Ever wondered how a Japanese solar company decided to build their first North American plant in Greenville, North Carolina? It sounds random, but Josh Lewis from the Greenville ENC Alliance shares how his team works to bring new businesses and jobs to Greenville-Pitt County. And we talk about a hot topic with many local business owners that you don’t want to miss.

During our conversation, Josh shares how he came to be the CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance, and what exactly their organization does. “Economic development” sounds like something that only matters to a local government, but it impacts all of us. We all play a role in making our community a great place to live and work, and this episode talks about some of what’s going on behind the scenes at organizations like the Greenville ENC Alliance to help make that happen.

Connect with Josh and the Greenville ENC Alliance

Find the Greenville ENC Alliance at https://www.encalliance.com/, their Grow in Greenville initiative at https://www.growingreenvillenc.com/ and find Josh Lewis on LinkedIn

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Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Jerry’s BBQ restaurant was catering a corporate event, and the petting zoo vendor backed out at the last minute. In a pinch, Bobbi Jo threw together a petting zoo so they didn’t let their client down. From there, Bobbi Jo began to work with animals, hosting parties with different household pets from the trunk of her SUV. As Bobbi Jo brought in new animals, she spent more time caring for them, sometimes having to wear baby kangaroos in a pouch like their mother would have. She even opened a small zoo in her yard after the public expressed interest in her animals. And when TLC caught wind of Bobbi Jo walking North Carolina beaches with a baby kangaroo, they sent camera crews to her home and the reality show “Our Wild Life” began.  

During our conversation, Bobbi Jo and Jerry share how the zoo started, what it was really like to be filmed daily for 18 months and to have their lives displayed on national television, and they even bring a lemur out during the show. Their heart for animals and for people is evident in everything they do. Their story is inspiring and entertaining, but most of all reflects their strong faith and desire to see people in their community thrive. 

Connect with “It’s a Zoo Life” and “Abrams Bar-B-Q”

Find It’s a Zoo Life at https://www.itsazoolife.com/ and Abrams on Facebook and Instagram.

Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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After transitioning from the army, serving in Europe and beyond, Ellen Brabo transitioned to working for a government contractor in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was met with challenges faced by many who transition out of the military, struggling to find purpose and community back home. She completed the “Boots to Business” program, and grew a desire for owning an airbnb after hearing stories of other soldiers’ negative experiences with airbnb owners. Today, she is the owner of several Airbnbs and “The Ell Hotel”, a boutique hotel in Washington, NC.

During our conversation, we cover topics like transitioning out of the military, starting a small business in a brand new town, hiring your first employees, and how to handle criticism as a small business owner. Ellen is resilient and has such a heart for the community she has in her friends and family, and in her small town. 

Connect with Ellen and The Ell Hotel

Find Ellen Brabo on LinkedIn, and learn more about the Ell Hotel @theellhotel www.theellhotel.com

Connect with Radiate Prints:

We print apparel people love to wear.

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Ed Naylor’s dad encouraged him from a young age to become a lawyer because he loved to debate everything. In his early career he practiced as a district attorney and as partner at a law firm before opening his own law practice. Throughout his career, Ed practiced a “small thing” that really wasn’t so small - people matter. 

When he felt God calling him away from practicing law, he later became a C12 Chair. Ed’s experience guiding business owners and serving as part of their support system when running a successful business. During our conversation, we talk about what it was like to practice law and ultimately start his own practice, practical tips for engaging a small team of employees at a business, and how studies show that most business owners report that entrepreneurship can feel lonely, and what to do about it.

Connect with Ed

Find J. Edward Naylor on LinkedIn

Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Vin McCaffrey was a former college athlete who wanted to help other athletes entering the workforce find jobs. In 2008 he founded Game Plan with a goal of creating essentially “Indeed” targeted toward college athletes. Along the way, he realized there was a need for learning software for athletics organizations. That pivot led to rapid growth for Game Plan, serving college athletic departments across the US, and eventually the NFL, NBA, NHL, and other professional sports organizations.

Vin ultimately sold Game Plan and is now the Managing Director of O.Labs, a specialized technology investment platform designed to incubate and scale profitable, technology-led ventures focusing on AI. He is also the co-founder at One One Three, working with high-potential software and tech ventures from Eastern NC universities. He is also a consultant at Deloitte. 

From his career in the corporate world to being a serial entrepreneur, Vin has had his hands in a variety of businesses and industries. In our conversation he shares his key takeaways from his career so far, and the potential he sees for the future of Greenville’s startup ecosystem.

Connect with Vin

Find Vin McCaffrey on LinkedIn

Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Bryan Fagundus and Scott Anderson took a leap of faith and founded Ark Consulting Group in 2013. Hence the name, “Ark”, as a nod to Noah’s faith when he built the ark in Genesis.

Bryan shares the journey of starting an engineering firm in Scott’s bonus room. Over the next 13 years, they scaled to a team of 20 employees serving their local community and surrounding states. What was the source of their success? According to Bryan, it was their focus on customer service from the start. Throughout the story of starting the company, he shares specific practices and steps that are integral to how they ensure excellent service to both their customers and their staff.

Connect with Bryan

Find Bryan Fagundus on LinkedIn, and find Ark Consulting Group @arkconsultinggroup

Connect with Radiate Prints:

@radiateprints on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn

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Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Harrison Boyd, a former generator technician and diesel mechanic, started Elite Truck because he saw it was difficult to find everything you needed for your truck in one place. He founded the company as an online commercial vehicle equipment center, and Warren came into the picture to help Harrison in 2021 after helping run Google ads for the company during its early years. They got an office in Washington, NC, and 4 short years later, the company has nearly 50 employees and is continuing to grow as a leader in their industry.

During our conversation, Warren talks about scaling the company at the right pace to ensure they continue to take care of their customers and their staff in the midst of rapid growth. Warren also touches on his experience as a student at the Duke Executive MBA program and how what he is learning is changing the way he runs the business every day.

Connect with Warren

Add him on LinkedIn, or reach out to Elite Truck on social media to get in touch @elitetruckofficial

Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Welcome back to Shop Talk with Radiate Prints. We interview entrepreneurs and talk about what it’s really like to build and grow a business. In this episode, Taylor and Hannah sit down with Parker Overton, founder of Overton’s, the world’s largest watersports and marine accessories dealer.

Parker is a legend in the watersports world and in Eastern North Carolina. He started Overton’s in the back of his father’s grocery store in the 1970’s, selling competition waterskis from the meat counter. At its peak in the early 2000’s, Overton’s employed more than 500 people and sold $60 million in gear per year.

During our conversation, Parker shares his story of building Overton’s from the ground up, and ultimately selling to Gander Mountain in 2003. He doesn’t shy away from sharing the hardships of growth, and how world events like 9/11 impacted his company. He shares practical wisdom for younger generations of entrepreneurs on customer service, business relationships, and cash management in a seasonal business. 

I hope you’ll enjoy listening to Parker’s story as much as I did. I’ve known him for years and have benefitted from his wisdom in my business, and now I hope you can do the same.

Connect with Parker

I usually put our guest’s social media links here. Parker isn’t a social media guy, and he shares why he doesn’t have socials in the episode.

Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Welcome back to Shop Talk with Radiate Prints. We interview entrepreneurs and talk about what it’s really like to build and grow a business. In this episode, Taylor and Hannah sit down with Sarah Coltrain, owner of Coltrain Hardware, a local hardware store in small town USA, Ayden, NC.

Sarah is a go-getter who strives to glorify God in everything she does, whether it’s her business, her community, or providing a loving home for her family. She went from owning a hair salon to starting a hardware store in downtown Ayden, a town with a population just under 5,000 people. And, she and her husband became foster parents at the same time, while running a hobby farm, and serving on various town committees. We did confirm that she does in fact find time to sleep at night. 

We hope you’ll enjoy this episode covering everything from running a business to running a hobby farm, and serving your community along the way.

Connect with Sarah

https://www.coltrainhardware.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ColtrainHardware

https://www.instagram.com/coltrainhardware

Connect with Radiate Prints:

Website: https://radiateprints.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/radiateprints

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@radiateprints

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Welcome back to Shop Talk with Radiate Prints. We interview entrepreneurs and talk about what it’s really like to build and grow a business. In this episode, Taylor and Hannah sit down with Yordandys “Jay” Bastardo, owner of Villa Verde, Bella Green, and Harvey’s Breakfast Restaurant. Jay shares the realities of coming to the US as an immigrant, starting a business, and what happened when the weight of his responsibilities had an impact on his mental health.

Jay came to the United States at 15 years old with $5 in his pocket in pursuit of the American Dream. He went from working at McDonald’s until 3am 7 days a week in high school to climbing the corporate ladder. Eventually, he realized there was a cap on his earnings and wanted more for his family. He bought a food truck on Craiglist and started selling Dominican food to local college students. Today, he owns 4 restaurants and led his local restaurant community during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connect with Jay

Villa Verde

Bella-Green Latin Sportsbar and Grill

Harvey's Breakfast Restaurant

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TikTok

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