Mitten Money

Have you thought about what you will do in retirement? Maybe you dream of sitting on the beach or tinkering around with a long-term hobby. For some, they have an itch to continue working beyond their traditional retirement date.

In this episode of Mitten Money, host William Zank speaks with Don Sheets. Don is currently retired after almost 15 years as Executive Vice President and CFO at Dow Corning.  In this episode, Mr. Sheets shares how he planned to work as a consultant all along as his second career.

Don also chats about some of the crucial moments where he lead Dow Corning out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004 and through the 2008 financial crisis. He took advantage of those low points, and we touch base about one of his major milestones of leading the development and implementation of Xiameter internet business. This choice led to the growth of Dow Corning with the silicone business on a global scale.

Don enjoys waking up early to get his day started with the latest news and a good book while participating in multiple organizations with his peers and loving wife!

To get to know Don Sheets better, his LinkedIn is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-sheets-2a6617124/

Have you ever wondered how Chick-Fil-A built its well-known culture and talent systems?

How about their ability to select the top talent in the hospitality industry while still achieving a 95% retention rate for corporate staff AND franchisees?

This week – we invited on the very talented Dee Ann Turner -who was not only the former VP of Talent, Human Resources, Enterprise Social Responsibility, and Sustainability for Chick-Fil-A but also a 3x bestselling book author. We chat in-depth about how to increase your employee retention, the process of developing your talent systems, and saying that talent is one of the most competitive qualities that a business can have.

For more information on Dee Ann:

https://www.deeannturner.com/

https://www.deeannturner.com/podcast

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deeannturner

https://www.facebook.com/DeeAnnTurnerAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/deeannturner/?hl=en

Marc and Laura Owczarzak had as their visiOn for when they Opened O’s Pub & Grill. Staying true tO their vision has helped them grOw O's expOnentially. They nOw have plans tO Open a secOnd lOcation in Bay City, MI On the river. HOst William Zank talks with Marc Owczarzak, cO-Owner of O's Pub and Grill about their grOwth at O's Pub and Grill.

FOr mOst restaurant’s, while fOOd can help drive grOwth Of the business, the custOmer service is what keeps peOple cOming back.

In 2022, cOnsumers have the knOwledge and OptiOns to chOOse any fOOd option they want. It’s mOre crucial than ever tO nOt Only have a cOmpelling menu, but alsO Offer high levels of custOmer service tO keep guests happy. This sOunds simple in practice – but hOw dO yOu gO abOut implementing a strategy? Interested in knowing how and hearing O's phenomenal grOwth story? Tune in tO today's episOde.

This style Of writing is inspired by O's eye catching way of making O's the real star Of the shOw. See their website and sOcial pOsts.

www.ospubandgrill.com

Special Episode in honor of Woman in Construction Week.

On this special episode, we invited Shannon Tait of Three Rivers Corporation. Construction means more managing projects. It's taking personal pride in every project, whether new construction or a world-record canopy tree walk.

During the episode, Shannon shares many personal stories throughout her career, highlighting when she was a recent college graduate given complete control over a local project. She described what helped her succeed: building rapport amongst her much older peers and remaining level-headed. She credits being coachable as a top trait for any person to have. 

We also discussed:

1. Tips for employee development
2. How to build a more open and diverse company
3. The power of being coachable

For more information on Shannon or Three Rivers: https://trccompany.com/

Are you looking for curious, motivated, and ambitious employees? Max Friar, Founder, and CEO, of Calder Capital, shares ways to grow and retain energetic team members.

The list of satisfied clients and employees of Calder seems endless. Max has a growth mindset and fosters a culture of learning and growth. Calder is a Grand Rapids based Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory Firm focused on representing business owners who desire to sell their business. Calder has been named one of America's fastest growing private companies (2021 Inc 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies).

The key takeaway from Will Zank's interview with Max Friar include:

- Tips and Tricks to Talent Development.

- Leveraging technology to create automated processes.

- Creating Key Performance Indicators and benchmarking success.

Max shares the secret to success is, "Taking younger, energetic, and driven people and giving them opportunities that most people their age doesn't get." Max goes on to explain, "One of the ways that we develop talent is to let some of our younger employees that are interested in running deals start with some small deals. Then, we partner them with experienced team members and coach them. Our goal with talent development is to find ambitious people, believe in them, and give them opportunities to shine."

https://www.caldergr.com/

https://www.inc.com/profile/calder-capital

https://www.linkedin.com/company/calder-capital

What started as a way for guests to live a healthier lifestyle prompted a lifelong mission of helping others realize their fitness goals. In this heartfelt conversation, Sarah Fechter of Sarah Fechter Fitness Headquarters (SFHQ) shares how she remains joyful about her job that’s never much felt like a job. She’s remained nimble and reimagined her business model. Her desire to offer relevant classes, boot camps, coaching offerings, and online classes is what has led to Sarah Fechter Fitness’s success.

During every episode of Mitten Money, William Zank asks a signature question about the importance of building relationships. Sarah’s confidently shared, “the importance of relationships is going to be my number one even piece of advice to people. You have to be invested in people, and they need to feel that you have to make a difference in their life.”

Sarah also shares about:

- Her journey in the fitness industry over the past 20+ years,

- Pivoted during the pandemic. Online class offerings were live within 9 hours of news that Michigan was putting a “pause” on gyms for 3-weeks.

- How she views social media as a tool to grow SFHQ.

For more information on Sarah and Sarah Fechter Fitness Headquarters, visit: https://www.sarahfechter.com/

Tax season is upon us. Whether filing for business or personal taxes, you know what this time of year means. It’s time to gather your annual tax documents and file your taxes. If you're interested in learning more about some of the upcoming tax law changes or how to find a trusted CPA, then this episode is for you. Mike even touches on entrepreneurs with a side-hustle and how they would need to file their taxes.

Mike Hanisko is a CPA and Partner at Winelander Fitzhugh with over 38 years of experience. Mike’s a Chippewa Grad – fire up Chips. He warmly shares advice from early in his career that taught him how to go the extra mile to take care of clients. “I remember Fred, one of the founders of our firm, telling me that you can mail final documents to a client. Or maybe you take half an hour, meet them and hand them the finished product. That conversation you have with them is way more important than just delivering the final product,” shared Mike.

Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hanisko-70136245/

Visit Weinlander Fitzhugh: www.wf-cpas.com

It's officially winter season in the great state of Michigan. We invited John Melcher as a guest on Episode 28 of Mitten Money to celebrate. John Melcher is the newly named CEO of Crystal Mountain, a four-season resort destination in Thompsonville, Michigan.

John is a wealth of experience. Before joining Crystal Mountain as COO in 2017, he had a 25-year career in banking with Fifth Third Banking. In November 2021, Melcher was named as the new CEO replacing Jim MacInnes, who, after 36 years in resort operations, will be stepping back his day-to-day involvement with the resort to focus more on long-term strategy.

This episode touches on:

• Pivoting careers
• The ins and outs of the resort industry
• The idea generation process of creating new attractions
• Advice on building lasting working relationships.

This episode will leave you wanting to visit Northern Michigan and add a stop to Crystal Mountain, named one of North America's Top 25 Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in America (by Travel and Leisure Magazine).

www.crystalmountain.com

What’s the top reason for people not taking control of their finances?  Procrastination. On today’s mega episode, Jane, Bobbi, and Jon help listeners get started and give tips to stay the course when it comes to saving.

Jane Hagen is a director of corporate retirement plans. Her passion is encouraging thousands of 401(k) participants to earn their retirement one step at a time and one percent increase at a time.

Bobbi Putman is a seasoned Financial Planner and shares advice on building an individual’s credit and a readily available emergency fund.

Jon Pickelman is a Relationship Manager and shares why we all have a different relationship with money.

Tune in to hear tips about building a 401(k), building credit, and how to invest for the long-term. Individuals 22-62 can learn a tip or two to help them on their financial journey.

Dietrich Bronner is the Product Development Manager at Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store. Dietrich is passionate about choosing hundreds of products annually and creating Bronner's sought-after catalogs. He's an avid runner and chef too. In this episode, Dietrich breaks down for listeners:

• Why a printed and mailing catalogs continues to be a successful strategy.
• Fueling his passion as a multi-course creating chef.
• How creating an experience for culinary excellence has put Venture on the map.

WORLD'S LARGEST CHRISTMAS STORE

www.bronners.com

VENTURE CULINARY, LLC

https://www.facebook.com/ventureculinary/