WEBVTT 00:00:02.786 --> 00:00:04.873 Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:00:04.873 --> 00:00:19.969 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, leadership development and insights from subject matter experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come true. 00:00:19.969 --> 00:00:22.344 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 00:00:30.111 --> 00:00:39.445 Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast Number one, thank you. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:40.704 Thank you for stopping by. 00:00:40.704 --> 00:00:47.167 I meant, when you're asking somebody to give up a little bit of their time, you're asking them to give something away that they're never going to get back. 00:00:47.167 --> 00:00:51.948 So the fact that you're joining us, we want you to know that, we appreciate that and we value that. 00:00:51.948 --> 00:01:10.129 We also appreciate the fact that we've got this incredible platform, this technology that we have that allows us to bring subject matter experts on, to bring guests on that are willing to share their insights, their experiences, their expertise, to share seeds of greatness. 00:01:10.129 --> 00:01:15.626 You know, like we always say, if agriculture has taught us anything, it's taught us. 00:01:16.328 --> 00:01:18.881 If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:01:18.881 --> 00:01:20.444 Well, how do you grow it? 00:01:20.444 --> 00:01:25.765 You got to plant the right seeds and today we've got a guy that's going to bring some seeds of greatness. 00:01:25.765 --> 00:01:34.099 It has been an honor to get to know him, it's been an honor to work with him and, I will tell you, it's even more of an honor that he's taking time out of his schedule to join us. 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:37.969 Ladies and gentlemen, steve Derman, steve, thank you for joining us. 00:01:38.631 --> 00:01:39.540 Aaron, thank you for having me. 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:41.843 It's always an honor, definitely a pleasure, to be here. 00:01:42.444 --> 00:01:43.846 You're going to learn more about Steve. 00:01:43.846 --> 00:01:47.712 He is the founder and creative director of Four man Furnace. 00:01:47.712 --> 00:01:54.209 We'll talk a little bit about Four man Furnace and you've probably seen their work and we're going to talk about that here in a minute. 00:01:54.209 --> 00:02:00.507 Steve, every episode when we start, we like to ask guests the same question. 00:02:00.507 --> 00:02:11.491 So we start every episode with the same question and you get that question today and it is Steve, what are you grateful for today? 00:02:12.233 --> 00:02:15.981 Gosh, I'm feeling incredibly grateful today just for family. 00:02:15.981 --> 00:02:19.211 I've got my beautiful daughter Tessa here at the office with me today. 00:02:19.211 --> 00:02:20.644 She's helping me at work. 00:02:20.644 --> 00:02:27.144 She's incredibly talented and is able to actually legitimately be a help here at the office even at 12 years old. 00:02:27.144 --> 00:02:36.092 But definitely just feeling incredibly grateful for family today in general my son Wesley, my wife Leandra, across the board, just very blessed. 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:40.066 That's good, I agree with you. 00:02:40.066 --> 00:02:47.701 And the thing I appreciate, steve, steve, is how much you appreciate your family and you value your family and it shows. 00:02:47.701 --> 00:02:52.233 And I showed the kids a picture of our family the other day and I said look at that. 00:02:52.233 --> 00:02:55.067 And they're like what I said look at that, you know. 00:02:55.067 --> 00:02:56.269 Look, I want you to look at it. 00:02:56.269 --> 00:03:04.787 And I kind of got a little sappy with them and I said you know, if you'd ever grew up with one, you don't understand why this is such a precious picture. 00:03:04.787 --> 00:03:13.110 Yeah, and so when you share a family, I just want you to know that that means something, because some people never grew up with that. 00:03:13.110 --> 00:03:15.879 And so when we get to see it, we appreciate it and we value it. 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:22.401 Yeah, yeah, it's the one thing that we get in life that we don't get to acquire or choose for ourselves. 00:03:22.401 --> 00:03:36.455 Either we're born into a family not of our choosing, or when we choose to have a family and create a family, we don't really have a whole terrible amount of control over how that turns out and the people that kind of become a part of that. 00:03:36.455 --> 00:03:38.282 So it's always a blessing. 00:03:38.282 --> 00:03:41.759 It's also a challenge, but through those challenges we grow and become better people. 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:44.468 So, yeah, just I'm feeling it today for sure. 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:49.200 Awesome. 00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:51.106 Well, good luck to those kids, and I know they're going to do good work. 00:03:51.106 --> 00:03:52.031 They got a good boss, so that's a good thing. 00:03:52.031 --> 00:03:52.532 Appreciate it, thanks. 00:03:52.532 --> 00:03:53.717 So, anyway, hey, listen. 00:03:53.796 --> 00:04:00.233 So for people that aren't familiar with Steve Durnham or Four man Furnace, let me give y'all a little backstory. 00:04:00.233 --> 00:04:14.073 So several years ago we wanted to do a project, a promotional project, to promote really what we see as the value of agricultural science education and the FFA program. 00:04:14.073 --> 00:04:21.641 And those of you familiar with our show and what we talk about, I always say if you want to be the best, train with the best. 00:04:21.641 --> 00:04:28.911 So if you want to be the best at something, go find the best out there and train with them, hang out with them, watch them. 00:04:28.911 --> 00:04:34.266 And we had caught word of this company called Four man Furnace. 00:04:34.266 --> 00:04:49.786 We got word of this gentleman named Steve Derman and we reached out and we started a relationship, a business relationship, and I got to tell you I would say this on the air and off the air I appreciate this organization. 00:04:50.007 --> 00:04:54.843 I appreciate their employees, their leadership, their customer service. 00:04:54.843 --> 00:04:58.269 They are always on top of their game. 00:04:58.269 --> 00:05:05.411 I love it that they listen and because they know this, they've got that skill of just listening with eyes and ears. 00:05:05.411 --> 00:05:12.713 It helps them create the products that they create, and it shows in what they put out there. 00:05:12.713 --> 00:05:18.096 But, steve, I don't suspect that you just fell into that seat that you're in. 00:05:18.096 --> 00:05:23.247 I don't believe that you just fell into being the creative director and founder of Foreman. 00:05:23.247 --> 00:05:39.600 Something tells me that there was a journey that led there, and so I was wondering if you might take a minute and tell us how did you get on this path to this journey for this company, for marketing and creative, and how did you end up in that chair? 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:43.083 Yeah, so I didn't fall into the chair. 00:05:43.083 --> 00:05:48.447 I think it was equal parts, intention and equal parts. 00:05:48.447 --> 00:05:59.074 The other half of that coin is really just kind of going where I was led at any given moment in time and so my background is as a graphic designer. 00:05:59.074 --> 00:06:00.154 That's what I went to school for. 00:06:00.154 --> 00:06:26.995 I have my BA in graphic design and graduated in the late 90s, went to work at the time I was living in New Jersey went to work in Atlantic City, which was near where I lived at the time at a casino in their marketing department, and really was able to cut my teeth on just this industry that we're in creative services for marketing and branding and advertising and so really learned a lot those first couple of years working in the casino. 00:06:28.021 --> 00:06:36.742 In early 2000, moved here to the DFW area and had aspirations of working at an advertising agency Back then. 00:06:36.742 --> 00:06:48.747 To me the advertising agency life was exciting and fast-paced and creative and the types of clients working at an agency gives you access to is really exciting. 00:06:48.747 --> 00:06:50.192 So I did that. 00:06:50.192 --> 00:06:54.512 Middle of 2000, I landed a job at an advertising agency. 00:06:54.512 --> 00:07:16.834 So I'm going to fast forward a bunch because there was a lot of steps along the way there, but ended up as a creative director, an advertising agency, and at the same time, on the side, I was working with my own clients, kind of consulting on the side and it got to the point where both of those endeavors were incredibly intense and demanding a lot of my time. 00:07:16.834 --> 00:07:26.021 And so I'm leading a little bit into two things One, the founding of Four man Furnace and, at the same time, how I chose that name for the company. 00:07:26.723 --> 00:07:47.593 So at the time we were or I was going to work as a creative director at a pretty intense working environment and then, coming home and working a full-time job on my consulting clients, found out that my wife was pregnant with our firstborn this was in late 2007 and decided to quit my job. 00:07:47.593 --> 00:07:56.444 Something had to give and I said I'm going to quit the day job and I'm going to make this consulting thing, this freelance thing, the main thing. 00:07:56.444 --> 00:08:02.764 Which was really scary because there was no, you know, working at the agency as a creative director. 00:08:02.764 --> 00:08:13.762 I knew I had a job next week, next month, whatever Was working on some really good clients and working with some really smart, talented people and going freelance. 00:08:13.762 --> 00:08:14.728 Nothing was guaranteed. 00:08:14.728 --> 00:08:17.779 It was quite literally a leap of faith. 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:24.374 It was what I believe to be the right decision, but definitely not the easy decision. 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:28.485 So I knew, okay, I'm going to start creative business of my own. 00:08:28.485 --> 00:08:30.187 What am I going to call this thing? 00:08:30.187 --> 00:08:34.807 It needs to be memorable, it needs to attract some attention. 00:08:34.807 --> 00:08:39.783 People need to hear the name and it needs to be somewhat kind of compelling and intriguing. 00:08:39.783 --> 00:08:46.860 But to me, it also needs to have meaning, and I really felt a story from the Old Testament of the Bible. 00:08:47.041 --> 00:09:00.841 At the time I felt like I was going through a similar experience, and it's the story of Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, when they refused to worship the king of Babylon and the punishment was he was going to throw them into a furnace of fire and burn them alive. 00:09:00.841 --> 00:09:01.423 That was their punishment. 00:09:01.423 --> 00:09:03.765 He was going to throw them into a furnace of fire and burn them alive. 00:09:03.765 --> 00:09:04.687 That was their punishment. 00:09:04.687 --> 00:09:18.863 And so the story says that, confronted with this, they said to the king well, that's kind of scary and do what you're going to do. 00:09:18.863 --> 00:09:21.749 We believe we're making the right choice and we're keeping the leaving the results up to our God. 00:09:21.749 --> 00:09:23.913 And that's kind of what I was doing. 00:09:24.019 --> 00:09:27.010 It was scary and I believed I was making the right choice and I was kind of leaving the results up to our God, and that's kind of what I was doing. 00:09:27.010 --> 00:09:31.346 It was scary and I believed I was making the right choice and I was kind of leaving the results up to God, and so, of course, the story has a happy ending. 00:09:31.346 --> 00:09:33.231 Hopefully a lot of your listeners are familiar. 00:09:33.231 --> 00:09:42.745 When they were thrown into the furnace, the king looked in to see to ensure that they were dead, and what the Bible says is he didn't see three men in the furnace. 00:09:42.745 --> 00:09:44.227 He saw four men in the furnace. 00:09:44.227 --> 00:09:51.951 They were walking around unhurt, having a conversation, and that fourth man appeared to be an angel of God protecting them. 00:09:51.951 --> 00:10:05.929 And so I really clung to that story in the early years of the four-man furnace because it was a scary ride, like I said, and nothing was certain, but I was every day going to work in faith, trusting that I was doing the right thing. 00:10:08.793 --> 00:10:09.455 What a story. 00:10:09.455 --> 00:10:14.346 I love it, by the way, and I've expressed that to Steve. 00:10:14.346 --> 00:10:18.288 Even off the air, I thought it was a very clever take. 00:10:18.288 --> 00:10:30.850 And when you know the background and you know why that leap of faith was so important and, like you said, it was more than just a leap of faith you actually felt like I'm being thrown into fire. 00:10:30.850 --> 00:10:33.008 It's something even more incredible. 00:10:33.008 --> 00:10:42.412 And there's a comfort that comes with faith, by the way, and I think that that comfort is what's giving you that foundation to take risk. 00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:56.067 And you know all successful people that I'm aware of, steve, they've all taken risks, yeah, and they typically, if you really drill down, there's always a component of faith in taking risk. 00:10:56.067 --> 00:11:11.751 And so you've already kicked this off just perfectly, because you know what we really want folks to gather from this podcast is bring on successful people and what are those elements of their journey that made them successful? 00:11:11.751 --> 00:11:16.431 Because somebody listening is going to find some seeds of greatness. 00:11:16.431 --> 00:11:21.292 You know, like we always say in agriculture, if you want to know what the future is, grow it Got to plant the seeds. 00:11:21.292 --> 00:11:22.865 So we need guests like you to share those examples. 00:11:22.865 --> 00:11:24.432 So somebody that's listening right now says you know, I got to do the seeds. 00:11:24.432 --> 00:11:25.518 So we need guests like you to share those examples. 00:11:25.518 --> 00:11:38.453 So somebody that's listening right now says, you know, I got to do a better job of that and I can't be so afraid of the fire and I can't be adverse to taking risk that everything that we do is risky. 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:49.783 I will tell you, in the nonprofit world, you know, we don't live on production lines, we don't live on services that we get money for. 00:11:49.783 --> 00:11:52.870 We live on the generosity of others. 00:11:52.870 --> 00:12:10.131 And so when you get ready to saddle with a company and you say we're going to go spend a lot of money on a marketing company, we were kind of in there with you because we were really relying on faith, that we felt like we were making the right decision. 00:12:10.131 --> 00:12:18.561 We felt like there was this incredible story of the Texas FFA that needed to be told, and we needed to tell it in a way that we've never told it before. 00:12:18.561 --> 00:12:26.287 And thus that's how we came to know you and began working with your team and that relationship. 00:12:26.287 --> 00:12:28.528 Now, how long has that relationship been going on? 00:12:29.403 --> 00:12:31.860 We launched that program in 2016. 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:36.211 So I want to say we probably started conversations in 2015 around it. 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:44.631 So that's what I'm years, yeah, and it's been great, and again, I say this just because it's the kind of relationship that I like. 00:12:44.631 --> 00:12:47.408 They always answer the phone and they listen. 00:12:47.408 --> 00:12:52.287 We throw ideas, but I think, steve, would you say it's fair that we listen to you too. 00:12:53.068 --> 00:12:54.552 Oh for sure, Absolutely yeah. 00:12:54.740 --> 00:13:01.172 You and your team are tremendous to work with, and one of our core values here is we have two core values. 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:06.722 One is do amazing work, and the other is be amazing to work with, and we've. 00:13:06.722 --> 00:13:16.149 I firmly believe if we can do those two things, then, you know, the work will come our way, because who doesn't want to work with amazing people who do great work? 00:13:16.149 --> 00:13:31.803 And so I think one of the when I think about be amazing to work with we we can break that down into a few different areas, but one of the things that we try to focus on is know when to give direction and when to take it, and I feel like your team understands that as well. 00:13:31.803 --> 00:13:50.432 They give us great direction in terms of articulating to us what the goals are for an initiative that we're working on for y'all, but when we have ideas or a perspective that we want to share, in response to that and collaborate on, hey, maybe there's a better way to do this. 00:13:50.432 --> 00:13:56.072 Your team is all ears and they're 100 percent willing to listen and to take that direction. 00:13:56.072 --> 00:14:02.013 So we've we've had nothing but joy in working with you guys for almost 10 years now. 00:14:03.160 --> 00:14:04.384 It's crazy, you know. 00:14:04.384 --> 00:14:05.849 Let me share this. 00:14:05.849 --> 00:14:17.793 You know, one of the things that I like to talk about when we talk about agriculture is I remember this time where these two young ladies this was really clever their school district. 00:14:17.793 --> 00:14:25.880 Every February 2nd, every Groundhog Day, they would send their seniors out to job shadow companies, which I thought was pretty clever. 00:14:25.880 --> 00:14:40.842 So these young ladies come to my office and they really shouldn't have been in my office, they should have been in the director of the Ag Teachers Association, because why they were there was they want to be ag teachers, agricultural science teachers and so I let them kind of watch what we do during the day. 00:14:40.842 --> 00:14:43.048 And I finally said do y'all have any questions? 00:14:43.048 --> 00:14:45.561 And they said yes, we do during the day. 00:14:45.561 --> 00:14:46.503 And I finally said do y'all have any questions? 00:14:46.503 --> 00:14:46.943 And they said yes, sir. 00:14:46.943 --> 00:14:49.009 They said we want to be great ag teachers one day. 00:14:49.129 --> 00:14:50.952 What does it take to be a great ag teacher? 00:14:50.952 --> 00:14:54.407 And I said well, it takes three things to be a great ag teacher. 00:14:54.407 --> 00:14:56.631 I said number one do your job. 00:14:56.631 --> 00:14:59.565 And I said you need to listen to what I'm telling you. 00:14:59.565 --> 00:15:06.688 Do your job If your boss says don't dot I's, don't cross T's and staple in the top right-hand corner. 00:15:06.688 --> 00:15:08.460 You better not dot cross and you better staple in the top right-hand corner. 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:09.846 You're going to be looking for another job. 00:15:09.846 --> 00:15:17.344 So number two have your own personal board of directors, get mentors, get people around you. 00:15:17.344 --> 00:15:18.207 That will make you better. 00:15:19.900 --> 00:15:22.629 And lastly, you got to think big. 00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:24.731 I said because if you can't think big, you can't teach big. 00:15:24.731 --> 00:15:25.346 If you can't think big, you got to think big. 00:15:25.346 --> 00:15:26.354 I said because if you can't think big, you can't teach big. 00:15:26.354 --> 00:15:28.291 If you can't think big, you can't inspire big. 00:15:28.291 --> 00:15:31.600 And if you can't think big, the kids in your care will never be big. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:33.947 And they said, well, what do you mean by that? 00:15:33.947 --> 00:15:34.990 And I said, well, can I show you? 00:15:34.990 --> 00:15:35.701 And they said, sure. 00:15:35.701 --> 00:15:43.852 So I took them on a route through downtown Austin and we walked several blocks and I took them to eat lunch at a sushi restaurant. 00:15:43.852 --> 00:15:46.421 I love sushi, so take them to the sushi. 00:15:46.421 --> 00:15:47.783 They'd never had sushi before. 00:15:47.783 --> 00:15:54.046 So I'm having fun watching them eat seaweed salad and squid salad and eating sushi, and it was great. 00:15:55.028 --> 00:16:01.268 We get back to the office and I asked them I said how many performing arts centers did we pass? 00:16:01.268 --> 00:16:02.991 And they start listing things. 00:16:02.991 --> 00:16:04.664 I said how many museums did we pass? 00:16:04.664 --> 00:16:05.629 They start listing things. 00:16:05.629 --> 00:16:06.613 How many musical venues did we pass? 00:16:06.613 --> 00:16:07.355 And they start listing things. 00:16:07.355 --> 00:16:08.259 I said how many museums did we pass? 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:11.648 They start listing things. 00:16:11.648 --> 00:16:13.275 How many musical venues did we pass? 00:16:13.275 --> 00:16:13.938 They start listing things. 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:19.321 I said now, how often are those places open? 00:16:19.321 --> 00:16:21.123 Well, mostly daily, some just on the weekend, but relatively all the time. 00:16:21.123 --> 00:16:22.705 I said now think about what y'all just said. 00:16:22.705 --> 00:16:26.610 All of the people that go to this all on a regular basis. 00:16:26.610 --> 00:16:32.442 How many of those same people make a trip to the Austin Livestock Show and Rodeo once a year? 00:16:34.025 --> 00:16:36.510 And they all looked at me and they said I don't know. 00:16:36.510 --> 00:16:39.544 And I said see where I'm going with this is. 00:16:39.544 --> 00:16:43.649 We sometimes shake our fist at the world and we say how come you don't understand this? 00:16:43.649 --> 00:16:44.414 How come you don't understand this? 00:16:44.414 --> 00:16:46.443 How come you don't understand agriculture? 00:16:46.443 --> 00:16:48.109 How come you don't understand FFA? 00:16:48.109 --> 00:16:48.831 And I'm sitting here going. 00:16:49.741 --> 00:16:52.549 We have a responsibility of taking our message to them. 00:16:52.549 --> 00:17:10.887 And the reason that we wanted to forge this relationship with Foreman is because y'all came from a background that wasn't just agriculture and we thought who better to help us tell our story than somebody who can translate our story in a way that helps other people really get it? 00:17:10.887 --> 00:17:36.709 Yeah, so I just want to give that background so that people understand how this relationship started, why it started, and you can kind of see the paralleling core values that drive Steve and his team are the same values that drive myself and our team and Team, ag Ed toward a message so we can tell people about this incredible story of ag science and FFA. 00:17:36.709 --> 00:17:45.284 Steve, have y'all enjoyed getting to learn more about ag science and FFA through all this experience? 00:17:45.970 --> 00:17:46.691 Oh, it's been amazing. 00:17:46.691 --> 00:17:49.375 I mean ag science and FFA. 00:17:49.375 --> 00:17:53.864 It was really a light bulb moment in early on in one of our first meetings. 00:17:53.864 --> 00:17:59.693 Like I mentioned earlier, I grew up in New Jersey, so South Jersey, so it is the Garden State. 00:17:59.773 --> 00:18:03.903 There is a lot of agriculture in New Jersey, but I wasn't exposed to it growing up. 00:18:03.903 --> 00:18:23.267 So learning the impact that an ag science education and all of the leadership development attributes of the FFA experience has on pointing young people in the trajectory of success and leadership was really was inspirational to me at the time. 00:18:23.267 --> 00:18:49.862 I had young kids and really saw the value in that, and so learning about the programs and you know, all of the different kind of areas of focus that an ag science student can go into that will have not only are necessary for the future of American society but will have a positive impact on the future of American society was. 00:18:49.862 --> 00:19:17.659 It's been really, really cool and I talk about it all the time with people you know when we're talking about the future and talking about concerns of food and environment and leadership and technology and technology as it applies to all these things, the FFA and the preparation that you guys are doing for our future leaders is always a part of conversation if I'm involved, because it's just something that I've grown to love. 00:19:19.041 --> 00:19:20.976 Thank you and we appreciate that. 00:19:20.976 --> 00:19:45.896 Again, that's the reason why I like working together is you become a conduit, you become an ambassador for us to an audience that we might always know how to speak that language, but you can help us translate that, because in the world of FFA and ag science, we can talk LDEs and CDEs and SREs and we got so many acronyms. 00:19:45.896 --> 00:19:47.276 We all know what they are. 00:19:47.276 --> 00:19:48.492 The rest of the world's going. 00:19:48.492 --> 00:19:49.939 What in the world did they just say? 00:19:49.939 --> 00:19:59.200 And that's why we've got to have the right people that can help us translate that so that it can be assimilated by an audience that we might not have reached yet. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:03.451 Yeah, that's the value that your teams bring into what we do have reached yet. 00:20:03.471 --> 00:20:04.653 Yeah, that's the value that your teams bring into what we do. 00:20:04.653 --> 00:20:18.012 Yeah, and the fact of the matter is that what you guys do legitimately has an impact on everybody, and so it's easy for someone like me who focuses on communication. 00:20:18.012 --> 00:20:31.679 It's easy to translate that story in a way that's meaningful to people, because they need food and you know they need high quality employees and they need, you know, responsible citizens who understand how the world works. 00:20:31.679 --> 00:20:39.230 And so the need is there for for, if you want to call it, the product that the FFA experience delivers, but it's really the people. 00:20:39.230 --> 00:20:45.824 But the need is there for the people and their output, and so it's really really easy to speak to. 00:20:46.770 --> 00:20:57.917 It's easiest for us to do our job when in selling things because, look, I mean, at the end of the day, our job at Four man Furnace is to help our clients sell, whether it's an idea or a product or a service. 00:20:57.917 --> 00:21:02.795 And it's easiest to sell something when somebody feels the need. 00:21:02.795 --> 00:21:10.364 And part of our job for other clients is to get them to feel the need right, Like manufacture a need or convince them that they have a need. 00:21:10.364 --> 00:21:20.664 That maybe isn't front of mind, but the needs that the FFA, that kids who come through the FFA program fill are felt by everybody. 00:21:20.664 --> 00:21:30.403 They're just front of mind for business owners and leaders and community and people who are concerned with where food comes from. 00:21:30.403 --> 00:21:39.123 And so it's easy for us to tell your story because the need is there and you guys do such a good job at scale of filling that need. 00:21:40.171 --> 00:21:45.972 That's awesome, thank you, you said something I'm going to piggyback on what you just said, cool. 00:21:45.972 --> 00:21:51.544 So one of the things I like to ask the kids is I say, tell me about your business. 00:21:51.544 --> 00:21:55.096 And the kids will look at me and they say, well, I don't have a business. 00:21:55.096 --> 00:21:57.211 I said, yeah, you do, you're it? 00:21:57.211 --> 00:22:00.076 What time do you open? 00:22:00.076 --> 00:22:02.881 What kind of customer service do you deliver? 00:22:02.881 --> 00:22:04.845 Are you articulate? 00:22:04.845 --> 00:22:05.711 Can you sell me? 00:22:05.751 --> 00:22:08.720 And you know one of our great sponsors, carlos Guerra. 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:14.339 He always says no show, no tell, no sell, and he's always talking about cattle. 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:18.881 And if you can't show the cattle and you can't tell me about your cattle, you'll never sell your cattle. 00:22:18.881 --> 00:22:23.076 Kids, you know they're our business, they're our future. 00:22:23.076 --> 00:22:24.801 You said it, they're our future. 00:22:26.550 --> 00:22:42.478 They also represent our brand and one of the things that I think I've seen organizations take very lightly, very lightly, is their brand and they don't put enough time and effort into creating what their brand is. 00:22:42.478 --> 00:22:47.702 And I've been fortunate through my career to sit through several of those. 00:22:47.702 --> 00:22:55.865 I got to sit through the development of CEV Multimedia and I got to watch CEV create its initial brand. 00:22:55.865 --> 00:22:59.032 I didn't watch that brand evolve into ICEV. 00:22:59.032 --> 00:23:08.972 I got to watch La Quinta go through their rebranding and their starburst and I'll never forget getting to watch that. 00:23:08.972 --> 00:23:15.031 I got to watch Mahindra Tractors when they did some rebranding of their messaging. 00:23:16.693 --> 00:23:18.817 But there's a lot that goes into brand. 00:23:18.817 --> 00:23:32.538 There's a lot that goes into a company's, an organization's brand and what I wanted to ask you is is how important and this goes back to the individual that's the reason why I'm bringing this up it goes back to you're your own business. 00:23:32.538 --> 00:23:33.421 You're your brand. 00:23:33.421 --> 00:23:37.173 Everybody that knows me on social media knows I'm the live your brand guy. 00:23:37.173 --> 00:23:38.335 Live your brand. 00:23:38.335 --> 00:23:43.002 What you post, what share, what you engage with, that's your brand. 00:23:43.002 --> 00:23:58.893 Steve, as a marketing professional, how important is a brand and what thought process goes into creating the creative of a logo of a brand? 00:23:58.893 --> 00:24:06.432 So how important is the brand and how important is it to put that into an image like the Nike Swish or the Texas FFA Foundation? 00:24:06.432 --> 00:24:07.193 Give me an idea. 00:24:07.955 --> 00:24:28.084 Yeah, I always say the kind of analogy I use to disambiguate even what is a brand, because that word means different things to different people and I always what I tell clients who come to us for branding is your marketing is like asking someone out on a date and your brand is why they say yes. 00:24:28.084 --> 00:24:54.907 So your brand essentially what your brand is about it and develop your brand to communicate to the market what you're about and communicate to the market what they should believe about you. 00:24:54.907 --> 00:25:00.742 I think so many companies leave it to the market to define what their brand is. 00:25:00.742 --> 00:25:14.029 They'll just create a great product, offer a great service and kind of let the chips fall where they may when it comes to the brand, which could be great if you have a great product or a great service and then you're defined by that. 00:25:14.029 --> 00:25:24.163 But it's hard to get people to trust handing their money over for what you offer without a brand. 00:25:24.163 --> 00:25:30.682 Like I said, your marketing is asking someone out for a date and the brand is the reason they would say yes or say no. 00:25:30.682 --> 00:25:42.700 So the importance of a brand I don't think can be overstated, because it is the promise, it's how you communicate your unique value to the market. 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:59.211 If it's done well. 00:25:59.211 --> 00:26:02.049 You can very quickly and succinctly educate your highest value customers about what you offer and why they should want it in 15 seconds. 00:26:02.130 --> 00:26:03.336 To me, a brand is more than a logo. 00:26:03.336 --> 00:26:04.201 A logo is just a very. 00:26:04.201 --> 00:26:08.015 It's an important but small part of a branding project that we do. 00:26:08.015 --> 00:26:11.803 Your brand is understanding who your consumers are. 00:26:11.803 --> 00:26:18.423 It's understanding what their goals are as it pertains to your product offering or service offering. 00:26:18.423 --> 00:26:29.045 It's understanding the needs that they have, both kind of felt needs, their higher order needs that maybe they can articulate as well. 00:26:29.045 --> 00:26:51.561 It's creating a messaging platform that includes the hierarchy of how you talk about what you do, includes the tone of voice or the copy style in which you communicate, the voice, the tone of voice or the copy style in which you communicate, and then it also includes your logo and color palette and fonts and other visual assets. 00:26:51.561 --> 00:27:05.051 I think what a lot of people think of when they think of a brand is the logo, and a lot of people go to the Apple logo or the Nike logo or some of these iconic logos that are so great because they're so simple and they're so easily recognizable. 00:27:06.535 --> 00:27:15.559 But one of the litmus tests I always give our designers when we're creating a piece for a client is if you cover up the logo, can you still tell that it's for that client? 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:17.811 So you mentioned La Quinta. 00:27:17.811 --> 00:27:19.959 La Quinta was one of our clients for a long time. 00:27:19.959 --> 00:27:37.519 It's actually, I think, how we connected was La Quinta was a supporter of the Texas FFA and we were doing work for La Quinta, and so that's how kind of we we found ourselves in the same sphere of influence and so when we were creating assets for La Quinta, we'd cover up the La Quinta logo. 00:27:37.941 --> 00:27:41.996 And can you still tell that that advertisement is for La Quinta if you cover up the logo? 00:27:41.996 --> 00:28:00.070 If not, then it's not a well-branded piece, because the colors and the fonts and the photography and the tone, the headline, how it reads, the emotions that it's conveying, all are part of the brand, and so branding is incredibly important. 00:28:00.070 --> 00:28:02.794 I mean, just get back to the simple question that you were asking. 00:28:02.794 --> 00:28:04.355 Branding is incredibly important. 00:28:04.355 --> 00:28:05.676 I mean, just get back to the simple question that you were asking. 00:28:05.676 --> 00:28:14.126 Branding is incredibly important because if you do it well and if you do it strategically, you're not leaving your brand up for the market to decide what it is. 00:28:16.090 --> 00:28:17.994 That right there, steve, what you just shared. 00:28:17.994 --> 00:28:28.019 For a lot of our kids right, for a lot of the young people that listen to this, for them, the most prominent place of their brand right now is on social media, yep. 00:28:28.019 --> 00:28:33.096 And so what I tell them is is that, you know, consistency creates credibility. 00:28:33.096 --> 00:28:40.557 So, first thing is, in my world, what I like to say is you know, make sure your profile picture is consistent. 00:28:40.557 --> 00:28:46.872 That way I know I'm talking to the right person, because if it looks different, I'm always questioning is this the same person or I'm not really sure? 00:28:46.872 --> 00:28:49.800 You're making me guess at stuff and I don't want to guess, I want to know. 00:28:49.800 --> 00:28:55.823 And then, secondly, what you like, share, comment on all of the things that you engage with. 00:28:55.823 --> 00:28:58.271 That becomes part of your brand, like you said. 00:28:58.731 --> 00:29:06.297 So when I take your image away, I could see a comment and I could go oh, I know, that's Steve, it's talking about cars and really cool stuff. 00:29:06.297 --> 00:29:21.787 But you know, I think you're on to something there and I hope people heard that that consistency creates credibility and you want to create a brand that's known for its consistency, and that consistency is the tone. 00:29:21.787 --> 00:29:27.290 It's what we see. 00:29:27.290 --> 00:29:30.961 If I hear somebody giving me a speech about things that's inconsistent with what they're posting on social media. 00:29:30.961 --> 00:29:34.718 It's going to be harder for me to reconcile those two. 00:29:34.718 --> 00:29:47.979 So I think there's a lot of genius in what you just shared, and I hope people really take a moment and drill down and listen to that, because that was really good advice that you just shared yeah, I think your, your audience too, they would. 00:29:48.319 --> 00:30:04.463 you know there are exercises you could go through to to show how what you're saying lack of consistency, or when a brand is, uh, applied consistently, you can spot inconsistencies. 00:30:04.463 --> 00:30:05.816 They stick out like a sore thumb. 00:30:05.816 --> 00:30:34.176 So if somebody were to see a fake Nike ad that had the Nike logo on it but very clearly had the wrong messaging, even though it has the Nike logo on it because that brand is so well applied, they could spot a fake from a mile away and they wouldn't trust it because they feel like that's not on the brand. 00:30:34.176 --> 00:30:38.480 Somebody just slapped a Nike logo on a fake ad or whatever. 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:51.542 So you're absolutely right, it's that it's trusted brands that are are consistently kind of stewarded through through all of the communications, in all of the different channels in which they, in which they appear. 00:30:54.286 --> 00:30:56.586 Wow, Zig Ziglar. 00:30:56.586 --> 00:31:10.436 You know I love Zig quotes, I'm a big Zig fan and Zig and Tom Ziglar have said that if they know you they'll listen to you, but if they trust you they'll do business with you. 00:31:10.436 --> 00:31:14.098 And I believe that you build that trust through consistency. 00:31:14.098 --> 00:31:18.642 I believe you build that trust through relationship, through consistency. 00:31:18.642 --> 00:31:28.924 I believe you build that trust through relationship and I think that you know, like you said, we either take charge of our brand or we leave it up to somebody else to determine what our brand is, and we may not like how they interpret our brand. 00:31:30.346 --> 00:31:30.567 Yep. 00:31:30.567 --> 00:31:32.633 Well, and how are they going to do it, too? 00:31:32.633 --> 00:31:33.675 You have to think to yourself. 00:31:33.675 --> 00:31:37.865 They're going to do it by how you most consistently represent yourself. 00:31:37.865 --> 00:31:42.244 Think to yourself, they're going to do it by how you most consistently represent yourself. 00:31:42.244 --> 00:31:47.450 So you are branding, whether you're doing it on purpose or not. 00:31:47.450 --> 00:32:06.792 We're all in the business of creating a brand, and if we're leaving it up to others to define or to articulate what the brand is, what they're going to do is look for how do you consistently treat others, how do you consistently show up, how do you consistently dress, how do you consistently speak, and that's going to be what your brand is. 00:32:06.792 --> 00:32:19.732 So, yeah, I mean, the idea of being consistent in the things that are important to your brand is really really important for individuals as well as for corporations and companies. 00:32:20.565 --> 00:32:22.730 Absolutely, and that's kind of where I was. 00:32:22.730 --> 00:32:33.288 This is why I wanted you on the show right here, because you're a professional in marketing, you're a professional in creative development and you're you're helping us understand as individuals. 00:32:33.288 --> 00:32:36.328 You know, it's like I tell the high school kids. 00:32:36.328 --> 00:32:47.994 If we could get to every eighth grader and tell every eighth grader do me a favor for the next four years, find something that you're passionate about and talk about those for three. 00:32:47.994 --> 00:32:50.056 Three things for four years. 00:32:50.056 --> 00:32:51.557 Just talk about those things. 00:32:51.557 --> 00:32:57.038 Let that be your brand, and then, when you get to college, I want you to do the same thing for the next four years. 00:32:57.038 --> 00:33:00.740 Find three things that you're really passionate, interested in, talk about those. 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:20.746 I guarantee you, when you get ready to graduate from college, you won't have to look for a job, because your brand will be so well known and so consistent that somebody will say that's who I want working here, because that's how they're going to promote my brand, going to promote my brand. 00:33:20.746 --> 00:33:28.148 So that's why I say that consistency and understanding that is so important to both a person, an organization or even our companies and we work with some great brands, by the way. 00:33:28.148 --> 00:33:31.623 We work with some great brands and we enjoy getting to work with them. 00:33:31.623 --> 00:33:46.238 I remember when we got the gift from Ford Motor Company to build our building in Austin Texas we got the gift from Ford Motor Company to build our building in Austin Texas there was a book, probably this thick, just on the branding of the oval, on the building of what we could and we couldn't do. 00:33:46.238 --> 00:33:52.394 So that's how serious brands are, that's how much those brands are worth. 00:33:52.394 --> 00:34:00.394 And, to your point, steve, what's more valuable than your own personal brand? 00:34:00.394 --> 00:34:15.900 Yeah, so these tools, these suggestions, these ideas that Steve and we're sharing through the show, those are those seeds that you can plant that will grow a strong brand. 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:19.927 They'll grow a brand that can open a lot of doors of opportunity. 00:34:20.989 --> 00:34:22.592 Let's talk about leadership for a minute. 00:34:22.592 --> 00:34:26.547 Sure, because you're a leader, I would say. 00:34:26.547 --> 00:34:27.989 You've been around leaders. 00:34:27.989 --> 00:34:33.369 You've traveled the country, You've been exposed to a lot of different types of leaders. 00:34:33.369 --> 00:34:35.836 You've been in business meetings with leaders. 00:34:35.836 --> 00:34:45.838 If, in your experience, you could condense some of that down and tell young people here are three leadership tips what would you tell them? 00:34:45.838 --> 00:34:50.036 What would be three tips on leadership you would share with FFA members? 00:34:51.521 --> 00:34:53.206 The first tip would just be to listen. 00:34:53.646 --> 00:35:10.217 I think good leaders listen, and that's not to say that they let the voice of other people necessarily influence the decisions that they make, but they listen to you mentioned it earlier, aaron mentors or your personal board of directors. 00:35:10.217 --> 00:35:15.536 They listen to their employees, people who have their finger on the pulse of the day-to-day. 00:35:15.536 --> 00:35:17.652 And they listen to the market. 00:35:17.652 --> 00:35:33.152 They understand what's going on in their industry, what the future may hold, you know, staying relevant, whether it's through continuous learning opportunities or podcasts like this one or other types of industry voices that they're paying attention to. 00:35:33.152 --> 00:35:45.976 So I think listening is a really the first thing that jumps to my mind, and partially because I've seen it modeled and partially because a lot of the less than stellar leaders that I've observed. 00:35:45.976 --> 00:35:48.860 One of the first things I've noticed is they don't listen. 00:35:48.860 --> 00:35:51.070 Nobody can say anything to them. 00:35:51.070 --> 00:35:57.137 They get defensive or they bristle when somebody does something they don't like. 00:35:57.137 --> 00:36:03.173 Get defensive or they bristle when somebody does something they don't like, so they don't genuinely have an open mind or an open ear to differing opinions. 00:36:03.173 --> 00:36:08.936 So good leaders listen, I think also, good leaders have a vision for the future. 00:36:08.936 --> 00:36:12.809 They see a direction and they're willing to take steps in that direction. 00:36:12.809 --> 00:36:24.117 I liken this to kind of something that I learned when we had our first child was this idea of a flexible routine, and I think good leaders have a version of that flexible routine. 00:36:24.117 --> 00:36:29.737 So the flexible routine that we learned with children is, like you know, there's a general model when you have a newborn infant. 00:36:29.737 --> 00:36:36.313 It's sleep, play, eat, sleep, play, eat, and it kind of is on repeat for the first nine months or so. 00:36:36.313 --> 00:36:38.686 But you need to be flexible with that. 00:36:38.686 --> 00:36:51.550 Right, there's a pattern, but you can break the pattern a little bit and still be fine, and it's good because it keeps you sane, but it also keeps the child kind of in the zone of having their needs met in the way they need to be met. 00:36:51.550 --> 00:37:16.960 And so I think in business it's very similar to have that flexible path forward, the vision for the future that can be influenced by market dynamics, it can be influenced by technological innovations, but you know you've got a direction because you can articulate it to your team and they can rally around it, which builds the camaraderie and builds the environment in which people can succeed and know what's expected of them. 00:37:18.385 --> 00:37:44.860 And then the third part is probably accountability, I think being accountable to your mentors, being accountable to your own moral code or promises that you've made or commitments that you've made, and being accountable to the team that you're leading, because, at the end of the day, your job as a leader is to make your team successful. 00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:47.690 It's not their job to make you a success. 00:37:47.690 --> 00:37:56.719 It's your job to make them a success, and so you need to be able to say hey guys, I'm sorry, I messed up, I made the wrong call here. 00:37:56.719 --> 00:38:00.807 Hey guys, I'm sorry, I messed up, I made the wrong call here. 00:38:00.807 --> 00:38:04.838 Or I know I said I was going to do this and I fell short, and that's on me because I either over-promised or I under-delivered. 00:38:04.838 --> 00:38:18.436 So I think accountability is also incredibly important for a leader, and there's probably more attributes of leadership that we can talk about, but those are the three that really come to mind right now those are strong, by the way. 00:38:19.829 --> 00:38:26.347 And what's interesting is you bring guests on and you ask them that question and you start finding these common denominators. 00:38:26.347 --> 00:38:33.329 Yeah, and you know one of the ones that you said is they say listen, and they don't mean just with your ears, they mean with your eyes too. 00:38:33.329 --> 00:38:38.860 Pay attention, because you never know what trend you may spot ahead of somebody else. 00:38:41.288 --> 00:38:42.389 And, like you said, vision. 00:38:42.389 --> 00:38:47.820 I tell people all the time the one thing I've learned about leaders that I've worked with is they're visionaries. 00:38:47.820 --> 00:39:04.536 And if you can't communicate things where they can see themselves as the hero of the story, if you can't communicate things where they can see how they can be part of the solution or be part of a positive outcome, it's hard for them to unpack it and understand. 00:39:04.536 --> 00:39:07.148 Why am I here, why do you need me involved? 00:39:07.148 --> 00:39:13.327 But if you can show them that vision and help them understand it, they want to be part of it. 00:39:13.327 --> 00:39:20.704 Now, I believe it's biblical, by the way, as a matter of fact, of it. 00:39:20.724 --> 00:39:27.266 Now, I believe it's biblical, by the way, as a matter of fact, in 1985, when I ran for state FFA president, I took the stage with the quote the Bible says where there is no vision, the people will perish. 00:39:27.266 --> 00:39:32.280 I'm Aaron Alejandro with a vision for the Texas FFA, and that was in 1985. 00:39:32.280 --> 00:39:40.235 And here we are today and we're still trying to create visions, we're still trying to find opportunities for the people that are going to follow in our footsteps. 00:39:40.235 --> 00:39:42.753 And then, lastly, I love it, accountability. 00:39:42.753 --> 00:39:46.554 You know there are some people that you know you got onto me. 00:39:46.554 --> 00:39:50.159 Well, I got onto you because I care about you. 00:39:50.844 --> 00:40:01.275 Exactly, I got onto you because I want you to have responsibility, and when I give you responsibility, I need you to know I need to hold you accountable for that, just like I hold myself accountable for that. 00:40:01.275 --> 00:40:03.666 So that's excellent, steve. 00:40:03.666 --> 00:40:05.911 I wrote them down. 00:40:05.911 --> 00:40:09.579 Listen, vision and accountability Good stuff, thank you. 00:40:09.579 --> 00:40:16.157 Well, listen, you know time flies when you're having fun, and here we are. 00:40:16.157 --> 00:40:22.050 We've just about wrapped up the time that we have set aside for another episode of Growing Our Future. 00:40:22.050 --> 00:40:33.090 We appreciate you taking time, steve, to come by and share with us, but you don't get out of here without the fun question, and everybody on the podcast gets a fun question. 00:40:33.090 --> 00:40:35.414 So here's your fun questionve. 00:40:35.414 --> 00:40:39.099 Tell me what is the best concert you've ever been to? 00:40:39.907 --> 00:40:41.471 oh, gosh uh, best concert. 00:40:41.471 --> 00:40:42.715 I've ever been to. 00:40:42.715 --> 00:40:45.682 The most memorable concert. 00:40:45.682 --> 00:40:48.590 I think it was because I was younger and a little bit more impressionable. 00:40:48.590 --> 00:40:54.465 Early in college I went and saw no doubt at the electric factory in philadelphia. 00:40:54.465 --> 00:41:00.110 I was living in southern New Jersey at the time, so it was only a 40-minute drive, but this was before they were big. 00:41:00.110 --> 00:41:04.514 So this was a small venue, standing room only, and it was crazy. 00:41:04.514 --> 00:41:07.938 It was, I mean, like nothing I've ever been to before. 00:41:07.938 --> 00:41:09.480 It was insane. 00:41:09.480 --> 00:41:11.461 It was like a crazy party. 00:41:11.461 --> 00:41:14.454 That was the concert I've been to. 00:41:14.454 --> 00:41:20.429 It maybe not have been the best musically, but, from just making memories, I went there with my cousin and some friends. 00:41:20.429 --> 00:41:21.472 It was a good time. 00:41:22.293 --> 00:41:22.934 Isn't that great. 00:41:22.934 --> 00:41:24.679 I love it. 00:41:24.679 --> 00:41:42.389 I love asking guests that question because when you look at the spectrum of guests young, old, male, female, different backgrounds, different experiences it's fun to hear what music we like, to hear the experiences that we've had. 00:41:42.389 --> 00:41:46.237 And you know, I think sometimes we overcomplicate things. 00:41:46.237 --> 00:41:51.416 I tell people all the time people don't change, they never have. 00:41:51.416 --> 00:41:55.728 You can read the Bible and you'll find pessimists and optimists. 00:41:55.728 --> 00:41:57.931 You know, you'll find sinners and saints. 00:41:57.931 --> 00:41:58.592 And guess what? 00:41:58.592 --> 00:42:00.815 Fast forward to 2024 and guess what? 00:42:00.815 --> 00:42:03.807 You find Pessimists and optimists, sinners and saints. 00:42:03.807 --> 00:42:04.851 People don't change. 00:42:04.891 --> 00:42:08.806 I think individuals can change, but I don't think people change. 00:42:08.806 --> 00:42:24.800 And I think sometimes we look so hard for that silver bullet when really the same thing that motivates, inspires you, is the same thing that motivates, inspires me, yep, the good song, the good movie, good book, and I, you know, family, friends, incentive. 00:42:24.800 --> 00:42:28.094 And I find the same thing works with my kids, yep. 00:42:28.094 --> 00:42:33.510 So I think a lot of times we we get so caught up in looking for the magic bullet but it's really not there. 00:42:33.510 --> 00:42:35.391 Sometimes it's in the simplest things. 00:42:35.391 --> 00:42:37.251 Yeah, off there. 00:42:37.251 --> 00:42:38.494 Sometimes it's in the simplest things. 00:42:38.494 --> 00:42:45.135 Let me tell you about the no Doubt concert I dated myself a little bit there, I think I know who no Doubt is. 00:42:46.056 --> 00:42:46.498 Okay, good. 00:42:48.505 --> 00:42:51.632 Anyway, steve, thanks so much for coming by and sharing. 00:42:51.632 --> 00:42:53.418 Thanks so much for the work that you do. 00:42:53.418 --> 00:43:04.038 If y'all are not familiar with Four man Furnace, I'm going to put the link in the comments, but if you want to see some of their work, go to the mytexasffaorg website. 00:43:04.038 --> 00:43:11.012 Go to mytexasffaorg, click on our stories and watch four videos. 00:43:11.012 --> 00:43:13.657 These are award-winning videos. 00:43:13.657 --> 00:43:16.588 Go, check these videos out. 00:43:16.588 --> 00:43:29.094 They were written, helped, directed by Steve, his team and some other collaborators, but they are outstanding and they have an incredible evergreen shelf life to them because of the way that y'all designed them. 00:43:29.094 --> 00:43:32.650 So we appreciate that and you'll just see some of the incredible work. 00:43:32.650 --> 00:43:40.297 And then, when you get to Foreman's website, you're going to see some of their incredible work, not just with the Texas FFA but with other clients. 00:43:41.505 --> 00:43:43.050 Steve, thanks again for joining us. 00:43:43.050 --> 00:43:44.255 Thank you, aaron. 00:43:44.255 --> 00:43:47.153 For everybody else, thank you for stopping by. 00:43:47.153 --> 00:43:50.373 You know time is the only thing we get to spend. 00:43:50.373 --> 00:43:53.050 We can't save it, we just get to spend it. 00:43:53.050 --> 00:43:53.632 And guess what? 00:43:53.632 --> 00:43:57.293 You spent a little of your time with us and we want you to know that. 00:43:57.293 --> 00:43:58.315 We appreciate that. 00:43:58.315 --> 00:44:09.911 We appreciate again the platform where we get to share guests like Steve and their insights with all of the incredible audience that we have and we appreciate you Again. 00:44:09.911 --> 00:44:13.597 Like we say in agriculture, if you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:44:13.597 --> 00:44:16.170 That means you've got to plant seeds. 00:44:16.170 --> 00:44:17.896 You've got to put them in place in your life. 00:44:17.896 --> 00:44:23.547 As Steve said, they're part of your brand. 00:44:23.547 --> 00:44:25.371 Make sure you're planting the good stuff so you can harvest the good stuff. 00:44:25.371 --> 00:44:29.067 And until our paths cross again, everybody go out and do something great for somebody. 00:44:29.067 --> 00:44:38.036 You'll feel good about it and guess what, along the way, you just might make our communities a better place to live, work and raise our families. 00:44:38.036 --> 00:44:40.452 Until we meet again, everybody be safe. 00:44:45.326 --> 00:44:48.896 We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:44:48.896 --> 00:45:03.175 This show is sponsored by the Texas FFA Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen agricultural science education so students can develop their potential for personal growth, career success and leadership in a global marketplace. 00:45:03.175 --> 00:45:05.510 Learn more at mytexasffaorg.