Chess Not Checkers

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Cody Arguelles, founder of the Late Arrival Club, a private members' lounge in downtown Spokane, and a man with one of the more unexpected paths to entrepreneurship you will hear. Cody starts with the club itself, a whiskey-and-cigar community he built with a group of fellow veterans, where the only real requi...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Devin Mecham, designated broker of NAI Black, for an insider's look at commercial real estate and where Spokane goes from here. Devin shares how he got into the business, and the guys dig into the market from a commercial lens: why the office sector has taken such a hit, how downtown and public safety factor i...

We're revisiting one of our favorite conversations. Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Brynn MacLennan, CEO and co-founder of Slate, the company reinventing something almost nobody enjoys: flossing. Brynn walks through the whole arc, from the first spark of the idea in 2019 to launching an electric flosser in 2022, and everything that came with scaling a physical product through a p...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien pull back the curtain on something they usually only mention in passing: the real mechanics of real estate development. Whether you are an investor, a developer, a would-be flipper, or just trying to make sense of today's housing market, this episode is a candid, numbers-and-all look at how real estate really works, and a r...

Li Ciavola is back. After his gripping Denali story last time, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien bring the climber back to Chess Not Checkers to get to know the man behind the mountain. This time the conversation is less about the summit and more about everything around it. Li opens up about what happens after you finally reach a goal you chased for a decade, the strange emptiness of the victory, th...

We're revisiting one of our favorite conversations. This episode of Chess Not Checkers first aired June 10, 2025, and it's well worth a second listen. Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien welcome Bobby Brett, whose life has straddled two worlds that shaped modern Spokane: professional sports and real estate. Raised in a family where competition was a way of life, Bobby carried that drive far be...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Ted Schmidt, a Spokane native who turned a local tool and equipment rental company into a regional powerhouse before finding his second act as a business coach. Ted shares the story of AA Rentals, how he worked his way up from a college job to partner and helped grow the company to 22 locations and roughly 400 emp...

As wildfire moves through the Spokane area, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien set the business talk aside for a more personal conversation about what happens when disaster hits close to home. They open with the fire itself: the sudden evacuations across Indian Trail, Five Mile, and West Francis, the hundreds of homes lost, and why this one hit Eastern Washington harder than anything in recent memory...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Li Ciavola, a climber, real estate professional, and lead instructor for the Spokane Mountaineers, fresh off summiting Denali, the tallest and arguably toughest of the seven summits. Li takes us inside all 23 days on the mountain: pulling 160 pounds of gear across a crevassed glacier, riding out blizzards for days...

He's our first repeat guest, and for good reason. In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien welcome back Jonathan Bingle, former Spokane City Council member and current candidate for state representative in Washington's 6th Legislative District. A lot has changed since his last visit, and the three of them cover serious ground. Jonathan shares his philosophy on...

What leads someone with a military and business background to step into local politics? In this episode of Chess Not Checkers , Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Alan Nolan, a Mead School Board member, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and candidate for Washington's 6th Legislative District, to trace his path from the Air Force Academy to Spokane and into public service. Alan s...

What happens when one of your listeners takes over the podcast? In this special episode of Chess Not Checkers , loyal listener and real estate professional Matt Brunner steps behind the microphone to interview Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien. Instead of bringing on a guest, the hosts become the guests, answering thoughtful questions about business, leadership, real estate, and the lessons they’ve...

Before Corey Jeppesen founded Bahlr Media, he received a piece of advice from Spokane advertising legend Ed Clark that would shape the way he viewed advertising, creativity, and brand building for years to come. In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Corey to discuss his journey from graphic designer to agency owner, the principles that have guided his...

In this special listener Q&A episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien tackle questions from listeners on real estate investing, business growth, Spokane’s future, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. The conversation covers what they look for when evaluating a real estate deal, the biggest mistakes investors make, how to think about long-term wealth building, an...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Lacey Renner, Director of Development at Vanessa Behan, to discuss the organization’s mission of preventing child abuse and supporting families in crisis. Lacey shares her personal journey from banking to nonprofit leadership, the story behind Vanessa Behan, and how a tragedy in Spokane led to the creation of a re...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien tackle some of the biggest economic and policy issues facing business owners today. From housing affordability and homelessness to rising taxes, government spending, real estate investing, and the future of small business, Keith and Jordan break down the challenges they see impacting entrepreneurs, investors, and everyday Ameri...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, with Jordan Tampien out, producer Brennon Poynor jumps behind the mic to interview Keith Riddle about his other company, MS4 — a performance coaching framework built around mindset, skill set, systems, and standards.   Keith breaks down how years in real estate, business ownership, philosophy, and coaching all came together to create MS4, and why he believes...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien dive into one of the biggest questions in today’s world: how do you know what’s actually true anymore? What starts as a conversation about conspiracy theories, Spokane history, and the Great Fire quickly becomes a deeper discussion about resilience, entrepreneurship, parenting, public perception, and the emotional reality of bu...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Erin Peterson, founder of Trending Northwest, to talk about content creation, entrepreneurship, storytelling, and building a media brand centered around the best parts of the Northwest. Erin shares her journey from teaching fifth grade to launching one of the region’s most recognizable lifestyle and community plat...

Originally Released March 11th, 2025 In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, hosts Jordan Tampien and Keith Riddle sit down with Leigh Veidman, head coach of Spokane Velocity, to discuss his journey from Liverpool to Spokane and how he built a successful soccer team. Leigh shares how his resilience, self-reflection, and experiences overcoming adversity shaped his leadership style. They explore his...

This one’s a story about starting over… and what you do when everything gets taken away. Keith and Jordan sit down with Doyle Wheeler to talk through his journey from working nearly 20 years in auto collision to losing everything after a serious injury—and how that moment forced him to completely rebuild his life from scratch. What makes this episode so good is how real it gets. Doyle walks throug...

Originally Released March 4th, 2025 In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, hosts Jordan Tampien and Keith Riddle sit down with Brooke Baker, CEO of Baker Construction and Development, to discuss her journey from insurance to leading her family’s third-generation construction business. Brooke shares how her passion for development, resilience, and mentorship helped her transition into the male-domi...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Dr. Ray Sicilia to talk about the real impact of chiropractic care—and the personal story that led him into the profession. Ray shares how his father went from being a hardworking, high-performing provider to being completely sidelined by a devastating back injury. After years of surgeries, pain, and setbacks, it...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien sit down with Greg Mahugh to unpack a side of business most people never think about—auctioneering. Greg shares his journey from Seattle to Spokane in the early 90s, building a business in the auto auction world and learning the art of high-speed dealmaking along the way. What starts as a conversation about auctions quickly tur...

In this episode of Chess Not Checkers, Keith Riddle and Jordan Tampien break down what’s actually happening in the Spokane market—from development and housing to the bigger economic forces shaping the city. They dive into Spokane’s unique position as a growing city without a major industry driver, and why sectors like medical, logistics, and manufacturing are playing such a big role right now. The...