Building Bellingham

A brewer, a beertender and a business man walked into a bar...Aslan Brewing Co began in 2012 as a team of three friends. They brewed over 130 pilot batches and determined the core values that guide every development in their company: the Triple Bottom Line model, which places People and the Planet prior to Profits. Two years later, after an extensive construction process, Aslan Brewing Co opened its doors on the corner of Magnolia & North Forest St. Today, Aslan - which is the Turkish word for 'lion' - has three locations, including a taproom in Seattle.

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Erin Baker's all began in a 4-H kitchen at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in 1994, when the concept of a nutritionally dense 'breakfast cookie' was a brand new concept. In the early years, Erin made deliveries on a blue Schwinn bicycle, but today, Erin Baker's Wholesome Baked Goods can be found in grocery stores in 17 states and also purchased at erinbakers.com. The goodies have been featured in the Oprah magazine, Women's Health, and included in the menus for both Delta and American Airlines.

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Faithlife all began as a software side project for a Microsoft developer, and the first copies of Logos 1 were shipped from Bob's parents' kitchen table. Today, 28 years later, the software giant has tools available for over 3 billion people worldwide to study theology in their first language. In this episode, Bob talks about Thomas Edison's mining failures, how money is an accelerant, and the grounding effect of going back to 'first principles'.

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Ben Kinney is a giant in the real estate industry, the owner of the Bellingham-based sales team that consistently is one of the top teams in the Keller Williams' US brokerages. Ben himself owns multiple brokerage franchises in the US and London, along with BRIVITY, BKCO Mortage, Place Inc and other companies ancillary to the real estate world.

But Ben's story didn't start easily. Like in the game Monopoly, for Ben it started with one deed and then one green house. Ben was working as a cable guy for Comcast, and chatting with a customer one day:

"I grew up super poor…. Home ownership was nothing I had never considered for myself. She said "I own a duplex", and I said "why didn't you just buy a house?" She said, "I own both sides… the neighbors next door? Their rent pays my mortgage.""

I looked at her and I said, "You live for free?!""

So sit back and listen to the story of this regular guy and phenomenal business owner who lives right here in Whatcom County. Ben also talks about the importance of giving, of focusing on what you can control, and the impromptu cross-country road trip that changed both his business and his relationship to work. As always, the interview talks about leadership and overcoming the challenges that every entrepreneur will face.

Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/ Get to know the Cohen Group NW Website: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

CreditsHosted by Leo Cohen Produced and Edited by David Pender Lofgren Recorded and Mixed by Andy Rick Social Media Jedi: Cooper Hansley Digital Media Producer: Tiffany Holden Logo: Sam Vogt Theme music: Aaron Guest Recording Studio: Binary Studios

In this interview, we dive into culture, brand, and the PNW roots that created an environment for Woods Coffee to be successful. Wes goes deep into what it takes to make a business work. Planning for the ramp-up time, having enough capital to prepare for one or even two years before the business becomes profitable, and sacrificing to make it work. In the early days, Wes could be found changing the oil in someone's car, with a phone to his ear talking over the next Woods expansion. There's more - analyzing new markets, taking on opportunities others would deem too risky, expanding to 19 locations, and taking Woods from a small business to a big one. Wes is a true entrepreneur. He's vulnerable, he's confident, and he has a vision of what he wants to accomplish. Any entrepreneur's path to success is riddled with challenges - and today we hear about some of the challenges Wes has faced, both as a human and as a business owner.

Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/

Get to know the Cohen Group NWWebsite: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

CreditsHosted by Leo CohenProduced and Edited by David Pender LofgrenRecorded and Mixed by Andy RickSocial Media: Cooper HansleyDigital Media Producer: Tiffany HoldenLogo: Sam VogtTheme Music: Aaron GuestRecording Studio: Binary Studios

Our guest today is Ray Deck III, a high-octane human, Founding Director of Skookum Kids, and the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce CEO of the Year 2019. Throughout our conversation, Ray shares insights into what makes him a strong leader: taking natural talent and purposefully developing leadership as a skill, planning, preparing and surrounding himself with high-caliber team members who are humble, hungry and smart. Ray's story stretches from being a camp counsellor to moving across the country, to managing a Special Projects team at a tech company, to starting Skookum Kids as a side project and eventually becoming the full-time director. Skookum Kids was built around a single idea. It's an organization whose mission statement says it all "if we take great care of people, the mission will take care of itself. So we work really hard to make this a delightful place to volunteer and to be a foster parent. We believe in health for all, meaning that no person should ever have to sacrifice their own health to serve kids….Healthy, happy well-supported people get more done."Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodes:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/

Get to know the Cohen Group NWWebsite: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

CreditsHosted by Leo Cohen Produced and Edited by David Pender LofgrenRecorded and Mixed by Andy RickSocial Media: Cooper HansleyDigital Media Producer: Tiffany HoldenLogo: Sam VogtTheme Music: Aaron GuestRecording Studio: Binary Studios

Bramble Berry CEO Anne-Marie Faiola, aka The Soap Queen, tells the story of how she built her soapmaking business, from selling in farmer's markets, to getting a master's degree in her field plus an MBA, to developing a huge Instagram following and creating professional how-to videos that get thousands of views. Today she gives us a window into her life as the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, and into the mindset that fuels her life:

That a relationship with customers is a privilege, that 12 minutes of undivided attention on a YouTube video is a gift, that people yearn to create something meaningful, and that strong habits enable you to build a life you don't need a vacation from.

Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/

Get to know the Cohen Group NWWebsite: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

CreditsHosted by Leo Cohen Produced and Edited by David Pender LofgrenRecorded and Mixed by Andy RickSocial Media: Cooper HansleyDigital Media Producer: Tiffany HoldenLogo: Sam VogtTheme Music: Aaron GuestRecording Studio: Binary Studios

Ziad Youssef, local lawyer and legal care advocate, sat down with Leo to talk about how he's made a practice of noticing problems and intervening in them, how he earned success through service, and how he's initiating systemic change in our community.

Today, Ziad is working with cutting-edge legal technology that could cut down attorney time (and thus billable hours), making justice more accessible to everyone, and is also spearheading the #InclusionDeed initiative, an idea he had while walking on a treadmill just a couple weeks ago.

Ziad's success has been through service, and also through raising these leaders. He believes that the top leader of an organization or company needs to step back from the business itself, and interact with the broader community. To look out for the larger trends, changes, and issues. To use a ship metaphor, he's not the captain or the crew - that's what his leaders are responsible for: "I tell people now that my staff is directing the ship - I'm directing the waves."

Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/

Get to know the Cohen Group NW

Website: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

Credits

Hosted by Leo Cohen Produced and Edited by David Pender LofgrenRecorded and Mixed by Andy RickSocial Media: Cooper HansleyDigital Media Producer: Tiffany HoldenLogo: Sam VogtTheme Music: Aaron GuestRecording Studio: Binary Studios

Dylan Langei, a local loan officer, sat down with Leo to talk about how he graduated with an MBA and nowhere to go, how he competed with longstanding veterans in the business, how the lessons of team sports inform his business today, and how we can face our fears through purposeful preparation. His story is especially inspiring for the young business person putting in countless hours and wondering when -or if- it will ever pay off. Now, still in his late twenties, Dylan is the manager of the Barkley branch of Umpqua Bank, and he continues to embrace the learning curves of life.

Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/

Get to know the Cohen Group NW

Website: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

Credits

Hosted by Leo Cohen Produced and Edited by David Pender LofgrenRecorded and Mixed by Andy RickSocial Media: Cooper HansleyDigital Media Producer: Tiffany HoldenLogo: Sam VogtTheme Music: Aaron GuestRecording Studio: Binary Studios

Heather Simpson, longtime real estate agent and more recently, founder & director of She Leads Me, joins Leo to discuss her journey from living life on autopilot, to seizing each opportunity to live with intention. We were inspired by the raw and real story of how she has developed moxie - force of character - through severe lows in her personal and professional life, and how choosing to grow from these episodes has led her to start a growing training and support community for professional women. Follow the podcast on social for exclusive content and even more localized episodes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/building.bellingham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building.bellingham/

Get to know the Cohen Group NWWebsite: https://livebellinghamnow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cohengroupnw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cohengroupnw/

CreditsHosted by Leo Cohen Produced and Edited by David Pender LofgrenRecorded and Mixed by Andy RickSocial Media: Cooper HansleyDigital Media Producer: Tiffany HoldenLogo: Sam VogtTheme Music: Aaron GuestRecording Studio: Binary Studios