Fresno's Best

Today, we have Scott Miller on the show. Scott is the President of Chamber Commerce and the owner of Gazebo Gardens. Please enjoy our conversation! 

Today we have Arianna Chavez on the show. Arianna is the executive of Arte Americas. Born and raised in Fresno, Arianna attributes her passion for art to formative years spent at Arte Américas. She is returning home with a decade of experience in nonprofit arts organizations including the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and artist endowed foundations in New York. Thus far, Arianna’s career has been devoted to creating meaningful experiences and entry points to the arts with and for diverse communities. Arianna is an alumna of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) advocacy and leadership programs. She earned a BA in Art History and Arts Management at the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art History from Syracuse University in Florence, Italy where she studied sixteenth-century Mexican art in Italian collections. This is a wide-ranging conversation centered around art.

Books: 

Puritan Conquistadors: Iberianizing the Atlantic, 1550-1700 Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra 

Super Cilantro Girl / La Superniña del Cilantro Juan Felipe Herrera (Author), Honorio Tapia (Illustrator)

Today, we have the Jason Castro on the show. Mr. Castro is the Consul General of the El Salvadorian Consulate in Fresno. We talk about all things El Salvadorian, from the culture and history of the country to issues facing El Salvadorian immigrants in the central valley. 

Today we have Reis Thebault on the show. Reis reports on the American West Coast from Los Angeles for The Washington Post. He joined The Post in 2018 and has covered national breaking news, European politics and D.C. city hall. He previously worked on the local desks of the Boston Globe and the Columbus Dispatch. We have him on the show today because he wrote a front page story on the Bitwise situation and has done some excellent reporting on the subject, interviewing both former Bitwise employees as well investors and local political figures. Most of all, he is an outside perspective, less clouded by personal connections or vested interests to look at the whole situation clearly.

Link to the Washington Post Article discussed here.

Books:

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein 

On Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond 

The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California by Mark Arax 

Today we have Kiel Lopez-Schmidt on the show. Kiel is a trained architect and the Executive Director of the South Tower Community Land Trust. In this conversation, we discuss affordable housing, planning commissions, AirBnB’s effect on the housing stock, homelessness as a housing problem, historical preservation, and more.

Link to Sign Up for the Queer Housing Summit 

Books: 

Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by Adrienne Maree Brown 

The First Sister by Linden Lewis

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 

Renee Delport is the director of communications at the Central Valley Community Foundation, an organization that does a lot to steward and direct resources to support our community. Drawing on her experience working in a variety of contexts, Renee has a deep love for community service, articulating a strong message, and recruiting others to join causes. This interview is chocked full of insight and I know you will gain a lot from listening to her thoughts.

Book Recommendations: 

The Bible 

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together Heather McGhee 

Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal 

Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization Ken Blanchard

Welcome to Fresno’s Best podcast, I’m your host Jordan Mattox. Today we have George Scott on the show. Scott is the co-founder of the Sinister Boxing MMA Academy and a highly experienced coach with over 25+ years of expertise in various martial arts and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. With his vast knowledge and passion for coaching, George is dedicated to helping his clients take their skills to the next level and reach their full potential in both martial arts and fitness. This was an awesome conversation and a bit different than our typical episodes as we dig into a lot of fitness and health topics here. One note before we get started, I will be taking the next few weeks off and will return with our next episode on July 17th. Hopefully, you are also taking some time this summer for some rest and restoration.

Books: 

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi 

Today, we have two representatives from the WET Center at Fresno State: Benjamin Francis, Growth Operating Partner and Samuel Fairbanks, Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist. Francis’s key experience includes investment analyst functions, establishing a successful accelerator program, working one-on-one with ventures to secure funding and growth opportunities. Francis has successfully developed and launched the WET Center’s accelerator program – the only accelerator in the CSU system – and has graduated successful companies. Francis holds a Master of Science in Finance from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship from California State University, Fresno.

Samuel Fairbanks - Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist Fairbanks is the WET Center’s on-the-ground point person responsible for identifying and cultivating the participation of community stakeholders,
partners, and students. He develops, implements, and provides oversight for outreach and engagement activities to solicit and strengthen community interaction. Fairbanks holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in
History and a Master of Arts in Education, Administration, and Leadership both from California State University, Fresno. He has 10+ years of experience interacting with a wide range of groups and a deep passion for the Central Valley. He is also a proud Downtown Fresno resident.

This is a pretty optimistic conversation about the state of Ag and innovation in the valley.

Books: 

1. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

2. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore 

3. The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary by Mark Sanborn

Today, we have Joseph Rios on the show. Joseph is the newly minted poet laureate of Fresno. He’s also the author of the claimed poetry collection, Shadowboxing: Poems & Impersonations, which won the 2018 American Book Award. This was a fun, all-over-the-place style conversation, with deep insights about the connection between poetry and Fresno, but then also reminiscences about bars, living in the Bay Area, and underrated 90s hip hop.

Books: 

Yellow Rain: Poems Mai Der Vang 

Heart Like A Window, Mouth Like A Cliff Sara Borjas 

The Rendering Anthony Cody

Shadowboxing: poems & impersonations Joseph Rios 

All Things Gary Soto

Today we have Wilma Hashimoto on the show. Wilma is the Executive Director for CASA of Fresno and Madera Counties. She has dedicated her career to positively changing the trajectory of at risk children. Before becoming the Director, Wilma had a long career as an educator. Our conversation will give you a broad overview of what CASA volunteers do, their impact, and what we need to keep supporting at-risk kids in our community.

Books:

The Medici Effect, With a New Preface and Discussion Guide: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation by Frans Johansson