STANDARD H Podcast

Any car person loves a new car. The smell, the shine...it just makes you feel great. Today’s guest is Wes Walz, owner/operator of Elite Finish Detailing - a full service automotive detailing business supporting their tag line “Making First Impressions Last.” When it comes to cars, what beats that?! Prior to COVID, Wes and I sat down where I thought we’d chat about his upbringing and how he’s grown his business catering to some of the most lust-worthy cars on the road today. We quickly jump into car talk only to come to a screeching halt when he mentions his days of competitive horse jumping and rocking cowboy hats. The foray into detailing really sprung about due to a neighbor admiring the degree to which Wes cleaned his own car. Wes was working in the mortgage business when it crashed a little over a decade ago, so his then weekend side hustle quickly became a way to pay the rent. We discuss the value of relationships as well as a tiny yet very effective marketing tool he utilizes all the time. We of course delve into what services Elite Finish offers, as well as what questions are good to ask your local shop when vetting detailers in your area. Additionally, we chat about what not to do, and even some easy tips for you to take better care of your cars at home. This was a fun and truly informative conversation and I think many of you will appreciate the education. I know I did.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Elite Finish Detailing

@EliteFinish

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime

Over the last 8 weeks or so, we’ve all been tested. These weeks have been labeled “strange times”, “uncertain times”, “unprecedented times” the list goes on...and that’s why I felt today would be a good time to release the following conversation I had with guest, Elliot Aronow. We discuss a topic that isn’t al that easy to talk about, and it can often feel like a buzz phrase, however, it certainly makes it no less important, and that’s Mental Health. I feel as though many of us experience pitfalls in life and they can certainly lead to deep depressions for some. Elliot knows all about this. As a self-described preppy punk with a childhood he labels as idyllic, Elliot became somewhat of a ring leader of “cool” in New York City in the early 2000’s. However, this was all ironically followed up by his darkest days which included starting businesses that ultimately failed. His latest business, Our Show (@ourshownyc) is a multi-pronged fork which involves one part brand consultancy, and other parts focusing on the mental health of men through its newsletter, workshops and group meetups now orchestrated through Zoom. I really enjoy Elliot’s ability to balance these heavy topics with his self-deprecating humor, allowing for a much more approachable glimpse into what can obviously be difficult topics to breach for most people. He’s an incredibly creative mind so it was especially interesting to talk about facing fears and how to over come them.

[Please keep in mind none of this serves as medical advice, rather a very forthright and honest bit of story telling.]

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Our Show

@ourshownyc

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime

Today’s guest is Paul Croughton, the Editor in Chief of Robb Report magazine. I believe I first came across Robb Report some 25 years ago as a teenager in Raleigh, NC, dreaming of one day owning the finer things in life: expensive cars, yachts, beautiful real estate, and of course high end tailoring and accessories. I’ve never been one to obsess over these types of things for their superficial qualities, but rather their design, function, and their deliberate executions. As a sucker for details, I’ve long since been fascinated by items appreciated by people for whom money is no object. This is where my conversation with Paul comes in. Be it categorically filed under birds of a feather or some other such label, at the end of the day, Paul and I are really just geeks about product. However, as we initially journey through his upbringing and early experience, we chat rather retrospectively about house music and Blockbuster video, which then takes a turn into the motivations behind the customization of products. We of course end up discussing his role as the captain of a ship that caters to the psyche as it relates to buying the best of the very best. I thoroughly appreciate Paul’s insights on a multitude of levels and I think you will, too.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Robb Report Magazine

@robbreport

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime

Today’s guest is Bradley Price, who has incidentally always been into cars. As the owner/operator of the watch brand Autodromo, he has found what I believe to be the only legitimate automotive-inspired line of time pieces. I say that bc they aren’t so on the nose, while at the same time representing automotive history in a very direct way.

I had not met Bradley prior to our conversation, and it ticked all the boxes and then some. He couldn’t have been more gracious with his time and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his story. We actually discussed a wide range of topics from Michael Jordan to Ivy League educations, and of course some car talk involving BMW 2002’s and the complete back story of his very cool Ferrari 208 Dino GT4.

We discuss purpose built design as well as the proliferation of micro brands within the watch industry, a world Bradley describes analogous to trees competing for light. It’s a really open and honest dialogue that I think you watch nuts will enjoy. Bradley offers a very forthright glimpse into how he began Autodromo and a detailed description of how he began collaborating with the likes of his Ford Motor Company.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Autodromo

@autodromo

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime

As previously stated, season 3 has been prerecorded so amidst these times of COVID-19, please note these conversations all took place prior to Social Distancing recommendations and mandates.

Episode 32 hosts Ryan Babenzien, the founder of the very versatile shoe brand, Greats, which has experienced an impressive rise within the saturated market of footwear. We talk about growing up riding dirt bikes on Long Island, his 12-year stint living in Los Angeles, as well as his return to his native New York to create and organically grow one of the first digitally native brands. Having spawned from the desire to create a line of shoes representing some of the greatest silhouettes ever designed, there’s a lot we unpack including great insight as to what he’s experienced over the last 7 years and why Greats has been able to excel. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation as it‘a the first episode that dives a bit deeper into the business side things. Ryan was incredibly gracious about the ins and outs of everything from start-up to sharing operations-based information of Greats and I can’t thank him enough for being open. We also have some fun chatting about cars and watches, of course, so stay tuned for that.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Greats

@greats

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime

Welp, here we are: Season 3! For those with drive, the STANDARD H Podcast is a conversation about the lives of entrepreneurs, and those who’ve been instrumental in growing companies.

Season 3 will host episodes every other week: a change in what has historically been a weekly podcast. The reason is due to the pre-recorded nature of my schedule and since we will all be home for the foreseeable future, I wanted to attempt to have these extend for a longer period of time than we will be socially distancing ourselves. Fingers crossed we get back to normal sooner than later, of course.

Given the current climate, I wanted to start the season with someone who often offers so much levity by way of his lightning-quick wit and his overall happy-go-lucky energy he’s exuded via his social media platforms. Of course I’m talking about Phil Toledano or as you may know him on the socials as Mister Enthusiast.

Phil is a New York City-based artist (read: aaahtist) who is an avid car and watch collector. Contrary to his personality, his conceptual art regularly takes a dive into some fairly dark exploratory realms. We discuss the ins and outs of a particular project of his called “Maybe” which also inspired a documentary called “The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano.”

We get into some pretty deep dives of car talk and most certainly watch talk. It was a truly inspiring and a fun conversation to be a part of and I hope you all agree.

I actually did something different for this one: prior to truly beginning each episode I get levels from each guest so the audio sounds ok. I left in our “lead-in” conversation only to give you a glimpse into what it’s like to hang out with Phil and to display just what a crack-up he really is. You’ll see what I mean...

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

Phil Toledano

http://mrtoledano.com/

"The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano"  (Documentary of Phil's project entitled Maybe)

https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004653100/the-many-sad-fates-of-mr-toledano.html

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

For the final episode of Season 2 of the STANDARD H Podcast, I sat down with Scott Newkirk who grew up in Mississippi only to find out he’d become a proud D Student and a desire for something more. After a bit of time spent freelancing with retail visual work, Scott left for New York City where he quickly immersed himself into the fashion world with the likes of Barney’s & Armani. He quickly created a name for himself as a stylist, and after two decades in the city, Scott decided to take a break. After a stint back home in Mississippi, he was asked to become the Creative Director if Tabor, a menswear boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had found Tabor on Instagram and paid them a visit last Fall when I was home. I must say, their merchandise was fantastic given the conservative nature of North Carolina ...and that’s not to say the assortment is even all that loud, however the labels themselves are simply those you don’t see often, if ever anywhere else in the state. So I guess I should say I was, well, proud on a certain level and was quite pleased to see the progression. Scott is incredibly hospitable as is everyone else in the shop, and I really enjoyed chatting about the ins and outs of not only his career trajectory, but also their store breathing so much life into the menswear evolution in the South.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

TABOR

@taborclt

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

If you’re one of the many thousands on Instagram following this week’s guest David Weiss, then you’ll already know boat design is this guy’s wheelhouse. I use wheelhouse somewhat ironically given his affinity for car design, but that’s kind of where our conversation begins. David is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based yacht designer - something he borderline fell into while wrapping up his time at North Carolina State’s Design School. We talk about his upbringing as the oldest of four kids in a home schooled household, his time working as a valet in order to drive cool cars, and how he found himself designing house boats of the future.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

@stabdardh_podcast

David Weiss

@jdwdesign

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

What I enjoy about fashion and moreover Style, is the ability to illustrate a sense of self expression without opening your mouth. From across the room you’re able to share your personality by way of wearing things a certain way and pairing things together. This sort of expression packaged as Style is embodied by this week’s guest, Bruce Liles. I actually interviewed Bruce for a class of mine in college and to this day, I can still say: I have met very few people in my life that toe the line of confidence yet demure quite like Bruce. As the son of a retail manager, Bruce dove head first into the style pool. He later followed in his footsteps, and for the last 25 years, Bruce has owned and operated one of only a few boutiques in North Carolina that truly offers fine menswear. His kind nature is evident in the way he speaks, and I really enjoyed sitting down with him again after all these years.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

Liles Clothing Studio

@liles_clothing

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime

Mike Weddington has had one of the more unique life experiences, let alone professional ones. He’s the 1995 World Champion of Wakeboarding, and now as the co-owner of the Medical supply company Eastcoast Biologics, boy does he have some stories. We talk about his affinity for heavy metal, dropping out of high school, becoming World Champ where he was making good money only to follow that up with a brief time on a government assistance program. What you should know about Mike, and I find this among many entrepreneurs, there’s a common rebellious nature, yes, but there’s never a fear of doing the necessary work. I looked up to Mike as a teenager and today I’m super proud to call him a friend. This conversation certainly serves as a reminder that we all have friends and family members that have things going on behind the scenes that we are completely unaware of. And luckily for Mike, his innate will and determination has proven to benefit his thriving business. He is certainly the embodiment of goal-setting and achieving. This is a longer pod, but it goes fast, so hit cruise control on the steering wheel, or settle in with that beverage and enjoy yourself. It’s a ride.

Links:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

Eastcoast Biologics

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent In Time

@independentintime