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Everyone loves firefighters — they do only good. They arrive when you call 911, they help with life-threatening emergencies, they even run into burning buildings to put out fires and rescue people. So it seems like a special bit of irony that our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast is a firefighter who USES fire in his “other” line of work, to make cool, artistic furniture.

Ferney Mercado spends fire department shifts — 24 hours, every 3 days for the most part — responding to emergencies. The other days he practices an ancient Japanese technique that uses fire to char wood, that gives his pieces special appeal. If you check out his Instagram at Char’D Urban wood works, you’ll see what we mean. And he’s here to tell us how he makes it happen.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:58 — 50.8MB)

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We loved him on the gridiron, and we loved him off the field too. Greg Olsen not only excelled as a tight end for the Carolina Panthers — with 3, 1000-yard seasons in a row, and more than 8,600 yards for a career (WOW) — but as a community philanthropist, which led to being a 2-time finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award from the NFL. He even took first place in the Charity Challenge for most votes on social media one of those years.

Olsen’s HEARTest Yard foundation helps families of children with heart defects get the nursing care they need. This year, the nonprofit donated $2.5 million dollars to create the HEARTest Yard Pediatric Cardiac Care Clinic at Levine Children’s Hospital. We are honored to have Greg Olsen here with us on the BrandBuilders Podcast today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:27 — 46.0MB)

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Spring is in the air and you’re probably thinking about your yard. Maybe you want to grow your own food, or have cut flowers all summer. But how do you know what to plant where, and how to make it grow?

Flower Child Heirlooms nurtures gardeners and educates them on the importance of growing in a respectful manner. Founder Lauren Child is here to talk gardening – and how she can help with yours. Welcome, Lauren!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:26 — 44.6MB)

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“Heart kids” are a special group — kids born with heart defects who just want to do the same fun things other kids do, like going to camp. Often, that’s not possible because of medical limitations — but in Charlotte, they’re in “LUCK.” In this case, LUCK stands for Lucky Unlimited Cardiac Kids, who have the opportunity to attend a one-week camp just for them, called Camp LUCK. The camp is a free, medically supervised, sleepover camp where “heart kids” can do traditional camp things like swimming, games, archery, canoeing, and campfires .. while building friendships and self-esteem with other kids like them.

It’s a great time, and always free — which means they have to raise money all year to make it happen. Our guests on the BrandBuilders Podcast today are here to tell us about one of their biggest events, that’s a fun scenic tour of your favorite bike routes. Welcome Kim Jackson and Bryon Mulligan — both parents of heart kids — to talk about Bike LUCK.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:25 — 45.9MB)

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Branding and design are important elements in getting your message across as a business, but are you doing that in a sustainable way? Our guest today on the BrandBuilders Podcast can perform the soup-to-nuts of your branding, packaging, and print in a socially conscious way. After all, why not leave the world a little better than you found it?

Rachel Martin is the founder and design director at Mindful & Good — Sustainable Design that Ignites Positive Change. Wow – we want to hear more about what this is.