The unseen highway: America’s inland waterways
Posted On July 26, 2024
We all know that trucks move a lot of goods and materials in the United States. We see them every day on the highway. What many of us don’t often see, however, is how one-third of the nation’s GDP is transported every year: It’s shipped by boat or barge on inland waterways. About 500 million tons per year are moved across the 12,000 miles of inland waterways in the U.S., and over 540,000 jobs are in some way connected to inland shipping. While we may not see that unless we’re hanging out by the New Orleans riverfront or in one… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston
Are we about to see a ‘ticking debt time bomb’ go off?
Posted On July 7, 2024
Most of us who have had to manage our own finances for any amount of time know by now that carrying and building debt over a long period of time is generally not a good thing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that our government has ever learned this lesson. It has continued to build debt, through both Republican and Democratic administrations, and economist Connor Lokar believes those chickens will soon be coming home to roost. Lokar, our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” says he and his group, ITR Economics, believe we should start to see… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston
New federal regulations could affect your workplace
Posted On June 26, 2024
Regardless of whether you own a business or just work for one, you need to know about changes in federal laws and regulations will affect your workplace. Our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” filled us in on some of those changes. Windy Bitzer, an attorney with the Mobile firm of Hand Arendall Harrison Sale, said there are three changes, in particular, that will change how many workplaces operate. The first is a ban on non-compete agreements. Come September, companies won’t be able to bar an employee who leaves from working for a competitor for… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston, Workplace
Harnessing the power of AI to do your job more efficiently
Posted On June 25, 2024
We all know that artificial intelligence holds great promise in helping us work faster – and some worry that it may one day take our jobs. Those familiar with AI will tell you that it won’t take your job. But someone who knows how to use AI will. But what, exactly, can it do? How, exactly, can we use it to do our jobs more efficiently? Our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” was Kai Gray, an AI enthusiast in south Alabama who can tell us just that. Gray’s company, Motive ESG, helps companies address… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston, Work
Digging deeper to find a solution to reduce carbon emissions
Posted On June 17, 2024
What if I told you there was a way to capture carbon emissions that might otherwise go into the air and instead safely bury it two miles or so underground? Well, there is. And our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” works for a company that does it. Bret Estep works in mergers & acquisitions and partnerships for Tenaska, an Omaha-based energy company that is one of the largest privately held companies in the U.S. with operations spanning the energy value chain. “We build, own, operate and manage energy infrastructure projects all over the country,”… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston
The Path to Distinction: How to set your business apart
Posted On June 3, 2024
How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? The first step is becoming distinctive. How do you do that? Scott McKain can tell you. McKain, our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” is a speaker, author. consultant and Sales and Marketing Hall of Famer who has put a lot of study and research into how a company or brand can become distinctive. “Distinction to me is being the go-to in your category,” he said. “Why would a customer choose you instead of the other alternatives in the marketplace?” For many of us, it’s because… Read More
Categories: Blog, Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam Marston
Helping businesses grow through franchising
Posted On May 28, 2024
Burnie Juneau helps businesses grow. But only if they want to. Juneau, our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” works for Franchise Marketing Systems. Based in the Atlanta area, FMS identifies companies ripe for expansion through franchising, helps them prepare for the process, and then helps them find and vet franchisees. Most of these businesses are restaurants or service-related companies. Juneau, based in New Orleans, has a background in the food-service industry and focuses on restaurants from Texas to Florida. “I like to see successes,” he said. “I’m looking for Mom and Pops, businesses that… Read More
Categories: Blog, Entrepreneurship, What's Working with Cam Marston
Removing barriers to recovery for veterans and first responders
Posted On May 22, 2024
Military veterans are typically tough, can-do people. So it’s difficult for them to admit when they need help. Many of them do, however. One study found that half of the 64,000 veterans living in the Mobile, Alabama, area reported having some sort of addiction or mental health problem. But not only do they have trouble asking for help, they often find barriers to actually getting it. John Kilpatrick is dedicated to helping them overcome those barriers. Kilpatrick, our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” is a the founder and CEO of Vets Recover, an organization… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston
Could AI be the answer to improving medical care and reducing doctor burnout?
Posted On May 11, 2024
We had Dr. Robert Pearl on a previous episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston” to talk about how generative AI could open up a whole new world for medicine. Now that he’s written a book about it, “ChatGPT MD,” he came back on the show to share how what he calls “value-based care,” paired with the capabilities of AI, could transform the industry. “This is higher quality, more convenient access, and affordable costs – and I want to add another piece: Increased satisfaction for both the providers of care and the recipients of care,” said Pearl, a former CEO… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston
How to protect yourself from scams and financial fraud
Posted On May 1, 2024
Dan Sigmond has seen lots of scams. It’s his job to arrest the guys perpetrating them. Sigmond, our guest in a recent episode of “What’s Working with Cam Marston,” is a special agent in the Mobile, Alabama, FBI office who specializes in financial fraud and white-collar crimes. And he says the best way to protect yourself against scams is to never let your guard down. You have to pay attention. You have to question everything,” said Sigmond, who has 19 years with the FBI after serving in the U.S. Air Force for nearly a decade. “What we see is when… Read More
Categories: Blog, What's Working with Cam Marston