Join host Melea Hames as she sits down with Tere Richardson, Executive Director of Athens Main Street, and Mary Helmer Wirth, President and State Coordinator of Main Street Alabama, to talk downtown revitalization. From Merchants Alley's $30,000 idea that became a $200,000 landmark to 16 new restaurants in 34 months and a boutique hotel on the way, Tere and Mary share what it really takes to build a downtown people want to visit — and why Athens is "an overnight success 20 years in the making." Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The...

Articles mentioned in this article: 1) https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/north-korean-it-worker-infiltrated-us-agency-fbi-confirms 2) https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/philips-and-ge-investigating-clop-ransomware-data-theft-claims/ 3) https://www.scworld.com/news/macos-amnesiastealer-malware-spread-through-clickfix-grants-live-browser-control 4) https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/08/17/germany-brazil-bank-fraud-ring-dismantled/ 5) https://securityaffairs.com/197322/cyber-crime/mcdonalds-employee-data-appears-in-leak-seller-claims-1-7m-records-stolen.html 6)https://www.ransomware.live/ Thoughts/questions comments to darren@thecyburguy.com ...

In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner opens a series on developing and coaching team members with a case for performance improvement plans. Most small business owners treat a PIP as a cover-your-back document and a signal that someone is already on the way out. Bradley argues that stigma costs owners good people and real money.He walks through four reasons owners skip PIPs, including corporate red tape stigma, close personal relationships with staff, and the absence of any HR infrastructure. He then lays out four reasons to use them: forcing concrete clarity on expectations, protecting the business legally and financially, relieving...

In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner shares the framework he built to take an idea from concept to rollout. He opens with the maxim behind it, ideas are everywhere and implementation is everything, and explains why a business doing $500,000 to $1.5 million cannot afford to throw ideas at the wall when money, team capacity, and owner bandwidth are all limited.Bradley walks through the five phases of the document: naming the idea and the problem it solves, filtering it through acquisition, ascension, retention, efficiency, or profit, defining a best case and a minimum win, assigning a single owner with a...

Articles mentioned in this podcast: 1) https://cyberscoop.com/north-carolina-ports-cyberattack-coast-guard/ 2) https://cyberscoop.com/openai-daybreak-expansion-specialized-cyber-services/ 3) https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/levi-strauss-and-co-says-hackers-stole-corporate-data-in-cyberattack/ 4) https://www.wired.com/story/a-security-pro-hacked-north-korean-hackers-he-found-theyd-breached-hundreds-of-networks-worldwide/ 5) https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/08/07/swiss-government-microsoft-sharepoint-vulnerabilities/ 6) https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/breach-reporting-obligations-pile-up/ darren@thecyburguy.com ...

Jeromeo returns to Beyond Rockets nearly five years after his first appearance to catch up on everything that’s changed since then.From the early days of Them Damn Dogs and the making of Unpoetic to new music, solo projects, and performing with Beastie Goys, Jeromeo shares how his approach to writing and performing has evolved over the years.We also talk about the growth of Huntsville’s local music scene, some of the artists he’s listening to right now, and what could be next for Them Damn Dogs and his own solo music.Plus, Jeromeo gives us a preview of Beastie Goys’ August 22 show at...

In this episode, Josh talks to second round pick Chris Cortez about his upbringing in Las Vegas, his collegiate days at Texas A&M, and how he feels about his development as he makes the switch from starting rotation to bullpen....

In this episode, Bradley sits down with Sean Patton, leadership coach and former Army Special Forces officer, to talk about why the growth of a company tracks the growth of the people leading it. Sean shares his path from West Point and two Green Beret detachment commands into entrepreneurship, including a bankruptcy that cost him everything and the second company he built to a million dollars in self-sustaining revenue.They discuss why vision has to come before strategy, how old beliefs have to be cleared out before new ones hold, and why business growth arrives in stair steps that break the...

Articles mentioned in this episode: 1) https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/08/06/ai-struggles-to-patch-vulns-without-adult-supervision/5284319 2) https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/ai-global-crime-syndicates-fraud-nirvana 3) https://cyberscoop.com/exposed-rockwell-controllers-water-system-attacks/ 4) https://www.sophos.com/en-us/blog/2608-volatility-interlock 5) https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hedge-fund-cyberattacks-tied-to-blackfile-linked-unc6671-extortion-group/ 6) https://securityaffairs.com/196731/security/meta-ai-model-hacked-a-company-during-testing-marking-third-ai-lab-incident.html 7) https://www.ransomware.live/ ...

Brians Questions: I have a question that i would like your input on. I have a double car garage that i use as my workshop. I want to build an outfeed table for my tablesaw. I was thinking of something that could be multi use. I was thinking of making two 2'x 4' workbenches that would be on hinges so i could open it as a 2x8 or close it so its 4x4. I was thinking of using castors as well as adjustable feet. Im not 100% sold on the idea and was just hoping to hear some suggestions from...

In this solo episode, Bradley Hamner continues the Friday sales playbook series with the piece most owners get wrong: how the sales team gets paid. He explains where compensation sits inside an operating system, and why a plan that looks reasonable on a spreadsheet still fails once a rep has to work inside it.Bradley walks through four guidelines every compensation plan should meet. He covers the sixty-second test and the bar napkin test for simplicity, why the plan has to point directly at the objectives the business is chasing, why the business needs a positive return on the money it...

oin host Melea Hames as she sits down with Heath Puckett, Superintendent of Lake Guntersville State Park, and Andrew Kelly, to explore one of North Alabama's most scenic and beloved outdoor destinations. Heath shares his journey from golf course management to leading one of Alabama's crown jewel state parks, what makes Lake Guntersville special, and his vision for growing the park as a premier mountain biking and outdoor recreation destination. Follow North Alabama on Social Media! Website Instagram TikTok LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Facebook The Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It...

Articles mentioned in this podcast: 1) https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/08/03/russias-svr-borks-public-wi-fis-for-digital-surveillance/5282399 2) https://cyberscoop.com/crowdstrike-annual-threat-hunting-report-2026/ 3) https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/exfilsquad-hackers-leak-info-of-over-100-000-uk-police-officers-staff/ 4) https://thehackernews.com/2026/08/coldcard-hardware-wallet-flaw-linked-to.html 5) https://www.ransomware.live/ Thoughts/comments/questions to Darren@thecyburguy.com ...

Ricky Fernandez is one of the most recognizable personalities in North Alabama sports and serves as the Senior Director of Marketing and Promotions for the Rocket City Trash Pandas, where he leads the creative vision behind one of Minor League Baseball's most celebrated fan experiences. As the energetic on-field emcee at Toyota Field, Ricky has become the face and voice of countless unforgettable moments, entertaining thousands of fans each game while helping transform every home stand into a community event rather than simply a baseball game.A Huntsville native through and through, Ricky was born and raised in the Rocket City. He graduated from Bob Jones...

Ricky Fernandez is one of the most recognizable personalities in North Alabama sports and serves as the Senior Director of Marketing and Promotions for the Rocket City Trash Pandas, where he leads the creative vision behind one of Minor League Baseball's most celebrated fan experiences. As the energetic on-field emcee at Toyota Field, Ricky has become the face and voice of countless unforgettable moments, entertaining thousands of fans each game while helping transform every home stand into a community event rather than simply a baseball game.A Huntsville native through and through, Ricky was born and raised in the Rocket City. He graduated from Bob Jones...