In Good Companies
In Good Companies

In Good Companies

Cadence Bank

Overview
Episodes

Details

Starting and running a business or managing one isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re balancing internal and external forces in a continually changing landscape. You’re building strategies, and banking on the future – no matter what it holds. This is where Cadence Bank’s In Good Companies comes in. We share our wealth of knowledge, and insights from noted industry experts, to guide you through the forces shaping business today. We’re back for Season 6, and this time, we’re setting our sights on the future of work. We’re asking the big questions, like: What will your career look like in 2030? Or 2050, even? How is ESG shaping the future of companies? And how can we leverage AI to our advantage? We bring together experts from across the board, from Silicon Valley to multinationals like EY, to help you stay on the cutting edge of business. And we get to know those who are building the future of our companies; because at Cadence Bank, we want to hear the human side of every success story. Hosting our stellar range of guests this season is our new host, Ari Marin. He is a Cadence Bank Senior Vice President and family enterprise advisor, whose specialty is consulting with family-owned and small businesses. Ari’s idea of “good company” is being around creative, insightful people with unique and inspirational stories. For Season 6, he brings in his curiosity and ambition to In Good Companies, to lead discussions with our guests, and bring listeners across the U.S. all the information they need, in one place, in under 30 minutes. Ready to launch into the future? Then join us!

Recent Episodes

Launching into the Future: Middle Market Trends for 2025, with Doug Farren
FEB 11, 2025
Launching into the Future: Middle Market Trends for 2025, with Doug Farren

It’s been four years since we started In Good Companies and, as we look ahead, we feel that our vision for this show is complete. Together we navigated the forces shaping your business over the past six seasons, bringing in experts on culture, M&A, corporate security and so much more. We conclude this series with a special final episode. We’re keeping our promises and launching you into 2025 with a conversation you don’t want to miss. 

Our final guest, Doug Farren, is a pioneer in business research and the co-founder of the National Center for the Middle Market at Ohio State University. A thought leader, researcher and educator, Doug joins us to share his insights into one of the most overlooked segments of the economy: mid-size businesses — a "forgotten third" that drives a significant portion of private sector growth.


In this episode, Doug sheds light on the challenges and opportunities facing middle-market companies in 2025. From technology adoption to talent retention, risk management and succession planning, we discuss how to help mid-sized businesses navigate the road ahead. We also break down the findings of the
Middle Market Indicator – a cutting-edge study that Doug runs bi-annually, to outline the needs of mid-size businesses and connect leaders in the field. Together, we share important business stories, as we love them on this podcast. 

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or visionary who wants to know what is shaping 2025, this episode is for you. Here’s to embracing the future – and being with us – one last time, on In Good Companies.


Highlights:

  • Introducing Doug Farren (01:59)
  • What is the Middle Market? (03:02)
  • Scaling up: Needs, Challenges and Opportunities for Midsize Companies (06:59)
  • Building a Network, with the Middle Market Indicator (10:46)
  • Understanding the Macro-Economic Environment in 2025  (14:38)
  • Technology and Innovation in the Middle Market (16:57)
  • The Issue with Middle Market Brand Visibility & Talent Retention (19:42)
  • Thinking Ahead: Governance, and Succession Planning (22:28) 
  • The Climate Question: Assessing Risks for Business Growth (25:12)
  • Where to Find Resources for Middle Market Leaders (30:14)
  • Telling Business Stories, Making New Connections (32:44)
  • A Final World from In Good Companies (35:07)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or its topics , email our producers Natalie.Barron@cadencebank.com or  Eydie.Pengelly@cadencebank.com.

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40 MIN
Sealing the Deal: Miles Crowe on the Art of Business Acquisition
FEB 4, 2025
Sealing the Deal: Miles Crowe on the Art of Business Acquisition

Acquisitions are a major tool to grow your business; but for leaders, they can feel like a daunting leap. So how do you gain confidence in your company to make that jump? What are some key steps to consider before sealing the deal? And once you’ve successfully expanded your ventures, how do you do it again? 


For our next season six episode, we bring in co-founder and business leader Miles Crowe for a story that is nothing short of inspirational. His company Crowe Custom Countertops is one of the leading granite fabrication firms in the southeast U.S. Through strategic acquisitions and a commitment to teamwork, Miles has expanded his business to five locations and gained international reach. 


With our host Ari Marin, Miles discusses how he found his footing in business and established a strong foundation before pursuing acquisitions. He breaks down how he made the most of his opportunities for expansion. From assessing other companies critically, to planning for integration and strengthening his business model; there are many lessons to be learned. 

So tune in to learn how a humble two-person operation becomes a multi-location enterprise generating millions in revenue. This is a story from a small business guy who’s done well – just as we like them on In Good Companies

Highlights:

  • Introducing Miles Crowe (1:23)
  • How Miles launched into business by accident (3:21) 
  • “The two-man days”: starting Crowe Custom Countertops (5:02) 
  • The first growth spurt: overcoming challenges and finding your foundation (7:00) 
  • How the recession helped Miles find his business model (10:01)
  • First acquisition: becoming a distributor (13:14) 
  • Navigating authority and the emotional load of business expansion (15:30)
  • Second acquisition: expanding to Chattanooga (19:19)
  • Third acquisition: Nashville during the Covid-19 pandemic (22:32)
  • Latest acquisition: return to the Atlanta market (25:14)
  • Aligning your business goals to the future of your industry (25:52)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, Eydie.Pengelly@cadencebank.com or Danielle.Kernell@cadencebank.com.

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32 MIN
[Fan Favorite] Where Joy Hides: Building a Happy Business, with Ingrid Fetell-Lee
JAN 28, 2025
[Fan Favorite] Where Joy Hides: Building a Happy Business, with Ingrid Fetell-Lee

Before In Good Companies returns next week, we'd like to help you finish January on a high note; so we're bringing back one of our favorite episodes on joy

Recent research by Oxford University found that workers are 13% more productive when they’re happy. And yet, another study by BCG found that most company leaders aren’t building their strategies around how their employees feel at work. So joy? It’s a real business question.

In this episode, we are joined by designer and joy specialist Ingrid Fetell Lee, to find out how to make our workplaces, our jobs, and ourselves more joyful. A former design director for IDEO, Ingrid is a self-starter with a decade’s worth of research into the science of joy. Her findings made it into a book: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

Today, she helps us answer the hard questions: how do we get to feel joyful? Our surroundings, the objects in our homes, the things and people we interact with every day… Why do they influence our emotions? And crucially: what does that mean for our companies? Together, we discuss how to make our workplaces more enjoyable and productive, and what joy means for leadership, teamwork and our business philosophy. 

Join Ingrid and Ari to spread joy today and make it an integral function of your organization.

Highlights:

  • When Ingrid first stumbled upon Joy (2:45)
  • Universal joyful patterns (4:54)
  • The evolutionary explanation for joy (7:32)
  • The difference between joy and happiness (9:33)
  • The Aesthetics of Joy in the Workplace (10:29)
  • How physical space can impact our mental health (13:32)
  • The branded environment: “No one wants to work inside the corporate logo” (15:30)
  • The case of joy contagion at Coca-Cola (16:34)
  • Adopting a new joyful leadership (18:56)
  • “The biggest mistake that I've seen employers make is inconsistency” (20:56)
  • Undoing the corporate bias against joy (22:03)
  • Signs that we have changed our team for the better (23:23)
  • Finding joy while working remotely (25:57)
  • Embracing joy in the present (27:46)
  • Gen Z: a new philosophy of joy (29:27)


Links:


Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, Natalie.Barron@cadencebank.com, Eydie.Pengelly@cadencebank.com, or Danielle.Kernell@cadencebank.com.

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34 MIN
[Fan Favorite] A Path to Resilience: Breaking The Stigma Around Burnout, with Paula Davis
JAN 21, 2025
[Fan Favorite] A Path to Resilience: Breaking The Stigma Around Burnout, with Paula Davis

This January, In Good Companies revisits some favorite episodes to relax, reset, and dive right back into business. 
 
In today's episode, we ask a touchy question: why do we burn out? In 2024, 38% of US employees reported having experienced burnout; a phenomenon recognized by the World Health Organisation as an occupational issue. We want to start the new year on a different footing.


So how do we change our systems and habits to enhance well-being at work, and avoid burnout? When it comes to our corporate lives, what can we do to stay motivated, productive and healthy in the long term? We answer these questions with Paula Davis, a burnout recovery and well-being expert, and CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute.

 

In this episode, our new host Ari Marin speaks with Paula about what burnout feels like and how to recognize it before it’s too late. Together, we strategize recovery and discuss how to undo stigma, and to open up conversations on mental health inside our companies. Throughout, Paula will share her experiences of triumph over chronic fatigue; proving that burnout is not the end of the road, but a fork in it. 

So tune in with Paula and Ari, to start a new conversation today and find your path to stress resilience. 

Highlights: 

  • Paula’s own experience with Burnout (2:19)
  • How habits, values, or preconceptions contribute to Burnout  (5:05)
  • Taking the time for recovery (7:07)
  • Recognizing early signs of Burnout (9:12)
  • An exercise to notice symptoms  (13:03)
  • A “me” and a “we” approach to Burnout (15:27)
  • The “core six” drivers of chronic stress (17:12)
  • How to tackle motivation from generation to generation (19:55)
  • Strategies for recovery and prevention (22:15)
  • Paula’s go-to resources for education (25:45)
  • Breaking the stigma around Burnout (26:59)
  • Using flexibility for professional empowerment (29:41)
  • Burnout as a constructive journey (33:04)


Links:


Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, Natalie.Barron@cadencebank.com, Eydie.Pengelly@cadencebank.com, or danielle.kernell@cadencebank.com.


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37 MIN
[Fan Favorite] A New Money Mindset: Saundra Davis on Financial Strategy & Well-Being
JAN 14, 2025
[Fan Favorite] A New Money Mindset: Saundra Davis on Financial Strategy & Well-Being

According to recent polls, nearly 50% of small business owners feel stressed about their finances. But in 2025, we are determined to change that statistic. 

So this January, we revisit a favorite episode that will help us learn about our money feelings. Where do they come from? Are they serving us well? And how can we gain confidence in our potential, to build a healthier relationship with our finances? To answer these questions: we welcome back Saundra Davis.

   

Saundra is a Financial Planner and Coach, the Director of Financial Programmes at Golden Gate University, and the founder of Sage Financial Solutions, a non-profit offering support and education to people from all backgrounds. And in today’s episode, she joins Ari for an honest, vulnerable and insightful conversation on financial well-being.  


Together, they recall how Saundra launched her career after having made every mistake possible in her first business. They spell out the link between trauma and behavior and explain why a good financial plan starts with understanding our needs and values. Working through Saundra’s “Continuum of Financial Well-being”, they also cover what professional support looks like in practice; how to avoid some typical budgetary mistakes when launching a new venture; and how to assess if you’re coping well with your current financial situation.


Join them to hit reset and align your dollars, your cents and your values with your business vision. 

Highlights:

  • “There's no aspect of our lives that money doesn't touch” (3:01)
  • The impact of money feelings on business decisions (4:36)
  • How to recognize an unhealthy financial mindset (6:04)
  • Understanding the "Continuum of Financial Well-being" (8:03)
  • Financial wellness: a subjective question (10:37)
  • Typical financial challenges when launching a new venture (13:50)
  • Financial stress: how we can look out for each other (16:23)
  • Why building trust with your Financial Planner matters (18:28)
  • Financial support starts with your needs (21:25)
  • Money wellness as an investment into the future  (23:12)
  • Saundra’s go-to resources for financial support (25:08)
  • “Know where you are; know you're going; build a plan to get there “ (26:39)
  • No Shame Zone: Saundra’s new money mindset (28:18)

Links:

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producers, Natalie.Barron@cadencebank.com, Eydie.Pengelly@cadencebank.com, or Danielle.Kernell@cadencebank.com.


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31 MIN