I Am Northwest Arkansas®

About the Show: "It's also a reminder to me of how important it is for all of us. No matter what, every one of us has a platform of sorts." Randy Wilburn About the Guest: Randy Wilburn is the host of the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast, which explores the intersection of business, culture, entrepreneurship, and life in the Ozarks. His background as an independent podcast producer is marked by his...

About the Show: "Our mission is to love Jesus and bring a community together. At the heart of everything we do is relationships—relationships that connect and strengthen our community across socioeconomic and cultural lines." Shawn Schwartzman About the Guest: In this episode of I Am Northwest Arkansas , host Randy Wilburn sits down with Shawn Schwartzman, the President and Founder of Potter’s Hou...

About the Show: "I'm a CPA by trade, and my background was in audit and doing financial analysis." Bret Raymond About the Guest: Bret Raymond is the co-founder and CEO of PacShack and the General Manager of Neighborly Food Co . With a foundational career as a CPA focused on audit and financial analysis, Bret's life changed dramatically through his international experiences in Romania and Africa, n...

About the Show: "I've seen Northwest Arkansas evolve over the past many years, and it's been fun to watch." Connie Cottingham About the Guest: Connie Cottingham is a local author and resident of Northwest Arkansas, particularly from Rogers. She has roots in the area dating back to her childhood and has witnessed the region's growth firsthand. Connie recently published a book titled " 100 Things to...

About the Show: “So the amount of people that we see on a daily basis, it can average from 75 to 150. It depends on the season. It depends on the day of the month actually.” Becci Sisson About the Guest(s): Becci Sisson is the CEO of Seven Hills Homeless Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She brings extensive experience working with nonprofit organizations and the homeless population, having previo...

About the Show: "The whole company was born out of a curiosity and a fascination with the sun and how much energy the sun... hits the face of the earth every day." David Stitt About the Guest: David Stitt is the second-generation leader of The Stitt Group , a pioneering company in sustainable and energy-efficient home design based in Northwest Arkansas. Founded over 40 years ago by his parents, Or...

About the Show: "Once that vision came clear to me, the idea of a self-assembling and self-sustaining house, I immediately filed for the patent and then began Renewed Robotics." Daizhan Ennals About the Guest: Daizhan Ennals is the CEO and founder of Renewed Robotics, a pioneering company with a mission to revolutionize the housing industry with innovative, autonomous technology. Originally from C...

About the Show: "Once I learned that they'd give me trophies and awards and scholarships for saying words, I thought, that's in my wheelhouse." Aaron Mankin About the Guest: Aaron Mankin is a highly-recognized Marine veteran and motivational speaker. Hailing from Rogers, Arkansas, Aaron served as a combat correspondent during the Iraq War. His life drastically changed following a severe injury fro...

About the Show: "I really believe that social infrastructure is one of the most crucial pieces of our future resiliency and our democracy." Alison Sant About the Guest: Alison Sant is a renowned artist, designer, and author celebrated for her work in urban resilience and sustainability. She is the co-founder of the Studio for Urban Projects , which focuses on the intersection of architecture, art,...

About the Show: "When you can collaborate with a wonderful person and have fun doing it, it makes the process a lot more fun, but also it makes the end product better." Rob Ruck About the Guests: Liann Tsoukas and Rob Ruck : Liann Tsoukas is a researcher and author who has co-authored the book Mal Goode: Reporting the Life and Work of a Black Broadcast Trailblazer . Dr. Rob Ruck is a historian and...

About the Show: "We don't save land from people. We save land for people." Marson Nance About the Guest: Marson Nance is a dedicated environmentalist and Director of Philanthropy at the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust. He hails from western North Carolina and studied Environmental Science with a concentration in Ecology and Biology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Marson's career sp...

About the Show: "We think that certified organic is going one step beyond, taking it to another level, and using waste and carbon to mitigate climate change." Jody Hardin About the Guests: Richard Ims Richard Ims is a serial entrepreneur with a background in animal husbandry, truck farming, and corporate business. Based in Northwest Arkansas since 2000, he founded Food Recycling Solutions in partn...

About the Show: "Our mission is to meet the needs of the community, and anyway that we can do that is the way that we'll do that." Nina Hodgson About the Guest: Nina Hodgson is the Marketing Director at the Springdale Public Library , where she plays a pivotal role in enhancing the library's visibility and connecting with the diverse community of Springdale, Arkansas. With a background in library...

About the Show: "Anytime I go, I never fail to meet somebody interesting and engaging to just kind of hang out with and talk. Like you said, get coffee. It's always, it's so easy to connect with people in this area, and that's a great way to do it. I thoroughly enjoy that." Justin Johnson About the Guest: Justin Johnson is a co-founder of Square Six , a company that provides comprehensive solution...

About the Show: "And when I came here to Northwest Arkansas, I was just so taken by the genuine opportunity that we have here to build a global hub for innovation."  Serafina Lalany About the Guest: Serafina Lalany is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with a rich background in building startup ecosystems. Before joining as Executive Director of Startup NWA, Serafina spent six years cultiva...

About the Show: "Now that we've drunk the Kool-Aid and we're kind of on the inside here now, we're really trying to make those other groups feel comfortable with really, the imminent success, if not already successful, Northwest Arkansas ecosystem."  Lane Patterson About the Guest(s): Joe Camizio: Joe is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Highway Ventures . He has a background in corporate ven...

About the Show: "At Soar, our kindergarteners are learning how to be strong communicators and public speakers." Ellie Hoyt About the Guest: Ellie Hoyt is the Director of Development for Soar Afterschool , a transformative program dedicated to creating nurturing and safe environments for young people in Northwest Arkansas. With over 14 years of experience in nonprofit work, Ellie brings a passion f...

About the Show: "That just stuck with me. That was one of those quotes. It's like, if you will focus on helping enough other people get what they want, you'll get what you want."   Matt Lewis About the Guest: Matt Lewis is the current leader of the Lewis Automotive Group, a fourth-generation family-owned car dealership in Northwest Arkansas. The company was founded by his great-grandfath...

About the Show: "International exchange is such a valuable experience." Cynthia Smith About the Guests: Clark Eckels Clark Eckels is the iFriend Coordinator at the Office of International Students and Scholars at the University of Arkansas . In his role, Clark is dedicated to creating meaningful connections between international students and the local community, fostering cultural exchanges and lo...

About the Show: "We want to focus on building strong connections and really affirm that Northwest Arkansas is a welcoming and inclusive place." Margot Lemaster About the Guest: Margot Lemaster is the Executive Director of EngageNWA at the Northwest Arkansas Council. Margot has been instrumental in fostering community cohesion and inclusivity in the region for over seven years. EngageNWA focuses on...

About the Show: "We want to build the kinds of communities where our kids will want to raise their kids." Jody Dilday About the Guest: Jody Dilday is a seasoned professional in philanthropy and non-profit management with a notable background in social work. She has served as the Executive Director for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas and now fulfills the role of philanthrop...

About the Show: “But there's something special about northwest Arkansas and how dynamic it is and how quickly it's growing.” Daniel Fritsche About the Guests: Luke Brasuel, Daniel Fritsche, and Tad Moore are the founders of NWA Daily , a popular newsletter dedicated to sharing the latest news, events, and happenings in Northwest Arkansas. Luke and Daniel, both with backgrounds linked to the Univer...

About the Show: "So the beauty of the relay model is based entirely on the network structure that we have in the United States, the interstate structure." Ayush Thakur About the Guests: Demi Yuan and Ayush Thakur are the co-founders of FR8relay , an innovative logistics company focused on improving efficiency and work-life balance in the trucking industry. Ayush, with a background in civil enginee...

Episode Summary: Relive the highlights of our best moments from the “I am Northwest Arkansas®” podcast! We revisit some of our favorite conversations and insights in this special episode. Original Episode Reference: This segment originally aired in our Living on Two Wheels in Northwest Arkansas episode. Brian Squire shared his experiences and insights on the vibrant cycling community and how bikin...

Episode Summary: Relive the highlights of our best moments from the “I am Northwest Arkansas®” podcast! We revisit some of our favorite conversations and insights in this special episode. Original Episode Reference: This segment originally aired in our Learn to Train and Pamper Your Dog in Northwest Arkansas episode, where Denise Holmes shared valuable tips on dog training and the best ways to pam...