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Phoenix Business Radio

Blowhorns and Play- How to Improve Company Culture Through Meetings E14

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Blowhorns and Play- How to Improve Company Culture Through Meetings E14

Our Culture Crush team has gotten into the groove of making great matches. We used to say that the matching was like great wine and cheese, but this time it was more like great soup and a bread bowl (get it?).

Katie Wall from CutlureBiz and Louis Basile from Wildflower Bread Company were a great pairing to discuss the importance of growing company culture in a way that is intentional, consistent and fun. Whether you are bringing a blow horn to a meeting or starting your meeting off with a facilitated game (from CultureBiz), it is important to bring a level of play into the workplace.

This episode is great for all audiences to listen to.

If you are in leadership trying to improve meetings and overall participation and morale of your team- you should listen in.
If you are determining the various ways to improve company culture- then listen in.
If you are wondering how easy it is to improve company culture, it’s not- so listen in.
If you are looking for another resource to help grow the culture of your team- listen in?
If you are looking for another great company in Arizona to support or work for- you should listen in.

Wildflower is a local Arizona fast casual restaurant chain that believes success comes down to three things — outstanding food, great service and clean restaurants. It is easy to say, but it takes a strong commitment to consistently execute.

Attention to detail, putting the customers’ needs first and a deep desire to be a great company help make the Wildflower a place where customers want to be.

Louis J. Basile Jr. is the Founder & President of Wildflower and has worked in the restaurant industry since his childhood growing up in Union, NJ. His father owned a local luncheonette in East Orange, NJ where he learned the restaurant business.

In the beginning of his career, Mr. Basile served as a Construction Project Manager, renovating existing steak houses into Cisco Café Mexican Restaurants for the Chart House/Cork n’ Cleaver Corporation. In 1981 Mr. Basile joined a three-store chain called Au Bon Pain (Boston, MA), an upscale quick service restaurant and bakery.

Louis was a key Senior Manager who helped Au Bon Pain grow to over 250 Stores during his tenure. Mr. Basile held numerous Senior Management positions including Vice President of Operations, Construction, Research & Development and Domestic & International Franchising. Mr. Basile and his family moved to Arizona in 1994. Before following his dream to create his own fast casual restaurant and bakery concept, Mr. Basile held the position of President/COO of the Coffee Plantation (Tempe, AZ).

Mr. Basile founded the Wildflower in Scottsdale, AZ in 1995. The first Wildflower opened in November, 1996. Today, he oversees multiple restaurant locations and a growing, fresh dough Central Production Facility as well as a wholesale bread division operating throughout Greater Phoenix and Northern Arizona.

Wildflower Bread Company is part of the fastest growing segment in hospitality called Fast Casual. Wildflower prides itself on delivering the most memorable restaurant bakery experience and impacting its local communities through various charitable outreach programs. In recognition of these efforts, Wildflower was awarded the 2018 Restaurant Neighbor Award by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Mr. Basile started and was Chairman of the Fast-Casual Industry Council an affiliate of the National Restaurant Association. Louis is a National Restaurant Association Board Member. He is a past Chairman of the Arizona Restaurant Association and Arizona Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Louis serves as a Board Director for Child Crisis Arizona. Mr. Basile served on the Advisory Board for People Report/Black Box Intelligence and PeopleMatter. Louis is a founding member of Changers of Commerce, a movement of leaders who believe there is a better way of practicing Capitalism.

Louis is married to Tracy Basile and they have three children Zachary, Jessie and Max.

Follow Wildflower on Facebook.

TheCultureBiz is on a mission to help teams cultivate their unique cultures through play, with pre-packaged crates and interactive workshops that are approachable, affordable, and original. Created in October 2019 by Colorado-based entrepreneurs, Katie Wall and Courtney Jacobson, TheCultureBiz inspires connection and culture building at work with play.

Cultivating a cohesive, psychologically safe, and productive workplace culture means focusing first and foremost on the specific individuals on your team. Their products and services are perfect for culture building at retreats, team meetings, and conferences.

Play is proven to relieve stress, improve brain function, boost creativity, provide energy and bring us closer to others. Make meetings matter with TheCultureBiz. Now…go play!

Katie Wall, TheCultureBiz CEO, is a certified and accomplished facilitator with over 14 years of experience creating meaningful engagements for all participants. Her background in experiential learning and an expertise in play helps teams connect, ideate, and design more efficiently and effectively, generating participant consensus, leveraging the expertise in the room, and driving toward practical application.

Katie has experience working with nonprofit and for-profit teams, with expertise in culture and team development, DE&I, strategic planning, human-centered design, arts integration, trauma informed care, conflict resolution, leadership team development, and innovative design.

Katie has a BFA in Theatre Performance from The University of Colorado-Boulder and is certified in facilitation and Design Thinking. She is an advocate for collaboration, inclusivity, and psychological safety in every workshop.

Katie lives in Denver, CO with her husband, her two children, and a very destructive fur baby.

Follow TheCultureBiz on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Culture Crush

Culture Crush is officially relaunched! We are thankful to Debra Caron who launched and hosted the show originally. Culture Crush is back with a new host but the same focus- highlighting what makes a great company culture and how it affects the overall success of a company.

Culture is not just a tag word to be thrown around. It is not something you throw in job descriptions to draw people to applying for jobs within a company.

According to Marcus Buckingham and Ashely Goodall in their book Nine Lies About Work, “Culture is the tenants of how we behave. It’s like a family creed. This is how we operate and treat each other in the family.”

On this long form podcast we will highlight companies local to Arizona and beyond that are crushing it with great culture!

We will talk with company leaders to learn about real-life experiences, tips, and best practices for creating a healthy work environment where employees are finding joy and satisfaction in their work while also striving and growing within the company.

About the Host

Kindra Maples is your new host taking the lead on the relaunch of Culture Crush! She is spartan racer, past animal trainer, previous magician’s assistant, and has a weakness for Oreo cookie shakes. Her journey working with people actually started working with animals as a teenager (don’t worry we won’t go that far back for her bio).

She worked for over 15 years in the zoo industry working with animals and the public. Her passion of working with animals shifted into working with people in education, operations and leadership roles. From there her passion of leadership and helping people develop has continued to grow.

Then came the opportunity for relaunching the Culture Crush Podcast and she jumped on it. Leadership, growth, and strong company cultures are all areas that Kindra is interested in diving into further.

Shout Outs

We want to thank a few people for their behind the scenes effort in helping this relaunch to come to life. James Johnson with Tailored Penguin Media Company LLC.– It is a small, but powerful video production company with a goal to deliver the very best by articulating the vision of your brand in a visually creative way. Gordon Murray with Flash PhotoVideo, LLC. -Flash Gordon has been photographing since high school and evolving since then with new products that will equip, encourage, engage, and enable. Renee Blundon with Renee Blundon Design – She is not only one of the best free divers (that’s not how she helped with the podcast) but she is great with graphics design and taking the direction for the vision that you have while also adding creative ideas to bring to your vision to life.

These are just a few of the folks that supported the relaunch of the podcast. If you would like to be part of the Culture Crush team or would like to support underwriting the show- please reach out: culturecrushpodcast@gmail.com

About Our Sponsor

For 23 years Catholic Education Arizona has helped serve underserved children with $268 million in scholarships. Catholic High Schools have a 99.4% graduation rate and 97% move on to higher education or military service.

Participating partners like APS, BBVA, and Grand Canyon University receive a dollar-for-dollar Arizona State Tax Credit. The corporate partners enjoy helping our future work force, Building the Arizona community and future leaders!

The partners also enjoy promotion in Catholic Education Arizona’s newsletter, social media channels and podcast! For more information, call 602-218-6542 or visit www.ceaz.org – they are changing lives one scholarship at a time!

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Phoenix Business Radio

Oren Molovinsky with Farmboy Restaurant and Deborah Bernett with Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co

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Oren Molovinsky with Farmboy Restaurant and Deborah Bernett with Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co

Farmboy Market, Meats, Sandwiches was conceived as a fast-casual restaurant concept, following the founder’s decades of operating farmer’s markets, catering operations, fine dining restaurants, delicatessens, and fast casual burger restaurants.

Farmboy takes the time-honored tradition of Wood-Smoked Meats (aka barbecue) – and blends it with the quintessential sandwich/sub, that have each been some of the most popular cuisines throughout the United States. Guests at Farmboy enjoy authentic Smoked Meats and Sandwiches, in a rustic and comfortable environment. The restaurant is designed specifically to ensure an engaging dine-in experience or a quick and efficient carry-out experience. The meats are primarily smoked or grilled, using real wood, ensuring a “low and slow” approach to barbecue.

The traditional culinary elements of Farmboy are accentuated by locally sourced ingredients, with meats that are raised and butchered nearby. Artisan bread is baked on site, with Heritage grains grown in Arizona. Our fresh fruits and vegetables are grown by local farmers and are typically harvested right before they are delivered. We strive to purchase whole foods and ingredients that are not processed, and if minimally so, they are handled by small family-owned operations that handle as much of the process as possible.

Sandwiches are topped to the guest’s preference, with made-from-scratch ingredients; making for an unforgettable sandwich experience. Farmboy merges the ease and accessibility of a quick service sandwich shop, with the culinary distinction of a top-notch barbecue joint. All of these elements culminate in a menu that is rich in variety; yet simple and appealing to everyone. Other menu items include a Farmer’s Salad; Chili’s & Soups; Breakfast Sandwiches and Burritos; and a Taco or Tortilla Wrap option for any sandwich. Price points for farm-to-table cuisine are typically very high, and available only in upscale restaurants. Farmboy solves this omnivore’s dilemma by utilizing the “nose to tail” approach to meat purchasing; taking advantage of the “lesser cuts” by using traditional smoking methods, which turns top rounds into tender roast beef; chuck roasts and briskets into rich cuts of smoked beef; and the trimmings for wood-grilled burgers (sliders). Local poultry is smoked whole, one of greatest delights of smoked meats. Pork is smoked by the “half hog”, with almost all the delicious cuts blended into pulled pork; all prepared in front of the guest in a large wood smoker; displayed for all guests to see the entire cooking process unfold.

Catering and bulk meat orders are very popular for families, local businesses, and events; given the popularity of both barbeque and sandwich catering. Delivery is offered for pre-ordered catering and bulk orders; however, individual delivery of menu items is outsourced to 3rd party vendors (i.e. Door Dash).

Arizona Craft Beers and Wines are offered and are carefully selected to pair well with our menu items. Farmboy also offers a traditional Margarita cocktail, over ice, made with “Naked Juice” and 3 Amigos Organic Tequila, which is farmed and distilled in Jalisco, Mexico by an Arizona farming family.

Farmboy highlights the best of Arizona; with an emphasis on excellent quality, and a menu that appeals to all diners. However, behind the menu lies a deep- rooted passion for building the local family farm economy, and bringing farmers and producers together with their community.

Oren Molovinsky, President and Operating Partner, Farmboy Market, has been working in restaurants since 1986; and in foodservice management since 1990. With a rich career working his way up from a dishwasher and prep cook, through the ranks to his most recent position as Vice President of Operations for a major national fast casual burger restaurant chain. Oren has opened and operated well over 70 restaurants in his career; including Delicatessens, bagel cafes, hotel restaurants, fine dining restaurants, and most recently has been the largest operator of the rapidly growing Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Oren has led the opening of over 25 Freddy’s; and currently operates 49 Freddy’s in 10 states throughout the US.

Prior to moving to Arizona with his wife Diana, and their 5 kids in 2011; Oren was the managing partner of several fine dining restaurants in the Washington, DC area for over 9 years. In this role, Oren led a group of restaurateurs and chefs to form a buyers group, which purchased meats, cheeses, eggs, vegetables and fruits from local farmers and producers; mostly in Virginia. Oren personally coordinated the farm tours, purchasing agreements, processing, and logistics of getting all of these meats from “farm to table”. This group, known as Farm to Table DC, purchase an average of $1,000,000 per year of local, natural & organic products. All of these funds went directly to the producers, there were no middlemen. Oren became an expert in developing “nose to tail” menus; which is a culinary term for purchasing all the meat and edible items from the cattle, pigs, lamb, and chickens that the group could purchase. This led to many farms and farming communities expanding their capacity to provide for the many chefs who were clamoring for local products.

In 2011, Oren and his family had the opportunity to move to Arizona, to be closer to family. He and his wife Diana purchased 3.5 acres in Chandler, AZ on a Maricopa County island, which is now Mo’lovin Farms. Installing an irrigation system that feeds off of the Roosevelt Water District Canal, Oren & Diana have planted over 350 fruit trees and plants. Additionally, they have successfully planted and harvested heirloom vegetables and will continue to do so. The Molovinsky’s are committed to farming organically, without the use of any chemicals. Growing organically ensures superior soil, and the result is superior produce.

Oren is also a partner, and the President of a critically acclaimed restaurant in Arlington, VA called Mala Tang. Together with his operating partner, Liming Zhang, Oren has been able to bring authentic Sichuan cuisine from the revered food city of Chengdu, China, with an emphasis on Hot Pot dining.

Connect with Oren on Linkedin, and follow Farmboy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co is a 100% grass fed and grass finished beef company located right here in Arizona. They have their own ranches, their own USDA inspected processing plant and a USDA inspected kitchen where they make Bone Broth and other further processed items. This is important because they are fully integrated and have full control of their finished product. They are passionate about humanely raised cattle and sustainable ranching practices. All of their cattle are naturally bred, born and are raised in our beautiful state where they forage for food their entire lives and consume native grasses, water and AZ sunshine. They never use antibiotics, hormones or feedlots in their operation. Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co is third party verified through the American Grassfed Association. This is the way cattle should be raised, benefiting not only the people but the environment as well.

Deborah Bernett’s background out of college was in the area of meat distribution. The next step in her career was partial ownership of a meat brokerage company here in Arizona where she’d represent large commercial packers across the country. After some time off she, her husband and their partner, Tim Petersen, began ranching together and one thing led to another and Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co. was formed.