Ground Up Growth

This week on Ground Up Growth, we sit down with Jeff and Shelby Taylor of Two Men and a Truck in Ridgeland — a father-daughter duo running one of the most recognized service brands in the country. Jeff shares how a chance encounter behind a moving truck on the way to an Auburn game led him from engineering and NASA to franchise ownership in 1999, back when marketing meant a half-page ad in the pho...

In part two of our conversation with Emily Grohovsky of Cedar Hill Gardens, we shift from the origin story to the business behind the business. Emily walks us through the early days of hiring help straight off the floor at Home Depot, the gradual transition from nursing to running Cedar Hill full time, and the lessons that came from learning as she went rather than following a roadmap. We talk abo...

What started as a 30x40 plot of Mississippi clay during the loneliest season of the pandemic turned into a thriving business, a 100+ member community, and a third life entirely. Hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Emily Grohovsky, founder of Cedar Hill Gardens, to talk about how a stay-at-home mom with two babies under two and a serious case of postpartum cabin fever became "the Gar...

The future is already here, and Jake Manning is installing it. In Part 2, hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman continue their conversation with Mississippi Smart Homes founder Jake Manning to go deeper on the technology trends reshaping everyday life, and what it means for homeowners, business owners, and entrepreneurs paying attention. Jake breaks down the real story on Starlink, why cybersecurit...

What happens when a biomedical engineering student gets a curveball from his dad junior year of college, graduates into a global pandemic, and decides to bet on himself anyway? You get Jake Manning and Mississippi Smart Homes. In Part 1, hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Ridgeland entrepreneur Jake Manning to unpack the unconventional path that led him from double engineering degr...

The conversation continues. In Part 2, hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman pick back up with Madison, Mississippi entrepreneur and community leader Chaz Ramsey to go deeper on what it actually looks like to juggle the five pillars of health — spiritual, relational, mental, physical, and financial — in the real, messy middle of life and business. Chaz gets honest about the phone boundaries he stil...

What does it take to build something from nothing — and keep going when life knocks you down? Hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Madison, Mississippi entrepreneur and community leader Chaz Ramsey for a conversation that is equal parts faith, hustle, and real talk. Chaz shares how a career-ending back injury at Auburn redirected his path from college football to the laundry industry...

In part two of our conversation with Leigh Bailey, founder of Salad Days Produce in Flora, Mississippi, we go deep on what it actually takes to build a hydroponic lettuce operation from the ground up — and keep it alive when everything falls apart. Leigh walks us through the early days of their 18,000 sq ft greenhouse, why they eventually walked away from tomatoes after harvesting 56,000 pounds in...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Leigh Bailey, founder of Salad Days, to hear the remarkable story of how a longtime real estate professional made the leap into agriculture and built one of Mississippi’s most innovative local food businesses. From growing up in a real estate development family to launching businesses in publishing, commercial real e...

In Part 2 of Ground Up Growth, Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman continue their conversation with Webb Emerson, owner of Form Design Build. Webb shares how mentorship, leadership, and staying lean have helped grow his Jackson, Mississippi construction company in just three years. The episode covers hiring the right people, outsourcing weaknesses, building company culture, why in-person relationships...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Webb Emerson, owner of Form Design Build, to talk about building a modern construction company from the ground up. Webb shares his journey from growing up around job sites in Memphis to earning a construction degree from Mississippi State University, gaining experience in large-scale commercial construction, and even...

In Part 2 of this episode of Ground Up Growth, Cameron Hartley dives deeper into what it really takes to scale a business—and the risks that come with it. After building a successful equipment company, Cameron shares the high-stakes decision to invest everything into a new location in Gluckstadt, Mississippi—a move he knew would either make him or break him. From navigating drought seasons that cu...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, we sit down with Cameron Hartley, owner of Hartley Equipment Company in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, to unpack his journey from cutting grass as a teenager to building a thriving, multi-division equipment business. Cameron shares how he started working at just 14 years old, built a landscaping company with over 100 accounts and 16 employees, and ultimately made the...

What does it actually look like to build a business without losing who you are? In Part 2 with Grace Sturdivant (OtoPro Technologies), we go beyond the origin story and into the real decisions that shape a business—scaling vs. staying lean, product vs. service, and growth vs. identity. Grace shares how she turned a single relationship into a major opportunity with MeatEater, why she refuses to sig...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, we sit down with Grace from OtoPro Technologies, a Mississippi-based hearing protection company redefining how people think about hearing health. Grace shares her journey from growing up in Grenada, Mississippi, to becoming a Doctor of Audiology and building an unexpected business from the ground up. What started as a simple desire to help friends and family pr...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, we sit down for part 2 with Lonnie Stevenson—owner of Circle S Incorporated, industrial cleaning company leader, and former PBR Finals bull rider—to talk about what it truly takes to build a successful business from the ground up. Lonnie shares how his rodeo background shaped his work ethic, discipline, and values—and how those same principles helped him grow a...

From bull riding arenas to industrial job sites, Lonnie Steverson’s story is built on grit, risk, and resilience. In this episode of Ground Up Growth, Lonnie—owner of Circle S Incorporated—shares how a family business that started with painting and “figuring it out” evolved into a multi-state industrial cleaning operation. After losing his father at just 20 years old, Lonnie and his mom worked to...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Nick Newcomb, CEO of StorageMax, we dive into the realities behind the self-storage industry—an asset class many people assume is easy “mailbox money.” Nick shares the real challenges of building and operating self-storage facilities, including development hurdles like wetland mitigation, construction complications, and the everyday operational issues that come w...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, we sit down with Nick Newcomb, CEO of StorageMax, the largest self-storage operator in Mississippi. Nick shares his path from growing up on a Delta farm to leading a multi-state self-storage portfolio with nearly 40 locations across Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. We dig into his early career in commercial real estate, the hands-on years spent learning eve...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, we continue our conversation with Tuk Tuk Boom owner Will Puckett. Will gets real about what it actually takes to build a business from the ground up—especially in the restaurant industry. We dive into the realities of labor shortages, managing emotions and personalities, learning to delegate, and surviving burnout when the pressure is nonstop. From opening a r...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, Paul Hopper is joined by first-time co-host Hannah Pittman and guest Will Puckett, founder of Tuk Tuk Boom. Will shares the unfiltered, behind-the-scenes story of how a finance major with zero culinary background walked away from insurance, reverse-engineered Thai recipes on a Belhaven back porch, and built one of Mississippi’s most loved fast-casual restaurant...

In Part 2 of this conversation, Paul sits down again with Hannah Pittman, owner of Pittman Marketing, to go deeper into what it really means to build a brand that lasts — and how marketing is changing as people grow tired of being marketed to. Hannah shares the story behind her recent rebrand, why clarity matters more than creativity alone, and how rebranding should signal a real shift in business...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, Paul sits down with Hannah Pittman, owner of Pittman Marketing — and the person who’s been behind the scenes producing the podcast from day one. For the first time, Hannah steps in front of the mic to share her story: from growing up in the Mississippi Delta, to working in corporate marketing, to building her own agency while raising a young family. She opens u...

In this episode of Ground Up Growth, Dr. John David Johnson breaks down the full owner-occupant design-build process — from buying off-market land to designing, financing, and building a custom veterinary clinic with no construction experience. This conversation is packed with real-world insight for entrepreneurs, business owners, and operators who want to own their location instead of leasing. We...

In Episode 25 of Ground Up Growth, Paul sits down with Dr. Jon David Johnson, owner of The Vet Depot in Flora, Mississippi. Jon David shares his path from growing up in West Tennessee to becoming an award-winning veterinarian and business owner in Madison County. They unpack his early work ethic, journey through veterinary school at Mississippi State, and the realities of owning and building a cli...