Tech Alpharetta Archives - Business RadioX ®

Neha Maan, The Entrepreneurial Hour

June 29, 2023 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Neha Maan, The Entrepreneurial Hour

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North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 676)

Neha Maan, Editor at Large for The Entrepreneurial Hour based at Tech Alpharetta, joined host John Ray on this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. Neha talked about The Entrepreneurial Hour, how she got involved, their LinkedIn newsletter Startup Insights, how the group works, Neha’s plans moving forward as she begins her college career, and more.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The Entrepreneurial Hour (T.E.H.) is a “pay it forward” organization focused on helping entrepreneurs and startups succeed. The Entrepreneurial Hour holds weekly meetings where one founder/startup presents to a group of seasoned business leaders who offer friendly but candid advice.

They offer practical feedback and a safe place to practice your pitch for a friendly community, present your company, build awareness, think through a challenge you’re facing, and be able to a get fresh perspective on an issue.

They also have a LinkedIn newsletter available called Startup Insights.

Website| LinkedIn

Neha Maan, Editor at Large, The Entrepreneurial Hour

Neha Maan is Editor at Large for The Entrepreneurial Hour and a freshman at Northeastern University.

Since she was a young girl, she has looked up to her parents and am awed at their incredible journey of setting up and running their own business. From being in a conference over the phone to meeting with employees, she has seen her parents do it all, right from the beginning.

With this everlasting impression and excellence in my academics and community, Neha hopes to develop a career in finance.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

What is The Entrepreneurial Hour?
Neha’s story and her role at TEH
Startup Insights
Neha’s plans

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Tech Talk: Adwait Joshi with DataSeers, Karen Cashion with Tech Alpharetta and Jason Perez with Yardz

November 2, 2020 by angishields

Tech Talk

Tech Talk: Adwait Joshi with DataSeers, Karen Cashion with Tech Alpharetta and Jason Perez with Yardz

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This episode is brought to you in part by our Co-Sponsor Trevelino/Keller

Adwait Joshi is the founder and Chief Seer at DataSeers. He has been successfully helping his customers Taming the Data Demon giving them working solutions tailored to their needs.

Adwait was not only a straight A student in school but was always interested in business opportunities. When he was 15 years old, he won a scholarship and learned C++. This exposure encouraged him to start his first company at the age of 15, AD’s Computers, which was extremely profitable and paved a path for Adwait’s future; not only giving him the right exposure but also making enough money to pay for his education. While at University at Buffalo, Adwait’s thesis on Visualization Techniques for Anthropometric Data made the concept of Universal Design easy and became a very important part of UB’s research for the next 10+ years.

Adwait’s IT career in the US began with Fisher Price where he spent his summer creating tools for mechanical engineers to speed up the design of toys and he was successful in automating a lot of trivial tasks. He then went on to work at Intel where he was given a challenge that had not been solved before, migrating a 3D visualization software to a 64-bit architecture. He not only took that challenge, but tenuously worked towards finishing the project and won an award for doing it 4 weeks ahead of schedule.

For more than a decade now, Adwait has been working with various verticals solving their Data problems. He has tremendous expertise in Big Data and analytics. After a successful exit in 2016, he is back in the startup mode. His latest venture DataSeers, is a startup focused on RegTech and helping FinTech companies with Reconciliation, Compliance, Fraud, and Analytics. The product he has engineered, FinanSeer, has been so majorly successful that within the first year the company was already profitable and winning awards.

Follow DataSeers on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Karen Cashion is CEO of Tech Alpharetta, which was created by the City of Alpharetta in 2012 and is now a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization. Tech Alpharetta’s mission is to help grow technology and innovation in Alpharetta. Tech Alpharetta is a tech economic development engine for Alpharetta and the region, helping to: grow new tech companies and jobs, attract and retain tech companies, and develop skilled workforce. Tech Alpharetta accomplishes these goals through its strategic advisory board, its tech startup incubator in Alpharetta, its tech thought leadership and educational programs, and key partnerships.

Karen is also the founder, Chairperson, and past president of the Greater Alpharetta Tech Network (“GATN”), a 501(c)6 organization, which she formed in 2013 in order to provide the Greater Alpharetta technology community with locally-based tech thought leadership, educational, and networking events. GATN merged into Tech Alpharetta as of January 1, 2018.

Karen is an attorney with twenty years of experience as a commercial litigator and corporate technology lawyer. Karen began her career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City, and in addition to law firm practice, has served as Assistant General Counsel for EarthLink and Legal Counsel, Global Technology for Travelport, LP in Atlanta.

Karen received her J.D. with high honors from Duke University School of Law, where she served as Senior Editor of the Law & Contemporary Problems Journal. Karen received her Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Emory University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

Karen has served as a Commissioner on the City of Alpharetta’s Planning Commission, is a graduate of Leadership North Fulton, and is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the North Fulton Bar Association. Karen currently serves on the Advisory Board for the University of North Georgia’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and on the Advisory Board for Vinings Bank. Karen and her husband and two children are longtime residents of the city of Alpharetta.

Follow Tech Alpharetta on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Jason Perez, entrepreneur, advisor, and co-founder of Yardz comes from a pedigree of construction and entrepreneurship.

He has sat on several boards and has been a trusted advisor for a widespread array of companies. As CEO of Yardz, he brings a high business aptitude mixed with a passion-driven culture.

Connect with Jason and follow Yardz on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

Joey Kline is a Vice President at JLL, specializing in office brokerage and tenant representation. As an Atlanta native, he has a deep passion for promoting the economic growth and continued competitiveness of communities in and around Atlanta, as well as the Southeast as a whole. He has completed transactions in every major submarket of metro Atlanta, and works primarily with start-ups, advertising/marketing agencies, and publicly-traded companies. With a healthy mix of tenacious drive and analytical insights, Joey is a skilled negotiator who advises clients on a myriad of complex real estate matters.

With a strategy and business development background, Joey is first and foremost a pragmatic advisor to his clients. Most recently, he was the Director of Business Development for American Fueling Systems, an Atlanta-based alternative energy company. While at JLL, he has become a member of the Million Dollar Club, and has built a reputation as an expert on the intersection of transit-accessibility and urban real estate. With intimate involvement in site selection and planning/zoning concerns, Joey approaches real estate from the perspective of the end user, and thus possesses a unique lens through which to serve his clients.

Joey holds a Master of Business Administration from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a founder, board member, and the treasurer of Advance Atlanta, and also sits on the Selection Committee for the Association for Corporate Growth’s Fast 40 event. In addition, he is a member of CoreNet and the Urban Land Institute. Finally, he is part of LEAD Atlanta’s Class of 2019.

Connect with Joey on LinkedIn.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Dale Sizemore, Tech Alpharetta

March 13, 2020 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Dale Sizemore, Tech Alpharetta

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 13: Dale Sizemore

Dale Sizemore, technology entrepreneur, startup mentor and Director of Operations for Tech Alpharetta, joins us to discuss why the startup culture is different (and helpfully so) in Alpharetta, his mentorship of startups, and much more. The host of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is John Ray and this series is broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Dale Sizemore, Tech Alpharetta

Dale Sizemore is a serial entrepreneur, mentor to tech startups and Director of Operations at Tech Alpharetta. He’s a fixture in the Alpharetta technology community and a “go to” resource for many numerous startups in the area. He also works closely with organizations that build and support technology startups.

Dale is a long-time Alpharetta resident.

You can email Dale here or can connect with him on LinkedIn.

About “Alpharetta Tech Talk”

“Alpharetta Tech Talk” is the radio show/podcast home of the burgeoning technology sector in Alpharetta and the surrounding GA 400 and North Fulton area. We feature key technology players from a dynamic region of over 900 technology companies. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” comes to you from from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®, located inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Past episodes of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” can be found at alpharettatechtalk.com.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with approximately $12.9 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Tom Berger, RDK Consulting, Inc.

March 6, 2020 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Tom Berger, RDK Consulting, Inc.

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 12: Tom Berger

Tom Berger, RDK Consulting, joins “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to discuss his mentorship of entrepreneurs and startups, his comprehensive web resource, CxO Atlas, lessons learned along the way, and much more. The host of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is John Ray and this series is broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Tom Berger, RDK Consulting, Inc.

After over four decades of corporate and venture-backed small company experience, Tom Berger gives back by mentoring entrepreneurs and CxOs of startups and private companies. Although his direct experience has been in technology, Tom has found that his “lessons learned” and work experience is equally applicable to all business sectors. All of the variables in the “Business Success Equation” are the same. Different variables need special attention at different times.

Tom formed his business consulting firm, RDK Consulting, Inc., in 1999. For the past several years, Tom has operated on a pro bono basis, helping entrepreneurs and startup companies by providing guidance on a wide variety of business issues.

In addition to provide in-person mentoring in and around North Georgia, Tom has authored a website, CxO Atlas, which includes over 620 short, single subject articles on a wide variety of business-related subjects. The articles are divided into Volumes, Chapters, and Sections. Articles are about 800 characters long and occupy two pages. Each can be read in any order and take about three minutes to read. There is absolutely no charge for accessing or download any of the website content.

To learn more, go to the CxO Atlas website, or email Tom directly.

About “Alpharetta Tech Talk”

Past episodes of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” can be found at alpharettatechtalk.com.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Ben Cagle, Cagle Consulting Partners

February 28, 2020 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Ben Cagle, Cagle Consulting Partners

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 11: Ben Cagle, Cagle Consulting Partners

Ben Cagle, Managing Partner at Cagle Consulting Partners, joins “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to talk about his work in assisting companies with technology-related disruption, the technology ecosystem in Atlanta generally and Alpharetta specifically, and much more. The host of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is John Ray and this series is broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Ben Cagle, Cagle Consulting Partners

Ben Cagle is Managing Partner of Cagle Consulting Partners (CCP), an advisory firm focused on accelerating growth, driving innovation, and building/scaling organizations in technology, professional Services, and other industries.

Cagle Consulting Partners currently serves global enterprise, mid-market, and technology startup clients.

Prior to founding CCP, Ben served on the executive leadership team for a Global 100 Enterprise with full P&L responsibility for a $450M global business unit and led an industry consolidation initiative (with McKinsey & Company).

Transitioning from “industry” into global management consulting, Ben served in various Consulting Partner, Practice/Industry Leader, Solution Innovation, and Thought Leadership roles. Ben’s global enterprise consulting leadership experience includes positions at HP Enterprise (formerly EDS), DXC Technology (formerly CSC Consulting), and Hitachi Consulting.

Ben also has led various NASDAQ, VC-backed Software/SaaS, and entrepreneurial companies focused on advanced data analytics, market insights, and brand/marketing strategy.

Ben graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology and currently resides in Alpharetta, Georgia with his wife, Sara.

You can find more on Cagle Consulting Partners at their website or call 770-331-0925.

About “Alpharetta Tech Talk”

Past episodes of “Alpharetta Tech Talk” can be found at alpharettatechtalk.com.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Karen Cashion, Tech Alpharetta

January 24, 2020 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Karen Cashion, Tech Alpharetta

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 7: Karen Cashion, Tech Alpharetta

Tech Alpharetta CEO Karen Cashion joined “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to discuss Tech Alpharetta’s mission to create a fertile environment for the technology sector in Alpharetta. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is hosted by John Ray and broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Karen Cashion, Tech Alpharetta

Karen Cashion is CEO of Tech Alpharetta, an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to help grow technology and innovation in Alpharetta, GA. Karen develops and implements strategic initiatives for Tech Alpharetta, operates the Innovation Center, and reports to the Tech Alpharetta Board. Tech Alpharetta has three service pillars: a strategic advisory board; a startup incubator; and an events arm that holds locally-based educational and networking events for technology executives. The City of Alpharetta formed Alpharetta Technology Commission in 2012, and was granted 501c(6) nonprofit trade association status in 2015. The advisory board is comprised of some of the leading local technology companies, including emerging, intermediate and enterprise-sized businesses, along with community partner organizations and an investment firm.

Karen is a technology attorney with twenty years of legal experience. Karen received her undergraduate degree from Emory University summa cum laude, and she graduated from Duke Law School with high honors. Karen, who has served as both in-house counsel and outside counsel to numerous technology companies, including Travelport and EarthLink, is also the founder of the Greater Alpharetta Tech Network (“GATN”), which she founded in 2013, and which merged into Tech Alpharetta in late 2017.

For more information, you can contact Karen through LinkedIn. To learn more on Tech Alpharetta, you can find their website here.

“Alpharetta Tech Talk” is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®, located inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with approximately $12.9 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Carmen Allen, Allen Solvision, Inc.

January 17, 2020 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Carmen Allen, Allen Solvision, Inc.

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 6: Carmen Allen, Allen Solvision, Inc.

Carmen Allen helps Fortune 500 companies monetize and bring their internally developed innovations to market. This former IBM Research and Accenture executive joined “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to discuss this work and much more. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is hosted by John Ray and broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Carmen P. Allen, Allen Solvision, Inc.

Carmen P. Allen is founder of Allen Solvision, Inc. Her team is customer-focused and adept at business transformation, and product marketing and launch strategies. They work with senior leadership teams in Fortune 500 companies enabling organizations to achieve disruptive change and innovation. Solvision assists teams with re-thinking their product launch strategies, strategic alliances in the development of new markets and new business models. Clients are able to assess and beat their competition through accelerating change and establishing a culture of innovation.

Carmen also served as IBM Research Executive Director for six years until 2018, where she was an industry and go-to-market leader for a team of nearly 60 top research scientists. The scientists were inventing wireless, cognitive and AI innovations. Some became part of the IBM Watson portfolio of products. Her role was to assess the market for their innovations, and to assist them to find a route to market; enabling revenue growth for IBM either through the product portfolio or through the Global Services teams.

Carmen enjoys abstract oil painting as a hobby. She uses oil and mixed-media on round canvases. In addition, in 2020, Carmen plans to publish a book with a compilation of more than 200 folklore poems on 1950s Cuba, which were written in Spanish by her grandfather.

For more information, you can contact Carmen through LinkedIn.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Rachel Stuve, Golden Seeds

December 20, 2019 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Rachel Stuve, Golden Seeds

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 5: Rachel Stuve, Golden Seeds

Data analytics leader Rachel Stuve was recently voted one of LinkedIn’s top voices in 2019 for Data Science and Analytics. She joins “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to discuss a variety of topics, including her career in data analytics, data and the customer experience, how a data analytics program drives a company’s value, and her role with Golden Seeds, and more. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is hosted by John Ray and broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Rachel Stuve, Golden Seeds

Rachel Stuve is Director of Analytics with Golden Seeds, an early-stage investment firm with a focus on female leaders. Golden Seeds is dedicated to pursuing investment returns through the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and the people who invest in them. The group was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in New York City, with active chapters in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, and Silicon Valley. Golden Seeds’ angel network has become one of the largest in the country, with over 275 members nationwide.

Rachel is a founding member of the Atlanta Golden Seeds chapter. In addition to her work in the angel investment community, Rachel has over 15 years experience in healthcare, manufacturing, government, retail, and IT services as a seasoned analytics professional. Through Golden Seeds, she mentors women entrepreneurs in collecting and monetizing data, customer experience, data security and more.

For more information, you can contact Rachel through LinkedIn. To learn more on Golden Seeds, you can find their website here.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Tracey Grace, IBEX IT Business Experts

November 25, 2019 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Tracey Grace, IBEX IT Business Experts

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 4: Tracey Grace, IBEX IT Business Experts

Tracey Grace’s company, IBEX IT Business Experts, has been on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growth companies for two years running. Tracey joins “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to talk about her company’s journey, working with federal government and healthcare clients, and their newly developed diversity supplier software system. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is hosted by John Ray and broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Tracey Grace, IBEX IT Business Experts

Tracey Grace is the Founder, President and CEO of IBEX IT Business Experts (IBEX) based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and is a sought-after public speaker on Information Technology, Women in IT and diversity initiatives. She is originally from Morristown, New Jersey and attended the University of Pittsburgh where she received both her Bachelor’s in Economics and Master of Business Administration in Marketing. After a successful career in corporate America working for IT and consulting companies, Tracey started her own IT Services Firm with just one hospital system account. In less than 8 years Tracey and Team IBEX has been nominated for and received numerous awards ranging from “Small Business Person of Excellence” from the Greater North Fulton (GA) Chamber of Commerce and the “On the Rise Contractor of the Year” National Award from American Express. In 2017, Tracey won the GMSDC “Eagle Award” for her commitment to Supplier Diversity, and an award in the Capital One Catapult Competition for the development of a Supplier Diversity Vendor Management System called “Certifiably Diverse” currently being utilized at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Forbes Magazine took notice and published an article in August of 2019; Tracey Grace: The Tech Sector needs more Women and Minorities. In 2019, Owens & Minor, a Fortune 500 Company awarded Team IBEX the Earl G. Reubel Award for Diverse Enterprise of the Year and the Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC) awarded Team IBEX with the LACE (Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellence) Trailblazer Award in Category III.

Tracey has been nominated to participate in leadership and diversity mentoring programs including the 2018 Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program, and the Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection. Under her leadership in 2019, IBEX was named the 806th fastest growing privately-owned companies in America by Inc. 5000 and #50 in Georgia, after having placed #1897 in 2018. She regularly speaks to corporations large and small about utilizing minority suppliers and vendors in the procurement and purchasing process.

Today, IBEX has grown to 100 employees and is a Multi-Million Dollar IT Service & Support, Management Consulting, and Training Firm executing contracts for Healthcare, Military and Federal Government Agencies, Fortune 500 Companies and Educational Institutions. The company is a proud Woman and Minority-owned firm, certified by the Small Business Administration, the National Minority Supplier Development Council, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, and the SBA 8(a) Business Development Program.

IBEX works with healthcare and government agencies including the US Army, US Air Force, Defense Health Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), General Services Administration (GSA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Corporate clients include: The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Tenet Healthcare, Cox Communications and Fulton County Schools.

Tracey and her husband Gary reside in Johns Creek, GA where they raised their family of 5 with only 1 left in college. They spend their free time playing golf and tennis and serving on various boards focused on Adult Literacy and Advanced Degrees and Scholarship opportunities for Minority Students.

For more information on IBEX IT Business Experts, and in particular on their ITIL certification training, go to their website or call 678-752-7542.

Neha Maan, The Entrepreneurial Hour

North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 676)