Small Town Big Business

Marion Connects: Activating Tower Square Plaza with Third Thursday, Rock the Plaza, and Fall FestHosts Jennifer Olson (City of Marion) and Russell Williams (Ethos) interview Marion Connects president Amy Eckert about the group’s origins and growth activating downtown Marion’s Tower Square Plaza. The conversation traces how citizen feedback from a “Reversing the Exodus” event led to organizing Marion Connects, launching family-friendly Third Thursday programming, and formalizing as a 501(c)(3) to accept donations and run events. Eckert describes signature Third Thursday themes (line dancing with Cowboy Kyle, patriotic “Red, White, and Boots,” “Star Spangled Splash Bash,” and a back-to-school pep rally night), the Neighbor Spotlight series, a local history series with John Musgrave, and partnerships supporting Shine & Show and Rock the Plaza concerts. They discuss the group’s moderated Facebook presence as a community resource and economic development tool, and preview the first Fall Fest at the Williamson County Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 17, with vendors, daytime kids activities, and evening beer garden and live music.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://marionconnects.org/

Inside Marion’s Cultural & Civic Center: Booking, Murals, and Downtown Economic ImpactHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams (with guest host Allison Hassler) interview Josh Benson of the Marion Cultural and Civic Center, a city-owned 1,100-seat venue in downtown Marion, Illinois that runs about 165 dates a year and operates like a business with its own budget. Benson explains that success in booking touring acts depends on long-term relationships, routing, and complex negotiations involving technical and hospitality riders, show budgeting, marketing costs, labor, and concessions, with examples such as “green M&M” clauses and detailed artist requests. The discussion highlights the Center’s role as an economic driver for downtown revitalization, drawing ticket buyers from 900+ zip codes while only about 10% come from Marion. They cover community initiatives including story walks, support for Marion Connects, fountain music programming, and a major mural program that grew downtown murals to 31, plus youth programming, career exposure, and upcoming events and ticket-buying guidance via marionccc.com.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://marionccc.com/

Sunny Street Cafe Expands to Marion: New Standalone Location, Pickup Window, and Hiring PlansHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams welcome guest host Allison Hassler and guest Chris McBride to discuss Sunny Street Cafe’s new second Southern Illinois location in Marion, Illinois. McBride explains the Marion cafe will be the brand’s first standalone building, featuring a pickup window, patio with roll-up glass doors, and a possible private event room, while offering breakfast, brunch, lunch, and likely mimosas and bloody marys. He outlines Sunny Street’s structure (about 25 locations split between corporate and franchise), notes the Marion site’s strategic placement near hotels, the interstate, Pilot, and Cornerstone traffic, and shares plans to hire about two months before opening and train staff in Carbondale. McBride also discusses kitchen operations, workforce changes, leadership and motivation, hiring qualities, and catering options from pickup to full-service events.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://www.sunnystreetcafe.com/SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:Watermark Auto Group: https://www.watermark.auto/Fowler Heating & Cooling: https://fowlerheatingandcooling.com/Swinford Media Group: https://swinfordpublications.com/Arcadia Wealth Group: https://www.raymondjames.com/arcadiawealthgroupBanterra Bank: https://www.banterra.bank/Southern Illinois Now: https://southernillinoisnow.org/Produced by Union Street Artshttps://www.unionstreetarts.com/

Nicholas Holdinghausenand Jennifer Olson host Small Town Big Business and interview Murphysboro-based entrepreneur Traci McLaughlin, who runs Shine On A Dime cleaning (11 years, residential and commercial) with her husband, manages McLaughlin Properties (eight rentals acquired largely through opportunities that arose during and after COVID), and writes as an author. McLaughlin discusses publishing her first novel, Threads of Grace—inspired by her brother Troy’s death at 28 and shaped by experiences including foster care—plus a companion guided journal, a children’s book The Wise Path, and an upcoming children’s book Elena planned for July/August 2026. She shares lessons about avoiding publishing scams, editing and formatting, ISBN/barcode choices, and selling via Amazon and libraries, along with challenges of hiring, landlord repairs, unreliable tenants, and balancing business with family time.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://www.facebook.com/ShineOnaDimeIL/SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:Watermark Auto Group: https://www.watermark.auto/Fowler Heating & Cooling: https://fowlerheatingandcooling.com/Swinford Media Group: https://swinfordpublications.com/Arcadia Wealth Group: https://www.raymondjames.com/arcadiawealthgroupBanterra Bank: https://www.banterra.bank/Southern Illinois Now: https://southernillinoisnow.org/Produced by Union Street Artshttps://www.unionstreetarts.com/00:00 Welcome to Southern Illinois Now00:46 Meet Tracy McLaughlin01:05 Three Businesses Overview02:36 From Idea to First Book05:21 Publishing Pitfalls and Process11:20 Threads of Grace Story14:25 Entrepreneurial Roots15:37 Building Shine on a Dime18:58 Marketing and Small Business Seasons20:41 Rental Properties Origin Story21:10 Buying First Home22:27 Inheriting Country Mobile Home23:48 COVID Rental Expansion25:08 Eight Properties Now25:59 Landlord Challenges30:13 Local Management Matters31:39 Character And Client Care34:03 Advice To Younger Self38:02 Writing New Books39:13 Where To Find Tracy42:13 Time Over Money43:35 Podcast Wrap Up

From Sonographer to App Founder: Lynn Flam Builds SonoTechniques AcademyNick Holdinghausen and his co-host introduce Southern Illinois Now’s Small Town Big Business and interview Lynn Flam, a registered diagnostic medical sonographer with 34 years of OBGYN experience who launched the SonoTechniques Academy OBGYN ultrasound teaching app and The Seasoned Sonographer podcast after career burnout and a lack of local teaching jobs. Flam describes identifying an education gap as busy OBGYN offices struggle to take students, using SBDC Carbondale resources to plan and find developer Jeremy Packer (Packer Labs), and marketing primarily through social media, including TikTok, plus costly conferences. The app is used by SIU’s program and a local hospital system as a reference for protocols and checklists. She also became a CME lecturer, presenting on ectopic pregnancies and first-trimester evaluation, and discusses AI’s growing role in ultrasound.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://sonotechniquesacademy.com/

Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

Small Town, Big Business: Take Action Today Inc. with Chrystal CantrellJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town, Big Business in downtown Marion, Illinois, and interview Chrystal Cantrell, executive director of Take Action Today Inc., a recovery community organization serving Franklin, Williamson, Perry, Jackson, and Jefferson Counties with walk-in centers in Carbondale, Marion, and Benton/West City. Cantrell, a certified peer recovery specialist in long-term recovery, describes services including peer support, harm reduction education, Narcan and test kit distribution, transportation to treatment and appointments, laundry and clothing assistance, and plans for a thrift store. She discusses stigma, addiction as disease, homelessness realities, and the need for housing partnerships. The organization began after a homeless man’s death in West Frankfort, incorporated in 2020, grew rapidly, now has 18 staff, and runs ROSC councils, a youth prevention program (SIYEN), and a hotel-based respite partnership with Equality Inn and medical partners like Deaconess. She outlines volunteer, donation, and supply needs and shares contact details (takeactiontoday.net, Facebook, and center addresses).Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://takeactiontoday.net/

Small Town, Big Business: The Alexanders Bring Independent Primary Care Back to MarionHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams welcome Dr. Jim Alexander and physician assistant Jennifer “Jen” Alexander to discuss opening Alexander Family Practice on West Main Street in downtown Marion, Illinois. They share their history practicing in the region since the early 2000s, a brief out-of-state hiatus, and their decision to return to independent medicine to restore one-on-one, continuity-based care and reduce corporate “layers” that frustrate patients. Jen describes learning the business side of healthcare, especially insurance credentialing, electronic systems, and billing, and credits community resources and a strong referral network built over decades. They highlight services including preventive care, laceration repair, dermatology procedures, joint injections, and Botox/fillers, note they see patients from newborns to a 109-year-old, introduce their social-media mascot “Mac Daddy,” and explain how to become a new patient and how to contact the office.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://www.facebook.com/p/Alexander-Family-Practice-61566590492602/

Small Town, Deep Roots: Amy Eckert on Building Gideon Realty in Marion, IllinoisJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town, Big Business from downtown Marion, Illinois, introduce sponsors, and interview Amy Eckert of Gideon Realty. A lifelong Marion resident, Eckert shares her family background, memories of Marion’s downtown-to-mall-to-downtown shift, and her path from part-time jobs and 10.5 years in local radio to homeschooling her sons for 16–17 years after feeling called to do so. She describes leadership experience in multi-level marketing, earning her real estate license in 2017 with mentor Joanna Farrell, later obtaining a managing broker license, and in May of the prior year launching the intentionally small “boutique” Gideon Realty after guidance from Ethos and attorney Martin Parsons. Eckert emphasizes personalized, local, relationship-based service, education for buyers and sellers, and her trademarked tagline, “Small Town, Deep Roots,” and shares how to contact her via Facebook or 618-922-8820.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://www.facebook.com/RealEstateSouthernIllinois/

Rooted and Whole Wellness: Brittany Hammers on Root-Cause Naturopathy in Rural Southern IllinoisJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town, Big Business from downtown Marion, Illinois, thank sponsors, and interview Brittany Hammers, founder of Rooted and Whole Wellness. Hammers shares that her business grew from her own Crohn’s disease diagnosis in 2018/2019 and frustration with trial-and-error medications, leading her to pursue a doctorate in traditional naturopathy and focus on root-cause wellness through nutrition, lifestyle changes, detox support, and selective supplement recommendations. She emphasizes long, in-depth assessments (often 60–90 minutes or longer), listening, addressing trauma and stress, and guiding clients step-by-step with frequent portal access, while limiting to about five clients a month to maintain connection. She discusses faith, balancing roles as mom, student, and business owner, staying values-driven with low overhead, plans for a future physical space, and ways to contact her via the Rooted and Whole Wellness Facebook page, including in-person, virtual, and mobile options.Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTOur guest: https://www.facebook.com/RootedandWholeWellness