Baked-In with Josh Allen Gaslight Studio STL, c/o Josh Allen

The Baked-In podcast is presented by Busey Bank who also happens to be the guest on this week’s episode. Emily Pickel, Busey’s head of charitable relations for the Gateway Region, joined Josh to dive a bit deeper into their community giving, you know, the stuff Josh is always talking about with Busey. Emily has a Masters in Social Work from Washington University and spent a number of years in smaller non-profits before joining the team at Busey.

Josh and Emily discuss not only the ways in which Busey gives back but also how they incentivize their teams to volunteer and support their initiatives through paid volunteer hours and Pay it Forward Fridays to further the organization’s commitment to the positive progress of the communities it serves. They talk about how it’s hard for small and medium size businesses to put these efforts together when it’s usually done by folks wearing multiple hats. Emily has some great thoughts on how to make it work for all sizes of businesses. Lots of aspirational stuff in this one for all leaders. Let’s go….

On this week’s episode presented by Busey Bank, Josh is joined by Dr. Jody Sowell, president and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society. Jody came to St. Louis in 2003 to pursue a doctorate in American Studies at St. Louis University and fell in love with our town. Eighteen years ago he took a small, temporary position at the History Museum and the rest is well…Under his leadership, the museum has been focused on community engagement and leaning hard into a cross cultural, multi-layered look at St. Louis history. He’s overseen 8 of the 10 most visited exhibits in the history of the museum. Josh and Jody talk about their shared appreciation for the power of an American Studies degree, the upcoming 1904 World’s Fair exhibit and building culture through communication and cheerleading. Lots of great leadership lessons in this one. Let’s go…

On this week’s episode presented by Busey Bank, Josh has  the chance to sit with Curtis Francois, owner and CEO of World Wide Technology Raceway. Located just a few minutes from the Gateway Arch and covering over 700 acres, the Raceway draws fans from all over the country. Only a decade since purchasing the facility, Curtis has created the only venue in the U.S. to host the elite series from each of the three major race sanctioning bodies - NASCAR, INDYCAR, and NHRA, in addition to 300+ additional events per year.  Josh and Curtis discuss the state of racetrack in 2011, the complexity of managing, operating and scaling such a sprawling facility and the community engagement that is a big part of his organization. Rev your engines and let’s go…

#nascar #indyracing #midwest #nhra #stlmade

On today’s episode, Josh sits with Chris Hansen of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Founded in 2006, the Foundation focuses on the development of artistic venues, studios and workspaces, short and long-term residencies, and community-based programming, to provide essential infrastructure for the arts to thrive in the St. Louis region. Chris and the Foundation take a very unconventional approach – via real estate development – to support a diverse artistic community. Chris has been with the Kranzbergs for over 10 years as the executive director driving the organization’s continued growth. This past summer, Forbes magazine named the Grand Center Arts District as the most exciting emerging arts district in America. Chris and Josh discuss the Forbes recognition, the venues that make up the bulk of his work and Music at the Intersection, the civic-led effort presented by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, that encompasses multiple stages set up in streets and green spaces throughout the neighborhood every year in September. Grab a lawn chair and let’s go…

#mati #musicfestival #culture #renovation #STLarts #stlmade

On this week’s episode presented by Busey Bank, Josh has the opportunity to talk with Mitch Meyers. Mitch is a creative icon – from Spuds McKenzie to The Zipatoni Company to Cannabis. Widely recognized as the Mother of Bud Light from her early days at the Anheuser Busch companies, to working with plenty of Fortune 100 companies as the co-pilot of the famed Zipatoni, she has immense experience building brands and building cultures. They talk the Spuds campaign that really propelled Bud Light, building a culture of creativity in the 350 employee Zipatoni, retirement and unretirement, along with her new career leading BeLeaf, a medicinal and recreational Missouri cannabis company. Good stuff in this one. Let’s go…

#cannabis #budlight #advertising #zipatoni #stlmade #anheuserbusch #beleaf

On this week’s episode presented by Busey Bank, Josh drops a line with Shalie Dahl Moore who recently opened Wheelhouse Fish Co. – a sea to plate fish company providing products that she and her family catch on their own boats out of Petersburg, Alaska. She’s an incredibly passionate person launching into her business with a real focus on simply sharing her love for the people and the products from her hometown. Josh and Shalie talk about growing up on a boat, her journey to the Midwest on a basketball scholarship and how she brings her product to market. Wheelhouse Fish Co.’s items are currently available at Urban Eats in South City and the University City Farmer’s Market with lots more on the horizon. Grab your net and let’s go…

#fishing #seatotable #alaska