FEB. 12-18, 2024 26 · SBJ.NET NEWS She said real estate remains a touchstone. “You can find a couple of dates where we talk a little real estate,” she said, “but that’s what we do all the time. We wanted to kind of go in a different direction with the podcasts and talk about the things everybody’s talking about, or the things people won’t talk about.” Mental health is one example, Murfin said – and menopause is another. “When you sit down with your best girlfriends, at a happy hour or having dinner, what are the things you’re comfortable talking about? We’d like to bring that out for a conversation with everyone openly.” Murfin said it was never a goal to grow their real estate business through a podcast. “We love the term in our industry, the trusted adviser,” she said. “That is who we want to be in our day job – our regular job as Realtors and brokers. But we hope that our reputation that we’ve built over the years will lend a hand if we’re talking about mental health, nutrition or other information that can make your life better.” Opportunity to serve Jenkins, who owns development firm Elevation Enterprises, said he wants to serve others through his podcast. “I’ve been very fortunate to have mentors and friends who have done some pretty incredible things,” he said. “It’s while I’m in proximity to those people that I’ve found a tremendous amount of growth as a husband, father, entrepreneur and real estate investor. My thought was if I could bring really wonderful guests and have them share their stores and insights, listeners could be inspired.” Some of his guests have included developers Sam Coryell Sr. and Matt Miller, and CrossFit athlete Jessica Cahoy. “So many of these people weren’t good students, don’t have an Ivy League education, don’t come from wealthy families, but they have certain character traits – discipline, grit, eagerness to learn, willingness to step out of their comfort zone and take risks,” he said. “It’s allowed them to accomplish difficult things.” Bosovik, too, said he would like to motivate people and help them achieve success by interviewing luminaries like businesspeople Doug Pitt and Jack Stack. This year his focus is local, he said, but he plans to expand to a statewide, national and even international audience in the future. He noted someone like Pitt, founder of the nonprofit Care to Learn, has found a way to help meet a landmark 3 million needs experienced by the region’s school children through the organization’s good work. “What do these people bring in terms of value? What does it take to be inside of their clothes and walk in their shoes?” he said. “The value we bring is worth so much more. In Doug’s case, he wears ordinary shoes and ordinary clothes but brings extraordinary value.” He said he is often asked for advice through email, text messages and social media channels. “On a busy day, I probably get 20-plus messages like this across all my platforms,” he said. “I thought, if people are asking me, why don’t I sit down once or twice a month and record answers to all of these questions and cover all of this and more?” Ultimately, Bosovik – who said he was bullied throughout his childhood – wants to help people. “I decided instead of being the bigger bully, I want to be a bigger brother,” he said. “That’s the main reason I want to be kind and available.” The larger picture The podcasts are all in their early stages, though the podcasters all say they plan to continue and grow their audiences, especially now that they are learning their way around a microphone – sometimes with a little help from others. The Simply Authentic Podcast has received studio help from Gershman Mortgage, which allows them to use its in-house studio. Mullings’ niece serves as their producer. “It’s very nice,” Murfin said. “Some of our guests tell us they have done podcasts in somebody’s basement, but this is already set up. The owner at Gershman is very kind and generous to let us use it.” Others in Springfield have also caught the podcasting bug. One of these, Thomas Douglas, CEO of managed IT firm JMark, began his podcast, Own the Journey, in 2021. Own the Journey has a definite business focus; its description states, “With topics ranging from marketing to leadership to culture to product development, and loads of others, Own the Journey will dive into the nitty-gritty details that make up the day-to-day entrepreneurial struggle and how to tackle these areas with the enthusiasm and tenacity of a successful business leader.” Topics of Douglas’ episodes include “Resilience and the Myth of Work/Life Balance with Adam Markel,” “Simplifying the Business Insurance Game & Employee Stock Ownership Plans with Richard Ollis” and “Navigating the Start-Up World with Augi Lye.” The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Springfield have partnered to offer another business-focused podcast called SGF Insider, which has two episodes per month. They are SGF Business Insider, featuring views with business and community leaders about community initiatives, and Plugged In, with a look at how local leaders make an impact in the community. Springfield Business Journal also offers podcasts, including No Ceiling, which interviews women business and community leaders, as well as CEO Roundtable. • Podcasts: Topics cover business strategy to personal growth Continued from page 3 AUTHENTIC SELVES Angie Mullings, left, and Tonya Murfin discuss ways to overcome challenges in their Simply Authentic Podcast. IN HIS SHOES Pavel Bosovik, left, interviews philanthropist and businessperson Doug Pitt on the first episode of Suits & Shoes. provided by SIMPLY AUTHENTIC PODCAST provided by SUITS & SHOES: WHAT IT TAKES retained or preserved, but with more flexibility to accommodate new use, modern elements or equipment, as well as elements that have been altered or where historical material is partly lost. Council chambers, a former courtroom in the building, retains some of the original features of the building, Telscher noted, including the paneling. “That stuff’s about as precious as it gets in this building,” he said. “It has been stained, or we say it has been pickled; we want to try to strip that and get it back to where it was in its original form.” That’s going to be a difficult job, according to Telscher. “This is delicate,” he said. “This is like surgery – getting it cleaned up, fixing the trim, fixing the scratches. It’s not going to be real heavy-handed, so it’s not going to look perfect when it’s done. You’re going to see some of those dents and some of those things that you get from age – you’re going to still see it there, which is what I think is great.” Along with the historical preservation goal, the building will be accessible to people with handicaps and will aim for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification. Telscher said the latter will be hard to achieve, in part because the project aims mainly to retain the historic envelope of the building. LEED Silver requires 50+ points out of a possible 110 on the scoring rubric, and two categories – energy and atmosphere, and location and transportation – offer limited opportunities and account for 56 possible points. The current scorecard shows a possible 41 points, he said. Another challenge is the plaster walls of the building, which limit the options for getting basic power and data in rooms without damaging them, he said. A new east entrance, on the parking lot side of the building, is planned, as are a new fire stairwell and an elevator capable of accommodating a medical gurney. A 1973 council vote placed the building on the Springfield Historic Register, and in 1979 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been in place since 1891. • Renovation: New entrance, stairwell and elevator are planned Continued from page 8
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