The B Team Podcast

If you assume you know everything about your own backyard, you are likely missing the most profitable and entertaining narratives driving your local economy. We sit down with Brian Johnson, the founder of Big on Bentonville, to uncover how he built a premier low-speed vehicle tour company that somehow managed to outrank world-class art museums in customer satisfaction. We get into the tactical rea...

Not having access to the right tools kills the desire to build things. As more people look for physical hobbies to step away from their screens, the high cost and massive space required for a personal shop stop them dead in their tracks. We sit down with Charley Preston from The Workbench Collective to discuss how he is solving this exact problem by building a shared community maker space right he...

Bringing a high-profile international brand to Northwest Arkansas requires more than just capital; it demands an obsessive focus on product integrity, standard operating procedures, and local market education. In this episode, we sit down with Sofia Foyo, the entrepreneur behind the newly opened Amorino Gelato in Rogers, Arkansas, to uncover what it takes to launch a globally recognized brand in a...

Customer expectations dictate the survival of any local restaurant. Right now, retaining loyal staff and managing daily operations are the biggest hurdles for hospitality owners looking to stay afloat. Todd and Nickki Golden join us to share their direct insights from over three decades of building successful culinary staples. We get into the exact mechanics of operating a lasting restaurant brand...

The wellness industry loves to push standard PDF diet plans and overnight magic pills, but generalized advice leaves desperate people exhausted and stuck. When the standard medical framework offers few answers for chronic, complex issues, it is easy to assume you have hit a dead end. We sit down with Brynn Davello, a certified functional nutritional therapy practitioner and GAPS practitioner, to b...

Humble beginnings are not an excuse to stay small; they are the foundation for long term business growth. In an economy where industries pivot overnight and competition can blind you to your own progress, staying focused on your lane is the ultimate advantage. Hosts Josh Saffron and Pat Mars sit down with Mike Shelton to dissect his path from working out of the back of a house to establishing a re...

Pretentious hospitality is a profit killer. When consumers feel intimidated by an industry, they simply lock their wallets and walk away. The global wine and champagne industry has spent decades building cardboard walls of elite terminology and black-tie dress codes, accidentally alienating the modern diner who just wants an incredible experience. We sit down with Aaron Walters, chef and owner of...

Live entertainment looks effortless until you are the one standing in the center of a stadium with twenty thousand people watching you. The difference between a seamless fan experience and an absolute disaster class in front of a packed arena comes down to split-second ad-libbing. Whether it is managing a corporate-sponsored game on the court or keeping a crowd engaged during a timeout, live media...

Bentonville nightlife is about to see a significant shift as the gap between family-friendly dining and late-night entertainment finally closes. For too long, the local scene has lacked a dedicated space for groups to gather without the chaos of a traditional bar or the limitations of early closing times. In this episode, we sit down with Justin Urso, the co-founder of Big Box Karaoke, to discuss...

Reactionary movement is the only thing that saves you when a situation turns south. Most people assume that knowing a few moves is enough, but without the muscle memory to back it up, the human brain simply freezes under pressure. We sit down with Kaleb Plank from Inferno Martial Arts to discuss why his program focuses on functional self defense over the sport side of martial arts. We get into the...

A single drop of water can either unlock the hidden soul of a bourbon or flatline its flavor entirely. In an industry where collectors often focus more on the label than the liquid, understanding the chemistry of the "tame and maim" is what separates the enthusiasts from the experts. We sit down with resident authority Russ Kempton to break down why the market is finally shifting back in...

A lot of “wellness” sounds good until you ask one question: does it actually work, and can someone explain why without the hype? That’s where we start. Josh Saffran, Matt Marrs and our permanent guest Rob Nelson, start talking about how our med spa has grown by listening to patients, doing the research, and refusing to chase every shiny trend that floats through the aesthetic medicine world. If yo...

You’ve probably used a shop wipe that strips grease fast then leaves your hands feeling wrecked, or a “personal” wipe that falls apart when you actually need it. That gap is exactly what grabbed us about Muckender Towels, and we brought in co-founder Joshua Stanley to explain how a simple, unglamorous product turns into a real consumer packaged goods brand built for hardworking people. We get into...

You can tell when a city is growing fast because the “nice to have” things quickly become the “how are we living without this” things. That’s where we start: why Woodhouse Spa decided to open in Rogers, and why Northwest Arkansas needed more than quick, in-and-out appointments. We’re chasing the idea of a complete spa day, the kind you do with friends or as a couple, where the calm starts at the d...

You can learn a lot about a place by what it drinks and how it builds community around it. We sit down with Dan Clous, co-founder of Natural State Beer Company in Bentonville, to trace the unlikely path from a vendor career to homebrewing in a basement to opening a brewery right off the trails at Village on the Creeks. Dan breaks down why Arkansas is “The Natural State,” why their taproom is built...

Bentonville is changing so fast that even locals can miss the scale of what’s being built right in front of them. We sit down with a longtime Northwest Arkansas real estate leader who came to town in 1992 as a Walmart engineer, then quickly pivoted into the deal world when the company’s store growth went into overdrive. The result is part personal story, part behind-the-scenes look at how massive...

The Shark Tank edit makes it look smooth, but the real experience is quiet, intense, and a lot longer than you think. We talk with the founder of Foam Cooler, Chad Lee, the Bentonville-based product developer who walked into the Tank, ran his cooler over with a steamroller, and then had to negotiate for real while doing rapid-fire math on the spot. He explains what’s scripted, what absolutely isn’...

This week on The Best of B Team, we're throwing it back to our episode with Jeff, owner and founder of Bike Rack Brewing Co. Imagine the sun on your shoulders, a cold pint in hand, and a reason to show up, this conversation lives where small batches meet big community energy. We crack open a limited summer release designed for poolside afternoons and talk about why keeping it scarce pushes pe...

Ever wonder what celebrity travel really looks like from the driver’s seat? Welcome back to part 2 with Joe Washington! We're back with Limo Joe, the man stars call when they land in Northwest Arkansas, for a raw, funny, and surprisingly tender tour through bus bays, back roads, and packed clubhouses. From the first time he piloted John Daly’s bus, ending in a heart-stopping crunch in an Ohio...

Power often rides in the backseat, and Joe Washington has spent years at the wheel. We kick off season three with the trusted driver behind Northwest Arkansas’s most intriguing routes, funded early by Don Tyson, introduced to Alice Walton as “my friend Joe,” and frequently answering calls that start with “President for Don Tyson.” Joe shares how a simple code, safety first, discretion always, turn...

What turns a house into a story you can hold? In this recap episode, we look back at our episode with Jenny Marrs for a warm, funny, and honest look at how a five-year writing journey became a memoir stitched from rooms, rituals, and the small moments that define family. Instead of design rules and trends, Jenny frames each chapter around a lived memory; the living room on Christmas morning, the s...

Super Bowl energy meets real community impact as we crack open prop bets, swap bourbon notes, and rally behind TASC’s All-In casino night, our favorite way to turn a rowdy room into real support for teens in Northwest Arkansas. We start with light-hearted Jets nostalgia and a wager sheet that could cost us twenty bucks, then jump straight into why this event works: it’s joyful, it’s social, and ev...

A jeweler launching his own Prosecco sounds unexpected, until you hear how celebration sits at the heart of both. We sit down with Ben from Blakeman’s to trace the path from showroom sparkle to $24 bubbles on local shelves, and why that choice wasn’t about chasing prestige but designing for real moments people share. From the first pop to the final sip, he shows how taste, value, and presentation...

A blueberry wheat became a state legend, but the real story starts in a classroom. We sit with Flyway’s founder, an English teacher turned brewer, to unpack how a garage hobby grew into Arkansas’s bestselling Blue Wing and a new taproom on Walmart’s cutting‑edge campus. It’s a ride through fate, focus, and the Mississipi Flyway that inspired the brand’s identity. We get into the early batches, the...

Bourbon in hand, we take aim at a tender truth: kids don’t break marriages, unspoken change does. We sit with Mark and Bri, the duo behind Intimacy Evolution, to unpack how partners drift from lovers to roommates and how to stitch connection back into a life run by diapers, deadlines, and depleted energy. They share what most couples miss, bonding timelines differ, resentment hides under tiny figh...