PODCAST

Kanawha Valley Hustlers

Joe Justice

Exploring the Stories and Strategies of Creatives and Hustlers in the Kanawha Valley

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

00:05:52

Jamon Schmidt Explains the Bin Store Outlet Experience

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/02/05

I’m at the grand opening of Goodwill’s new outlet bin store in Charleston with Jamon Schmidt. He runs marketing and communications for Goodwill and explains why they shifted this location from a traditional store to a bin store, a concept that hasn’t been common in West Virginia. Instead of racks with price tags, the floor is lined with bins, and staff rotates rows about every 15 minutes, so the shopping moves fast and feels like a hunt. You pay by the pound, not by the tag, and he tells people to

00:04:43

Tony Brown and Lee Ayers on the 2600 Cybersecurity...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/02/03

I’m at the 2600 meetup at KDE Technology in downtown Charleston. Tony Brown explains it’s a cybersecurity and tech community meet that happens the first Friday of every month from 5 to 7 or 8, and it connects to an international 2600 network that started in 1984, with meetups happening around the world the same night. Lee Ayers frames it as a place to bring the community together, including people who are not in cybersecurity but want to learn. The room covers everything from lock picking to Active

00:00:00

Ursulette Huntley Ward Building Entrepreneurs in...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/30

I chat with Ursulette Huntley Ward, executive director of Unlimited Future in Huntington, a business incubator and economic development center based in the Fairfield community. She explains how they help people in transition, including those coming out of incarceration, aging out of foster care, graduating without a plan, or dealing with major life changes. We talk about a mistake from her own journey when she lost a training program on a thumb drive, and how it pushed her to stay organized, keep

00:00:00

Accountability and Delegation with Bob Bliss

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/27

I talk with Bob Bliss about delegation and why leaders stay stuck doing everything themselves. He points to fear and control as the root problem, and he makes the case that a CEO has to delegate or the business stalls and turnover goes up. He shares a practical method: give someone real authority while you step away, do not let them call you unless it’s an emergency, then review what happened when you return. Mistakes are part of the process, so feedback matters. He avoids yelling, recognizes what

00:07:14

From Idea to Facility: The Real Work Behind a New...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/22

I talk with Sonia Gonzales about her product AlxRX, a dual-chamber drink pouch built for pre-workout on the go. The pouch keeps powder and water separate with a vegetable seal, then you press it to mix and drink through a one-way valve that helps prevent spills. She explains how a pivot into the fitness version around September or October makes the launch feel close, with production expected in the next 6 to 8 weeks. We get into the real cost of learning fast when she shares a $40,000 mistake on the

00:00:00

How Was This My Fault? and Why That Question Saves...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/20

Today I push one question for every business problem: “How was this my fault?” I take a stoic approach. I cannot control other people or outside events, but I can control my response and what I do next. I use rain as an example. Yelling at the sky does nothing, but planning for rain and adjusting does. I apply the same thinking when a client calls angry because an employee made a mistake. If I yell back, I lose the job and any referrals. If I take responsibility, I can fix the system. This is not

00:00:00

Chima Imoh and the Smart Shoe That Tracks More Than...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/15

I’m with Chima Imoh, who shows me a working prototype of smart footwear he’s building through MíMíroír Technologies. The shoe has a screen, tracks steps, connects to a phone by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and runs through an app, with ideas like gamification and left-right haptic feedback to guide movement. Chima shares that he started developing the concept while incarcerated at 18, using that time to learn, think, and build a wider wearable tech ecosystem that begins with shoes. When I ask about a costly

00:00:00

Bud Light Buckets at Tickers and Timbers

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/13

I’m at Tickers & Timbers on Capitol Street in Charleston with Tonya Perry and Robby Cline for Bud Light Buckets: The Prelude, the kickoff to Bud Light Mini Hoops Mania. They’re using the night to bring creators and local businesses together, swap audiences, and build connections while showcasing what the venue and the distributor can offer. Tonya talks about a lesson from ownership: she opened this location without food or a bar because funding was tight, and she later realized people only came for

00:00:00

Cody Garcelon on Time Management and Growth in Insurance

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/08

I talk with Cody Garcelon from Ellis Insurance Agency about his hustle in personal and commercial insurance. He gets into the work after meeting Danielle and stays in it for almost five years. Cody explains that commercial insurance protects what a business owner builds, and that the wrong coverage can put your whole livelihood at risk. He walks through an early lesson where poor organization costs him time, and he tightens up his time management fast because the pace keeps speeding up as clients

00:00:00

Three New Year’s Resolution Rules That Work

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2026/01/06

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk about why New Year’s resolutions work when you use them the right way. I treat a resolution as a “fake because,” a simple reason that helps you start making better choices, even if it is not your deepest motive. Then I focus on actions, not outcomes. “Lose weight” is vague, and even “lose 20 pounds” stays weak unless it turns into steps you can do each week and measure, like weighing in on Monday and cutting desserts, then adjusting if

00:00:00

Santa Claus at Lee’s Studio Productions A Christmas...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/12/18

I talk with Santa Claus at Lee Studio Productions. He runs a once a year workshop visit where kids come in, play with toys, make cookies, drink chocolate milk, draw and color, and hand him their Christmas list, then leave with an 8x10 photo. I ask how he pulls it off in a short window, and he points to his helpers and the elves who spend two days setting the whole space. We talk about the building, which also houses Lee Studio of Dance, with trophies on the walls and a lot of vintage toys and items

00:00:00

Heather Atha and 12 Years of Krampus at Mike Winland...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/12/16

I’m in Kanawha City with Heather Atha at Picture Day Mike Winland Studio while Krampus lurks around the studio. Heather helps run the Krampus sessions at Mike’s place and explains what Krampus is in German Christmas folklore, the opposite of Santa who takes bad kids instead of giving gifts. Mike has kept this tradition going for 12 years, and Heather has been part of it for most of that time because her son took his first Krampus photos as a newborn. We talk about how this gives families a fun

00:06:31

Jay Silverman and the Magic of Light the Night

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/12/11

I visit GoMart Ballpark to meet with Jay Silverman and walk through Light the Night, the Charleston Dirty Birds’ winter event. Jay explains how a local crew starts hanging lights in September and spends about ten weeks building a walk-through show with roughly 2.5 million lights organized into four main sections, plus a skating village, fire pits, mini golf, and a kids carnival. I learn that guests can keep it simple with a $12 general admission ticket or build up to packages with rides and extras,

00:07:16

Wild and Wired Linux Festival with Brett White

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/12/09

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I am at the Wild and Wired West Virginia Linux festival with Brett White and several attendees, exploring how Linux can change the way people in our state think about technology. Brett introduces the event as a way to promote true tech ownership, privacy, and fun by using Linux, a free open source operating system that comes in many flavors and can bring old hardware back to life instead of sending it to e-waste. I talk with Daniel, who recently

00:06:13

From Firestone to IT Hub with Thomas Baker

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/12/04

In this episode I’m at the grand opening of AMG Network Hosting’s new office in a former Firestone Tire building in Montgomery, talking with Thomas Baker about his work. He runs a full service IT company that acts as the help desk for businesses from two people to several hundred, either taking over all of their IT or backing up internal teams with specialized skills. We walk through how he bought the old building from a client, saw potential under the wood paneling, and spent about seven months

00:03:57

Building Trail Towns and Outdoor Tourism with Madison...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/12/02

I talk with Madison Stone, executive director of the Elk River Trail Foundation, about the work happening along the Elk River from Sutton Dam to the Kanawha River in Charleston. I learn the foundation is a 501(c)(3) focused on preserving, protecting, and enhancing both the river and the Elk River Trail. Madison walks me through how they’re adding regular kayak launches and ADA-accessible access points in trail towns like Sutton, Gassaway, Clay, and Clendenin so more people can get on the 102 miles

00:06:12

Gratitude and the Reality of Being an Entrepreneur

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/11/27

I talk about how Thanksgiving makes me step back and look at what it really means to run a business. I’m two years into my own company, and even with all my past experience, the ups and downs still hit hard. Clients pay late, leads slow down, people quit, and the workload grows faster than expected. None of it means something is wrong with me or anyone else doing this work. It’s simply part of owning a business. To keep myself steady, I write down three things I’m grateful for every day. Putting it

00:04:01

Caroline Starr on Cybersecurity and Creative Tech Growth

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/11/25

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustler I talk with Caroline Starr from KDE Technology, and she walks me through what they do and how she found her place there. She tells me they handle website development, marketing, graphic design and cybersecurity, and she explains why cybersecurity is growing as more people see digital threats in the news and want to protect their information. She describes their Hale Street space that serves as a business incubator and event venue, hosting everything from

00:03:57

Mayor Kay Summers Talks Recovery, Growth, and the...

Kanawha Valley Hustlers ·

2025/11/20

I talk with Mayor Kay Summers at the ribbon cutting for the Riverview Complex and hear her talk about how important this moment is for Clendenin. She tells me about the long recovery since the 2016 flood and how it took years to bring back schools, a grocery store, and basic services. I listen as she explains how the old school building became apartments, a clinic, a business incubator, and space for the library. She describes the work of 25045 and the broader effort to support economic development

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Kanawha Valley Hustlers

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