Entrepreneur and Community Success

Representative Kevin Windham and the next NLF Cohort

For this episode, Representative Kevin Windham joined us to talk about his experience in the Neighborhood Leadership Fellows. Tune in to learn how it helped him in his political career and get insight on the program from Dr. Dwayne James, field specialist in community development at MU Extension.

Current River Food Truck Festival

Join us to go through the journey of the annual Current River Food Truck Festival which was established in 2021 despite the challenges of mounting an event during a pandemic. We have with us, Jennifer Williams, county engagement specialist (CES) in community economic development who planned and organized this festival in Carter County. 

Another Recovery Friendly Workplace in the Show-Me State!

This episode is about the transformation of Ace Pipe Cleaning into a recovery-friendly workplace. Eric Cohen, a company data technician, joined us to talk about his journey and destigmatizing being in recovery alongside Douglas Swanson, MU Extension field specialist in Labor and Workforce Development. 

All Things Elderberry!

Your Fall Food Fashion Pro Tip: Elderberry is the New Black
We talk with St. Louis area resident Emilia Rizzuto - founder of All Things Elderberry - about her journey from discovering elderberries when seeking out a natural remedy for better health to creating a tasty elixir and selling it from the trunk of her car to creating a company and owning and working an elderberry farm. And what a journey it has been! We also talk to Becky Nace, Assistant Director for the Mid-America Trade Adjustment Assistance Center a Business Development Program under MU Extension’s Business and Communities, about how she assisted Emilia and her company with preparing to compete in the global elderberry marketplace.
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Historic cabin turned into an artistic space

This episode takes you to the Civil War-era house, known as the Dorothy Day Cabin. After Platte County spent $1 million to preserve that cabin, tune in to see how MU Extension is transforming it into a creative space for artists and the community.

Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities

This episode looks back at the Connecting Entrepreneurial Conference that took place in Hermann, MO in 2022. This conference is designed for stakeholders, economic developers, businesses, local government, educators, and nonprofits seeking to learn how to create a network that increases a community’s potential for entrepreneurship. Tune in to know more!

Episode 17: Creatively Thinking

Tune in to this episode where MU Extension's Passport to Arts program comes together with The Creative at Klondike to provide a multifaceted creative space for arts, artists, and the community. The Creative at Klondike is a creative arts center, offering gallery space and curated exhibitions, artist studios, artist in residencies, studio workshops for photography, ceramics, and fiber arts, community art and nature programs, and much more!

Episode 16: Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia

This is the story of a home created for providing peace and care with compassion to those who are at the end of their lives. Jackie Reed, co-founder of Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia and graduate of MU Extension’s Neighborhood Leadership Academy, worked tirelessly to bring her vision to life.

Episode 15: From the Battlefield to the Boardroom

Springfield, MO resident Wes Hester’s journey to build his cybersecurity-focused Foxhole Technology as well as developing the technology education infrastructure in Missouri. Join us as we talk to 27-year Army veteran Wes Hester and how he leveraged his experience in technology-based military service to found and manage a cybersecurity company to protect critical data infrastructure for the Department of Defense and other frontline agencies as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. We also talk to Allan Waldo of the APEX Accelerator program (formerly PTAC) and Extension’s role in Wes’s journey. 

Episode 14: The Fattened Caf

The Fattened Caf In St. Louis not only serves finger licking Filipino barbeque but also shares the Filipino culture and provides a network of support. Tune in to see how their participation in Neighborhood Leadership Academy helped their business and the people around them.