boulder-city-coc

Bloom Boutiques: 15 Years of Mother-Daughter Entrepreneurship and Community Roots

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:48:24 GMT

Bloom Boutiques: 15 Years of Mother-Daughter Entrepreneurship and Community Roots

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with Bridget O’Neill and her daughter Maddy, the mother-daughter team behind Bloom Boutiques in Boulder City and Bloom at The District in Henderson. They share how a candy store that closed, a line of chalk paint, and a zero-interest credit card grew into 15 years of business without taking on debt.

Bridget and Maddy look back on the pandemic Facebook Lives that helped Bloom grow about 18% when most stores were struggling. They explain why they chose to downsize from multiple cities to two locations, and what it’s like to go from employee to business partner. Along the way, listeners get a personal look at their first jobs, their favorite reads, and the lessons their parents taught them.

DISCUSSION

From Candy Store to Boutique: How Bridget started Bloom after a friend’s nudge, took over the original Boulder City shop (formerly Periwinkle Cottage), and grew it organically.
The Chalk Paint Years: Becoming one of roughly 800 U.S. stockists of Annie Sloan chalk paint, running workshops, and evolving into clothing, jewelry, home decor, and gifts.
Going Smaller, Doing It Better: Closing the Las Vegas and Reno stores and the warehouses to focus on two locations they can manage well.
COVID Pivot: Ladders, clip stands, and handmade Excel sheets, plus a runaway rabbit during a live sale. Facebook Lives, trunk-pop pickups, and why paint made Bloom an essential business.
Working for Your Mom: Why Maddy calls her mother “Bridget,” how a business degree turned into a career, and her new role as part owner.
Life Beyond the Business: Becoming a grandma, choosing to enjoy life over expansion, and the aha moment that changed how Bridget thinks about growth.
Debt-Free for 15 Years: Bridget’s proudest achievement, building Bloom without owing a thing while employing up to 12 or 13 women.
Funny Stories: Customers are full of surprises, including a request to repaint a cast iron slug trophy.
First Jobs & College Paths: Bridget’s start as a restaurant busser, and Maddy’s route from UNLV to Nevada State and a semester studying in Scotland.
What They’re Reading: Bridget’s deep dive into the Bible and podcasts, Maddy’s Throne of Glass series, and Jill’s recommendation of The Week.
Lessons from Mom & Dad: “Nothing you couldn’t just do,” accepting the consequences of your choices, and why it’s easy to be nice.
Boutique, Not Antique: Brand-new gifts, mom-and-pop and made-in-the-USA vendors, custom painting, upholstery, home staging, and Bloom’s 15th anniversary celebration featuring new food lines and local collaborators.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Bloom Boutiques, visit https://bloom-boutiques.com/

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com

KEYWORDS

Bloom Boutiques, Bridget O’Neill, Maddy O’Neill, Boulder City, Bloom at the District, Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Mother Daughter Business, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#BloomBoutique s #BoulderCity #SmallBusiness #ShopLocal #MotherDaughter #Entrepreneurship #BloomAtTheDistrict #TheBestDamPodcast #BoulderCityChamber

Podcast Episode Transcript

Jill: Welcome, welcome, all my favorite listeners. I'm so glad to have you here today because you are not going to want to miss today's show. We have the beautiful Maddy and Bridget O'Neill from Bloom Boutique, Bloom at the District, Bloom at Boulder City. It's just all things Bloom. Welcome. We're so glad to have you guys.

Maddy: Thank you, thank you.

Jill: What an economic development dream you two are, I have to say. We started off with this one great place in Boulder City, which was previously Periwinkle Cottage, so we have to thank Miss Jody Kincaid for starting that tradition here in Boulder City. And now it's this mega empire that you've got going. Thank you so much for being here.

Maddy: Thank you. It's been a ride. It's been a good 15 years.

Jill: That's true. We're going to talk more about your celebration in just a minute. But first, let's get started. What made you decide you wanted to go into this business?

Bridget: Oh, gosh. Well, we had the candy store previously, my sister and I, and that came to an end. A friend talked to me about maybe doing something, and we went on a venture where we joined together and started Bloom. Very shortly after that, her life shifted and changed, so I continued on. Over the next years we grew into multiple stores in multiple cities. And then Maddy came on board. How long ago did you come on board, Mad?

Maddy: Gosh, I feel like I've always worked for you. You used to employ me and my friends, and we had all our friends stopping by the store. But more official, official, was after college.

Bridget: Which was how long ago?

Maddy: Oh, gosh.

Bridget: She got a business degree and then came on board.

Maddy: Probably about, what, six years ago? Seven?

Bridget: I was thinking a little longer than that.

Maddy: Maybe eight? I'm that old.

Bridget: I remember at the time my oldest went off to college, and I was kind of sad. I thought, "What can I do with myself?" I had worked a lot out of the home doing painting for people. I did custom drapery work and a lot of sewing. It's like I needed something. So that's kind of where it started, and it just evolved from there.

Jill: If I remember, you had a special line of chalk paint, and that seemed to be the Boulder City trend for so long. It was all because of what you brought. Do you still have that line?

Bridget: Yes, we do. It's interesting, the cycle of things. We started the store, and a year or two into it I brought in a European chalk paint line called Annie Sloan. We were one of maybe 800 stockists, or distributors, in the US, and we still have it. The cycle has kind of changed for us. It grew quickly, and we had a lot of painters for many years and did a lot of workshops. But then we evolved and turned into a clothing and jewelry boutique. We're home decor, gifts, seasonal gifts. So we've evolved from there. We started out predominantly with paint. I used to do a lot of painting, and then after Annie Sloan came on board, there were workshops, and it just kind of evolved.

Maddy: There's a lot of older furniture painted, sanded, redone.

Bridget: Yes. Now, not so much. I don't do it as much, and I think it's the life cycle of a product. So we shimmy and shift and figure out what the market wants. I still love it, still have it. We are going to come back to adding a few workshops in. But we've evolved into clothing and jewelry and so much more.

Jill: Such beautiful pieces, too.

Bridget: Thank you.

Jill: Are you going to be doing those workshops in the little warehouse, where you did some classes?

Bridget: We're actually going to bring them back to Boulder City. We're clearing out one of our rooms. That's where I started doing the workshops 15 years ago, and we're going to go back to that space. We've streamlined over the years. At one time we had a store in Reno, we had a store for years in Las Vegas, and we've had warehouses. We've closed all that down, and we now have two locations. We're here in Boulder City and we're Bloom at the District. We're just busy, so we've decided we're going to go smaller.

Maddy: Kind of just focusing in on what we're good at. We can manage two stores, and we can manage them well. So why not just focus in? We know our clients, we know what people want. We're focusing on what we're good at.

Jill: So do 110% and do it all right, versus spreading yourself too thin and only being able to do it 75%.

Maddy: Yeah, exactly.

Jill: I love that idea and that focus. Sometimes you have to go big before you can scale back and say, "Okay, we were really good here. We don't need to be there." That bar can always change, and I think it's great that you have the foresight to realize what you're good at instead of trying to be good at everything. You're sticking to the nitty-gritty. I love it, and obviously I'm a huge supporter. I've referenced the programming you did during COVID, being one of those stores that could excel even under such tragic circumstances, come up with ideas on your feet, evolve, and figure out what worked. I remember feeling so left out if I couldn't be on one of the calls or on one of your Facebook posts.

Maddy: We did a lot. I remember everyone else freaking out about COVID, and I remember sitting there at the table thinking, "We don't have time to freak out. We have all our Easter decor out, and it needs to leave." Easter is a very specific time of year.

We couldn't store it. We couldn't keep it. And I remember at that time we did not have what do you call it, a shared brain between our point of sale system, our computer inventory, and our records. None of that was cohesive, shared knowledge. So we would go in every day and inventory a specific product and say, "Okay, how many do we have? Let's hop on the website and change the number from six to four. I don't know where the two went, but we only have four."

We had to do that every day. Even product photos, we didn't have those. Our companies didn't supply any. So we had to take product photos, write the descriptions, and do the weight on the website. We had to build it all ourselves, without any of the knowledge.

Bridget: Interestingly enough, we actually grew our business during COVID. I want to say it was by about 18%. We found a way. It was all hands on deck. We had Maddy's boyfriend, Hans, in there. We were doing Facebook Lives in my backyard.

Maddy: The Facebook Lives were huge.

Bridget: Huge. I remember one time a rabbit ran across the yard, and my dog took off after the rabbit. The camera went down, and people were commenting, and they were engaged. We gave them something to do, basically. And with that, they wanted to shop. Everybody knows a good auction or a good bidding war. They wanted to grab it before it was gone.

Maddy: That was the thing. We were so small quantity. We're a small store, we don't have a lot. Even the clothes we order, we get two smalls, two mediums, and two larges, and that's it until we can reorder. So even back then, with the home decor and the candles, we had small quantities. We'd say, "All right, we've got four." And I remember with those Facebook Lives, we had to bring in our own family. "Okay, Ariel, my sister, you're going to read off the names to Maddy in the background, but do it quietly because it can't be on the microphone." Then I'm on an Excel spreadsheet that I built myself, typing in, "Okay, item three is this product and it goes for this much. We're doing whatever sale. Then give me the client names." I'd have to punch them in, and a lot of times with Instagram or Facebook, people make up their names, so I didn't have the real name. It would be something like "Best Biggest Mama," and I'm thinking, "Who is that?" We were trying to figure it out.

Bridget: Everything happened live, too. I remember having a ladder set up with a little clip stand so we could put number one to show the item number.

Maddy: Yeah, that was someone's job, changing the number. And then the stand would fall over, on that ladder.

Bridget: I think now there are a couple of big companies that do this. I can't think of the name, sorry.

Jill: They actually have software now?

Bridget: Yes, software built for this.

Maddy: It keeps the record of everyone who's bidding, and it sends the information to them live, right then.

Jill: Well, they started because of COVID.

Bridget: Yeah. And to put it in a nutshell, what we were doing is we might pick 50 items in our store. We had multiples of those items, and we would talk about the item. People would say, "Mine," and it would be taken, and the next day we would go in, pack it up, and send an invoice. Some customers would pull up and pop their trunk, and we would put it in their car. That was me.

Maddy: Yes. You'd have gloves and a mask on, going, "Okay, here you go."

Bridget: "Don't touch it for 24 hours." I think people liked that because we were consistent when we did it. They looked forward to it. It kept us connected a little bit, and it was just an interesting time. Those were the olden days.

Jill: For me, though, I don't always have the time to come and wander through the store. I make up reasons to come. "Oh, I think Bridget needs this piece of paper. I've got to leave the office so I can take this to Bridget." But it was very few and far between. So when I could sit there and watch, I was buying way more, because I had not had the time to go in before, and now it was right there in front of me and I needed it. Because you told me the story behind it. And yes, I know it's Two's Company, and I could probably get it someplace else, but it's at your store. It's sitting next to a nest, and that made me realize, "Oh, at my house I could put that birdie next to a nest." So now I've pictured the entire thing. I found it fascinating and loved it, and thank you very much, because I recognize you every single time we talk about resilience and COVID.

Bridget: That's so funny. Well, I think too, people ask, "How could you stay open?" And I think why we could do it is because we had that paint line. We were considered essential because we had paint.

Jill: I loved it.

Bridget: And that was kind of our saving grace.

Maddy: That was a big thing. People were home. They wanted to paint their table. They were doing any home project they could.

Jill: Absolutely.

Bridget: It was an interesting time, and also fun when I look back on it. We really got creative. We created Easter baskets, and we created paint pot baskets, and different things. It was a fun time.

Jill: Well, I really appreciate that you did that. You were awesome and such a great example, and I know we reference it quite a bit.

Bridget: That's funny. We'll have to do a throwback.

Jill: Yes, you probably should.

Maddy: Bring back the Facebook Lives.

Jill: Yes. And don't use any fancy software. You need the ladders and somebody changing the numbers.

Maddy: It's just chaos. That's what it is. But I think people like it.

Bridget: It's entertaining. I think people appreciate that you do not have your act together at all times.

Jill: It's real and genuine. They enjoy it. I think it's great. And you've got to make sure you stage your dog and a bunny, because that's the throwback part of it.

Maddy: Right.

Jill: All right. Maddy, I'm going to ask you first. What is your favorite part of this job? This career, really.

Maddy: Oh, gosh. It kind of is a career for me, huh? I think it's the fact that working in a small business versus a big retailer, a big department store, not all days are the same. My schedule is very different from clocking in and doing a standard nine to five and having to be in one spot. Yes, I work the District a lot, and usually I'm there. But even today, I hopped to Boulder City, and I was at Bridget's house this morning doing the calendar and trying to get that done. I feel like my favorite part is just that it's not boring. I can hop around and do the things. Sometimes my boyfriend will ask me, "What did you do today?" and I sit there going, "Well, what did I do? Oh, I called this client. I built this product." A lot of it is stuff I can do from anywhere, and it gives me a little more freedom. Now, obviously there are things where I have to make sure I get it done by Tuesday. But every day is different.

Jill: That's awesome. Hey, Bridge, what's your favorite part?

Bridget: Okay, thank you for the time to think about this.

Maddy: Put me on the spot.

Bridget: I think if you asked my husband that question, he would have a different answer. He calls work my black hole. I will say I started it at one of the worst times of my life, after losing my mom, and I just needed a distraction, but I love what I do. I love to curate a space. I think that is my favorite thing. Thank God I have Maddy, because she does the behind the scenes, the POS, and the building, and the computer work, and the schedule. I mean, she's fabulous. She's good with other things, too. But I love to create, whether it's painting or putting the store together. And I also love our clients. I think why people like us is that we get to know those clients. We know about their families and their dogs. I love the interaction. So those are my two favorite things: the client interaction, and being lost in my happy place. I could spend hours there just playing. I never say money first. Isn't that funny? I always say I don't do this for a paycheck. I really do enjoy it.

Jill: That's probably good. That means you've succeeded in life when you can be happy with what you're doing. I love that. Okay, Maddy, this is absolutely your question. What is it like working for your mom?

Bridget: Oh, goodness. You hear she calls me Bridget. You hear that, right?

Jill: I did hear that.

Maddy: Yes, I do call her Bridget. I always tell people, because they laugh when we're in the store and they say, "She just called you Bridget?" I always say yes, because I can't leave a note for the night girls saying, "Hey, Mom said to mop the floor tonight." I have to say, "Bridget said to mop the floor tonight." It's just kind of what it is. But also, everyone gets called Mom, and there's not really another Bridget I know. So whenever I say Bridget, she answers.

Jill: There you go. You can't yell across the store "Mom" and have three other moms turn and answer you.

Maddy: And it's a little less professional. It's even funny. My nephew, my sister's little boy, who's two, since he was one and could really talk, has called her Digit. And he still does.

Jill: Oh, that's cute.

Bridget: That's what he hears the girls say.

Maddy: And then he just recently started calling my dad Im, because his name is Tim. He hasn't mastered the T.

Jill: I like it. Im and Digit.

Maddy: Yes.

Bridget: That's our tagline.

Jill: I'm pretty sure you won't see that on any of those needlepoint pillows. "Digit loves me."

Maddy: No, it's very unique. He'll still say Grandpa, and we'll talk about "Oh, go see Grandma," and he knows. But when he walks in the room, he goes, "Im," and then he goes and gives him a hug.

Jill: And so you know what he means. How sweet. Is it so much fun being a grandma?

Bridget: It's fabulous. That was part of the reason I let the Vegas store go. People ask me all the time. We have clients over in Summerlin, and I was there 12 years, I think. They say, "Why did you close that store?" It wasn't a financial thing. It was literally that I need to enjoy my life.

Jill: A life preservation thing.

Bridget: Yes. And honestly, it's the furthest store from where I live, so in that sense it was the easiest store to say, "You know what? We're going to let this one go." Bye-bye. And if I had, honestly, the team that I have now... I had a good team, don't get me wrong. But with Maddy coming on board, and my niece Evelyn, they think like you. Our parents were entrepreneurs, and they think like me. If I had that team then... but honestly, being a grandparent has been even better, because I have more time.

Jill: That is awesome. I'm very, very happy that you get to be a grandma. Maybe someday I will. Not sure what's happening.

Bridget: Be careful what you wish for.

Jill: That's true, too, right? So, have you ever had an aha moment in all of this? It sounds to me like you just described your aha moment, when you realized, "You know what? There's more to life than production and being an entrepreneur."

Bridget: Yeah. Tim and I have always tried to have our friends' kids involved. We always want to help and do things. I've had some employees, like Billy, who opened a store with me in Reno, and it was fun to see that process. But I think for the first 10 years in business, I either opened a new store or moved a location.

In some capacity, there was growth. The decision to close Vegas was probably the first time I went, "Hold my horses. Reevaluate." Our growth was just huge. Annie Sloan took it to a new level. I was traveling the country with Annie, doing events and things. So it was the first time I went, "Yeah, there's more to life." That probably was an aha moment. And if I had to say what I'm most proud of, I started this business with a zero-interest credit card. I was a stay-at-home mom. I do not owe a thing. Anything at any store, anything we have, wherever it is, I'm most proud that I could grow it organically. And at times we've had 12 or 13 women employed by us. So I think that's one of my proudest things. I know my limitations. I know what we excel at. I utilize people the right way.

Jill: Looking back over 15 years, that's an impressive statement, to be able to say you've employed that many people. You made all of those lives better. You made your own family life better, and you stayed out of debt the entire time. That is incredible. Good job.

Bridget: Thank you. And I'm excited. Miss Maddy has been with the business, but now she's a part owner of the business.

Jill: Ah, very good.

Bridget: Just recently. I hope one day to be feet up, or toes in the sand. I fully anticipate Maddy will want to take over the business completely. But for now I'm still going. I'm not ready yet.

Maddy: For now she's here. She's not leaving.

Jill: We're not letting her go anywhere, right?

Maddy: Yeah, we're not letting her go.

Jill: I love that. That is awesome. Have you had any funny professional experiences? Have there been any incidents? I mean, you just shared an incident today that I don't think was funny.

Bridget: No.

Jill: But I would imagine there have been some moments where something has come up. Can you share?

Bridget: Oh, I remember back in Vegas. I've done work for some amazing clients. I've been in some amazing houses, and just some interesting situations. We always say we could write a book.

Maddy: Sometimes I start writing it down in the moment, and I go, "No one would believe me." I type it out just to remember it all.

Bridget: And then we think, "We really shouldn't say that out loud." We would never want someone to feel bad. But I've had O.J. Simpson in the store. I've done some local celebrity stuff. I've been in homes that were quite interesting. Maddy's probably had interactions, too.

Maddy: There are a couple, good and bad, that I'm thinking of, and I'm wondering how to obscure it enough to repeat the story. People are just funny. Everyone's got their things. I remember one time, I think in high school, years ago, I don't think I was on with you full time at all. But when the paint was big, a gentleman came into the Vegas store and told me he had a slug he wanted me to paint. I said, "What?" I just wasn't comprehending. He ended up leaving to go home and get it. It was this award he had received. It was a big cast iron slug.

Bridget: Like a snail on a rock.

Maddy: Yes. And I don't know what it was for. There's a little engraved plaque in gold on the front. I don't know if it was for slowest something. But he said, "I've had it for 35 years, and the paint's off. Can you repaint it?" So I had to paint this slug statue. I thought, "Okay, Annie Sloan, this might be one of the weirdest things we've ever used it for."

Jill: That is crazy. Did he love it afterwards?

Maddy: He did. He was so happy. He took pictures. He wrote a great review. He was over the moon about it. But I was just like, "You have a slug? What?"

Bridget: Gosh, you put me on the spot for thinking. We've probably had a zillion. But today we had more of a medical issue in our store, so I hope everything is okay there.

Jill: Well, it sounds like you did all the right things. You got her the help she needed. You can't be in business and have multiple locations and not have some kind of medical issue happen. And you've had so many different events where there's been a bunch of people coming and going. I'm glad that you at least knew what to do and were properly trained. I think that makes all the difference in the world. Well, congratulations on so many wonderful things that have happened over so many years. Okay, we're going to do a real quick getting to know you. I kind of already know you, Maddy. I've been around pretty much your whole life.

I feel like I know you pretty well, too, but these are always fun questions. So, Bridget, what was your first job?

Bridget: First job, yes. I think I was probably a busser at a restaurant, if I remember right, where my sister waitressed. That was my paid job. I probably worked from out of the womb for our parents. We did everything: selling Christmas trees, stacking firewood.

Maddy: Delivering ice.

Bridget: Delivering ice. We had an ice business. I remember doing that one a lot. And we had a landscape business. But paid, I think it was probably the restaurant. And then I went on to waitress for years and make good money doing it.

Jill: That kind of laid some of the foundation. Well, I think more your entrepreneurial bloodline is probably where you get a lot of that. But also, having waited on people and cleaned up after people, there's just something about developing that customer service side of things, right?

Bridget: Yep.

Jill: Okay, Maddy, this one's for you. What's something that people may not know about you? Do you have a hidden talent?

Maddy: My God, I don't know. I'm going to have to think on it for a second. I don't want to veto the question.

Jill: Maybe tell us a little more about college. When you went away to college, what was your original intention?

Maddy: I actually stayed here, so I started at UNLV. I didn't necessarily know what I wanted to do. Sometimes people say, "I want to be a nurse," or "I'm going to be a lawyer." I never had that moment. I guess I still sometimes feel like I haven't. I enjoy Bloom. I enjoy what I do.

Jill: Well, you haven't grown up yet. You get to have it.

Maddy: So I just haven't had that aha moment yet, and that's totally okay because I'm enjoying where I'm at. But yeah, I started at UNLV. I didn't declare my major until my second year, I think. And then, to be honest, I actually hated it. I was not a fan of UNLV. Granted, I chose to live at home, because in my head it didn't make sense to pay the eight or 10 grand, whatever it was at the time, to live on campus when I live 30 minutes away. I also feel like I had very lax parents growing up, in a good way, so my personal freedoms weren't limited. I could come and go as much as I wanted. I had my own car. After my second, maybe third year, I ended up transferring to Nevada State, and I enjoyed it so much more.

Bridget: And then you studied abroad.

Maddy: I did study abroad. That was kind of a big thing for me my senior year of college. I made a point of going to Scotland, and I loved it. Very different from Vegas, of course. The greenery, the weather, all of it. But UNLV, I know everyone raves about it, and I just did not enjoy it. So Nevada State kind of has my heart.

Jill: That's awesome. And that can be inspirational to all the high school graduates looking to figure out what they do next, to know that Nevada State is right there.

Maddy: Absolutely. And as far as I know, when I was a senior about to graduate, they were, don't quote me, the highest growth in the nation or something like that. They received a couple of different awards. But even the janitor, or the guy who would make the salads in the lunch room, that's all stuff you got to know. It was a smaller school, a little more homey, and it fit. To me, it was way more enjoyable.

Jill: It fit you, and you were comfortable there. I think there's a place for everybody, and that one was your place.

Maddy: Absolutely. I'm glad I chose it.

Jill: Okay, this one's for both of you. Bridge, what book are you reading right now?

Bridget: To be honest, I have snippets of leaflets all over my nightstand. The only book I can name, if I'm being honest, is the Bible. I've been deep diving it right now. I can't seem to focus on one thing, so I have many different books of the Bible that I'm diving into.

Jill: Well, I love that. When I had the chance to have the governor on the podcast, he brought up the idea that he is really more into magazines because of the short articles. You learn a lot, it's compact.

Bridget: The quick knowledge.

Jill: Yes. He doesn't have to feel as invested. And he subscribed, and I now have too, because I am a new believer. It's called The Week, and it's a great publication. It's thin, and you get about 10 to 20 news stories, very middle of the road. It doesn't lean any one direction. It just gives you the content and the information. I love it. So The Week is my new read.

Bridget: I'll have to check into that. I do a lot of podcasts. I think I'm more about that than picking up a book lately.

Maddy: She cannot sit still. I don't think she ever could, her or my dad. So the podcast thing, it's, you know, put in your headphones. You can vacuum. You can clean. You can go drive around, whatever you're doing. Getting her to sit on the couch is not something she does. If she does, she falls asleep.

Jill: Mine too. I'm with you on that one. Maddy, what's your favorite book, or what are you reading right now?

Maddy: I'm currently in the Throne of Glass series. I'm struggling right now, though, because I have such bad book anxiety. I know it's a big series. I know a lot of people have read it. The author just announced she's dropping books six and seven in October, so a lot of people are freaking out. This is my first read-through of the series, and I actually finished Heir of Fire, I believe, the fourth book. I have not been able to start the fifth one, because everything I hear about it makes me wonder, "Is the book going to hold up to how good everyone says it is?" I always have those nerves, almost like the Sunday scaries for starting a book.

Jill: Just read it. I think you'll love it.

Maddy: I know. I literally put it in my bag to go to Norway. If you know the series, you know the books are thick and heavy. I think the next book is Queen of Shadows, and it's probably a good three inches. I carried it all the way to Norway, I had it with me the whole three weeks I was there, carried it everywhere I went, and then brought it home, and I did not start it, because I just could not. I'm still so nervous, but I think that's going to be my weekend activity.

Jill: There you go. You've got a good plan. Okay, Bridget, what is something that you learned from your mom and dad that you still use in your life today?

Bridget: It's funny, I was just thinking about this the other day. Maybe what I learned was that there was nothing you couldn't just do. They never had a stopper for us kids. If we wanted to create something or do something, it was more like, "Okay, how are we going to get there?" So I always felt like anything was possible. I didn't have parameters for our thoughts and our ideas. They were both creative, but back in the time when you felt like "Well, you just can't do that," that was never how we were. All of us kids are pretty creative in that sense. We said, "Well, let's just make it happen." I think that's the biggest gift, to pursue it if the intention is there, because most anything is quite possible.

Jill: I love that. That's probably how you got to be successful today. How many brothers and sisters do you have?

Bridget: There are five of us, and I'm the youngest. And it's interesting, I think most of us have our own businesses.

Jill: Oh, wow. Congratulations to your mom and dad. All right, Maddy, you're in the hot seat.

Maddy: The one that sticks out in my head right away is something we were raised with, and we tell our girls this at work, too: bad behavior does not get rewarded. I think that can be applied to anything in life, whether it's kids or work. Sometimes people come in and they're very cranky. They're very upset, whether you did them wrong or you didn't, or they had a bad day. And I think, "Okay, I'm doing my best to help you how I can." Anywhere I go, anything I do, I think, "My problems are my problems. I'm not going to put them on someone else and make their day worse."

Jill: And your bad behavior is not going to be rewarded with good customer service on the other side.

Maddy: Exactly. Everyone's got their life, everyone's got their own problems.

Bridget: It's easy to be nice.

Maddy: Yes, it's so easy to be nice.

Jill: Much easier.

Bridget: And to be pleasant. It carries so much more weight, too. Who wants to help a crabby person?

Maddy: Greet them and say thank you and have a good day.

Jill: How do you think your dad handled that whole customer service thing? He's in a different line of work, right?

Maddy: He was, yeah. He was a police officer for 30 years. I think he had honestly the same mindset. He seemed pretty chill. It was just, "Listen, I'm not here to scream at you or yell at you, but I'm going to tell you what you did was wrong."

Jill: He absolutely had that authority and that command presence about him.

Maddy: But it was never like he screamed or yelled. I remember that growing up. You guys never yelled.

Bridget: I remember Maddy wanted to toilet paper a local teacher's house. And I thought, "Okay, how do I handle this?"

Maddy: He deserved it, to be clear.

Bridget: Your husband's a cop, so how do I handle this? I just remember saying, "You can do whatever you want, but you have to accept any consequences. You're on your own if that's what you want to do. I'm not giving you a free pass, but you have to accept any consequences that come your way." And she did toilet paper the house.

Jill: See, that's something somebody didn't know about you.

Maddy: There we go.

Bridget: I remember that teacher. He might have deserved it.

Jill: Did you have any consequences for that?

Maddy: No. I was one of the kids who did not get caught. Some of my other friends did.

Jill: So the lesson is just don't get caught.

Maddy: Basically. Or if you get caught, you deserve it.

Jill: I love it. Okay, I want to talk a little more about this fabulous celebration of 15 years of success. Whoo-hoo. So, September 8th.

Maddy: To the day. It'll be the exact day of the first sale we ever had at Bloom.

Jill: That is pretty special, right? And it's 5:30 to 8:00 PM. Are you celebrating at just Boulder City or both?

Bridget: Just Boulder City. Since it started there, we're going to bring it back there. We've got some fun stuff going on. We have three new food lines, so we're going to sample those. One is an olive oil and balsamic out of Greece. We've got Savannah honey. We've got another great food line out of the Midwest.

Maddy: Sauces, chutneys, and jams. Things like that. So we'll have all that out to try.

Bridget: And we've got Sweet Jordan coming in. She's married now, so Morehead.

Jill: Jordan Morehead. Oh, that's right.

Maddy: Another Boulder City business.

Bridget: That's right. In our work, we collaborate with other businesses. Rising tides float all boats, kind of thing.

Jill: And Jordan does the takeaway bouquets.

Bridget: Yes. She'll have flowers there. We'll offer some fun stuff, showcase some new lines, and honestly we just want your smiley faces. We want you to help us celebrate a long run, 15 years. We don't know where it's gone, but we're also kind of proud that we've made it that long.

Jill: That's awesome. That's Abby's birthday, so I will not forget.

Bridget: Oh, yay.

Jill: I will come and celebrate with you, and since she's in Savannah, I'll buy some Savannah honey.

Bridget: There you go.

Jill: I also want to help you emphasize that Bloom is a boutique, not an antique shop. You have lots of boutique gifts, clothes, all brand-new stuff. This isn't repurposed or recycled. You do have some pretty amazing, beautiful antique pieces, but they're more for display. They're not the primary part of your sales. We want to make sure people realize this is a beautiful gift shop. When you're looking for something for a baby shower, or something beautiful even for a wedding present, I know you've done a wedding basket for me.

Maddy: Yeah, we have people buy gifts for first-time home buyers. We have realtors in town who do that. And clothing. We've had people come in for outfits for weddings, mother of the bride, things like that. We do so much more.

Bridget: I still do my custom painting for people. We mentioned we're going to start some of our workshops back with painting.

Maddy: We offer custom upholstery.

Bridget: Upholstery work. And something about our vendors, too. When Maddy and I choose, we don't just say, "Give us that." We seek out mom-and-pop companies. We've got people on the East Coast who make our jewelry. We've got jewelry and T-shirts out of Texas. We source mom-and-pop companies so that we're showcasing, we like to say local, and to me that means made in the USA. We have things that aren't, but we try to find young designers, young jewelry creators.

Maddy: I said it earlier, but we don't carry a lot of the same thing, because it's usually handmade or hand done. We carry a lovely candle line that we've had for years, and I adore it, but it's a one-woman show out of Iowa, I believe. She's making the orders as quickly as she can, but it still takes five or six weeks, so we can't have a huge cabinet full. We might only get 20 candles in an order, because that's all she can make.

Jill: And you're not going to ship them in the summer.

Maddy: Exactly. We don't. We've had people ask for the chocolates and candies we've ordered in the past. We don't carry them this time of year, because we can't ensure they'll get here in that timeframe and be a great product with our weather.

Jill: Quality. I appreciate that you think through those things.

Bridget: Another service we do, a lot more out of our Henderson store at the District, but we offer it here as well, is that we will, in a way, stage a person's home and help them with design pieces, because all of our furniture is for sale. We also have lots of vendors we order from. We'll go into their homes and help design a space or a room and help them curate. That's another service we offer. We're like a modern-day mercantile. We've got a little bit of everything.

Maddy: We've got the products. We've got the service. We've got the opinions. Strangers will say, "Does this look good on me?" We will tell you no.

Jill: Exactly. Well, thank you. I think that's important, too. I sure appreciate you guys. I think this is awesome. I love the mother-daughter vibe. I love that you're the Boulder City girl who grew up and went to school here and danced at the studio here and has now made your way to being a business partner, because this is a partnership now.

Bridget: Yes, it is.

Jill: Congratulations on your ownership efforts. We sure appreciate you guys. You are a huge asset to Boulder City, and thank you for being here today.

Bridget: Thank you. We love it. Thanks for having us.

Maddy: Thank you.

Dina Titus - Congresswoman Representing Nevada's 1st District

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 01:51:07 GMT

Dina Titus - Congresswoman Representing Nevada's 1st District

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with Congresswoman Dina Titus, who represents Boulder City and Southern Nevada in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dina shares how a politically active Georgia upbringing, a proud Greek immigrant grandfather, and 35 years teaching political science at UNLV shaped her path to public service.

Dina opens up about the decline of civility in politics and how she finds common ground across the aisle. She discusses the fight to protect Southern Nevada’s share of the Colorado River, the importance of Lake Mead and Avi Kwa Ame, and the need for transparency around data centers on public lands. Along the way, listeners get a personal look at her first jobs, her family, her favorite books, and the lessons her Southern parents taught her.

DISCUSSION

From Georgia to Nevada: Growing up in a politically active family, her grandfather’s restaurant that fed troop trains during World War II, and studying political science at William & Mary.
Professor & Legislator: Teaching at UNLV for 35 years while taking unpaid semesters off to serve in the Nevada State Legislature, and how each role made her better at the other.
Civility & Statesmanship: How political discourse has changed, the hidden meaning behind “my most esteemed colleague,” and why both sides must take the high road.
Finding Common Ground: Bipartisan work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, her friendship with former opponent John Porter, and teaming up with Rep. Brian Mast to end animal testing at the VA.
Colorado River & Water Conservation: Her role as a founding member of the Colorado River Caucus, the lawsuit against the Bureau of Reclamation’s decision, and why Southern Nevada’s conservation success shouldn’t be punished.
The Mexico Treaty & Desalination: Explaining the “law of the river” and why investing in desalination in Southern California helps keep water in Lake Mead.
Protecting Public Lands: Boulder City as the gateway to Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Avi Kwa Ame, and why conservation protects both lives and livelihoods.
Coke Machines & Jujubes: Her first job stocking a motel Coke machine in Tifton, Georgia, and working as a movie theater popcorn girl.
Family, Home & Decompressing: Over 40 years of marriage, her sister Ro, coming home every weekend, and nightly cocktail hour.
Lessons from Mom & Daddy: “Don’t back somebody into a corner,” Emily Post manners, and bringing social graces back to public life.
What She’s Reading: Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and why she reads a novel set in every country she visits.
Data Centers & Transparency: Why she supports transparency over moratoriums, and the need for clear standards on water, power, local hiring, and community revenue.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Congresswoman Dina Titus, visit https://titus.house.gov

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com

KEYWORDS

Dina Titus, Congresswoman, Boulder City, Southern Nevada, Colorado River, Lake Mead, Water Conservation, Avi Kwa Ame, Public Lands, Data Centers, Civility, UNLV, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#DinaTitus #BoulderCity #SouthernNevada #ColoradoRiver #LakeMead #WaterConservation #AviKwaAme #PublicLands #Civility #TheBestDamPodcast #BoulderCityChamber

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Listeners, I am very, very proud and honored to be able to share today with you Congresswoman Dina Titus. She is, our representative for here in Southern Nevada, here in Boulder City most specifically, and I cannot wait for you to hear some of her amazing story and who and what she is. And so I am thankful that you are here and had the time to visit with me today.

Thank you, Congresswoman.

Dina: Well, thank you for having me. You know I love you, Jill. You are a force out here in Boulder City. So it's a treat for me to be on your podcast.

Jill: Well, thank you, thank you. I really appreciate it. And so you represent us in the US House of Representatives. What was it that I guess let's go back.

Let's go back some years. What spurred you to want to serve our great country?

Dina: Well, I came from a politically active family. I grew up in Georgia. Daddy ran for the city council. He lost, but he worked for the city, and I had an uncle in the state legislature. And my grandfather came from Greece, and he was a proud American.

He had a restaurant, of course, like so many Greeks. Actually fed the troop trains during World War II near

Jill: Oh, wow

Dina: Columbus, Georgia. So that was kind of part of my growing up. Then I went to school at William & Mary, which of course is where Patrick Henry gave his famous, "Give me liberty or give me death" speech.

And Thomas Jefferson went to school there, James Madison went to school there.

Jill: Wow.

Dina: So there was a lot of American history and culture and politics, and that's what I studied political science. Then I came back and taught that at UNLV in the Political Science department for 35 years. During that time, had an opportunity to run for the state legislature, and I thought, "Well, you know, I've lived this, I've studied it, I write and read about it.

Hell, I might as well run for office." and it was a way to extend what I did in the classroom to a broader audience. You know I talked about policy, and this gave me a chance to actually work on policy and make a difference in people's lives beyond the classroom.

Jill: You know, I love that, and I imagine your students all love the fact that they learned at your knee, and now they are actually able to see you put it all to work.

And whether they agree or disagree, it doesn't matter. It's just the idea that someone's willing to serve. And I would imagine from the perspective that you are coming from, you probably understand the ins and the outs and the intricacies that happen at, in DC, not only here statewide initially, but in DC. And some of that information, that gives you kind of that foundation that others do not have. They're going in cold, and so I would imagine that has served you well over the years, having that that base.

Dina: Well, thank you for recognizing that. I feel like it really has. During the time I was teaching at UNLV and I was serving in the state legislature, the, the session is only every other year.

And it pretty much matched up with a semester at UNLV. So I would take the semester off every other year in the spring without pay to go to Carson City. And I felt like being a political scientist gave me a better understanding of policy and the process, and made me a better legislator, and being a legislator made me a better teacher, 'cause I could say, "This is how it really works."

Jill: Right.

Dina: Not, "This is the practice," not just the theory that you find in books. And I have a lot of students all around this valley, Democrats and Republicans, some in elected office, a lot in government agencies, a number of attorneys now. So it's always a pleasure to see them. They'll come up and say, "Oh, I had your class."

And I always ask them, "Well, did you learn anything?"

Jill: I bet they were inspired. Even if they didn't learn, I bet they were inspired.

Dina: Well, thank you.

Jill: And I was just here at the grand opening just last week. You had somebody come up to you. I was standing there, and they made that statement, "I had you in such and such a class" and it was phenomenal." and so you are right. Thankfully, it is across both aisles. It is something that educational basis gave them the information, the knowledge, the, inspiration, the application for them to be interested and to move forward. and if we didn't... and I love you just said scientist, political scientist.

I never thought about it from that perspective, but that is the degree to which it's important for you to understand our government, and to be able to have that knowledge, have the history, and then have the application of it. It just makes you a very well-rounded politician. Well

Jill: So thank you

Dina: Well, thank you. Yeah, people who are going into politics now with very little experience, and they say, "Oh, well, I can do that." You know, "Government runs like a business." Well, no, it really doesn't, and there are so many different, ways that the Congress works, or how you interact with the courts, or do you really understand the Constitution?

So that background has proven helpful.

Jill: I imagine. So you, over the years, have seen a lot of politicians come and go. What is your assessment right now of the decorum, of the statesmanship? It feels like we might be slipping a little bit too far off that cracker, right? So what does that look like to you right now?

Dina: Well, it's very discouraging. You know, when I first started in the legislature, you could never have used a four-letter word on the floor of the Senate. You would have been censored or called out and even like damn, you couldn't say. Now you can say anything practically. People use all kind of four-letter words.

They don't treat each other with respect, and that starts at the top. That starts with the president. And, you know, these awful nicknames that people use. Used to be too, when I first went to Congress, you referred to your colleague as my colleague from Virginia. Now, if you didn't think too much of him, you would say my esteemed colleague from Virginia.

Jill: Really?

Dina: Now, if you thought they were a real idiot, you didn't say that. You said my most esteemed colleague.

Jill: Really?

Dina: So it reflected what you thought, but it kept things on a more polite level.

Jill: Yes.

Dina: And I think it has really tainted political discourse because it quickly just devolves into name-calling, finger-pointing, cussing, things that, really aren't that appropriate.

Jill: So solutions. What is the solution? How do we come back from that? You know, we get too far down, how do we come back up that hill to live back in that place where civility really does, help guide us so that we can see that there has to be a negotiation? You have to come to the middle.

Everybody has to give up a little bit of something. How do we get back to that solutions-based, approach and a more civil-minded approach that, yes, not everybody wins every time, but we're all okay and we're still gonna go away from that discussion as friends?

Dina: You know, that's something that people ask me all the time, "Can't you just get along?

Can't you just get something done?" People get tired of hearing the, just the bickering and the fighting and the not accomplishing anything that has come out of Congress in recent years. It's very difficult. both sides have to do it. One side can't go high and one side go low

Jill: Right

Dina: because that's not gonna work.

But, you know, campaigning has gotten so nasty. And there's so much money in it, and you can say practically anything. It doesn't have to be true. You know, regular citizens can sue for libel or slander if somebody says or prints something about them that's not true. It's very difficult for somebody in public office to meet the standard to be able to do that.

So if somebody has just said the most terrible things about you during the campaign, it's hard to turn around the day after the election and work with the other side.

Jill: Right, right, right.

Dina: I think what both sides have to do is put aside the ideology, fight on those issues if you have to, but find some common ground issues that don't have to be partisan.

That's why I like the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Everybody needs bridges, roads sewer lines, Democrats and Republicans, so we can kinda work together to accomplish those things without getting into those ideological personal fights.

Jill: You know, I do appreciate that, and you bring up, a very valid point, that there are many places that you can still find level playing ground.

Those places do still exist. and maybe we need to focus on that because I don't think that the media in general provides us with a lot of information that I see when, going back with the Las Vegas, chamber on their fly-in annually. I love going back because I am so grateful that John Porter can set that up and kinda, coordinates all of that.

And every single time I'm with him, I find myself go, "Oh, you know what? What I'm listening to on a news station is not what's happening. That's right in those halls." Those young staffers are the ones that are... I'm sorry, you're... I love you to death, but I'm pretty sure the staff is running this country.

They are just amazing. They are. And they're running those hallways, and they're working their little bums off. And then, to be able to understand that things are happening behind the scenes, that your chiefs of staff are interacting with other chiefs. That's right. And whether, no matter what their, if it's an R or a D in front of their name, that stuff is happening.

There is a lot of camaraderie. There is a lot of negotiation and a lot of things that are taking place that are very positive that we never hear about, that if I didn't go back, I would not know. And I would... I leave there every time going, "Oh, my gosh, we are in good hands. I'm not so afraid."

Dina: Well, that is so true.

You know, but it doesn't make good TV. True. It's, they like the explosions and the name-calling and things that, from both extremes. What's happening in the middle that's actually just getting the work done, that's not very exciting for people

Jill: True

Dina: So they don't put it on TV. But, just a couple of things in reference to what you mentioned.

You know, I beat John Porter.

Jill: I know.

Dina: And yet now he's one of my best friends.

Jill: I know, and he respects so much of you. Yeah. And I just, I love that in him and of you.

Dina: Well, we had known each other before in the state legislature and had gotten along well, and then our paths went separate ways, and then I beat him for this, the House seat.

But, he's a great lobbyist, he's a great representative for Southern Nevada's interest, and we work very well. In fact, my former legislative director now is one of his main employees.

Jill: I know.

Dina: Ben Rosenbaltt.

Jill: We love Ben. Sorry.

Dina: And he's great, and I feel like I can take some credit for him training him, and now

Jill: You did

Dina: he works for John. But the other story is, talking about looking for issues that you can agree on. I'll give you a good example. There's a person from Florida named Brian Mast.

Jill: Okay.

Dina: Very conservative guy. He's a military veteran, kind of MAGA all the way. I wouldn't agree with him on much of anything.

But we found something that we have in common. like I said, he's a veteran, and he's very... He got little children. He's very much opposed to testing on animals.

Jill: Okay.

Dina: And feels like, as I do, I mean, I hate that. I hate that animal testing because it's not really all that accurate. It's expensive.

You can do it now with AI and technology that's much better, and it's just inhumane. So he and I have teamed up to kind of get the VA to move away from testing on kittens and puppies and monkeys, and we've had some successes.

Jill: Oh, that's great.

Dina: And we get along really well on that issue.

Jill: I think that's awesome.

I... You know, and that's an issue that I hadn't really thought too much about.

Dina: Yeah.

Jill: But yeah, glad to know that- As technology advances, why do we need that? We don't. You know? We don't. that makes a lot of sense. So thank you for doing that. So let's talk about some of the different issues that I know you are working hard on for us. water.

Dina: Yes.

Jill: I know water's one of them. I know you have a water panel coming up. I apologize, I won't be able to attend. I'll be in Greece

Dina: Oh

Jill: visiting your homeland.

Dina: Yeah.

Jill: And so, I think that having eyes on this and knowing that there is a lot of, teamwork that is happening between the other states, the other seven Colorado River, states.

Dina: Yes.

Jill: Very important issue, very important for us to be aware of, and very important for us to also let the rest of this, the nation know about so that they're also aware, 'cause they are many of our tourists that are coming here. Let's explain to them what the situation is.

Let's not create fear so we drive tourism away. However, let's make sure that we're speaking the correct language, using the right verbiage, and also un- helping people understand conservation is gonna be the only way that we can really make this happen. So, share us a little bit more about your efforts on that, in that regard.

Dina: Well, I'm a founding member of the Colorado River Caucus, and that's a group of members from the states that are impacted, the seven states along the Colorado River. And so the purpose of that caucus is to educate other members. 'Cause, you know, some come from where they got too much water as opposed to where we don't have enough. So you gotta educate people first who are your colleagues, and then advocate for legislation. Now, here locally, we've done a great job of conservation. We kinda set the standard, but it's one of those awful cases of no good deed goes unpunished. We've saved water, so they think we need less water.

Jill: Right.

Dina: And so it's kinda like saving money out of the budget, then they take it away 'cause you didn't use it. so what we've done though, we've had a number of projects in trying to get funding for additional conservation efforts upriver. I've worked to do more recycling, worked with Boulder City on a project here. Right now we are just trying to But I've been engaged with the water district about the lawsuit that the Department of Reclamation Has come up with this decision. You know, it's really bad. There's seven states, four upstream, three downstream, us, Arizona, and California.

Now, California's unto itself, and it doesn't get all its water from the Colorado River or nearly as much as we do in Arizona. So I tend to team up with, Mr. Stanton from Phoenix. He was former mayor of Phoenix and he represents that area. And we have worked on some projects that have to do with irrigation, at the Corps of Engineers and things that they are building and working to save water. And so the more information we have, the better. But we've got to try everything from cloud seeding at DRI to potential desalinization in Southern California. That's gonna be expensive and complicated 'cause you got so many jurisdictions, including Mexico

Jill: Right

Dina: involved in that. But we just have to recognize that water is an issue for the future. It is life.

Now, the recent decision was they could take 70% of our water over the next 10 years. That was the Bureau of Reclamation. We are suing against that, as is Arizona. But if you took 70% of our water, we'd just blow away.

Jill: Right.

Dina: We'd just dry up and blow away. So we can't let that happen. But one thing that I think we've got to get people to know is that you just can't keep building. You've got to put some restrictions on that building tied to water levels. Because what you're doing is you're not saving water, you're just moving water around.

Jill: Right.

Dina: You take your water and give it to somebody else. You've got to figure out a way to save water. Don't stop building, don't stop growing, but just do it in a smarter, more sustainable way.

Jill: And it does feel like there are measures that are being created and new technology, and there are... And you are right.

I truly believe that Southern Nevada is the poster child for reclamation and conservation. and so I would hope that your lawsuit, does end up Finding some way for us to have some kind of a solution.

Dina: Can I tell you one more thing real quick, Jill?

Jill: Yeah.

Dina: The four upper states use a lot of water for irrigation.

That's mostly what they do. And according to this decision, they don't have to make any changes. They don't have to give up anything. They say, "Well, if you wanna give a little, that's fine. That's up to you." But the southern states, us and Arizona especially, we are being forced to give it up, and that's just not fair.

Jill: That doesn't feel right. Yeah, it doesn't feel right. Can you, continue to educate us a little bit more about the, the Mexican water treaty and how that plays into this? Because there have been so many people, I've heard comments from, US citizens that have said, "Well, why are we sending water down there?"

Can you kind of explain the value of a treaty and why we need that?

Dina: Well, the Colorado River was, the law of the river they call it, was set many, many years ago, and it was done at a time when nobody expected there to be over two million people in southern Nevada.

Jill: Right. Right.

Dina: We were a desert so we didn't get a very large allotment.

But that the river runs all the way south, and so Mexico was part of that allocation. Now, if you could get Mexico or even Southern California to do desalinization, you could use that water to replace the allotment that they get out of the Colorado River. and so nobody would lose. You would either break even or come out ahead.

Jill: Right. And so If I remember, Mr. Insinger actually spoke at the DC fly-in. And he made the statement that there are dollars being invested in some of those desalinization programs within the San Diego area so that we're willing to invest in their programming so that they are able to, allow us to have, keep some of the water here in Lake Mead.

Dina: That's exactly right. Yeah. It's a replacement of water. So if you hear, "Oh, you're using Nevada tax dollars to invest in California," that's the reason. You get it back. You know, it's kind of like, the convention authority is trying to get some money to widen I-15- I-15 ... to Southern California.

Now, somebody would say, "Well, don't use Nevada money to widen a road in California." Well, yes, you're widening the road in California, but that's so all those Californians can come up here

Jill: That's right

Dina: to Las Vegas for the weekend

Jill: Right

Dina: or Boulder City.

Jill: Yeah, we definitely need to educate people again more about that as well.

Correct. Yeah. I definitely see value in that. And so we really appreciate all your efforts in helping us recognize some of the value that, you know, you and I have been working on this for quite some time and, you know, the value of the National Park Service and the, interactions that we have.

Boulder City is surrounded by, We're the gateway to two different national recreation areas, whether it's Lake Mead National Recreation Area or Avi Kwa Ame. And so that brings us the opportunity to be able to speak to and remind people of the value of conservation, the value of good stewardship towards these public lands, but also to help people recognize it's part of their quality of life to be able to come to those locations, to understand their history, to be in Avi Kwa Ame during some of the dark sky viewing.

Dina: Yeah.

Jill: You, I think you've seen some of the amazing pictures that Allen O'Neill has created during night, some of those night photos. Yeah. It's incredible, and we lose that appreciation, and if we don't experience it or we don't tell other people how amazing it is, then we forget the value of it, and it makes it real easy to just build or take away or forget about or not conserve and not appreciate.

Dina: Oh, I think you're right, Jill. You have done an amazing job of, leading the effort to keep Boulder City's, atmosphere like a little small historic town, and at the same time spread its reputation as the jumping off point for these great, natural resources. And so people won't come for that outdoor recreation, which we know is a growing part of the economy if there's nothing to see.

Jill: Right.

Dina: So you've got to protect those public lands, protect those petroglyphs, and have water in the lake. And so it's not

Jill: Right

Dina: just a matter of lives, it's also livelihoods.

Jill: Right. Exactly right. Very well said. Thank you. Okay, so let's talk about some fun things about you.

Dina: Uh-oh.

Jill: What was your very first job?

“ina: Well, my father had, was kind of a little penny ante entrepreneur, and he had a lot of little different businesses. And one he had was a Motorcourt, they called it in Tifton, Georgia. And my sister and I, Daddy said, "Well, you can be in charge of the Coke machine, and you can get all the profits from the Coke machine, but you have to keep it filled up because if there aren't Cokes in there, we're not gonna make any money 'cause nobody's gonna buy them."

So we had to have the responsibility of filling up the Coke machine, and then we got the profit. And at that time, in the motel you had Coke and ginger ale and club soda 'cause you had travelers going through. They might like to take a little drink at the end of the day, and it cost a dime.

Jill: Really?

Dina: Yeah.

Jill: And so did you, put yourself through college on that Coke machine? Well,

Dina: I don't think I made enough for that. But I worked all through college. I worked at the library, at UNLV and at the University of Georgia. And one job I had was at the, being the kind of candy/popcorn girl at a picture show. And it was a great job 'cause I got to see all the movies, and after everybody went in when the show started, you didn't have too much to do, and, like, you could eat all the popcorn you wanted and pick the little red Jujubes out of the box, and it was dark. Nobody would notice.

Jill: Oh, that is awesome. What a story. So now we all know you're a Jujube fan. And then did you throw away the green and the clear and the yellow?

Dina: Oh, yeah, green's the worst.

Jill: I, yeah, they, I agree with you. I think that's fascinating to know that you built your foundation on entrepreneurial type work though, right?

So I mean, that's the spirit of where you're at today.

Dina: Well, I learned early responsibility. You know, you had the responsibility of filling it up and, kind of the pride in when you accomplish something. my grandfather, it was of course, like I said, in the restaurant business like all Greeks are.

And, he worked very hard after he came to this country with nothing in his pocket to where he ended up. And I, that inspired me too.

Jill: Oh, I bet. and is an inspiration to, I'm sure, your family as well.

Dina: Yes.

Jill: That is great. And so what about your kids? Tell us about your family.

Dina: Well, I don't have any children.

Okay. but I say all Nevada's children are my children.

Jill: Well, you taught so many that- Well, that's true ... I'm sure they all believe that they are your kids.

Dina: Well, some of them I feel responsible for, some of them I won't take credit for, and some of them just need a little talking to.

Jill: Put them in time out.

Dina: Yeah, that's right.

Jill: I love it. Okay,

Dina: And Now, my husband I met at UNLV. He's in the history department. He was a Latin American historian.

Jill: Really?

Dina: And so we've had a great... He thinks what I do is gringo politics. But we complement each other, very well. That- And we've been married over 40 years.

Jill: Oh my gosh.

That, now see, that's an accomplishment nowadays, right?

Dina: Oh, for sure.

Jill: That is impressive. Yeah, very good. Congratulations on that. And so, I've also met your sweet sister. Yeah. I think she's adorable. And so you, have a tight family bond.

Dina: Very much so. I go everywhere with my sister. And my mother just passed away last year.

Jill: Yes, I'm so sorry.

Dina: She was 95. And, first I came out here, then Ro came out here, and then when Dad retired, they came out here. And so, we don't She didn't have any children either, but we're very close. And every weekend, she and Mom and I used to go to the movies. That was our kind of activity together.

She's a teacher, too. She's a founding, faculty member at Nevada State.

Jill: Really? I did not realize that.

Dina: And she teaches teachers of special ed.

Jill: Oh, I have a very special appreciation for that, having a daughter and, a nephew and a niece, or excuse me, two nephews that all have special needs. So very grateful to have educators that are willing to do that.

Dina: She has the patience of Job. She's the perfect person for those kind of classrooms.

Jill: Oh, that's awesome. Well, thank you. I'm glad somebody's willing to do it. All right. So now we've talked a little bit about your favorite, your job. What's your favorite part about what the work that you do?

Dina: You know, it's coming home.

I enjoy the legislative process, and it's all a chess game, and I find that intriguing. But it's when I go to Smith's and somebody will come up to me and say, "Oh, you know, you helped save my house back 10 years ago," or, "You helped my husband get his VA benefits." It's real people who recognize me.

They all call me Dina. Nobody calls me Congresswoman because they feel like I'm a friend, which is exactly what I want.

Jill: I feel the same.

Dina: Well, thank you. and then they tell you how something that you did changed their lives, and that there's nothing better than that.

Jill: I agree. I think that's awesome.

I have been with you when that has happened. And so you and I have just been wandering through the park, through Art in the Park, and people have come up and

Dina: That's right

Jill: shake your hands, and they're just you know, grateful to be in your presence. But how do you handle it when people are not? you know, I mean, we had that experience just this a couple weekends ago. And so how do you handle that? Does that bring you down? Does that... Or how do you keep yourself up?

Dina: Well, you have to have a thick skin to be in politics today. And, some people you can talk to and you might win 'em over if you explain something that they have some misinformation on.

Some you're never gonna win over, so it doesn't do you or them any good to get into an argument. It just empowers the position that they take. it gets you down. And so that's why I come home every weekend. My husband's here, my sister's here. and that's why I love traveling, to kinda get away from it all a little bit.

But, you know, it's really funny. I can't go anywhere much without running into somebody. I was in Greece, where we were headed on, in the Plaka, and somebody hollered at me, and they were from Henderson. They were over there on a cruise. So you've gotta

Jill: Oh, wow

Dina: behave yourself wherever you go.

Jill: Yeah, that is awesome.

I never really thought about that. But what do you do to decompress?

Dina: Well, you know, I don't know. I read. I work crossword puzzles. I have... In the evening, Tom and I always take some time just to have cocktail hour and just kinda talk about things that aren't political, memories of trips and plans that we have or just, you know, just kind of

Jill: Enjoy each other.

Dina: Exactly.

Jill: Yeah, I love that. I can just see that sweet, special moment. That's awesome. Okay, so- What is something that your sweet mom or dad taught you? We know that your dad kind of had that entrepreneurial side. but what is, what's a lesson that your parents taught you that you still use today and hope that others will also try to emulate in their own families?

Dina: Well, Mom and Daddy were very different, very similar, very Southern, both of them. Daddy, I think the main lesson he used to always say was, "Don't back somebody into a corner, because you leave them no choice but to come out swinging." And so I've always tried to remember that. Don't keep pushing, back somebody into a corner.

Leave them a little way out so you can come to some kind of agreement. And I think that works in life as well as in politics. Now, my mother, a Southern belle, you know, we had a copy of Emily Post, if anybody remembers Emily Post. I do. She was a big social commentator, at the house. So you don't wear white after Labor Day.

Jill: Right.

Dina: You don't wear seersucker before Memorial Day. You know which fork to use. you always write thank you notes. You know, y'all, the manners kind of behavior, social side is what I got from Mama. and I think we need to get back to some of that, 'cause some people may think that's old school and corny, but maybe that would help with some of the etiquette and some of the hostility that people are Showin' that in politics

Jill: Yes, that social grace.

We've lost that.

Dina: That's a nice way to put it.

Jill: Yeah, unfortunately we have. Civility, social graces, and statesmanship, I think are three areas that everybody needs to be focused on, think about, and reminded of, before their interactions with anybody on just a daily level. You're at the gas station pumping

Dina: That's right

Jill: gas or, you know, you're in, Congress making a massive change to, our daily activities based on- Or

Dina: internationally too. Think of that.

Jill: Oh, right, right.

Dina: Diplomacy fits into that category.

Jill: Right. Well, I sure appreciate that. Okay, so one of my favorite questions to ask everybody is what book are you reading right now?

Dina: Oh. Well, I'm always reading something, and I try not to read, what I read for work at home at night. I have, was just, I saw the movie Tony about Anthony Bourdain.

Jill: Oh, yes, yes, yes.

Dina: I always kind of followed his TV show, and I was reading, Kitchen Confidential. Yes. and that's fascinating because it's behind the scenes look at a restaurant, and having grown up in a restaurant, that's, a lot of things were familiar, including how you value your knives.

Jill: Yes.

Dina: Knives are something very important to chefs. But I read anything from biography to trashy political detective novels.

Jill: Really?

Dina: Whenever I travel, though, I always try to get a novel either set in the country where I'm going or written by an author from the country where I'm traveling. And I find that gives you some insight into wherever you're gonna go, whether it's the history or the politics or the culture, the people, and, I always enjoy doing that.

Jill: So you might need to recommend something to me before I leave for Greece on

Dina: I do

Jill: have a Monday

Dina: I do have a good list. I will email it to you.

Jill: Okay, very good. I would love to see that 'cause I need to grab it really fast.

Dina: Yep.

Jill: And hopefully from my local bookstore. I will do- Hopefully they'll have it.

Dina: I'll find you something.

Jill: Oh, I really appreciate that. Okay, so is there anything that you would like to share with us that you would like the audience listening to, to hear or know about you?

Dina: Well, I'm pretty well known. I've been around for a while. But going back to the issue of water, one of the things that people in Boulder City really care about that we're also working on and have worked with you on are the data centers.

Because they are just proliferating everywhere, and if you put 'em on public land like they've been trying to do, then you don't have much of a check on 'em. You don't have transparency, and you can't put in place rules, and you don't get any local benefits for taxes or anything 'cause it's on public lands.

And so, we're trying to make that process more transparent, and part of that transparency is how much water that data center will use. It impacts the electric grid. It's noisy. It's, you know, pollution if they build a power plant or something. But it also impacts water.

Jill: And so I really think that the educational process, you know, we spoke about the education on the drought issues and, water in the Colorado. I think that education, we need people to be more aware of the concerns and the values and then decide where that middle is, right?

Dina: That's right.

Jill: Because we know that it's important, but where, what's the standard? We should be setting a gold bar, a standard that says, "This is what you guys have to do."

Dina: Exactly.

Jill: We get that there's a lot of investment in this, but by doing this and by educating us at what those, you know, the different, the differences are what does the data center of the, the previous 10 years look like compared to where we can be now? And why would we not wanna hold everybody to a higher standard and have a better understanding so that we can find where that happy middle is so we can find the right location for it, but then we can also know that it's not going to impact us or hurt us or change our quality of life?

Because I... It's not... The idea's not gonna go away, but how do we find, where it's the best placement with the least amount of impact with, it provides the value that they can provide but that we also are protecting, especially our, you know, public lands especially. And so I don't know the answers, but I want to be educated on it, and I think the educational process is probably the most important of all.

Dina: I couldn't agree more. There are several bills that call for moratoriums on data centers. I'm, that's not what I'm doing. I haven't called for that, because they are important. As long as you got a watch or a phone or a TV or everything that uses information, it's gotta be stored somewhere, and we need to be ahead of China, and we need it for national security.

So we might need it out at the test site, for example. But trans- you know, transparency, I think, is the key. So that you gotta know what they're building, know what power they're gonna use, know how much water it's gonna take, know that they're gonna hire locally and know that you're gonna get some revenue back for the local community.

If you put it on public lands, there's no tax revenue that's coming back. That's right. Or if you give big abatements at the state level to draw them to your area, you're not gonna get any kind of revenue back. So all of those things have to be part of the permitting process. Because you're right, not all data centers are the same, and they're not gonna go away.

This is not a partisan issue, but we just need to be smart about it. And the one in Boulder City is the first one on public lands, but they have called, President Trump has called for the Department of Energy to look for other places, and we've got to be sure that gold standard you mentioned is met now, or else you're setting a bad precedent.

Jill: That's exactly

Dina: Right. And you gotta tie it to water and power. You know, there's some talk about powering these with small nuclear reactors.

Jill: Yes.

Dina: Now, if you don't want a data center in your backyard, you certainly don't want a, the nuclear power plant to go along with it in your backyard. So all those questions need to be answered.

Jill: I agree. And so thank you very much for assisting us here in Boulder City and always being a champion for us. We sure appreciate it.

Dina: Well, thank you.

Jill: And it has been a joy to be able to visit with you today. Thank you so much for taking the time, and I know you are an exceptionally busy person, so you spending a few minutes with us has been a pleasure.

So thank you.

Dina: Well, it's been my treat. Please have me back on sometime.

Jill: I would love it. Have a great day.

Dina: Thank you.

The Bourbon Babe: Mobile Bartending, Mixology Classes, and Event Concierge Services

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:14:08 GMT

The Bourbon Babe: Mobile Bartending, Mixology Classes, and Event Concierge Services

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with Angie Rafferty, owner of The Bourbon Babe and office administrator for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. Angie shares how she delivers unique mobile bartending, mocktail services, and mobile mixology classes, bringing both custom menus and entertainment to private, corporate, and community events across town.

Angie also opens up about her passion for community giveback events—from free haircut drives for single parents, kids, and veterans with local partners to hosting mixology classes and dirty soda offerings—while reflecting on her background as a U.S. Army correctional officer and the essential role of the Chamber of Commerce.

DISCUSSION

The Bourbon Babe Mobile Services: Crafting custom cocktail and mocktail menus, mobile mixology classes, and signature dirty sodas for events.
Community Giveback Collaborations: Partnering with local businesses like Roc & Beauty, Silver State Lampworking, and Lady Lux Cleaning Company to provide free community haircuts, back-to-school supplies, and seasonal events.
Creative Event Concepts: Combining glassblowing with mixology in Sip & Flame events and serving theme-based custom drinks.
The Importance of Human Connection: Maintaining personalized client relationships, catering to dietary needs/allergies, and keeping a personal touch over automated services.
Upcoming Projects: Planning community events such as Halloween Trunk or Treat and Whiskey & Woofs dog-friendly tastings.
Personal Background & Military Service: Transitioning 25 years of service industry experience and military duty as an Army correctional officer at Guantanamo Bay and Fort Leavenworth into entrepreneurship.
Chamber Advocacy & Local Impact: Highlighting the Chamber's role in business education, legislative advocacy, pop-up market regulation, and driving local economic vitality.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about The Bourbon Babe, visit their website at https://www.thebourbonbabeevents.com , or on these social sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebourbonbabeevents

Instagram: @the.bourbonbabe

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Angie Rafferty, The Bourbon Babe, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Bartending, Mocktails, Mixology Classes, The Best Dam Podcast

#AngieRafferty #TheBourbonBabe #BoulderCity #MobileBartending #Mocktails #TheBestDamPodcast #BoulderCityChamber

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Angie, for being here today. Angie Rafferty from The Bourbon Babe. We're glad to have you, and, can't wait to share a little bit more about what it is you do. And so full disclosure, you have a day job.

Angie: Yes, I do.

Jill: And your day job is the office administrator for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, and I hear you have a really wicked boss.

Angie: She's pretty awesome.

Jill: Oh, thanks. Good answer for your review next month. That is recorded, I just want you to know. All right, so The Bourbon Babe, what is it that you do? Tell us a little bit more about the service that you provide.

Angie: So I offer mobile bartending and mobile mocktail services, mobile mixology classes.

I even offer mobile mocktail mixology classes. So basically, you book with me, and we work together to create your menu, your drink menu, whether it's mocktails, cocktails. I come up with I create cocktails as well, 'cause the mixology part of my experience. And then I show up, and I make the drinks for those however long you have me there for, and your guests enjoy the time, because I enjoy what I do.

Jill: You seem to make it a party. I mean

Angie: I do. It's a lot of fun

Jill: you're kind of the entertainment at the party, right?

Angie: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: It's a lot of fun.

I have a lot of fun with it, and, I've recently been getting into doing a lot more with the business, with businesses around town too.

Jill: Right, a lot of corporate events.

Angie: some corporate events, some community events. Like with Roc & Beauty, we do a lot of the free community events for them where all the mocktails they, that are served are free. Just started last month was our very first Sip & Flame event with Silver State Lampworking.

Jill: Yes.

Angie: That was a lot of fun, where I taught how to make two drinks, and then they got a custom glass-blown, or blown glass shot glass-

Jill: That's so cool

Angie: that they won't be able, no one will be able to buy ever again.

Jill: Right.

Angie: So it was really

Jill: What a great... That's really smart on Shane's part to have you come in and do that. What a great idea, and it looked like, from the videos that you had posted, it looked like you guys had a lot of fun.

Angie: Oh, we did. We had a lot of fun.

Jill: That's great. And so go back to Roc & Beauty. Tell us a little bit more about her community events. Is she, trying to just, like I know she had a back to school event. Is she trying to bring parents in, families in? And so obviously with your mocktails, you cater to everybody.

Angie: Well, the thing is it's near and dear to our hearts to give back to the community, because we've had this conversation before.

We, you know, I was a single mom, and I couldn't afford to get my kids a haircut on a regular basis, or even get myself a haircut on a regular basis. Because kids are expensive.

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: And I had three of them that I raised by myself. So I know that she's had some struggles too in her past. So we were talking about this, and it was just like, you know, if we can do something for the moms these days, or even the dads these days.

So for Mother's Day, we offer free haircuts to moms.

Jill: Oh.

Angie: For Father's Day, we offer free haircuts to dads. Because we're so busy taking care of and focusing on our children, we don't think about ourselves.

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: And the thing is you can't focus on your children as much as you would like to if you're dead and drained.

Jill: Yeah. You just can't. Exactly right. And when you don't feel good about yourself, it's hard to instill that self-esteem and self-worth in kids as well.

Angie: Yeah. So the back to school event that we did, we had people donate back to school supplies, backpacks, and supplies. And in exchange, when they brought, you know, they'd bring their kids in, the kids would get a free haircut.

I had my daughter there doing back to school photos

Jill: Oh, cool

Angie: with a backdrop and everything, and we had cotton candy and popcorn donated by Las Vegas Kettle Corn. we were working with, Lady Lux Cleaning Company. They're donating products for all of our events as well, so they're another one of our sponsors, and we're just trying to get these businesses together to give back to the community.

Jill: I love the collaboration too. I mean, think about all those businesses you just mentioned that have all come together, not only for a great cause, but because they also realize that when they're working with these other businesses, they eventually will also recommend them to their friends, recommend them to another event, another community event.

And these are all individuals that you've mentioned that have always said, "Yes." Yes. "How can we help? How can we..." Yes. I absolutely

Angie: They're all individuals that reached out to us.

Jill: Right.

Angie: And we haven't had to reach out to anybody yet to ask for help except for volunteers, but that's about it.

Our next big, our next event with Rockin' Beauty is going to be our Halloween trunk or treat. So we're all gonna dress up in Tim Burton characters, and it's gonna be a lot of fun. So

Jill: How cool

Angie: you know, mocktails with cotton candy as spiderwebs, candy spiders, that kind of thing. And then, they're gonna decorate the salon.

We're trying to get a bunch of cars out to do, a trunk or treat type of thing where

Jill: Fun

Angie: the kids can get candy and what not. So they're not cutting hair that day, but it's just something to try and bring the kids together and,

Jill: Give them a safe space

Angie: yeah, something to do.

Jill: Yeah. I love that.

Angie: And then Veterans Day we'll be doing free haircuts for vets.

Jill: Oh, cool.

Angie: Yeah.

Jill: That's a great idea. Hadn't thought about that one.

Angie: We're doing that, I think, the Saturday before Veterans Day, or I gotta look at the dates, but.

Jill: Well, we can always add that to the show notes. I love those collaborations and those different community events and activities and things that you're doing, but I also know grand openings.

You've had, your mobile bar station at grand openings.

Angie: Yep, for ribbon cuttings and grand openings.

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: Those are always a lot of fun, too, because I like to see these businesses. I like to see the people that I care about thriving.

Jill: Right.

Angie: And realizing their dreams. It just, it makes my heart glow.

Jill: I know. It's very exciting, isn't it? It's one of the best parts of the job. And so you also do dirty sodas.

Which I don't think people think mocktails, dirty sodas, that's kind of separate, but when we had a soda shop here in town, it was so popular, and I think this dirty soda thing isn't gonna go away soon.

Angie: No, not at all, especially with the increasing number of people who just don't drink.

Jill: Right.

Angie: Like you, for example.

Jill: Yeah, exactly.

Angie: But that's fine. That's why I always, at any event that I do, I always try and have one mocktail or even if it's not on the menu.

Jill: Right.

Angie: I have kids come up and I can just make something.

It's not hard.

Jill: Well, and I'm sorry, but a dirty Dr. Pepper is the most superior drink on, on the earth.

Angie: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

Jill: I absolutely think. And so, okay, you're doing these parties. Maybe you're in a backyard. Maybe you're doing the Halloween event. Maybe you're doing a grand opening. Maybe you're doing Sip & Flame.

How do you come up with what the drink is gonna be? Do you make it up? Do you research? Do you have just like a list of recipes? You go on Pinterest? What do you do?

Angie: It's a mixture of all of it.

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: I do have a list of recipes that have, stuff that I've played with in my 25 years of bartending that I've just kind of figured out what tastes good.

Plus having drank myself, I don't drink much, but you know, since I can figure out what tastes good.

Jill: Right.

Angie: Mixing the juices and whatnot, plus having kids that don't like certain things and you're like, "Okay, well, you know, let me mix this and see what happens."

Jill: And Yeah, I would have

Angie: so it's just a mixture of all of it really.

It's kind of like, okay, so I started off with what do you want us to, what do you like?

Jill: Okay.

Angie: Or what's your theme?

It's both. It's both questions. What do you like and what's your theme? My theme is Halloween, and we don't wanna serve alcohol. Okay, super simple. I can mix cranberry juice and Sprite, and throw some cotton candy on top and call it Witch's Blood.

I don't know.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Angie: You know? It's crazy. it's super easy to do stuff like that, and it's... Yeah, that's already, that's already a, you know, it's basically the base of an, of other cocktails. That's what mocktails are. They're the base of other cocktails.

Jill: Just missing

Angie: Just missing the

Jill: alcohol

the alcohol component.

Yeah.

Angie: The alcohol component's only two ounces, so as long as it's not a old fashioned, then you're not missing anything.

Jill: Got it. And so I know the last time we were at the ribbon cutting for Silver State Lampworking, you had glitter that you, edible glitter you were adding to stuff. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh."

Angie: Yeah, 'cause it made

Jill: She's even making that fancy

Angie: it made it look like molten glass.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Angie: 'Cause Silver State Lampworking, you know, they're glassblowing.

Jill: Right.

Angie: So it made it look like molten glass.

Jill: Oh, that's so clever. Yeah. Yeah, very cool. And so I would imagine, too, as you're coming up with different recipes, do you have, like, a signature thing that you like to do?

Is there like a signature drink or something that you, it's a staple that you know is gonna be very popular, so it's at every one of your events?

Angie: any type of margarita is usually what it is.

Jill: Really? Yeah.

Angie: Any type of margarita. So the next, Sip and Flame we're doing with Silver State is all tequila based.

So we're doing a prickly pear margarita and a Paloma, but it's gonna be a flavored Paloma. I cannot remember off the top of my head what it is.

Jill: Interesting. And what is a Paloma?

Angie: It's basically just tequila and grapefruit soda and-

Jill: Oh

Angie: yeah, it's

Jill: I did not know. Grapefruit soda.

Angie: It, like, squirt.

Jill: Really? Yeah. Oh my gosh.

Angie: Lime juice. Simple syrup, yeah.

Jill: I'm getting quite the education here today. So interesting, yeah. I had no idea. Well, I would imagine, too, as you work with these different individuals, the person that you're planning the party for probably already has some preconceived notions.

So as you're interviewing them, getting to know who and what they are, they, kinda give you some ideas, and then you just probably get very creative off of that.

Angie: I try to. if I'm doing a mixology class, for, like, a bachelorette party or something, I try to just stick to normal drinks everybody knows.

Jill: Okay.

Angie: For the Sip and Flame events, that's where I'm getting creative.

Jill: Got it.

Angie: I'm making it kinda different, kind of I'm trying to make it something completely different. Like, I did a cherry bourbon smash last month.

Jill: Oh, wow.

Angie: 'Cause it was a bourbon base was our

Jill: Oh, interesting

Angie: drink base.

Jill: I see. I would've liked the cherry part.

Angie: Yeah. I mean We do have one person that attends that doesn't drink, and so I just, I lay out all the tools and ingredients, and I just don't put alcohol in front of her.

Jill: Well, that's great, 'cause you need a designated driver in each of those mixology classes.

Angie: She is our designated photographer, but, you know.

Jill: Oh.

Angie: It works out.

Jill: That's important, too, yeah.

Angie: she doesn't drink, so you know, it

Jill: That's great

Angie: I just leave out the alcohol.

Jill: It's... So you can include everybody. It doesn't have to just be that. I love that. Okay. So in your work, whether it was as a bartender or as a mobile bartender since you started your own business, have you had an aha moment?

Have you had something that just made you go, "Oh my gosh," you know? Something just stood out, maybe an experience, maybe an interaction with a person.

Angie: It's a mixture of a bunch of things, honestly. I mean, my first aha moment was when I was actually bartending and dressing up for Halloween, and everybody loved the experience of it.

Now it's, I'm not the only mobile bartender out there. But one of my main competitors in Boulder, or in Nevada is Bar Masters.

Jill: Okay.

Angie: Which is great. They're fantastic. I actually worked for them for a little while. But the thing with Bar Masters is you don't... You're ordering everything online. It's almost like online shopping.

Jill: Oh, I had no idea.

Angie: With me, they have somebody to talk to and bounce ideas off of in case they don't know what they want. So if you don't know what you want or you're not sure, you want something different but you don't know what's in it, instead of looking it up yourself, you can talk to me.

And I like that because I've noticed in a lot of, maybe not in Boulder City, but a lot of the big businesses, you lose that human component.

Jill: Right.

Angie: It's all AI doing the talking for you.

Jill: Right. Yeah.

Angie: And I think the human component is a big thing because I'm gonna take into account that, okay, you said that you have an allergy to this. Well, I'm gonna remember that when I'm buying things. Tanya, for example, whenever she comes up to my bar when I'm out in public and she wants to have a mocktail or something. It's like, well, 'cause of her, corn syrup allergy.

Jill: Right.

Angie: I'm able to pull out the ingredients and just look at them, or pull out my mixers and just look at them right there or let her look at them, so she can decide. So she can see if there's something in there that she can't have.

Jill: Yeah, that's not something you're gonna get from an online opportunity.

Angie: Exactly.

Jill: And you also aren't gonna have that interaction and, like you said, the human connection and that relationship, and I think people are... You know, now that we have... I think back when Tom Cruise was in whatever movie it was where he was the bartender and he was throwing the glasses and things up, I, it was when I was young.

It kind of introduced the idea that bartending was almost entertainment. And we've always known that the bartender's somebody you go to and you can tell all your problems to, right? So what do we do without that, you know, human element, that relationship that is built and that rapport that's built?

And so I see this as being so advantageous to have you right there and be able to have somebody to talk to and make stuff up with. And then you're, in watching just the video from the Sip and Flame, you could see everybody was enjoying, they were having fun, they were laughing. It was, it, I don't know, it brings people together.

They're not home drinking alone, I suppose is a huge plus.

Angie: Well, you know me, I make jokes, so.

Jill: Yeah. Yeah, I do. I am fully aware.

Angie: I make quite a few jokes in the middle of my mixology classes, but

Jill: So have you had a funny experience where you can think back something that cracks you up, maybe something that, a joke that landed flat or something that you've done that's cracked you up?

Angie: Oh, no, I'm always funny. I did make a joke when I was teaching how to make a drink. It was a mixology class. Well, I use Boston shakers because

Jill: Yes

Angie: I know they won't leak. The other ones with the little lids and whatnot, they warp and they leak after overtime, but the Boston shaker.

So I said, "Okay, put the little one on top of the big one, and then you give it a little tap. no Hulk smash." And I had a bunch of girls, and they looked at me and they're like, "What?" I'm like, "Oh, this is not my nerd crowd. Cool."

Jill: I have zero clue what you just said, so I'm probably with that, that group of girls.

Angie: Hulk smash. It's, you know, Hulk.

Jill: Oh, The Hulk.

Angie: The Hulk. You know Hulk smash?

Jill: Okay. Now I get it. I'm sorry, I probably wouldn't have laughed either. okay, great. So can you tell me something you guys might be working on? Are you... Do you have something new coming up? Are you gonna be adding to? Do you have big plans in your future?

Angie: I am trying to work with Damn Dog House. We gotta get some dates together. We're, we started trying to work on doing something we're calling Whiskey and Woofs.

Jill: Oh, that's right.

Angie: It's basically the whiskey tasting, but you can bring your dogs.

Jill: I think that is fabulous. I can't wait to find out more about that.

Angie: We just have to, we just have to get dates put, into play. That's all. And, with her schedule and my schedule, it's kinda been rough, but we'll figure it out. We'll get there.

Jill: Rough or woof?

Angie: It's been woof. we'll get there. And, but bringing bourbon tasting or whiskey tasting, it's gonna be bourbon and whiskey tasting, to Boulder City, I think will, is something that some people have asked for.

I know you mentioned that some of the lodges were asking about that. I know the Masons Lodge does it once in a while. I've talked to the Elks Lodge about possibly doing it, too. They wouldn't need a bartender, though. They have bartenders. that is one of my jobs.

Jill: Yes, that's right. Yeah, I think that's gonna be way fun.

I think that, as you were describing it, people love their pets. Right? And the idea that they can go and be entertained and enjoy that, and what a perfect way for Allison to be able to talk about The Damn Dog House.

Angie: Well, I've talked about it with some people, and I've had a couple people say, "Can I, if I don't have a dog, can I still come?"

Yes, of course.

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: You can come. You just gotta realize there's gonna be dogs there. Right. So as long as you're okay with the dogs being there. And if you want, I'll bring my dog and you can play with her. I mean, she's a gigantic dog, but you know, she's sweet.

Jill: You'll have to get Tanya to bring Cupcake.

Angie: Yeah.

Jill: The chamber mascot. That would be awesome. So I think those are fun, entertainment, interaction, great ways for people to get together, have social time, and, you're collaborating with some of the great businesses we have here in town. Okay, so let's get to know Angie a little bit better.

Ange, what was your first job?

Angie: My very first job?

Jill: Yeah. Did you babysit as a kid?

Angie: Oh, I didn't even think that far back. Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, I'm the oldest of five kids. I babysat a lot.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Angie: But I never got paid for it, so I don't think of that as a job.

Jill: No.

Angie: Yeah. It really just prepared me to be a mom.

My very first actual job was I was a server. I've been a server and a bartender for 25 years. I've had a couple jobs here and there between them, but I absolutely love the people interaction.

Jill: Oh, I can imagine. Very, it's very social.

Angie: Yes.

Jill: Yeah, you have to be social for that, I think.

Angie: And I think I am.

Jill: And then I know you, served in the military.

Angie: Yes, I did.

Jill: And so you

Angie: I was a correctional officer in the Army.

Jill: So thank you for your service. And where were you?

Angie: I did, my basic training in AIT in Fort- Lost in the Woods.

Jill: What's

Angie: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It's just

Jill: Fort Leonard Wood. I've never even heard of that one.

Angie: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. We call it Fort Lost in the Woods.

Jill: Oh.

Angie: So I did basic in AIT there, and then I did a year in Guantanamo Bay.

And then I did five years in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Jill: Wow.

Angie: Yeah.

Jill: Very interesting. And I would imagine you had some interesting experiences.

Angie: As a correctional officer?

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Especially in Guantanamo Bay, I dealt with the terrorists more than anything else.

Detainees.

Jill: And so you've seen some things.

Angie: I mean, it's all funny. I have funny stories. I have plenty of funny stories.

Jill: Well, I would

Angie: It's nothing like that movie with, the chick from Twilight.

Jill: Oh, I don't

Angie: Where she falls in love with a detainee.

Jill: Oh, gross.

Angie: Yeah. Exactly.

Jill: That does not sound like a good plan.

Well, I would imagine, too, it'd help you prepare for service positions because, you know, you're dealing with a crowd that can get unruly, and so you have tactics.

Angie: Yes. Yes. I, my jumping over the bar skills are a bit rusty since I started my own business, but I can do it still if I need to.

Jill: You can handle it.

Well, and you did great at Spring Jam, so thank you. Guantanamo Bay, Spring Jam, you know. It's kind of all the same. It's all good. Well, I really appreciate it. And so, this is the question that makes me uncomfortable when I ask it, but what is your impression of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce?

Angie: Oh, I love it.

And it's not just because I work here.

Jill: Good answer.

Angie: I think it's I think there, and I said this before, I think there's so many things that, businesses don't realize that they can utilize the Chamber for. Yeah, I get everybody gets their free landing page. Cool. Great. But did you know that you can get a podcast once a year?

Jill: Right.

Angie: Did you know that Jill goes... You go everywhere. Washington, you were just recently in Carson City, right? Doing a bunch of advocacy just for the businesses here in Boulder City.

Jill: Right.

Angie: It's a huge thing that you do for us, and I don't think people understand or realize that this is what you're doing. You're not just taking all these trips for fun. I don't think... I think in the year that I worked here, there was one fun trip you did, Disneyland?

Jill: Yeah.

Angie: And that was it. Every other time you're out of the office, it's Washington, it's Carson City, it's Reno, it's wherever the heck else you go, for the chamber conferences, for dealing with, and all the senators that we deal with and everybody you know.

I mean, we just had, Monday we had, didn't we have a senator here?

Jill: Yeah. Mas- Senator Mas- Cortez Masto ...

Angie: Cortez Masto. Yeah. Masto. She was just here, and then yesterday you met with, was it yesterday?

Jill: Chief of Staff for

Angie: Chief of Staff

Jill: Congresswoman Titus, who

Angie: Exactly

Jill: is going to be here today.

Angie: Right. See? So there's so much you do for us and just for Boulder City, and I don't think anybody takes, realizes what you do.

Jill: Well, thank you, and I agree, and part of our problem is that we're too busy doing the work. We're not doing enough to talk about the work, right?

Angie: Well, that's what Olivia's gonna be for, so.

Jill: Yes.

Angie: We're gonna have Olivia to do that for us.

Jill: We have a great staff and a great team that supports us in what we do, and that allows you to have a solid business here in Boulder City as well.

Angie: It does.

Jill: And I think a lot of the entrepreneurs that live here in Boulder have, really been able to see the difference that, being a member of any chamber can do for you, right? And it allows us also to not only help and support, but live in a better community. It creates a quality of life for all of us that live here.

Angie: Yes, it does, especially, like, with the pop-up markets, all the time we spent with the city trying to get them to tell us, lay it out on a piece of paper, how do we do pop-up markets?

That's a huge thing, 'cause I know that there were some issues here and there with other people trying to do pop-up markets and not doing them completely properly because we didn't know.

Jill: That's exactly right. It's the education, right? So bringing everybody together, convening all of the city leadership as well as those that are interested. Because, you know, we talk about events all the time as being mini population explosions. So when we've got, you know, groups of people coming in from Vegas Valley or other locals that haven't been in the historic district for a while, having them come down to these special little pop-up markets or special events, they're very important.

They infuse business in when possibly those businesses wouldn't have seen those individuals. It's the same thing with the wine walks. The idea is to get people moving and traveling throughout that, the business core, and now being able to add additional, partnerships so that businesses from out on the highway have the ability to partner up with those businesses within the walking district.

It allows for them to also showcase what it is they do. And we love the idea that just bringing those people and those guests from Vegas, they're driving past those businesses on the highway. So now it gives those businesses the opportunity to have, eyes on what it is they do and then advertise to them, convert them to stop by them on their way in or out.

So there's always opportunity, and we wanna make sure that we're, you know, citywide helping and assisting. And so I really appreciate all your efforts in doing that and, being with the chamber as well as having a great business. And what a great inspiration you are to not only women, but to your children.

So thank you for what it is you do.

Angie: Thank you.

Jill: Thanks for being here today. We've loved it.

Angie: Thanks, Jill.

2026 Boulder City Chautauqua: Spark of a New Nation

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 01:23:21 GMT

2026 Boulder City Chautauqua: Spark of a New Nation

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with Ihla Crowley, Project Director for the Boulder City Chautauqua. Ihla shares how the organization brings history to life through immersive living history performances, gearing up for this year's theme, "Spark of a New Nation," in honor of America's 250th anniversary.

Ihla opens up about the rich history of Chautauqua in Boulder City—from its humble beginnings iun 1992 under a tent in Bicentennial Park to its evolution today. She details the intense dedication of historical scholars, how themes and characters like Martha Washington, Paul Revere, and Alexander Hamilton are chosen, and how community support, silent auctions, and volunteers keep this beloved educational tradition thriving.

DISCUSSION

Boulder City Chautauqua & "Spark of a New Nation": Celebrating nearly 35 years of living history with portrayals of Martha Washington, Paul Revere, and Alexander Hamilton honoring America's 250th anniversary.
The Art of Historical Scholars: Highlighting the incredible research and background of scholars like Katharine Pittman (Martha Washington), Dr. Hal Bidlack (Alexander Hamilton), and Terry Lynch (Paul Revere).
35 Years of Boulder City History: Recalling Chautauqua's origins in 1992 with the Chamber of Commerce, early days in a tent at Bicentennial Park, and moving to the Boulder Theater.
Funding & Community Support: Navigating grant transitions with the Nevada Arts Council and raising funds through community support and private foundations.
Custom Chautauqua Quilt Silent Auction: Featuring a unique fundraising quilt crafted by Kim Madrazo and quilted by Jessica Whitaker of Silver State Stitch Shop using past event t-shirts.
The 20-20-20 Chautauqua Format: Explaining the interactive three-part structure of performances featuring monologue, in-character Q&A, and out-of-character scholar Q&A.
Youth Involvement & Volunteer Service: Encouraging school involvement, youth education, and calling for community volunteers and committee members.
Event Details & Ticket Bundles: Sharing schedule information for the October event at Boulder Creek Pavilion, special ticket bundle savings, and the Thursday night meet-and-greet dinner.

LEARN MORE

For more information about Boulder City Chautauqua, visit https://www.bcchautauqua.org/

Purchase your tickets online for the Boulder City Chautauqua for 2026 at
https://bcc-2026.ticketbud.com/

In-Person Ticket Purchase Options:

Ace Hardware , 541 Nevada Way
Boulder Dam Hotel , 1305 Arizona Street
BC Chamber of Commerce , 100 Nevada Way
(check or cash only please at these locations)

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com

KEYWORDS

Ihla Crowley, Boulder City Chautauqua, Boulder City, Historical Scholars, Living History, America 250, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#IhlaCrowley #BoulderCityChautauqua #BoulderCity #LivingHistory #America250 #LocalHistory #ArtsAndCulture #TheBestDamPodcast #Chautauqua

Podcast Transcript

Jill: All right, wonderful listeners. Wait till you hear about this special event. It's coming right around the corner. This is today our recording with Ms. Ihla Crowley. She's amazing. She is with the Boulder City Chautauqua. She's our project director here in Boulder City.

We are so glad to have her. She is quite an institution here in Boulder quite a history here in Boulder, so thank you so much for being here.

Ihla: Thank you for having me.

Jill: We're excited to learn a little bit more about this year's Boulder City Chautauqua, which every year it's an educational opportunity.

And so I can't wait to hear a little bit more about this year. So can you share what we're gonna be looking forward to?

Ihla: Sure. By the way,Chautauqua's been in Boulder City for 35 years.

Jill: Oh, my goodness.

Ihla: Going on 35 years, so it is quite an institution. But this year, yes, we have, Chautauqua is where, scholars portray historical characters. And this year we always have a theme, and this year's theme is Spark of a New Nation, which plays into the 250th, anniversary of the country.

Jill: Perfect.

Ihla: So we're continuing on that. We've known about that we were gonna have this theme for several years now, so we did quite a bit of preparation.

So again, it's Spark of a New Nation, and, the characters that we have are, Martha Washington and, Paul Revere and Alexander Hamilton.

Jill: Oh, my gosh, how exciting is that? We were just in Washington, DC, and Martha Martha Washington's home is just spectacular. And so many people enjoy getting to visit that and learning more about her and learning about her concerns and her life and some of the things you always wonder about the person who's behind the, the the either celebrity or the political figure. And it's always interesting to learn about, the spouse, and I'm so excited to hear more about her. Yeah. And then Paul Revere, of course. I mean, such a perfect way to celebrate America 250 as well as Alexander Hamilton.

Ihla: It's gonna be a fun one. Yeah. Yes. Oh,

Jill: I am so excited to learn more about that. I'm gonna ask you a whole bunch of slew of questions because, number one, I want to learn, but number two, I can imagine if there's somebody who doesn't know what a Chautauqua is explain the depth at which those, those actors that are portraying those individuals, explain kind of the idea behind what a Chautauqua does and the amount of work that those individuals put into it.

Ihla: Well, we actually call them scholars as opposed to actors. and, the, a lot of them are professors. our, Martha Washington this time is Katherine Pittman, who actually portrays, she researches and portrays, Martha Washington at, the Williamsburg historical site.

Jill: Really? How cool.

Ihla: And she was on, And she's been on many different programs, and on the PBS 250th celebration, she was, had a performance there. Wow. She was part of that performance, and so I was very pleased to see that. So she's high quality. Then we have, Hal Bidlack, who is, he's a specialist about, political science and so on.

He, has studied Alexander Hamilton and other figures. he was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.

Jill: Wow.

Ihla: He's got a doctorate in political science. He taught for 15-plus years in the Air Force, plus a couple years outside of the Air Force, and specializes in national government issues and the Founding.

So he is really the expert on Alexander Hamilton, so we're really pleased to have him. And then Terry Lynch, our Paul Revere. it's gonna be more like a... He creates unique presentations that are humorous, informative, and inspirational.

Jill: How cool

Ihla: is that? And so these are the three very high-quality, scholars we have this year.

Jill: I would imagine they are so inspired by the studying that they need to do in order to be able to portray them and the mannerisms and one of my all-time favorites was Julia Child. I found her and that scholar, I found her to be so fun. And I mean, the way she banged pots and pans, very similar.

And

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: it was just, I mean, right down to just a perfect portrayal of what I have come to know, just from, you know what I've watched on, on TV television.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: And so I would imagine that they just really enjoy all that study and that history. Now as scholars, and obviously they're in that role.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: I would imagine that, it's very fulfilling for them. Have you ever had that conversation with them?

Ihla: Well, yes, a bit. and some of the, scholars that we have do more than one character, and so they're and they're more, like historians.

And, you know, we chat about that quite a bit and what their background is when we have them here. They love coming to Boulder City. Oh, fun. Boulder City is their favorite.

Jill: Oh, yay.

Ihla: And, we've had like we have this one fellow, Doug Mischler, who's a professor up in Reno. and he does, like, 20 characters and he's been here many, many times, but so I've gotten to know him very well. And we're like friends.

And, they just love coming to Boulder City.

Jill: I love that.

Ihla: Yes. These three, this time, I guess Hal Bidlack has been here before, years ago. As I say, we've been doing this 35 years. So, it was during a time when I wasn't involved for a while. And he's, he did say when I contacted him, "Oh, I'd love to come back to Boulder City because"

Jill: Oh, great

Ihla: they, the people are so friendly, and we, most of the time they stay at the historic Boulder

Jill: Boulder Dam Hotel

Ihla: And so everything's so close within walking distance.

Jill: Right.

Ihla: and, they really love coming here.

Jill: Oh, I love to hear that kind of thing. And, so is there a, an organization that they subscribe to or are a part of that you know to go to get these individual scholars? How do you find them?

Ihla: That's an interesting question because it's not always that, that, easy. In the past, there have been... They've tried, some people have tried to compile a list of different, scholars, who do this. But it's more kind of word of mouth. it's more, as I say, Doug Mischler, he does all those characters.

We don't you know, we can't have him every year, although he's very good. We do have to have some variety, but he knows a lot of the people then, so I can contact him. we develop a theme. We develop characters, or we pick characters, and then we go looking for if anybody does it.

Jill: Oh, cool.

Ihla: So you go online. You check. There's different, different states. There's a Chautauqua in almost every state.

Jill: Right. Right.

Ihla: And there's fewer than there used to be. but Ohio has some. I think in Oklahoma they have. So then you just start googling the, you know, Gemini really works for me well these days.

Now I just say, "What scholars, portray this, this historical character?" And up come a bunch of names.

Jill: Wow.

Ihla: So that's has really helped.

Jill: Well, that's great.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah. I'm glad that, I'm glad that we're finding that information. What a great opportunity. I wondered how you dig for that, but that makes- a lot of sense. And so I would imagine that, they travel all over 'cause they're not... Or do you try to only get ones that are somewhat close to Nevada, or do they travel all over? It sounds like, the one that is Martha Washington, she's coming from Williamsburg.

Ihla: Yes, and Hal Bidlack is coming from Colorado.

Terry Lynch, I'm not sure where he lives, but no, we've had people from all over the states.

Jill: Oh, neat.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: And so hopefully, since they love Boulder City, they go back and they do a little of advertising for us and marketing.

Ihla: Sure.

Jill: Yeah, see? This is, there's tourism involved in all of this. Okay. I love it. That is great.

Okay, so can you share a little bit more about how you got involved with this? Because I know there's a lot of history there. Can you kind of tell us how does Chautauqua get started here in Boulder City, and what, how are you tied to that?

Ihla: Well, moved here in 1991. one of my first jobs here was working for the Chamber of Commerce.

Jill: That's right. That's right. That's what I was hoping you'd get to.

Ihla: And, and Theda Cox at that time was,a member of the, Nevada Humanities Committee. And, and they at that time were doing a Chautauqua in Nevada, I mean, up in Reno. And they wanted to bring this culture to this rural community, and, which we are.

Jill: Right.

Ihla: As you know. That's right. We're designated as a rural community. And so they gave us a $10,000 grant.

Jill: Wow.

Ihla: The chamber was the, kind of the sponsor of it, so to speak. and, And I worked that first year with Jennie McIlvaine, who was

Jill: Yes

Ihla: the director at that time.

Jill: Yep.

Ihla: And then, so that was in 1992 actually.

And after that, Jennie McIlvaine and the chamber were not involved, so we went to the Boulder City Museum as our sponsor. We have to have a 501[c][3] when you ask for grants. And so we got, you know,we just went from there, and I was project director for the next 10 years. Then...

And we pitched a tent in Bicentennial Park I remember right next to the gazebo. A great big white tent, great fun. Sitting outside in the elements. Sometimes it was too hot, sometimes it was rainy or windy, and we just went right through it and, had a good time with that. And then in 2002, we moved into the Boulder Theater.

Jill: I remember sitting in the gazebo with Sacagawea and a whole bunch of cute little kids. Yes. They loved her.

Ihla: Yes.

Jill: They thought she was fabulous, and it was. It was right outside and, you know,it was just a, an ideal location, and she did such a fabulous job. She was a beautiful lady.

Ihla: Yeah. We had a lot of really good, good, scholars who were doing the fun characters in those days especially, yes.

That's true. And in those first... Because we had that humanities grant, those first 10 years, And then we get, we kept getting grants, but then. And we couldn't charge. At first, we couldn't charge because, you know, It was the grant requirement they gave us that nice grant which took care of it,10, 30 years ago.

And, we needed, we had to do certain things like get the schools involved, get the, have, activities for children have panel discussions and so on.

There were a lot of things they wanted us to do, which we did at that time. I remember. As you say, we had that, in the gazebo, that children's program.

we don't do that so much anymore. We've, we don't get the Nevada Humanities grant anymore. And we've moved on to other ways, to do that. But yeah. So- And then after 2002, then until, until COVID

Jill: Right

Ihla: it was in the Boulder Theater.

Jill: Right.

Ihla: and it was Sarah Weber and her team of volunteers who took over it in 2003.

Jill: Yeah, I remember Miss Amy was involved in it for a little bit.

Ihla: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. She was also, yeah.

Jill: Yeah.

Ihla: yeah.

Jill: And so I'm glad that it had a home in the theater and,kind of became an icon of what we see happening at the theater, and more of that's happening now, so that's very exciting. Well,so let's go back to the fundraising aspect though, as you were talking about no longer having the humanities grant, but you do still receive a grant from Nevada Arts Council.

Ihla: Right.

Jill: Yes.

Ihla: this is the first year for that.

Jill: That is wonderful. I'm really excited

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: for that.

Ihla: Yeah. And, and then we have a grant from a private foundation also, this year. Yeah, losing that grant from the humanities committee, which kept getting smaller by the way because then we started, charging, admission and so on. but we'd still need help with that. That doesn't cover, the

Jill: Not nowadays

Ihla: the expenses, the admission. And so then when it... what was it? Last year, a couple years ago, the, National Endowment for the Arts I believe it was, it totally got cut, their funding, so the...

That's where the humanities, committee here in Nevada got their funds.

And so that got cut, and then we did a really major fundraising, campaign, and the community came to our aid.

Jill: Yes, they did.

Ihla: Yes. Let me tell you, it was really great, and so we were able to do that here. And then now we've, requested the grant from the Nevada Arts Council.

And luckily we got that one, so that, that was

Jill: That is awesome. Thank you.

Jill: And so then you had told me before that you really don't do sponsorships, but you do have many individuals that contribute and they donate. And then also this year you have another very special thing that, has become a, a real interesting piece for you to be able to use as a fundraiser. Can you share a little bit more about that?

Ihla: Sure. We have a silent auction going on for a wonderful quilt made by, Kim Madrazo. And,she designed it, and, Jessica Whitaker of, the Silver State Stitch Shop, she did the quilting for us. And they used, they used, some of our old, the T-shirts from the

Jill: Yes

Ihla: last four years and made it very colorful and fun. it's a, a really nice quilt. It's big. What is it? Five by, five foot by five foot

Jill: Yeah

Ihla: or six foot by six foot. Anyway, it's very, it's large. but we're doing a silent auction on that, and It's beautiful bid for that. It can be seen if, people wanna go take a look at it at, Jessica's shop, which is the Silver State Stitch Shop, 1229 Arizona, Street, right here in Boulder City.

So if you wanna go in and take a look. It's in a window, but it's kind of in one that's kinda tinted.

So you can walk around and you can see it, but it's best, I think, to go on in and take a look at it.

Jill: I agree.

Ihla: But it was a lot of work by these two ladies, and I think it's gonna be a wonderful keepsake for someone.

Jill: You know, I think that, It's so colorful. It catches your attention. It catches your eye. And I do believe that somebody who is, really treasures Chautauqua will treasure that quilt. it's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah, Kim did a fabulous

Ihla: Thank you

Jill: job on that.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: let's talk about how you choose themes.

So you had said that you already knew you were gonna be doing America 250 or a theme around that a couple years ago. So are you a couple years out on themes and how to choose themes?

Ihla: We do. we try, at least two years, because the scholars they get booked up.

Jill: Oh,

Ihla: And, they do this

I'm sure they probably teach, or they're professors somewhere, but they, on the weekends, they do these, portrayals. And so they do get booked up, especially, you know, the popular ones. Yeah, a couple years out, and we're always interested. We want it... By the way, the characters have to be dead.

That's awesome.

Jill: That's kinda scary, but okay.

Ihla: Yeah, yeah. The, the characters we choose have to, have, have, are gone. So, you know, we just, this one we knew several years in advance because of the 250th anniversary. But we've, in 2001 when we moved into the, to the, Boulder Creek Pavilion, because, COVID, you know, Desi-

with the Boulder Theater, he didn't, feel comfortable having having events there anymore for a while.

So we just came up with ideas. the first one I wanted to do when I came back, because Sarah Weber and her team, were 20 years they,

Jill: Wow

Ihla: on this, and they sort of, indelicately say they aged out and burnt out.

And they were ready to move on and didn't wanna do it anymore, so I was asked to come back. So I came back then in, in 20, in, 2021. and, so, you know, we started... I said I wanna start off with something, that I think people really enjoyed in the first years.

Jill: Right.

Ihla: So we did a comedy one, right?

So I mean, that's kinda how I figured. So we did, you know, people that I thought people the, public would like. Mark Twain, Will Rogers, Erma Bombeck, and,

Jill: Yes, those were fun

Ihla: and Julia Child, and that's the one

Jill: Yes

Ihla: that you were talking about.

Jill: Yes. Erma Bombeck was hysterical.

Ihla: Yeah. The, so that was a fun to just get, break the ice and get back into it.

And then

Jill: Yeah

Ihla: then, then we just go on to think of thing, just the team just brainstorms. Basically brainstorms. And so then we went to aviation legends, with Chuck Yeager and Amelia Earhart. then we had a really fun one with legends of note with Woody Guthrie and John Lannan.

Jill: Yes, the music. Yes.

Ihla: And Mama Cass, so that was fun. So we just try to find something that's, that would be enjoyable and fun, fun for people. We did the first ladies the next year.

Jill: Yes.

Ihla: We did the first ladies. And so then you think, "Okay, who are people gonna wanna want to see?"

Jill: Yeah.

Ihla: and also, so once we get the characters we want and figure out a theme around it, then we go, just go out searching for them.

Jill: And hunt for people

Ihla: that fit that theme.

Ihla: That's right. And so,it is, you know, we've got a team of, there's just five of us now working. We'd love to have anybody who wants to get involved. we have the volunteer, opportunities during the event, and also if you or anyone is interested in becoming more involved, we would love to have more committee members because the more people you have, the more ideas you have, the more brainstorming fun you have.

Jill: Right.

Jill: And also there's tasks that need to be done. and yeah.

Jill: I can't believe you guys do it with only five of you.

Ihla: Yeah. It's

Jill: That's impressive.

Ihla: Yeah. So it's, Yeah, there, we could use more

Jill: Well, that's great

Ihla: Anyone who wants to, come on

Jill: Yeah. We'll make sure that. Just get in touch with me they have your information in the show notes, because I can imagine that there's probably quite a few people who just enjoy the history and enjoy the arts and the skill set that is, included with, and the educational component.

It's family-friendly.

Ihla: Yes.

Jill: And so there's just so many, advantages.

I can imagine there's quite a few people who, just didn't know how to get involved.

Ihla: Yeah, and I would love to have as many as possible really.

Jill: Well, that is awesome.

Ihla: The more, the better.

Jill: What a great thing for us to include, is to make sure people realize that, yes, donations are always welcome but also volunteer service.

Ihla: Sure.

Jill: Which is amazing. You know, and talking about service, which popped back in my head, as you were describing the gentleman that's gonna be, part of the, Hamilton presentation his service to the country and what an amazing individual to

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: to portray somebody from history, but also to have served his country so dynamically.

I mean, that's pretty amazing and, we'll have to make sure we tell him thank you.

Ihla: And I'm not sure, if he does other characters. He may just totally be involved. And, I know that, we have really quality, quality

Jill: Yeah

Ihla: scholars this year, for sure.

Jill: Yeah. Maybe a military theme.

We've got some amazing military leaders in our history.

That might be of interest to understand a little bit more about each of maybe a different war that they represented. I don't know.

Ihla: There you go. See you're brainstorming. Yeah. That's, I love it.

Jill: That's what we need. Something fun like that. That's not fun. That's history that we need to learn.

Ihla: That's right. We need to learn from history so we don't repeat the past and

Jill: Yeah what a great way to learn true history and have it set in your mind. That was one of my favorite parts about Amelia Earhart. I learned facts about her that I thought I had studied her in high school 'cause I had to do a big report on her. And I thought for sure I knew everything, but man, as she was communicating some of her information and the questions that are coming from the audience, ooh, that's

Ihla: Oh, yeah something to talk about.

Ihla: That's right.

Jill: Yeah. That's right. Let's bring that up. So the audience gets to ask some really amazing questions of the individuals and it really, it is blows my mind that it never trips them up.

Ihla: Well, very seldom.

Jill: Yeah.

Ihla: Yes. And so the format, the Chautauqua format is basically an hour long, 20, 20, 20. 20 minutes of the character talking about an aspect of their life and, going into that. And then for 20 minutes, the audience asks questions of the scholar. of the character.

In character, and it has to be in character. It's kind of fun when somebody says, "Well," you know, they might say, "What did you think of the telephone?" that's silly example.

Jill: Yeah.

Ihla: But something like that where it was never invented, and so they have to somehow have to, deal with that. But, and then for the final 20 minutes, they take off a, their, part of their costume so that now they are the scholar, and then you ask questions, or the audience asks questions of the scholar.

Now, I say 20, 20, 20. That's just a, that, they usually have more of the first section. And then that, the question and answers, can be as long as there's still questions going on. Got it. And so sometimes that's 10 minutes, sometimes that's a little more, for each one.

And then they, we kind of wrap it up in about, in a little... If it goes much over an hour, we don't, we say, "Okay, this is gonna be the last question" Last question or whatever. But people often come up after and are, they're talking to the scholars just asking so Oh, yeah

many questions. and that's the thing. That's why we say scholars as opposed to actors.

Jill: Right.

Ihla: Because they are, it's more extemporaneous. I'm sure they have a prepared, prepared speech, so to speak.

Jill: Yes. Yes, yes.

Ihla: Whether it's like a memorized speech or whether they just kinda, kinda go impromptu, but they know their subject so well for their, that first portion.

And, you know, it's interesting because people do. the audience does interact, quite animatedly with them sometimes. And it's fun to watch, yeah.

Jill: I agree.

Ihla: and people love it that come. It's... We have, a, a dedicated audience. and some of the original people have aged out or- passed away, 30 years after after all. And, it's fun to see the new people come. And quite often, once you come once, you're hooked.

Jill: Right.

Ihla: You wanna come again.

Jill: Yeah. I can't remember who the, the character, the individual was, that. But there was a young man in the audience, and he, like, I would say junior high age.

And he asked such a brilliant question. I don't know if a parent slipped him that question or what. But he asked such a brilliant question, and it was intriguing for me to realize how much education really is taking place

Ihla: Yes

Jill: as that young man was asking this question of,a character, in history that he's probably studied in a book, and now he had the opportunity to really interact.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: So I can really see why youth education is a huge component to Chautauqua.

Ihla: And we'd like for it to be even more I would love to... You know, our demographic is, a little bit older, but, we'd love to get the high school involved.

We've tried, and we'd like to get them more involved. And would... We love it when there's young people in the audience because

Jill: Yeah

Ihla: they do the... and maybe they have studied a certain, personality or or character in, in school, and if they really get hooked on that, they ask wonderful questions.

Yeah.

Jill: It would be brilliant to have one of the educators at the high school that knows, what the curriculum's gonna be for the the next year that could be part of your committee, and that you can maybe match one of those characters that the students will be studying so then they can attend and have that interaction with, a live version of the character.

Ihla: that's excellent. And also the, the, acting, you know, the act- theater Theater group, group. The, history classes. one time when we had,back in 2021, I guess, when we had Will Rogers,

Jill: Yes

Ihla: trying to think of his name, the scholar's name. I'm so sorry. But, he went to the, acting class, the theater class

Jill: Oh, wow

Ihla: and talked about improvisation.

Jill: Oh, how neat.

Ihla: And so that, that was really cool. If we need to get, hopefully more involved with the school. We have a little barrier for some reason, and they they don't,

Jill: Their curric they have so much that these teachers have to teach in the I know

limited time that they have.

Ihla: Yeah.

Jill: But it really would be, a nifty project to be able to see something like that happen. So maybe it's the theater club, the after hours, after school project something or something along that line. but what a, what an amazing way to be able to, learn and not be just sitting there reading it from a book. I would imagine

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: any of those that are visual

Ihla: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah

Jill: would really be impacted by that.

Ihla: Yes. Would, we would love to have more involvement with the schools. And if there's anyone out there listening that has contact with the schools or is involved, or in the school system

Jill: Right

Ihla: that would like to, contact me, I would love to

Jill: Oh,

Ihla: yeah love to have that happen.

Jill: have you guys done anything with Shakespeare?

Ihla: No.

Jill: Because American Lit... I remember in English Lit we studied Shakespeare, and so maybe even in the English classes and, something

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: along that. we've done the Shakespeare in the Park with the, Yes

Main Street Boulder City. Oh my gosh. And the young people that are there and that are laughing and it kind of helps me realize that language is not that hard to pick up on. Even the kids are catching on. Now granted they're not getting all the innuendo and that kind of fun stuff,

but this, you know, this might

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: be a great way for people to learn from history.

Ihla: Yes. Yeah.

Jill: Yeah. I love it. Well, Ihla, um, is there anything else you'd like to share? Because this has been super informative. I am glad to learn to call them scholars and not actors. I would never want to insult anybody, and I really want to make sure that we, we represent them for all the education and all the information that they've had to retain in order to be a good character of history.

Ihla: Sure. There's more to it than just,memorizing a speech. Of course, we want to let people know that it is, Friday and Saturday night, in October 23rd and 24th. And it's at the, Boulder Creek Pavilion.

Jill: We love that. I think it's a beautiful location.

Ihla: Yeah. Friday night is, is, our character, Paul Revere, and that's at 6:30.

Jill: Okay.

Ihla: And at 2:00 matinee is Martha Washington.

Jill: Oh, that one's perfect.

Ihla: on Saturday. And then that night will be, will be our Alexander Hamilton. And this year we have, like, a bundle, for And pricing. if you wanna go to a, the Friday night, performance, and the Saturday matinee, instead of $20 per performance, you can get that bundle for $35.

Jill: Oh, perfect.

Ihla: You save a little.

Jill: Yeah.

Ihla: If you want to bundle Martha Washington and, SaturdayAlexander Hamilton on Saturday, also that's a bundle for $35. We're trying to get more people at the matinee.

Jill: Oh, okay.

…a: You know, we put... Sometimes we put our best, best person there. Well,they're all good, but...

And you never know if you haven't been there yet which one's gonna be the best. But we try and put a really one of our really good, good Strong characters a strong character on that matinee, and, that is our least, attended. And so we thought, "Let's do this bundle and maybe that will kinda help get the attendance up."

Jill: And do you have one

Ihla: And because Martha Washington, she's I mean, that, she's gonna be... Catherine Pittman is really gonna be

Jill: Oh, yeah

Ihla: super, super great.

She's the one that I'm interested in. And so then do you have one for all three? Is there a bundle for all three tickets?

Ihla: No.

Jill: Not yet.

Ihla: No, but you bundle the two and then just

Jill: Yeah

Ihla: pay the regular price, you still, you know.

Jill: You're still getting a deal.

Absolutely. I love it. Now, if I remember you guys used to do a dinner in combination with it, and so we ate

Ihla: Oh, yeah. That's one of our fundraising

Jill: Yes

Ihla: things, is the reception. We have a meet and greet reception on Thursday night, before the...

And we ask the scholars to arrive on Thursday so they can be at this reception. And it's at a beautiful house here in, in Boulder City. It's, that's $35, and you get a dinner. And we try and make it with a theme, so this time it's gonna be like a Yankee pot roast.

Jill: Oh, cool.

Ihla: And mashed potatoes and a vegetable, and then, and you get the dinner and drinks, wine, and, and to meet and mingle with these

Jill: Right

Ihla: scholars. They don't come in character. they're their actual, just themselves.

And it's a lot of fun. So yeah, that too is, Another fundraising opportunity

another fundraising opportunity. And, and all of these, you can purchase on TicketBud, which is, And you go to do that. oh, first of all, there's tickets available in town at, at the chamber here, and, Ace Hardware Oh, the hotel. At the hotel.

Jill: Okay.

Ihla: So those are the three locations people can go to and buy the tickets in person.

Bundles are available there. We've made that avaIhlable. the reception,not, we don't have the tickets for the reception there, but to get those, you can just call, you know,call our number And I did not write it down, and I don't have it memorized.

Jill: Well, that's

Ihla: okay. But if you go to bchautauqua.org.

Jill: Okay.

Ihla: Chautauqua is C-H-A-U-T-A-U-Q-U-A. So it's bchautauqua.org. There's a link to the, to Ticketbud, so you can buy your tickets online.

Jill: Perfect.

Ihla: And the phone number is there for you to call.

Jill: In case you have any questions.

Ihla: So sorry I don't have that on my, on the notes here.

Jill: That's okay. We don't... We'll have it in the show notes as well.

Ihla: Oh, good. Okay.

Jill: So that's good. Okay. And I think that there's a lot of opportunity here.

Ihla: Yes.

Jill: Right? So they have the opportunity for the reception.

They can be an individual donor. They can buy tickets in bundles or individuals. They can also volunteer to be part of the event that day, or volunteer to be part of the committee.

Ihla: Yes. Absolutely.

Jill: So there's so many ways to be a part whether you're attending or you want to help contribute to making sure that we continue with Chautauqua from years and years on.

Ihla: Yes.

Jill: Thank you so much for getting this started. You really are one of the founders.

Ihla: Yes.

Jill: And so we are grateful in the 250-year celebration

Ihla: Yes

Jill: of the founding of our country

Ihla: Yeah

Jill: that we get to visit with one of the founders of Chautauqua.

So thank you so much, Isla. It's been wonderful visiting with you.

Ihla: Oh, thank you so much for this opportunity.

Paranormal Stories and Family-Friendly Fun on Boulder City Ghost Adventures

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 01:15:00 GMT

Paranormal Stories and Family-Friendly Fun on Boulder City Ghost Adventures

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with Nick Weir, an amazing guide with Boulder City Ghost Adventures and a frontline ambassador at the Lighthouse Inn. Nick shares how he combines fascinating local history with spooky storytelling, using modern phone projectors to bring archival media to life right on the historic buildings of Boulder City.

Nick also opens up about his fascinating personal history—from early childhood memories of past lives and childhood visions, to his selection for the GATE program and a mysterious UFO sighting over Lake Mead—while reflecting on modern UFO disclosures and the deeper connection between consciousness, gratitude, compassion, and love.

DISCUSSION

Boulder City Ghost Adventures: Blending historic district history with spooky stories, interactive phone projection technology, and fully accessible walking tours.
Community Service & Ambassadorship: Starting his career through AmeriCorps and Three Square Food Bank, and welcoming visitors as a frontline ambassador at the Lighthouse Inn.
Modern UFO Disclosures: Examining recent government transparency, NASA astronaut transcripts, and the shift in credibility surrounding non-human intelligence and unexplainable phenomena.
Childhood Experiences & Past Lives: Recalling detailed past life memories at age three and experiencing visions of deceased relatives.
GATE Program Insights: Discussing his elementary school placement in the Gifted and Talented Education program based on high-level reading and memory skills.
The Lake Mead UFO Encounter: Describing a vivid 2023 sighting of a bright orange glowing orb over the water and its interaction with focused consciousness.
Values for Life: Sharing his core principles for navigating the unexplained and everyday life: gratitude, compassion, and love.

LEARN MORE

For more information about Boulder City Ghost Adventures, visit https://www.hauntedbouldercity.com/ or contact Beer Zombies-Boulder City at https://www.thebeerzombies.com/locations/boulder-city

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Nick Weir, Boulder City Ghost Adventures, Boulder City, UFO Disclosures, Paranormal, GATE Program, Lighthouse Inn, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#NickWeir #GhostTours #BoulderCity #Paranormal #UFOs #LocalHistory #PublicService #TheBestDamPodcast #BoulderCityGhostAdventures

Podcast Transcript

Jill: I have a very exciting day today. I get to visit with Nick. Nick is one of the amazing guides with Boulder City Ghost Adventures. We are so excited to have you here today. And Nick, what is your last name?

Nick: It's Weir.

Jill: Okay.

Nick: And, I do say Weird for the tour. We throw on the D at the end, but, I do come by the whole thing honestly.

Jill: And so what's your last name?

Nick: Weir. W-E-I-R. You put a D on the end. Nick Weir.

Jill: Thank you. I love that. And so I wanted you to kind of explain that a little bit more because I have taken your tour. I brought my family for, one of our Christmas family activities, and you explained that at the exact same time, the exact same way, and a bunch of people kept saying, "What?

What is your last name?" And so anyway, I thought that was, a great way to kick this off because you have such an interesting history. You have fallen in love with Boulder City. Thank you very much for what it is that you do because there are a lot of people. How many people have taken your tour so far?

Nick: I would have to guess, thousands now. We've definitely done groups of over 100 multiple times now. We've had lots and lots of big groups throughout the Octobers in the past.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: 20, 40 people groups. So I have to guess over 1,000 people by now.

Jill: Jiminy Cricket. So that's a lot of people that have not only learned the fun ghost stories, those adventure type stories, but you really build in a lot of the history of our historic district.

And so they're kind of mixing that, that fun and that entertainment, especially because of your persona, but then also they're learning about the history of the historic district, and I am just in love with it. I just think it is such a great addition to activities and things and adventure to do here in Boulder City, so I was so excited to get to visit with you today.

Nick: Absolutely. I was, thrilled to have the opportunity to come out. like I said before, I fell in love with Boulder City. it's an amazing place. The people are awesome, and the chance to share information in the format that I am is really unique. People come out to ghost tours and things like this, not just to hear the spooky stuff, but like you said, get into the history of the area.

And a lot of times, Learning can stop being as fun as it should be, so we can get back to that a little bit more with stuff like this.

Jill: Yeah, I love that. And we do learn when it's mixed with something that entertains and makes you remember things. And I just shared with you that one of my favorite parts of the tour is that you mix the modern with the history by having that little projector on your cellphone, and you shine it on the ground.

And people all gather around 'cause they're just mystified that you're showing a movie or stills or whatever on the ground, and then you'll shine it on the side of a building, and people are all staring up there. And it, it just is such a great way to engage your audience and provide that information and keep even the little guys engaged and watching and paying attention.

So, you did such a great job. So I'm so glad to have you. So tell me a little bit more. Boulder City Ghost Adventures. So the concept is they can buy tickets online. We're gonna have more information in the show notes about exactly how to do that. But, they'll buy, they buy, purchase tickets, and like you said, groups of however, so family groups if they've got a family reunion in town or a corporate event. What a great way to do a group, but then they can buy individual tickets as well, correct?

Nick: Yes, absolutely. As a matter of fact, I've done many tours for just groups of two or even a single person who came out. That was one of the big reasons why I wanted to be in Boulder City so that, no matter who wanted to come and experience it, they could do it.

Jill: That's awesome. And so then, what time are the tours at? What time do you do them?

Nick: So typically, we're leaving out at 8:00 PM, and we wrap up around about 9:00. It's usually an hour long, about a half mile walking, but Boulder City's very easy to get around. It's a comfortable place. So we see tours every day of the week as long as someone signs up.

Jill: Oh, very good. So I know that you focus mostly on the weekends. I see you gather at Beer Zombies, and that's the starting point. What a great place to start. Families can come. They can get a drink. They can, purchase a hamburger or something and eat as a family before they actually go out on their tour.

And you know the other really cool thing about this is it's handicap accessible. So thank you so much for thinking of that because I know the night of my tour we had a gentleman that was in a wheelchair. Zero issues whatsoever. His family was so grateful that he got to participate in something that not all of our tour operators have the ability to provide that service. Thank you for thinking of that.

Nick: No, no. Really that's something that I have to thank Boulder City for. The opportunity to lead a tour with accessibility is in large part due to the way the town is set up. It's an incredible town that if you haven't been down to, I can't stress enough, come out and see it because when you go through the streets, you can feel the intention of the people who set it up. And you can see why this was such a critical place.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: And it still is.

Jill: I love that. And again, that's part of the history that you talk about and share with people is it is intentional, right? It was intentional from the very start, and just a fabulous opportunity, so thank you very much for that.

And so, Nick, I always ask people a little bit more about themselves. So you're the guide. You're telling us these great things. You're taking on us on these tours. But what got you to that point? Who, what's behind Nick? So tell me, what was your first job?

Nick: So if we go back, my first job is actually gonna be with AmeriCorps.

Jill: Oh.

Nick: Yes. I got

Jill: Okay

Nick: to, do volunteer work with the, United Way of Southern Nevada

Jill: Yes

Nick: and through Three Square Food Bank.

Jill: Oh, man. such a awesome resource. I don't know what we would do in this community. The county is just so lucky to have Three Square.

Nick: It's very true. an amazing, amazing place, and if anybody's facing difficulties, don't hesitate to reach out, and if you're in a good place, hey, go volunteer. Drop something off. I can't tell you how much the volunteer hours really mattered at a facility like that.

Jill: Yeah. That's amazing. Well, thank you for your service to them. I really appreciate that, and sharing a little bit, about them. And so okay, that was your first job. And so, what is your day job now?

Nick: So now I actually get to work up at the, the inn on the side of the highway here in Boulder City. So it's the one with the big lighthouse standing out in front of it.

Jill: Yes.

Nick: It's a nice little getaway for the people, but, it also gives me the opportunity to continue that, dialogue as we see people coming into Boulder City. I can tell them about some of the sites in town that I really like, and I've definitely sent lots of people to the restaurants.

Jill: Oh, yes. Thank you very much. We appreciate you. So you're... We call those our frontline ambassadors. We really appreciate that. We actually have a, an educational program surrounding that because we wanna make sure that in your position you've got the tools that you need, so we do have an education program to train all of our frontline ambassadors, make sure you guys, have all the information that you can share, and circulate those guests around, right?

So the last thing that we want when people come to town, they sit down at a restaurant and they ask their waitress, "Okay, what is there to do in Boulder City?" And that waitress lives in Vegas and says, "I don't know," you know, "go back to Vegas." That's not a really good answer, right? We wanna make sure they have the information they need.

I'm appreciative of all your efforts, and so thank you for pushing more people back up here out at the top of the hill. And so at that location you have a interaction. You're a very social person, so you have the, a lot of that interaction with those individuals, and do you get the opportunity to share and say, "Hey, come do a ghost tour"?

Nick: Absolutely. I, of course try to stay humble, so I don't like to throw my tour out in front of people, but if, they start talking about the history of the town, and the UFOs, and the ghosts, I definitely bring up, "Hey- Go walk around, see the statues here in town. Yeah. And if you end up wanting some more, hey, there's some things like this that you can come and see as well.

Jill: Yes. Okay.

Nick: And I definitely send them to Tom Devlin.

Jill: Oh my gosh, right? So, he's getting ready to go into his high season, but they have got some really cool programs all year long, and, right down to the fact that they sell dance tights, right? So when the dance studio gets ready to go through their, their new season, they've got new dancers coming along, Lola's got dance tights over there for kids.

And so I'm like, oh my gosh, you never thought about that. But look, think about all the costumes and all the things that she's getting ready to go into this crazy season, and yeah, Tom, that is such a neat asset to Boulder City.

Nick: Really, really is.

Jill: Yeah. Okay, so let me ask you a few questions. So we know that right now it's just kind of this really, really crazy time with all this information release on UFOs and all the stuff that kind of cycles around that and the para normal stuff that you really are into. Will you share a little bit more about your insight on that?

Nick: Absolutely. So we're right in the middle of an intense period of time for this particular type of discussion. Historically speaking, this type of talk doesn't happen. We don't talk much about UFOs and ghosts and things like that, particularly in professional fields, because a lot of times it gets you eliminated from that field. You're no longer taken seriously. Your credibility is shot.

Jill: That was kind of the Scooby-Doo stuff, right? It wasn't Yeah. Yeah.

Nick: Exactly. Yeah. people didn't take it seriously. You must be just seeing things. but now we're looking at members of every branch of government. We're looking at every major military organization and members of various scientific communities coming forward and telling you, "Yes, this has been going on for decades." And we've not only interacted with them, but that there are recovered objects from potentially non-human intelligences, and that's being told to us.

Jill: And so those things have been stored in different places. We weren't, it wasn't very transparent for whatever reason. But now some of this information is being released, and now are you delving into that? Are you finding more information there that is it providing you the resources and more tools that you need for what it is you do?

Nick: So I'm absolutely delving into these files as they get released. One of the big, things though that we have to keep in mind as we are going into these documents is some of this stuff is information we've seen before.

Some of these are things that have been rumored and alleged for years and years and years, and now we're just getting confirmation that says, yes, it really did happen this way.

Jill: Wow.

Nick: Some of the most shocking things are the direct transcripts from NASA astronauts in space experiencing things that they attributed to other beings.

Jill: Interesting.

Nick: And

Jill: Yeah, that's very interesting. And so does it also it, makes me think all those people who wrote about it or talked about it and they were somewhat shunned, it kind of legitimizes who and what they are.

Nick: Right, and that's one of the more difficult parts of what we're going to have to confront as we move forward. The reality is a lot of people lost their careers. A lot of people had their families torn apart based on Not being taken seriously

Jill: Yeah

Nick: or being outright discredited. And You know

Jill: That's sad

Nick: it really is. We've seen, scientists disappear. And it's not just scientists. We had a general, a former general, go missing for weeks before it even hit the news.

And then we talked about all these missing scientists for about, a week and a half, and then it stopped being on the news.

Jill: Yeah. Yeah.

Nick: They're talking about them for years.

Jill: But their families are still missing them.

Nick: Yes. Yeah.

Jill: That's really hard. And then also know that, as a family member of somebody who's been discredited, that's gotta be so difficult.

Nick: Yeah. it is something that, I don't know how we reconcile as we go forward because you can't fix the problems once they've happened.

Jill: So do you feel like you have ever encountered, any extraterrestrial experiences, or have you had those can you share?

Nick: Absolutely. so my experience with the paranormal, goes back really far. When I'm just a little boy, maybe three years ol I would go to my grandmother and tell her about past lives tha I had lived.

Jill: Really?

Nick: Yes. and in detail, would explain to her things like, being a member of the Smoky Mountain Tribe, and this is the types of things we did. Another time, I would tell her about being a doctor who has two daughters that just, they need to know that I'm okay and they're okay, even though I'm not with them, that doesn't matter.

Jill: Really?

Nick: And as I got older, that sort of went away, but I would have other odd experiences.

Jill: How did your grandma handle that when you were three?

Nick: So I think she was particularly well-equipped. My grandmother is actually Diana Atkinson, PhD- who worked in the county, with with, Clark County.

Jill: Oh.

Nick: She's a child psychologist.

Jill: Okay.

Nick: And so she helped

Jill: She was equipped.

Nick: Yeah. She helped a lot to, place the children who have to go through the foster care system

Jill: Oh

Nick: here in the state of Nevada.

Jill: Oh, wow. Thank you for her work.

Nick: And so she was absolutely set up to deal with a child experiencing these odd things.

Jill: Interesting. Okay. So now you get older. You're... Are you still experiencing? Have you had any encounters? Or at this point, is it just odd things that are happening to you as you're growing up?

Nick: There are a few things. as I get older, when I'm about six or seven, my, But, when I'm about that age, my grandfather comes over to have a meal with us.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: And I look out the big bay window and I say, why are Grandpa's mommy and daddy outside? They should come in and eat with us." They had been gone for years.

Jill: Oh.

Nick: I don't know that I'd even seen a picture of these people.

Jill: Interesting. It's like you

Nick: And then he had a triple bypass that he needed to get done 'cause he had a massive heart attack

Jill: Yeah

Nick: a couple days later.

Jill: Oh my gosh. It was almost like they were there preparing him. Yeah.

Wow. Interesting.

Nick: And it gets even stranger for me.

Jill: Okay.

Nick: One of the things that, is being talked about big time right now is the GATE program.

Jill: Yes.

Nick: Are you familiar with it?

Jill: the GATE program at schools

Nick: Yes

Jill: in elementary schools?

Nick: E- exactly.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: As it happens, the GATE program is, Gifted Talented Education.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: But it's also been alleged that it was used to recruit psionic assets. That's people with psychic powers.

Jill: Really?

Nick: I got picked up in the fourth grade.

Jill: Interesting.

Nick: Post college-level reading and a 98th percentile memory.

Jill: That is crazy, Nick. And so I would never have known that from GATE. I remember the kids... I was not included, I was never invited. But I remember the kids that always got to leave the classroom and go to GATE, and you were always kinda jealous, and their teacher was really cool, and it was all of that. But yeah. Well, that is really interesting. I had no idea.

Nick: Yes.

Jill: How cool.

Nick: And I have to tell you, do, do a little bit of looking into the GATE program and some of the experiences people talk about.

Jill: Really?

Nick: It's very, very odd.

Jill: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I'm gonna check that out.

Nick: But just to bring us right back to Boulder City.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: we talked encounters. So when I first moved to Boulder City

Jill: Yes

Nick: I was living down on the girls' streets.

Jill: Okay.

Nick: And then I moved up here by the Lighthouse Inn.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: So as I'm walking home in December, this would've been, 2023. It's, about 11 o'clock at night, and I look out over the lake, and if I held out my arm at full extension, it would've been maybe two palms above the, water, and about the size of a grapefruit.

Jill: Okay.

Nick: It was bright orange. So bright orange that it hurt to look at it. There was a corona of light around it. I tried to pull out my phone to, you know

Jill: Take a picture

Nick: take a picture. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And I'm watching this thing, and it disappears. Blinks out.

Jill: Really?

Nick: And at the time I had been, really delving into this stuff, and I still am, but, you know, I started focusing out because one of the things that is alleged with these is it's conscious related.

Jill: Yes.

Nick: So I started thinking at it, "Hey, you know, I saw you."

Jill: Yeah. "

Nick: What are you hiding for?" It blinked back in and then it flashed back out.

Jill: Really?

Nick: And I have no idea what I saw.

Jill: That is

Nick: But I know I saw it

Jill: very interesting. And it was hovering over the water?

Nick: Yes. it was easily two palms above the water.

And it was bright, bright orange. I mean, so bright orange that again, it hurt to look at it. There was a corona

Jill: How interesting

Nick: of light. I don't know how anybody else couldn't have seen it. and then it was just gone.

Jill: Wow. That is very interesting. I wonder if anybody else has had that same kind of an experience.

Nick: I wonder about it, too.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: I ask people in the area about things like this pretty regularly, and, there are other people who have seen strange things here in Boulder City.

Jill: I wonder, like if, did the National Park Service, did they get any kind of a report that day or a call or anything? I wonder.

Nick: Now, see, that would be something to look into

Jill: Yeah

Nick: because there have been weird allegations like that in the past.

Jill: Interesting

Nick: maybe you've heard about Bigfoot traveling east across the air base.

Jill: Yes. I have a daughter who's very into this, and her, and my son-in-law, and so I've heard her share some different stories.

That is something that she's always been very fascinated by. And you just never really know, and I think it's interesting because those things we've never really known, as you shared, we're starting to get some information and confirmation, and it's opening us up to thinking bigger, to thinking differently, right?

Nick: Absolutely.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: One of the critical things that I think we have to address right now is you have scientists at the bleeding edge of technology telling you that consciousness is a field that suffuses everything. That really changes the way we interact with the world a lot.

Jill: Yeah.

Nick: It makes things very different.

I'm gonna stick with the three things that I always recommend to people. If you can carry these three things, no matter what happens, life's gonna be a little bit better. Gratitude, compassion, and love.

That's it.

Jill: You know what? What a great way to end, 'cause there's not much more that we can say that's any better than that.

So thank you, Nick, so much, and I really encourage our listeners to check out our show notes to get more information about how to sign up, get tickets, and join you for a tour, because it really is entertaining. It's a great way for education, and it's a wonderful family activity. So thank you for what you do, and thank you for your beautiful words.

We appreciate you.

Nick: No, thank you so much for having me, and, thanks everybody for the time.

Riley Knudsen: Winner, Group 3-5, “I Voted” Sticker Design Contest

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:47:56 GMT

Riley Knudsen: Winner, Group 3-5, “I Voted” Sticker Design Contest

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Riley Knudsen, a student at Empowered Leaders Micro School and winner of the local "I Voted" sticker contest. Riley shares her experience designing the winning sticker, her love for art, and her dream of becoming an animator.

Riley also reflects on the unique environment of attending a micro school, going on memorable field trips to Disneyland and SeaWorld, and balancing volunteering and babysitting—all while sharing valuable life lessons from her parents, like never giving up on her goals.

DISCUSSION

Micro School Life: Attending Empowered Leaders Micro School with only 45 students across K–8th grade, benefiting from small class sizes, four-hour school days, and personalized learning.
"I Voted" Sticker Contest Winner: Designing three sticker options to earn school project points, and seeing her artwork featured on Boulder City election stickers.
Future Dreams: Aspiring to become an animator due to her love for cartoons and art, while exploring career planning and technology tools through a school career project.
Hands-On Field Trips: Learning through immersive experiences outside the classroom, including special trips to Disneyland and SeaWorld.
Community & Service: Participating in the local King Kids shopping project in the historic district and volunteering in younger classrooms.
Working & Babysitting: Gaining foundational work experience by helping teachers with classroom projects and enjoying babysitting local kids as an energetic, supportive friend.
Reading & Personal Interests: Finding inspiration in books she loves, including The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.
Life Lessons from Family: Learning the importance of persistence from her parents, Zach and Sam Knudsen, and taking to heart their advice to never give up.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Riley Knudsen, Boulder City, I Voted Sticker Contest, Empowered Leaders Micro School, Animation, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#RileyKnudsen #IVoted #ArtContest #BoulderCity #PublicService #YouthTalent #TheBestDamPodcast #EmpoweredLeaders

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Listeners, we have a treat today with Miss Riley Knudsen. She is amazing. I have known her since she was a baby. She is the daughter of Zach and Sam Knudsen, and Sam is a previous board member for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. So we have had a lot of experience watching her grow up, and she's pretty amazing.

So I can't wait for you guys to hear from her because she was selected to do the artwork on the I Voted stickers that we recently had here in Boulder City. And so we're gonna get to know her a little bit more. So how are you today, Miss Riley Knudsen?

Riley: I'm good.

Jill: Are you?

Riley: Yeah.

Did you just come from school?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: All right. And you are a student at Empowered Leaders Micro School.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Do you love it?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Do you love those teachers?

Riley: Yes.

Jill: They are some pretty amazing ladies over there.

I am absolutely thrilled that we have such a program and that we have school choice, so that's pretty cool.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: I don't know if you think how cool that is, but I know your mom and dad do.

And so you love it there, right?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Do you have lots of friends?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Very good. And so tell me a little bit more about what a micro school is. So you go to you don't go to school traditional, like eight to two normal, right?

Riley: I go to school 8:30 to 12:30.

Jill: Okay.

Riley: So it's four hours of school.

And instead of a normal school where there's 200 to 300 people, my school only has 45 kids in

Jill: Awesome

Riley: the whole entire school, K through eighth grade And it's just like a little environment to get to know you. And then, you can ex- if you're, like, struggling with, school or, or just, anything, they will get stuff to your level, and, that's what I kinda That's why I kinda moved to that school.

Jill: I love it.

Riley: And yeah.

Jill: And so then they focus on helping you excel at a pace that's good for you.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: I love that. And you guys do some really cool stuff. I got to interact with you guys when we were doing King Kids, right? And so King Kids do their little shopping trip, and you got to be a part of that and experience what it was like to, raise your own money and then take your money and go shopping in the historic district and then be able to give those gifts as gifts for your family that Christmas, right?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: I think they do some really fun and fascinating ways to get kids out of the out of the classroom and out into nature and out and about.

So really cool field trips. What are some other field trips you've taken?

Riley: We went to Disneyland for a field trip.

Jill: Did you really?

Riley: Yeah. That was one of the best field trips.

Jill: I can imagine.

Riley: Yeah. We went to Sea World also once.

Jill: That's awesome. So did you. While you were there, were you learning more about, sea life and... Or is that what you were doing?

Riley: Yeah. Yeah? That, The teachers plan, special classes that, not a lot of people get to do.

Jill: Yeah.

Riley: And so we got to experience that, which was really cool.

Jill: I think that is amazing, and kudos to the teachers for realizing that's such a great way for kids to learn.

Yeah, total hands on. I love that. Okay. So we love Empowered Leaders because it is truly creating empowered leaders. But tell me how it is that you found out about this contest that you could do the artwork or submit artwork for the, the I Voted stickers.

Riley: Okay. So my school does something, called projects, and we have to get five projects done every month.

Jill: Wow.

Riley: And Miss Higley was like, "If you guys need project points," which you need to get five points done also you could do this I Voted sticker contest, so I just thought I would try, and I was also low on points,

Jill: ha.

Riley: So

Jill: Truth be known.

Riley: So I grabbed a piece of paper and just started drawing, like I had three different designs drawn out.

Jill: That is awesome. So we will actually have on the show notes for anybody that's listening, They'll be able to go to the show notes and see your artwork so they can actually see what it is you do. and so then you submit that, and I was very grateful to be asked by the city clerk to be able to participate in some of the, reviewing of those art, those submissions, and I was in completely impressed.

Everybody that submitted did such a fabulous job. It was very difficult, and so I am grateful that, your artwork was selected overall. And so now did they tell you will it be on the November, election series as well or was it just for the primary?

Riley: They told me it was gonna... They were gonna show it on the, for the November ones like just for the November one. They didn't say like for the

Jill: The primary

Riley: Yeah

Jill: that was in June, yeah?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: So then that was a preview.

Riley: Yeah.

Everybody got to see it in advance. I think that's pretty dang cool. So did your mom and dad blow it up and put it in a big, poster board size over the fireplace?

Riley: No.

Jill: No? What the heck. They should do that for you.

Riley: We have a golf cart, and we have one of my stickers on the back of it,

Jill: Okay. okay, that's pretty darn cool too. And I'm not at all surprised that you guys have a golf cart. That just feels like it fits right in. Okay. So tell me one of your other favorite projects about, some of the programs you do at the school.

Riley: One of my favorites that I'm actually doing right now is like a future career project.

And you do this course, and it's like they're gonna It makes you like fill out a resume, what job you wanna do.

Jill: Oh.

Riley: Like a fake, like interview, and that's cool. And then you also get to do what the job you chose is.

Jill: Really?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: So you shadow somebody that is already doing that job?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Okay. So what's the job you wanna do?

Riley: One of my jobs that I was looking at was an animator

Jill: Ooh

Riley: 'cause I really like the cartoons and stuff, and I've always just been i- into art, like I like

Jill: That would be really cool.

I am not at all surprised with your talent and skill that I've witnessed that you want to go that direction. And so how do you... Are you at all worried or do you look at what it looks like with the, the technology changes and advancements with the animation? You still want to have your influence and with your creativity, right?

So is there a way to bridge that? Are they doing that now?

Riley: I don't... It's kinda

Jill: Have you learned much about that? 'Cause I would imagine you've probably seen what animation looks like and the stuff that they have to do to make it all happen. But you still get to have a creative element there, right? You are still in control of the creativity side.

It's just technology that's put stringing it all together.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Really? Yeah. That's great.

Riley: So we can, we obviously, sketch it out and, put it into the system, but if, you need help, there's sometimes with, what you're using, it can help you, put it together or help step by step like what the next step is, just to, slowly guide you through, which is, the thing I liked about that.

Jill: I love that. I think all of us could use that step-by-step guidance, so that's awesome. I had no idea how that all worked. I just like to go watch Disney movies and figure it out.

It's all done for me. I don't have to worry about it, but I'm glad to know that there's somebody there that's help guiding that process.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: So thank you very much. I also know that you happen to do a lot of volunteering. And so have you had a favorite volunteer job or something you'd like to do to help volunteer?

Riley: Like my brother's teachers

Jill: Yeah

Riley: will ask me to volunteer with, little kids and stuff, and I like that.

Jill: Yeah.

Riley: Like doing, little kid projects and, helping and coming into class and, showing them, like, how to do this. it's kinda cool.

Jill: It's kinda cool to be the the big kid, huh?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: That is awesome. Thank you very much for your service and for volunteering. And just FYI, the Chamber of Commerce has many volunteer and service opportunities. So if you would like to volunteer, your mom knows how to get ahold of me.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: We would love, love, love to have you. So what was your very first job?

Can you think of your very first job?

Riley: My brother's kindergarten teacher made me cut out lots, like ABC books for the next class

Jill: Oh, wow

Riley: And there was like 27 letters, and like each letter had 26

Jill: Oh, goodness

Riley: Yeah. Wait, I just said that

Jill: Yeah, a lot of copies of all of that

Riley: Yeah. And there's 26 letters in the alphabet, and then 27 kids.

Jill: Perfect. I knew what you meant. Everybody knew what you meant. You're all good. Thank you very much for that. No problem. And, I, you know what, I think that's a great basis and a great foundation for what you're gonna have for the rest of your life, right? So doing those little jobs that don't seem, it seems mundane and like boring and over again, but at some point in time, when you're animating, I'm imagining that you're gonna be doing a lot of things over and over again. So that repetitive stuff is probably good to learn now and be used to and okay with. So yeah, what a great foundation to get you started. And so I know you do a lot of babysitting too, don't you? I bet. I'm sure that, is that your absolute favorite thing to do?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, really? I would've thought you said, "Oh, nah, I like the other stuff better."

Riley: I like babysitting a lot 'cause it's just, fun. 'cause like being their babysitter, you you cannot be like Like, make sure they're safe and stuff

Jill: Yes,

Riley: thank you but also be like their friend.

Jill: Yeah And fun. And do fun stuff with them?

Riley: Yeah. '

Jill: Cause you have the energy to do it. We as parents, we're exhausted. We do not have that kind of energy. So thank you for being an energetic babysitter that's willing to keep them safe. That is awesome. I really appreciate that. And so I wanna know a little bit, so you don't realize this 'cause you probably never listen to the Best Damn Podcast.

You're welcome to listen any time you want. But we always ask people a little bit more about themselves. And so do you have a favorite book? Have you ever, have you had a favorite book yet? What are you reading?

Riley: My favorite book so far is a book called The Summer I Turned Pretty, and it's a really popular TV show now.

Jill: Really?

Riley: Yeah,

Jill: Oh, I'm gonna have to check it out. And that's by Jenny Han.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Very good. And so it, and I think she has series of books, right? Yeah. How great. I'm glad that you love that. Do you love to read?

Riley: Not really. But once I actually find, a book that I like, like that type of books I like, I'll actually start reading it, but if I don't like it, I'll give up immediately.

Jill: So I totally know what you mean, because I have to read so much for work, and I'm just like you have to read so much for school that it's hard for me to get super engaged and inspired by fun reading, right?

It's a little bit hard to do, so I do understand. You know what I have learned? I am, becoming obsessed more with Audible books and, books on tape and that kind of concept 'cause I can sit and it's like I can do two things at once, right?

I can be driving or working or cleaning or whatever. I'm finding that I'm much more of a, a listener than I am a actual reader.

So I do understand where you're coming from. Okay. So what's something that people don't know about you that you're gonna unveil on this podcast? They don't know anything about you.

What's something that they don't know about you?

Riley: I honestly don't know. I tell everybody everything about me.

Jill: You're an open book, huh?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: Okay. that's good. and you're also quite young, so maybe you'll have a few more things happen in your life that you'll keep secret, and you can come back on, the Best Damn Podcast and reveal that later. Okay.

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: All right. I'm gonna hold you to that. All right. So tell me something that you've learned from your mom and dad that you know you'll use throughout your life.

Riley: Like the don't ever give up type of stuff

Jill: Good idea

Riley: Like, 'cause like I'm... if I don't like something, I will stop it.

I'm that type of person. But my parents encourage me and support me to not give up on it, and that I can do it.

Jill: That's awesome.

Riley: And yeah.

Jill: I think that's a great thing, and that will absolutely support you throughout your whole life. And then you're, you'll turn around and teach that to your kids, right?

Riley: Yeah.

Jill: I love it, and I love your parents, and I'm grateful for them. So thank you so much for being on our show today. We've loved having you. We've loved learning about Empowered Leaders and about how you ended up on the I Voted sticker. I'm sure people will absolutely be paying attention now when they get that sticker.

I don't know about, any of the listeners right now, but a lot of times I pass up that sticker 'cause I know I'm not gonna stick it on. I'm like, "Oh, I don't wanna waste their paper. Let somebody else." But this year I will absolutely make sure I get one. I will ask for one of every type. That's gonna be awesome.

So thank you so much for being here.

Riley: Thank you.

Madison 'Maddie' Hensala: Winner, Group K-2 “I Voted” Sticker Design Contest

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:36:55 GMT

Madison 'Maddie' Hensala: Winner, Group K-2 “I Voted” Sticker Design Contest

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with eight-year-old Madison 'Maddie' Hensala, winner of the "I Voted" sticker contest. Maddie shares her excitement about designing the winning sticker, her love for art, and her goal of becoming an art teacher one day.

Maddie also reflects on moving from Wyoming to Boulder City, balancing third grade with competitive swimming and dance, and her love for reading Harry Potter—all while sharing valuable life lessons from her family, like treating others with kindness and enjoying summer days at her grandma's pool.

DISCUSSION

Third Grade & Dance Life: Starting third grade with Miss Egan, making friends, and dancing at Dance Etc., including performing in Annie.
"I Voted" Sticker Contest Winner: Creating the patriotic, flower-themed design for America 250 using fancy markers, and winning an award certificate for her art.
Future Dreams: Aspiring to become an art teacher to support and educate future generations.
Competitive Swimming: Racing in swim meets, winning awards, and following in the footsteps of Boulder City’s talented athletic history.
Moving from Wyoming to Nevada: Comparing freezing winters and hot chocolate in Wyoming to the warm weather and pool days in Boulder City.
Love of Reading: Building a personal library with a spinning bookcase, reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and being read to sleep by family.
Family & Friendship Connections: Growing up with two older sisters, building strong friendships in a tight-knit community, and staying close with family.
Life Lessons & Golden Rules: Learning from her dad to treat others the way you want to be treated, and making memories staying at her grandma's house.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Madison Hensala, Boulder City, I Voted Sticker Contest, Dance Etc, America 250, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#MadisonHensala #IVoted #ArtContest #BoulderCity #PublicService #YouthTalent #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Special listeners, we have a special guest today. Her name is Maddie Hensala, and she is amazing. I cannot wait for you guys to get to know her a little bit better. She is also part of the I Voted sticker project, and her art was selected, and, it's because she's extremely talented. And so make sure you check the show notes out so that you can see her beautiful art.

Or make sure you vote so you can get a sticker that she made special just for you. So welcome, Miss Maddie. Thank you for being here.

Madison: Of course. Thanks for having me.

Jill: Oh, you're more than welcome. You're so adorable. Okay, so Maddie, how old are you?

Madison: I'm eight years old.

Jill: Oh, my goodness. I remember when I was eight.

Eight is great. Lots of great things happen when you're eight. I think that's awesome. And so what year are you in school?

Madison: I'm in third grade.

Jill: You're in third grade this year, right? And you just started this week, right? Are you loving it so far?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: And who's your teacher?

Madison: Miss Egan.

Jill: Do you love her?

Oh, I've heard so many great things about her, so that's really amazing. Good for you. And what about the kids in your class? Are you getting to know them a little bit?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You kinda knew most of them from last year, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Well, that's good. And then do you play sports with some of them, so you know them from that?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Do you dance?

Madison: I dance, yeah.

Jill: You do dance? And so do you know some of them from dance as well?

Madison: Yeah, some of them.

Jill: Oh, very good. And where do you dance?

Madison: At Dance Etc.

Jill: Of course, the little pink studio. Do you know that I was one of the first students at Dance Etc. way, way, way back many, many, many years ago when Dance Etc. first got started by a Miss Amy Yanez?

Madison: You were?

Jill: Yes. Oh, so cool. I was one of the first students, yep, and then I taught there, and I still teach there. I teach exercise there in the mornings.

Madison: That's so cool.

Jill: Isn't that cool? Well, I think it's so cool that you have been a student with Ms. Anna. And who is your dance teacher? Do you know?

Madison: This year I had Ms. Bailey for both of my classes.

Jill: Ugh, she's adorable, too. Oh, I'm so glad. I'm glad you are enjoying that and you're enjoying our beautiful community, 'cause it's great to live in Boulder City, isn't it?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I agree. And so tell me a little bit about the I Voted sticker art that you did. How did you know that was a contest you could be a part of?

Madison: I just really like drawing and I really like coloring and all of that.

Jill: Oh, my goodness. I bet you've been doing it for a long time. Have you?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Very good. And so do you want to be an artist when you grow up?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, really? What else do you wanna be?

Madison: I wanna be an art teacher.

Jill: An art teacher. Oh, my goodness. Anybody that wants to be a teacher, you have all my support. We need those teachers. They're pretty amazing, aren't they?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, thank you. Thank you in advance for teaching the future youth, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: 'Cause they're important. We need you guys. We need you to be smart, and we need to have teachers that love teaching, so I'm glad you're willing to do that. Very cool. Okay, let's go back to the sticker. So you must've got a flyer or something that said, "Hey, do you wanna paint a sticker or decorate a sticker?" Is that what you did?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: And so then once you get this, you're like, "Okay, ding, ding, ding. This is the idea. This is how I wanna do it." How did you come up with the idea?

Madison: I just took a few minutes to think and then I was like, "Oh my gosh, I love flowers," and so I drew a big flower and I drew I drew the American flag and everything I drew was all American flag theme.

Jill: I know, and it's so perfect for the America 250, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So it's perfect for America 250. It's perfect for making sure people are interested and love to vote. And so that was such a perfect theme. I loved it. And I loved the flower. It was gorgeous. That is a good... That was a good choice.

Madison: Thank you.

Jill: You're welcome. Well, thank you for thinking of that. Okay, so what is something that. What's one of your favorite things to do? What do you like doing?

Madison: I like swimming and dancing.

Jill: Ooh, swimming is so good for you, too, and so healthy.

Madison: I do competitive swim.

Jill: Oh, goodness. sometimes I wonder about being competitive. Does it make you feel like you gotta just go, go, go, go, go? Are you that kind of a competitive swimmer?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You are? And so do you win awards?

Madison: Yeah. At my swim meets I win awards for however many I, however many times I race.

Jill: Oh, my gosh. congratulations. You know, Boulder City has put out some pretty talented swimmers.

Do you remember Zane Grothe? Do you know that name, Zane Grothe? You guys will have to

Madison: I think I do.

Jill: You do? You'll have to Google it if you don't, 'cause Zane has set some amazing records here in the United States, and he was well on his way to go to the Olympics. Yeah. He was a good friend of my daughter, who is an Olympian.

Yeah. Very cool, huh? So Boulder City puts out some pretty talented young people and I'm sure you're gonna be one of them. So very cool. Congratulations on that.

Madison: Thank you.

Jill: So, have you had any, I know sometimes you can be shy, right? Have you been shy sometimes?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: But it sounds like if you're a competitive swimmer, when you get in that water, you're not shy. When you get on the stage, you're not shy. So is it maybe just shy around adults, but then when you're performing you're doing great?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I can only imagine. congratulations on that. What was your dance? What, what music did you guys just dance to at the last concert?

Madison: What was it called, Mom?

Jill: Ooh,

Madison: ballet

Jill: Ballet,

Madison: Yeah

Jill: Oh. Yeah. Yes, that's right. You were part of the, the Annie crowd, huh?

Madison: Yep.

Jill: That was very fun. I'm sure you loved it. Who was Annie this year?

Madison: Her name was Oakley.

Jill: Oakley. Oh my goodness, how amazing. I bet you guys had lots of fun, and the costumes were adorable.

Madison: Yes.

Jill: Were they so cute? And you had two costumes this year, right?

Madison: Not yet, but I'm gonna have two costumes, yes.

Jill: Oh my goodness. That's gonna be so fun.

Madison: I'm really excited .

Jill: Do you guys save your costumes after and use them for dress-up?

Madison: We don't use them for dress-up, but we do save them.

Jill: Oh, very good.

Madison: My mom puts them all on memorabilia.

Jill: Oh, I love it. I'm so glad.

Your mom does great things, and that's gonna be fun for you guys to look back on.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Because I know my girls used them for dress-up for the longest time, and so that is pretty cool. That's a very fun thing to do. Okay, so let me ask you a little bit more about the design. So do you, have special coloring pencils or crayons or something- that you use? Markers?

Madison: We use these, like, I don't remember what brand they were, but we use these, really fancy markers to do that .

Jill: And that's kinda your favorite thing. So when you sit down with your fancy markers, it makes you draw or color or design better, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Isn't that fun how that works? When you have the right tools, it really works, doesn't it?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I agree. I think that's awesome. Do you have to have special paper?

Madison: No, just any paper works.

Jill: Oh, very good. You can just use scrap paper?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That is awesome. I love that. Ooh, can I look at... I'm gonna show this on the show notes as well.

Madison: Of course.

Jill: Sorry, listeners, but I am looking at some amazing and beautiful artwork. This is actually the certificate she won as well, and I love the fact that you added in the word vote in there, too. It really encourages people to do that, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: It's not just like the generic sticker we always would get.

Man, I can't wait to get this. This is gonna make me want to go vote just so I can get the sticker. Oh, man, you are so talented. Thank you so much for that. Maddie, where were you born?

Madison: Wyoming.

Jill: Oh, that's something people probably didn't know about you, right?

And so how long have you lived in Boulder City?

Madison: Three years

Jill: Yeah, about two and a half, three years.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Very cool. Have you learned to love Boulder City? Did you miss Wyoming?

Madison: Sometimes I miss it, but sometimes I'm like, "Oh my goodness, I'm so glad that I'm in this heat, not in the freezing weather."

Jill: I love your perspective. You know that? Because a lot of people right now are thinking, "Oh my gosh, this heat is oppressive." But you are right. I would much rather be too warm than too cold. 'Cause once I get cold, my bones get cold, and I just can't warm up.

Madison: Yeah. And I'm sure you experience that, right? Oh, very cool. And so I love the, the summers and the heat too. 'Cause we can always go swimming.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: We can go play at the lake, you can play in the pool, go to the public pool.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Just play in your sprinklers, in your water, in your hose.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah.

Madison: But the good thing about living in Wyoming was you always got hot chocolate. And you always got to take these nice warm showers and baths, and it was so nice.

Jill: Oh, that's pretty special. Yeah. That's gonna be a great memory for you, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, very cool. Do you write in a journal?

Madison: No , Not really .

Jill: Or a diary or something? You could write that down in a diary or a journal, 'cause that's something right now at eight you remember that, and you remember how special those warm showers and those fun little baths were that made you happy and made hot cocoa seem so special.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You gotta write that down in a journal or something so you can remember that.

Madison: Okay .

Jill: That is very cool. And then you can draw pictures in your journal. Because you're so extremely talented, you could write pictures of things you see or the feelings you have or whatever.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That would be a really cool concept.

Okay. So I always like to ask my guests some personal questions. Okay?

Madison: Okay.

Jill: So what is your favorite book or what book are you reading right now?

Madison: One of my favorite books that I'm still reading is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Jill: Ooh.

Madison: I've seen all of the... I've seen till the fourth movie. My parents won't let me watch any of the other ones 'cause they're too scary.

Jill: Yeah, a little dark.

Yeah. That's okay. You'll grow up.

Madison: Don't worry. But I really like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Jill: Oh, that's fun. And so what's your favorite part? The, like the fantasy part of it, the mystery, or the relationships that the kids all have?

Madison: Probably

Jill: The mystery of it all?

Yeah. And learning a little bit more about all of the, the parts, the components that make up what a sorcerer's stone is all about, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: There's some really cool pieces to that, right?

Oh, I'm glad that you enjoy read. Do you love reading?

Madison: I love reading.

Jill: Oh, good for you.

Madison: I have, like, this, white spinning bookcase in my room.

Jill: Oh, man.

Madison: It has so many books. Some of my books are just laying on the floor. I have too many.

Jill: You need two spinning bookcases in your room now, huh?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So you only have your own personal library.

That is so cool. I'm glad you like to read. Reading will last a lifetime, and it will be so helpful for everything that you do.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That is very cool. Well, congratulations for enjoying that. Did your mom or dad teach you to love books and reading?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: They did? So do they read to you?

Madison: They ... My mom and my grandma and my dad, they used to

Jill: Yeah

Madison: to, put me to sleep, but they don't do it anymore.

Jill: They don't have to 'cause now you can read yourself to sleep.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That's great, but they gave you that foundation. They taught you to love books because they read to you, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I think that's such a great bonding activity, too.

And so do you have brothers and sisters?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: You do. Tell me how many.

Madison: I have two sisters.

Jill: Two, and what's their names?

Madison: One is 16, and her name is Sadie.

Jill: Ooh, I love that name.

Madison: And then one is 12, and her name is Kennedy.

Jill: Kennedy, very good. And I think Kennedy is good friends with Riley Knutson, right?

‘adison: Yep. '

Jill: Cause Riley was our other sticker winner, right?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: Our Voted Sticker winner.

Yes, she spoke about your sister a little bit, so I'm glad to know you guys have such good friendships. That's one of the greatest things about Boulder City is we're pretty tight-knit.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So I was born and raised here, too, and growing up here, we had a lot of great friends. A lot of my friends that I grew up with and played with on my block, in my cul-de-sac, we're good friends now, and we're all still close right here in Boulder City.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: So it's really kind of cool that you have roots like that, right? I love that. That's very cool. So Maddie, will you tell me maybe something that you think your mom and dad have taught you that is gonna be so important for the rest of your life? I already gave you one thing, the reading thing.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: That's gonna be so important, but can you think of anything else, maybe about, maybe about honesty, integrity, maybe about how to treat other people? Are any of those things something that you guys really practice in your home?

Madison: My dad always used to tell me, "Treat others the way you wanted to be treated."

Jill: Yes.

That's pretty wise. That's pretty smart. Do you think he does that, and so now he's teaching you how important that is because he sees the value in it?

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I bet. I bet that's probably the truth, huh? That's pretty special. And you talked about your grandma, so your grandma must be here close, too?

Oh, very cool. How fun is that?

Madison: she's actually really close. She's just up the hill.

Jill: Perfect. Isn't that the best?

So my grandma used to live right next door to me, right here in Boulder City. It was the funnest thing ever.

Madison: And she has a pool and a hot tub.

Jill: Well, she's very valuable then.

That's great, and she's gonna... She pays for all of the upkeep and taking care of it, and you just get to go there and play.

Madison: Yeah.

Jill: I love that.

Madison: Smart. When we moved here, we actually did, we had, we went and we lived with her for, like, nine months, and it was really cool.

Jill: Oh, how fun is that?

Madison: It was so fun 'cause, in summer, when summer started, we woke up, and my mom and my grandma woke up, woke us up, and she was like, "Guess what?

The pool's, like, 90 degrees and we shot out of bed and just got on our swimsuits and just immediately got in that pool.

Jill: So you woke up and started swimming. You didn't even have to go anywhere. You just go right outside.

Madison: Yep.

Jill: Oh my goodness, how great is that?

Madison: It's pretty great.

Jill: Oh, that, your grandma sounds pretty special.

That is awesome. you know what? This has been so much fun visiting and getting to know you.

Thank you very much for your talent and sharing your talents and skills with others. That is very special that you're willing to do that. We sure appreciate you, and congratulations on being selected.

Madison: Thank you.

Jill: You're welcome. Have a super day.

Madison: You, too.

Conversation with Howard Fox: Bringing Chambers and Communities Together Through Podcasting

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:51:14 GMT

Conversation with Howard Fox: Bringing Chambers and Communities Together Through Podcasting

Welcome to The Best Dam Podcast! In this episode, Jill Lagan, CEO of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, turns the spotlight on her own business coach and mentor, Howard Fox. Listeners will hear the story of how a well-timed cold call from Howard sparked the launch of this very podcast and helped Jill overcome her imposter syndrome to become a confident host.

Together, they delve into the power of podcasting for community promotion, the evolution of their podcasting journey—from microphone selection to a mobile studio—and how their partnership has elevated the mission of the Boulder City Chamber. Howard also shares insights from his career in executive coaching and the importance of blending nature with personal development. Expect thoughtful conversation, personal stories, and actionable advice for business leaders, podcasters, and anyone looking to communicate their vision more powerfully.

Join us as we explore the stories behind Boulder City’s community spirit, the art of effective coaching, and why podcasting is an essential tool for any chamber or destination looking to amplify its voice.

DISCUSSION

1. Introduction & Background

Jill introduces the podcast and the focus on Boulder City 00:16
Jill Lagan jokingly frames this episode as a "test" of what she has learned from her coach, Howard 00:45
Howard comments on Jill’s imposter syndrome and praises her exceptional podcasting accomplishments 01:07

2. Origin Story: How Podcasting Began for Jill

Howard recounts how he and Ryan from Podcast Centric reached out to chambers about podcasting 01:42
The initial contact with the Boulder City Chamber and how quickly it resonated with Jill 02:32
Jill reflects on inspiration from podcasting peers and the imposter syndrome watching others succeed 02:45
Technical and mental hurdles to starting a podcast 03:20
Howard’s support and the providence of the timing 03:44

3. Growth and Evolution of the Podcast

Progression from basic podcasting equipment to a mobile podcast studio 04:52
Jill describes how scheduling and production have changed due to increased interest 04:31
Commentary on the value this brings to the community and Boulder City 05:15

4. Howard's Relocation to Boulder City

Decision to move to Boulder City, influenced in part by working with Jill and the chamber 05:27
Settling into the community 06:25

5. Howard’s Professional Work: Coaching & Podcasting

Overview of Fox Coaching, Podcast Centric, and roles 06:29
Description of both of Howard's podcasts: Outdoor Adventure Series and Success Insight Podcast 07:04
The origin of Success Insight Podcast
Use of interviews to generate LinkedIn articles 07:26
Outdoor Adventure Series evolution after moving to Nevada 08:28
Podcasting as a platform for destination marketing and chambers 09:08
The business model: working with chambers to help them tell their story through podcasting 09:50

6. How Podcast Centric Works with Chambers

Structure of the relationship: Jill as the first to sign up, turning over production to Podcast Centric 10:40
Value for chambers: helping meet their mission, promoting businesses and community events 13:02
Diversity of podcast guests: not just businesses, but also authors, youth, and artists 13:13
Podcasting enhances leadership and interviewer skills 13:40

7. Podcasting Production & Opportunities

Importance of content planning, leveraging local events 15:03
Expanding to video content and Jill’s initial reluctance 15:35
Emphasizing ongoing learning and pushing creative boundaries 16:27
The evolving nature of the podcast and marketing outreach 16:42

8. Howard’s Business Coaching Practice

History of coaching since 2008 and transition from IT consulting 17:06
Three core areas of work:
Executive coaching (preparation for promotion, team effectiveness, resistance to strategy, leadership skills) 18:18
Career mobility (helping organizations manage layoffs, re-skilling, internal transfers) 19:13
Career transition (outplacement: resumes, branding, interviews, job search strategy) 19:43
The role of LinkedIn for clients and leaders as both a resume and networking tool 21:00

9. Coaching Methodology and Value

The function of coaching vs mentoring, consulting, and advising 22:39
Explanation using the sailing analogy: client as skipper, coach as crewmate 23:09
The importance of dialogue for clients’ self-discovery 23:41
The necessity of the human element in coaching (contrasted with AI) 24:00

10. Howard Fox’s Personal Background & Influences

First job at a diner and learning lifelong skills from a mentor 25:06
Culinary influences and learning to make spanakopita 25:47
Starting in photography at the diner, leading to event photography 26:50
Jill shares her parallel start in event business through photography 27:40
The role of serendipity in life and career path 28:16

11. Favorite Books and Thought Leadership

Howard Fox’s leadership book recommendations:
"Turn the Ship Around" by David Marquet 29:15
"The Leadership Challenge" by Kouzes and Posner
"The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni
"What Got You Here Won’t Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith, with anecdote about meeting Goldsmith 30:50
Introduction to outdoor-focused coaching 31:35

12. Outdoor Coaching and Blue-Green Psychology

The concept: integrating coaching with nature for mindfulness, reflection, and personal growth 31:38
Examples of outdoor coaching sessions ("walk talks") and locations 33:01
Review of the book "Outdoor Coaching: A Practical Guide..." 38:51
Benefits of balance between technology and nature, both for leaders and teams 38:44

13. Life Lessons and Parental Influence

Howard Fox reflects on lessons from his parents, especially around the Jewish ethic of helping others and supporting the underdog 40:17
Proverbs quote about always trying to make a difference 40:49
Jill acknowledges the impact that these values have had through Howard coaching 41:13

14. Closing Thoughts and Endorsement

Jill endorses Podcast Centric and offers to serve as a reference for other chambers or DMOs 41:29
Howard Fox encourages chambers and DMOs to consider podcasting or being podcast guests 42:30
Outro and information about where to find The Best Dam Podcast 42:55

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Howard Fox and his execuive coaching services, visit the Fox Coaching website at https://foxcoaching.com/ or Podcast Centric at https://podcastcentric.com/

Howard's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foxcoachinginc/

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com/

Jill's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-rowland-lagan-157480b/

KEYWORDS

Jill Lagan, Howard Fox, Business Coaching, Coaching Outdoors, Executive Coaching, Podcast Centric, Boulder City, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#JillLagan #HowardFox #BusinessCoaching #CoachingOutdoors #ExecutiveCoachig PodcastCentric #BoulderCity #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Okay, kids and listeners, today I am having a test. This is, a test of how well I have learned over the last couple of years from my business coach, Mr. Howard Fox, and he is also the one that taught me how to podcast. So thank you very much. I hope I pass my test today, Howard.

Howard: Jill, it is wonderful to be here and be on the other side of the table on the other side of the mic with you. But we do have to work on your imposter syndrome. Because you are crushing it.

Jill: Thank you very much. That makes me feel a little better, but you are right, I totally suffer from imposter syndrome. I am just grateful to have had the experience to work with you.

You're a fabulous business coach. I know a couple other people that you are coach to, and they agree with me. And so thank you very much for your, support and your encouragement and all the wisdom you have provided. But thank you the most for introducing me, through a cold call, to podcasting.

Howard: Ah, yes.

Jill: Do you wanna share a little bit about our intro story?

Howard: Oh, my God, it was just like providence just happened and so Ryan and I, Ryan owns Podcast Centric and I am the podcast director. We had this grandiose idea of how to increase the number of podcast episodes we were doing, and I had started with a lot of outdoor-related podcasts when I moved from Chicago to Nevada.

And this idea of the organization that I belong to, the Outdoor Writers Association of America, we work with a lot of destinations, occasionally chambers of commerce. So we literally were emailing chambers and destinations about podcasting, and then Ryan had said, "You know, we just sent an email to the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce."

And I said, "Well, geez, Ryan, they're right down the street."

Jill: Right.

Howard: “Why don't I give them a call?" And literally, Jill, it was amazing. You said, "I am so glad you called. When can you come in, and let's talk about this?"

Jill: And that is absolutely the truth because I had been so talk about imposter syndrome, I had been watching some of my, peers.

The Las Vegas Chamber had just hired Mary Beth Seewald, and she was a, former anchor, so she knew the news world, and she was absolutely, a celebrity in my mind of what you could do as, in communication with chamber work. And then, Peter Guzman, he was the CEO of the Latin Chamber, and he also had his own podcast and radio show, and I'm like, "I wanna be like them when I grow up."

And, we're all the same age, but still, when I grow up. And so then you called, and I'm like, "Oh, my goodness, this is exactly what I have been thinking. In the back of my mind, I would love to do this, just didn't know how to get started, didn't know how to, set up the equipment." I mean, it was such an unknown.

I just felt like, no, it's not something I can do. And then you literally laid it in my lap and said, "Yes, you can do this. This is not that hard. I will be right, right there with you." And it was an easy yes for me. So I am so glad you guys really did reach out, and, yes, it could've been providence because I felt like it was, everything fell in right into place.

Howard: And Ryan and I I'm speaking for him right now and I will share this with him later when we, you know, talk is we are so grateful to be a part of this community that the Chamber of Commerce, and now officially for me, Boulder City, and seeing you say yes, and then helping you launch that podcast, and really, you are phenomenal.

Jill: And Oh, thank you

Howard: And I will share that with anybody. You literally are crushing it, and when you see your reviews, whether it's on Google Reviews or Amazon or Apple, everybody comments on the information and the value that's being brought. And it's coming through because of the effort you're putting into this, and it's phenomenal.

Jill: Well, thank you. I will admit it's my favorite part of the job. I love doing it, and I can't wait for podcast days, and get so excited when people contact me and wanna be on, to the point now where I am we were only doing four a month, and trying to schedule those all on the same day. now we're kind of all over the place 'cause we just fit them in when we can.

Howard: Sure.

Jill: Which the power of having a mobile podcast studio

Howard: Yes

Jill: allows for that, 'cause we're right here on site. So, you know, we've grown from you and I setting this up from Amazon products sitting on my desk in my office to, being mobile with just being able to take our equipment and go to different places to now having the mobile studio, and I absolutely love it, other than the fact that we do have to turn the air off, and it's a little warm in here today,

Howard: It's gonna get toasty. Thank you for allowing me to be number one.

Jill: Yeah. That way we can at least, be able to still convey the information, introduce people to the community, so much so that we introduced you to Boulder City. You fell in love with it and moved here.

Howard: It's funny. when I'm doing my outdoor podcast, especially with other destinations and chambers, I'm half-heartedly joking. I'm always looking for my next place to live.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: And on occasion, I will also share with the work we do with Boulder City and the chamber, and, you know, my client, Jill, CEO, always is asking me, "When are you gonna move to Boulder City?"

And as it happens, circumstances, unexpected, and here I am now since, God, end of May as a resident of Boulder City. I love it. The dogs next door, not so much.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Howard: T hey do, they're yappers. But I just love being in this community, and if I didn't have to go anywhere, I wouldn't go anywhere, 'cause you have everything you need.

Jill: Yes, that's true. Isn't it the truth? I do wish you had, not moved in the middle of summer, but, you gotta do what you gotta do. Oh, my God. And it was unexpected, right?

Howard: Oh, my God.

Jill: That's been interesting.

Howard: So I'm still, navigating a human game of Tetris in my apartment, but it's getting there. I can see my floor now. Parts of it.

Jill: That's awesome. That is so great. Well, so, thank you so much for being here.

Howard: Thank you.

Jill: And so Howard Fox with Fox Coaching Incorporated and Podcast Centric. And explain to me a little bit more, we know, I know, 'cause I am interacting with you on a daily basis, but share with us a little bit more, not only about what it is you do and on your two shows, but then a little bit more about Podcast Centric's concept of working with chambers and helping them convey their message about all of their businesses.

It's such a phenomenal way to really share their message and meet the mission and the goal of each of those chambers. But Sure first of all, share a little bit more about your two podcasts.

Howard: Sure. Well, I host, the Outdoor Adventure Series, which is podcast number two. Number one was Success Insight Podcast, and I began that back when I lived in Chicago in 2019. It literally started from, I was working with a client to create content that we could turn into an article for his, LinkedIn account.

Jill: Oh.

Howard: So write LinkedIn articles, and just didn't know how to about, go about doing it. he had written a book before, and I said, there's a really easy way. Why don't I just interview you?"

And then my associate at the time, who was a journalist, would take the recording, turn that into a 500-word article for LinkedIn. I would then take the audio recording and turn that into the podcast episode.

Jill: Wow.

Howard: And literally, it was that idea. Now I'd had some experience broadcasting before, and I'd done interviews on Facebook, and I'd had a radio show. Which, not half as much fun as podcasting.

Jill: Really?

Howard: But the idea of the podcast is I get to create and decide who I interview and what I do with it, and it turned into interviewing a lot of coaches and consultants, book authors. I've had my share of zombie apocalypse novels. Yeah. A lot of children's book authors. But then I had an opportunity to move out to Las Vegas from Chicago right at the start of COVID, which,

Jill: There's a story there.

Howard: There's a story there. However, I wanted to get out and explore, and the big reason why I wanted to move here is the desert, the dark skies, the access to Death Valley Joshua Tree, Mount Charleston.

Jill: Ahwatukee.

Howard: Ahwatukee.

Jill: Amazing

Howard: There was an event down in Ahwatukee this past weekend. I couldn't go, and I went

Jill: Oh.

Howard: But it's wonderful dark sky area.

Jill: Oh, my gosh, yes.

Howard: And as I was researching this whole genre of the outdoor space and how do you get prepared to do some of these things, like go car camping or take a photo of the Milky Way, I was introduced to the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

Jill: Oh, that's right.

Howard: The OWAA. Became a member, and literally I looked at that as a way to start a new podcast. I have an unlimited supply of guests. As I was going to those events, there were a lot of what are called destination marketing organizations.

Now, some communities, the chamber of commerce, the destination marketing organization, the, the economic development are all under this big umbrella.

Sometimes they're separate, but we had... I realized these destinations were prime targets. me I mean that in the nicest sort of way.

Jill: Yes. No, absolutely.

Howard: Prospects, that's a better word, for potential ways to make money doing podcasts.

Jill: Right.

Howard: So rather than relying on advertising and promotions, I could reach out to a destination or a chamber and offer to create a podcast series for them.

And so my niche is the chamber or the destination, doing multiple episodes that promote that community. The extension of that with Ryan and the masterminding that we do together is, why don't we basically create a business around you're interviewing the chambers and the destinations.

Why don't we develop a business model that we can go and help those communities promote their own work?

Jill: And do their own podcasts.

Howard: And do their own podcasts.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: And so literally, as we launched this initiative, you were like number one.

Jill: Yay for me.

Howard: Yay for you. and so it's been great. I mean, I do a lot of interviews, a lot of series with destinations and chambers.

Getting them to understand the value of the podcast and why it's a way to promote the community, whether it's bringing people into the community to take advantage of the experiences tourism, the, the restaurants, the outdoor experiences. Perhaps they even wanna move to the community.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: 'Cause you, that's, you say something in your intro to Discover, Explore, and Unwind in Boulder City. You're looking for businesses to start, people to move here, and also for people to experience. And now you have the Adventure Center, so you're bringing all three. So you are the ideal client that we look for when it comes to promoting the podcast, and that's what we continue to seek out to do and figure out the right recipe.

I kind of equate our work together, Jill, is, I made this dish, it came out really, really well, and now we're just spending the rest of our time trying to replicate it- and get it just right.

Jill: And you didn't write down all of the, the ingredients. But now that we've got, a, a wonderful meal prepared we need to go back and create ways to make that mass producible and sustainable, right?

Howard: And sustainable.

Jill: Because it's not just to go into a community, tell them, "Okay, here's the equipment.

This is what you do. This is how you get started. These are the platforms that you get involved in."

Because all of that was an unknown to me. I needed all of that help. But I also, I really didn't have the time to be able to also edit and then promote, and then post it, and all of that.

So for me, the idea that all I have to do is literally find a guest, get them booked, do the interview, and then turn it over to you guys, and you do all the heavy lifting. It is so simple. It just puts the whole bow on the little package, hand delivers it, not only to the person that I did the interview with so that they can now use it as promo, but then it also allows me to get that posted out there, and it has really... you see the stats. I can share those stats with anybody who's interested. But it has allowed us to maximize our voice. Right? And so for me, it was just an absolute no-brainer.

Year after year, it has been an absolute no-brainer. It is a relationship that I have no intention on, stopping because it really, it meets the chamber's mission. It allows me to promote those individual businesses. They see that added value as being a member or an investor. And but then we also, we haven't only done that.

We've, like you said, we've had some really incredible, authors and artists. We'll have, interviewing some youth today that were the ones that did the stickers for the I Voted. Those little stickers you get when you vote. And so we've had a really interesting. And it's why it's my favorite.

I get to talk to so many different people about what it is that makes them tick or what it is that makes their business go or what gave them the idea or how they wrote the book. So there's so many interesting reasons and things that you learn about an individual and what they're doing to be successful that it makes you be a better leader as well as, just an interviewer, right?

Howard: In some ways, you are literally communicating to the business, to the resident, to the prospective visitor why Boulder City, because you're already sharing the value of what it means to come here. 'Cause I would imagine in some chambers people wanna know, why should I join the chamber?

What do they do?"

And you literally, through the work even before I came here, Boulder City is, has wonderful. You've got restaurants, you've got the antiques, you've got access to the Lake Mead, the River Mountain Loop Trail. You've got so much to offer, but now you're going above and beyond that to share why Boulder City, and people can see the value of, through these episodes, what you're doing.

And a lot of folks, the chambers, the destinations, it's still a hard lift for them to get around, you can do this. literally from my perspective, this production is the easiest thing to do. Okay?

Jill: Oh, really? Yeah. Okay, good. All right, so let's cut your pay.

Howard: Let's cut my pay.

Jill: I'm teasing. Okay. No, you're worth every penny. I promise.

Howard: Okay, I would like to think so.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: But my mom, may she rest in peace, would like to think so as well.

Jill: Yeah, exactly.

Howard: But you literally have a calendar up in your office with events that are going on from month to month And knowing that all these things are always opportunities for a future episode. Like the, the children with the stickers and the voting. The, as I was driving down here to get to the chamber office, you've got the utility boxes that I've been painting. Which is a project we still want to get kicked off. And also, it allows us to push the envelope a little bit, and not just be an audio podcast for you, but also to be a video plus audio podcast.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: So in some ways, again, Ryan and I are grateful because we get to work with you to push the envelope a little bit.

Jill: Right, which that has been something I pushed back on because I feared... first of all, it was nerve-wracking just doing the audio. And you put a microphone in front of you, you're like, "Oh, crud, somebody's listening," right?

And so you have to get over that, get a little more comfortable and a little more confident. And the idea of going to having a camera there, it makes everybody nervous, not only me, but the guest as well, right? So having to kind of get comfortable with that and be the next step, I need to jump into that more.

We need to just do it. And yes, you guys have helped me push that envelope a little more with being on site at different, venues. And we've been playing with it just a, a hint, but we definitely wanna take it to that level and be able to offer that as well. So

Howard: Sure

Jill: Thank you. There's always room for growth. It's not like just 'cause you have a mic, all of a sudden you're done. You, there's always room for growth. There's more knowledge. There's more that we can learn about how to push this out, where to advertise it, where to get it out there. So, we have so much more to go. We just got started.

Howard: We are literally coming up with our best next move, and as a mentor of mine once said, we're building the airplane as we fly it.

Jill: Yes. I'm okay with that.

Howard: Yeah.

Jill: Don't crash my airplane, but...

Howard: No, we don't wanna do that.

Jill: All right. Well, let's go back to a little bit more about your coaching.

Howard: Sure.

Jill: So talk about what it is that you do as a business coach. When would somebody seek out and find your services?

Howard: Okay. I began coaching back in 2008, which now starts to date me just a little bit. I'm a recovering IT business consultant. And I decided to go back into, leadership development and coach training.

And so I have three areas that I predominantly work on. One is the executive coaching, and so I work for a company that provides me my clients.

Jill: Oh, very good.

Howard: Yeah.

Jill: So they go out and they advertise that they will provide these services. They match you up to a coach. Yeah. And then once you get matched up, now you have that individual that you connect with, you set up appointments with.

And you mostly do it via Zoom. However, I do know you even have a local client as well.

Howard: Sure. So we do the Zoom. We do local. for me- Sales and marketing are not my natural go-tos. Mm-hmm. And I've had to learn that I need to do this.

However, I like the idea that there's consistency. I may not get paid. I mean, coaches, there are coaches out there making good money. Now, I may not get paid the most, but I know I'm getting clients.

And so from the executive coaching, and if you look at the logo, a lot of big name logos

Jill: Yeah

Howard: that we coach. And so In my coaching hours per week, I only wanna coach at a good week, 15, 20 hours a week.

Jill: Okay.

Howard: Because then my podcast work takes up the other part.

Jill: The other part, yeah.

Howard: The other part. But, so I get to coach executives. They're going through, preparing for a promotion, becoming more effective with their team, overcoming resistance to, strategies and just becoming a whole better leader than they are, and realizing as a leader, not everything is solely on your shoulders.

You have a team. You've got people and organization. But part of it is just kinda working that recipe, so to speak, of becoming better at communicating your vision, your values, and what you're looking for, and getting your team to come along on the ride with you. I also work in an area of, what we call, career mobility.

So an organization might be Thinking about, okay, we're gonna need to lay off people. And that's going on right now because of the AI.

Jill: Right, right.

And so, we're not gonna just put them out on the street. We're gonna give them a three, four month plan that they can work with a coach to help them either find a new job inside the organization or prepare them for when their exit date is.

Jill: Got it.

Howard: And then the last part of the equation is career transition, so folks that have lost their jobs.

And then, again, I get assigned them, and I help them with their resumes, their cover letters, their LinkedIn profile their branding, interviewing, how to find the jobs. most people search for a new job by searching for their job title.

That's not gonna get you very far. What are the skills and expertise that you have? And then how do you translate what some other company is looking for into, "Here's how I can help that company," and then use that as a promotional tool.

Jill: Right. Use it, sharpen the tools in their tool chest.

Howard: Yeah.

Jill: So you mentioned LinkedIn, and that's one of the first things you had said to me, and I must admit, I didn't even really start any of that stuff until you had originally coached me on it. But, and I'm not even great at it, but I feel bad because I feel like it's a phenomenal tool when you are in transition or in a mobility mode.

I mean, that makes a lot of sense, so you're shopping it, you're putting information out there, and people are looking at it for potential new people for their own, to bring in and to hire. But, I have to get better at realizing it's also just a great place to share your information, share your business, what it does, what it can do for others.

And so it has become just a real professional network that I need to build up better.

Howard: Sure. And, whether it's an event that's being hosted, like the Lunch and Learn sessions, or even an episode that gets produced, is you share a link out to that on your LinkedIn page.

So now you're exponentially growing a much larger audience, 'cause if they're searching for some of those keywords, they're gonna find your episode.

Jill: Yeah, I definitely need to visit with, my communications team and have them help me make sure that we're putting something out on there

Howard: Yeah

Jill: often enough.

Howard: and I would add, as a leader in the community, as a CEO of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce or any business owner, whether you're active on it or not, you should have a good, well-branded presence, good photos banners an explanation of who you are and what you do. and whether you're active on it or not, that's quite all right. But having a presence out there because other businesses, other leaders of, all walks of life are gonna be searching, and the idea is you wanna be found.

Jill: Yes, I definitely want to look at that, so thank you.

See? Even when I'm interviewing you, you're coaching me and I've got a homework list. All right. very good. So I would imagine, too, sometimes in those conversations that you're having, for me anyway, I noted that, it just was nice just to talk out loud. And so as we're having dialogue, as you're asking me questions, I'm realizing me just saying things out loud, it's popping back into my brain going, "Oh, yeah, I knew that answer.

Oh, yeah, I knew I needed to go that direction." But saying it out loud helped me formulate it and kinda mind map a little bit better so that I am now better in touch with the direction I need to go, but I just needed a human to communicate that to.

Howard: And that's really the difference between coaching, mentoring, consulting, advising, because in coaching, we look forward, and our belief is our clients, for the most part, have the wherewithal to get to where they wanna go.

But for whatever reason, there's a barrier. And it's not intentional. Could be unintentional. But having a coach there... And I like to use an analogy, is I always ask my clients, "Have you ever sailed before?" Most of them said, "No." But I always will share, you're the skipper of the boat.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: You tell me where you wanna go.

My role is to be your crewmate.

Jill: Okay.

Howard: And I'm here to help you get to where you want to go, and we do that through dialogue and questions.

Now if I have some specific information, I'll get permission to share it with you. But again, our belief is you know where you wanna go. I'm just helping you talk it out so that it becomes the reality of, okay, now I'm gonna take these next steps.

Jill: I love that, and thank you very much for kind of describing that. But I have to admit, as you were saying those words, I was picturing myself as the captain and you as Gilligan.

Howard: Skipper. All right.

Jill: Yeah. Yeah.

Howard: Thank you very much

Jill: and I got so scared.

Howard: That's scary.

Jill: I'm gonna get you a little hat, a Gilligan hat.

Howard: Oh, gosh. What have I done?

Jill: That is awesome. Well, thank you very much. And so I'm so grateful that we have people like you. And you had mentioned displacement because of AI, and I do want to really emphasize that this is a human relational interaction. This cannot be transactional whatsoever, and I really see AI as that transactional when people are saying, "Well, I can just talk to AI, and it will give me ideas of what to do as a business owner, as a leader, as a whatever."

But I don't think you get that without that human element without emotional attachment, without that relationship that's been built up. until you really have that, you don't have the ability to have those direct conversations that can also say, "Hey, Jill, you need to get over imposter syndrome here."

You know, those are things that, maybe AI would've told me that, but would I really... it's still a computer. It's still not, the relationship that's giving me that feedback and so grateful for your human work.

Howard: Thank you. Thank you.

Jill: All right. So I would love to know a little bit more about who Howard is. So Howard, what was your very first job?

Howard: Oh, God, my very first job. I've spent my entire life hiding anything about my background. But the, Actually, when I was growing up, I lived in Oak Park, Michigan.

Jill: Okay.

Howard: the, or the other Oak Park, 'cause you say, "I lived in Oak Park," people think of Oak Park, Illinois.

Jill: Okay, got it.

Howard: Okay. You're from the out west, so you, that might not

Jill: No, I didn't even know. I was like okay, whatever

Howard: It's a Midwest thing. So I grew up in Oak Park, Michigan. Around the block from where I lived was this little diner. It was called the Oak Park Drive-In. It was literally a hole in the wall.

Jill: Okay.

Howard: But every day there was a, entree of the day, there was a soup of the day, and The gentleman, Nicholas Lekas, he was Greek, and he taught me... So I started the job doing dishwashing and eventually I would take some orders. but he liked to play chess, he liked to play cards, and so as I got more experience, I would take over the short order work.

Jill: Okay.

Howard: Unless we got really busy, and then he would come in and start helping. I would have to say, "Nick, we're getting busy here." But he was also, mentioned a second ago, he was Greek. he taught me how to make spanakopita

Jill: Oh

Howard: which is cheese and spinach pie.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: so if you ever want me to make that

Jill: Yes

Howard: my kitchen's too small.

Jill: You can come to my house.

Howard: I'll come to your house.

Jill: There's a reason I invite you to Christmas dinner.

Howard: There you go. But I've been making it literally almost all my life.

Jill: Oh, wow.

Howard: And so I've got my recipe. It's pretty well set, he taught me how to make it, and really, I, I worked there even when I was going through college.

I'd come back, for a, a day off or something and he'd need some help, and I said, "Sure, I'm over there," so three or four hours. And it was just good to hang out with him, get some really good diner food, and really

Jill: And he laid a foundation for you that you

Howard: Yes

Jill: never realized until later.

Howard: Oh, yeah.

Yeah. It was actually, believe it or not, that place, that restaurant, that diner is where I first got interested in photography. And, 'cause I would bring my camera, and I would take pictures of the guests. And then one of the guests said, "You know, my cousin is a photographer. He's looking for this, term called a side-lighter."

In the past, you had a guy with a camera, a person with a camera

Jill: Okay

Howard: gender neutral, and somebody had a big light

Jill: Okay

Howard: that they would, they called them side-lighters.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Howard: And so the photographer had a camera, her light, and then the side-lighter kind of did the fill-in. That's how I learned photography and doing events. And that's literally how I paid my way through school, by doing wedding photography, anniversaries, bar mitzvahs. And so it's like one thing kind of builds on the other.

Jill: You know, that's interesting 'cause we actually have that in common.

Howard: Yeah

Jill: So I did some, bridal modeling for a local, a Vegas, photographer, and then that rolled into she did my wedding, and then that rolled into, "Hey, do you wanna come help me?

You can hold lights. You'll hold the filter." those, things that folded out that we now use in our windows for shade screens. Wow. We had those that were filtered light.

Howard: Really? Wow.

Jill: And so yeah, I, did that with her for a bunch of different weddings. I learned a lot from her. But it did roll me right into the event business, and I ended up with a wedding, planning business.

Howard: It's amazing where we end up. It just, you look back, and you can see the breadcrumbs.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: But in the moment, it's like, we're just shifting,

Jill: Yes

Howard: kind of like that sailboat, just wherever the wind's taking us this is where I wanna go.

Jill: All right. All right, Gilligan.

I'm on course with you.

Howard: Thanks, Skipper.

Jill: That's also awesome. So, I know too that there's probably something about you that people didn't know, but now I think they know all about your wedding business and your photography and the background.

Howard: Oh

Howard: What a cool thing. I think that's awesome.

And again, we learn so many little things from all these different experiences. So what, you know this is my favorite question, 'cause you listen to every episode. So you know I ask everybody this question. What's your favorite book, or what book are you reading right now?

Howard: Oh, favorite book.

I don't read for pleasure. I just don't have the time

Jill: Okay

Howard: and actually don't even have a TV. If I watch YouTube videos or I might binge watch, but... So I, there's some books that I recommend when I'm coaching and especially like in, team leadership. It's called Turn the Ship Around

Jill: Yes

Howard: by David Marquet, and love the book because it teaches us from being a leader and expecting a leader/follower relationship, and the followers depend on the leader to tell them exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Whereas a leader/leader relationship is, here's the guidelines.

You figure out what needs to be done within those guidelines. If you have questions, then you go through your chain of command or you come to me. Don't tell me that you're gonna do something, or don't ask me permission to do something, tell me you're gonna do it and tell me the why.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: And I'm gonna say, "Okay, great.

Let me know when it's done." Love it. But there's so many folks when they become leaders or managers, they were never taught how to lead.

They were taught how to do, get things done, and do whatever it takes. But, in this day and age, things are moving so quickly, and leaders are so overwhelmed that having good teams that they can trust to get the work done is so very important, and I just love the story.

The Turn the Ship Around, the author was a naval, a skipper of a nuclear powered submarine at the time. Whoa.

Jill: That's big.

Howard: Yeah. Lives are at stake.

Jill: Yeah, exactly.

Howard: And it was rated lowest in the fleet, this boat that he was on.

Jill: Huh.

Howard: And he took it over and just raised its standing amongst it, the other, boats in the fleet.

But I love that book. I love books on leadership, like The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. You know, Patrick Lencioni's work, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

And then Marshall Goldsmith, and there's actually a cute story there. He wrote a book called What Got You Here Won't Get You There.

Jill: Yep, exactly.

Howard: Yeah. No, I once had, shared two bottles of champagne with Marshall Goldsmith in a bar in Indianapolis.

Jill: Really?

Howard: Yeah, it was

Jill: How cool

Howard: I was at a Midwest coaching conference, and I was just sitting outside. It was a nice evening, and he's coming back with a couple folks from this reception, and he literally, goes, "Who's going to the bar?"

Jill: Interesting.

Howard: And that's like, nobody said anything. I thought

Jill: I'll go.

Howard: Literally, and then, he was very much into champagne, and- that was fun. It was great How cool And I have a photo, and every year when he has his birthday, I say, "Happy birthday, Marshall. This was the highlight of my meeting you."

Jill: That is amazing. What a cool thing that you get to do with that.

Howard: Yeah.

Jill: That's awesome. And now you had also told me about another book that I wanna ask you more questions about, Blue Green Psychology. Oh. What the heck is that?

Howard: Yes. So As I have been coaching, one of the... Especially being in the outdoor space and working with other journalists and also folks that are going through their own journey, and some of it's healthcare related, mental health

Jill: Right

Howard: related, physical health.

Jill: Especially now, yeah.

Howard: Yeah. Is this connection between coaching and the outdoor space, putting your feet on the trail, in the dirt, in the sand, in the water, and stopping in the moment just to think, "How am I feeling? What, what's going on in my life?" You know, "Where am I?"

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: "What do I wanna do?" And so the idea of coaching is really taking people, not in the middle of August in Boulder City

Jill: Yeah, obviously

Howard: but other parts, other times during the year, is taking a group of people out on the trail and just talking. "What's going on? What are you most proud of this week or this month?

What challenge are you facing that maybe you want some perspective or questions?"

Jill: So in open air you're asking them these questions. They're in, in a space that could be very, inspiring and allows them to take a deep breath and open up.

Howard: Yeah.

Jill: Interesting.

Howard: There's a, So up on the northern part of Las Vegas, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: I love that place 'cause I lived right near there before I moved to Boulder City.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: So I do miss that, by the way.

Jill: I'm sorry.

Howard: It's okay. But there's these... It's a very navigable, area. A lot of nice trails, but there's one trail that ends with a bench up on the top, and you can just stop there and sit and look and observe. And whether you're with, two or three people, having this, these little walk talks

Jill: Yeah

Howard: It's just, it's inspirational.

As opposed to all the time doing your coaching over the phone or in an office. And there is that connection. It's interesting, the gentleman who wrote, co-wrote the book, Jonathan Passmore, very prolific coach and author

He is actually an officer in the company that I work for, Ezra.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Howard: Yeah. And then Ellie Loy Jones, it's her... This was, I do believe, her initiative, her interest in bringing people outdoors. And he also had a similar interest, and that's how they came together. They were on the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast. And

Jill: Oh, I'll have to check it out

Howard: And that's where... There's something here to offer and to provide, and I can do it with others who are also interested in this space. And, but this connection and just slowing down just to, to be in the moment and reset yourself is so very important.

And we're in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: It's right outside our door, except not in the middle of August. But, go out to Lake Mead. go walk the loop trail. And just embrace being out in nature.

Jill: Yeah. Take a deep breath. I agree. Okay, so Howard, what do you think the real reason is for coaching and nature and that combination? Because you've done such a fabulous job of bringing out the outdoor series and things to do in the great outdoors, the importance, the value, the educational component.

I've listened in on many and I've learned so much from them. But what do you really see the value of coaching and nature? What's there? Why is it?

Howard: So I think the, from my vantage point, the value of coaching in nature is one, all of us, whether it's an adult our age, whether it's young kids who are navigating the complexities of being away at college or their first job, or they're in high school and all, and younger, this and those challenges.

Getting away from the tech. Getting away from this constant bombardment of information It's so important just to unwind And go somewhere where you can be quiet and slow down. I had a client I was working with this week, and we were just usually chit-chatting the first couple minutes of a call, and he was saying, "Yeah, I took my son fishing."

And we started to get into, you know, the experience of fishing, the son, catching a fish and, and then, "Oh, I wanna catch some more." But then where are all the possibilities where this father son relationship can go? But this idea is here's parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, helping their family go out and explore and be a part of nature.

And so the folks like myself grew up in urban setting. I mean, we had a, a county park, I would go to growing up, not very much though. Kensington Metro Park in, the Detroit suburbs. But just finding a way just to walk away from the tech, go find a nice park, walk around the trail, sit at a bench, and just listen.

Just be there in the moment. Now, if you add on the coaching, it doesn't have to be, what are you... How are you feeling, Joe? What do you wanna do?" "What do you wanna do? What's... What are your struggles?" It can be there just in the moment, and the coach and nature are what I would call agents of change.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Howard: So you are living the life where you're at today, whatever those challenges might be, but you have a coach, and now you have nature there. That agent of change and, like, slowing down, being mindful. How are you feeling? What's going on, How was the week? what are some opportunities that are coming up?

What are some challenges? Who do you need to support you? And maybe you take your team. If they're struggling, if they're stressed, take them around the block. Do a Interesting a walk talk. I

Jill: Yeah

Howard: the CEO, the, of the, Red Rock National Conservation Area, I interviewed her. That was a term she used, and I love that. Walk talks.

Jill: She did a walk talk. Walk talks. Oh, I love that.

Howard: And just... 'Cause it's a great way to get away from the boardroom or the, the Zoom call or Teams call and just get out into nature and just, there's a vibration going on, and I don't know the metaphysics of that.

But when we're close to nature, there's something going on in our bodies. It's like this rhythm that's just taking place.

Jill: I totally agree with that, and when people ask you, what, where's your favorite place, where's your hangout place, your place you go to that you feel the best in and your favorite, I don't know that anybody says, "Behind my PC screen," No or on my phone. Normally, it is, in a hammock on a beach, in a tree swing in the forest, in a, all of these different places that tend to be people's favorite happy places. Does that really involve tech? And we know tech is important. We need it. We have to have it.

It has bettered our lives. It's made our lives a lot better in many different aspects. However, coming to terms and coming to terms with your own inner self with, just nature and the balance there, I think we need to have... The, the word is balance. We need to have balance. We have to have that tech, but you have to have that downtime, that breathing time, that time to be still.

And so I so love that idea. I'm gonna definitely check into that Blue-Green Psychology. That sounds pretty amazing. And it's actually Outdoor Coaching: A Practical Guide for Coaches and Supervisors to Working with Clients, Teams and Groups Using Blue-Green Psychology. Yep. It's a very long title. Did he not even think to use,

Howard: their P- Jonathan is a PhD, and, their dissertations, I can't even understand what a dissertation title is.

Jill: It's impressive. I'm gonna read it for sure.

Howard: Yes.

Jill: I just love the concept.

Howard: Yeah.

Jill: And, just listening to you, feeling good about, okay, that is what I need to be more in touch with, then walk talks make total sense.

And I think that you probably would be more in tune with the person you're interviewing, working with. I'm gonna start doing all of our employee evaluations walking and talking.

Howard: You've got this wonderful hill right behind the

Jill: Yeah

Howard: office here. Now, again, not in August. But I would love to be sitting up on top of that hill on the bench or whatever's gonna go up there.

I know there's plans for it.

Jill: Yeah.

Howard: But what a wonderful place just to sit back and relax, look at... You're overlooking Lake Mead, and, maybe the sun's hasn't come up or maybe it's- it's behind you. But, it's cooled down. There's a nice breeze, and you just get to have a nice conversation and be there in the moment. So love that you've got it all here.

Jill: I love that. Yes. I'm gonna call myself a retreat center. There you go. So much for adventure. So I would imagine your mom and dad have taught you some pretty essential things that you have taken and carried throughout your life. Do you have anything you would like to share?

Howard: Mom and Dad, so I have... It's been so long 'cause they're gone now. But the I think I was and I am Jewish and I'm not heavily religious, but it's almost as though there's this connection to the ethics of Judaism

Jill: Yes

Howard: is stepping in and protecting the weak.

Protect you know , who needs help, offering a hand, not with any type of, expectation whatsoever. And I've always tended to gravitate to the underdog.

Jill: Yes.

Howard: And and there's a saying i- in, in, in Proverbs. it's like you're not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to abandon it.

And so you're always looking, "How can I make a difference?" And so my, parents always instilled in me, "Do what's right. Do the right thing even if it's hard, even if you can't fix it." "But do your best to try."

Jill: Well

Howard: And so I've always remembered that

Jill: they would be very proud of you because you have been able to fix a lot of things for a lot of people, and even if it was nothing more but helped them along to come to their own conclusions and solutions.

So thank you for that, and they, I'm grateful for your parents and what they instilled in you because it has helped me for sure. So as we conclude here, I just really want to make sure that any other chambers, any of my peers, any other DMOs that, have any interest whatsoever, I 100,000 bazillion times recommend Podcast Centric and Ryan and Howard.

They've been phenomenal partners, and I'm happy to give a huge referral to anyone. And if they wanna call and ask me questions, I am more than happy to kinda talk them through. Appreciate it ... what that process looks like because I really truly believe in it. I believe it is helping me meet my mission. as a chamber director, it's helped me be a better leader.

It's helped me learn and understand more about so many other aspects of the individuals that I have been able to interview, and it's been fascinating. It has been such a learning lesson and, empowering and, inspirational. So thank you for introducing this to me. I am more than happy to talk to anybody about also bringing it into their own chambers or their own DMOs.

And so thank you so much for being here today.

Howard: My pleasure. Thank you, and I appreciate that offer. And we are happy to chat with anybody about why every chamber or DMO either needs to podcast or be a guest on one. Come experience what it's like and be a guest on the Best Damn Podcast. I love it.

Jill: Yes. Great.

Howard: Thank you so much.

Jill: Great final words. Thank you so much.

Howard: All right.

Conversation with Mike Murphy: Candidate for Clark County Public Administrator

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:16:08 GMT

Conversation with Mike Murphy: Candidate for Clark County Public Administrator

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Mike Murphy, candidate for Clark County Public Administrator. Mike shares his journey from his early days in law enforcement to his extensive career as Boulder City's first juvenile officer, Clark County Coroner, lead lobbyist, and national public safety consultant.

Mike also reflects on his deep roots in Boulder City, his decades of public service, and his work in death investigations—all while outlining a clear vision to modernize county estate administration. This isn't just a story about running for office; it's about building trust, leveraging modern technology like body cameras and RFID tags, avoiding unnecessary government backlog, and honoring the legacy of public service in Nevada.

DISCUSSION

Decades of Public Leadership: Recounting roles across Clark County, including serving 13 years as County Coroner, managing Juvenile Justice, and acting as lead lobbyist during state budget cuts.
Stepping Up in Crisis: Taking over management of the Public Administrator's office during turbulent times and working closely with outgoing administrator.
Demystifying the Role: What the Public Administrator actually handles, managing unadministered estates, avoiding billable hour traps, and resolving estates efficiently for families.
Modernizing the Office: Implementing body cameras on field investigators to protect staff and assets, adopting RFID tracking for secure evidence capture, and streamlining operations.
Prevention & Partnerships: Partnering with senior law groups and estate attorneys to encourage proactive estate planning, preventing government backlog before it starts.
Medical/Legal Death Investigations: An inside look at death investigations, the critical distinction between cause and manner of death, and teaching "Autopsy to Courtroom" nationwide.
Work Ethic & Early Lessons: Sacking groceries as a teenager, learning to look forward rather than backward, playing drums in local bands, and absorbing lifelong values from his parents.
Life Philosophy &"Aha" Moments: Moving stories on learning to listen to understand rather than respond, realizations from global travel, and returning home to Boulder City.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Mike and his work, visit the MPower USA website at https://www.mpowerusa.vegas/

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Mike Murphy, Clark County Public Administrator, Nevada Politics, Boulder City, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#MikeMurphy #PublicAdministrator #ClarkCounty #BoulderCity #PublicService #Leadership #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Episode Transcript

Jill: Listeners, we have a treat today, one of my favorite people on earth, and, we've had a long history. We've known each other for many years. Mr. Mike Murphy, thank you so much for being here today.

Michael: Thank you so much for having me, and it's wonderful to see you all grown up.

Jill: Oh, thank you. I finally did grow up. My parents will be happy to say. sSo I know you are with a company called Empower USA, so we'll talk a little bit more about that.

Michael: Sure.

Jill: But really, I want to delve a little bit more into not only your history and the different careers you've had, but I want to know more about why you want to run as the candidate for the Clark County Public Administrator.

Michael: Great, and I want you ... I really believe that everything we do in life puts us in a position for our next steps in life, if that makes sense. So when you have, whether it's tragedy or something wonderful happens in your life, that's preparing you for the next thing that's gonna happen. And I think sometimes we kinda look and go, "Why me?" or, "Why is this happening?" It's the next step. It's the next step for that that preparation step to go forward. And I believe that my career has built that foundation for where I'm at today and what I wanna do, which is to, I wanna be elected as the Clark County Public Administrator.

Uniquely enough, during my time in Clark County, while I was the county coroner, the county started using me, the county fathers, so the fathers and mothers or county management started using me when a department head would have a problem.

Jill: Okay.

Michael: so I ran juvenile justice, and it would always be, "Hey, we only need you to run it for a couple of months until we get a new leader."

That usually turned into about a year.

Jill: Okay.

Michael: So I ran juvenile justice for a year, after Kirby left. Kirby Burgess, great guy. and I had worked with him for years. As a matter of fact, I was Boulder City's first juvenile officer.

So that's where I met Kirby

Jill: Oh, very good

Michael: when he was the juvenile officer.

Jill: I didn't remember that.

Michael: Yeah, so we have that history. Anyway, ran juvenile justice for a year. I worked with Clark County Park Police for a period of time. I became the lobbyist for Clark County, the lead lobbyist for two sessions because during the budget cuts, there wasn't any money to hire independent lobbyists, so they

Jill: Oh

Michael: they just had people. They just grabbed us and went, "You're gonna go lobby."

Jill: Right.

Michael: And so I did that for a couple of sessions. as a matter of fact, my first session,I got voted as the rookie lobbyist of the year. I

Jill: Oh, that's awesome

Michael: which, and I thought I was doing terrible, and then when they gave me that, I went, "Oh, maybe I'm not doing as bad as I thought."

So again, everything preps you for the next thing. As I'm going through all these different things, one of the things that I got asked to do was to come back and be the county coroner a second time. You know, I was the coroner for 13 years, and then I went out into my consulting world and did that.

I worked for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I was the director of special projects, long-term missing kids- for about two and a half years and, I was commuting. So I was living in Washington DC area, but my family stayed in Las Vegas. The kids were already grown at that point.

So, when I came back, the pandemic hits, or I'm doing-

Jill: Oh, man

Michael: I'm doing consulting, the pandemic hits. John Fudenberg, who was my number two, who became the county coroner, took the, the retire- they were offering retirement buyouts. He took it with, two weeks notice, and the county called and said, "We need a coroner.

We're in the middle of the pandemic. Will you come back?"

Jill: Oh my gosh.

Michael: Yes, so they hired my consulting company so that I could come back because, I'm in the PERS system. And so I came back ran the office for another year, and then that's how, Melanie came about, which is Melanie Rouse, who's your current coroner.

Jill: Right.

Michael: So I'm back out on the consulting gig again and, traveling the country. I do about 200 days a year right now.

Jill: Oh my gosh.

Michael: And if elected, I will close that business down. I'll quit, going out on the road of course, 'cause I'll need to be at the office.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: So I'm doing all that, and I get a phone call.

I'm down in Texas teaching, and it's the county, and they said, "Have you been watching the newspaper?" And I said I saw something on the front page of the news about a county official being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, and it was at the public administrator's office."

And I said, "Yes, I did see that." And they said, "When can you come in and take over?" And I said different than any other office I've taken over, those previous offices, they were appointed officials, so you could remove them and then put me in place. How's this gonna work?"

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And they said, "The elected official has agreed to have you come in and assist

Jill: Oh

Michael: basically take the office over." So I, two days later, I walk through the door. I'm working in the office, trying to work with this gentleman, and I use that term loosely. I kept saying an old saying that I'd been told, "When you're in a hole, stop digging." I was trying to get him to quit arguing with the reporter, which was Jeff German, in emails and text messages and because all that's, subject to FOIA, Freedom of Information Act. So it's all gonna come forward.

Jill: It's kind of

Michael: and so the... I'm making this long, and I shouldn't. The bottom line is we go through the summer on the week before Labor Day weekend, they advise that all of our text messages, emails, and, instant messaging is all gonna be released to the public, which of course I didn't have any problem with.

but that particular individual did because he had been communicating with his girlfriend via that.

Jill: Oh, shoot.

Michael: So all that was gonna become public. we find out Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend that Jeff's been Jeff German, the reporter for the RJ, an amazing individual. You didn't have to agree with him every time.

He was a bulldog on stories, and I want you to know I'd worked with him for 30 years. had written two books about the mob and had been threatened by Anthony "The Ant" Spilotro

Jill: Oh my gosh

Michael: and survived all those things, and then gets murdered because he's doing a story about government.

Jill: Interesting

Michael: and so he's murdered. That's, he's found Saturday morning. ultimately, without going into all the details of that, Wednesday morning they serve a search warrant on the public administrator's home, and they don't take him into custody that moment, but there was DNA that was taken from underneath German's fingernails that was tied to the individual who was the public administrator. I've try, I try not to mention his name anymore 'cause I don't wanna give him any press. Yeah. He's now serving life in prison. And so, Jeff, again, was an amazing individual, and I wanna give him credit for that. During that period of time, Rita Reid

Jill: Yes

Michael: who was the number two in the office, who you know well

Jill: I do. I love her

Michael: and yes. And she's an absolutely amazing individual, and her husband Bill is great.

Jill: Yes.

Michael: And he did so much for tourism here in Las Vegas. It's amazing what he did. having said that, she gets elected, so she wins out in the primary.

We already knew that in May. She gets elected, and, I stayed with her for the transition period through May of that year.

Jill: Okay.

Michael: And then I went on to, back to my consulting work, and traveling the, the Unit now basically the United States. Since the pandemic I'm not traveling overseas very much. And Continued that process of teaching and everything, and I've gone to the office about once a month and tried to.

When I say tried, worked with her on some different projects and some ideas that I've had. And so she decided not to run a second time.

Jill: she's Yes, I know. She's ready to retire.

Michael: She's ready. She's a Democrat. I happen to be a Republican.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: I don't think it should be a partisan office, to be honest with you.

Jill: I agree.

Michael: As the coroner, it wasn't a partisan office. That was appointed, not elected, by the way. In most jurisdictions, that's elected. I've never once gone to anybody, whether it was a police officer, the coroner, or working at the public administrator's office and said, "Before we help you, who did you vote for? What party are you?”

Jill: Yeah, that doesn't

Michael: Exactly.

Jill: Especially in this type of activity, right?

Michael: Exactly. Yeah. It's about people and service. So she reached out to me and said, "Would you run for the office? I think you have some great ideas. I think you could bring them to fruition, and I really believe that you're the right person for that."

And I said, "I would be honored to do that, and I would absolutely be honored to be endorsed by you." And so she has endorsed me. We are doing that. We're working together on that. I have a plethora of ideas of things that I'd like to put into place. one of them is I think all the investigators, when I say all of them, there's four full-time and about eight part-time investigators that go into your home.

I don't That's another thing. Maybe we should talk for just a moment

Jill: Yeah, tell me what

Michael: about what the public administrator does.

Jill: Yeah. Please do. Yeah. 'Cause I don't know that everybody's aware.

Michael: that's a great... Yeah, I should probably start with that rather than tell you all the changes I wanna make.

So the public administrator is responsible for the estates of individuals who die without a will, a trust, and here's the most important one, or an executor to their estate.

Jill: Oh.

Michael: So you might have a will or a trust, but if you don't have someone to execute it then that gets open to the public domain, so to speak, and the vast majority of time, the public administrator's office will act as your executor.

And of course, that's not free. That

Jill: No

Michael: You know, that's billable hours. Okay. Very, very similar to a law office. There are, individuals that can do it. You could have a neighbor do it, as long as you're of good repute, as they say

Jill: Okay

or, good moral character. But there are some cottage industries that have opened as a result of that acting as, administrators to estates. I'm not saying that that's inappropriate. I'm just telling you that's, that can get a little unique because, at the end of the day, it's billable hours. There's been some questions about some organizations and it's come up with the commissioners where, if the estate had $200,000 worth of equity, the... it just happened to get $200,000 worth of billable hours. If it had

Jill: Oh

Michael: $100,000, it gets $100,000 worth of billable hours. So you wanna make sure that whoever's doing that is doing it with the right purpose, which is to get in, get it done, and get out.

Jill: Interesting.

Michael: It's not about billable hours. It's not about milking the process to get as much dollars as you can get out of it, and to do everything you can to find heirs so you can give that up. Now, how often does that happen? Few thousand times a year

Jill: Really?

Michael: and we are years behind in cases. And we

Jill: You're kidding me.

Michael: No, the cases are behind for a variety of reasons. and so two things that don't go well, you know, in when I was the coroner, time does not, is not favorable to a decedent.

You wanna get them and get them into refrigeration, get them to the funeral process as quickly as possible. Guess what? Property doesn't go well with time either.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: If it sits vacant, we now have people that will try to squat. They'll come in, these squatters will come in and come in with fake leases and try to take over.

Sometimes they turn into crack houses. sometimes the homeless get in and they set fires in them. And then if you have cars, let's say you have a $15,000, Honda in your driveway

Jill: Yeah

Michael: and when you die. So if it sits in the storage lot for two years, the tires go flat, the sun, the dirt and all that, the battery's got bad, the gas is bad, and so now it might have been worth maybe, two years ago it might have been worth 8, $10,000, $12,000.

Now it's worth a couple hundred.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And so nothing gets better with time. So the goal is, I don't want to, I don't want the office, and Rita's not running it this way, by the way, don't want the office to start buying houses or taking the houses and cutesying them up and flipping them. That's an industry that should be left to the private.

Jill: Right. You know? I agree.

Michael: It, to me, it should be sold as is, where is, and then it goes from there, and to get that money back to the estate and hopefully to the heirs.

Jill: Now And help the heirs get closure.

Michael: Correct, so that we can provide resolution.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: I try not to use closure, and I'm not trying to correct you.

Jill: Okay.

But when I was in the coroner's office one day, I said to a lady, we just wanna give you some closure." And she said to me, "Oh, can you close the hole in my heart? Is this like the chapter of a book And I want you to know, if I could get small and crawl underneath the door, I would have.

So I kind of removed that word.

Jill: Okay.

Michael: And I know it's used a lot, and I don't mean it in a negative way. No, but

Jill: I love your idea.

Michael: But yeah, so I say let's give it some resolution.

Jill: Resolution.

But the concept here again comes down to let's provide the service. I've had some people say to me, "I don't wanna leave anything to my kids."

That's great. Then leave it to the little dogs and the cats, or leave it to children at St. Jude's. Leave it to the chamber, or leave it to whoever whatever your favorite charity is. But don't leave it to government.

Jill: Yeah, I agree with that.

Michael: We're the... no offense, but, we don't... we can operate.

We don't need that, those funds.

Jill: Well, it also creates an extra layer of extra work and time

Michael: Sure

Jill: that it takes away from the people

Michael: Absolutely

Jill: who really need the assistance.

“ichael: Absolutely. And another thing that the office has not been very good at over the years, because they've been so busy, it's kind of like the old saying, "It's tough to remember you were supposed to drain the swamp when you're up to your neck in alligators."

Is the, what happens is they've been so busy with the day-to-day operations

Jill: Yeah

Michael: they haven't done any preventive maintenance. And what we need to do in preventive maintenance is we need to partner with different organizations. There's a senior law group, Judge Voy, who used to be the, the, he's part of that senior law group now, but he used to be the juvenile court judge.

I worked with him for years. I've talked to him. I have his endorsement. They provide services for seniors that can't afford to get their own will done.

Jill: Oh, okay.

Michael: We can partner with estate attorneys that will help people get their wills and their executors so that we don't get involved.

Even when I was at the coroner's office, we did a lot of prevention because I'm like, "I don't need the work."

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: "I don't want you to come here until it's time for you to be here." Right. You know? We'd like for you to live a good, to a good, ripe, old age. We don't want you getting here early so to speak. And so there's a lot of preventive that we could do in the office, and so that's one that I think we need to do. Not I think, I know we need to do, is the preventative. Another one is we should put the investigators on body cams.

Jill: Oh.

Michael: And then we can have... Now there's a couple of organizations now that have products that the body cam will write the report. It has to be approved

Jill: Yeah

Michael: cause AI does a little trickery. and so you wanna make sure you do that. But we could utilize services and technology so that we get a bigger bang for the buck, and that we do better. not too long ago, the investigators went out to a home. They took $186,000 worth of cash and 300 firearms out of the house.

Jill: Holy crud.

Michael: Yes. Now they're trusted individuals. I'm not saying I question them in any way, shape, or form. How do we know that wasn't 286,000?

Jill: They need to cover their butts too.

Michael: And how do we know that... Exactly.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: How do we know that wasn't 400 firearms? And how do we prove that? Now, I can't tell you the number of times, even when I was the coroner, that a family member would say, we'd give them the jewelry and the family member would say, "Grandpa had a Rolex.

This isn't a Rolex." And we'd go, "No, Grandpa had a Folex." He told you it was a Rolex. And so there are times, and all of that, if you document it, then we're protecting the employee.

Jill: That's what I'm thinking too.

Michael: Yes. Yeah. And protecting the estate and answering those questions.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And if you talk to law enforcement, and of course I've been in law enforcement long enough, I watched the transition into body cams.

Initially everybody was against it. Now they've proven it saves 100 jobs to the one that it might

Jill: Oh

Michael: actually cost

Jill: I agree

Michael: because they found out you did something wrong. So it actually lets you prove that you're doing things right, not wrong.

So that's another one. we need a better evidence capturing system. Everything should be on RFID tags, so when it's captured at the scene, it's tagged, it's bagged, and it doesn't have to be reopened or rechecked. So it's, less hands on it That's smart ... means less chance for errors, that kind of thing. And so there's several things that we could be doing.

The office in Washoe County handles maybe a third of the cases that our office does in Las Vegas, and they have almost double the employees. Now, I'm not saying that we need more employees, but what I am saying is we need to work smarter. And so there's a lot of things that can be done and I'm a change agent.

I have established in my career, through my whole career, that I have the ability to come in and make changes in a positive way, and I believe that there's only two types of employees that have ever come in contact with me, those that worked with me and those that worked for me, and you either love me or you hate me, and I'm fine with both of those.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And it's usually one of those lead, follow, or get out of the way, but let's get it done. And I've always, in my belief, always left it better than I found it. And so I'm gonna build on that reputation. I want that opportunity. I'm not a career politician. It's the first time I've ever run for office, and I do not want this job more than four years.

I wanna get in, get it fixed, get it balanced get it caught up. Put all these things in place, and then hand it off to somebody else and let them do the next level.

Jill: Well, I know it's my personal experience that you've always left things better than the way you found them. I am really excited to be able to visit with you more today and to learn a little bit more, and help educate the listeners on who and what you are, and what your experience is, and why it's so important for you, and why you feel so passionate about this opportunity.

So I really appreciate that.

Michael: Thank you for that.

Jill: So I know that, let's talk a little bit more about some of the specialties that you've been part of.

Michael: Sure

Jill: So one of... law enforcement. No yes, we all know that. death investigations, but I love this word, medical/legal.

Michael: Correct.

Jill: Will you explain a little bit about medical/legal death investigations and

Michael: You bet.

Jill: why that's important?

Michael: As a matter of fact, I'm on a plane in the morning to, Birmingham, Alabama, to teach a class the following day on medical/legal death investigations, and it's... The class is titled Autopsy to Courtroom. And what we will be doing is teaching medical legal death investigators and law enforcement officers about, the dos and don'ts and lessons learned in death investigations.

So a medical/legal death investigator is an investigator that's assigned to a coroner medical examiner's office. The doctor, the forensic pathologist... I might mention, by the way, there are 3,000 vacancies in the United States, and they're graduating about 30 a year.

Jill: Oh my gosh.

Michael: So we are in a huge deficit. Vegas has been-- Las Vegas has been Clark County has been very fortunate. I think we're one short right now, but we have a cadre of six, seven. We fly 14 in from around the United States specifically to come in and assist with the overload. So it's a growth industry. I have a granddaughter who's starting college.

Jill: Yes.

Michael: that's her goal.

Jill: Congratulations.

Michael: She's in her second year, and she wants to be a forensic pathologist. But a male medical/legal death investigator has to come out with the how this injury occurred, not who did it. So police are looking at the... They own the crime scene. They're looking at who committed the crime.

The medical/legal death invest- investigator works on the body itself, and with the family to determine, one of the things we look at is what they call med-soc, which is the medical social background of an individual. But we're also looking at how did that injury or how did this disease or infection occur that caused the death?

The doctor will tell you that, yes, it was a gunshot wound of head, is how they refer to that, of head. Now, the question is, was that a suicide self-inflicted? Was that an accident that, you're messing with a gun, and they don't call it accident now, they call it negligent discharge. and then, was it or was it a, a, a homicide, meaning someone did it to this individual?

Or we might have an undetermined case, which means that we can't come to a successful conclusion. So the medical legal death investigator puts together the circumstances around that death to provide that information to the forensic pathologist so that they can determine what's known as cause and manner of death.

Cause of death is the medical reason why someone ceases life. Manner of death is the method by which they died.

Jill: Oh.

Michael: There are only five: homicide, the taking of one life by another; suicide, the taking of one's own life or death at one's own hand; accident, any unforeseen or unexpected event; undetermined which means we can't come to a successful conclusion beyond a degree of medical certainty; and then the last one is natural death

Jill: Okay

Michael: which is when we succumb to any of the natural disease processes of the body. So the medical legal death investigator is looking at it not from a criminal prosecution side, but looking at it from a how did this happen and what happened?

Jill: Kind of that middle man

Michael: Correct

Jill: that provides all of the details needed so that the prosecution end, if needed

Michael: Correct

Jill: can then take that and run with it.

Michael: Right. But prosecution works with not only the medical legal death investigator, but they're working with police Police because now they have to identify the suspect or who's responsible.

Jill: Gotcha.

Michael: and then the, forensic pathologist, the medical professional they will tell you, "Yes, this is a gunshot wound, left to right, up to down. It's close, it's contact, it's distant," or, you know, "Yes, this is an incised wound," which is a wound that's caused from a sharp force injury versus a laceration by a sharp- by a blunt force trauma. And so all of these things, I like to refer to them, are pieces to a puzzle. We drop the pieces in and when we get done, we have a picture.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And that should tell us what happened.

Jill: Yeah. Impressive. I don't think people really realize how much goes behind the scenes. We're all seeing NCIS

Michael: Right

Jill: and all of those and you get in 40 minutes,

Michael: You bet

Jill: everything solved from start to finish, but really there are so many levels and so many different variants that you really need to take into consideration, and a lot of individuals who have to have hands-on with this one particular case.

Michael: Correct. And sometimes people think they're competing. They're not competing interests, they're hand in glove, but they have different roles to play

Jill: Yeah

Michael: so that they come out so that ultimately we come with a total answer.

Jill: Right.

Michael: CSI: Vegas, of course, opened this up to the world and opened us up to the world

Jill: Right

Michael: in reference to what was going on. I always used to say we don't solve crime in 60 minutes with nine commercials.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: and different than a lot of things we do, when we walk in the door, we turn on the lights.

I don't know if you remember

Jill: They're always in the dark

Michael: CSI did everything in the dark with a flashlight.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: We figured there's a little switch on the wall. If you flip it you'd be surprised what happens.

Jill: I love it. Somebody needs to let them know that, right?

Michael: Yeah. it's not as dramatic.

Jill: So on the, the consultant side

Michael: Yep

Jill: You've got a lot of years of actual, whether you were a police chief or a coroner or a lobbyist, all of that plays into all these levels, all those years, like you said, building blocks on

Michael: Correct

Jill: What's happening next. And so that has led you to such a robust knowledge that plays right into what the public administrator's position would be. So that you understand, you've worked with the families.

Michael: Correct.

Jill: You've worked with the person who's passed.

Michael: The decisions, that's right.

Jill: And then you've also, now you're working on the government side, and so it's interesting that it's coming full circle.

Michael: Yeah, I think so, and I believe it's, I'm at the right place at the right time. I have a good understanding of Clark County government and how things work, so I don't have to go in and figure it out. One of the things that came up in a talk recently is somebody said, you're not an attorney. Isn't this a legal thing?"

First of all, there are attorneys that do this process, but I want you to know I wasn't a medical doctor when I ran the coroner's office.

Jill: Right.

Michael: It's not about... I don't have to be the attorney. I have to have management experience. So I have a master's in public administration, I have a doctorate in public administration or in business administration, I should say.

And I would tell you that my doctoral project was to determine if there were a need for, standards in coroner medical examiners' offices internationally.

Jill: Oh.

Michael: And then I wrote those standards that are now being used today, and I'm one of the auditors. So I, rather than stay in criminal justice, I specifically went into business because at the end of the day, everything we do is a business.

If you're gonna run the coroner's office, you have to run it like it's a business.

Now, you wanna be compassionate, you wanna be good to the constituents, you wanna make sure that, you're good with families who really are your clients. but when you go to the public administrator's office, same thing.

You're still running a business. You have to make decisions, you have to put processes in place, you have to write policies and procedures. When I went to the, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, I was sent there or was asked to go there specifically to codify or to write the policies and procedures for their cold case review

Jill: Oh

Michael: for long-term missing kids. And so that was one of the projects that I did. So I'm very familiar with the processes and procedures and how to get that done, and I know how to work within that governmental system 'cause I've been there. The other thing that people don't realize is that in many instances, the coroner, and during, from 2008 forward, I was asked, when I was asked, the Coroner's Office started taking over the field response for the Public Administrator's Office in the middle of the night to lock out houses, to seal them when there was no legal next of kin

Jill: Oh

Michael: because the Public Administrator's Office didn't have enough investigators, and they were in budget cuts. So I've already been the deputy public administrator during that period of time while I was coroner. And then when I went back during the Tellus incident

Jill: Yes

Michael: I finally am mentioned the guy's name.

Jill: Sorry.

Michael: During the... I'm sorry. So during that incident, I, I spent a year then helping run the office.

Jill: And already knew what this was

Michael: Yeah, so I know the ins and outs.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: This is not one of those I gotta get in the door and figure it out. If I get the privilege of being elected, the day after the election, I'll go to the office and start working with Rita on the transition plan.

And I'll have a first 100 days of what I wanna get done, and we're gonna run and gun. I don't have the time to go slow.

Jill: Right. No, no, no, and have to learn the process.

Michael: I wanna get after it.

Jill: And the cases that are there, they deserve that type of action, right?

Michael: Yes, they do. and unfortunately, they're way behind, and it's for a variety of reasons.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: But they need to get... and, you know, that creates frustration for families. again, you gotta and this should be a private public partnership. the office should be in partnership with a lot of private industry. I don't believe the office should be in competition with private industry.

Jill: No, I agree.

Michael: If, we had a, a city councilman when I was at City of Las Vegas that was really big on shopping carts and graffiti. I'm a believer in both of those. You get... It's like the broken window. You wanna get the shopping carts

Jill: That's right

Michael: off the street, and you wanna get the graffiti.

But a company, a, there was a company that opened, a couple of them in town, that opened and started be- They were cart wranglers, and they

Jill: Yeah

Michael: started grabbing the carts

Jill: Yes

Michael: and then selling them back, or getting a fee for bringing them back to the

Jill: Right

Michael: to the... and they still wanted the city employees to do it.

And I went Now that there's a private industry doing that, why would you ever want to do have government do something else?

You don't want government in competition

Jill: No

Michael: with private industry.

Jill: Absolutely, 100,000 times

Michael: Yeah, agree with you. So anyways, that's

Jill: Okay, so

Michael: That's my shtick.

Jill: I love it. So that gives us a lot of insight.

So now I want to know a little bit more about Mike.

Michael: Okay.

Jill: Okay. So have you had an aha moment in all of this, something that just opened your eyes, changed your thought process, something that, it's just an aha moment?

Michael: You, I've had hundreds of them, to be honest with you. I don't... I think if you don't have a lot, you're not listening, right?

Jill: Okay.

Michael: One of them that I've learned, recently, was the concept of we need to listen to understand, not to respond.

I had that aha moment with my wife, and that was, in law enforcement, we train our people to respond, not to understand. They go out on a domestic disturbance. We have trained a lot of large groups of people how to you know, how to respond to that.

And they really don't care if you're fighting over money or you're fighting over somebody's having an affair,

Jill: Right

Michael: whatever it is. It's you're fighting, here's what our response is. They're not listening to understand. They're listening to respond. That works fine in those instances.

Jill: And that's how they're trained to do their job.

Michael: That's how they're trained. And they're not doing anything wrong. No, and the training's not wrong. But when I'm dealing with you as an individual, whether you're a family member or a friend or a constituent if I'm listening only to respond, I'm not understanding from your viewpoint. So that's one of my ahas.

Another one that was really important was a number of years ago, I was teaching in Russia. I was there for a month and a half, or right at a month, with, the FBI. I'm a graduate of the FBI National Academy, and they'd put a cadre of instructors together, and we were teaching community policing and that kind of thing.

And I saw this lieutenant at breakfast, we were down in Sochi, long before the Olympics were there, and he was trying to get his eight-year-old son to eat a piece of sausage at breakfast. And this kid was not having it. I mean, was not having it. And this is a lieutenant, and he's very proud of his rank and his ability to command and do the things that he was doing, and you could tell he was monstrously frustrated that he was at odds with this eight-year-old. And he didn't do anything inappropriate, but you could see the frustration on him, and you could see that he's, looking around to see if anybody else sees what's going on.

And at that moment, and it was one of my first overseas trips, and at that moment I realized all of us, no matter where we live in the world, this was after the fall of communism. We're much more alike than we are different.

And that we need to embrace the things that we're the same and understand the things that are different.

Jill: Right.

Michael: And we will have a better society, a better life, If... Just pause a minute and

Jill: Yeah

Michael: listen from a different perspective.

And I realized that guy's just trying to feed his family.

He's just trying to do, you know get the kid his breakfast so he can go to the class. and so after that, I ended up in several of the Russian Bloc countries. I've been to, Africa about 14 times. Uganda and Tanzania. I've had some of those same experiences. I've been to almost every continent except the Antarctics.

And I'm gonna tell you that, I have come to the conclusion that we're all much more alike than we are different.

Jill: I love that. you knew my parents.

Michael: Yes.

Jill: And they were very much aware of the, the idea that we needed to see the world.

Michael: Yep.

Jill: So my brother and I were sent all over, all over the world, and had got to tour when we were very young.

And it really did changed our mindset

Michael: Yep

Jill: to realize, number one, you are just one very small piece of sand in this big beach of a world, and that, there are other cultures, and those cultures are not just what the news tells you

Michael: Correct

Jill: or what on television. And as you interact with them, you realize the same thing.

Michael: Sure.

Jill: That they are people. They have the same feelings, the same concerns, the same worries, the same joy. And so I absolutely agree with that. And I really, I hope that more people get to experience that, that we don't get so, that the world isn't so dangerous that we're too afraid to travel.

Michael: I agree.

Jill: I really think there's a lot that we can experience and learn.

Michael: I was gonna say, my last trip was Dubai. I went on a dive trip

Jill: Oh

Michael: with my oldest son when he got his master's as a little gift. I would tell you that for me, as I look internationally, and I've traveled, and I want you to know there's no place like home.

I'm originally from Kansas City, so I can say there's no... I'd click your heels and go home.

Everybody wants to come here. Everywhere I go, they always say, "Will you sponsor me? Can I get here?" I'm not saying, I don't ever wanna say I haven't enjoyed all my experiences in all these different countries, but I'm also gonna tell you there's nothing more satisfying, two things for me.

One is either getting to come home and coming back on American soil and going, "I'm home." I'm only American by the luck of birth.

Jill: That's right.

Michael: And so I want you to know I'm very grateful that, for that. It's one of the things I'm grateful for every single day. the other thing is, I've had the opportunity multiple times, 'cause I've been, I've worked through the embassies, and to be on embassy soil on a variety of countries, some more dangerous than others, and, those young Marines and those folks that are taking care of that, when you step across that line, you are now protected.

Jill: Yes.

Michael: And you don't realize how different it is when you're not and when you are.

And all of a sudden, now you're on sovereign soil, so to speak, and, the sacrifice that our military folks make, I think we need to remember that.

In our family, we try to wear red shirts on Fridays. We remember everyone deployed. I know a variety of people do that. I know down at the marina, the Griffon Tugs do that.

Jill: Oh, they do?

Michael: Yeah, they do. And, and kinda my crew, if you wanna call it that, our guys, we try to do that every Friday if we can.

And I appreciate our military. I was very fortunate to get, some endorsements by veterans in politics and some others. Not being a veteran, because I left high school. When I say I left high school, I graduated 17, turned 18 in November, and I was on a PD by February, and so I went straight into police work.

So that's probably out of all the things I've ever done, one of my regrets is that I never

Jill: Oh

Michael: I was never in the military because I went right into law enforcement.

Jill: Well I'm grateful for your service. whether it's in the military or on our streets, we're grateful for that. So you just mentioned a little bit about Lake Mead Marina

Michael: Yep

Jill: And Griffon Tugs, and so you've got a houseboat out there. We do. So you're here in Boulder a lot.

Michael: Yep.

Jill: So that has reminded you that Boulder City is the best place to live, and so you're coming home.

Michael: We are.

Jill: Yay.

Michael: I'm coming home. We've, purchased a home. We're, excited. It's down by Veterans Cemetery, which happens to be where my mom and dad are buried.

Jill: Yes, that's right.

Michael: And, it's a special place. I started my Nevada law enforcement career here in Boulder City. Started out as a patrol officer, became the first juvenile officer, was ultimately a captain, which was equivalent of deputy chief back then. Did all the, one of my jobs was special events.

One of the things I've talked with my wife about is I've said, you do understand that they have a special event a month minimum, and sometimes it's one a week?"

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: I said, "There's so much going on all the time." she's

Jill: I need to meet her.

Michael: I, she's wonderful. Yeah. 'Cause I

Jill: might need a volunteer.

Michael: Well, I want you to know she'd love to do it. she, excuse me, she at one point was, one of the executive assistants to Jan Jones.

Jill: Oh, wow.

Michael: Back, she's with City of Las Vegas.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: I would tell you that, Boulder City is so unique. My 10 years here was wonderful. I only left because of a job opportunity to go to Mesquite.

I loved my time in Mesquite. I've never been anywhere I've been unhappy. That's great. If I was unhappy, I wouldn't stay.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: But I've talked about for years, we've had the houseboat now for a number of years down at the lake, and we've talked about coming to Boulder City or moving back. The ... I've said moving back to Boulder City it would be her move. And we've just decided now's the time and we wanna make that happen. And so we found a place. We're very excited, and we're coming. We, I am coming home.

Jill: I love that. And I

Michael: do consider this home.

Jill: I thank you very much for that, and I can't wait to get to meet her and have her feel just right at home.

Michael: Thank you.

Jill: Will you tell me what your first job was? How did you how did you start out in the work career?

Michael: That's great. My first job was working in a grocery store.

Jill: Really?

Michael: Yeah. I was a sacker. Okay. Back in the day when they had sackers. I was a sacker, and I That, within a couple of months, they pushed me into produce.

And, the gentleman, the guys that I worked for, it was two brothers. It was a mom and pop kind of grocery store, and they were when I say they were hard on employees, they expected a lot from their employees.

Jill: Okay.

And it really established some of my young work ethic.

Jill: I love that.

Michael: I was coming out of a refrigerator unit

Jill: Okay

Michael: One of those walk-in refrigerators, with a stack of lettuce on a dolly.

Jill: Okay.

Michael: on a truck, two-hand truck, as they call it, or a hand truck. And, I was going backwards out of the

Had loaded it, was going backwards, 'cause they're easier to drive backwards when you first start driving them.

And, the owner was behind me and I didn't know it, and he let me bump into him, and he stopped me, and he said, "What are you doing, son?" And I went, "Well, I'm gonna take this lettuce out," and you trim it and you put it out for, And he goes, "Why are you going backwards?" And I said, "Well, I'm trying to get the, you know, it's crowded back here." And he said, "You don't need to, you don't need to be looking where you been. You need to be looking where you're going."

Jill: Oh.

Michael: And that was, again, one of those kind of aha moments where you go, "Oh."

And at the time, I'm not sure I fully absorbed it. Later I did.

If I could tell you one more. I flunked high school biology.

Jill: Oh, wow.

Michael: Oh, yeah, miserably. And I want you to know my whole class flunked. It was that bad, and it wasn't the teacher. And, but we had this wonderful, very heavy accented German teacher, and he loved biology. And we were terrible students, and he would say this all the time.

He would say, "Look at this slide. Look at this. Look at the wonder of the universe, and look at the wonder of nature." And he would say, "Do you have eyes that see?" And we were- terrible. and we would go, "No, we don't have eyes to see. We're blind. what does that mean? Of course we have eyes to see."

That's not what he meant.

Jill: No.

Michael: And it took me years to figure out, to understand, I should say, as I matured, I started to learn. it took me a while to recognize what he was really saying to me is, "Do you see? Do you understand what you're seeing?" "Do you have eyes that see? Do you have ears that hear?"

Not just hear, but listen, right?

Jill: And look a little deeper.

Michael: Correct.

Jill: See a little bit more. Correct. Listen a little bit better. Yeah, I can imagine that probably passed right over your heads as kids, but that was profound.

Michael: Oh, it was very profound.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And how terrible of us to be the way we were. And I went back years later to apologize, and unfortunately he had passed away. No. So one of the things I try to do as I go through life, I try to impart these little... I call them little sayings, right? and these little things. And I use them still to this day. Bob Lowery, who was the police chief when I was captain here, and Howard Tindall, if you remember them.

Jill: Totally.

Michael: So I, and I ended up speaking at Bob's funeral.

Jill: Yes.

Michael: I was, pallbearer at his wife's. I unfortunately buried one of his sons. but Bob and I became great friends, and he had all these little sayings and little things, and I still to this day will use those. And I've had some wonderful mentors, and you need to remember where you came from

Jill: Right

Michael: and remember these things, 'cause they are priceless.

Jill: Oh, absolutely agree. So what's something maybe people don't know about you?

Michael: I played drums for years. I was in drama in school. and I played when it was the... I played drums in a band four nights a week at the Gold Strike.

Jill: I never knew that.

I had no idea.

Michael: Yeah, we had a... It was the standard. They call it a bar band, you know

Jill: Yeah

Michael: Where you played like the country

Jill: Yeah

Michael: rock kind of thing. and it Chris Long, who worked for the city

Jill: Yeah

Michael: was the bass player.

Jill: I had

Michael: He played for two... He played for Junkyard Dogs also, which was, here in town.

Jill: Really?

Michael: Yep. And, Robin Lowry, which was Bob Lowry's

Jill: Bob's son,

yeah

Michael: One of his older sons, he played, lead guitar. And then we had a fiddle player. and, it was electric fiddle. And anyways, and the bottom line is we did that. We ended up playing down on Water Street at a couple places.

Jill: I had no idea.

Michael: We played at a place called the Windy Bar in North Las Vegas, right across from Wimpy's Hamburger. And so at one point, we played at the Fremont Hotel.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: And so yeah, it's probably something that people don't know. So I'm a full-time cop, and I'm playing gigs on the weekend.

Jill: Well, I'm sure they appreciated knowing that the bar was safe.

Michael: Yeah. And I did the Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn club circuit in the Midwest when I was in high school.

Jill: Oh, my gosh.

Michael: Yeah.

Jill: You actually have some talent that I

Michael: I gotta tell you knew about ... about 10 years, but I've done a lot of...

I am unfortunately, I'm the jack of... What did you call it? Jack of all trades Jack of all trades and a master of none and a master of none. I guess is what I am,

Jill: That's awesome. Okay, so what book are you reading right now?

Michael: So I just finished, Ryan Gosman's book. and it's called, Leadership and the Royal Coachman.

Jill: I've never heard of that one.

Michael: It's kind of an obscure when I say obscure, Ryan is a, medical legal death investigator.

Jill: Oh.

Michael: But he also at one point was, an executive for Fortune 500. He's a fly fisherman and used to, and would do fly fishing tours in Washington State. Ryan is, so he wrote the book during the pandemic.

He asked me to critique it. I read it, and I'm rereading it right now. And it really touched all of the management principles that I believe in. And now what he did that's unique, that I'm not gonna say puts me off, but it's not my world, is each chapter is named after a, a fly tie.

Like for fly fishing.

Jill: Okay

Michael: And so that's where it comes The Royal Coachman is the, is that concept. So but he wrote this really solid book on management and leadership. There's a million of them out there, and almost all of them talk about some very basic principles. Making good, making decisions.

You know, whether you like Elon Musk or don't, I would tell you that what I think you have to respect about him is he always fails forward.

Jill: That's right.

Michael: He can blow up a rocket and go, "Ah, we'll do another one tomorrow." When he rolled out the truck, I'm not a fan of the truck, to be honest with you, although I think it's got some really cool things.

I'm not really the... Anyway, but, and it's got amazing features. Having said that, when he rolled it out initially, I don't know if you remember, he had this steel ball and he threw it through the window and it was supposed to not break.

Jill: I remember this.

Michael: And it broke, and then the second... And he went, "Ah, we'll fix that in production," and he went right on.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: Other people would a lot... I don't know what he does behind the scenes, but at least publicly, he's like, "Hey, mistakes happen." And I want you to think about the concept that everything we do, every invention we have, started with a failure.

Jill: That's exactly right.

Michael: And so why do we not understand that failure is this first step towards success?

Jill: That's right.

Michael: And so that, that's... And so Ryan's book is like that. Another one that I've gotten to where I give to every young person that's transitioning in that middle school into high school time.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: Or, and if I happen to catch them late and they're going into college, I give it to them now, and it's called Make Your Bed.

Jill: Yeah, I've never heard of that one either.

Michael: And I want you to know, yeah, that one is, written by a, the individual that ultimate he was the oldest individual to ever go through Navy SEAL training.

Jill: Really?

Michael: He ended up being the commander of the Navy SEALs. This was a graduation talk that he now expanded into a book.

And it talks about that you make your bed, it's the, it sets the tone for the day. Tone for the day. And that is the first success you get, and that might be the only one you get.

Jill: Oh, I love that.

Michael: So your first accomplishment's to make your bed. And so I have to tell you, like I said, I'm traveling about 200 days a year.

I make my bed in my hotel room. And I've had people go, "You do what?" I get up, I make my bed. There's a number of reasons. You don't get back in it when it's made.

Jill: That's right.

Michael: The second thing is it's done, and when I come back from the end of the day, it's there waiting for me, ready for me to turn it down and have and have a good night's sleep. So this concept of it sets the tone for the rest of your day is real.

Jill: I love that.

Michael: Yeah.

Jill: I absolutely love that.

Michael: So that's, that's, well, I know you asked about what I was currently reading, but that's one of my favorites.

Jill: I love that. I'm gonna go back and find that one for sure.

So I know that you have so much respect for your mom and dad. I do. And they made such a great individual. So what's something that you learned from them that you still use in your life today?

Michael: Sure. I would tell you that, my mom died in 2015. Dad died here in, when he was here in Boulder City. They were high school sweethearts. He left high school to go to World War II in the Pacific Theater. You notice I'm getting emotional.

Jill: Yes.

Michael: My parents- I'm a mama's boy. Be the first one to tell you that. Thank you for that. My parents, taught me a lot of things. Some of them I listened to early and some of them I didn't.

Some of them I needed to hear multiple times. But I will tell you, at the end of the day, I was raised by goodly parents who taught me to have good faith.

They taught me to, be a good person. They taught me to be a rule follower. And I would tell you that of all the things that I am good or that I've done well in my life, has been as a result of following those principles and those teachings. And in the times that I've made some mistakes, and I've made some doozies. and one of the other things they've always taught me is admit your mistakes no matter who you are.

Jill: Yeah.

Michael: So as a police chief, as a captain, as a whatever, when I made a mistake, I said, "Hey, I made a mistake."

And I've had people go, "I've never had a commander admit mistakes." And I go, you've met one now and you better get used to it." Because if, how can you expect others to admit it if you won't?

Jill: That's right.

Michael: So what they taught me was that of all the things good, that's how I became a good person. Of anything that I've done wrong, and I've done some and I've wronged people in some instances, it's because I went against those teachings.

I did something that was more of convenience or personal interest, not necessarily what was the right thing to do. I've tried to minimize those especially the older I get, but I've done them. And so I want you to know, I think one of the things you have to do is ask for that forgiveness and at the same time forgive yourself. but I think the other thing that you have to remember is remember where you came from.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Michael: And remember the good and that's what they taught me. They taught me that good and that work ethic.

Jill: And that will roll over into making you an amazing public administrator.

Michael: I certainly hope so.

Jill: So I do too. I thank you so much for your time today, for sharing. It's been so much fun catching up with you, learning a little bit more about the ins and outs of what the public administrator actually does.

Michael: I appreciate that.

Jill: As you know, I'm good friends with Rita and have loved her for a long time. So knowing that is a tough job, that she's put a lot of dedication to it and her

Michael: A lot of years and hours

Jill: endorsing you that's such a great thing and, welcome home.

Michael: Thank you very much and I want you to know I cherish that endorsement greatly.

Jill: I bet.

Michael: And I want you to know I appreciate your words.

Jill: Oh, thank you

Michael: that means a lot to me. for me sitting here with you today is kind of a full circle moment.

Jill: It has been, right?

Michael: I don't know if you feel like that.

Jill: Yeah, yeah.

Michael: But yeah, it's a full circle moment.

Jill: It's awesome. So thank you so much

Michael: Thank you

Jill: And, I can't wait to say congratulations.

Michael: Appreciate it.

Pax Academia and the CommonPlace App: Connecting Community & Classical Education

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 01:10:34 GMT

Pax Academia and the CommonPlace App: Connecting Community & Classical Education

Pax Academia and the CommonPlace Project - In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Michael Paxinos, founder of Pax Academia and developer of the CommonPlace App. Mike shares his journey from navigating high school struggles to discovering a passion for logic, mathematics, and classical education in college.

Mike also reflects on his deep roots in Boulder City, his 17-year career in education, and his work supporting special needs students—all while developing a tool to empower local micro and small businesses.

This isn't just a story about launching a new tech platform; it's about eliminating algorithm noise, replacing endless doom-scrolling with genuine human connections, reimagining classic Yellow Pages utility for modern storefronts, and honoring the work ethic and small business spirit of Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

Classical Education & Pax Academia: Mike discusses his initiative to launch a private high school focused on classical learning, logic, and restoring critical thinking to modern youth education.
Overcoming Academic Labels: Reflecting on graduating high school with a low GPA and being held back a year, Mike shares how grades don't define intellect or long-term potential.
The Spark for CommonPlace: Facing marketing brick walls for his own startup inspired Mike to create a free, distraction-free platform to help local businesses gain visibility.
Cutting Through Social Media Noise: Why traditional pay-to-win social media algorithms fail small businesses and how CommonPlace acts as a direct doorway between locals and business owners.
The Modern Yellow Pages: How a simple, zero-noise digital directory encourages real-world foot traffic and builds lasting customer relationships instead of brief online engagements.
Dedication to Teaching: Mike reflects on his 17-year career teaching college and high school, along with his current rewarding work supporting special needs students at New Horizons Academy.
Work Ethic & Early Lessons: Cleaning baseball fields at the Boulder City Rec Center as a teenager, reading mathematical philosophy by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and absorbing lifelong values of generosity from his parents.
Pilot Program & Launch Plans: How local business owners can join the initial pilot program to secure free, lifetime access before the official app store release.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Pax Academia, vit thier website at: http://www.paxacademia.com/

To sign up your business for the free pilot program, visit the CommonPlace webpage: http://www.paxacademia.com/commonplace.html

You can also email Mike directly at paxinos.michael@gmail.com.

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Mike Paxinos, CommonPlace App, Pax Academia, Boulder City, Small Business, Classical Education, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#MikePaxinos #PaxAcademia #CommonPlaceApp #SupportLocal #ClassicalEducation #SmallBusiness #BoulderCity #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Listeners, I'm so excited today to share with you some information from Mike Paxinos. So I knew his brother. His brother and I grew up together. We graduated in 1987.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: So I'm super sorry your class wasn't quite as great as ours.

Mike: Yeah. That's always, I say the same about the class of '89.

We're usually the best, but

Jill: Well

Mike: I'll let you think what you need to think. That's fine.

Jill: Yes. Thank you very much. we'll let everybody else have their own opinion on that one. But, I am super grateful to, to get to visit with you today, Mike. So Mike is the founder of Commonplace, and it's a project of Pax Academia, LLC.

And, I find it fascinating, and I can't wait to learn a little bit more about why you started this and what the thought process is behind that. So but first of all, can you share a little bit about what is Pax Academia and what it is that you do right now?

Mike: Pax Academia is a project that I've been working on since 2020, and it's a private high school I've been trying to start up.

It's mostly focused on classical education. I'm trying to get a classical education back into the curriculum.

Jill: Somewhere along the line, the schools lost track of that.

Jill: Right

Mike: So I'm trying to put that back in.

Jill: That's awesome.

Mike: But there's been a lot of frustrations. I haven't been able to, get it up and running.

you know, mostly due to the capital and momentum of things.

So it's been a, it's been a long time. But it is gonna be a private high school that, hopefully we can implement the good education that schools tend to have left out over the years.

Jill: I know that there's a lot of need, and there's a lot of discussion right now about parental choice.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: And so thank you very much for that. So I'm excited to learn a little bit more about that and what got you to that point. But I found it fascinating in learning a little bit more about you that school wasn't your favorite thing.

Mike: No.

Jill: That was not your highlight, your feature when you were growing up. And so do you see that as the impetus to really making sure that this becomes an important factor for our youth today?

Mike: Exactly. I graduated with A very low GPA from high school. And, that affects a lot. I mean, that affects me a lot, because, I got held back a year, so actually

Jill: Yeah

Mike: I should have been class of '88.

Jill: Oh.

Mike: But I've always loved the logic and the math and, the academics. I've always loved it. I just wasn't any good at it.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Mike: Yeah. It wasn't till I got to college where I was just blown away. I was just absolutely blown away with all the knowledge the professors had and how they were teaching it, and most of it was classical education.

Most of it. Not all of it, but most of it. and so that really inspired me to go, "You know what? A good education really will solve a lot of ills that society has," because critical thinking is one of the things that, how we can navigate solutions

Jill: Yeah

Mike: brainstorming stuff.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: So yeah, and it doesn't... You know, grades don't define you.

Jill: Right.

Mike: They just don't, They don't define your intellect. They don't define your character or what you're gonna be when you grow up. and so I wanna try to make that clear in, in the school that I'm building, that the, this isn't about grades. It's about your mind and how you can sharpen it and navigate through life in a more, clear path.

Yeah.

Jill: I love that, because not everybody learns the same.

Mike: No.

Jill: Not everybody has the same life experiences, but they all need that education. They all need that, the information and the critical thinking, like you said to survive, especially in today's world, and with all the technology coming into our lives. So I really appreciate that, and I appreciate also that you're having a hard time kinda getting it started.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: Because how many times have entrepreneurs told their story and their story always ends with, "I started something. It failed. I started something It failed."

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: “I kept trying it failed." And so knowing that there's a little bit of friction that eventually creates that gem on the other side I think that's important for our listeners to know that it's not always easy, but it's always worth it.

Mike: Exactly. Exactly.

Jill: I love that. And so Commonplace.

Yeah. Let's talk a little bit more about that specific app.

Mike: Okay.

Jill: So your idea is to help small businesses. You grew up here in Boulder City. Yeah. We only know micro business, small business here in Boulder City. So share with me, what was your, what really inspired you to get that started?

Mike: because when I was trying Pax Academia, I wasn't getting anywhere, and I was trying

You know, and I spent a lot of money on advertising, on, fundraisers companies that fundraise, and I got nothing in return. And I realized something that, you, no matter how valuable your product is, it does, it's not gonna go anywhere unless you have some way for others to recognize it.

And, you know, a lot of times it's due to lack of capital, like, in most places, lack of capital and lack of momentum.

Jill: Right.

Mike: The big companies already have that.

And, that kind of overshadows the, nice little four-leaf clovers that are already out there. and so I'm thinking there's no way that I'm the only one that's having this issue.

Jill: No, I agree.

Mike: There's no way And so I decided, okay, well, I'm not gonna be able to do this the way I've been doing it.

It's been six years. I'm dry in my bank account. Something else has to be done, and I know other businesses are struggling with the same exact barriers that I'm going through.

Jill: Oh, absolutely. I hear it day after day.

Mike: Yeah. Yeah, I said and so I just started brainstorming with some other people, and I'm thinking, what is the main reason?

What's going... I mean, 'cause I've been there are so many incredible small businesses out there, independent owned, not just in Boulder City, but Vegas and Henderson, Clark County.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: And I'm sitting in these places. I'm looking around going, "How is this place empty? Why isn't, why aren't there people out the door?"

Jill: Yeah, that's right.

Mike: The products are so good. The quality is so good. The service that the families that owns the places or, they're so friendly. Places like this deserve to succeed

Jill: Exactly

Mike: because they're doing everything right.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: But for some reason they're not, and so we're dissecting it, and it's not the quality of their products that are the problem.

It's the visibility.

And social media's usually there's normally small businesses rely on social media, advertising, and word of mouth.

Mike: Right. Well, word of mouth is very effective, but the problem comes with the social media and advertising bit of it.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: Social media most definitely has its benefits.

It definitely works for some, but the problem that I've always been running into with that with my startup is that the algorithms, it's a pay to win, first off with the advertising. If you have a big budget, then your ad will get more views, more followers, more everything. But if you don't have a big budget, it's gonna get lost in algorithm, and you're just gonna have to cross your fingers that someone stumbles upon it.

Jill: So it's inexpensive, but you have a lot of other small little bumps to get over for it to be effective.

Mike: Yeah. And, even if they, if it does get in front of the eyes of your demographics you're not just competing with other businesses. You're also competing with the noise that comes along with that.

Jill: Right.

Mike: You know, the influencers, politics, The half pictures of half eaten lunches that

Jill: Yeah. Ads

Mike: Yeah And it's just there are way too many distractions. It's like one distraction is all it takes to get that demographic person off of your ad.

Jill: You lost it.

Mike: Or to takes two seconds to scroll past it. And it's just not don't, I didn't find it an effective approach. But what other approach was there for me to take when,

Jill: But an app really does... It really, people are going to it, and they're intentional to use it.

Mike: Yes.

Jill: And so that really kind of takes them to the next level and provides them some of these resources, and then once word of mouth, social media, all of those other things play into it, that app becomes very, very popular.

Mike: Yeah. So the, the analogy I like to use is, the website is like a big billboard on the highway that you pass by. Social media is like yelling into a crowd over and over and over again, hoping that someone will eventually notice you.

But with Common Place, it's a place where I introduce a business and a local together that are already looking for each other.

Jill: Oh, perfect. Yeah.

Mike: And there's no noise. There's no local feed or algorithm.

Jill: Okay.

Mike: It's the, the ads are free. I'm not charging businesses to place ads. They're free. Just post them.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Mike: And so when the locals come, they're not going to be distract. I'm doing the best I can to minimize any distractions that they have when they're on the app. So there's not gonna be a, like we see on feeds where, the, you have to compete with all the other irrelevant things.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: You're just seeing the business and your ad and the local, and my goal is to not necessarily just build traffic like Yelp does. My goal is for them to build regulars, to build relationships.

It's more personable. I think it's more effective, because, you have cyber advertisement, then you have real advertisement

Jill: Right

Mike: in which real connections

Jill: And how do we know anymore?

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah, it's ridiculous. Yeah.

Mike: Talking to a human is always gonna be more effective than cyber connections.

Jill: Yeah. And we know that those genuine connections are what people scroll back to or save or share or all of those engagement things that we're looking for.

Mike: Yes, exactly.

Jill: So also in the app itself, it will connect them to their website and-

Mike: Yeah

Jill: the business' website and all their other information.

Mike: Yep.

Jill: It's not meant to replace a website. It's not meant to replace their own app. No. It's meant to be a collection

Mike: Yeah

Jill: of all of those operators, all of those, small businesses, retail, restaurants, services, attractions, all of those in one clearing house, one special space that people

Mike: Yeah

Jill: can go to and interact with, and that those businesses can interact with as well

Mike: Exact yeah

Jill: with each other.

Mike: Oh, yeah. Okay. So it's one big networking thing, too. yeah, you come on the app, the local comes on the app, the business has their profile, and it's mostly meant to close the gap between the social media and the website.

It's like that doorway. And I don't want a lot of people spending a or I'm sorry, I don't want people spending a lot of time on the app.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: I know that's counterintuitive to hear but

Jill: No, no, I love it

Mike: I don't want them

Jill: It's meant to be a bridge. It's not meant to

Mike: Yes

Jill: go and stay there.

Mike: Yes, it's a doorway. It's

Jill: Yeah

Mike: it's basically to get rid of all that noise and stop the doom scrolling and, you know

Jill: Yeah

Mike: just get there, get to know these businesses, connect with them, and then move on to the businesses, And the more time they spend on my app, the less time they're in at the businesses.

Jill: So it kind of reminds me of the old-fashioned Yellow Pages.

Mike: Ah, there you go.

Jill: Right? Yeah. So you went to the Yellow Pages. You went specifically for something in a category. You looked it up. You found the five that were of that category.

Mike: Right.

Jill: And then you close the book, and you go to those locations. And you just,

Mike: and then you just head out. Yeah. It's old school.

It's, you know, and old school always worked.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: and I'm not trying to replace social. I could never replace social media, but, it has its uses. It really does. It's

Jill: Yeah

Mike: it does help connect, but it's, they're cyber connections, so there's always gonna be that human aspect out of it.

I'm trying to put the human beings back into this so they can talk to each other.

Jill: That's- Imagine that.

Mike: Yeah. And I think that will be just as, effective as word of mouth.

Jill: I love it. Yeah. So, what do you do as a profession? What are you ... Do you have a small business besides Pax Academia, or, what is it that you do?

Mike: Yeah, I'm a teacher right now. Pax Academia isn't even up and running yet. But yeah, I'm a teacher. I

Jill: Okay

Mike: I taught college for about 17 years.

Jill: Wow.

Mike: And then I hopped into high school, the CCSD

Jill: Yeah,

Mike: I don't wanna go into that. But And then I'm now, a teacher at New Horizons Academy. They specialize in special needs, autism Asperger's kids.

Jill: Thank you for that.

Mike: Yeah

Jill: As the mom of one of those special children, I am grateful that we have people that are educated as well as you, and care and concern about those kids also not falling through the cracks-

Mike: Yeah

Jill: and realizing they are people too, and they need just as many skills to navigate this world. So

Mike: Yeah, you bet

Jill: thankfully, we had some fabulous educators right here in Boulder City. And, my Abby is married and thriving, back in Savannah, Georgia. Oh, that's So I'm very grateful for all those people who cared about her

Mike: that is, that's so great to hear. I'm glad to hear that, yeah.

Jill: So I would imagine you have a favorite part about school.

Is there the classes, the kids, the other teachers? Is there

Mike: Oh

Jill: what's your favorite part about teaching?

Mike: Oh, wow, that's, there's so much. I don't even know how to rank them. There's so much. Because, like, where I am now, the students are so great. They're They try so hard.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: And even with their limitations. And even if they progress an inch, that's amazing.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: And we all celebrate it. And the kids are always so supportive of each other, as well as the teachers supportive of them. And, so it's just one huge rewarding place to be.

Jill: I Yeah, yeah, I can imagine. I can imagine when you see that click

Mike: Yeah

Jill: and they actually get it. That must be a huge aha moment for you. Yeah.

Mike: Yeah. And, one of the things with teachers, if you think about it, we're one of the least or, one of the small industries where you could, you still remember your third grade teacher's name and what they are.

You could be 80 years old and still remember that teacher.

Jill: Mrs. Luttrell. Yeah. I totally remember.

Mike: Yeah. and, that obviously has an effect. So the profession of teaching obviously has a personal effect on one and things, and I think it's a very noble profession.

Jill: I agree.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: So going back to our years in school

Mike: Yeah

Jill: Mr. Lynn P. Stewart, I think in high school everybody had Mr. Stewart

Mike: Yeah

Jill: for government.

Mike: Yep.

Jill: He left a huge impression on people, and there's just a few of those special teachers that

Mike: Yeah

Jill: we all just loved. Mrs. Phoenix, oh my gosh, loved her. So we had

Mike: I never had Mrs. Phoenix, but I had Mr. Stewart. He was great.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Mike: He was wonderful.

Jill: He was one of my favorites, that's for sure.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: So, I would bet you also have had a few funny moments in school or, maybe even in building your app or some of the things that you're doing. But have you ever had a funny professional moment you wanna share?

Mike: Yeah, well, you know, students generally speaking are just funny.

Jill: Well

Mike: They just are.

Jill: And I would imagine you probably even have to have a sense of humor- Yeah ... just to be a teacher.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: I mean there's gotta be days that you go home and bang your head against a wall.

And then other days you're just like, "Man, they get it." and then I would imagine there's a few times too that if you didn't have, an interaction with other teachers that you guys could laugh about some silly thing that happens in a classroom. And having some of those, opportunities to smile

Mike: Yeah

Jill: and to have a little bit of a lighthearted laughter, I don't know what we would do in this world if we didn't have that.

Mike: Yeah. one of my things is I tell a lot of dad jokes in class, and that tends to, get people feeling at ease and then what's really funny is that some of them will think the dad jokes are so dumb, and that makes me laugh even harder.

Jill: Yeah. Yeah.

Mike: I'm sure 'Cause they're not laughing.

Jill: I'm sure your kids could, give us a selection of some of your dad jokes.

Mike: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Jill: So okay. So Mike, what was your first job?

Mike: Okay. So my first job that I got at, that I actually had to file taxes for, and you know our generation. We started working when we were three.

Jill: Yeah, exactly. That's the truth.

Mike: But where I actually had to file taxes, so if I was, at the rec center, actually Boulder City Rec Center.

Yeah. And you know the baseball fields

Jill: yes

Mike: down, down there. my job was to clean those up before the games. And, there was a little shed that was out there.

Jill: Yes.

Mike: I had my own key. It felt like it was my own, even though it wasn't my own, but I felt like it was, and that's where all the cleaning supplies were. And, every, every weekend, yeah, I just cleaned the place up.

Jill: Isn't that awesome? And you had a sense of pride in it.

Mike: Oh, yeah.

Jill: That key represented a responsibility, accountability, you know pride in your work.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: Isn't that crazy? Yes. That key represented a whole heck of a lot.

Mike: And the more you're invested in, personally invested, and more responsibility that you personally have, the better job I think you're gonna do.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: Because you feel some kind of ownership with it.

Jill: I think that's really valuable and very important, and, one of those work ethic things that rolls over to why you are also not only teaching, but now as an entrepreneur, trying to find something that helps people

Mike: Yeah

Jill: even further. So

Mike: Right

Jill: I'm grateful that you have that mindset. okay, so one of my favorite questions, everybody knows my favorite question, is what book are you reading right now?

Mike: Oh, okay. that would be, Leibniz: Discourse on, Harmony. Yeah. It's, well, yeah, I know.

Jill: What the heck is that? You're gonna have to totally explain this to me, and please dumb it down.

Mike: okay. So he was a mathematician/philosopher

Jill: Okay

Mike: during Isaac Newton's time, and he was one of the founders of calculus with Isaac Newton.

Jill: Okay.

Mike: Newton typically gets credit for it, but honestly, Leibniz was, did more for the field than Newton did.

Jill: Really?

Mike: Yeah. they took

Jill: His name just isn't as easy to say as Newton.

Mike: Yeah, that, yeah. That could be it. But he was an incredible person. And so what the book is about is he tries to harmonize or, put together the science, 'cause he's a scientist. He was a mathematician

Jill: Okay

Mike: but also a philosopher and, a theologian, So

Jill: Really?

Mike: he, with his work, he's tried to harmonize it all together

Jill: Okay

Mike: of how it all could coexist at once. And, he did a good job. there's a lot of future philosophers, Kant and stuff, that, would disagree with him and all that. But, he's a mathematician and philosopher at the same time, and I find that admirable. Just like Bertrand Russell, he's the same way, So isn't that kind of where physics comes into play? Because it's a little bit more abstract and a little bit

Mike: Yeah

Jill: more thoughtful. Because math tends to be very concrete.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: Like, there's, there's formulas and there's explanations. Whereas the philosophy side of things and physics is a little bit more, the way everything works

Mike: Yeah

Jill: and a l- the way you think about things. And it's kind of interesting that you would have that mix of mathematics and philosophy.

Mike: That's where classical education comes in, is that it's not... It wasn't uncommon for the intellects back then to have more than just one discipline under their belt.

I mean, there's a lot of polymaths there. There was, Newton also philosophy. He... PhD, that doesn't stand for math. It's a

Jill: Yeah

Mike: philosophy of doctor so they had, It just wasn't uncommon for them to have multiple disciplines underneath their own brain and intellect. and that's really what Pax Academia wants to do.

We don't want to specialize in one certain thing, We wanna just integrate it all together, and that's how really the thinkers come about. That's how it happens.

Jill: And you create a more well-rounded individual.

Mike: Yeah. yeah. Yeah. You know, I mean, why just be good at one field and then not good at the others? That just never made sense to me, especially when you can. I mean

Jill: Yeah

Mike: I see no reason why someone can't be good at math and language arts at the same time. I don't understand why that should conflict with each other.

Jill: Yeah, that's interesting.

Yeah, very interesting. So now I'm not telling you what book I'm reading 'cause it's actually a children's book.

Mike: Oh, that's all right. you gotta understand I'm a nerd and I, I

Jill: I love it

Mike: it's... I don't say that to brag about this, it's just the, it's just what I do, and it's not a big thing,

Jill: I think that's great though, that's what, inspires you and keeps

Mike: Yeah

Jill: your mind stimulated and, looking for the next, whatever the next thing is. Yeah. So we're glad to know that. So I would imagine that there's some lesson that your mom and dad taught you as a kid that you still use in your life today.

Mike: Yeah, yeah. My parents were, I can't even tell you how grateful I am to have the parents I, you know, and also be raised in Boulder City.

It's just, very grateful. the thing with my parents is that they didn't really lecture my brother and I much. They didn't sit us down and start talking about life lessons and how

Jill: Yeah

Mike: you should act and how you should treat people and how... They just lived it. and it's not uncommon that to see my parents, be so selfless.

Like, they'll never expect anything in return.

They never did. they'd help you. They didn't do anything called loaning. That I don't even know what loan meant until later on. Right. they just gave money out and they didn't expect anyone to return the money. They just said, "Here, you need some help.

Here you go." And then, or anything else. Any kind of time or effort they spent. These are the things that I saw. They didn't need to tell me these things. and, when you see that from birth it's gonna stay with you. Yeah. And you're gonna try to, live that kind of life as well.

Jill: Yeah. As that, an example on a daily basis, it just seems like life to you. You don't even realize it's an example.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: It's just what you do.

Mike: It's what you do.

Jill: Yeah. I love that. They're great people. Yeah. And raised two great men.

Mike: Thank you. So that's very awesome. And I would imagine that, you haven't had a whole heck of a lot of experience with the chamber yet, but maybe talk a little bit about your experiences with small business.

You can see the need. Yeah. You have created, an app, a tool, a resource for them. What is your kinda your take on micro businesses and small businesses and these mom-and-pop startups? why do you think it's so important that you provide this app or this type of a resource and tool?

Mike: I think, if you really think about it, a society, what is the middle class really?

what's the backbone of the middle class? And it's the independent mom-and-pop shops, the micro businesses and the small businesses together. That's really what makes the middle class thrive.

Jill: Yes.

Mike: because it is the vertebrae, it's the backbone, and it's, it has to be strong.

Otherwise, and I think they And they deserve to win because they're so good. If you're good at something and you work hard and you provide a wonderful superior product you deserve to win.

Jill: Yes.

Mike: You don't deserve to fail, and I think a lot of times, you, we keep hearing that, I don't remember the statistic, I guess I'd have to look it up.

But, it's not a very encouraging statistic about the number of businesses fail

Jill: Yes

Mike: when they first start within so many years.

Jill: Yes.

Mike: Like two years. it's not a very encouraging statistic.

Jill: No.

Mike: But I'd like to get into that as to why. we don't really get into it that much. And, I think a lot of it is just the visibility and they're not getting the fair you have the, it's like a field of four leaf clovers, but they're being overshadowed by some huge building and you can't see them.

and it's a

Jill: yeah. Not only can't see, but we have, our world has become so sped up.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: So technology has created this need for everything immediately.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: Everything right now. I don't care if it's a cheaper product, as long as I can get it right now and have it delivered to my door so I don't have to worry about anything extra.

Mike: Exactly.

Jill: And so we're missing the, number one, walking through someone's front doors, learning what it is that drove them to start that business, why they still are in business, why they have a storefront, why they want to have a superior product to something you can buy online.

Mike: Right.

Jill: And so we're missing that connectivity. And technology has created this need for speed.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: And we're also losing the idea that these things that came from someone's hands, whether it's handmade or these things that are, a product or a service that is going to be handed to you directly over a counter or sitting in a room.

We're missing all of that. And there's just ... You are correct.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: These people who have spent the time and energy to develop and create, they deserve our time and energy

Mike: Yeah

Jill: to go learn more about what it is they do. And your app, in my mind, will bring all those people together.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: It'll create that connection and that bond and that bridge that we're missing.

Mike: Perfect. Yeah.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: And also it's, it does a favor for the locals too. It's like, don't, we have a right to know what superior products are out there.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: and, you know, what's gonna benefit our lives.

Jill: Exactly.

We always have to do some go on a shelf and buy some boxed thing that was, it's like if there's products out there that are gonna benefit us, then we have a right to know about those too, and I think we deserve it,

Jill: Exactly. Absolutely agree. Yeah. I am so grateful that you came on today so that we could learn a little bit more about this. Now, can you give us an idea of the timeline? Sure. So you're in, like the kind of the creation, the development stage, and you're looking for businesses to come on and be part of your pilot program.

Is that correct?

Mike: It, yes, exactly. I'm almost Probably 85% done with the app.

Jill: Okay.

Mike: Still a lot of bugs with the coding and all that, which has been a nightmare, but I don't wanna bore you with that. Anyway,

Jill: I wouldn't get it anyway, so

Mike: Yeah. it's just ,it's tough. But anyway, so I'm about 85%

Jill: Okay

Mike: done. I am... My goal is to have it launched in the iStore, in the, Play Store and,iPhone and

Jill: yes ... and,

Mike: hopefully by beginning of September.

Jill: Oh, wow, right around the corner.

Mike: Hopefully.

Jill: Okay.

Mike: Yeah, that's my goal. Now, the reason I'm looking for pilot businesses now is because, I need to have businesses on the app before I launch it.

Jill: Okay.

Mike: If you think about it, if the app is up there, and the local gets on, and there are no businesses, who's gonna stay on?

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: You know what I mean?

Jill: Not super effective.

Mike: Yeah. It is, so I'd like to talk to some pilot businesses, who'll help me out.

Jill: Okay.

Mike: Where they can send me some information, and I'll put their profile on there.

They'll be able to change their profile once it launches and stuff. But if I get enough businesses on there, then I'll at least be in a pretty good position where when it first launches, locals can say, "Hey, there's a lot of businesses on here." And, you know

Jill: Exactly

Mike: and they can start doing the

And for whoever my pilot businesses are, they're not gonna be charged for the app. They'll have it for the rest of their lives for free. I'm not gonna... 'Cause they're helping me out.

Jill: Yeah.

Mike: So that's the best way I know how to thank them.

Jill: I love that. I think that's a

Mike: Yeah

Jill: a great way to kickstart

Mike: Yeah

Jill: a kickstart business,

Mike: right?

Jill: Exactly. So this is awesome. Yeah.

Mike: Yeah. Yeah.

Jill: I'm loving that. So we'll make sure in the show notes it has your email address so they can reach out to you directly. And, and then also if you would like, do you wanna share your email so that if any listeners that don't go to the show notes, they'll know how to connect?

Mike: Yeah, it's, paxinos.michael, so P-A-X-I-N-O-S.michael, M-I-C-H-A-E-L, @gmail.com.

Jill: Love it. We will make sure that we help share this information. We'll get it out to all of our chamber investors and all of the community because this is something that all small businesses, all businesses, all of our local businesses need to know more about.

Mike: Yeah

Jill: thank you so much for the courage to get this started and, for having the mindset of realizing that this is a better way to create classical education

Mike: Yeah

Jill: and to not only uplift businesses but eventually also supply more information to your online or your private high school.

Mike: Yeah.

Jill: So I really, I appreciate all of your, information.

Thanks for sharing today. And I just have to give a shout-out to Jim and I and the class of 1987 at Boulder City High School. So super sorry, but

Mike: Oh

Jill: Mike, you do not get the last word on this. Jim and I know the best class

Mike: Okay. Whatever delusions you want to me, that's fine.

Jill: I'm not gonna I think we'll keep arguing on this one for a while. But thank you so much for being here.

Mike: Thank you, Jill. Appreciate it.

The Data Center Debate: Power, Water, and Smart Growth in Boulder City

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:30:06 GMT

The Data Center Debate: Power, Water, and Smart Growth in Boulder City

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with local advocates and business figures Grant Turner, Celeste Interrante, and Hava Brown. The panel shares their insights on the evolving data center debate in Boulder City, exploring how smart lease parameters, modern technological advancements, and revenue sharing can directly benefit residents.

Grant, Celeste, and Hava reflect on the potential path forward for municipal land—from utilizing closed-loop water systems and requiring self-supplied power to leveraging land leases to lower resident energy bills and diversify city revenue past 2035.

This isn't just a story about data centers; it's about separating fear from fact, protecting natural resources like Lake Mead, encouraging open community dialogue, and securing long-term economic stability while preserving the unique spirit of Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

Rethinking the Data Center Conversation: Grant Turner introduces a non-binary perspective on data centers, advocating for strict local parameters and leveraging municipal land leases to help offset utility costs for Boulder City residents.
Understanding Modern Infrastructure: Celeste Interrante breaks down what data centers actually do and highlights technological advances in water conservation, including zero-evaporation closed-loop cooling systems.
Dispelling Nevada Water Myths: Hava Brown shares findings on Southern Nevada Water Authority regulations that restrict evaporative cooling and discusses how large corporate developments can be held accountable to the community.
Strategic Land Management & RFPs: The panel discusses the city's land management process, upcoming council votes, and why issuing RFPs with defined parameters gives the city maximum leverage and transparency.
Power Self-Sufficiency Standards: Exploring a minimum one-to-one co-located power requirement so data center developments do not strain the local municipal grid.
Environmental Safety & Battery Storage: A comparison between data center fire suppression methods and battery storage facilities, emphasizing the need to protect local groundwater and Lake Mead.
Future-Proofing Long-Term Revenue: Addressing Boulder City's economic outlook past 2035, the importance of revenue diversification beyond aging solar infrastructure, and proposals for community task forces.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the ongoing discussions, local developments, and business initiatives in Boulder City, visit the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Grant Turner, Celeste Interrante, Hava Brown, Boulder City, Data Centers, Land Management Plan, Utility Offset, Closed Loop Cooling, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#GrantTurner #CelesteInterrante #HavaBrown #BoulderCity #DataCenters #LandManagement #SupportLocal #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Today, guys, we have wonderful guests that are here to help us discuss a different side of what the data center issue is all about, and I am very grateful for their time, their energy, and the research they have all done. So thank you so much. We have Grant Turner. Thank you for being here.

Grant: Good morning.

Jill: Thank you. And we have Miss Beautiful Celeste Interrante. Thank you for being here.

Celeste: Thanks for having me.

Jill: And Miss Hava Brown, thank you for being here, ladies and gentlemen.

Hava: Happy to be here.

Jill: We are so grateful to have good insight, great conversation, because the chamber's not taking any type of a stance on this.

We really wanna be, neutral, middle of the road, but we also wanna provide an education. And so we had, the, the privilege to be able to hear from people who really truly don't believe that a data center is a good fit for Boulder City. We were able to interview Ned, Thomas, our city manager.

He was phenomenal at sharing some of the information from the city side, and now we get to hear from you. So thank you for this other side. Thank you for helping us expand the conversation, and, very grateful to be with all of you. You guys are all great chamber members, so thank you again. So Grant, will you share a little bit about your take?

You've done so much homework. So much time has been devoted to this. Will you share a little bit more about your thoughts?

Grant: Yeah, I'm happy to. I'm pretty clear in the beginning to say I'm not pro-data center. I am pro-Boulder City. if there's a way to Boulder for Boulder City to benefit from data centers, given the fact that in all likelihood data centers are coming, then I think we should steer the conversation.

So rather than looking at the topic just binarily, data centers or no data centers, I think there's a lot more nuance than that. So first, what we're looking at right now is data centers as they exist right now in this moment, which are these massive energy-consuming buildings. but like any other technology, they're gonna get smaller, they're gonna get more efficient, and it would be smart for Boulder City to be positioned to capitalize on the inevitability that data centers are gonna be much, much more efficient and much more easy to accommodate.

So sure, it might not be smart to say, "Let's do a data center absolutely right now and give them unlimited power and let them suck up all our resources." What is a smarter thing to do is say, "Hey, we will entertain the concept, the prospect of a data center under these conditions. If you require power, you are forced to supply the power, co-locate solar or, SMR or whatever it is.

If you... You can only use this much water." Basically, set parameters and hold them to those. Beyond that, my position, the reason why I entered this topic at all, I'm, I am determined to find a way for Boulder City residents to receive free power.

And we have abundant land. We are huge, huge...

We consume about two percent of the energy that's produced in Boulder City. Be-between, Hoover Dam and solar and every other form of power that's produced in Boulder City, we're massive producers. But why then are we still paying for power? That's been my position for years. Going forward, I'm recommending that the City of Boulder City, every future lease, a percentage of the lease revenue be directed straight to the utility fund and start offsetting power for Boulder City residents up to a point.

You know, whatever it is, the first X number of kilowatt hours a month. So maybe your bill goes down 100 bucks, and over time it gets to the point where maybe you have free power. Broadly, I'll wrap it up. I know we got to, we want everybody to get a piece here, but, Boulder City should be deliberate in setting parameters for not just data centers, but all future leases and steer the conversation rather than fold our arms and say, "No data centers in Boulder City." And what is inevitable is they're gonna end up on Henderson land and BLM land within feet of the Boulder City boundary.

Jill: Excellent. Thank you for that information. You're correct, and it is something for us to think bigger.

This has opened up a topic for not only a lot of conversation, a lot of discussion, but for thinking bigger. So what does that look like for future leases? Not just this particular, the DC word, but let's talk about a bigger picture and what does that mean? And I know that every time I have heard you mention or state or post or anything else, the idea that the citizens of Boulder City should be able to have the benefit of these leases, you're speaking exactly what these people wanna hear, and it's catching on, and it's gaining a lot of support.

So thank you for that. So Celeste, will you share a little bit more? I know you are a researcher. That's your history. That's your background. We talked a little bit about that when you were on the podcast last. I know that is your passion, and you have figured out a great way to do it. So will you share a little bit about what you found?

Celeste: Yeah. So like Grant, I am, pro Boulder City. I moved here because I love this, this town. I love everything it has to offer. I love the history. I love the culture. I love how supportive the community is, and they wrap their arms around people. That's where my success with my company has come from. And what I, find is that people get scared of things that they don't know.

So what I wanted to do today was bring some clarity around what really is a data center. If that's what that land is gonna be used for, like Grant mentioned We evolve, and evolution comes with different infrastructure.

And as we evolve, what really is a data center? So I created some notes that I wanted to make sure that the information that I gave was correct.

And so picture the data center, a huge warehouse, but instead of boxes, it has rows of data servers. And those servers run twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. And every time you stream a movie, send a text, an MRI is read, a download is made, you ask GPS for directions. That isn't just floating out in the ether.

It's actually running through multiple servers to compute that information and get it back to you. Kinda like our central nervous system, our brain gets an input, and it runs to your fingers to snap them. Like in an instant that happens. That's how data is run through these data centers. And so bank fraud notifications, that's run through data center storages.

Running calculations behind Google Maps or doing calculations for school or creating documents. If you're using the cloud, that's what this the data centers are meant for. And then also, nowadays, data or AI has been introduced to the commonplace. Whereas before, it was very limited, whether you were in that industry or in a role that required some type of AI use.

Now it's really prevalent. People are making chat photos and using ChatGPT for recipes or to look for restaurants or to give them advice. But a lot of people are misguided on how to actually set up your AI so that it doesn't agree with you, because you can go into a search bar and get the answer you're looking for on any- side of a topic. And so what it What a data center does is, it does create demand. It creates an energy need, it creates heat, it creates all the things that Grant was talking about that there have to be solutions for. And the technology, I was talking to another business owner earlier, the technology, evolves every 10 months.

Like you think about cell phones and you think about operating systems, and you think about having to do updates all the time, technology is advancing. And so what was happening, like Virginia is a really good example of what not to do.

Because but that technology is old. We sat with an engineer on Saturday who was involved in the casino changing over from evaporative cooling to the closed loop systems, and we talked about that with him, and he shared with us how that works, and we equate it to your car's radiator

Jill: Okay

Celeste: or your transmission system. You don't open those up for a hundred thousand miles. Sometimes you don't open your radiator for anything until you have to. And so there's a lot of misinformation out there, and there's a lot of studies that are very recent that people should really seek out as far as getting the information.

Because an informed person is making decisions based on somebody else's perspective. And I don't expect people to agree with me; I just have a position of, let's find the truth. I agree with a lot of what Grant proposed in his position about we need to talk about, okay, offset our energy costs, do all of these things that better Boulder City because the inevitability is coming.

Jill: Right.

Celeste: And so with the Switch purchase of the hundred and seventy-six acres up northern Las Vegas and how The, Townsite Solar is a hedge fund, the joint venture that they have. Yes, they're beholden to their stockholders. They're not sticking around for the long term. So how do we create.

If that's what we wanna do. It's not that if we say, "Yes, we want a data center in this land," that's what's gonna happen. It could be something completely different. But we shouldn't shoot ourselves in the foot and say absolutely no data centers, because we're worried about water, as we should be.

We're worried about electricity, as we should be. But let's make that conversation realistic, and consider it from a business standpoint. What benefits us as we give you this? What do you give us in return? And so that's where I align with Grant, but I also think that anybody listening to this podcast should really start doing some research, 'cause it's astounding.

Jill: It's interesting, too, because as you arm yourself with facts, information, the studies, the data, the statistics, it's an interesting and eye-opening experience. Because, sometimes you only hear the fear factor side of it, and an emotional side of it, which I also wanna take in, because I am an emotional person.

We're all human. So I want to understand that. But you're also sharing, take the time to educate yourself and to understand both sides before so you have an informed decision, and I appreciate your effort on that behalf, so thank you. So Ms. Hava, share a little bit. You and I have had some, small discussions on this.

I know you have also spent a lot of time and energy and a lot of discussion with individuals. So thank you for taking the time to set up appointments and meet with individuals so that you can hear from their mouth what the, their plan is, but also what the, the systems are all about. So can you share a little bit about your take?

Hava: Well, I got into it because I have a lot of friends on both sides of the fence, and in order for me to really, take a stand that I, That I am part of, I did the research and, what got me just this little teeny detail was everyone complaining about water and using so much water and depleting Lake Mead and everything like that.

And I found this profound rule that in twenty twenty-three, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, basically made it they deregulated all evaporative cooling systems. So no data center and no business in general in Southern Nevada is even allowed to have evaporative cooling, and yet everyone on the Internet was talking about how much water everybody's gonna use and it was almost as if did anyone do any research on this whatsoever.

So I found just that one fact that dispelled the huge water myth for me, which led me on a much deeper dive into data centers and, I'm pro-business in general, but,like,Grant and Celeste, I'm pro-business with conditions. I do believe that the businesses that we bring to Boulder City should be held accountable, to helping Boulder City residents and, to not depleting the environment, which I do believe that as data centers evolve, they are gonna become much more efficient.

And these are billion-dollar companies, a lot of them, and what kind of benefit could a billion-dollar company bring to Boulder City? I know Grant talked about, power, which is a great benefit, but let's talk about little things that we also need, like fire departments, maybe some educational scholarships.

We have a lot of nonprofits in Boulder City that work their butts off, and I think it could help. bringing in a large corporation should not be something that we just say no to without doing the proper research and without putting the proper conditions around them. So I would welcome... when we're talking about a land management plan and votes that are coming up I want people to do the research and allow Boulder City to not be hamstrung by not having the ability to do anything with the land.

I want us to have conversations about what should be done with the land. If it's not a data center, what? You know? These are the things that we should be thinking of 'cause progress is coming whether we like it or not. if we it's gonna be in our backyard if we like it or not. Let's have it in a space where Boulder City residents can really take control of what's in our backyard.

Jill: So let's go back to, you mentioned the land management plan. Let's talk a little bit more about that. So you said there's a vote coming up. when this is released, it will be right about the time that the city council will be considering the land management plan. That was part of... This is part of the process that did start, almost six months ago.

The conversation with Townsite Solar happened way over a year ago. They've been in conversations with our city attorney for quite some time. But in this land management process, the idea that it goes through the planning commission, and there are public hearings there. their recommendation then goes to the city council.

City council then, it's introduced to them, and now they're getting ready to vote on whether or not to adopt this proposal into the land management plan. From that l-from that point, let's say in July, the city council says, "Yes, we, we would like to explore this more, put this into the land management."

That then allows staff to have further conversation with whomever the entities are that are interested. But then they have to go out to RFP, right? So while the RFP processes goes into play, the city's also getting appraisals. They need to know what a potential rent would be for that space. So these RFPs mean that Townsite Solar may not be the top bidder at some point in time.

We know they're no longer interested in this. We'll go to that in a second. But if this RFP were to be released, there could be other potentials that come in that might be even a higher negotiated than the two point three million in revenue per year that was estimated with Townsite Solar. So now having that, that process go into play where RFPs go out, other companies would pitch the city with their ideas for what goes to that place, that continues that dialogue.

That continues that conversation, and it allows the city to also be educated on what the appraised value is, so that they now know what a lease rate could potentially be. It feels a little bit like maybe Townsite Solar was a little Maybe a little bit too early Hasty ... hasty maybe

Hava: Yep

Jill: in exposing and laying all their cards on the table because there could be other companies that come in and go, they didn't get away with this and this, and that didn't they didn't sound good when they said that and that.

We'll spin that differently." But that's where that option for us to craft what this looks like, and like you said, challenge the city to make this be a positive for our Boulder city residents. And without providing that in the land management plan, the city doesn't have that. Yes, they've got the vote in November for potential more development down in the lower transfer area, but it's not talking about the closer proximity that we need to be, I think, discussing.

Hava: Yeah.

Jill: Because I want to know more about what our options are. I think you need all options on the table, inform all the residents, give them all the information that they need before you can move forward. And so I would hope, that the, the city council would open up the thought process to what that could be and have further discussion.

But I also hope that the community understands in the land management process that does not mean a blank check and, oh, they just allowed this. They did not. They allowed for discussion for us to understand more. And so people, I think, have this fear that, And maybe it's a distrust in the city. that's a very prevalent thing.

Maybe it's a distrust in government that they won't have the best interest of the citizens. If that's the case, that's a sad situation, and the city would need to do a lot better job of making sure that the residents understand they will be protected. But without having the discussion, we don't get to go there.

We don't know what's gonna happen. And now we're right back into the throw of this starting all over again. And so, I thought it was an interesting conversation that came up a couple weeks ago. People were asking about da- about battery storage. Okay. So battery storage was what it was originally gonna be part of the conversation.

Tell me what how that isn't dangerous. I'm a little bit concerned about that. We've already had a fire out there. So I love the idea that the, The city can allow for further discussion, further exploration, further knowledge obtaining so that we can move forward with an educated and informed body.

And so I hope that's the direction it goes. But, as we discuss more about, okay, so land management, yes, all of these other options, all the things that are going on, how do you foresee November? What does that conversation and that dialogue look like? Because do we want it more down in the lower transfer area?

Where do we go with that? Grant?

Grant: If the anti-data center people have their way, we're gonna end up in worst-case scenario, which is what I predicted. If they scare the city into not considering data centers, we're gonna end up with multiple data centers. We'll be exposed to a hundred percent of the risk and receive zero value.

A more adult perspective than no data centers would be under what conditions would we approve a data center? If they supply their own power, would you consider it okay? If they only, produce a certain amount of heat, a certain amount of noise, whatever your parameters are, if you receive a direct benefit from that lease, would you then consider it?

So figure out what those parameters are, set them, and then send it out to RFP. And if those parameters cannot be met with current technology, then we wait. What did the first cell phone look like?

It was... You had to have a backpack. You know what I mean? Like

Jill: Yeah. It was like a block

Grant: there's so much money in this industry right now.

They are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to develop quantum computing and all the things that are way above my pay grade that are gonna miniaturize this technology. They don't wanna have to have giant facilities holding these servers. They wanna pack it, the, the information, into smaller, more easily distributed bits.

They wanna have it easier to cool. They so five years from now, are they gonna be smaller? Almost guaranteed. Ten years from now, I would say that's a certainty. So why not set the parameters, say, "Okay, we are gonna, we are gonna allow for data centers given these conditions," and then we just wait. it will get smaller.

It will get more efficient. And in terms of the-- what to do for the immediate future, I think this is... The, the smartest thing the city of Boulder City could do is say, "Hey, all right, town site," which this probably should have happened already. I think it can still happen One, you have two directions.

If you proceed with BLM, we are gonna provide maximum friction. We are gonna fight you tooth and nail. any mechanism we have to fight you, we will. Whether it's energy, whether it's entitlements, access, any single thing. or alternatively, you pull your BLM ac- your BLM application, you negotiate specifically with us.

We'll negotiate with you on our terms. Because to negotiate from a position of compromise, a position of weakness, which is where we were, we had a gun to our head

I would recommend that the city immediately say, "Either put the gun down and set the BLM application aside, or we are going to go ham fighting you.

We are gonna go all out." then beyond that, here's our parameters. You have to supply your own power. You... Whatever, whatever parameters we decide to set, and then structure the lease accordingly so that we get maximum benefit, so that maybe it reappraises every three years, or it whatever, however you wanna structure the lease so that it's forward-thinking.

There's, I think it's called a ratchet, where ... it can only go up. It can never go down.

Jill: Yeah. Right.

Grant: But be very, very smart and very deliberate on the lease negotiations, and set the precedent now that every future lease, given certain conditions, that the city's solvent, you know, or we've got enough money to run the city and everything.

So long as there's a surplus, Boulder City residents should be benefiting from that surplus. I don't care if it's one penny off the power bill, I am determined that the next lease that we issue in Boulder City residents receive a benefit. Because that guarantees in the future that over time it'll become more, and more, and more.

It can never be less.

Jill: Yeah, I love that concept, and it also helps address those people who are concerned about data centers that, have come out and, said no to data centers. Some of those parameters that they're concerned about would then be built into the potential lease that you're talking of or what a, an RFP should address.

Grant: Correct.

Jill: And so I think that we're speaking the same language. Everybody that has either been on the show, that I have interacted with, really that's what they're looking for is they want to have assurances that it's not going to leach into their drinking water. It's not gonna

Grant: Three things.

Jill: Yes.

Grant: Maximum transparency, maximum community involvement, maximum benefit. That's what we want, and set those parameters. and then you, once those parameters are set, you don't have to fight about every single lease that comes your way. So long as they meet those requirements, you're good.

Go through the process with maximum transparency.

Let everybody in the community have a voice, which I think it's a good thing.

Jill: it- I do

Grant: on the big picture, it's good that Boulder City, It's like an, antibody reaction, you know?

Jill: Yeah.

Grant: It's like the white blood cells have all come out. No data centers. That's good. People really care about Boulder City, but you have to be smart about it, too.

Jill: Yeah.

Grant: You can't attack... You can attack a virus, but if it's, like, healthy bacteria or something, you don't want to be attacking that. Right. And that's what I feel like we're doing at this point.

MD+ 2

Jill: Well, and that's kind of what Celeste was talking about, and, but it's an emotional response, right? They don't have the information.

They haven't been educated. They just hear what their neighbors are talking about. And unfortunately, some of the information isn't completely accurate, and on both sides. Okay. You can pretty much find any study you want to prove whatever point you want when you get on the, on internet. Yeah. So thank you, Celeste, for diving deeper and knowing how to get to true information and not just fluff and superficial and some of the made-up stuff that we know now we have proof that is coming out of China through AI.

They are leading some of those AI answers to be exactly what they want, anti data center, so that they'll get more of those data center opportunities.

Hava: Yep.

Jill: So now that there's proof of that, it makes me want to research and understand more because I do live here. I don't want it leaching into groundwater.

We don't want extra noise. We don't want it hurting wildlife. Those are all really key, environmental issues. We all want to be protected. But I also don't want to close my eyes to opportunity because I have only been fed, hand-fed information that somebody wants me to have.

Celeste: Right.

Jill: So I really appreciate, you know, your deep dive.

Celeste: I took, some time and really looked at the environmental impacts 'cause those are true risks, right? Lake Mead is dropping five to seven feet. I can't remember what the... Anyway, pretty soon, it's we're gonna lose the ability to create electricity out of the dam. Like, it's an inevitable situation.

We all know that. We feel that. I'm sure that engineers that are a lot smarter than me are trying to figure out ways to mitigate that. But in the interim, what is we as laypeople have to look at, we look at what Lake Mead looked like 10 years ago and now we're discovering things at the bottom of the lake that have been hidden, right?

Jill: Right.

Celeste: So I did, after talking with, Hava's friend Sunday night, the engineer that was working on the conversion from evaporative cooling to closed-loop cooling systems for the casinos when they all went through their transition, I looked into. I wanted some actual factual data that I could share so that people could start reading about how.

What is a closed-loop water system? That sounds fancy. I don't understand it. All I hear is we're still gonna use five million gallons of water, you know, a year, or a month, or a day. It depends on what you're reading. So the tech-

Grant: By the way, you know how many gallons we dump in the desert every single day?

Celeste: No. How many?

Hava: At Lake-

Grant: One million. Wow. One million gallons

Hava: That's Boulder City ...

Grant: from Boulder City. we don't

Hava: We never recycle here. Yeah. Yep

Grant: We, we dump one million gallons of water in the... So when people talk about five million gallons a year, I believe, I could be wrong on this figure, the number of gallons that go through the straws at Boulder City every single day, I could be wrong, I should probably look this up, I think it's 200 million gallons a day.

Jill: Wow.

Grant: So when people talk about five million gallons a year, that's a big, scary number, but what does that mean in the grand scheme of things?

Celeste: Yeah, exactly.

Grant: It's a drop in the bucket.

Celeste: Exactly. And just as a side note, because I was a landscape contractor, I went through the SNWA Smart Water Conservation program back in 2021, 2022, and 67% water loss happens with landscape irrigation.

Jill: Wow.

It's the biggest water loss in our state is landscape irrigation. So it doesn't have to do with building homes. It doesn't have to do with bringing New centers new businesses in. It's actually watering your plants. That's where a lot of this. And so I wanted to share that the technology for reduction in electri- electricity usage and water consumption is already there.

Microsoft is piloting a zero water evaporation closed loop cooling at new build sites in Phoenix and in Wisconsin, reporting an 80% improvement in water usage effectiveness.

It's becoming the standard for all Microsoft facilities in 2027 The CEO actually, reported this at the Build convention, this year, that, it's basically going to use as much water as a small restaurant.

Jill: Wow.

Celeste: And so when we're talking about really compressing that water usage into a smaller number, it's like, oh, okay, the same as the coffee cup uses

Jill: Yeah

Celeste: or the same as, you know, any of our other restaurants use. That's acceptable to us, rather than these massive water draws. Oracle is deploying a direct-to-chip, closed loop, non-evaporative cooling at the upcoming data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, and Wisconsin, and they're filled once, and then recirculated indefinitely.

So there's no having to dump and refill.

Grant: Water's not the issue. With data centers, water is definitely It's a

Celeste:

Grant: it's power.

Celeste: And then we talk about, we talk about the solar and battery microgrids, that help, And I'm learning about this, so forgive me if I, That's why I wrote it all down.

Jill: Yeah, no, I'm fine.

Celeste: So I can make sure. But,it's from the information that I got, and if anybody wants the sources, I'll give them to you. Just reach out to me roughly 30% of all planned US data center capacity is now designed around some behind-the-meter or on-site generation. So it's not actually, like Grant was saying, you've got to figure out your own electricity draw.

Jill: One-to-one.

Grant: Co- Yeah ... co-locate power.

Celeste: Yeah.

Grant: Minimum one-to-one. And it's- If you wanna do more and sell it to the grid, go for it, but a minimum one-to-one, you've got to row your own boat.

Celeste: Yeah. Yep. And you know, you have to look at battery storage along with solar generation because solar doesn't generate when the, when it's dark.

And so you have to be able to store that excess, energy somewhere, and so then the battery storage then keeps the data centers running 'cause they're 24/7/365, right? Townsite, I don't know what you heard at the, 'cause I wasn't able to make it to the, ... to the town hall, but they said that they would not connect to the Boulder City grid.

And so if you've already got this company that wasn't gonna do things-

Grant: Electrical grid?

Hava: That's what it said, yeah. They built their own transmission lines.

Celeste: Yeah.

Hava: So they, the way they explained it to us is that the cost of energy is 50% the energy packets, 50% transmission of the energy. They've built their own transmission infrastructure, so that cost is already gone.

They've paid millions of dollars just to have that done. So the only thing that they're gonna be buying is energy. That keeps the cost down, and they claim would never affect Boulder City. '

Jill: Cause they go through the Mead Transit System.

Hava: Right.

Grant: They can't guarantee that though.

That's like saying, "I'm gonna scoop water out, out of Lake Mead right in front of Boulder City. I'm not gonna scoop water out

Jill: Right

Grant: from Overton." It's the same water. There's a finite amount of power. They're, if they're not supplying their power, they're using power that's on the main grid, and on a systems basis, if you extrapolate that outwards with more and more data centers, we're gonna get pinched.

So the only way for the system to be sustainable is that every single data center supply their own power.

Hava: Yeah.

Grant: Minimum one to one. For them to say that they're, "Oh, don't worry, we're not getting it from here, we're getting it from there," it's

Jill: Yeah, I think there's- ...

Grant: it's like a big, it's just like a lake.

It's no different.

Jill: They were describing it as they were us- going to go through

Hava: Yeah

Jill: the Mead transmission station, and so the connection between where their site was and to the transmission station, Mead, they would need to use Boulder City transmission lines to get there, and that they would pay $725,000 a year in order to have access to that.

So it sounded to me like their connectivity was really that they were taking energy from California.

Havah, tell me a little bit more about the idea of the yes in November and why you see that as valuable and important.

Hava: I may have mentioned before, I'm very pro-business, but I'm very smart pro-business. I want every business in Boulder City to benefit, including the city. the city is a business.

They need to be able to run the city. I think a yes vote would enable the city to, seek more, big business to Boulder City and be smart about it. It would give them the power to, draw on what Boulder City residents and Boulder City needs. It does not guarantee that they would just sell every parcel or lease every parcel.

But a no vote means that they can't do that. They can't consider bringing good, big business to Boulder City that would, benefit Boulder City residents. I think allowing the city to have the flexibility, to consider big business, consider data centers, consider other types of businesses would be, a great thing for the city to have.

So that's why I think we need a yes in November.

Jill: You can't explore and understand

Hava: Yes

Jill: what your potential options are if that is not even brought to the table.

Hava: Correct.

Jill: I love that idea. And I know that you had some concerns about battery storage.

Hava: Yes. so based on the fire that we had, I think it was a couple of years ago now, or maybe even last year down at Lake Mead, the amount of water required to not only put out the fire of a battery storage, place, but to keep the other battery storage centers cool enough during a fire required a lot of water and a lot of resources from Lake Mead.

What I have come to understand is that data centers do not require that kind of water if there is an accident or if there is a fire at a data center, that fire suppression systems that don't require water would work for those centers requiring much less water. But, the land is already approved for battery storage centers.

And me personally, I'd rather have a data center than a battery storage center close to Boulder City at any time. So it's just something that I've thought about and hope other people are thinking about that as well.

Jill: So I love your idea of being open-minded when it comes to November. We know that there's a lot of people who are very concerned, and if they don't understand more, they say no just 'cause they don't know, they don't understand it.

Maybe the question was crazy. And so making sure that people are educated prior to November is really my goal. I'm grateful you guys are all here to discuss that. What does that look like in the future? So that transfer area, what other potential opportunities could be there, if anything? I mean, maybe nothing needs to be there.

But explore those options. But, Grant, you have talked a little bit more about what you see the future looks like and what the potential of that area should be or could be, and how it really does we wanna protect our resources. That is something very, near and dear to your heart.

And so share with me a little bit more. You had an interesting experience at Common Ground, an event that was held here just recently that Danielle, Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant put together. And so share a little bit more about the discussion that happened there.

Grant: Yeah, Danielle Gallant invited me to participate in this, I guess you would call it a workshop.

Danielle is awesome, by the way. She's tremendous. And, I was assigned the topic of water usage. And if you focus on the demand, given that the supply is variable, that's a losing strategy because if we... Like we have right now, we had a, snowfall was bad, and we're, I think by September, reaching what they call dead pool, where Hoover Dam becomes maybe non-operable or less, less functional.

So the smart thing to do would be to focus on the supply. And we need desalination plants. The problem with plants is they require a ton of power. So my proposal was you pair desalination plants with small modular nuclear reactors and data centers. And what you accomplish is you have the power, and the power has two customers, day one, side by side, co-located.

So you have-you can sell the power to the data center, which requires a bunch, and you can sell it to the desalination plant. The desalination plant sells the water. It eliminates those two hundred million gallons, that go through the straws every day Lake Mead fills back up. Hoover Dam generates more power.

It's a system. it basically solves the problem. that can happen, I think, what could we do as Nevadans or as the lawmakers? I think that they can leverage the executive branch to get that done, but it does work. If my calculations that Grok helped me with because I use AI, because I'm not afraid of data centers.

If it's correct, 10 of those up and down the coast solves our water problem in perpetuity, and if we need more, we build more. And the pushback to that was, "Oh, that's gonna take, that's gonna take years to accomplish," which the answer to that is, when is the best time to plant a tree?

Jill: Yeah.

Grant: 20 years ago and right now.

So we should be starting immediately. Sure, let's also focus on the usage part of it because that's smart. It's smart to do everything, but we should be attacking the supply side of the equation. and as that relates to data centers and what to do with the election and what to do with our land- Fear is the strongest persuader, and the anti-data center fear, people need to keep in mind, this is being funded by our political or geopolitical adversaries.

Like, I don't know if people know this, but China does not want us to be a player in the data center realm. So if you're out there putting up signs that say, "No data centers in Boulder City," just know you're being played and that this is a fear tactic to get United States to fall behind in, in data centers.

When is it smart to have fewer options? I would say almost never. We should vote yes for data centers so that we have more options, and we should set parameters. We will allow data centers given these parameters. You got a supply room. whatever we set as a city, as our parameters, that we would feel really good at it, including, I'm gonna say it every time I get a chance, Boulder City residents get a direct benefit.

Then it's smart. Solve our water problem and our energy problem, and the data centers will-- that problem will solve itself by setting parameters.

Jill: Right. Thank you. Obviously, we can't put a desalinization plant right here in our dry lake bed, but knowing that is a focus that should be, at least and, you know, looking at the future, what it should look like.

Like you said, we can't hide our head in the sand now. We need to be aware and educate ourselves on some of these different opportunities that are coming down, in the future. So thank you. So Celeste, do you have any last-minute thoughts?

Celeste: Well, I think another controversial topic that I've been, you know, reading on social media and hearing about has to do with, you know, Boulder City being this quaint town.

They love their property values, that data centers cause decrease in property values or businesses go under, that it's just this monster that is ever-consuming and impacts our communities in negative ways. And so there's two studies actually that I wanted to share, and, one is a twenty twenty-five George Mason University study that analyzed home sales in Northern Virginia, which is the more dense populace of data centers in the United States, and found that homes closer to data centers sold for more and those that were farther sold for less. Interesting.

A January 2026 study by IRR examined four large data centers across different Indiana counties using Zillow data from 2021 to 2026 before, during, and after construction of data centers, and found no significant difference in home value or appreciation between homes near data centers and comparable homes elsewhere in the same market.

And so it's just like building a hospital or building any type of other infrastructure. Obviously, if you're closer to, a school in a neighborhood that is full of kids, the, you know, assessed value could go up, but it's also the perceived value. So 'cause you can sell a home for as much as you want, as long as you have a buyer to pay what you're asking, right?

And it's based on that subjective kind of valuation. But when you have data looking at what homes are selling for versus what they're appraised for and how that correlates to the market, they're not finding a difference. And so if we're willing in November-

To limit our options in this land ma- this land use plan, then I think we're cutting off our nose to spite our face because who else is gonna come out there? Because if you put in some massive, let's just say, Amazon facility, they're going to be draining electricity to keep that warehousing. And we're not talking about a 20,000 square foot warehouse.

I do construction cleaning, I see the plans. They're 150,000 square foot warehouse.

Jill: And they have two parcels right across the way

Celeste: Yes, and 25 foot high to 45 foot high ceilings, that is a lot of space to cool in the middle of the desert. Plus then you've got all of the traffic and, you know, all of the other infrastructure that brings.

So what else do we have out there? I don't think that we should limit it to a very narrow direction of what we want out there, or to say we want nothing out there. I don't think that's right. We have to evolve as, as we grow and as technology evolves. We have to look at, okay, we don't want to add 500 track homes every six months to Boulder City, right?

Jill: That's not who we are.

Celeste: That's not who we are. But we also, look what's going on with the hospital, look what's going on with the school districts and those conversations, and we start looking at the things that are happening, that's a clue- We're regressing to where we're going or not going.

And so we have to be forward-thinking, as Grant and Hava said. We have to start looking at not just today, but what's gonna happen in five years. I plan to be here in five years. I plan to be here in 10 years, God willing, right? So how do we look at what's that benefit? And I don't think by the no vote is gonna do it for us.

I think we really need to keep our focus broad and our common sense hats on, and not limit ourselves, because down the road it could really come back to bite us like it has with this recent withdrawal of, Townsend Solar. Townsend Solar. Yeah.

Grant: If you're not growing, you're dying.

Hava: Absolutely.

Grant: And the economics of it, solar, it...

We are, I think as a city, we are solvent through the year 2035, and beyond that we hit the crossover point where we gotta start cutting costs in order to, to stay solvent. So we do need additional sources of revenue. We cannot rely on solar, especially considering that technology is aging, and we're vulnerable.

We have a lot of eggs in the solar basket, and if a new form of technology comes that is way more efficient than solar, we could conceivably lose a tremendous... Solar accounts for what part of our lease revenue? It's a, I think

Jill: It's a chunk, and I wish I knew that number. I'm sorry

Grant: it's a huge chunk.

I think it's a third. I think it's a third. So- We should be prepared for that.

Jill: You know

Grant: We do need to diversify our sources of revenue

Jill: that's actually a really valid point. The courage that it took for the city council to venture into the first solar lease whether it was negotiated well or not, we, you know...

It's always easy to look back and say, they should have." But, knowing what we've learned and being able to look at what other communities, whether it's Virginia, Pennsylvania, all these other places, learning from them, understanding what they are utilizing and, where they have things maybe they failed at, that we could fix.

Those are always things you wanna be keeping your mind, abreast to, and also making sure that your council are leading with knowledge and not with emotion.

Celeste: Maybe a good idea would be... Sorry, Hava.

Hava: Oh, it's okay.

Celeste: Maybe a good idea would be to get a task force together to really look into this. And if that is a direction we wanna go into, have a group of business leaders and residents that are unbiased, right?

I'm with Hava. I'm not for or against data centers. I'm for what pragmatically is going to get us to the next level and keep us growing and sustaining and, you know, being energy conscious and conser- I'm a conservative by nature. So maybe, like other cities have, they put together a task force to really start doing some deep dives into, what do we need from environmental studies? What do we need from, these, specific entities that are coming in and wanting to use that land? So I just think that might be a great idea. I do.

Jill: I love that idea.

Hava: Last comment from me. I just wanna talk about that land in general that, we're talking about, the Lower El Dorado Valley.

It is industrial land. It's not like some beautiful resort is going to build there, or some, park, beautiful park is gonna be built there. It needs to be zoned for industrial use, for commerce, for profit, but in a smart way. And in a way that we have control over. So bring on any company.

Could be data center, which to me, you get the best bang for your buck, as I'm looking at other companies that are out there right now, battery storage, and, I just do think, you know, we should not, just say no to anything based on fear or misinformation.

Jill: So thank you. So Boulder City has a thoughtful growth ordinance, and it has been in place for many years.

I would hope that maybe we could look at this concept, much like they did back then, the council, the city, the residents, everybody that helped craft that we look at this as a wonderful way to protect future resources and protect what it is that we love, but do it in a thoughtful approach. You can't be so closed off that we end up being, a pond of mosquitoes that are just gonna eat each other.

We have to have inflow coming and going. We have to have, businesses coming and going. We have to be thinking about what that future looks like, and having an open mind, having a civil discussion, maybe that is a task force. But, having the courage to also realize that if we aren't the ones that are crafting what this message is, crafting what this looks like in the future, it could be very harmful, whether it's the loss of, you know, the two point three million that was just discussed, or if it's a loss of something larger that we don't have the ability to take, as an advantage for us in the future.

So, without your conversation, guys, today, I really appreciate it. I am so grateful that we also have those that don't appreciate the data centers, and I'm glad to hear from them because I've learned so much from all of you. And so thank you for this discussion. Thank you for being willing to be here.

And, thank you for being willing to keep this conversation, this dialogue going, 'cause it's exactly what we need to have citizens that care, understand, and are willing to come to the table with great information. So I appreciate you guys all today. Thank you.

Celeste: Thanks, Jill.

Grant: Thanks for having us

Champion Dogs, Hollywood Cameos, and Natural Healing with Natural Blum

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:46:42 GMT

Champion Dogs, Hollywood Cameos, and Natural Healing with Natural Blum

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Curt Gebers, owner and founder of Natural Blum. Curt shares about his journey, his commitment to pure health and wellness, and his line of CBD/CBG products

Curt also reflects on his eclectic life experiences—from breaking out in the oil fields at 15 to breeding national champion Cane Corsos and even acting in major film productions—all while serving the Boulder City community.

This isn't just a story about CBD and CBG products; it's about organic seed-to-sale farming without pesticides, using 300,000 ladybugs for natural pest control, offering top-shelf pet nutrition and treats, and celebrating the heart, compassion, and community spirit of small business in Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

Curt explains his commitment to providing 99.5% pure CBD and CBG isolates with absolutely zero THC for athletes, professionals, and wellness seekers.
The Power of CBG: Discovering cannabigerol, the "diamond cannabinoid," its entourage effect when paired with CBD, and promising research into memory and stress relief.
Seed-to-Sale Organic Farming: Growing plants in Southern Oregon without pesticides, utilizing green lacewings and 300,000 ladybugs for natural crop protection.
Top-Shelf Pet Nutrition: Bringing hard-to-find kibbles and unique, natural treats like turkey tracheas, duck heads, and frog legs to local pet lovers.
A Life of Diverse Experience: Curt shares his journey from working oil fields, playing college football, doing union finish carpentry on Vegas hotels, and running a 22-year tax practice.
National Champion Cane Corsos: Breeding the top Cane Corso in the country four times over 23 years and mentoring judges across the nation.
Hollywood Hobbies: Curt’s recent acting features alongside stars like Kim Kardashian, Jean Smart, and Reese Witherspoon productions.
Life Lessons and Legacy: Carrying forward his Purple Heart recipient father's legacy of honor, integrity, compassion, and patriotism while partnering with the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Natural Blum, visit their shop across from the Coffee Cup in Boulder City's Histroic District or search "NaturalBlum Boulder City" to read their Google reviews. To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Curt Gebers, Natural Blum, Boulder City, CBD, CBG, Organic CBD, Pet Treats, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#CurtGebers #NaturalBlum #BoulderCity #CBD #CBG #OrganicFarming #SupportLocal #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: So today we have the amazing privilege of being able to visit with Mr. Curt Gebers. He is with Natural Blum. You're the owner, founder, and, an amazing entrepreneur right here in Boulder City. Welcome, Curt.

Curt: Thank you, Jill. Pleasure to be here, and, excited to be in front of the folks of Boulder City, which is my favorite place in the world. Everybody here seems to be so genuine, loving. I recent or often rather, I often tell people it's like stepping back in time 60 years. Everybody here seems to be friendly, caring, loving, patriotic.

It's just a really good vibe here, and it's so calm and just a beautiful place to be.

Jill: It's the perfect location for a small business owner to really be able to intimately get to know their customers, their clients, and as well as interact with the tourists.

So it's just a, a great combination, right? we all love Boulder City.

Curt: It's heavenly.

Jill: I agree. So will you tell us a little bit about Natural Blum, what it is that you do at this location, the products that you carry, and, you know, a little bit about the passion that you have for this product?

Curt: Well, we are primarily A CBD, CBG, store. I'll tell you a bit more about what those are, but basically we're a health and wellness store. our products are for health and wellness purposes. They do not get you high. A lot of the misconception that seems to happen, people have a stigma that we're marijuana and THC, so they tend to, not wanna come in the store.

Actually, when I started, this company, I decided to take care of the other half of the world.

The half of the world that can have 0.0 THC. Not trace amounts, 0.0. Zero. I have professional athletes, MMA, UFC, world boxing champions business professionals, all walks of life, people that want 0.0, not even a slight trace of THC.

That's the other side of the spectrum. We're here to help people improve the quality of their lives. So that's the first thing I wanna say, is we are not a get you high kind of store.

Jill: Got it.

Curt: We have nothing that gets you high. On our window, we have a big, bold letter so those people don't even come in, "No THC on premises."

None.

Jill: Oh, that's interesting, 'cause I have seen that sign, but I guess I never really thought about it being more dissuasive, that it actually keeps those people from coming in, 'cause they're gonna assume that they can buy that product. But we don't have any place in Boulder City where you can purchase that.

That's why you've been so successful, because you have been so specific about that particular, the, that THC concept, the high concept, all of that is out the window. That is not at your location.

Curt: Not at all. Not even a trace. We, test all of our products. We're probably the top maybe 10, 15% in the country with our products.

We have CBG, which is cannabigerol. Typically, the amount of CBG [00:04:00] in a plant is less than 1%.

Jill: And so what does that do? I don't ... You need to tell me what CBD is.

Curt: Cannabigerol is more powerful than even CBD.

Jill: Really?

Curt: It has been used in major studies. For instance, Washington State just did a first ever human definitive study.

Substantial improvement, in memory. Really? they were doing a study for stress and anxiety, and were surprised to find that it actually helps substantially with memory. So now there's major studies going on of Alzheimer's, dementia. And that's another thing, let me tell you, we cannot make any type of medical claim here.

It's not permitted. the best thing I can offer for people, we're right across the street from the Coffee Cup, Natural Blum. We have nothing that gets you high. Absolutely nil. Nothing. Please come in, try a free sample Maybe it'll change your life like it has so many thousands of other people.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: And another thing I would ask you, please go to Google. Google Natural Blum, B-L-U-M, Boulder City. Read those reviews.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Curt: You talk about compelling, honest reviews. I'm sure you will find many, dozens and dozens, that will relate to things that are restricting, your pursuit of happiness, so to speak.

Jill: You know, that's a good point. Restricting your pursuit of happiness. It's not, it's just that restriction, we don't think of it as a restriction. We think, "Okay, I'm sick. I can't do this. I hurt. I can't do this." The restriction is you. You're not finding the right natural way to do this. And so I appreciate that statement because that, helps remind me that it's my choice, right?

So there are ways to help, and you have a lot of suggestions. You are so good about the samples. And, so for me it was lotions and creams that we used those samples, so thank you for that. And now I know you also offer pet food and pet food samples. I have seen you really, embrace that, and happened to be outside of the store one day when a family was coming in to, make a purchase, and they said it was night and day difference for their older dog.

Curt: Well, thank you for that. I happen to be a huge animal lover, and as I just celebrated five years here in Boulder City, by the way.

Jill: Yes, you did. Congratulations.

Curt: So I used to be heavily involved in the dog world. I had the number one Cane Corso in the country four times in 23 years. I've mentored judges at the Westminster, the Eukanuba National Specialties, and I was sponsored by a lot of the major high-quality dog foods and know their owners well. So one day, I was looking out the window at the store like I do so often, people going by with dogs, cats, so many pets, and it dawned on me there's so many high-quality foods that are not available here.

Jill: That's right.

Curt: Why don't I call the owners, call my connections, and bring in some really top-shelf food and treats for dogs and cats?

So that's what I did, and the majority of our products cannot be found in a 15 mile radius.

Jill: That's awesome.

Curt: So then we priced them very moderately well. We have treats like turkey tracheas wrapped in beef, tongue- Duck heads, frog legs, tendons, twisted tendons, bully sticks, beef cheek. We have amazing treats priced at a fraction of the cost.

And our kibbles, we brought, ACANA, Origin, NutraSource, Pure Vita

Jill: Wow

Curt: Fromm, Four Star Nutrition, Victor's. We don't have a lot of space, so we brought in what we felt was the best of the best. And please stop by. your animals will love you for it.

Jill: Yeah. Absolutely. My daughter has a dog that has a feather allergy. It cannot eat any type of poultry whatsoever.

Curt: Okay.

Jill: And so it is very hard to find good food that, you can just buy at a store. You have to have it all special ordered. so grateful to know. She's now moved to Savannah, Georgia, but it's so nice to know that there are options right here.

We don't have to go over the hill, that you've got something for us. So thank you so much for that.

Curt: You're very welcome.

Jill: So tell me a little bit more about the individual products. I know of some of the lotions, the creams, but do you have vitamin supplements? Do you have protein drink I mean, what all do you have?

Curt: I do carry some vitamins from Nature's Lab. I know the owner of that company as well, so I brought in some of his vitamins, and right now we have them 50% off. I also have some supplements, but primarily it's the CBD, CBG, 99.5% pure, 0.0 THC products. Like I said, we wanted to be extremely pure, extremely potent, and make a difference.

My philosophy was, okay, I wanna take care of the half of the world that can't tolerate any dirty drug test

Jill: Yeah

Curt: anyone getting high. So I developed a line of products that were the best of the best.

Jill: So you have gummies?

Curt: We have gummies, we have tinctures, we have balms. And like I was saying, so my philosophy was our margins very very much smaller than a normal, type CBD, CBG store.

Jill: Oh, okay.

Curt: But I felt that if we had the best quality and the best results, that people would come back forever, tell their family, friends, neighbors, and they would all be repeat customers.

Jill: Right.

Curt: So in the long run, we would help a lot more people and do just as well, and that's how it's worked out by the grace of God.

Jill: Yeah, no, I love that philosophy. Thank you for that, not having that greed that you normally can see in some of these larger corporations, right? So I appreciate that. So kind of talking about that margin, when you were talking about CBG being such a small, its prevalence being so small within plants, does that make it more expensive?

Curt: It's much more expensive.

Jill: Okay.

Curt: Like I said, the average plant runs about 1% CBG, whereas CBD plant's 20 to 25%.

So to get 99.5% pure CBG, it takes a whole, a large, large hugely, huge volume of plants.

But that's what we do. CA- CBG, cannabigerol, I believe, is the diamond cannabinoid.

Studies are being used for digestive, indigestion.

Jill: Interesting.

Curt: and if you read our reviews or come in the store, you will see a lot of very compelling testimonials to that effect. So to me, CBG is my favorite cannabinoid.

Jill: Okay.

Curt: And combined with CBD, it creates what's called an entourage effect, which is amazing, amazing. I can't, make any medical claims, but CBD with CBG is highly esteemed with all of the researchers and people doing research on the cannabinoids. The combination of those two seem to be the most effective.

Jill: And so how do you recommend people try it? do you just have them jump right into it and take a full dose? Do they ramp up? how does this work in your system?

Curt: So yeah, you can just take a full dose. You can't overdose on CBD or CBG.

Jill: Oh, interesting. Okay

Curt: There's no such thing. The recommended adult dosage is like 50, 50 milligrams a day. But people come in, I'll give them a little spoonful of our balm, it's very famous, our award-winning balm.

They rub it on where they're

Jill: A joint hurts or aches.

Curt: Within two minutes, I see jaws drop.

Dozens of times, I've literally seen people break out in tears

Jill: Wow

Curt: tears of joy, going, "Oh my God, I can't believe this." Sometimes that brings me to tears.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: It's, just the humanity, the compassion of it all. It's very touching, and that's when I'm so grateful that I'm blessed to be a small part of this.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: But please, please, do yourself a favor. Come in the store.

Jill: And try it.

Curt: Try a free sample.

It doesn't cost anything. You got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

Jill: Right. Yeah, I absolutely agree. So, you and I had a conversation.

This has been maybe six months to a year ago. You had just come from your fields that you have, I think you told me it was in California?

Curt: Oregon.

Jill: Oregon. Southern Oregon. Excuse me. And so you really see this from start to finish, from planting the seed pod, whatever it's called, to the end result. You've seen this entire process, the growth cycle.

And so tell me a little bit more about what it is and how do they manufacture it?

Curt: So the terminology for that is called seed to sale.

Jill: Seed to sale.

Curt: So we plant, we, we get our fields ready. We do our rows, we do our planting, our irrigation, our fertilizing. However, when it comes to pesticides, that's where we throw the brakes on.

We don't use pesticides.

Jill: So then it's organic CBD?

Curt: Yes, it is. Okay. I seed my field with 300,000 ladybugs.

Jill: Oh.

Curt: An adult ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids a day.

Jill: Yuck.

Curt: So I walk up and down the rows and seed once the plants are waist high, so they don't fly away. And then I also seed with green lacewings. They eat the mites.

So we are pesticide-free. Interesting. We're very pure and very, very, organic product. And then when it goes to flower, you do all your harvesting. We have a dry facility, and it, takes a huge workforce. Huge workforce. It's a lot of work. And once all the plants are down and hung and dried and cured, from there we take it to an extraction facility.

Jill: Oh, okay.

Curt: They extract all the CBD and/or the CBG- BG because we run different strains, some for CBG, some for CBD, and they get it to what's called a distillate. Now, this is where we differ also. So distillate is typically 70, 80% pure, which means 20 to 30% minors, including THC. That's why almost 90% of CBD has point, may have up to .3 THC in it. We are taking care of those people that want none.

We throw the 20 to 30% away when we go to pure isolate. 99.5% pure CBD, 99.5 pure CBG, and then we do them on a 50/50. So we're extremely rare. We're, we're top shelf, and we're not the type of product you can find just anywhere.

Jill: Okay, so the 20, 30% that gets thrown out, that's got the THC in it. Do you then sell that off?

Curt: No

Jill: So that you can make something from that disposed?

Curt: I throw it away.

Jill: You throw it away. So isn't it valuable to somebody who wants THC?

Curt: Somebody it would be, of course. But that's not our

Jill: Who you are

Curt: that's not our world. That's not what we do.

Jill: Interesting. So other bad, well, other companies.

They're not bad, excuse me. Other companies then would take that THC, and then they would use that at, like, these other cannabis stores. They would make that into gummies. Is that how this work? I'm so sorry that I don't know this. I really am interested.

Curt: The majority, most of them, would be using the distillate to make everything.

Jill: Oh.

Curt: We're a rarity. that's why when you go and get a tincture from a regular CBD, it says may have up to .3 THC, and tastes terrible. They try to cover it with lemon, cinnamon, vanilla orange We don't even flavor ours. We're 99.5 pure D and G. There is no flavor to pure isolates. So most of them use it to distillate.

The majority only go to distillate, 70 to 80% pure. That's what they make their gummies, tinctures balms, topicals with.

Jill: Interesting. I just, I'm

Curt: We're a rarity.

Jill: Yeah. I love that, and I love that you're not trying to capitalize. I would just assume that there's a reason to use whatever that, you know, and whatever's produced that's extra that you could then sell it.

But it sounds to me like that's, you just don't want anything to do with it. You're just letting that go.

Curt: I'm Norwegian and Viking, and I like to be the best of the best, like my dogs, number one in the country

Jill: Yeah

Curt: four times in 23 years.

Jill: Is it the same dog, by the way?

Curt: Different dogs.

Jill: Different dogs.

Curt: Different dogs.

Jill: I wanted to ask you that.

Curt: Red Wrock Corsos is what my dogs were called.

Jill: Yes. And that's your website and your email and everything. So I'm

Curt: just a stickler for being the best.

Jill: I love it

Curt: All, all that byproduct and the THC

Jill: Yeah

Curt: I'm not gonna waste our time with it. We've got-

Jill: Interesting

Curt: more important things to do in life.

Jill: Well, and you've got a crew that's very singularly focused to making the best.

Curt: Yes, ma'am.

Jill: I love it. That is so cool. Okay. So, I suppose now I should probably get back to my interview questions. I just, I don't, I didn't know enough about all of that.

Curt: Are we gonna do an interview, too?

Jill: Yeah. We're gonna hang out, and I'm gonna ask you a few very important questions. So I know that I've, I have had this conversation, too. Who is a client that should come in? So do they have arthritis? Do they have cancer? Do they have, I know we can't talk medical, but who are the normal people that you target?

Is it just everybody?

Curt: Many, many people, with those types of things come in. That's why I kind of have deferred just for copacetic reasons to the reviews, but

Jill: Yeah

They wouldn't come back if it wasn't helpful

Curt: and everybody comes back.

Jill: Comes back.

Curt: 90, 95% come back for years.

Jill: Yeah. I find that so fascinating.

At your last re-grand opening that we did the big celebration with the pet food

Curt: Right

Jill: there was a gentleman that was there, had a motorcycle accident maybe or a car accident, and he... Or maybe it was him and he was talking about his child, but they had just were raving about the fact that they would not have found the quality of life that they had or even a survival element, to that traumatic, incedent for their family if they had not found you first.

And so I

Curt: It touches my heart

Jill: Yeah ...

Curt: And my soul.

Jill: Those are… These stories are happening all the time. I'm hearing them constantly

Curt: It happens, yeah, I see people start crying.

Jill: Yeah, I bet.

Curt: Chokes me up. What a wonderful thing to be a part of, though. I mean, truly. they even let me, I've done a couple recordings from the cage at the UFC Center.

Jill: Really?

Curt: I have probably 20 or 30 MMA UFC fighters that swear by our products.

Six world champion boxers.

Jill: That's so cool.

Curt: I'm in doctor's offices in Oregon and Nevada. I have referrals from doctors. Probably 10 doctors are sending their patients to me. Half a dozen vets that are sending their dog owners to me. It's really compelling. I'm, my products are in gyms and

Jill: Yeah

Curt: we're not very big, but we are very high quality, very high quality.

Jill: High quality and super important and very valuable.

Curt: Thank you, ma'am.

Jill: Yeah, absolutely agree with that. What is your favorite part of all of this? You kind of just shared a little bit of those testimonials, but-

Curt: My favorite part When I watched so many people come in that could barely manage, and try our balm and break down in tears of joy.

That's the most wonderful feeling in the world. I was a high-end tax accountant. My wife used to be the controller for Lotus Broadcasting, COMP, The Point, ESPN, KINO.

Jill: Yeah, we've

Curt: She's business manager

Jill: advertised with them quite a bit.

Curt: Business manager for Channel 13 KTNV ABC affiliate.

Jill: Oh, very good

Curt: And it was great doing taxes and saving people money. There's nothing like seeing people cry tears, tears of joy.

Jill: Yeah. Yeah.

Curt: It's the most amazing thing and the most rewarding just, oh

you're

I'm so blessed. Just so blessed

Jill: you're making such an emotional, relational connection. It's not transactional for you. It is all about the relation.

Curt: Yes.

Jill: Yeah, that is amazing. I love it. So, can you share maybe an aha moment? It sounds like you have a lot of aha moments, but can you think of any one in particular, a specific one that you might wanna share?

Curt: God, there's so many,

Jill: Well, what about you? Do you take your own stuff and

Curt: I use it daily. I use my balm and my tincture daily, and it has in as I say, it enhanced the quality of my life, and that's our purpose, enhance the quality of people's lives.

Jill: And so what do you see it fixing? So here's a question: I don't hurt.

What should I come in and take it for?

Curt: Well, for myself, I, I have rheumatism arthritis.

Jill: Oh.

Curt: I have aches and pains. I used to be a power lifter. I used to leg press 1,115 pounds.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Curt: I was really bulked up. I played college football. I was a sports fanatic. So I have issues that arise.

Jill: Sports ar-

Curt: yeah.

Curt: And, I find, improvement in many, many areas.

And

Jill: you're not claiming a cure. You're just simply saying an improvement.

Curt: I cannot claim a cure.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: And I'm trying to be very cautious of that.

Jill: Yeah. I appreciate that.

Curt: And I have to tell you, if I did not have these products, I would do extreme diligence to find somebody that has comparable. And we are a rarity, like I said.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: But yes, I use it daily. And, if I ever stopped using or producing or selling, I would diligently search under every rock to find somebody with the quality, purity, and potency of what we have.

Jill: So I know that we hear a lot about the, the different types, and this, I think it's actually THC.

I think it was called spider's web or something. But it was, a cannabis oil that is given to children for seizures.

Curt: It's called Charlotte's Web.

Jill: Charlotte's Web.

Curt: That's what it was. It's actually a strain of CBD.

Jill: Oh, it is?

Curt: Yeah, it's a strain of CBD. They're out of, they originated up in Portland area, Oregon.

Jill: So things like that, I just, I'm so grateful that you are giving those families the access to that, or that they have access to that for something that really those children absolutely need. But to know that is a CBD and that's not a THC-type things for those children.

Curt: I have an instance, an aha moment I wanna share to you.

Jill: Okay.

Curt: It's very compelling. I just thought about this. It speaks volumes. So I have a cannabis attorney in Oregon. she's beautiful, wonderful woman. She called me about three years ago.

She was crying. She's from Canada. Her dad's in Canada. She said "My God, my dad has four stage lung cancer. He can't eat.

He can't sleep. He's miserable." And I told her, I said, "Manley, let me send him some balm and some tincture." She said, "Curt, don't even waste. He won't take it. He won't take it." I sent it anyway. Three weeks later, she called me again Her exact words were, "Oh my God, I just talked to my dad. He made me promise him.

He's, he said, 'Honey, whatever you do, don't ever let me run out of that.'"

Jill: Oh, isn't that incredible? Oh, that's just incredible. I'm so glad that she kind of had her dad do it. Oh, man. That is, those are those aha moments that make all of us feel good.

Curt: Yeah.

Jill: Right? Those warm and fuzzies. Yes. Okay. All right. So we're gonna go a different direction.

You got a funny story? Do you have some kind of a funny experience?

Curt: Oh, gosh, I don't know.

Jill: There's probably quite a few. I'm sure there's a reason you had to put that sign on the door that actually explained that, there is no THC products within this store. People probably come in all the time and just expect you to help them get high.

Curt: Oh, funny moment. A few times, probably three or four times over the last five years, I've had people come in the store, and I go, "Here, try this," and right in their mouth. I stick it right in their mouth, deep. They go, "No, no, no." I go, "Don't worry, it won't hurt you." Now I actually have a guy that comes in with a toothache that puts it on his gum.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Curt: But yeah, they actually ate it instead of run it on, I guess rubbed it on, rather. I guess that's a or a funny moment, right?

Jill: Well, so that's a good question, though. So what about, like, brain fog, dementia, those kinds of memory issues?

Curt: There's a lot of studies on that.

Jill: And so do you think that, And that would be, you would consume that, right? You wouldn't

Curt: Yes

Jill: rub that on your head.

Curt: Probably a tincture or gummy, yeah. Something like that. It wouldn't be a topical.

Jill: It would be

Curt: an ingestible Ingestible to go along those lines.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: Yeah, but please Google Natural Blum, B-L-U-M, Boulder City reviews.

Read those reviews. You will be motivated to come and see.

Jill: I'm actually gonna go check them out too, 'cause I don't know that I have for a while, so I will go find that out. I would imagine that your life has led you to this place where you now want to be so helpful and, making sure that you're doing high quality, top-of-the-line quality, providing an amazing service.

Your customer service is unbelievable, 'cause it's usually you that is there at the counter every, every day that I've been in there. And so tell me how... I wanna know more about how this man was built. So who, what was your first job?

Curt: Oh, God, my first job, I was 15, and it was summer, and my stepdad took me to the oil fields, told them I was 18, so I broke out in the oil fields.

I worked oil fields for a while. I also, at 15, ended up starting a used car, business on a lot and opened three roofing companies.

Jill: Oh my gosh, you've been all over the place, Curt.

Curt: When I was a child. Well, not a child, I was 11 or 12, a friend of mine had an older sister, and I grew up by Iceland in Paramount.

I'd go by there, and at her house, all these nice cars, Corvettes, Camaros, and her boyfriend's name was Mike. And I said, "You know what? I wanna be like Mike." And then early in life, I learned, if you want things, you have to work for them.

And the harder you work, the better you, better pay you get, the more you make.

Jill: So you learned early.

Curt: Yeah. So I learned a lesson. I broke at oil fields, roofing. then I played college football after that.

But I learned early on to be very meticulous and to excel at whatever I chose to do.

Jill: How the heck then did you get into taxes?

Curt: So I met my ex-wife. She was running, Lotus Broadcasting.

She was a CPA.

And, so we got married, and about a year after that, she decided to give her notice and we opened a tax practice.

Jill: Interesting.

Curt: First year was pretty dismal I must say. We did, like, 80 returns. She ended up going back, and working for KTNV Channel 13 as their business manager. I went back and worked the trades in the union.

Jill: Oh.

Curt: I'm a fine finish carpenter as well.

Jill: Oh my gosh, dude. Is there something you don't do? That's incredible. So finish carpentry. So then you were with the union for quite a few years.

Curt: Yes. Yeah, I built most the big hotels and stuff like that. Yeah. I was on the finish crews, and usually the last one on the job, the lead.

Me and my partner. And so the next year, we opened a new location I have a great story for that. It started off pretty dismal, too, and she'd been a CPA since '92. We were halfway through tax season. We figured we needed to do 500 returns

Jill: Oh my gosh

Curt: to make just to pay the bills. And this might sound, you might call it crazy or whatever, but halfway through, we'd done 100.

We were pretty worried. And then one night, a girl came through the door crying, torn clothes and emotional. "Oh my God, We were getting ready to close. "Oh my God. Are you okay? Are you okay?" And I locked the door, and, "I've been raped." She had been raped.

Jill: Oh, no.

Curt: So I called Metro and said, "Please get over here.

This poor girl's been raped." And out there where we were on Jones and Russell, there were no houses at that time. That was in 2002. It was like the boonies. And I called the rape crisis hotline.

And, we finally got her to drink water, calm down, and I have all my dogs at homes, so I have to go feed dogs.

Well, now it's 8:30, 9:00, but of course that doesn't matter at this point.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: Call Metro again, and they apologize. "We're very, very busy. We're trying to get someone out there." Called a second rape crisis, counselor.

About two and a half hours go by, no Metro. That must have been like a crazy weekend.

So I go, "Well, let me-" Take her over in the center. There was a DVD store that was open all night. Let me take her over there. So I said, "Hey, come on, let's go over here. Let me see if you can wait. My friends, I've got six dogs I got to get home and feed."

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: And she had calmed down pretty good after a couple hours, so we go in there, and I call him aside, and I whisper and tell him.

I was shocked when he told me, you know, "No, you need to get her out of here. I don't want her in here." I go, "What?" I go, "Shh." Don't... I didn't want to make a big deal. I go, "You know what, hon? Come on, I got a better idea. Let's go back to my tax office." So we got back, and she was calling her family, and she lived off Tropicana and Boulder City.

Jill: Wow.

Curt: I mean, in Boulder Highway yeah.

Jill: on Boulder Highway,

Curt: So, she goes, "I just want to go home." "No, no, no, you're not going anywhere." So I ended up, I drove her up to Trop and Jones, took her in the Terrible Herbs, got her some stuff to eat and drink gave her money, waited for the bus, put her on the bus.

Curt: We've never had two people outside our store waiting, ever, in 22 years that even preceded that.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: The next morning, we showed up. There were a dozen people waiting in lines. Instead of doing 30 returns a week, we were doing 20 and 30 a day.

Jill: Oh my gosh.

Curt: Our tax practice blew up. I think it was a test from God.

Jill: Huh, interesting.

Curt: I think that was His way of saying, "You did the right thing."

Jill: Oh, that is amazing.

Curt: My wife became a believer in the Lord.

Jill: What a transitional moment.

Curt: Yes.

Jill: Yeah. Probably a transitional in your company too.

Curt: It was. We were in business 22 years.

Jill: Wow.

Curt: We had 2,000 tax clients.

Jill: Wow.

Curt: Did everything from CEOs and cardiologists all the way down to regular folk like you and me.

Jill: Wow, I love that. What a awesome story. That is a, a great way to

Curt: Nice one to share that

Jill: yeah, that's who and what you're all about, right? Well, I appreciate that. So, we had a little bit of a conversation about you showing dogs. how did you first start with Cane Corsos? Or was that like a, that your favorite dog?

You had one? I mean

Curt: I had

Jill: how did you get into that?

Curt: I had bull mastiffs in the '70s.

Jill: So you just like big dogs?

Curt: yeah, I like... I'm a Viking. I'm Norwegian German.

Jill: Yeah, there you go. So

Curt: They're actually, gladiator dogs.

Jill: Well, I think that's pretty awesome. They also, shed, and they are big.

Curt: No, very, very little shedding at all, and it's only

Jill: Really?

Curt: only dry mouth mastiff. They don't drool. They're, they'll drink and drag. They used to use them for the, after the gladiator days when they were pitted against tigers, lions, and bears. They used them, the farmers in Southern Italy, Puglia, and they would run with the merchants and the carts into town 30 or 40 miles and back, so they learned to retain their body fluids.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Curt: Then when they got home at night, they may have to go hunt a pig So they're very agile, very athletic, very intelligent. Uncanny ability to read situations.

If the owner's okay with someone, they're okay. They'll keep an eye on them, but they're okay with them, too. So I took him to the vet, Dr. Dennis Harn, one of my dogs, 'cause I wanted to get him collected. And he goes, "You know, I know a guy who's been breeding these for 20 or 30 years. Can I give him your number? Your dog's amazing." So I did. So I took the dog over, and he goes, "Oh my God, you have no idea what you have here." He goes, "I show dogs.

This dog could be a national champion." He goes, "You need to show him." I go, "Listen, showing dogs really isn't my element, okay?"

Jill: Yeah, It's not your thing.

Curt: I'm not a dog show kinda guy. He goes, "I tell you what, man, bring him by the park this weekend. Let me run him around." So we did that two weekends.

He goes, "Enter him in the dog show in California." So I entered him. We drove out there. The national champion's there. Everybody's smiles turned to frowns. He's was a national champion. My dog was 15 months old, had a total of an hour of training. He beat him every show. They retired the dog. We went straight to number one in the country, and his offspring did some of the same.

I mean, we've had the youngest gold grand champion in the breed, national champion four times. It's hard to do it once.

Jill: That's incredible.

Curt: People spend over 100 grand to get a national champion, and have to have the right stock.

Jill: Wow.

Curt: So that's how I got into them, but I've always loved dogs. I've had dogs since I was a little kid.

I've had parrots. How come- I just love animals. Horses

Jill: How come you never have them at the store? I've never seen them at the store.

Curt: I used to bring them to the store a lot. He passed away,

Jill: Oh

Curt: my number one, my JJ passed away on me, you know?

Jill: I'm sorry.

Curt: He used to be there all the time. He had a fan club.

People used to come in on the... "I'm not here for anything else." Just for- "Where's JJ?"

Jill: Just came to see the dog.

Curt: Here's a story on his name. The reason he's named JJ, was born in a litter, two boys, both blue, so I called it the Blues Brothers litter.

Jill: Oh, cute.

Curt: Elwood and Joliet Jake,

Jill: so yeah. Yeah, so you get JJ out of that.

Yeah. That is cute. I love that. So what do you have now?

Curt: I have three females at home.

Jill: Oh.

Curt: Yeah.

Jill: How fun.

Curt: I had a dozen up on my farm

Jill: Oh, my gosh

Curt: up on the farm

Jill: Well, yeah

Curt: up at three-and-a-half acre front one. They all live in the house on dog beds, no kennels. I don't do that.

Jill: They're just like your children

I love dogs.

Curt: They are children.

Jill: They truly are. Do you have children?

You do?

Curt: Yes

Two boys, both grown, yes

Jill: do they feel like they're totally left out because you love the dogs?

Curt: No, though my youngest was a huge dog lover, too. Oh. My older son, he's a serial entrepreneurist like me, so he's so busy doing stuff.

He doesn't-

Jill: That's awesome

Curt: feel left out. He's in the mix, nonstop.

Jill: And are they all still in Oregon, or anybody down here?

Curt: One's in Oregon. My other son's here in Vegas.

Jill: Oh, that's awesome. At least you get to be around family. That's so important.

Curt: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, that is so cool.

Curt: Yeah, I have a grandson, just turned a year. Granddaughter

Jill: Oh, man

Curt: four years. Yeah,

Jill: So that's the fun stuff.

Curt: Life's grand.

Jill: Yeah. That is great.

Curt: Yeah.

Jill: And do they call you Gramps?

Curt: Yeah.

Jill: Oh.

Curt: Gampa,

Jill: Gramps. Gampa. I love it. Yeah. I always love those names. Okay, so what book are you reading right now?

Not reading any books. I'm, I also, I'm sure you know, I've been in five movies this year, Yeah, you're a little busy.

Curt: Yeah, so I'm coming

Jill: You're reading scripts

Curt: I just made the trailer for the new Lucky, coming out with Anya Taylor-Joy and Drew Starsky. Reese Witherspoon

Jill: Yes

Curt: produced it. So I even made the trailer. It releases July 15th. and it's just a hobby for me. I just have fun. I'm not

Jill: I think it's awesome

I'm not a big actor. I'm... I just think it's awesome. And so when I got to see the trailer, I was so impressed. I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, a celebrity amongst us."

Curt: Yeah, no celebrity. Has everybody But I'm having fun doing it, yes. Have

Jill: they asked you for your autograph?

Curt: People do, and I just laugh 'cause that's kind of a joke,

Jill: I love it.

Curt: Yeah, just did one with Kim Kardashian called The Fifth Wheel. I was in two episodes of Hacks with Jean Smart, two episodes, called Wild Things about Siegfried & Roy story. That's right. And that was just in the last year, but been very blessed, and I have fun doing. I've got a very distinct look.

Jill: Yeah.

Curt: And I throw in a $5,000 really nice suit that I keep in a vault, but,

Jill: And all your rings, and

Curt: Yeah, yeah get

Jill: all blinged out. And they pull

Curt: me in, and they make me featured by the main star, so.

Jill: I love

Curt: It's a fun run. Yeah.

Jill: So fun for you. What a fun hobby.

Curt: It is. It is.

Jill: Yeah, that is great. It's a blast.

That's definitely something people probably didn't know about you, but so I would imagine that your parents taught you a lot, your father getting you out there at 15 on the oil rigs. What's

Curt: That was my stepfather

Jill: stepfather. Yeah.

Curt: Have

Jill: both?

Curt: my father, he had a hard time. He was a prisoner of war in Dachau death camp.

Oh. He was shot down for the Army Air Corps, so

Jill: Wow

Curt: he left when I was about two. I didn't really see him much. But my stepdad got me in the oil fields. He was an oil field hand,

Jill: And what did... Did they teach you anything that has left a lasting legacy? Is there a, some kind of life lesson?

Curt: Be honorable.

My, father has three Purple Hearts. He's buried in Arlington Cemetery.

Jill: Wow.

Curt: He's in section 70 Honor, integrity, nobility

Jill: Service, patriotism

Curt: Yes Yeah Compassion, humanity

Jill: Oh, right. Yeah, helping others, serve others.

Curt: Yes, ma'am.

Jill: Yeah. I can, imagine that list goes on and on. Okay, so you and I have been working together with the chamber since you opened.

Congratulations on your five years.

Curt: Thank you.

Jill: What has been your impression? What are some of the things that you like doing, in the interactions with the chambers? Is there something that stands out?

Curt: Well, I made a comment to somebody the other night. I was so tired on the 4th of July show, and when I closed, I went over there anyway.

And just like everything, it was magnificent. And I told my friend Tony, I go, "You know, I was so impressed, but then again, I shouldn't be because everything Boulder City does, they do right."

This is an amazing community.

Jill: It is.

Curt: I'm honored

Jill: That's awesome

Curt: to be accepted

Jill: Well, thank you

Curt: in this community.

Jill: We're honored to have you and, all of the wonderful things that you provide, not only with your products, your service, your customer service, who and what you are, but your understanding of it's important to bring the best, to be the best, and to try to serve the best. So thank you for all that you do.

We'll have so much more information. I've got some links and things that we'll have in the show notes so people can educate themselves more about CBD, CBG, and, have a fuller understanding of that. Because I think as they understand it more, it opens the door at your shop because they want to be a part of that.

So thank you for helping to educate us.

Curt: Thank you. And do yourself a favor, everyone, please come see me. Please come see me.

It can change your life, I assure you. Everybody have a blessed day, and truly an honor to be here and to be in Boulder City.

Jill: Thank you for who you are.

Curt: Thank you

Pet Care in Boulder City: Three Decades of Professional Pet Room and Groom

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:15:58 GMT

Pet Care in Boulder City: Three Decades of Professional Pet Room and Groom

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Pearl Johnstone, owner of Professional Pet Room and Groom. Pearl shares about her nearly three decades of dedicated pet care, community service, and the evolving world of pet grooming and boarding in Boulder City. Pearl also shares how her journey from Palmerston, Ontario, to launching a business in Boulder City in May 1995 shaped her life, while reflecting on the importance of hands-on care and supporting local rescue animals.

This isn't just a story about grooming pets; it's about honoring local shelter animals, embracing innovative treatments like TheraClean microbubble baths, propagating African violets for charity, and celebrating the enduring spirit of small business in Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

Three Decades of Pet Care: Pearl reflects on starting Professional Pet Room and Groom in May 1995 and expanding from grooming into boarding.
The Magic of TheraClean: Discovering how microbubbles and enzymes pull out allergens, yeast, and infections, and how it aids skin and joint health for pets.
Shelter Support and Rescue Programs: Donating over 10 years of grooming time to the local animal shelter and extending free grooming to recent rescue adopters.
African Violets for Charity: How Pearl propagates and sells African violets to fund the time she donates to shelter animals.
Hands-On Boarding: The importance of twice-daily walks, personalized care, and keeping pets cozy with familiar bedding and toys.
A Journey from Canada to Boulder City: Moving from Palmerston, Ontario to Las Vegas at age 17, and earning her GED after opening her shop.
Literary Favorites: Pearl shares her love for the fantasy books of Terry Goodkind, who was both a local resident and a client.
Life Lessons and Community Impact: Carrying forward her parents' best advice to "keep looking forward" and working closely with the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Professional Pet Room and Groom, visit their local shop in Boulder City or check out their updates on Facebook.

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Pearl Johnstone, Professional Pet Room and Groom, Boulder City, Pet Grooming, TheraClean Microbubbles, Animal Shelter, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast

#PearlJohnstone #ProfessionalPetGroom #BoulderCity #TheraClean #BoulderCityAnimals #PetGrooming #SupportLocal #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: We are pleased to be able to visit with Ms. Pearl Johnstone. I am so excited to introduce you all to her. She is with Professional Pet Room and Groom, and just, a wonderful lady who truly cares about our local pets. And so thank you so much for being here, Ms. Pearl.

Pearl: Thank you, Jill.

Jill: And so you have been in business here in Boulder City almost as long as I have been with the Chamber. How long have you been in business?

Pearl: May of '95.

Jill: Oh my goodness. Yeah. That's incredible. And have you always been a groomer or, had a pet boarding location?

Pearl: I have always been a groomer. Our, pet boarding started about 20 years ago. And, I did photography for a while, but I burned out on that.

Jill: If I remember, when you guys, first opened, you had a photography element to the grooming and were you even boarding at that time?

Pearl: No.

Jill: No. Yeah.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: And so I can imagine, though, that can be a little stressful because people are expecting you. There's a huge expectation from the owner.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And there's very lack of, I don't know, some kind of ability for the pet to understand what it is you want from them.

Pearl: Yes. Yeah. And especially a stranger

Jill: Yeah

Pearl: trying to bring out that pet.

Jill: Yeah. I can only imagine. So yeah. I've never watched one of those sessions, but

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: I know I had heard quite a bit about them back then. so tell us a little bit about what all does Professional Pet Room and Groom, what all do you do?

Pearl: Okay. We have, two major groomers, and one is myself, and I'm a nationally certified master groomer. And another is Mary, and she's been grooming eight years, and she's been with me four.

Jill: Wow.

Pearl: So she's totally awesome and the sweetest person you could even think of touching your pet.

Jill: 'cause if you think about it, you don't want anybody. Somebody's gotta have the right personality.

Pearl: Oh, definitely. Right?

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: Definitely. And our, newest employee is a retired vet tech.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: And, Becky, she just, she brings out the character of the shop.

Jill: Oh, fun.

Pearl: She's one of those that just, if anything starts to go wishy-washy, she just adds in the laughter.

Jill: Oh, that's awesome. And

Pearl: it's so much fun.

Jill: You know, and that makes it a joy to get up and go to work.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And it also puts behind you the fact that you still have to do the bookkeeping and the taxes and the payroll and

Pearl: Yes

Jill: all of that extra stuff just kind of melts away when you're really enjoying your work.

Pearl: Enjoying your work,

Jill: yeah. Yeah. And- And enjoying the people around you.

Pearl: One thing I have always done is I enjoyed working with animals. And, from the time I was 17, I knew I was going to be working with animals.

Jill: Crazy.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Such a love, and you've developed such a rapport also with the people, though. The, the parents sometimes can also have a personality that you have to learn to cope with.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: But,I think you have mastered that, and I think if anyone sees how well you treat their pet, they just will love you as well.

Pearl: Yes. So it, that is the one first section of our business, is the grooming. The second is the boarding. And as I said, we've been doing it 20 years. we have, large dog runs. They are, four by, eight foot.

Jill: Wow.

Pearl: And our medium runs are four by six.

Jill: Okay.

Pearl: And our smallest dogs, dog runs are four by four. '

Jill: Cause that's really all they need, and they

Pearl: That's all they need, but that's a lot more than they get in a lot of places.

Jill: Well, I would imagine, too, they probably like that because I have known small dogs to kind of like their hideaways, right?

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: They like to tend to be in smaller spaces. It must be a

Pearl: Definitely

Jill: keeps them feel safe.

Pearl: And we have some, owners that like to bring their own bedding.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: And that's more than welcome, as long as it's something that's not gonna be shredded in the morning.

Jill: That's always an issue.

Pearl: That does happen. and we do have a lot of bedding that's available that I like to size to the dogs that are wherever they're at

Jill: Got it

Pearl: to make them as cozy and comfortable as possible. We allow treats. We allow toys. When I happen to go on vacation, Becky, our vet tech,

Jill: is

Pearl: she's in ... she's stand in and she does great.

Jill: Oh, I bet.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: I bet she loves it. And, you know, having her skill set is probably also great for you 'cause maybe she identifies or has identified some problems, issues that you can then share with the owner.

Pearl: Most definitely. I would say because we do teeth cleaning

Jill: Oh,

Pearl: right or teeth brushing

Jill: Yes

Pearl: excuse the... she does notice cracks in the teeth and little things like that, that we can take pictures of and send the owner home with it to think about.

Jill: What they need to do next.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah, I really appreciate that. And so, you had the pleasure, I don't know if it was your pleasure, it was my pleasure, to deal with one of my Chows. And she was not a happy camper and- you know, she had been a rescue dog, so we didn't really know a lot of her previous history. But unfortunately, we were so grateful that we had,the actual vet right next door because there was a collaboration so that

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: she could be put to sleep so that you could do the brushing and inspection and clean her ears and nails and all of that

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: stuff that she just was not going for

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: but needed to have done. So I was so grateful for your services and so

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: thank you for that. Will you please tell me, so this is something that you know I have been obsessed with since you brought it on, please tell me about Theraclean with micro bubbles and enzymes. I just am totally obsessed with this.

Pearl: Okay. the dogs are down in the bubble bath and the machine puts out the micro bubbles. We put the enzymes in the water. And what I noticed when I first found Theraclean at the trade show, they had me they asked me how long I'd been grooming for one thing. And they say, "You have arthritic hands?" I'm like, "Yes." And they say, "Okay, well, go ahead and put your hands in the water here. I'll turn it on and it, they'll feel better."

Jill: Wow.

Pearl: And, I did that, put some cream on afterwards, which we do bathing of the dogs afterwards, and I had a good week.

Jill: Isn't that crazy?

Pearl: I was like, "Oh my God, I gotta share this with my animal community."

Jill: Yes, absolutely.

Pearl: but between, elderly dogs' joints, skin issues. The micro bubbles get the enzymes into the pores, pull out all the allergens or infection. Yes.

Jill: Yeah. It's, it's

Jill: You don't wanna call it healing, but

Pearl: it's almost I won't call it healing, but it aids in the medical work.

Jill: Wow.

Pearl: so say you have a dog with a skin infection or allergy problems and they have a special shampoo. You can put as many special shampoos on top of everything and let it sit for as long as you want, rinse it off, it's done nothing.

Jill: Oh, that's too bad.

Pearl: Okay. You microbubble it. You pull all the crud out. You shampoo everything. It gets in the pores. It helps the skin.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: And then you rinse that off. And

Jill: And is it always yucky water?

Pearl: oh my God. I will say that the worst water I have seen, besides just dirt, is if a dog has a yeast infection.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Pearl: The yeast floats on top of the water.

Jill: Really?

Pearl: You can see it.

Jill: Disgusting.

Pearl: Yeah, and it's just a, a little formed white blobs.

Jill: And so how do you rinse them out so that they don't get that back in their skin?

Pearl: we take them right out of the TheraClean, they're going right into a medicated shampoo.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: So they've had, depending on the size of the dog

Jill: Okay

Pearl: 15 to 30 minutes in a TheraClean bath.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: Okay? It's

Jill: like a jet spa for them.

Pearl: Oh, God yeah.

Jill: Oh, man.

Pearl: And then they'll have their medicated shampoo for as long as it's recommended, generally 10 minutes.

Jill: Okay.

Jill: And then that's all rinsed off, and then they go into their normal grooming, drying, blah, blah, blah.

Jill: So why don't we have that for adults? humans should have TheraClean,

Pearl: shouldn't we? Yes, and I am pretty sure they're still trying to work on having the, medical. I'm trying to think of it. Anyway.

Jill: Medical community

Pearl: or? Yeah, the, them ex- go through and test it all

Jill: Oh, got it for humans. Got it.

Pearl: if that's ev

Jill: FDA approved.

Pearl: That's it. they're still working on that, but, I do know that, some places in Japan do use it

Jill: Oh, really?

Pearl: On humans. In hospitals, especially for debriding.

Jill: Oh, yeah. Can you imagine?

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: And keeping all of the yucky germs and the stuff that gets passed around from patient to patient.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Wow. I'm Yeah. That's incredible. I've told you forever I'm impressed.

Pearl: I have to tell you one more story.

Jill: Okay, I love it.

Pearl: Okay. it wasn't, three weeks after we got our first TheraClean.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: And I was cooking bacon, and I had it spit, and it got up my forearm.

Jill: Oh, no.

Pearl: Bacon burn.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: I went straight to work, turned on that TheraClean machine, stuck my arm down in that, put a, a relaxing,

Jill: Music or?

Pearl: Not music, enzymes

Jill: Oh

Pearl: into it, and left it there for five minutes. By the end of the day, I had no marks on my arms.

Jill: Really?

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: The burns? So the skin

Pearl: it just subsided.

Jill: Oh my gosh, that's really incredible.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Okay, I'm, next time I get a burn I'm gonna call you and run over.

Pearl: Okay.

Jill: We're gonna test this theory, Ms. Pearl. Test it. I just love it. I think this is awesome. So your pet community, your guests, the people, customers and clients that come in you allow for, Do you, here's a question. Do cats get into TheraClean?

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: Do cats like it in TheraClean?

Pearl: Yes. Really? And I have recently posted, three major posts on Facebook

Jill: Okay

Pearl: showing, cats in TheraClean.

Jill: Wow.

Pearl: And they're just s- sitting there going.

Jill: They probably love it. Well, you know, it's,

Pearl: I,

Jill: I'm gonna tell you my adopted, a cat that adopted me story

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: later. We don't wanna take up your special time, but, I, so she's a feral cat that just

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: comes in my house, so I don't know that I could pick her up and bring her to you

Pearl: but I could only imagine how clean she needs to be from just being on the streets her whole life.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: All right. tell me a little bit, so speaking of animals on the streets

Pearl: Yes

Jill: tell me about one of your special projects and programs that you do, in working with the animal shelter.

Pearl: Okay. for many years now, probably 10, I've worked with the animal shelter and, made our shop available if they have dogs or cats that need grooming care, and that's kind of normal.

Jill: Yeah, I would imagine.

Pearl: Yeah. And, I donate my time.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Pearl: and I propagate African violets

Jill: Yes

Pearl: and sell them to help fund my shop to donate my time to the shelter.

Jill: And I am an African violet junkie

Pearl: Yes

Jill: and so very, very grateful for all you do. And I have

Pearl: some minis coming up.

Jill: Oh, very cool. Yeah. Can't wait to see them.

Pearl: Yeah. That'll Jill: be great.

Pearl: Yeah. And then also recently I have extended that a little bit, that if somebody comes to me with a dog that needs to be groomed that they had just adopted within, like, two weeks

Jill: Okay

Pearl: I give them the same as the shelter.

Jill: Oh, that's great.

Pearl: I do need proof

Jill: Yeah

Pearl: and so on and so forth. But I will take care of that pet.

Jill: Oh, that is amazing.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: And you know what? Such an incentive for more people to go to the shelters and check out what we ha And sometimes there aren't a lot of dogs there, and then other times there's just a ton. So something for everybody to keep track of.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: And I'm glad that they post those pictures and things

Pearl: Yeah. Oh, yeah

Jill: and share that information.

Pearl: our shelter's awesome.

Jill: They really are. We have, we're very

Pearl: It really

Jill: We're very blessed with what we've got up there.

Pearl: We are. We are very blessed, and I love their new commercials.

Jill: I guess, yeah. our pets are also blessed, right? We don't think about that, but they've been fabulous. We had, that same chow get out, and we did not know exactly what, what had happened to her. She had, a fence had blown down in the wind. She escaped. We didn't even know it had happened until a neighbor called us. And the animal control found her up at one of the water towers. She had somehow laid down by one of the water towers. She was covered in cactus and just a mess. And so I was so grateful for the shelter for helping her and getting her taken care of while, till they found me. Thankfully she was chipped, so that was a good thing. so tell me a little bit more about, I would imagine you have aha moments every day, but have you. What has been your real aha moment in your many years of business here in Boulder?

Pearl: God, there's so many.

Jill: I can only imagine. I would imagine, you know, just knowing that you are helping so many people

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: whether it's a senior or a little girl coming in with her puppy. I would imagine there's a lot of those special moments.

Pearl: Well, recently, I had one of my older clients call me, and they had, fostered a cocker spaniel.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Pearl: Okay. And, but The owner of the cocker spaniel is a homeless fellow and blind.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Pearl: And they weren't living in good conditions, and she took on the dog, and he's trying to get himself back.

Jill: Okay.

Pearl: And I took that dog on, and, took all the fox tails out of its feet.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: And it wasn't too matted, thank God, but got her all cleaned up so she can care for the dog easier.

Jill: Oh, yes.

Pearl: And, I... It was just my way of helping that fellow, too, that hopefully he can get his feet under him.

Jill: Yes, and hopefully he has his friend back.

Pearl: Yes. But

Jill: you know what? Of all he's got so many things to worry about. To take that little bit of concern off of his mind, I'm sure he feels so much better.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: That is great. Yeah. thank you for doing that. I appreciate you. Have you had any funny professional experiences? Have there been any times that, s maybe something that, I don't know. All I can think of is a pet pooping in the Theraclean tub or something. I don't know. I would imagine you probably had some funny experiences.

Pearl: yes. we've had a few dogs accidentally poop in the Theraclean. You had to mention that.

Jill: I'm sorry, but I thought

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: about that because they relax.

Pearl: They do relax. yeah. And we have more than one Theraclean machine.

Jill: Thank goodness.

Pearl: Yes. And at one point in time we didn't. We just started with one, and, found out we needed more than one.

And, now we're up to three. But if something like that happens, we thoroughly rinse the dog down, switch over to another machine. You can start all over, yeah ... and get them started

Jill: again. There you go.

Pearl: It's I don't know how funny that is, but,

Jill: No, but it happens and

Pearl: It happens.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: Yeah. I think a lot of my funniest things are with our boarders.

Oh, really? They're characters. Oh my God. it's learning a new kid every day. Every time you walk in, you can be walking into a different personality with the same animal.

Jill: And they're probably, a little different around you than they are even with their owners

Pearl: Yes different some of them are. There's cer I realize there's different ways of having boarding facilities. But for me, hands-on

means a lot. We physically walk our dogs twice a day.

Jill: I saw you walking a black doggy yesterday when I was at

Pearl: Yes

Jill: Roger's hardware store.

Pearl: Yes. And it, depending on how hot our season is or how cold our season is our walking times change. We're coming up onto the 5:00 AM walking. Right now I'm at 6:00.

Jill: Oh, goodness.

Pearl: and right now we're doing a 7:30 walk at night, but it will go through to 8:00. 8:00.

But having that hands-on walking, having that one-on-one with each other. Having the sight of what is coming out of the pet to know how they are internally. Because we don't want them to be upset.

Jill: No.

Pearl: So if you see the color of the urine or the softness of the poop

Jill: Yeah

Pearl: you know we're starting to get into a problem, and we have to change things up a little bit.

Jill: Oh, interesting that you're that in tune.

Pearl: yeah.

Jill: Wow.

Pearl: Yeah. And we do have an inside potty run. for those animals that are a little bit more, anxious throughout the day

Jill: Or susceptible

Pearl: we can, or susceptible, we can give them potty breaks.

Jill: Got it.

Pearl: So we're not just twice a day.

Jill: Yeah. That's all your dog gets.

Jill: we and I would imagine, too, that you're trying to make sure that they have a positive experience so that

Yes when they have to come back, 'cause a lot of pet owners have jobs or something comes up, they have to take care of a family member, they need somebody reliable. And so

Pearl: Yes

Jill: they want you to have, provide a good experience so they can feel good about bringing them back.

Pearl: Yeah. And a lot of our dogs will run up to me or run up to one of the girls away from their parents to come in to go on vacation.

Jill: Oh, I love it.

Pearl: So to me, that's the ultimate. That's the ultimate. I try to get the owners to bring their own Familiar bedding a familiar scent, even if it's a T-shirt from Mommy that

Jill: Yeah

Pearl: has Mommy's scent on it.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: and familiar treats. Because during the day,

Jill: As you interact with them

Pearl: as we interact with them, we do small treats. We try not to give everything the owner says, but- 'cause

Jill: they spoil them. Yeah,

Pearl: You're feeding a little bit more

they spoil them. We try to keep it, and so we can spread it out through the day a little bit more, too.

Jill: Right. But That is awesome. And so do you have a lot that are just there, like, daycare because their parents are working?

Pearl: We are not that type of daycare.

Jill: Our So it's more night.

Pearl: Yes. We do daycare on the days we're open.

Jill: Got it.

Pearl: Which we're only physically there grooming Friday through Monday.

Jill: Oh, I actually didn't know that. That's right.

Pearl: Okay.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: we can't really do the work care because

Jill: That's right

Pearl: we're open on the weekends. But it really helps the people going to the dam and doing tours. Oh, We can do daycare over the weekend while they're visiting

Jill: Got it

Pearl: blah, blah, blah.

Jill: I love that. So I know you've told me before about doing different competitions, grooming competitions.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And the educational side and keeping your skills up and learning new skills and about new tools. Tell me a little bit more why you think that is such a valuable and important part of your position, your profession.

Pearl: Okay. Well, if I did not keep my hands into all the new stuff with our grooming, I would never have been introduced to Theraclean.

Jill: That's true.

Pearl: And I don't go to every show that comes up. There's one here once a year. I don't go every year, but I like to go around at least every two years and see new tools.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: And probably the biggest thing that's come up with me with tools, I had a English Cocker show dog come to me, and I used to do English Cocker show grooming.

Jill: Oh, yeah. I think I remember.

Pearl: And, I am grooming her dog now, and I keep it up in between for grooming, and they introduced me to some new shedding blades that are really good for Cocker type coat.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Pearl: And then I've kind of expanded upon that, that, I found another one that is a little larger for other types of coats that is pretty similar to what they showed me, and that is just awesome.

Jill: Yeah.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: To make your tools, the tools need to make your job easier and Oh, definitely

Jill: easier on the pet, too.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah. Oh, that's awesome.

Pearl: And the quieter the equipment, the better, and they're really come out with some new stuff.

Jill: I would imagine that there's always got a, everything evolves.

Pearl: everything does.

Jill: There's new things that are out there and new ways to interact with pets. And, not that you're, you have to worry about it, but I mean, there's so many different types of pets that

Pearl: Oh, yeah

Jill: people have nowadays, right?

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Pet chickens and, you know, weird things that, emotional support lizards Yes ... and, there's lots out there.

Pearl: Yeah. Probably the most unique thing I've done since I've come to Boulder City is I have cut some rabbit nails.

Jill: Oh.

Pearl: there was one rabbit that, actually had its tooth down in its bottom top tooth stuck. I cut it, because I could not leave that rabbit like that.

Jill: Oh, goodness. That just makes me sad.

Pearl: But, actually, the owner of that rabbit worked for me for six years afterwards.

Jill: Oh, there you go.

Pearl: So there you go. Yeah. I,

Jill: Yeah. That's awesome.

Pearl: And then guinea pigs.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Pearl: I, yeah. I used to do birds and bird clipping and stuff, but I've really gotten away from birds.

Jill: Really?

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: I had forgotten about you doing that. That's great.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: So, may I learn a little bit more about Pearl? So what was your first job, Ms. Pearl?

Pearl: I was working in a bookstore, which was a photography studio and photography, processing.

Jill: Okay. A bookstore with a photography studio?

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: That's an interesting combination.

Pearl: Yes. you have to consider small town.

Jill: Yes.

Pearl: Yeah, the, the businesses all s- clumped together. Yes.

Jill: That's right. And where are you... You are originally from?

Pearl: Palmerston, Ontario.

Jill: Oh, my goodness. We have a Canadian amongst us.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: That is awesome. we're very glad that you are here in the United States, 'cause that might be something people really don't know about you, that you're from Canada.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And how long have you been here?

Pearl: I've been here since I was 17 years old.

Jill: Wow. Very good. Yes. And where did you live when you were 17?

Pearl: actually in Las Vegas.

Jill: Oh, really? So you moved from Canada straight to Vegas?

Pearl: Straight to Vegas. almost landed in the Texas area, but then we ended up coming to the Vegas area.

Jill: Very good.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: And so is that where you went to school?

Pearl: I quit high school.

Jill: Okay.

Pearl: I went without for quite a while, and then I opened my business in Boulder City, and I got my GED.

Jill: That is amazing. Congratulations to you.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: See how successful you are as an entrepreneur.

That is incredible. Well, that is awesome. Okay, one of my favorite questions to ask people, what's your favorite book, or what are you reading right now?

Pearl: I love Terry Goodkind.

Jill: Oh, yes, didn't we all?

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And such a neat human.

Pearl: Yes. Yeah. And it's sad he's no longer with us.

Jill: I know.

Pearl: But I keep reading his books over and over. I slip them in between everything else.

Jill: Isn't that interesting?

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: You have a fallback.

Pearl: Yeah, I do.

Jill: Yeah, that is awesome. Yeah.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: He's such a good man. And I'm glad that, to know other people that loved him as well.

Pearl: Yes, and I actually met him.

Jill: We... Excuse me.

Pearl: He lived here.

Jill: Yes, he did live here.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And he did quite a few book signings and was

Pearl: Yeah

Jill: at several events,

Pearl: And he was a client of mine for a while.

Jill: Oh, very good.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: How exciting is that? I'm sure his pets were all the better for it.

Pearl: There you go.

Jill: So what lesson have you learned from your mom or dad? Do you still use any of those lessons that you learned way back then today?

Pearl: Keep looking forward.

Jill: Yeah. Ooh, love it.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah, you know

Pearl: Something's always out there for you

Jill: parents always leave such a legacy in their children. And so sometimes you can just take those one-sentence things. That is awesome. Keep looking forward.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: I love that one. That's a great one. And so I know that you have been a longtime Chamber member, Chamber supporter. what has been your experience? What would you like to share with others about the Chamber?

Pearl: I love having the contact with the city. And the Chamber has helped me in keeping contact with the city easy.

Jill: T hank you.

Pearl: Yeah. Yeah. I... Going, following you on Facebook. I know I don't go to a lot of your functions.

Jill: Not needed. We're here to represent you without that.

Pearl: There you go. But I, you've seen me wander down here and ask questions. yeah. And

Jill: bring me my violets.

Pearl: And bring you violets.

Jill: Yeah. So thank you. I appreciate that. So you and I just recently had the opportunity to work on, something that we were very concerned with when you initially brought it to me about additional, permitting and licensing that might be required for you here in the state of, or in the city of Boulder City

Pearl: Yes

Jill: that had been implemented, in other county jurisdictions in other areas.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: And so, you know, a simple phone call helped us resolve that and learn that is not something here in Boulder City. So

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: So far ... Jill: you... Exactly.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: So you are, very correct, the idea that you can bring issues or concerns to the Chamber, and we do want to help resolve those issues, especially when it's an added burden to you, added, It was an educational requirement or something

Pearl: Yes. Yeah

Jill: and it just, it didn't make a lot of sense for any of our groomers or boarders, daycares, any of that going on with pets here in town.

So, thank you for bringing that to our attention

Pearl: Okay

Jill: so that we could help make sure that wasn't an issue for anybody else in town as well.

Pearl: Yeah.

Jill: Well, I truly appreciate you, have loved getting to know you. Thank you so much for all my African, violets. Can't wait to get to, see my little babies.

Pearl: Yes.

Jill: That's gonna be fun. So, thank you for all you do. Thank you for loving our pets here locally, and, we sure appreciate you. Thank you for being here.

Pearl : All right. Thanks to you.

Building Strong Communities Thoughout Nevada | Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:33:01 GMT

Building Strong Communities Thoughout Nevada | Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Nevada Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony. Jill and Stavros explore public service, community pride, and the shifting landscape of civic responsibility across Southern Nevada and the Silver State. Stavros shares how his 29-year career in law enforcement and time on the Las Vegas City Council led to his state leadership role, while reflecting on the importance of listening directly to Nevadans in every corner of the state.

This isn't just a story about state politics; it's about honoring local heroes, embracing educational freedom, navigating thousands of miles of rural road trips, and celebrating the enduring spirit of small communities like Boulder City.

DISCUSSION

The Spirit of Statewide Service: Stavros reflects on his transition from a 29-year police career to city council and now serving as Nevada's Lieutenant Governor.
Road Trips and Rural Nevada: A look at completing all 10 Travel Nevada road trips twice to directly support small business owners, ranchers, and rural tourism destinations.
Civic Duty and Core Principles: How understanding the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution empowers everyday citizens to strengthen their democracy.
Parental Choice in Education: Exploring options for Nevada families, civics curriculum, and the founding impact of programs like Founders Academy.
Honoring Hometown Heroes: Highlighting Nevada's commitment to veterans and active duty military, including facilities like the Veterans Home and Cemetery in Boulder City.
A Presidential Reading Challenge: Stavros shares insights from his goal of reading a biography on every U.S. President and why John Adams stands out.
Lessons from the American Dream: Carrying forward the strong work ethic, faith, and family values passed down by his immigrant parents.
Community Strength in Boulder City: Celebrating small business owners, local tourism highlights, and the future of Boulder City's growing economy.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony and state initiatives, visit the official Nevada Lieutenant Governor's website at https://ltgov.nv.gov To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Stavros Anthony, Nevada Lieutenant Governor, Boulder City, Public Service, Travel Nevada, Veterans, Civic Responsibility, Small Business, Nevada Tourism, The Best Dam Podcast

#StavrosAnthony #NevadaLtGov #BoulderCity #TravelNevada #CivicDuty #SupportVeterans #NevadaSmallBusiness #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: We are joined, listeners and viewers, today with the most wonderful Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony. Thank you so much for being with us. We sure appreciate you, and, thanks for thinking about Boulder City. We appreciate that.

Stavros: No, I appreciate you having me on your podcast, Jill. we've, been working together, for Boulder City and the State of Nevada for a while and I just wanna thank you for what you do for Boulder City, and also, being, a commissioner with the, Nevada Tourism Commission, which I chair.

And we work together to make sure that, people know about our great tourist destinations in Nevada. So appreciate what you do for our city and state.

Jill: Thank you. I am honored and really enjoy it. It has been one of those, defining moments in my career. I don't know about you. Obviously leading it, you get to work with so many of the different commissioners.

But it. I don't think people realize the value and the importance of Travel Nevada and, the commission, and what state tourism looks like. And so that's a whole nother show. We'll have to get into that. Maybe I'll

Stavros: Yeah

Jill: ask Rafael if he'll be on the show. But so I really, I wanna thank you also for coming out for the America 250 celebration that we had here in Boulder City on the Fourth of July.

I won't put in the version of what I recorded in your amazing dance moves from the stage there as you welcomed the crowd at the fireworks, but, just in case I ever need anything, I might, hold that video back just in case. But you did a fabulous job. We were so glad to have you there. Thank you for coming out.

I know you have options in other places, that you can be all over the state, so thank you for joining us that day. It was such a great day.

Stavros: It actually was. I mean, the- we're talking about the 4th of July, and especially the 4th of July 'cause it was our, 250th, anniversary, and I started the day in, in Summerlin with the, the Summerlin parade, which is a very big patriotic, 250th anniversary parade.

There must've been 40,000 people in Summerlin, and I was one of the, the first floats in there. And just, it was just great to see so many people out there waving the American flag and, you know, just being proud to be, Americans. It's... And it was a lot of fun. And then I had a few smaller events during the day, and then it culminated in one of the best fireworks, shows I've ever seen in Boulder City at the, Veterans Park.

And I don't know how many people were out there, but there must've been 5,000 people out there, and everybody was having a great time. And you guys put on a, a great party in Boulder City. People were just dancing and, again, proud to be Americans, proud to be Nevadans. And, I get, got up on stage, and before I gave my speech, somehow you all got me to do a little, dance moves here and there.

I haven't actually seen the video to see what it looks like, but if you think I did a good job, then I guess I did.

Jill: You did. It was awesome. We sure appreciate you. The crowd loved it. All over the state we really had a bunch of neat celebrations, and almost every community found some way, the... and throughout the whole year, to find some way to represent the spirit of Nevada for the celebration of the America 250.

And so what a, an honor it was to be a part of all of that. So glad that you were also here for that, 'cause it was fun to enjoy that with you. So I know you've had, a long history, a long career history of serving the state, the, the community, especially here in Clark County with your, retirement from Metro, was there a defining moment after that, or what was it that you realized, "It's time for me to extend my service and now go into the political realm"?

And was there something that kinda defined that for you?

Stavros: Yes. I mean, as you mentioned, I did 29 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. I started in 1980, and, rose to the rank of captain. And my, my last 10 years I was a captain. I was the commander of an area command, vice narcotics, internal affairs, financial crimes.

And, you know, it's, it... once you've done policing that long, you kinda decide what is it that you wanna do after policing. And, do you retire? Do you go golfing every day? And, I decided that I wanted to continue my, public service, in some capacity. And the opportunity, it was really just a fluke.

The opportunity came up to run for the Las Vegas City Council. It was an open seat as many of you know, beating an incumbent is a little bit more difficult, but it was an open seat. And, some friends of mine said, "Why don't you run for the Las Vegas City Council?" 'Cause really, it's, being on the Las Vegas City Council is kinda like policing.

I mean, all you're really doing is trying to solve problems in neighborhoods, trying to make life better for people, whether it's, public safety, whether it's schools, whether it's, roads, whether it's, getting rid of graffiti and making sure that development occurs correctly.

So, I just happened to fall into, running for the Las Vegas City Council. I won, and I ended up doing, three terms on the Las Vegas City Council, 13 years. So all I've really ever done in my life when it comes to my career is just trying to make life better for, people in their workplace, where they live, where they go to school, and, I'm gonna continue doing that.

Jill: I love that. And so as you travel across the state, and you are... I don't know, in the 25 years I've been in my position, I don't know of another lieutenant governor who has bebopped across the state as much as you have. And so thank you for documenting your travels too, because that really does help support and promote those rural communities.

And as you are traveling, though, across the state, what gives you the greatest hope for America's future?

Stavros: Well, when I was elected to, Nevada lieutenant governor and I became the chair of the Nevada Tourism Commission, and as Jill, Travel Nevada has, 10 road trips around our state where if you take all 10 of those road trips, you've pretty much, seen, all of Nevada.

And, I thought it was my responsibility to really get out and travel Nevada and do those road trips. And I told myself I was gonna do 10, all 10 in four years in my first term. Ended up doing all 10 in my first two years 'cause I was just having such a great time, and I've, I think I finished my, second, 10 road trips in my, up to this point.

And what I found is really a couple things. Number one, we have some great tourist destinations in Nevada. Travel Nevada focuses some on Las Vegas and Reno, but we really focus on the rest of the state 'cause, there are businesses and families that rely on tourism in Winnemucca and Elko and Ely and Tonopah and Lovelock and so on and so forth.

And we have to make sure that, we support the tourism industry in those, in those, communities. And the best way to do that is for me to be there to listen to folks and find out what we can do to support them when it comes to, ramping up their tourism. Not only that, but, I'm on the board of, the Nevada Board of Transportation, so I need to talk to people about roads and bridges and economic development and healthcare and workforce development.

But the people that live in rural Nevada are just really down-to-earth, patriotic. They love our state. They love our country. They're ranchers. They're farmers. They're small business owners. the people just, they don't want a handout from the government. They just, wanna, wanna live and work, and, if there's any way the State of Nevada, can help them, achieve their goals, we're here to do that.

So I just love traveling the state. Unfortunately, it's a big state, so it takes a while to get around, and you put a lot of miles on your truck. So but I'm gonna continue doing it, and I appreciate you mentioning that. I've heard that from a lot of folks, that they haven't seen a lieutenant governor travel as much.

And I've been to places in Nevada where a lieutenant governor has never shown up, and, they really appreciate me coming out and, listening to what their concerns are.

Jill: I appreciate that as well. And so as that unity that, that, that sense of pride and spirit that the State of Nevada has, you're experiencing that firsthand.

And we are realizing that it's our civic responsibility to be aware of what's going on within our state, within our communities and state, and the entire nation. And so I would imagine, that you probably have a few, perceptions and ideas of what role an everyday citizen can play in strengthening our democracy.

Is there something beyond simply voting? what do you see that helps create that unity and the civic responsibility?

Stavros: Well, I think, it starts with, you know, really knowing what the Declaration of Independence says, which we've been, focused on for probably the last, six months because it's, our 250th anniversary, and finding out what our principles are.

The Declaration of Independence really lays out our principles, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, Property rights. So it's really important to read the Declaration of Independence, and then to understand the United States Constitution.

I mean, our government, our whole system of government, whether it's the federal government or the states is based on the United States Constitution, and we need to continue to talk about that, what it looks like, what the Nevada Constitution looks like. And, once we know that, then it's, really the third thing is when these elections come around, we need to get to know the people that are running for office, find out what their values are, what their.

Are they virtuous people? Do they have good character? What do they stand for? And, if you do those three things, I think you're a better informed, Nevadan and a better informed, American, and you can start to participate more in our governmental system and, be involved, maybe not as an elected official, but be involved in making sure that our elected officials know what the issues are in Nevada, what's important to people.

And you can't do that, sitting in the office. You have to be out in the, community talking to folks about, what's important to them and how, the government can help if they can. Sometimes they can't. Sometimes it's, strictly a private matter, but, it's good to be out there talking to people and find out, does our Nevada Constitution or United States Constitution have a role, in, in, that particular area, and I'm proud to do that.

Jill: That's awesome. And so I know that this administration, you and the governor have really put a lot of emphasis in education. What do you see as your role and as Nevada's role in better educating our youth on some of these civic responsibilities? Is there, a target or a task force, or is there something specific that you are doing so that we can help educate the youth on the value and the importance of civic responsibility?

Stavros: Yeah. I think what it, the first thing that it comes really down to is parental choice. We need to start moving in the state towards a system where the, the parents, really have a, a bigger impact on the education of their kids, on where their kids go, whether it's public school, whether it's, private school, whether it's, charter schools, whether it's homeschooling, it, we really need to give options, to parents.

Give them a, some kind of a certificate, that allows them to take their kids to whatever public school they wanna go to or let, those sorts of things. I think that's where it starts. For example, I don't know, maybe 15 years ago, I was, one of the, founding board members of what was called the Founders Academy, which was based on Hillsdale College.

And if you look at... I'd encourage your, viewers to look up the Hillsdale College, curriculum. They're located in Michigan. they don't take any federal funding 'cause they don't wanna, they don't want any input from the federal government, and they really focus a lot of their curriculum on the history of America, on the Constitution, on the Declaration of Independence, on, on our, the history of our government.

And, I think if we did more of that, we would have a better informed, citizenry. In fact, the Founders Academy is now, We started it out for, like, three grades. Now it's all the way up to high school, and there's a huge waiting list to get in there. So we need to do more of that sort of thing to allow our parents to have, better options when it comes to education.

And when you do that, you start to focus the curriculum on things that are important, especially, what I believe is important is the history of our country because we can use that, to develop the future of our country.

Jill: I love it. Thank you so much. And as a proud supporter of Hillsdale, I'm fully aware of the program.

My daughter competes at that particular location. They have a new range there. And, they truly do understand and believe in educating our citizenry, so thank you for sharing that. And I will check more into Founders Academy. I had not. I don't know much about that. So you know Boulder City is, the proud home of so many veterans programs, the veterans home, the veterans cemetery, and, I know that this is, one of those key areas that you really want to also stay focused on.

And so Nevada being home to so many active duty military members and veterans, what have they taught you about service and sacrifice and how we can better honor them?

Stavros: Yeah, well, let's start with the, Department of Veteran Services, which is a, a Nevada, department that is, is there to, provide all the, as many services as we can for our veterans.

As you mentioned, that department is involved with the, the Veterans Home in Boulder City, which is an absolutely wonderful facility where, some of our veterans can be, taken care of in their, elderly, years or if they have disabilities. We have, one of the best veteran cemeteries in the country, in Boulder City and also one up in, in, Fernley.

And we have some absolutely remarkable, events when it comes to, supporting our Veterans Day and remembering our, those who, lost their lives during Memorial Day. We have, ceremonies at both our cemeteries, here in, in Nevada. We have one of the... We have the largest veterans parade, west of the Mississippi in downtown Las Vegas, events all over the state.

And, when you do that, you get to talk to veterans from all over the state, you get to talk to active, military all over the state. You get to talk to the families that have lost loved ones, that were in the military, and you find out that these are just great Americans that s- love this country, that love this state.

And, we're here to provide whatever services, that we can provide them, whether it's housing, medical care, workforce development, just recognizing, what they've done, the sacrifices that they've been through. And, I'll tell you, Nevada's a military family. We really, it's something important to us.

We have, Nellis Air Force Base, Creech Air Force Base, the largest army depot in Hawthorne. We have, Top Gun up in, Fallon, and we have the, Nevada, National Guard. We are a, a state that supports our active military, our veterans, and recognize, those that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Jill: Yes, we love our hometown heroes, and so thank you for recognizing and better supporting them as well. I know that we know a little bit about you. We know that you came from law enforcement and, and then also served on different city councils, but, I'd like to know a little bit more about who you are.

What book are you reading right now?

Stavros: Well, actually, about a, a year ago, I decided that I was going to read, at least one, maybe two books on every president, of that's ever been president of the United States. And, I've, successfully done that, couple of months ago. I've read every single book on every president in America.

And I would. And you'll, not only do you learn about that particular president, but you learn about that particular part of our history. So I would encourage all our viewers to, to, if you really wanna learn about our government, our history, our presidents, is, make a list or Google the list of all the presidents of the United States, go on Amazon, and start buying books.

And if you read every single book like I did, you're just gonna marvel at some of the things that, happened in our country, and really around the world, that you had no idea happened. And, so it's not one book, it's,47 books.

Jill: Wow.

Stavros: Actually, it's a coup- it's a couple more than that, 'cause a couple of presidents I was so fascinated with, I bought a few other books to finish it.

But I did that in, in, in about a year, so yep.

Jill: That's impressive. So who was your favorite?

Stavros: Boy, my favorite was probably, John Adams. I mean, he had such a major impact on, on the, on the, Declaration of Independence, on the Revolution, on the writing of the Constitution. He was a president.

He just had his hands in so much that, that changed the course of the world, changed the course of, the colonies that developed our country, and really, really had a sig- an impact on the next 250 years. So he was probably one of the, the more, more interesting ones and, the one that really had one of the biggest impacts.

Jill: You know, we're, my husband and I are watching a series on him right now, and something that is absolutely forefront of my mind is the impact that Abigail, that his wife, Abigail Adams, had as well, and what that relationship looked like and how it impacted some of the decisions that he made and which were, as you said, monumental to the next 250 years.

So, I absolutely, I think that's fascinating that you selected him, because that was somebody that that's kind of, in our world right now as well. Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing that. So I am sure you came from some amazing parents. Is there a life lesson that they left you with that you still carry towards, everything you think of in the day?

Stavros: Yeah, no, thank you for bringing up my parents. I mean, they, they grew up in the country of Cyprus. my mom was a, just a it was a small farmer, her family. They had some grape vines. they worked hard, didn't really have much, didn't have an education. My dad was a sheep herder, had absolutely no education.

They just worked hard and, didn't make a lot of money, but they both ended up coming, to the United States and they met here, they got married, and, my dad started out as a kind of a short order cook in a, a little diner. Ended up being the executive chef for the, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, which was one of the exclusive, country clubs in the country.

My mom stayed home and raised, me and my three sisters. So, you know, we started out with, really nothing and, we basically lived the American dream. And, you know, what it taught me was, from my parents is the only way to succeed in this country is, is to work hard, take care of your family, go to church on Sunday, rely on your friends for support.

And it's really, It's not, it's like John F. Kennedy said, "It's not what, your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." They didn't rely on the government, for really anything except to make sure that they were kept safe, that they had good roads, and, the, their neighborhoods were kept intact.

Other than that, they would, they'd take care of themselves and their family and their friends and, that's really the, should be the message for all Americans. If you work hard, in this country and you have some solid goals, you can make it.

Jill: Well, that's wonderful. I wanna thank them for leaving a lasting legacy in you.

That's wonderful. So our chamber's mission is to strengthen our community and support opportunities for all. What gives the greatest optimism about America's future, and what role do local communities like Boulder City play in keeping America's spirit strong?

Stavros: It's, you know, Boulder City is really considered one of those cities where it's not a city, it's a community. It's, small businesses working with, working with schools, and it's, the, the Boulder City Chamber supporting businesses. So, these small businesses, people think these are, you know, people think that somebody that runs a small business is, doesn't work and, they sit around and let the business kind of runs themselves.

That is completely opposite. Small business owners work their butts off to, to make sure that, their businesses succeed. This is like a family for them. And all these small businesses working together with, the city council, it's really a community in Boulder City, and I'm proud of what they do, and it's great to have the, Boulder City, the Nevada Railroad Museum in Boulder City, and the outdoor activities that happen in Boulder City.

So,I would encourage people to go out and, support the businesses, go through the tourism. And I'm looking forward to the, adventure center in Boulder City. That is gonna have a major impact. So, that, that's a great city, and it's a great community.

Jill: Well, thank you. We so appreciate you.

Thank you for joining us today. We're, very glad to have you in our leadership role, and, we look forward to many, many more years ahead.

Stavros: Thanks for having me, Jill, appreciate it

Ragtown Tattoo Boulder City: Culture, Art, and Community

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:23:05 GMT

Ragtown Tattoo Boulder City: Culture, Art, and Community

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Chris Unger, owner of Ragtown Tattoo, and tattoo artist Steve "Scuba" Iwinski. Jill, Chris, and Steve explore the history, craft, and shifting culture of body art in Southern Nevada. Chris shares how his journey from a small desert town led to founding Boulder City's first tattoo studio, while Steve reflects on growing up locally, building mechanical projects, and turning his passion for art into a lifelong career.

This isn't just a story about running a studio; it's about navigating strict health regulations, embracing the technological evolution of tattooing, and acting as both artist and active-listener for clients marking meaningful moments in their lives.

DISCUSSION

The Spirit of BC's Original: Chris reflects on Ragtown Tattoo earning the unique distinction of becoming the very first licensed tattoo shop in Boulder City history.
Behind-the-Scenes Regulations: A look at the health district requirements, bloodborne pathogen certifications, and zoning ordinances needed to open and maintain a professional studio.
From Taboo to Mainstream: How public perception of body art has shifted over the decades across all professions, demographics, and local communities.
Tools of the Trade: Comparing old-school needle building and machine tuning with modern disposable cartridge systems and advanced pigments.
Wild Shop Stories: Unforgettable moments from the chair, including a client's intense spiritual chanting and a brief stomach tattoo.
More Than Just Ink: Exploring the deep emotional bond that forms between tattoo artists and their clients.
Overcoming the Fear of Failure: Chris shares his philosophy on human creativity, overcoming self-doubt, and unleashing your inner artist.
A Decade in Boulder City: Celebrating Ragtown Tattoo's 10-year anniversary and introducing the team behind the shop.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Ragtown Tattoo and view their work, visit their studio in the historic district of Boulder City. To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Ragtown Tattoo, Chris Unger, Steve "Scuba" Iwinski, Boulder City, Tattoo Studio, Historic District, Nevada Small Business, The Best Dam Podcast

#RagtownTattoo #ChrisUnger #ScubaSteve #BoulderCity #TattooArt #NevadaSmallBusiness #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: All right, we're tag-teaming it today with Ragtown Tattoo and Chris Unger. Thank you so much, owner of Ragtown.

Chris: Thank you.

Jill: And Scuba Steve Iwinski, thank you so much for being a part of the show today. You guys are pretty iconic here in this community, and such an amazing opportunity to have a tattoo shop right here locally.

They don't have to travel. You guys are phenomenal, super talented-

Chris: Yeah, thank you

Jill: in your artistry

Chris: Thank you ...

Jill: and skill. So thank you guys so much for being here.

Chris: Of course. Thanks for having us.

Thanks for the opportunity, yeah.

Jill: So how many tattoo artists do you actually have in, at Ragtown?

Chris: Four. Four?

Including myself, yeah.

Jill: Very good. So it has, moving from the, Marshall Plaza, your old location, to the historic district, were you able to, did you gain space? Were you able to add more people?

Chris: Yes, but that wasn't the focal point. The original spot that I had was just me in a little private room.

Jill: Ah.

Chris: And I had really no intentions on hiring anybody. I didn't know, how it was gonna be received in Boulder.

Jill: Yeah.

Chris: So I wanted to keep it small for many reasons, economically, obviously, financially. but within the first year, with Boulder's big hug, I was like, "All right, this can go somewhere." So then I started looking for more space.

And then at that time, I thought to myself like, maybe I'll just find another artist," 'cause I didn't... managing tattooers is not fun.

Jill: Oh, okay. Sorry, Scuba Steve

Chris: managing, no, I think

Steve: I'm part of the reason for that

Chris: it took me many years to find a few that I don't have to manage, but it took me many years to get there,

Jill: That's interesting. I woulda

Chris: Yeah

Jill: because they're artists, and they kinda live in that artsy fartsy kind of world, right? And so controlling that and still running a business, 'cause it is a full-on legitimate business that you have done some amazing things. One of the things in researching a little bit before, the amount of, legalities that go into it, so the certifications and

Chris: Yeah

Jill: the different checks that you have to have.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: K- share a little bit about what you have to do.

And who regulates it?

Chris: It's regulated certainly by the health department, because we're dealing with, bloodborne pathogens and communicable diseases on an intimate level.

And then of course, all the city and county ordinances, and variances, and you know, zoning, and all of those things. You gotta be in a proper area. and of course, you gotta pay to play, Like-

and, It can be laborious going through all those hoops, especially in setting everything up because, you know, the licensing with the county may be, hinged on your licensing from the health district.

And then at the same time, you gotta show, proper leases and insurance, and all of these things, have to kinda... they're kinda fragmented, and then you gotta, get them somewhat in limbo, and then, get them all together, and then slap them together.

Jill: Tie them all together.

Chris: Yeah, and then it's "Okay, well, you're approved here and approved here," and it's...

So it's definitely a, can be a task, for sure.

Jill: A lesson learned. and you guys have the, nobility of being the first tattoo shop in Boulder

Chris: That blew me away.

Jill: Isn't that crazy?

Chris: It is nuts. I totally. Like, when I heard that from the lady at the city when she handed me my license

Jill: Yeah

Chris: I was like, "What?"

Jill: I think it's impressive.

Chris: I can't say that, I intended on doing it, But it is certainly cool to put on your belt,

Jill: Yeah.

Chris: we were the first

Jill: Yeah

Chris: for sure.

Jill: That's quite the feather.

Chris: And it's great to, I've kind of taken it into, my marketing as, BC's original

Jill: Yeah I love that.

So let's kinda go back to the history of the art of tattooing anyway. I think it's fascinating. So you know, we see it in different cultures. It represent in different symbolism. And so as it has evolved, and it seems, now it's so acceptable. Before, gentlemen that would have a professional job, they had to have long-sleeve shirts on so it did, it covered everything.

Nowadays, it is so acceptable. It is so just, almost expected that everybody has one. So are you seeing that, that kind of, that cultural change right here in Boulder City?

Chris: Absolutely. You wanna take that one, Scoot?

Steve: Yeah, I remember a time growing up out here where I was that weird tattooed kid, you know?

There was certain, friends whose parents wouldn't allow me to come over to the house after a certain age just because of it.

And now we have, police officers, firefighters, doctors. There's all kinds of people that are more open to being tattooed, and it's cool to be a Making some headway, you know

Jill: Yeah

Steve: as far as society is concerned.

Jill: I agree, and especially because it is so artistic. Your skillset, I've seen so much of your work, and your skillset is just incredible.

Steve: Thank you.

Jill: And how you visualize that and know how to put that, 'cause it's permanent.

Steve: Yeah.

Jill: It's not it's not like you're using chalk out on the sidewalk.

Steve: You can't wipe it away if you make a mistake, Yeah, it's very, you gotta

Chris: expensive and painful to remove.

Jill: Yeah, and I can imagine that you probably have connections with people when they want to do that. You probably know the perfect doctor or, tattoo removal location you can go to.

Chris: there's so many of them now, and so many of them are generic. You don't need much training to be able to remove a tattoo, and I know this because I contemplated at one point in time learning how to do it

Jill: Oh

Chris: because I was fixing so many older tattoos that people weren't happy with.

And so there's no... I could easily buy a machine. They'll finance them, and, there's, an online course you can take, that's pretty

Jill: Oh, that sounds safe.

Chris: And the next thing you're just burning people with light, Oh. Taking their tattoos off. But to go back real quick, tattooing, to your, the original question, how old, and it, thousands of years.

Thousands. there's- documented cases of, Egyptian period where people mummified people that had markings on their skin.

Jill: Yeah.

Chris: You can say it's as old as dirt. but as far as being taboo goes, it's no longer taboo.

Jill: No

Chris: Everyone's got them. and now I think it's more so a case of, the subject matter

Jill: Yes

Chris: as to what's gonna be taboo. You know, like, if somebody's, got something that's, not so pretty.

Jill: Or appropriate.

Chris: Or appropriate. Yeah. Yeah.

Jill: Yeah. And we do see a lot of that, but yet nowadays it's even okay to be expressive. they're just expressing themselves. They're just being who they are.

And so

Chris: Almost too much.

Jill: I know in some ways that can be a concern, but I guess that you're just providing a service. You don't get to help them make that moral decision, do you?

Chris: Oh, absolutely. Because at the end of the day, we hold the machine, and I don't have to do what you don't want or what you want done.

Steve: Yeah, there's a lot of times where being a tattooer, you're kind of the voice of reason a lot of times.

Chris: Yeah.

Steve: Someone will bring you an idea, and you have to really make sure, like, "Hey, this is for life. Are you sure you wanna wear that forever, or is this just a cool trend right now?" Yeah.

Jill: Yeah. I can imagine there's plenty of cool trends going on too, right?

Chris: I mean, well, there's... Yeah. it's... We try to explain to people, "Look, these are trends right now, and then when it's out of style, you can't take it to the thrift store and turn it in." it's there, And then you get to a certain stage where you've done it long enough to where you can, make modifications that allow it to be, capture what the person wants, but at the same time, keep it timeless and Unappropriate or whatever

Jill: So over time, has the equipment, the ink, has it all evolved?

Is it getting better?

Steve: Oh my God, so much. when I was in my apprenticeship, I had to learn how to build the needles. you had to clean out all of your tubes, 'cause they weren't single use. You had to learn how to tune multiple machines to do multiple different jobs. And nowadays you have little needle cartridges that you can just toss in a sharps bin afterwards, and

Jill: Wow

Steve: my one machine I use on a daily basis, it does lining, shading, big lines, small ones. It does everything. So they're more of instruments nowadays, we like to say, than, you know

Jill: Yeah

Steve: actual equipment

Jill: Yeah

Steve: for tattooing.

Jill: and so I would imagine that there's probably different levels too. So you have, a high-end

It's gotta be expensive to keep all of that.

Steve: Considering normally what you're charging for a tattoo, a box comes with, say, 20 cartridges in it, it's like, let's say I pay, 30, 40 bucks, nothing crazy.

Chris: Yeah.

Steve: So I mean, we definitely make enough to pay for the supplies, but compared to what it used to be when you were building your own needles, yeah.

Price has gone up significantly.

Chris: Yeah, building your own needles was a- Time-consuming process, but it was value it's valuable knowledge. And the new crop of tattooers don't even understand what that is. You know? As to where,I like to consider myself mid-school. I'm not old school, but I was kinda taught by some old-schoolers.

and he had the same kind of experience even though he's a little bit younger than I. But we were taught in those older ways.

Jill: Yeah.

Chris: And, a lot of newer tattooers just don't even understand the functionality of what's going on. They don't understand, the technology that goes into even making inks.

Yeah, there's so much underneath, that goes into tattooing on a scientific level. Not just in the machinery or in the pigments, but also in dealing with skin.

Jill: Oh,

Chris: Or dealing with people's, the, there's so many different facets that go into it.

Jill: And so is it harder if you're working or correcting somebody's previous one?

Is it harder to work on that or, like scar tissue build-up or something like that? Is that a legitimate thing that you have to worry about?

Chris: Absolutely, yeah. And it's not always more difficult, but it more times than not can be, definitely more challenging.

Jill: And how, what are, so I apologize, since

Chris: That's okay

Jill: I've never had, like a real, live tattoo. I've had my eyeliner tattooed on,

Chris: We're gonna change that.

Steve: That's real.

Jill: it, yeah, it is. It still counts. it still hurt, yes. I will give you that one.

Chris: I've never had a face tattoo, so I don't know. You're, that's a different level for you.

Jill: It was, intense. And I did come in and meet with the girl that you had at the old shop. Remember she was doing it

Chris: Oh yeah, Danny.

Jill: Yeah.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: I just watched her do one when Brian and I filmed it.

Chris: Okay.

Jill: One of our board members were like, "Okay, you're gonna be our guinea pig. We want you to lie down here. We're gonna film you getting your eyeliner tattooed."

And she did great. She did fine through the entire thing, but afterwards I'm like, "Yeah, I don't think I can do it again." anyway, I will. I'll eventually do it, but so how do you, what are the, the measures that they have to take after they leave? So how do you keep it sterile? How do you let it heal? What is that process?

Steve: Oh, I mean, we have a whole aftercare sheet we like to have people take with them or take a picture of when they leave. and to every person out there, there's some people who prefer to use, you know, certain things on their tattoos that we'll recommend not to anymore that are more or- old school.

A while back, people would use lots of different petroleum products and things like that.

Jill: Yeah, that's what I've heard. And Vaseline

Steve: and that was a big thing for a while, Aquaphor, things like that.

We recommend coconut oil to everybody

Jill: Oh ...

Steve: just because it's more natural. It absorbs easier in the skin, along with all of the normal things you'll hear after getting a tattoo.

Don't get it sunburned, don't go swimming or

Steve: in anything with, dirty water or

Chris: Don't go mud wrestling.

Steve: Exactly. Don't let your mom make it

Jill: Oh, yeah, that, that's one thing I have to worry about all the time. that's really cool. Okay, so yes, I will, I'll be brave, and I'll come in.

Chris: All right, you heard it. It

Jill: needs to be tiny.

Chris: You made it official. You made it official.

Jill: I did. But it has to be tiny and, and it can't be in a spot that hurts the most. Like,everybody talks about on that ankle bone.

Chris: It's not gonna hurt more than your eyes, I can tell you that.

Jill: Okay, well, then maybe I can survive it.

Chris: I'm sure you could.

Jill: All right. I will be brave, and I'll come try it. Do you have any funny, personal experiences that have happened since you guys have been

Chris: Good Lord

Jill: here in Boulder City? I'm sure there are plenty.

Steve: You're gonna have to make me think with you.

Chris: This is one of the questions I got stuck on, 'cause I was, like, sitting there, just in contemplation, "Man, which one do I choose?

There's so many, Like, from, crazy characters of people just wandering in, and ask, with crazy requests.

Jill: Have you ever had anybody go, "Nope, they're halfway through it, can't do it, I'm out," and they only have half a tattoo?

Steve: Nope.

Chris: Yeah, so I had a kid once that, wanted some lettering on his stomach.

Jill: Ooh.

Chris: And he was a young kid, and the stomach is notoriously painful. And, I got about one inch of a line into his stomach on the very first letter, and he quit immediately and was like, "I can't do this." And he was trying to be, like, a little tough kid. You could tell, his persona, what he was trying to represent all those things. And, yeah, so that, that's definitely happened. He gave me 20 bucks and just left. That was like

Jill: And he's got a, he's got a line.

Chris: Yeah, so I always wonder, and that happened really early in my career, Like, 23, 4 years ago. So I always I have always thought about that kid and wondered if he ever got it finished, but who knows? I've never seen him again.

Jill: That is, that would be crazy.

Chris: But Scoob had this one lady. Dude, the coyote lady.

Steve: Coyote lady?

Chris: The one that, so Scoob was tattooing this lady, and she's, like, uber spiritual person

Jill: Okay

Chris: but on, a different level of chaos, I don't know the right word, but s- Scoob's tattooing her, and she starts going into these crazy chants.

Steve: Oh, man. Okay, yeah. I didn't know what you were saying until then.

Chris: Yeah, now you do. You can take it.

Steve: She just ended up started making the weirdest noises, and yeah, chants, I guess you would call them, to where, as an artist, you're listening to this, and you're like, it's clearly from pain, but there's nothing I can do for you at this point other than just let you do what you gotta do, So we just kinda side-eye each other, like, all right, let her do- I know, like what makes it better

Chris: but the shop is full. there's bystanders in there. There's people waiting, and she's going off. And I'm like, I never associated it was, like, from pain. I just thought she was in some sort of weird mindset of, trying to achieve enlightenment or something like that.

And I was like. And I'm looking at Scoob, and he's looking at me, and I'm just like... It was really awkward, It was, like, really awkward.

Jill: That is funny.

Steve: And I wasn't gonna

Chris: but at the end

Steve: disturb her either with that. And I wasn't gonna disturb it either. this is happening. Yeah.

Chris: yeah, none of us disturb- Like, we just kinda was like, "Man, is she having, a

Is she possessed?"

Jill: Out-of-body moment?

Chris: Yeah. what's going on here? It was nutty, man. Or

Jill: head started spinning, you would've been a little more concerned. So that kinda takes us to a little bit more of that culture of the almost addictive state. I've heard so many people say that it is almost addictive.

Once you have it, you just, you need more. And so is there a point where it's too much? Or is it a point where it's, almost mentally detrimental? Because if they just keep needing more and it's addictive, I'm not sure that's a great place to be.

Steve: No, definitely not. And that's when you start to see the people that actually start to make mistakes is because they're just so interested in being in the shop and collecting something new that they don't think about it too much. Lots of people just find something on the internet, and they're like, "Hey, this is cool. I want something like that," when they haven't thought about it at all. but yeah, addicting for sure.

I've had clients that have come in, every single Friday just to get one new little tiny thing added to them, and no matter how many times you add something new, all they see is the empty space that's left. So as soon as they go home, they're like how do I fill that now?"

Jill: Oh, they're trying to fill a void.

Steve: Yep.

Jill: Oh.

Chris: There's no doubt. And I've had clients come in with bigger projects, with regular sessions, and literally come in, get in the chair, I'll go I'll start working on them, and three hours later, they have indulged so much information personally, and even to the point of tears, and then, it's done, and they pay me, and they walk out and never even look at what I did.

Jill: It's almost like you're more of a therapist.

Chris: 100% In a way it is ... therapy. Absolutely.

Jill: Wow.

Chris: And it... But it's more so on many levels 'cause it's also the physical therapy. I think- We, let's face it, In the modern age, everything's excessive.

It's a challenge to be simple and minimalist

Jill: because we're just inundated with everything-

Chris: all the time, whether it be information or consumer goods or whatever it is. Goals, you know like, all of these things. And there's, like, this, I don't know, subliminal drive to just want more all the time but people don't even realize why, and is it needed?

Is it truly needed? And so when you see people that are just completely covered, and I've been in this business for 25 years and watched people take it way too far

Jill: Yeah

Chris: and just go "What?" There's something we're all tattooed pretty heavily, but some people, there's no boundaries.

They just keep going, and that, to me, screams like, "Hey, look at me."

Look at me," you know? There's something deeper going on, for sure.

Jill: Yeah. Interesting, because I would imagine for most people that just get the single or, two or three tattoos, there's deeper meaning to it, but I feel like that person that gets addictive state, they're just literally filling a hole.

Steve: Yep.

Chris: Totally. Yeah.

Jill: Yeah,

Chris: absolutely, whether it be, some sort of deep family issues or traumatic issues or some people have a hard. I've noticed this too. Some people, The sadistic quality of liking pain

Jill: Yeah, I would imagine. I mean, you and I have talked about my nephew before, an ink master, and I'm like, "Oh, I'm telling you, somebody's enjoying hanging from a ring in his back."

Steve: Hooks, yeah.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: I know it's

Chris: I don't know it's intense

Jill: a little tough. That one's a tough one to even watch. I am, I'm just so impressed because the skillsets that you guys have are just incredible. Have you ever practiced your art off body and on paper or canvas or anything like that?

Steve: Yeah, everything. I mean, most of us in the shop have some other form of, artistic outlet, whether it's painting, drawing, working with wood, metal, all sorts of different things.

Jill: That's very cool.

Chris: My whole life has been creating, fabricating something, absolutely. But yeah, I think you find that most artists, have a deep desire to just, I don't know, make something happen, and I know in my case, it was always, I didn't grow up poor, but I didn't grow up privileged either.

And you had to be resourceful, and You just kinda learn how to do things on your own, and the desire to wanna, you get inspired by seeing something and you're like, "Oh, that'd be fun," And you just go for it.

Jill: I love that.

Chris: And then don't. The, I think the worst thing that anyone can do, and I think like, I don't consider myself more of an artist than any other human on the planet, because I understand that art is simply a tool. I've just chosen to utilize it in a way that allows me to earn my living.

But a lot of people will identify as that thing, like that's who they are.

But that's not necessarily my style, and I've heard, I've, There's a great amount of fear of failure in everything, and the majority of people are afraid to let themselves be creative because the fear dominates them.

Fear of what someone's gonna think, fear of failure, fear of. Fear is, the ultimate enslaver of all things

Jill: True

Chris: in my opinion.

Jill: I agree.

Chris: So, like, the majority of people, they say to themselves, "I don't have an artistic bone in my body." Well, nonsense. That's complete nonsense. And I always use the analogy, like, at one point in time, you didn't know how to write the alphabet.

Jill: That's true.

Chris: And now you do. And if you did it every day, you could get really pretty with it, and ornate with it. And, so it's just let go of the fear and go for it.

Jill: Well, my stick figure people will eventually turn into something beautiful, but

Chris: They will

Jill: It's gonna take me a long time at this point.

Chris: Which I have several stick figures tattooed on me, by the way.

Jill: Oh, that is awesome.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: That's... Maybe that's what I'll get.

Chris: My daughter, I made her do this one on, Father's Day a couple years ago.

Jill: So your kids are into the same thing?

Chris: No. I mean No, they receive them, but they don't have any desire to do them.

Jill: That's interesting.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: And so are they artistic, though?

Chris: Oh, yeah. I have one son that's a all-in musician, producer.

Jill: Wow.

Chris: That's... He lives that life. That's all he does.

Jill: That's cool.

Chris: My other son, he's very creative, but definitely more on a hands on, really into ar- artisanal woodworking and things like that.

Jill: Oh, that's cool.

Chris: And my daughter's a teen right now, She used to be creative, but she's in that space where it's no longer relevant. Scoob, though, like his son, go for it. he's always making cool stuff.

Steve: Yeah, he, I mean, it's, a tough one nowadays to get him to actually wanna do anything artistic with me.

Jill: How old is he?

Steve: He's nine.

Jill: Oh my gosh.

Steve: And growing up around, the tattoo shop, and me painting all the time, and always being creative somehow, he doesn't realize how good he is at it.

So he's almost a little jaded to it in a way, too.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Steve: He's so sick of, be like, "I don't wanna paint, Dad.

Let's go on a bike ride." Like "Man, all right, I guess we can, but as long as we do something else later that works your mind, too."

Jill: Oh, there you go.

Steve: But he's, yeah, very creative. He, some of the paintings he's done, I had a few hanging up in the shop for a while, and

Jill: Oh, neat

Jill: people would come in and compliment the rough style of it, and I'm like, "That's actually not mine.

That's my son's, but I'll tell him you said so."

Jill: that's pretty cool, though. Yeah. I think that's awesome. I'm so glad you guys share your talents, though. That's, you know, it's like you said, I think everybody does have some skill set, some talent, some artistic ability. They just aren't, haven't developed it yet, or

Chris: Yeah, totally

Jill: it's not in their time, right? So everybody has a season everybody has a time, and maybe they just haven't gotten there yet. So let's learn a little bit more about each of you guys. All right. So Chris, what was your first job?

Chris: First, well, if we're going way back, it's definitely a paper boy, but, mowing lawns and stuff like that.

But, real official job, I was a janitor at, a, an old folks retirement community.

Jill: Did you have a big ring of keys?

Chris: No, I had a couple keys

Jill: Oh. Then you weren't a true janitor if you didn't have

Chris: I know. ... a ring of keys.

Chris: I wasn't. I think I was, like, 15 years old.

Jill: Oh, there you go. Yeah.

Chris: Yeah, that was my-

Jill: That's awesome

Chris: I just, you know, cleaned up after old folks on a regular basis.

Jill: that probably taught you a lot of compassion, a lot of patience.

Chris: Definitely a lot of patience, and yeah, it definitely show you some things about behavior

Jill: Yeah

Chris: that you didn't know existed.

Jill: Growing old is not easy. No. That is for sure.

All right. Scuba Steve, what was your first job?

Steve: Tony's Pizza here in Boulder.

Jill: Oh, imagine that. I think every-

Steve: Is this mine?

Jill: Every child... Yes, it is.

Steve: How many people do you know? I think every child did.

Jill: Yeah. That is awesome. If in my generation, that, Tony's was your generation. My generation was, back in the time there was a, where the Southwest Diner moved from.

Remember the

Steve: Okay. Yep

Jill: it used to be the drive-through? What was that called? It was called Frosty Freeze.

Yeah, exactly. And yeah, Frosty Freeze is where all the kids worked.

Chris: So you grew up here, too?

Jill: Yep, born and raised.

Steve: Wow.

Jill: Yeah.

Chris: That's awesome.

Jill: Yeah. Family's been here since '47.

Chris: That's incredible.

Jill: So yeah, multiple generations. And, Lex and Scuba, did you graduate with Lex, right?

Steve: I was 2009. I believe she was a year behind me.

Jill: Got it. Very good. And what is something that people may not know about you, Scuba Steve?

Steve: Oh, that is a very good question. I mean

Chris: It's a lot

Steve: there's countless things people don't know.

Yeah, there's a lot I keep down deep. mainly not just, my love for art and everything like that, but also anything automotive, anything that has, an engine and makes explosions, that can run. I'm a car guy through and through. I got into motorcycles at a certain point, and building anything mechanical, I would say, is probably my second thing next to tattooing that I'm just completely obsessed with.

Jill: That's awesome. I do remember you had a motorcycle that you rode back and forth to, Flight Lines

Steve: Yeah

Jill: when you worked for Bryna.

Steve: Yep, still got it. It's in storage next to all my other cars.

Jill: That is awesome. And is that where you got the na- the nickname Scuba?

Steve: No. my great-grandfather started calling me it when I was a young kid.

Over the years, I had very few friends that did, and then right around the time I started at Tony's was when it just really took off for some reason. Someone there said, "Hey, have you ever been called this?" And I told them, "Yeah, kinda my whole life." And then every single person there called me that.

Jill: That's funny.

Steve: And then eventually all my friends

Jill: I just figured you got it at Zip Lines because it seemed like everybody there had a nickname.

Steve: Oh, no, it was well-established by that point. That's funny. I think that's how I introduced myself when I did the interview.

Jill: That's awesome. That'll get you a job for sure.

Steve: Yeah, it worked. I didn't have to wait for all of them to come up with something stupid like some of the other people I hired. Oh, yeah, there you go.

Jill: There you go. You preset your own name. Yep. That is awesome. I love that.

Chris: Good tactic.

Jill: And so Chris, what's something people don't know about you?

Chris: I grew up in a town that's makes Boulder look like a metropolis.

Literally 800 people.

Jill: Wow. where was this?

Chris: In Southern California on the Salton Sea.

Jill: Oh.

Chris: Out in the desert.

Jill: Yes.

Chris: In a really small town called Bombay Beach. My grandparents vacationed out there, in the '70s, and we all lived in the LA area at the time. and we were going out there every week, and they ended up retiring and buying a little bar and grill out there.

There was only one. Actually there was two, but, they bought the one. and my parents were going out there every weekend, and me and my sister going along with. My parents would help them in the bar. My dad would help the, my grandpa in the bar. My mom would help my grandmother in the kitchen.

Jill: Oh, cool.

Chris: And I would just run amuck. I had friends out there. We had dirt bikes and I would just run amuck in the desert. And then shortly after that, parents got divorced, Mom went out there, and we went, my sister and I went with. So mostly just grew up out there in the, you know

Jill: That's awesome

Chris: middle of nowhere.

Yeah, it was a I mean, people see it now and they hear about it, and they're just like, "Wow, you grew up in that place?" 'Cause it's It's in a state of destitute now, but it, back then in the '70s and '80s, it was just this wonderful place to, to grow up of just pure freedom.

Jill: You know, that's interesting that you see it through that lens, right?

Because I am the one that saw it through the lens of us taking side-by-sides out there, taking our kids, and going to the sea area, Salton Sea area.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: And then, and there's baby dolls crusted over with dust

Chris: Yeah

Jill: just laying there next to a swing set, and it just looks so eerie

Chris: Yeah

Jill: and creepy that I was like, "Ugh, I just wanna get out of here.

I got a negative vibe here."

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: And so I saw it differently. I think it's interesting that you saw it when it was thriving.

Chris: Yeah, it was thriving. Like, in, back in the '60s,mid-'60s into the early '70s, there was a concerted effort to create this, French Riviera on the Salton Sea.

And all of the folks from Hollywood and LA would vacation out there.

Jill: Wow.

Chris: Palm Springs and the entire area.

Jill: Yeah.

Chris And that's the way it was going into, the '80s. there was these little resort towns, kinda like on the river where you have resort towns.

And that's what folks would do.

They would come out there and just vacation and recreate and have a good old time. And then, The sea just became very, the salt saturations in the sea became so extreme that all of the all the fish were dying

Jill: Yeah

Chris: and they were washing up onto the shores, and that obviously changed people's desire to wanna camp out and hang out on the shores or even buy places out there. that in turn affected, my grandparents' business as well and, 'cause we relied so much on vacationers.

Jill: So Mother Nature took its course.

Chris: Yeah, and then so the migratory birds stopped going there, and next thing you know it just, slowly died out

Jill: and,

Chris: you know- Interesting ... that's the way it went, and it's not really recovered.

Jill: Yeah. it's been a long time since I was there, but

Yeah ... it did not seem in a recovery mode when I was there.

Chris: No. When's the last time you were there?

Jill: It's been about 12 years ago.

Chris: Yeah. It's the same

Jill: Wow

Chris: if not worse. Well- and there's actually ways that they could improve it and clean it, but from what I hear and what I've read, California doesn't wanna put

Jill: The effort into it

Chris: the resources into it. Yeah.

Jill: So this is one of my favorite questions 'cause you really get to know people. what book are you reading right now, Chris?

Chris: Several, but, my favorite. I'm reading one right now called The Secret Teachings of All Ages.

Jill: Oh, interesting.

Chris: Yeah. By, Manly P. Hall.

Jill: Sounds kinda deep.

Chris: It can be, yeah.

Jill: That's interesting.

Chris: it's very, enlightening and scary at the same time.

Jill: Ooh.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: Sometimes those are good, and then sometimes you're like, "Oh, I wish I hadn't read that."

Chris: Yeah, totally.

Jill: All right. Scuba Steve, what are you reading?

Steve: Ugh, besides the, owner's manual to my car? I don't do a whole lot of reading as far as fantasy stories.

And most things I read are, like, educational, how-tos and whatnot.

Jill: Yeah.

Steve: lots of Goosebumps with my boy.

Jill: Oh, that's sweet.

Steve: if I ever do read any, novel-type things, usually it's like a Stephen King

Dean Koontz type of book. Something with a little bit of, you know

Jill: Yeah

Steve: fright to it to keep you on your seat, You're into that.

Jill: Interesting. I think that, speaks volumes. That's great. I appreciate you guys sharing that kind of stuff. All right, so here's the next question. What's something your mom or dad taught you that you still have as a life lesson you live today?

Steve: Just always be the best person you can be and at whatever you're doing, No matter what you're doing, try as hard as you can, and even if you fail, hey, you learned something.

Jill: That's right. I think some of the best lessons are learned from failure.

Steve: Yeah, totally.

Chris: Oh, 100%.

Jill: Yeah. That's pretty cool. Thank you. I'm glad your mom and dad taught you so well.

Steve: Oh, they tried.

Jill: How about... Yeah, they tried.

They did a pretty good job. Yeah. And Chris, what about your mom and dad?

Chris: Well, immediately, it's, my mom said, "The more you make, the more you spend." And then my dad said, "The more you do, the more they expect."

And that's always kind of stuck with me. And it's a constant challenge in many ways, I truly am challenged with both of those statements.

Chris: Yep.

Jill: Yeah, it does, it seems like the more you make, you just have more things you want.

Chris: Yeah.

Jill: So then you gotta make more, so then you want more. And so back to a statement that you said earlier in the interview, the challenge is to be a minimalist and to live with just being okay with who and what you are and not needing the excess.

Chris: Yeah, exactly.

Jill: And that is a lesson I struggle with. Just ask my husband.

Chris: it's a constant effort in my life, you know

Jill: Yeah

Chris: because it's like now I'm in a space where it's more easy, it's easier to obtain many things that I just simply don't need.

And but, I want them, but I don't need them, so, like, I have made progress with it.

Jill: That is great. And then the other statement that from your dad, the more you do, the more people expect, we'd also don't wanna live with mediocracy. So you don't want to just not do anything so there is no expectation level, but you also have to learn to manage that expectation, manage your, need for overachievement, right?

So that one's like a mixed bag.

Chris: Well, for me, that one's. So it's, okay, I view everything as energy, and it's okay, do I wanna put this energy into that? Does it serve the entirety the way it should?

Or is it not that? You know what I mean? So, like, it also teaches me to be, selective about where I want to put my energy, and is it for the greater good?

Is it righteous, or is it because this person's just trying to manipulate me,

Jill: Yeah. I love it. Great mindset.

Chris: Thanks.

Jill: Thanks for your words of wisdom. I appreciate it. I appreciate you guys both being here. Like I said, your talents are incredible.

Thank you. Thank you for sharing those with us, sharing your information today, and, this is gonna be a great episode. Can't wait for it to air and, for the first person to say, "Okay, what tattoo are you getting?" 'Cause I'm sure somebody will actually ask that, probably my husband

Chris: Yeah

Jill: or my kids. But you guys are awesome, and I would only do it with you, so thank you very much.

Chris: Thank you as well.

We appreciate you. I do wanna just quickly add, too, that

Jill: Yeah

Jill: Ragtown just passed 10 years.

Jill: Oh, that's right. Yeah.

Chris: 10 years.

Jill: That is right. It's pretty insane. I forgot about that. And so before Ragtown, you were w- at Pokers?

Chris: Yeah, I owned Yeah a shop in Vegas called Pokers.

Jill: Yeah, that's right. I remember you telling me that a long time ago.

Congratulations.

Steve: Thanks.

Jill: You, have some lasting power now.

Chris: Yeah. I mean, made it a decade. That's an achievement.

Jill: You did great. Well, a lot of achievements. and

Chris: I didn't do it alone,

Jill: And so thanks to all of your artists that are there, and, what are the names of your other two?

Chris: Scoob.

Steve: And then there's Cornfed, who's a legend in the game. He's been around for many years, and actually was pretty, He was implemental in getting things legalized in Clark County back in the early '90s.

Jill: Wow.

Chris: Early '90s, yeah. when, they didn't really know what to do with tattooers, as far as regulation goes.

Jill: Wow.

Chris: Which is a good thing, but at the same time, I give them fault, too, because now they, you know, they watch a little too closely sometimes.

Jill: Oh, too bad.

Chris: and then there's Jackie, Jacqueline Grab, who's, our resident, lady tattooer with impeccable technique and, yeah.

Jill: So- And does she do permanent makeup?

Chris: No.

Jill: No.

Chris: No. we all have the ability to do permanent makeup. It's just not something that we, you know, on their advertise

Jill: Specializing

Steve: Exactly. I tell people all the time, "You don't want me doing your eyebrows. I have no idea what's going on with a good-looking eyebrows." Go to somebody else with that.

Chris: Yeah, you look, you walk away looking, inquisitive all the time.

Steve: Unless you want to look like Bert and Ernie.

go somewhere else. Or

Chris: Eugene Levy. Unibrow.

Jill: Yeah. I'll skip that, thanks. Not a selling tactic there. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much.

Chris: Yeah. Thanks, Jill.

Jill: It's been a pleasure, and, can't wait to come in and see you.

Steve: All righty. Right on. Thanks for having us.

Boulder City Pride: Gov. Joe Lombardo Celebrates the 78th Damboree

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:30:42 GMT

Boulder City Pride: Gov. Joe Lombardo Celebrates the 78th Damboree

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill catches up with Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo at the 78th Damboree in Boulder City. Jill and Gov. Lombardo explore the unique spirit and bright future of the Silver State. Gov. Lombardo shares how his childhood as a military kid and his decades of service as sheriff and governor shaped his deep appreciation for the liberties of this nation and the tight-knit communities of Nevada.

This isn't just a story about political leadership; it's about a mission-driven approach to state stewardship, a dedicated focus on lifting up Nevada's education system, and a celebration of local communities like Boulder City that are driving the state forward.

DISCUSSION

The Spirit of Nevada: Why people from all over the country choose to make the Silver State their home, creating a unique bond of camaraderie and community.
A Lifetime of Service: Governor Lombardo reflects on moving every three years as a military kid, choosing to stay in Nevada, and transitioning from sheriff to governor.
What Keeps a Leader Grounded: The Governor shares his love for The Week magazine and why keeping up with condensed, bipartisan global news helps him stay focused on local, kitchen-table issues.
The Education Governor: A deep dive into the Governor's primary mission to build a lasting foundation for Nevada's youth through improved graduation rates and early childhood education.
All Things Boulder City: A look at how the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce is successfully diversifying local tourism and elevating outdoor recreation.
The Adventure Center: Previewing the highly anticipated October 7th grand opening of the Boulder City Adventure Center.
Full Circle Moments: The Governor shares a hilarious memory of launching his first sheriff's campaign at the Boulder City Fourth of July parade—and getting completely drenched in the process!

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Governor Joe Lombardo and his administration's initiatives, visit the official Nevada Governor's website at https://gov.nv.gov .

Magazine Recommendation - The Week Magazine - https://theweek.com

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and the upcoming Adventure Center, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com .

KEYWORDS

Governor Joe Lombardo, Nevada, Boulder City, Education Governor, Boulder City Chamber, Outdoor Recreation, Adventure Center, Fourth of July, The Best Dam Podcast

#GovernorJoeLombardo #Nevada #BoulderCity #EducationGovernor #BoulderCityChamber #OutdoorRecreation #AdventureCenter #FourthofJuly #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: So welcome to Boulder City. We're so grateful to have you here.

Governor Joe: Is that where we are?

Jill: We're in Boulder City.

Governor Joe: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Jill: Right here, home of the Hoover Dam.

Governor Joe: Beautiful, beautiful Boulder City.

Jill: Yes. Yeah, yeah. Thank you.

We know you have a lot of choices for your your Fourth of July parade, so thank you for spending your morning with us.

We do appreciate it. So Governor, what have your parents taught you about loving this nation, this great, great nation?

Governor Joe: Well, you never take anything for granted, right? Right? Um, so you don't assume all the liberties and everything that comes with a great nation such as America, um, you, you can't assume that's gonna be the case, right? And they wanted me to be appreciative of everything that we were able to do in our lives.

You know, you always heard the proverbial dream, you know, you can dream and do whatever you want in America.

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: But it's bigger than that, and the ability to even think about having a dream to do whatever you want in America is very important, and they made me realize that, you know? I, fortunately, unfortunately, I was part, I was a military kid. My dad was in the Air Force, so unfortunately we had to travel

Jill: A lot

Governor Joe: all over the world every three years, and that's tough on a, on, on a, on a kid.

Jill: Yeah, I get it.

Governor Joe: But what you do is you get to see other cultures, you get to see other governments.

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: You get to, uh, see other nations and other countries, and you realize America is number one.

Jill: It is number one.

Governor Joe: Right. And, and the

Jill: For 250 years

Governor Joe: and the grace of just being lucky enough to be mar uh, not married, but born in the United States makes a difference.

Jill: That's true.

Governor Joe: And people don't realize that, and they take that for granted, and I, I think that's the most important piece that I received from my folks.

Jill: So years and years of service

Governor Joe: Yeah, yeah

Jill: to this great state, especially here in Southern Nevada as sheriff, and now as governor, and so you see all the way across this nation and all across this state. Do you, do you, what do you see is the, the reason for the spirit of Nevada? We have such a strong spirit here in Nevada. What do you think that is? What does that stem from?

Governor Joe: You know why? It's 'cause people came here. A lot of people aren't from Nevada, right?

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: But they came here because they said, hey, th- that's what they, that attracts them you know, the business environment, the, the, the spirit and the, and the, the welcoming nature of Nevada because we're, we're young compared to some of the other states, and people weren't born here, but they came here for a good reason, right?

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: So a lot of times when people are born in the state they're like, "I," they can't wait to get out of here, right? Right. They, they wanna leave as soon as possible, right?

Jill: We said that in high school, right?

Governor Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Soon as I g- as soon as I graduate I'm gone. I'm out. I'm gone. But in Nevada you don't see that because everybody came here for the same reason.

Jill: Yeah.

Governor Joe: Right?

Jill: They did.

Governor Joe: The, the, the, the camaraderie, the family, the neighborhoods, the community, um, all the things you could imagine across the board.

Jill: And so thank you for your vision for the

Governor Joe: That's why I didn't leave.

Jill: Well, I'm glad.

Governor Joe: You know?

Jill: We're glad you didn't leave.

Governor Joe: Every three, every three years we moved when I was young, but when I graduated high school, I said, "I'm gonna stay in Nevada," right? When I first showed up, I'm like, "How did I get here?"

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: But now I'm here, right?

Jill: Well, we're so glad you're here. Thank you for your service. So we have a couple of fun questions.

Governor Joe: Hey, little man.

Jill: Hello, little man. Thank you for being on the show, too.

Governor Joe: This is my grandson, Theodore.

Jill: Oh, Theodore, very nice to meet you. Yes, you get to ride in the parade right here for the 4th of July.

Yeah, you're gonna ride in the car. Okay, I have a favorite question to ask.

Governor Joe: Yeah, sure.

Jill: What book are you reading right now? It gives us insight into who you are.

Governor Joe: You know, um, I wouldn't necessarily say I'm reading a book right now. I often read books, but what I'm doing right now, I- I was turned on to this new magazine.

Jill: Oh.

Governor Joe: It was called The Week.

Jill: The Week.

Governor Joe: And it comes out once a week.

Jill: Okay.

Governor Joe: You know, not 52 weeks of the year, but 48 I think, and it talks about all the world events and all the current events that occur within the preceding week.

Jill: Wow.

Governor Joe: And it, and it condenses it down to small articles so you can condense a whole world into one little magazine.

Jill: I love it.

Governor Joe: And it's very informative. Uh, it's, it's bipartisan.

Jill: I love it.

Governor Joe: And, uh, you get to learn what's going on in the world and what's affecting people, what's affecting the, the man on the street. You know, what, what is bothering them, what are they thinking about, k- kitchen table issues. Um, which a lot of times when you get in positions of leadership, you lose your way, right? You forget about what's bothering, um, the individual that lives next door to you, uh, and I think that's more important than what's bothering, you know, the bigwig in town, so.

Jill: I love it. I, I'm gonna have to check that out. Thank you for that share.

Governor Joe: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jill: And so final

Governor Joe: Did that give you any insight? I- You said you, you wanted some insight by what I was reading

Jill: Well, you know, it's always fun when I find out you're reading rom-coms or something.

Governor Joe: Oh, no, no, no.

Jill: It makes me feel a little better about my reading list.

Governor Joe: That ain't never gonna happen. That ain't never gonna happen, so.

Jill: Well, thank you. And so final question.

Governor Joe: Yeah.

Jill: What is your dream? What's your vision? What do you want to leave with the state of Nevada? After your service is over, what do you hope was your legacy?

Governor Joe: Well, the, you know, when I first, uh, ran as governor, I, I told everybody I want to be known as the education governor.

Jill: Love it.

Governor Joe: Okay? And to me, education's the foundation of everything we do in life, right? Your vision, your ability to succeed, and quality of life. And we have not been known to be a good education state

Jill: Right

Governor Joe: for a long time, and I had made a promise to my constituents and the people I represent that I was gonna make a difference in that space, and I think we've made a fantastic strides in the last three and a half, four years in the education space. We're seeing that in the numbers, graduations, earl- early education improvement. Um, but we're gonna continue down that path for the next four years and ensure that it becomes foundational and it's not just a, a whim- whimsical idea.

Jill: Right.

Governor Joe: And we're gonna be better for it as a state and as a nation because of that.

Jill: I really appreciate that. So. And thank you for helping to educate our youth. They are our future, so we're very grateful for that. Obviously, Theodore's part of that future, so thank you.

Governor Joe: But before we're done, let's talk about you.

Jill: Oh, what about me?

Governor Joe: Let's talk about the chamber and your success

Jill: Boulder City Chamber are doing so well. We've got the Boulder City Adventure Center

Governor Joe: Yeah

Jill: grand opening October 7.

Governor Joe: Yep, yep, yep.

Jill: I know you're, you're hoping to be there too, so yeah, all things Boulder, trying to diversify tourism, re- really reaching that outdoor recreation, so thank you for your support in all of that.

Governor Joe: Well, you should be proud because when people talk about chambers, you know, and there's hundreds of them

Jill: Yeah

Governor Joe: they talk about Boulder City.

Jill: Well, thank you.

Governor Joe: And that's a testament to you, so.

Jill: Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.

Governor Joe: Thank you, Jill.

Jill: We appreciate your support. Thank you so much for all your years of service.

Governor Joe: All right.

Jill: And, uh, we're looking forward to the future.

Governor Joe: And thank you to Boulder City, and thank you for this parade.

Jill: Thank you.

Governor Joe: So just a real quick, real quick, um, you mentioned, you know, being the sheriff and everything else. I kicked off my sh- first sheriff campaign right here

Jill: Really?

Governor Joe: in Boulder City in this parade. In this parade, and I got duly, uh, saturated by the water.

Jill: Oh, so you did the water entry.

Governor Joe: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah. Very good. So. Well, it is quite a

Governor Joe: All right. Thank you.

Jill: Thank you so much. We're grateful to have you, and

Governor Joe: All right

Jill: thank you, Theodore, for being a part.

Governor Joe: And God bless America.

Clean Energy, Small Business, and the Spirit of Nevada with Senator Jacky Rosen

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:13:44 GMT

Clean Energy, Small Business, and the Spirit of Nevada with Senator Jacky Rosen

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen to explore the unique "frontier spirit" that drives the Silver State. Senator Rosen shares how her faith and upbringing instilled a lifelong commitment to leaving her corner of the world better than she found it.

This isn't just a story about political leadership; it's about a mission-driven approach to community stewardship, the booming landscape of Nevada's clean energy economy, and a collaborative approach to democracy designed to serve families for generations to come.

DISCUSSION

The Spirit of Nevada: What it means to represent a massive, diverse state of 70 million acres and how the "frontier spirit" shapes its residents.
Farming the Sun: How Nevada is positioning itself at the forefront of the 21st-century energy economy by utilizing wind, water, solar, and geothermal power.
Preserving What We Must: The delicate balance of sustainable development—using what we can to protect the state's beautiful wilderness and migrating wildlife.
The Messy Thanksgiving Table: Why Senator Rosen compares American democracy to a big holiday dinner and the critical importance of non-stubborn statesmanship.
The Meat and Potatoes of Office: A look behind the scenes at how constituent services quietly help local seniors, veterans, and families navigate federal issues.
Empowering the Next Generation: How Senate internships give young Nevadans hands-on experience in running the country and solving real community problems.
What Do You Do With a Chance?: A special book recommendation that highlights the power of opportunity, kindness, and everyday interactions.
The Small Business Backbone: The surprising statistics behind Nevada's 280,000 small businesses and the massive economic impact of outdoor tourism.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Senator Jacky Rosen and constituent s ervices, visit her website at https://www.rosen.senate.gov . Click on the FOR NEVADANS drop-down for a list of Constituent Services.

Book Recommendation - What Do You Do With a Chance By Kobi Yamada,
Mae Besom (Illustrator) - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/36070310-what-do-you-do-with-a-chance

To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com

KEYWORDS

Senator Jacky Rosen, Nevada, Boulder City, Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, Small Business, Constituent Services, Community, Las Vegas Chamber, The Best Dam Podcast

#SenatorJackyRosen #Nevada #BoulderCity #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #SmallBusiness #ConstituentServices #Community #LasVegasChamber #TheBestDamPodcast

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Listeners, I have the distinct privilege of being able to interview the beautiful Jacky Rosen. Senator, we are so grateful to have you here, and thank you so much for being on the Best Damn! podcast.

Senator Jacky: Well, you know what? I love being on the Best Damn podcast. I have the best dam picture in the United States Senate, two of them in my office, and thank you for having me.

Jill: Thank you for remembering, some of the great things that make the state of Nevada awesome, and the dam is one of them. And you know I shared with you that, my parents were always upset that I would constantly swear as a child growing up. But then I would always say, "Hoover Dam, Mom. Hoover Dam" So that always got us out of that.

So we are grateful to have you here. I know your time is short, so we're gonna just jump right into it.

Senator Jacky: Okay.

Jill: What is a defining moment in your life when you felt called to serve our country?

Senator Jacky: I want to say it's not just one moment. I think that, I feel like my faith-based community that I'm very connected to and very strong, in Henderson, we really believe in this concept of what they call repairing the world, that you leave the world a better place than how you found.

It's your responsibility to take care of your corner of the world. So whatever that is, whether it's helping your neighbor if they're hungry, or sometimes you're a senator, you have a bigger bully pulpit. Whatever that is, it's your responsibility. Someone did it for you, and so for the next generation, you need to leave the world or your corner of the world, at least as good as how you found it, if not better.

And I think that's just been a defining, characteristic of the family values my family instilled in me, and ones I've carried through as I was volunteer in my adult life, and then of course, had the opportunity to run for office, and I still carry that through.

Jill: We sure appreciate it, you, and so glad that you are willing to serve.

Senator Jacky: Thank you.

Jill: So thank you for doing so, and I'm grateful for your family that instilled those values in you. So when you travel across our state, what gives you the greatest hope for America's future?

Senator Jacky: I can tell you, the people do not realize how big our state is. I tease some of my colleagues. I think we're about 70 million acres, and that's about 70 Rhode Islands or 70 Delawares, give or take some.

Jill: Love it.

Senator Jacky: And so our state is so diverse. It's not just a Lake Tahoe and a Lake Mead or Las Vegas. It is the dark skies. It is the small towns. It is the frontier spirit. The Pony Express went through Carson City. Mark Twain's brother was our lieutenant governor, and he wrote the book Roughing It up there. And then

Jill: Yeah

Senator Jacky: We think about our frontier history, our energy future, our, tourism, whether it's out at the, at Lake Mead, where we're looking at, overlooking here today. We have an incredibly beautiful state, and what gives me hope for the future is honestly Nevadans. Everywhere I go, people welcome me.

They sit down. They tell me what they hope for, and they tell me what they worry about.

Jill: Yeah.

Senator Jacky: They tell me what, they really talk to me like a person. And that's, I feel like that gives me the power to do my job for Nevada, and I'm really grateful to the, people of Nevada for that.

Jill: The spirit of Nevada.

Senator Jacky: The spirit of Nevada.

Jill: Absolutely. So Boulder City is such a beacon of light when it comes to clean, renewable energy. We were started because of hydro, and we are stronger because of solar. What do you see in Nevada's future with the increase in energy demand and technology and innovation outpacing infrastructure? Where do we go from here?

Senator Jacky: You know what? This is a fantastic question. I talk about this all the time, and I think we have to be energy agnostic. In Iowa, they farm the corn. In Nevada, we farm the sun, or we had Hoover Dam. And so what I say is that we have wind, water, solar, and geothermal, right?

We have all of that type of energy, and we have critical minerals. And so in Nevada, we are at the forefront of the 21st century energy economy, and we were, Hoover Dam, we were at that just about 100 years ago. At Hoover Dam, people don't realize it's still pumping out that energy for us.

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: Hydroelectric power. With geothermal, with solar, we can do so many things, not just the jobs it creates, but the sustainable energy future and how do we power our lives that are just so very important, and what kind of world do we want to leave for our kids? We know it's getting hotter or drier, and we want to be sure that, again, how do we take care of the world we're gonna pass on

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: to those kids and grandkids. And Nevada plays prominently in all of that, and we're trying to invest in the kinds of education and ecosystems that create the opportunity for all Nevadans there.

Jill: You know, I love that idea of the sustainable nature. Talk about the frontier, it's beautiful-

Senator Jacky: Yeah

Jill: protect it, we're stewards, but how do we make that sustainable as well?

Senator Jacky: How do you use what you can to preserve what you must? And so we might build some solar fields in order to protect the rest of things. I'll tell you, I was just, up in northern Nevada a few weeks ago. I was, I think, Stillwater Wildlife Refuge.

Jill: Oh.

Senator Jacky: People don't realize when they drive around Nevada, it is not a full desert everywhere.

There are these, bodies of water, marshes, especially as you get up through central and northern Nevada. Migrating birds, the amount of migrating birds, that we saw, and this is not even in peak season when you go there in May. You go there in the spring or the fall, you see tons of birds, and they need those stopover points to make it from

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: Canada down to wherever they're going. and Nevada's a critical... we're not just a tourist stop for, people. We're that stop for the migrating birds and other kinds of animals.

Jill: Wildlife, yeah.

Senator Jacky: Wildlife, sure. And so how do we preserve. Use what we can to preserve all the rest, that, I think, is the message.

Jill: I love that. I appreciate the thought process that you're taking there. So, what American value do you believe is most important to preserve future generations?

Senator Jacky: What American values? I think, first of all, I really think that the idea that we should have opportunity for everyone, that what you can imagine, if you have the right education and people behind you and a good, I think about education K through 12, I think about opportunities for training and jobs and then in a wide variety of things.

Again, how do we build for the future? We have to educate our kids for the problems that they're gonna encounter cause they're gonna become us. Although nobody's teenager wants to hear that, right? And so I just think that the most American value that we can think of is our, entrepreneurship.

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: Our imagination, our kindness. I will tell people that our First Amendment, really important, although sometimes it makes us argue. It's all good. It democracy is messy.

And that's a good thing. It's like a big Thanksgiving table. Everybody brings a dish, everybody's talking, and that's, it, then you walk away and you've learned a lot and you've done a lot of different things as it's all melted together.

So I think it's really important. And also, I really do believe the, the right to vote, your vote is your

Jill: Oh,

Senator Jacky: is your voice. And I tell people to vote for folks who aren't stubborn because that means they'll come sit down at that big messy Thanksgiving table and say

Jill: Yeah

Senator Jacky: "Okay, we got a problem. We, here's 10 items we think we should do, but we agree on five. Let's do the five, and then we can argue more about the other five." But if you're not stubborn, you'll sit in a room and you'll try to figure things out, and I think that's the most important thing that you can, ask for the people who are elected, whether it's your mayor or, or president of the United States, all the way in between, \

Jill: So that statesmanship

Senator Jacky: Yes

Jill: the civility side of it

Senator Jacky: Yes

Jill: is so important to the democracy.

Senator Jacky: Yes.

Jill: And it, you don't have a democracy without that kind of dialogue, that statesmanship

Senator Jacky: Right

Jill: the civility, that unity.

Senator Jacky: And I think that, you know, we have to, instead of going into corners, if you're not stubborn, let's say b- there's issues here in Boulder City and you wanna talk about it, you pull people together and say, "Okay, what are the issues?"

You name 20 issues, and you agree on how to fix, we'll say half of them, 10.

Jill: Right.

Senator Jacky: Well, go ahead and start working on fixing those. And then you can continue to have discussions about the others that you may have bigger disagreements on or

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: some dr disagreements . But what I think what people get frustrated on is that if I don't agree with you on everything, I do nothing, and that doesn't work.

It doesn't work if you're apart of family, friend, business owner, and it just doesn't work for people. And I just hope that, people that are elected, and there are plenty there, there needs to be more

that aren't criticized for coming and sitting down and trying to figure things out the best we can and that's how I think we get a good, Good outcomes all the time.

Jill: I appreciate that, and I hope our youth understand that on their civic journey that they really

Senator Jacky: Yeah

Jill: 'cause it is a journey for them to understand, do I wanna be a part of that?

Senator Jacky: That's right.

Jill: But when I walk the halls and get to come and visit you and

Senator Jacky: Yeah

Jill: see the staffers that are all. I don't know, they feel like they

Senator Jacky: Oh,

Jill: they're young are babies.

Senator Jacky: They're young.

Jill: But they're helping run the country.

Senator Jacky: That's right.

Jill: They are really

Senator Jacky: That's right

Jill: the behind the scenes. It's so fabulous to see the youth that are engaged in

Senator Jacky: Yes

Jill: in the effort. And

Senator Jacky: And can I say one more thing?

Jill: Absolutely.

Senator Jacky: We have a lot of interns. We have three sets. every house member, every senator has internships, and usually we take people from our states, obviously, or districts if you're in Congress.

And those, you have to be 18, but those young folks, they come and they work. We have three, a spring, a summer, and a fall. We pay them, so you can go on our website and see

Jill: Learn more

Senator Jacky: learn more about that.

Jill: We'll put that in the show notes.

Senator Jacky: Yes, that's right, rosen.senate.gov. But it's interesting what they learn. They said they didn't realize all the phone calls that come in, all the ways that we help our veterans, people's Social Security, our seniors. They did not realize all the ways that, that we help people, all the things that people are worried about here in Nevada, the drought, the, you know, whether we're getting the baseball, the football, the new basketball.

Jill: Sports.

Senator Jacky: I have nothing to do with whether the new basketball comes or not. But whether it's federal or state issues, just the kinds of calls and oftentimes the, distress calls people get.

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: That they just don't know where to turn and they call us, and we're really able to, especially with those federal issues, veterans, seniors, immigration tax, Social Security, we're able to help. And if the, and if we can't, my team knows everyone in Nevada. We will refer you to the right place to help you, get that help.

Jill: We're grateful for those interns, and the staff, and the ability that we can reach out. That you

Senator Jacky: Yeah

Jill: have the, that communication is open and those constituent services are so valuable,

Senator Jacky: and it's the most important thing we do.

Jill: It really is.

Senator Jacky: People do not realize. they think, "Oh, you're just there making law." We are there making laws.

Jill: No.

Senator Jacky: But constituent services is our meat and potatoes of what we do and, not seen to the public, seen to the people that we help, but not something that, sometimes people come on the news and they wanna brag about their success story if something good happened and they say, "Can we go talk about it?" We've had help, stuff with that, with people on Meals on Wheels or different

Jill: Right

Senator Jacky: veterans issues or, and that, but,

Jill: Those testimonials mean a lot to you

Senator Jacky: yeah

Jill: and staff, so that they know

Senator Jacky: Yeah .

Jill: that the work that they're doing

Senator Jacky: Yeah

Jill: is valuable.

Senator Jacky: That's right.

Jill: I appreciate that. this is kind of a little bit more of a personal note, but what is the book that you are reading right now or a special book to you?

Senator Jacky: Well, right now we've been doing a lot of homework. We've been very busy in, very busy in Washington, working on a lot of, a lot of big bills with 21st Century Road to Housing and the National Defense Authorization.

So my reading has been all work. But one book that is a children's book that I have been talking and sharing with people a lot lately, 'cause I think people have feel a little, have felt a little bit discouraged, and I wanna give them hope, and this is a book called What Do You Do With A Chance? And it's a children's book.

We'll give you the title, I'll give you the author and all that. You can include it. And I think it speaks again to the American spirit. What can you do. Let's say you're a teacher. And we've all had that teacher who maybe saw something in us that we didn't see, asked us to do something, invited us in, or a person who gave us an opportunity, or, just was nice to us.

We went to the bank one day and that we're having a bad day, and the teller just was pleasant and changed your whole outlook. So what do you do with a chance? What do you do with how you present yourself? How do you reach out and, just through kindness help others do good things? So it's a really great book. I actually think it's part of a series. it's a kid's book, but I think it's really meaningful.

Jill: I love that. I think more adults need to read some of those kids book and

Senator Jacky: Yeah

Jill: relearn some of those lessons.

Senator Jacky: Sometimes it's the simple things.

Jill: Yeah. I love that. Yeah. I can't wait to read it.

Senator Jacky: Yeah.

Jill: So our chamber's mission is to strengthen our community and support opportunities for all. What gives you the greatest optimism about America's future, and what role do local communities like Boulder City play in keeping America's spirit strong?

Senator Jacky: Well, you know what? We've been, we've been going strong for 250 years.

50 years. And like I said, democracy is, it's messy, it's noisy. it's like that giant Thanksgiving table where you invite everybody, family and friends, and then, oh no, there's a football game. But one uncle likes football team A and the other likes football team B, and you're like, "No, no, no." But the point is, it's we're all together.

And I think at the end of the day, we wanna do what's good for our country, what's good for our future, and how does that, how do we do things that help us grow in positive ways. Whether it's right here at the local level in Boulder City, all the ways that you're investing, in your community, in tourism, in jobs, in small business, in your schools.

That really makes a difference. So I do think that I would tell people maybe don't watch so much news, and talk to your neighbors. Get off your phones, go out and take a hike, take a walk. Go volunteer.

Jill: Love it.

Senator Jacky: Meet folks, and, give people a chance because I think at the end of the day, I find people to be much kinder than you, you may ever see on a news station.

Jill: Well, I love your message. I love your heart. Thank you so much for being with us today. We really appreciate it, and I, cannot wait to see you in action again in September when we get to come up for the Las Vegas Chamber Fly-In. It is one of my favorite things to do all time in the year, is to be able to come to Washington, D.C.

Senator Jacky: Oh, and we flood. The Fly-In is big. we just take over Washington. Nevada takes over the capital. That's what happens on that Fly-In week, and it is awesome.

Jill: Yep. We really appreciate your interest in small business, in rural communities here in the state of Nevada, in tourism, outdoor recreation.

All the things that you are leading us into a great future.

Senator Jacky: Do you know there's 280,000 small businesses in Nevada?

Jill: Wow.

Senator Jacky: 99.2% of business in Nevada, small business. Small business is 500 and under. But there's so many that are like that 50 and under, that really small business.

Jill: Yeah.

Senator Jacky: And so people do not realize almost, over 280,000 small businesses in Nevada.

Jill: That's incredible.

Senator Jacky: Outdoor tourism, about $24, billion a year to our economy, thousands and thousands of jobs. we're a lot more diverse than I think people. We know it here in Nevada, but that people realize.

Jill: We do, truly in the rural areas especially. yeah. So thank you for all your service.

Senator Jacky: Thank you

Jill: Thank you for all of the positive things and the role model that you are. We truly appreciate you.

Senator Jacky: Thank you. I'm happy to come back anytime.

Rae of Hope Foundation: Special Needs Advocacy, Peer Mentorship, and Community Alliances

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:02:56 GMT

Rae of Hope Foundation: Special Needs Advocacy, Peer Mentorship, and Community Alliances

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with the Magon and Shawn Peuker, the strategic masterminds behind The Rae of Hope Foundation. Together, unpack the world of nonprofit advocacy and explore how a basic plan of infrastructure and personal persistence can transform a chaotic, high-stress environment into a highly manageable roadmap for bringing next-generation support and community to special needs families.

The discussion dives deep into the high-stakes world of modern nonprofit operations—from turning a personal 10-year passion project inspired by their resilient daughter Raelynn into a fully realized foundation to adapting to massive operational changes like expanding from a single recipient model to serving multiple beneficiaries across Southern Nevada. Magon and Shawn also break down the eye-opening results of their unique community-building methods, sharing how they balance customized care packages and personal vetting with helping beloved local families thrive right here in Boulder City and beyond.

DISCUSSION

The Evolution from a Personal Dream to a Growing Network: Magon explains how a deep passion born out of navigating their daughter's seven strokes quickly scaled from a 10-year vision into a fully realized, multi-beneficiary network built to safely meet the region's growing support demands.
The Core Philosophy of Structural Inclusion: Rather than allowing rigid age limits or condition criteria to disrupt a family's access to help, the foundation operates on a strict blueprint of open qualifications, allowing families dealing with any physical or mental needs to establish a foundational sense of stability.
The Funding and Seed Money Advantage: Drawing on their extensive background managing family resources, Magon and Shawn bring a deep understanding of financial commitment to their daily operations, and establish the foundation before community events dramatically scale their capabilities.
The Vetted Family Reality Check: Shawn highlights how connecting with a client's real-world environment dictates successful care package distribution and long-term interaction.
Integrating Custom Care Packages and Commerce: To break down financial barriers, Shawn shareas how their digital store allows donors to purchase merchandise or actively sponsor a child's customized monthly supplies to improve efficiency.
The Structured Lifelong Connection Routine: The foundation facilitates a strict cyclical routine of keeping beneficiaries connected to all future social gatherings and community events.
The Mentorship Power of the Parent Network: Magon points out a heartwarming shift in company dynamics where experienced special needs parents naturally step in to teach, share trusted medical resources, and resolve complex care issues for new families in a real-world environment.
High-Stress Rehabilitation via Healthcare Guidance: For overwhelmed families who cannot safely access clear guidance or handle complex insurance systems immediately after a diagnosis, Shawn and Magon implement specialized peer advocacy to effectively redirect parental energy into productive, stabilizing focus.
The Light-Hearted Sense of Humor Standard: To ensure every family dynamic remains healthy and completely resilient, the household conducts an unfiltered routine of inside jokes and shared laughter, figuring out that embracing funny moments establishes a positive path toward overall family health.
Collaborative Main Street Alliances: Emphasizing that there is no true competition when supporting local development, Magon highlights her seamless, on-the-ground collaborations with neighboring businesses like Celeste from Lady Lux Cleaning to orchestrate large-scale regional initiatives.
The Unbeatable Value of Community Trust: Jill, Magon, and Shawn highlight how vital earning and maintaining the trust of devoted subscribers and local donors is to the community, reinforcing that when individual local organizations adapt and support one another, the entire town elevates together.

LEARN MORE

The Rae of Hope Foundation: Explore their full lineup of customized care packages, beneficiary sign-up forms, and online merchandise donation options. https://raeofhopefoundation.org/

Boulder City Chamber of Commerce: Head over to the Chamber website or stop by the office to discover how joining the local network can help jumpstart your business marketing and connect you with trusted industry experts. https://www.bouldercitychamber.com/

RAE OF HOPE FUNDRAISING EVENTS

Boulder City Community Garage Sale, July 17-19
Southwest Diner Fundraiser for The Rae of Hope Foundation, July 25 at the Southwest Diner
Craisy Daisy Fall Market, September 11-12, 10am-6pm
First Annual Rae of Hope Benefit Dinner at the Boulder Creek Golf Club Pavilion, October 9, 2026
https://raeofhopefoundation.org/upcoming-events

KEYWORDS

Magon Peuker, Shawn Peuker, The Rae of Hope Foundation, Special Needs Advocacy, Nonprofit Operations, Community Care Packages, Family Support Networks, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast, Podcast Interview

#MagonPeuker #ShawnPeuker #RaeOfHopeFoundation #SpecialNeedsSupport #NonprofitAdvocacy #BoulderCityCommunity #SmallBusinessAlliances #TheBestDamPodcast #PodcastInterview

Podcast Transcript

Jill: Listeners, today we have a treat. We have Miss Magon Peuker, as well as her husband, Shawn. So very grateful to have you guys on the show today. And, Magon has been here before, so this is like old hat to her, but Shawn, this is new for you. And so welcome, and, thanks for joining us.

Shawn: Thank you for having us. We're excited to be here.

Jill: And so today we're talking about Rae of Hope Foundation. Such a special, absolute passion project for you guys. And so thank you so much for telling us a little bit more about this program. we are grateful to now feel like we know Raelynn, and so tell us a little bit more about Rae of Hope Foundation.

Magon: Yeah. So our foundation is obviously, like you said, built on passion. We have a 13-year-old daughter, Raelynn, that has had seven strokes, and we completely understand, the mission and the heartache and the grief and everything that, comes with, having a special needs child. So we decided that we have to do something for the community, that we stand so firmly behind.

And we completely understand what these, these families go through on a daily basis with either their children or a loved one that they're taking care of. And this has been a passion of mine for over 10 years, and my amazing husband, Shawn, made it come true and came to life this year.

And, we are, we're just going headstrong in it right now. I'm ... We have six beneficiaries that have signed up just, over the last couple months, at the different vendor shows that we've been at here in Boulder City. And we just love meeting the families, and, have different upcoming events, which I'm sure we'll talk about.

And we're just excited to get into the community a little bit more and provide those, different services for them.

Jill: So Shawn, Magon talked about community. So there's multiple communities that she's really speaking of, right? So not only Boulder City as a community, your family, your support network as a community, but the community that you are serving by having the foundation.

So many other families that struggle, that don't even know that they need somebody to talk to, but when they do, they're just like, "Pfft, that's what exactly what I needed." I can imagine that so many have reached out to you and that community is growing.

Shawn: Oh, it's constantly growing. Yeah, we're getting people signing up.

As a matter of fact, when we pulled in the parking lot today, we had somebody else that wants to sign up. It's been a constant flood of questions and signing up and people needing that help and support that they're not getting elsewhere, that they can't get. And, it's very difficult for some people to find help when they're signing up for big organizations.

Make-A-Wish is great but it could be very hard to get on that list to be able to do that. We're trying to create a list of where we can help as many people as we can. Anybody who signs up, we vet them, we do a video call with them, we get to know them as a family with whether it's in person or on video, and we find out that, they are who they say they are we do a vetting process to make sure that they're not just making things up and trying to get some freebies. And then from there, we go through with the Rae of Hope care package. We, send them out a care package for their families. We give them things that they need if they like going outdoors, we'll give them, waterpark passes for a year or something like that. And, Yeah.

Jill: I think that is amazing. And so I wasn't sure initially when we first started talking about this, I wasn't exactly sure what your end goal was, what your mission would be. Obviously, to serve special needs or families in support of that. But you're actually, you have an application process. you provide different services.

You provide them with not only just the gift package, but, also support surrounding that as well. And so how hard is it to apply? Let's talk about how simple this really has meant. You have created it so that it is, it serves everybody.

Shawn: It's so easy. You go to raeofhopefoundation.org, and that's R-A-E, and you scroll down the page.

It's right below our family photos, and you it says, "Sign up to be a beneficiary," in big letters. You fill out the form. You can upload pictures if you would like. we prefer that you do, and it helps us when we're reaching out to the community to be able to show who the family is that's signing up.

And it helps us raise money for that family. It really tugs on the heartstrings of the people that wanna donate when they see photos of the family and who they are. And, super easy. Real easy process.

Jill: And so then you spoke about donors. So how do you go about cultivating donors?

Magon: So this is all something new that we're navigating as we go along. Like I said, this is only a couple months into the process. But I just kinda wanna, take a step back a little bit. Like he was saying, it is an easy process. I wanna make sure people know that, as much as, Make-A-Wish and those types of foundations are amazing, they have age limits. They have different, criteria that a lot of people, maybe are too old, or they might not be able to, be able to apply for those types of things. So we are, like, no age limit, adult, child, teenager, different abilities all across the board. And, so we just don't discriminate against anybody.

And, our mission was originally to pick one beneficiary by the end of the year, right around that fall time, and be able to go to that family and to give them as much money as we raised and be able to give them the resources and, you know, give them whatever their wish was for that year.

And it has just become it's tugged on our heartstrings to be like, how do we choose a family? One. You can't choose one.

Jill: Yeah.

Magon: So like I said, we have about six people, I think seven now, after somebody signs up today and instead of, we're like, why instead of flooding somebody with an exorbitant amount of money, why not help everybody obtain what they can, what they need?

Because I feel like that's gonna go a long way, at least for the, the first couple of years. Why don't we just help everybody? Because obviously that's gonna grow the community. We're gonna have more people within the organization, that can show up for these things. And I'm telling you, like these people that have signed up, they're not asking for 20, $30,000.

They're asking help for $3,000. Some of them are like I just, I need to pay back my mom for teeth that I, had to have or I need a wheelchair that's $6,000. So I'm like, why can't that 30,000 be spread or 50,000 or whatever we're gonna, get, be spread between the families, and help everybody?

So to go back to your next question as far as the donors, that's all new to us. We, we're hoping to, raise money and have as many donors as possible. We have, an upcoming event which I'm so excited to talk about. It's gonna be on October 9th. it's gonna be a benefit dinner that we have, with the community, and it's gonna be at the Boulder Creek Golf- Club Club pavi- yeah, yeah, the pavilion. Pavilion. And, we're gonna have an amazing band there from Vegas that, Shawn actually works for, and I'll let him get more into that. But, it's just gonna be an amazing night. it has surpassed everything that we thought of for our first annual benefit dinner, and, I think that's where the donors are gonna come in strongly, I think, for that event.

And, I really don't even to tell you the truth, I don't even really know what that looks like right now, but we're learning. we're learning the process along the way.

Jill: That is awesome. I am super excited. I will absolutely save that date on my calendar, for sure. I love where you've come from, and that you're adaptive, right?

You have to be. You've learned that in life. And so as you make that swing to go from that single to as many as you can potentially afford, I think that is phenomenal, and I think that also drives up the donors' interest, right? When they know that their dollars are going to help as many as, can potentially need it, I would imagine that would drive more interest, the, versus just the one.

It's always great to help one and to provide them everything they need, but I love the idea that any need that's out there, you can address it in some way, shape, or form.

Magon: Yeah. Sharing the wealth, for sure.

Jill: Absolutely. and as a potential donor, I can imagine that would, I mean, that would trip my heartstrings, like you said, and that would be something that I'd be far more interested in.

So I can see that. So how are you setting up the cultivation? Are you, Is there a mechanism on the website? Can they just go to the website and donate? Have you met with wealth managers so that they understand that you have this foundation and what its purpose is so that they can recommend you to their clients?

What is your process in 'Cause that money, getting the money first. Beneficiaries are awesome, and I have a feeling you'll have a lot more, but how do you get the dollars to feed them?

Magon: I think I'll have Shawn kinda touch on the website and how you can donate, 'cause he's the one that set that up.

But I will say a lot of our own personal money to front everything has come out personally from our bank account, just to get this started. Like any business, it's a non-profit, but like anything, when you start out, all of that, all of your own money kinda goes into it before you see any return.

And so we, we've been, putting out a lot of, our own, money for, the care packages and to come up with down payments for certain things,

Jill: So the seed money to get started.

Magon: Absolutely, yeah. So that's kinda where we're at right now. I think this benefit hopefully turns us around. You can go on the website and you can donate. You can be a monthly donator. You can, do a one-time donation. We are really hoping that many people show up for this benefit dinner because I think that's, like I said, I think that's gonna be our turning point where people are gonna see, wow, that's what they do, this is, these are the lives that they are changing. This is very touching. We wanna give to that.

Jill: Yeah.

Magon: So when we show our mission that night and we have those people's faces up there and we tell their story, and we, have an amazing dinner and we have an amazing community show up, and, people are just, their hearts are in it, and then we end with this amazing band at the end of the night, I think it's just gonna blow people away.

So yeah, if you wanna add anything.

Shawn: Yeah. like she was saying, on the website, it's super easy to go on there if you wanna be a donor. We do have a pay link on the website where you can do a direct deposit or a card or whatever. Perfect. also on our store, if you visit our store, I don't know if you've seen that yet- I have but we have a store where we sell products, and that we're taking 100% of the money that we make, the proceeds after, paying for supply, the overhead, and that all goes towards the beneficiaries as well. And on there we have a, sponsor a child. So what we're doing with that is, one of the kids that signs up, they could be the child that you're sponsoring.

Jill: Oh, that's cool

Shawn: You can do a $75 one-time sponsor or you could do monthly, and we will put your information on there as much as you would like to put. So just say Jill wanted to do it, we would put that this is from Jill, and this is her. She's the one that's sponsoring you. We give you the information of the child we're sponsoring and show you photos, and we'll send you pictures of, them receiving their care package for that month

Jill: Oh, cool

Shawn: and everything. and we're hoping that will be, like, a- another way for the family to receive, products and medical supplies and things that they need. And the $75 does seem. It seems high, but it also seems low. what can you

Jill: Yeah

Shawn: get for $75? Not a lot. In today's world, you can't get a lot for $75.

But with connections that we're making with people, we should be able to get things at cost which will make that $75 go a lot further.

Jill: A lot further. Yeah. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, that is such a cool concept because then you feel like you're... There's a lot of buy-in. You feel like you're a part of that family.

Shawn: Yep.

Jill: That is very cool.

Shawn: Absolutely.

Jill: Yeah, I want to do that. So I will go on for sure and sign that up. That is really cool. I, so I don't know if you know this, but Magon and I have shared, we have a daughter with special needs, but I have one in, every sibling in my family. And so the... You are right.

The medical costs, the additional training, the, different programs, the different, apparatuses that they need. there's just so much, and I don't think people really realize it. I think they just get very comfortable in their own lives and they don't see that. So having those stories, having that visual, for people to witness, I think you're right. That's really what's it's going to take it to the next level.

Magon: Absolutely.

Jill: So you're actually right.

Magon: One other thing I wanted to add is that once you become the Rae of Hope, or once you become a part of the Rae of Hope Foundation, you are a part of the family forever. It's not just a one and done, here's your wish or here's, here's the money that we raised for you.

Thank you for, being a part of this foundation for the year. You come back to our events throughout the year for years to come. So once you're connected with us, you're always connected, and it just grows. And I love the idea of always staying connected because not that they're gonna be the beneficiary every year, but we have seen some powerful things even within the families that have been able to say, "Hey, you know, we go to this therapist," or, "Hey, we use this doctor."

And so there's just so much power in the numbers of people in the special needs community families that can connect with those other families. So we believe that once you're in. You're in it for life. So

Jill: Yeah

Magon: this is gonna be, it's gonna be an amazing adventure, and you're always gonna have those resources, and you're always gonna be able to tap in, with our community.

Jill: Yeah, you're providing that interconnectivity that they, a lot of times they feel like they're all alone. They feel like they don't have a resource, they don't have a champion, they don't have somebody to help. Okay, when this door shut, what other door do I go to? And yeah, that's amazing.

Magon: The advocacy is a big piece for them, for sure.

Jill: Absolutely. And I can imagine that's just gonna roll right into the foundation as well. So before I ask you about other events, tell us a little bit about the band that'll be performing.

Shawn: They're a band. Ben is one of my very best friends. He was in my wedding. He was one of my groomsmen.

And he is from big bands like Lifehouse, Savage Garden, Tal Bachman Brett Young Vertical Horizon and many more. he's huge in the guitar world. He was born in '75. He's been on this earth for a while. He's really good at what he does. He's from Australia. He puts together bands in Vegas, and he supplies music to different venues and that in Vegas.

He's got a business for that. And his bands that he puts together, he makes sure that he has the best of the best. He's very picky on who he has in his bands, and he does a very good job at doing a great lineup of artists for different style of bands. The band that we're gonna have, their style is, it's softer.

It's not as rock show, lights flashing, strobe lights going off, people getting drunk and throwing things.

Jill: Over sensory.

Shawn: Yeah. it's not a hard metal band. It's more soft, but they're going to play songs that everybody loves. Everybody grew up with these songs, and the singer is phenomenal.

He's one of the best singers I know.

Jill: That's cool.

Shawn: And Al, the drummer, he's amazing. He's awesome.

Jill: That's very cool. My nephew is Dave Navarro.

Shawn: Oh, wow.

Jill: And so nice the whole guitar concept and all of that is just that talent and skill, how it all can go into one little body just blows my mind.

Shawn: It's unbelievable.

Jill: Yeah. Isn't that crazy? I think that's awesome that you have that connection, and that they're willing to come and do this, because I'm sure that they also sense your passion in this, and they want to be a part of Crop Finding a Solution.

Shawn: Absolutely. Ben's always been there for me. Yeah.

Jill: That's cool. very exciting.

Shawn: Very supportive.

Jill: It's the people you know, right? It's back to that network.

Magon: The connections are big.

Jill: It makes a huge difference. Okay. So what level or, as far as the special needs, do they, are you determining a level that helps you determine who a beneficiary will be?

Do they have to be on the spectrum? Do they have to have physical? Is it psychological? Is it behavioral? What type of, disability do you feel like you want to serve?

Magon: Any and all. Okay.

Magon: And that's why I was saying a lot of these families get turned away because they don't fit the criteria. And so when these families come up and they were like, "Oh my gosh," "I'm, 25," or, "I'm past the age limit of, being able to sign up for these types of services," "Are you able to take somebody like that?"

I'm like, "Yes, sign up." We want to be any and all. We have kids on the spectrum of, autism spectrum of all levels. We have, somebody that's blind. we have, a couple of people in wheelchairs and, not just medically, but, Or not just physically, I should say, but mentally as well.

We believe any type of physical or mental need that you are needing services or that you are needing, resources or supplies, medication, all of those things add up and you don't have this normal living a normal life is already expensive enough for a person, but I feel like those extra expenses for anybody, that falls under that category, just needs that extra support.

So we, like I said, we will not turn anybody away.

Jill: I love that. That is awesome. And so do you foresee an educational component that comes from this? I, know you as a speaker, you're out there sharing this information, but I almost feel like there's an educational element that comes along with the foundation that, in order to enlighten people, in order to talk about accessibility, in order to provide families with the information that they might need, maybe the, a child's just being diagnosed, they don't know what the future looks like. It almost feels like there's a whole educational series here that could come of this.

Magon: I think you're right, and I think you're onto something because with the book, with Raelynn's Flower Garden it set me up, that foundation alone set me up then to become a speaker. And then after becoming, having some speaking opportunities, it then allowed me to have this platform with the Rae of Hope Foundation.

And so I do utilize, the book. I do utilize going into classrooms and hospitals, and I've always told Shawn, too, that why can't we go in when a family gets the diagnosis And they know about our foundation. Why can't we be one of the first people in there and be like, "How can we help?"

not only by just signing up, but how can we direct you to the next, path of life that you need to go on? I remember being in the hospital, not know you're dealing with your child, you're dealing with that loved one. That's the only thing you should be dealing with.

You do not need to, you should not be needing to understand the logistics of Nevada's healthcare or the insurance part of it or, what resources your loved one can get.

That should definitely come into people like us that can say, "Here's a couple of opportunities. I think let me help if you need help. let's do this together."

Jill: I love that, and I think you're right. I feel like that is the number one thing you could do is set them down the proper path and reassure them that there have been so many other people who have felt exactly like you have, and there is light at that tun- end of the tunnel.

Magon: Correct.

Jill: That's the rae of hope, right?

Magon: Correct.

Shawn: And building that community, too. it really helps if in that community that we're building, we have people that can help with that. If somebody wants to be a phone call away for these families and be like, "I'll help them with the medical side of it, with the insurance side of things," when we have somebody there that can help with that in our community, then that helps the families not stress.

They don't have to stress while they're in the hospital about that, They're, like Magon said, they're dealing with family with the problem that their child or their family member's having. They don't wanna deal with insurance. They don't wanna deal with all that crap. It's hard enough.

So when we have somebody there that can be a phone call away that they can be like, "What do I need to do next? I'll deal with it for you. Give me your information. Let me help you out." So

Jill: Oh, that's awesome ...

Shawn: we're really trying to build that community.

Magon: And to touch on that just a little bit more, our families have provided some really good information as well.

So it's not just us giving the information, but like he was saying, like, when people sign up and we get that community going, those families have directed us to resources that we didn't even know about that we can now give to other families. So it, it really

Shawn: Absolutely

Magon: Yeah, it really does full circle around.

Jill: I love that. And so share some other events that you guys are planning. Are there educational, you know, more trade show type stuff? What are you looking to do besides just the benefit?

Magon: Right now, the only other event that we have coming up is we're gonna do a Boulder City community garage sale in July. And that's gonna be the 18th and 19th, I believe, of July.

Jill: Okay.

Magon: And it has gotten a lot bigger than we originally planned. We were just gonna do it at our house, and we were just gonna do, if people wanted to donate some items for the Rae of Hope Foundation, they could bring it to our house, and we could, spread it out on our lawn, and we could have this garage sale, and all the proceeds would go toward the families.

However, word has gotten out. People are like, "How can we help? How can we volunteer?" let me help you with a bigger space," because we actually got involved with the Ronald McDonald House.

Jill: Oh, wow.

Magon: And now the Ronald McDonald House is "We want you to come tour, the house, and we actually have a garage sale around that same time, and we get loads and loads of stuff from people," because obviously they're a big organization.

People know them very well, and they're like, "We can't take everything in. It's only one day, so anything that we don't sell, we want you to have it." So I'm like, "Okay, how is this all gonna fit," right? At, at our, in our cul-de-sac. So we actually have, Celeste. She's amazing. I just met her at one of the community groups.

She is from Lady Lux Cleaning. She's helping me. Oh, that's in Toronto? Yes. Yeah. she stepped up, and she's "Let's do the space, in that, the parking lot- Oh over there. She's "I'll get the okay from the landlord. we'll talk to the other tenants, make sure everything's good, and let's just have it here."

And I'm like, "Awesome," 'cause we need a parking lot because of how much stuff we're gonna have.

Jill: So let me know if you outgrow the parking lot. I love Celeste. She's amazing. But if you outgrow the parking lot, I would be happy to have the chamber sponsor one of the parks for you and pay for the insurance. So if you want it to be on city property, spread out in a park, I will, we'll make that happen for you.

Magon: That would be amazing, too. Yeah.

Shawn: That would be great.

Magon: We'll see how big it. Yeah. We'll see how big it goes.

Shawn: We might hit you up on that park thing later too

Magon: Yeah

Shawn: because we're talking about maybe doing like a fun day at the park type event for, not only our families that have signed up

Jill: Oh, yeah

Shawn: but anybody in the community that wants to come, bring your kids, have a blast, do games

Jill: What a great day ...

Shawn: and jump houses, and just make it like a fun day at the park.

Jill: Yeah.

Shawn: We wanna do something like that. We haven't gotten there yet on what we're gonna do, but we do wanna do something like that.

Jill: And so this is going down a very specific tangent, but so do they have bounce houses and other, activities like that are adaptive for kids with special needs, physical special needs?

Magon: They do. I would love to use the people of Boulder City and use as many of our vendors locally

Jill: Yeah

Magon: as we possibly can, so I can definitely reach out and ask. obviously there's different abilities, and it wouldn't just be bounce houses, but maybe we would do a splash pad, or maybe we would do something

Jill: Yeah

Magon: to where there's enough activities for each person

Jill: Yes

Magon: depending on their abilities to do.

Jill: I know Joyful Moments would love to help with that, but I can imagine there's, she only has so much stuff, if some way to kind of compensate or maybe have it down at the splash pad and then have bounce houses along with that. I've seen that down at the park before so that

Magon: Yes

Jill: all family members can participate. That's a great idea.

Shawn: Yeah, that would be great, and then you have horseshoes, and you have the big park

Jill: Yeah

Shawn: you can go play in and stuff.

Jill: And yeah. And, pickleball and basketball right across the street, volleyball just down the way, so there's something for everybody.

Shawn: Yeah. Yeah,

Magon: that'd be great. Yeah, that'll be, yeah, that'll be amazing.

Jill: What a fun day. I can imagine that. Rae of Hope has fun.

Magon: Yes.

Jill: That's awesome. I'm loving it. yeah, let me know how that all works. I'm happy to help if I can. So I would imagine that some people might think it's offensive if you laugh at some of the funny things that do happen with people with special needs.

But as a family member, have you ever had a funny experience or a funny moment that you're just like, "Oh my gosh," you just gotta laugh at it, and, and hope that other people see that there is also you've gotta have a sense of humor, and it's okay to laugh. Have you had an experience?

Magon: 100%, and almost on a daily basis.

Shawn: Yeah.

Magon: I mean, we do not you know, we're not uptight when it comes to, certain things that we laugh about or joke about. We are doing it all in good fun with Raelynn. Raelynn laughs along with us. it is not making fun of her. But yeah, you've gotta enjoy those moments and be light on your toes for those types of things, 'cause if you're uptight, then, that's no way to live.

So I often feel like the people that are uptight don't have, special needs family members. So they're just like, "Oh my gosh, that's not the correct term," or, "That's not the correct way we would do things." And I'm like, "Well, that's how we do things." So

Jill: Yeah.

Shawn: We have so many inside jokes in the house that when we get out in the public and I'm saying those things to Raelynn, she thinks they're funny. We know the joke behind it, but other people do give you looks like, "What are you saying?"

Jill: Yeah.

Shawn: It's fine.

Jill: Yeah, totally.

Shawn: We have fun.

Jill: That is our household 100%. I just spent the weekend with my nephew on the river. We canoed, and we have a few of those different things, and I think, "Oh, crud, hope nobody heard that," because it's light-hearted, and it just relaxes the moment, but other people are probably like, "Oh my gosh, so offended." But anyway, That was one of those things I Popped into my head. I actually have a really funny story.

So when my, daughter was very young, she has no social filter, and everything just comes right out, right? And so we're in a public restroom in an airport and we were the only ones that were in there at the time, but then somebody came in and just happened to go right next to us. There's I don't know, 50 stalls, and she's right there.

And so she passes gas and Abby immediately goes, "Oh, mom, that's gonna stink. Gross." And I was like, "Okay, I've got wipeys in the, in our diaper bag. We'll just wash our hands when we get out of here," 'cause I couldn't get out of there fast enough. But, little things that they're hysterical to us now and we laugh about that stuff, but I know that poor lady was super offended, and I felt horrible, but I could not face her, so I just took my kid down to the other end of the airport.

Anyway, but little things happen, and you have to laugh about them. They have to be your family jokes. Those are those inside joke too that they bond your family, right? There's, bonding moments that come from some of those things, and I think people dismiss it. So anyway, I appreciate to know that I am not alone. See? This is our community. It's making us all feel better.

Shawn: Some of the things that make Raelynn laugh the most are the really bad things like that, you know

Jill: Yeah

Shawn: like the funny things.

Jill: People farting

Shawn: Yeah

Magon: or bad words.

Jill: Oh. Bump,

Shawn: bad words, yeah. If some bad words

Magon: are said, then

Shawn: she'll- If we need her to smile during photos or something, we'll, start saying bad words

just to get her to laugh,

Jill: That's awesome.

Magon: And people are looking, giving side eye like, "Really? This is how you talk?" I'm like, "Hey, whatever." you don't know. It takes, two hours she's to get pictures, like the one good picture. So if I have to say one bad word to get the picture for our family, that's what we're gonna have to do.

Jill: I love it.

Shawn: Okay. You walk by a table and bump your shin, oh, man, she cracks up at that. And, and- She loves the pain in other people

Magon: a little sadistic humor.

Jill: Yeah. I know. And isn't that interesting? 'Cause that is the same way with my other two nephews as well. I don't understand what that is, but or if somebody gets, somebody yells at somebody, he just starts laughing, and sometimes it gets out of control, and you have to, then you have to step in. But yeah, I find that fascinating that is something that trips them up which, makes me laugh.

Magon: Yeah.

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: Makes me giggling It's funny even more.

Magon: Exactly.

Jill: Okay. So I know a little bit about Magon's behind the scenes and what people don't know about her, but Shawn, what is something people don't know about you?

Shawn: Oh, man, that's a hard one. Something that people don't know about me. I don't know. I'm an open book. I usually, I'm very open with everybody,

Jill: What do you do for your day job?

Shawn: My day job right now is the nonprofit, and then I work for the band, and that is, here and there doing shows. I just got back from Nashville last night, actually.

Jill: Oh, fun.

Shawn: doing a show for JBL in Nashville. So we went and drove out there, set up the gear, and then I flew home. They stayed there to do the show. so I would say work with the band, but that's it could be once a week. It could be once a month,

Jill: And I don't even, it doesn't sound like work. It sounds like you enjoy it too much.

Shawn: It's fun. Yeah, it's a lot of fun.

Jill: That's awesome.

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: And they must be really great guys for you to be willing to hang out like that.

Shawn: We're a family, for sure.

Jill: That is so cool.

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: And they're all based here in Vegas?

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: Oh, that's even better.

Shawn: they have residencies in Vegas at the Cosmopolitan, they have a residency.

They have a residency at the Caspians in Caesars.

Jill: Oh, very cool.

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: Okay. I know you don't necessarily read books often, but what are some of your, what are your pastimes? What are some of the things you like to do?

Shawn: I do the stock market. I like working on the stock market for, as more of a hobby than a job. That's, I've been intrigued by that since I was probably early 20s. Really? And I started reading books on that, on the stock market that, my books that I like are the books that I learn. So stock market, psychology, books like that. Other pastimes would be probably I just, I love, this nonprofit we're working on, really.

That's been, like, my night and day, and I really love the logistics behind it, building the website-

Jill: Yeah

Shawn: and doing the store, and doing the shop, building clothes for the store, things like that. So I really enjoy that.

Jill: On the stock market side, are you utilizing AI as an assistant,

Shawn: No

Jill: or are you a purist?

Shawn: Purist, yeah. Got it. 100% purist. I read the news online and watch the news, and study, CEOs, and study behind-the-scenes business financials and stuff, and then I base it off of that.

Jill: Watch what Warren Buffett's doing and-

Shawn: Yeah, exactly

Jill: pattern it. I find that fascinating. It's one of my kinda side things, but, I don't make a lot of money at it, but I do enjoy it.

I think it's awesome. what are some of your side hobbies, Magon? we learned a lot about you on the last show, but are there other things that you like to do? Do you crochet?

Magon: No. I do not. I do not crochet. You know, I have different artistic talents, but I'm not, the I can't draw, and I can't crochet, and I can't, do those types of things.

But I do have a creative mind, I think. So I think my favorite hobbies is probably and you're gonna hate me for this, but house projects.

Jill: I love To-do lists. Yes. I'm good at to-do lists.

Magon: I love our house projects. We are actually in the middle of redoing our pantry right now, and, we created, a pantry off of the kitchen that used to be a laundry room. So Shawn literally, there's a video on my, on my Instagram of him lowering these huge washer and dryers down the stairs just recently to make our pantry upstairs. So we're right in the middle of that, and I love creating, new spaces in my house. I'm there almost, every single day

Jill: Yeah

Magon: in what I do, and so I want a beautiful space to look

Jill: Yeah

Magon: at and to come home to.

Jill: Organized and

Magon: Yes

Jill: open space and

Magon: Yeah. That's exactly who I am. I love organization, and I love clean lines and beautiful spaces.

Jill: I love it. I agree. I'm with you 110,000%. And so are you reading any new books right now?

Jill: The last one you were Hope Muller.

Magon: Yes. Yeah. So that's right.

Yep. So I actually, through Women Supporting Women, which is a monthly little, group that gets together here in Boulder City, I met a wonderful woman. Her name is Sherry Molinatt, and she just gave me her book.

Jill: Oh, cool.

Magon: I think it was last night that we had our It was, another something.

It was not 365, but I think it was Women Supporting Women last night. And, I got her book, and, I'm gonna start reading that. It's Light Versus Dark.

Jill: Oh.

Magon: And so it's like the evil and, the good and evil back and forth in the world, and how, how we rise above the darkness. I'm excited to dive into that and support a fellow woman of Boulder City.

She actually has a, book signing on, Saturday the 13th,

Jill: Oh, very cool.

Magon: Yeah.

Jill: That is interesting. I did not know that was the name of it. I had heard that she had written a book, but I wasn't sure. That is very cool, and I'm glad to know that she's sharing that information with everybody through a book signing, 'cause that's the best way to make sure that your locals build that community, right?

Magon: Absolutely.

Jill: That is awesome. Very cool. And so I would imagine, Shawn, you probably have had amazing parents that have led you to be the person that you are today. Have they taught you any life lessons?

Shawn: love. They taught me love. we have a very close family. It's me, my brother, my two parents. And my parents met in middle school, and they've been together ever since.

Jill: Aw, that's sweet.

Shawn: They love each other all day, every day, and they're happy. They do everything together. They taught me the value of family and love for sure.

Jill: That's amazing.

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: And do they live here?

Shawn: Yes, they do.

Jill: Oh, that's great.

Shawn: They live here in Boulder City, yep.

Jill: Oh, that's great.

Shawn: So they I actually moved out here with them in high school from Southern California, and I stayed. I went back to California when I turned 18, got a condo out there, lived there for six months, and was like, "Not doing this. Don't like it." Came back.

Jill: Isn't that interesting?

Shawn: And lived here since. Yeah, 26 years I've been here.

Jill: That is great. And I would imagine that they, too, are such a huge asset to you guys as part of your support team.

Shawn: 100%.

Magon: They're always there.

Shawn: I'm watching the girls right now.

Magon: Yeah. Yeah.

Jill: Oh.

Magon: They're amazing.

Jill: That's awesome.

Shawn: Yeah.

Jill: I really appreciate you guys coming on and sharing a little bit more about Rae of Hope Foundation, and cannot wait to be a part of all the different events. And so July 18, 19 is the big garage sale, A Hopeful Garage Sale. And then October 9 is the Rae of Hope Foundation Benefit. And so I cannot wait to be a part of both of those.

Thank you guys so much for doing what you're doing. Thank you for all of the beneficiaries that are being served, and just the peace of mind that you're providing to so many people. You guys are amazing.

Shawn: Thank you so much.

Jill: Thank you.

Magon: Thanks, Jill

High-Speed Entrepreneur: How isp.net Keeps Boulder City Connected

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:38:53 GMT

High-Speed Entrepreneur: How isp.net Keeps Boulder City Connected

In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with the multi-talented CJ Sattler, the strategic mastermind behind isp.net and a seasoned professional in the internet service provider industry. Together, they pull back the curtain on the world of telecommunications and explore how a basic plan of infrastructure and technical persistence can transform a chaotic, high-stress environment into a highly manageable roadmap for bringing next-generation connectivity to our community.

The discussion dives deep into the high-stakes world of modern business operations—from starting a local technology company at just 15 years old during the AOL dial-up era to adapting to massive operational changes like scaling out advanced networks across Southern Nevada. CJ also breaks down the eye-opening results of his unique training methods, sharing how he balances advanced software development and AI automation with helping beloved local businesses and rural school districts thrive right here in Boulder City and beyond.

DISCUSSION

The Evolution from Dial-Up to Middle Mile Network : CJ explains how a business born out of a desire to play with blinking machines in 1995 quickly scaled from an early entertainment website and dial-up setup into a fully realized, multi-data center middle mile network built to safely meet the region's growing high-speed demands.
The Core Philosophy of Infrastructure Persistence : Rather than allowing technical failures to disrupt daily operations, the network operates on a strict blueprint of controlled variables and redundant rings, allowing engineering teams to establish a foundational sense of stability before moving forward.
The Data Center and Power Advantage : Drawing on his extensive background running data centers, CJ brings a deep understanding of thermal dynamics, cooling protocols, and rapid energy evaluation to his daily operations as AI technology dramatically scales power requirements.
The Automated Customer Sentiment Reality Check : Unlike standard systems that evaluate technical performance in a vacuum, modern monitoring software reads user sentiment instantly. CJ highlights how reading a client's voice data and transcribing calls dictates successful handler interaction.
Integrating Software Development and AI : To break down operational barriers, CJ utilizes his decades of software programming experience to introduce automated features and real-time tools that actively level out the team's workload and improve efficiency.
The Structured Rerouting and Maintenance Routine : Warning against the trap of leaving clients with overstimulated or completely down networks, the operations center facilitates a strict cyclical routine of proactive monitoring followed by dedicated, low-impact downtime fixes.
The Mentorship Power of the Tech Team : CJ points out a heartwarming shift in company dynamics where highly specialized Cisco-certified engineers naturally step in to teach network design, manage security, and resolve complex issues for businesses in a real-world environment.
High-Stress Rehabilitation via Mobile Deployments : For remote events that cannot safely access public utility grids or large cellular networks immediately, CJ implements specialized trailer setups and battery systems to effectively redirect high-speed signals into productive, stabilizing focus.
The Exhaustive Monitoring System Standard : To ensure every piece of equipment is a right fit and completely safe, the facility conducts exhaustive monitoring of over 20,000 separate points to figure out each tower's baseline comfort level and design a positive path toward healthy uptime.
Navigating Unregulated Service Standards: CJ fiercely maintains a high standard of open communication, choosing to limit his security features to physical network separation while leaving content blocking entirely to individual IT operators to honor the highly sensitive regulatory needs of clients.
Collaborative Main Street Alliances : Emphasizing that there is no true competition when supporting local development, CJ highlights his seamless, on-the-ground collaborations with neighboring tech professionals like Larry Archuleta's DAM Computer Medic.
The Unbeatable Value of Community Trust : Jill and CJ highlight how vital earning and maintaining the trust of devoted subscribers is to the community, reinforcing that when individual local businesses adapt and support one another, the entire town elevates together.

LEARN MORE

isp.net: Explore their full lineup of customized high-speed internet, commercial phone systems, and 365-day technical monitoring options. https://isp.net/

EVENTS

Get ready for the local Art in the Park and Train Museum gatherings in Boulder City throughout 2026, proudly supported by community partners like isp.net who champion family-friendly environments.

KEYWORDS

CJ Sattler, isp.net, Broadband Engineering, Data Centers, AI Automation, Commercial Telecommunications, Network Security, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, The Best Dam Podcast, Podcast Interview

#CJSattler #ispnet #BroadbandTech #AIAutomation #TelecomExpert #BoulderCityBusiness #SmallBusinessSupport #TheBestDamPodcast #PodcastInterview

Podcast Transcript

Jill: All right, listeners, today we have a treat. We have Mr. CJ Sattler, and he is the CEO of isp.net, and, one of our wonderful partners here at the Chamber of Commerce, and also provides us with our internet and telephones. And so thank you so much for being here today. I cannot wait to get to understand you a little bit more.

CJ: It's a pleasure to be here.

Jill: So as I was learning a little bit more about you, I thought, "Oh my gosh, this kid has had a brain for this type of activity for so long," as you started this company at 15 years old. So impressive. And so I just, I couldn't wait to get to visit with you and get to learn a little bit more about you and understand, how that brain works because it's pretty impressive.

CJ: I appreciate that.

Jill: So e- explain to me a little bit more about what is isp.net? I am familiar with the services that we are utilizing, but what all do you offer?

CJ: So we are a internet service provider primarily, and we have, two data centers in downtown Las Vegas. That means that's where the internet's created, where we bring in all our fiber lines and mix them out, and then we transport them through our middle mile network that goes over the mountain tops to Boulder City and other places around southern Nevada, and then we beam the last mile into people's houses, businesses, and other locations.

We do internet in anywhere in Southern Nevada. And we, On top of that, we do, since we have our own data centers, we do a bunch of, services on top, telephones. We do, surveillance cameras. We do Wi-Fi. We do a lot of the casino Wi-Fis. We do, trade shows, like in the middle of the desert.

If someone like the Baja 1000 needs internet there, we'll bring out a trailer and batteries and just provide internet, high speed, up to 10 gigs or so in the middle of nowhere where you can do anything with it, whatever your imagination is.

Jill: That is incredible. And so in the process of creating all of this, I'm sure it just evolved. How did... What what did you start with? So at 15 when you created this, what level were you at that point?

CJ: Well, we're talking, like '95,AOL dial-up. So mainly, we had a data center, and we originally were, vegas.com back then.

So we were doing, Basically a entertainment site for Vegas, a website.

But we, also had an ISP where people would, dial up to our internet. This was basically, you had AOL and then you had internet, which was a little more advanced. But like AOL, you logged into and all the screens popped up. Back in the day with Windows 95 or 311, you had to just dial up and then you just had a empty screen, so it was up to you to figure out the applications and how to actually use the internet.

And that, was a little more complicated way back then. But, that's how I started. I met a guy that, at A-Tech, my, high school, I met a guy that was doing, making an internet service provider, and he needed someone to do all the technical stuff, and I did all the technical stuff. I've always been the computer guy, and he did the business stuff.

Jill: That is awesome. And back in school when you got started, did you always want to be an entrepreneur and start your own company? Or were you just as happy teching it out in the back room, helping somebody else out?

CJ: I just wanna play with the expensive machines that blinked.

Jill: That's awesome. You were in the right city for that, right?

CJ: Yep, that's it.

Jill: That is awesome. And so I would imagine that the services like you provide, like for the races out in the desert or special events that are taking place, we don't think about it, but you do get out into those places, and you need all of your services to be able to, create whatever that event is, produce that event, provide the services to the individuals that are at the event.

I can imagine that they are very grateful to have something like yours. And I guess I just really never thought about it, but you have to bring a whole entire setup out there.

CJ: Yeah, we have to engineer the link how to get to one of our assets that are on top of, mountaintops, usually with, towers.

If you ever look on around the city, you'll see some, little blinking lights at night, and those are, tower sites that are maintained by companies like American Tower, Crown Castle, and we figure out how to beam to up there. But, yeah, the events need internet just to take tickets. without communications or anything.

A lot of these sites don't even have cellular access. if they wanna stream, if they wanna do any kind of- communications with the outside world will, we can go set this up ahead of time and then they can use their venue just like it was in an actual covered office.

Jill: Yeah, that's great. That's amazing.

And so growing up in Vegas, you also probably saw the need that the casinos had, for security, for, having a safe network to make sure that it's, protected in their, within their own environment. Did you h- how did you see that playing out? Did you know that was gonna be a thing, and did you work towards that?

Was that, something on your mind, or were you just more worried about helping more of the residential and small commercial?

CJ: So that's, that's how we got started first was doing business stuff. when the internet came around, Ethernet, which is what everyone knows nowadays to plug in computers, wasn't the de facto standard.

There was all sorts of things. Nothing was 100% made for, Ethernet switches like you see now, a lot of this stuff was proprietary cabling. The phone system was a lot more involved, like T1 lines and, how all those interfaced. Just the stuff wasn't around and had standards like they do now.

We would do a lot of business internet and, dial-up and T1s for always-on devices, and that kinda just evolved into doing as more and more things became part of it, we just kept adding all these other things. Eventually, dial-up went away, and we bought a company called, first company in town that did wireless was called Lanwaves.

Jill: Oh, okay.

CJ: And they went out of business, and we bought their assets and kinda just kept doing it ever since.

Jill: Oh, that's awesome.

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: Well, I am sure grateful for this service and glad that you offer it because we were one of those areas here at the Nevada Welcome Center, Boulder City Chamber, when we first moved in July of 2020, there were no services provided to us as far as traditional cable or, any of those types of access to internet or even Wi-Fi.

And so we were so grateful for the, the ability to have a part of your programming here. At that time, it was lv.net, and we were glad to have them, and I'm so grateful that ISP is now our provider because otherwise we would have nothing at this point.

CJ: Yeah. There's a lot of those stories, especially when, over here isn't that rural, but when you start going up through, northern Nevada or any middle Nevada or there's this little, in Death Valley, that breaks out to Nevada-California border that you don't even get a cell signal. But there's actually a lot of people that live there if you go through it, like if you take the Baker to, Pahrump exit.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

CJ: Yeah. There's a lot of people out there, and there's just nothing, like schools that didn't have internet. They didn't have any communications. They're just off the grid.

Jill: That is incredible. And so by providing this system, you are able to bring and create that network for those rural communities that have not had access.

CJ: Yeah. We're basically the people that brought in internet for the schools, so they could learn online and, just communicate and more and even have a 911 line 'cause

Jill: I was gonna say emergency services, I would imagine, yeah?

CJ: Yep.

Jill: And so how far, into the central Nevada or northern Nevada do you go right now with your services?

CJ: So we go up, a little past Pahrump, and then, we actually have a network in Reno that comes down

Jill: Oh, very good.

CJ: a little bit, but there's a, there is a section that breaks off between the two.

Jill: Oh, very good. I had no idea you guys were so widespread.

CJ: Yeah. We've been trying to stay in Nevada. We had networks in Seattle and San Francisco, but we, divested them and trying to stay mostly in Nevada just 'cause I like being able to provide a quality network and, people that we can get with our To have the same level of service that we can go to, anywhere we can drive to within the same day really.

Jill: I so appreciate that because so many companies, I don't know that it's necessarily greed and power. Sometimes I just think they feel like that's the next step, and they just outplay themselves, and then unfortunately they get to the point where they can't provide the service they once did.

And so people fall in love with the small hometown company, and then they just, they get too big for their britches, and unfortunately they just can't provide those services and it's really kinda disappointing. So thank you for that philosophy.

CJ: Yeah. Nevada's really the greatest place to do this because, it's constantly growing. So when I remember when I was a kid there was like quarter million people here.

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: So over the years there's always people coming in, so you don't I like to stay here just 'cause there's always growth, but there's always, You can do anything here. Like some of the biggest companies have come out of this state to, provide national services. But

Jill: So I am gonna ask you somewhat of a controversial issue. So here in Boulder City there's a lot of conversations about data centers, but you have operated one for many years. Your life experience tells you that not only are they necessary, right? they're gonna have to be someplace. Can you explain a little bit more about what your data centers look like, how they operate, maybe how they function?

CJ: Yeah. Our data centers are small compared to the new AI- data centers. But, so basically a data center provides a few different things that you're not gonna get in a regular building. One is cooling. These things, the temperature's gone up a little, but they always have to maintain a equilibrium of temperature, so you'll have redundant cooling.

So they'll take in, air, and then you have hot aisle containment where they're, the servers are gonna spit out all the hot air, and then you blow them out and then, you're gonna... You have to have redundant internet of course.

So that makes it, So you gotta have multiple fiber paths, but there's different tiers to internet and- or data centers and- Tier four means you have to have, separate, power paths. you'll actually have to have separate power lines come in. And along with internet, you have to have separate, manhole covers that you bring in internet. But everything's fully redundant. You can take any one part down and still operate, where just about every other type of facility you can't. It'll never run even with all the redundancy. So a data center means that any one point, whether it's security, whether it's network, whether it's cooling, whether it's power, everything's fully redundant.

Jill: Oh, that's interesting. And so then, like you said, there's different levels of centers, and the AI type are considered level

CJ: Those are specially built just for AI. They're- they're all level four. the difference is the amount of power they use. Like, you have cabinets in there that are standardized, units to put the servers in. And back in the day, you were using like, I don't know, five to 10 kilowatts per rack this cabinet. Now you're using like, 120 kilowatts per AI rack

Jill: Wow.

CJ: which is a lot. a megawatt's 1,000, 1,000 kilowatts.

Jill: Yes.

CJ: And if you look at every block for power, a block only has five to 10 megawatts per block. So when you go to get power for a certain type of building, you gotta see how much power is available. So these guys are building, data centers that are like multiple megawatts, like 500 megawatts even. And that's really the difference now, is the scale of power that they're using.

Jill: And so are you seeing in the future, I'm not asking you to forecast, you don't need your, your little ball but I'm wondering, do you see in the future the requirement that's gonna be needed for each new data center that's created for them to also create their own energy?

CJ: Oh, 100%. If you look at turbines, those are what makes energy. They're I think they're sold out till 2030 if you need a- a big, turbine to make power even. I know, Tesla and SpaceX are actually making the turbines just so they can make the energy so that they can have the power for their data centers. And Wells, they're also talking about putting satellites into space just like a fully contained rack essentially in space that communicates by lasers and comes down so they don't have to use any of the land here.

Jill: Oh man, that's incredible. I did not know that. So I find him fascinating anyway, and I think it's not at all shocking that Elon would come up with his own way to create his own power, to create his own, all of his own stuff. So that is, makes a lot of sense.

CJ: Yeah. Here you need batteries and everything to make sure the power doesn't go down. If you get in a certain orbit around the planet, you always just the sun's always available, so you don't need to have extra batteries and everything. It's just cooling is the problem because there's no air to send the, heat out of, so you have to use like IR to, bleed off all the heat.

Jill: Heat? Oh, interesting.

CJ: So you need like a football field worth of, coolers to get the heat off of those racks.

Jill: Wow, that's incredible. well, it has been a huge topic of conversation here, and so it's interesting to be able to speak to somebody who actually has centers and are utilizing them. And, obviously you're fully aware too of all the pros and cons, and so thank you for sharing a little bit of your information on that. So what would you say is your favorite part of what it is that you do?

CJ: I like my favorite part is when people can't believe that we can bring 10 gigs of internet into somewhere. Like, for instance, I met a guy that has a, A facility that he has off-road vehicles, he has a shooting range, and it's a pretty big facility outside of, not Searchlight, but some other city. And, he wanted to do online shooting where you could go on the internet and shoot things online.

Jill: Really?

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: How cool.

CJ: And he... But he needs... The latency has to be really... That's the amount of time it takes for a signal to get from somewhere to somewhere, and he couldn't believe that I could get it down to two milliseconds from where he is in the middle of the desert over to the internet, where he would be able to actually shoot something live and get customers that could use his range over the internet and do these type of sporting things. it's the wow factor that I find interesting, and bringing stuff to people that don't believe that you could do it, especially I could do it, the next day 'cause I had all the infrastructure in place.

Jill: That is incredible. and the infrastructure isn't inexpensive. I mean, you know, you have that kind of a... To have that inventory, to be able to provide that service immediately, man, he must be one of your... You must be one of his favorites.

CJ: Yeah. Around town we have about 150, we call them POP sites, points of presences, which are towers or rooftops that we broadcast from, and each one of those is, a separate, lease that we have to maintain. So it's like we have 150 locations essentially throughout the Vegas Valley or in the Southern Nevada.

Jill: And that's what interconnects everybody and provides the umbrella of

CJ: Yeah, correct

Jill: canopy. That is incredible. I appreciate that, and I know that may be some small version is what we have here

CJ: Exactly.

Jill: that helps here on the lakeside.

CJ: Yeah. If you see down, like we go down to the... There's a bunch of people that couldn't get internet at the lake that live in, communities down there, and they're asking us to get there. So with your help, we were able to bring internet to them where they can stream and watch TV and everything, just like they would at any other kind of

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: place they stay.

Jill: I really appreciate it. So- I'm happy that we can be a part of that because that's a big deal. And so have you ever, I would imagine within your work you've had a lot of aha moments because as thing as technology advances so quickly, you're probably having those on an annual basis or daily basis. So do you, can you think of something that really has stood out in your mind that really made you go, this is an aha moment"?

CJ: In the past year or so, like AI, we've been writing the software that does everything and automates us for about 20 years.

Jill: Wow.

CJ: I started when I was in high school, and it really, everything that happens goes through our software. When someone calls up to our office, it gets a caller ID, goes, looks up their account record, pings the client's data, sees the quality of connection. It brings up any of the past information we have on them. It actually transcribes the call and checks for customer sentiment if they're getting angry or anything. It does a lot. But AI has allowed us to build all these new features in at incredible pace and, all the stuff that used to take me weeks, I'm able to do in hours now.

Jill: Wow.

CJ: Like we have a full-time programming team of, five people that have been developing this for a long time, and but the amount of development that I'm getting now is I feel like I could say, "Hey, just copy this," and with-within the next week I'm able to get my ideas out in actual, a beta form that we can test.

Jill: That's incredible. And so as you have been so involved with AI for such a long time, really. What do you see as the future of it? Do you... it's almost hard to fathom. It's like internet was when we were young, and it was kind of like this, it was something everybody was so nervous about. "Oh, we don't wanna touch that. Oh, we don't wanna get involved in that." And then we all have to on a daily basis. AI, I don't think people even realize just the spellcheck, you know on your systems is AI. And so I don't think people realize it, but will they just baby step into it and it'll just become part of their everyday life, or what do you see? What is your what do you forecast?

CJ: So I have a lot of contacts in my phone of specialty people. I got, a bunch of friends that are doctors, lawyers, and quite honestly, I'm not gonna call them and bug them on a question anymore just 'cause I, my, my phone has more information than I think they would even have and be able to solve things quicker without bugging them and trying to describe it just by taking a picture and asking, hey, what the problem is.

I used to send a lot of documents to our legal team to figure out what are the problems, but it's, I get a much better, more comprehensive review of everything now. And if you think about the just having the world's knowledge and the best things in the pocket where you can just ask anything at any time, everything that you do in normal life, you get a lot more leisure time that you don't have to sit there doing contract review.

You don't have to, if you're able to see the world's best opinions, especially 'cause, yesterday there was a new model drop called, Mythos from Claude that is better than anything that's ever and but that happens every six months.

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: Six months ago, I think that The models got smarter than just about anyone you can call. Now, with yesterday, when I was playing with it this morning, it seems like it's actually smarter than anyone that would be out there now. Like I have my, wife is Polish, and she

Jill: Yes

CJ: and her mom stays with us and doesn't speak English, but I'm able to talk to her real time in Polish, and I couldn't learn that language even if I wanted to for and but I'm having fluent conversations with her now that AI is a thing. It just enables everything. If you have a dream, you can do it in no time and get a, get it out there and anything you can think of.

Jill: That is incredible. And like you just spoke about Claude, I was gonna ask you, do you have a favorite model or format?

CJ: at our office, we actually have a, month I send out an email about the AI usage of what all my employees did with AI. And, I don't write it. AI writes it, of course.

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: But We have a-- We use Google, and it gives us a report over who uses AI the most, and it ranks everyone and who doesn't use it at all, how many days people are at limit. for but every model has its strong suits. Like general questions, Google's usually good enough. My programming team, they wouldn't use anything but Claude. But, there's a bunch of other things like Composer and things that are cheaper models 'cause Claude's really expensive.

Jill: Oh, is it?

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: Yeah, you can tell I haven't played in that. There's too many. There are. I can't keep track of them all. And

CJ: everyone's good at one thing or two things.

Jill: Yeah. Yeah. And everybody that I ask, they all have different favorites, and they've just gotten used to it. And so I think I just got started in chat, and I it, it just has been easy 'cause now I've got all my history in there

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: just, But anyway, I know that's not completely your world, but you just have so much experience in it. Thank you for answering those. So I know that, in your life, it seems like sometimes behind the scenes, y-you may just be all about tech and thinking in those terms, but I would imagine you've had some pretty funny experiences also in your world of profession. Maybe something that related to a trade show or any of those types of activities. You had shared a little bit about, being at a trade show and, you had perfect setup and then a big plane came in, and it got positioned right in front of Oh where you guys had line of sight.

CJ: Yeah, we do the... There's a convention in town called NBAA. That's where, all the planes come in for people to buy them, and they look at a Bombardier and, Learjet and all these guys. And we set this up in advance, and we work with the, the executive airport in the North Las Vegas to get, all our network right because, again, there's no way that you can provide internet access or Wi-Fi out in these little tents that they're trying to sell to, their customers.

So we set it all up and, everything's ready, and then someone goes and parks a plane right in front of us, and now we have to go reposition the whole trade show that we spent the past day. But usually we have enough resources, so we can do fix anything and just know how to... with all technology, you just gotta learn every- all the constraints and how to work around them to get things back up as quickly as you can. Everyone's always gonna screw up, but being able to fix it on the fly, that's what really separates people.

Jill: Yeah, I absolutely agree. And so what else separates ISP.net from other providers?

CJ: Really it's speed. We're able to move, if you ever put in a order with, AT&T or any of the big guys, you can get install windows up to years long- that they gotta build out, and sometimes they won't even come through. With us, we're able to provide it, the next day or something. Like, with all this infrastructure we have, we're always able to provide it the next day. We also go the I like to think we go, as far as we can the extra mile. I mentioned we did AI sentiment. We have a guy that's grading all these scores and goes over every call that, is a red flag. And we'll I get calls all the time from our customers, and I follow up on them and find out what's wrong, so and then we'll change a process.

So in a big corporate world, this would take forever to actually happen. But because I can see these things, I can get them, what's happening f-live from our customers. every time I get a feedback of something wrong, we'll go in and, In fact, after this, I have my executive management meeting that I go through all the things and check all our processes for different departments and anything we can change to make our, service better and friendlier and happier and be able to, Happen quicker.

Jill: That's awesome. And so AI's even helping the customer service satisfaction side of things as well.

CJ: Oh, yeah. If someone wants a feature now, we're able to implement that. Since we are writing our own software, we're often able to, if someone wants like a I know you use our phones, right?

Jill: Oh, absolutely.

CJ: you're gonna have a cool feature rolled out in a week or two that you'll have a live display of all your agents up there, and you'll be able to see who's on the phone, who's talking to what, and have a, see all the calls through your dashboard and see everything going on like a call center.

Jill: Oh, that's cool.

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: I'll be watching that instead of doing my work.

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: It'll keep my attention. So what do people never see about their internet connection on the back end that most people don't even realize?

CJ: The maintenance.

Jill: Oh, yeah.

CJ: Yeah. There's always something that has to be upgraded. There's always something that has to be changed. There's always some kind of throughput problem. There might be a security patch. And, no one sees the 5:00 AM call 'cause it's windy and lightning struck something that we gotta go fix, and we have all sorts of things that are monitoring our network. We monitor about 20,000 points at all times, whether how much throughput's going through it, the latency, if there's any alerts.

But, anything that happens goes to our network operations center, and they'll figure out what to do, whether it's, something that can be put off for a little 'cause everything's built in, redundant rings, so we could break that ring and fix one part of it while we do something else. But, no one ever sees when we're rerouting traffic and, fixing something that got burnt up because, Hell, the other day we had a lightning it wasn't lightning, it was, the wind was causing something to vibrate and cause it to fall down.

But the, 'cause it'd just been out there so long, and on top of these mountains there's so much wind. But, we were able to get it fixed without anyone really even noticing, and there's a lot of maintenance that goes into this that just have checklist after checklist. Every mountaintop has five to 10 kilowatts of batteries, battery backup that allows us to fix things, 'cause power here is pretty iffy.

Jill: Yeah. If, we learned that the hard way here at the, chamber because during construction they were putting in new, all the new electrical lines that were coming from the city to the new center, and didn't even think about it, wasn't even on my radar. I knew I wasn't gonna have power in the building for, the morning, but didn't think about the fact that it was gonna take internet down for everybody on the lakeside. And so thankfully the battery was doing just fine. No problems, no issues, and your guys came out and they set a generator up and no issues there either. But it was, like, not something I was thinking about, and didn't even think to call you guys. And so anyway, I was grateful that the battery is there. Those, some of those redundancies are built in so that it wasn't an issue. But yeah, we were getting a little anxious there- worrying about that kind of stuff.

CJ: The battery technology's come, it's night and day from what it was just a few years ago. 'Cause of the heat here, when I had lead acid batteries, you just never knew when they would fail. With lithium batteries it's, get, it's a lot more scientific when you can calculate what the runtime will be and see everything, the status of every cell in there. It's a lot more I got a lot more insight to what, how long it would last, to know how long I have till I need a generator out somewhere.

Jill: and I didn't even know there were batteries in there. I mean the station is so small. It's like this, it's just the size of a television. It doesn't even seem that big.

And so I was impressed that all that stuff was happening back there and I didn't even realize it. So the behind the scenes, you are right, I am grateful that you guys know what the heck you're doing, 'cause I just wanna be on the outside, have great service. And we've never had any issues. I think we've only had to replace a modem or something one time, 'cause it just overheated in the back room.

CJ: Wow.

Jill: So we just reset the temperature with the air back there, and it has been great.

CJ: Good.

Jill: So I, I am a testimonial. It has been phenomenal. Very grateful for it and, very glad that we had your service, 'cause otherwise we'd have access to nothing. So

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: I am happy about that. So can you share with us something maybe that most people don't know about you? Maybe something about your professional life or something that you, that's, nobody else knows.

CJ: I have the most structured life in the world. I do the same thing every week. I do jujitsu on Saturdays and Wednesdays. I play squash on Thursdays. I play golf on Sundays, and then I take my kid to the, train or Wally Wombats on Tuesdays and then the dog park.

Jill: That's awesome.

CJ: That, that's my life is the same thing every day.

Jill: You like routine.

CJ: I like routine.

Jill: You know I don't think there's anything bad. that's kind of me, and then I get a little bit... I have to learn to be a little bit more patient when things throw me off my routine, 'cause I feel like, "Oh, don't move my cheese." I have a plan, and you need to stay with my plan. So if my day planner gets messed up, I get kind of

CJ: Oh, yeah.

Jill: a little hinky about that. But anyway, I love that. I think that's great. And, and so you said you take your, is it son or daughter?

CJ: Son, yeah.

Jill: To the train?

CJ: He just likes this, the mall train. I'm sure you've seen them at the malls, those things that

Jill: I have. And you need to bring him out here to Boulder

CJ: Oh, yeah.

Jill: to the train, actual train.

CJ: We go every, at least once a month there.

Jill: Oh, that's awesome.

CJ: Yeah. Saturday mornings.

Jill: Very good. our grand opening out here will be September 17th. Oh. So we're very excited and looking forward to the new museum.

CJ: I'm sure he'll love it like none other.

Jill: It's gonna be beautiful, and Dr. Christopher McMahon is the director, and he's putting in the displays right now, and has put so much thought and effort into it, and it's just gonna be absolutely amazing, and I'm very excited. So can you share with us a little bit more about what book you might be reading? Are you reading any books right now?

CJ: I probably finished it.

Jill: So I would imagine you could probably write a book. I think one of your favorite authors you had shared with me before was Chuck Palahniuk?

CJ: Oh, that's the guy that wrote Fight Club. That's my favorite my favorite book ever.

Jill: Your series? Oh, that's awesome.

CJ: Yeah. Yeah, everything he writes is really mind-bending.

Jill: Well, I am not familiar with that, but I am definitely gonna look it up. We have a business book club, and we're always looking for great solutions. So I, Ah. I would love to look at that because it sounded like in your experience with, what you had read, that it waited. He had to hit rock bottom before he realized that was really a liberating moment.

CJ: Oh, yeah. That's all the movie's about. Everyone thinks it's about fighting, but it's a lot deeper than that.

Jill: Yeah. It's, that's pretty cool.

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: And so can you share with us maybe a little lesson that you learned from your mom or your dad?

CJ: My mom always, She was a school teacher here.

Jill: Oh, really? Good.

CJ: And, she's the persistence. always never give up on anything. that's really my whole philosophy in life is you can figure out eventually. It's just how many brain cycles and how much time you wanna spend on it, and that's really what separates people is how long they spend on a problem to fix it. And it is not just fixing the problem, it's the journey that you do to you learn so much just trying to go after everything, especially things you don't know. That's the only way I've been able to do this business is, there's so many different, specialties involved in it. It's not just the mental, it's also the physical.

Just learning how to do construction. we're, if you think about it, we're more of a construction company than any, than a technology company. 'Cause we're constantly building. we gotta make sure every antenna on a rooftop doesn't move in 120 mile per hour winds. We make and you gotta also know all the mechanics around it because you have to know what the, what it's made out of, the metal fatigue, the, how much it's gonna rock, what kind of, throughput you're gonna get.

There's just a lot of specialties, and if you don't learn all of the nuances of everything, you're gonna find things that baffle you, and you're gonna think it's magic. And learning and persistence is the difference between knowing something and thinking it's magic.

Jill: Oh, I love that. And you are, you're in the construction/manufacturing technology. It's a little bit of everything. Everything. And then you got the customer service side of it, too, because you do so much with the businesses and residential.

CJ: Yep.

Jill: and you also have to be in the people management because I know Larry Archuleta is one of the installers here in Boulder City. We are so grateful for him and his assistants as well. And so you've got your hands wrapped into a little bit of almost every industry.

CJ: Yeah, I have a really good team, though, that's, I'm not really the people person, as you can probably tell. I like playing with all the fun parts, but I got a good team that's able to, deal with all the lower level management, stuff that I don't really like to do.

Jill: Howard Hughes always said, "Surround yourself with people smarter than you."

CJ: Yep.

Jill: And it sounds like you, built into that philosophy the way that

CJ: that's for sure

Jill: you operate your business. Yeah, that's great. so is there anything else that you'd like to share? Maybe something, that you want people to know about the business? Maybe something new that's coming out, like you shared a little bit about the telephones?

CJ: Yeah. One interesting thing that we've, been working on is, for over past five years is, we're talking about telephones and, like Wi-Fi and, we've made a box that is controlled by our software, and this magic box, depending on what kind of hardware you want, if you want door access control, like those card readers

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: that box is able to go and provision each port for whatever different service, and it's, automatic. So we're able to bring down the cost of all these cool features down to small business so that they can have the Wi-Fi, the phones, the access control, even, temperature and water monitoring are popular items now. And, this used to be all specialty companies that you'd have to go to. You'd get a really expensive, at least five-digit quote to get it done. We're able to do it on a really small monthly fee, and, we try to bring it down so that it's attainable by anyone.

Jill: Oh, that's great.

CJ: 'Cause if you think about, who accesses a door, that means that you need to rekey a door every time someone leaves or something 'cause you don't... You keeping control of all your keys. But if you have software that you can go in and just take someone out with a card key, enables you a lot more who can come in at what hours.

You can have cameras that watch them. It gives you a lot more flexibility for not only access control, but audits, who's able to see who's where. So we're able to get traces of everything, like especially with all, the We're in downtown Las Vegas, right? So we, There are a lot of homeless and a lot of vandalism that occurs. So we have tools with, AI facial scanners if it's not one of our employees. we have AI speakers that actually yell and say things that, based upon if you're not in our database, it'll tell them to get out, and this area is a restricted area.

Jill: That's incredible

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: I had no idea.

CJ: Yeah, there's a lot of cool AI stuff coming out that we're providing.

Jill: So I need to speak to you a little bit more later about the new suites at the visitor center. So we have 14 suites. They just have normal door locks and, the same thing with our chamber building. But we are looking to. I was interested in how expensive it might be to do a card reader system, so you have a little bit more control.

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: And as those 14 different operators come and go, or their employees come and go, I would love to have access to be able to shut that key card off versus

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: having to worry about getting a key back.

CJ: Yeah, it's a great utility that a lot of people don't realize is... It used to just be, pretty high-end buildings 'cause you needed special wiring. You had this old computer in the back that was doing it, and then you had certain people operate it. But nowadays, it's just part of a, door system that, it works over what we were talking about earlier with Ethernet. all these things are just IP devices that, we create a separate secure network for them, and we're able to control them through our software, and it's all pretty, ubiquitous to everything we do.

Jill: That's incredible. Yeah, I definitely wanna talk about that. That's a for sure thing. And something we really didn't touch on, but you mentioned it, a secure network. So what about cybersecurity? How is isp.net providing its, in its different clients the cybersecurity? Do you have education on it? it... What... How... What do we do about cybersecurity?

CJ: So everyone. We have a room full of Cisco-certified network engineers. We probably have more Cisco-certified people in one room in Southern Nevada than just about anyone that are all trained and know how cybersecurity works. But we do all the, Features of a network, we make sure all new devices are in its own, they call them VLANs, virtual networks, that nothing else can be in there. And then we have sensors and firewalls to tell that. But, as an ISP, one of our things is our job really isn't to secure people's network, because if we go in and block things for them

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: We wanna sell unregulated internet access. So if we block too much or we block anything really, It's up to the customer to know what they want.

Jill: Got it.

CJ: they have... Like you mentioned Larry Archuletta.

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: That's the guy that should go in and block, all the stuff, and he's good at it. I know Larry for many years. And, it's the person managing the network, 'cause if I start blocking stuff, who am I to say that something's good, something's bad?

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: I don't know what your network needs are.

Jill: Well, I will say, again, DAM Computer Medic, that's Larry's company, we, have him on retainer because- it is something that we definitely need and so we consider him our IT person 'cause we don't know what we're doing.

CJ: Yeah.

Jill: We need that, that professional side of it. So I'm glad that you surround yourself, again, with smarter people and people that can provide those types of services, and give people the freedom so that you, like you said, you aren't controlling it. It's up to them to make the choice.

CJ: Yep.

Jill: I love that. Okay, so here's the embarrassing question for me that I always get so uncomfortable asking this. But, how, what is your experience with the Boulder City Chamber and Boulder City in general? Have you had a positive experience?

CJ: I know I had to figure out how to get internet here, and that took a while because you're, like, on the cusp of something that you wouldn't be able to really see, but I've been able to work around to get a signal here. So I've known about you guys for a while. And then we work with the government a lot.

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: And they, I know you guys are very involved with their... I, my sales guys and staff, I don't- I like doing the tech stuff. That's and they do the soft people stuff, so they- they just said, "CJ, we gotta join this." And, I know you guys do great things, and, Boulder City is such a great little community that I like to support anything that, like this. I've been coming here as a kid, and, coming out and just spending a day in Boulder City for the car show. My mom used to drag me to the, Art in the park art show every

Jill: Yeah.

CJ: every year. And I'm like, "Oh, we gotta go buy," and I'll just at least see you have the peanuts that

Jill: Yeah

CJ: the crunchy peanuts I like to have.

Jill: That is awesome. So we're glad that... We're glad you could have some entertainment out here. and I'm so glad that you bring your son, because that's pretty special.

And what memories you're creating with him.

CJ: Yep. He loves the car show too. He loves cars and trains. That's his thing.

Jill: Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Well, I'll make sure he knows about all of them.

CJ: All right.

Jill: Thank you so much for being on the show. We are so grateful to have you, and so grateful for your knowledge, your talent, and your skills, and thanks for sharing those with us.

CJ: Thanks for having us. it's been a great time, and really appreciate it.

Jill: Thanks.