Our Town Podcast

Are you ready to be inspired? Lauren Mills Marsh has more than made her presence felt in the construction industry as she is the President of Ridgeline Roofing & Exteriors. While she certainly did not plan to have her first child during her senior year of high school, Lauren channeled her competitiveness and stubbornness to begin her career in the male-dominated industry of construction where she met her husband Terry. Not long after getting married, Terry decided to go off on his own and start Ridgeline, in which Lauren would soon join forces with him and now operates as the...

When the pandemic hit, Bill's home poker group couldn’t meet in person to play, so he asked his fresh-out of college son to use that new computer science degree to write some software that would enable he and his buddies to play a high-low game called 7-27, along with a video interface. Within a few days, Bill and his crew were up and running playing a basic game over the internet. Seeing his group “together” laughing, playing cards, and having a great time was the spark that started PokerCows. Bill figured if his group was having this much fun with...

Karen Petersen is an inspiration! Currently, Karen works and serves the community in her role as Director of Development at Wellstone. Karen was overcome with her own addiction to alcohol for 15 years of her life. She is now 20+ years sober and shares her story to inspire others that there is Hope! We can overcome those addictions that just seem impossible to overcome. In addition to sharing her own story, Karen talks about the many advances and improvements in Huntsville to helping those with mental health issues, addiction, and so much more where a concerted effort is being placed...

Jennifer and her husband “Doc” retired to the Huntsville area after a distinguished military career. Jennifer’s service to the military and its families continues in so many ways, many of which are highlighted in this episode - Alabama Military Family Liaison, Semper Fi Task Force - to name just a couple. Jennifer also walks us through some of her hobbies and interests, the highlight being, at least for me, a beautiful photo she took and we discuss during the “picture pack” segment. A native of New Jersey, Jennifer is yet another example of how lucky we are in North Alabama...

Ashley Engels-Ross is a treasure in the Huntsville community and North Alabama region. After supporting her husband's military career and settling into Huntsville, Ashley has put her career into full throttle and is thriving in her role at the Chamber of Commerce. Ashley highlights the great team at the Chamber who work so well together and support one another in the many events that occur each year. Originally from Pittsburgh, Ashley shares many great stories and experiences from her early years like going eye-to-eye with a Deer while working a McDonald's drive thru window! Please remember to Like, Subscribe, and...

Ashley Engles-Ross is a treasure in the Huntsville community and North Alabama region. After supporting her husband's military career and settling into Huntsville, Ashley has put her career into full throttle and is thriving in her role at the Chamber of Commerce as the Vice President for Small Business. Ashley highlights the great team at the Chamber who work so well together and support one another in the many events that occur each year. Originally from Pittsburgh, Ashley shares many great stories and experiences from her early years like going eye-to-eye with a Deer while working a McDonald's drive thru...

"This call may be monitored for quality assurance purposes". That famous tag line is the brainchild of Lisa DeFalco, Founder & CEO of TPG Inc. A gutsy and determined woman raised by her grandmother in Newark, Lisa overcame the odds and the voices of naysayers to not only found her company in 1996 but, she also founded the entire industry for quality assurance for customer contact centers. For 26 years Lisa has achieved a masterful "blend" of her time and life by managing a residence in Sarasota and raising (3) children while also expanding and overseeing TPG operations in both...

Chad Emerson returns to the program in his new job as Managing Director of Business Operations for Huntsville's new soccer team. The Huntsville City FC competes in the MLS Next Pro league and is an affiliate of the Nashville MLS team. Chad is 6 months into this role and discusses the renovation progress at Joe Davis Stadium, season tickets, corporate hospitality, parking, marketing, food and beverage, and so much more. The season is underway but the team will not play its first home game until 19 May at the brand new Joe Davis Stadium. It's full steam ahead over the...

Mark Brazeal has a cool job within a very unique company that is doing things that are unprecedented in the auto manufacturing industry. An Alabama native, Mark started in textile manufacturing before making the switch to automotive manufacturing- first with a Tier-1 supplier and then making the move to Toyota. His career with Toyota now stretches past the 20 year mark and he is bringing his decades of expertise and experience to the first class operation known as Mazda Toyota Manufacturing. Mark takes us through every aspect of the journey for MTM to build their first-of-its-kind facility in Huntsville and...

Mark Brazeal has a cool job within a very unique company that is doing things that are unprecedented in the auto manufacturing industry. An Alabama native, Mark started in textile manufacturing before making the switch to automotive manufacturing- first with a Tier-1 supplier and then making the move to Toyota. His career with Toyota now stretches past the 20 year mark and he is bringing his decades of expertise and experience to the first class operation known as Mazda Toyota Manufacturing. Mark takes us through every aspect of the journey for MTM to build their first-of-its-kind facility in Huntsville and...

Mark Brazeal has a cool job within a very unique company that is doing things that are unprecedented in the auto manufacturing industry. An Alabama native, Mark started in textile manufacturing before making the switch to automotive manufacturing- first with a Tier-1 supplier and then making the move to Toyota. His career with Toyota now stretches past the 20 year mark and he is bringing his decades of expertise and experience to the first class operation known as Mazda Toyota Manufacturing. Mark takes us through every aspect of the journey for MTM to build their first-of-its-kind facility in Huntsville and...

Joe Carlucci, Owner of Valentina's Pizzeria & Wine Bar in Madison, AL, competed and won it all at the World Pizza Games in Las Vegas. He is the reigning World Champion in the Traditional category, and this year, he brought home both the victory in the Non-Traditional category and won Pizza Maker of the Year!! You can hear Joe's full story in his prior appearance on the Podcast - Episodes 22 & 50 Episode 57 was shot live in the Our Town Podcast studio and is posted on Facebook on the Our Town Podcast (or M. Troy Bye) page and...

Born and raised in South Jersey, our town of North Alabama is privileged to have citizens like Kerry Straub call this home. The son of hard working parents and brothers, Kerry graduated from Rutgers, served his country in the Army before then deciding to apply to the FBI Academy and subsequently becoming an Agent. He retired after 20+ years with the Bureau working some amazing cases during his tenure. Kerry now leads the Huntsville Area Crime Stoppers organization, which encourages citizens to provide any info or tips that could lead to an arrest for any unsolved case(s). Kerry's transparency and...

Don't let Carolyn Kimbro's smile and friendly disposition fool you, she is as competitive as they come. A former collegiate-level swimmer, she has taken advantage of earning her degree from Auburn's Interior Design program (consistently ranked one of the Nation's top) and being the daughter of two business owners, to create two successful businesses. Carolyn's first company is the Peachtree Interior Design Company, which has been in operation since 2016. Most recently, Carolyn opened the Peachtree & Co. Home Furnishings store located at Stovehouse's Gaslight Alley, which proudly supports only locally-owned and woman-owned businesses. Carolyn reveals the inspiration behind the...

Don't let Carolyn Kimbro's smile and friendly disposition fool you, she is as competitive as they come. A former collegiate-level swimmer, she has taken advantage of earning her degree from Auburn's Interior Design program (consistently ranked one of the Nation's top) and being the daughter of two business owners, to create two successful businesses. Carolyn's first company is the Peachtree Interior Design Company, which has been in operation since 2016. Most recently, Carolyn opened the Peachtree & Co. Home Furnishings store located at Stovehouse's Gaslight Alley, which proudly supports only locally-owned and woman-owned businesses. Carolyn reveals the inspiration behind the...