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Just a few years after its creation, Let Me Run was off and running as a program to give boys a physical and mental/emotional outlet for all of their energy. Best known as the “boy version” of the popular Girls on the Run program, Let Me Run has expanded to 56 regions of the country in just 10 years. Now, after a year off because of the pandemic, Let Me Run will return to schools in the Fall with an updated curriculum and coaches’ training that reflects the times we’re living in. In addition to teaching boys to have empathy and be supportive teammates, new components will teach boys to process trauma, as well as teach equity and equality for all genders and races. Their Executive Director Emily Battle is here on the BrandBuilders Podcast to tell us all about it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:43 — 64.2MB)

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When we think about exciting careers, “accountant” usually isn’t at the top of the list — but BGW CPA firm bills itself as “Anything But Typical.” In fact, they have their own podcast of the same name, and its co-founder and co-host Gary Frey has an anything-but-typical title of “Connector, McGyver, and Confidant.” He’s also had an anything-but-typical career and he joins us today on the BrandBuilders Podcast to share the energy he has for everything he does.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:51 — 54.8MB)

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We’ve all seen a bad horror movie where something sinister creeps up from a drain and frightens the life out of us. Our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast says that scenario can be very real… even if it’s not visible to us.

Jason Bocchino is an entrepreneur many times over who has led companies from international debt collections to diamond brokerages to now, something greener. It’s called a “Green Drain,” and it is a pipe designed to protect us from what starts seeping up the OTHER way when water’s not going down. Jason is here to explain.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:20 — 55.4MB)

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It is rare to find a business these days without a significant web presence. Whether you’re in banking, or health care, or selling pants — you’re online. But most websites now do more than inform customers about products; they’re interactive at multiple levels… which means your company either has to have an IT department to keep up, or hire one.

Dualboot Partners has the ability to “start small and scale up fast” for a company’s tech needs. And the founding partners also have a commitment to the community with the work they do for a number of nonprofits in the area.

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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.

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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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:58 — 53.6MB)

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Returning to the office should feel like working from home — except maybe cleaner and less noisy. In other words, your workplace should feel comfortable, approachable, and productive. It should reflect the company brand, your professional values, and how you feel about the work you do.

That’s a tall order for a designer or architect, but also a mission for today’s guest on the BrandBuilder Podcast. Jack Ossa is the founder of Ossa Studio, an architecture and design firm in Charlotte, that cares as much about you, your style, and your branding as he does about the buildings he designs.