Our Two Cents Podcast

Latest Episodes:

141 - Key Budge on The Wonderful City of Tehachapi Jun 02, 2022

Show notes

Key Budge coordinates all communication efforts for the City of Tehachapi and has more than 30 years of experience working in government, (25 years as a Deputy Sheriff in LA, 6 years with the City of Tehachapi and 2 years at the City of Palmdale). He also has more than 12 years in media related fields including on air at KUZZ in Bakersfield as a news anchor and DJ. Key has called Tehachapi home for almost 20 years after migrating from the greater LA area.

Scott Hanson and co-host Dave Plivelich sit down with Key Budge, the Community Engagement Specialist for the City of Tehachapi. He tells us that despite living and serving as a Deputy Sheriff in LA he prefers the caring community of Tehachapi. Key discusses the transparency, involvement, and connection that their local podcast, TehachaPod, provides the community. Key also expresses the city's need for both police officers and engineers. They wrap up the episode with fun events that we can expect to see in the next couple of months. If you are looking for a fun weekend not too far from home, tune into this week's episode!

LEARN MORE ABOUT KEY BUDGE:

Website: www.liveuptehachapi.com/

Email: kbudge@Tehachapicityhall.com

Phone: 661-822-2200

Instagram: @CityOfTehachapi

Facebook: @CityOfTehachapi

Twitter: @CityOfTehachapi

LinkedIn: @CityOfTehachapi

140 - History In The Making: Kern Women's Business Center May 26, 2022

Show notes

Norma Dunn is the Director at Mission Community Services Corporation's Kern Women's Business Center in Bakersfield California. Norma was born and raised in Kern County, and is committed to making a positive difference in her community. She is also a business and community leader whose passion for education and business, combined with her engaging personality, has earned her a reputation as a high-impact networker. She is a sought-after community leader as she is accomplished at planning and executing strategies that are both effective and efficient; not to mention she has a proven track record of assisting private, public, and non-profit organizations with forging "successful partnerships."

Kyle Jones and first time Co-host Amanda DiGiacomo sit down with Norma Dunn the Director of The Kern Women's Business Center as she explains all the different ways they help local minority owned small businesses. Norma recounts how during COVID she and her team began spreading the word on different grants that were available to small businesses and how they worked with local accounting firms to help ensure those businesses received the grants. She also gives us examples of the different resources they offer to help local businesses and nonprofits be successful. If you are thinking about starting your own business be sure to call The Kern Women's Business Center to help get you started!

LEARN MORE ABOUT NORMA DUNN:

Website: www.mcscorp.org/kern

Email: norma@mcscorp.org

Phone: 661-567-0410

Instagram: @kernwbc

Facebook: @KernWomensBusinessCenter

LinkedIn: Norma_Dunn

139 - The Art of Selling Ag Properties with Morgan Houchin of Tech Ag May 19, 2022

Show notes

Morgan Houchin is an Accredited land consultant specializing in the acquisition and sale of agricultural use properties. He has sold over 60,000 +/- acres of ranch properties throughout California totaling over $900,000,000 in transactional value over the past ten years. Morgan is the 3rd generation of farmers who specialize in almonds, pistachios, cotton, onions, and tomatoes. He is also a partner in several family owned and operated farming and agricultural service businesses.

Troy Burden is joined by co-host Kyle Jones as they have the opportunity to sit down with Morgan Houchin, a local accredited land consultant. Morgan tells us how his family came from Virginia in search of better opportunities which in turn led to the Houchin Blood Bank. Although his family is no longer involved they were always drawn to Agriculture and real estate and that is how Tech Ag Financial came to be.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MORGAN HOUCHIN:

Website: www.techagfinancial.com/

Email: mhouchin@techag.com

Instagram: @techagfinancial

Facebook: TechAgFinancialGroup

LinkedIn: Tech_Ag_Financial

138 - Kelly Carden for Kern County Supervisor! May 12, 2022

Show notes

Kelly Carden is a lifelong 3rd generation Kern County resident. He is a family man with 4 children, ages 10,8,6 and 5. He has had a successful career in Hotel and Restaurant Management culminating as an Operation Supervisor at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. His career has led him to serving some of America's biggest stars. His family has owned a small business since he was 7 years old and he has worked in it off and on ever since. He lives in Rosamond with his children, longtime girlfriend and mother. He hopes to be the first Filipino-American elected to the Board of Supervisors in California history.

John Duffield sits down with Kelly Carden as he tells us what led him to run for Kern County Supervisor 2nd District. He explains that he is running under the Libertarian party and how he has spoken directly to the voters to hear what issues matter the most to them. Kelly tells us how inspirational his mother has been to him since a child and how he will continue to carry those values into office if he wins.

LEARN MORE ABOUT KELLY CARDEN:

Website: www.carden4kern.com/

Email: kelly@carden4kern.com

Instagram: @carden4kern

Facebook: Carden_4_Kern

137 - Building The Road To Recovery May 05, 2022

Show notes

John Sabovich founded The Epiphany Foundation in 2017 after his daughter found herself battling drug addiction. He knew it was only a matter of time before he received the dreaded call from the coroner and decided to take matters into his own hands. On her appointed hearing date, he pleaded that she be placed into a mandatory in-custody interventional program. The judge agreed and from that point on John felt like it was his mission to help lead others on their road to recovery.

Dave Plivelich and Kyle Jones sit down with John Sabovich, the founder of The Epiphany Foundation, an organization that offers real world solutions to those suffering from drug or alcohol addiction. John explains how they provide a home along with a 12-step program to help those who are truly motivated in becoming sober. He shares his inspiring story with us and explains how he feels like addiction is the true pandemic.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN SABOVICH:

Website: www.epiphanyfoundation.net/

Email: jsabovich@gmail.com

Phone: 866-240-1100

Instagram: @EpiphanyFoundationGrants

Facebook: Find_Your_Epiphany_Today

136 - Private Equity in Local Agriculture Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

Jonathan Thomas attended the University of Maine, where he graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance. He began working for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Portland, Maine, a Big 4 accounting firm doing audits of public and private. After 5 years PwC pulled out of the market and Jon relocated to New York City where he continued to work with PwC for 3 more years and met his beautiful wife.

Jon then started working for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts as they prepared to go public. He stayed with KKR for a total of 6 years (3 years in public reporting and 3 years in strategic planning/FP&A). He and wife finally moved to Bakersfield, where they have been raising their family for the past 9 years. Jon spent 3 years with Jakov Dulcich & Sons, 2 years with Jim's Supply Co. and has been with Laurel Ag for the past 4 years, 2 years as CFO and now going on 2 years as CEO.

Scott Hanson sits down with Jonathan Thomas, the current CEO of Laurel Ag, as he walks us through his time in Maine and New York which ultimately led him to his life here in Bakersfield. Jon has a unique background in private equity which presented major job opportunities in the past and in turn made him a strong asset to the different companies he has worked with. They touch on the biggest challenges Laurel Ag is currently facing as well as what they have on the horizon in the next 10 to 15 years.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JON THOMAS:

Website: https://laurel-ag.com/

Email: Jthomas@laurel-ag.com

Phone: 661-368-3550

Instagram: @laurelagandwater

Facebook: Laurel_Ag_and_Water

LinkedIn: @LaurelAgandWater

135 - The Dark Secrets of Kern County Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

Robert Petersen was born in Bakersfield but raised all over the world. He lived in Tripoli, Libya, Dubai, UAE, and Jakarta, Indonesia. He's worked in retail and sales in the past. In the early COVID lockdown days, he passed his time by reading archived newspapers from The Bakersfield Californian. Which led to the creation of The Notorious Bakersfield Podcast which takes a step back in time and looks at some of Bakersfield's most notorious crimes.

Dave Plivelich, Kyle Jones, and special guest Jamie Urner had the opportunity to interview Robert, the creator of The Notorious Bakersfield Podcast. Robert explains how during the lockdown he wanted to learn more information on how Kern County handled the Spanish Flu but stumbled upon crime articles that have happened here in Bakersfield. He tells us which stories he found the most interesting and which stories he found to be the most disturbing.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBERT PETERSEN:

Website: www.notoriousbakersfield.com/

Email: notoriousbakersfield@gmail.com

Instagram: @notoriousbakersfield

Facebook: Notorious_Bakersfield

Twitter: @NotoriousBaker1

134 - Paula Leech: The Danger Of Premature Diagnosis Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

Paula received her Bachelor's Degree in Family and Human Development at Arizona State University and then went on to receive her Master's Degree in Family Therapy at the University of Massachusetts, at Boston. Post family therapy licensure, she became AASECT (American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) certified as a Sex Therapist and worked with individuals, relationships, and families in private practice in Quincy, Massachusetts for over ten years. In that time, Paula received AASECT certification as a Supervisor of Sex Therapy, and co-founded a sex therapy agency and training institute where she saw clients in addition to training therapists to become competent, confident sex therapists themselves. Paula continues to regularly present at various training institutes as well as Universities and therapy agencies across the US.

Paula educates Kyle Jones and Dave Plivelich on the misconceptions that surround sex therapy and gives a more in depth analysis on the different types of issues that she treats. She explains how Zoom has been a helpful tool since therapy is now more accessible to couples. They also touch on the common factors that lead couples to seek out therapy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PAULA LEECH:

Website: www.paulaleech.com/

Email: pleechtherapy@gmail.com

Phone: 602-570-6657

Instagram: @paulaleechtherapy

Facebook: @Paula_Leech_Therapy

133 - Kyle Jones: Journey To Attorney Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

Kyle was born in Bakersfield, California. Kyle obtained undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara and then his Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law. Kyle has 18 years of experience as a Personal Injury and Estate Planning Attorney here in Bakersfield. Kyle's office handles personal injury cases, including but not limited to: Automobile Accidents, Medical Malpractice and Slip and Fall cases. He also handles LLC/Corporation formation.

In episode two of a unique series of interviews where OTCs hosts interview each other, our very own, Kyle Jones is interviewed by fellow host Troy Burden. Kyle explains how from a very young age he knew he wanted to pursue a career as an attorney despite not knowing the difficult path he was taking. Both hosts express how influential Kyle's father was to not only his children but to his loving community as well. They end with Kyle's current career as a successful personal injury and estate planning attorney.

LEARN MORE ABOUT KYLE JONES:

Website: www.kwjoneslaw.com

Email: kylejones@kwjoneslaw.com

Phone: 661.833.1090

Instagram: @lawofficekylejones

Facebook: LawOfficeOfKyleWJones

LinkedIn: @Kyle_Jones

132 - Celebrating 51 Years of Service! Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

Beth Cornell has been working in Human Resources for over 10 years. Her Bachelor's degree is in Cross-Cultural Studies and she maintains a PHR-CA certification. She has worked at Hall Ambulance for the past 2.5 years and previously worked in HR at manufacturing and industrial companies. Beth started in HR by chance and fell in love with it. Her current focus is on recruiting for emergency medical services through the pandemic.

Myron Smith is the General Manager of Hall Ambulance Service in Bakersfield, CA. He has served Kern County as a paramedic for over 30 years and has been employed with Hall Ambulance for the past 27. He was instrumental in establishing the paramedic education program at Bakersfield College and functioned as the Program Director from 2005 to 2018. Academically, he holds degrees of Masters of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum. He is actively involved in several community service organizations in both Taft and Bakersfield and has served on numerous non-profit boards.

Troy sits down with Beth and Myron as they explain the history of Hall Ambulance and how they recently celebrated 51 years of service. They currently have many employment opportunities available that come with rewards and great benefits! If you are interested in joining their team stay tuned to find out how to apply!

LEARN MORE ABOUT HALL AMBULANCE:

Website: https://hallamb.com/

Email: billing@hallamb.com

Phone: 661-334-5419

Instagram: @hallambulance

Facebook: HallAmbulanceServiceInc

LinkedIn: Hall_Ambulance_Service_Inc