Pittsburgh Beautiful

The last decade has seen a great resurgence in not only Pittsburgh, but many urban areas in the country previously associated with the industrial revolution.  Matt Stroud, my guest on this episode, returned to his roots here in the Steel City to co-found a new media company, Post Industrial Media.  This publication focuses on the many cities in the midwest (to also include places such as Baltimore and Philadelphia) that saw decay throughout the decline of manufacturing in the late 1900s and have begun a resurgence of their own.  Post Industrial seeks to tell these stories in a meaningful and educational way.   Pittsburgh Beautiful is proud to partner with Post Industrial in bringing the story of Pittsburgh's most recent renaissance through audio, visual and written means.

Well, well... Dave Moio has a couple things to say about the Steeler's preseason, and doesn't really want to talk about the Pirates any more.  Go figure.  Here's a link to his most recent blog post on PittsburghBeautiful.com... tune in for some thoughts on the latest from camp, preseaon (can you say DuPree and Washington) and the inevitable downfall of the Buccos.  Stay real.

*Photo submitted by DMERK04 on the Pittsburgh Beautiful app.

This weekend, August 24th, marks the 8th annual James Bond Soiree in Pittsburgh benefitting the National Kidney Foundation.  I talk briefly with Kent Schmor, the founder and executive director of this incredible event.  Kent, a native of Canada, came to Pittsburgh a few years back as a professor with the University of Pittsburgh, volunteered with the National Kidney Foundation, and decided to give back.  What a great event with great people.  Hear why even though he left to move back home to Canada (for an employment opportunity) he decided to continue to hold the event here in Pittsburgh, and has expanded it to other cities nationally.  It's a recurring theme on our podcasts.  Thanks, Kent, for helping to make Pittsburgh Beautiful!  There are a few tickets remaining... you can get them right here!

Indeed it is a privilege to have Rob Pratte, a veteran of 40 years in Pittsburgh television, advertising and radio, on the Pittsburgh Beautiful Podcast.  I met Rob a couple years ago when my wife began a radio show on KDKA Radio.  Rob was the host, and we had the pleasure of sitting with him in studio many early Saturday mornings.  Always upbeat, always positive, and with the greatest "gift for gab" I've ever experienced... it was fascinating to be on the other side of the microphone with Rob... interviewing one of Pittsburgh's great... well... interviewers.  You'll love this episode!  I did!

This episode, meet Wadria Taylor, the founder of Style Week Pittsburgh.  Wadria's story is one that is thankfully becoming more and more familiar here in Pittsburgh.  A young, intelligent and entrepreneurial woman, from Jamaica and then New York, decides to come to school in Pittsburgh and recognizes the opportunities here.   Wadria and I discuss this on the podcast.  Enjoy! 

Style Week Pittsburgh (SWP) was founded in 2013 by Wadria Taylor to provide a platform for fashion-focused brands to network, exhibit their talents, and gain recognition. SWP has emerged as one of the leading fashion events in Pittsburgh showcasing the talent of aspiring and established designers and artists at iconic and unique venues throughout the city. To date, over 2,000 people have attended a SWP event and more than 100 designers, artists, and businesses have participated. 

As he wrote about in his latest column,  Dave Moio of Moio's Musings see's the Pirates and the Steelers as 2 franchises moving in opposite directions.  While the Steelers seem to be addressing issues, or at least attempting to address them, the Pirates are indeed, in his opinion, sinking lower each day.  Hear his thoughts on this special BONUS edition of the Pittsburgh Beautiful Podcast.

My guest this episode is Richard Piacentini, the CEO of Phipps Conservatory.  Mr. Piacentini took the reigns in 1994, and has helped Phipps to lead the way in sustainable landscape and construction, starting with the Center for Sustainable Landscapes, opened in 2012 and considered at the time the greenest building in the world, and most recently the Exhibit Staging Center.   We all love Phipps for it's beautiful flowers, shows and atmosphere.  It's truly a gem in our region.  But... there's so much more to Phipps' mission.   We discuss that on this podcast.    You can find out more about green innovation and Phipps on their website, right here.

Dave Moio, of Moio's Musings on Pittsburgh Beautiful talks about Steelers training camp through the first week.  Some stand-outs, some concerns, and what to wish for...  also, can you be a Steelers fan and like the Browns.  Seems like a rhetorical question, right?

Well, the trade deadline came... and went.   Seriously... did anyone really think the Pirates were going to make a real move?  Sure... Dickerson is gone.  They gave him away.  That's not a move.  Yeah... they tried to move Vasquez... but didn't.  In today's Moio's Musings, Dave talks about the disappointment, the current state of the franchise, and what he thinks the future looks like... for now.  And you can listen to it right here on this BONUS edition of the Pittsburgh Beautiful Podcast!