Name, Image & MicNess
Name, Image & MicNess dives into the dynamic world of college athletics, exploring the evolving landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Presented by Krewe Allons, this podcast ensures that Louisiana Athletics remains at the forefront of competitiveness while offering fans exclusive access to players, coaches, and staff. It's also a unique platform for Acadiana businesses to connect directly with student athletes, fostering stronger community ties.
Name, Image & MicNess
Transforming Communities Through Business, Mentorship, and Athletics with Todd Citron and John Williams
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What if you could transform your community by bridging the gap between business, mentorship, and athletics? In this impactful episode, we introduce you to Todd Citron and John Williams, whose inspiring story began with a personal act of care and blossomed into a professional collaboration aimed at fostering economic growth and community support in Lafayette. Learn how their shared dedication to the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation's "Art of Business" program is empowering Ragin' Cajun student-athletes and local musicians to manage finances, form LLCs, build sustainable careers and more.
We take a closer look at the deeper aspects of mentorship that go beyond the traditional mentor-mentee relationship. Discover how personal well-being, faith, and family values play crucial roles in shaping business approaches and life decisions. With thoughtful reflections on the origins and mission of the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation, Todd and John share how they balance their philanthropic goals with practical financial responsibilities, all while fostering growth and positive change in the community.
Our conversation also tackles the complexities of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals in college sports, spotlighting the importance of holistic support systems for young athletes. Hear real-life anecdotes that showcase the transformative power of community involvement, from providing meaningful opportunities for lesser-known athletes to creating recruitment tools that attract and retain talent. Tune in to understand the profound impact of the "Art of Business" program and how it’s building a stronger, more connected community.
To support the collective and join the Krewe, visit Krewe Allons' website today!
To learn more about ULEDF and the Art of Business, visit Upper Lafayette's website.
This podcast is part of the AcadianaCasts Network. Send an email to info@acadianacasts.com to start or enhance your podcast journey!
Welcome to another episode of Name, image and Mikeness. I'm your host, carter Semino, founder of the Acadiana Cast Network. I hope you guys enjoyed the first episode of the show with Dr Brian Maggard. If this is your first episode that you're checking out, make sure you go listen or watch that episode. There's a lot of great information right out of Dr Maggard's mouth about how college athletics works, the current state of name, image and likeness and how it operates from an athletic standpoint and folks. That's our goal. What we're trying to do is we're trying to educate and inform folks, because there's a lot of misconceptions and questions about how NIL operates and we not only want to educate folks out there but we want to let you know that it's here to stay and there's great opportunities for not just student athletes but for business owners and for fans alike. But we'll also show you how supporting Krulon and Upper Lafayette will only benefit the Louisiana Athletic Program, all while we get to know on a deeper level some of our players, coaches, staff members and the supporters and business community who make up the great Cajun Nation. Now, while that first episode mostly focused on NIL from an athletic standpoint, this episode is focused on the organization that is changing the game when it comes on NIL. From an athletic standpoint, this episode is focused on the organization that is changing the game when it comes to NIL. Today we talk with Todd Citrin and John Williams. Now Todd is the owner of Hub City Ford and a board member and founding member of Upper Lafayette, while John Williams is the owner of Quality of Life Services, while also serving as the executive director for Love of People Nonprofit, which has a lot of events and initiatives in conjunction with Upper Lafayette, of which he also serves as the Executive Director. Now, both of these men have been working tirelessly to get the Art of Business program off the ground. We'll talk about that and how their business relationship started and grew to what it is today. But, most importantly, you'll hear about how this Art of Business program directly benefits Raging Cajun student-athletes and our business community here in Lafayette and the Acadiana surrounding area.
Speaker 1:Now, before we get to that conversation, I need to talk to you about our title sponsor of today's episode and you guessed it, that's right. It's Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation and the Art of Business program. Now, are you a local business looking to make a meaningful impact in your community? Well, welcome to the Art of Business, a personal and professional development program brought to you by Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation, where creativity meets commerce and where your business can be more than just a name it's a cornerstone of community and economic growth.
Speaker 1:Upper Lafayette isn't just about networking folks. It's about building a stronger, more vibrant community where businesses like yours thrive. By joining us, you're not just getting a seat at the table. No, you're becoming a vital part of a movement that supports local art, culture and economic growth of our area. Now you probably asking what's in it for you? Well, imagine your business gaining visibility, all while contributing to the cultural fabric of Lafayette. Plus, with our strong network of like-minded businesses and community leaders, you'll have endless opportunities to connect, collaborate and grow alongside creatives, student-athlet athletes and vetted members from our community Ready to take your business to the next level. Join Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation today and be a part of the Art of Business program. Visit our website at upperlafayettecom or follow us on social media to learn more. Together, let's create a community where business is an art. And now let's hear it just straight from the horse's mouth themselves. Here's Todd Citrin and John Williams. It's so funny seeing both of y'all on this couch together.
Speaker 2:It feels funny.
Speaker 1:But y'all are no strangers to being close to each other.
Speaker 3:Y'all have known each other for several years? How? But y'all are no strangers to being close to each other. Y'all known each other for several years. How did y'all, how did y'all meet? Um, you want me to tell that story?
Speaker 2:you can start it and I'll tell the truth my father-in-law says some some stories are are true and some really happen. I think something like that. Uh, yeah, so so my mother, uh, got very started to have early sets of dementia. We were desperate as it pertained to health care and some kind of way the Holy Spirit sent us to this rehab hospital for her. And so we went there and lo and behold, you know, john was her nurse and I just knew right away, when I saw John and met John, that we were going to have a lifelong relationship, not without even having a word actually, and um, and so we met there and you know, uh, he pulled me aside, or I pulled him aside, I guess it was him pulling me aside, saying I can take care of your mother, and uh, and we did not want her to be in a nursing home or, or you know, in a forever hospital, but we wanted her to be at home and John was able to provide that. So it was a match made in heaven.
Speaker 3:And a blessing. That's very, very accurate.
Speaker 3:And then from my perspective. Todd is the youngest son of six and you know, I didn't really know. I didn't know who Marcel Sitchin was and things, but what I did see was her sons continuously coming in to the hospital and bringing her shoes that they had bought for, or Mom I saw this scarf and bring, you know, and I'm like man, this woman is really sick but they keep bringing her stuff. I'm like what are they thinking? And I'm like they don't know how to take care of this woman. And then one day Todd passed by and God literally ripped me out of my chair and I walked up to him and I said, sir, I believe I can help you take care of your mom. And when I tell you immediately, todd says you're hired and I'm like wait, hold on.
Speaker 3:I said let me go work on something, let me put a plan together. I think this is a Friday. I said I'll be in your office on Monday. And sure enough, over the weekend my mom helped me put together quality of life services over a weekend, and then I went in Todd's office on monday morning and and that was it we've been together since.
Speaker 2:That's how quality of life services started yeah, I mean, so many people find themselves in this situation and it's very desperate as a, as a son or a daughter, uh, to have your, your parent, get old quick, you know, and mom was perfectly fine, and then, all of a sudden, it just happened, and, and that's how it happens, it was a blessing. What John offered us was exactly what we were looking for, and I think that his service is for anyone that wants to keep their loved one at home. It's just tailor-made, and so that was the beginning of our relationship.
Speaker 3:It always blew my mind, man and you and I never really spoke about it face to face like that but what, what, what made you just bring me on so quick like? The first person to really believe in me. Dude, you didn't know who I was. It blew my mind.
Speaker 2:I'm a I'm a huge believer in in the Holy Spirit and faith and a very spiritual guy, and so I'm led by the Spirit and I have just no questions. I make decisions very quickly on feel and I knew right away that God had led you to us and I was 100% sure of that. And you know that relationship spawned into Curcio and all the other things. You know, john's my spiritual brother and our relationship is way deeper than business. Upper Lafayette spawned from that as well, john being the executive director. But all of that came from a personal relationship and I think it all came from Christ. You know there's no question that that he put us together. Amen to that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, talking about you, yeah, and talking about this mentorship that you've helped facilitate with John over the years and it's so much of what is going into this Art of Business curriculum that Upper Lafayette is partnering with Kuralon on. Can you talk a little bit about what? The value of a mentor?
Speaker 3:is For me. I come from a family that you know. I had people that inspired me, that taught me well and everything, but when it came to my adulthood and professional life, todd was truly the first person to give me that chance, and at the time I didn't know what a mentor really was supposed to be. I never experienced that and what Todd did for me. A good mentor is somebody that's going to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear, and you hear that so much as a cliche, but it's so true Todd has always been that person that he'll poke a hole ten holes in my idea. Whether he believes in it or not, he's going to shoot it down, but it gets me in a position of, well, let me keep flipping it and let me make it better. And then it gets to a point where your mentor does have to step out of the way because I'm going to do this anyway.
Speaker 3:That's right the way, because I'm going to do this anyway. That's right, but they did. He did such a great job in poking the holes that when I was ready to step out because I believed in myself it was solid and ready to roll.
Speaker 2:It's weird for me to have you say like that I'm a mentor for you, because I don't look at it like that at all. I mean, it's weird for me to hear that, um, because I just look at you as a close friend, and and, um, our relationship, uh, is, is based on that, and, and, and your wellbeing, and, and, and, and, first and foremost, your, your, your, uh, your walk towards heaven. You know, I think that's at my forefront when I'm at you, and and, um, and, and the rest of it's going to come. You know, the business part. I just feel like if you're in a state of sanctifying grace and you're doing the things you can, the family, the business, it's going to come. That that's natural. And so, for another thing for me is always financially for you.
Speaker 2:I feel like you know, I'm a financial guy, I'm like john we have to make money, you have to feed your kids, and so a lot of john's ideas are philanthropic and he does these things for other people constantly and I'm like you have to feed your family or otherwise you can't feed these other families. And so I think we have a lot of those discussions because John's heart is so big and I think that he's all in on everything and I'm like, oh, hey, let's feed your family first. You know you got to help yourself or you can help others. But you know again, hey, let's feed your family first. You know you got to help yourself or you can help others, but you know, again, never, ever thought of myself as a mentor for you. You know, I think that's almost comical to me, you know.
Speaker 2:I just definitely look at you more as a brother and you know I see a lot of you and myself because you know, marcel touched both of us. Uh, you're, you're this, you're, you're one of the other sons, you're the seventh son and, uh, she raised us both and you know you were able to see a little bit of of, uh, her giving back to the community and what she does as a business person, and I think it rubbed off on us big time man.
Speaker 3:She, uh, she. She definitely lit me on fire for that next level. She was the one that gave me permission. She was like John, you use your time, you use your wealth, you use your resources to bless others. And she was like you won't go wrong. And so when she told me that she and I had some of the most clear days and this woman would talk to me and she was giving me the, you know, I call it give me the game, you know, and she did that.
Speaker 3:And what was very interesting was after she passed away, you know, I would talk to Todd every day. You know, for five years, six years, I spoke to him every day. You know whether it was about his mom or what was going on. And then, after she passed away, we went like six months and maybe I talked to him like once every three or four weeks and I said, okay. I picked up the phone one day I said, hey, man, we've been in each other's lives for like six years straight. We're past. Taking care of your mom, we succeeded. But you're my friend and I want to make sure that we maintain a relationship. And it wasn't anything about sponsoring anything, it just was I wanted him in my life. You know we had really connected and I'm glad that we were able to come through that as brothers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, and my attitude towards business is that life is short and there's a lot of baloney in the world and we got to cut through all that. You know, uh, I, I hope that's one thing. I know that I've tried to emphasize on john a lot is that don't sweat the small stuff, don't be afraid to take risk and, um, you know, uh, let your heart lead and and the holy spirit's gonna gonna take care of the rest.
Speaker 1:I love how uh todd is such a man of christ, but also the biggest devil's advocate you know what you're saying. He'll not push back, not just to be a contrarian, but it's helpful in business and in mentorship. But I want to talk about Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation, uledf, which is a mouthful, but it was shorthand. We call it Upper Lafayette. Yes, upper Lafayette Hashtag. Thank you.
Speaker 3:John, but it was shorthand, we just call it.
Speaker 2:Upper Lafayette, yes, upper Lafayette, hashtag.
Speaker 1:Thank you, john, so Upper.
Speaker 3:Lafayette. For those who don't know, john, what is it? You know. Todd can explain where it started because, I think he coined the name which we're going to have to play with eventually.
Speaker 2:It was Herb. I mean, it was Herb's idea and it was his name that he came up with.
Speaker 1:Herb Schilling.
Speaker 2:We were at Schilling having a meeting and there was CODA and there was a North Lafayette group and they were kind of grumpy and Herb felt like we needed a positive influence on the north side and he suggested at that meeting hey, we should call it upper lafayette, and I think not only to designate the region but also to to say hey, we're far, lafayette, upper level, let's, let's make lafayette rise, uh, to a better level, and so, um, so we, uh, I thought everyone thought that was the weirdest name, and um, and then I had, I do our advertising and our, our commercials always ended hub, city, ford, i-49 north lafayette. And I asked chris island, our, with vet ox, my cousin, and who does our production. I said hey, just slip in the word upper in front of lafayette and let's just do the commercial. No one will notice too, but it'll be good for the group, you know. And and so he's like I don't, I don't think that's wise and I said, look, just do it, let's just see, nobody's gonna say anything. And they ran that first commercial i-49 north upper lafayette. Holy cow, I mean it caused quite a stir, I mean it. It stuck and people took some offense to it.
Speaker 2:The northside group really took offense to that, like we were downing Northside High or the Northside of Lafayette. That was never our intention, but that's when it really kind of became a household name. And then you know, the association was there to better this side of the parish and the city and John kind of took it to another level where it's really just a better the northern parishes as well, grand Coteau in that area. But we've we did some wonderful things. Jan Swift really made it go so proud of her. She did a great job. And then John's picked up the ball and we've run in some different directions but I love where we're going yeah, and so where are we right now?
Speaker 3:uh. So I became executive. That all started in 2005 and then, um three or four years ago is when I became executive director and my first year in my annual one year anniversary was, uh, christened with covid. So everything shut down.
Speaker 3:But when I went in and I was talking to Todd and Chris from the beginning, and Herb, I told him I said, look, I don't want to just bring in member businesses and not have an established purpose. You know, that's kind of leading back towards when Todd's like John, you need to make sure you're taking care of your family. I don't like selling a dream, you know, I don't like selling a vision. I believe in creating an environment. We establish a purpose and a cause and then bringing in like-minded people, like-minded businesses that can operate for a goal. And that's what we've done with Upper Lafayette and the organization in that we've established where our focuses are member business support services, offering opportunities for people that live in the community throughout all of Lafayette and, you know, acadiana with job opportunities. And then we also brought in Art of Business Initiative, which is designed to identify, vet and then refer people for whether it's job opportunities or small business support services and development. We've lack of a better word weaponized up a Lafayette. Yeah, I mean Carter, when we started.
Speaker 2:it was networking and we had some wonderful meetings, big attendance, we had a lot of membership. The board was solid. It was a different organization. I looked at it as a watchdog, a little bit waiting for us to take a stand on something that made sense.
Speaker 2:Like ordinances or I remember the 1% tax for the airport. That was something that came up at our board that we were split on. I was on the chamber board for a long time and that was a rough time for me I'm big pro-Lafayette born and raised and I just felt like our needs weren't being satisfied as a business community. So it was that, and then a lot of relationships spawned out of that and we tried to do some development around town. We wanted to bring the Hyman Center on this end, bring arts on this end. Some of those endeavors we weren't able to accomplish, but we did establish ourselves and I think that when John came along, we went in a different direction and we needed to and we did. We became proactive and I think that you know, through all this time we were all headed to where we are now with this art of business.
Speaker 2:It started with the Blues Monday, I think no-transcript. They make amazing employees and so that stuck with me and so as an economic foundation, we're able to bring these people in that give back to the community. That are great employees that the businesses need. We need employees. And then we connected that, you know, into the students, into the seniors and the juniors that are in the athletic program. These are amazing kids that are vetted by their coaches and their discipline. They're smart, they're hungry. A lot of them aren't from here and they want to live here, which is great. So you know we want to keep them here, so it's just a perfect relationship. I'm getting excited about it. Just talking about it.
Speaker 3:I know it was his fault. You know Carter is the one that you know. Take your bow, you deserve it. But I always knew. You know, I played college sports. Todd was the best scorekeeper ever to walk the face of the earth, but me, I played college sports.
Speaker 3:I know what it takes to operate on a collegiate level. I didn't do it long at all, but I know what it takes. You have to be committed, dedicated, follow direction and when you start checking these boxes of what it takes to operate on a college level, I mean you're looking at potentially what could be the best employee, you're looking at what could potentially be the next community leader. But when these kids are in college and playing ball, you also have to stay very focused on what you're doing, so the way, the art of business and connecting with these kids and allowing them the opportunity to meet a mentor and be talked. You know you can speak with a business owner and you can start to identify other opportunities before you get out of college. Um, you know, unfortunately, when you play college ball, not everybody makes it to the next level very few very few.
Speaker 3:I mean the numbers are staggering on how many people don't make it to the next level. But you still have to stay committed to your craft and that shows another level of dedication. So you can capture these kids coming out of school that have all these skill sets and then you, as a business, you show them what you need them to do and they already follow direction.
Speaker 2:They'll be your top seller or your top employee, employee of the month, within the first six months, I think too, john, that most of these kids because it starts at the age of four or five, whether that's soccer, baseball, football, they're just doing that constantly and they get so burnt out and even if they get to the collegiate level, they've pretty much had enough and unless they're going to go on and play professional, that's it, you know.
Speaker 2:They're looking for something else to do and they're more than happy to go into a different field and get away from athletics a little bit. And so I think for us we want long-term employees. I have 30, 40, 50 year employees at Hub City Ford. That's what we're looking for and these young people represent that, and I think they do want to stay, and it isn't like corporate America where they're hopscoping all over the place, you know, and moving jobs and always trying to better themselves. You can come and work at Hub City Ford, change jobs inside the store and become very successful, lay your roots in Lafayette and raise a family, and people want to be here, you know. So that's what we offer, and we're not the only ones. It's a bunch of these companies that are in Upper Lafayette that feel the way I do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, as a bunch of these companies that are in Upper Lafayette that feel the way I do. Yeah, and that's the whole purpose of it bringing these companies together to join our organization so that you have the opportunity yourself to tap into these people, yeah, and just kind of rewinding a little bit this whole art of business thing.
Speaker 1:It originally started, kind of what Ty was alluding to with Blue Monday, but with creatives, with musicians, can you speak a little? Bit about how that kind of started, without getting too deep into the weeds.
Speaker 3:John loves music. I love it.
Speaker 1:We'll start with that and taking care, don't we all in South Louisiana?
Speaker 2:Absolutely but he's on a different level.
Speaker 3:Well, look, taking care of old people is what I do, and so when I started seeing these older musicians who worked for cash their whole life you know, not having retirements, not having 401ks I really tried to impact that. But you know it's so far gone, it's so difficult. You know it would take so much money really to impact those older people and everything that they need, and we've helped a whole lot of people. But prevention is really key, and so Art of Business came from. Okay, if I take a young musician through Upper Lafayette, we create an LLC for them. Teach them how to operate as a business. So now we're economic impact. We're creating small businesses. Hook them up with CPAs, learn how to pay taxes, learn how to expense accounts and how to write things off.
Speaker 1:Give them that business acumen and then also from their career, pairing them up with musicians who've been there, done that, and it's a shady business, and so to be able to talk with those cats about some of the mistakes that they made or watch out for this, look out for that, added to the economic and business development side of things, it's so great for those guys Every musician is an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2:They're self-employed, right, and so it's business at its roots. And so, you know, it's that teaching a kid how to be an entrepreneur, how to be self-sufficient, how to create a business, you nailed all those things and you know, most of these kids either have a single parent or no parent sometimes, and so, uh, they're looking for mentorship and they're looking to stay in. Lafayette is an eye-opener for me because of the arts, you know, because of the music and because of the culture and and in the family environment that we, we provide.
Speaker 1:It's a unique opportunity and I'm so excited to be plugged into the university because it's it's a special place we'll be right back to the conversation with Todd Citrin and John Williams in just a minute, but first you want to know how you can impact the lives of UL student-athletes. Well, you can support Cruel Lamp, the NIL collective for Louisiana athletics. Cruel Lamp provides Raging Cajun student-athletes opportunities to build their personal brands while engaging with our community. For as little as ten dollars month. That's like a monthly subscription to Netflix. Well, that's less than what Netflix costs these days. You can help Louisiana Athletics separate itself from the competition for just $10 a month, or however much you want to donate. Invite your friends and family to join the crew and support Raging Cajun student-athletes. Visit crewalongcom today to get started. That's K-R-E-W-E-A-L-L-O-N-S dot com to get started. Together, we will make a difference.
Speaker 1:Now let's head back to Todd and John. I saw what you're doing with Art of Business with these creatives. I'm a massive sports fan and I see a disconnect with sports fans, at least here in Acadiana, but it's not just here, it's all over the country. But there's a disconnect with especially the older generation is like why should I pay a college athlete? They're amateurs, you know, absolutely. But I don't want to just give this kid a $20,000 check. Okay, how about plugging him into this curriculum, this program I saw, I saw it as a no brainer for these kids.
Speaker 3:That's the art of business. So you flip it on its head and now you have these college athletes and, thank God, finally these kids can get paid, because schools have made billions and billions of dollars and while these kids are walking around with $5 in their pocket, thank God, the schools do offer them a lot of support medical support and free food and everything like that Gives them an education and an opportunity, exactly. But now that the NIL program exists, now it's the same thing as the young musician. Now this kid is officially a small business. So us as a community, as a business community, we have to invest in these small businesses as a business for the benefit of potentially employing this person once they're available.
Speaker 2:So I'm a huge college fan as well sports, football, basketball, baseball, you name it. And so this is great because we have this discussion amongst our friends. Nil is a four letter word, you know. You look at Texas A&M that went out and paid for all these players and then it all fell apart. You're asking college kids to do professional things they can't do. So nobody liked it and everybody liked. Oh, you know, I like the way things used to be. Well, sure, we did, but the kid, the kids did. So that's no good for them.
Speaker 2:But this was a born out of that thought is that let can this work for everyone? And so what I'm excited about is that I never like as a, as an advertiser what a worthless deal. You know, if I'm an LSU or UL fan, I want to hand some kid some money just so we can be successful and win more games. Well, that's no good. And what's he going to give me, you know? I mean, is kids going to say, hey, I like this car, go buy it? No, and then what's he going to do, goofy, that doesn't represent your company. Well, so we've seen that happen. But what I always wanted was the walk-on kid. You know, was the kid that was a hard worker was the kid that was needy, and this is where the idea really of Art of Business for my portion, john had his own ideas, but for me that was my idea was to go out and find these awesome kids and plug them in, and I think we're going to do that.
Speaker 3:Oh, we're going to slam, dunk it, dude. And just to reiterate, to drive that point home, it's not just that star quarterback or that star pitcher that we bring into the art of business. This is for all the kids that are involved on this team. You know, just to make it to a college level and sit the bench, you still have some fire attributes that every business could utilize.
Speaker 3:So it's not like I call it the Michael Vick phenomenon and you've heard that story, but I'll go ahead and say it publicly. It's like I'm not going to give a kid from the hood or from the country that don't know any better a million dollars. You know, with Michael Vick. You give Michael Vick a million dollars but don't give him any education on personal finance. He's going to buy fighting dogs and get in trouble. That's the goofy part that they end up doing. But you take that same Michael Vick. You give him a million dollars, but you put him in the art of business and I believe Michael Vick would have then built rescue shelters for dogs as opposed to fighting them.
Speaker 1:And so we're rolling a lot of this stuff out. But there's been some lack of a better term, some guinea pigs. We can talk about Casey Osai a little bit. He has an episode coming up on this. We had a great conversation. But, John, you don't have to mention the player's name. But Casey brought a group of players his culture team to Bell's Tower Business. You own a day space for people with dementia. Kind of clean the place up, do some yard work, help some of the interior and tell folks about the kind of conversation you had with this kid who, once he's done college, he basically knew one thing to do.
Speaker 3:So it was interesting, it happened a couple of times and I can kind of do both at the same time. But you know these guys, they were like from Mississippi, playing on UL football team, and he comes from a single-parent home, you know. So he grew up watching his mom work two, three jobs trying to support he and his two older brothers. And she's running from job to job and you know, one of the brothers is getting in trouble because mom's not home. And and that's why he started throwing himself in the sports, because he didn't want to end up on the street. And then so he became a young star athlete and he's working his way up. Now he's playing in college and you know, he flat out tells me hey, I know I'm not going to the NFL. And he looks at me, says, but I know I'm not going to the NFL. And he looks at me and says but I know I'm not going back home because he knew that if he went back to the house he grew up in, it was one chance he was going to end up getting in trouble, you know. And so he chose that. He said I'm going to go to the Army. And in that moment and I say this wholeheartedly, I mean thank you to every armed forces person. I and I say this wholeheartedly I mean thank you to every armed forces person. I mean we need it and I'm not trying to take away from that.
Speaker 3:But if a kid in this position is choosing to go to the Army simply because they don't have any other choice, that's a problem, you know. So in the moment I asked him, I said, son, is that something that you really want to do? And he was like no, I just don't know anything else to do. And and he was like no, I just don't know anything else to do. And I don't want to go back home and I don't want to struggle like my mom had to struggle. I want to make sure I can provide for myself and my future family.
Speaker 3:And I'm looking at him and he's out here weeding the flower beds, sweating as hot as all get out. And so I know you're ready to work. And then so I tell them about Hub City Forward and their program that they have about sending you to school learning them. About Hub City Ford and their program that they have about sending you to school learning to work on Fords. The amount of money you can make, come out insurance benefits and you know ways to move up. And the light bulb went off on this kid's head. He graduates in December and he's running to Hub City Ford.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Todd owes me 10 grand for that. Yeah, at least.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, in talking to Coach and some of the staff with the Cajuns, they're talking about how they're seeing how this Art of Business program can also be used as a recruitment tool. I mean, think about it If you're the parent of a kid and choosing between two different schools and one school has a great program and, you know, has some nil opportunities, but the other school, good, great program but also has nil opportunities, with something like this art of business program I don't have any kids but I feel like I want to point my kid to that school yeah, if he couldn't fix the car, though, you owe me 10 grand hey, I'll get it out of him.
Speaker 2:I'll put a weed and flower beds um carter, I think that I think they call them the group of five, the FBS, the big schools. They're going to give money for recruits and it's a different level.
Speaker 1:Right, the power four, now Right, and then UL would be in the group of five.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So that group, you know, for me that is a niche for them because they can't afford to pay these recruits UL has admitted they just want to keep the good kids they have and I think that's a good way to look at it and I offer them. And so, in order to offer something that the others aren't right, everybody needs a niche in business and that's going to be UL's niche is that they're offering these kids way beyond college. They're giving them a connection to the community and a job opportunity and schooling on how to live life. And for me, you know, it's always the spiritual side.
Speaker 2:What greater place than Acadiana for a faith-based, you know person to raise their family and dig in on their faith? You know, casey Osai is our guy and he has blown me away with his faith and it's an example for all. And these kids are good examples and I think when they dig into their faith and all the things we have to offer, you go to any church in Lafayette, it's always packed and you know that just creates waves. I mean, I do believe that Lafayette's the hub city of the whole country and of the whole world as it pertains to Catholicism. And you know, jerusalem is called the hub city. Most people don't know that, but you know there's no coincidence there. So this is the holy land, and you know that's the way I look at it.
Speaker 3:Hey, look man.
Speaker 2:Very spiritual side.
Speaker 3:I will echo that 100%. You know, I believe with my whole heart that Lafayette, specifically, and Acadiana, the culture we have here, the people we have here, what better place to build this art of business initiative? And I do believe to Coach Dez and Dr Maggots' point. I know that this program is going to impact all of NIL throughout the country. Just being able to give these kids this much faith in investment which turns around and blesses businesses.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's a no-brainer.
Speaker 1:And you know, todd, we were joking around earlier, you being a contrarian and whatnot, but you know, when we first started having these conversations, you know, you put on your business cap and you start looking at it sideways a little bit.
Speaker 2:But can you talk from the perspective of a business owner, getting to engage with a person like a Casey Osai, and what that experience was like for you, um, just it's, it's a blessing, as the way I would say it. You know, I asked Casey to be on our radio show on Cajun Catholics and, and you've been a guest, and you guys both blow me away. I mean, uh, the faith of, of of the youth of Acadiana, uh is beautiful and um, this, he's from Nigeria. He says a rosary every day. He's got one on his rear view mirror. I mean, this kid gets up at 5.00 AM and starts praying. There's no, there's no uh secret to his success. And so you know, uh, that inspires me. Uh, they need mentorship.
Speaker 2:When it comes Now that I will, I will stick my chest out and say, yes, I want to be a mentor in a faith way to these guys and and hopefully, and I get just as much as I get way more than they would, you know, but that's a guy you want in Lafayette forever. I mean, this is, this is a leader and a true leader, and and all the principles of of christianity come through in sports. That's the what I love about sports. I I I have come to not like sports so much because of the way things are and you know I don't watch pro sports that much anymore.
Speaker 2:But that's the beauty of sports for me is hearing the story behind the story you know, these kids are real people, they come from real homes and and uh, they live in the real world.
Speaker 3:Yeah, todd had me laughing at the beginning of this NIL thing. He tells me he said so I go in there. And I'm telling him, hey, I'm going to get involved with the NIL stuff. And he says, oh no, I don't want nothing to do with that. He says some guy from UL calls me. He says, hey, I want to be in a Hub City Ford commercial. How much are you going to pay me? That's right.
Speaker 2:You know, the day they announced NIL.
Speaker 3:And like to me, it was just the most you know ghetto way of approaching a business owner ever.
Speaker 2:That was not going to happen you know, I came back from Rotary and he may have been at Rotary I forgot how that. I think he was a guest speaker or something. But anyway, I'm like lose my number, dude.
Speaker 3:Totally not interested. So in that moment, like Todd, was totally disenchanted with NIL. In that moment for me I'm like these kids need to be taught and mentored how to do an interview, how to address, you know, a superior in a professional setting, not just a sports setting. So that's when it started firing off of me. And then, after he meets KC and we do the Calvin James man of the Year Award for KC, kc gets this electric car that he uses until he's finished it here at UL and Todd gets a call about two weeks after we give KC the car and this kid calls and Todd answers the phone. He says hey, mr Todd, I saw the car that Casey got and Todd, no more cars.
Speaker 2:We don't have any more cars.
Speaker 3:I want a car too. No more cars. No, there's no more cars. He says no, sir, he said I'm calling because I'd like to work over there. I, I like to be a car dealer over there. So to point out another benefit for a business getting involved with Upper Lafayette and our art of business to address NIL, that was proof in pudding right there the more we can interact with these kids, get them involved with our businesses, getting our secretaries even involved, not only will we increase support for the school, but they will already be acclimated to our business. They'll know who we are once they get out and they're coming straight knocking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you have a vetted guy like a KC who gets approved to kind of receive these blessings from a business and he passes that on. But obviously he didn't just say like oh yeah, you can get a car too. Casey probably said something like, well, this is kind of what they're doing.
Speaker 3:He's been leading every volunteer, because this is an accountability-based system. We're not handing out anything. You've got to show up, you've got to earn it, you've got to want it and I'll first run at this. Casey has truly been that channel partner. In a way, he's bringing these kids.
Speaker 2:I mean is is KC one in a million or is it? Are there a lot of KCs? That's the question I'm asking. I can't wait to find out, you know but he, the Holy Spirit, found us and put us together, because we didn't pick KC. He just kind of surfaced and you know, I just want to know how many other KCs are there. You know, I mean, this guy is special.
Speaker 3:If I had to guess, there's many.
Speaker 1:And you'll see in the interview with Coach Desmond you kind of talked about it earlier because he's spoken about it before but you know he's vetting these kids, he's bringing in certain high-character athletes and building a program around that, and he's not the only coach at UL doing that. Yeah, so something tells me there's a few more KCs out there.
Speaker 3:That has been a true blessing for me getting involved with UL sports.
Speaker 3:In all honesty, once I stopped playing sports I never had the mind to let me remember your name or what year, how many home runs, man, I will not remember that kind of stuff. But getting involved on this level, seeing the dedication of these coaches and the way that they truly do love these kids, you know and it's a blessing for us that once these kids finish playing, it's no more take their name off the board and drop it in the trash because now you need to focus on your next year's team. It's no more of that, I'm sure, and I can't wait to really start interviewing these coaches myself. I'm sure it's a gut punch when you've got to pull that nameplate off and know that kid is never playing for you again. But now, instead of pulling that nameplate off and throwing it in the trash, they hand it over to all the business up in Lafayette, baby, and they'll know that those kids are still being trained, still being pushed and still being held accountable and living good lives.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so if you're a business around Acadiana and you're hearing this and something strikes a nerve or sparks something, how do they get involved?
Speaker 3:Upperlafayettecom. You can find us our website there. There's all the contact information is at upperlafayettecom. We're going to start populating our YouTube channel at Upper Lafayette Once we get it from Todd full of Hub City Ford commercials. I don't even think he's aware of that. Do you know all your commercials? That's intentional. You're the man.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean again, we ran with Upper Lafayette.
Speaker 3:It's been really a blessing for us.
Speaker 2:All I can say is, yeah, we need to plug in businesses into this art of business, because it is the future of Lafayette, it's something we can all hang our hat and be very proud of, and so I'm really looking forward to being a big part of it. Finally got one, so I'm really looking forward to being a big part of it.
Speaker 1:Finally got one. Well, gentlemen, I appreciate you guys sitting down and it's been really cool working with both of you all and kind of seeing this thing grow and working with these athletes and coaches and staff and getting to know some of these people behind the scenes, and there's so much that goes into it. I'm really excited with Name, image and Mike-ness, the name of the show to really promote and showcase and highlight some of these things that we're doing with Art of Business and what Career Law is doing and these athletes. Where do you see this show going? Give a folks, because you're the executive producer, john.
Speaker 3:Yeah, give a folks a little tease of some of the content that they'll be seeing down the line.
Speaker 1:Look of some of the content that they'll be seeing down the line.
Speaker 3:Look man, I'm kind of highfalutin' and spoiled. So I love access to things, you know, I love going backstage of things. I love being behind the scenes to Todd's point, really getting to know people, and that's what I'm excited about. Name, image and mic-ness podcast is that, you know Dr Maggard and UL Athletic Department. They're giving us all access, you know, to fields, to coaches, to players. We're able to really authentically connect with what's going on at UL. I'm really excited about you being able to get in there, connect with people, be able to point them in the direction of where progress, their future and you know, can happen. And I'm really excited about you know, the home games doing your Carter's just a great interviewer, dude, I'm very excited to see you do your thing. And then we also have the tailgate talk. I'm waiting on a sponsorship from my partner right here.
Speaker 3:And I want you to, and it's fine we can do this right now because it goes to show you of what name, image and mightness can do in that tailgate. Talk component Danny Colbert at the used car side. He and his brother have been going to every UL game.
Speaker 2:Danny's been working for Hub City for 50 years. This year is his 50th year, yeah Right. Yes.
Speaker 3:And he and his brother have been going to every UL home game for I think it's like something stupid, like 40 years or something like that Tailgating every year. Well, for the first tailgate talk, I want danny colbert to be the person that we sit down and talk about on the tailgate too, yeah, and that they've given so much to our community.
Speaker 2:They come and do our, our steak supper for the rotary club, and you know they've they've just done. They did food net forever. They cooked everything at all the food drives. These guys are selfless, you know so, so they're just good people.
Speaker 1:So through this podcast and the content that we're developing with the tailgate talks and all kind of stuff that's coming down the pipe, we'll be able to kind of tell those stories and showcase the people in this community who have been there, done that, been the backbone of Lafayette for so long that just haven't gotten their shine. And it's not just about what's happening on the field of play. We're highlighting so many different elements and really showing Lafayette going up, you know upper Lafayette.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, losing my father-in-law. It wasn't my father, it was my father-in-law, you know. But almost all of the vendors that we use at the dealership showed up over at the funeral. They didn't have to do that and it's not really. It was never about business, you know, it's just compassion and good people, and that's where we live. And these people came and genuinely showed compassion and I appreciate that and that's where we live. That's who we are. It's beautiful, you don't see that in other places.
Speaker 1:Well, todd Citrin with Hub City, ford John Williams with Quality of Life Services, both with Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation. Gentlemen, appreciate you, excited to work together and grow this thing and bring it to the moon.
Speaker 3:Let's do it baby, All right.
Speaker 1:Well, that will mostly do it for this episode of Name Image and Mikeness, but before we go we've got some house keeping to do. Our next episode features head football coach Michael Desermau. We get to know Coach a little more on a personal level and really get into how NIL affects recruiting, most importantly for these guys' retention of student athletes, specifically in football. We'll also get a little preview of the season to come. This episode is dropping the week before week one while we host Grambling. It's going to be a great game, great atmosphere and Coach gets us hyped for the season. But before we go we want to thank our sponsor of today's episode, upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation and their Art of Business program. We've talked all about it today, but reminder if you're a business owner in Acadiana, head to upperlafayettecom to learn more about how to get involved. We also want to remind folks to support Cruel Lawn's Win With 10 campaign. As Dr Maggard put it, if we don't, we won't Visit cruellawncom to get started.
Speaker 1:We got so much great content coming your way in the coming weeks and months, not just on the podcast, but some bonus content that you'll see on social media, on the Upper Lafayette YouTube page. But we need your support, folks, the easiest way to help is simply by subscribing. You can subscribe if you like watching to the Upper Lafayette YouTube channel or if you like, listening in your car at work, maybe while you're cutting the grass, while it hopefully gets a little less hot here in Acadiana. You can do so on Apple Podcasts, spotify. Make sure you subscribe, rate the show, give us five stars, why not? It can only help us grow and it's going to get you guys better content. You'll be alerted when new episodes come out. It just makes it easier for you, right on your phone. You can also learn more about new episodes by following Acadiana Cast and Upper Lafayette and crew along on Instagram, facebook, tiktok. You know all those different social media apps. Whichever one you prefer. You'll find some sort of content specifically from Acadiana Cast as we grow and you'll get to learn some more about our other shows over at Acadiana Cast.
Speaker 1:But we'll be taking a bit of a hiatus. I'm not cutting that out. Uh, it's podcasting, folks, you can get a little rough around the edges, but taking a hiatus from the show for a few weeks, uh, basically what we're trying to do is, you know, promote these first four episodes of name, image and Mike Ness, while also, uh, putting some more pieces together because ultimately, uh, and just a little bit, you'll be able to get a new episode every single week coming out on Wednesdays. That's video, that's audio. You'll have your clips as well for those who follow along on social media. But we hope that you listen and watch the whole episodes, folks.
Speaker 1:It really helps us grow and I'm just excited to see where this thing goes and grow the show and get to know specifically these student-athletes on a personal level. I've gotten to know a few over the past few months through this Art of Business program, like a KCOSI whose episode is coming up in Episode 4. They're really, really great humans and a lot of them just want to stay here in Acadiana and who wouldn't? So we can help them do that and create a better community here and support the program while these kids are playing on the field, on the court, on the diamond, wherever they play their respective sports. But once again, stay tuned, subscribe, like and let's grow this thing together. That's a wrap for this episode. Enjoy the ride and go, cajuns.
