Baked-In with Josh Allen

Episode 17: Rung for Women: Ali Hogan & Leslie Gill

In this week’s episode, Josh has the honor of sitting with Ali Hogan and Leslie Gill, the founder and president respectively of Rung for Women – a career accelerator focused on helping women acquire the skills and training needed to uplevel their lives professionally and personally. They’ve already helped over 300 women in the St. Louis region gain traction in their careers and they’re just getting started! These two visionary leaders and their team at Rung believe in helping women go from “surviving to thriving” by taking a (w)holistic approach to advancement – offering child watch services, grab and go meals, financial education, healthcare services and counseling along with specific skills training in tech, geospatial and advanced manufacturing all a no charge to their members. Such an inspiring conversation.

Episode 16: Loryn Nalik - Balkan Treat Box!

On this week’s episode, Josh talks with Loryn Nalic from Balkan Treat Box about growing her wildly popular food concept from a food truck dream to one of the most versatile and exciting food brands in St. Louis. They talk about navigating the early chaos of the opening of CityPark, approaching business with the humility and willingness to ask for help, and mentoring the next generation of emerging food entrepreneurs. It’s easy to see that Loryn’s secret sauce is a quick smile and a hearty laugh…even when the lines are long. Let’s go…
 

Episode 15: Jon Franko - Gorilla 76

In this week’s episode, Josh sits down with Jon Franko of Gorilla 76, an industrial marketing firm here in St. Louis that he co-founded in 2006. Jon, in addition to helping his manufacturing clients (read: blue collar brands) grow revenue and retain employees, is a passionate believer in the power of company culture. They discuss the new normal of remote work, the value of defining and living core values and how running plays a major role in Jon’s life following a MS diagnosis in 2016. Lace up your shoes and let’s go…
 

Episode 14: Tamara Keefe - Clementine’s Creamery

On this week’s episode, Josh sits down with Tamara Keefe, founder, CEO and flavor temptress at Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery. In her late thirties, after a very successful career in consumer packaged goods on a global scale, Tamara opened a small ice cream shop in Lafayette Square in St. Louis, MO. Nearly 10 years and multiple locations later, she’s ready to grow across the country. They discuss obstacles and challenges and the stuff keeping her up at night. Grab a pint of your favorite flavor and enjoy.

Episode 13: Mitch Millstein

This week, Josh catches up with Dr. Mitch Millstein, Professor of Supply Chain Management at UMSL and co-founder of Supply Velocity, a lean manufacturing and supply chain consulting firm.  They discuss how supply chain management is having its “moment”, the secret sauce of becoming a you-can-count-on-me supplier and Mitch’s past work with Josh’s bakery on customer optimization. It all may sound like a mouthful, but Mitch has an uncanny ability to make complex business ideas super digestible (and pretty darn interesting) for all of us.

Episode 12: Tricia Zimmer Ferguson - Kaldi’s & More!

This week, Josh sits down with Tricia Zimmer Ferguson, co-owner of the Kaldi’s Coffee family of businesses which includes brands in St. Louis, Nashville, Atlanta, Olympia, WA and the state of Hawaii. They discuss the secret sauce of building regional brands in multiple markets with a common thread of great coffee/tea and even better hospitality.
 

Episode 11: Greg Belt from Evergrain

Last year, AB-InBev, thanks in large part to the work of this week’s guest, Greg Belt of Evergrain Ingredients, was named the most innovative company in America. Greg and his team at Evergrain have created the only upcycled certified plant protein in the world. And it’s all happening here in St. Louis. Josh and Greg discuss the secret sauce of converting what has historically been a byproduct of the brewing process into a viable and sustainable business.
 
 

Episode 10: Lorenza Pasetti (Volpi Foods!)

Josh sits down with Lorenza Pasetti, CEO of the iconic Volpi Foods of South St. Louis, a 120-year-old manufacturer of artisan cured meats. They discuss the secret sauce of navigating the roll out of a national brand, how convenience stores are re-defining the retail food landscape and guiding a legacy company into the fourth generation.

Episode 9: Dan Abel

Dan Abel knows a lot about chocolate. He and his team (including family) have taken two of the most iconic names in Chocolate "Bissinger's" & "Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate," and have generated 20X growth in the bast several years. 
An incredible story based upon one of the world's oldest treats finding a way to integrate itself and grow into the next generation of technology, marketing, and creations!

Episode 8: Mike Weiss

The "Big Shark" of bikes, Mike Weiss of "Big Shark Bicycle Company" joined Josh to chat all things two wheels... from popularity, brand partnerships, and the role a global pandemic played in exploding his business, and the industry, in both incredible and frustrating ways. An industry leader, Mike talks about the unique steps that he and his team took to meet the incredible demand for bicycles in the midst of Covid 19, and all the supply chain issues that came along with it!