The Inaugural First Episode

Here's an introduction to the ABA Coffee In The Park Podcast. Listen to find out what were all about!

Transcript

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Welcome, everybody, to the very first Atchison Business Association Coffee In The Park podcast. My name is Cam Milliken, and I am here with our very special co-host for our podcast, the executive director of the Acheson Business Association, Jennifer Herrick. Hi, Cam. I am so excited to be here, and we are coming to you live from the Wall Coffee Roasters, located in beautiful downtown Acheson, 27717 Acheson Road. That's right, beautiful downtown Acheson. Not that there's really a downtown, but we've declared this downtown Acheson. So we are very excited. Jennifer, this is our very first podcast, and we are launching this podcast with a very specific purpose in mind. We'll tell you about that in just a moment, but this is just so exciting. I'm so glad we're doing this. You know, we've talked about this, I think, for a while now, you and I, about doing something like this. And I'm so excited that it's finally coming to fruition. And you know what? Last night, we actually had our Coffee In The Park kickoff right here at the Wall Coffee Roasters. And we had about 20 people there. And it was awesome. Oh, for those of you that were here yesterday, what a fun night that was. It was. In fact, listen to Cam's voice. He drank so many coffees yesterday that his voice is a little shot. Man, it was just great. It was our unveiling. And we had a donut wall. That was really cool. We had a donut wall. Who doesn't love a donut wall? If you haven't seen a donut wall, we'll send some pictures. Come to our social media channels here soon, and you'll see some of the pictures. You'll see what the donut wall is. And then we played Jeopardy, which was really cool. And then we did the unveiling of our podcast. And we were so excited by the response. So this is the response to the unveiling of our very first Acheson In The Park podcast. Cam, you know what I think the highlight was for people yesterday? And I tell you, if people could see us right now, Cam and I are currently drinking out of some beautiful Coffee In The Park podcast mugs. And everybody that attended last night got to take a mug home. And that was, people were thrilled with that. They were, they were excited. I actually had one lady ask me if she could have four of them to make a complete set in case company came over. So I was kind of excited about that. So anyone who is a guest, a future guest, on the Coffee In The Park podcast is going to receive one of the coveted Coffee In The Park ABA mugs. And you can't put it on eBay or anything like that and sell it because it's going to be worth a lot of money. But they are really nice. Maybe you and I could sign these mugs. We could sign. I don't know if that would increase the value of the mug or decrease the value of the mug. But that's a great idea. I kind of like that. That's kind of exciting. So yeah, so Jennifer, this is just awesome. And we are so excited. Why don't you tell us a little bit about why we're doing this? So we are in, as we said before, beautiful downtown Acheson. Okay, so really, like Cam said. There's no downtown. No, we're just making it downtown Acheson. We are, because the Wall Coffee Roasters is that hub. I like to call it the hub where people come to meet, to meet friends, to meet colleagues, to have business meetings, to have conversation. So that is actually why we decided to start this podcast. There are so many amazing businesses in Acheson. In fact, there's over 360 businesses here, but we thought it's gonna be different. We don't just want it to be about business. We want it to be about people. Yeah, that's the exciting part. That's really exciting, because yeah, it's not gonna be your regular kind of business type of podcast. It's gonna be about the people behind the businesses. Exactly. As we talk about it, every business has a story, but behind every story, there's a person, an individual, and I'm so excited that we're gonna have some amazing guests on this show that are gonna share their stories. And I will share with you in future podcasts, kind of the lineup we've got going. And we've already actually recorded one with... Do you want to tell us who it's with? I do. It's with Jan Michener from Michener Allen Auctioneering. Oh man, and what a story. It was phenomenal. I loved her story. It could have gone on and on and on and on. We laughed. We, I'm not gonna say we cried, but it was really, it was amazing. She just has an amazing story. And so we're gonna drop that podcast in a couple of weeks. And when we do, you won't want to miss that one. It was pretty incredible. That was such an amazing interview. And Jan is just one of so many people that we know in the park, that we can't wait to share their story. Yeah, and you know, I like how you put it, because it's true. There is lots of great businesses out here in Acheson. If you've never been to Acheson, Acheson is between Edmonton and Spruce Grove, right on the highway. You've probably seen it. You just don't know you've seen it. You may be past some big building or some big cranes or something like that. But Acheson is really expansive. And like you say, 360 businesses. And the people in Acheson are incredible. Actually, the amazing thing about Acheson is nobody lives in Acheson. No, absolutely nobody lives here. People just come in and they leave. 10,000 people a day come in to work in Acheson, and then they leave and go home to where, again, Edmonton, Spruce Grove, wherever, surrounding area. But these are people, many of them, who just have the most amazing stories, not just about their businesses, but their life stories, and so we're really excited to sit down with a lot of those people and to hear those life stories, and that's gonna be really awesome. Yeah, absolutely. That is the purpose of this podcast, is to hear that story, and I hope that our listeners will relate to some of these stories and think, wow, if they can survive that or do that, so can I. Yeah, and that's, I think, that's a great point, is that's really what we want this podcast to be all about. We want it to be about business people, well, everyday people, anybody really listening, but business people who say, you know what, I can relate to that, or I went through that, or hey, they went through that, I can get through it, just like you said. So I think it's gonna be really cool. And maybe let's talk about some of the guests we've got coming lined up, or some of the people we wanna talk to, and what they're gonna share with us, and that kind of stuff, so. Well, Cam, you and I decided that we're gonna do this podcast weekly. So we've got a long lineup that we're gonna fill for this podcast. Yeah, well, our list is long. We made a long list. It's a long list. So we're excited to share that a number of people that we've talked to will be coming on the podcast. Jan Michener will be our first one that we're gonna drop. Fantastic. We're gonna have, actually, Michael Wall. From The Wall Coffee Roasters, right here in beautiful downtown Acheson. That's right. That's right. We're gonna have a number of people, not actually only from Acheson. We're gonna have some people from outside Acheson to share their story, including some of our not-for-profit partners. Yeah, and that's gonna be exciting, because I know the Acheson Business Association and Acheson as a whole are committed to working with non-profit organizations, and I'm really excited about that. We're gonna be talking with people from the Parkland Food Bank. We're gonna be talking with people from different organizations who are doing some amazing things. And again, just hearing their story as well, and how then we can be more involved in helping them. That's exactly it. And Cam, last Friday, you and I were at the Ranch Golf and Country Club for our ninth annual ABA Golf Tournament. ABA Golf Tournament, that was pretty awesome. It was a lot of fun. The weather held out. If anybody's been around the area, you know the weather has not been good. Yeah, summer's finally hit, but it didn't hit last week. But yeah. We sold out our golf tournament. 152 golfers came out. We had sponsors on every hole. Shout out to all the sponsors and the golfers. Some of those sponsors were amazing. I mean, at the hole sponsors, it was amazing and unbelievable. Thanks to Western Star Trucks North, they were our title event sponsor. They were outstanding and a blast as always. And everybody had a great time. And that's one of the great things I think we do at the ABA, is we bring people together. Yeah, it is. And you know, Jennifer, the feedback coming from the golf tournament is amazing. I've had business people tell me, or people that attended tell me, that it's the best tournament they attend all year. And so it was fun. It was just great. It was a lot of fun. You and I got to travel around and visit the holes and visit the sponsors and visit the golfers. And it was great. It was awesome. And that's just one of the many things that the ABA does, I think, for our members throughout the year. So we talk about the golf tournament. There are a number of other things that we do, but it's really about that connectivity. Bringing people together to meet one another, to do business with one another, and just, hey, let's get to know our neighbors. Yeah, so that's a great point. Why don't you tell us, just continue to tell us a little bit more about the Acheson Business Association and the mandate of the Business Association. I have the privilege of sitting on the board, and you do such an amazing job. What, just for the folks who don't know, what does the Acheson Business Association do? So we are a membership-based organization. We have a number of businesses in Acheson, but also outside of Acheson. So we call those associate members outside of Acheson that come in and either are suppliers, contractors, or people that work with the companies here. And we connect them. We increase their visibility, like this podcast is doing for them. And we educate them. We have sessions, we bring information to them. It's how people stay up to date in the park, is by joining the ABA. Yep, and I would say that having a membership with the ABA certainly has some great privileges. And like you say, it's not just people in the park that are members. We have associate members outside of the park. And it's an amazing organization to belong to. It's growing rapidly. Every week we're signing up new members and we're quite excited about that. And I think part of it too is our excitement about Acheson itself. Like Acheson is a great place to do business. It is a fantastic place to do business, from the location to the people that are here. And again, it goes back to the story behind the people. That's right. Cam, I can't tell you how much I love meeting the people at the businesses out here. They are the most down to earth, humble individuals you will ever meet, and supportive, supportive of not only the ABA, but of each other and helping the park grow. Yeah, there's a real, I agree with you, there's a real camaraderie out here in that businesses, they look out for each other, they care about each other. And I think part of that too is again, because you're part of an amazing business park, Acheson, and it's a community of business people who are growing together. We have companies here as big as Amazon. One of the largest Amazon plants is out here in Acheson to right down to just smaller family-owned businesses. We have print shops and restaurants and those kinds of things, not many restaurants in Acheson, we need some more. But, you know, it's, and everything in between from companies that work right here in Alberta to Canada to global, and that's the exciting part. And yet somehow when they all come together, it's like they're all just, you know, just in business together, that's what they're doing. Like they're old friends, and that's actually, that was really cool to see at the golf tournament. People that might have not even talked to each other in a year came back together at the golf tournament and just picked up where they left off. And that's what I love about Acheson. Yeah, and the exciting part about that too is I've watched it from time to time, and something I think is really exciting is that maybe business people who are newer to the industries or newer to business or they're new to Acheson, talking with those who have been around for a long time and just picking their brain and getting advice. And, you know, I think that's exciting to watch as well. So I love what the ABA does in fostering those kinds of relationships and fostering that kind of environment for that to happen. And another great way that we do that and celebrate and recognize is through our business awards, which for everybody listening, our ABA Business Awards Gala is coming up on Saturday, September 28th. And we can't wait for that event. The gala is the premier event. We get to dress up. We get to look really good for the gala. It is an exciting night. It is awesome. And I'm excited about it. I mean, I know it's a couple of months away, but you know what? I'm really excited about it. And like you said, it's our business awards gala, and we give away a lot of awards that night. We do. And it's about honouring, recognizing, and celebrating the fabulous businesses and those individuals in that business and all the hard work that they do throughout the year. Yeah, and really the awesome part about the gala is that everybody just celebrates for everybody. Even if you don't win, you might be nominated, you might not be nominated, but everybody celebrates for everybody. And that's the really exciting part. And then the evening, the crowning jewel of the gala is? The Lifetime Achievement Award. And this is something I'm so excited that the Acheson Business Association decided to add the last three years. And so our first year, three years ago, the first recipient of this award was Mr. Mike Myshak senior, at the Myshak Group. Yep. What a man. Awesome guy. Awesome guy. Awesome story. And the Myshak Group does so much for the community. They are just huge supporters. Such great community supporters. Last year. Oh, last year. Oh, last year. I tell you, Cam, I could have sat and listened to this lady for hours. Darlene Whittaker. Darlene Whittaker. President and CEO of Reliable Tube. What a story. What a story. Darlene is amazing. And it was a great story. And you know, to see her receive that award last year, it was so exciting. I mean, it was, she is the most humble, unassuming person. And it was just, it was so exciting to see her win. In fact, if you want to see her story, the ABA, actually, Cam, did you know we have a YouTube channel? I did not know we actually, I feel kind of bad about that. I did not know we have a YouTube channel. If you go to our website at Achesonbusiness.com, go to our social media area, and you will see the little icon for YouTube, and you'll actually be able to watch Darlene's Lifetime Achievement Award video from last year. Wow, that's amazing. Note to self, board members should know we have a YouTube channel. That's pretty awesome. Yeah, Darlene is an amazing person. And this year, I'm really excited about this year's recipient. So am I. So deserving. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Mr. Wesley Wall, who is the CEO and co-founder of Genics. Yeah, and Wes is an amazing guy. He's one of my best friends. And I also work for Wes, but I'm not just saying that, that he's a great guy. He is a great guy. And I'm so excited that we get to honor Wes this year. Genics has been in Acheson, well, almost for over 30 years. And they do an amazing thing. They are an amazing company. And Wes is an extraordinary guy. You know, Wes was one of the initial founding group of the Acheson Business Association back in the day. And he does so much, not only for the Business Association, but I tell you, Cam, he is Acheson's biggest champion. Yeah, and he won't like us talking about him like this because he tries to stay pretty behind the radar, under the radar. Yeah, he really is. He tries to stay under the radar. And but yet he just does so much, and it's really incredible. So that is gonna be a great evening. It's gonna be exciting. It's got a great theme. There's, it's always a great time. So I'm really excited about the gala. And like you say, those are just some of the things that the ABA does throughout the year to bring the businesses and bring people together. We do a ton of other stuff throughout the year. Some Christmas events that are just exciting, some lunch and learn events, which are really exciting, all kinds of things, just to really promote within the park that kind of relationship building opportunities, so. That's it. And I can't tell you how many times I've sat here at this particular table here at The Wall, just meeting with members and hearing how business is going, because really we just want to learn about them and how we can help them. And sometimes we are just that listening ear for them. And if we can point them in the right direction and hear their challenges, but also share in their successes, because we want to shout that out. We want to have everybody listening and almost the world know what great things these businesses are doing here in Acheson. Yeah, and again, coming back to the ABA, I think that that's one of our primary functions, is to be the champion for business. We want to champion businesses here in Acheson. We have a great economy in Alberta right now. Things are going very well. And it's exciting to see businesses grow. Doesn't mean it isn't without its struggles. And it doesn't mean that even within the park itself, we're growing, and so there's a lot of unique opportunities we have as the ABA to be involved in that. So, hence coming back to it again, the purpose of our podcast and why we want to do this every week. And again, I know I've said it multiple times. I'm going to say it again. I'm just really excited about this. This is like the highlight of the job for me. Yeah, and I was so excited last night at our launch party, our reveal party, as we want to call it, for the podcast. I'll tell you, last night, I walked away feeling even better about it because of the support and the enthusiasm of the people that were there. So like I said to them last night, even if all 19 of them are the only ones listening, we just hope it's going to continue to grow and they're going to spread the word, and we're going to spread the word, and that you're going to want to come back every week. And again, I know you and I, Jennifer, we've talked about this a lot. We just don't want it to be kind of just another ordinary podcast. We want there to be some really unique aspects to what we're doing. I promise this is the most boring one you'll listen to. We're setting the stage. Yeah, we just wanted to do the introduction, and you're right. I wholeheartedly agree with you. So if you're listening to this going, well, there ain't much different about that, just bear with us and tune in for the next one, because again, it'll be Jan's story. And then we'll be able to talk a little bit more about upcoming stuff with the ABA and future guests and that kind of thing. Cam, tell everybody listening where they can find this podcast. Well, you can find this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts on Apple or Spotify, but you can also go to our website, the Acheson Business Association website, www.Achesonbusiness.com. Is that right? Yeah, that's right. You're good, you're good. I should know these things. www.Achesonbusiness.com. The link will be there as well, and you can listen to it there. So thanks for, well, thanks for tuning in to the very first one. This is kind of record set, no, not record setting, this is kind of groundbreaking, all that kind of stuff. And so, yeah, this is just really exciting. I'm so excited to do this with you each week, Jennifer. Yeah, I am too, Cam. And I think that people are gonna be pleasantly surprised. Yeah, me too. So the other thing we should mention is that maybe you know somebody in Acheson, or maybe you yourself, you're listening and you think, you know, I'd love to tell my story. What can they do? They can... They can visit our website. www.Achesonbusiness.com. Fill in the comment section. Fill in the comment section. And tell us about somebody that you know, that you think has a great story, and we'll reach out to them. Yeah. And that you'd like to hear, we'd like to hear, and you think people would like to hear their stories.