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The Championdrive Podcast
Episode 2.16 - Texas Time! The Red Raider Sale in Lubbock, Texas and Bryce Fisher - Texas State FFA Officer!
01:03:58
This podcast episode takes us south! Guests include Bryce Fisher, a young man you may recognize from the show ring, talks with us about his time as a Texas State FFA Officer. We also visited with NxtGen’s Brent Titus about the April 4 & 5 Live Sale in Lubbock, TX … THE RED RAIDER.
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- [00:02]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Now entering the ring, another episode of the Champion Drive podcast presented by Novel Designs with your hosts, Kaitlyn Sister Urban and Steva Robinson.
- [00:22]
Steva Robinson
Well, it's definitely the changing of the seasons. Everything is kind of winding down in the south for the major stock shows. And up here in the Midwest, we're kind of just starting to gear up with getting, you know, sheep sheared off and getting ready to go to jackpots. And this weekend is the second spring American Royal, which I went to it last year. And it's a more laid back version of the fall Kansas City. I enjoy it because it's the same kind of the same feeling and nostalgia as the Fall Royal, but it's just in a much more like laid back and less people type version. But a really good show. I'm excited to go to it. It's the second year for it and that is this weekend. So I think there's several people I've heard that are going this year that maybe hadn't last year. So I think it's kind of a good thing for the industry to have another show coming up. And I think it'll be really neat, especially when their new facilities open in a year or two. Just have another outlet for that. What are your thoughts, sister?
- [01:21]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, I went up there only for a day last year, but I did enjoy it was a lot more laid back than what I'm used to. But I thought it was cool and interesting to see kind of the up and coming, a new show coming up. And I think it's interesting that they were having a prospect show. And I asked you before we got on kind of what the prospect show is like just because, you know, we just got done showing that oie and there are sheep that showed at Oye that were at the Tulsa State Fair, at the Oklahoma State Fair. So it's a whole different ball game kind of shifting back towards a prospect show. And I know that they have a market show and a U show as well, but. So what's your thoughts on that kind of. What do you see going forward? Do you like the prospect show? Do you not? Kind of. Kind of. How do you feel about that?
- [02:03]
Steva Robinson
I think they did a good job with it. So they have a you show and that's all ages and we're all weights of use. But then they break their market show into a prospect and they pick a champion or supreme overall prospect in reserve. And then they also do a market show. So it's basically three separate shows. You've got the use the prospects and the markets and it Actually works really well because there are some people that come up from the south that have bigger sheep. There's some of us in the Midwest that are onto, you know, falls, Decembers, you know, maybe even some early Januarys that are going to be there. So it does a really good job of like, letting people that are at all different stages of their project have success or show, you know, where you're not like, oh, I'm taking a 95 pounder and I've got a show against 175 pounders. So I think that works really good. And there's, you know, basically six kids that leave there being grand or reserve, either of the use, the prospects or the market. So as a breeder, I think it's really good. It kind of helps people of different, you know, at different stages get out and gives them an opportunity. And I think, like, there's not a lot of shows that are like that in the Midwest. So I think that was really unique. And I think they should really be applauded for, you know, stepping outside of the norm instead of saying, we've always done it this way. They kind of tried to come up with a new show and do something that would work for everyone. And it's no secret I'm a big foodie. I probably need to be less of a foodie. But Kansas City is one of my favorite food towns. And it's in Kansas City. It seems like there's just a little bit more downtime. You get to go out and grab a bite to eat somewhere or. I just. I enjoy Kansas City quite a bit. So there's a lot of really good barbecue places around there. Or you get out of the barn a little bit earlier where you're not in the barn until midnight or so, and you can actually go grab dinner. So it's just kind of a really nice, fun way, I think, for a lot of Midwest families to kick off the show season and I think for like the southern families or other people from around the country that maybe have been showing quite a ways, you know, quite a while, it's a pretty nice way to end their show season too. And it's fun to show in Hale Arena. I think the grand drive at the American Royal in the fall is like, I really enjoy that where it's all four species, you know, kind of going at the same time. They don't do that with the spring American Royal, but you're still showing in the same arena. So I think it's. It's a little different than just going to a random Jackpot. And showing in a barn that has been closed for months and, you know, maybe has a few lights that are working, which is pretty common in the Midwest, I think. Not to knock on the Midwest stuff, but, you know, that's where you're showing at a lot of times as a county fairground. So I think it's good to get the animals out ahead of time, you know, for this and get them in a big ring environment and, and just kind of see where you're at for your project.
- [04:42]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, no, I agree with that. And speaking of food, I remember last year when we went to this little breakfast place. I have no idea what it was called, but that was a really good place that we hit up and I really like that as well.
- [04:54]
Steva Robinson
Yeah, I think if you go back to like the original, like last year around this time, we had the guys from the American Royal on and they kind of gave us some of their best food places. So I'll have to go back and re listen to that. But yeah, Kansas City definitely has good food if you have time to. To make it out. So other than that, sale season appears kind of winding down in the Midwest, but it's just getting ready to get started down south. And our first guest today is going to talk about the Red Raider. I caught up with Brent Titus about that. And that is going to be on April 4th is the preview, which is Friday night. It's in Lubbock, Texas. The Preview is at 6pm on Friday night. I know he's talking about making this a big event. There's going to be a preview of all the sale animals, a social, and he's even got a live band book for it. And then on Saturday, the sale starts at 3pm on Saturday, April 5. And he mentions that the reason for the start time on that being a little bit later in the day is because the Texas State Livestock judging contest is going on. So that gives times for those egg teachers and some of those kids that might want to come to the sale time. But he'll talk more about it in depth. It's in Lubbock, Texas, April 4th and 5th. Let's talk to Titus. Well, guys, today I'm here with Brent Titus with NextGen sales, and we're going to talk about a new sale that they have going on. It's called the Red Raider and it is in Lubbock, Texas and it's April 4th and 5th. Let's talk a little bit. Why did you start this sale?
- [06:22]
Brent Titus
Well, Stevo, we're always looking to expand and you Know, next year obviously is in its infancy still, and any opportunity we can get to build a bigger customer base a is the number one thing we want to do. And we want to bring more buyers to all our consignors, whether they be our live sales or online platform. But ultimately, I think that the motivation behind this sale was a lot of the comments made to us by both consignors and buyers during our Blue Bloods weekend, which is that third weekend in May. And we've had that sale a couple years and it's been tremendously successful. But we just kept hearing over and over again from the buyers like, hey, yeah, we're here, we're here to buy, but we're here to buy one sheep. If the one sheep is here, our barns are full, we're filled up. And it just really got trace. And I thinking about the fact that this southwest market, which we traditionally thought doesn't want to buy until late April, May and June, is buying earlier and earlier. So let's have a sale. Let's put it right in our backyard and let's try to capitalize on that for our consignors.
- [07:28]
Steva Robinson
Yeah, I think that's a good point. You know, it used to be a lot of us would lamb until April, May, June, and you know, a lot of us now are getting done earlier and earlier. You know, even the guys in the south are getting done lambing earlier. So. Yeah, I think that's great. Let's talk about the schedule a little bit. I heard that there's going to be a band.
- [07:47]
Brent Titus
Yeah, yeah, it's Lindsay's department. We're gonna have a band with the preview. We'll preview those sheep at all. The sheep will be in there sometime Friday. And then we're gonna have a preview, a social, a band starting at 6 o'clock on Friday evening on April 4th. Then we'll preview them all day on Saturday and we'll sell them at 3:00 Saturday afternoon. I've had some questions about, you know, why are you waiting that long to sell them? Well, to be honest with you, the Texas FFA contests are all in Lubbock that day. And so the tech judging team is busy and all those ag teachers and all those students will be tied up. So we kind of pushed it back there mid afternoon time so that those people that are there for the FFA events can come to the South Plains Fairgrounds and join us for what we think is going to be just an elite set of sheep.
- [08:40]
Steva Robinson
Yeah, I think that'll be good. And that is, like you said, that's held at the fairgrounds, correct? In Lubbock?
- [08:48]
Brent Titus
Yeah, South Plains Fairgrounds there on the east side of Lubbock where the South Plains Fair is held. We'll have the sheep and the swine barns both. And then a little small show ring they call it will be the actual auction facility.
- [09:02]
Steva Robinson
Perfect. And then what about for those that are traveling in, where should they kind of look for hotel information or what do you suggest?
- [09:10]
Brent Titus
Yeah, anywhere on the tech campus area is going to be great. So, you know, anywhere near Jones, the football stadium, there's all kinds of hotels and that is probably the closest proximity. I mean, South Loop would be fine too, but you're away from the fun stuff, so stay close to tech and experience what it's like to be a Red Raider.
- [09:30]
Steva Robinson
Perfect. Well, I think that kind of covers all the questions that I had. I know we're excited to be going. You can visit championdrive.com or the NextGen website for updated schedule, consigner information and all the details and make plans to be in Lubbock, Texas for the Red raider sale on April 4th and 5th. All right, well, April 4th and 5th is the red Raider. There's more information on Champion Drive about that, so be sure to check that out and make plans to be in Lubbock, Texas. Moving on, there is a new feed from Essential Feeds called Repro plus. And this feed came out about a year ago and is a feed that's targeted to feed to like your donors, your AI, use your resips, your bucks. And it's a feed that the guys at Essential came out with that's supposed to kind of help with AI and flush results. I actually fed a little bit of it last year and was really happy with it. I've always kind of struggled with what to feed replacement ulams and I did that last year and I was really happy with the feed. But these guys are promoting that again. It's kind of time to be feeding that or thinking about your fall AI and ET nutrition programs. So make sure to look up Essential feeds and their product called Repro Plus. The sales reps for that are Barrett Carlisle and J.D. pruitt. You can reach out to them with any more questions or find their ad on championdrive.com and kind of their ad campaign for it is every percent counts. Which if you kind of think about it, we put a ton of money into AI and Repro work and if you can achieve even an extra percent or so more through your nutrition being on point, that's a big positive. So reach out to JD or Barrett or any of the crew at Essential for more information on that.
- [11:14]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, and kind of moving forward, I know we have several Sud Ram showcases up. One chance is up. He's rrfd. He is bred and owned by Zachary Shoemaker. He's a parlay milk and honey on their 8173 donor.
- [11:29]
Steva Robinson
There's another new buck called Tough Love Up. He's bred by Kirschner and owned with Smithwick. He's RRFD. He's a macho. On 1132 Freaky Friday on Dirty Fixin. Be sure to check him out on the Champion Drive Stud Ram Showcase.
- [11:44]
Bryce Fisher
Barry Farms just put up White Man. He's a company man on a white buffalo. He's rrfd. Be sure to check him out on Champion Drive.
- [11:53]
Steva Robinson
Club level is a buck that just came up this week, too. On the Sud Ram Showcase. He's owned by Estes, Kennedy, Leggett and Pingle. He's a J thus, which is a chief game day back on a coach Leech Peppa Master. You you can find him on the Stud Ram Showcase. And I think that crew has been pretty high on that buck and had a couple of pretty good shots of him on that Sud Ram showcase. So be sure to check him out on Champion Drive. Moving on to our headliners, I am not proud to admit this, but my bracket is busted. For those of you that follow us on Snapchat or social media or visit Champion Drive quite a bit, we did another bracket challenge for the NCAA tournament and despite all the hours that I have college basketball on in my office when I'm working during the day, that's when I usually catch the replays. My bracket is terrible, sister. Like, I might be last. I chose. I mean, I didn't even choose the Badgers this year. Normally I choose the Badgers and I just lose because they never win.
- [12:51]
Bryce Fisher
But speaking of your bracket, the other night I got a Snapchat from somebody that knows you and it was like, somebody needs to check on Steve because I'm pretty sure she's probably crying right now.
- [13:01]
Steva Robinson
So yes, it was a terrible game. It was a terrible game. What a terrible play to end the game. So for those of you that don't know, I'm from Wisconsin, I'm a diehard Badgers fan and it's not been good, but it's a good season. It just had a bad ending. But so be sure if you did sign up for a bracket challenge, be sure to keep an eye on that the top three, three winners get gear and usually I give the last place bracket something. But if I'm in last, I guess we won't be giving anything out for that. But maybe I can do like a, a redo or something. I don't know. But not proud. Also on Champion Drive, like we mentioned, we have a Champion Drive Snapchat that we started about probably six months ago. If you haven't followed us on there, follow us on there. We put some different content on there. Kind of a nice reminder of what's going on in the industry. I think even during Oye Sister did a little poll with Fitch and Darren and you shot on there trying to see who was most comfortable in their perch in the show rings.
- [14:00]
Bryce Fisher
So yeah, and that did go over pretty well. Some of the comments that we got back from that was pretty funny. So also on Champion Drive we have the branded Show Gear hat special. This package includes six different hats. You can choose between a Richardson 256, a Richardson 220 or a Richardson 225. And this is our March hat special. Include your logo embroidered on the front, center or on the left side of each hat. So be sure to contact branded Show Gear via email or let anybody know if you would like to get in on that special.
- [14:35]
Steva Robinson
Yeah, it actually includes six of each of those hats. We kind of did that because those are three of our most popular ones. So it works out really good for giveaways. Like a lot of the younger Generation likes the 256, which is like the straighter build rope hat. The 220s are probably our best seller. And the 225s are a more structured version of the 220 that some people prefer. So it's kind of a mix of different hats. A lot of times you have to hit a minimum of 12 hats with us. So this way you can kind of get six of each option and get it kind of at a bundled rate. And that's valid through the end of the month. Sister, you've had a bunch of content come in on Champion Drive. What all you. What all have you had going?
- [15:14]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, so we did judge recaps this year after the Texas Majors and Oie. And then we'll do one also after spring American Royal. I really like the recaps simply because of the fact that I want to know what's going through the judge's mind whenever they're judging. And so kind of the questions that we try to ask on. There are some questions that maybe I've wondered myself. Nothing wrong with doing the inside the ring or before. You know, we put those up before they judge because I think those are very good in their own right. But Dwayne Hurlimans is up right now on Champion Drive, and if you didn't get the chance to watch him judge at OIE or listen to him judge maybe on Walton webcasting or anything like that, be sure to check out his judge recap. I think it was pretty interesting. And then we'll also have breeder spotlights coming in. There's some Texas major exhibitor spotlights that are out and then also a few just still from oie the Kids Spotlight. So we'll have plenty of content coming in. And then I know probably at Spring Kansas City. I know we'll be posting more stuff about that as well. So be sure to visit Champion Drive whenever you need to be in the know of anything that's going on in the show, lamb industry and kind of going forward. Talking about our next guest, we had Bryce Fisher on who I think it was San San Antonio. If I remember right, he was one of the people that was in the ring helping the judge, but he's so he's definitely been given back to the livestock industry. He was a big time FFA person. He, like you will tell we talk all about all the success he had in ffa, but more than that, he just has a lot of wisdom and he's a younger guy that I've always had a lot of respect for and I hope that you guys will too. His episode is longer, but I think it's definitely worth a listen. So let's get right into Bryce Fishers. Well, Bryce, thanks for sitting down with me today. Do you mind telling me a little bit about where you grew up, what all you've shown and where all you've shown?
- [17:10]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, absolutely. Well, sister, thank you for the opportunity to hop on the podcast. I'm really excited. So I grew up in a small town called Florence, Texas, population about a little over a thousand. It's about 45 minutes to an hour north of Austin, kind of in between Georgetown and Clean. For those who are familiar with kind of the Central Texas Austin area, I like to say that I grew up in a pretty sweet spot because I grew up on quite a bit of property, kind of secluded, a little away from everyone else, but also got to live 45 minutes away from downtown Austin. So I kind of got the best of both worlds growing up. Got a little bit of rural America, a little bit of urban America, but grew up Showing sheep since third grade when I could show even before then, but have shown pretty much everywhere. All the Texas majors, Louisville, Kansas City, Arizona. Never made our way up to Denver. Colorado was always around Fort Worth in our county stock show. So that's my one, my one stock show I didn't hit was Denver, but pretty much showed everywhere else and really enjoyed it. I have six siblings, so when I was showing, there were four of us showing. And then my parents added some more later on. But my family's shown for quite a while. My dad grew up showing, mom grew up rodeoing, so kind of in our blood. But really enjoyed just the opportunity to show livestock or across the nation. I feel like it made me the person that I am and loved where I grew up. Go back there quite frequently to visit with the family and be a part of it. But really enjoyed kind of getting to see the world while showing livestock.
- [18:42]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, for sure. And it, it's funny that you mentioned right off the bat that there were four other siblings shown when you showed. So kind of what was a typical day in the barn look, looking like, like how did you guys decide maybe who showed what animals? How did all that play out?
- [18:58]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
So I think that's a good question because I, I don't know. I think sometimes when I look at what other people are doing in their barns, they probably had quite a bit, had quite a few less sheep on feed than we did. I think at one time we had like 40 something sheep on feed, which is just outrageous. So time management was crucial. I do recognize early on we probably didn't do as much as we should have as kids. My parents expected a lot out of us and I don't know if we always followed through with those expectations. But once we really got going, I think a typical day in the barn, say my junior year of high school, my senior year, sophomore year, that kind of time period, it looked a lot like showmanship was really important. So working sheep just. I'm always a firm believer that if you want to show good, your sheep have to work with you and you've just got to do it. You've just got to walk them and walk them and walk them and set them up and set them up and set them up. So I would say got home from school, got home from any judging practice, that I had immediately changed shoes, went to the barn and got to work. A lot of what we used to do was there would be one person at the treadmill and there would be a person, two people setting up a sheep and we would Just bounce down the line and, like, the sheep would just pass down the line. So two people would be setting a sheep up, and then it would go to the treadmill, and then the sheep would go on the walker, and then we'd hand walk. So that was kind of the system that we tried to implement. I don't know if we were always successful at doing that, but I feel like that allowed kind of everyone to show every sheep, so there wasn't kind of this stigma, like only one person can show that sheep or only one person can get the job done on that one. So that was kind of the system that was in place. My parents were super involved, my dad especially, super involved with the barn. My mom's kind of kind of funny because she didn't really grow up showing sheep, but she's kind of become our showmanship guru in the house. She definitely knows what she's talking about. And even if she doesn't always know exactly how to describe what she's talking about, she can make anyone a good showman, I'm sure of it. But was super blessed to grow up with such a big family because it was never boring in the barn. Like, obviously, we had our big barn fights where some halters were thrown, maybe some muzzles were tossed at each other. There was some yelling for sure, But I think at the end of the day, we cared about each other and we wanted to help each other succeed. And it made time in the barn that much more meaningful because it wasn't just about me. It was about how I can help my little sister and little brother and older, specifically my older brother. And that was always really special that we had each other's back and we were part of that community. And I don't know, we never got bored, that's for sure, sister. We never got bored. But I think in terms of daily rhythms, that was kind of our system of just like setting them up, working them, putting them on the treadmill, and then obviously working legs and spraying product, blowing it out. It was long. It took a while. We. We've kind of bounced back and forth between the typical Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing and then doing some every day. And I. I don't know which one I prefer more. I think it was easier to do just the Monday, Wednesday, Friday, because then on Tuesday and Thursday, all you had to do was work showmanship, and it didn't feel like such a burden. But only doing maybe five or six a day when we had that many sheep on feed also helped quite a bit. So I don't Know, I would tell anyone if they are in a big family, that that's probably one of the best ways to do it, is just to separate it and make all the work equal. But also recognize that my little brother was involved in football, and there were some Fridays he wasn't going to be there, and someone else had to pick up the slack. And I think my family did a really good job of recognizing that everyone's involved in different things. And there were definitely moments where I was like, well, why can't Braden be the one that's doing it? Or, why can't Brody be the one that's doing that? But taking personal accountability was something my parents taught us very, very early on, and I think that kind of helped with the daily rhythms of the stock show industry. Who got to show what sheep. It always came down to who showed them the best day of we would get to a show. And I don't know if everyone listening is familiar with the way Texas majors work, but you don't really. You can validate all of your sheep under a family. So we could have shown any sheep we didn't have to pick at the beginning of the year. Now, there were definitely some. Like, obviously, the lightweight southbound's probably going to go to my little sister when she was nine years old and it was her first year showing. But typically it came down to who showed the sheep the best, who got the job done when we rolled out the mat and set them up on the day before show day or when we moved into a show.
- [23:22]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah. And I'm sure there are several people out there that can definitely relate to fighting with their siblings in the barn. So what was your favorite memory from your show career?
- [23:32]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Oh, okay. I think there's probably two that come to mind. I really. The year that I won my age division at Louisville in showmanship was a really fun year. I just remember that trip very vividly. It was super fun. And there's those days at shows where it's just super stressful and you feel like you're freaking out and no one's on the same page. Everyone's bickering and arguing. I don't remember that trip being like that at all. I remember that trip being very calm, collected, and super fun with my family. Something I really appreciate my about my parents and the way they raised us in the stock show industry was it was about having fun, it was about learning, and it was about pursuing excellence. Absolutely. But I think that memory, specifically of just getting to win that showmanship division was really, really fun. And but even more so, not because I won the division, but because of just how joyful I remember the Tribune. And I don't think if I would have won or not won that would have changed how much I enjoyed that trip in that time at Louisville. I think Louisville is probably one of my favorite national shows, just because it's just a stock show. It's more laid back. There's something about it that I just always really, really enjoyed. And in the second one, my senior year of high school, one of my best sheep died, and we had to take it back up to San Antonio. Was a whole thing, but it was. Speaking of picking sheep, who's showing what? My little sister, Bristol, who is just the most stud showman in the world, in my opinion, if you ask me, had this lightweight rule sheet from Tyson that I really wanted to show because I knew it was the best one. And I'd rather win the lightweight division in my mind than get six than a heavyweight class. Was kind of my thought process with a backup land. And I remember I was talking to my dad and song everybody, and I was, you know what? Actually, it would mean way more to me if I got to watch my little sister succeed than if I succeeded. And I think that moment, my mom and I talk about this a lot of just, like, what it meant for us, it to be a family affair to us, was that it was okay. That even though it was my senior year, and I'm sure there was some thought process in my head of like, oh, the sheep's gonna balance that better. We're still showing it because it's a smaller sheep. She's smaller than I am. But she ended up preserving Division 1 at San Antonio that year. And that is a really vivid memory of me, of mine. Just remember just thinking about, like, what it actually meant to be a part of the stock show industry as a family, that it was way more important, in my opinion, for us to have the best chance and to be successful as a family than it was for me to have individual success. I think I did end up getting, like, fifth or sixth or something with that backup lamb. So, yeah, not everyone's ideal senior year, but my little sister kicked by, and that was more important to me. And I'm thankful my parents have, like, kind of raised my family, my siblings and I, to have that opinion and to have that mindset, because I think it really influences every. Everything I do every day. Just wanting to serve others and wanting to help other people succeed. And that's a very vivid stock show memory of When I remember that happening.
- [26:32]
Bryce Fisher
Yes. And I think it's really, I guess, ironic that you brought that up, because I'm sure that there are several people out there that, you know, had big hopes for their senior year, and maybe they. They didn't win the big banner because at the end of the day, there's. There's only going to be one person that's going to winner. There's going to be a lot of people that are really close. There's going to be a lot of people that go home upset. So I think just having that mentality, you know, I remember vividly when I was young going to shows, and I would be so mad when my brother beat me because it was a family, like, it, Right?
- [27:03]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. It was a contest.
- [27:04]
Bryce Fisher
Yes. And I remember, like, so many people were just like, you guys are a team. Like, you guys work together, you guys feed cheap together, you guys go to shows together. Like, if he wins, you win. And at first I was like, heck, no. Like, I want to win. I don't want my brother to win, you know, But I guess kind of once I got over that mindset, shows became a lot more fun. Like, I wasn't. I didn't put the pressure on myself of, like, oh, I have to be my brother. And it kind of turned into. Into a lot of fun because, you know, me and Kim were really close in age, so we showed against each other a lot. We had a lot of the same type of sheep. We showed in the same showmanship divisions almost our whole life. So it kind of came down to us quite a few times, thankfully. And I remember that that was a big mindset that I had to get over as a showman, and I'm glad that you. You did as well. And I guess, like, honestly, thinking back to my show career, I, like, I was very grateful to win several different shows, but that was never my. My favorite memory. There was this little boy I helped in a wheelchair and his friend Johnson. And getting to be there to help him and, like, him putting all of his trust in me at the shows was, like, definitely the highlight of my show career, and I'll tell anybody that. So I think it's important to realize that it's not always winning a big banner is what's, you know, important to everybody. And, yes, your show career what it is. So I completely agree with that kind of going forward. I know that it seems like always during national FFA time, somehow some way, Florence FFA gets brought up on my Facebook, and I don't know if it's because I know several people from around there, but you guys have a very successful FFA chapter. So kind of what got you active in FFA and what got you engaged in that chapter?
- [28:48]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. So I wish. I wish I could say that me, like, getting an FA was just by my own doing and my own will. But the reality is, like, my Grandma was an FFA sweetheart. My grandpa was involved in FFA. My dad was a district officer in FFA. And my older brother Braden, who's about 13 months older than me, so one year in, like, a school academic calendar, got involved in ffa. And in eighth grade, he won a national championship in agri science. And that was kind of my like, oh, my gosh, like, wait a second, I can win things. And talking about sibling rivalries, I remember thinking, like, oh, if Braden can do it, I can do it. Like, I'm going to do it better than Braden did. So I think that that's kind of where my involvement started. In eighth grade, I was the first person to do, like, we all had to memorize FA Creed. And the winner got. The first person to do it, got a Sonic gift card or something like that. And I remember, like, man, I really want Sonic. So I memorized the FFA Creed first, gave it to everyone, and then it just kind of started from there. I. I did a science fair like my older brother did, went to state convention for the first time. And at the time, there was a Texas first vice president. Her name was Taylor Antonick, and she gave a retiring address that. I just remember thinking, oh, my gosh, I want to be up there. And to be able to say something like that one day, that would be so cool. Like, I just don't believe that God put me in this room for no reason. Like, there is. I'm gonna do something like that. I was lucky enough to win that year in science fair, get to go to national convention. And at national convention, I got to meet this guy who was a national officer at the time. His name was Bryce Clough. So we had the same name. And I met him in the hallway when we were walking to check in. And he was just talking to me about my life, shared things. At this point, I am a freshman in high school, blown away by how cool I think all of this. This stuff is totally nerding out that I'm meeting a national officer right off the airplane. And then when I went on stage to get recognized for being in the top three of National Science Fair, when I got my award, he was like, hey, it was really, while we were on stage. He's on stage, hands me my award. He says, hey, it was really good to meet you yesterday. I'm looking forward to your future in ffa. And I was like, how did he remember this? Random. Like, he had to have met this many people and for him to, like, recognize me on stage and to say that I just thought that was the coolest thing ever and was really, honestly just hooked from there. Got even more and more involved. Florence is a really cool place because we are a really small school, but we have a very large FFA percentage. I think it was, like, at the time I graduated, 50, 60% or something of the students in my high school were in ffa. So huge, huge, huge numbers. Maybe it's even more than that. I'm probably being conservative in that estimation, but we had four AG teachers. Majority of my time in high school, which is unheard of for a school that size. Just super, super thankful that I had AG teachers that really cared and, like, instilled in me from a very young age the value of. I would say there's probably three things they instilled. One, the value of communication. They taught me how to public speak. They taught me how to write. They taught me what that looks like technically. Technically. B, the value of, like, hard work in terms of studying for contests, studying for skill. Like, different things that I did. And then three, like, one thing my ACT teachers always said, specifically Ms. Rosenbaush, who was probably the one I was closest to, she always used to say, good people win. And that's kind of been like, my life mantra for since then is good people win. It doesn't matter necessarily if, like you said, if you got the big banner. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if I won the public speaking contest. It doesn't matter if I checked all the right boxes or did all the right things. But at the end of the day, when we look at our life like, good people win. And I think that was a huge kind of lesson. And in my time at Florence, that was what the culture was kind of built around, was just this idea that good people win and excellence breeds excellence. And that's, I think, why we probably have become such a successful and prominent FFA chapter. I was really lucky. In one calendar year, I won an lde, a cde, and an sde. So I, like, I won a leadership development event, a career development event, and a speaking development in the same calendar year, which had never been done before, which was really cool, and I think is a testament to how many good people were at Florence? Like, it wasn't just me that was successful as a student. The same year that I. My team and I went food, science and technology, we were also science successful in E. R. And meet judging and all these other things. Like, every. Every teacher found their niche, and they found their students within that niche, and they got to work, which was really cool to kind of just be a bystander, too, because culture drives everything. And, like, I've always been a big fan of the show groups and how you can see, like, the culture in the show groups. And I think the same thing exists in FFA chapters. And I got to be a part of a winning culture that got good people won. And I thought that that was really, really, really cool and just a huge blessing to be a part of because I got to go through that program. My older brother got to go through that program, and my younger brother got to go through that program, and all three of us are national champions in some respect in ffa, which is really, really cool.
- [34:02]
Bryce Fisher
Yes, absolutely. And. And I didn't know that you guys had four teachers, so that's very interesting because I also went to small school. I mean, I graduated with 12 kids. Small school had one teacher. So, you know, that one teacher did their best. But we. We weren't as active, I would say, in all the different areas, simply for the fact of probably that it was just a single teacher program so much, you know. So let's talk about the process of being a chapter officer, a district officer, and then a state officer, because, you know, it was nothing, or I shouldn't say it was nothing. I would probably say that my. Like, me running for chapter officer was probably a lot easier than you running for chapter officer simply for the fact that we had a smaller school, smaller scale. So kind of tell me a little bit about what that looked like for you.
- [34:53]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. First of all, I think, like, anyone wanting to take a step to be a chapter officer, district officer, an area officer, I think is really, really cool to want to serve and give back on that capacity. What's funny about Florence is to, like, you had to be either going into your junior year or your senior year of high school to apply to be a chapter officer at Florence, which is, like, typically, I would say it's atypical. It's not very common. So I was actually a district FFA officer during the same time as my first year on chapter office. So I ran for district office during COVID in between my summer. The summer of my sophomore year, and Junior year of high school, did the whole process virtual. Actually was on the way to Chad Walker's house to pick out some baby sheep and got the phone call that I was the district prank president while we were looking through sheep at Chad's house. And I think if I remember correctly, Chad said something to the effect of oh, good stuff. Now it's focus or something to that degree. That is just very him to say. But was really blessed to kind of get that first initial hook of getting a district office. Was told by all the people who ran before me that I needed to do it and it was super fun. And then found out that next week when I got back to school that I was also going to be the chapter vice president president. So got elected to district office and chapter office at the same time. That role was interesting because I wouldn't say in every district's different, but in my district there isn't exactly like a huge responsibility that comes with being a district officer. There's three or four main events that we put on the district convention, the district banquet and district leadership conference. So kind of got to learn a little bit from the area officers, have some interaction with state officers, but also didn't have just like a ton of experience to show for it. Really thankful for that experience, but it was on a smaller scale. However, I do think what's interesting about it is the quality of districts can vary. And my district happens to be really, really high quality. And there were three of us for my district officer team that ran for area office. And the two girls that ran with me, I would say are hands down two of like the most competent and capable individuals I know from my experience in ffa. And only two of us got to go on. So one of those girls did get cut and didn't get to join us on the area officer team. And I thought she was just amazing and like leaps and bounds, high quality and capable. And I think that was probably my first reality check of like, oh wait, it's going to get a lot harder for here. Like it does get more serious, it does get more intense. And then from there ran for area office. The next year after serving as a district officer, was really blessed to get named in my area first vice president. So the girl who I ran with in district and beat for district office actually beat me for area office. So that was kind of funny. We. We flip flopped. But at that same time, our, our chapter officer president stepped away from school and decided to do school virtual. And we had some rules that you couldn't like you obviously couldn't leave high school and be a chapter officer. So it was kind of a weird interim period because of COVID but I actually had to step up and fulfill the duties of chapter president. So I was kind of our chapter president for two years, but it was like more like a year and a half. Got elected area office. Went to the State Leadership Conference in Texas, which is only for area officers. So you take the top 1% of FFA members in every area, you put them in a room together. I was in San Angelo and Angelo State University. And you teach them how to be a better leader, how to be a better person. And the state officers put that on. And I remember, I'll go into this short story. We do some committee work that is ultimately given to the board of directors as like recommendations from the members, since the FFA is a student led organization. And I remember being very, very passionate about said committee work and at the time thought that my opinion was in fact the most valuable opinion in the room. And I didn't get into an argument with the some of the other area officers that were there yelling across the room about certain opinions. And was humbled very quickly at the State Leadership Conf Conference, just recognizing how many. How much value there was that was brought by all these different people from different places. And my one perspective and one opinion about how to be competitive and how to win and how to be successful isn't exactly everyone's path. And that's okay. And I think I learned that lesson pretty early on because of that experience at State Leadership Conference. Got to sit down with Texas FA staff and talk about what my future could look like if I really started thinking about how to serve people instead of how to serve myself. Then from there really fell in love with just kind of the leadership aspect was also a text of a Ford Leadership Scholar, which is a program they take 10 kids across the state. You do a really intensive week long training process and then implement a sustainable and substantial community service project, which I happen to build this like mental wellness park thing in my community, which was really cool. But through all these experience, really started learning about what service could look like at the Area Leadership Conference. Got to interact with a lot of students, put on the Green Hand camp, got to fall in love with facilitating workshops for anyone who's ever been to something like that. I just really fell in love with the process of making and executing a workshop. And really honestly, when I look back at like my FFA journey as a whole, it was just a lot of like God's grace and continued love of just guiding me where I needed to be. Like, there were a lot of times I wanted to make different decisions or go a different way or super upset about how something went. And God just continued to kind of veer me back on the path I needed to be on, which was a huge blessing in itself. And then ultimately ended up feeling called to run for state office and took a huge leap of faith and said that I wanted to be on the Texas FAA travel team, which means that I would defer my first year of college, which for most people, they're like, oh, my gosh, you're gonna wait to go to college and, like, do something different. And it was super scary. But it was obvious that, like, that's what the Lord had ordained for my life and called me to. And I am specifically, I kind of stayed tied to the Bible verse Mark 10:45, which is for even the son of man did not come to be. To be served, but to serve. And just thinking about this idea that, like, if we're put on earth and entrusted with gifts and skill sets and blessings, if we're not serving and continually pouring out those gifts don't mean anything. So I think I had a lot of people in my corner pouring that into me and was able to run for state office, ended up getting elected, which was super cool. And that was kind of the process of how I worked from district to area to state, and then kind of led me where I am. But I'm super thankful for my time in the blue and gold jacket and really think that FFA helped me become the person I was meant to be, which was really, really cool.
- [41:59]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, for sure. And I think that's interesting because just in Oklahoma, for example, we don't have district or area officers. You go straight from, like, being a chapter officer to being a state officer. That's what you choose. So there's a huge kind of, like, learning curve that. And I didn't really know, like, I mean, I see stuff about the district and area officers and stuff like that, but I really did enjoy that little story kind of that you took us on to get us to where you were. And I can also very vividly probably see you sitting in a room being very passionate about whatever it was, because if anybody knows, you know that that's true. He's very passionate about everything. So kind of going forward a little bit, when you were running for state office, kind of, what is something that you try to keep in the back of your mind?
- [42:48]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Oh, so I'm Very thankful that I have just two huge blessings of parents. Like, I jokingly tell people all the time, and it's not even a joke that my mom isn't my rock, she's my mountain. But my dad is the guy who guides me through that mountain, which is really cool. I. I'm very thankful for both of them and their influence in my life. And I think one thing that they encouraged me to keep in my mind running through that process and what it looked like was at the end of the day, if, like, that's not God's will for your life and that's not where you're meant to be, that's okay. Like, God is just. God is so much kinder and so much more understanding and willing than we even realize and can comprehend. And like, his will for our life is not exactly what we think it is at all times. And I think that was kind of going into that story of state offices, little bit more like I really wanted to be the Texas Bay State president, and I don't think that's any secret. That's what I wanted and ended up getting first vice president. That was a really hard blow for me and was a lot of pride was involved in that and just winning the top position. Thankful I still got travel team, was so blessed. Where I was wouldn't change a thing. But I think my dad, especially every morning of the process, it's a breakdown. What that looks like is it's almost a week and a half long process running for state office, where you go through over 20 interviews, different cuts in different phases. And every morning of that process, my dad, who had way more responsibility to take care of than what he did, we woke up and we went on a walk and we got coffee every morning and we talked about like, my headspace and where I was at and just remembering that service and like loving people and building community and culture can happen anywhere. It just so happens. I felt like it was supposed to happen for me in Texas ffa. And I'm really thankful that my parents helped me keep that mindset of just like, it's going to be okay whatever happens. God's will for our life is so much greater than we can understand. And I think that that was a really huge blessing. Just having them there as a resource and keeping that in my mind. It was never about me. It wasn't about me being a state officer. It was about me serving the organization. And that can happen in any way possible, which was a huge blessing just because my parents are the greatest in the world. I'm so thankful for them. But I would say that that is probably one thing I kept in the back of my mind and also the reality that if all it is is about me getting what I want, the picture of life is way smaller than it should be. And I think that goes to like, showing livestock too. If all it is about is winning sheep shows, I think we've really messed up because life is about way more than that. And like, knowing where I'm at now, like my life is about, get it, like going to eternity and spending eternity with Christ and bringing as many people with me as possible. And I think in that moment I definitely kept that mindset of it's about way more than just me.
- [45:35]
Bryce Fisher
Yes, I agree with that 100%. So kind of going forward a little bit, tell us about the experience you had while being on the travel team as the Texas State FFA first Vice president.
- [45:49]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, it's funny to even think back on that experience now because I'm like in college and living such a typical lifestyle and for a year of my life I woke up every morning and went to three or four high schools a day and presented a workshop and talked about agriculture. And on the weekends we stayed with random families in random parts of Texas and we saw how agriculture looked and almost 200 different counties and really just saw kind of like all of the state touched every corner and got to see. I mean, I jokingly say that I crossed the Oklahoma border, the Mexico border, the New Mexico border and the Louisiana border during my state officer year. So I went to every corner of the state and got to be involved in a lot of different people's lives and pouring to a lot of people. And it's funny because we had all these different workshops and ag teachers could pick like which one they wanted us to talk to their students about. And I always found that like, for me, the most impactful part of what we call a chapter visit, a visit to a chapter was never actually the workshop, but it was always like the random conversation I had with the student or like got to learn about their life or invest in them or getting coffee with people or playing an Xbox game or a Nerf war with an 8 year old kid when we stayed at a host home or getting to go to the barn and like help some random family work their sheep because, because they gave us dinner that night. Like just wild things and memories that I can't even fully comprehend because there was just so many opportunities of like goodness and blessings throughout that year. Like I, I think of so Many families. So like I said, we stayed with random families every night. And those families made the experience what it was because I got to just, like, step into another family's life and learn what they did and get to share wisdom with them about my experience, but also hear wisdom from them and be a light of Christ's love. And that process was so cool. Now I can't talk about all the good stuff that happened without also recognizing that it was exhausting. And there were parts of that year where, like, I remember one specific memory. I came home, I had all this dirty laundry, and it was like the first weekend off in maybe two months. I came home, I was a total jerk to my mom. I just. She wanted me to come to the kitchen or do something with them or go to the barn. And I was like, I am not going to the barn. I'm not doing this. Like, I'm going to sleep. That's all I'm going to do. And I remember treating her so disrespectfully because I was just, quote, so exhausted. And I think it's because for part of my time during my state officer year, I was really relying on my own strength and my own dependence to get things done. And my mom really, really helped me show me in that moment. I'm thankful she didn't just start yelling back at me, but took it as a teaching moment that when we're depending on our own strength, we're always going to run out of energy. But when we're focused on our mission and our purpose in life and dependent on God's strength and will, so much good stuff can happen. And I think that perspective shift really helped me. I think we ended up going to over 400 FFA chapters, visiting easily over 20,000 students, getting to hear their life, learning their life, but also still doing the typical roles of state officer, like putting on a convention, putting on state leadership conference, state contests, serving on the board of directors, working in the nonprofit space. And I don't know, I was just really lucky that I got that experience and very blessed because it just showed me what really matters and, like, how good life can be when we're rich in relationship and rich in community. And it's been a really valuable lesson for me. Not that it didn't come without its hardship, because there were definitely days where I didn't want to go play with that kid at a host home, or I didn't want to sit and talk to that grandpa on the back porch. But I'm very grateful that I did because I'M a changed person because of it.
- [49:36]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah. And, you know, I can kind of relate to that, just being involved in just the show side of it, you know, getting to. I jokingly say that some of our kids, I think that they just want to come and work sheep and they just want to chit chat with me for an hour about basketball and about everything else that they have going on. And sometimes I'm like, can you not just focus on what you're here to do? You know, like, that's what you want to do to them. I honestly take so much pride in just being somebody for them, you know, somebody that they can open up to about whatever they may be feeling. Happy, mad, sad, whatever they're feeling. So I'm sure that you can kind of relate to that on kind of how you felt then as well.
- [50:11]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, absolutely. I think one lesson I learned, I've learned a ton in my life is just like, the power of presence. Like, people just want someone to be there for them. They just want someone to love them and to listen to them, which is really cool because I got to do that for a lot of people during my officer year. And then I also had quite a few select mentors that did that for me, which was even cooler.
- [50:31]
Bryce Fisher
Yes, I agree. So you later ran to be a national FFA officer, but unfortunately didn't get it. So what was the process and how did you. How did you handle the trends and challenges of that road?
- [50:45]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, so goddamn. My state officer year had to get elected as our national officer candidate. So ran against two of my teammates and then one person from the team before me and was blessed to be the national officer candidate. Worked really, really hard, practiced all the time, worked on questions and, you know, it just didn't work out. And I wish I could say that it was really easy for me to go through that long process and then it not work out. But the reality is, like, I came back to Texas A and M, I got plugged into the greatest university in the world, and I remember very vividly when I got. No, it is. It is, sister. I'm telling you, it is. When I got back from national convention, I was really heartbroken. I. Everyone around me knew that that's what I wanted and that a lot of people, even my parents, were like, are you sure you want to do another year of that? And like, that is just what I wanted so bad. And surrounded by loved ones, I got told no. And it really sucked. But I also. Hindsight's 20 20, looking back, I don't think that was the team for me. Like, that. I don't think I would have fit well with that team. And they're a great team, full of great people that did awesome things during their year. It just wasn't for me, and it wasn't what God had in store for me. And I got back to A and M, and I flew back on a Sunday with my family, got back to College Station, missed class Monday. But on Wednesday, I had a chemistry class in one of the biggest classrooms on campus. At A and M can sit about 600 people. Was sitting in a chemistry class with 600 other people. And I just started crying in class. Like, I think it was the first time I'd, like, really stopped. And as my professor was yapping about some sort of neuron or electron or something, I zoned out and really thought about how heartbroken I was that I didn't get to spend another year doing what I loved so much. And that wasn't what was for me. And that was. That was really hard. It was hard as one person to feel all those emotions. And I remember, like, I was sitting next to people I knew in that class, and they looked at me and they were like, are you okay? And I was like, oh, yeah, I'm fine. And I got up, left the class early, cried in my truck. I turned on this worship song and just cried some more. And I remember thinking, like, God, why would you put me back here? Like, God, why didn't you let that happen? Why am I not a national officer right now? Why am I not getting a cubicle in the National FFA center in Indianapolis, Indiana? Why do I not have a blank chair jacket? Why? Like, all these why, why, why, why? Questions. And I was so heartbroken. And I remember. I don't exactly remember what song I was listening to. I'm trying to remember, but I remember there being, oh, you're gonna be okay by Lauren Daigle. If you guys have never heard it. Shameless Plug. Awesome worship song. And the song just talks about, you're gonna be okay. Like, God's got this. You're gonna be okay. And, like, once I stopped just, like, crying out to God, I just heard those lyrics and thought, like, man, it's going to be okay. There's purpose, there's reason in this. And looking back, I'm so blessed that God told me no and sent me back to Texas A and M. And, like, when I look at my life now and, like, my relationship with my girlfriend, my relationship with my family, like, having a new baby sister, and, like, all those things, like, I'm so glad that I'm here in this moment and, like, that God was kind enough to tell me no and to send me somewhere else. And that has just been such a huge blessing. And, like, every once in a while, I'm sure I get, like, a thought of, like, man, what would my life look like if I was a national FA officer? But then I remember that, like, doubt in comparison are only the thief of joy. And if I'm so confident in where God has me and who he's called me to be, I'm going to experience so much more joy in the present and in that present moment. So it's been really cool to kind of just be refined and to learn through that process of getting told no. I think everyone should be told no maybe once or twice in their life because it teaches you a lot about who you can lean on, what you can depend on. And I don't think it was easy at all getting over it. I don't even know if I'm fully over it. But I do know that I am exactly where I need to be. And living in this present moment is way more important than thinking about the could haves or should haves. Or if I would have said this in an interview, maybe they would have liked me more. But it just didn't work out for me, and that's okay. And I think the proof of me being okay with that was the fact that I could have ran again and I didn't.
- [55:09]
Bryce Fisher
Yeah, that was a lot of truth that you just said. And I think that, you know, we've all probably felt or we've all probably gotten told no several different times, and we didn't really know how. How to go about it or anything like that. But I remember specifically, one of the hardest things that I went through was when Covid shut down OIE my senior year. And I remember I was just distraught. Like, why? Why me? Like, this is my favorite show. This is my last show. So I kind of can relate 100 kind of to how you felt at that point, I'm sure. But to wrap this up, I have a few fun questions for you. So, you know, you've mentioned a few of your siblings already, but I know that you're one of seven. So how has being the oldest or one of the oldest helped you relate to kids throughout your FFA experience?
- [55:57]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
That's a really good question, sister, because I feel like it's definitely helped me relate a lot. Like, especially, like, during my state officer year, there were teammates that I was on state officer team with, were only child, were raised an only child or didn't have other siblings. And I think I was always able to relate with, like, the younger kids and, like, have fun with them because, like, even now when I go back and facilitate conferences, I'll say, like, things that my little brother has said, and they're like, what? How do you even know what that is? And, like, just the trends and. But also, I think it helps build your relational ability to connect with anyone and everyone because at the end of the day, like, relationship isn't about an age thing. Yes, it's obviously easier to connect when you're younger, but I think being one of that many siblings definitely did help a lot. Like, I learned a lot by being a younger brother to my older brother, but I also learned a lot by being an older brother and, like, what it looks like to kind of love and pour into people, but also recognize you're not their number one authority. Like, I couldn't spank my little brother Brody. He's taller than me and would definitely beat me up if I tried to do that. But I do just, like, recognize what the role looks like to pour into them and to love them. And I think that helped me a ton during my state officer year, and I think it helps me a ton in my everyday life.
- [57:09]
Bryce Fisher
Yes, absolutely. And you always have quite a bit of wisdom. I mean, you've given us quite a bit already. So what is one thing that you want yog exhibitors to know?
- [57:20]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
I really think the lesson that my parents, my teachers taught me about good people win is just the easiest thing to drive home. Like, I think Madam Wise is a crystal clear example of this. Like, one of the kindest, most incredible young people that there is. And, like, when you look at exhibitors that are winning and stuff, it's really easy to be like, oh, I want to win just like them. But I would caution that thought process. And I. I would encourage people to look at people that are successful and think like man or like, people that are really good people and think, I want to be a better person because of that person. I want to be more like Christ, just like that person is. Because at the end of the day, like, showing livestock ends. We both experienced that, sister. Like, you stop showing livestock at some point, and you're left with the reality of the person you became by showing livestock. So I would encourage people to be a hard worker and to, like, be a good person and build those traits as a human, and that's going to lead you to success in the stock show industry, which is a really cool kind of bonus. But I would just really hammer home the fact that good people win at the end of the day. Like, we're not living for the earth, we're living to get into heaven. And I'd rather spend eternity with Christ than win the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo, which is a hard pill to swallow. But, man, is it a really breathtaking perspective.
- [58:41]
Bryce Fisher
Yes, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate you joining and for all the wisdom and knowledge that you shared with not only me, but all of our listeners as well.
- [58:53]
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, of course, sister. Thanks for doing what you're doing. I mean, I think everybody who knows you is really quick to point out that you're one of the people in the industry who is genuine, is kind and loving, and I think my little sister looks up to you more than you'll ever know. So we love you a ton, sister.
- [59:06]
Bryce Fisher
Thank you. I really appreciate that. Well, wrapping up this episode, I know that we've had, we've done several, I guess just two different round table podcasts, but they've both went over really well. So I think that's something that we're definitely interested in doing another one here pretty quick. So be sure to drop your questions maybe that you guys want us to cover or different ideas that you guys want us to cover. You can send them to us via email, or if you see me and Steve out and about, you can let us know then. I know that we have a whole list of people we want to have on the podcast, but also we're also taking recommendations of anybody you guys want to hear from. We're always welcome to that as well. So, Steva, do you want to give us our so you suck and then we'll hop off here?
- [59:51]
Steva Robinson
Yeah, I actually had. I wasn't sure what I was going to talk about on the so you sucks section for this, but earlier this week I did a zoom call with a young lady named McKenna Snyder for her college project, and she asked me a question. She it was a really good meeting, by the way. I do several of these with people throughout the year, it seems, and she really had some good questions and she has a really bright future ahead of her. But one of her questions she asked me that kind of stuck with me is what's been the biggest change in marketing and where do you see marketing going? And I explained to her that it used to be 10 years or five, six years ago. We used to do 100 print ads a month, probably and we maybe do 50 to 60 a year now. And it's not because we were bad at print ads. We were very good at them, I would say, and I'm not a braggy person, but we were good at them. Otherwise people would have kept having us do them. It was just more about how the times have changed. And, you know, fewer people are doing ads in a magazine or fewer people are doing print ads. And when they do now, like, that's still a good marketing method, and it maybe even gets you more eyes on it because there's fewer ads to compete against. But, you know, five years ago at the same time, when we were doing 100 print ads, we were doing zero social media graphics. And to see how quick everything has changed, it kind of is proof that you have to keep moving with the times, right? Like, so the old saying of, well, we've always done it that way doesn't always apply. And that was kind of my advice to her in marketing or kind of what my outlook was, is to just kind of keep, you know, being open to change, open to new ideas. And just because you've always done something that way doesn't mean that that's necessarily the right way or it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it either. But marketing has changed so much just with, you know, smartphones and apps and everything like that. So that. That really stuck with me. And it kind of goes to, you know, we offer a bunch of different products. We have this product called the Mix. It's been really popular. It's a mix of different graphics that work to kind of COVID all of the marketing platforms because there's so many out there right now. Like, you have to advertise on your Facebook page. You need to advertise on Champion Drive. You need to get your website updated. Snapchat is good marketing right now. There's Instagram, and it's really overwhelming for people. So I guess kind of why I want to talk about that was it's. It can be overwhelming because it's new to some people, but at the same time, like, our staff is kind of ready to take that on Headstrong and can be a really good way to kind of help you make that more easier on your end. I know that when we have an online sale or have something going on, you know, it takes me quite a bit of time to get all the marketing put together whatnot. So by having someone through, whether it's novel designs or whoever, help you with your social media, your website, and doing other marketing stuff, too. Like, we've done several mailers this month, which are still a great way to contact people. It's just kind of about having a mix and being able to hit all different things because there's still people that prefer to get contacted via mailer or to flip through a magazine. There's other people that won't grab one that are going to look at all digital advertising. There's other people that want to go to a website. And I feel like we kind of have a lot of different generations right now. Decision makers might be young, they might be older, you know, so it's just kind of important to kind of have all your bases covered. So anyways, that was a kind of a neat thing I had this week. I actually really enjoyed visiting with her and she had, like I said, some really good questions that were really thought provoking, and that was kind of the one that stuck with me. So that is our so you suck for this week is to never be so stuck in your own ways, but be willing to change, but still be yourself.
- [63:22]
Bryce Fisher
Yep. And I think that sounds really good. So I guess we'll catch everybody at Spring Kansas City. Be sure to. I won't be there, but Steven will be there. So be sure to let her know if you have any questions or anything like that. And we will see you next time.