E30: Jose Cardenas & the Seventh Tap (Meg Davenport Interview) by Josh & Thomas

Recorded 4/30/2020, prior to the May 25th death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Judy Williams audited Dr. Michael Hicks' Centenary class "Doing Race" during the spring term. Interrupted by COVID and continued on Zoom, the class delved into the heart of our country's racial divide. Early in the Spring, Judy approached Thomas and me, suggesting an interview with Dr. Hicks on the origin of such a class, its objectives, and its takeaways, to occur after the semester drew to a close. The discussion between Judy and Dr. Hicks took place on April 30, 2020.

Clint McCommon is live streaming shows from Shreveport's Fairfield Studios, enabling otherwise idle musicians to practice, play, and pick up a few dollars through their Venmo accounts. The Shreveport native, Air Force veteran and small business owner has learned a few new skills since the shut-down with assist from Brent Latin and Young Pros Entertainment. He offers up a distinctly positive version of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis: All the good things in Shreveport . . . are still here. As he says, "There is a light." Listen in, and enjoy!

Blake Jackson of Whisk Dessert Bar is a ray of sunshine and a kick in the ass to anyone moping around during their shelter-in-place existence. His Private Chef services are shut down . . . so he sells Private Chef Dinner bonds to be cashed in later. His 9-to-5, his bakery - shut down. Enter Pinpals - he'll make the stuff and ship it anywhere you want. Voila! A whole new revenue stream just opened up for Whisk. Feeling sorry for yourself? Listen in, get inspired, and get moving. Tree cutting season might be temporarily on hold, but folks like Blake are using this economic crisis as an opportunity to sharpen their axes .

Charlie Veuleman, an RN in the ER at Willis Knighton Pierremont, gives us a report from the front lines. He says it's not too too bad out there, but that's largely attributable to folks keeping their distance. Listen in and be proud of our local medical personnel who have been preparing for this monster since late January into early February.

Twisted Root is selling toilet paper and paper towels as well as their usual menu items. Strange times indeed.

Thomas Thomas Pressly public email: [email protected] Resources www.sba.gov/disaster - information on SBA and EIDL lending and applications www.flattenthecurvesbc.com - a partnership of the Greater Shreveport, Bossier, and African American Chambers of Commerce www.opportunitylouisiana.com - Louisiana Economic Development (LED) resources www.agjefflandry.com - LA DOJ Consumer Protection Hotline is 1-800-351-4889 or visit AGJeffLandry.com if you live in Louisiana Give blood: Life Share - Give blood (8910 Linwood Ave. in Shreveport or 1523 Doctors Drive in Bossier City)

Grant Nuckolls talks about COVID-19 and its effect on Shreveport's business community. More importantly, we discuss government's response and ways business owners can apply for SBA loans, payroll assistance and loans to float business expenses to combat the effects of two or more months without a revenue stream. Grant is owner of Twisted Root, and (with Rhino's Andrew Crawford) part-owner of Jacquelyn's. He has seen a 60-70% drop in total revenue at both locations and has heard the same numbers from other restaurant and bar owners. The City of Shreveport, in concert with CoHab and Grant, launched www.shreve.biz to provide resources to struggling businesses in this unprecedented economic shut-down and quarantine. Listen and learn how you as a sheltered-in-place Shreveporter can help out where our city and its citizens need it most.

Andrew Crawford is a Shreveport native, a Magnet High School graduate and Baylor alum. He's of course best known in our town as the proprietor of Rhino Coffee. Long before the coffee shops, there was Crawford Design, specializing in graphic design, branding, logo services and website building. He and Grant Nuckolls acquired Jacquelyn's on Louisiana Avenue in 2019 and are continuing its tradition of serving consistently delicious lunch fare every day of the work week. Grant and Andrew collaborate with Matt Snyder on Derby Day, Crawfest, Wheels in the Hills, Bourbon and Bow Ties, and other now-iconic events highlighting Shreveport's local business, food, art and music scene. Andrew tells Josh and Thomas all about starting a business, building a brand, doing downtown, and making Shreveport a better place through day-in and day-out hard work. Enjoy!

Graham has served as Fibrebond’s President and CEO since March 2015. After joining Fibrebond in 2004, he was named CFO in January 2006. In 2014, Graham started Fibrebond Power, the company’s division that builds complex engineered-to-order projects for the data center, petrochemical, power generation, and power distribution market verticals. As President, Graham has accelerated the company’s diversification and growth strategy and led the 2015 acquisition of an Illinois-based generator enclosure manufacturer. A second generation owner of Fibrebond, Graham is a member of the Board of Directors and serves on several local business and charitable boards. Graham studied History at Sewanee, a Top 25 liberal arts college, where he graduated with honors and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned an MBA in Finance from Louisiana State University and worked in corporate banking prior to joining Fibrebond. Graham lives in Shreveport, Louisiana with his wife, three daughters and son.