All-In Design
"All-In Design" is IIDA Alabama's podcast that invites you into the dynamic world of commercial interior design. Immerse yourself in the artistry, innovation, and inspiration that shape the spaces where we work, collaborate, and create. Discover the latest trends, cutting-edge technologies, and timeless design principles that define the ever-evolving landscape of commercial interiors.
All-In Design
Episode #42 - Interview with Lauren Taylor
Join us on this episode of All-In Design, as we speak with Lauren Taylor with Shaw Contract. Lauren talks through her journey from Ohio to Alabama and from wallcoverings to carpet. She also dives into her breast cancer diagnosis and the support she has received from friends, family, reps, and "Common Thread for the Cure". We also spend a decent amount of time roasting our fellow "Showrunners" (those that organize "The Show").
For more information on "Common Thread for the Cure", you can find them at https://www.commonthreadforthecure.org/.
Recorded by the Forest Studio audience. This is All in Design.
SPEAKER_08:Hello and welcome to All In Design, IEDA Alabama's podcast. Thank you for listening. My name is Chad Moore here with my co-host Mark Griffo.
SPEAKER_06:Hey everybody.
SPEAKER_08:And today we have one of our fellow showrunners on with us. Sure, we'll get into that in a moment as to what that exactly means. But Mark, if you'll introduce today's guest.
SPEAKER_06:I'd be happy to, yeah, because people who don't know what you're talking about, they'll be like, oh, the show, as in the show that we're listening to right now. Right. Yes. She produces. Because we've had fake producers on before. But you are a real producer of the real show, which again we'll get to. But yeah, I am super excited to introduce our fellow showrunner, our friend, uh, and and a fellow rep with Shaw Contract, Miss Lauren Taylor, who I just learned is a sales executive executive at Shaw Contract, which sounds super important.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yes. As of this week, that changed.
SPEAKER_06:As of this week, did you get more money with this title change?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, we did not. We did not. And um, everybody was ex so excited in the room when they announced it at our sales conference this week, um, because it sounds very fancy and very important.
SPEAKER_06:It does sound very fancy. Well, you are fancy and important, so it works, it tracks. It tracks. Yeah. Um, well, we're glad to finally have you on the show because we've talked about having you on the show since we started. And now this is episode what episode is this? I guess. This is 40 42. 42. I I've jumped, I've jumped ahead. We're gonna call this episode 50. So we're glad to have you. We can't, yeah, we can do what we want. Yeah, we're the we are the show runners. That's right. She produces it, so yeah. Um Lauren, the floor is yours if you want to tell people about yourself.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, my favorite thing. Start at the beginning. Okay. As into how I got into this role. Ohio. No, I was kidding. Okay. So how I got into this role. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Let's talk about let's talk about.
SPEAKER_04:How'd you end up in this room with us today?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so I um I had no idea where I was gonna end up out of college graduating with a management degree and a minor in marketing. But my dad kind of thrusted me into the industry. And so my dad had a long career of selling this beautiful product. You all may know what it is, called FRP. Have you ever heard of it? Our designers will. FERP Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic. So, have you ever been to a gas station bathroom? And it's that shiny, pebbly stuff on the wall with the transition. So that's what my dad did.
SPEAKER_08:I was like, I know what that is.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think I've seen a couple posts about um some of the damages that have been done in gas station bathrooms. But um, so my dad sold those panels, so kind of like quasi in the industry, and then he used to work at Marlight, and they're still around and they do, you know, like retail shelving and interior products. But my dad heard of this really great company called RJF International, which everybody might recognize now as Corseal. And he said that they're a very philanthropic company, and they were located in Fairlong, Ohio, which is you know a little north of where I'm from. And um, so I applied and I got a call back and I said, I want to be in sales. And, you know, they pulled me up for my interview.
SPEAKER_08:How old were this is right out of college? Yeah, right out of college.
SPEAKER_00:So they said, you know, like pump the brakes a little bit, little girl. And uh, you know, you don't just go straight into sales. And so they offered me a position in customer service to kind of like learn the ropes. And at the time, you know, whenever I was ready to spread my sales wings and fly, I would transition into that. And that's where the magic started.
SPEAKER_08:How long were you in customer service?
SPEAKER_00:Uh I was there for three years in customer service. Oh, okay. And I was getting ready for sales training, and then a little surprise hit me, and I became pregnant with my first son Hayden. And I still um was in the sales training program, and you know, whenever you got out of that training program, then they had job openings to offer you. So at the time, after I had him, there was like Houston open and LA and Philadelphia and New York. And I used to have these dreams of being this big city girl, and that all changed when I had a child because you know, like thinking of navigating motherhood with a baby in a big city was overwhelming to me. So I'm just so happy that the opportunity came about for me to move to Alabama, and the rest is kind of history from there.
SPEAKER_06:So it was that much of a direct track, like you were in Ohio, and they're like, We have a position in Alabama.
SPEAKER_00:Uh well, so all these other positions, you know, were opening up and I kept declining. And, you know, they had a talk with me about um why do you say with the inflection? Well, you know, they said basically if you keep turning these down, yeah, you know, they're gonna quit asking you. How about this one? How about this one? Because that was a customer service, yeah. So like I had connections with all of these reps and managers from working on the inside, which is a great career trajectory to like start kind of humble beginnings, start on the inside, learn it, move, transition to the outside. And then you kind of see, I don't know if you guys experienced this, but um, I think sales reps can relate and people can relate like the old inside-outside battle, you know, like the inside customer service people don't know what it's like for sales reps out in the field. Vice. Um, kind of like day shift, night shift battle in the restaurant industry, you know. And um, so it was it was just a great path for me to learn the inside and then kind of like graduate. But um, yeah, they said they're gonna stop asking you if you keep turning it down. And I was about ready to interview for some other locations, like in in the southeast, like South Carolina, North Carolina. And then when Alabama opened up, then you know, they were like, Would you would you want to interview in that position? And I said I would, and kind of that's where it went from there.
SPEAKER_06:How long ago was that? What year was that?
SPEAKER_00:2012. 2012.
SPEAKER_06:And then that brought you to Birmingham. It did, yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Why was Alabama attractive?
SPEAKER_00:Um, because I think it was like small town living. Um, and Adam used to come down to his mom grew up here. So when Adam was little, he used to come down south every summer and stay with his grandparents. His parents literally put him on a greyhound bus by himself in the 90s.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, it was like praying. That's what happened. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So he would come down and travel back and forth by himself. And um, so he loved it down here, the weather, everything. And so it kind of just all fit and it made sense for us, and I'm so thankful that it did.
SPEAKER_06:You made a little bit of a face when you said the weather.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah. So it was hot. It was it was hot.
SPEAKER_06:You were like the weather, like like he loved it, but you it was rough. You needed a little getting used to it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so we moved down in March 2023, I think it was, because I commuted back and forth. But I remember we went to the park, it was awesome because it was, you know, March, April. It was so warm because in Ohio it's still snowing at that time. So it was so nice, and we go to the park, and I'm pouring sweat. And I was like, oh my gosh. I'm like, is it 80 degrees? And Adam's like, it's 70 degrees more. And I'm pouring sweat, and I sweat profusely for a while until my body acclimated maybe like four years later because it's so hot.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, yeah. It's humid.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and hauling samples. Yeah, you know, I sweat a lot.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. So um, what was your territory when you first came to Birmingham?
SPEAKER_00:So it was the full state of Alabama and the Florida panhandle.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Did you find the transition from not only being in customer service to sales difficult, but also moving to a completely different territory? Yeah. I would presume you didn't know anybody.
SPEAKER_00:I knew nobody.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Um now you know everybody, so there's success. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and you know, and it was funny too, because like, you know, people refer to the city, they're like, oh, five points, or I'm south side, or you know, like different parts of Birmingham, and I'm like, I have no idea what they're talking about. Yeah. And then once I finally feel like, you know, between Corasy L to three form, you know, then transitioning to Shaw, I feel like I finally got everything down, you know, in the cities, Montgomery and down, you know, in the panhandle. And then when I moved, transitioned to Shaw, I was more just Huntsville. So then it was like this whole other city that I had to like learn. What do they mean when they say five points or you know, Southampton or Hampton Cove, you know, whatever, all these areas. I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about. But now I do. I do now.
SPEAKER_06:Now you know, now you know everything.
SPEAKER_08:So so you were with Corasil for how long?
SPEAKER_00:Uh total I was there for five and a half years. Okay. Um, and then down here in Alabama, I think almost two years.
SPEAKER_08:Okay. And then transitioned to three form? I did, yes. Okay. How did that happen?
SPEAKER_00:I got a call from a recruiter.
SPEAKER_08:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:And I moved down here.
SPEAKER_06:You got poached.
SPEAKER_00:Well, so I moved down here thinking like wall covering was happening and like as an interior product. But that at the time was when wall covering was kind of on the decline just because of like moisture, mildew, which are kind of like moo points.
SPEAKER_08:Especially in the south.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and you know, like in the healthcare world. And so I was kind of in that period where wall covering was trending out, and it's trending back in now, which I'm so happy because I do love a good wall covering. But you know, I moved down here thinking like wall covering was happening, and then it was kind of like, you know, when you live and breathe it every day, you see like how much it's not happening at the time. Right. So when three form called me, or a recruiter from three, you know, for a role at Three Form called me, I was very excited and intrigued as most people probably would be. And the product is amazing. And so kind of, you know, drew me in.
SPEAKER_06:How long did you do that?
SPEAKER_00:Uh almost four years at three form.
SPEAKER_06:Was the transition different? I mean, was it like because you know, a lot of a lot of reps they'll move from you know, furniture to furniture to furniture, you know, and you're moving from wall covering to I don't even know how you would classify threeform, like a like almost a building cladding material. Right. And then now how would you classify three form wild?
SPEAKER_08:Wild.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, but like that's kind of the beauty of it. I mean, they are innovators.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, they're they're used all in all sorts of different yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:There's like the easy applications, and then there's like the completely custom mind-blowing stuff that you can do with it, and that intrigued me. Um, unfortunately, you know, the budget for that wasn't always there to do these crazy mind-blowing projects that you see all around the country. There have been some really amazing projects done down here though with the product. Um, but it it was a wild ride for sure. I bet.
SPEAKER_06:And then and then Shaw called. Yes. Or was it Carmen that called?
SPEAKER_00:Uh it was just a big mix of a lot of things that like kind of created uh the perfect storm or the perfect opportunity. They had a lot of things changing at three form. And being in that role, I realized it is such a cool project product, but it is very heavy on a project management and detail side. I would assume for I think furniture, I know furniture is the same way, and like one little thing could set your whole project off, and you're you're limited to so many things, like budget, for instance, for three forms. So you design this crazy cool thing, and then they're like, Okay, I need that now at one-third the cost. So you're constantly VE ing and going through very long processes to get the product that you really have dreamt in your head and concept into like what's affordable. So there's a lot of back end stuff that you have to do.
SPEAKER_08:And probably, and I don't I'm just talking off the top of my head because I don't know for sure, sure, but um probably like you know, these are featured areas, so it's not like a ton of product, but a lot of detail going into those featured areas, and then you get a VE. And yeah. So I mean, it what's what would be the largest kind of project that you worked on for three form and what was the application?
SPEAKER_00:The largest one um that I can remember off the top of my head is uh Sacred Heart, and that was down in Pensacola, and that was like my first big job. And I think like we started quoting it, and it was like a half a million dollars, which is huge. Yeah, that's what I've also learned in just different job roles. Like, what is a big project differs, you know, between the different products that we sell. So that was huge, and it it did get VE'd down, but we did all sorts, it was a children's hospital too, so like it was all sorts of really fun, interactive things that kind of reflected beach themes and like waves, and it was just a really cool project. Right. Um, I think we VE'd it down to like$250,000, but that was a project, like my first big win, and it felt so good. I bet it felt so good.
SPEAKER_08:So now carpet.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And so um how did yeah, again, how did that come about for like well, so you know, three form had made some changes, and I kind of was realizing that maybe like the very nitty-gritty details isn't part of my strong abilities. Yeah, right. Um, not that I'm bad at it, but like, you know, it required you a lot of time on your computer, and I I just like to be out in front of people. That's not sales, yeah, and socializing. And so anything that kind of required me to sit in front of my computer, I've realized is like not my best um use of my ability.
SPEAKER_02:Customer service.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um, so then, you know, kind of like the opportunity with Shaw opened up and I linked up with Carmen, and her and I were already friends. We did the magic show. I think you were part of that event too.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, that was a great, we should bring that guy back. That was some that was an awesome event.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's Carmen's good friend, and he, you know, has shows in New York City, and uh he I'm sure he will be. What was the magic show?
SPEAKER_06:It was uh fundraiser for AIDC, and it was when I was with Global, and uh it's a buddy of of of Carmen's, um, and he's like an up-close magician, trick and stuff like that. Right. And we had I mean, this was ten years ago, probably nine years ago, because it was in the space, it was in the bar that would become interior elements space on First Avenue before they moved to where they are now in Homewood. Um and it was awesome. I mean, like the dude flew. I think he I don't know if he was from here, but he knew like yeah, Carmen was good buddies with him, but he was he like came here for it. Okay. Um it was great. Yeah, we should do that again. We should. We're doing it again. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Another fundraiser for AIDC.
SPEAKER_06:Might as well.
SPEAKER_08:Alabama Interior Design Coalition. Shout out to him. Yes, yeah. If uh you don't know what that is and you didn't listen to the last podcast, uh recommend going back to episode number 41. For sure.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:But anyway, yeah, I forgot I forgot we had done that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so that's your verbal commitment that BI will help pay for the cost, correct?
SPEAKER_06:Yes. That's yeah. Is this the part where we edit things out?
SPEAKER_00:Is more solutions in as well?
SPEAKER_06:It looks like we've yeah, I'm just leaving it dead air. Yeah, it's just dead air. Do you think that guy would come back? That was a really cool, it was a really cool event.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, there's there have been conversations about that, but you know, we just haven't really Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Well now we are we are speaking it into existence.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, so I was already friends with Carmen, but you know, it um it was honestly like the the best move of my life, and I'm so thankful to her for kind of like bringing me into it and getting me started here. So shout out to So furniture next. Like you're just going through when after what I just said about like the detail part, I don't think I'd be hired by anybody.
SPEAKER_06:Like, nah, she's yeah, you know, speaking that you're sitting here talking to two furniture people, and there we do have a little bit of envy for the flooring people.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, you do?
SPEAKER_06:Well, yeah, I mean, you just like put stuff on the floor. It's on every project. It's on every project. Yes. Yeah, it's so it's furniture though. It's gonna happen. Not necess not necessarily. People will surprise you because they'll be like, oh, we're gonna use our existing stuff. Right. Or they get on Amazon, or you know, or things can go sideways.
SPEAKER_08:Or you know, the interior design firm, for instance, they may be doing the building and they may doing the interiors, but they're not specifying the furniture. Um, so that's sometimes too.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, some sort of group, some random group somewhere is is is managing it. So you never know.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I mean, I always feel like in my head, uh furniture I feel like is like the most competitive of our industry. And people might disagree, and this is just because I've never sold furniture, but I feel like that's the you know, that's the hardest.
SPEAKER_06:So are you saying like you and Carmen don't have any competition?
SPEAKER_00:You know, just no, I no, I'm not saying I think flooring, I think f flooring is a close second. You know, because again, there's so many manufacturers of flooring, and in our particular market, we have some really stand-up reps. And so it is very competitive, and I'm just lucky to be here and be aligned with a great brand and have some bad partners, you know, as in like can I say cuss words? Yeah, I was about to say badass but you can say badass, and then I caught myself.
SPEAKER_06:So I thought you have some it was funnier to start because you were like and some bad partners. Partners. I'm like, are you talking about the people you work with? Are you talking about your competitors are bad? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Baddies, I think I was gonna say, I was gonna say badass and baddies, and then I landed on bad.
SPEAKER_08:It worked out. Yeah, I know when I first I when Chesney and I first started dating, she was at KPS Group at their old location. Um, and you'd go into their library, and on the left hand side was all the furniture binders, and on the right hand side was all the flooring. And I just completely ignored, like that doesn't, you know, that's not important, right? Yep. And it wasn't until we started dating that I realized how important flooring was. Yeah. Because we would walk into a space and she'd be like, oh, you know, that's that's Shaw, that's interface, that's you know, she would she'd recognize by sight. And I'm like, huh, you seem to know a lot about flooring. Right. Is that is that a big deal? Is that a big deal? Like, is that you guys do a lot of that?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. What's your territory? Are you just Huntsville?
SPEAKER_00:Ish. Um, so I have some Birmingham accounts, and then I'm like considered North Alabama, so like Gadsden, you know Florence, yeah, in Huntsville. And so um, that's kind of my segment. It's funny because when I got hired officially on is when we started talking accounts. And the manager that hired me, you know, envisioned somebody just being like, you know, Huntsville dedicated. And coming from three form, you know, having the whole state and other in the panhandle, also having like no knowledge of how much many more people you touch with flooring, you know, I naively said, okay, I'm I might get bored up there, right? Because at the time, like I'm going from how many A and D firms down to how many are up there in comparison. And um, that was very naive to say. And he had all of like the strategic moves in place, and it was the best thing for me.
SPEAKER_06:So, who all do you call on?
SPEAKER_00:Um, so we call on end users and then we have dealers kind of similar to furniture dealers, flooring installers that install and sell our products for us, and then the A and D community. And I think that that's where my naive showed because I'm just thinking like AD firms, right? So just the sheer number in Huntsville versus Birmingham, right? Not knowing, you know, the how important our dealer partners are and all the end users that come in the mix when you sell a different product than threeform because three form was strictly A and D driven. Right. And sometimes end user driven, but mostly through A and D channels.
SPEAKER_06:Do you call on a lot of end users? I mean, is that like a bulk of your contact list?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I don't I don't want to divulge all of my competitive information.
SPEAKER_06:That's another question I can ask. How bad are the other competitors?
SPEAKER_04:Chad's who precisely do you call on?
SPEAKER_00:Where do you get your business from?
SPEAKER_04:Where do you get your business from?
SPEAKER_06:It's okay. No one listens to the show. None of your competitors live.
SPEAKER_00:Just fast forward. None of your competitors.
SPEAKER_06:Chad, what question do you have?
SPEAKER_08:Oh gosh. This is uh this is going well. Um I did have what it's okay. So you've been in sales now for the majority of your professional career. Yeah, 13 years. Right. What's what's the thing that you enjoy most about being in sales?
SPEAKER_06:Uh well talking about her clients. Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Or divulging competitive information that could be used against me. For sure. Um I you know, honestly.
SPEAKER_04:She pointed at us. She did back and forth.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, it sounds cliche because I've heard this answer before on your podcast, but it's the people. I mean, it is truly like getting to meet just so many different people, different personalities, is just so fun to me. And I feel like I'm a rep that probably focuses too much on people and not enough on product, and I need to like kind of talk about my product maybe more. I hope my boss doesn't listen to this podcast, but I love like I love people and I love different types of people, and it's just fun to like experience different conversations every day and not, you know, have the same, you know, coworkers. I mean, we do, but we don't, we don't see the same people every day. Yeah. So I think that that's variety. Yeah. I get a lot of energy off of people and people I enjoy to be around, and people that make me laugh are always a good time. Right. Um, and I also think having something different to do every day is good for myself and my personality. Um I think autonomy kind of uh drains me. And so I think like getting to do something different every day brings life to me.
SPEAKER_08:Right. Yeah. I remember um I was at Neocon and this was, I don't know, 10, 12 years ago. Um but you know, had appointments set up, you know, to take people through showrooms, and then also had some evening events, and I remember being out late one night and then the next day talking to somebody and they're like, oh, you know, you know, you were out really late, and that was, you know, maybe that's not a good idea because you had appointments today to take people through the showrooms. And I remember saying to that person that last night was far more important than the what I'm doing what I'm doing today. Because they're seeing a million things, they're gonna take some pictures, they're you know, they're not gonna remember half of it. But the people I was with last night, I mean, that was you know, we had a great time, and you know, but it was uh it was relationship building, and that's what sales largely is is relationship building.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I had a conversation this morning at work where I don't even know how we got on the subject, but we were talking about a client and we were talking about a dinner, a dinner from eight years ago. Right, and it's like we still remember that dinner. Right, you know.
SPEAKER_08:Do you do you remember um that 10 o'clock uh tour of the you know X show? Just the Davis showroom. Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Or the magic show. I mean, just as we brought that up too. I mean, that was a really you know great event. Yep. And hopefully stood out.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. And that's why we're gonna do it again.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. Round two.
SPEAKER_06:Round two. What was that guy's name?
SPEAKER_00:Matt.
SPEAKER_06:Matt.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Just Matt? Just Matt. The magic mat. Magic Matt, yeah. Does he does he not have like a name name? Magic Matt. It was Matt Matt, whatever his whatever his last name was. Okay. It came up the other day on like my Facebook memories. Because it was a like a fall or summer event, I feel like. Maybe. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think it was in I think it was September, October, actually.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, I think it was it was either summer or fall or spring or something.
SPEAKER_06:Or August, yeah. Could have been might have or the winter. Could be, yeah. But probably probably not. Um, well, you've also been very involved in the industry as well. Like aside from you getting out there and you know, A and D and all your secret clients. Yeah. Um, but you've been on the IIDA board before, and you've been involved in AIDC, and so I think that's great. I don't really have a I'm not really going anywhere with this.
SPEAKER_08:I'm just saying that you're and she's also on the uh the board, I think we call it a board for uh the show.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, yeah. Do you want to do you want to talk about the show, Lauren?
SPEAKER_00:Uh sure. So I think I represent um the diversity and inclusion spot on the board as I help run it with uh five guys or four.
SPEAKER_06:I don't know. Five. There's five guys, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So I'm the only female, even Kevin. Yeah, Kevin that took me on. Um that was my impression. So um yeah, I'm not gonna be Kevin. He's not gonna listen to the show.
SPEAKER_08:He's not gonna listen to the show. But I think I am gonna isolate that that sound bite of her saying Kevin.
SPEAKER_06:If you cut it and bring it into our text group because we have a text group of everybody in the show.
SPEAKER_00:Now, sometimes like if I concentrate, I can do a better impression of Kevin at Technion, and it's not like bashing him by any means. He's you know, we're both from Ohio, but he has more of like a West Coast Ohio twang to him. Do you guys pick up on that? Yeah, Kevin. West Coast?
SPEAKER_06:West Coast Ohio from the beach side of Ohio? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But um, so yeah, I'm the minority on the team, and ironically enough, as the only woman on the board, I do the least amount of work. That's not true. Which is ironically, that's not true.
SPEAKER_08:We were just talking about Kevin. Oh, and then also shout out to Tim O'Brien. Yeah. Tim, Tim does very little.
SPEAKER_00:Well, listen, Kevin, Kevin does do the food every year, so that is very important.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, and he was the original, like, he and I were the first. It was you too. It was us too that we're at an event in Knoxville and was like, okay, we can do this and we can do it better.
SPEAKER_00:So we'll go with Tim. What's that? We'll go with Tim. Tim, yes.
SPEAKER_08:Tim is Tim does very little.
SPEAKER_00:Because I did, I did help Kevin on the food this year. I was, you know, copied on the emails.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, we're copied, okay. Right.
SPEAKER_00:And I made a couple tweaks, so I did do some.
SPEAKER_08:And you're doing um the uh door prizes. You're working on that as well.
SPEAKER_00:As of this year.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. And so for people that don't know, hopefully people know about it, but the show is a uh trade show. It's October 9th. Uh this podcast is coming out October 1st, so kind of a good time to uh to talk about it. But October 9th at Haven, uh it's from 3 to 7 p.m. Free to enter, free food, free drink. Uh there's ballet, and then I think we have 65 vendors. Um, so really a great event to see lots of products, see lots of people. And it's every other year.
SPEAKER_06:Every other year, so it'll be different than the last time that we had it. Right, exactly.
SPEAKER_00:And as I have been in charge of the door prizes, there are some pretty swanky prizes this year, and some really good ones that we'll start teasing on social media. Sweet. Uh, once I get my can you tease one now?
SPEAKER_06:I don't know what they are. Like, what's it? We'll give them one example.
SPEAKER_00:Um, so there's some really cool that one of your clients gave.
SPEAKER_06:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Um, there's some really cool lamps. Like these like really cool desk lamps, and I can't remember who's giving them, so forgive me. There's somebody's giving some lighting company. Yeah, it's a lighting company. There's like a sit-stand desk. Okay. Um, a chair, there's some really good gift cards, and I'm trying to think of some other unique prizes, but they are not coming to me. Right.
SPEAKER_08:We'll tease them out, but sweet. Yeah. So come, yeah, if you so if you show up, you'll be entered into the drawing. Make sure to just come by the front desk area where you can get the map and then put your card. So bring a card. If not, we'll have things you can fill out. But so yeah, so there's a group of us called the showrunners, which is our text group. Um and really, I mean, it was started because Kevin and I were at KnoxCon, which was IDA's uh trade show in Knoxville. Um and it was I think it was five or six hundred dollars for a booth. And it was a six by six. Yeah, it was tiny. It was tiny. I mean that's I mean, you think six by six and ten by ten, that's not half, it's a third thirty-six square feet versus a hundred square feet. So it was super tiny and it was only two hours long, the event was. And so it was like this just and you know, the load and lowdown was out was okay. But so we we decided to start this, I forget how many years ago, but um I think it was like 2000 or 17. Yeah, it's probably 17. Um so we started in 2017 really quickly. Uh, and uh Mark was with Global, Tim O'Brien was still with, I guess, maybe I think he might have been with OE. Yeah, or Herman Miller. He might have been the Herman Miller. Miller, I think it was Herman Nilberab. Um and so, and now you're with Business Interiors and he's with Inner Space. Yep. Uh and then uh grab Lauren and Mickey Davis and Kevin and myself are kind of the group that put it together. But um but yeah, it's been the same group since.
SPEAKER_06:Same group since. Um we don't need any other women. We have one.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:The one. Yeah. The one. How did you end up picking Lauren? Just while she's sitting here. Like how did you pick her as the one?
SPEAKER_08:Well, so I so I reached out, Mark, I reached out to you initially. It was kind of like, okay, so um this was the idea. Kevin's involved, he has to be, because he was there in the Knoxville one. Um I'm not gonna be able to shake this other guy, so yeah. Yeah. Um and it was really just like who would be fun to do it with. Yeah, really. And so um, and I think you actually mentioned her names.
SPEAKER_00:So he's like, Chad, how did you decide on Lorneo?
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, so I mean, and yeah, I've known Tim for years and uh Have a good relationship with Tim. And so that was kind of how it came together. And then Mickey um is always helpful in the carpet specialties that puts the carpet down for all the people. So people, I mean that we get we get there at eight o'clock in the morning, tape off spaces until 9 30. Mickey's crew shows up usually at 8, helps us tape it off, and then they start putting carpet down for the booths that have carpet. Which is great.
SPEAKER_06:So speaking, I I will give a shout out to Carpet Specialties and Mickey because Ashley Burroughs, who works with carpet specialties, I met with her this morning and we had a brief conversation where we were talking about the show. And she was talking about again how early that they were going to be there. Because we don't get there till first thing in the morning and then tape off where the booths are going to go. Because for the people we're not familiar with, there's no pipe and drape. It's just you get a 10 by 10 spot on the floor. It's gridded out, but it's not gridded out till we get there. And then Carbon Specialties very graciously provides carpet for uh reps and vendors who basically come to them and ask. All that to say is out of 65 slots this year, Carbon Specialties is doing like 30 of them. Right. Whereas in the first year, it was probably it was like six of us, ten maybe. Right. And then I can't remember how many the next year, but Ashley said last year they did maybe 20. Okay. Um so it's gone up. So it's gone up. And so they're bringing like 15 dudes in. Wow. To to lay that carpet because load-in will start at what, like 9.30 when the dealers and the manufacturer reps can start coming.
SPEAKER_00:And let me shout that out too, because being a flooring rep, that is huge help to have them come in. We ship all of our products there. You know, Chad, we're doing your booth as well. We just ship it there, label it, and like that is the Lord's work in action because it is so helpful, like not only physically, but mentally as well. So thank you, Mickey and Ashley. Like that's all.
SPEAKER_08:And also the carpet reps that are are donating the carpet. I mean, you guys are the ones that are, you know, I know people have reached out to different carpet reps, but um, yeah, I mean that's a huge help and it makes the booth look great. It looks great, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Uh I did, you know, we also don't provide table and chairs. I mean, it's an empty box. And I have had some, I've had one one person contact me and was like, hey, could you guys reconsider reconsider a table? Could the management, quote unquote, provide a table and chair? Yeah. And I was answering.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, so why we're talking about it too, before we move on. So this is like a public service announcement for the show. Um, a little shout out to KI, Aaron, and Chris. There are no fire or smoke, smoke, fog machines allowed as the fire alarm went off. And it was not a contract's fog machine. It was KI. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It was right underneath the other fog machine. Okay, everybody wanted to be pointing fingers. It was not us. Yeah. And they are not welcome.
SPEAKER_06:Fog machines are not welcome at the show. Aaron and Chris. Oh gosh, no. Aaron and Chris, you are not welcome at the show.
SPEAKER_00:I it was going that way.
SPEAKER_08:I'm sure they have a booth.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, it would be boring without those two, wouldn't it? Like we can all attest to that. Oh, for sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:No, they're they're they're just no fog machines.
SPEAKER_00:Just no fog machines, yeah.
SPEAKER_08:And then also I did put the I knew where you were saying. No alcohol. No alcohol. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:There is looking at me because the one time we Carmen and I did have a lot of people.
SPEAKER_08:It was a KI that did it.
SPEAKER_00:It was KI, yeah. It was KI.
SPEAKER_06:But yeah, we've got a whole open bar.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, there's a there's an open bar, and then also there, I would just I put it in the email, but there's, you know, there's no liability then if you know, because they've got actual licensed bartenders versus you know you handing out alcohol.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah. Well, we'll see how this year goes, and then we'll maybe consider tables and chairs. We probably won't. Probably. But we have taken suggestions over the years. Valet was one of the biggest ones. Yes. That was the first year it was hard to hard to find parking. So we did that. Um and so we've we've taken care of that. I know that one year, maybe even the first year, people were like, Can you do something about the air conditioning? But I think the first year we did it, maybe it was like it was ninety eight degrees or something.
SPEAKER_08:It was super hot. And then and then we had all the doors open. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Two roll-up doors open and the front doors open.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, so everyone could load in. So hopefully it'll be uh the more temperate and um should be a great event, so hopefully you can make it out. Yep. October 9th. Yes. So do you want to talk about um because when the first we had our first podcast, you'd send a text about um and I I can't remember the name of it, but we I do want to talk about it, yeah. Do you want to talk about the thing that I haven't I haven't set up well at all?
SPEAKER_00:I I do, yes, that thing, and we'll just refer to it at that. Okay, so as everybody probably knows by now, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, and it has been a ride. Um, still now going on almost three years of this treatment. I am so healthy and cancer free right now, but you know, most likely I probably will be on like some type of maintenance or some types of treatments throughout the years. Um, thanks to like cancer refund like research and funding. I there are so many more drugs that have come out since I've been diagnosed in 2023 that are like game changers and that are gonna lead to breast cancer having a 93% survival rate in the next couple years. Dang. So that's a pretty astonishing, astonishing, you know, statistic given that it's you know pretty scary when you get diagnosed, and we've all known somebody, you know, who has breat who had breast cancer and has not made it. So those statistics are just great because of research and funding. And um, through the support of that, I mean there's just so many more drugs and research and things that are like moving and shaking, coming around. So I'm here for it. That's awesome. Okay, so an organization that helped me that I want to talk about, and I'm just gonna pull up my notes right here.
SPEAKER_06:She's brought a whole presentation. Yes. Yes, it's a PowerPoint now. You can't see it.
SPEAKER_00:It is called A Common Threat for the Cure, and this is an organization that I found out about from my previous manager at Three Form who also had breast cancer, and she is now at momentum, but she sits on the board of this organization, and it's truly beautiful because it's catered to us in the industry. And what it is is they had started this um resource for women who get diagnosed with breast cancer in the industry, and it is a grant process to pay for you know your out-of-pocket expenses, your deductibles, a wig. They literally just write you a check and you can spend it on whatever. So if you don't feel like cooking dinner after chemo, you can buy dinner with it. And they just want to ease the burden and give you some freed up mind space to take care of these expenses that you weren't anticipating, um, all of these extras. Like right now, I'm going to start doing um high dose vitamin C infusions. So that kind of helps the if the efficiency of the chemo, and it just like helps your body like rebound a lot faster, but insurance does not cover it. So it's around I think it's like$150 a pop. You don't have to do it, but it does give you energy. So money goes towards anything that you would want to use it for, and it's truly beautiful. And so before I go into the little blurp that this wonderful lady Jane gave me, um, I just wanted to say that it's not just for us women that get diagnosed with breast cancer, but it's in anybody in our industry has a family member that gets diagnosed.
SPEAKER_08:So it's when you say industry, who who does that encompass?
SPEAKER_00:I'm glad yes. Um so architects, designers, project managers, um, sales manufacturers, rep, so you can sell anything in our construction industry, um, have any type of role, project manager, um, and you can be qualified to receive this grant. So, you know, if somebody's wife received a diagnosis and there was one in our industry, and I had passed the organization's information along to them. So he works in our industry and his wife was diagnosed and qualified for the grant as well. So I should caveat, this is only if you receive chemotherapy, though. So if you know, not to like say, okay, if you just have a mastectomy or radiation, not to say that that's not important too, but this is only if you receive chemotherapy. So that's the only kind of requirement that you have to have. Okay, so I'm gonna read a blurp now that Jane um had sent me. So she is the one that um you initially connect to and she sends you the grant request form. It's super easy. I thought it was gonna be very overwhelming, but it was just a super easy process and they get back to you right away. So she said, um, when I got diagnosed with breast cancer, I was sad and scared, but not surprised. I found the lump and knew immediately what it was. Although the medical community said great ants and ants were not a close connection, I knew it was my turn. I met some remarkable women when I started my journey, women who were willing to show me their bodies so I could decide what surgery I would have. I chose massectomy because my instinct told me to do that, and it was good that I listened. Then I met more remarkable women while in chemo who faced their diagnosis with their heads up and moving forward. I knew this happened to me for a reason, and I was determined to turn it into something good for other women. So I joined forces with someone who had the name recognition and the money connections to start a foundation with no idea what we were doing, but again, my instinct told me we could do this. We are 25 years old now and have given grants to almost 450 women.
SPEAKER_08:Wow, awesome. Yeah. That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00:It is truly amazing. And you know, they at one point last year in 2024, um, they had run out of funds to give by like July or August because there were so many women getting diagnosed with breast cancer. And then go back to another statistic in the next couple decades, one in three women will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and most likely it'll be breast cancer because that's the most common and most treatable survivable one. Right. And then the male statistic is one in two men will get cancer in their lifetime now. And I think that's part because we're living longer, but also like, you know, how prevalent it is and it's on the uptake, and most likely it'll be prostate cancer because that one is the most common and it's the most treatable, um, most survivable as well. Yeah. And somebody had once told me there, you know, when I talk about all these people getting diagnosed, and they're like, well, it's kind of like you know, the red car theory. If you want a red car, all you see around you are red cars, so it's in the forefront of your head. And I was like, no, it's statistically true. So when I started to go to Grandview, which that's another, you know, shout out, they are the most amazing cancer center I've ever experienced. And from other people's experiences, like Grandview is just like very much one-on-one care. I mean, they're always there for you. You're not just a number, like it's just that like human-centric approach. But um, where was I going with this?
SPEAKER_06:You were doing great.
SPEAKER_00:I know, and then I just like it left me. This is like, oh, my chemo brain. Right. Okay, so in 2023, when I started going to the center, they were seeing about 50 patients a day in the infusion room. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:So then when I had to come back from my reoccurrence in 2024, so one year later, they were seeing 170 people a day. So it went from 50 to 170. So now it's kind of like in 2025, now that I'm back there, um, it is, you know, like 150, 160, probably on average. But that is crazy.
SPEAKER_06:It's crazy. I would never have gotten close to guessing correctly.
SPEAKER_08:No, no. Yeah. No. And so what was the name of the grant?
SPEAKER_00:Uh a common thread for the cure.
SPEAKER_08:Okay. Yeah. That's fantastic.
SPEAKER_00:And we can, you know, I now that I'm putting this all out there, I mean, hopefully nobody gets diagnosed with breast cancer in our industry. But, you know, if you ever need a resource or ever need me to help or guide or information, like I am so happy to reach out to anybody in your family that needs this resource because it's truly beautiful. And I keep telling Jane, the lady, I said, listen, like, I'm going to do some fundraising events. I'm going to get IIDA involved. I'm going to do some stuff at Shaw. Um, because I think it's really important that they've been around for 25 years, and I just now heard of them.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_00:You know, when I got diagnosed, and we just need some more awareness in our community. And we all know IIDA is very philanthropic, and we can put on a show and an event that can raise some money um to help fund them and get their name out there and give them some resources back because they're just incredible.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. And it's, you know, it is true, like, you know, you've got insurance that'll that'll go towards paying some of your healthcare costs. But there's all the other incidental costs out there, and especially going through chemotherapy and just being that tired and sick, and you've got a family. Um, you need that support.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. I mean, that's that's great what they're doing.
SPEAKER_00:And my list of people to thank goes on and on and on. And, you know, again, like raising money for Common Thrift for the Cure, I keep saying, like, when I get done with this, I'm going to do it. You know, put my focus and energy into that. And I keep finding myself in treatment. And I keep saying I want to thank everybody for, you know, everything that people have done for me. And I keep saying after my treatment and finding myself back in it. But my lovely group of showrunners here with the five guys mentioned before, I mean, they have routinely sent me cards and uh some cache and um some cache. Yeah, just collectively, but you know, and it it sounds little, right? If everybody throws in 20, 25 bucks and a card that just has something funny, of course, because it's from you jokers.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, all the time. Right or ever.
SPEAKER_00:But um, you know, like that money. I mean, we bought pizza or we will bought whatever, and it's like, you know, it's not like it was a million dollars, but it helps. It just takes the burden off of one decision or you know, gets my family fed so I don't have to think about dinner or Adam, and it truly means a lot. And there have been so many people that have been so good to me. And I have to shout it out. Lori Bailey has been so amazing to me, and um, I'm just so thankful for her. And I'm about to go to a golf outing um that she put together a team and um raised some funds for breast cancer research. So I'm gonna go have chips and queso with her in a little group today.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Um, and she's been just so amazing, and Mickey Davis has been incredible. I mean, I'm just so thankful. And Carmen and Gordon, my partners at work, they have been amazing. Cart Carmen literally has saved my life, you know. As in, like, I've we don't have any family down here. So whenever I have surgeries and you have to be at the hospital really early, Adam has to get the kids to school, and Carmen's taking me to so many procedures and like ride or die, man. Right.
SPEAKER_06:That's awesome.
SPEAKER_00:But I'm gonna be living, so yeah, yeah, ride or living.
SPEAKER_06:Well, everybody everybody loves you, so you know.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, yeah. And so thank you. And I'm really glad that uh that you're here and can talk about it that because again, it's it's an organization I'd never heard of until you'd mentioned it before, and I think I think it needs more awareness.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So maybe that'll be our next venture together.
SPEAKER_08:With the magician.
SPEAKER_00:We know Matt. Yeah, we know Matt the magician. And I should know his last name. So he went to school with Carmen, so he went to high school with her in Panama City.
SPEAKER_06:That's right. Yep.
SPEAKER_00:Don't say Panama City Beach because she gets very offended. When I first met her, I was like, oh, she's from Panama City Beach. She's like, no. No, yeah, it is different. Yeah, there is a difference. But um, yeah, I can't remember his last name. That's shameful.
SPEAKER_08:Well, well, Panama City Beach is kind of like West Coast, Ohio. Right.
SPEAKER_01:Where Kevin's from, a tech neon.
SPEAKER_08:Tech neon. Oh. All right. So do you have some questions for us?
SPEAKER_00:I do. I do. Nice segment. Uh flip the script a little bit because I was really nervous and you guys have put me at ease. But it, you know, it is sometimes what I've learned today is that the designers get a script or talking points to think about.
SPEAKER_08:We send out a questionnaire to the designers uh so that they kind of can think about the questions we're gonna. It's it's for them and it's for us as well, so that we've got kind of a little bit of a roadmap as we sit down to talk with the reps that we've had on. Uh, we assume that they don't have any problems talking, they're not as nervous talking. Um, and so it's just kind of uh a little more freeform. Yeah, it's like sink or swim.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I mean the last time we were texting about this was a couple weeks ago, and I think one of the last texts was at about 7, 7.30 in the evening, and Lauren had said, um, so are there gonna be notes or is this just gonna be pure improvish? And then neither of us neither of us responded. And then we didn't pick that text up until like three hours ago. So she has a face right now of like, thanks. Yeah, so she brought questions.
SPEAKER_00:I did, I did.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, so here's the It's a whole little describe what you have though. You have a whole little like card deck here.
SPEAKER_00:I do. So I got this at our um Shaw sales conference that I just got back from in Arizona, which like shameless plug there too. Like they are the top-notch company. I mean, their culture is so amazing, so human-centric focused, and they have been such rock stars throughout my treatment process. And like I've had incredible leaders and teammates who literally say, like, if you want to duck out of work for a couple weeks at a time to recover or, you know, go to Ohio to visit your family, like, do what you need to do to stay healthy. And I can't be um, I can't thank them enough for that type of like work atmosphere to create truly create a culture and a time for me to focus on my family and heal. And when I came over to Shaw, they said, you know, we think family comes first, so you take care of yourself, your family, and your home first, and then come work for Shaw. Because if you don't do things in that order, you're not going to be the best rep for us. And I, you know, those were just words at the time. Right. But then now I've seen their actions, and it's just remarkable. They're just top-notch, and you know, I'm here, you know, because of modern medicine, but you know, and but you know, without that support, yeah, I never once was stressed about my job. So I mean that's that is amazing. That's being in sales, you know that that is such a blessing to never have to want to.
SPEAKER_08:Then who are the clients that you call in? Who supported them? I think she's about to read them off.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so this one, ooh, this one would be a good question um for either one of you. Okay. But I'm looking to you though, Chad. Yeah, I think this one's gonna I'm gonna get a better answer for you on this. All right. So if an archaeologist found your desk, what story would the artifacts tell?
SPEAKER_08:I found my desk.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, the contents on your desk.
SPEAKER_08:Um it's it's fairly sparse. Uh I don't like a lot of things on my desk. I've got a um So boring. Sure. There's um there is a marble run. Um which is a marble what? Run. Like a that uh I got for Christmas last year, which is kind of architectural looking and isn't a glass thing. Um I like, I do like little I guess because my my dad had a bunch of like little trinkets and stuff. Um he had an old dealership, uh so I grew up in the industry, but he always had these like little I don't know, they're little things that were like games and things on the desk. So I've got I've got that, and then I also have a it's a frame, but it's a video frame, and it just plays on a loop. And it's a uh it's a a bird, it's like a kind of a um cartoon bird, but it's like in this box kind of thing, and it's just fluttering around. It plays 24-7 on a loop.
SPEAKER_00:Um, like a mad genius vibes over there.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. And then I try to keep it pretty uh like not lots of paper and just junk. So I try to try to keep it pretty clean. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:All right, Mark, this is a good one for you. Okay. If your life had a theme song this week, what would it be and what makes it the perfect fit? I'm gonna just backtrack and just say the a theme song of your life.
SPEAKER_06:A theme song of my life. Specifically this week, but for your entire life. Probably this week would be would be would be better. Um Dead Air. She stole my line. She stole my dead air line.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so I'll I'll like give you one of my theme songs and then Chad, you can go to while you're thinking of your perfect. I've said this even prior to getting cancer and prior to having three kids, because that's wild. But I feel like it's Bon Jovi living on a prayer has always been a good song for me.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. See, that's a good answer. Yeah. Yeah. This is one of the things that this is why we asked the questions and not answered.
SPEAKER_06:For a split second chat, I got nervous.
SPEAKER_00:You did. Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Damn. I'm gonna have to answer a question. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:When I feel like I relate, because like, you know, Gina works at the diner. Like, I worked at Applebee's, so this was prior to like my big girl job at RJF. So I worked at Applebee's for a long time. Shout out to my Apple buddy. So I relate to Gina. Apple buddies. Yes, that's what we called ourselves, yeah. Because we're like friends for life. Right. Yeah. That's when you help somebody out on the shift, you call them your Apple Buddy because like they made your salad for you or whatever. Right. But I relate to that Gina, you know, slumming away at the diner. But I truly am living on a prayer every day, just winging it.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, as we all know. Okay, good.
SPEAKER_06:So it's it's Is it for this week or is it your this week. Okay, this week. And we're gonna go with uh come on, Eileen. Oh gosh. Okay, but especially at the end when they're just like to la ro la and they're just kind of like going bananas because it's going they're going nuts. Yeah. And it's a little bit frantic, and people uh you've probably seen the video. I have. The video's kind of nuts too. Yeah, like they're having a good time. Yeah. Like yes, I don't that's kind of been.
SPEAKER_08:I've got a story with that song because when my wife and I were getting married, we ran in we didn't have um didn't have a DJ or a band, so we just I made like a mixtape in essence to play for the music of it. And um we ran into I think it was a friend of Chesney's, and we were talking about we're getting married, and we're talking about the the wedding and the reception and whatnot, and he's like, Oh, okay, you've got to play Come On Eileen. Like that that song everyone gets on the dance forum and it's it it gets crazy, like that's the song. And so we had it as part of our mix and we played it.
SPEAKER_04:And did people go crazy and dance? No, they did not. Oh, they sit back down. No, no, it was just um exited the bowl.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, no, but it had no uh noticeable effects on the crowd. But now I've got two. Now I can tie it to your yeah, this was your okay. You can think about each other when you hear that song.
SPEAKER_00:That was the goal. So I'll ask one more question. Um, okay, so what's the first thing you notice about a person when you first meet them? And that could obviously vary from person to person, but like what do you guys notice the first thing when you meet them?
SPEAKER_08:Um I would say body language. Whether or not a person seems comfortable in the space, not comfortable in the space. Um then it's it's probably just kind of general clothing, but not not specific, like I it's like shoes or jacket or whatever. But it's uh put together or not. Yeah, whether or not they're kind of sharp, put together, well dressed, not well dressed, or casual. I mean you can even you can be casual and well dressed. Um but I think it's it's kind of those nonverbals is what I pick up on first.
SPEAKER_06:I would say accent.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, their voice accent.
SPEAKER_00:Can you tell where people are from just based on their accent?
unknown:West Coast.
SPEAKER_06:Probably better than most. Like def Kevin Banks is definitely West Coast, Ohio. Yeah, it's coast. Him and his him and his Tesla. You know? Oh, does he have a Tesla? That tra that tracks. For sure he does. Okay. We have to get him to listen to this episode. Just let him go. Kevin, we we love you, man. Uh yeah, I would say I would say I would say accents.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I feel like I notice like the warmness from people at first. You know, like when you first meet people, you can kind of tell like if they're warm or cool. Yeah, or if they're friendly or not. Right.
SPEAKER_06:Now, can you tell that even if they're not being warm in the moment?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I think it's just like how they interact, like those first interactions, what they say, how they introduce themselves, how they say it in the body language. But I will tell you this. So I get my palm or my tarot cards read and my palms, but I get my tarot cards read um by a little place in Homewood and the sweet girl Alice.
SPEAKER_08:By Matt the Magician.
SPEAKER_00:No, not by Matt. I'm sure he could do it. But the sweet girl Alice. And so she told me that I'm very intuitive, but I don't follow it, and I don't trust it. So I'm just very naive, and I think I like give people benefits of the doubts or overlook signs that I'm feeling.
SPEAKER_08:You see the signs, but you just don't Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Yeah. So I'm going to try like, you know, when I say like when I get warm fuzzies from people, I think that that's like a true, like they're a warm, fuzzy person. Good peeps.
SPEAKER_08:So it was okay, warm fuzzies. Yeah. Was there a book that was like warm fuzzies and cold pricklies? Does anybody know what I'm talking about? No? Okay. All right. Just respond in the comments. Yeah. Like, please like and subscribe. Yeah. Yeah. Smash that like button.
SPEAKER_00:Um Shaw contract carpet can give you warm fuzzies too, you know. The feeling on top of it. Good, good shout-out. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Is that is that all the questions you have for us?
SPEAKER_00:I I think that that is. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Well, we've got questions for you.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I think it's almost time, isn't it? It is. It is. Ending time.
SPEAKER_08:It depends. Mark's rapid fire questions sometimes. Oh, do I have okay?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, they're they're, you know, I have a lot of things. Is this a ritual? Rapid fire questions? Chad comes with five pre-written, and I come with a new page every time. Um but that's fine. That's okay. We're both our our own person. Um are you a kill the spider or catch and release person?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I kill it.
SPEAKER_06:But spiders are good. They kill other bikes. You're not supposed to judge. Yeah, no judgment here. And I don't freak out. The most judge yeah, I've been on the show ever. Yeah, why at me too?
SPEAKER_08:Do you do this or do you do this? There's only one correct answer.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. I don't get scared of them, I just kill them. Yeah. I'm not like a girl in the spider.
SPEAKER_06:You know the question is, you know, I have to answer this one, but it's just funny. The question under the spider question is if your job had a theme song, what would it be?
SPEAKER_00:If my job as a rep had a theme song. I I think that's living on a prayer too.
SPEAKER_08:I mean I don't know.
SPEAKER_00:I might have to come back to that one, but I think that you know, still Bon Jovi applies to that one as well.
SPEAKER_08:Okay. All right. Yeah, um, when I was in college, uh, of course, this the the show was not out then. I'm just trying to not I I'm dating myself, but I'm not that old. Like there's uh the song, the song's from it predates when I was in college, but it was Barney Miller, the theme song to Barney Miller. Um that was our uh a Dart team that I was on. That was our theme song that we'd played. It was the theme song of Barney Miller. I don't know if that has any relevance to anything that we're talking about. Three people there listening know what you're talking about. Yeah. All right, so here's my question. All right, what's a memorable parenting fail that you've had?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, there's a long, long.
SPEAKER_04:Your eyes gave away. It's a long eye. It's like which one should I go with?
SPEAKER_00:Uh so this was last year. Um I get a picture from the daycare because they like to keep me up to date on my kids' behaviors. Christian and Isla, the two youngest ones, the middle and the youngest one with the shenanigans. You know, Christian's in second grade now, though. But um, it is Isla sitting at the lunch table, flicking off the camera. So she was flicking off at the table, and then they snapped a picture of it. How old was she? Uh three and a half, but she looked so cute in it. But yeah, she taught all the kids at her table how to use the middle finger. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:Was she looking? So she was looking at the camera when she did this?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I can pull it up if you want to hear why we asked you. Yes, and so then um, secondly, again, I'm not gonna throw Kristen under the bus because he has redeemed himself and he is like top-notch character now. He had a little separation anxiety. But then, you know, shortly after the flick-off moment, um, I get a message from daycare again, and it's a little mama cussing on the playground today. And I'm like, okay. Because listen, I learned this in therapy, okay. Play therapy, that when kids all kids go through a cussing phase. Okay, so the more attention you draw to it, which is what everybody wants you to do, they want you to like wring your kids' neck for cussing, the more they're gonna do it. So the the professional answer is to ignore it. Well, then I get judged, you know, for not left, right, center. Yeah, but it is um, it is truly a phase, you guys, and we have exited out of it, but it was rough for a little bit.
SPEAKER_06:But um is he just like dropping F-bombs at the breakfast table?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and you know, Mother Trucker was um, you know, that's the PG version, which you can guess, but that was that was a good one going around our house too for a while. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:We learn these from you.
SPEAKER_00:Probably their dad. Like their dad's a plumber, so let's get real. It's Adam. Okay. I've I've might have drip dropped it a couple times, you know, not not often, because it's just me. Oh, yeah, here it is, right here.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, that's amazing.
SPEAKER_00:Like, look how cute she looks. And she has an Oxford University t-shirt on. For sure. That's fantastic.
SPEAKER_08:And this is this is one of those things, like if you listen to a comedy album or you listen to like a like an audio thing where they're like, oh yeah, oh no, yeah, and they're pointing at stuff. Yeah, everyone that's listening to the podcast doesn't get the visual that we just got, which is really great.
SPEAKER_06:It's really great. If you want, yeah, I need a headshot for our our promotion, social media promotion in this episode. But if you want to send me that instead of it.
SPEAKER_00:I would love to because I don't have a professional headshot.
SPEAKER_08:I think the uh or the um the fundraiser um that we're gonna bring Matt into maybe that could be the the poster or the yeah for magic mat. For magic mat.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, yeah. not be doing the dance.
SPEAKER_06:Okay. Um what's one thing you know a surprisingly large amount about that has nothing to do with flooring?
SPEAKER_00:Oh uh cancer now. Okay. I know before I was like damn it. Yeah. Listen, cancer is wild. It it can change and it can mutate.
SPEAKER_08:Threeforms wild.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah three form is wild. Cancer is just it's probably more wilder but yeah I mean it is crazy and like you know for a while guys because this is just kind of a funny story but like so okay my cancer started as one and it's mutated and gained resistance along the way. Then there's like this new chemical makeup that they just now are starting to recognize. I'm not going to go into details because it's kind of boring you know for like when people ask me how I'm doing or why this came back like I have the really dumbed down medical version to like my understanding like not to minimize my oncologist because they're such brilliant people. But cancer can change and mutate in its chemical makeup and then it has receptors it turns on and off to um literally evade and hide from treatment when you're getting active chemo.
SPEAKER_03:That is wild.
SPEAKER_00:So it can go dormant like a volcano and then come alive at any time. Wow. So it is um I I do feel like I know a lot about cancer now but it's funny because like every seven months my situation changes and like when people haven't seen people in a while they're like how are you doing I'm like oh gosh do I like even open up this can of worms? Are people even gonna believe me? And I listen to the podcast have you guys ever listened to Scamanda? Uh uh oh you haven't okay it is it is crazy. So this this lady fakes cancer for almost a decade and I I don't know I've seen the Netflix Amanda or something yeah she's so clever that they call her Scamanda and they named like that you Netflix theory in the podcast after her but you know she's getting tons of money. Right. Um she's outwardly seeking it yeah but um I was like gosh I feel like every when I'm like oh my cancer mutated so now I have like three different types of breast cancer I feel like nobody's gonna believe me and think I'm scamming over here. You know, because it's just crazy how but that's how her story went too okay.
SPEAKER_06:She started off with brain cancer and then she had some you know but she's very obviously well when you're watching the show because you kind of know by the title very obviously a liar. Okay. Yeah and like just work in the community work in her church it's just yeah but she goes above and beyond in in fooling people. She sure sells it yeah if you need a sales robot if you guys need a sales rabbit do I ask my question now Chad we're still talking about cancer.
SPEAKER_08:No we can move on if you could rename one of the 50 states which one would you rename and what would you name it?
SPEAKER_00:Oh gosh which one um that's a random question. Yeah I know I know did you make this up?
SPEAKER_08:I did you did uh yeah you know why? Because I was thinking about whether it's North Carolina, South Carolina, North Dakota South Dakota West Virginia just Virginia that's not East Virginia. Why not?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah I don't know I don't know but when I was little I used to pronounce like Arkansas Arkansas I don't know why Arkansas just like Arkansas because it just doesn't it doesn't fit yeah where are you from Steve? Yeah Steve Bob just something simple you know and Arkansas just doesn't really it's just a weird name.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah Arkansas Arkansas I don't know what the meaning is behind it but yeah it probably doesn't have one.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah yeah they just made it up I was gonna say like Mississippi because you know like how everybody calls like oh we're doing better than Mississippi when you live in Alabama but that is a cool name and when you have to spell it out like you're so proud of yourself when you can spell it right s I P P I nailed it thank you um all right I got my next one what's the weirdest place someone has wanted shawl flooring installed shawl flooring installed or any flooring or any flooring based on that what is the so people um want to put it on their walls um which is a fire hazard and against all fire codes and they do make you know like whisper tags like you know fabric wall covering that kind of has a carpet feel that would do the probably better acoustical performance than the carpet on a wall but there's just like sheer aesthetic which is just weird to me. Interesting so then pivoting back to three form this one was a cool one like it just is a weird place to put you know three form even though I don't work there anymore but um a mental health hospital they needed completely like bulletproof products to put in there and and there's one there coda coda is bulletproof was that by design just came there like oh man this stuff came out really hard well no so guys okay or somebody got shot at in this place that had it and they went oh it didn't go through next we'll add that to the specs also that's like resin nerd like resin and plastic nerding out but it it's a polycarbonate that I remember this you guys can all ask Amanda Malone call her for your needs but it's a polycarbonate so like they use it on like fire fighting jets and stuff as like that's some not coda but polycarbonate material so like it's literally indestructible otherwise yeah it would be an expensive jet with the three form yeah it was just for it yeah just for the windows I love how we've we've shouted out like 12 reps in this I know I'm like I should get commissioned.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah you should yeah Lori Bailey I'm gonna ask you to it's true yeah sorry Kevin and Aaron and Chris Tim sorry you did that on your own outside of your current job what would your dream job be?
SPEAKER_00:I've thought about this a lot you know and it has changed and evolved along the way like I would love if I won the lottery I'd love to go back to school to be a psychologist or like a forever student you know and maybe not practicing but um that's what I wanted to do in high school but then I was I learned you had to go for eight years and I was like nah for that um but I think now that I have evolved and grown through like I think it would definitely be doing something you know that St. Jude's or some type of cancer foundation for sure.
SPEAKER_08:That's a good answer.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you.
SPEAKER_08:Unlike the spider one.
SPEAKER_06:Unlike the spider one which was wrong. So what's the strangest item you have in your car right now that's a good one for me.
SPEAKER_00:I mean I feel like I don't take clients to like lunch anymore in my car. Like I just have to meet them there because there is anything and everything in there. Right. Like there's kid snacks on the floor in case you get hungry and need a snack on the ride.
SPEAKER_06:Is that where you got these? Were these on the floor?
SPEAKER_00:No those were in my purse from my Shaw meeting that I just got back from so no those were not on the floor. Like I'm talking like just straight candy on the floor though no wrapper so like I have condiments in my car if you do want to ride for our lunch meeting. There's a lot of things in there. I found a cheeseburger that was a week old a little while ago. Yeah and I didn't smell it weird.
SPEAKER_06:How much of the cheeseburger was eaten three quarters. Oh so they were just done with it and then they're like the third row where nobody goes. I don't know but like outside of that I don't really know what weird other thing I have in my the the mostly eaten cheeseburger.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah that's a good one.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah what is your favorite dessert slash sweet uh anything caramel.
SPEAKER_00:Like I don't like chocolate that much which everybody is like shocked and judges me for but I love anything caramel. Okay.
SPEAKER_03:You don't like chocolate?
SPEAKER_00:I mean I like caramel I mean it's okay when you say caramel you mean caramel I say caramel but that is a good yeah everybody says caramel down here.
SPEAKER_06:Because it's got an it's got two A's in there. Yeah you're agreeing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah you're I don't care well so in like up north too central Ohio. Like northeast but that's okay close. Yeah like we say crayons up there.
SPEAKER_06:So we always have as opposed to crayon?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah and it is technically spelled or pronounced crayons because I googled it before and that's how it spelled. Yeah yeah true but we we all say crayons up there. Crayons? Yeah crayons crayons see this is why accents are interesting. And then you know it makes me laugh every time when somebody says it cement cement?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah cement yeah I just say cement but I think it's so funny when people say cement showing off okay this is my last one. Okay if you woke up tomorrow with a new skill what is the least useful thing it could be a new skill tomorrow.
SPEAKER_04:That's not a not much of a skill yeah that's the least useful skill what could it be?
SPEAKER_06:I know that's a that is um I feel like Andy Aho would have an answer for this I don't know why I think that but I think you'd like to like a new skill or like a new power we can go okay we'll go there we'll go yeah either work if you want to broaden the selection of least useful things I mean like I think I don't know that's a hard one gosh you stump me dead air right now I don't think that's on you though I think it's just a bad question yeah let's move on like give me the next one. Oh give you the next one okay if you had a warning label what would it say?
SPEAKER_00:Oh gosh maybe you guys should answer that for me.
SPEAKER_06:Um we've given you a lot of compliments in this show so now it's time for you to be self-deprecating.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah uh a warning label I feel like you just never know what you're gonna get into with me.
SPEAKER_03:You know look out mother truckers mother truckers with my she's flicking us off with my trademark daughters flick off.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know I mean I feel like I can go depending on the day like sometimes I like to uh cause a little mischief or like catch people off guard but sometimes I'm a disorganized mess. I don't know.
SPEAKER_06:Now that you mentioned the cause a little mischief I feel like that you and I have been at events before.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:And I wish I could remember but you would just come up with the most off the wall questions. Right. For things to say yeah sometimes yeah and I wish I had a good example but um yeah that I feel like that was I like to catch people off guard sometimes.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah and it's funny and it's just like purely from my entertainment. Right nobody else's yeah and Carmen sometimes will be like I don't get you I don't get your sense of humor I'm like you're not supposed to like I'm just making myself laugh on the inside and keeping myself entertained so I don't really care if anybody else laughs. It's just you know I just want to see what people say.
SPEAKER_08:Well this is a great segue. Um my last one's not a question tell us a joke.
SPEAKER_00:Oh tell you a joke okay uh my nephew who shares the same birthday as me who's eight uh asked me this and I cannot get it for the life of me what does a pig say when it's out in the sun? Sitting out in the sun. What does a pig say when he's sitting out I'm gonna go with the wink is this like a bacon related punchline okay yeah you're pretty smart yeah I'm bacon you know because you're hot you're bacon from the sun right track yeah yeah you were close you were pretty much right on it. It was a joke wasn't a riddle but you know yeah I'm bacon I'm bacon I'm bacon I like it all right so um I survived uh we still have another hour oh we do oh no I gotta go I got things to do hang out with Lori Bailey I know right right right now's this golf thing it's at Graystome Okay yeah so she got a little team together and they raised some funds for breast cancer research in my name and I mean yeah great she's just she's great I know she is she didn't invite us but that's I know how dare her tell her that we were not happy I know I feel like she sh yeah I feel like she won't care no she won't she 100% she won't care.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah um all right so when we uh recently we've been uh finishing the episode with a custom song okay um so I need three random words from you to put into this song uh thankful right yeah dead fighter and then a uh a genre of music soft rock soft rock awesome great thank you so much for coming on well thanks for having me yeah it's funny I know I get it I only had a couple mess ups nobody will notice yeah we'll edit those out so um we'll maybe have it like a 10 minute episode yeah yeah I think she thinks she did better than she did because it was not good it was awful one of the worst ones we've had thanks for coming on I'm disappointed in myself and in you two yeah right bringing you down with me I'm just kidding yeah thank you for having me I appreciate it thanks Lauren's colors of the backwards