Paragould Podcast

What is it like to be surrounded by death for over 50 years? Dick Pace knows. Today he joins us to talk about why he chose his career path, lessons learned and so much more.

Listen as Libby and Jared talk about the 80s, cooking, starting your own business, getting over your fear of failure, the importance of loving others, and of course, Kiss The Cook.

After graduating from Paragould High School in 2016, Braxton went on to play SEC softball for Mizzou and later transferred to the University of Arkansas. Becoming a Razorback was a lifelong dream, and in 2021 she set the school's record for most home-runs hit in a single season. She just moved back to Paragould, and she's in the process of building a brand new facility in Bono, AR to offer softbal...

Reverend Dane has served as Senior Pastor of Paragould FUMC since July 2019. He was raised in Cave City, Arkansas and earned degrees from the University of Central Arkansas (BS, MS) and Duke Divinity School (M.Div). Today he comes on the podcast to talk about his life, his perspective of Paragould, pastoring a church through COVID,​ and the great T.V show Ted Lasso.

Before his current role as NEA's Premiere Magazine editor, Richard was the sports writer for the local Paragould Daily Press. Plus, you can find many old photos of Paragould posted almost daily by checking out his series "Today's Blast from the Past" on his personal Facebook page. 

Children's Homes, Inc. has provided help, hope and home to children and families since 1955. They are a faith-based, Christ-centered organization specializing in residential education care, foster care and adoptive care.   You can visit their website here: https://www.childrenshomes.org/

Alvin has received over 400 medals, ribbons and trophies as an athlete. Now 82 years old, Alvin joins us to recount some of his greatest memories.

Pastor Gary was at the hospital for his normal Tuesday routine when someone informed him that 15 ambulances were on their way because Westside Middle School had just been fired upon by 2 teenagers ultimately leaving 5 dead and 10 wounded. Choosing forgiveness over bitterness was his message back in 1998, and today he joins us on the podcast to share why.   Gary is the Pulpit Minister at Hillcrest...

Rickey's life is evidence that hard work pays off. He was raised by a hard-working family that instilled in him the values of establishing goals, taking risks and humbly leading. From chopping cotton to becoming a director of operations, Rickey shares what it means "to give an honest day's work."

Randy is an owner/operator of CrossFit Cathal. He's also the Executive Officer of the 875th Engineering Battalion. He served as a Platoon Leader in Afghanistan and today he joins us on the podcast to talk about his time in war, CrossFit, the importance of failure, decision making and more. 

Jay Allen is the President of Allen Engineering. Though its headquarters is in Paragould, the company serves 30 different countries and is world famous in the concrete industry.

  Danielle currently serves as Paragould's ESL Director (English as a Second Language). She is fluent in Spanish, has lived abroad, taught at Little Rock Central, and today she joins us on the podcast.  

Chip Dortch touched the lives of many people in our city. He was not only my (Jared Pickney's) little league baseball coach, but he also helped me get life insurance when I was first married, and then my first home loan years later. We played fantasy baseball together and continued to stay in touch until his passing. Today his son joins us to talk about the life, death and legacy of his dad.

Kendra was diagnosed with cancer when she was in High School. She was granted a wish by the Make A Wish Foundation when she was a senior, and now she gives back by making wishes for other children. Her story is inspiring.

Robert Piercy works on staff at The Crossing Church. He is also the owner of Ohana Hawaiian Snow. He joins us today to talk about how and why he started Ohana.

Adam was born and raised in Paragould. He has served as a Pastor at The Crossing Church for the last five years, but he recently took a job at Your Enneagram Coach. He joins us today to talk about his new job, anxiety, using humor to survive, taking pranks too far, and the importance of relational health.

Todd currently serves as our city's chief of police. He joins us today to talk about our police force, city crime and more.

Cody grew up in Paragould. After touring the country with his band, he eventually settled into the business world. He now serves as a Senior Manager for Amazon, running global learning and development initiatives for World Wide Operations executives. He has competed in ultramarathons, is committed to investing in the city he grew up in, and today he joins us on the podcast.

Frank has two jobs that couldn't be much different. He owns Scatter Creek Berries and Produce. He also works as a Nurse Anesthetist at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis. He comes on the podcast to talk about both.  https://www.scattercreekberries.com/

Michael is the owner/manager/head chef at Chow. We talk about his experience in the food industry, along with his great work at Chow. But our conversation took a surprising turn when we learned that Michael was not only living in Oklahoma City when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was hit by Timothy McVay, but he was also in New York City on September 11, 2001.

Greg Webb discusses the life of a firefighter and his journey to earning a buckle at the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race.

Bruce Hunt has coached baseball at GCT for 36 years. He has learned a lot along the way, and today he joins on the podcast to share some of his story and insights.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. In light of this, we decided to sit down with the Executive Director of CASA, Jeremy Biggs, and the Executive Director of Children's Advocacy Center, Amanda Frankenberger, to talk about child abuse awareness and what we can do to help stop it.

Rusty was born and raised in Paragould, he serves as our County Judge, and today he joins us on the Paragould Podcast.

Dr. Starks specializes in family medicine at AMMC/St. Bernards. She serves as our county nurse, and has become our resident expert in COVID-19. She joins us today to talk about COVID's  impact on our city, the vaccine, and more.