The Innovation Room Podcast: Recent Episodes
North American Signs
Welcome to The Innovation Room, with hosts Dan Guajardo, Rhianon Huff, and Derek Tobolski, where we talk everything from signage, to brand perception, industry trends, and best practices. We know that navigating the business world can be tough, and we want to help you stay ahead of the curve with the latest info, forecasting, and tips and tricks the industry has to offer. Tune in for all this and more… Plus, we like to have a little fun so don’t mind the bad jokes. We also love to hear from the community! If there is a topic or question that you’d like us to cover feel free to drop us a note in the comments or send us an email at dlg@northamericansigns.com. And if you like what you hear don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!
Join hosts Rhianon Huff & Tori Homann as they dive into part two of their discussion of the intersection between AI, Facilities Maintenance, and Company Branding.
In this week’s episode, join hosts Tori Homann and Rhianon Huff with special guests Rebecca Handfield, and Kirsten Sokolowski as they discuss branding for Facilities Management (FM) companies, emphasizing the importance of understanding and evolving your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, and history. They stress clear, consistent communication both internally and externally, highlighting expertise, thought leadership, and addressing client needs. The conversation also underscores the uniqueness of each brand, the importance of market adaptation, sustainability, environmental stewardship, energy efficiency, transparency, diversity, and culture in branding. They caution against being inauthentic and ignoring market needs and trends.
Key Takeaways
- Understand your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, and history to guide its evolution
- Communicate your brand’s message clearly and consistently across all platforms
- Focus on expertise and thought leadership to provide value and address client needs
- Adapt to changes in the market and remain flexible in your branding approach
- Transparency, diversity, and culture are important aspects of branding
- Avoid being inauthentic and ignoring market needs and trends in branding
Chapters
00:00 Introductions
00:50 Guest Introductions and Career Trajectories
05:15 Branding for FM Companies: Challenges and Strategies
09:51 The Importance of Sustainability and Branding in the FM Industry
21:28 Avoiding Branding Pitfalls and Embracing Market Needs and Trends
28:54 Wrapping Up: Key Takeaways
This week, join our hosts Tori Homann & Jonathan Yasko as they welcome special guest Scott Sindle to discuss the critical aspects of partnering with a national brand! Learn the best practices for regional vendors looking to collaborate and thrive in the competitive market. Don’t miss out on this essential guide to successful brand partnerships!
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again… if you’re not on the AI train, it’s time to hop on! Join hosts Tori and Jonathon as they sit down with CGPG Maintenance and Construction’s VP of Regional Business Development Shawn Black to discuss all things AI and marketing. We’ll get Shawn’s insights on the current state of AI, how marketers can start integrating it into their workflows, and why the human element is still important.
2024 is almost here and that means it’s time to look ahead to next year and beyond! Join hosts Tori and Jonathon as they sit down with NAS President & CEO John Yarger to discuss where the sign industry is trending in the new year. Plus, we’ll get John’s insights on AI, the economy, and what small to mid-sized businesses should really be paying attention to in 2024.
As we get into the busy holiday season, it’s imperative to make sure your business’s facility is looking it’s best to help attract customers. Today, we’re talking about preventative and reactive maintenance for those onsite branding assets: how to set up a preventative maintenance plan and what to do if you find yourself in need of repairs. Capturing holiday traffic is a whole lot easier with beautiful signage and we’ve got all the factors you should consider.
Your vendors are one of any business’s greatest assets, especially in a world that’s constantly changing. Learn alongside us as we talk with Bryn Battie, long-time FM industry professional and Senior Facilities Manager with Cava. We’re discussing how companies in California and New York–states that are pushing for reduced emissions–must be especially conscientious of their sustainability practices. Changing consumer expectations and governmental regulations surrounding sustainability require businesses to lean on their vendors more than ever before. Harnessing the power of your vendors to adopt sustainable practices in a meaningful way will help your company thrive long into the future.
Active listening is one of the best ways to improve your professional relationships. We talk with expert guest Emily Shaw about how to listen well with not just your ears, but your whole body!
This week we’re covering the importance of environmental, sustainability, and governance (ESG) practices for businesses. With guest Brian Lowell French, we’re breaking down the complexities of ESG and how to make it accessible and meaningful for companies of all sizes.
Focusing on organizational health and building external partnerships as a path to success is no secret. So why do so many organizations struggle to take this concept and make it a reality? Joining us in our discussion is Kirk Beaudoin, a respected facilities industry professional, and highly engaged member of ConnexFM.
Sales strategy, especially in B2B, is constantly changing! And building client relationships as a part of your sales strategy has never been more important. Check out our podcast for more details!
Labor and supply chain shortages have deeply impacted our nation and the entire world. We've got a few tips and tricks on how you can combat these challenges.
We’ve heard our fair share of talk lately about the Great Resignation and how it’s impacting the employee retention of American Businesses. Today, we’re discussing what the Great Resignation is, how it’s impacting businesses across the country, and what businesses can and should do to better retain employees. Joining us in our discussion is Nicholas Guajardo, MBA Director of Human Resources at Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute.
How can leaders adapt to the ever-changing workplace? Many experts (and Fortune 500 companies) seem to think the answer may lay in adapting mentoring or coaching styles of leadership. In this episode, we're diving into this topic to discover what effective workplace leadership looks like in 2022.
Is overnight success real? In this episode, we will be discussing entrepreneurship and overnight success with Rob Smead, President of Electrum Supply and CEO of Electrum Ink, a tattoo supply company and tattoo ink company respectively. Partner in Vault Tattoo and Video Game Tatts. Writer of “The Business of Tattooing” in “Skin & Ink” magazine. Podcaster of “Electrum Radio”.
Welcome to our brand new series of The Innovation Room Podcast called Blog on Tape! Here, we'll be covering some of our blog topics in audio versions so you can listen to them on the go, no matter where you are. In this inaugural episode, we're talking all about human capital. It's one of the hottest topics in the business world right now, and is especially important with the growth of digital technology and automation. We've got all the details on why human capital is indispensable in 2021 and how it will transform the workplace.
In this episode we sit down with Jessica Fumo, Manger of Facilities with Removery; to discuss the importance of cultivating and maintaining healthy vendor-client relationships . We briefly discuss the impact these relationships had in 2020, what it means to have healthy vendor-client relationships, and wrap up with some best practices as to how you can maintain these relationships long team, and their "bigger picture" benefits.
In this episode, we sit down with Corrine Dwyer, Senior Manger, Global Events Connex; to discuss young professional career development in the FM industry. We discuss SMART goal setting, what it means to have a growth mindset, the importance of mentorships, and wrap up with some of our favorite resources that you can begin using to advance your career RIGHT NOW.
In this episode, we have two very special guests: COO, Kim Goie & CEO Marc Balzamo, partners of North American Signs from FEXA. We will be discussing Automation and Augmentation in the work place with a focus on key factors such as; common automation concerns, how to work together with automated technology, and Superteams. Not sure what Superteams are? We've got you covered!
In this episode, we have another special guest: Facilities Manager - Applebee's/Wendy's/MOD Pizza/Del Taco at TEAM Schostack Family Restaurants, Greg Fuchs, CRFP. We will be discussing the future of the restaurant industry, with a focus on key factors such as the pandemic impact, how daily challenges are continuing to be met while complying with restrictions imposed by the state, and what trends can be expected to be seen as we move into 2021.
In this episode, our guest is President and CEO of North American Signs, John Yarger. We will be discussing the future of the manufacturing and signage industry, with a focus on key factors such as the pandemic impact, recent legislation that is affecting regulation, and the skilled trades gap.