Leading Well

Scott Gragg, Former NFL Player and current Principal for McNary High School, talks about his journey a bit and what he has learned about leadership in his years. He talks about the importance of avoiding micromanaging and giving freedom and trust to those who work with you. He also shares some insights about his journey as a parent of 2 very different kids.

Jim Seymour talks about his long career helping communities with Catholic Community services and how his life changed thanks to a man who believed in him enough to promise him work if he committed to educating himself. Truly an inspiring story about determination.

Tom Hoffert, CEO of Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, talks about his journey through his career in the private sector on to nonprofits and focusing on helping small, local businesses thrive in his area.

If you'd like to learn more about what Tom does with Salem Chamber, you can visit their website: salemchamber.org
Tom also hosts a podcast with the Salem Chamber, you can find more info at salemchamber.org/podcast

Jessica Howard, President of Chemeketa Community College, Shares about her journey through multiple degrees and searching in her career to land where she is today. She also hares a lot about the new Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree that they just offered which was created to make a more meaningful degree focused on real work experience in their chosen field.

If you'd like to learn more about what Chemeketa has to offer, check out their website: chemeketa.edu 

Dan Kohler, Keizer City Council Member and Owner of Professional Preneeds, talks about his important work in the city and how he became the man he is today. He gives advice on surprises he faced in multiple areas and also talks about determination.

Pat Bailey, 2-time National Championship Baseball Coach and current Multi-Area director for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, talks with us about his keys to success and how learned to see his job truly as education. If you'd like to learn from a successful coach, you should definitely. listen to this episode!

Soraida Cross is a Keizer City Councilor and the General Manager of the Hotel Salem. She talks about her what she learned starting from the bottom rung of the ladder and moving up to more important positions within the same company. She also talks about the importance of civics and learning to know your limits in capacity for work.

If you'd like more info on The Hotel Salem, visit their website: hotelsalemoregon.com
You can also contact Soraida with her City Councilor Email: CrossS@keizer.org

Louis and Leslie Risewick own Aj's Hideaway Bar & Grill and also the KBZY (1490AM) radio station. They talk about their lives growing up and their beliefs about what business is about and how to serve the community through their local businesses.

If you'd like to learn more about them, you can go to
their radio station's website: KBZY.com
or their restaurant's website: ajshideaway.com

Fred Broadwater is a native Oregonian, retired National Guardsmen, and Keizer Post 17 Commander of The American Legion. One of his favorite parts of his post is the Boys State program where high schoolers all gather to practice forming municipalities and government structures from scratch! The kids learn valuable lessons about how to be involved with their local government and the decision-making involved in it!

If you'd like to learn more about The American Legion of Oregon, visit their website: orlegion.org

Zak Stone is a photographer that does wonderful work and specializes in capturing the essence of landscapes and the outdoors for himself and his clients. He talks about how he got started in it all and gives advice for newcomers to the craft as well as business owners looking to get the most out of their imaging.

You can find him on instagram @zakstonephotography
Or his website: zakstonephotography.com

Mike Peterson talks about his world of helping people reach others effectively through marketing. He talks about how he grew from someone who struggled in school to a business owner through learning the value of hard work.

If you'd like to reach out to him, you can email him at mpeterson@hitedigital.com
OR you can find him on his various socials and websites all branching from mikegpeterson.com

Gayle Withnell is a philanthropist and former teacher who works with her husband, Dick Withnell, to better the communities they are a part of through civic engagement and charity. She talks about how she stays busy and continues to improve the world around her.

Mike Adams is an entrepreneur who owns a few restaurants and is likely most known for turning a food truck into a restaurant: Adam's Rib Smokehouse. He talks about his life story, the beginnings of his entrepreneurial spirit, and gives advice that he wishes he had when he was younger.

If you'd like to learn more about his smokehouse, you can visit their website adamsribsmokehouse.com

Justin and Emmy Arana run the Acres of Hope Youth Ranch in Independence, OR. They work with troubled youth tho help them connect with mentors, nature, horses, and more. On the podcast, they talk about their personal origins as well as the origins of the ranch and how they go about doing what they do.

If you'd like to learn more about Acres of Hope, visit their website: acresofhopeyouthranch.org
Or you can reach out to Justin via email: justin@acresofhopeyouthranch.org

Tim Sinatra is the of the Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties. He talks about his struggles in school and how he overcame those to be the successful leader he is today. He also talks about life lessons he learned from his father and how he manages balancing work and life.

If you'd like to reach out to Tim to find out more about what he does, you can email him at tsinatra@theyonline.com
You can also go to their website at theyonline.org

Rollyn Betts is a health coach, vocal coach, and even a horse trainer! He has many passions focused around educating others and helping them achieve goals they perhaps didn't think were possible! He shares with us advice he wishes he had and advice for everyone else too.

If you'd like to reach him about providing some cpr training, you can find more info at orcprpro.com
If you'd like to reach out to him about anything, you can email him at coachrollyn@abetts.org

Holly Nelson, Executive Dean of Chemeketa Community College, pops into our podcast this week to share about her journey and what she does for students today. She talks about transitioning from teaching directly to administration and its impact for change.

If you'd like to see more of what Chemeketa offers, go to their website chemeketa.edu
If you'd like to reach her, you can email her at holly.nelson@chemeketa.edu

Tony Frazier is the Director for the Salem Kroc Center. They work with the local community and underserved children and families to provide activities for young people. Someone can go there to experience their pool, gym, educational centers and so much more.

If you'd like to learn more about what Tony does, check out their website: salem.kroccenter.org

Katy Canales shares with us a bit of her life story and what she has learned about having influence in a community and business. She currently works with home loans and mortgages. She talks about being a twin and transitioning to a school without them and other life changes that can have an impact on a person.

If you'd like to reach out to her, you can reach her via email katy.teamcanales@gmail.com or by phone 503-385-4040

Anna Sponable is a new high school graduate that is on their way to becoming an awesome civic leader one day. She has participated in many community projects and was a participant in the American Legion mock government project. We all wish her luck and are excited to see what she will pursue after she continues her education in college! 

Buddy Puckett joins us today on the podcast! He is a Sales and Leadership Coach and a long-time friend of Tim Davis (one of our co-hosts). He shares about his troubled past as he matured and found his way to be the successful man he is today and advice for people who are looking to find something better suited for themselves even when they feel stuck.

If you'd like to reach out for some coaching, you can find him here at southwesternconsulting.com/coaches/buddy-puckett
He also has a podcast where people share their life stories...

Taras Sarapin is the owner of Ultrex, an office solutions company helping businesses with the detailed inner workings of running a business. He shares about his childhood in Russia and how he came to the USA and grew into the success he is today through his hard work and dedication.

If you'd like to learn more about Ultrex. visit their website: ultrex.com
And you can reach out to Taras at tarassarapin@gmail.com if you'd like to connect with him.

Jane Herb is an Enterprise Sales Manager for Baker & Taylor, the larges book wholesaler in the U.S. She talks about her journey of leaving Oregon for her career, but coming back and starting a family later in life. She also shares her wisdom about getting involved in your local community.

Markey Toomes is the owner of The Chicken Shack here in Keizer, Oregon. He prides himself on service and mentoring those who work with him. He shares a bit about his life story and also a passion that some might not know about: playing music.

If you'd like to check out his restaurant, you can find them on instagram  @ChickenShackPNW and facebook @ChickenShackPNW or here in town at 3844 River Rd N Keizer, OR

Casity Troutt comes on our podcast to tell us about her campaign for School board and why getting involved in the education of our students is so important as a community. She talks about our current weakness in reading levels in our schools and ways to go about remedying that. She also opens up about her upbringing and passion for agriculture.

Learn more about her School Board Campaign at casityforschools.com

Leslye Garcia Quevedo is a dedicated advocate for parents and a firm believer that the best investment a community can make is in its children at a young age. She also works for the Neighborhood Family Councils with CBEL (Community Business and Educational Leaders). 

To learn a bit more about what she does, visit mykidisreadyforkinder.com

Meredith Mooney is the President of Keizer United, a Community Partnership Team. She shares about why she joined this group of hard working folks and about her pipeline from volunteer to president. Everywhere she led, she started out as a humble volunteer and that helps build a respect for the organization you are at.

If you'd like to hear more about what Keizer United is doing, you can find them on facebook at facebook.com/KeizerUnited or you can reach out via email at keizerunited@gmail.com

Paco Rosas is an Account Manager for Servicemaster of Salem as well as a member of many local boards such as the Latino Business Alliance. He shares about his experience in leadership as well as how he values volunteering for your community.

Chris Trammell, a high school teacher with a dozen years of experience, talks with us about his educational career and life, but also about the programs he runs at his school right now that impact students positively. He runs a peer-to-peer mentoring program for students at his school. These students also bond over volunteering opportunities int he community.

If you want to learn more about Chris and his program, you can reach out to him via his school email: trammell_christopher@salkeiz.k12.or.us

Krissy Hudson, a candidate for Salem-Keizer School Board, shares with us a bit about her life and why she is passionate about helping the next generation grow up well to make decision that will change even more lives down the line.

Learn more about Krissy's campaign at krissyforkids.com
You can also find her on instagram (@krissyforkids) and facebook (@krissyforkids)

Michael Rohwer is the Executive Director of Curandi, an organization that helps nonprofits keep track of the important bits of data surrounding their outreach. He shares about how his experience in a band in his younger years taught him important lessons and how Learning about systems at a young age can improve the way one sees the world and business.

To learn more about Curandi, visit their website: curandi.org
Or reach out to him directly with his email: michael.rohwer@curandi.org

Jeremy Turner, the owner of J Turner Solutions, talks about some things he has learned from his experience as a social marketing and communications consultant. He helps local businesses thrive in the new and evolving marketing space that many small businesses fear getting themselves into.

If you are interested to hear more about what Jeremy does, reach out to him via email: jeremy@jturnersolutions.com
OR you can visit his website: jturnersolutions.com

Luke Glaze, Executive Director for Salem For Refugees, shares with us his life experiences and about his work at Salem For Refugees. He opens up about surprises and challenges in his field and how people can make a difference in communities like ours.

To learn more about Salem for Refugees, you can visit their website: salemforrefugees.org or you can reach out to Luke at his email: luke@salemforrefugees.org

We interview Lore Christopher, the former Mayor of Keizer, Oregon. She spent many years helping Keizer flourish on top of her 14 years serving as mayor. She shares about her life and how she chooses to lead, the importance of humility when an idea is shared and implemented, and how art can tell us about the history of an area and how the people in it currently feel. 

An Interview with Eduardo Angulo, the lead for The Neighborhood Family Council Initiative. They help give voices to poor families in their cities and help establish connections with the local government and education programs. They also host programs that help empower these folks as well. He shares about his life, his struggles, and how he approaches empowering people.

If you'd like to learn more about what he does, you can reach out to him via email at eangulo1994@gmail.com and you can find the respective Neighborhood Family Councils on their facebook pages based on their local...

Today we interview Corri Falardeau, Executive Director at the Keizer Chamber of Commerce. She talks about her life leading up to her current position and the influence it had on her. She talks about the importance of family and some important advice she learned from important figures in her life!

If you'd like to learn more about the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at keizerchamber.com

Today we interview Bob Shackelford, a real estate agent and an ever present volunteer for his home town of Keizer. He shares about how he got to where he is now and the importance of taking charge and helping your community.

If you'd like to reach out to him, you can reach him at his email address: bobshack1@gmail.com

Today we interview Dr. Satya Chandragiri, a Member of the SKPS School Board and an experienced Psychiatrist. He shares about his background and the importance of transparency in every facet of life (marriage, business, leadership, etc.). He is also running again for the SKPS School Board!

Learn more about him or contact him through his website: SatyaForSchools.com

Today, we interview Paige Clarkson, Marion County's District Attorney! She shares with us how important it is for influential figures in our lives, like teachers and parents, to call out leadership potential in today's youth as they did for her when she was younger. She also discusses many surprises about what her work entails that she did not expect going into it and how those discoveries brought change to how she approaches it.

If you'd like to reach out to her, you can contact her with her public email address: pclarkson@co.marion.or.us

An Interview with Gino Corridori, An insurance Broker and Creator of the Straight "A" Student Giveaway. He shares about what inspired him to start the giveaways as well as how he came into the insurance business and what he learned along the way.