In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with John Barlow, the newly appointed Investor Relations Director for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. A lifelong resident with a deep community legacy, John brings a unique blend of experience from the worlds of education and business to his new role.

John discusses his vision for strengthening the partnership between the Chamber and local businesses, emphasizing the importance of a collective voice in advocacy. From sharing stories of his father’s legendary work ethic as a local mailman to his own transition from high school principal to Chamber leader, this episode explores the dedication required to help Boulder City’s business community thrive.

DISCUSSION

1. Defining Investor Relations: John explains his role as a protector and promoter of local businesses, ensuring the Chamber supports their capacity to succeed.
   
   
2. The Power of a Collective Voice: How the Chamber provides a unified platform for businesses to be heard at the local, county, state, and federal levels.
   
   
3. A Legacy of Hard Work: John reflects on the work ethic instilled by his parents—his father, a 35-year veteran mailman who never called in sick, and his mother, who emphasized early employment.
   
   
4. The"Face of the Chamber": John’s goal is to be an approachable resource for veteran and new businesses alike, providing follow-up and ensuring deliverables are met.
   
   
5. From Principal to Partner: How John’s extensive background in educational leadership and school administration translates to guiding people toward shared goals.
   
   
6. Personal Passions: A look at John’s creative side, including his meticulous yard projects and his habit of reading multiple books at once to "feed his soul".
   
   

LEARN MORE

Boulder City Chamber of Commerce: https://www.bouldercitychamber.com/

Contact the Chamber: Reach out to discuss investor benefits, business resources, or to welcome John to his new role.

KEYWORDS

John Barlow, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, Investor Relations, Business Advocacy, Boulder City, Leadership, Community Growth, The Best Dam Podcast

#JohnBarlow #BoulderCityChamber #InvestorRelations #BusinessGrowth #BoulderCity #TheBestDamPodcast #CommunityLeadership

Podcast Episode Transcript

Podcast Transcripts

Jill: Welcome. Welcome, Mr. John Barlow. So John Barlow is my guest today, and he is the new Boulder City Chamber of Commerce investor relations director. So welcome John.

John: Thank you. It's good to be here.

Jill: I'm having a very hard time calling you, John.

John: That's why you could call me Johnny.

Jill: I call you Johnny.

John: Yeah, just call me.

Jill: We have quite the history. Johnny, you raised me. No, I'm teasing. We grew up together.

John: I'm sorry, Jill.

Jill: Yeah, it's all your fault, man. so I am very excited to have John, 'cause John and I go back to, he babysat me. I then turned around and babysat for him when we were at BYU and he was. The KBYU weatherman, I got the opportunity to babysit both, Ashley and Mitch.

Mitch first and I have some fabulous stories and things I love, love, loved about that period of time because, of all the opportunity that you provided for me. And so then you go to Texas, you come back to Vegas, eventually back to Boulder City, and then I got to babysit when you had young kids.

And Pam was teaching and you were teaching and you guys were quite busy.

John: Yeah, we were. It was a great time of life. Truly. I'd go back and redo it all.

Jill: I know. It was so fun. We had great things. We have great stories and you have such a great family and so we're excited to, get to know a little bit more about you,

John: Okay.

Jill: As the investor relations director, you've only been doing this for what, 10 days and so it's brand new to you, but you know, Boulder City. You know, business community, you know, the importance and the value a chamber can be. And so what do you see your role as? What are you planning on? What are the goals that you have for this position?

John: So in understanding the purpose of the investor, this is where really the rubber meets the road. This is where you are or should be in tune with the building of the. Capacity for businesses in Boulder City to succeed in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce. That partnership can mean a lot of different things.

I know that, the Chamber is supposed to be that, which is,a protector, if you will, to defend, to, help promote the businesses well without having businesses come to us. Then pretty much our mission is only stuck with those people who are currently members, but the community is constantly changing.

The growth is always there. People are looking for different ways to invest. And so consequently, if we're not viable and constantly searching and bringing new growth and new opportunities for businesses. I think that we could become stagnant and I, I don't want to see that happen and I feel like I could be a part to ensure that, that we continue to move forward with the vision and mission of the Chamber of Commerce, and that is to, again, protect the, and defend the businesses of Boulder City so that opportunity can always be there and have them grow and have us grow.

Jill: I love it. I love that concept and I'm glad that you have taken that away from the information that you have absorbed, just in the last couple of weeks because it is super important to make sure that those businesses have a voice, that they are part of a bigger voice too, right? So when it's just you alone doing, fighting the good fight providing a great service, having great customer service, that's all fabulous.

But when you're part of a collaborative, a collective voice that whether it's us representing them, here locally, at the county level, at the state level, and even at the federal level, they have a collective voice and the number of employees that they have. That represent, represents a huge contingencies for some of those elected officials that are making those laws that are governing some of the business practices.

And so we wanna make sure that, that number is represented because it is about the individual employee as well as the employer. Those each and every one is important and is part of the capacity for what the Chamber can provide and the service that it is to the community. So it's a domino effect, a circular effect.

And, we need to all be part of that.

John:  Absolutely.

Jill: So I love it.

John:  Absolutely.

Jill:  So thank you so much. And so what do you see as you're moving forward, do you, what's gonna be your approach? Do you think that you will be able to, provide one-on-ones? Are you, what is you're gonna be your approach?

John: As I get more familiar with the. the day-to-day operation of what this job is really about. it's going to me, it's gonna transform from where it is now to what it's going to be once I become more acclimated. But my hope is that I could be that face of the chamber in the absence of Jill.

When you're out doing your mini various different things that I could be, that face also that people can con turn, can turn to and say, alright, I know that this is something I should be getting from the chamber. How can I access that? I can help bring the resources together for these businesses to accomplish really everything that they need to.

And again, Jill, I don't know everything that, that might be. I do know that I hope that I could be approachable access. And, that I could, if I don't know the answer, I certainly can't find out and direct them to whoever may be able to provide that resource for them. So that's really what I hope to become more as I get involved with all the software, all the various different benefits.

So that when I'm out talking to new businesses or businesses that are very much veteran to Boulder City, I could remind them, here's what we do and here's why it would be beneficial for you to join us. And then hold us to that, deliver those services,

And help us to become that which really does build up and, help them anchor to, help them provide everything they want to.

Jill: I love that. Thank you so much. We've, we always talk about the people that we, stand on their shoulders and what they have done in the past. And we had a phenomenal, investor relations director previously. Her name was Brittany McGiffin, and she phenomenal. She just did a great job.

She really held hands and, but she has now left to start her career and I'm so proud of her. And I'm excited to see your take on this. Because her take is gonna be different. She's a different individual. And the way that she managed and handled it, she did, she really connected one-on-one.

And I see not only that connection as we're moving forward, but also, like you said, now it's time for follow up too and making sure that we are providing all of those things that we promised.

John: Yeah.

Jill: And even helping me to tweak this system, it's what the way that it is now is. Not always perfect.

There's always room for growth, improvement and change. And so what does that look like? How can we improve the information they're getting? How can we improve the way that they're understanding it and making sure that those investors really, have they're getting all the benefits that they are paying for.

And that also that we may be, tweak the system a bit, find other benefits that are more necessary as times change that needs to change.

John: Yeah. It's been interesting. I've been reading over a lot of the material and as I. Come with a different set of eyes through the world of education and partly through the world of business.

I recently had the opportunity to work for a very large steel company out of northern Utah, and really got to understand the whole business side of that and the importance of holding true to your commitment and deliver what you say you're gonna deliver. So as I've looked at the material, I look at, okay, what are the deliverables?

What is it that the Chamber is offering and why would I, as a new member coming into Boulder City with a business, why would I want to join? And I need to really identify how we sell that. How do we promote that so that they walk away the very clear picture. Oh, I get it.

And so some people may, who may have left us, I'd like to go back and revisit that conversation with them.

And just say, Hey, here's our commitment to you.

Come back to us. Let us provide that service to you and, let's partner with you to, for a much, much more successful, going on from that point on.

Jill: I love that. Yeah, I love that. And I know that they will too. And, a lot of great information, our tools and our resources have changed.

Their business has probably changed, and so it's a really great opportunity to revisit that as well. And, personalities also change and that may be part of it too, and we wanna make sure that we're addressing that as.

John: Yeah.

Jill: So thank you so much. Let's do a little bit of Okay.

Behind the scenes. Okay. Who is John Barlow?

John: That's a very interesting question 'cause I think I still ask myself that every day.

Jill: So I have a few questions for you. How about this?

John: Yeah.

Jill: What is, and this one might be tricky. And because I know your parents, I can come up with a million things, but what is maybe something that your parents taught you that you still utilize today and that you've taught your kids?

Is there a value or something?

John: Yeah, there is. And that's a really good question. So let's talk about my dad, John Barlow, the mailman. if you asked anybody in Boulder City what they remember about John, they would say. He could tell you exactly where you lived. What street you lived on, and most everybody in Boulder City, he was one of the first three letter carriers in Boulder City.

Jill: Wow.

John: Jack Patton and Arnold. I can't remember Arnold's last name. Those were the first three.

Jill: What was Arnold's last name? 'cause he was always in my Grandpa Rock,

John: Arnold Mortenson.

Jill: Mortenson.

John: I think it was Arnold Mortenson if I think that's what it is.

Jill: Yeah.

John: But anyway, so here's the thing about my dad.

He never ever in his entire career with a boulder or with the, US Postal Service ever took a day off other than his vacation.

Jill: Really?

John: He never called in sick in the 35 plus years. he was consistently honored by the US Postmaster for his work ethic. And I remember oftentimes the US postmaster would come out and visit my dad at work and give him a certificate, and he had lots of those. But he never, once ever called in sick.

Jill: Wow.

John: Even when he was riding his motorcycle to work, he hit a patch of ice coming around the corner and he fell and he banged himself quite poorly or quite badly. And, he didn't even go to the hospital. He went to work.

Jill: Wow.

John: And then he followed up with it.

After he got off the shift, he got bit by a scorpion. One time he went to work, he followed up with it afterwards.

Jill: Wow.

John: He was a crazy guy. But anyway, so there's my dad, my mom also. Her number one is work. Yeah, she didn't care what we did. We had to have jobs.

Jill: I remember

John: I was out selling gift cards, knocking on people's door, up and down King's Place.

Jill, your parents probably bought some cards from me,

Jill: I'm sure.

John: But I was always encouraged to work and we were working at age 13. My grandparents owned the Sands Motel, which is part of the family business. So we learned to clean rooms, do laundry, patch ceilings, fix toilets. my other grandparents owned the frosty freeze and so we worked in the frosty, we folded towels, we cleaned, we made ice, soft ice cream cones and froze them.

And, it was just part of the family drill. We went to work.

Jill: Yep,

John: We were on time. So that expectation, as far as I'm concerned, I know that my wife is very much, if you're 10 minutes early, you're still late. So

Jill: I would frustrate the heck outta her.

John: I don't know that. But anyway, she, both of us really work ethic was very important to us as a family.

And I see that now carrying out in the lives of my children is they're very dedicated to that. Absolutely. So that would be one of the values that we would've carried on. I believe from our parents,

Jill: You do not have lazy children and neither you or your wife are lazy, so that's for sure.

John: Yeah.

Jill:  And I know Pam's family was the same way.

John: Yeah.

Jill:  So she would probably say the same thing.

Jill: What book are you reading right now?

John: Oh, I've got four or five of them.

Jill: Jill. Oh shoot. You're such an educator. How can you do that?

John: I read, the one of them is from, Oh, it's called the, something of evil, which is a strange book, but it's about all the really horrible evil men who created such grief for humanity along the way.

Bill O'Reilly's book.

Jill: Oh

John: That's one I've even shared that with my grandkids because I think what happens if we're not paying attention to society and we don't know a little bit of history, we'll go back and repeat it. I've even had my grandkids read the book. My older ones have read it and read portions of the book and they just astounded as the evilness of some of these men who have caused so much hurt in the lives of humanity at various different levels along the way.

So that one, it was a pretty interesting one. I'm still not quite finished with it 'cause I've picked up some other books along the way, but that's one of them, so

Jill: I find it fascinating. I am not somebody that can read multiple books at the same time. I just get. I'm, no, I get totally lost in it.

I have, I've gotta get it done. And so I have interviewed so many people and they're like, I've got a couple different books on my nights down right now. I'm like, why the heck would you do that? But I see, and maybe as an educator, because as you're going through and you're studying all these different topics and different textbooks and things.

John: Yeah.

Jill: You also are, you're constantly changing.

John: What happens is things happen in the society around us. You could, open up any news channel or read, listen to any news channel and find out different things. And there'll be something that will happen and I'm going, wait a minute.

I just read something about that same kind of thing happening. and so that it just sparks the interest to go in that direction.

Jill: Yeah.

John: Some people would say, oh, I couldn't do that, but I think. Any given day, I might feel differently about different things. And so I'd pick up a book and that would feed me for that day, it'd feed my soul or whatever it would be.

So anyway, that's why I enjoy doing that. I have no problems having multiple projects and carrying on projects because, again, it just, it, I'm very creative. I'm a very creative person. I'm very visual. So for me, it feeds that, maybe that a DD part of me that I probably have,

Jill: Right, maybe.

John: Who knows. So

Jill: Constantly wanting to learn. Yes. And so let's talk about your a DD projects. You happen to have a phenomenal, it doesn't matter where you live. Your home is immaculate and your yard is gorgeous. You just are so talented in that way, and I think that sometimes you didn't express yourself with a canvas and oil paintings.

John: Yeah.

Jill: But you do in your yard. Your yard is like a painting.

John: I appreciate that. My neighbors would probably say, gosh, is he ever gonna finish?

Jill: I think we know a few people who never seem to finish those yard projects.

John: Yeah, I think Yes, I know. I think we do know one What happens to be your neighbor.

Jill: Oh, I love him. He saved my butt so many times. I'm so grateful for him. And so that would

John: be my brother-in-law we're talking about, by the way.

Jill: Yeah. We probably should give some insight into that. He is phenomenal. What a talent.

John: Yeah, he is.

Jill: Okay, so now that we know that you have had a long history here, so you have not only graduated from Boulder City High School, but you came full circle, came back, you were the principal principle at Boulder City High School at one time.

John: Yeah.

Jill:  You helped build out and open Del Seoul, one of the phenomenal high schools and, the, in the Vegas Valley. And so you've got a lot of education background and. You also now have witnessed and worked with, an a strong entrepreneur, a very successful entrepreneur with your son-in-law. And so I just see so many great opportunities for you to be a resource and a help and, not even just answer questions about Chamber itself, whether it's a website question, but also give a little bit of advice in the business realm.

John: Yeah. Yeah. I think that I, with leadership in the educational realm, it's a really a lot about how do you lead people. To help fulfill the mission and the vision of what institution you represent. for me in Clark County, it was the vision and mission of Clark County, and so I had to get behind that.

Then I had to make sure that the actions that I wanted to put into play were aligned with that mission. And to get people aligned with that and the interpretation of that is really important. Leadership really is guiding people to bring about results based on the mission of the, entity in which you're involved.

So I think that hopefully with my experience in leadership, without offending people, that's always a concern is how do you not offend and you're trying to carry things out and perform in a certain way is. Is without offense, how do you try to convince people that they need something?

Until you walk in their shoes, you're really not sure. And so my hope is that with the background that I have, is I could help lead people to resources that would benefit them and their businesses.

Jill: Perfect. I love it. thank you so much. Thank you for saying yes to

John: You Bet.

Jill: Helping us out here at the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for popping in and being a part of the best damn podcast today.

John: And my pleasure.

Jill: We're looking forward to getting to visit with you more shortly.

John: Thanks, Jill.