American Dream Factory (ADF)

American Dream Factory (ADF)

By A build_ cities podcast hosted by Nick Smoot and Joe ToneyBusinessEntrepreneurship
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American Dream Factory (ADF) episodes

  • Leading With Empathy: Harry Amend

    In this live episode, Nick Smoot interviews Harry Amend who is a highly respected figure in education with over 41 years of experience. Throughout his career, Harry has served as a teacher, coach, counselor, principal, and superintendent, primarily in the Spokane Valley, Washington area. He played a key role in Washington’s education reform during his tenure as President of the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) in the late 1990s, collaborating with the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Teri Bergeson, and Governor Gary Locke.

    Beyond Washington, Harry's leadership extended to school districts in northwest Montana and North Idaho, where he championed school reform initiatives for a combined nine years. Known for his focus on at-risk and special needs students, Harry introduced innovative programs like the "School within a School" model and the Bridge Academy dropout retrieval high schools in both states.

    His commitment to education earned him recognition as a finalist for Superintendent of the Year in Washington (1998) and Idaho (2007). In addition to his educational career, Harry spent 20 years as a major league baseball scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, a role that reflects his love of sports and mentorship.

    Now residing in Twin Lakes Village, North Idaho, with his wife Sandy, Harry enjoys spending time with their children and grandchildren, all of whom live nearby in the Spokane area.

    1 hr 27 min
  • Better: Chapter 2
    Did you know Nick has been in the middle of gun fire, met with senators, and built and sold tech companies? This chapter dives into more of his background and how he approaches social and economic impact.
    46 min
  • Better: chapter 1
    Did you know that 77% of youth do not qualify for military service due to mental and physical health issues? Did you know that 85% of employees are not engaged at work. Nick reads chapter 1 of his book, “Better” and talks about how to leverage a cities economic needs and systems to address these societal issues.
    19 min
  • Rebuilding "Middle America" w/ Walton Family Fellow Ross Devol
    In this episode of the American Dream Factory:
    Ross Devol of Heartland Forward: https://heartlandforward.org/
    Nick Smoot of Aesop Industries: https://www.aesopindustries.com/
    Ross Devol is the president and CEO of Heartland Forward, a “think and do” tank based in Bentonville, Ark. Heartland Forward’s goal is to promote regional innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems that foster job creation, wage gains and economic growth for the American Heartland. Its mission through independent, data-driven research, action-oriented convenings, such as the Heartland Summit, and impactful policy recommendations. It works with universities, colleges, the business community, public policy leaders and philanthropy to analyze resources supporting the startup community and identify workforce and talent gaps.DeVol is former chief research officer for the Milken Institute where he spent nearly 20 years, an economic think tank headquartered in California. He oversaw research on international, national and comparative regional growth performance; access to capital and its role in economic growth and job creation; and health-related topics.He has been ranked among the “Superstars of Think Tank Scholars” by International Economy magazine.
    Nick Smoot is a seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience driving community and economic transformation across 15 states and 7 countries. Specializing in solving complex issues in social sciences and economics, Nick has guided the development and adaptive reuse of 8 real estate campuses. Notably, he transformed a challenging campus into the highest-priced per square foot for commercial use.
    His passion is turning human flourishing into a core amenity in every city, company, and real estate campus. This passion has fueled the creation of award-winning systems and programs recognized by Bloomberg, the Milken Institute, SXSW, and others. Nick's unique economic model and custom programs prioritize people while delivering exceptional returns.
    In one city, Nick's work resulted in 350+ patents, 5 new schools, 740+ jobs, and over $360 million in funding for new companies. His initiatives led to a 160.77% increase in rent prices, a 19.1% reduction in poverty rates, and a significant rise in the city's ranking for best-performing cities.
    If you have questions about the American Dream Factory and Aesop Industries, please email us at [email protected].
    We are on a mission to reignite the American Dream and get culture back on track!
    27 min
  • Nick reads his book, “Better”. Chapter 8 & 9
    In this episode Nick reads chapters 8 & 9 of his book "Better: How To Build Creative Communities That Transform The World". You will get some additional comments that are not in the book from Nick as he reads. Keep in mind, this isn't a professional reading... enjoy!
    36 min
  • Nick reads his book “Better”. Chapter 7
    In this episode Nick reads chapter 7 of his book "Better: How To Build Creative Communities That Transform The World".
    You will get some additional comments that are not in the book from Nick as he reads. Keep in mind, this isn't a professional reading... enjoy!
    53 min
  • Nick reads his book “Better”. Chapter 6
    In this episode Nick reads chapter 6 of his book “Better: How To Build Creative Communities That Transform The World”. You will get some additional comments that are not in the book from Nick as he reads. Keep in mind, this isn’t a professional reading… enjoy!
    52 min
  • Nick reads his book, “Better”. Ch 4 & 5
    In this episode Nick reads chapters four and five of his book “Better: How To Build Creative Communities That Transform The World”. You will get some additional comments that are not in the book from Nick as he reads. Keep in mind, this isn’t a professional reading… enjoy!
    39 min
  • Nick reads his book, “Better”. Ch. 1, 2, & 3
    In this episode Nick reads chapters one, two, and three of his book “Better: How To Build Creative Communities That Transform The World”. You will get some additional comments that are not in the book from Nick as he reads. Keep in mind, this isn’t a professional reading… enjoy!
    48 min
  • Episode 016: The need for real relationships
    In this episode we hear from Scotti Schecter who leads a corporation that provides friendship and accountability to royalty, celebrities, and executives who are seeking a sober life. Scotti grew up as a child pop star, found himself on drugs, full of shame and homeless. After a long road to recovery, he is now leading a powerful platform that is helping the world get real with themselves and find a path to living the life they really seek. For more information head over to InnovationCollective.co to learn more.
    1 hr 23 min

About American Dream Factory (ADF)

From the publisher's feed

The American Dream isn’t dead—it’s being rebuilt.