Brandon Averhart - Kidgenuity

Brandon Averhart - Kidgenuity

Welcome to The McKinney Podcast, where we celebrate the people and happenings that make our city "Unique By Nature." Our guest for this episode is Brandon Averhart, Founder of Kidgenuity. The MCKPOD is presented by RiskWell and FredShots Photography and recorded at the RiskWell studio in McKinney. Your hosts are James Jenkins and Fred Mahusay. Key Topics: * Growing up in Dallas and overcoming a brain tumor diagnosis as a teenager * Serving in the Air Force as an F-16 avionics technician in Afghanistan * Earning a marketing degree from UNT after leaving the military * Building a career in marketing before moving into consulting work * Spotting a need for better toddler mealtime solutions while raising his own kids * Founding Kidgenuity and designing the tantrum-proof Tracy plate * Seeking mentors and feedback ahead of a Kickstarter launch * Choosing McKinney's Lake Forest neighborhood for its community and green spaces * Building future products around McKinney community feedback Resources Mentioned: * https://kidgenuity.com [https://kidgenuity.com] Visit https://www.mckinneypodcast.com [https://www.mckinneypodcast.com] to subscribe to the email list and never miss an episode. Join the #MCKPOD community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast] and engage with your neighbors and fellow fans of the show. Check out the #MCKPOD YouTube Channel to watch the video versions of our episode and see lots of additional content: https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast [https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast] James and Fred would love to hear from you with any comments, questions, or ideas! Email the show at mail@mckinneypodcast.com and you may be featured on a future mailbag segment.

Blake Sellers - Honest1 Auto Care McKinney

Welcome to The McKinney Podcast, where we celebrate the people and happenings that make our city "Unique By Nature." Our guest for this episode is Blake Sellers, Owner of Honest1 Auto Care McKinney. The MCKPOD is presented by RiskWell and FredShots Photography and recorded at the RiskWell studio in McKinney. Your hosts are James Jenkins and Fred Mahusay. Key Topics: * Growing up in rural Pennsylvania before moving to Connecticut as a teen * Studying industrial engineering and operations research at Cornell University * Starting Blake's career at Texas Instruments, then earning an MBA at UT Austin * Spending seventeen years at Touche Ross, later Deloitte, including a partnership * Living in Milan, Italy for two years on an expat assignment * Pursuing entrepreneurial ventures in renewable energy after leaving corporate life * Opening Honest1 Auto Care on Virginia Parkway in McKinney in 2018 * Using a red, yellow, green system to prioritize vehicle maintenance * Comparing reliability and repair costs of European versus Japanese vehicles * Building trust and transparency as the core of Honest1's customer service Resources Mentioned: * https://www.honest1.com/mckinney [https://www.honest1.com/mckinney]  Visit https://www.mckinneypodcast.com [https://www.mckinneypodcast.com] to subscribe to the email list and never miss an episode. Join the #MCKPOD community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast] and engage with your neighbors and fellow fans of the show. Check out the #MCKPOD YouTube Channel to watch the video versions of our episode and see lots of additional content: https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast [https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast] James and Fred would love to hear from you with any comments, questions, or ideas! Email the show at mail@mckinneypodcast.com and you may be featured on a future mailbag segment.

Shoanette Harper & Greg Harper - Sweet Licks Barkery

Welcome to The McKinney Podcast, where we celebrate the people and happenings that make our city "Unique By Nature." Our guests for this episode are Shoanette & Greg Harper, Founders of Sweet Licks Barkery. The MCKPOD is presented by RiskWell and FredShots Photography and recorded at the RiskWell studio in McKinney. Your hosts are James Jenkins and Fred Mahusay. Key Topics: * Growing up in Dallas and East Texas and meeting in Denton * Building careers in IT and oil and gas operations * Shoanette's rise to chief operations officer and earning an executive MBA from SMU * Adopting rescue dogs and the story behind Sweet Licks Barkery * Human-grade, freeze-dried treats made with whole food and superfood ingredients * Navigating early setbacks including a car accident, equipment issues, and COVID * Sourcing local and novelty proteins for dogs with allergies and sensitive stomachs * Greg pursuing canine and feline pet nutrition certification through Southern Illinois University * Hand-producing heart-shaped treats and selling at farmers markets * Future plans for a customizable pet meal line and dog-friendly storefront Resources Mentioned: * https://www.slbarkery.com [https://www.slbarkery.com]  Visit https://www.mckinneypodcast.com [https://www.mckinneypodcast.com] to subscribe to the email list and never miss an episode. Join the #MCKPOD community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast] and engage with your neighbors and fellow fans of the show. Check out the #MCKPOD YouTube Channel to watch the video versions of our episode and see lots of additional content: https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast [https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast] James and Fred would love to hear from you with any comments, questions, or ideas! Email the show at mail@mckinneypodcast.com and you may be featured on a future mailbag segment.

Rod Querry - The Arcue Group

Welcome to The McKinney Podcast, where we celebrate the people and happenings that make our city "Unique By Nature." Our guest for this episode is Rod Querry, CEO and Principal Consultant at The Arcue Group The MCKPOD is presented by RiskWell and FredShots Photography and recorded at the RiskWell studio in McKinney. Your hosts are James Jenkins and Fred Mahusay. Key Topics: * Growing up in a ministry household and pursuing organizational development * Early career in aerospace before transitioning into full-time ministry * Moving into executive roles at Wells Fargo and discovering a passion for HR * Founding The RQ Group and shifting to fractional HR consulting * Why most business problems are alignment issues, not people problems * Connecting to McKinney through family history and planting roots in the community * Navigating employee discipline, termination, and setting clear workplace boundaries * Social media guidelines and the fine line of off-clock employee conduct * The value of fractional HR over unqualified in-house staff or DIY solutions * AI's growing role in HR and the risks of replacing human judgment with unvalidated answers Resources Mentioned: * https://www.thearcuegroup.com [https://www.thearcuegroup.com]  Visit https://www.mckinneypodcast.com [https://www.mckinneypodcast.com] to subscribe to the email list and never miss an episode. Join the #MCKPOD community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast] and engage with your neighbors and fellow fans of the show. Check out the #MCKPOD YouTube Channel to watch the video versions of our episode and see lots of additional content: https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast [https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast] James and Fred would love to hear from you with any comments, questions, or ideas! Email the show at mail@mckinneypodcast.com and you may be featured on a future mailbag segment.

Anca Wetegrove & Betty Petkovsek - McKinney Rotary Club

Welcome to The McKinney Podcast, where we celebrate the people and happenings that make our city "Unique By Nature." Our guests for this episode are Anca Wetegrove and Betty Petkovsek of the McKinney Rotary Club. The MCKPOD is presented by RiskWell and FredShots Photography and recorded at the RiskWell studio in McKinney. Your hosts are James Jenkins and Fred Mahusay. Key Topics: * The 27th Annual Parade of Lights as a McKinney holiday tradition * Passport to the Holidays theme and multicultural global representation * In-kind sponsorship opportunities for small and local businesses * Volunteer roles including traffic control, float coordination, and cleanup * Growing up in Romania, living in Germany, and relocating to McKinney * Joining Rotary and stepping up as parade chair after one year * The big wheel auction and new Parade of Lights branded merchandise * McKinney Rotary Club's community grants and all-volunteer structure * Betty Petkovsek's seven years in Rotary and mentorship of new leadership * Anca announced as a future president of the Rotary Club of McKinney Resources Mentioned: * https://www.mckinneyrotary.org [https://www.mckinneyrotary.org]  Visit https://www.mckinneypodcast.com [https://www.mckinneypodcast.com] to subscribe to the email list and never miss an episode. Join the #MCKPOD community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast [https://www.facebook.com/groups/mckinneypodcast] and engage with your neighbors and fellow fans of the show. Check out the #MCKPOD YouTube Channel to watch the video versions of our episode and see lots of additional content: https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast [https://youtube.com/@mckinneypodcast] James and Fred would love to hear from you with any comments, questions, or ideas! Email the show at mail@mckinneypodcast.com and you may be featured on a future mailbag segment.