Paragould Podcast

Pete Cancilla on Grit and Resiliency

Pete Cancilla is known as one of the more successful realtors in Paragould as his Image Realty “Team Can-Sell-It” can be seen all over town. However, his journey to get there was not easy. Join us for this conversation about how his family got to Arkansas when he was a child, life lessons he’s learned, and how he’s been able to rebound from various trials. 

Get Downtown with Allison Hestand!

The Get Downtown Festival has been growing year after year! If you haven't been to the festival or been downtown recently, now's the time to plan your visit for October 4-5th for the Get Downtown Festival! Allison Hestand joined us to talk about her role with the Chamber of Commerce, all the good that's taking place around Paragould, and this wonderful festival! 

Trail Blazer, Patty Camp

Patty Camp is a trailblazer! She was the first female assistant Principal in Paragould Schools and the first female president of the Kiwanis Club (an organization that only allowed men to even be members until 1987). We learned a lot in this episode, from proactive classroom management skills, leadership lessons, how to be empathetic to the introvert in a classroom, and how to have a taste for a wide and diverse range of music.

The Impact a Teacher Can Make with Kim Hunt

Kim Hunt is starting her 38th year as a Middle School at GCT. It all started back when she was in third grade with an inspiring teacher: Becky Diggs. We learned wonderful lessons on education and positive ways of influencing the next generation. 

Finding New Meaning in Life After a Near-Death Experience with Brian Osborn

For many reasons, we are incredibly thankful to have Big O, Brian Osborn in to record another episode of the Paragould Podcast. In this episode, Brian shares about an incredibly scary, near death experience and how it has changed his life for the better. As entertaining as always, Brian inspires us all to live a little healthier each day. 

A Tour of Historic Paragould, AR with Bob Branch

Bob Branch returns for a record tying 4th visit, 3rd this year! He gives us a beautiful, detailed oral history of the City of Paragould. Mr. Branch spends hours doing research at the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society to back up his memory with all the proper dates and names. On this episode he goes block by block to teach us about Paragould's history. One gem: Paragould had multiple Ice Houses that delivered blocks of ice to homes across the city because they did not have refrigeration. Blocks of ice would last 2-3 days!

What does it take to get a business to move to Paragould? Jason Gazaway answers

Jason Gazaway has spent the last 24 years bringing great businesses to help grow Paragould. He said he even spent 15 years asking on particular business to come and soon we'll be able to find out who that is because they're finally coming. Listen to this podcast to gain an appreciation for the hard work that goes into bringing all your favorites to a small town like ours. 

Black Hawk Pilot and Company Commander, Zach Mitchell

A 2013 PHS Graduate, Zach Mitchell has spent his adult life chasing the dream that many have when watching our favorite war movies. He has advanced through the ranks of the Army and currently serves as a company commander and black hawk pilot in Seoul, South Korea.

Is joy a choice? Mark Watson returns after his book "Joyous Leadership" has won an award!

Award winning author and retired COO from Bunn Coffee, Mark Watson returns to the show! When Mark visited us in 2021, he was leading Bunn through the changing tides of Covid-19 while preparing to publish his book: Joyous Leadership. Now three years later, he has recently retired and seen his book win the Next Generation Indie Book Award. We talked about life in retirement, how to lead in creative decision making and adapting to changing times, as well as an appreciation of diversity due to the many places he has lived.

Touring World Wide and Franchising Freddy's, Aaron Elms visits the studio

From worldwide tours with his band to a passion for leadership in owning some of the best Freddy's franchise locations in the county, we had a lot to talk about this week with Aaron Elms. Aaron is an incredible musician who toured for over a decade with Kingsdown, an NEA based band from the early 2000's. Six years ago, after his touring days were over, he found himself in a position to open the first Freddy's location in Batesville, AR, and now with Paragould's location coming under his leadership last week, he is a partner in four Arkansas Freddy's restaurants. His operating owner here in Paragould is a testament to his determination to raise up leaders to meet or exceed their own expectations.