What's Working With Cam Marston

Live Oak Bank is a completely virtual bank. Megan Owens serves as one of the bank's M&A experts and her expertise allows her to serve the bank anywhere in the nation where M&A expertise is needed. Need banking expertise for your veteranarian clinic, for example? Your Live Oak expert may as likely be local as from anywhere in the US but they will have deep, deep expertise in the veteranarian business. And that's one example from the 30+ verticles where Live Oak aims to expertly serve clients. It's a brilliant model.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors

Ben Strout thought "there has to be a better way." As a home remodeling contractor, the frantic rush between roof removal and building the new one often leads to hurried work and - worse - rain ruining the house interior. He's designed a patent-pending system that allows the new roof to go up first, then frame the interior of the addition, and the final step it to remove the old roof and add stairs from underneath. It's a game changer. (This episode is a monthly collaboration with Business Alabama Magazine.) Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors

Be Visionary is Marty Strong's new book. In his consulting he found challenges with CEOs who worked to optimize their organizations but did it at the cost of being strategic. Marty says our society's drive towards short term goals often cause busiensses to suffer long term since little effort is put into building a vision and a strategy to achieve it. Marty is a great interview and his background as a Navy SEAL plays into our conversation.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Roy Lewis Construction Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty

Patrick Werrlein said his company could not have won this award six years ago. The company culture needed a big overhaul. He's president and owner of a Swagelok sales and service center in Birmingham, Alabama. Once he got the right team together and became clear about "who we are and what we do," he went to work on the culture. The strategy? Simple, says Patrick - empathy, care, concern, spontaneity and some fun. Patrick offers a list of tactics that any business leader can apply. Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Service Corp Roy Lewis Construction

Mel Washington is Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of South Alabama. He coaches and consults and guides small businesses as they work to become stable, viable businesses. He and I discuss what it takes to get started and where many errors are made by small business owners. If you're thinking of becoming and entrepreneur, this episode offers simple recipees that will mitigate your failure risk. If you're trying to grow to the next level, this episode offers thoughts for how to target the next level and how to pursue it. Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors

Buddy Persons has never seen as much property damage from a hurricane than what he saw in south Florida after Hurrican Ian. He was there representing the disaster recovery division of Persons Services Corp, of the several divisions of his company. Buddy's background includes such work in Haiti, Albania and Hondurus to name but a few. The company began years ago with his father's plumbing business and Buddy has grown it tremendously. Hear his remarkable story and meet this humble entrepreneur. Show Sponsors: Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Persons Services Corp Roy Lewis Construction  

It's a fun experience being on the other side of the mic early Saturday morning for Tony Truitt's News Radio show out of Birmingham. It was a quick chat in which he asked me to tell a bit of the story of my show. 

All the talk of recession pushed me to reach out to friend of the show Peter Ricchiuti to get his take on things. Always a very entertaining guest, Peter gives us a sense of what to focus on, what "tea leaves" he's reading, and perhaps most importantly, he tells us what the businesses he and his students study do when recession looms on the horizon. The businesses are a part of Burkenroad Reports which has brought him and his classes wonderful acclaim over the years. Want predictions for the economy in the new year? Start here.  Show Sponsors: E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction

Lauren Weber left LA for LA (lower Alabama). She had a hunch this stretch of the Gulf Coast was home to some great stories that needed to be told. After renting a car in Pensacola, she eventually made her way to Fairhope looked around, and parked the car. Fairhope would become her new home. She relocated her production company, Tremont Road, to town, started meeting people, and eventually made a concept pitch based on what she saw to a well known streaming service. They bought it immediately. Today Lauren is finalizing the show, filming in Fairhope and shuttling to the other LA to work on editing. It's "scripted reality TV" featuring women of various ages in various stages of relationships to begin streaming in the fall. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Bud-Busch Distribution Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction

Troy knew nothing of coffee when he heard a call from the Lord, obeyed, and now serves the homeless in Birmingham through his Modern House Coffee Shop (www.CoffeeAndCommunity.com). He employs them at the coffee shop and the profits go to support the homeless in the area. Troy is another example of someone who was guided by a higher power and is finding success much easier now that he's doing was he was told to do. His growth plans include roasting his own coffee in the very near future. Troy is motived, is motivational, and is a great story for the final What's Working episode of 2022. Show Sponsors: The Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor E3 Termite & Pest Control Persons Services Corps Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corps Bud-Busch Distribution Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors United Bank Roy Lewis Construction Get The Tea

Jim Cox is a regular visitor to the show this time of year, bringing wine for us to tase (not drink, it's a subtle but real difference) and discuss. He and his wife own Southern Napa Wine Store in Daphne, Alabama. Jim and I discuss the new popular wines that have emerged over the year (sauvignon blanc) and the soaring prices of Napa cabernets as well as some new "mocktail" mixes that are actually verty tasty - good news for the designated drivers and teetotalers. Jim is always a fun and loquacious guest. This is another of my favorite guests that come back each December. Cheers! Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Get The Tea E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Burr Forman Attorneys Persons Services Corp Roy Lewis Construction Bud-Busch Distribution

Gabriella Saab knocked my socks off with her first book, The Last Checkmate. It was fantastic. Her second book arrives mid-January called Daughters of Victory. Another historical fiction novel, this one is set during the Bolshevik revoltuion and travels in time through to the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union. The books are meticulously researched and Gabriella will always feature a female protagonist. I catch up with her as a part of my December reconnects with previous guests. Buy The Last Checkmate.  Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Get The Tea Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp Burr Forman Attorneys United Bank Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors  Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control Bud-Busch Distribution  

Fairhope, Alabama has lots to brag about. The biggest is that it's the home of Bill-E's Bacon. It's the best bacon in the world. Bill-E Stitt and I sit down to check in on how his business is growing since I first met him a while back. He's now shipping bacon all over the country and the country's top chefs are using his bacon in their masterpiece dishes. His is a story of fantastic growth with new opportunities arriving every day. Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Show Sponsor E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Bud-Busch Distribution Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Burr Forman Attorneys Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Get The Tea

Dr Jim Purcell is Alabama's Commissioner on Higher Education. Each year the state's colleges and universities send students into the workplace and too many of them find work outside the state. Dr Purcell is trying to get them to stay. Alabama has the jobs available and needs the talent. Additionally, Dr Purcell is working to lure those with roots in the state back to Alabama through targeted campaigns. He fights historic deep-south stereotypes as well as the reputation of low pay. Listen as he explains the challenge, highlights the opportunities, and discusses his strategy. This broadcast is in collaboration with Business Alabama magazine.  Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor E3 Termite & Pest Control Persons Services Corps Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors United Bank Burr Forman Attorneys Roy Lewis Construction Get The Tea Bud-Busch Distribution Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty  

When I first interviewed Lane several years ago he had about 600,000 oysters growing at his oyster farm in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Today it's about 30 million. His distribution is now far and wide but he's still going through the back doors of restaurants, shucking his oysters for the chefs, and taking their orders when they're surprised to learn these tasty delights orginate in the Gulf. Lane's kindness, generosity and optimism stands out each time I speak to him and I learn that it springs from a wound that, Lane says, he hopes never heals. Check out the Oyster Cook-Off presented by Murder Point on November 19th. (Very cool Murder Point Video!) Thanks to Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corps Burr Forman Attorneys United Bank Bud-Busch Distribution Get The Tea  

Justin Patton leads Auburn's RFID team and has participated in most of the seminal business case research for RFID in the United States for retailers. His client list is full of national retail brands and major manufactorers. The technology is everywhere, from embedded in the tag the airline puts on your luggage to the wristband you wear at a theme park. This tech is changing the way companies interact with their customers - from spending hours and hours counting inventory and finding things to letting the tech do it (better) and return to serving the customer.  Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Show Sponsor Roy Lewis Construction Angelo DePaola - Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors United Bank Burr Forman Attorneys Persons Services Corps Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Bud-Busch Distributing Get The Tea

James Lomax manages boatloads of office space in and around Huntsville. He tells me who is returing to tradiational office environments and why, who is not, and how some companies are changing their office design to lure employees back. I then talk with friends of What's Working Johnny Gwinn and Stacy Wellborn who are part owners of a co-working space in Mobile called The Container Yard about the surge of interest in their space since Covid has let up.  Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corps Burr Forman Attorneys United Bank Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Bud-Busch Distribution Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control

Buddy & Nikki Cummings have grown and sold several businesses of their own and put them in position for an early retirement if they wanted. Instead, they keep at it, getting involved with business that catch their eye and coaching entrepreneurs to grow and spread their own businesses. Theirs is an infectious energy and their lessons come from their own successes and mistakes, not business school texts. Common business problems addressed in common-sense, simple ways.  Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corps Burr Forman Attorneys United Bank Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Bud-Busch Distribution Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control 

The commercial aviation industry faces a wave of retirements soon and needs new blood. Auburn University has trained college students to become pilots for many years and today their program is bursting with undergraduates eager to help fill these soon to be vacated airline cockpits. Professors James Birdsong and Jim Witte run the Auburn University School of Aviation. Students graduate with a pilot's license and are well on their way to the needed flight hours to begin their careers with a major airline.  This episode is in collaboration with Business Alabama magazine.  Thanks to Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corps Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Burr Forman Attorneys United Bank E3 Termite and Pest Control Bud-Busch Distribution  

Ellen Douglas Alves sat with my family at a delicate point in the care for my now deceased mother and calmy offered insight and options to a family nearly paralyzed with sadness. She's part of a growing cadré of geriatric care managers who assist families who have very difficult decisions to make - love for a sick person, limited financial resources, lack of knowledge of options, the list goes on. With a rapidly aging society, demands for geriatric care managers are expected to soar. Meet Ellen Douglas, learn about her role as a "professional relative," and why you may need to reach out to someone like her some day.   Thanks to Show Sponsors: The Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) Burr Forman Attorneys Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Bud-Busch Distribution United Bank Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction