Welcome back to Spirit Squared, I'm Andrew Darrington, your host.Tonight we're here at the Humidorium Tyler, Texas. episode, I believe it's 33rd, so I'm grateful to have Imador as a sponsor for us.
It's a great venue, we've got a lot of people here tonight that are joyous folks, and I want to appreciate Blake Young and Virginia Young for being sponsors to our podcast, along with The Vault, they're a sponsor for us.
We've got Rex Consulting, Red Construction, And we also have the Holler Package Store in Gun Barrel City, who's also sponsored.If you need any libations for the weekend, go see them.They're so much better than the big package stores.
You're going to get great service, one-on-one experience, and great prices and great selections.So go down there.It's worth the drive from Tyler to go see them.So tonight, we've got Smokin' Aces, Moles, and All Out.
Thanks so much, Cole and Travis, for joining us tonight and talk about you guys' business.We're excited to be here.Yeah, absolutely.Before we get started talking about your business, let's talk a little bit about what we're having to drink here.
So I'm having a little bit of the Fiddler. Big props to ASW.I love their brand.It's their double oak.Chad Ralston is a good friend of mine.We've done quite a few picks here in East Texas of the thin oak.And then you guys are having the EEO oven.
I get a lot of citrus on that one.It's pretty mellow, too.Perfect timing.A little starter pack?For sure.All right, so you guys, obviously you guys
We have normal lives throughout the week, but you guys at some point met during urban society meetings?Is that right?
You know, Travis and I have known each other a long time, like all the way back to high school.Oh wow!We to this day cannot pinpoint when we actually became friends, but You're correct.
The verbicide is when we can't close and start hanging out all the time.And that's actually a column of verbicide. The idea came to fruition, for sure.That's when we really started digging in all the time.
It was a spin-off of our fundraiser for Wongyu World of Wonders.We've been doing that for a few years. People giving us feedback, hey this is a once a year event, we love it.How do we make this into a monthly deal or quarterly deal?
And that's when the society really came alive, January 2018.
Was there a blueprint that you looked at? was similar to that?Were there balanced groups that were done?
You know, there were groups out there in 2018.We didn't look at another one and go and say, we want to do this.Really for us, it came more from We started having people ask us questions, which we had been doing for four or five years at this point.
I said, oh, you're an official.You know everything there is to know about Burma.Tell us about this, or what should we do for this thing?And we realized that We knew all their stories by heart, but other than that, we were still pretty naive.
That kind of gave us the opportunity to have monthly meetings and do the D-Time.
I'm talking to Dr. Travis here.How did you learn about the Bourbon Society?
So I had been living in Dallas for a little while and I recently moved back and was hoping my day job was bringing a hotel on board with the Hilton in Long Beach.
And Kola reached out and was like, hey, we're starting monthly bourbon tasting pretty much.And I was like, man, that sounds So I was like, man, that sounds perfect.
And trying to find some more friends, you know, moving back, seeing who all was around and had kind of the same similar interests as we did. I don't know, the first one, and we just kept going from there.
So we joked that first year, because we didn't really know how to advertise it either, or kind of explain what we were doing.
And so we used to have new people show up.It's an educational group.
Yeah, an educational group for sure.We had a guy one time at one of our meetings, After the second or third tasting, he got up and walked out on his way out of the door.
He said, if I wanted to know what color the distiller's underwear were, I'd have just went and asked him.
The first couple of days, the first couple of meetings, you're kind of feeling it out, like, what are we doing up here?I just want to do some sampling.
Were you doing compliance?So we were doing compliance.So in the beginning, we did a lot more compliance than we do now.Because one of the things we really wanted to see was that, hey, we've got some
They're horrible and that was one of their first hits.They loved it the best.
like oh, I hate that stuff.It's like your top pick.You put a second out of six, like you must not hate it that much.Yeah.Or my favorite is like, can you find the links?That's my all-time favorite one that we've done.
Because I've been part of a different study for probably three years.I'm pretty bored.And I was So the group got recognized by magazines.Which magazine was it?Do you remember?Was it Gear Patrol?No, no, no.It was a national magazine.
We were in Texas Monthly.We were on a run there where we started getting a lot of traction.But a lot of that had to do with we were one of the very few schools that had Texas stories.
When we started learning about Texas, we would ask the stories to come.
show up at the event we can tell them hey look here's the deal we're going to pay for your hotel you tell us what you want us to buy what you're going to be tasting we're going to buy
So, all of those early distilleries that are like, man, no one treats us like this.Everybody's making us pay $2,500 to show up.Yeah, we'll do it.And that's why, all the way through, when I found the Calgary card, it turned over the range.
And it was for that reason, because we treated them that way.
That was kind of the time where distilleries started growing, where you started seeing an explosion of distillers, especially in our kind of backyard, that were kind of trying to start it, make it.You had the Balcones, and you had Garrison Brothers.
That was kind of it. for a while, but you started seeing a lot of breaking ground, Wither Spoons was coming up, and all those guys.
2014 or even Garrison others, you know, they're fighting the fight You know, they were in their first four years On a look and yes, you can make her in Texas.Yes, this is a good But and Dan down here, and a lot of the guys at Val Counties.
And, you know, we got to see things that other people didn't.Again, just because we support them as a group.
Yeah, our first podcast was with a guy who was a historian for Val Counties.And we got to tell the story of Fallout, and Rebuild, and all that good stuff.They have a cult of our own.
I mean it's a very unique product, but I mean it's worldwide, like, love, especially resumable products. We used to talk about it in the first few years.
you could always pick out a crowd with fierce luggage.And they were the only Texan burden of any bar you'd go to around here.
And when you would order it, you could immediately tell if it was Fierce Brothers or were they trying to push soccer themselves.And I think that that's something to be proud of, for sure.
Yeah, for sure.A lot of it's pretty Robust it's always got You know, the only thing about it now is that a lot of people a lot more options So that's why they created the money do and some other things everybody's
Especially this year, you're starting to see a lot of ingenuity for different products.You know, I'm trying to do the Amarato.I'm trying to do the Heidi.I'm trying to do a double of what the Spindles do in Indiana.People's ranges are so wide now.
It's a different offer.Texas, I was going to, probably one of the biggest states as far as other than Kentucky, obviously, to come to offer.I think Texas probably is.
Well, my sweet mom and I, we kind of hit the road those first couple of years when we were doing the fundraiser.You pick up the phone and call, you're going to talk to the right person.So we just sort of showed up at distilleries.
And, man, it was awesome to go make that little Texas road trip for, you know, the Texas whiskey It was so neat for us at the time to see how different everything was and how a region got the flavor.The water they use, everything.
Yeah, and it wasn't just one size fits all. everything out there and ship these things everywhere else.You know, it's like, whatever works.And you're still with this?Yep.Yeah, absolutely.
And your brains are here?I mean, there were parts of Buffalo Street where they're doing an open match, and I didn't think they would do that big of a risk.What do you have, some KD e-sports?I don't know.I don't know.It just goes in.It's done.
I've been to a bunch of different distilleries too.I've been to Houston, Texas, and it's just people that... I love visiting distilleries and talking to the master distiller versus a sailor, you know?
Because they're gonna give you the gifts, and you're gonna get to see the logs, and you're gonna get to see the grains they use, and you're gonna see the mesh. They all have perks, and they all kind of like doing their own thing.
And a lot of them don't like talking about future projects.And a lot of them say, no, I'm doing what I'm doing, just fine. So it's, and we built it together to different places.It's still awesome.
That to this day I would say was one of my biggest surprises.You know, I hate to say that I was prejudging a little.We're walking into an Austin distillery of what this was going to look like, and when they were at the distillery, every single person
knew what was going on and knew what they were talking about.
So that was a fun trip.And true, great bots.Like, found their own brains on site, which was really cool.It is going to their following here.I mean, they do everything, which was pretty awesome.
And the other, like, there's some bots right there with it.But other than that, I haven't really seen that type of, like, thoroughness. And then you add the key players like Nancy and Bob, and they really did it right when they rolled it out by them.
Well yeah, you talk about the thoroughness.I mean, to this day, Don is the player.He's got a big book of all the water that he has sampled.And anyone who says that they've got a lot of water, he's got it right there.
He'll come up, he'll do a water sample. anybody out there, if they're trying to save a share of the limestone water, or whatever kind of water in their reach is better than what we've got in the part of Texas.
So, it's a passion.I think Kippersaw has some pretty interesting water.They've played, you've heard the story about how they found the vein of water that wasn't supposed to be there, but was there, and kind of was searching around.
Oh, my god, I keep wanting to say it.They found the vein that I can't remember his name.He tasted it.He's like, this is it.And I think their product is pretty unique.
Not a lot of people know this, but our first Tyler Brody-side Jack President was Joe, who was the guy who actually did the beer.
So he worked out there and kind of handled their sales, and then cancer won that beer, tasked with starting and selling it.
We can beat this ale pretty hard.They come up with anecdotes of why the justification is there for us having such a great time.Let's talk about Maryland a little bit before we get into another spot.
While you're here kind of talking a little bit about like how we do each other some of the things While we're talking about I guess I mean, yeah, yeah, this is one of our barrel picks.This is a JT Mellick shout out to Mia With JT Mellick, love her.
She's been on the podcast before It's an all rice whiskey so basically they took a crawfish field, a rice field, and they harvest the rice and make a whiskey, a beautiful whiskey, really.
Indeed, there's some barrel pigs that they've done that stack up against the big buildings in Kentucky, for sure.I don't know if you were there or not.Were you there?I don't remember.We were at McClellan's house.
It was set up really nice because it had barrels lined out. And it's the most people I've ever had sample with me for a barrel.And all three chapters?Right, all three chapters were involved.
I remember a lot of people, there was a lot of commentation, but it was very uniform, and we all agreed on the barrel, which makes it very easy.Because you can have dissension amongst more people. I think we had probably 15 or 20 people there.
Yeah, there were probably 15 people there, and I think every single person was surprised that they were trying it for the first time.
Man, I did not expect the ice whiskey to taste like this.Nobody bought that flavor. all the different barrels that we drive.I mean there was a lot of variations and I didn't see that coming.
Yeah, for sure.Definitely, it's a great ride.Luckily, being from Louisiana, I had some exposure to it and luckily I was able to get connected and found Mia.She does a great job with her social media too.
I don't know if you've ever seen it yourself, but she does a good job. So let's talk about Barrel Pigs real quick.What was the first Barrel Pig you guys did?I think the very first one we did was Katal when it was still in grapevine.
honor so that's our third installment of the herbicide The Caddo Indians had a tradition that basically if the chief had more than one son, they would fight to the death.And whoever came out alive would be the next chief in the Caddo Nation.
And so for the first time, the chief came to the tribe and said, Whoever does this, whoever doesn't do this, our tribe is going to lose our second most fiercest warrior.We cannot afford to lose these two warriors.
Yet, for the first time ever, we've got two true natural born leaders here.They're incredible warriors.I have a proposition. I suggest that we divide the tribe.One brother will take one tribe and walk a day.
The other brother will take the other tribe and walk a day.One son was named Natchitoches.One son was named Natchitoches.Obviously, our third chapter is in Natchitoches, but we'll see how it takes us to this
To this day, any lumberjack will tell you, one of our biggest rivals, we had the largest trophy in e-sport in the world that got traded on an annual basis.It was our totem pole.
The number one football hand of the year, the totem pole, Keith Caddo, would go back and forth between two universities.
That's right.And who else?Northwestern. Which is an absolutely beautiful town as well.Two incredible little towns that are just absolute gems.Yeah, so we started the third chapter in Nacogdoches.
I love seeing how all three of our chapters are a little different on the makeup.And I think it's so funny how our third chapter has its own scarlet. So how do you get over there to do that?Big, big leather chairs.
Now, I will tell you, we did play a prank on all of the members of your gang for a while.Because it's, you know, it's right downtown, but there's a back alley entrance that we'll still see.
And so we used to tell them that there was this certain knock, and it was a real labyrinth made up of all of us.Everybody would show up.
but I'm not sure, I'm not positive.So, listen here.One of my favorite hits of all time, all of these Texas acts of fight club was an absolute smasher.I have lined that up against some big hits and blinded it and it crushes.
There's not many out there anymore.
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You were telling them how we used to twist Jason's arm.Oh, I was okay.Jason used to come down here and he would always bring a random bottle with some brown water in it.
He gave me this.He was like, hey, let's go.Give me a heads up.Come at that bottle.Yeah, after I probably figured out what he was trying to do, we found a way to hire him.
What have you been bringing us?And he said, well, we've been paying eight barrels per person.And obviously, with eight barrels, for us,
So the funny story with this though,
I volunteered to go up there and pick it up.And one of our buddies had moved out of Longview, one of our first Sunday officers, one of our first Sunday officers that had moved up there was Francis.
And so to give him an opportunity to be able to go up there and pick something up on the way out of town, pick up some barrels, bottles.
So we do it.So we do it.It's a whole trip once a month.
I tell my wife, hey, we all are.She'll let you know.She'll let you know.We may or may not. I'm sorry that you were so excited when we found this barrel.It was a physical barrel.It was a physical barrel.
We had it strapped to the back of our Nissan R on a rack.You just told them that we were... You just told them that we were... Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.
Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.
Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.Antiquing.
Antiqu It's okay to do this.It's not for personal use.If you have a list in your house, I mean, I've covered that trust. I had to do that a couple times with barrels that we did with the whiskey club that didn't distribute to town.
We just didn't distribute it.It was at that point Hitler was one of the tumbling dicers in town.
So they delivered it, we'd see it.
They'll pick it up, pay for it, and have a list.It's legit.
Yeah, what's it like as a distributor?
We've got that bar in Kentucky.
We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.
We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.
We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.
We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We've got that bar in Kentucky.We
I know.I know.That was a fun.
That was a fun way to get a good job.They really did a good job on that.It was like we were taking the barrel.And it was like a 20 gallon barrel.It was a small one. And that's why we did it in the 375.It was such a fun hit to do, too.
Because you're sitting there in the facility, eating from the barrel, and it's going to be a hit.And I just thought that that was so much fun.And then we got access to Austin, which ended up being a girl's day.Kimberley was her father's name.
Whatever, but I mean, part of the reason we got access was because Yeah, we did mount coatings.That one went through hair detection. I learned that the mailbox was stronger than the car. So I was picking up the, oh, man.
Well, I'll tell you, obviously, we did talk about our trip to Jenison, Texas.That was one of the first trips.And when we were down there, we really had different kind of expectations for how it was going to go, how it was going to go.
for the listeners.What story?
This is going to be one of the most difficult ones.Yeah, because... Did the citizens... Did the citizens... Yes, yes, yes, yes.
So we just like... So we just like... Yeah, no, but... So, the brothers had invited us down to come see the artists.They had invited us down to come see the distillery.We had done a tasting.So, we booked an AirBnB house.A bunch, yeah.
There was probably 20 of us.We were supposed to be in that house. One of those was, they started us off with old-fashioned, slutty marriages.And then, by the end of the night, they were even lower in their distillery that we wanted to go.
We're doing this in the spirit of this service.
I've got Shannon coming on here to just talk to us, which will be really, really cool.And we'll probably do a live interview at the hotel that you've been to.It's a great venue.
We do it in like a big ball, and we have music, and we kind of do it at the end of the minute segment, and we kind of have time to kind of pass them around.
All the distillers I've had on the podcast, I've loved them.Biel is one of them.I play with Lisey every once in a while.Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I normally have sponsors come on.Occasionally I'll have people show up.We'll do it like a charcuterie.Sorry I didn't roll out that red carpet for you.
All right, so boom, we're in 2018, and you guys are at a bourbon society meeting, right?
And you're like, hey, let's start a business. So I went down there and talked to one of our advisors.It was a day long class.They actually had me on their website rolling on their stuff.
I came back and I was sharing Andrew Griffin with Nicole.
We had just gotten done with one of our flights.There was actually a flight.There was actually a flight.And so we couldn't let that just go to waste.Right.
And we were sitting on the train, tailgating the train.
I had pulled out some of the cigars, and I told him, keep in mind, since you're going to talk to us, the original, we always like to talk.We always like to talk.
One match was slated, one match would start that one.
And I'm passing these around to Coleman and Drew.
Very successful.Very successful.
We see a trip, hopefully a trip from the village.One scrimmage, one scrimmage, two scrimmages, and Cole actually looks to Andrew. No, no, not at all.That's horrible.Let's stay away from that.It's kind of ironic, one of the factors to our idea.
So you guys, how did it get here? So we're talking about this.So you asked me earlier, you asked me earlier, you know, notes and do it from here.
I'm an off the cuff, I'm an off the cuff kind of guy, so most people in society, I can interrogate information just like that.So before I ever read from a site, I'll assume, I'll assume information about my patient.
We decided that it was time to launch this into full
So what's the timeline between Tiffany and the Virgin Society?The Virgin Society is starting in about January.
And we were looking around, you know, vintage air streams.
So keep in mind, so now, and we use Airstreams for all these other bars.There was only two other, almost all of them in the U.S. shivers which is a natural which is a natural yeahAnd this music makes me run out of my words.And I run out of my words.
And so they're like, hey, we thought y'all were sharing.We appreciate it. I don't know where he's at, but we're looking for him.Yeah, so we're looking for him.We're watching him.We're watching him.
And this person, oh, he's got a head on our list that we're watching.And it dropped from 15th grade up to 5th grade.
This trip's not going to be this long.Y'all drove all the way up here.
What a big spore.Now, so what we were doing this week, we were going through this demolition when we bought it. You know, the show doesn't have too many names. That was one of the things that we fixed.Got it a little more watertight.
But the table up front, it moves out, and you're getting ready to take it all out.So we get in there, and the yellow shack carpet were nice and safe.It was still there on the floor.And it was just great. We're pulling some stuff out.
We're moving it around.We go all the way down to the skeleton.We're going bones up.Not knowing that we probably should have kept some of the skins.We didn't have any plans or anything to go off of. And so those skins of it all were melted.
And we went through probably, I'd say about 100.And way under what we actually had to drill bits.Drilling out rivets.Drilling out rivets inside this air steering technology.Every three inches of dirt. We finished working that day.
We got everything out of it and we're down to that.And we're like, oh man, we're done with these.And then we realized, oh man, we've got to get the walls out to come back in with the walls.
You carry around water and gray water tanks.
By the way, with a saw.We're having to cut into that because it's made to engrave.So to get that plastic hand that's been holding all the... Yeah, we were like, oh, we've got to shine it. We started sobering up.
We're like, no, this isn't going to work.We need some higher health.We need some higher health.So keep in mind, at some point in this whole process, this thing gets lost.And the Airstream is in our house.
So we're on vacation and I start reaching out to my family and my wife's like, there's a lot of details. So for a whole other business to come up with, and my wife's dad's a less than a year old, we're in society, it's all the same thing.
It's a small channel, less than a year old.My wife's like, it's not the right time.Which my sister goes for a picture of there.
It's going to explode itself.It's going to explode itself.Like that.Like that.Like that.Like that.That's exactly how I want it.It's exactly the same.Space jam.
We'll tackle it a little bit for decoration.And I will say, you know, a lot of guys have wives that want to shop for them.There's like a personal agenda that you can throw back in their place.Unfortunately, my wife is not like that.
She's one of the rarer, just easy-go, happy women.What's going on?
Why'd you do that?Why'd you do that?She was gonna find out.She was gonna find out eventually.I don't want to go on a trip.You don't want to travel.Yeah, well, it's a suspected murder.It's a suspected murder.I don't know.
I got to put up with it.I bet you did.I was hoping she could find out when it was done.
Hey, it's probably time we start looking at it.We're done playing with this thing.Let's get some events on it.
Let's get some events on it.Whoa, whoa, wait a minute here, Joe.Please, wait.
Yeah, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon, pardon,
life, which is a great story.And now Travis is on the house.He's two months in.He's asking you, like, what's going on?All right.Well, that's great.All right.
They've got to build something up.They've got to build something up.That's fair.OK.So what would that look like?And what were some of the things that you guys started building this house?
Because I'm sure you were standing in there going, all right, well, we can smoke here.We can smoke here. There has to be some distance.You got to make it feel good. You've got to have some loungers, you know.
and we're going to the vet in the fall.
Let's get the planner.We're going to check in all the same boxes.Any normal guy.Let's say we're going to do this.We've got to have, as you say, very good planning.We've got to have AC.We've got to have ventilation.Those are really easy things to do.
Curved walls going up.Curved walls going up.They'll be already in there.
We upgrade those.We upgrade AC.We upgrade AC.
And we just start trying to figure out where we want to stand, where we want to sit, what occupancy we really kind of want.And we start looking at different colors, different things.We want wall carpet, we want carpet, different things like that.
We started just digging and pulling and didn't see what we saw.So we come to the conclusion that we can wrap around sitting at the front, wrap around sitting at the back.
The love of the Lord is going to be in the walk-in, in the seating, in the seating.
That's the focus.Thankfully, we got it.So he made us a beautiful, interesting, interesting place to be.
So we decided, let's do a granite bar right down the middle.And basically people can check themselves, but they can stand at this bar while cutting. We'll probably need to have so many customers in this thing.
It will not have a private area in the back. We actually, we actually... The Tell Brothers were getting into their design and build phase.
So we reached out to Nishi and we were like, hey, you've got the software, you've got the programs, some of this stuff. Our vision is to bring life to it, so we got planned for what we're doing.The initial was great, the initial actually helped.
We booked the design, everything that we could, he was able to put in there, and he turned us on to one of his guys that helped finish out his main store there.They had just finished their store.
Zach had the project work in there, so he brought him in to kind of help us with some of the new ones.And he was the one who actually figured out the video.So, Travis and I... So there's a special wood called 94.
It allowed us to replace all of our metal skin so that we could hang stuff on the wall. But, was right over the front and back window.Not only is it, it's not just curving one direction, you know, it's the curve.
And there's a lot of curve that has nothing to do with it.It's just not gonna solve that problem.And we knew it was gonna be the anchor at both ends, and we wanted it to be at both ends.So at one point, we thought, hey, we need copper.
You're on one end of it more than the original area.
A little bit of them.A lot of them.That looks like cotton.
So we've got this sewed on.We're going to make this wall ourselves out of wood scraps. You're putting it down, and you're placing all these things put together on a structure.Metal is the backing, and nothing to really... Anchor to?Anchor to.
You have to get really creative about it.Because then you're also going to be running 10 miles an hour down the bottom of the road.Yeah. How long did it take from when you purchased it to final product?
I think the first event was November 7th.It's almost a year, right?July.We bought it in July. Study for the test, don't just study in general.
So, Jeremy Cox is not going to be on the nice side.Our first bookie.And, I'm embarrassed to say, I'm a fan of Team Birthday Party.
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I'll tell you the story real quick.Before we finish, I'll sit you down. We do a paper, and I found out about them through a distributor in Louisiana.So we get the samples, and we love it.This rendition is not...
uh, the red dishes that you normally get from them.
They do a, uh, Georgia Heartwood, uh, they finish stained, like a, a cooked stain, and then they ship it, or they put it in the barrel, and then they let it sit for a couple weeks, and then they bottle it.But anyway, uh,
I find out about it from this distributor.He sends us samples.It's a Louisiana pimp.We taste it, we love it.Well, they don't distribute to Texas.So they ship it to, they have to ship it to a business in Louisiana.So we pay for it online.
They ship it to a business that was a friend of mine, or a friend of my dad, who was a plumber.Ship it to his business. I still have the barrel on my back patio. I wanted every employee to do it, and then I decided to do it when I got it.
And so it kind of concluded every employee.It was my second year when we evolved.Well, then I started talking to the salesman, Chad, and I'm like, hey, we've got to get you to Texas.This is phenomenal juice. You got to meet him.
And he's like, well, you know, I don't know about that.By that time, I'd done a couple more barrels, and I knew some distributors.And so I'm like, hey, talk to this guy.He can help you.Thanks that you know that they're in Texas.So I helped him.
And of course, Texas is a huge state.Well, later on, a couple of years later, They're, you know, they're rolling.They're starting to use the notoriety in the East Coast and not so much in Texas or in Central U.S.
Well, I met a guy that was very influential in a lot of the distribution of stuff.I linked Chad to him, and now they're sharing with Teddy.So, thankfully, Chad's a nice enough guy to where they have new releases like this. I'll get a box.
Every month, month and a half, maybe two months, I'll get a box.And it shows up, and I'm like, what the heck is this?And that's part of that, you know, kind of, I don't expect any of that.
I just appreciate the fact that everybody knows I'm going to share it.I'll give it to you.You send it to me.I don't know if you should be telling that to Chad.Send it to me.
And I bring it up here to places like this immediately and say, hey, look, try this out.You're going to like it.And he sent me this one that was double coat, which was fantastic.
And he sent me a new rug that they just, something dry enough and looking for feedback.So.
You know, this is something that it doesn't matter what industry you're coming from.One person that is an ally like you with these guys is worth a lot to people who And I think that's what one of our Texas facilities, they really made that turn on.
They made loyal customers all in, and they were curious about these things.They were out on the sites. They were going to drink it or buy it at all costs.They're going to ask their local liquor store where it's at, ask the mall where it's at.No.
And when you've got someone like you that's promoting the brand out there and saying like, oh, and they try to sue you.They're like, Tony, I hadn't had it.
Immediately before you start talking about it, I recognize every time we get a special bottle, there's that mouthfeel that's immediately different than everything else you've tasted.It's sad.Yeah, for sure.
This one, this one I shared with him raw.Brought it up here, gone in like two nights.This one I was like, eh, I think I'm going to drink a little bit more of that myself.Because it's pretty special. We're kind of putting it out there.
So I'm looking for a man.My husband has a birthday coming up.And so Jeremy Cox, one of the DMR guys, he's having this fancy birthday party.And the plan was we were going to be there.
We showed up to this surprise party and all of a sudden we're going to be there and it's going to be this big exciting day.However, the day of the birthday, monsoon.
Yeah, and we had gotten up at 5 o'clock in the morning to do the finishing touches on the Airstream. I think we can nail the bowl.We still, we have not figured out that, that bowl, you know, the caps at both ends.We still just couldn't make it work.
and everything going on.So we literally, at this point, were like, we've got an event today.Come hell or high water, we've got to figure this thing out and put something together.
So we spent the whole day, like, rounding different plans and trying different things.And finally, we are two hours before this event.Dude, we just got to figure it out.Just do something.And even if we have to take an hour,
through the day, it takes a billion, right?And so throughout the day, we start picking up extra people.And Andrew Griffin starts coming out.He gets there probably late morning.
He'd ran everybody on their route.
He comes in and starts helping us.And then my wife shows up, starts helping.And before you know it, we got five, six people out there.
Initially, we kind of knew the direction we were going when we started sanding wood, but by the time we figured out how we were going to do it, we didn't have the air enough.
So, at the end of this thing, 45 minutes before the party, we've got one person cutting up wood on the saw, handing it to the next person who is sanding it, which is clearly not drying, and then it's handing it to the next person who is scanning it inside the air stream.
The birthday party, we're supposed to be there at this point, and we're on the phone like, sorry, we won't be there any minute, so sorry.You know, finally we take all the wood we had cut and put it in a bucket inside, and Travis starts driving.
And I am in the airstream. I'm in there shooting with an air gun, a battery, you know, nail gun, putting all the rest of the wood on the two end caps.And so he literally pulls into their driveway, his back hand, and I'm still...
I started talking to them, like, oh, which way do we want it?We got the door on this side.And, you know, to this day, I think that's countertops on my brain.We work just under pressure.
If you give us a year to get something done, we're going to get it done in the last five minutes, you know, before it's too late. We had 12 women in the back of the Airstream that were smoking cigars, having an absolute blast.
And we still keep his signed $5 tip in there every event we go to.So they have a little piece of history in there. I mean, we've done a lot of things.We've done a lot of things.
become part of just so many different memories in so many different pockets.From weddings to golf tournaments to, I mean, family thanksgivings, where I had to back it through a pinhole over here in Jack and Dave's collar.
And was not positive I was going to be able to get it out until the next day.But everybody came out and started helping me back it up into this blind. around it.So it's definitely been a lot of fun seeing people's reactions to how big it actually is.
So different events that we've gone to, they're like, oh, here's a partner spot for you. I'm counting the truck.I can only put it so many places.
So it's typically when you get a booking, it includes you saying the duration of the time.It's not a drop-off.Yeah, we're working it.
It was Travis Portman plus employees at every single day.We've got a point now where we've got to get creative and work for us. So, you know, I guess I told you before we started this, you know, we've been open, open, transparent.
We started with a bunch of young females as our cigar cutters, lighters, you know, basically our The model was going to be, if you were in a bar, what would you expect?
This is, you know, we're always going to fight the battle of, oh, I can get this sense for five bucks in terms of cost.
Well, yeah, you can also go to a gas station and buy a 30-pack and add a dollar a beer versus, you know, go and pay five dollars for a beer.
We're trying to provide an experience, and somebody hired us to do this, and it's where you're at. You don't have to bring your cigars, you don't have to... So we started out with...
I would say the majority of our young ladies in the workforce are probably 22 to 25.
And you can imagine with that demographic, when we're working events, we had at one point probably approved 30 different young ladies that were on our roster that were booking events because last minute, they're not going to show up.
Or if we're going to Tyler, we're seeing coaches, we're seeing all of these guys. Thankfully, we've got a really good partner that we work with, Julie Freeman, which I've worked with in the past.
It's been so great working with Derby because Travis and I, that used to be one of the biggest things we had was making sure we had staff present.
And if somebody can't come to the last minute, like how do you look, if we're at a Derby party, how do you get someone there in 45 minutes?
So working with Julie has been great because we tell her what we've got, and we don't think about it again.She has a core group that works for her regularly, but if they can't show up, she fills it.
So, that's something that, you know, one of your earlier shows, they were talking about, you know, here at the Kew Door, they like bringing in stuff that you can't just walk in your average tobacco shop and find.
You know, they want the core obscure sticks, and that's something that we really tried to do in the shop, because we didn't want it to be Just to tell the big names.
You got Boutique, you got some of the big names for those that are, you know, curious or whatever. we've been able to bring around and get familiar with.
Yeah, introduce people too.
And it's all about the experience and what Cole and I both love is telling a story about it.
So if you can tell a story to somebody about a certain cigar.So I'm actually smoking the Mica Figuera by Dunmore Tobacco Trust right now.So I actually just told Cole not too long ago what it stands for. my mistress's mistress.
And so, you know, in certain parts of the world, those names are common.You know, my mistress doesn't even know about this one.You know, a mistress is common for some cultures. And so having a story like that, you get a bunch of bachelors in.
Because another one that has a great storyline, Caldwell.There's tons of them out there that have great stories that you start talking about and people start having a connection with it.Or start falling in love with that story and the history of it.
Same with Burton, same with any other series.If you start telling them about those, that's why the... And bringing that to the cigar world for those consumers, they connect to it and like it.
Oh, 100%.So what does booking look like?So you've got a website.Obviously, after we get this posted, we'll attach it to the post.You do the booking.
Send a request to our website or phone call to me and it's going to be, hang on, I'm going to book you for a minute.Great to tell you all. Tell me about your event, what your vision is for the event, and then let's see if we can make something.Yeah.
And as Travis mentioned earlier, a lot of times it's cool.We want to be a restaurant.Okay, well, cool.Do you have room for 31 feet?What's the draw?You know, is there an entrance to your backyard?Do you have HVAC limitations?
So we talk through logistics, but outside of that, it's cool.
Five years of experience helps with that, right?
Five, six years, yeah.Absolutely. But outside of that, it's more about, hey, what's your vision for business, man?What's it about?You know, is this a 50th birthday party?Is this for somebody who's a doc or a cigar smoker?
Or is this something just that they, yeah, they just want to celebrate a happy 50th.They don't, they smoke once or twice a year or once in their life. that it's going to be perfect for that person.And, man, it's great.We love doing what we're doing.
I mean, this is really a tremendous honor.I mean, to smoke cigars and drink bourbon at your part-time job, I mean, it's so hard.Like, how many of us really go out there?
I mean, a few of us get to actually have this kind of luxury as our sons or as our daughters. So my background is insurance.I'm a third generation insurance agency in Longview, down in Toddler and all this stuff.
And you imagine, if you're trapped on an elevator and somebody says, oh, I'm interested in you, you're going to back up and say, oh, I don't want to talk to an insurance agent.That's pretty normal.Not really.We don't do insurance agents a lot.No.
And Collin is insurance.Yeah, Collin's great.He is an all-state. He's part of the younger regime, and I would say most of us.But it's safe for the new generation too?Yeah.
And I think most of us that are our age in the industry, we have learned to relate to people and talk to people.And yes, we're still going to be the same risk managers, but we're going to do it in a way that's less dry.
We're going to make that personal relationship. All of that aside, we are also one of the hardest construction lines that we've ever seen.Especially here in Texas.So the majority of our normal job is butt chews, unfortunately.
And it's, even if we're, even if we're, even if we're showing you what I'm saying today, it's usually hard to track.So this event, or this business, I should say, is all about celebration.
And it's such a, for me, an enjoyable transition from my normal day-to-day to be able to come, provide happiness and joy to people.
And we have done everything, but Rob and birthday parties, bachelor parties too, wedding anniversaries.I mean, we've done it all.And if we still win,
It's so special to be a part of that.We love it.
you know, do they, what's the range look like for somebody who's considering having a smoke and aces coming out?What does the experience look like?
Yeah, so we have recently added a, we've always had a bar system, because just an Airstream wouldn't fit everywhere, right?So our cocktail setup is where we come out, be in the back door, or be at a business and set up cocktail tables for the bar.
That's a $1,500 setup.We've now added an inflatable bar to that because a lot of times they don't have room for the air stream.But, you know, we can do one of our inflatable bars and it still makes that cool.
So that's something else we talk to our customers about.Is this a color theme for today?Are we seeing that?Are we going with black and gold, just a nice, classy feel?Or is this something that we want, you know, bright blue, bright orange?
You know, we've got a regular event that we do over here at Tile with all of our customers that the company's color is are bright blue, bright orange, and we've got it customized.Yeah, we've customized it to them.
But, yeah, so if we bring it to your street, it's $2,500.And then either one of those packages, we have travel, if we're going outside of Tyler, you know, that's kind of our range.
If it's Tyler Street, we're, you know, anything in that power window, that'd be a deal.Once we get outside of that, we're gonna do some traveling.
We've done some pretty entertaining, pretty fun. or whatever was the nickname.We've done entry into the Texas Football Hall of Fame.We sent some down to Young.Vince Young, when he got inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, he did his six.
Yeah, and the other one was, you were talking about Rainey. Randy Swisher.
He played for Universal.He said he was just a big fan.He said he was satisfied to celebrate his birthday here.
getting the experience for what you're doing, and then one of you two guys are there to make sure that everything's followed through.You get staff, right?
A couple folks that are gonna be helping out with the cutting, and helping with setups, or something else, or whatever.
So just like any, you know, kind of, all our staff's gonna be trained at the basics of cigars and flavor profiles and things of that nature.
But if somebody has an in-depth question, Travis or I or our buddy Doug, we're going to be the ones answering the more specific questions. He's pretty well versed in all the different types of tobacco profiles.
So this is when he comes in and they say, hey look, this is what I'm drinking tonight.What are you drinking?Yeah, pick me a stick for that.This is what I like to smoke. they're going to have a recommendation for them.
Or somebody comes in and says, look, I haven't smoked in 10 years.And the last cigar I had was roll around in my buddy's backseat for about five days.
I was green for two days after it.
Yeah.It's funny.We didn't have to do that in a long time.We did when we first started this cigar, which is kind of off the ground.We used to keep sugar cubes.So for those not familiar,
If you have just enough sugar throughout the day, sugar will actually go to the system and counteract the nicotine effects.
So if you start getting a really, just super bold, strong cigar, triple arrow, you know, something with just through the roof nicotine, your blood sugar drops.
And you didn't eat lunch because you were slightly packed busy with work and everything else, and you're like, oh man, this is, you know, even the regular cigar smokers can sometimes go, wow, this is some, this is what took me off guard.
You know, we would have share cubes, and we'd bring those out, and say, hey man, do you want this? It'll turn it around, counteract that, and you'll be right, right?Yeah.
And so those individuals that were like, oh man, I hadn't smoked in 10, 15 years, I used to always get sick.
You're like, well, look, the underage cigars or the cheaper quality cigars, those are going to have some of the effects that are less than pleasant.Yeah.Or they're super strong.We'll steer you away from those.
We ask, when somebody puts on, you're like, I'm just making sure that you're prepared for the one that you're pointing at. We had to find something that was strong enough to stand up against the Triple Heroes,
Southern Rocks took their Triple Arrow, Jacob's Ladder, and upped it with a Brimstone Edition.And so we paired the Brimstones together.
And we had a ton of fun that night, but it was definitely eye-opening and people needed a few sugar cubes that night.
So talking more about our events, Travis over here is actually an excellent chef.He will not tell you that yet. We do a lot of dinners that we'll do, and we'll say, we'll do a dinner pairing for 12 people.
It's all the food, the spirits, and cigars, we'll do a pairing.
And Travis will kind of curate it, and then my wife will cook it, and then Katie will come in and help us kind of facilitate the event, and then I'll do kind of like we do at The Probe Society, where Travis will come out,
history of the spirit, and we want to get the scars from the house.I couldn't do the front of the house, he does the back of the house.But man, I tell you, that has been so rewarding.
Typically when we donate one of those dinners, it's raising around five grand.And everyone who buys it, when we leave that night, they're almost like, oh man, we've been on a lot of dinners. You know, far exceeded our expectations.
And it's so rewarding to be able to do that.But yeah, he's an excellent chef, too.
He won't talk about it, but he is.Well, he loves rum, too.He introduced me to Portisware.Yeah, I've never had it before.We were in Austin.And I went after it.And I never had it.It's like, oh, you're going to try it.
I don't know if you have any other passion. All right, so what does the future look like?
I mean, obviously, because it is sort of probably in the weekends, which is probably maybe kind of alternating some of those events or kind of like sharing each other's calendars, I think.Go ahead.I'm not available these weekends.
I'm not available these weekends.
Yeah, I think the goal for leading businesses is the same.
We've been doing this for a long time.You get a business, you create processes, you train people to be able to build a vision, tell a story, create experiences.
One of the big things that we just tell all our people is, this is what is in our contract.We're going to do what's in our contract, we're going to uphold our end of life, and that's fair to me.
Anything outside of that, if you have an event, you can make it special.So, you know, we don't sell alcohol or anything like that.We don't have a problem just cleaning up after people or grabbing a drink.
So we try and, whatever that event is, make it as special as possible anyway.If there's a vendor there, we try to help the other vendors.Because, you know, we've,
We've been on the bottom of the stick before.Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.And so, I think we've done a really good job of getting people involved that are working for us.They've seen that, and they've been serving this group.
And as long as you guys have a team that's willing to go to the extra time and collab, that's all it takes.
And then you guys kind of monitor for quality, get the feedback.Yes, the vision is for Travis not to show up and for us not to admit the person.
If it's something that we're not really able to make it to because of our own personal lives or whatever, we know that it's handled, and if we have a question, we can just call or text and say, this is the story on that cigar, or this is what I would share with that.
We've got to do some pre-work to kind of give them a template of what to compare well with, food-wise, drink-wise.And you get to put your knowledge to work on the template, and that gives kind of a...
and ideas to your customer.As Cole was mentioning earlier about the two-way setup where we've got to fill this other part of your tenant that we do now, even the Airstream, I'm trying to have them set up a process.
or whatever concept it is for that particular setup is, hey, you go far left, very mild, you go strong right, you go over, or you know, you got your flavored ones over here that are perfectly infused, or you've got your cream ones over here, giving them some sort of template so they know where to go for whatever the customer is coming in to ask for.
What kind of timeline do you think it's going to be?
So, within a year or so, Travis has joined the home business.Travis and I are working together in our day-to-day.You know, the house is still on.It's been really...
Unfortunately, insurance, that's always going to be something in there.That's the real job there.
So Travis and I are going to say our business is bigger.We have learned so much over these last years.Things that you wouldn't expect.When we started this, we specialize in maintenance as far as now.But when we started this,
Oh man, we've got to have everything.Somebody wants to have it.
Otherwise it's going to get us in.You can walk into a bar and say, where do you want it?Oh, you're going to give me this?And you're going to go, all right.And so we moved in with it, and we have a 50-range.
And for a notice of all, that is not sustainable.
It's just about that.It's on the storage. What I want to talk about, because you and I have talked about what it looks like.
Storage to me would be a challenge.So when we go to the menu, we run.
We've got our people running in the lounge.It is a classic, you know, the last stop.We're very excited.We've got a six bar, a two bar that we are regularly rotating out.We have to, you know, put you guys to sleep so we're able to get there.Exactly.
So, we go to the myth while we're at the myth. All of the access signals for that stay in the cooler.They stay in basically a big white ice chest, and it's got no impacts in there, temperature control.
And so that's what allows us to have, on a day-to-day, probably, you know, 15,000 micro-signals padded in, so that if we got it, we can't go without it on the plane, but it's like, I do want this, I need a decent solution.
So, to that, we're never going to be able to do even what we're asked to do.I don't, but if I were to take a guess, I would say the Tobacco Injury Choice is too normal.So, you've got to transition that.Somebody might say, you want this?
you're able to re-correct it to this.This is going to be in that flavor profile.
So we were able to kind of take our 50 grand of backup data to probably 20 grand.And then one thing that we realized is we can also kind of do seasonal stuff. a new lawn, a new T-signal, or a new server.
And then we're going to transition to a new meeting booth, and then in the next three months, we're going to move into an organization.So people get a different experience every time they come in.
But what we're able to do with that is we're on an inventory backlog that we're going to have to run through. One thing that we also learned was there's got to be a shelf on stuff.
If you have something that you're not going to put on that, it's an offset burner. So when you don't have a coating, if it's sort of on the... It's sort of the reach. So, do you know where my good buddy Travis went to school?
By Texas Aggies over here.I went to SSA.So, we decided a few years ago that we wanted to grow tobacco.And so, we actually, we were the first grower of tobacco in Texas for two. And the guys in NACADEM just right now are doing this as well.
They got this project going.But we needed this years before they got going with this project.And we were talking to them about everything.But when Travis started this, we thought, look, he was a fan.I want this to succeed.
We were going to reach out to really good persons. We're going to get something off, we're going to want to see tobacco come back to life in the state of Texas.
See the ash, just like all the different bourbons and everything else in the state.
We've got to put our Texas stamp on it, but we do so well. So we went down there and we had no expectations.We had never been to a tobacco plantation. We've never known anything, seen it live, you know, we didn't know anything about it.
And so free tobacco is a very special breed of tobacco, just like the different types it's formed, the different barrels it's grazed.
And whenever you start looking into it as a biology or scientific aspect, it has more magnitude than any other strain of tobacco. And so we were down there, and as this visual appeared, it was interesting.
He does all of their heavy animal, freak blends, anything that has freak in it, he's the only one that produces that.And so it is bourbon barrel aged down there in South Louisiana.
And he has a bunch of different farms that will actually grow it, harvest it, and dry it.
And then they'll bring it to him for the fermentation process.
And so we got to walk through his whole entire arm, got to see everything from whenever it first comes in, all the way to whenever it's ready to be shipped out to the states for the raw wood process.
And so it was insane the different smells that you got to smell, the different processes you got to see, the juices. that come off these leaves as they're being fermented, and I mean, it was mind-blowing to see it in real life.
The Native Americans in that area, they used to take tree stumps, and haul them out, and then they would put the tobacco down in it, and then they would take it easy. tree that they cut to cover it as it's weighted.
And they would put these stones on it, get it weighted down, and kept pressing the tobacco and ferment it until it was just a mixture of charcoal and potent.And so he replicated that process.
And when we walked in, it smelled like barbecue sauce, which was a smell that I was not expecting at all. railroad jacks.
He'd hit it, he'd get a couple clicks on it, get even more pressure on it, and he'd go to the next one and it'd have a little bit, jack it down a little more.The next one was so strong, he'd go to the
As he was putting more and more pressure on him, and you can see the different levels, he opened up some of the jacks.
process, this is what the product looks like.And it was amazing.And so we actually, we did a brief wait after we even started.
So Travis has worked with us, and I did different trainings of Q and tobacco, and we plan on the season after which, and we plan on the very close together, so it's like a cross point.
And then year after year, you know, that spring tobacco is now our own spring tobacco.
The Starland will continue to be a very key piece of the business for the long term.If you're able to sell a Texas-run tobacco to the big names,
And this guy, keep in mind, we're talking about 50 grand for a barrel, which is approximately like a peephole of tobacco.We've got about 200 bottles out there that we can borrow.So for us, the goal in the next four years is to get that.
We were the first person to back up.How do we now transition to a massive overhaul ratio to where we're producing two or eight groups of backup?And I'll just by the way, Travis, AD did an excellent job.
He says, every week when we start rolling them, we had to figure out the best way to do it, which I guess is just to back up.Everyone told us no.We finally found a gap.
This guy was a specialist.
This guy, he got his undergrad at FSSA, and he got his doctorate, man, yeah.And so he had the best of interests.And so we reached out to him, and even he wasn't just like, what are you supposed to do?This guy, he's in his 300th paper.
Oh yeah, this guy too. So, Travis and I are digesting this.We're set on bringing 300 pages over and over and over.And we call each other and we're like, I think you're just creating like make plans.And they're going to do all right.
This is basically what we've got.300 pages. and asked me questions.He was very nice.We didn't find it entertaining that he had three and a half ages to just tell us.I'd really like to make a point of it.He was also super heavy-handed, I figured.
And you've got a top ball, feeling real, real great.I mean, we've got six foot tall plans. Cole actually has in his office one of the first leaves that we harvested.
And it's a reminder every day that there's that level of awesomeness still just waiting to come out.
So there's definitely seats, future projects, for sure.For sure.
When you talk about incorporating that with small horses, small asses, get the guys out that love to smoke cigars.Because there's something special about the bottle that you fill yourself, a cigar that you throw yourself.
Everybody has that love of cooking on the grill, and the best steak you cook is the best steak that you have.And so you incorporate all that together and use it to add a new after meal. It's an incredibly different thing.
I've done it a couple of times down the world.It's a different experience when you do it yourself.
Like you said, there's a barrel, a bottle, a barrel, a table, a wine.You go ahead and help with the press process. Once you get in it, that's it.The guys are well spoken, and you guys know what you're doing.I love the experience.
I haven't had any experience yet.I haven't even considered signing any of you guys. I'm getting involved with the band.You guys are doing it.It's on a lot.I love what you're doing though.You guys are passionate about what you're doing.
It sounds like we're going to keep on growing.
Now, listen to my podcast.I'd like to end the podcast with a shout out.And I didn't prep much for this, but I don't think I need to be prepped.
It's gonna be, you know, you dropped a bunch of names.You've got family, you've got folks that support you, but if there's anybody else you want to appreciate, now's the time to do it.I mean, obviously, your wife's having to deal with it,
It has to see our lives, because every project transit's had a plan.Even though, after they come around to it, they might not have been frustrated with it, but it never stopped them from supporting us.
And I think every successful business model, there is a power that is helping and pushing. And believe me, for Travis and I, we both have strong, independent women who have their own careers.
And so for women like that to support our vision, it's not like, hey, I'm going to be in the house a lot, and you're going to be the breadwinner.They both have their own careers, and drop them ahead of their growth. Rollerblading.
Anything and everything they can do to help us.
They're there 100% of the time.
Big shout out to my father-in-law, because it seems like every time we have a problem, he's always there when we need him.And he's become a six-hour guy.That is probably one of the other things that I don't think we can really get on is,
the amount of people through our journey that come in with somebody that is a cigar smoker, occasionally, or a regular, or whatever, and they're like, oh, no, we're not really interested in cigar, I'm not really interested in cigar, I'm just here with them, and being able to offer them a cigar that fits their palate, or their process that they go through, and seeing the
the life of, oh, this isn't just grandpa.This is enjoyment. I have to sit down and enjoy the listening and be with the people that we're with.It's something that I think Cole and I both enjoy, seeing that person experience that almost.
Being in those un-slowed down categories, there you go. Yeah, it's awesome. Very cool.And we appreciate you having us.Yeah, it is.
That's awesome.Yeah, I loved it.I know we kind of did it like a quick week or so, but I appreciate you guys' flexibility.Thanks for coming along.Great story.I love it.It reminds me of a couple other stories we've had here in town.
We had a Texas state of mind call a few times.And it's just such a great story.There's something a lot to build on top of it.And the end of the story here is that We've got coffee and Texas in our back yard.We've got to enjoy it.
You guys have a great mobile opportunity. about these events and landmarks and other things that they have.They need to think about these experiences, because I don't know about you, but I'm not a big thinker person.I'm more of an experienced person.
And I think people need to think about these things whenever they're having these landmarks and all.There's one on the screen.OK, go ahead.
Everyone that votes us obviously allows us to donate these events to non-profits, right?One thing that Travis and I were very passionate about was actually the original move for the content that we were supposed to execute.
When there was 10 of us, and we were begging for money, nobody wanted to be a part of it, and we were having to We're going to have to pay people for flights. So, at the time, it was a private jet going to Great County.
All the game owners were there, the distributors were there.There was this, I don't recall, procession that would bring them through all the schools we had. After a long quarter, it has to be marked in some capacity.
So, we came up with an idea that it would surprise the guys each year.It's new guys, they don't know.Whoever kills the first group of the funds, they go to a special alliance.
What's that alliance? And so, you know, they're already on the 519.
You know, military guys, you would think they were hunting, and that's not the case for a lot of them.So if they shoot this 14-point bot, they are... So, the next day, you're in the first one on the kill, you're going to be on the 6th
to the back of the 300 acres, and we've got our aerial stream hammered up.
We take the windows off from the back, and off one end, we've got a deer feeder, you know, for a lot of deer to come in, and then we have a big open hill that we made like this, and these guys walk in, and you get back, and you're like, what is this?
This is your pull-up on the ranger, and then you get the aerial stream as they're walking in, and we've got music playing, and you can hear your bells. There's a good-looking bartender in there.
We already have, you know, the guns set up at both ends, you know, and you figure, I mean, like, what in the world is going on?And very early on, we did this.
We didn't really know we were doing that because, again, everything we do is about making expenses.We shot the deer on one end, we shot three pigs on the other, and these guys had an absolute blast.You couldn't stop talking about it.
You can see it here, it's been a blast. We'll do that on a Saturday morning. Yeah, Friday, that was Saturday morning, and it was actually a dump night.And our dump line is all due to the same thing.
It's kind of started out as, yeah, we didn't do very good stuff there. like a new dog, a deer, and a hog.And so everybody just comes out of the hotel.They're working for us.And to be able to experience those stories from these guys is just insane.
They're a lot for our country.
And hearing their stories in some of the closed halls, they're banging clothes on.And you realize the fact that you're just thankful for the ability to be able to give back to those guys that are out there fighting for you.
Yeah, we've had a couple events already.Both of them have, you know, moments where they kind of pause.
And then both of them have talked about dark times that were, you know,
They needed somebody to reach out.And maybe they reached out at the right time.Or maybe they had somebody... And it could have been a small interaction too.Both of them had small interactions at their lowest time.
And those small interactions...
Both of them are doing awesome.
I love what you guys are doing.
The staff is having fun and the folks that get to experience that are having fun.
I wish you the best.I hope that you stay booked and you're back tomorrow.
I can't wait to go out there and roll a cigar, so please keep up whatever you guys started.We should get together with all the previous podcasters and show them the specials. Thanks so much for coming on.Thanks so much for coming.
All right, so that concludes our podcast with smoking aces And so we've got three podcasts in November our next guest is next week.So we've got one coming pretty quick.
We're gonna talk about political analysis, which is something we don't typically do and But we had a pretty big election last night.A lot of results came through.
Depending on what side you're on, it was either a really good night or it was a really rough night.So looking forward to talking about some of the results and some of the things that are gonna be rolling out here in the next couple weeks.
So I look forward to having you guys come back to us soon.Thanks.
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