Ford The Rock

Founder & Co-Owner | Cahoots RockfordWith an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for thinking outside the box, Megan Huels is the co-founder and creative force behind Cahoots Rockford, a one-of-a-kind entertainment destination in downtown Rockford.With a love for bringing big ideas to life, Megan helped transform Rockford's historic Coca-Cola bottling plant into more than 50,000 square feet of food, fun, entertainment, and unforgettable experiences. Cahoots reflects her belief that people of all ages need more opportunities to connect, laugh, and have fun together.Born and raised in Rockford, Megan is especially proud to invest in her hometown and contribute to the continued revitalization of downtown. Through Cahoots, she hopes to create a place that brings people together, gives them a reason to visit Rockford, and reminds everyone that there's always room for a little more fun.

Mary is an enthusiastic Rockfordian with more than two decades of experience teaching, creating, and promoting the arts in our community and beyond. Mary’s passion and commitment to community connection, public service, and justice make her a powerful advocate for the Arts Council’s mission: to support, promote, and expand access to the arts for everyone.

Born in Amityville, NY, Barbara Berney is a freelance graphic artist, editor, and jewelry designer, a member of The ELEMENT,  and an exhibiting board member of the Inscape Midtown Collective on 7th Street at 1st Avenue. Her activities in the arts community have included managing the Art on the Lawn show from 2000-2014, overseeing the Rockford Art Guild as president for four years, and participating in ArtScene and other art shows in the Rockford area.

Welcome to Ford the Rock, presented by The Element, where we highlight the people, organizations, and ideas helping shape the future of Rockford.Today, we’re joined by Anthony “Tony” Cortez, Executive Director of the Rockford Public Library.A graduate of Rockford University, Tony has dedicated his career to serving our community through administrative positions, access to information, and lifelong learning opportunities.Under Tony’s leadership, the Rockford Public Library continues to evolve as a vital community resource, offering much more than books—from technology and workforce developmentprograms to community engagement and educational initiatives that impact residents of all ages.We’ll talk with Tony about his journey to library leadership, the role the library plays in the Rockford region today, and his vision for the future of one of our community’s most important institutions.Tony, welcome to Ford the Rock.

Born and raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts, today’s guest has never been afraid to bet on himself. After a few years at the University of New Hampshire, he made a life-changing move at just 20 years old—heading to Chicago to work on the legendary futures trading floor at the Chicago Board of Trade, right in the middle of one of the most intense, high-pressure environments in the country.In 2008, he pivoted and opened his first restaurant back in Wellesley. Like many business owners during the recession, he faced enormous challenges and ultimately sold the restaurant in 2010. Instead of slowing down, he pivoted again.Bobby jumped into real estate and started building an entirely new career from the ground up. Then, in 2016, he and his family relocated to Rockford to raise their young children, which opened the door to the next chapter of his story.In 2017, Bobby joined SupplyCore as their in-house real estate broker. He was in charge of all their local real estate, logistics, warehousing, and property management. He spent three years there and departed in 2020.In 2020, he partnered with Chris Manuel to expand real estate development into residential rehabbing and also took over all property management for CMM & Associates. He spent two years there, leaving in 2022.In the fall of 2022, he decided to go back to selling real estate full-time and joined Dickerson Nieman.And now he has two major projects on North Main Street on Rockford's Northwest side.

Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Josiah Vander Heyden, a realtor, entrepreneur, and builder with a vision for what’s next. He’s been hard at work developing the Union event space and its bar, helping create a destination that’s bringing new energy to the community. But that’s just one piece of the story. Josiah has also launched a new company focused on prefab homes, tapping into a growing market and rethinking how housing can be built more efficiently and affordably. In this episode, he shares insights into the prefab housing industry and talks about his plans to scale the business across the region.

Paul Sletten knew early on that the restaurant business was where he belonged. He began his culinary journey as a young apprentice at Café Patou, learning the art of fine dining under Chef Philippe Forcioli, and eventually rising to the role of sous chef. Building on that foundation, Paul took the leap into ownership with Brio, which would later become Abreo, his signature restaurant and a cornerstone of Rockford’s dining scene. From there, he expanded his creative reach with Social Urban Bar, ventured into the food truck scene with Disco Chicken, and added a sweet twist with his ice cream truck, Bad Humor. Most recently, Paul opened Harvey Wallbangers in the former Irish Rose location—continuing his commitment to bringing fresh, inspired food experiences to his favorite part of the city: historic downtown Rockford.

Welcome back to the Ford the Rock podcast by The Element of Rockford. Today, I’m catching up with someone who’s been on the show before, and since then, a lot has changed.Last time we talked, she was the VP at Ad Vice Marketing. Now? She’s running the whole show as President.She’s also a mom to an 18-year-old son, leads a small but mighty team of nine—all women—and she’s making some waves in the digital marketing world.We get into what it’s really like running your own company, the pressure that comes with it, and how she’s navigating it all with honesty, humor, and hustle.

Welcome to Ford the Rock, presented by The Element of Rockford. Today's guest is Kate Wirth. Kate is a business owner, professional, and advocate. At 40 years old, she was also diagnosed with Autism. In this episode, Kate guides us through her journey of understanding herself, redefining her strengths, and advocating for awareness and acceptance.

This episode's guest is a truly unique individual with a diverse background. Dave Pedersen served in the U.S. Army as both a Military Police officer and a Public Relations specialist. Now, he’s the proud owner of Maze Books, located on East State Street in downtown Rockford. Dave is passionate about doing everything right here in Rockford, including publishingbooks. Maze Books has also become a vibrant “third space” for the community, hosting a variety of special events. Take a listen as Dave shares his fascinating journey from soldier to bookseller.