Episode #314 - The Next Chapter

Ron's last consultation turned out to be his best!  Listen to the excitement coming from the focus group on the last day of his trip as they discuss projects already starting in Downtown Marion, SC.

Life is always changing.  Flip This Town is changing too.  In this episode, Ron shares how he is beginning the next chapter in his life with his next restoration project in Port Maria, Jamaica, in what will be one of the last episodes of the Flip This Town Podcast.

As we start down the road to recovery, we know there will be challenges for many businesses.  Restaurants are the lifeblood of many downtowns and are important to the communities they serve.  In this episode, Ron & Kristi welcome Chef Chris Johnson, owner of The Meeting House to share his perspective on what restaurants need to do to remain viable and ways they can inspire their customers to come back.

We all know that this current crisis will have a significant economic impact on downtowns, but what about the residents? Ron and Kristi welcome Christina Drake, Matt & Amanda Orcutt and Yoon Kim from Ron's hometown of Siloam Springs, Arkansas to share their stories of how things have changed since this crisis caused a "vibrancy on pause" and what comes next.

Ron & Kristi are proud to welcome Prescott, AZ business owners Candy Hull, Clothes Hound Clothing Company; Sheri Shaw, Back Alley Wine Bar and Audra Yamamoto, Granite Mountain Brewing to talk about the creative ways they are keeping their businesses going during these challenging times.

This is the first episode in our new Flip This Town Limited Series, Locals on the Front Line, which shares stories of inspiration and hope from downtowns across the country.  In this episode, Ron and Kristi welcome Sue Keels, General Manager of the Royal Park Hotel and Hillary Heacock, Owner of Studio One Salon, both located in Downtown Rochester, Michigan, to share their stories and challenges they are experiencing right now.

Ron and Kristi are no strangers to extreme challenges.  In today's podcast, they will share ideas of how to overcome the unprecedented challenges which face small businesses during the current crisis.  We believe we will all come out stronger and this podcast will inspire you to believe the same!

And the search is on to find America's Main Street!  In this episode, Ron and Kristi welcome Bill Brunelle of Independent We Stand and Wayne Carter, Executive Director of Main Street DeLand, the winner of the 2017 America's Main Streets Contest to discuss the contest and both the short and long term benefits of winning this prestigious award!

In this episode, Ron & Kristi welcome Stephanie Rizzo, Executive Director of the Historic Marion Revitalization Association in Marion, SC to talk about the value of downtown collaboration.  From creating small business partnerships and fundraising to helping neighboring towns by sharing ideas and inspirations, this is one podcast you'll want to listen to again and again!

In this episode, Ron & Kristi welcome Denise Schieffer, owner of Rise & Pies in Downtown Perry, OK.  She shares the journey that led her to open her business and reflects on the joys and lessons learned one year later.