Wow! What a life Buddy Finethy has led!
From a Dad who was on the run to finding comic books to creating the Mellow Mushroom art to... There is just a lot going on in this man's life. Did I mention he learned how to build a tribe from the Dead Heads? (That's the group of folks that followed the Grateful Dead around the country).
Hawg and Ale opened in April 2018 and Buddy and his partners created a place that includes art that focuses on American Bad a--es and food that celebrates the best in Southern BBQ. (They recently won best BBQ at the Taste of Marietta.)
I know you will enjoy this wide ranging and fun episode...
Bill was interviewed for the Marietta Daily Journal and decided to include podcast alumni in the photo shoot at the square. Here's all the folks that showed up on a Friday in May.
Pete Bush, Matt Rooke, Crista McCay, Michael Shaffer, Carey Cox, April Forshee, Brielle Gaines, Amber Markay Byrd, Jen Stark and Christie Clark.
Any thanks to everyone that has made Marietta Stories Podcast great!
Komal and Yogesh Patel moved to the US from India where they had a hybrid arranged marriage. The hybrid part is pretty interesting, you’ll have to hear how that worked.
Anyway, they were having some health issues and made a connection between their issues and not getting the right foods, like they had in India.
So they started Nature’s Pick and brought the best natural food to just west of the square on Whitlock Avenue.
Bill speaks with the Patel’s as well as some of the other folks working at the Taste of Marietta.
Enjoy!
Mentioned on the episode:
Nature’s Pick Market
Tickled pink Reflexology
https://www.facebook.com/tickledpinkreflex/
Theatre in the Square
http://www.theatreinthesquare.net
Johnny Walker Realty
https://www.johnnywalkerrealty.com
John Silvey is a busy, busy man. I guess he was born busy. He started working at 14 years old with his mom and has not stopped. He has always had a servant’s heart.
He also is known as “the fixer”. Straightening out failing restaurants and moving on to the next challenge.
We talk about all those things plus:
Enjoy this fast paced and fun episode!
John’s restaurants
https://www.zaxbys.com/locations/ga/marietta/2080-lower-roswell-rd/
https://www.zaxbys.com/locations/ga/marietta/591-s-marietta-pkwy-se/
I attended the career day at Marietta High School. I spoke to some students and a few businesses. I also got to meet Sam, Amanda and Jen Hobby of 94.1…
Georgia Trade School
770-590-9353
David McDonald — Modern Image
https://www.modernimageusa.com/atlanta/
Star 94.1
Sponsor
Marietta Theatre in the Square
http://www.theatreinthesquare.net
Golf Tournament Sponsor Raul Thomas - 678-270-7272
In their first year, the East Cobb Hit Squad won 14 games. This spring league team of 8-10 year olds made a name for itself and plan on doing the same thing this spring.
Kvalito owner Shahid Hussain hosts a fundraising event for the team and everybody shows up: the players, the coach, the team moms and the cheerleaders.
Enjoy this fun interview!
Football Team on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/East-Cobb-Hit-Squad-Football-Team-144832606183593/
Kvalito on Facebook
Felecia Prezzano and her daughter Brielle Gaines continue to build their tea empire. Today, they opened their second store in downtown Woodstock building on what they learned from their Marietta Square location. By the time I arrived, they had served over 250 orders and were very busy.
But they both had time to reflect on their journeys. We discuss their Instagram worthy restaurant design and the circle (bubble) motif designed by Cassandra Buckalew, the same Cassandra Buckalew from Season 1 of Marietta Stories Podcast.
I also met a couple, Greg and Rose that drove up from Cleveland (Georgia) just to get some of that delicious Tiny Bubbles Tea!
http://www.tinybubblesteabar.com
http://www.cassandrabuckalew.com
Roy Barnes learned politics from the front porch of his father’s general store in Mableton, Georgia. Storytelling is part of his DNA and Governor Barnes tells many in this informative interview from those humble beginnings to the governors mansion and back to Marietta.
Wonder what it was like to remove the confederate battle flag from the Georgia state flag? How about his thoughts about today’s political leaders? What about his wife’s decorations and Governor’s blend pipe tobacco?
Enjoy this fun and informative episode of a true leader.
Malika Bowling is a freelance food and travel writer based in Atlanta and Editor at Roamilicious.com. She's the author of Culinary Atlanta: Guide to the Best Restaurants, Markets, Breweries and More! and Food Blogging 101. She has been featured on HGTV and The Huffington Post and has been a contributing writer to USA Today. Malika has also served as a judge at various culinary competitions and food festivals.
Growing up in Marietta, Mo Isom was driven to be the best soccer player around. At age 9, she decided she would get a sports scholarship to college, after hearing a older family friend that he had a scholarship.
Several years later she walked unto the field at LSU and she became an all American goal keeper. She even appeared on ESPN when she kicked a 90 yard goal.
But all wasn’t as it seemed.
Join me as we talk through her Dad’s suicide, her near death in a car wreck and her beginning life all over again.
We also discuss her latest book, “Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot”.
Available at Mosiom.com
When Damien Daigle was filled with wonder the first time he opened a computer. The fan, the boards, the wires, everything he saw amazed him.
But he needed to learn about life the hard way. A failed 3 month trip to Louisiana, where he was a Walmart greeter, a return home and eventually he found himself working on computers and learning to solve seemingly insurmountable problems.
Hear the rest of Damien’s amazing story, including his journey to owning and providing for his family through his Computer R Us small business. Hint: he provides terrific customer service at a fair price.
Website
Brandon Stiles is a long-time Marietta resident and entrepreneur.
From his early days of playing out in the metro area’s bustling live music scene to his current work consulting Atlanta businesses on their digital marketing strategy and implementation- Brandon has seen his share of ups and downs in small business.
In this episode, he shares his insights on how to grow and properly market your business.
You’ll learn things like:
⁃How to stack your businesses value (instead of discounting your prices)
⁃The steps to building an online sales funnel in order to keep customers coming ‘through the doors’ (be it brick and mortar or online)
⁃The real reason most entrepreneurs start a business, and how to use that mentality to grow
To learn more about Brandon and his services, check out:
Special thanks to Ignite HQ for the use of their studio.
Also thanks to our sponsor!
Jen Starks and Christie Clarke met at the Marietta Library. They knew they were homeschoolers because their kids were about the same age. They connected like were like magnets.
But their relationship had some bumps. They once went to Asheville during a ice storm and had the longest hug ever when they made it and knew each other was safe.
Now they host a Saturday morning connections Meetup at Cool Beans in Marietta and help other entrepreneurs connect with influencers and build relationships.
Christie's Business
Christie's Send Out Cards Link
Luly Rae Cleaning Service FaceBook Page
Raul Thomas was not prepared to open a theater. He is a chef by trade and when the opportunity presented itself, Raul leaned heavily on his youngest son, Emil to carry him through.
But Emil was not going to make it easy. Emil felt that good theater made you uncomfortable and started a conversation. After three years, the theater is thriving and Raul has learned quite a bit from his son.
http://www.theatreinthesquare.net
Thanks to this show’s sponsor, Johnny Walker Realty. https://www.johnnywalkerrealty.com
Luis starting selling mangos in Puerto Rico at the age of 12 to help his single mother supplement her factory income. He joined the Army and learned English in a few months. While in the military, he bought his first house.
Now he started a concrete business that puts the customer first and aligns with his priorities.
I hope you enjoy this inspirational episode!
John Forest, Director of Operations
jaforest@concretedesignandrepair.com
404-313-1369
Jay “Guards” Boudrie — Vice President & General Manager of PSI Security
Extreme Color
Missy Owen (sorry I said Owens in the intro!) lost her son Davis to the disease of addiction. Davis didn’t fit the mold of an addict; he was class president in high school and loved by everyone.
Everything changed when Davis decided to take something from the medicine cabinet when he was having trouble sleeping. That one moment changed everything for Davis and his family.
After Davis overdosed, his mom Missy realized that a big gap in recovery was not having anywhere to go after successful rehab. In fact, you are 32% more likely to die after rehab than if you just continued using!
She found a 21,000 foot facility for sale and got them to lease it to her. She called it The Zone and with a whole bunch of work, donations and love, it has been thriving.
Now she wants to go nationwide and Build Communities of Recovery and is holding a conference her in Marietta September 26-29, 2018.
Check it out!
Conference
https://buildingcommunitiesofrecovery.org
The Zone and Davis Direction