Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home

Episode 20 Briant Garcia - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Briant Garcia, Owner of 318Latino, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:37 1. Briant, you are the owner of 318Latino, an online radio station in Shreveport that focuses on the Hispanic community of Northwest Louisiana. 318Latino keeps newly arrived Hispanics and residents informed about the options of services, products, entertainment, education, culture, health, events, active leaders, etc.” When and how did the radio station first get its start?
 
1:51 2. How do I tune into 318Latino?
 
2:21 3. There’s also a magazine component of 318Latino. How frequently does it publish? And how do people obtain copies when new issues publish?
 
3:13 4. As I was pursuing your Facebook page, I was struck by the fact that more than 20,000 people follow your page, which is almost 3x the number of people that follow our Facebook page at the Y.
 
Talk to me about the size of the Hispanic population in Shreveport-Bossier. How large is it? What countries are most represented? And, what schools and neighborhoods in Shreveport-Bossier contain the largest Hispanic populations?
 
8:15 5. The mission of 318Latino is “to build bridges between communities”. Talk to me about what this means.
 
9:18 6. From your perspective, is the Hispanic community unified with the white and black communities in the Shreveport-Bossier area? And, if not, as you look around, what are some of the steps you feel could be taken to help bring these communities closer together?

Episode 19 Caleb King - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Caleb King, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Dripp Donuts, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
0:25 1. I’ve heard that your wife Michelle and you were out in CA camping, came to Shreveport over Christmas and less than two weeks later decided to move here. What transpired during that trip to Shreveport that convinced Michelle and you to move here?
 
2:25 2. Let’s talk about Dripp Donuts which I’ve seen described as craft sourdough donuts on wheels. What is Dripp? How did you get the idea to start it? Do Michelle and/or you have culinary backgrounds? And, if not how did you learn such gourmet skills both in terms of taste and presentation?
 
9:37 3. Not many people have seen as many sides of our community in as short of a time as you have. Dripp has been from Blanchard to Stonewall to Benton and everywhere in between. I believe you grew up here.
 
As someone who is newly back to town, what about the community has jumped out at you as being the same as when you grew up here?
 
17:25 4. What has jumped out at you as being different?
 
25:46 5. It seems that Dripp has been a great success. For people out there listening to this who aspire to start their own businesses in town, what advice or suggestions can you provide?
 
33:59 6. I believe that Michelle is Canadian and you guys have lived in other cities. From your perspective, what can Shreveport-Bossier do to become one of the next, great small cities?
 
*Outro music provided by Bond Plus

Episode 18 Edgar Guzman - ”Shreveport: Bossier - My City, My Community, My Home”

Edgar Guzman, Entrepreneur and Founder of The Lot Downtown Shreveport, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:33 1. On Friday, November 20, 2020, in the middle of the first year of COVID, you and your wife Deshea opened The Lot at the old Sportran Terminal in the 400 block of Crockett.
 
Let’s begin, if we could, by talking about how that project came about.
 
2:37 2. What are some of the events currently taking place at The Lot? What are some of the things we can expect to find at The Lot over the next six months?
 
4:52 3. You once said, “We want downtown to get back up and running, and we are going to do everything we can to help that.”
 
You are now almost two years into The Lot. I would say at this point that you are far more experienced than most of us in terms of understanding the great possibilities and challenges of revitalizing downtown Shreveport.
 
In a recent interview you did with Tim Fletcher, Fletcher said, “A stronger downtown means a stronger community.”
 
Do you believe downtown Shreveport can be great again? If so, what can all of us in the community do to help make that happen?
 
7:51 4. Correct me if I’m wrong about this. You have a full-time job and The Lot is something you do in addition to your full-time job.
 
What kind of advice can you give to people in town that say, “I really care about my city and wish I could do more but I am just so busy.”
 
10:02 5. Andrew Larson once was quoted as saying, “It’s amazing what Edgar has been able to do here. His support for the community I think should be an inspiration for all of us.”
 
Why do you care so much about Shreveport-Bossier?
 
11:49 6. I think most people would agree that our community doesn’t always come together as much as it could. In one interview, you stated that you wanted The Lot to be for “every neighborhood.”
 
How do we as a community do a better job of coming together – different races, different classes, different neighborhoods?

Episode 17 Cassie Hammett - ”Shreveport: Bossier - My City, My Community, My Home”

Cassie Hammett, Founder and Director of The Hub: urban ministry, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:37 1. Let’s start with a quote of yours I came across:
 
“I believe I need to leave my city better than I found it. Community is essential for a whole, full life.”
 
We will get more into the details of your work as we talk today but your career is dedicated to making our city better.
 
Where do you think this sense of obligation to your city came from? I find it rare for people to possess such a feeling of duty and responsibility to serve our city.
 
6:48 2. For those out there who are unaware of you, let me provide some quick information:
 
In 2007, at the age of 22, you founded The Hub: urban ministries in Shreveport after getting to know homeless people in Shreveport. 15 years later, The Hub serves the poor and those in homelessness through the Lovewell Center and helps women and children trapped in the sex industry and victims of human trafficking through Purchased: Not for Sale.
 
Let’s start by talking about your work with the Lovewell Center. Talk to me about this quote of yours below and how it informs your approach at Lovewell:
 
“…(people) should be pulled in and given a seat at the table. When I meet someone in homelessness or poverty, my end goal is to eventually be able to look at them as a friend.”
 
17:19 3. I was really interested in this statement of yours, “The Lovewell Center program is not a hand-out. When accepted, a homeless or poverty-stricken person is given the opportunity to become ‘a member.’
 
Can you talk a little about how the membership program works and the guiding principles behind it?
 
17:50 4. In your opinion, are we breaking cycles? If not, what are we going to have to do differently to begin putting an end to some of the areas where our community struggles the most?
 
32:38 5. In 2011, The Hub branched out into additional ministry by forming Purchased: Not For Sale to tackle the issue of human trafficking in our community. Talk to me about some of the programs of Purchased and the different types of human trafficking that exist in our community.
 
46:40 6. Models of The Hub have expanded or are being expanded into other cities like Las Vegas, Fort Worth, Ruston and Lafayette. Compare and contrast how the communities in these other cities engage with you and your work versus how our community engages with you here. Or in other words, what is different about the level of community engagement in these other cities? What is the same?

Episode 16 Kelli Todd - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Kelli Todd, Executive Director of Volunteers for Youth Justice, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:37 1. You once said, “Even the smallest contributions from caring individuals culminate into great achievements for our children, youth and families.”
 
Talk to me if you could about what you meant by the quote above.
 
4:48 2. Back in 2004, you were teaching biology and coaching at Captain Shreve High School when you first began volunteering for Volunteers for Youth Justice (or “VYJ”).
 
A couple of years later, a job at VYJ came up in the Court Appointed Special Advocates department. Due to a chance encounter with Virginia Shehee and Virginia advising you to “follow your heart”, you ended up applying for the position, getting the job that included a pay cut and changing the trajectory of your career and life.
 
You are now into your ninth year as the Executive Director of Volunteers for Youth Justice. Can you talk to me a little about the organization and a few of your programs?
 
11:50 3. Preparing for my discussion with you, I came across some background on the formation of Volunteers for Youth Justice, which reminded me of how Providence House first came about. Can you talk about the origin of Volunteers for Youth Justice, who first started it and how?
 
13:46 4. You have worked and continue to work with many of the families in our community who are struggling. What are some things you could share or talk about that maybe the general public doesn’t see or know about these families in crisis?
 
18:35 5. In your opinion, are we breaking cycles? If not, what are we going to have to do differently to begin putting an end to some of the areas where our community struggles the most?
 
22:35 6. What is currently your biggest challenge at Volunteers for Youth Justice? Or in other words, what could you most use more of? Volunteers? Money? Or something else?

Episode 15 Billy Anderson - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Billy Anderson, Community Activist, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
1:08 1. Billy, you are greatly involved in our community. I probably won’t hit everything but let me list some of the organizations with whom you work. You are the Executive Director of the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Highland Area Partnership, Red River Revel, SocialGoats Inc and a member of the New Leaders Council. And this past week you were the Parade Chairman of the area’s inaugural Juneteenth Parade.
 
Let’s start by providing some background. You are a Shreveport-Bossier native. Where in the area did you grow up? Where did you go to school?
 
3:20 2. Why do you care so much about this community?
 
4:06 3. Let’s talk about the African American Chamber of Commerce. I read that the organization’s vision is to lead the charge for advocacy, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. Talk to me about this vision and some of the ways that the African American Chamber of Commerce impacts our community.
 
6:42 4. You obviously believe in a better Shreveport-Bossier. If someone came to you and said, “Billy I am giving you all the money and all the power to make this city into the city you dream about and the city you want us to become.” What does that city look and feel like?
 
7:52 5. It is inspiring to see someone like you working so hard to give back to our community. How do we create more people like you that believe in Shreveport-Bossier?
 
8:38 6. A friend of yours is coming to visit. It will be his or her first time in Shreveport-Bossier and he or she is only in town for one full day. Where you go and where do you take him or her to give a sense of your Shreveport-Bossier?

Episode 14 Logan Lewis - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Logan Lewis, Executive Director of Red River Revel, Inc, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:30 1. Logan, on February 1 of this year you became the new Executive Director of Red River Revel, Inc. Red River Revel, Inc. is the 501c3 nonprofit organization that brings annual events to Northwest Louisiana, including Red River Revel Arts Festival, CORK: A Red River Revel Wine Event, the Shreveport Farmers’ Market, and Shreveport BREW.
 
Talk to me about the Revel. Why is this festival important for our community? What makes it great and how will it be even better in the years to come?
 
21:17 2. In your new role, as well as in your previous role working for six years as the Director of Marketing and Memberships for the Independence Bowl, you have been in the middle of some of the most important events this community has to offer.
 
Talk to me about your views of community. You obviously see the value in bringing people together. Who taught you this sense of community or how did you come to determine that building community is important?
 
36:04 3. You currently head up two musical acts in your “free time” – Logan and the Legendaries and Logan Lewis and the Tree Fiddy Trio. Talk to me about the local music scene. Is it healthy? Where is it thriving, how could it continue to evolve to become even more vital?
 
45:25 4. For a number of years now, you have been in a position of selling the Shreveport-Bossier area, whether it was marketing a football game in December and trying to entice people to travel into the area for the event or convincing musical acts or artists to come participate in the Revel or Farmers Market or one of the other numerous events you oversee. When you are selling our strengths, what do you emphasize? Or, in other words, how do you sell this area to someone who has never been here before?
 
51:08 5. What is holding us back from being one of the great, small cities in America?
 
59:52 6. What will propel us forward in the years to come?

Episode 13 Crystal Tate Barnes - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Crystal Tate Barnes, Principal of Booker T Washington High School, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:44 1. Crystal, you recently completed your third year as the Principal of Booker T Washington High School. Talk to me if you could about the high school. How many students do you currently have? What neighborhoods do the students come from?
 
4:20 2. Talk to me about the demographics of the students the high school currently serves.
 
5:18 3. You have an interesting perspective in that you were once a student at Booker T Washington. In what areas is the school struggling or what challenges is the school facing compared to when you went there as a student?
 
17:12 4. On the flip side, talk about some of the areas where the school has progressed and is excelling compared to when you were a student there.
 
23:42 5. I’m ashamed to admit but I don’t believe I have ever set foot in Booker T Washington, even though I am 48 and have spent 35 of my 48 years in the Shreveport-Bossier area. I graduated from Captain Shreve. For those listening who like me have yet to visit your school, compare and contrast the school experience in 2022 at Booker T versus Captain Shreve.
 
27:08 6. As you look around your school and student body, what makes you hopeful about the future of Shreveport-Bossier?

Episode 12 Steve Walker - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Steve Walker, Former President and CEO of Commercial National Bank, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:45 1. You retired from JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) in 2015 after a 39 year career in commercial banking. You were President and CEO of Commercial National Bank from 1989-1997 and assumed executive positions at the headquarters of each respective entity with whom you worked.
 
You have been honored, to cite but a couple, by being named to the Junior Achievement of North Louisiana Hall of Fame Laureates and LSU’s EJ Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction.
 
All of this to say, you have had an unusually successful professional career and could live anywhere in the world you chose. We are so happy that you did but I have to ask - why have you chosen to continue to be involved in this community and why did you stay in the Shreveport-Bossier area?
 
15:08 2. You recently were part of a group that put together a plan to buy Southern Trace Country Club from its previous owners, ClubCorp. Talk to me about this process, how you and your group made it happen, what you are hoping to achieve by being membership-owned and some of the changes you have made to the club since the purchase occurred.
 
30:31 3. From your perspective, where is Shreveport-Bossier headed as a community?
 
41:37 4. What is holding us back?
 
48:45 5. What will propel us forward?
 
53:07 6. Lastly, what makes you prideful about being from Plain Dealing and about living in the Shreveport-Bossier area?

Episode 11 Carranza Pryor - ”Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home”

Carranza Pryor, Chief Counsel of LSU Health Shreveport, sits down with Jeffrey Goodman, Director of Marketing and Development with the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana, to answer the following questions:
 
0:50 1. Carranza, you graduated from Captain Shreve in 1987 and I graduated from Captain Shreve in 1992 and man did your legacy loom large. It was mind-boggling how many times one of my teachers bragged on the greatness that was Carranza Pryor.
 
I don’t want to embarrass you but just want to single out quickly a few of your accomplishments – Valedictorian of Captain Shreve, National Merit Scholar, Governor at Louisiana Boys State, Undergraduate Degree with Honors from Harvard, Law Degree from Yale and now Chief Counsel of LSU Health Shreveport.
 
You moved away for a long time, living in Cambridge, New Haven, Birmingham, Charlotte, Atlanta. What did you notice when you returned to live in Shreveport-Bossier? What felt the same? What felt different?
 
11:01 2. If Shreveport-Bossier had 5-10 Carranza Pryors every year who we exported for college but who then returned to live here, I can’t even imagine how much better this community would be for it. What’s the secret from your perspective? How do we get more of our exceptional kids, like you, to want to come back here to live?
 
20:21 3. I tend to like this next question. You have a friend from Harvard, who has never been to Shreveport-Bossier before, come to stay with you. He or she is only in town one full day. Where do you take him or her to give a sense of your Shreveport-Bossier?
 
31:26 4. This might be a slightly unfair question with no easy answers but how do we grow as a community into something that more closely resembles Birmingham, Charlotte or Atlanta?
 
46:04 5. What makes you prideful of Shreveport-Bossier?
 
48:29 6. What makes you hopeful about the future of Shreveport-Bossier?