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In honor of Veterans day, we invited two distinguished vets to join us to discuss the importance of the holiday, and what we should consider as we try to ensure veterans get the opportunities they need to ensure success after the military.  Today's guests are Ryan Friedrichs, who served in the U.S. Army, and State Representative Joe Tate, who served in the Marines.   

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Don Tuski, President of The College of Creative Studies recently appeared on WDET's "Culture Shift" program to discuss the recent "Cumulus Detroit: Design for Adaptation" conference that CCS hosted recently.  The conversation focused on the important international conference, why CCS and Detroit were chosen to host, and what role design will play in how we adapt to a changing climate.    

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Our guests for the VVK podcast this week are Chanell Scott Contreras, executive director of ProsperUs, and Racheal Allen, COO of the Marygrove Conservancy.  Both women are working to improve the climate for entrepreneurship in Detroit, especially among women of color.  Chanell helps them get the capital they need to get started, while Rachel helps them take next steps to grow their businesses once they get going.  The two have a lot to say about where we are, and what work needs to be done to support this growing entrepreneurial space in Detroit.  

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Today, we get a bit introspective on what it takes to make a good talk show segment.  More specifically, what makes for a "good" guest for a program?  Is it polish?  Expertise?  Bombast?  Perhaps a little of all of the above?  Our guests today have a lot to say about it, and they should know.   Jamie Kaye Walters is the COO / Head of Marketing and Talent for VVK PR + Creative.  Before she joined VVK, she spent many years at WDIV in Detroit.  She brought along with her longtime news anchor and talk show host Devin Scillian from WDIV.  Between the three of us, we have been involved in tens of thousands of interviews...and know a thing or two about good and bad ones.   

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Our guest today is Barb McQuade, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.  She is currently a law professor at the University of Michigan Law School, the host of the popular "Sisters in Law" podcast, and a regular contributor to MSNBC.   We talk about her career trajectory, her work in media, and her rising influence and popularity.  We also talk about the news that broke Monday, about the FBI's search warrant on former President Trump's residence at Mar-A-Lago.    

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Craig's guest this week is Chris Moyer, Senior Director of Communications for Visit Detroit, aka the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau.  He also worked at the Detroit Regional Chamber, and has some experience in helping to create the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.  The two discuss the challenges of juggling multiple events crammed into a busy summer in Detroit, and what it takes to attract ever more visitors to our city.   

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Craig's guests for the latest VVK Podcast are New Detroit CEO Mike Rafferty, and Rebecca Irby, New Detroit's Director of Programs and Services.  New Detroit was formed in response to civil unrest in 1967 that uncovered a host of entrenched social and community ills. At the request of then Michigan Governor George Romney and Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, business executive Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. convened a unique coalition—the nation’s first—to identify what went wrong in July 1967, what needed to change, and how to make that change happen.

Since then, New Detroit, Inc. has been a unique and valuable arena where leaders of Detroit’s business, civic, grassroots, and religious communities have come together to plan cooperative strategies and to demonstrate their commitment to the city and its environs. 

New Detroit will host "Just Lead:A New Detroit Conference to Advance Racial Equity" in October of this year.   

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Craig's guest is Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter.  The longtime County Commissioner and former Mayor of Ferndale took over as County Executive in August of 2019, just two weeks after the death of longtime Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.  Coulter is the first Democrat to hold the position, to which he was reelected handily in 2020.   

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Craig's guest is Ambassador Žygimantas Pavilionis, a member of the Lithuanian Parliament, and the former Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. and Mexico.  We caught up with the Ambassador at the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference, where he was raising funds for the defense of Ukraine, and trying to raise awareness of the importance of stopping Vladimir Putin.  

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The very first episode of the new VVK Podcast with Craig Fahle!  Craig's guest for this inaugural edition is Cindy Pasky, CEO of Detroit based Strategic Staffing Solutions!  The two caught up at the Grand Hotel for the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference.   The wide ranging discussion focused on everything from civility, to COVID's impact on business, S3'a global expansion, and how the war in Ukraine is impacting business in the EU.