The Innovation Room Podcast

Episode 34 | Important Elements of the Signage Buying Process

North American Signs — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:00:57 +0000

Episode 33 | Workplace Autonomy and the Impact of Remote Work

North American Signs — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 16:00:36 +0000

Bridging the Gap Between AI and the FM Industry | Episode 32

North American Signs — Thu, 30 May 2024 16:00:35 +0000

Join hosts Rhianon Huff & Tori Homann as they dive into part two of their discussion of the intersection between AI, Facilities Maintenance, and Company Branding.

The Importance of Sustainability and Branding in the FM Industry | Episode 31

North American Signs — Thu, 23 May 2024 16:00:44 +0000

In this week’s episode, join hosts Tori Homann and Rhianon Huff with special guests Rebecca Handfield, and Kirsten Sokolowski as they discuss branding for Facilities Management (FM) companies, emphasizing the importance of understanding and evolving your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, and history. They stress clear, consistent communication both internally and externally, highlighting expertise, thought leadership, and addressing client needs. The conversation also underscores the uniqueness of each brand, the importance of market adaptation, sustainability, environmental stewardship, energy efficiency, transparency, diversity, and culture in branding. They caution against being inauthentic and ignoring market needs and trends.

Key Takeaways

Understand your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, and history to guide its evolution
Communicate your brand’s message clearly and consistently across all platforms
Focus on expertise and thought leadership to provide value and address client needs
Adapt to changes in the market and remain flexible in your branding approach
Transparency, diversity, and culture are important aspects of branding
Avoid being inauthentic and ignoring market needs and trends in branding

Chapters

00:00 Introductions

00:50 Guest Introductions and Career Trajectories

05:15 Branding for FM Companies: Challenges and Strategies

09:51 The Importance of Sustainability and Branding in the FM Industry

21:28 Avoiding Branding Pitfalls and Embracing Market Needs and Trends

28:54 Wrapping Up: Key Takeaways

Mastering Partnerships: The Ultimate Guide to Collaborating with National Brands | Episode 30

North American Signs — Thu, 09 May 2024 16:52:08 +0000

This week, join our hosts Tori Homann & Jonathan Yasko as they welcome special guest Scott Sindle to discuss the critical aspects of partnering with a national brand! Learn the best practices for regional vendors looking to collaborate and thrive in the competitive market. Don’t miss out on this essential guide to successful brand partnerships!

Episode 29 | Tips for Success: How Managing Stress Plays a Key Role

North American Signs — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 21:47:37 +0000

Join hosts Rhianon Huff & Tori Homann as they dive into the many complexities of managing stress within the workplace. This week, Tori and Rhianon offer their valuable insights, practical tips, and personal experiences on how to overcome the pressures of professional life while maintaining productivity and well-being for both themselves, and their teams! Tune in for empowering discussions and actionable strategies to conquer stress and achieve success in your career.

Episode 28 | Women at the Forefront of Facility Maintenance

North American Signs — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:43:40 +0000

Join our hosts Tori Homann & Rhianon Huff in The Innovation Room as they engage in a dynamic discussion with special guest Kim Goei, exploring the unique challenges and triumphs of women in the facility maintenance industry. Witness firsthand the empowerment of women in leadership roles as we delve into this fascinating topic.

Episode 27 | The Ultimate Guide to Trade Show Prep

North American Signs — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 22:36:35 +0000

Whether you're a first-time trade show attendee or a seasoned vet, join hosts Rhianon and Tori as they dive into their top tips for making trade shows as successful as possible. In everything from schedule prep to swag ideas to footwear recommendations, the gals share all their tricks for before, during, and after the trade show.

Episode 26 | Is AI the New MVP of Your Marketing Team?

North American Signs — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 20:29:19 +0000

We've said it once and we'll say it again... if you're not on the AI train, it's time to hop on! Join hosts Tori and Jonathon as they sit down with CGPG Maintenance and Construction's VP of Regional Business Development Shawn Black to discuss all things AI and marketing. We'll get Shawn's insights on the current state of AI, how marketers can start integrating it into their workflows, and why the human element is still important.

Episode 25 | 2024 Sign Industry Forecasting

North American Signs — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:56:41 +0000

2024 is almost here and that means it's time to look ahead to next year and beyond! Join hosts Tori and Jonathon as they sit down with NAS President & CEO John Yarger to discuss where the sign industry is trending in the new year. Plus, we'll get John's insights on AI, the economy, and what small to mid-sized businesses should really be paying attention to in 2024.

Episode 24 | Top Tips to Prep Your Branding Assets for the Holidays

North American Signs — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 15:31:28 +0000

As we get into the busy holiday season, it's imperative to make sure your business's facility is looking it's best to help attract customers. Today, we're talking about preventative and reactive maintenance for those onsite branding assets: how to set up a preventative maintenance plan and what to do if you find yourself in need of repairs. Capturing holiday traffic is a whole lot easier with beautiful signage and we've got all the factors you should consider.

Episode 23 | Leveraging Vendor Relationships to Achieve Sustainability

North American Signs — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 23:42:17 +0000

Your vendors are one of any business's greatest assets, especially in a world that's constantly changing. Learn alongside us as we talk with Bryn Battie, long-time FM industry professional and Senior Facilities Manager with Cava. We're discussing how companies in California and New York--states that are pushing for reduced emissions--must be especially conscientious of their sustainability practices. Changing consumer expectations and governmental regulations surrounding sustainability require businesses to lean on their vendors more than ever before. Harnessing the power of your vendors to adopt sustainable practices in a meaningful way will help your company thrive long into the future.

Episode 22 | How Active Listening Can Level Up Your Pro Relationships

North American Signs — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 17:29:12 +0000

Active listening is one of the best ways to improve your professional relationships. We talk with expert guest Emily Shaw about how to listen well with not just your ears, but your whole body!

Episode 21 | Sustainable Leadership: Leading with a Focus on ESG

North American Signs — Tue, 30 May 2023 17:03:11 +0000

This week we're covering the importance of environmental, sustainability, and governance (ESG) practices for businesses. With guest Brian Lowell French, we're breaking down the complexities of ESG and how to make it accessible and meaningful for companies of all sizes.

Episode 20 | Improving Organizational Health | Mentorship & Vendor Recognition

North American Signs — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:26:05 +0000

Focusing on organizational health and building external partnerships as a path to success is no secret. So why do so many organizations struggle to take this concept and make it a reality? Joining us in our discussion is Kirk Beaudoin, a respected facilities industry professional, and highly engaged member of ConnexFM.

Episode 19 | B2B Sales Strategy & Client Development

North American Signs — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 21:28:33 +0000

Sales strategy, especially in B2B, is constantly changing! And building client relationships as a part of your sales strategy has never been more important. Join your hosts and special guest Jenna Dominguez for all that you need to know!

Episode 18 | How to Stay Ahead with Labor & Supply Chain Shortages

North American Signs — Tue, 17 May 2022 19:59:46 +0000

Labor and supply chain shortages have deeply impacted our nation and the entire world. We've got a few tips and tricks on how you can combat these challenges. Join us and restaurant industry businessman Cody Johnson!

Episode 17 | How Businesses Can Combat the Great Resignation

North American Signs — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 21:07:03 +0000

We’ve heard our fair share of talk lately about the Great Resignation and how it’s impacting the employee retention of American Businesses. Today, we’re discussing what the Great Resignation is, how it’s impacting businesses across the country, and what businesses can and should do to better retain employees. We're sitting down with Nicholas Guajardo, MBA Director of Human Resources at Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute for all the details.

Episode 16 | The Benefits of Joining a Trade Organization

North American Signs — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 17:46:59 +0000

Episode | 14 Internet of Things–Now or the Future

North American Signs — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 09:09:00 +0000

In this episode we will be wrapping our discussion on the topic of IoT with Rider Adkins, Senior Software Developer at North American Signs.

Welcome to The Innovation Room, with hosts Daniel Guajardo, Rhianon Huff, and Derek Tobolski. The Innovation Room Podcast is a place for open discussion, idea sharing, best practices, forecasting, professional growth, and most importantly the content is community-driven!

Episode 15 | Entrepreneurship & Overnight Success: Is It Real?

North American Signs — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 16:24:17 +0000

Is overnight success real? In this episode, we will be discussing entrepreneurship and overnight success with Rob Smead, President of Electrum Supply and CEO of Electrum Ink, a tattoo supply company and tattoo ink company respectively. Partner in Vault Tattoo and Video Game Tatts. Writer of “The Business of Tattooing” in “Skin & Ink” magazine. Podcaster of “Electrum Radio”.

Episode 12: Crucial Communication | The Importance of Healthy Vendor-Client Relationships

North American Signs — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:20:56 +0000

In this episode we sit down with Jessica Fumo, Manger of Facilities with Removery; to discuss the importance of cultivating and maintaining healthy vendor-client relationships . We briefly discuss the impact these relationships had in 2020, what it means to have healthy vendor-client relationships, and wrap up with some best practices as to how you can maintain these relationships long team, and their "bigger picture" benefits.

Episode 11: Young Professionals | Career Development in the FM Industry

North American Signs — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:15:28 +0000

In this episode, we sit down with Corrine Dwyer, Senior Manger, Global Events Connex; to discuss young professional career development in the FM industry. We discuss SMART goal setting, what it means to have a growth mindset, the importance of mentorships, and wrap up with some of our favorite resources that you can begin using to advance your career RIGHT NOW.

Episode 10: Automation & Augmentation in the Workplace

North American Signs — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 17:47:30 +0000

In this episode, we have two very special guests: COO, Kim Goie & CEO Marc Balzamo, partners of North American Signs from FEXA. We will be discussing Automation and Augmentation in the work place with a focus on key factors such as; common automation concerns, how to work together with automated technology, and Superteams. Not sure what Superteams are? We’ve got you covered!

Episode 8 | State of the Industry: Restaurants & Food Service

North American Signs — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 11:13:44 +0000

In this episode, we have another special guest: Facilities Manager – Applebee’s/Wendy’s/MOD Pizza/Del Taco at TEAM Schostack Family Restaurants, Greg Fuchs, CRFP. We will be discussing the future of the restaurant industry, with a focus on key factors such as the pandemic impact, how daily challenges are continuing to be met while complying with restrictions imposed by the state, and what trends can be expected to be seen as we move into 2021.