Fireside America with Ryan Robbins

Evan Farrar is the co-creator of Fireside America, The Pit and founder of Shapeshifters Media + Marketing.  His agency has helped grow more than 50 businesses across New Jersey through the latest digital media and marketing strategies.  Evan comes from a humble upbringing and maintains an altruistic approach to life, of which the foundation of his business is built upon.  He finally stepped out fr...

Mike Zusman was the founder of cybersecurity firm Carve Systems prior to acquisition by iVision, where he currently serves as the VP of Cybersecurity. Mike got his start tinkering in computing at a young age, eventually working on e-commerce projects for a small telecommunications company, taking their revenues to multiple seven figures over his tenure. In the midst of it all, he began identifying...

Rawlings Barnes is a serial entrepreneur holding multiple executive-level positions, including CEO of 1 Mission Nutrition, Founder of FiftyX2 Apparel and COO of Maryland Fleet Center. Rawlings has a passion to deliver results through enhanced sales strategies, more efficient processes, and ongoing employee development. He brings over 25 years of business experience to the table with a career spann...

Mike and Nikki Ashkar are the husband/wife co-founders of Mav’s Top Buns, an artisanal cinnamon buns bakery based out of Monmouth County who have grown a cult-like following through their sell out pop-ups, collaborations and social media. Mike and Nikki are former advertising industry professionals who went all in on Mav’s Top Buns after its pandemic inception in 2020. Today, they have nearly a do...

Rob and Dana Linn Bailey are serial entrepreneurs and, most notably, the founders of FlagNorFail.   A former NCAA soccer player at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, Dana has become one of the most renowned female bodybuilders in history, becoming the first ever Ms. Olympia in 2009.   Rob, also a former West Chester University athlete (football), is a Swiss Army knife of skills who has found...

Jemand Ezeonwuka is a Nigerian-born fitness entrepreneur, best known as founder of New Jersey-based “Eze Fitness”, a bootcamp style gym designed to burn 500 or more calories in just 60 minutes, combining resistance training, conditioning and boxing.   Together with his wife, Kiko, Jemand has grown Eze Fitness to four Jersey Shore locations, with 10-year plans to have an Eze Fitness within 20 minut...

Matt Williams is the founder of The TriAxle App, a one-of-a-kind logistical networking app for the construction industry that’s on a mission to close the gap between contractors and business opportunities. Matt brought 20+ years of contracting and 10+ years of excavating experience to the table to create this unique technology to help contractors coordinate the exchange of clean fill, materials, e...

Janie and Dave Ippolito are a husband/wife duo from Ocean County, New Jersey who have garnered the attention of millions through their comedic videos across platforms like TikTok (350K), Instagram (137K) and YouTube (131K). In just a few short years, The Ippolito Family has built a captivating influencer-style business to supplement their existing careers in entrepreneurship, with Dave as the owne...

Amy Russo is the founder/operator of Toast City Diner, a northeastern style eatery specializing in breakfast and lunch foods, with three locations across New Jersey. Amy is a grinder, a detail-oriented entrepreneur and the reason "Toast" has become one of the hottest spots at the Jersey Shore. Enjoy!   ⬇️ FOLLOW MORE HERE ⬇️ 📲 RYAN'S INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ryandrobbins/ 🍳 FOLLOW TO...

Anthony Curreri is the founder and CEO of Roadly Logistics, a premier freight brokerage headquartered in Matawan, New Jersey who sources the optimal method of transportation with more than 20,000 contracted carriers.  An Old Bridge native and Towson University graduate, Anthony worked at two different industry brokerages in the northeast before launching Roadly Logistics in from his apartment in 2...

Discovery Channel stars “Dirty Water Don” and John “Gannimal Gann are professional divers currently leading the search of up to 500,000 mammoth bones in NYC’s East River, reportedly worth up to $1 BILLION! Their excursions and projects have been the focal point of Discovery Channel’s hit show, “Sewer Divers,” which premieres on Sunday nights. The Gann brothers spent the day down here at the Jersey...

Eric Swan is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Swan Productions.  Hailing from California, Eric was introduced to Fireside America through a construction worker on one of his projects and immediately reached out to share some of his story.  He has launched a series of businesses, from wedding and event planning to design studios spearheading the development of ultra-high end restaurants exceedi...

Scott “The Red Suit Realtor" Orison is a Utah-based, Amazon best-selling author on a mission to help 1,000 people fix and flip real estate.  Bringing an electric personality, unique brand and 15 years of investing experience to the table, Scott is a top-producing Realtor who specializes in helping clients purchase and develop land, fixer-uppers, investment properties and luxury estates in the grea...

Michael and Elizabeth Sauls are the owners of Raleigh-based BKFX Studios, a multimedia production company that specializes in cinematic storytelling of small businesses, individuals and corporations.  They made the trip from North Carolina to the beaches of the Jersey Shore for an awesome conversation, where we dug into growing up homeschooled, our opinions on marital roles, imposter syndrome and...

Scott Kirk is the second generation owner of Nova Heating & Air Conditioning, based out of the Jersey Shore here in Howell, New Jersey.  A notable family name, The Kirk Family has held a strong presence in the Monmouth and Ocean County communities for decades through various local businesses, with Nova’s inception dating back to 1987.  Scott swung by to dive deep into his roots of the wrestling wo...

Christian Coronato is the founder/operator of Coronato’s Lean Cuisine and Coronato’s Kitchen. A nationally ranked power lifter and bodybuilder, Christian is a Jersey Shore native who, together with his wife and Kristi, has built multiple successful and regionally renown businesses in the fitness and nutrition industries. Christian and I have ran in similar circles for decades and even rubbed elbow...

Ian Smith is a South Jersey native and former co-owner of The Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey, best known for his defiance of court orders that demanded he close the doors to his gym amidst COVID shutdowns.  This was a captivating conversation with a figure who experienced a meteoric rise to fame during the pandemic, where we peeled back many layers of one of the most recognizable faces in the...

Sajid Ali is the founder and operator of Patriot Limousine, a luxury limousine service with a state-of-the-art fleet of vehicles, driven by a team of professional drivers with over twenty years of experience in transporting VIP clientele, from executives to medical professionals and even organ transplants.  I was introduced to Ali just weeks ago as he drove my team and me to the airport for our tr...

Tom Simpson is the founder and operator of Chisel & Loom, which specializes in new and reclaimed wood flooring, solid and hollow beams, cladding and Millboard decking and siding.  A rapidly up-and-coming Chatham-based business, their sourced materials are imported from Europe and have rarely ever been offered in the United States.  Tom swung by The Pit to tell his story, geek out on wood and share...

Robert Nagel is a Jersey Shore native and the founder of Surf Taco, New Jersey's preeminent Mexi-Cali cuisine-style restaurant, founded in 2001 and now with 11 locations across New Jersey and Florida (Jupiter).  Rob has a fascinating life story that brought him to each coast of the United States, from living in tents to directing non-profits in California, and ultimately returning back to his root...

Alexis Smith is the owner and operator of Embellish U, a luxury spa and boutique based out of Point Pleasant (New Jersey), offering the finest treatments and products in the beauty industry. Starting her own nail salon at the age of 15 out of her parents’ house, entrepreneurship is embedded in Alexis’ DNA and she has built a mini-empire in the industry. Embellish U is a true one-of-a-kind experien...

Matt Vincent is the MOST INTERESTING MAN ON THE INTERNET!  A 2X Highland Games world champion turned serial entrepreneur and psychonaut, Matt’s roots were dug in southwest Louisiana where he was a high school indoor and outdoor state champion in the shot, before competing for the LSU Tigers and standing upon the SEC podium multiple times. After college, Matt took an outside sales job in the oil in...

WE’RE BACK!  Hope everyone had a tremendous Christmas and New Year and is as fired up for 2023 as I am! 🔥   Ringing in the New Year with a monumental Episode 50, joined by guest Dr. Ilan Gamburg, the Israeli-born owner of “Brielle Dentistry,” who emigrated to New Jersey from Jerusalem at the age of 12 with his brother and Russian-born parents.  A graduate of the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine,...

Nick Hoffer, AKA “The Holster Guy” is the founder/CEO of HofTac Industries and Patriot Trays.  Based out of Idaho, USA, Nick has built an impressive business that includes his ultra-popular “OMNICARRY” holster, which comfortably accommodates more than 200 handguns.  Nick and I connected through Sean Whalen’s “The Lion’s Den” and hit it off immediately, so I was super excited when we were able to p...

Keaton Hoskins is a serial entrepreneur best known for his role as “The Muscle” on The Discovery Channel’s hit TV show, “Diesel Brothers”.  A wildly successful entrepreneur in his own right hailing from Utah, Keaton has built, operated and sold dozens of successful businesses since his 20’s across a variety of industries, from fitness to medicine and everything in between.  He has never invested m...