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The Possibility Mindset Podcast
Embracing The Possibility Mindset is about igniting untapped potential, emerging stronger after setbacks and achieving seemingly impossible goals. Devin Henderson is a motivational keynote speaker, award-winning magician and comedian, and most notably, he and his wife Lynn have been blessed with the opportunity of raising 7 beautiful daughters! Devin’s passion is using real-life examples, along with humor and fun, to help individuals and organizations pursue new levels of greatness and to keep going no matter what. You’ll also enjoy wonderful conversations with guests who have pursued incredible possibilities in their life and work. Subscribe now and discover what else is possible for you!
You can learn more about Devin at http://devinhenderson.com.
Email - info@DevinHenderson.com
The Possibility Mindset Podcast
#33 Business Development with Eric Ely
Eric Ely, the Director of Business Development and Retention at the Shawnee Economic Development Council, joins Devin for a very fun episode. Eric brings his wit to the discussion as he dives into his role in Shawnee, Kansas, shedding light on his efforts in local enterprise growth.
Get ready for a nostalgic trip back to the early 90s as Devin and Eric talk career paths and the effects of sugar cereal. Because those two things go together, right?
Eric's dynamic career journey takes center stage as they explore his roles in corporate sales at Sprint, government positions in various cities, and even an unexpected venture into tilapia farming. Hear about the strategic growth of Shawnee, the revitalization of downtown, and how community engagement is driving the city's potential. And find out...which one of these guys had Glamour Shots done and which one received a letter of bravery and why!
Download and listen to The Possibility Mindset Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
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A special thanks to our sponsor, Eggtc. Shawnee: https://eggtckc.com/eggtc-shawnee/
Sound and Audio Technician: Zack Midyett
Hey, what's going on everybody? Welcome back to the Possibility Mindset Podcast. My name is Devin Henderson and I am your host, and I truly deeply believe that something greater is always possible for you. Well, hello, eric Healy, how you doing today. Awesome, awesome. Man, would you like to hear about the product that we're promoting today? I do, yeah, that's why you're here, right, okay, awesome. Well, I want to let you all know about Mudwater. Mudwater is my coffee replacement. It's going well. I'm about 220 days off coffee right now and, yeah, man, you're drinking coffee.
Speaker 2:You like it, do you?
Speaker 1:drink too much coffee or what's going on? Mud water. You need some mud water, yeah, yeah. Well, just go to the show link eric, you'll see it's mudwatercom slash devon. Mud water is mud and then water is wtr. No, vowelscom slash devon. It really is something that's supposed to give you more focus, boost your immunity and just help you overall. It's less caffeine, it tastes good, it's got a little chocolate in it, I put some honey in it and it's really helping me on this journey of getting away from coffee, and so I don't know for sure yet if I'm going back, but that's where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2:I'm going to try it out. Yeah, okay, cool man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah. I tell you what. Well, because it's like a third amount of the caffeine that's in coffee and I just love the ritual of a hot, yummy drink in my hands all morning. It's not like I have my cup of coffee, like people would be like I already had my coffee. I'm like what do you mean? You already had it? Like when I would drink coffee. It would be like I'm having my coffee from like eight to noon. I always need a cup in my hand, which was obviously why I'm trying to get away from it. It was too much. But with mud water, even if you still want to drink coffee, you could drink your cup. Be done and then move to mud water.
Speaker 2:Nice, it's an idea.
Speaker 1:That's what I did for a while, but now I went cold turkey from coffee just to kind of see if it makes a difference. I'm on a journey. I don't know. Yet You're in a good mood.
Speaker 2:I am in a good mood. Yeah, thank you for noticing that.
Speaker 1:This is the second podcast for the day, so I'm in the zone, yeah, and, as I mentioned in the last episode, this might be our last time here at formerly Etcetera, now Rise and Shine slash. Actually, this space is owned by Minsky's Pizza, which, by the way, I'm going to try to hit up the owner of Minsky's to see if he'll let us keep using this space. Notice all the pizza boxes behind us. Eric pointed out that you don't know what pizza boxes those are because they're turned the wrong way. They either say Best Pizza or Kansas City, but if we were just to turn it, you know 45 degrees, you'd see Minsky's. And Minsky's Eric this is the truth is my favorite pizza of all time. It's awesome, Not just saying that because of Nextdoor. I've loved it since I was a kid.
Speaker 2:So wait, those are empty.
Speaker 1:Those are empty.
Speaker 2:I thought you part of the podcast. I thought we were.
Speaker 1:Oh, you thought that lunch was next.
Speaker 2:Okay, fine, all right, that's cool.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I'm learning a lot about Eric's sense of humor. He had me earlier because he works in Shawnee. He is the hold on. Eric, I want to make sure I get your title right here the.
Speaker 1:Director of Business Development and Retention at the Shawnee Economic Development Council. Can you have a longer title please? I need it longer. That's not even enough. No, nope, I was talking about Lenexa. For some reason which those of you that don't live in the Kansas City metro Lenexa and Shawnee are like neighbors and so, since he's a big Shawnee guy, I was talking about Lenexa. He's like where, what are you talking about? At first I was like he's not hearing me. Right, lenexa, and he's just messing with me because he's a punk. Well, eric, let's introduce you and then we'll talk about our history and all that. Okay, so, by a dynamic leader who is more than an advocate. He's the voice of greatness, ensuring continued growth for a top-tier community. I can vouch for that. I'm part of it. Say hello to Eric Ely. Director of Business Development and Retention at the Shawnee Economic Development Council. Nailed it, boom. He's been there for nearly a decade, really Doing this job as a de.
Speaker 2:It seems like it's been a couple of decades, but it's really been like six and a half years. Okay, doing this job, doing this job, I've worked for the city for a long time and then, okay, became a fish farmer.
Speaker 1:We'll go into all, yeah yeah, fish farmer, standby for that, all right. For nearly a decade, he has remained committed to championing a local enterprise and and that's true, he's done. He's doing that for me, uh, just the other day and in doing so, enhanced more than its legacy of excellence, but the endless possibilities that are yet to be. So, ladies and gentlemen, eric ely, all right, oh, I thought I said applause yeah, yeah, oh yeah the applause sign. I it's. I'm numb to it, thank you. Um, yeah, hey, I see that hand.
Speaker 2:Uh, you got to it.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you, yeah, hey, I see that hand. You got your Shawnee Chamber shirt on. You're ready to go for the day.
Speaker 2:It's Friday, it's a casual day.
Speaker 1:It's casual. What do you wear Monday through Thursday?
Speaker 2:Sport coat. You know I try to look the part, Do you? Yeah, you dress it up.
Speaker 1:I man, you know what I mean? The candy man can yeah, awesome dude. Well, uh, so we actually go way, way back. Yeah, you, you graduated with my brother, jason, from china, mission northwest go coogs, go coogs. And uh, a few years before me and then before that, you and jason played on the same baseball team, tippins way back in the day when you were probably in what like fourth or fifth grade, so it was a long time ago.
Speaker 2:I was just a little tight in the day when you were probably in what like fourth or fifth grade. That was a long time ago.
Speaker 1:I was just a little tight in the stands, but I remember those days.
Speaker 2:It used to be called Pippins.
Speaker 1:I remember that too, and then it was Tippins.
Speaker 2:Yes, and then I got really confused.
Speaker 1:Serious identity crisis there going on, it's just now happening again. Yes, yeah, I remember the Pippins Tippins Trans. What was that all about? Why change one letter? What happened?
Speaker 2:They were trying to confuse us. Is that what it was? Conspiracy, yep.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is it the Mandela effect? Where maybe actually it was Tippins the whole time and we're like wait, was it? Pippins, Tippins, what's going?
Speaker 2:on yeah.
Speaker 1:What's going on? Oh man, I don't know. Dude civic center a lot and kick my soccer ball around because I needed an indoor space, you know when it was really hot or cold outside. And then eric's in there and all of a sudden eric's like I know your brother jason. I was like who is this guy? So, so yeah, what? What are the jobs? And you, you've done the shawnee thing for 10 years. When you were at the civic center, what were you doing there?
Speaker 2:I was um, what was my title? I was like a recreation program.
Speaker 1:It was it was really really long, or maybe it was just like director and you're like nah, nah, nah. I need a new position with a better title.
Speaker 2:I did so. I would create programming for the city. So I would find an aerobics instructor or I'd find a police department and say, hey, we want to do a forensics class for kids. So you name the class or activity, or yoga, Tai Chi, all of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, scoot up to the mic just a little bit, eric. I want to make sure they hear this Tai Chi stuff.
Speaker 2:Can you hear me now? Yes, okay, that's great. Is that better? That is better, okay, sorry about that.
Speaker 1:It's intimidating.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 1:These microphones point their finger at me.
Speaker 2:I know it's like come on, talk to me, I want you. So I was in Parks and Recreation and I did that for a long time. I actually did it for a couple of different cities too. I was in Grandview and I was in Leawood and then Shawnee and then there's some other stuff I'll talk about. Kind of in my career journey I kind of got out and got greedy and was chasing some money and then I got back into government. But yeah, I created programs, activities and all that stuff. But what I really loved was parks and recreation is such a great job because when somebody were coming to give us money for classes or programs, they would show up with a big smile on their face. They were so excited. The kids are excited, the parents are excited, but when they had to go pay money for the city, for any other thing, it's always bad, it's for a ticket.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we were like the fun people for the city Right on, right on, that's cool. Yeah, I worked for Parks and Rec too for years Johnson County oh yeah, yeah, I did the after-school daycare. So while I was at Northwest, my senior year, that I can juggle a soccer ball well, I'm proficient at that, because that was like the solo sport of just being able to kick and so it makes me look like I'm a lot better player than I am. I was just an average player, so I lost out to like one guy who was. For years I was like I was better. He only made the team because the coach dated this guy's girlfriend, which is a true story. Well, okay, now I could actually drop some names for fun, because it's like we know these people Well. You remember Matt Ireland. He was in your class, I loved him. He was my freshman coach and then as a senior varsity coach, he's the one who cut me, but understandably so.
Speaker 1:Matt cut you, matt, cut me, yeah, but that's hard because you make friends. You know, matt I mean God rest his soul Unfortunate what happened to him and it's awful, but he, you know, was just. Everybody loved him. And so it's hard to like make friends with people and then have to tell them, sorry, you're not going to make the team. And he let me down easy and offered to like connect me with the JUCO coach and everything. So he was very sweet about it, but anyway I didn't make the team that year, sorry, and you know I think everything works out. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And so then I went across to Benninghoven, which is right next door to Northwest, and I started working at the after-school daycare and loved that job, and loved that job. And then after that I moved to Broken Arrow, did it there for like seven years. It was the best job to have during college because you can do it like you know. You go away to college, you come back for spring break. They need you. You come back for summer break, they need you.
Speaker 2:You always have a job when you come back. I was a lifeguard. I know I was a lifeguard. I was shining with your park beach baby. It was cool.
Speaker 1:Did you get the orange buoys that they had? We had orange buoys.
Speaker 2:We had the lifeguard stands.
Speaker 1:I used to rescue people then Did you actually rescue someone as a lifeguard Rescue?
Speaker 2:little kids. Really, yeah, you'd pull them out of the water. It was sad because you would. Well, it was exciting because you're in there and you save this kid and you're pulling them out and you're carrying them. Yeah, and the mom or dad would always get upset.
Speaker 1:Well, they're upset, they're embarrassed, sure, but they would never thank you Because you're making them look bad in a way.
Speaker 2:Maybe, I don't know Like ah, you should be saving this kid not me, but it was an awesome job because you always had, like you said, always had something to go back to. Totally you go to school, come back, get an awesome tan. Yeah, whistle.
Speaker 1:Are you lifeguarding still, because the tan's looking good.
Speaker 2:You must have gone on vacation or something High blood pressure, high blood pressure Is that what it is?
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, oh yeah, you did that on purpose, just so you could look tan. Right, I need a tan, but that's not healthy to get a tan. That's bad for your skin. Let me just get some high.
Speaker 2:Well and then, yeah, I was always tan. Well, because I had to get tan for my glamour shots.
Speaker 1:Yes, don't we all?
Speaker 2:Do you remember glamour shots?
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, do I remember glamour shots.
Speaker 2:Let me get my phone. Let me show you my latest photo. I was dating a girl and she made me do it.
Speaker 1:Oh dude, I never heard of a dude getting a glamour shot, ever.
Speaker 2:I didn't know. It happened at my parents house. Uh, you could still walk into their house. And then there's like this little part in the living room and that they won't take the picture down. It's still there, still there. Black leather jacket uh, no shirt on that's how you dress on tuesdays.
Speaker 1:That's your two, I've seen you really I I want to see this glamour shot badly.
Speaker 2:If you could send that to me. You won't see it. Guys, Zach will put it on. My agent won't let me do that. You have to pay for that, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:So you've had glamour shots done. That has to go in the bio, Ashley, Don't forget. In the description we've got to put that in. That's hilarious.
Speaker 2:I think that's why they're around anymore. What?
Speaker 1:else did your girl? I don't know. I haven't seen it for a while. I haven't seen it since Napoleon Dynamite.
Speaker 2:If somebody out there is listening or watching this and Glamour Shots is around, please let us know, because I'll start a podcast for Glamour Shots.
Speaker 1:Oh, dude, that is so funny, man. Now she made you get. Tell me about that. How did she make you it? Tell me about that. How did she make you? It sounds like you were a pretty easy sell, Like oh, I have to, Okay.
Speaker 2:When you have a tan from, you're like oh, I'm totally unprepared, okay, I'll put this on as long as I can go shirtless and wear that leather jacket.
Speaker 1:It's like playing Dynamite when Kip's like do you have a vest I could wear?
Speaker 2:You're like do you have a leather jacket? I could. And then also let's say this would have been what year was this?
Speaker 1:Like early 90s and back then, like the mullet was the mullet's back Dude, Dude, I like it. All I have to do is cut the sides and I am back in 80s fashion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so like you had the, so back then it was really mostly like the soccer player haircut.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know what you mean.
Speaker 2:But then you had this kind of some tails coming out and coming out, and so that was that was in a glamour shot.
Speaker 1:I can see it was it? I wanted that haircut so bad ever since first grade?
Speaker 2:my dad wouldn't let me grow out the back, he was a marine, he wouldn't let me do that, so now I'm making up for it.
Speaker 1:Look, look at me now. How do you like me? Now dad, I'm growing it out all over. Um, I don't get many compliments on my hair I'm not doing it for other people.
Speaker 2:Thank you, your hair looks good. Thanks, man, appreciate that. I really like it. I'm not doing it for other people. Thank you, your hair looks good dude.
Speaker 1:Thanks, man, appreciate that. I really like it. It's fun, I'm like, why not?
Speaker 2:Mine's just falling out now. Yeah, well, you know.
Speaker 1:So, dude, what else did your girlfriend make you do? I'm just curious. Glamour shots Sounds like the kind of girlfriend who's going to speechless. I don't know. I I had to. I try to erase that out of my head, okay. Would I know this person? Was she a cougar? She was a meaning. Cougars are the mascots. Cougars are the mascots of seanation northwest what's a cougar is a coug.
Speaker 1:This, this podcast is out of control. I didn't see it going this way and I like it. This is this. No, this is way better than so. Tell me more about economic development. Well, okay, man, so we go way back like that. But then you moved from, like, the parks and rec side of things, from the Civic Center, and you made the big jump to City Hall. Yeah, so now you're like moving on up. What were you over there? What long title did you possess?
Speaker 2:The City of Shawnee Business Liaison oh, the City of Shawnee Business Liaison.
Speaker 1:Oh, French Liaison. Is it a French position? I think it is.
Speaker 2:Is that French? It sounds French. It's not Russian. You made it sound.
Speaker 1:French Liaison. Liaison. Maybe it's Canadian, I think it's Canadian.
Speaker 2:Canadian. That's what it is, I don't know. Now I want a croissant Do they have those over next door. I don't know, that's a good word too, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm just showing off now. They don't have ideas.
Speaker 2:So let's rewind a little bit. I've always loved and hated government. I just have this weird relationship with government. So I left college I worked for the city of Grandview, for Parks and Recreation, and then people would always tell me they're like, man, you need to be in sales, like you're really good, you're a sales guy, you're a sales guy. And at that time I left Grandview to go work for Intercom Radio here in Kansas City. They had eight radio stations and all that stuff. So I went and worked for 997KY Do you remember that?
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, wasn't that? The one with the camel was the mascot?
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, and so when I was at 997KY, the reason why I went there was they were going to take on the Chiefs Radio Network at that time, so it was like good timing. And then all of a sudden they found out that they weren't going to have the Chiefs Network, so they went back to 101 the Fox.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the Fox.
Speaker 2:All network. So they went back to one-on-one. The fox, yeah, the fox. All kinds of animals being thrown around cougars, foxes, camels right, were there, camels. Well, the ky, oh, yeah, the camel. The camel, no, that was a hippo. It was a hippo. It was a hippo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, camel would have been cool though I thought it was a camp. Maybe I was thinking of the cigarettes. I guess I was thinking about just like the coffee yeah, okay, cigarettes are next. Yeah, they need to go yeah, but uh so, uh.
Speaker 2:So I did radio sales. I did that for not very long. Honestly, it was a real tough business and the money was pretty good. But the problem is you're literally competing with everybody in your building Because we had all the other stations. Yeah, so I got out of that and then I went to Sprint and worked for Sprint Jeez dude.
Speaker 1:what have you not done? I've done everything man, and then I went to Vegas and I was one of the dancers for the reviews.
Speaker 2:They saw my glamour shot. They're like dude, you're in.
Speaker 1:Thunder Down Under was like. Whose glamour shot is this?
Speaker 2:Thunder Down Under like Dr Thunder. That's a whole other conversation. Dr Thunder, that's.
Speaker 1:Right, did you grow up on the Not to pause the sprint, the exciting sprint conversation? I know this is fun, though, right, this is great creative minds did you grow up in a household of dr thunder or dr pepper?
Speaker 2:that's really the ultimate bagged or boxed cereal we didn't eat a lot of cereal, really no, we, we ate, uh, uh, I don't know. They used to be like these little astronaut bars. They were like chocolate and they were like breakfast bars.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we ate those all the time it was chocolate had peanut butter in it. Oh, dude, I'm going to think of it before this episode's over.
Speaker 2:I think that's why all my hair's falling out. There's something in the ingredients.
Speaker 1:It wasn't Nesquik or it was a different thing right.
Speaker 2:I think it might have been Nesquik, was that it? I don't know, but I think I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 1:But we did eat a lot of sugar cereal. I mean, I was raised on it. I'm pretty sure it stunted my growth.
Speaker 2:That's why our brains are so fast, you know.
Speaker 1:Wait what.
Speaker 2:The synapses.
Speaker 1:You know the whole? Yeah, yeah, I do. Now that's a whole other podcast. We'll talk about that next time. My brain is catching up to everything you're saying.
Speaker 2:So I did corporate sales at Sprint, Sprint Publishing and Advertising and I did enjoy that.
Speaker 1:But at that time Sprint was this company, this phone company, anyway, children.
Speaker 2:I was there when it merged with Nextel.
Speaker 1:You were.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then we this like double merging thing and all that. Well, at that time Donnelly and Sons were getting ready to come in and purchase my division, and so then I was like I'm out, I'm getting back into government. I went to the city of Leawood, started getting my master's degree in public administration and then I was having a meeting and then some folks at Shawnee were like, hey, we've got this position, you know. And I was like, man, that's perfect. That's why that's right Grew up.
Speaker 1:I know those people, I love those people.
Speaker 2:So I worked for a Shawnee person rec and then I was also for fun, cause I really love this city.
Speaker 2:I was always trying to bring companies into Shawnee. So I was already doing economic development on my own time and I talked to the city manager at that time and we were talking about I was talking about, you know, these companies and and we created the position, business liaison, and it was modeled after a town in Oklahoma that had one and it was really, honestly, it's the take in government there's black and white, there's all these rules, right, boom, boom, boom boom. But in real life, like if you're trying to build a company or a business, it's not black and white, it's very gray. So I would go and find the gray and then be able to work it through the city system, you know, through codes and all that stuff, the planning department, and I loved it. It was great. I did that for a year and a half and then one day, my father-in-law being the good salesman that I am, he knew that. He asked me if I would sell tilapia.
Speaker 1:This is where the tilapia, you, you have the most random eclectic background of like career endeavors ever. Like who knew it was going to go to fish farm, rather than the fact that I said it earlier yeah I didn't you know. It's like wow, tilapia yeah, forrest gump man that is. That is the chapter of your life that I missed somehow because we got reconnected and you said fish farming. I was like I didn't even know. You left and did anything, you know so a fish farm I was.
Speaker 2:I sold our tilapia to whole food stores all over the country, cruise ships, all that stuff. We started out in a couple of grocery stores in Colorado and I just went in. I call it reverse marketing. Well, now it's. I don't even know what they call it now, but it was going out to the stores and talking to customers and then the customers would go to the meat counter and say why aren't you selling this fish?
Speaker 1:I call that manipulation.
Speaker 2:It's a good salesperson.
Speaker 1:It is, that's good stuff. So I would do that, and then bloggers before I'd go into a market, they'd start talking about our culture, and sorry, that reminds me that's brilliant telling the customer hey, go ask for this meat, so they'll come to me. That's like how music artists say hey, go to your radio station and request my song.
Speaker 2:Same kind of thing right, yeah, yeah, and then, once they get requested, yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that's how that band Mercy Me with the song I Can Only Imagine did it. Really Like hey, request our song. And they'd go to their concerts. They'd say everybody call your radio station. So then they started. Even though it was a Christian song, they, everyone was calling those stations requesting those songs. So reverse marketing. I suppose I taught him how to do that yeah, you did.
Speaker 2:No, I know you're like let me yeah let me tell you how this works. Buddy well, so I I did the tilapia farming and I loved it, I really did. But um, I I did that for it was about six years and um. So the city shawnee was looking for economic development person like in this position and I had talked to some folks and they had mentioned that maybe it'd be a good idea. If I came back and I met with Ann Smith-Tate she was the president and CEO of the chamber.
Speaker 1:Yes, just met her.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so when I sat down and had a coffee with her and one of the city managers just talking about Shawnee, when I saw the new energy, I was super excited, like I thought, man, this, this is awesome, like this city needs this, like Shawnee is in a really good spot I'm talking geographically, I'm talking we set the most northern part of Johnson County and with all the stuff going on now in downtown Kansas City, you know, light 1, Light 2, is there Light 10? All these new apartments.
Speaker 1:It's like Jaws, they just keep going, they just keep going. Or Rocky, it's like Rocky yeah.
Speaker 2:Or Star Wars, I guess, but that's all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so confusing. I know I wish I liked it. I don't think Kansas City enough for that. I'm not cool enough to understand star wars, but um so never heard someone say that yeah, I'm really not cool enough to understand star wars.
Speaker 2:I'm just not I, but uh, so yeah. So I mean we sit right there. In fact there are some chiefs players that now live in our downtown shawnee, because I I don't know about you, but if I had a dog and I lived in an apartment in downtown kansas city and I wanted to take my dog for a walk or to go to the bathroom, I don't want to have to get in an elevator, ride the elevator downstairs and go walk out to the doggy area. I want to go in my backyard. So I think Shawnee's great. You've got the elbow room that you need if you want to live that lifestyle in kind of a downtown area. Our downtown Shawnee is rocking man.
Speaker 1:It lifestyle and kind of a downtown area. Our downtown, shawnee, is rocking man. It is beautiful down there. I mean, I grew up, we grew up in a duplex on I think it was King Street, which is really close to St Joseph School, and it was a duplex there. So we lived. I lived there like when I was a year old, and then we moved but my dad owned the duplex, rented it out to some tenants next to us.
Speaker 1:We became good friends with these people, the layman's and, um, layman's yeah, you know that family yeah, and um, and so I have, and so I got my first haircut there on, down there on johnson drive, which is essentially main street of downtown shawnee, back when it was dave and bob. I don't know if you remember dave and bob or if you ever went in there, but uh was it gentleman's west?
Speaker 2:was that the name of it? I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 1:I think that's what it is. Well, is that what it is now? I don't know what it was called back then. I don't know if I knew the name.
Speaker 2:No, I thought it was right across the street from City Hall.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right. There's still a barbershop there, yeah, and I've seen they've kind. It is a beautiful downtown area so if you remember as a kid?
Speaker 2:I mean, we were really overlooked for quite a while. Our downtown, at 5 o'clock, lights out. Baby, it's closed, Business is closed, and so now we've got reasons for people to go out, we have a James A Beard award recipient or nominee or whatever runner-up. I don't know how that goes, but yeah, you'd look at this list. It would say like James A Beard, and they would say Honolulu and and somewhere in California and New York, not Shawnee.
Speaker 1:Kansas. It was awesome yeah it was.
Speaker 2:It's really cool, but we've got some really cool stuff going on.
Speaker 1:We've got a McLean's down there. Mclean's is down there. It's amazing. There's some other stuff. Yeah, that's a hot place.
Speaker 2:And then also we've got a new bar and restaurant that's going to be moving into the old garage across the street from City Hall. Oh wait, so it was an old auto body or auto shop Wait to the west, to the east, to the east of City Hall. Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:Over there by that leather Right. Yes, that booth store or whatever.
Speaker 2:They moved around the corner, though they did they moved around the corner, because now on that corner it's called Wild Child. It's kind of like a wine bar and it has non-alcoholic drinks there too. But it's also an award-winning—I think it was like Best in Johnson County and there are awards popping up everywhere down there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, man, and you're a big part of, I mean, you're the economic development, right yeah we've been.
Speaker 2:Yes, and when I first came back, they were trying to redevelop downtown Shawnee and they called it Elaine Diet, not Elaine. It sounded like I said Elaine's name, elaine.
Speaker 1:Diet Right right.
Speaker 2:It's Elaine Diet where it was.
Speaker 1:I think we got something there with the elaine diet. There's got to be some elaine out there who's crushing it, who we could just name a diet.
Speaker 2:Quick, I know quick, it's that buy thatcom right now yeah, all right, seriously, yeah, uh, but anyhow, no, it's just, it's fun to be a part of that. I mean, it really is to be a part of that. And when they were doing the lane diet and a lot of people were upset about it, they're like, oh, this isn't going to work, and but what that did? Was it allowed, uh, the, the prop, the development, to come more toward the street, so it gives you a downtown feeling okay and lane diet a lane diet meaning like four lanes.
Speaker 2:Yeah to basically two lanes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've noticed that with the one turn lane down the middle yes, yes, so smart Because the traffic isn't so crazy that you need those four lanes, you don't need them.
Speaker 2:And also when you have the four lanes. What a lot of people didn't realize is that they were like well, that's going to slow everything down. Well, no, because if you had a car in the left lane, a car in the right lane, the right lane guy was going to turn and the left lane person was going to turn. Well, now your traffic is really backed up. Yeah, yes, so now that turn lane really has helped out, the flow goes just fine.
Speaker 1:I call that reverse traffic engineering. I've always called it that I like that. Yeah, yeah, or manipulation, whichever you want to call it. I like the reverse traffic engineering.
Speaker 2:Manipulation sounds so evil, I know, I know.
Speaker 1:I know, I know.
Speaker 2:I get it though.
Speaker 1:This is fascinating. Keep going, because I want you to keep going, but also I want to hear about what does it take for someone like you? How do you create that? Because you've helped make this happen.
Speaker 2:I'm a part of it, but also people that are the city staff. I mean city staff. But we go out and you're storytelling, okay. So when we were first showing companies and restaurants in downtown Shawnee, when nothing was really down there, you had a storytell and you're not making stuff up, you're being very honest. It's like the thing I was telling you about hey Power and Light's awesome, guess what Crossroads is awesome, but all their rents are going up and a lot of Johnson County and go there to hang out. Well, why not have something right here in Johnson County? Not only that, but people that live in the crossroads will come over here too, and so just storytelling.
Speaker 1:And so did that encourage the current owners to step up their game and make renovations, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you remember, there used to be a bunch of black glass Totally On a corner.
Speaker 1:Totally Commerce Bank. Yeah, shawnee State Bank before that, right, shawnee State Bank.
Speaker 2:Got my first check there. Nice yeah, and the guy had the little Huey stick.
Speaker 1:Okay, so rough cut there because we had to change batteries. But Huey what, what? What's this hooey stick thing?
Speaker 2:uh. So when I got my first check, my mom took me up to shawnee state bank was this lifeguarding check? No, it was. They were like hey, it's probably a good idea that you started checking account. Yeah, like just to be a. You know, it's time in life yeah, yeah, you're a man.
Speaker 1:Now I'm a man. 12. Yeah, it's time to start a. Yeah, yeah, you're a man. Now I'm a man. Yeah, it's time to start a checking account. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So maybe there's some money laundering going on, I don't know. Anyway, no, I'm just joking. Mom and Dad, my Mom and Dad are awesome, no, so I'm sitting in there in this old bank building Shawnee State Bank and the guy he was the nicest guy, he was all you know he knew I was nervous, you know, like there's all these numbers and I have to fill out little forms, you know, and he brings out this stick and it's two sticks, and one stick had a propeller on the end of it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And he goes have you ever seen a hooey stick? And this like kind of calmed me down, like you know, just kind of like oh, what is that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so he would rub this stick really fast and then the propeller would start spinning. Yeah, and then he would say hooey, and then it would spin the opposite direction. Hmm, yeah, you know what? After this is over, I'm going to Google hooey sticks.
Speaker 1:And try to figure out how that works and just if there's even but I remember those, I mean I've seen you do okay so he wasn't like a witch doctor no, well, how does it flip the other way?
Speaker 2:I have, you think, the magician would be like oh yeah I know he gave me one, like he had a hooey stick. He gave it to me and I could never figure it out weird yeah, so, okay, I see.
Speaker 1:So he made it seem like the word hooey, reversed it.
Speaker 2:This is the magician thinking yeah there was some trick, that yeah, yeah there was no buttons it was a stick right propeller and it was like the propeller was nailed in by a little. Yeah, nail yeah I don't know but this hooey stick nonetheless mesmerized you, relaxed you and helped transition you into manhood yeah, in terms of a checking account yeah, that's amazing, like how you can get somebody to kind of you kind of shift their focus I yeah, I've done the same kind of thing.
Speaker 1:I used to have these when I was doing kids magic shows, these pencils that you would rub them and they would change color. So I would carry those with me and sometimes in airports when there's kids just like crying, I'd tell the parents, hey, can I give them a gift? And I would just show them and they'd be like immediately calm down and take that pencil and rub it and it changed colors and changed someone's life, man, you know.
Speaker 2:I like it.
Speaker 1:It was my hooey stick.
Speaker 2:So this sick thing inside of my head was like. And then the kid walked away and they had stuff all over their hands.
Speaker 1:Oh right, right, you got glitter bombed. You thought it was a color changing pencil.
Speaker 2:It was a good story, though no, like it's Friday guys.
Speaker 1:It. It's Friday guys, it is Friday. This is so good man. When the battery went out, we were talking about how much fun we're having. This is a lot of fun, so, yeah, keep going, though.
Speaker 2:Okay so before I talked about the Huey stick and all that, yes, it was Shawnee State Bank, yes, and it was covered in black glass.
Speaker 1:And you know, back in the late 60s, you know 70s, that was kind of the thing yeah, you could see those windows all the way from shawna mission parkway, which is a good, would you say, like a mile away from there and it's like you could yeah, you really popped, so it was a landmark the owner of the building.
Speaker 2:Uh, he's a great guy. Um, he, I think you know, when we went in and talked to him and kind of talked about what was going on downtown and you know all that, I think you know, his spirits turned up and he was like ready to make some changes. Yeah, okay, I'm gonna be a part of this. Yeah, and you know, and, and so you see it happening in all of in downtown shawnee, as we're redeveloping and doing all the work we're doing, you start seeing like this energy happening.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's snowballing in a great totally I can vouch for it. Well, here's what's funny sometimes when I'm coming home from like a trip, like I'll have a keynote up in Iowa and I drive I-35, and I can either take Shawn Mission Parkway home or I can take Johnson Drive home. I love taking Johnson Drive home because it's just more of this relaxed like I love driving through downtown Shawnee. It takes a little bit longer because it's, you know, like 35 miles an hour instead of 45. But I just love that stretch.
Speaker 2:It's not 65 miles an hour, no, it's a good stretch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, and part of it's because, like I have history there. I got my first haircut there. Yeah, I learned to swim at the old pool, but I just it really is, especially now with what you guys are doing down there. It looks great and it's a fun hang. People go to McLean's for coffee now, and then the bank for a while became kind of a coffee shop slash bakery, but now it's like some kind of meat, don't they?
Speaker 2:distribute meat like a meat company or something.
Speaker 1:I've lost track. They did for a while. Back me up here. Dodge City Beef. Okay, that was it.
Speaker 2:Dodge City Beef, and that was part of. The problem is that the owner of the building had a great idea.
Speaker 2:He's like okay, I'll kind of subdivide this building and I'll have a meat shop over here a coffee shop over here and when I talked to him I was like, hey, you need one good user in here. So I went out and actually met with uh. When, when uh, we were talking to companies and businesses, I reached out to uh district poorhouse. They were over in waldo and uh, at that time I wasn't trying to, I wouldn't, I was like I didn't think they would want to move the whole company over. But they had this concept called johnny wings and uh, one of the chefs in there, it was like a ghost kitchen thing, it was pretty, it was almost covid and um, so I met, I met with them and kind of walked them around, talked about shawnee, and then we walked inside of that building so there was a, there was a little taco shop in there, so we walked in there and when he saw the exposed rock, um saw that he, he was like he, he was like I'm coming here Nice.
Speaker 1:The exposed rock is beautiful. It's got that whole kind of I don't know just that, what's the word Like vintage or I don't know.
Speaker 2:It was like je ne sais quoi.
Speaker 1:The French thing is coming back. Yeah, just that rugged. That's the word, just that rugged downtown. You know, it just does have that cool vibe.
Speaker 2:So in my mind. So you can go anywhere in Johnson County, right, and you can go to restaurants, coffee shops, all that fun stuff. But you end up showing up and it's all sheetrock. Yep, it's a box. It's a box, it might have a couple of cool track light stuff and all that.
Speaker 1:If it's a Chipotle, you've got some industrial piping going on but that's as good as it gets.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you my Chipotle theory here in a minute.
Speaker 1:It doesn't sound good. No, no it's okay.
Speaker 2:It's okay, it's get in, get out, right. You know that. Oh yeah. Yeah, I don't want you to be uncomfortable, but they're not a sponsor either.
Speaker 1:I do love Chipotle and if you want to sponsor me Chipotle, I will take you. Oh man, you can just give me free burritos.
Speaker 2:I lost my train of thought.
Speaker 1:The Rock. And it's not just a box, it's rugged. He wanted to come and land there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's super organic. So that original bank it was the late 1800s. There was so much history in downtown Shawnee. So when you go into these buildings, yeah, it's warm, it's comfortable, it's organic you get this sense of just kind of coziness. When you see the rock, yes, you see some of the old wood, the rock.
Speaker 1:You're speaking my language. I love that vibe. It's so good. Yeah, it's so good.
Speaker 2:But anyway, I think that's what's really made our downtown, shawnee, unique. Yeah, so a lot of other places in Johnson County which Johnson County is great, but you don't get that experience in a lot of places. So, yeah, we're celebrating it, man.
Speaker 1:Well with what you do. I can't think of a better person to be in your position, because this whole just building a city up, and especially the downtown with what you've done with it requires the possibility mindset. You are constantly, every day, asking what else is possible, what's possible with this space, with these people, with these owners, with these members, and then you're a visionary, which is what the possibility mindset is all about. You're the visionary, but then you have the people, skills and the knowledge and the experience you know to be able to go out, approach the right people in the right way with the right information and pull. And it's not just fluff, it's like this is how this is going to benefit people and it's tried and true, like it's paying off. You have transformed that space down there. I know you're a part of it. It takes a team, but you're doing an incredible job man and it's they're lucky to have you.
Speaker 2:It's fun, I love it, I love the city, I love the people in the city. Yeah, it's fun. Thank you, that's nice stuff you said about it.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, and what would you say to then people because there's other city development type people at liaisons, whatever you want to call it out there, who are no doubt inspired already by the things that you're saying, just like, how can you really take the true essence of what a place is and build off of that, right, like you do with the Rock and the Wood? But then there's also, like other CEOs, other managers, directors what would you tell them for, just if they want to like, change the work, culture, change what they have going on, how does this translate to kind of like everything Translate.
Speaker 2:I think at the end of the day, and you probably saw it.
Speaker 1:We did this today.
Speaker 2:We did this right now it's called having fun and I always tell people I'm like, if I ever go into a job and I'm I'm not having fun anymore, like I to me. If you're not having fun, move on.
Speaker 1:Like it's time to move on.
Speaker 2:Find something that you can get excited about waking up and doing, and I think if, if managers and companies, and I think if they had that mentality. I think people get so stuck in being very serious. They think serious means good business.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, but the way I look at life is, if you can get somebody to relax and you, you build some commonality with somebody and you have fun with them, you're going to get stuff done. Fun doesn't mean goofing off Totally, totally. So I think it gets misinterpreted in a lot of workplaces and it always will be. You can't make people have fun. I remember I don't want to name the company, I named a bunch of them that I worked for, but there was one where they had mandatory fun.
Speaker 1:They didn't call it that have fun dang it.
Speaker 2:Okay, everybody, it's time to come out and have fun. You're like, ah, and you go in there and like, okay, how long do we have to have fun now?
Speaker 1:You can't compartmentalize fun. You've got to make it a culture, a way of being.
Speaker 2:And then there was this one where we'd sit in a meeting and they're like they're trying to make the meetings more connecting with the employees, and we sat around this table and this is terrible. They're not going to be listening, I'm sure.
Speaker 1:Because I have a tiny audience. Thank you, Eric, for pointing that out. She would say here we go, no, no, I'm so sorry for pointing that out. She would go no, no, Nah.
Speaker 2:I'm messing with you. I don't think she would, but she would sit there and she would say, okay, tell us about your weekend and celebrate. And I'm like I sound more enthusiastic than what, but she was for real man, she was like like that's not how you do it.
Speaker 1:If the leader can't model it, it's never going to happen. Yeah, you know what I mean, cause if you're not and that's the great thing about you, I mean it's just, it's contagious man. Yeah, just your, your fun, your ability to joke, but then the fact that you can also get things done, and that's what's important. Like you say, it's not just goofing off. You're a man who ultimately, at the end of the day, delivers and brings it to the bottom line. But the fun is a huge part of just being able to let people connect with people, let them relax, because then the creative juices start to flow more, the ideas come easier, and so, yeah, fun, I mean that's a great answer. Just make fun part of the culture, make it natural, but let it lead toward productivity.
Speaker 1:That's ultimately what it can serve.
Speaker 2:You get to know people, people you work in life and work and everything. But if you don't know somebody very well, you're never going to be your real self and then you're never going to really share your real thoughts with somebody. But if you are having fun and they relax we were talking about relaxing, yeah.
Speaker 1:Who we stick. Who we stick baby.
Speaker 2:You bring somebody down to this other level where they just feel comfortable. And when you're comfortable you share things, you share ideas better. You're not afraid to throw a stupid idea out there. Yeah, I said stupid idea.
Speaker 1:Well, we'll edit that word out. I call it start ugly. I just call it. It's not sloppy, it's not careless, it's just like let's just get out there and get crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, don't be afraid to mess up, let's just, let's talk about all the ideas. So I love that man, I love that so.
Speaker 1:so what's the next for Shawneenee? What's your big undertaking right now?
Speaker 2:there's. You know there's a lot because I I work with, uh, so I do anything from large industrial projects like trying to get some of our industrial things set up and and going um, and it took to our smaller businesses in downtown. Um, there was a lot. I mean, there's a lot going on. Um, we're kind of hitting this weird the economy. Of course, course, right.
Speaker 2:Like, people are going to sit on their wallets they always do right before a national election. Everybody just sits and waits, sure, and so I would say it'll slow down a little bit, probably in October and then after the election. I don't think it's going to matter who really wins. I have one person in mind I'd like to win, but I won't share that. But at the end of the day, once that election happens, I think all these companies are just waiting, waiting, waiting, and I think that they'll pull the trigger going a few months into the year. So I think we'll see some good economic activity.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, shawnee's bright man, we're excited. Months into the year, I think a lot. So I think we'll see some good economic activity. Um, but yeah, sean, I mean shawnee's bright man, we, we're excited. Um, we have some new leadership at city hall. Uh, we have a new city manager that just started a few weeks ago and I think he's going to do an awesome job. I mean, he seems like a good guy, um, and just the staff in general, um, I love working with him, so I I I feel really good about where Shawnee is going.
Speaker 1:I really do. It's amazing. I mean shout out to Amos Funeral Home downtown Shawnee Pegas, which used to be Stern's. That was a regular for us Stern's. I mean we were there once or twice a week and actually got to come speak recently for the chamber. You had me come talk. That was a good time.
Speaker 2:It was awesome. You did a great job and we were talking about having fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It wasn't just one of those oh, here's the information and here's the. Yeah, you made it fun and then people were engaged and we need to do those more often. But, yeah, awesome job Thanks.
Speaker 1:And it was fun reconnecting with people I hadn't seen in years. You know, that's the cool thing about speaking in your hometown, oh yeah speaking in your hometown.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so well, we can't wrap without at least mentioning this and if whatever of it you want to share, just this last May you were recognized by the Lee Summit Police Department. Another shout out to my cousin, lance, who was with the Lee Summit Police Department. His entire career was a sergeant, retired back in I think it was 2020. And anyway, but you were recognized by the Lee summit police department with a letter of commendation. Uh, when I was practicing that, I said condemnation and we laughed. Uh, it was a letter of commendation for bravery. So do you want to just tell us what happened? Why did you get this? Uh, this letter for bravery?
Speaker 2:yeah, it was. Uh, it was crazy. So it was was in December. I was bringing my boys home from basketball practice and it's crazy. So there's a roundabout on the way home and there's a home over there that plays Christmas music to the lights.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, so you tune in your little radio station.
Speaker 2:Well, we go through the roundabout and they're like oh Daddy, go one more time. There were no cars. So I went back through and then there were no cars, like guys, you want to go again, yeah, yeah. So we went back around and then we started heading home.
Speaker 2:Well, when we got up to this other intersection, I came upon this accident, terrible accident. The guy, I think, was speeding or something, I don't know exactly the whole story before it, but he, he, he ends up hitting a car and he lands, he hits a tree and this engine's buckled up. Uh, he's stuck in the car, he's unconscious, um, uh. So he got the doors open and this young man came out of nowhere. 16 year old kid lives in the neighborhood, came up and neighbors are throwing fire extinguishers over the fence because this thing's starting to just go ablaze. And these neighbors were throwing their kitchen extinguishers over the fence and we were grabbing them and trying to put them out, waiting for the police and fire to show up.
Speaker 2:You know, I was always taught if there's a pretty bad accident and he was stuck in there, if there's a pretty bad accident and he was stuck in there, but you try not to pull him out, because you could really make things worse, spinal, you know Sure. So we kept this fire. This young man and I kept this fire at bay, just enough time for the police officer shows up. I get his extinguisher and I'm putting it out. The fire truck gets there and they get him out of the car. But it was wild and my kids had to sit and watch the whole show. But at the end of the day, the guy that was in the accident, he survived, he's alive. I haven't met him, but I got to meet the police officers that I worked with that night. I met them during the celebration. I got to see the young man again, give him a huge hug. I've talked to him on the phone a couple times.
Speaker 1:He's a great, great kid.
Speaker 2:But yeah, it was wild. Yeah, I didn't know you were going to bring that up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Way to go. Congratulations, that's awesome. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Hey, I don't think there's any other choice right. I would never drive past something like that, yeah wow.
Speaker 1:Well, I imagined that like was the Christmas music, still playing for your kids.
Speaker 2:No, they're watching this to jingle bells like Dashie through the snow and you're like in a faxing picture. Are they forever hating Christmas now?
Speaker 1:No, we were far enough away from that property. Yeah, wow, that's wild. Well, you're the second guest in a row we've had that has pulled someone from a fire. You heard the end of Chad's story. I'm like we didn't plan it this way. We just got a bunch of heroes in the podcast here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this is great, man. It's going to be like a fire theme or something it is.
Speaker 1:We've got to find more people. Did that person pull a person from a fire?
Speaker 2:What did you do? Yeah, yeah, what have?
Speaker 1:you done with your life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Next. Oh, my gosh dude.
Speaker 1:This is next. This has been a blast man.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, hey. Thanks for letting it go all over, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's the best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was fun man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the best way to do it. I mean, and mushroom like, like a mushroom, a fun guy, get it all right.
Speaker 2:Dad jokes sorry it took me like a few seconds, but yeah, that was. That was awesome, is it a?
Speaker 1:mushroom a fun guy. I very appreciate dad jokes, so I appreciate the fun guy thing man do. Well, hey, we could do this all day. This guy's any awesome shout out to eric's parents. He's oh, zach's gonna take a picture. What up? All right, zach, I'm going to clap for you Now, zach. Funny story about Zach. We ran out of room on the camera so we're giving him a hard time because he really is awesome. But, zach, come on, man Get it together, right? Zach the Lego maniac. Zach, remember that? Oh, I remember that.
Speaker 1:Zach. Have you ever heard Zach, zach, lego maniac? It was an 80s thing. I had a friend named Zach back then and he hated Legos, if you can believe that Isn't that weird? I know, I know that's what he claimed. So anyway, okay, this has been a blast. Thank you so much. Thank you, minsky's, thank you Etc. Thank you Rise and Shine. Wow, this building belongs to a lot of people. Thank you, eric Ely, for joining. This has been so great. Don't forget to check out Mudwater. Go to the show notes. Click on the link. Give us a five-star review on Apple. All those good things, man, that stuff just rolls off my tongue. Now. I'm not afraid of asking for favors YouTube subscribe, like, pass this on.
Speaker 1:I'm going to see how long Zach can hold his phone into that position, Because now he's since he ran out of room on the camera he's now having to hold it with his hands. Look at his arms shaking he is. Look at those biceps though.
Speaker 2:Dang boy, does that weigh the same amount as a brick? I'm just I well, you're a mirror lifeguard, it just keeps slowly dropping down, down, down.
Speaker 1:Anyway, what else do we want to talk about, man? Anyway, what else do?
Speaker 2:we want to talk about man. I got a long list here.
Speaker 1:Let me see what I got All right, man, that's it. Hey, we're going to sign off with our tagline what Else is Possible. I'll say what else you say is possible. Can you do that?
Speaker 2:Is possible.
Speaker 1:Is possible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, rehearse it a few times, I can do it yeah.
Speaker 1:Blah, blah, blah, blah, and remember to never stop asking the question. What else is possible? See you next time.