Thursday, May 19- EWNCON 2022 was a success. Jim and James recorded live to give you all back at home a small glimpse into what EWNCON is all about.
Quick Links:
James Cross on Linkedin
Jim Schauer on Linkedin
Episode Transcript
[0:00] [music]
Jim Schauer: [0:23] We are live at Texas Live, Arlington, Texas, for the Welcome Reception at EWNCON 2022.
[0:33] James, I got to tell you. I said this before. This is a great shot. We’re seeing everything this way. There’s 250 people over there right now.
James Cross: [0:45] Yeah, a bunch of people. We have no clue if you can hear us because it’s so loud in here. Jimmy and I were talking about it and we said, “Let’s bring it to them.”
Jim: [0:57] Let’s do it.
James: [0:58] Uncut, unedited, we’re going live.
Jim: [1:02] Let’s do it. Ready to bring some guests in?
James: [1:07] I don’t know. Let’s talk a little bit about what’s going on. It’s Welcome Reception just getting kicked off. We had golf earlier, a great showing there.
Jim: [1:15] Beautiful.
James: [1:17] Tomorrow’s the main day, so we’ve got main day tomorrow.
Jim: [1:20] Opening day Tuesday.
James: [1:21] Texas Live, man. People are already buzzing about it.
Jim: [1:23] This place is incredible.
James: [1:27] That never happened. What was that?
Jim: [1:30] I didn’t see anything.
James: [1:31] No one ever saw that. What was that? Tomorrow’s the main day. We got a lot of things happening. I’m excited for the main day.
Jim: [1:44] Tim Kennedy.
James: [1:46] All the things.
Jim: [1:48] There’s so much.
James: [1:49] There’s so much. I’m excited for our vendors, our exhibitors. It’s going to be a really unique experience for them.
Jim: [1:57] I don’t know if people really understand the magnitude. We have all tomorrow of Texas Live, the whole venue. It is incredible the amount of space that we have.
James: [2:08] The Rangers are in town, obviously, the Eagles are playing. We’ve got a suite tomorrow night. We’re going to be taking some clients and some prospects, a big group up there. It’s going to be awesome. Then we have our training day after that.
Jim: [2:26] On Wednesday, all day. It’s fantastic.
James: [2:28] It’s great to be here live. We’ve been talking about it for a long time, Jimmy.
Jim: [2:30] We love these things live. To be in person and the magic that is in the air from so many of our friends, all of them being together like this, it’s incredible.
[2:43] We have axe throwing over here. We have basketball games going on over here.
James: [2:47] All simulators, they’re bowling behind us. I don’t even know what’s going on.
Jim: [2:52] It’s incredible.
James: [2:53] It’s cool. Jimmy, let’s go find some people. It’s good to see you…
Jim: [2:58] It’s good to see you, brother.
James: [3:00] good to be live with you. Let’s grab some people and bring them on live.
Jim: [3:06] Absolutely.
James: [3:07] We’ll be back.
Jim: [3:08] We’ll be back in a minute.
[3:05]
Jim: [3:07] We’re back.
James: [3:07] We are.
Jim: [3:09] This is great. We found…
James: [3:12] We found this guy.
Jim: [3:13] a willing participant…
James: [3:15] I’ll tell you what.
Jim: [3:16] Mr. Geoff Isbell, president of Energy Worldnet. Geoff, thank you for joining us today. It’s such an honor to be with you.
James: [3:24] It’s so great.
[3:25] Geoff Isbell: My pleasure. Thank you.
James: [3:24] Live, at Texas Live.
[3:25] Geoff: A lot of distractions right now.
James: [3:28] Don’t worry about it. We’re professionals.
Jim: [3:30] Focus on me.
James: [3:32] Follow our lead. Geoff, we’re live at our Welcome Reception. Tell me what the vibe’s like today.
[3:41] Geoff: Energy, lots and lots of energy. This place is pleasant, and there is so much going on right now. We’re talking about so many different things that are going on in the industry. There’s a high level of energy across the board.
James: [3:44] Amen. All right, that’s it.
Jim: [3:46] That’s it.
James: [3:47] We’ll see you next…No, I’m just kidding.
[3:50] There’s a lot of people buzzing around. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people, and, you said it, people are talking about innovations. They’re talking about things that aren’t even OQ. We’re talking about big industry conversations, and I’m seeing them all around.
Jim: [4:07] Without walls, it seems like the walls come down and people just want to collaborate.
[4:13] Geoff: It’s true. The conversations were, “I didn’t realize how big Energy Worldnet was.” It’s not from the size. It was from the exposure.
James: [4:38] The scope.
[4:38] Geoff: The scope, it’s the number of things that you’re involved in. The conversations keep changing from one topic to another, and people realized that we’re involved in a lot more things than what they thought.
James: [4:48] Absolutely.
[4:49] Geoff: It’s exciting.
Jim: [4:51] That is exciting because when you see their face when you tell them that, they’re like, “I guess that makes sense.” That’s the beautiful part.
James: [5:00] Geoff, for those that are catching up online, socials, whatever, this won’t come out, we won’t spoil anything, but I want to know what be brave means to you. Our campaign be brave, what does that mean to Geoff Isbell?
[5:21] Geoff: That’s a loaded question. Be brave, for me, is knowing what you need to do and doing it anyway, even if it scares you.
Jim: [5:31] That’s good.
[5:32] Geoff: There’s a lot of things that get involved. You realize what you need to do and what has to happen.
James: [5:41] Good, because I’m terrified right now.
Jim: [5:43] [laughs] I’m not.
James: [5:45] [laughs]
Jim: [5:45] I’m the one that’s not.
[5:47] Geoff: You’re never scared.
Jim: [5:49] I’m never.
James: [5:49] Geoff, thanks for joining us live at Texas Live at our Welcome Reception. What a blessing.
[5:58] Geoff: My pleasure to be here. Thank you. Appreciate it, guys.
James: [6:01] Good to see you.
Jim: [6:03] Thank you, sir.
[6:04] Geoff: Keep up the good work.
Jim: [6:03] We will try.
James: [6:04] We’ll be back.
Jim: [6:05] Back in a minute.
Jim: [6:07] We are back. Once again, Mr. Phil Wiegers, founder and CEO of EGW Utilities, wait, Utility Solutions.
[6:17] Phil: Either one works.
James: [6:19] We’ll take them all.
Jim: [6:20] EGW, how does that sound…
Jim: [6:21] Phil, thank you for joining us. How are you?
[6:23] Phil: I’m good. Always a pleasure to see you boys…
Jim: [6:26] It’s good to see you, too.
[6:28] Phil: …especially here.
James: [6:28] This place is buzzing.
Jim: [6:30] What do you think, Phil? What’s your recap of the vibe for the audience? What would you say about this?
[6:37] Phil: I would say, I’ve only been here a little while, I think everybody’s having a great time. Everybody seems to be smiling, interacting with one another, looks good…
James: [6:52] Good assessment.
[6:53] Phil: …a lot of familiar faces.
James: [6:55] I can tell you do this all the time.
[6:56] Phil: [laughs] I do this a lot.
Jim: [6:58] Phil is a professional. We’ll just put it that way. Phil is joining us from many different angles here. For the people that aren’t here, but you will see, tomorrow we have a TRACER Asset Management booth, with EGW combined in that booth.
[7:17] What does that mean? Is that to be determined? Are we just going to let it unfold?
[7:22] Phil: I think we gotta leave that simmering…
[7:24] Phil: …a cliff hanger.
Jim: [7:26] Do I just throw the line out and…
[7:29] Phil: …tomorrow.
Jim: [7:32] I like it.
James: [7:32] You should show up.
[7:34] Phil: Come by and see us. I don’t know what booth number it is, but we’re hard to miss.
Jim: [7:38] Oh, we know a guy, and that booth might be right in the front of the exhibit hall.
James: [7:43] I bet that booth number is TRACER.
Jim: [7:46] It is.
Jim: [7:46] That’s all it says is TRACER.
[7:48] Phil: Good deal.
Jim: [7:49] Phil, we got a question for you. We’re asking everybody this. This is…
James: [7:51] On the fly…
Jim: [7:53] On the fly.
James: [7:54] your favorite.
Jim: [7:55] What does be brave mean to you, Phil?
[7:58] Phil: Be brave.
Jim: [7:59] Be brave. There’s not a right or a wrong answer. It’s whatever you think.
James: [8:05] Anything. Shoot from the hip.
[8:07] Phil: It’s not often that I’m speechless.
Jim: [8:11] That’s all right.
James: [8:12] That’s fair.
[8:13] Phil: Be brave, I think it could mean a lot of different things, so we’ll relate it to business. How about that?
Jim: [8:19] Fair.
[8:19] Phil: I think it’s take chances, put yourself out there a little bit further than you’re comfortable with, make yourself uncomfortable. That’s how you grow. Be brave, you grow.
James: [8:30] You grow.
Jim: [8:31] I like that. Phil, with that…
[8:34] [crosstalk]
[8:34] Phil: …to me.
Jim: [8:34] That is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Phil, thanks for joining us.
[8:38] Phil: Thank you guys.
[8:39] Phil: Have fun this week. I know you will.
Jim: [8:41] Oh, you know us.
[8:41] Phil: Always good to see you.
James: [8:42] We’ll be back.
[8:43] Phil: These guys are awesome.
Jim: [8:45] We’re back. Here we are. With us is one of my dear friends, Mr. Ted Peet from UPSCO.
[8:53] Ted Peet: That’s only the 17th time he’s said dear friend since you started.
James: [8:56] Whoo.
[8:57] Ted: I’m guest number 17.
Jim: [8:58] It’s 18, but who’s counting?
[9:00] Ted: 18, my bad.
Jim: [9:01] Ted, how are you?
[9:02] Ted: I’m great, man. I’m great.
James: [9:02] It’s weird not to see you in that little box.
[9:05] Ted: That little box? We can make it a little box.
James: [9:05] It’s so weird just to reach over and…
[9:09] Ted: Poke, poke, poke.
James: [9:10] tap you.
Jim: [9:11] I usually go like this, though, when Ted comes on. It’s aggressiveness.
James: [9:17] That is aggressive.
[9:17] Ted: I heard you’re looking for a new co‑host.
Jim: [9:19] [laughs] Coffee with Ted and James?
[9:22] Ted: No, Coffee with James and Ted.
Jim: [9:24] Whoa, whoa.
James: [9:24] Oh, hold on. I like this better. We’ve been workshopping it.
[9:29] Ted: We’ve talked privately several times.
James: [9:31] He’s called me several times this week.
Jim: [9:34] What?
[9:34] Ted: He hasn’t returned one call.
Jim: [9:37] Where is my contract at? I want to review it right now.
[9:42] Ted: Listen, I have a non‑compete with UPSCO.
[9:45] [crosstalk]
[9:45] Ted: I’ve got a non‑compete with “Connections. For Life.” I can’t do anymore webcasts with anybody.
James: [9:52] Hey, no free sponsors.
[9:54] Ted: No free sponsors.
James: [9:55] Teddy, we are at EWNCON.
[9:57] Ted: Texas Live.
James: [9:58] We are at Texas Live. We are live at Texas Live.
[10:03] Ted: This is wonderful.
James: [10:04] What do you think?
[9:23] Ted: I think that you guys are putting on a heck of a show and a heck of a spread. I’m really excited for the show tomorrow but more so for Wednesday on the rollout. I’m really looking forward to the rollout of everything, all the classes.
James: [10:15] I forgot all about that.
[10:17] Ted: You forgot about that stuff?
James: [10:17] We were focused on tomorrow.
[10:20] Ted: Tomorrow, it’s going to be great, but I want to sit through all the stuff.
James: [10:24] There’s a lot of great training.
Jim: [10:25] There is.
James: [10:26] There’s a lot of good stuff.
Jim: [10:27] There is everything here for everybody in some capacity, form, or function.
[10:31] Ted: There’s a couple leadership courses that I looked at that that I’m like, “Oh man. I’m going to pocket into here, pocket into there.
James: [10:39] social media class as well.
[10:41] Ted: I saw the one with Ashley.
James: [10:44] I think I just spit all over us.
[10:47] Ted: You can spit on him.
James: [10:50] Sorry.
Jim: [10:50] I’m used to it. It’s OK.
[10:53] Ted: You’re not. You guys are never in the same room.
James: [10:57] That’s true.
Jim: [10:58] That’s right.
[10:59] Ted: You’re used to seeing each other in your own square.
James: [11:03] It’s weird.
[11:04] Ted: It is.
James: [11:05] You’re bringing a lot out.
[11:07] Ted: I did bring a great tag, though.
James: [11:10] Let’s see it.
[11:11] Ted: Got to read it out loud.
Jim: [11:04] You look really funny doing that with your head.
[11:07] Ted: It was the best sticker. Got him. What do you guys think? This is your show. You tell me.
Jim: [11:17] Ted, this is fantastic, having this many people from across the industries, from operators to contractors to third party, manufacturers, distributors.
James: [11:28] All the way…
Jim: [11:28] I’m looking at them right here. CEOs right in front of us…
[11:32] Ted: President of AGCGA, everything, everything.
Jim: [11:36] We’ve got it all. It’s fantastic.
James: [11:38] We’re really blessed, and this is just the on ramp. Tomorrow’s a big deal.
[11:43] Ted: This is the warm up.
Jim: [11:45] This is just the kick off.
[11:46] Ted: I like it. I’m glad you guys extended it for us.
James: [11:50] We’re asking everybody one question.
[11:52] Ted: Oh boy.
James: [11:53] It’s a new one, OK?
[11:55] Ted: All right.
James: [11:56] Our new campaign is called be brave. What does be brave mean to Ted Peet?
[12:03] Ted: Oh man. That could get deep, be brave. As everybody knows, I’m a veteran.
Jim: [12:14] Yes, you are. Thank you for your service.
[12:16] Ted: Absolutely. Be brave is more, to me, living in your own skin. Too oftentimes you see people in life trying to conform to what the social norm may be or whatever. Be brave is just be you. Don’t care what anybody thinks and rock out who you are…
Jim: [12:39] Love that.
[12:40] Ted: …and own it.
Jim: [12:40] Beautiful.
James: [12:40] I love it.
Jim: [12:41] I’m going to tell you, the beautiful thing about this is that guests have no idea that questions coming, but the answers that we get all were different. When you start to see these all together, look how they all can intertwine…
[12:54] [crosstalk]
[12:54] Ted: You know how they can all connect?
Jim: [12:55] How?
[12:56] Ted: “Connections. For Life,” which is on every week on LinkedIn and YouTube. Love you guys.
Jim: [13:05] Love you, brother.
[13:05] Ted: Love you.
Jim: [13:06] Thank you.
James: [13:06] Thanks for coming.
[13:07] Ted: I’m telling everybody the question.
James: [13:08] We’ll be back.
Jim: [13:10] We’re back. Are we live? With us is John Olshefski from Huntsville Public Utilities.
James: [13:18] I think we need to do that for everyone so they know how to say his name.
Jim: [13:22] Olshefski.
James: [13:22] There you go.
[13:23] John Olshefski: Perfect.
Jim: [13:29] I’ve known John as, I call him, the colonel. He proudly served our country for many years, retired as a colonel. I have lovingly called him the colonel for years.
[13:39] There’s one time in Cape Coral when we allegedly commandeered a shuttle to get people to dinner that night. He was like, “Jimmy, how much money you got on you? I’m like, “23 bucks.” John’s like, “I’ll take them. We’ll get a driver.” True story.
[13:52] John: True story.
Jim: [13:53] Anyways, we wanted to bring John on. I think there’s some big news with you this year in the APGA.
[13:58] John: July, I take over as chairman of the American Public Gas Association and very excited. I haven’t looked this bored.
James: [14:06] Wait a second. Did we just break that on our show?
Jim: [14:11] Is that breaking news?
[14:10] John: It’s not, but it’s a big one, though, for a show. It’s never been on a show.
James: [14:14] For you.
[14:14] John: It’s for me.
James: [14:16] Got it here first…
[14:17] John: Got it here first.
James: [14:17] or second or third.
Jim: [14:19] That’s great. Congratulations. You’re going to do great with that. We have a lot of friends here, Stuart, Erin, and and so many…
[14:24] John: They’re the best staff.
Jim: [14:26] It’s wonderful. Our Steve Allen sits on the board.
[14:30] John: I’m not sure about him now.
Jim: [14:32] Steve’s a little…
James: [14:33] He’s out there.
Jim: [14:34] We love you, Steve.
[14:36] John: We do. We like Steve.
James: [14:38] We love Steve. Colonel, we’re asking everybody one question. We’re not telling them what that question is until they get on. You ready for it?
[14:49] John: I’m ready.
James: [14:51] What does be brave mean to you?
[14:54] John: Be brave. No fear, no fear of the enemy. We have been trained to fight and win America’s wars. When you say be brave, you’ve got all the tools in your box, so there’s no reason not to be brave. If you didn’t want to be brave, you wouldn’t come in.
[15:14] That young man who you just got off the station, Ted. That’s a bad dude. I get goose bumps talking about it. I just spent an hour with him. I did leave men like him and women, but that’s a special dude right there. Wow, so be brave, but you can’t be brave unless you’ve been trained. You can be a bad guy…
James: [15:39] That’s the easy part.
[15:41] John: …but, man, that’s a brave dude right there. I hope I answered that one OK.
James: [15:46] That is basically, Teddy.
Jim: [15:47] Teddy Peet, yep.
[15:49] John: Teddy Peet.
Jim: [15:51] Colonel…
[15:51] John: Thank you, man.
Jim: [15:52] thank you.
[15:53] John: Love you guys.
Jim: [15:53] Love you guys.
James: [15:54] Excited to see you tomorrow.
[15:56] John: Looking forward to tomorrow.
Jim: [15:56] All right, man. We’ll see you.
James: [15:57] The colonel…
Jim: [15:58] The colonel, in the house.
James: [16:00] showing up, taking it down. We’ll be right back.
Jim: [16:07] It is non‑stop. It is fast and furious.
James: [16:09] 100 miles an hour.
Jim: [16:11] Jeff Wiese is in the house. We just found him.
James: [16:15] He just stumbled up.
Jim: [16:16] He said he had 90 seconds.
Jeff Wiese: [16:18] I did not stumble.
James: [16:19] That’s…
Jeff: [16:20] Let’s be clear.
Jim: [16:21] That’s a euphemism.
Jeff: [16:22] I could be later, but not now.
James: [16:25] He wandered over to us.
Jeff: [16:27] I did. What a fascinating exercise you guys are going through here. I did tell you that I didn’t want to go now because be careful who you follow.
Jim: [16:36] Who are you following?
Jeff: [16:37] The colonel.
Jim: [16:37] Colonel John Olshefski.
Jeff: [16:39] Don’t follow the colonel.
James: [16:41] It’s no big deal.
Jeff: [16:42] [laughs] The pressure’s off.
James: [16:43] He didn’t do well at all.
Jim: [16:46] The colonel is one of the most dynamic public speakers I have ever seen.
Jeff: [16:51] He always does well.
James: [16:53] Always.
Jim: [16:53] He commands an audience.
James: [16:55] He absolutely does.
Jeff: [16:56] You don’t get to be a colonel without being good.
James: [17:00] Jeff, it’s good to see you, sir.
Jeff: [17:03] Thank you.
James: [17:04] Thanks for being on the show.
Jeff: [17:06] Thanks for having me.
James: [17:08] We are live at Texas Live. It’s weird to say.
Jeff: [17:12] What a great place. It really is.
James: [17:04] That’s what I was about to ask. What do you think…
Jeff: [17:07] baseball right next door.
Jim: [17:08] Going on right now. Angels, Rangers are going.
Jeff: [17:12] We’ll be watching tomorrow. I’m going to the game tomorrow night.
Jim: [17:15] We are going to be there.
James: [17:16] suite tomorrow? It’ll be nice.
Jeff: [17:18] Yep.
Jim: [17:18] Oh, that’ll be sweet. See what I did there. [laughs]
James: [17:20] I don’t even know what…
Jeff: [17:24] You guys have a history, don’t you?
James: [17:26] We do.
Jim: [17:26] We do. We’re like yin and yang.
James: [17:27] He’s basically my work wife. Jeff, tomorrow you’re on a panel.
Jeff: [17:33] I am.
James: [17:34] We have a panel of stars, if you will…
Jeff: [17:37] They allowed me to come on anyway.
James: [17:40] [laughs]…stars in the pipeline safety world, I guess I could say. Is that fair?
Jeff: [17:47] Yeah, a lot of people who are deep into pipeline safety.
James: [17:51] There’s a lot of people. It’s a big deal. Tell us a little bit about that panel.
Jeff: [17:54] EWN asked me if I would come down and join a bunch of my friends, people I already know and talk about topics…
Jeff: [18:05] that I really love. I love safety. I love safety management systems. We’re going to be talking about all of that in a lot of detail. [laughs] Some of your other friends who are on this panel were debating who talks the most and who has to lay back so that the others can get a word in edgewise.
James: [18:24] Like Steve Allen?
Jeff: [18:25] I didn’t want to use names.
Jim: [18:27] Allegedly.
James: [18:28] Don’t say Steve Allen…
Jeff: [18:30] [laughs]
James: [18:31] about talking too much. No, Steve’s awesome. We love him.
Jim: [18:35] He is.
Jeff: [18:37] I was lucky enough to sit on the 1173 Committee. The one that standard the built…
Jeff: [18:44] As I’ve said, I spent a lot of time in government. When I, when I did this while I was in government, it was probably my favorite exercise at 17 years at DOT.
Jim: [18:57] Really?
Jeff: [18:57] Because you learn so much in building an industry standard. If you ever get a chance to be on an industry standard or pilot, a highly recommend it to you, not only [xx] for your learning if you want too.
Jim: [19:10] I would absolutely agree. I just got out of AGA Committee meetings a couple of weeks ago in New Orleans.
[19:15] And I said that after two days of committee meetings, the amount of stuff that you learn, as much as you contribute, if you contribute one point, you learn four or five Orleans’ path, no matter what.
James: [19:25] We, for whatever reason, we use our show as a platform to get people involved. So, something we always say jokingly, if you’re wondering if there’s a seat available at the table…
Jeff: [19:41] Yeah.
James: [19:43] There is.
Jeff: [19:43] There is.
Jim: [19:45] I was even able to get at the table, for God’s sake, chair. You know, SMS if I can, I’ll take one second to make a pitch because…
Jeff: [19:52] I say I’ve been to the river and I’ve been dibs, right? SMS is like a religion. When you really get it in your bones, you believe in it. You’ll do stuff for it. Right?
[20:06] So the thing we just talked about, getting cultures and organizations to adopt and forward‑leaning approach to learning and say, “You know what? Stuff is changing around us all the time. People, operating procedures, equipment getting older, we need to be open to learning. Right? If you’re open to learning you have an opportunity to better. So that’s the pitch.
Jim: [20:29] I love that. Steve Allen was the first one that told me years back, he goes, “PSMS, you’re never done. There’s never finish line.”
Jeff: [20:40] It’s a journey.
Jim: [20:42] It’s a journey. There’s never a destination.
Jeff: [20:43] Exactly.
James: [20:44] Love it.
Jim: [20:44] That’s a great thing.
Jeff: [20:46] You have to change the mentality of people to get there so that they’re open to contributing and learning. Good stuff. Sorry to be boring on it. I love that.
James: [20:57] It’s not boring to us. Jeff, we’re asking everybody one question on the fly. You ready?
Jeff: [21:12] I’m ready.
James: [21:13] Look at him.
Jeff: [21:14] I was born ready.
James: [21:16] He’s always ready.
Jim: [21:17] He is ready. He is.
James: [21:10] What does be brave mean to you?
Jeff: [21:13] What does be brave?
Jim: [21:14] Yeah.
Jeff: [21:16] Don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong.
Jim: [21:18] I like that.
Jeff: [21:21] If you admit when you’re wrong, you have an opportunity to learn and be better. If you don’t admit when you’re wrong or you don’t let others admit when they’re wrong, how can they possibly be better?
James: [21:34] Amen. Jeff…
Jim: [21:35] One of the best ones.
James: [21:37] so good to see you, brother.
Jeff: [21:39] [laughs] Did that beat Steve Allen? That’s all I want to do.
James: [21:42] I’ll tell you what, and John.
Jim: [21:44] Hands down.
Jeff: [21:45] Excellent. Thank you, guys.
Jim: [21:47] Thank you, sir.
James: [21:47] Jeff, we appreciate you.
[21:49] [crosstalk]
Jeff: [21:48] so much.
James: [21:48] We’ll be right back.
James: [21:50] We’re back. Steve Allen. We just had the colonel on…
[21:57] Steve Allen: Good.
Jim: [21:58] Olshefski.
James: [21:58] and we learned how to say his name.
Jim: [22:01] Olshefski.
James: [22:02] Steve…
[22:02] Steve: What a wonderful man.
Jim: [22:05] Jeff Wiese…
James: [22:06] Jeff Wiese was right there, where you are sitting, before you.
[22:09] Steve: Another wonderful man.
Jim: [22:10] and gave a lot of positive thoughts and comments about a person named Steve Allen.
[22:16] Steve: I don’t believe it. What’d they say?
James: [22:17] John said one or two nice things about you.
Jim: [22:25] Steve Allen is, as I call him, one of the godfathers of the PSMS world…
[22:31] Steve: That makes me feel so old.
Jim: [22:33] as we know it today, and you really are. You are well regarded. I gave a presentation in California. I stood in for Steve, and people were disappointed in California…
James: [22:42] [laughs] I bet.
Jim: [22:43] that Steve couldn’t be there.
[22:45] Steve: I heard otherwise. I heard you did a great job.
Jim: [22:47] They missed you. They know your reputation, and they wanted to see and meet you. I can’t tell you how many things I gave out with Steve’s contact information afterwards. Some people wanted to…
[22:58] [crosstalk]
[22:58] Steve: I’ve got a few calls, so I appreciate that.
James: [23:00] Steve, we’re live at Texas Live.
Jim: [23:03] It’s a great event.
James: [23:04] We’re surrounded by our clients, our prospects, our friends, our industry colleagues. What do you think so far? I know it’s just the Welcome Reception…
James: [23:14] but so far, so good?
[23:15] Steve: So far, if I went home at midnight tonight, it was a successful trip.
James: [23:21] This guy, he always says that.
[23:24] Steve: I’m serious. I have met up with people that I’ve known for a long time. We’ve talked about family and friends and how are you doing. Then, of course, the conversations morph into, “Hey, what can we do organizationally to perhaps help each other out?” It’s partnerships.
Jim: [23:54] That’s one of the reasons we do stuff like this, to get friends together, industry friends, I’ll say that, and collaborate.
[24:01] Steve: [laughs] One of the things that a lot of these folks have suggested, they said, “Man, Energy Worldnet has invested in an absolute ton of talent. We’d like to be able to take advantage of some of that talent.”
Jim: [24:19] I think I know who you’re talking about.
James: [24:21] I thought that meant just you.
[24:24] Steve: No, not me. Trust me, not me.
James: [24:26] We have.
[24:27] Steve: This is great.
James: [24:31] It really is.
[24:32] Steve: It’s absolutely great.
Jim: [24:34] It’s wonderful, isn’t it?
[24:36] Steve: Yeah. The pizza’s pretty good, too.
James: [24:36] What’s that?
[24:36] Steve: The pizza’s pretty good, too.
Jim: [24:38] The pizza’s fantastic. I’ve had three slices, allegedly.
[24:41] Steve: Allegedly. The big thing is the ball game tomorrow night.
Jim: [24:45] That’s going to be a blast.
[24:46] Steve: That’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun because several of the people that I’ve invited here this week are big baseball fans. They are really looking forward to it.
James: [25:00] See that?
[25:01] Steve: Yeah.
James: [25:01] Sharp.
Jim: [25:05] This guy is a marketing and brand guru. Anyways, speaking of gurus, Steve, we have a question we’re asking everybody that comes on with us.
James: [25:13] Oh man. On the fly, on the spot, Steve Allen.
Jim: [25:17] Right here, sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnalls’ porch since Thursday. Steve, if we were to say what does be brave mean to you, what does that mean?
[25:27] Steve: Get outside of your comfort zone and do what you think is right.
Jim: [25:31] Boom. Book it, Danno.
[25:33] Steve: [laughs]
James: [25:33] He just came in hot.
[25:35] Steve: Book it, Danno. That was an easy one. That was a softball.
Jim: [25:40] That was the fastest answer we’ve had all night.
James: [25:42] I like it.
[25:43] Steve: That was a softball, dude.
Jim: [25:44] You know what, though? Get out of your comfort zone. Do it.
[25:46] Steve: Do it right. That’s right.
James: [25:47] Scare yourself. I love it. Steve…
[25:49] Steve: Everybody enjoy themselves.
Jim: [25:51] Steve, thank you.
[25:51] Steve: Thank you.
Jim: [25:51] Steve Allen, check him out.
James: [25:53] See you, everybody. We’ll be back.
Jim: [25:56] He’s worth knowing.
[25:57] Steve: Whatever.
Jim: [25:58] He is.
[25:58] Steve: [laughs] Thanks.
Jim: [26:00] James, it is non‑stop. We cannot even move without having more important guests come and join us all the time. With us…
James: [26:09] It’s a fantastic problem to have. I’ll tell you that.
Jim: [26:11] It is. All of a sudden, we get a text message from Jon Smith. We get a phone call from Jon Smith. We golf with Jon Smith. We have Jon Smith in the house. Jon…
[26:21] Jon Smith: In a packed house.
Jim: [26:23] our good friend Jon.
[26:24] Jon: Congratulations.
James: [26:25] brother.
Jim: [26:25] I’m serious. It’s an honor to be friends with you.
[26:29] Jon: Absolutely, with both of you, too.
James: [26:30] I’ve spent the whole morning with Jon. We won’t talk about our golf shots.
[26:36] Jon: This guy over here, he drove the green on one. I’ll just say that.
James: [26:40] One hole.
Jim: [26:41] Wait, that was the 71‑yard…
James: [26:41] Hey, hey.
[26:42] Jon: [laughs]
James: [26:43] Jon, been a while since we’ve seen you. You are a repeat guest on our show. You came back for our mental health series. We saw you at AGA and, I think, SGA and all along the path. Here we are…
[27:03] Jon: Here we are.
Jim: [27:04] Which is great.
James: [27:06] at Texas Live. It’s good to see you again. I want to catch up with you a little bit. I think that’s fair.
Jim: [27:13] Please.
James: [27:15] Tell us a little bit, what you got going on. You got some new stuff going on.
Jim: [27:20] Exciting stuff.
[27:21] Jon: I do. First of all, the best thing that happened to me was I took about two or three months and really recharged. That balance we talk about all the time, we talked about the mental health series…
James: [27:32] No doubt about it.
[27:33] Jon: For the first time…
James: [27:34] We talked about it this morning.
[27:36] Jon: …I think, since I was 14, I actually had time that I wasn’t checking emails and else. What a great thing, with family and everything else and really recharging.
[27:44] Then, one day my wife and I, sitting around, and said, “Why don’t you form your own company? Why don’t you go ahead and start up a company called Veteran Horizons?”
Jim: [27:53] Wait, I’m sorry. What was the name again?
[27:55] Jon: Veteran Horizons.
Jim: [27:56] Veteran Horizons.
[27:57] Jon: You’re looking at the president, the CEO, and the only employee. Basically, just go out in an industry that I love, the energy industry, and provide leadership, professional services, things that maybe smaller to mid‑sized companies can’t afford from a big company, but they can definitely afford me.
[28:20] Coming in and just helping to grow those companies, grow people, which we’ve all talked about, that’s my passion. My passion is people. If I can help a small company to get on its feet and maybe get a strategy, an M&A, or some of that, that’s what I’m dedicated to now.
James: [28:37] Love it, man.
Jim: [28:39] That’s fantastic.
[28:39] Jon: It’s been fantastic.
Jim: [28:41] I almost want to ask a question that we’ve been asking all of our guests. It ties into this.
James: [28:40] I can’t wait to hear it. No pressure.
[28:44] Jon: I have no idea what you’re going to ask me.
Jim: [28:48] You don’t because this has been top secret. If we were to ask you what does be brave mean to Jon Smith, what would you say? Be brave.
[28:59] Jon: Expand your comfort zone. Don’t worry about breaking free of your comfort zone, but don’t be afraid to expand it. Take your skillset, take who you are and grow. That’s going to be uncomfortable sometimes.
James: [29:15] No doubt.
[29:16] Jon: It does take be brave to do that. It means really harnessing all those things and expanding your comfort zone so that you grow as a person. Not only you, but your inner circle grows with you, that inner circle of friends and people come with you on that journey.
James: [29:38] I love it. This is my new favorite question.
[29:41] Jon: [laughs]
James: [29:42] Jon, it’s good to see you, brother.
[29:44] Jon: Great. Thank you so much.
James: [29:47] So glad you’re here.
Jim: [29:48] Thank you.
[29:49] Jon: This is a great event. Congratulations to EWN for how many people are here. I’d say the diversity of people and the diversity of companies that are here, you guys have knocked it out of the park this year.
Jim: [29:52] It’s exciting, isn’t it?
[29:53] Jon: Yeah, top notch. Great job.
Jim: [29:56] Thanks, Jon. Appreciate you, brother.
[29:58] Jon: Thank you, my friends.
Jim: [30:00] Appreciate it.
[30:00] Jon: Thank you.
Jim: [30:02] We’ll be back. Thank you.
Jim: [29:39] Back again. Once again, Jill Adams is in the house, repeat guest. Three times?
James: [30:14] I don’t know, 16 times.
[30:15] Jill Adams: It’s been a few.
James: [30:17] It’s been a minute.
Jim: [30:22] It’s good to see you, Jill.
[30:24] Jill: It’s wonderful to see both of you. It’s been fantastic.
James: [30:24] Live, in person.
[30:25] Jill: In person in Texas.
Jim: [30:27] At Texas Live, Arlington. Boom.
James: [30:32] We’re live. No big deal.
Jim: [30:37] It’s crazy here. It’s fantastic.
James: [30:39] It’s really cool.
[30:39] Jill: It is wonderful.
Jim: [30:40] Jill, what about you? What’ve you been up to?
James: [30:42] Catch us up.
[30:43] Jill: So many things.
James: [30:45] All the things.
James: [30:46] You have two minutes. You better hurry.
[30:49] Jill: I know. All the things is my new hashtag, honestly.
James: [30:53] I like it.
[30:54] Jill: Wonderful things happening.
James: [30:56] You are at EWNCON. So far, what’s the vibe? What are you excited about? We’re just getting started here.
[31:07] Jill: We are just getting started here. The first day’s been absolutely fantastic.
James: [31:13] Somebody said that earlier, and I was like, “Guys this is just stalls.”
[31:17] Jill: This is just the beginning.
James: [31:18] We haven’t got anywhere.” They go, “It’s going great so far.” I was like, “What is happening?”
Jim: [31:24] That was just a mingling event.
[31:26] Jill: This is just the beginning. We had absolutely beautiful weather today for golf, just having everybody together…
James: [31:34] A little warm.
Jim: [31:35] It was hot.
[31:36] Jill: I’m in Minnesota, so having everybody realizing that a Minnesota girl coming down to Texas for golf and enjoying the Texas weather, let’s just be real.
James: [31:49] That’s fair.
[31:50] Jill: Loving the sun…
James: [31:51] I’ll give it to you.
[31:53] Jill: [laughs]…getting the vitamin D, you got to soak it in.
Jim: [31:56] When I lived in Minnesota, I’d seen snow Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.
[32:02] Jill: That’s right.
Jim: [32:03] It didn’t stay, but it snowed.
[32:05] Jill: You got to soak it in and enjoy it and soak it up when you can.
James: [32:10] Jill, we’re asking everyone one question. It’s our bit.
[32:16] Jill: I love it.
James: [32:18] Today what we’re asking you is what does be brave mean to you?
[32:29] Jill: Be brave means to me.
James: [32:42] I’m excited for us.
[32:43] Jill: Being brave means to me…
James: [32:46] Don’t overthink it. Don’t freak yourself out. You got this.
[32:50] Jill: For me, being brave means honoring yourself and all of your actions.
James: [32:49] That is brave. It’s funny. People always think bravery is bigger than what you are.
[32:54] Jill: It’s keeping it simple, so being in integrity with yourself.
James: [32:58] Checking yourself. I love it.
Jim: [33:00] That was wonderful.
James: [33:01] We’ve asked this question to so many people. Every answer is completely different, and it’s the coolest part of the show.
Jim: [33:22] There’s a thread that runs through them all. It’s fantastic.
James: [33:26] Jill, we’re so happy you’re here.
[33:29] Jill: It’s wonderful to be here.
Jim: [33:31] Thank you, Jill.
[33:32] Jill: It’s so wonderful.
Jim: [33:25] Absolutely. It’s our pleasure.
James: [33:27] Thanks for being brave with us.
[33:29] Jill: It’s fantastic.
James: [33:31] Thank you.
Jim: [33:31] We’ll be back.
[33:33] [background music]
Transcription by WatchingWords