Paragould Podcast

Southern Confections and IV Kings Coffee owners, Brandon and Audra King

Several years ago, Brandon King bragged on his wife's pie making skills online. Not long after, they were selling hundreds of pies. In 2019, they opened their first brick-and-mortar building for Southern Confections, which sits directly next door to IV Kings Coffee. This is a premier spot to get fresh baked goods and excellent coffee because their passion is excellence and they are never in a hurry to speed up perfection. 

The Paragould Meteorite! Rusty McMillon and Erik Wright Join to Share About this Artifact

Just after 4am on February 17, 1930, residents all over Greene County were awakened by a sonic boom and bright light. Many went outside to see what was happening. The celestial event caused people to worry that nearby towns were destroyed by whatever flew out of the sky. Over the days and weeks to follow, three meteorites were discovered in fields around the south side of Paragould. The largest had created an eight foot wide, eight foot deep crater in the middle of a farmers field. It took several men and horses working together to pull the over 800lb Chrondite Meteor out of the hole, breaking a wagon trying to do so. This is still listed as the second largest witnessed meteorite landing in North America and the largest Chrondite (low-iron rock). 

Six Star Marathoner, Liz Nelson

Liz Nelson began running in her early 30s and didn't run her first marathon until she was 37. Now, she has completed 21 marathons and counting, including the six most respected marathons in the world (Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London, and Tokyo), a feat that only 11,000 people in history have ever accomplished. The amazing part of her story, is her supernatural grit and drive to push through adversity. Before her first marathon, she had an injury that doctors thought would take her out of running the rest of her life, however she had enough passion to complete her first marathon that with the proper training she pushed through. Now, she's one of the most decorated athletes in Paragould history. And probably the only holder of a Guiness World Record! 

Mike Woodside, former teacher at GCT & PHS and owner of a Patent with Allen Engineering

Mike Woodside could write insightful & engaging books about many different topics, including science, engineering, and history. He has a natural curiosity and childlike wonder about the world that is contagious. That is what made him one of the favorite teachers in his years at PHS and GCT, 26 years in total. Listen today to hear some of his amazing stories. 

Tyler Russom, Owner/Operator of George Ray’s Dragstrip

Since he was a kid being raised by his grandparents George and Bonnie Ray at their famous Dragstrip, Tyler Russom has known he wanted to do this forever. He's been chasing his dreams for years now and operates one of the oldest drag strips in the United States. 

Founder of US Renal Care, Chris Brengard joins the show to talk about his pathway to success

From mowing yards and shining shoes in Downtown Paragould in the 1970s to leading multi-billion dollar companies, Chris Brengard is full of experience and wisdom about how to achieve the highest levels of success. In this episode, you can hear how Chris got to the position to start US Renal Care, which went on to have over 700 locations. Chris literally could (and at times maybe should have) live anywhere in the world, but he intentionally makes Paragould, Arkansas home. 

District Prosecuting Attorney, Sonia F. Hagood joins the show to talk about what it’s like being the prosecuting attorney for six counties of NEA

With a new official role and new official last name, Sonia F. Hagood joined the show to tell us what life is like as our district attorney. She discusses the issues we face in the legal system and shares stories about her experience of working as defense and prosecuting attorney on murder trials. 

Chief Meteorologist, Ryan Vaughn joins the podcast for the second time!

One of the most well known names in all of NEA, Ryan Vaughn joins the podcast again. He first joined us back in February 2021 when our podcast was brand new, so we have some new stories, new insights, and a whole lot of laughs. 

Owner of Paragould’s Unique Dairy Queen, Phillip Sutton joins the show

Having worked at DQ since 1992, Phillip Sutton has a lot of experience with the restaurant that has been in the same location for over 70 years. In this episode, you'll hear some of the leadership principles Phillip has learned along the way, interesting history on the restaurant that has seen seven decades of Paragould history, and probably get a bit hungry for a burger and Oreo Blizzard. 

Danny Ford, owner of Glen Sain dealerships and beloved storyteller joins the podcast this week!

Danny Ford grew up on the East side of Paragould, attending Greene County Tech. After marrying his wife, Gail, and graduating from Arkansas State, he began working for his father-in-law, Glen Sain. He started as a car washer, eventually moving up to sales until Mr. Sain asked him to buy the original Rector dealership from him in 1983. Since then, Danny has gone on purchase car lots in Kennet, MO and Paragould, AR. Growing from 8 employees in 1983 to 110 now, we learned a lot of lessons about leadership and the important balance of caring for your customers AND employees.