The ROCC Pod: Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce

In our latest episode of the ROCC Pod, we dive into the world of fitness and entrepreneurship with Erin Szaroleta and Moe Ashley from Home Turf Gym. We start with the common January fitness surge, with many of us feeling the aftermath of holiday indulgence. Erin shares her journey from a collegiate athlete to finding balance in her fitness and diet post-college. She emphasizes the importance of ad...

Today's guest is Marjorie Saulson from Vibrant Vocal Power. Marjorie, a communication confidence coach, shares her insights on overcoming the fear of public speaking and effective communication strategies. Marjorie defines public speaking as any form of communication beyond self-talk. She identifies the emotional fears associated with public speaking, highlighting criticism, rejection, and failure...

Joel Chinsky's journey in the world of technology began in the late 80s when his father worked for a company that allowed him to work from home, making them one of the few families to own a home computer at the time. Joel fell in love with technology, spending hours playing games and learning basic programming. This early exposure ignited his passion for technology and set him on a path of explora...

Jon Gay and Lisa Bibbee welcome Joe Haney, the President of AssuredPartners of Michigan, one of our state's leading workplace insurance providers.  We start by acknowledging the importance of mental health support in the workplace. Joe discusses the significance of employee assistance programs (EAP) in addressing the mental health challenges that emerged, especially during and after COVID-19. The...

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we are visiting with new Chamber member Jannie Teitelbaum from Great Lakes Pot Pies. She was semi-retired and was experimenting with healthy bars, when she brough a pie to a Women's event.  She was told "this should be your business." Jannie's business took off from there, with her pies gaining popularity at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market, which played a crucial role...

Dustin Ryan Walker from Ross Mortgage joins us today. Dustin's insights into the current housing market shed light on the factors affecting housing prices and inventory shortages. The pandemic, work shortages in shipping, and a growing population have all contributed to the current situation. The idea of a housing bubble or collapse is dispelled, and we touch on the impact of factors like Airbnb a...

In this episode of The ROCC Pod presented by the Royal Oak Michigan Chamber of Commerce, we welcome Andrea Hicks, a local insurance agent specializing in Medicare. Andrea clarifies the intricacies of Medicare enrollment and the importance of understanding the difference between annual enrollment and open enrollment periods. She emphasizes the significance of having an independent agent to navigate...

On this episode of the ROCC Pod, presented by the Royal Oak Michigan Chamber of Commerce, we have a special guest, Chef Dewayne Gordon from Gus's Fried Chicken, located at the corner of 13 and Woodward.  Chef Dewayne shares his inspiring journey from a career in IT to becoming a chef. His passion for serving people and cooking led him to work his way up from washing dishes to becoming a chef at Pe...

Olga Schmidt from Creative Society joins the Rock Pod to discuss the organization's mission and how it aims to create a sustainable and harmonious society. The Creative Society project started about ten years ago when volunteers from around the world conducted interviews and research to understand people's desires for a better society. Based on millions of interviews, eight pillars of the Creative...

Mallory Slusser is the campaign development manager for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, LLS.  Their signature event, Light The Night, is happening at Hart Plaza October 5th.  If you've never beenm it's an incredibly powerful gathering of survivors, supporters, and more.   And while the LLS appreciates all fundraising, raising money is not a requirement for attendance.   LLS is simply looking fo...

Matthew Stransky, founder of Stransky and Company, shares his journey into real estate and how he built his successful team. He discusses the advantages of working with a real estate team and the importance of delivering excellent service to clients. Matthew also provides insights into the Royal Oak real estate market and explains why now is a great time to buy a home . He concludes by sharing his...

Bob Chapa, owner of Signarama in Troy/Metro Detroit, joins the ROCC Pod to discuss the importance of branding for businesses. He explains how signs play a crucial role in branding, as they are often the first visual representation of a company that people see. Bob shares a powerful customer service story about his daughter's experience at an oil change shop, highlighting the impact of personalized...

You may think you know what a notary does,  but Debbie Lowery from On The Go Notary Pro joins us today to really take us to school on all the different things she does. First, she explains that a notary doesn't necessarily notarize a document , but the actual signing of the document .  Debbie tells us why that's important. Today's guest is both a mobile notary (she can come to you), and a remote o...

 Carolyn Elliot, Director of HR Advisory Solutions at HR Pro, delves into the various challenges that employers have faced in the last six months. The discussion revolves around the complexities of HR management and how to navigate them effectively. Carolyn shares her valuable insights on how to establish a strong foundation for HR compliance, which includes understanding the legal requirements an...

In 2001, Ed Nahhat had the idea to bring William Shakespeare's classic stories to Royal Oak.   It began a tradition that has survived everything from 9/11 to a global pandemic.    Ed joins us today to talk about how it started, as well as this year's plays and programs. This year's "preseason" event will be called "A Labor of Love," at the Royal Oak Farmers Market on June 29th.  It's a "meet the c...

Today, we are joined by the women of Monarch Coaching, specialists in the space of transformational leadership.   Taylor Miller and Erika Rivera start with their fascinating backstories.   Taylor went from entry-level retail employee to store manager and leadership coach.    Erika, a native of Colombia, lived in South Korea for several years before coming to the United States. The two quickly hit...

If you haven't heard of dog or pet massage, you're not alone.   Today's guest, Jill Valuet of Radiant Paws, hadn't heard of it either.  But in 2018, she needed a career change.   She looked inward to see what she was passionate about.  The answer: dogs.   She found a program in Toledo that she could get certified in dog massage, and Radian Paws was born.  Today she explains what she does.   Yes, d...

Tiffany Wisnieski of Twiz Creative joins Jon, Lisa, and Trish today to talk about marketing and branding - and how important it is for your business.   Having graduated from the College for Creative Studies in advertising design, Tiffany has always been passionate about branding.  She worked in several agencies, before deciding in 2020 to go out on her own and start Twiz Creative, which she did wh...

Gordon Matthews of Schooley Mitchell came to this country from South Africa in his early 20's...and...well, never really left.  Today you'll hear his story of coming to the United States, and his fascinating journey from Marco Island to Michigan.     We'll also talk about Schooley Mitchell, which is a company that specializes in cost reduction for small and medium sized businesses.  Where large bu...

Today, Lisa, Trish, and Jon sit down with Royal Oak Schools Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick for a wide-ranging conversation.  Right now, the district is enrolling kindergarten students for the 2023-2024 school year.   Trish asks about the district's developmental kindergarten program, providing an extra year of instruction for students before formal kindergarten.   And Lisa asks about some of...

Today's guest is Howard Collens from Galloway and Collens.  The firm celebrates 20 years in business this year, and Howard starts the conversation by demystifying estate planning.   We talk about the differences between wills and trusts, and who needs which.   We also talk about why people want to avoid probate for their estates upon their death.   But future planning is about more than just your...

Today, Rich Lockwood of Motor City Gas joins the show.  Following a career in marketing and advertising, Rich needed a change. In 2015 he turned his hobby of home brewing and turned it in to a business.  He wanted a hometown feel, and Motor City Gas came to downtown Royal Oak.      The early days were lean, no cash register (just a sock drawer) and only one whiskey available.  Now, Motor City Gas...

Today we get a look inside our newly rebranded Wednesday morning group, Network First.   This meeting is designed to be the antithesis of those structured networking groups.   There's no attendance requirement.  There's no need to find substitutes. There's no sign in sheet or tracking of one-on-one meetings. Come when you can, and get to know the people in the group.  The two Chamber members who r...

Fortunately, the world of mental health care is becoming less taboo.  However, its till remains extremely difficult to navigate in our current health care system.  Our guest today is Anton Babushkin, founder and CEO of Start My Wellness, a company designed to help simplify the mental health care process. Start My Wellness offers resources for clients, no matter where they are in their mental healt...

In this wild real estate market, many home buyers are waiving property inspections in order to get the house they want.  We can pretty much guarantee you won't do that after listening to today's episode. Emily Burnett will soon take over her family's business, Journey Property Inspections.  She joins us today with her fiancé, Anton Britting. We start with the basics - what's involved with a home i...