Drink Culture Podcast

Episode 125: EDGE Mentoring, Dave Neff

Think of your career path. Who helped you step-up to that next level? Likely a mentor. Dave Neff helped build EDGE Mentoring to create whole life intergenerational mentoring for personal, professional, and spiritual growth. Millennials are lonelier and more professionally unengaged than past generations; how can we fix that? Dave is tackling the problem with mentors and mentees in over 40 states. However, his career began with selling tickets for the Indiana Pacers. The relationships he buil...

Episode 124: CODO Design & Big Lug Brewing Co, Isaac, Cody, & Eddie

Remember when our podcast was reviewed as being "sorority girls at lunch talking about alcohol?" We might've just fulfilled that reviewer's fantasy. Isaac Arthur, Cody Fague, and Eddie Sahm join us at Hotel Tango's new event space, The Foxhole, to chat about the present and future of beer branding, geek out about music, share frustrations and laughs about customer reviews and, of course, provide an update from their last interview. Get the scoop on CODO Design's new book and Half Liter as th...

Episode 123: Ruckus Makerspace, Consuelo Poland

Consuelo Poland is creating a commotion in the Indianapolis creative scene with the Ruckus Makerspace. Her artistic background began when she used drawings to communicate with her new family after being adopted from Guatemala. Her natural talent led her to the Kendall College of Art and Design, where she earned a BFA and continued her education to obtain a welder's license. She arrived in Indianapolis as the Ruckus Makerspace project was beginning and was recruited to lead the organization. ...

Episode 122: Lari Pati, Steven Russell

What if the music you listened to at home played at your favorite bar or club? In 2017, Steven Russell woke up considering the same idea, and now he is at the forefront of the Indianapolis Renaissance by hosting Lari Pati. Steven was entrepreneurial-minded beginning in his youth using his streetwear and fashion interest influenced by his childhood in Washington D.C. to start an online retail store in high school. Living fearlessly and learning through experience, Steven executed his idea to ...

Episode 121: Live From IndyVolved14

Did you miss IndyVolved14? We’ve got you covered. In this week’s episode, we host standing interviews from the fourth floor of the Indianapolis Public Library with Barter School Indy, Keeping Indianapolis Beautiful, IndyHub, Growing Places Indy, and Juneteenth to share their stories and how you can partner with their organization to help better Indianapolis. Learn how planting a tree can change your life, how to become a badass, how we’re reaching food desert areas with nutritious meals, abo...

Episode 120: Tastings, Ross Bailey

It's Wine Wednesday, so take a sip with us and learn the story of Ross Bailey, the owner of Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro. Ross was born and raised in Indiana and, like a true Hoosier, went to IU for his undergrad. As law school was approaching, Ross' friend told him about a children's camp for sustainability on Catalina Island. A few months later, Ross was a boat captain for the camp and biking down the California coast while studying harder to learn about environmentalism than for the LSAT. W...

Episode 119: Vulnerability Pt. 2

Jared opens up... Drink Culture Website: https://www.drnkcltr.com Drink Culture Newsletter: https://www.drnkcltr.com/newsletter/ Drink Culture Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drnkcltr Drink Culture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkculturepodcast/ Drink Culture Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkculturepodcast Drink Culture YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrw7Fqfw4ZORgZMPJKio-A  

Episode 118: Conner Prairie, Norman Burns

When's the last time you visited Conner Prairie? If it was for your fourth-grade field trip, you're in for a treat. Norman Burns, the CEO of Conner Prairie, invited us to the Golden Eagle Inn to share colonial time appropriate cocktails, his story, and the story of Conner Prairie. Norman 's passion for studying history was sparked in his youth. He spent time with his grandparents in Tennessee listening to and learning about the human experience through stories of his grandparents' friends an...

Episode 117: #KeepAnnDancing

Why must we keep Ann dancing? Who is Ann? And, how does she reflect the culture of Indianapolis enough to deserve our attention? Join the leaders of the Keep Ann Dancing campaign, Kären Haley, Chris Gahl, & Mindy Taylor Ross and us as we candidly discuss the campaign that has Indy debating the importance and value of public art. Mindy Taylor Ross, the Curator and Public Art Project Manager for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick during the installment of Ann Dan...

Episode 116: Powderkeg, Matt Hunckler

There’s another Hunckler building community in Indianapolis? This week we chat with Matt Hunckler about the entrepreneurial career that led him to accidentally start Powderkeg. Matt, brother to alumni Josie Hunckler of Rabble Coffee, spent his youth designing buildings, desirous of being an architect. While visiting friends at IU during his freshman year at Purdue, Matt would drop-in to the #1 rated entrepreneurship school in the country where he learned how concepts like accounting and fina...

Episode 115: Bottleworks, Rob Gerbitz

Bottleworks. With one word, we have the attention of every person in Indianapolis. In this episode, we talk to the guy behind its vision - the CEO of Hendricks Commercial Properties, Rob Gerbitz. The Wisconsinite grew up with a father in the family restaurant business. From his experience helping his dad, Rob knew that he didn't want to run the family restaurant business. The restaurant did, however, lead him to his passion when one of his customers invited him to interview at the customer's...

Episode 114: Vulnerability

We need you. Tune in as the Drink Culture team gets vulnerable about the current state and future of the podcast. Jared unofficially hosts and asks Fabian and Hayley some tough questions about what they’re willing to sacrifice for Drink Culture and Indianapolis. We also ask YOU for advice on how to improve our project, for ideas on how we can support a full-time employee, and how we can create a better experience for our listeners. Drink deep of the culture as you learn about the real shit t...

Episode 113: BrewDog, Tamar Banner

Join us this week as we hit the road for our first out of state recording with Tamar Banner, the US head of production at Brewdog. Tamar attended Yale where she studied mathematics and engineering but after graduation, she spent a summer at a dude ranch in Colorado where she had her first sip of craft beer and that totally changed her life. 18 years later, she ended up at BrewDog in Canal Winchester, Ohio just outside of Columbus but not without gaining a ton of experience at breweries like...

Episode 112: 4 Birds Bakery, Jenna Gatchell

When you think of “The Cookie of Indianapolis,” what comes to mind? The big glass jars of the famed Oatmeal Maple Pecan cookies from 4 Birds Bakery that sit by the register of your favorite local restaurant. Jenna Gatchell, the owner of 4 Birds Bakery, began her professional culinary career at Chef JJ’s learning how to prep, cook, and present food. As the company grew, so did her cooking and business know-how, and after 11 years, she was eager to run her own business. When the opportunity to...

Episode 111: Rabble Coffee, Josie Hunckler

Coffee shops aren’t about the caffeine boost or delicious pastries, it’s about coming together as a community in a third space. Josie Hunckler started Rabble Coffee on East 10th Street only 3.5 months after graduating college. At 15, she began working in West Lafayette coffee shops and her goal when graduating from college was to get a “normal job” to pay off her debt and then open a coffee shop. Her family encouraged her to pursue something that made her happy even if it didn't make money, ...

Episode 110: Importantville, Adam Wren

Do Midwesterners have loose lips? Adam Wren relies on our inherent friendliness to get the scoop on what's happening in Indiana. As a teenager, Adam found himself following current events and reading about people traveling around to capture stories, so he pursued journalism at Indiana Wesleyan and Northwestern as a first-generation college student. Now he is living out that dream as a contributing editor at POLITICO Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly and as the founder and publisher of IMPORT...

Episode 109: Boardable, Jeb Banner

Jeb Banner believes that he learned everything about business from being in a band. As a child, he was immediately infatuated with music and spent his days analyzing the intricacies of the rhythms, instruments, and melodies. Jeb continued to develop his talent in college through his involvement in the Bloomington music scene, withholding the philosophy that relationships are more valuable than good grades. The skills he learned from music met entrepreneurship when he began auctioning antique...

Drink Culture Live: Upland's Sour Wild Funk Fest 2019 with Pete Batule

Live from Upland’s Sour Wild Funk Fest 2019, check out the audio from our interview Pete Batule from Upland Brewing Co. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider joining our Patreon Community where you can hear more exclusive content just like this! Head over to https://www.patreon.com/drnkcltr Find out more about Upland Brewing Company Follow Upland on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uplandbrewco/ Follow Upland on Twitter: https://twitter.com/uplandbrewco Drink CultureWebsite...

Episode 108: STARTedUp Foundation, Jeremy Miller

What were your biggest challenges when you were sixteen? Finding a prom date? Acing the AP Bio exam? If you were Jeremy Miller, it was balancing your books for your first business. Jeremy discovered entrepreneurship as a vehicle for helping others and building community while searching for an escape from depression. He was sixteen when he opened his first custom longboard business that focused on also creating a safe space for young people to talk about life. Although the business closed wit...

Drink Culture Live: Chris Gahl From Visit Indy

Live from the Lo-Fi Lounge in Fountain Square, check out the audio from our first live podcast with Chris Gahl from Visit Indy.  If you enjoyed this episode, please consider joining our Patreon Community where you can hear more exclusive content just like this!  Head over to https://www.patreon.com/drnkcltr Find out more about Visit Indy Follow Chris Gahl Follow Chris Gahl's Hair  Drink Culture Website: https://www.drnkcltr.com Drink Culture Newsletter: https://www.drnkcltr.com/...

Episode 107: Indianapolis International Airport, Mario Rodriguez

Seven. The consecutive years that the Indianapolis International Airport has been named the best airport in the nation. Join us as we take flight through CEO Mario Rodriguez's life story and learn why IND is the best. Mario grew up with immigrant parents from Cuba and graduated with an engineering degree the same day his mother graduated from law school. His first job was to rebuild the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport and he's been working in airport management since. Many of the airpor...

Episode 106: 18th Street Brewery, Drew Fox

Pour yourself a Barrel Aged Hunter Coffee and tune in to this week’s episode with Drew Fox. The leading brewer in Indiana grew up on the North West side of Chicago and began his career in hospitality and finance. During this time, he developed a love for beer, which influenced him to spend a few life-changing weeks in Belgium to drink the best beer in the world. After experiencing the possible flavor opportunities for beer, he wanted to truly learn how to make it. So, he reached out to Pipew...

Episode 105: Indiana Fashion Week, Denisha Dlang Ferguson & Mich(ael) Weston

It's time to start practicing your best runway strut because Indiana Fashion Week is launching this June! Tune in to hear Hoosiers Dlang Ferguson and Mich(ael) Weston tell their stories about how they emerged in the fashion industry and launched INDFW. Dlang, a full-time researcher, began creating and sewing clothing as a teenager and has produced a line or a show nearly every year since. Mich(ael) started his career as a pastor in Indy. After moving to North Carolina, he found a new calling...

Episode 104: 120WaterAudit, Megan Glover

Do you know what's in your water? After the Flint, MI water scandal, Megan Glover saw the opportunity to use her talents from working in the Indianapolis start-up and marketing community to solve an immediate need. The Depauw graduate grew up in a small town in Northern Indiana and moved to Indianapolis after college to work at Angie's list. After working in many marketing roles - including at Compendium with our alumni Chris Baggott - and starting her own marketing company in 2015, she real...

Episode 103: Coat Check Coffee / Provider, Neal Warner & Ross Bemis

Where can you order a handcrafted Pistaccio Latte or Mezcal & Squirt in a space that encourages human interaction over laptop distraction? Coat Check and PROVIDER have quickly become the most recognized all-day cafes in Indianapolis and it all began when Neal Warner experienced a life-changing cup of pour-over coffee before an early morning on the farm. His talent and passion for coffee were discovered by the Athenaeum, and in February of 2017 Neal, his brother Paul, and sister-in-law Audrey...

Episode 102: Sean Oreo Jones

A hip-hop artist, music enthusiast, and lover of all things creative record in a tiny home... Tune in to Oreo Jones' story as a leader in the evolution of Indianapolis' hip-hop culture. Sean "Oreo" Jones grew up in a small town where he found solace in its DIY music scene. He moved to Indianapolis because he felt drawn to his paternal roots, and in his loneliness of living in a new city, began to write. Oreo now has five albums, an Acorn Award for influencing culture, and is managing Indiana...

Episode 101: Books & Brews, Jason Wuerfel

Jason Wuerfel may have both played on and owned minor league baseball teams, but his brewery and taproom - Books & Brews - is in a league of its own. Before classic brews like the Clifford were created, you could find him behind home plate competing with the top names in baseball. His love of the game never faltered, so he decided to start his entrepreneurship journey with owning a minor league team - the Traverse City Beach Bums. Jason enjoys creating an experience for customers, which lent...

Episode 100: A Couple Cooks, Sonja & Alex Overhiser

"The key to success is to just stay in the game." Since 2010, Sonja and Alex Overhiser have found success by staying in the food blogging game with their platform, A Couple Cooks. Now with over 75K Instagram followers, a cookbook, and national features including a TODAY show appearance, it's hard to believe that the couple first met on their move-in day at Indiana University where, like most of us, they were cooking mac & cheese and ramen noodles. While Sonja and Alex were dating they decide...

DCCC # 2 Market Street Wealth Management Advisors

If you were to write down the things you’re stressed about, money is most likely on that list. What if your financial advisor was paid a salary, not a commission fee? Kyle Thompson and Drew Feutz - self-termed financial nerds - share the story of their journey to Market Street Wealth Management where they use their shared passion to help others. Kyle’s high rankings throughout college put him on the path to the “Big Four.” After breaking news with his previous company that left him looking f...

Episode 99: Romanus Records, Chris Banta

You have one life to live, do what you love. And if what you love is creating vinyl records that light-up, have glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs, or even liquid inside, call yourself Romanus Records and sell out of your first innovate record design in two minutes. Chris Banta grew up with music and turned that passion into his record label and record making business, Romanus Records, and his own band, Brother 'o Brother. Prepare to laugh out loud with us as Chris shares how he went from watching M...

Episode 98: Yelp Indy, Brittany Smith & Niki Kingston

Local biz enthusiast + Indy adventurer = Niki Kingston and Brittany Smith. These culture-loving world travelers are employed through Yelp's platform to take online users offline using events and PR to connect users with local businesses. Niki and Brittany put their creative minds and marketing tools to work to make the most incredible events a reality, including inviting people to share local meats and cheeses off of a 100 ft. charcuterie board in the Market Catacombs and blowing up 1,000 in...

DCCC #1 - Nick McNeely & Associates

Where's the next best place to live in Indianapolis and who can help you get there? We answer those questions with guests Nick McNeely and Tim Birky, realtors for Nick McNeely & Associates, a strategic mentorship under FC Tucker. Nick started his career in show business, working on Broadway and in LA on many highly-recognizable television shows. While living in New York City, he was flying to Indy to visit his nephew and fell in love with the change of pace and entrepreneurial energy. He soo...

Episode 97: Hope Plumbing, Jack Hope & Brad Persic

 It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. What if they did it with great customer service, by building a relationship, and providing expertise? Jack Hope and Brad Persic have challenged the stigma around plumbing by creating a customer-focused model with their company Hope Plumbing. The business began as an avenue to earn money for school, and through pure grit and taking advantage of opportunities, Jack and Brad found themselves with a successful business model where people were demandin...

Drink Culture Culture Club: Intro

TL:DR - We just released a bonus episode introducing the new Drink Culture Culture Club show.  What is the Drink Culture Culture Club you ask? The DCCC is a new way for us to grow our podcast as a business while simultaneously giving other businesses in our community an opportunity to tell their story.  But isn’t that what you already do? Yes. Yes it is. BUT these episodes will be shorter in length and a bit more focused on educating our listeners on that business and what they do.  We...

Episode 96: Kurt Phillips, City Way Animal Clinics

Can we get a Go Dawgs?! Listen to this week's episode with your furry friend and an ice cold Schlitz as Kurt Phillips - a Butler graduate - shares the story of City Way Animal Clinics and Square Cat Vinyl. At the age of 29, Kurt bought his first vet clinic with little experience running a business. His best executive decision: Change the culture in vet-patient interaction by spending more time building relationships with patients and their owners. His vet businesses grew quickly and in 2016 ...

Episode 95: 1 Million Cups, Susanna Taft & Drew Kincius

How many cups of coffee does it take to run a successful business? The program 1 Million Cups reduces the number of coffee dates needed with its non-competitive pitch program designed to empower new entrepreneurs by using engaging crowd participation and community building. Although it's a national organization, Susanna Taft and Drew Kincius poured their energy and passion into starting the Indianapolis branch. Susanna - now the Marketing Lead, Entrepreneurship and Indy Economic Development ...

Episode 94: Derek Naber, Holladay Properties

When's the last time you explored Indianapolis west of the river? Central State is only five minutes from downtown and has the same amenities at affordable prices. Looking to purchase a new home? Derek Naber from Holladay Properties is developing this area into the place to be! Located on the property of the old Central State Hospital, the neighborhood has charm and history unlike any other neighborhood in Indy. Sip on a coffee at the Cafe Mansion, take your dog on a walk through "the Grove,...

Episode 93: Cat Head Press, Dominic Senibaldi

"Art is inquiry." For this week's art piece, we craft prints with Dominic Senibaldi and his not-for-profit Cat Head Press. His studio serves as a print shop and cooperative for local artists to create and sell their art. After moving here from Washington for graduate school, he was surprised that midwestern charm was real and decided he should invest in the community. Cat Head Press - a reference to the large wooden beam located on either side of the bow of a sailing ship - was born from his...

Episode 92: End of the year

Episode 91: Covideo, Jason Price

Some people fall into entrepreneurship and others seek it fearlessly. Jason Price has been an entrepreneur since he could resell popcorn from his booth at Indiana Beach as a teenager. He was always building businesses and often created products ahead of their times, but he and Jason Cooper were able to grow their forward-thinking Covideo service only using cash flow. Learn about how to grow a scrappy start-up to a longstanding technology business that can take over an old nightclub building ...

Holiday Bonus Episode: Drink Culture Live at Creative Mornings!

Episode 90: Practice Indie, Shannon & Purvi

DRNK CLTR and Practice Indie's Shannon and Purvi want you to NamaSLAY in 2019. This episode is a little different because we finished with a live meditation and goal setting session. Shannon and Purvi wine down with us as we pop the cork on their back-stories. Learn about how yoga training is completed in India, how vast yoga is, and how you can twist enough to poop clear. Intrigued? Listen to find out more. Additionally, have your notebook ready as Shannon tells you the secrets of getting m...

Episode 89: SupplyKick, Josh Owens

"You've got to be in the game to win the game." Josh Owen's open mind and desire for continuous learning have made him a star in the Amazon e-commerce game with his company Supply Kick. Josh graduated from Wabash and went on to join the Orr Fellowship with Angie's list where he was presented many opportunities to take risks. And, they paid off. His path prompted him to pursue a graduate degree in London, and after returning to Indiana to work in higher education, he was approached by Chris P...

Episode 88: Indy Chamber, Michael Huber

Need an energy boost? You'll get one from this week's episode because Indy Chamber's CEO, Michael Huber, has an infectious personality. The blooming musician may have an impressive resume - which includes working in both Mayor Ballard and Governor Mitch Daniels administrations - yet his story begins in a small Illinois farm town. Michael's love for music started when he was young and has grown into a desire to bring back Indianapolis' identity as a music city (previously jazz). However, that...

Episode 87: NinjaZone, Casey Wright

 Cartwheel into our episode with Casey Wright, founder of Ninja Zone - an internationally licensed gymnastics, martial arts, and obstacle course activity program for kids. Casey grew up bouncing around her family's gymnastics gym but quit participating as a teenager to begin coaching. By 21 she took over the family business, and by 26 she opened her own gym. However, Ninja Zone is what is currently capturing her attention as it has grown to 260+ locations, including China. Learn about her tr...

Episode 86: Indiana City Brewing, Ray Kamstra & Aaron Scamihorn

“The day will again dawn upon Indiana, when a man can drink what he wants, when personal liberty will be again a citizen’s right.” Indiana City Brewing has restored a piece of our city’s history ninety-one years later by opening a craft brewery in what was once Home Brewing Company’s home until 1922. In this episode, Ram Kamstra pours on the history and purpose behind Indiana City Brewing and its small-batch, unfiltered ales, while Aaron Scamihorn shares his artistic secrets behind the creat...

Episode 85: Try It Tiny, Maggie Daniels

 Home Sweet Tiny Home. Founder of Try It Tiny, Maggie Daniels, decided to end her career in finance to contribute to the evergrowing "tiny" community after "going tiny" because she rented her home on Airbnb and needed somewhere to stay.  She found her tiny home in Idaho and proceeded to tow - for the first time - her tiny home 2,000 miles back to Indianapolis. Listen in to learn the answers to Fabian and Hayley's many clarification questions about life in a tiny home, how Maggie's using Try ...

Episode 84: Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery, Travis & Hilary Barnes

If you know the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, you understand the roots of Hotel Tango. The "H" stands for Hillary and "T" for Travis - the couple who started Hotel Tango with four other law school classmates - and the reference exemplifies the foundation of the company: To make spirits that anyone can be proud to serve. Travis, a veteran of the United States Marine Corp was proud to serve his country for three terms in Iraq. when he returned to Indianapolis to attend law school, he realized that h...

Episode 83: Upland Brewing Co., Pete Batule & Eli Trinkle

What was the first craft beer you tried? For many Hoosiers it was an Upland Wheat or Dragonfly. Take a sip of your favorite Upland beer and listen to Episode 83 with Pete Batule and Eli Trinkle from Upland Brewery. After 20 years of brewing, Upland now has six locations (listen to learn about the seventh coming to Indy soon) and many types of beer, including sours which we taste while we record at The Wood Shop location. "We are making world class beer in Indiana, but we don't want to be all...

Episode 82: Jennifer Magley, Open Gym Indy

As a wise man once said: "We started from the bottom, now we're here." Jennifer Magley's story of becoming a speaker, entrepreneur, coach, professional athlete, and author starts at the "bottom" where she was told that to go to college, she would have to earn an athletic scholarship. Using her tremendous talent and drive, Jennifer played tennis at the IMG Academy and later at the University of Florida and for Team USA. Jennifer brings you a little #WednesdayWisdom with her infectious persona...