Regions Business Radio
An impressive 1.2 million.
That is how many downloads Regions Business Radio in Gwinnett County received during its first year.
In December 2020, Regions Commercial Banking Leader J.D. Mealor hosted the inaugural episode “An Introduction to Regions Business Radio” on Business RadioX in Gwinnett County, Georgia, to share Regions’ core values and launch a series covering topics on banking, lending, mortgages, wealth management and business.
“If the communities that we live and work and play in are growing, it’s beneficial for all people involved – our business, our customers, as well as our employees,” shared Brian Willman, head of Commercial Banking at Regions, in an episode titled Commercial Banking at Regions. “We take that very seriously at Regions. And I think that’s a core tenet of our go-to market strategy.”
Expanding Business Radio to New Markets
Building off the success of Regions Business Radio in Gwinnett County, Georgia, the program is expanding to the Nashville, Houston, and Orlando markets – three bustling metropolitan cities that are continuing to experience strong business growth.
Regions Business Radio Nashville launched in May with Mealor hosting a podcast with Regions Commercial Banking Leader for the market, Kelley Kee, previewing the new series and the Commercial Banking team in Music City. The season will cover everything from affordable housing in Nashville to growing a childcare business and tips for businesses on attracting and retaining talent.
In the inaugural episode, Kee hosts guests Alisha Haddock, The Housing Fund vice president, and Brent Elrod, Urban Housing Solutions executive director, for an important discussion about the services available to Nashville residents with unmet housing needs in the market – those with low or moderate income facing the growing challenges of affordable housing.
In Texas, Regions Business Radio Houston host John Stacy, Regions market executive and commercial banking leader, hosts business owners Morris White and John Blanchard of Odfjell Terminals for a candid conversation around their financial needs and the banking relationship. Stacy will host additional podcasts in the series focusing on working with the Small Business Administration and how he is building out the Regions Commercial Banking team in Space City.
Central Florida is a fast-growing market with a myriad of industries and sectors, and it of course is synonymous with tourism. Hosted by Regions’ Central Florida Commercial Banking Leader Scott Wall, the series in Orlando will tackle mergers and acquisitions in the market and feature conversations with market leaders from Goodwill Industries of Central Florida and John Rivers with 4R Restaurant.
In this inaugural episode, Ed Durkee, CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, talks with Wall, who sits on the organization’s board. Durkee discusses his family’s move to Orlando, the mission of Goodwill and its importance in the local community. Originating in Boston in 1902, the Goodwill Industries network across the U.S. collaborate as they help build economic stability and leverage their resources to help their communities. The Covid-19 pandemic created new challenges as local leadership pulled together to get through the early days while still helping the community, which needed it more than ever.
Affordable Housing. Business Growth. Attracting and Retaining Talent
These are the conversations Mealor, Willman, Stacy, Kee and bankers across the Regions footprint are having with business customers every day.
“To me, that’s why we do what we do,” said Willman. “There’s no greater satisfaction than helping a business owner achieve their goals, both near term and long term. Because it benefits them, it benefits their family, their associates and it benefits the communities we serve. You cannot underestimate the impact that just having a definitive planning conversation can have.”
Commercial Insights Podcast – Season Two
In addition to the expanded markets for Regions Business Radio, the Commercial Banking team has released season two of its own podcast series Commercial Insights. This season covers timely business topics including episodes focused on surviving the Great Resignation and how to make your business inflation-resistant.
Explore the full season two line-up below and mark your calendar to catch up on the latest business insights where you find your favorite podcasts including Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and Pocketcast platforms. The Commercial Banking podcasts can also be accessed through the Commercial Insights section, linked here, on Regions.com. New episodes are released bi-weekly on regions.com
- Episode 15 – How to Survive the Great Resignation: Explore trends in employment with an eye on what really keeps employees loyal to a business in 2022 . What are the right benefits to offer? What’s the right mix of hybrid, remote or in-person work — and should you give employees the flexibility to choose? What other aspects of the employee mindset are driving them to quit, and how can a smart company address them? This episode will be full of practical advice that can help a business weather a rapidly shifting labor market
- Episode 16 – How to Make Your Business Inflation-Resistant: What does inflation mean for your business, and how can you set policy to mitigate it in the future? We’ll cover everything from day-to-day resourcing and stocking to product pricing, and how to set reasonable company strategies accordingly.
- Episode 17 – What Your Business Needs to Know About ESG: What is Environmental, Social, and Governance, and how it will affect your business? ESG is still a new part of corporations. While a lot of the regulations related to ESG are being focused on larger, publicly traded companies, it will start to affect privately owned corporations, as well. What does an increased focus mean for both investment and for business practices?
- Episode 18 – How to Manage Cybersecurity Risk: With global cybersecurity spending set to exceed $1.25 trillion by 2025, how and why is spending changing? This episode will focus on modern risks, how data security is segmented (applications security, cloud security, data security, etc.), and where companies should be focusing their budgets and risk management strategies now.
- Episode 19 – How to Ensure DEI is an Asset: Beyond the buzzwords, what can diversity, equity and inclusion mean for a company’s bottom line? How can a company go beyond simple diversity counts into creating an inclusive culture that improves ideas and output? We’ll explore research on how DEI done well can improve not only productivity but also access to new business markets. We’ll also look at case studies/best practices of businesses that have seen this effect in action.
- Episode 20 – How to Think About Office Space in 2022: What does it mean to have an office now? In this episode, we’ll explore the decision-making process for various types of companies as they think about their current or future physical spaces. In addition to covering business needs, we’ll cover the state of the real estate market.
- Episode 21 – How to Help Your Employees Plan for the Future: We’ll explore the latest trends in retirement services for employees, with an eye on what employee expectations are in 2022. For instance, can a better retirement package make a business more attractive for recruitment and retention? And what is available for helping businesses set up their employee plans.
- Episode 22 -How Exporting Can Grow Your Business: According to the SBA, roughly two-thirds of the world’s purchasing power exists outside the United States. When should a business consider these potential consumers and move beyond a local, regional or national customer base? In this episode, we’ll explore the questions a business must ask before exporting, we’ll offer examples of resources to get started (from loan sources how to find the right buyers), we’ll weigh risks and benefits of exporting, and we’ll discuss the regulatory environment and other key considerations.
- Episode 23 -How to Match Purpose with Business: This episode builds a theme established in the ESG episode: the increased scrutiny placed on a business’ values, coming from potential employees and investors, the public, and current stakeholders. We’ll tackle corporate volunteerism and community support, foundations, investment and more, all with an eye on one question: How can a company ensure its social, charitable or community work matches well with its business purpose.
- Episode 24 – How to Keep Up With Digital Acceleration: By some estimates, digital-first companies will contribute more than half of global GDP by next year — a digital acceleration trend sped up greatly by pandemic responses. What does that mean for the average business owner or decision-maker? For those who have already invested in tech — for sales, for customer-relations, for communications, etc. — what are the next steps in innovation and evolution? For those who feel a little behind the curve, what problems should be first to tackle with digital investment? And tied to all of this, what logistical and security concerns come from working increasingly in a digital, cloud-based world?
- Episode 25 -What a Business Should Know About Geopolitics: In a global marketplace, events halfway around the world can have ripple effects for your business — no matter the size. Everything from gas prices to inflation is increasingly intertwined. So just how much should a business owner pay attention to leading global stories — and what can they do to prepare for possible ripple effects? We explore how this varies from industry to industry, how upstream supply chain dependencies affect the picture, and look at ramifications of working across global lines.
- Episode 26 – How to Thrive When Change is the Only Constant: In every episode of Commercial Insights so far, one topic has come up: change. It’s true for supply chain, for navigating a pandemic, for fraud and security, for shifting labor forces. So let’s end our second season with the “change management episode,” drawing on the best practical lessons from a major field in management — and applying those lessons to various forms of change a company might face, from internal expectations to external pressures.
Be sure to check out full episodes of Regions Business Radio, part of Business RadioX programming, on your favorite streaming service to find more from Regions’ financial professionals as they share their latest insights on what matters to business owners, leaders, and consumers. Episodes are streaming on Business RadioX and streaming services such as Google, Apple, iheart, podchaser, and audible.
Regions Business Radio Gwinnett County
Additional insights from Regions Bank financial professionals can be heard on monthly episodes of Gwinnett Business RadioX.
To access the latest market insights from Nashville, Houston, and Orlando, look for Regions Business Radio wherever you stream – in the car, in the office, and on the go.
Regions Business Radio Nashville
Regions Business Radio Houston
Regions Business Radio Orlando