're familiar with, you know, a lot of our boats have that, you know, it's nothing new, right? And so what was really knew about this was that the FLIR feed was being processed real time by an artificial intelligence algorithm. So it was able to, as that feed was coming in, it was able to classify a whale spout, you know, so its breath, it could pick that up, and also its body. And so it was a really fascinating exercise to see what is possible. And it wasn't perfect. John DePersenaire (29:04.056) But as you know, with AI, it's just, the training is what makes it so good. So the more these things are used, the more data we can throw at them. That's what's really going to spark this innovation. That's what's really going to accelerate this process. And I think what's so interesting about that is that it's coming from the private sector. So you talked about environmentalists. It's, I'm not dismissing any other industry, but we're really at the forefront of trying to find. pathways here to reduce our risk of hitting whales. And that's a really important thing. So one of the things that the task force asked for, you know, over a year and a half ago was for NOAA to convene a workshop and to pull all these various stakeholders together, you know, and figure out how we can collaborate. You know, what are people working on in all these different buckets that have to sort of be addressed and come together to create this overall bigger risk reduction approach. And so that workshop was finally convened last week. And I think it demonstrated a couple of things. First of all, I think it demonstrated that we are sincere. We're here to work. We're not starting from zero. And we've been focusing on this over the past 12 months. The other, I think, really important thing was that we're open to working with anyone. So this is sort of separate from the vessel speed rule in the sense that we're committing long term to doing our part in this issue. And so we are willing to work with anyone. If anyone has a project that they've been working on that has some relevance for this and there's some ability to assist or support what they're doing or bringing them on. And we can provide vessel time on one of our demo boats or something like that. We are open to working through this solution in good faith. And that's something I think was, I think our industry really demonstrated that. commitment to this and I was very impressed and really I was quite proud, you know, to show us, you know, the garments, the Navico's, the, you know, the fathoms, the roffs of the world to show up and say, yeah, what can we do? You know, let's roll up our sleeves. Let's think about this as a problem that we can all collectively contribute to and make some real progress towards. So it was great to see that. Katie (31:18.766) Yeah. That's awesome. I love, I got chicken skin. That's super cool. Um, congratulations. Can you give us like a timeline breakdown? A little idea on the regulatory side, how it looks, because this is where things get a little blurry for me, if I'm being honest. But the regulatory side, how it looks, you, um, they, they proposed a rule. Then the Whale and Vessel Safety Task Force, that's what it's called, right? That's the name for it? Was assembled. And tell me a little bit about the timeline. that has ensued since the rule was proposed and what has gone on y'all's end and on the government end. John DePersenaire (31:58.124) Okay, yeah, so like you said, the rule was introduced in August of 2022, and it's following, it's moving forward with the traditional federal rulemaking process. So it was open for public comments for, originally it was open for 30 days, believe it or not. And so one of the first things we did, I think the next day or the day after that, Viking put in a request for an extension for the public comment period, because we just. I mean, we knew immediately that this was the most consequential regulation that was ever going to impact our industry. Katie (32:32.35) I mean it's crazy. You already touched on the fact that like 10 knots is so slow. You guys, 10 knots you get like approximately 10 miles in one hour. That is so slow. That's what we go at night when we can't see anything. John DePersenaire (32:37.448) Right. John DePersenaire (32:43.02) Yeah. Right. Right. And so we knew we needed more time. So we put that request in. We got another 30 days. So the comment period was open for a total of 60 days. And so there was over 90,000 comments that were submitted from various interest groups. And we're very passionate about this issue, but there's also that other side that are very passionate about whale conservation, and rightfully John DePersenaire (33:17.368) we agree that we need to do something to help them. Absolutely we do. And so when that comment period closes, Noah is then charged with reviewing all those comments and responding to them. Not necessarily each individual comment per se, but the general themes of the comments. So there could have been say, 5,000 comments that were all sort of geared in one direction or. there may be 10,000 comments that came from an action alert or something like that. So they can respond to them as an aggregate, not necessarily each individual one. And so they look at those comments and they take them into consideration and they think about how they could perhaps modify the regulation. And so they can do a couple of things. They can, they can make modifications in response to those comments where they can do nothing and move forward with it. And so that's something that the public is not aware. And when, yeah, and so when federal rulemaking is taking place, in fact, the agency charged with putting forward that rule typically has, you know, is not able to talk about specifics in terms of modifications to what they may be considering or may have done in that rule. So it's sort of an unknown how this is sort of playing out. And so, but. Katie (34:13.95) It's behind closed doors. John DePersenaire (34:37.44) it has taken a much longer time. So originally when the rule came out in 2022, there was this sense, again, I talked about that really short public comment period, 30 days, but there was also this thought that they wanted to hurry this up and have it in place by November of 2022. And so we were like, oh my God, how can this dig? And so that was sort of the timeframe that the agency was initially pushing. And so as you can see, that's been Katie (34:55.77) Oh my gosh. Ah! John DePersenaire (35:07.068) significantly, significantly extended and not just because of the impacts to, you know, again, going back not to the impacts just to us, you're talking about, you know, national economy wide sort of impacts that have to be considered. And it wasn't just us that were submitting comments with concerns, it was the ports, it was the pilot associations, it was the shipping interests, it was the ferries, it was a whole host of people that make a living or their businesses tied to moving on the oceans. So it's a big deal. And so, so as you can see, we're much farther along than the original timeframe that no one wanted to get this done by. And so now we've just transitioned into this final step. And so some of you may have seen the first week of March, the rule went from the Department of Commerce, it went to a small office within the White House. It's called the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. And that's sort of this final analysis where they look at all the work that NOAA has done in developing the rule. They look at their cost benefit analysis, their modeling exercises, how they are looking at risk reduction, what alternatives they've put forward, the economic impacts. So they look at sort of all of that. And they also, even though they're not necessarily a political branch, they look at sort of the of the White House, they also try to mesh up what this rule could do in terms of some of the priorities of the administration. So, you know, things like, you know, how will this impact American jobs? How would it impact domestic manufacturing? How would this impact inflation? How would this impact supply chain issues? All sort of things that we've been talking about over the past few years. So that could come into play in this, because of course, when... Katie (36:55.158) macroscopic view. John DePersenaire (37:01.46) no one in the Office of Protected Resources put forward a rule, they're not necessarily in the position where they have to give so much weight to some of those bigger sort of impacts. They're really just, again, their mandate is really to put forward measures that seek to protect and rebuild an endangered species. And that's, so this sort of all comes together at this final stage. And there are opportunities for the public to weigh in. There's also opportunities for, you know, members of Congress and other people to weigh in this process. It's sort of a dual path project that happened in parallel. One is an interagency review, which is not open to the public. So that's where this office of OIRA will reach out to, say, Interior or Commerce, all these different departments within the federal government, and ask about their input and thoughts on the rule and how it would impact the the issues and the stakeholders that they're charged with dealing with. And then also there's this public side. So the members of the public actually can request a meeting with OIRA and then the final stage. Katie (38:12.882) OIRA is Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. And so when the rule got pushed to OIRA or given to OIRA, did it then become public knowledge or is it still all behind closed doors? We don't know what's going on after the comment period. John DePersenaire (38:17.68) That's right. John DePersenaire (38:29.26) Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's what's so challenging about this. Again, I said there is an opportunity for the public to weigh in and have a meeting, but when the rule advances, the public is not made aware if any changes have been made. So we understand that some changes were in consideration, but we don't know specifics or if they address all of our concerns. We have no idea. Katie (38:54.818) from that public comment period, way at the beginning. Wow, so all this time, it's been behind closed doors. We have no idea what's being discussed or if there have been any changes being made. We can speculate on what's being discussed, but if there have been any changes being made, and then it gets pushed over to OIRA, we still don't know, but there is an opening for public comment. When is that opening for public comment? Has it already happened? John DePersenaire (38:57.296) Correct. Yes. John DePersenaire (39:21.912) So it starts when the rule is forwarded to OIRA. So it's open now as of the odds of March. And we don't know exactly when that closes. So there's a bit of uncertainty in the speed at which a rule can stay or advance out of OIRA. And there's a couple different things that could happen here. One, OIRA could review this and say there are concerns. And we need to go back and come up with different, or not different, but add different alternatives, or add new ways of dealing with this issue. So thinking back to the original rule that came out, there was a whole bunch of support documentation that was with that. And one of those was the draft environmental assessment. And in that assessment, it included five different alternatives. but all of them were exclusively focused on vessel speed. There was no consideration of technology or any other ways of reducing risk of vessel strikes. And so one thing that could happen is that OIRA looks at this and says, the economic impacts are significant enough that we want to send this back to NOAA for them to consider alternatives that could utilize existing technology or technologies that could be developed. to help with this issue of reducing risk. So that's a pathway that could be beneficial for us, or it could just move forward as written. Again, we don't know exactly how it's been rewritten, but it could just move forward and become final. Katie (41:00.13) So tell me how the building or the assembling of the Whale and Vessel Safety Task Force has played a role in this process. John DePersenaire (41:15.168) Yeah, it's been a really interesting, and I'm so grateful to the members who agreed to sit on that task force, because I think it's unprecedented in the sense that we've seen such a diverse field of experts really sit down and commit to working on this. So the task force is just a, basically it's a think tank, you know? But it has all the key elements, right? So, you know, obviously we're looking at things like detection. We're thinking about how detection information makes it out to the fleet. You know, how that one, you know, how we want that to display on someone's multifunction display. We're thinking about how we can better model. So we're thinking about this in a really holistic way. And we're trying to address all these different sort of puzzle pieces that have to come together. to ultimately get information out to operators. Because that's a huge part of this and something that is just so, it's just missing from the current approach is that if we can get information out to operators, information that's timely and relevant, there is a significant benefit in that. And as you know, as an operator, like, you know, you don't wanna be bombarded with information that's not relevant, right? You know, because the last thing you want is, Katie (42:41.358) Oh god no. John DePersenaire (42:43.076) being, you know, having all these alerts going off, because after three or four, you're like, oh, that was for, you know, an area 100 miles south of me. Like you're going to turn it off or silence it, you know? And so one of the big things that we really have to focus on is getting the most relevant, important information out to operators when they're in an area where they need to get that information. And that's a key element that this task force and what the industry is working on. So as you know, like, Katie (42:47.85) Mm-hmm, you get me. Yeah. John DePersenaire (43:11.056) There is a ton of research institutions out there that have been doing incredible work on North Atlantic right whales and marine mammals in general, like just experts. Awesome, they do such good work. But that information and that work has not much use for us in its present form. There has to be this connection to the marine industry to bring it all together and then to have a positive response. And that's ultimately what we're trying to do. We're trying to give... operators information so they can make decisions about their trips and also how they can make decisions about reducing risk of hitting wells, right? And so that is the real critical element where the task force and our industry plays a role that sort of no one else can. Like we have to be at the table if we want to see this complete solution, so to speak, come together. Katie (43:49.196) Right. Katie (44:04.826) Yes, okay, I love it. So not only has it been, has since the public comment period has been behind closed, I'm sorry. So not only has everything been behind closed doors since the initial public comment period, but this task force has been assembling. And didn't you guys push to have a NOAA representative sit aboard the task force so that they can know what's going on? John DePersenaire (44:31.904) Yeah, no, and it's been a great asset for us and I think for Noah as well. So we meet with that liaison once a month. And you know, I think that's a great It's a great commitment showing that they're willing to engage with us and share information. And one of the things from this workshop that we're really keen on doing is continuing that sense of collaboration that we saw during the workshop. I mean, I think the majority of people went into that really with, you know, this willingness to sit and talk with anyone and really figure out how we can work together on this issue. And so That's something we really want to continue with NOAA moving forward. You know, again, we may have concerns with the rule, but we're in complete agreement that we want to reduce vessel strike risk. So we are in parallel with them on that effort if they're willing to work with us. And everything we've seen so far since the workshop has been great. And we want to continue that type of synergy that we think is really essential for this type of problem. Katie (45:40.758) Well, on behalf of the industry, I think it's absolutely incredible that you guys have not only like just sat back after public comment period, but taken all this initiative to, like you said, take a holistic approach on the issue and to come forth and provide a solution and to fight to make sure that no one knows exactly what's going on and to have a liaison there. I think that's awesome. So the rule right now is in OI-Rez hands. Is that is that correct? John DePersenaire (46:09.764) That's correct. Katie (46:10.672) So you mentioned there's another opportunity for public comment, which is happening right now. But you don't know what's being discussed in the rule or what's being proposed moving forward or what Oryrus is exactly seeing. So what's your strategy going into this public comment period? Because you can't say what you said in the initial one because that's just a waste of time, right? So what's your mindset there? Like how are we looking at that? John DePersenaire (46:39.372) Yeah, so. Our strategy going into this is, again, we don't know what the rule is, but I mean, I think from Viking's, I'm just going to speak just from Viking standpoint, you know, we have, you know, just over 20 different models of boats. All of them are over 35 feet, except for three. So I mean, the impact to us is really, really significant. And even if they were to say, increase that minimum threshold from 35 up to 40, it really doesn't do much. for us. So our argument really has not changed even if say the rule has changed as it's progressed on to O'Rei-Ry. And again, we're just speculating. We don't know exactly what they've done to that rule. But there's really a couple of things that we are going to bring to those meetings and how we're going to try to address this. There still are really significant modeling flaws. So this is something we talked about early on. Katie is that, you know, the way no one looks at vessels and the risk is associated with that vessel. Originally, it was those 35 foot and up all had the same sort of characteristics, right? So you think about displacement and draft depth, you know, they are just vastly different between a Panama X container ship and a 35 foot center console. And so one of the big criticisms is like, you know, if you're going to model risk, I mean, come to us, get the data, we can show you what a 35 foot center console drafts, right? And what it does at 10 knots and actually how that draft actually to step tall, it starts to decrease as you get up on plane. So we can show you all of that. And we don't think that they've taken enough steps to get to that level of specificity that would make sense from a management standpoint. So we still think that they are vastly, vastly. Katie (48:12.715) Open book. John DePersenaire (48:35.936) inflating risk of recreational boats because they haven't, at least as far as I know, they have not come to any of the manufacturers to get those vessel specs, which would be critical to put into that risk encounter model, which is driving a lot of this. So that's something we will continue to point out. The other thing is that we sort of do now have real impacts. So we've had a few orders that have not gone through because of the vessel speed rule. So... no longer is this theoretical in terms of what it could do to an industry like recreational fishing and boating or a boat builder like flaking. We now have demonstrable impacts and it's not just us and our workforce. You know, for that boat in particular that was canceled, you know, there's 28 different suppliers that we go to from engines to stabilization to electronics packages to... know, riggers, rott holders, coolers, fish box appliances, like the list is significant, you know. So again, we can start to demonstrate that their cost benefit analysis, which put this at three, roughly $3,000 per vessel per year, was just vastly underestimated because we now have, you know, we now have one example where we can just say, we can walk through, you know, the spec sheet, the bill sheet for that boat and say like, Katie (49:47.227) Oh my gosh. John DePersenaire (49:59.512) what we had to go back to those people and say, this order is not going through now, we're gonna need to cancel this PO. And so, and also wrapped up in that boat was roughly 13,000 labor hours. So that's a big hit for a workforce that is here to build boats. So that's really what we're going into, but obviously other groups will be going in talking about the safety aspects, talking about the privacy aspects, knowing that AIS, a safety tool. is now being used for enforcement. And that's a huge concern. Talking about just the public's access to the resources, you know, these well-managed fisheries, which we've worked all so hard to get rebuilt and well-managed, and now all of a sudden, we're not going to have access to them for up to seven months out of the year. So those are all key issues that, you know, we are going to be going into this OIRA phase really trying to drive home. And of course, you know, small businesses will be weighing in as well. The ferries, the charterboat guys that, you know, can demonstrate lost trips during these periods of time. All that is really, really critical in this stage. Katie (51:06.914) I want to ask you about the small business and the inter, I don't remember the lingo, but the intergovernment relations or branches. We'll get to that. But first I would like for you to tell me, please tell me a little bit about how they're proposing for AIS to be used for surveillance and why that's an issue. Tell us what AIS is. Start from the beginning. John DePersenaire (51:27.488) Yeah, so that is it. Yeah, so AIS is Automatic Information System. And so the easiest way to think about AIS is almost like air traffic control. So when you pull up like flight aware, you can see the flight number, all the aspects about that plane, what its heading is. And we have something very similar on the marine side. And the rules for vessels that are required to carry AIS generally broken down into two classes. One is class A, those are vessels that are over 65 foot and engaged in commercial activities. So they have both receiving and transmitting AIS. And what that means is that they are sending out a signal that gives it's, you know, the vessel's identification, what its classification is, its heading and its speed, I believe, and also its position. So you can... Katie (52:18.89) Yeah, speed, length, and bear, yeah. John DePersenaire (52:22.028) So, right, so if you pull up something like marine traffic, you can actually see where all those big MERSC ships are, are going and all the tugs and tows are going because that's a really important thing to know. Like if you go out and fish for, you know, giants in the mud hole and spring fog, you really want to know those boats are coming, right? So it's a huge safety tool. Boats that are under 65 feet or non-class A vessels include a lot of like, you know, Vikings and sport fish boats. And they're typically, Katie (52:40.096) Yeah, definitely. John DePersenaire (52:52.044) receive only. So they get the benefit of receiving that AIS signal, but they don't have to transmit their information. And so what's been happening over the past few years is that NOAA enforcement has been going into these data sets of AIS data and they've been retrospectively investigating boats and seeing where they may have exceeded some of the existing, again, remember, going back to 2008, there have been some areas that have been placed since then for both 65 foot and bigger. And what they've done is they've gone back and figured out, just calculated if they exceeded the speed limits. In a lot of cases, it's not even like, you know, it's a 10 knots. Two years. Yeah. Or, and in cases, some cases it's like, you know, not even like, you know, they're going 40 miles an hour in this, you know, 10 knot zone. They're going like 13 knots, like something that Katie (53:34.89) It's not even real time. It's like going back and looking and then... John DePersenaire (53:49.396) And you know, running boats, like depending on the sea, you can be, you can be going between bouncing between eight and 12 a lot of times, right? Even if you're just trying to spend the tide or you're navigating an inlet. And so. Katie (53:50.882) with the current, yeah. Katie (53:55.534) 12. Yeah? Mm-hmm. Katie (54:01.226) especially when you're looking at a ship of that magnitude and size. John DePersenaire (54:04.14) Yeah, and so that's what I think is one of the most concerning parts of the enforcement aspect of this is that they're taking a tool that has been designed for a navigational aid and a significant safety benefit and using it for enforcement. And the last thing we want people to do is to second guess themselves, turn that thing off and be like, it's just not worth the risk because it's not like these fines are like, you know, Katie (54:23.646) Stop using it. Mm-hmm. Nope. No. John DePersenaire (54:31.192) you know, $50 for like an undersized fish. I mean, these are, you know, pretty significant fines, upwards of $7,500 of violation. So it's not like it's insignificant. Katie (54:38.199) Yeah. Katie (54:41.87) Oh my gosh, so this kind of like makes me sick a little bit, but obviously we want people to follow the rules. We don't want cargo ships going 30 knots in a 10 knot zone, you know, for sure. But like in my personal experience, you guys like. the AIS system in the central, in the Pacific, I know this isn't what we're talking about, but I'm just saying in the Pacific there's no shipping lanes. So it's a very, very essential safety tool that both you can see the ship and know where they're heading and what direction and what speed, especially when it's two in the morning and there's no moon. And they can also see where you are and your speed if you're underway or not. And I mean, you have to have AIS. And looking at I don't have a lot of experience in the Northeast, but I do know that there is significant fog conditions and we already touched on the fact that there's like a lot of ship traffic and a lot of boat traffic because these are really big ports. And like John just said, I just have to reiterate this that no, we don't want vessels to be going too fast in these zones. But what we really do not want is for people, for humans to be turning off their AIS system be a like a sea that's pushing you a little bit further because you're trying to get out of a storm, whatever it might be, and turning their AIS off and putting themselves at risk. So yeah, no, there's a that's a that's a big issue. John DePersenaire (56:14.668) Yeah, and so like for the Northeast in particular, you know, like, you know, New York is now considered the busiest port in the U S you know, and so you can imagine all the vessels, you know, coming in and out of that approach. And you're exactly right. I mean, like say you're out fishing and you're hooked up, you know, say you've got a giant on, you know, you, you want to have your AIS on because as those, those big container ships are trucking through and there's no, you know, there may not be any speed restrictions out there. I mean, they'd be going 26 knots. Like you want them to see you. And so that's a really critical thing to keep our fleet safe. And the last thing we want is it to be used for something it wasn't intended to. And then people start to second guess that because they're concerned about enforcement or even just privacy issues. I mean, we're not considered a highly regulatory, highly regulated activity. And for some applications like the commercial shipping sector, yeah. I mean, that makes sense for them to be. Katie (57:00.982) Yeah. John DePersenaire (57:13.136) tracked and monitored. And I think it makes sense to use I.S. in that application for them. But like for the private citizen, it really doesn't. Like I think a lot of people will be upset if, you know, we just found out that like, say the FBI was tracking everyone's cell phone position. Like it's just, you know, we do have fourth amendment rights. Like you can't just have, you know, warrantless search, you know, and monitoring. Right. And so that's, this really comes into that element. You know, do our federal enforcement Katie (57:32.432) It's very 1984, big brother. John DePersenaire (57:41.768) agency is allowed to have access to that data without a warrant. I mean, that's a real serious privacy question that has to be answered, to be honest. Katie (57:50.23) Yeah. and especially with you guys working on potential technological advances and uses for tech to help mitigate this situation. Just the fact that you guys are working hard to give a different solution, I think is exceptional. Now, already we know how it worked with proposing the rule. We know you guys built a task force and are continuing to try and find a better solution, continuing to be involved in the government, even though it's all behind closed doors. And you told me the other day, I believe, that there is, you got involved a little bit with the small business office in the U.S. Can you tell me, I don't remember the lingo, I'm sorry, but can you tell me how that is a way to help benefit the situation as a whole despite the fact that you guys don't really have a say in what's going on the regulatory side? John DePersenaire (58:44.512) Yeah, so we had a roundtable discussion with the US Small Business Administration back in September of 2022. And it's really an interesting branch of the federal government. It's relatively small. But they have this one office, it's the advocate. And really what their charge is, is to make sure that small businesses in the country are not, you know, inordinately impacted by federal regulations, right? Or at least that the impacts are known if they move forward with a decision on that. And so during that round table discussion, there was representatives from our sector, the recreational fishing and boating sector, the ports, pilots, fast ferries, even seaplanes. I think there was a representative for the seaplanes there. So as you can imagine, it was everyone that had some stake or had some activity on the water that was important to them. And really what that ended up producing was a really strong letter from the Small Business Administration that was submitted to the federal record that pointed out that the industry was demonstrating that there were things that could have been considered in terms of reducing risk through technology. but they weren't considered in the rule. And so that was a really powerful statement. And so as this rule now goes on to OIRA and reflecting back upon those two pathways that happened in parallel there, that interagency review is not open to the public, but the Small Business Administration is involved with that interagency review. So... That is something where we have been sort of going back to them and providing them updated impacts. And so we've had some charter boat operators submit their statement, basically saying, I do X number of trips in this period of time. I sail from this port. This is what I charge for a trip. I'm a small business. I have four employees. I have two employees, whatever it is. And that's a real impact that the Small Business Administration, they can go back and John DePersenaire (01:00:58.42) submit that during the interagency review. So I think those are going to be really critical messages. And again, like the most important thing, I think, in this stage is bringing new information. The one thing that was hard about that public comment period, again, it was, it's hard to believe they're going to do it in 30 days, but even with 60 days, it was really hard to even get a lot of the economic impact information there, you know, and it just took more time for us to develop that and talk to the right people and get that all into place. So This is a good opportunity for us to bring that new information to the table because I think it's really compelling and it's really critical that they know about these impacts before they make a decision on this rule. Katie (01:01:41.49) Yeah, well said. Perfect. I love it. Besides the task force and the US Small Business Administration... You're gonna have to forgive me on that. What other... Have you guys been doing anything else in all your time you have? Or... I'm just kidding. John DePersenaire (01:01:53.477) I'm so happy to say it. John DePersenaire (01:01:59.556) Well, yeah, I mean, so, you know, listen, members of Congress, I mean, they're always concerned about, you know, constituents and impacts to, you know, their, their states and their districts that they represent. So this is a time where, yeah, if you ever thought about, if you thought more about how this would impact you, your business, your, maybe if it's even not a business, how it impacts your livelihood and your recreation, because that's a important thing, you know, reaching out to your member of Congress, letting them know, that member of Congress can then relay that message also through the interagency review. So they're allowed to engage in that as well. So all these sort of things are important. And again, the message is not that the hell with the North Atlantic right whale, you know, let it just run its course. What we're saying is that let's figure out how to come up with a really reasonable that acknowledges the needs of the industry, but also acknowledges that we have to do something for North Atlantic right wells. And we think there's that balance that can be struck there. And listen, we've, again, you've pointed out that task force several times. I mean, it's not just there on paper. We meet, we talk about this, we're doing pilot projects. The electronics folks are hard at work trying to figure out how this, get this all integrated onto a screen. So work is being done. It's not like we're just. pushing this off and saying, you know, we just want to go fast. You know, we are trying to come up with alternatives here that make a lot of sense. And so that's really what our message is at this final stage is all about. You know, we are working towards something that's going to have benefits for both the industry and. Katie (01:03:42.162) 100%. And not only that, but don't we feel like having a speed reduction zone for vessels 35 to 65 foot doesn't actually make a big difference on the right whales? John DePersenaire (01:03:58.124) Yeah, I mean, that's something that, yeah, we're not exactly sure it's going to have much benefit. This is one of the, you know, I talked about this earlier, but this is, again, it's all about reducing risk. And again, it's just a little bit of a foreign approach because, again, thinking back to fisheries, you know, we're typically given a status report of a stock, right? Say we're talking about bluefin tuna, for example. know, and say, all right, this is the stock status. It seems like we have to reduce fishing mortality by 25%. This is what that 25% reduction is going to do to our overall domestic quota. This is how we're going to implement regulations to achieve that 25% reduction in quota. This is a little different in the sense that they say we need to reduce risk of vessel strikes. We don't disagree with that, but we're not giving a clear objective. And so from an incremental progress standpoint, how do you even know if you're making progress. That's a real tricky thing. And so what was so interesting as we were trying to dive into the details to figure out a little bit more about this so we could help with our work and product development and all that sort of stuff, seeing if we're coming up with ideas that even had adequate effectiveness rates, what we found was that, what was so interesting is that in response to the 2008 Vessel Speed Rule, there was a reduction of vessel strikes. but there was actually no, they were not able to correlate that to the rule. So it's a really interesting modeling exercise and one that doesn't quite make sense. It seems like we need to figure out what was driving. Maybe it was a Vessel Speed, because I mean, I know when I think about a big shipping container, I mean, if that thing's going 15 knots or 10 knots and it hits a whale, I mean, I don't think the outlook is much different, to be honest. So... It just makes you really want to dive into the details and it really wants you to make sure that we're looking at this from a really comprehensive standpoint. Like we don't wanna just assume that risk from a 35 foot center console boat is detrimental to the stock. It may be and it may have a risk, but is that significant enough to take such significant action? Or are there other ways that we can go about? John DePersenaire (01:06:20.204) mitigatin

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. We met at GNC Online Auction's Winchester warehouse for an in-depth discussion about their business model and the dynamic between buyers, sellers, and the auction house. Felicia Hart & Scott Haines, owners of the auction house share experiences and anecdotes related to acquiring the auction business, its operational challenges, and the uniqueness of auctioned items. They explain the start of their venture, the pandemic's impact, the diverse range of items up for auction, and how these auctions connect people with unique and sometimes historical items. We delve into business strategies, customer engagement, and the broader implications of their work, like community involvement and environmental benefits. Throughout, Carl offers perspectives on the business model and suggestions for outreach and expansion, intertwining with discussions about the potential for education through auctioned items and the importance of community in the auction business. Learn more about GNC Online Auctions on their website: https://gnconlineauctions.com/ and follow them on Facebook. Click here to listen to other conversations in this small business series.  

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. We met at Winchester Brew Works to talk with Holly Redding, one of the co-founders of the brewery about their entrepreneurial journey. Holly tells of about the brewery's origin, challenges, and the community's involvement. Holly and her business partner Bonnie Landy, along with their husbands, transformed their home brewing passion into a business, overcoming initial hesitations and financial hurdles. Throughout our conversation she emphasizes the importance of community support, highlighted by a successful Kickstarter campaign, and share insights about adapting to business challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and construction issues. Our discussion also touches on the complexities of running a brewery, the competitive landscape, and the importance of aligning business ventures with personal passions. Various aspects of operating a brewery, from obtaining licenses to hosting events, are also covered.  Learn more about Winchester Brew Works by following them on Facebook.  

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. We met at Wellness 8 to talk with owner, Marie Imoh about her business and the challenges she faces. Marie shares her deep-seated passion and process of counseling people, molding family ties, and helping members of the community to function better in their personal and professional lives.  The discussion spans Marie's background, her military service, family life, her professional journey, and her involvement in the Winchester Public School system. Marie reveals her entrepreneurial journey, diving into the details of starting Wellness 8, a mental health counseling firm. Marie admits to struggles with balancing her role as a clinician and the operational demands of running a business, reinforcing that maintaining mental health is not just about providing emotional and behavioral support but also involves looking at nutrition, finance, and other aspects. She talks about the rewards of seeing families reunite and the need for continual education for clinicians. The discussion then evolves into a valuable business counseling session where Carl advises Marie about the vital need to delegate tasks, and sustain herself. He encourages her to establish appropriate boundaries to prevent burnout and offers support in maintaining a sustainable work-life balance and business operation in the future. Learn more about Wellness 8 on their website: https://wellness-8.org/ 

Have you ever wondered what drives a person to serve their community at the highest level of state government? Step inside the compelling journeys of Gabe Esparza and Wesley Harris, Democratic candidates in the North Carolina Treasurer race, whose stories are as rich as the policies they advocate for. Gabe's narrative is a testament to the American Dream, with immigrant roots leading to seismic shifts in public safety through Rapid SOS and fortifying small businesses via the US Small Business Administration. On the flip side, Wesley Harris brings a future-focused lens to the table, aiming to ensure North Carolina's financial resilience through sound investments and unwavering commitment to the state's credit rating.As we unpack the significance of these often-overlooked primary races, remember that your vote is the cornerstone of our communities. This episode isn't just a dialogue on candidates and their platforms; it's a clarion call to embrace our role as architects of democracy. By tuning in, you're not just listening—you're stepping up to the proverbial plate, ready to swing for the fences of informed citizenship and robust participation. Join the conversation, and let's collectively strengthen the heartbeat of our democracy in North Carolina and beyond.Gabe Esparza & Wesley HarrisNC Deep Dive's Voters' Guide for the 2024 Primary ElectionBallotpediaWRAL's Voters' GuideRaleigh News & Observer Voters' GuideINDY Week's Candidate QuestionnaireCampaign Finance Reports for All Candidate Committees Voter Information --Register to Vote --Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation) --Election Information --Election Day Voting FAQs--Absentee by Mail FAQs Closest Early Voting Locations February 15th-March 2ndW.E. Hunt Recreation Center in Holly SpringsHilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve2024 Primary Election Early Voting Bus Route Guide ELECTION DAY Tuesday, March 5th from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PMSupport the showAs always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.Now, let's dive in!

The US Small Business Administration facilitates a lot of small business loans all across the country. A small Upstate bank actually broke into the top 25 list of SBA lenders last year with more than $177 million in SBA loans. That's out of more than 1,500 banks nationwide. Mike Switzer interviews Beth Hallock, president of SBA lending at United Community Bank in Greenville, SC.

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley as well as offering advice and resources to all small businesses. My co-host for this monthly series is Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. We met at Daily Buzz Cafe in Middletown to talk with Chris Daniels, the owner and CEO. We discussed the cafe's history, business model, and the importance of innovation. He gave us an overview of his products which include coffee, bubble tea, kombucha, acai bowls, and specialty food items such as grilled cheese sandwiches. We discussed the value of locally roasting coffee and continually introducing unique product lines to meet customer expectations. Chris highlighted the role the cafe plays in community buzz and relationships with local businesses. Carl explained potential tax benefits for businesses centered on research and development and we talked about global tourism, food tourism, and grants that are available for small businesses to increase their marketing to those targets. Daily Buzz Cafe - Stephens City - is located next to the ABC Store in front of Martins. It offers indoor and outdoor dining at this location and a drive-thru. They are open 7am - 5pm Monday-Friday; and  ​7:30am - 5pm on Saturday & Sunday. Daily Buzz Cafe - Middletown - is located at the corner of the only traffic light in Middletown on Route 11 South (Main Street) in the former Route 11 Potato Chip Factory. Their coffee is roasted at this location and their kombucha is made here. They are open 7am - 5pm Monday-Friday; and ​7:30am - 5pm on Saturday & Sunday.  

In this inspiring video, join Eze Akinyemi on his remarkable journey of self-discovery and cultural connection. Eze, also known as the Visceral Connections Coach (VCC), is a passionate advocate for reconnecting African descendants to the culture embedded in their DNA. His nearly decade-long endeavor culminated in the creation of his heartfelt book, "Found My People." As Eze embarked on his first trip to Africa in 2013, visiting Nigeria and finally stepping foot on the hallowed Badagry beach, he experienced a truly visceral moment. Tears streaming down his face, he realized that he and his daughter were the first members of their family to return to African soil after being forcefully uprooted from the continent centuries ago. It was a profound revelation that ignited his mission to embrace his heritage. During his journey, Eze encountered native Nigerian Igbo and Yoruba people who recognized elements of their own culture within him. Through a DNA test, it was confirmed that Eze is a descendant of both the Igbo and Yoruba people, two of Nigeria's largest ethnic groups. Additionally, his mother's side revealed his connection to the Fante people of Ghana. To honor his heritage, Eze legally changed his name to reflect his rich ancestry. Beyond his passion for cultural reconnection, Eze is also dedicated to helping individuals and small businesses thrive. As a VCC and owner of a small to medium enterprise (SME), he brings his exceptional training skills to guide and inspire others. Eze's leadership abilities were recognized during his tenure as Chapter Chair for SCORE, a business counseling service under the US Small Business Administration. Through his innovative thinking and management style, he garnered national attention and achieved the esteemed status of "Chapter Chair Emeritus." Eze also served as a Small Business Development Center Board Advisor, further exemplifying his commitment to fostering entrepreneurial success. Join Eze Akinyemi on his transformative journey of discovering his roots, reconnecting with his heritage, and empowering others through cultural exploration. Prepare to be inspired and moved by his powerful story and unwavering dedication. Found My People | Find Your Tribe #ConnectingTheDisconnected #EzeAkinyemi #JourneyOfEze #Inspiration #Motivation #Innovation #ChangeMaker #Activist #SocialImpact #Empowerment #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Success #Entrepreneurship #CommunityBuilding #Technology #GlobalChange #MakingADifference #BreakBarriers #HumanRights

In this inspiring video, join Eze Akinyemi on his remarkable journey of self-discovery and cultural connection. Eze, also known as the Visceral Connections Coach (VCC), is a passionate advocate for reconnecting African descendants to the culture embedded in their DNA. His nearly decade-long endeavor culminated in the creation of his heartfelt book, "Found My People." As Eze embarked on his first trip to Africa in 2013, visiting Nigeria and finally stepping foot on the hallowed Badagry beach, he experienced a truly visceral moment. Tears streaming down his face, he realized that he and his daughter were the first members of their family to return to African soil after being forcefully uprooted from the continent centuries ago. It was a profound revelation that ignited his mission to embrace his heritage. During his journey, Eze encountered native Nigerian Igbo and Yoruba people who recognized elements of their own culture within him. Through a DNA test, it was confirmed that Eze is a descendant of both the Igbo and Yoruba people, two of Nigeria's largest ethnic groups. Additionally, his mother's side revealed his connection to the Fante people of Ghana. To honor his heritage, Eze legally changed his name to reflect his rich ancestry. Beyond his passion for cultural reconnection, Eze is also dedicated to helping individuals and small businesses thrive. As a VCC and owner of a small to medium enterprise (SME), he brings his exceptional training skills to guide and inspire others. Eze's leadership abilities were recognized during his tenure as Chapter Chair for SCORE, a business counseling service under the US Small Business Administration. Through his innovative thinking and management style, he garnered national attention and achieved the esteemed status of "Chapter Chair Emeritus." Eze also served as a Small Business Development Center Board Advisor, further exemplifying his commitment to fostering entrepreneurial success. Join Eze Akinyemi on his transformative journey of discovering his roots, reconnecting with his heritage, and empowering others through cultural exploration. Prepare to be inspired and moved by his powerful story and unwavering dedication. Found My People | Find Your Tribe #ConnectingTheDisconnected #EzeAkinyemi #JourneyOfEze #Inspiration #Motivation #Innovation #ChangeMaker #Activist #SocialImpact #Empowerment #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Success #Entrepreneurship #CommunityBuilding #Technology #GlobalChange #MakingADifference #BreakBarriers #HumanRights

Here's a festive treat for everyone! There's no better way to embrace the holiday season than by gathering with loved ones for a joyous feast or celebration. In the true spirit of the season, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be continuing my tradition of hosting a special Christmas Eve live event. Join me on YouTube Live this Friday, December 22nd, at 1 PM Eastern Time and 2 PM Atlantic Time for an unforgettable experience that's expected to last around 4 hours. We'll have engaging conversations with some special guests, reflecting on their 2023 experiences and offering insights into what the upcoming year may hold. Get ready for an afternoon filled with laughter, warmth, and anticipation for the adventures that lie ahead! Rocky Lalvani, Host of the Richer Soul and Profit Answer Man podcasts. Rocky coaches entrepreneurs to implement the Profit First system in their businesses. https://profitcomesfirst.com/ Mike Finger, a former business owner, business broker and consultant who helps business owners prepare their businesses for sale. Mike is also the co-host of my new show Your Exit Squad. I'm sure we'll be sharing some of the details of this program as season 1 is about to be released. https://www.ExitOasis.com https://www.YourExitSquad.com Henry Lopez, former car wash and suite salon owner and current co-working space and frozen yogurt shop owner will be visiting too. Henry is also a business coach and the host of the How of Business Podcast. https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/ Aaron Baer Providing Practical Legal Advice to Clients an entrepreneur first and a lawyer second - which allows him to tackle legal issues by putting himself in your shoes. https://www.rennoco.com/ Patrick Dichter has successfully executed a search for a CPA/Bookkeeping firm without being a CPA! He is now growing this company from being highly regional to a national service provider. https://www.appletreebusiness.com/ Lisa Forrest has over 30 years of experience writing loans under the US Small Business Administration's (SBA) loan programs.https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestlisa/ Mark Willis, from Lake Growth Financial. Mark is a channel sponsor and helps people secure his client's financial future with the Bank on Yourself system. https://www.NewBankingSolution.com Marc Mawhinney, Three-time business owner and business coach to coaches will be stopping in. Marc is the host of the Natural Born Coaches Podcast. https://www.naturalborncoaches.com/ Finally, I've got Rick Nicholson who will be visiting near the end. Rick has owned seven different food/coffee businesses over the years and is a Wizard of Ads partner with Roy H Williams' Austin, TX based organization. He's also appeared this past year as a live guest on the YouTube channel. https://wizardofads.org/ As a live event, if you can join us during the broadcast, you'll be able to post comments that I'll be able to see and so it could be quite interactive for us. If you can't make it and want to submit a question for me or any of the guests, just hit ‘reply' and send me a note right now. If you can't make it to the live broadcast, the recording will be available for you to see later and I'll put the audio on my regular podcast feeds as well. See you! Cheers David Barnett - Do Business with David using these incredible internet links... - David's Blog where you can find hundreds of free videos and articles, https://www.DavidCBarnett.com - Join David's email list so you never miss any new videos or important information or insights, https://www.DavidCBarnettList.com

Prepare for an episode teeming with insights and down-to-earth wisdom on "Give a Heck". Join Dwight and James I. Bond, a behavioral expert and author of Brain Glue: How Selling Becomes Much Easier By Making Your Ideas "Sticky". With 13 years leading a behavioral management firm in Southern California, James shares stories from his life journey, including his early days in advertising in Montreal. He also talks about his role as a workshop leader and past workshop chairman for the US Small Business Administration. The conversation focuses on how life experiences shape personal growth and emphasizes the importance of recognizing our past to serve humanity better.  In this episode, you'll learn about… Building California's Leading Behavioral Management Firm The Power of Emotional Selling Discovering 14 Brain Triggers Exploration in Marketing Unleashing the Potency of Metaphors: Marketing Insights Brain Glue: Capturing Attention and Making Ideas Stick in the Mind And so much more! About James I. Bond: James I. Bond is a highly regarded Marketing and Behavioral Management Specialist renowned for simplifying growth and sales strategies. With an impressive background, he served as the Workshop Chair for the U.S. Small Business Administration and ran a leading behavioral management firm in California for 13 years, working with notable clients like Amgen Biotech and Tenet Healthcare. Bond, who previously ran an ad agency in Canada, draws from his 30+ years of experience as a marketing consultant to businesses of all sizes. Famed investor Warren Buffett sought Bond's expertise to streamline operations at one of his companies, showcasing the impact of Bond's insights. His comprehensive knowledge and passion for helping businesses scale through simplified management and marketing make him a sought-after figure in the industry. Connect with James I. Bond on… Website: https://yesbrainglue.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/614052580089432 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesibond/ Connect with Dwight Heck! Website: https://giveaheck.com (Free Book Offer) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/give.a.heck Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwight.heck Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Giveaheck YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF0i LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwight-raymond-heck-65a90150/

James Bond has uncovered something about PERSUASION that's so profound, it's changing how thousands of people are now selling their ideas and products (including attendees of his sold-out workshops with the US Small Business Administration, and readers of my multi-award-winning book). For 35 years, James has been studying how ordinary products turned into blockbusters. Along the way, he uncovered a breakthrough -- something he calls BRAIN GLUE - that makes ideas "sticky" so they marinate to your prospect's brain like glue. This activates the emotional side of the brain, where decisions are made, making it much easier to get them to say YES to your ideas and buy your products. Jack Canfield, who sold 500 MILLION copies of his blockbuster Chicken Soup for the Soul series, says this about James' BRAIN GLUE book: “Mind-Blowing… Clearly, one of the most valuable persuasion books I have ever experienced.From the moment I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. I'm giving copies of this book to my entire team. This should be required reading for anyone in business. Frankly, if you're trying to impress or sell anyone and you don't know this, I believe you may have a massive disadvantage,” Order Brain Glue today at https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Glue-Selling-Becomes-Easier/dp/0998865753

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses as well as offering advice and resources to small businesses. My co-host today was Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. Joining Carl was Ti'Juana & Lawrence Gholson, owners of FamMat (Family Matters) Services based in Williamsburg. The couple was recently recognized during the 70th Anniversary celebration of the Small Business Administration. Ti'Juana & Lawrence told us how FamMat Services started and talked about the other businesses and community organizations that they're involved in. FamMat Services provides innovative supports, resources, and quality community services for people with intellectual and/or other developmental disabilities, and mental health issues to prevent and/or eliminate institutionalization. We learned why community is a priority for them both and they each gave advice for other business owners that included building your winning team, and focusing on your mental health. Learn more about the services they provide on their website: https://myfammat.com/  Carl encouraged small business owners to nominate themselves or a business they admire for the National Small Business Week Awards. The 2024 deadline for submission is December 7, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. ET. National award winners will be announced during National Small Business Week, April 28 – May 4, 2024.

"NABWIC Talks" proudly presents Peter C. Gibbs, a trailblazing leader with 32 years of service at the US Small Business Administration. As Former Director of the Office of Surety Guarantees (OSG), he managed a team across headquarters and regional offices, partnering with major Surety Companies to provide over $9 billion in annual surety bond credit to small businesses. With a legacy of success, Peter founded Foundation Surety & Insurance Solutions, committed to elevating small businesses, including underserved communities. Join us as we explore his journey from military service to entrepreneurship, shaping economic development, wealth creation, and job opportunities nationwide. Contact: Peter C. Gibbs | President & CEO | Foundation Surety & Insurance Solutions, LLC | 17000 Science Drive, Suite 106 | Bowie, MD 20715 |301-404-8826 mobile | 240-835-0865 Office  | Email: pgibbs@foundationsurety.com | https://www.foundationsurety.com/ | Email:  info@foundationsurety.com | SM: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundation-surety/ | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoundationSurety Favorite Book:  The Art of Innovation by Jonathan Littman ___________________________ NABWIC's Vision: The Vision of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC) is to build lasting strategic partnerships with first-rate organizations and individuals that will provide ground-breaking and innovative solutions for black women in construction and their respective communities.| NABWIC.ORG

Today's show is an absolute powerhouse of insights and inspiration as we sit down with the remarkable Raymond Jardine Jr., an incredible entrepreneur, leader, and military veteran. Raymond Jardine Jr., a true titan in the business world, sharing his extraordinary journey from a distinguished 33-year career in the Army to becoming the Chairman and CEO at Kina'ole Foundation. Notably, he recently earned the prestigious distinction of being named Second Runner-up for the US Small Business Administration's National Small Business Person of the Year Award. During his military tenure, Raymond showcased his unwavering dedication and commitment by serving in various capacities, from an enlisted soldier to retiring as a Colonel. His multifaceted experience equipped him with a wealth of leadership skills that he seamlessly transitioned into the world of entrepreneurship. Raymond's involvement extends beyond the boardroom. His outstanding business acumen is evident through a string of accolades including the Asian Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year, Pacific Edge Business Executive of the Year, SBA Small Business Person of the Year, SBA Veterans Small Business of the Year, SBA 8(a) Graduate Business of the Year, and SBA Veterans Business Champion, to name just a few. His dedication to community service is truly commendable, having received the Senator Daniel K. Inouye Leadership and Community Service Award, the Gordon H. Mansfield National Veterans Advocated award, and the FBI Director's Community Leadership award. Raymond's influence reaches far beyond the business realm, as he has served as an appointee to Presidents Bush and Obama, Secretary Shinseki of the VA, and Governors Abercrombie and Ige. Education is another corner of his impressive repertoire, with Raymond holding multiple degrees including a BA, MA, MSS, MBA, and Ph.D. These academic achievements mirror his continuous pursuit of excellence in all facets of his life. In this episode, we dive deep into Raymond's journey, his strategies for success in both business and life, and the invaluable insights he's gained from his incredible experiences. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a business leader, or someone who simply appreciates stories of triumph, Raymond Jardine Jr.'s interview is one you won't want to miss. So, join us as we unravel the layers of wisdom and inspiration this remarkable guest brings to the table. Let's welcome our next giant, Raymond Jardine Jr.

Brain Glue - How Selling Becomes Much Easier By Making Your Ideas "Sticky" by James I Bond https://amzn.to/3E5nflJ Welcome to BRAIN GLUE(TM), the secret to making your ideas "sticky" so they stick to your prospect's brain like glue, raising the persuasive power of your ads, emails, social media posts, and one-on-one presentations. Want an easier way to get people to buy your products and say YES to your ideas? Then you need to keep reading... People buy for emotional reasons. Yet "emotional selling" is missing from most marketing. That's why so many pros are now using BRAIN GLUE(TM) to boost the performance of their ads, emails, social media posts, and one-on-one presentations. Based on sold-out workshops at the US Small Business Administration, here's how top marketers turn ordinary products into blockbusters (with little or no cost)!

Lisa Forrest, Director of SearchFund Lending at Live Oak Bank. Live Oak is the biggest SBA lender in America. We will be discussing the much-anticipated new rules. I'm happy to have Lisa Forrest join me on a live broadcast. Lisa has over 30 years of experience writing loans under the US Small Business Administration's (SBA) loan programs. Email Lisa at lisa.forrest@liveoak.bank David C Barnett

Are you an advisor working with baby boomer business owner clients? According to the US Small Business Administration, there are 33.2 million small businesses in America representing 99.9% of all US businesses.  Obviously small businesses are a critical part of our local, state, and national economies. But what happens when someone who has spent their life building and growing their business decides they are finally ready to let go of the reins and do something different? How do privately held business owners prepare to eventually sell or exit their company? On this episode of the Wicked Pissah Podcast, we are joined by speaker, author and exit planning expert John Leonetti, Founder and CEO of Beacon Hill Equity Group and the International Exit Planning Association. We'll hear from John about what exit planning is and why business owners need it, why demand for exit planning continues to increase amongst baby boomer business owners, and how advisors can better engage with business owners to help them through what is both a financial and emotional process. You'll also hear a story from John about a recent transaction he facilitated that gave me goosebumps and helps support his claim that exit planning is the greatest work there is. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-leonetti-421b83a/ https://theiepa.com/ https://beaconhillequitygroup.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Exiting-Your-Business-Protecting-Wealth/dp/0692016228  

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses and offering advice and resources to small business owners. We talked about the Community Navigator Pilot Program with Martin Short, Lead Economic Development Specialist & Public Information Officer at the Virginia-Richmond District Office for the US Small Business Administration. Joining Martin was Chris Jones, Harrisonburg City Council Member to talk about one of their programs: B³. Martin explained how the CNPP works and talked about the various hubs and spokes that come together to serve the business community. Chris told us how the B³ program started and the impact it's having on black and brown-owned small businesses across Rockingham County. B³ is a holistic approach to growing Black and Brown Owned Businesses in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Additionally, B³ seeks to create a welcoming culture that will attract new black and brown-owned business ventures and will encourage increasing investment from our existing black and brown-owned businesses. B³ blends a combination of comprehensive business support including business plan development or improvement, marketing guidance, technical assistance, mini-grants, mentorship, and networking support. B³ utilizes a phased assistance approach, customized to the business's current stage and needs. B³ cohorts are launched every three months. B³ is open to any existing black and brown-owned business located in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County. The business must be at least 50% owned by a black or brown individual. B³ is open to any black or brown individual residing in and seeking to start a business in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County. In our area, Shenandoah Community Capital Fund is the Community Navigator Program of record. Learn more about them here: https://www.sccfva.org/ 

In this podcast, we cover - 1. Mental models for planning different ‘chapters' of your life & taking different ‘tours of duty'. 2. Lessons on networking and augmenting your leadership skills. 3. The art and science of navigating career transitions Anoop Prakash is currently President of the Ambulance Division at the REV Group Inc, a publicly-traded specialty vehicles manufacturer based in Brookfield, Wisconsin.  At REV, Anoop runs a manufacturing and distribution organization of 1500 people and four facilities, building a broad range of ambulances to precise customer specifications, serving federal government,  municipalities, and private ambulance service providers, both in the US and abroad.  Prior to REV Anoop spent 10 years with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, where he first led the company's market entry into India, the acquisition of the company's largest independent distributor in Canada, and, finally in the US market, leading US Marketing and US Dealer Development.   Prior to Harley-Davidson, Anoop had the opportunity to serve as a senior political appointee in the Administration of President George W. Bush, holding senior roles at both the US Small Business Administration and US Department of Housing & Urban Development.  Prior to his government service, he held strategy, business development and sales roles at two technology companies, and worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company, advising consumer and retail clients.  Immediately after graduating from Stanford, Anoop served for four years active-duty as an Intelligence Officer in the US Marine Corps.  Anoop also has an MBA from Harvard Business School.   In his free time, Anoop enjoys motorcycling, books on politics and policy, and travels with his wife Gita (also class of '95) and two daughters.  Anoop is Vice President of the Board for the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee, and leads the Wisconsin chapter of Leadership Now, a non-partisan organization of business leaders supporting democracy.   From his time as an Intelligence Officer, through to his current role as a Division President, Anoop has had to work either with or inside government organizations at every level and in multiple countries.  Anoop credits his broad exposure through Public Policy and concentration in International Policy as critical to his understanding and ability to bridge the two worlds of business and government.

Our next guest's story involves the Gulla Geechee culture, a rare disease, a passion for science and creating, a chemistry degree, and entrepreneurship. All of which recently resulted in her attaining the honor of being named the SC Female Small Business Person of the Year by the US Small Business Administration. Mike Switzer interviews Abenaa Moore, founder of Naturally Geechee in North Charleston, SC.

Today we are continuing our coverage of the recently announced Small Business Week awards from the US Small Business Administration. An Upstate chemical mixing and blending company was named the South Carolina Small Business Exporter of the Year. Mike Switzer interviews Joseph Wilson, Jr. is president and CEO of Toll Solutions in Duncan, SC.

Ever feel like your message is just not landing right? Like you're shouting into the void? Well, guess what? You're not alone. But don't worry, I've got your back. In this episode, we're gonna:- Crank up the emotional selling dial to make your ideas unforgettably sticky.- Play around with the magic of words. I'm talking rhymes, alliterations, - chiasmi - they're all tools to sway your audience.- Build a treasure trove of inspiration to serve as the bedrock for crafting irresistible brain glue.- Probe into the emotional triggers that supercharge persuasion techniques and catapult sales.- Realize the inescapable power of human connection in successful marketing and sales endeavors.Buckle up for a fantastic chat with James I. Bond, a titan in the realm of behavioral management and business marketing. James brings a boatload of experience from steering a behavioral management firm in Southern California and leading workshops for the US Small Business Administration. Oh, and did I mention he wrote the riveting book, "Brain Glue: How to Sell Easier by Making Your Ideas Sticky?" Tune in as James and Kendra Corman dive into the thrilling universe of emotional selling and reveal the secret sauce to making your ideas a permanent resident in your customers' minds.Things to bookmark from this episode:- Grab a copy of James I. Bond's page-turner, "Brain Glue: How to Sell Easier by Making Your Ideas Sticky." http://braingluebook.com/- Dig into emotional selling and weave it into your marketing blueprint.- Spice up your messaging with metaphors and analogies for that extra zing.- Rhymes and alliterations in your messaging? Absolutely, they keep things interesting!- Play around with chiasmus to craft unforgettable and powerful statements.- Try a dash of humor in your messaging. It gets oxytocin flowing in the brain and boosts the buying vibe. Looking to save time or get more information from AI?If you're just starting out with AI or looking to enhance your outputs, my book 'Mastering AI in Communications' is your essential guide. Whether you're a beginner or ready to take your skills to the next level, grab your free electronic copy or purchase it on Amazon right here!Amazon: https://a.co/d/bhblVcGFree e-version: https://courses.kendracorman.com/aibookDon't miss this opportunity to transform your approach and make AI your most powerful tool yet in saving time and improving efficiency!

The US Small Business Administration recently announced their annual awards. And our next guest was named the South Carolina Rural Small Business Person of the Year who has become known for his leather work aprons. Mike Switzer interviews Michael Williams, owner of Calavera Tool Works in Johns Island, SC.

Lisa Marie Platske is a dynamic entrepreneur, President of Upside Thinking, Inc., Owner of Summit Hills Farm, and a sought-after speaker. With a focus on leadership, connection, human behavior, and personal branding, Lisa Marie has coached and trained over 100,000 leaders, leaving an indelible impact on their success.For six years, Lisa Marie showcased her expertise as a contributor to Forbes.com, sharing valuable insights on leadership and success. She actively participates in the Women in Business board at Florida International University and serves on the Wisdom Council for the Evolutionary Business Council, collaborating with visionary leaders to drive positive change.Lisa Marie's exceptional contributions have earned recognition from esteemed institutions, including the White House, US Small Business Administration, and National Association of Female Executives. In 2015, she was honored as one of the top 100 women in the world making a difference. Upside Thinking, Inc., under Lisa Marie's leadership, was acknowledged as one of the 50 Most Admired Companies of 2022.In her captivating talks, Lisa Marie dives into the "7 Pillars of Leadership," equipping individuals with practical strategies to become influential and visionary leaders. Connect with her on social media through facebook.com/lisa.marie.platske and linkedin.com/lisa-marie-platske to access her exclusive offer and tap into a wealth of resources that will elevate your leadership journey.

Our next guest was recently named our state's Small Business Person of the Year by the US Small Business Administration. She earned this award by successfully operating and growing a gift shop in the Lowcountry. Mike Switzer interviews Jennifer Megliore, owner of ArtWare in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Our conversation today is part of an ongoing partnership with the US Small Business Administration highlighting small businesses as well as offering advice and resources to small businesses. My co-host today was Carl Knoblock, Virginia District Director for the SBA. Joining Carl was Tyrone Logan, CEO and Co-Founder of Obsidian Solutions Group. Obsidian Solutions Group is an analysis, systems integration and training company that focuses on national security. Tyrone has been named Virginia's – Richmond District ‘Small Business Person of the Year' by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Tyrone told us how his business started and the growth they've experienced - expanding recently into manufacturing. We talked about the role that SBA played in his business journey and he offered advice to other small business owners looking to start or grow their business. Carl talked about the changes in manufacturing with the advances in technology and explained that blue-collar jobs, once considered "dirty," are now "blue sky" clean jobs.  For more information about Obsidian Solutions Group, visit their website: https://obsidiansg.com/  For more information about the programs and resources available through the Small Business Administration, visit their website: https://www.sba.gov/ 

Every year during the first week of May, the US Small Business Administration names a national small business person of the year, as well as one for each state. At the same time, the agency hosts events that expose small businesses to new business strategies, networking opportunities, and educational sessions. This year, National Small Business Week is April 30-May 6. Mike Switzer interviews Gregg White, the SBA's district director for South Carolina.

A wonderfully popular past guest is coming back… Lisa Forrest, Director of SearchFund Lending at Live Oak Bank. I'm happy to have Lisa Forrest join me on a live broadcast. Lisa has over 30 years of experience writing loans under the US Small Business Administration's (SBA) loan programs. What is changing in 2023? Interest rates, seller expectations and more. What about the experience of many searchers post-closing? We'll ask Lisa. This is a ‘must see event' for anyone who is buying a business in the US and may want to take advantage of the different SBA loan programs. Reach Lisa at lisa.forrest@liveoak.bank or on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestlisa/ See you there! David C Barnett Thanks to our sponsors: Mark Willis of Lake Growth Financial Services. Build an equity asset that is guaranteed to grow over time, never lose value and give you access to liquidity whenever you need it without having to qualify for credit- EVER. Learn more and sign up for a no-obligation consultation at https://www.NewBankingSolution.com Look good. Get a new shirt from Jeff Alpaugh Customs and save with this link: https://www.JeffAlpaugh.com/dcb10 If you enjoyed this show and want more great small business content, head over to https://www.SMBPodcastNetwork.com and find more great shows and conversations.

Today on Professional Troublemaker, we are re-airing one of our most listened to episodes with the amazing Lisa Price, founder and president of Carol's Daughter.With $100, her own kitchen, and a determination to follow her dream, Lisa grew her beloved hobby of creating fragrances, creams, and oils into a multimillion-dollar beauty empire. In 1994, she founded Carol's Daughter, which is lovingly named for her mother. Initially, she started off with a handful of steady customers. Those numbers grew in leaps and bounds as women outside her neighborhood and circle of friends began to take notice.Lisa has been appointed as a member of the National Women's Business Council, an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the president, Congress, and the US Small Business Administration, on economic issues that face female business owners. She's a mentor, leader, and inspiration, and this is a conversation you won't want to miss.****CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTCarol's DaughterFollow Lisa on Instagram - @IAmLisaPriceCONNECT WITH LUVVIEFollow Luvvie on Instagram - @LuvvieGo to TEXTLUVVIE.com on your phone, and text PODCAST to join our Text Squad. Let Luvvie know who you'd like her to be in conversation with, or what topics you want her to do a deep dive on in a solo episode.ORDER LUVVIE'S BOOKS Pre-order RISING TROUBLEMAKER: A Fear-Fighter Manual for TeensOrder PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER: The Fear-Fighter Manual (NYTimes bestseller) at ProfessionalTroublemakerBook.com