Prosperous Prairie Founders Podcast

Beth Wanner: Podcast Interview with Brian Ludwig

In this episode of the Prosperous Prairie Founders Podcast, host Brian Ludwig sits down with Beth Wanner, founder of Mother Cover, to talk about a challenge many companies face but rarely plan for—how to handle key employees going on parental or temporary leave. Beth explains how her company helps organizations solve this problem by providing experienced interim and fractional professionals who step into roles while employees are away. These professionals, called “leave partners,” help maintain continuity in areas such as marketing, HR, finance, and operations. Unlike traditional consultants or contractors, Mother Cover specializes in temporarily stepping into a role and then handing it back smoothly when the employee returns. The idea for Mother Cover came from Beth’s own experience working as a senior marketing leader in the tech industry. After years of building her career, she became pregnant and soon faced job loss and discrimination during that time. The experience opened her eyes to the challenges many women and families face when balancing career and caregiving responsibilities. Beth began to wonder whether companies’ fears about employee leave were part of the problem. Many managers worry about how projects will continue or how workloads will be handled while someone is away. Mother Cover aims to remove that fear by helping companies plan ahead and maintain stability during leave periods.   Be a Guest Are you a successful business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest [https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest] and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you...

Kyle Moffat: Podcast Interview with Brian Ludwig

In this episode of the Prosperous Prairie Founders Podcast, host Brian Ludwig sits down with Kyle Moffat, the owner of Dixon Doodles in Regina. Kyle shares the story behind his unique business that creates personalized wooden artwork, ornaments, plaques, and custom gifts. What began as a small creative project in a condo bathroom has grown into a thriving local business with a team, a showroom, and customers who value meaningful, handcrafted products. Kyle explains how Dixon Doodles specializes in turning photos, names, and personal moments into detailed wooden keepsakes. These pieces often mark life’s most important moments, including weddings, births, retirements, memorials, and business milestones. By designing and producing everything in-house using precision equipment like lasers and CNC machines, the business provides highly customized products with quick turnaround times. One of the most inspiring parts of Kyle’s story is how the business began. His wife originally started experimenting with a craft cutting machine during maternity leave. Soon after, Kyle began cutting wooden name signs for their children using a scroll saw in their condo bathroom. Friends and family started placing orders, and the demand slowly grew through social media. When the COVID pandemic arrived, Kyle made the bold decision to leave his job and focus on the business full time.   Be a Guest Are you a successful business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest [https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest] and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you...

Katrina German: Podcast Interview with Brian Ludwig

In this episode of the Prosperous Prairie Founders Podcast, Brian Ludwig sits down with Katrina German, founder of Ethical Digital, to talk about digital marketing, AI, and why trust may be the most important business asset in today’s uncertain world. Katrina shares how her journey into tech started in an unexpected way. With a background in history and as a single mom navigating life changes, she discovered the power of early social media platforms and began helping businesses understand how to use them. What started with Twitter in its early days evolved into founding multiple tech companies and becoming a leader in Canada’s technology sector. Today, Katrina works with organizations across Canada, including membership groups, associations, cleantech innovators, and small businesses. Her company provides digital marketing strategy, LinkedIn marketing, advertising, websites, social media planning, and AI consulting. She helps businesses cut through the noise of millions of online marketing options and build strategies that actually connect with the right audience. A key theme in this conversation is trust. Katrina explains that we are living in a “trust crisis,” where many people feel disconnected from institutions and skeptical of what they see online. When it comes to AI, she encourages business owners to ask a simple question: Will this increase trust in my business, or decrease it? That gut check can guide decisions around automation, data use, and transparency.   Be a Guest Are you a successful business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest [https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest] and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you...

Mehmet Tulbek: Podcast Interview with Brian Ludwig

In this episode of the Prosperous Prairie Founders Podcast, Brian Ludwig sits down with Mehmet Tulbek, President of the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre (Food Centre), to explore the growing opportunity in specialty crops and food product innovation in Western Canada. Mehmet shares how the Food Centre helps founders, startups, farm producers, and large food companies turn ideas into market-ready products. From a family recipe to a scalable commercial product, the Food Centre provides contract research, product development, pilot-scale manufacturing, and full production support. With three CFI-approved facilities in Saskatoon totaling over 75,000 square feet, the Food Centre works on approximately 160 projects annually. Their team of more than 90 professionals includes food scientists, engineers, chefs, operators, and industry experts who support everything from formulation and packaging to extrusion, fermentation, and process authority services. A key takeaway from this conversation is that food innovation truly “takes a village.” Mehmet explains how collaboration across Saskatchewan’s ecosystem helps companies scale efficiently while retaining full ownership of their intellectual property.   Be a Guest Are you a successful business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest [https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest] and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you...

Richard Ehret: Podcast Interview with Brian Ludwig

In this episode, Brian Ludwig sits down with Richard Ehret, founder of Magnum Fabricating in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. What started in an 8x20 garage on a dairy farm has grown into a highly respected manufacturing company serving major fuel suppliers, mining companies, oilfield operators, and construction firms across North America. Richard shares how he began by building stronger cattle panels for his own farm. When neighbors started buying them, he realized he was onto something. From there, he expanded into oilfield equipment, designing innovative wellhead fencing that saved companies time and money. His breakthrough came when he simply “showed up” to meet with a mining executive — a moment that changed the direction of his company. During the 2009 oilfield downturn, Richard faced one of his toughest challenges. Orders stopped. Payroll remained. Certifications were expensive. Banks pulled back. Instead of quitting, he leaned into new industries, pursued CWB, ISO, ULC, and Transport Canada certifications, and redesigned his business around fuel tanks and custom pumping systems. Richard speaks candidly about cash flow struggles, relying on customer prepayments during tight times, and the stress that nearly cost him his health. He explains how shifting from micromanaging to empowering his long-term employees transformed both his company and his personal life.   Be a Guest Are you a successful business owner, entrepreneur, or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest at https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest [https://prairiefounderspodcast.com/guest] and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you...