Driven By with Sam Coates Sam Coates

Here is my conversation is with Steve Laffey.
Steve is a politician and businessman who ran for Mayor of his hometown of Cranston, Rhode Island and won. Steve is a former executive at Morgan Keegan and Company, author, and filmmaker. After serving as Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, Steve ran for the Republican primary for United States Senate and the Republican Primary for the House of Representatives where he was not successful.
In 2023, Steve announced he would run for the Republican nomination for the 2024 United States Presidential election and withdrew from the race in 2023.
Steve is the author of Primary Mistake Mistake: How the Washington Republican Establishment Lost Everything in 2006 (and Sabotaged My Senatorial Campaign).
In 2012, Steve released Fixing America, a documentary film.
Steve currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Please enjoy this conversation with Steve Laffey.
Links:www.fixingamericamovie.comhttps://www.amazon.com/Books-Steve-Laffey/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ASteve+Laffeyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_James_Morgan_Keegan

Hey everybody, my guest this week is Chris Mercer. Forty-two years ago, Chris Mercer left investment Bank Morgan Keegan and launched Mercer Capital. Mercer Capital provides Business Valuation and Financial Advisory Services to clients worldwide. To date, Chris says they have served over 15,000 companies. Today, Mercer Capital has 57 associates and four offices across the United States.
With the documentaries and interviews, my team and I produce, I spend a lot of time with entrepreneurs and companies across the country. Businesses and entrepreneurs fascinate me—the risk, the hardship, the passion, the growth, perfecting one's craft, and so much more.
What better person to have a conversation with than someone who has examined the inner workings of thousands of companies over the last four decades? But someone who has done much more than just advising, someone who's an entrepreneur in their own right and founded something that will pass on to the next generation.
Please enjoy this episode with Chris Mercer!
Links:https://mercercapital.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zchristophermercer/

This family doesn’t care about taking Private Equity money and selling. They are all in on their 75-year history and 3rd generation family business.
This family business started with Generation 1. Dr. Lloyd Reed founded this family business right after WW2. 75 Years later, Generation 3 is now running it with Generation 2, and they have no plans on slowing down.
Dr. Kevin Reed is 2nd generation of Reed Family Dentistry, which is located about 16 miles from Memphis, TN, with a population of 10,508 people. I used to think that a bigger city meant better care and technology. That’s not the case. What stood out to me here was the number of patients they serve annually, their principles on capital investment and technology, and their commitment to their field and what’s ahead.
Small Businesses are the backbone of America, and this is a great episode about building a multi-generational family business, finding yourself, maintaining a high standard of patient care, plus so much more.
Please enjoy this week’s episode with Dr. Kevin Reed!
Links:https://www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2023/5/consolidation-dsos-secondary-private-equity-sales/https://reedfamilydentistry.com/https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/03/25/how-small-businesses-drive-the-american-economy/?sh=6c90aad34169

My guest this week is Bill Courtney. Bill is the CEO and founder of Classic American Hardwoods. An 80 Million a year global lumber company based out of Memphis, TN. Bill started this company out of his living room in 2001.
Bill is also the host of the Army of Normal Folks Podcast, a former High School Football Coach, Featured in the Award Winning Documentary Undefeated, plus much more.
This interview is unique. Bill goes into his tough upbringing, selling cars, learning from legendary entrepreneurs, risk, his Faith, and everything entrepreneurship plus so much more.
Please enjoy this episode with Bill Courtney and go check out his podcast An Army of Normal Folks.
Links:https://www.cahmemphis.comhttps://www.coachbillcourtney.comhttps://www.normalfolks.ushttps://www.coachbillcourtney.com/films/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-courtney/

My guest this week is Ryan Pryor. Ryan is an educator with Crosstown High School based out of Memphis, Tennessee.
The Public School system in the United States is broken. To better understand this why I did  a podcast with an educator that’s not scared to do something different.
Crosstown High School was started out of the XQ Institute which works directly with the Emerson Collective which has been established by Laurene Powell Jobs.
Our education problems are not local, they are national. They affect all of us.
This episode covers:
The history of education in the U.S.A. and why the model is outdated and brokenThe heart of an educator and how it’s in your bloodAll the barriers and special interests that block change and what has to happen to do it a better wayPlus much more!Please enjoy this episode with Ryan Pryor!
Links:Bold crosstown high school- www.crosstownhigh.orgpublic school system in usa is broken- https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/30/public-education-crisis-enrollment-violence/xq institute- https://xqsuperschool.org/about/Emerson collective- https://www.emersoncollective.com/our-work/philanthropy--

My guest this week is Danny Palo. Danny is the CEO of Vital Records Control. This company started in 1988 at $300,000.00 in annual revenue and today is at $300,000,000.00. Windjammer Capital now owns VRC and is in 80 markets with 2,000 employees.
What’s even more impressive is that Danny’s only job prior was flipping hamburgers. He then started as a delivery driver, dropped out of college, and has run this company for nearly 40 years with a great group of long-time associates, original investors, and owners. They are one of the top leaders in their industry.
The document management industry has exploded with the adoption of computers and printing, and now, there is a shift to digital.
This is a great episode that covers:
Why not having a college degree hasn’t held Danny backOperating principles that have driven success for decades and why staying relentlessly focused on the customer drives successThe value of doing a deal with the right private equity partner and what makes that workPlus, so much more!
Please enjoy this week’s episode with VRC Networks CEO Danny Palo!
Danny- https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-palo-46650225/VRC- https://vitalrecordscontrol.com/Windjammer- www.windjammercapital.com