On The Cusp

Our guest today is used with being behind the camera, helping make production happen. Clint McCommon has been producing creative video content for over a decade. His experience expands from television commercials to music videos to feature documentary work. Clint, along with his business partner John Chambers, create unique productions that garner great results for their marketing clients, winning...

Gun safety and education when it comes to guns and handling guns is key. Today, we're speaking with Brad Simon of Red River Range, the premier indoor shooting and training facility in Louisiana leading the effort in shooter safety. The range offers 19 shooting lanes equipped with the finest target, ventilation, and safety systems in the industry. The range isn’t just for firearms. Louisiana is the...

Shopping local means creating more jobs in the community. Shopping local with businesses that continuously give back to their community through quarterly events helps create culture in the community. In today's episode we are speaking with C&C Mercantile & Lighting owners and operators, and Shreveport natives, Derek Simmons and Lauren Ross Simmons. Tune in!

Today's episode is a continuation of last week's episode where we spoke with Brant Alexander, one of the founders of Provenance, a traditional neighborhood development in South Shreveport. Today we have David Alexander and Kyle McInnis continuing the conversation about Provenance and the plan for growth behind it. Tune in!

Imagine a development that is based on a neighborhood schematic that was in place before the automobile took over our lives. A housing scheme planned around retail, workspace, restaurants, green spaces, and more. Now imagine that existing in Shreveport. In today's episode of On the Cusp, Matt sits down with Brant Anderson, one of the original planners and developers of Provenance, a Southern Shrev...

From hospital to hospitality, local business owner, doctor, plastic surgeon, & community investor, Lindsey Pennington, speaks with Matt and Dave about her love of Shreveport, and why she chose this city for her many community investment projects. Tune in!

Shopping has evolved dramatically over the past several decades, providing consumers with more choice and convenience, whether they prefer to shop the brick-and-mortar stores or shop online. When it comes to men's fashion in Shreveport, John Pickens Custom Clothiers is offering unique in-person experiences you can't find online. In today's episode, Matt and Dave are speaking with John Pickens of J...

On today's episode, Matt & Dave are speaking with Katy Larsen, founder and owner of The Agora Borealis, an artist marketplace located in downtown Shreveport. Katy's goal when opening the doors to her store in 2014 was to give the area an art gallery filled with local art and goods, while also stimulating the local economy. Tune in!

In today's episode, Matt and Dave are speaking with Kylie Grant of Oleolive, a biotechnology company that produces olive oil-extracted oleocanthal for research and consumer products to address inflammation and disease. If you are health conscious and interested in ways to help aid a longer, healthier lifestyle, don't sleep on this episode! OleOlive's method of extracting and purifying Extra Virgin...

On today's episode, Matt and Dave are discussing entrepreneurial wins, losses, do's and dont's. Tune in!

On today's episode, Matt and Dave are speaking with Latronia Durham, CEO of Durham Transports Express, LLC, a minority and female-owned company that is gaining momentum and going the extra mile within our community. Latronia is discussing the major roadblocks she has faced/ is currently facing as a female in a male-dominated industry. She discusses where she began, how far she has come, and how fa...

On today's episode of On The Cusp, Dave and Matt are talking with Sabrina Adsit, a marketing professional and Air Force Spouse, who spent nine years in Northwest Louisiana before moving to Washington, DC. Whether you're stationed somewhere for 1 year, 3 years, or 9 years, Sabrina discusses the benefits of being connected to the pulse of what's happening in your community. Sabrina didn't wait aroun...

We are kicking off Season Two with Roy Griggs, CEO & Owner Operator of Griggs Enterprise, Inc, Northwest Louisiana’s leading franchisee of McDonald’s Restaurants in northwest Louisiana. Roy's success can be attributed to his work ethic and his drive to overcome major obstacles. In today's episode, Roy is telling us about how an accidental job brought him millions of dollars in success, and wit...

In today's episode of On The Cusp, hosts Matt and Dave go head to head on a jobs vs. culture topic. What does north Louisiana need most? Matt believes that as a community, Shreveport doesn't believe in the cultural piece, vs. Dave, who believes that a lot could be fixed with more jobs. It's an exciting episode that you don't want to miss! Tune in!

On episode 11 of On The Cusp, we are talking with Ben James, CIMA®, CKA®, Financial Advisor and Cofounder of Deupree James Wealth Management. Ben focuses on portfolio management, financial planning, and microcap investing. Prior to co-founding Deupree James Wealth Management, he worked at Merrill Lynch for over a decade where he managed money for his team and others as a Senior Portfolio Manager....

On today's episode of On The Cusp, we are speaking with Amanda Flynn, Interim Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) at Southern University in Shreveport, and we are talking all things capital. Dive into episode 10 to hear how the LSBDC is helping our small businesses and how & why entrepreneurs and small businesses should get involved.

It's easy to get down on North Louisiana if you're not actively searching for opportunities here. Whether it's finding events to go to, investing in the city, or choosing it to start and grow your business in, the opportunities are great - they are just waiting for you to find them. In today's episode of On The Cusp, Matt and Dave sit down and talk with Rich Lamb of Weiner, Weiss and Madison. Rich...

With two major interstates (I-20 and I-49) converging in greater Shreveport, businesses can easily access more than 40 million consumers in some of America’s largest markets, including Dallas and Houston, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Little Rock and Oklahoma City. Ryan Culp currently serves as Director of Business Recruitment for Shreveport Next, a division of BRF, a Northwest Louisiana-based econ...

For Sarah and Preston Lowder of Lowder Baking Company and Doc's Sandwich Shop, their vision has always gone beyond owning these storefronts. In Episode 7 of On The Cusp, we are talking to Sarah about her and Preston's beginning steps and that leap(s) of faith that has taken them from "entrepreneur" status to "great entrepreneur" status, and their reasons behind staying in Shreveport and turning th...

In Episode 6 of On The Cusp, we are back with hosts Matt and Dave discussing North Louisiana's homegrown talent, whether they are local or living across the country. This has us asking a few questions in regard to engaging that homegrown talent. How do we continue to foster their love for Shreveport and how do we continue to involve them in their community? Tune in!

It's one thing to own a company in your community, but it's a better thing whenever you infuse that company into your community. In Episode 5 of On The Cusp, we are speaking with Jon Ellis, Vice President of Radiance Technologies, a high-tech, research & development defense contractor that develops innovative solutions for defense, intelligence, and civilian customers’ advanced challenges. Rad...

Want to learn about Shreveport's best-kept business secret? Meet Eric Rippetoe, Founder of Bishop, the world’s first 3D-printed knee support device intended for use during high-impact sports. In this week's episode, we discuss why keeping technology-based businesses in our city should be a priority and how being a big fish in a small pond can work to your entrepreneurial advantage.

For entrepreneurs and small businesses, cities with entrepreneurial resources readily available is a priority they aren’t willing to overlook. A city lacking these resources, will lack an entrepreneurial ecosystem. On episode 3 of On The Cusp, Dave and Matt are speaking with Cohab Executive Director, Jessica Schiele, about the importance of community involvement in the entrepreneurial scene, and m...

Both Lean canvases and business plans are visual representations of the reality in which your business operates. But, unlike the traditional business plan, they are sketches that need to be updated as you grow your business. So, the big question is: which is better? In Episode 2, our guest Julie Milam, a Senior Financial Analyst of the Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program with over 23 years of expe...

In episode one of On The Cusp, hosts Dave Smith, EAP Executive Director and Matt Snyder, Owner of PinPoint Local Marketing, dive into the purpose of the podcast and discuss how and why Shreveport is on the cusp of something great. -- The Entrepreneurial Accelerator System (EAP), an initiative of BRF, is a public-private partnership to diversify the regional economy, create jobs and expand the area...