What's Working With Cam Marston

Kate Teague is committed to making music. She can't help it; it's what she does. She lives in the hyper-comptitive music scene of Nashville where every street corner has an aspiring musician or singer-songwriter trying to get noticed and make it big. Kate is doing the things necessary for her career to catch on fire, from performing to writing to shooting music videos (featuring her non-actor father in a role to save money) to keeping a regular job to pay the bills. How does one get the attention in the Nashville music scene? You'll enjoy hearing Kate tell us and how struggling musicians find a way to survive and, just maybe, earn a buck or two.  See Kate's videos: "Actor" "Poison Mind" Kate's music library is here on Spotify. Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent First Horizon Bank's "Bucket List-ening" Podcast Seth Cherniak- Jeffrey Matthews Financial Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - The Coa

Friend of What's Working, Brent Barkin, is back to update us on his journey. After selling the family business about sixteen months ago, Brent had the luxury to spend time and consider his next move. Not ready to stop working, Brent evaluated what he liked doing and what he was good at and made his decision. Hear how he assessed his talent and made his choices and what lessons you and I can take from his journey.  Show Sponsors: E3 Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction First Horizon Bank's "Bucket List-ening" podcast Seth Cherniak - Jeffrey Matthews Financial Buy What Works: The Ten Best Ideas from the First Two Hundred Episodes at Amazon.com. 

It's simple. To do anything you must begin. Joe Calloway understands that one of the many barriers to success for an entrepreneur or any business leader is simply to get started. To begin. We can create lists of reasons to delay, to wait, to push off till tomorrow. Success, however, starts no other way than to begin. Meet Joe Calloway. Hear his enthusiasm. Let it take hold. And lets all...begin. Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty First Horizon Bank's "Bucket List-ening" Podcast E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corp Seth Cherniak - Jeffrey Matthews Financial Find my book outlining the ten best ideas through the first 200 episodes of "What's Working," called What Works, at Amazon.com. 

AI is changing everything it touches. Why not supply chains and logistics, too? Shashank Rao leads teams of students working with companies to combine the two in unique ways. Shashank gives me some insights into the projects they're working on and what the results have been and how AI will continue to impact logistics. It's fascinating stuff to an outsider like me. To Shashank and his team, though, it's just another day at work. Shashank, by the way, is the Jim W. Thompson Professor at the Department of Supply Chain Management at Auburn's Harbert College of Business. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp First Horizon Bank's "Bucket List-ening" Podcast Seth Cherniak - Jeffrey Matthews Financial Buy my book What Works - The Ten Best Ideas from the First 200 Episodes on Amazon.com. 

Not being beholden to tradition or industry norms has helped Joey Mason make Mason Hills Farms a premium provider of beef for the discerning consumer. His cattle are grass fed and grain finished on his own farm near Grand Bay, Alabama. Never farming before, Joey has learned the business from the ground up, from how to prepare the cattle to how to process and package them to retain the best flavor in the meat. He's now selling it direct to the consumer and is adding a line of ready to cook burgers. And with the scraps? A premium dog food. Joey (like his cattle!) is all in. Show Sponsors: First Horizon Bank's "Bucket List-ening" podcast Seth Cherniak of Jeffrey Matthews Financial E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Roy Lewis Construction Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Buy What Works - The Best Ideas from the First 200 Episodes on Amazon.com. 

A circuitous route delivered Hastings Read from England to Mobile, Alabama where he learned custom woodworking after a successful career in management consulting. Today he leads the team at Oakleigh Custom Woodworks as they build beautiful doors, windows, and shutters, employing a team a craftsmen who take great pride in their work. Deadlines matter but the work of a craftsman should not be rushed. Hastings details his story, how he's applying his lessons as a consultant to his own small business, and how he leads a small team that builds exquisite products. Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent First Horizon's "Bucket List-ening" Podcast Seth Cherniak - Jeffrey Matthews Financial Persons Services Corp Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Find my book, What Works, at Amazon.com. 

If you buy commercial insurance you've certainly noticed the rate increases. Brian Tanner is Managing Principal at EPIC Insurance's Birmingham, Alabama office and is our monthly Business Alabama magazine deep dive interview. He explains why rates are up, how AI is making creative crooks more clever, and why the art of cold calling is not dead. Brian is high energy and this interview is a thrill.  Enjoy. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp First Horizon's "Bucket List-ening" Podcast Seth Cherniak - Jeffrey Matthews Financial Find What Works for sale at Amazon.com.     

Foodservice is typically full of high turnover. Unless you work for PP Hospitality Group. Panini Pete and his sister, Cheryl Blohme, have created a rapidly growing organizaiton due, in part, by their ability to find and keep good people in jobs typified by high turnover. Pete and Cheryl and their leadership team have figured something out. It begins with Pete, Cheryl, and the leadership team living and breathing and acting out the culture they preach. No one can deny they don't mean it or that their culture is just words on paper. It's evident to the customers and, most importantly, to the employees. Learn how they do it and what it could mean for your workplace. Show Sponsors Seth Cherniak - Jeffrey Matthews Financial First Horizon Bank's "Bucket Listening" podcast E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Buy What Works on Amazon.com. 

There is a big difference between a skills shortage and a labor shortage. Employers used to worry about lack of applicable skills. Today employers just need people with some of the skills demanded. Elizabeth Crofoot is an economist with Lightcast. Based in DC, Elizabeth knows how to mine the data our Federal Government provides and "read the tea leaves." She and I talk about the tops skills employers are searching for today, how these skills are becoming "disruptive skills" and how workplace leadership is needing to change to accomodate these new skill demands.  Show Sponsors E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Seth Cherniak & Jeffrey Matthews Financial Roy Lewis Construction Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty "Bucket List-ening" by First Horizon Bank Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Find What Works on Amazon.com. 

There are basics to marketing your business. Before business owners get into the weeds of fancy marketing tactics, they need to make sure the basics are covered. Gayle Rogers of The Atomic Agency works with owners of new businesses as well as business veterans to make sure the fundamentals are well taken care of before anything sophiticated can begin. Hear Gayle's advice for what bases you need to make sure are covered. Click here to get the Checklist Gayle offers listeners. Show Sponsors: First Horizon Bank's "Bucket Listening" Podcast Seth Cherniak & Jeffrey Matthews Financial E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Find my book, What Works, at Amazon.com. 

Sports Tourism draws athletes and their families from hundreds of miles to destinations where they can compete. Joel Lamp is the Sports Manager for the Huntsville Convention and Visitors Bureau and is responsible for filling the statiums, stands, fields, rinks, pools, and courts around Huntsville with these athelets. The opportunities continue to grow. Turf a field (artificial turf) and it's a football, soccer, and lacrosse field ready for competition year round. What the locals and community isn't using during the week, Joel recruits people to travel and play. Joel's podcast is The Business of Sports Tourism Podcast that you can find on all major podcast outlets.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Roy Lewis Construction Find my book, What Works, on Amazon.com. 

Started by a retired sheriff hired to protect construction on a nuclear power plant near Dothan, Alabama, DSI Security Services now has operations in thirty-three states and 5400 employees. Alan Clark is chairman of the board. His father was the retired sherrif and his two sons are now involved in the company. Alan cites solid customer relationships who wanted DSI's services in their new locations around the country as one of the fuels for his growth. Another is his fear of failure. He had to take care of the company his father started and find enough work to employ his sons.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp Get a copy of What Works: The Ten Best Ideas from the first Two Hundred Episodes on Amazon.com. 

The proposals are worth millions of dollars each. The clients are major global companies trying to impress cllients, thank teams, generate sales. The proposal has to be right. It has to be good. It has to be as perfect as it can be. Jason Cohen is the Execitive Director of Global Sales at Accor Hotels. With 5500 properties across the globe, Accor can handle the work IF they get it. How do they get it? Jason, a hospitality veteran, walks us through how he and his team structure their proposals.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corps E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Buy What Works - The Ten Best Ideas from the First 200 Episodes at Amazon.com. 

This month's Business Alabama Magazine interview features Stephanie Bryan, the Chairwoman of the Poarch Band of the Creek Indians. In her tenure as chair she's diversified the tribe's holdings far beyond gaming into government services, hotels and resort hotels, even processing cattle and many more. She's active across the state of Alabama as she checks on the tribe's businesses and even holds a role in Washington, DC representing Native Americans (she entered our interview finishing up a call with the White House). Her vision for the tribe is clear and she dispells some myths around Native American held businesses.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp E3 Termite and Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Find What's Working - The Top Ten Ideas from the First Two Hundred Episodes at Amazon.com. 

Finding and keeping good employees today is very hard. The shortages driven by the Baby Boomer retirement have begun making their mark in the workplace. And even as populous as the Millennials are, there aren't enough of them to replace the Boomers. Employers are pulling their hair out. Employees have their pick.  Dr. Josh Duplantis is the Dean of Workforce Development for Coastal Alabama Community College and saw this coming years ago. Today he works with employers to help them craft recruiting and retention plans. He and I discuss the essense of the demographic challenge and we get into details on "progressive employment" which some employers are using to meet their workforce challenges. Show hosts: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corp Get my book, What Works, highlighting the top ten ideas from the first two hundred episodes of Wha'ts Working at

Casey Biehl is the VP of Operations for Fat Boy's Pizza based in Metairie, Louisiana. This pizza chain is growing rapidly due to the quality of ingredients and the ambience of the restaurants. I got word they were looking to head further east and became curious of their recipe for selecting new locations for expansion - what do they look for in a community? How far do people travel for to come to their stores? What type of commercial centers work best for them? How much do they spend per visit and what types of neighborhoods does this imply? Casey, with a background in food and bev from the casino world, tells the story. Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corps Find What's Working - the Ten Best Ideas from the First Two Hundred Episodes of What's Working with Cam Marston - on Amazon.com. 

The intersection of I-10 and I-65, the Port of Mobile, several rail lines, and the reinvigoration of Brookley Field has the potential to futher transform Mobile into one of the nation's largest logistics hubs. Philip Burton knew this but one piece was missing - the logistics parks where the product is brought after unloading, sorted, and shipped again. Philip found the land and got started and today his parks are gaining traction. Hear his story, the uncertainty he faced, the need for constant building, and his vision for the future of Mobile and Alabama. This broadcast / podcast is part of the monthly What's Working / Business Alabama Magazine collaboration.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corps Find my book highlighting the ten best ideas I've heard through the first two hundred episodes of the show on Amazon.com. 

Matt Peat is a Gen X'er that has never job hopped. He's been with Transhield many years and has remained with the company through the many times its been bought and sold. He tells the story of the remarkable product they manufacture, and how he has managed to thrive in each transaction where others may have been dismissed or asked to leave. Matt was on his way through Mobile with his wife and three daughters and I managed to get him into the studio for a quick interview. He's a great guy with story of success. Show Sponsors: Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite & Pest Control Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Find my book highlighting the top ideas of the first 200 episodes of What's Working at Amazong.com. 

Roy Lewis Construction has a reputation for quality building and adding value for customers. It's this reputation that has kept them going when times got tough. For years the phone rang from customers eager to benefit from their quality and reputation. Then there was the Great Recession. Then Covid and supply chain challenges. Paul Lewis, company president, kept going with the firm belief that delivering quality, being an honest man, and a strong faith would pull him through. And, it's working.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control Find my book featuring the top 10 ideas from the first 200 episodes of What's Working at Amazon.com.

What are the details - the nitty-gritty - of finding a business to buy, valuing it, and finding a buyer? Trey Langus works for Transworld Business Advisors and that's what he does. His customer from a recent transaction was Trey Galloway - now owner of The Health Hut. Hear how Trey Langus found the business and Trey Galloway found an opportunity for entrepreneurship and all the steps in between. The two of them sit down in the studio with me to tell their story. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite and Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Find my book, What Works, at Amazon.