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Growing Our Future
Growing Our Future
Great History to Greater Opportunities
On this episode of Growing Our Future, host Aaron Alejandro welcomes Lorie Vincent, Founder & President of ACCELERATION by Design LLC. Lorie shares her inspiring journey from the Texas Panhandle to national leadership, her mission to empower rural communities, and why gratitude, collaboration, and bold vision are essential to growth.
🎥 In the video, Lorie shares her journey from growing up in the Texas Panhandle to leading efforts that empower rural communities nationwide.
💡 What you’ll learn:
- Why gratitude is the foundation for building strong communities
- How listening and collaboration spark real change
- Why honoring heritage and thinking boldly can shape a thriving future
Her story is proof that when we plant seeds of greatness in our lives and communities, the harvest can impact generations.
Learn more at MyTexasFFA.org
Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 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. Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro.
Speaker 2:Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast, I'm going to start off by just saying thank you. Thank you because you know time, we can't save it. You know we can't put it in an investment account. The only thing we can do is spend it. So, the fact that you're willing to spend a little time with us I just want to say thank you and the fact that we're able to use this kind of technology to bring people together to share ideas, experiences, insights together to share ideas, experiences, insights I don't know. It goes back to what I always say If agriculture has taught me anything, it's taught me if you want to know what the future is grow it Well how?
Speaker 2:do we grow it? We got to have seeds, we got to plant them, we got to take care of them, we got to nurture them, grow them, then we got to harvest them and we got to share them. That's what this podcast is about. It's the fact that we bring on incredible guests that share their insights, their experience. They share seeds of greatness that we get to plant in our lives and maybe grow something better for ourselves, our communities, our organization, and today is no exception. I met this lady recently and it's amazing how many people we know. The connections just blew us both away that our paths had never crossed before. But it's an honor to have Lori Vinson on here. Lori is a certified economic development professional, she's a speaker, she's an author and most recently, she put together she's going to tell you all about it the Stand Up Rural America Summit, which was phenomenal. But, ladies and gentlemen, lori, vincent, lori, thank you for being with us this morning.
Speaker 3:I'm so excited to be here today, so excited, thank you.
Speaker 2:Well, we appreciate you taking a little time out of your schedule, lori. So every guest, every guest that comes on this podcast, we start with the same question, and that is what are you grateful for today?
Speaker 3:That's a hard one, because I wake up grateful every day. That is part of my routine as well, aaron, so it's another thing that we have in common is to recognize those things that we're so blessed with and grateful for. But I will say that yesterday I had the opportunity to be in a client community all day long Liberty Hill, texas, which was a rural community at one time, obviously outside of Austin, but Austin is growing, the people are growing to it, and having conversations with them all day long about how much they love their community and want to maintain the heritage and the pride and the history of their community, while all of this growth is taking place at the same time. So I was so thankful to be with them. I'll be in Gonzales this afternoon, in another community that is experiencing growth and opportunities, but they're clinging, you know, and we want to make sure that they are able to cling to their heritage and their pride and their history. And I'm a big believer that you can honor your history and build for the future at the same time.
Speaker 3:And so for me to have been it's been a very busy summer, but to be in that community yesterday and another community this afternoon and back in the panhandle tomorrow for a long weekend. I'm so grateful, just grateful, for all of these communities and these people that love their community so much that they're willing to volunteer their time to figure out. How do we make it better, how do we love it and how do we make it better for our do we? How do we love it and how do we make it better for our kids and our grandkids? How do we keep it going? How do we keep the train on the track? So I'm very grateful for that, super grateful for that.
Speaker 2:All right, we could. We could probably just stop right there. That was so good, the the thing that I appreciate. Uh, by the way, I agree with everything you just said. And Lori, if y'all, if you're watching this and you're listening to it, you can hear her smile. He's coming through the radio hearing it over the speakers. You can hear her sense of gratitude, her passion for what she does. When you have that attitude of gratitude, you have an energy, you have a little want to. When you're proud of something, you want to share it, so you want to share that with others and I appreciate you sharing that because I agree with. That's the reason why we start this podcast, because I want people to know this is how you build a day, this is how you build a week, or maybe a month or a year, or maybe it becomes the culture of a community. So that's what we're going to talk about today.
Speaker 2:So I met Lori and and learned a little bit about what she does and has accomplished in her career. And we were at the Stand Up Rule America Summit and I found it so empowering, so engaging, so equipping that I went there just to be a presenter, but I came away the whole week later going, I picked up this and this and this and this. So this was her brainchild. So, lori, I know you did not just fall into that chair. You're sitting in right there. Something tells me, there is a story, a life journey, something that led you to where you are right now and why you have this passion to help communities rural communities grow and thrive and have something to pass on for generations, an incredible legacy. Take us on that journey, tell us about that, where you came from, how you started, why this is such a passion of yours.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I have had quite a journey and, with detours along the way, some amazing, amazing opportunities and roadblocks that we had to figure out. I think that's just life for all of us, but, as I just experienced a pretty big birthday not too long ago, I have done a lot of reflecting lately about where I started and how I got to here, and so happy to share that story. I am a product of the Texas Panhandle and very, very proud of that. I grew up in Dalhart, texas, and to me as a child, not really knowing what happens to keep a community going, I was the benefactor of just a great rural community. It was a farming community that was our economic base. My dad was an entrepreneur, my mom had three brothers, she was a stay-at-home mom, and it felt like Mayberry to me. We were probably somewhat sheltered and protected from the big wide world, but it did give us a chance to grow in a community that had values, had heritage, we had the whole pioneer spirit from the XIT Ranch, and I had a wonderful childhood. I like most children, though, and my parents had a lot to do with it I knew that it was a big world out there, and I couldn't wait to experience what was going to happen next outside of Dalhart, texas, and we traveled a little bit.
Speaker 3:When I was young we had a big family and my dad was super busy, so we made our little treks to Colorado and to the surrounding states. You know our road trips and our little vacations that that had. That was my experience until I got in high school and began to be able to experience camps and FFA trips and talk shows, and so high school was a big eye opener for me. That um and I began to look at where I was going to go to college. And um, so I made. I actually went to college in Kerrville, texas, shriner University. Uh, loved, love, love, love my time there.
Speaker 3:Uh, found myself working, uh, after that in San Antonio. So I was an accountant by trade and moved to the city and I was ready to embrace everything that it had to offer. But, boy, howdy San Antonio very different from Dalhart Texas. And so I had made these incremental moves from Dalhart to Kerrville, which was just a little bit bigger but still rural, and then to San Antonio. And then, to add icing to that, I worked for. Following, I worked for some CPA firms and then I went to work for a client of our CPA firm. It was a company based out of Mexico. It was a company based out of Mexico. So I began to also work in Mexico and San Antonio, going back and forth month here, month there, two months here, two months there An amazing development property development company.
Speaker 3:And so at a very young age I got a very big dose of the world and what it was like outside of rural America. It was a wonderful time for me. I learned a lot. I actually met my husband, who was also from the Panhandle, in San Antonio, while I lived in San Antonio. So I was never going to. You know, for a kid who was probably thought I was never going to go back. I just thought, okay, well, the world is open to me now and I had all these great values to take with me. I felt pretty good about it. But never say never, because I found myself back in the Texas panhandle, married to a guy we eloped. I didn't even hardly know him and I go okay, well, here I am back in and I didn't. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, you know I I felt like I was deviating from my plan.
Speaker 3:But I landed in Stratford, texas, which embraced me and I embraced it and it felt like home to me. I began to go. Well, all those feelings that I grew up with came back. The neighbors, the school, the churches, the caring, the whole it all just came flooding back. And so I was so happy and proud to be there, to raise our daughter there and have an opportunity to start my economic development career there. So they started their economic development program when just I mean timing. It could not have been more. You know, it was coincidence that I moved there and they started their economic development program almost at the same time and I accepted the position. I didn't know what I was doing, they didn't know what they were doing. We learned together, but that was the beginning of a career that just grabbed my heart. I could not believe that there was a profession where you get to. It was a privilege to get up every day and go. How can I make my community better? You mean, you're going to pay me for this. To get up every day and figure out how to make this community better Sounds a whole lot easier than it really is in real life, but what an opportunity.
Speaker 3:During that time I also went back and went to school at West Texas A&M, so I'm an alumni of West Texas A&M too, and that was when I really truly began to understand the value of the network was my time at WT, the people that I met there and then the people that I began to meet in my very fresh, spanking new economic development career. I had the pleasure of doing that for seven years, and then I went to work for our regional economic development group, which at that time had been administered by Southwestern Public Service, and they worked for I think they covered 26 counties maybe the panhandle, the 26 counties and it was a regional economic development group. I was a member of it, and then they came to us and said we're merging the economic development department out where the new company is. And this group that I was a part of said no wait, we want to keep doing what we're doing, and so we had to restructure. They hired their first developer, which was me, and their first executive director, and we expanded to 54 counties and took in the South Plains area so that we could make it work, and then we had one more expansion to 69 counties. So it was amazing and it became my baby.
Speaker 3:I began to work for that whole region, marketing that region all over the world. We traveled all over the world talking about how important the products and the services that we offered in a region that nobody talked about, nobody thought about. When people think of Texas, they weren't thinking of the West Texas or the panhandle of Texas. They were thinking of Dallas, fort Worth, houston, austin, san Antonio. We were the part of Texas that just never got to sit at the in the front seat, and so we said well, we'll create our own.
Speaker 3:And so I am so proud that Southwestern Public Service administered that organization for 10 years before I took it over. Then I had it for 17 years and then they've had two executive directors since then that have continued to move that train forward and so for well over. You met some of them at the summit, but for over 35 years now that organization has worked every day for every city in that region, for jobs, opportunities, services, marketing, legislative policy. You know it's an amazing organization and, as I've said many, many times, it was my honor and privilege to work for them. It was successful not because of me or the other two directors that we've had. Southwestern Public Service and the two COGs in the region get the credit for starting it, absolutely all the credit for starting the organization.
Speaker 3:It still exists because it exists for the right reasons, in the right place at the right time, and so it doesn't matter who is running the organization. The culture, the attitude, the program, the structure, the resources, everything is set up so in such a strong way that it's people will come and go, but it will exist because it exists for the right reasons. So then I was swiped away and came down and ran the state program for a couple of years, but during that time, I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I loved working for all the cities in Texas, but my heart was still with rural America. I kept thinking these cities don't need me, they don't need my voice. They have amazing practitioners, amazing professionals, amazing practitioners, amazing professionals. My heart was still with the small towns that just needed encouragement and inspiration and tools, and so I knew at some point I would start my own firm, and I did.
Speaker 3:Finally, I jumped into the deep end with no floaties and in 2018, I opened an economic development consulting firm. I have amazing clients, I have state clients, I have a lot of urban clients, but my heart is still with rural America, and the Stand Up Rural America Summit is just one product of my company, which is called Acceleration by Design, where I do a lot of consulting and a lot of training of young, young or old economic development professionals, people new to the industry. I do a lot of action plans, strategic plans for communities and cities of all sizes, but the Stand Up Rural America Summit that's my baby, that is, that is my gift back to rural America is to be able to bring people together and provide amazing speakers that most of these small towns would never be able to afford to bring into their communities or have the opportunity to not just hear one or two or three, three. But I'm like, if you will give me a couple of days, I will fill up your tank and send you back to your community, knowing how loved you are and how, what a noble profession it is and that what the work that you are doing is important. Oh, and here's some tools that you can take back with you as well.
Speaker 3:So I'm lucky that my company is successful enough that it can fund my passion project and because I'm in the twilight of my career and so I think a lot about what can I build now that will keep on going far beyond me, and I'm excited that a lot of people are taking it back and they're starting to do this in their states or in their regions. They're saying we're going to get our people together and we're going to bring in these speakers. That's great. That's not competition, that is just making the pie bigger and making the spotlight bigger and and it just shows America how important that 80% of our country is to this the economic prosperity for everybody, for the whole country. So that's how I got here today I it has been a winding road and I have made a lot of mistakes. I have learned a lot.
Speaker 2:It has not always been easy, but it's been worth it, everything I've done that brought me here today. We could probably sit here and, just based just on what you just said, we could probably talk for hours of just the changes that you've seen over your career, the communication technologies that allow us now to amplify the voice of a community, to amplify that culture. I want to jump back real quick because you said something. I knew what it was, but I always want to make sure people understand. When you use the word COGS, would you tell everybody what a COG is?
Speaker 3:I'm sorry, we're really bad about throwing out acronyms. So the COGS are councils of governments and they are agencies. They have them all over the country. They're called different things in different states. In Texas they're called councils of governments and if I'm not mistaken there's probably 26, 26, 30. Anyway, the state is broken up into regions and each region is represented by what we call a COG, a council of governments, what we call a COG a Council of Governments, and there is one in Amarillo, there's one in Lubbock, there's one in Odessa, Midland, one in San Angelo, one in Abilene, you know. So they are usually located in a more metro area, but they cover a region X number of counties around them, and what happens is then the federal government funnels funds to the state, who then funnels funds for programs through the councils of governments, and so they handle CDBG funds, which is another acronym that the city did.
Speaker 3:Yes, so that's distributed to the cities. A lot of the funds for emergency management, for elder care, for a lot of work related programs, skills development programs, that sort of thing are funneled through the councils of governments.
Speaker 2:I wanted to bring that up because Very important to the picture is I appreciate Lori saying that, because I'm fixing to unpack a lot of what Lori just said, but the reason I wanted to just highlight that is there are these 24 cogs in Texas. But if you listen to what Lori just said, you may find that there's a there's a job opportunity there, a career opportunity there that allows you to give back to your community, your region. So I just wanted to highlight that because I have not heard that term in a while and when you said it I thought I want to make sure everybody understands what that means and what that may translate to in terms of a job. Okay, lori just gave us her story and y'all know that when we do these podcasts, I like to R2, a2, everything recognize, relate, assimilate and apply. So we're going to try to recognize concepts, we're going to try to relate to them, we want to take them in and then we want to apply them. So here we go, y'all ready for this.
Speaker 2:Listen to what Lori just shared with us. Number one in school get involved. I heard her say that when that bus left the school, she was on that bus and she found out there's a bigger world besides Dalhart, texas. There's going to be young people across the country listening to this podcast. Get involved, go out and see things, get on the bus. Number two, two it's okay to learn together. I loved it when she said we learn together. Well, there, you know, none of us is as strong as all of us, and laurie just gave us that word of wisdom in her experience of learning together. She talked about the importance of a network, network, network, network. We give an award at the Foundation Ambassador Program called the Three Foot Rule, and we teach kids to get to know anybody within three feet of them, because one day they could be your customer, your client, your constituent, your colleague, your governor, your council member. Network, network, network. And then, in the words of our good friend down in the Rio Grande Valley, carlos, people, no show, no tell, no sell. And Lori just talked about you've got to show your community, you've got to tell about your community or you'll never sell your community. And I want to kind of book in that part of what Lori said. So far with she and I have a mutual friend, ron Kitchens, who's the CEO of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, and Ron's been on this show before and I think I really appreciate something Ron said.
Speaker 2:Lori, in light of what you've shared. And he wanted to become he was talking about becoming a chamber economic development because there was satisfaction in helping create jobs, to know that you could give a family a source of revenue that they could sustain themselves. They might even be able to take a vacation, they may be able to help through charity, but all because of that gratification of knowing that you created a job. And that's what Lori does. Lori helps communities acquire the tools to show, to tell and sell why they're a good bet to bring a business to create jobs, and all of that. I just wanted to highlight that. All of that came out of what Lori just shared. That's the reason I love this podcast, because when people share their testimonies, when people share their journeys, there are seeds of greatness to be found. And you just did a bunch. We're not done yet, but you did a bunch.
Speaker 3:I've crammed a lot into my years, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:So let's try to extract from that a little bit. So the majority of the people that will be listening to the podcast are going to be students or educators some sponsors, educators, some sponsors.
Speaker 2:So what would you say are some of the important components to being a good advocate for yourself? And, by the way, that's another thing I tell the kids. I always tell the kids, tell me about your business, and they always say, well, I don't have a business. I said, yeah, you are, you're it. You know what time do you open in the morning? What kind of customer service do you deliver? Did you communicate well? So, lori, in your experience, if you could share what would be some good advocacy techniques, something that you would tell people, these are important components to be successful in life.
Speaker 3:And I think you nailed it, aaron. I think this starts as kids. I think it's important for everybody, but if we can instill this in our youth, how important a couple of these things are, I think it helps set them up for success throughout life. One, I think it's important to listen. I think we get used to to especially and I've watched this with my daughter and now granddaughter it's. It is a different world now than it was five years ago or even 10 years ago. With technology, social media, we're used to now being a look at me society Like here's my video, here's my picture, here's my blah, you know, and we and people are really good at selling themselves and being influencers. I find this even as adults, aaron, with. Let me give you an example Now, board meetings since COVID are televised, they're live streamed on Facebook, on you know, or they're recorded, and that that didn't happen for years.
Speaker 3:For years, if you cared about something that was going on at the city, the school, the county or an organization, you had to show up to the meeting and be a part of the discussion. But I have found this is just an observation on my part and I, like you, I want to embrace all technology and take advantage of it and use it in the best, most positive way we can. But what is happening is now we have become a very performative society. What we're losing in that is discussion, is a conversation between two people, between five people, 10 people. Let's talk about it and along with that is a lack of listening. It's a. Instead of listening, people are thinking of what they're already going to say next. So for everybody, I don't think we'll ever go back to not having live streamed city council. I mean, now that we're doing it, I don't know how they ever don't do it again, because now they have larger viewership. It's a way for them to meet more constituents. I get that, I totally get that. But what we have sacrificed is conversation, is real dialogue about problems and solutions and opportunities and how we can make things happen. Because they're worried about who's watching me, who's going to, what are they going to say on social media about what I said. So I'm seeing these brilliant people who, out in the hallway, just told me the most amazing ideas, but don't say anything during a meeting because it's it's being shown to the world and they're worried about what you know somebody might not like it. They have a loud voice. So they're going to slam me, you know, and and these, these kids have grown up, they don't remember a time when that didn't happen, and so I, I would just tell everybody let's listen more, let's ask more questions and let's have dialogue. Let's have dialogue, let's talk about it, because when we talk about it, then that's when we talk about opportunities and we find solutions and we become problem solvers, and those don't happen in a silo, they only happen when we're together and have that discussion. So that's the first thing.
Speaker 3:The second thing is I want people to think bigger and bolder than they may be. That might just be in their nature is I want to encourage people to let's don't settle. Don't don't settle If you see something and may, if you go on vacation and you're in a community, you're driving through a community, or maybe it's your destination and you see something amazing that you enjoy, that you like and you think that would be a good fit for your community. There is not one reason in the world that can't happen in your community, with the right tools and the right resources, which are available. By the way. People think we could never do that. Of course you can. You can do it. And so I want people to think bigger and bolder. So listen more and have more dialogue and think bigger and bolder.
Speaker 3:And then the last thing is collaborate. There are other people that think exactly like you. So collaborate, find those partners, even if you just put out on social media hey, what does anybody in this community what do you think about this? Would you like a splash pad? We would like a new baseball park. What do y'all think about a theater? You know, my kids are the best at that. The very best strategic planning sessions I have anywhere hands down across the country are with the kids, with the youth, and I mean all the way down to elementary school, asking them what do they love about their community, what do they wish their community had, and let's brainstorm on how we can get it.
Speaker 3:Those conversations and with the senior citizens, who people think well, they don't have anything to add anymore. Are you kidding? Only 50 years worth of wisdom? That's right. People assume that they're going to go. Well, we tried that, or we can't, or they are. They're just coasting. Maybe some of them are, but they have also been amazing mentors and voices of wisdom that when you ask them to be involved, then some. Those are the things that can. Literally those two groups can make things when everybody would assume it's the ones in the middle and because those are the change makers. But so listen, have dialogue, look, think bigger and bolder and collaborate. Yeah, those are my. That's what I would say.
Speaker 2:This is so good.
Speaker 3:All learned the hard way. I promise.
Speaker 2:You know, one of the things that I like to talk about is the fact that in Texas I can't speak for every other state you know we have over 3,000 high schools. Well, how many of them will have a graduating class this year? Well, every one of them. That means everybody's going to be out looking for a job, a scholarship or an opportunity. So we have to ask ourselves what separates us from everybody else? What's our competitive edge? Well, lori, just gave you some skills that will give you a competitive edge If you can be a good listener, somebody that can create good discussions.
Speaker 2:I love it when you said ask questions. I always remind people what is the root word of the word question. It's quest, go on an adventure. So asking questions allows us to go on an adventure, to maybe find a new way, to find a foundation, like you said, from the past, that can grow a better future, to be bold enough to say what if? To think big. And then I love it. Life is not a solo project. We were not created to be the Lone Ranger. Now, for some of y'all, you'll have to Google that, but we were not created to be the Lone Ranger.
Speaker 3:No, we were not.
Speaker 2:We were created to be in communion. None of us is as strong as all of us. I believe that to be true mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. I think there's power in numbers and all of those things give us a competitive edge. One of my mentors, lori, he told me at an early age. He said, aaron, he goes always have 10 friends older than you and 10 friends younger than you. The 10 friends older are going to tell you where we've been. The 10 friends younger are going to tell you where we're headed and to your point. That collaboration is bringing that wealth of perspective into the discussion for the big things. So that's why I say there's a lot of genius if you just listen to the guests and their experiences. So, lori, thank you for that Again. Y'all, we could keep talking. I mean, I could talk to Lori for a day, but we do try to keep these podcasts short, sweet, so that they can be shown in a classroom. So we're going to go ahead and start wrapping up, but before we wrap up, you do get a fun question.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:So I'm just curious what is the best concert you've ever been to?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, that's hard because we go to concerts all the time, so I have hard here. I'm hard hearing now Thanks to my husband dragging me to every concert we could possibly go to. Oh, we've had great. We have been to great concerts in every season of our life. So I'm going to tell you probably a couple of my favorites.
Speaker 2:That's why I asked.
Speaker 3:Okay, when I was young, before young, young and I was living first of all in Kerrville in college and then moving to San Antonio, it was the same time that George Strait was getting started. Oh wow, his band, yeah. And so I had the opportunity to hear him multiple times around the region during the first five, six, seven years of his career before he hit it big. I was already a fan, and since then I've seen him 25 times. I don't know if that makes me I'm not a groupie, I'm not a stalker, but I am a huge fan and people go Lori, that's crazy, and I go. Well, 10, 10 of those times were before he had a number one hit.
Speaker 3:He was just that good early on and then once he hit it big, he hit it big and I remained a fan, so huge, short, straight fan. And and I've been to every one of his retirement concerts where he says, riding away, and then he comes back and I'm like, well, I'll keep coming back with you away. And then he comes back and I'm like, well, I'll keep coming back with you. Um, I think he's having another one, but um, I think that's funny. He's like the Brett Favre of country music.
Speaker 3:Um, my husband and I saw the Eagles in Lubbock, texas, when it was still the whole band was intact. So that's a memory that was amazing. Uh, we have heard every rock and roll band. I think we heard george tate, I mean, uh, james taylor, george james taylor, here in austin when we first moved here. He was fantastic.
Speaker 3:But I'm gonna this is gonna crack you up the two most recent concerts we went to um elton john and absolutely amazing, we saw him in and it it was amazing. And I and I wasn't well at the time and I was still recovering from West Nile and we almost sold our tickets and that we were like, ah no, we got to go, it's our only chance, he was amazing. And then this last year I absolutely drug my husband to go see Barry Manilow down at the stadium at the Moody Center, and he was like I'm not going to see Barry Manilow. Well, we got there, I made him. It was my grandmom's, she was her favorite, my mom's favorite. I grew up on that music. I play the piano, so I've been playing his music forever and I I mean I laughed so hard when we got there because there were so many husbands there that their wives drug them to it. But every one of them knew every word to every song.
Speaker 3:And so, yeah, hand it to Elton John and Barry Manilow at their age, still rocking it on stage for two hours, no breaks. They were amazing. And then, of course, we go right back to going and to hear all of our favorite 70s bands, who are now all in from the 70s and they're in their 70s so. But we're big concert goers. I'm glad you asked that 've. We've been to some amazing concerts I have been blessed.
Speaker 2:I'm a big live music person and yeah, we are too george, obviously, is probably probably one of the most popular hardly afford to go see him anymore.
Speaker 3:You can't even afford a ticket to go see him anymore my kids know that I'm.
Speaker 2:You know I still am, even though he's left us, but I'm a big Jimmy Buffett fan.
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Diehard Parrothead and I'm a big time Bruce Springsteen, the East street band, and you're talking about times. They're actually in September of 2025, we'll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Born to Run, which is crazy because it's kind of a staple in rock and roll history. But anyway, I love asking people this question because we've heard everything from Pitbull to the greatest showman you know and everything in between, because that's just the beauty of the human soul that we all have those musical notes and lyrics that fit something in our life map, if you will, somewhere along our journey. There was a song there that became part of that journey, so thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's fun to go back down memory lane, but it's hard to pick one because we've heard so many great ones.
Speaker 2:for sure you and I would be in the same boat because I haven't got so many. But, lori, thanks so much for joining us on the podcast. This is exactly why we do this podcast and it's just a very short window provided so many incredible seeds of greatness that if people will just take those and say, okay, I'm going to try this one here and I need to start thinking about maybe looking at this, their what if could change the world. It could change the community, all because we had this opportunity to come together.
Speaker 3:So Everything is possible, everything mission possible, all of it.
Speaker 2:Now y'all know why I wanted Lori on here. So thank you so much for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen, until we meet again, you know. Thank you for stopping by. If you want to know what the future is, grow it. Put these seeds in place in your life, in your profession, in your family, in your community, and there's no telling what kind of future we can grow. I think it's going to be incredible and it's going to be one that's built on gratitude, because we started that way. So thank you so much for joining us. Until we meet again, go out and do something great for somebody. You're going to feel good about it, you're going to make them happy and guess what? They may go out and do the same thing and change the world. Everybody be safe. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 1:We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Growing Our Future podcast. 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. Learn more at mytexasffaorg.
