What's Working With Cam Marston

Finding and keeping good employees today is very hard. The shortages driven by the Baby Boomer retirement have begun making their mark in the workplace. And even as populous as the Millennials are, there aren't enough of them to replace the Boomers. Employers are pulling their hair out. Employees have their pick.  Dr. Josh Duplantis is the Dean of Workforce Development for Coastal Alabama Community College and saw this coming years ago. Today he works with employers to help them craft recruiting and retention plans. He and I discuss the essense of the demographic challenge and we get into details on "progressive employment" which some employers are using to meet their workforce challenges. Show hosts: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corp Get my book, What Works, highlighting the top ten ideas from the first two hundred episodes of Wha'ts Working at

Casey Biehl is the VP of Operations for Fat Boy's Pizza based in Metairie, Louisiana. This pizza chain is growing rapidly due to the quality of ingredients and the ambience of the restaurants. I got word they were looking to head further east and became curious of their recipe for selecting new locations for expansion - what do they look for in a community? How far do people travel for to come to their stores? What type of commercial centers work best for them? How much do they spend per visit and what types of neighborhoods does this imply? Casey, with a background in food and bev from the casino world, tells the story. Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corps Find What's Working - the Ten Best Ideas from the First Two Hundred Episodes of What's Working with Cam Marston - on Amazon.com. 

The intersection of I-10 and I-65, the Port of Mobile, several rail lines, and the reinvigoration of Brookley Field has the potential to futher transform Mobile into one of the nation's largest logistics hubs. Philip Burton knew this but one piece was missing - the logistics parks where the product is brought after unloading, sorted, and shipped again. Philip found the land and got started and today his parks are gaining traction. Hear his story, the uncertainty he faced, the need for constant building, and his vision for the future of Mobile and Alabama. This broadcast / podcast is part of the monthly What's Working / Business Alabama Magazine collaboration.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corps Find my book highlighting the ten best ideas I've heard through the first two hundred episodes of the show on Amazon.com. 

Matt Peat is a Gen X'er that has never job hopped. He's been with Transhield many years and has remained with the company through the many times its been bought and sold. He tells the story of the remarkable product they manufacture, and how he has managed to thrive in each transaction where others may have been dismissed or asked to leave. Matt was on his way through Mobile with his wife and three daughters and I managed to get him into the studio for a quick interview. He's a great guy with story of success. Show Sponsors: Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite & Pest Control Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Find my book highlighting the top ideas of the first 200 episodes of What's Working at Amazong.com. 

Roy Lewis Construction has a reputation for quality building and adding value for customers. It's this reputation that has kept them going when times got tough. For years the phone rang from customers eager to benefit from their quality and reputation. Then there was the Great Recession. Then Covid and supply chain challenges. Paul Lewis, company president, kept going with the firm belief that delivering quality, being an honest man, and a strong faith would pull him through. And, it's working.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control Find my book featuring the top 10 ideas from the first 200 episodes of What's Working at Amazon.com.

What are the details - the nitty-gritty - of finding a business to buy, valuing it, and finding a buyer? Trey Langus works for Transworld Business Advisors and that's what he does. His customer from a recent transaction was Trey Galloway - now owner of The Health Hut. Hear how Trey Langus found the business and Trey Galloway found an opportunity for entrepreneurship and all the steps in between. The two of them sit down in the studio with me to tell their story. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite and Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Find my book, What Works, at Amazon.

Water, walks, and sleep. Those were the three biggest points that stood out when I heard Brad Davidson speak at a recent corporate event. He's trained athletes ranging from high school football teams to NFL left tackles. His recipe for busy executives eaten up with stress is more water, longer walks, and better sleep. It's a foundationally different approach to exercise for people in middle age than anything I've heard. His book on how to do it was a best seller. Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Persons Services Corps Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Find my book, What Works, at Amazon.com.

Meet my son Spencer. A tradition of What's Working is to interview my children upon their high school graduation. He's off to the University of Alabama in the fall. We discuss what skills he predicts will be needed in the job market, his prediction of the impact of AI on tomorrow's workplace and where he hopes to land in the work world. You might hear me choke up a bit when telling him how proud his mother and I are of him. Also in this show is Emma Gage's review of Taylor Swift. Emma, an incoming high shool junior, is a "Swifty" and travelled to Houston with her father to see the show. Her review begins around minute 46 and she nails it.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Persons Services Corp Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Please find my book, What Works, detailing the top ten ideas from the first 200 episode of the show at Amazon.

April McClung's sons had a chance to travel abroad as high school students. April needed money to make it happen. A decison was made to use a family member's old pound cake recipe to sell them at farmer's markets. Today those cakes are sold at Sams and have been shipped across the country. Meet April, hear her amazing story, and become inspired by a woman who thought she had it all figured out until this cake recipe became a central part of her faith-driven life.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Persons Services Corp Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Find my book, What Works, at Amazon - highlighting the 10 best business ideas I learned from the first 200 episodes of the shwow.  Also, if you like the show, please offer a review!

ESG is not something "out there" or only discussed in political environments. ESG (environmental, social, governance) is here and is shaping the way businesses interact with each other and with customers. Kai Gray and his parters run Motive ESG. They work with businesses to improve their ESG scores, thereby enabling them to compete for business with some of the nation's defense contractors, major manufactorers, building contractors and such. Kai predicts ESG will become a filter through which the next generation invests money and even buys product at the grocery store.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corps E3 Termite & Pest Control Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Find my book, What Works, highlighting the 10 best ideas from the first 200 episodes of What's Working. Available on Amazon.com.  

I met Heikki Malinen at a conference in Point Clear, Alabama for his company, Outokumpu. His presentation showed a grasp of world events like none I'd seen before. He travels nearly non-stop, visiting the company's stainless steel plants across the world. The war in Ukraine has impacted his company's ability to get the affordable electricity he needs to power his plants in Europe. Workforce issues are a challenge to his facilities across Europe and the US. His challenges are familiar to listeners of What's Working, but the scale is much different. You'll find in Heikki, as is so often the case, a remarkable grasp of detail, a nice and friendly demeanor, and an infinite curioustiy.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corps Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite & Pest Control My book, What Works, highlights the 10 best ideas I heard in my first two hundred episoded of What's Working. 

I've long been suspcious that social media can do anything for me. For kids today, yes. For me, a middle aged guy? Hardly. Domenick D'Andrea and I met at a conference and he assured me that if I learn how and when to post and what subject matters people want to see, it will generate profitable business leads. I commit to try it, postng primarily to LinkedIn, to see what will happen. And Domenick says it can't exclusively be business stuff, it has to be personal, too, like me zipping my suitcase and leaving the hotel room with a very short commentary. Seems crazy. Domenick is convinced. I commit to giving it a try.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realy Persons Services Corps Find my book, What Works, highlighting the best ideas of the first 200 episodes on Amazon.

Dr Matt Barber loves his work as a orthopedic surgeon. It's a combination of of skills that hits his sweet spot, including the advances in technology which peak his intersts. In the studio with me, Dr Barber has a sample of a knee made from a 3D printer of a patient's scan including the slight imperfections caused by the patient's age and wear and tear. Dr Barber and I discuss how technology continues to shape the profession, how people like him stay sharp and how you and I can talk to an orthopedist to determine if they're on top of their game or not. It's a thought provoking conversation that I loved.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Buddy Persons - Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Find my book What Works at Amazon.com.

Cigar Aficionado magazine loves EP Carrillo cigars. And they should. The cigars are fantastic. The patriarch of the company is Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. He's third generation in the business after his (thankfully) failed attempt to become a jazz drummer in New York City as a much younger man. Today he leads the company as they develop new product, supervise the growth of a variety of tobaccos in Central America, train rollers, and market across the world. His son and daughter - both brilliant - are also in the business and he's grooming them to lead. This year they're on track to make four million cigars. We talk family business, hurricanes, the youth market, and much more. And you'll hear me geek out a bit because Mr Carrillo is a bit of a celebrity to me - so dang cool to get to talk to him. Check out What Works - my book highlighting the top ten business lessons I learned from the first 200 episodes of the show.  Show Sponsors: Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite and Pest Control Roy Lewis Constru

Customer service still matters, though we don't hear about it today like we used to. We know customers are increasingly disappointed in the service they receive. They have no problems blowing up social media when they get treated poorly. But customer service training and eduction is woefully lacking. And cheap, online customer service training...stinks. Pam Denham has trained customer service for years. She and I talk about what's missing today and she offers some simple tips for taking service skills into your company.  Find my book, What Works, online. Show Sponsors: Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent

Scot Hunsaker was on the show last year talking about how to prepare employees to take over once the CEO decided to leave. He has a recipe for the process which we discussed in a very engaging conversation. Scot and his wife then boarded his boat and began a slow ride up the east coast, around Nova Scotia, and down the St Lawrence river. His boat is now in storage near Chicago. He and his wife then flew to New Zealand and then Australia for a six week trip. From Australia, Scott called. "Cam," he said, "there's something I need to tell your listeners that I'm learning from this trip. They need to not wait too long before starting their retirement. I'm seeing too many people who are too old and frail to enjoy it the way they dreamed." Well worth a listen. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty What Works is my book written about the bes

Bonus Episode: On 3/21/23, about 8:35am, I suffered a stroke in the right side of my brain. The quick actions of those around me plus the Stroke Code team at USA Hospital in Mobile saved me. This podcast is the recording of the radio broadcast with FMTalk 106.5 Midday Mobile show host (and friend) Sean Sullivan as I recount the story.  Take a listen - some things to learn here that my save you or someone else some day. 

Angelo DePaola keeps up with the second home market via his real estate company in Orange Beach, Alabama. Interest rates have changed but there is still a big demand. Home owners are turning over, too. The Boomers who bought vacation homes to bring the kids while they grew up are getting weary of taking care of those homes since the kids and grandkids are visiting less and less. Angelo is a savvy business man who has been very proactive in spreading his name and serving his clients. He's not the cheapest realtor in Orange Beach but his clients seldom go anywhere else once they've used his services.  Show Sponsors: E3 Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corp The Coastal Connection Realty

The sophistication of check fraud is something I knew nothing about until chatting with my old friend Rusty Pickering and then, only days later, hearing from two colleagues who had it happen to them. Rusty is President and COO of payment processing company Ingo Money in Alpharetta, Georgia. He and I chat about how check fraud happens, who's at risk, who is at fault, and how to avoid having to constantly replace your credit card or debit card. Special bonus podcast version - an off-script chat with Rusty. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp

Richard Jolly believes that the only true differentiator between competitive businesses in the future will be their culture. Every other competitive advantage can be copied. And what is culture? It's the way things get done. It's the "smell of the place." And so much more. We talk "hurry sickness", "reciprocity", manager's new roles, why culture has become so important post-pandemic, etc. This one's jam packed with content. Show Sponsers: Persons Service Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty