Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with retired CIA operative and Paso Robles resident H.K. Roy about his new book, American Spy . Roy’s 14-year career includes pursuing Russian spies, outwitting the Iranian Intelligence Service, hunting Bosnian war criminals, ducking Serbian snipers in Sarajevo and making-deals with Iraqi warlords.

The story of Kohler-as in toilets, sinks and bathtubs-is a tale of a family-owned business that is a classic American success story. The village of Kohler, Wisconsin was a model, futuristic garden company town when it was laid out at the turn of the 20 th Century. Kohler’s immigrant employees were housed in a grand residence dubbed the American Club. In the late 1970s, the building was repurposed as a five-star, five-diamond resort... Read more

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with design engineer Will King and director of design engineering Garrett Smith at SRAM ’s high-tech bicycle component facility in San Luis Obispo. King and Smith talk about the company's nonprofit initiative in support of World Bicycle Relief and SRAM’s upcoming fundraiser/open house on December 13. World Bicycle Relief provides locally-assembled bicycles to students, healthcare workers and entr... Read more

Chef Bradley Ogden ’s stellar career includes more than fifteen international culinary awards including 2004 Restaurant of the Year for his Bradley Ogden at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas, and “Best California Chef” bestowed by the James Beard Foundation. Even though Ogden remains involved in the management of Marin’s Lark Creek Inn and One Market Street in San Francisco, Ogden is now based in Lodi , where he is culinary director at W... Read more

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with David Lucas, founder of Lucas Winery in Lodi, California . Lucas started the winery with his wife Heather in 1978, when there were only three other wineries in the entire AVA. Today there are more than 90 wineries in the region, but Lucas Winery has a unique niche, as they farm the oldest head-pruned Zinfandel vines in North America. Lucas discusses his passion for adhering to organic practices ... Read more

The Phillips family homesteaded in Lodi , California shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War. Fruits, vegetables and grapes were staple family crops for decades. The Phillips' roadside fresh produce stand remains a Lodi destination, but its shelves and bins are equally weighted with the family’s wines .

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Lodi , California, where he visits with Larry Mettler and his daughter Kim Mettler Ealls at Mettler Family Vineyards . In addition to producing a wide array of wines, the family farms more than 2,000 acres of grapes. In addition to winemaking duties at Mettler and nearby Michael David Winery, son Adam Mettler was the recipient of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s prestigious 2018 Winemaker of the Year... Read more

Dan Panella is director of winemaking and co-owner of Oak Farm Vineyards in Lodi , California. He credits Cal Poly State University’s 'learn by doing' philosophy for creating prime graduates who are armed with the practical, hands-on skills sought out by the wine industry. Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Dan Panella and assistant winemaker and 2017 Cal Poly grad Sierra Zeiter .

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Lodi, California, where he visits with Markus and Liz Bokisch at Bokisch Vineyards . Proclaimed the 2019 Winery of the Year by Visit Lodi Conference and Visitors Bureau, Bokisch has evolved the region’s wine lexicon with award-winning Iberian grape varieties including Albarino, Garnacha and Tempranillo. Bokisch is the largest organic grape grower in the Lodi AVA (American Viticultural Area) wit... Read more

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Monterey County's Fort Hunter Liggett, America’s largest Army Reserve training base. A ribbon-cutting ceremony signaling the opening of a multi-million dollar high-tech training school has just concluded. Come along and join the conversation with Fort Hunter Liggett Garrison Commander Colonel Charles Bell Jr.; Major General Bruce Hackett, Commanding General, 80 th Training Command; and Brig... Read more

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Birmingham, Alabama , where he visits with Ivan Holloway, executive director at Urban Impact . Holloway and his team develop sustainable economic opportunities and historic preservation initiatives within the underserved African American communities in the Fourth Avenue Business District and the historic Civil Rights District.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Birmingham, Alabama, where he explores the town’s post-Civil War roots as a premier American steel producer—and current economic development and revitalization initiatives—with David Fleming of REV Birmingham . Ty Malugani at the Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark shares insights about the historic Sloss Furnaces, at one time one of America’s largest blast furnace pig-iron producers. A... Read more

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Cal Poly adjunct journalism professor Katya Cengel to talk about her newly released book, " From Chernobyl with Love ." Cengel’s memoir recounts her experiences working as a journalist in Kiev and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia from 1998 through 2003.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin. Woodfin has created cutting-edge initiatives, such as "Birmingham Promise," where every high school graduate is offered tuition-free two or four-year university education. Neighborhood programs include tax advantages for small business, crime reduction methods, and healthy food opportunities.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer explores middle Tennessee’s rural charms within a one-hour radius of downtown Nashville. Wilmer explores Sumner County , Marshall County , Henry Horton State Park , Cheek Bend Natural Area and Monthaven Art & Cultural Center in Hendersonville.

Reelfoot Lake State Park , located in the northwest corner of Tennessee, is a unique wildlife haven. Tennessee State Parks naturalist David Haggard shares the inside scoop about things to do and see on and around the lake. We’ll then join Michael Hayes, owner of Blue Bank Resort , who shares his family’s multi-generational history of living and working on the lake since the 1880s.

Memphis, Tennessee, native Booker T. Jones started playing the piano as a toddler, and began singing in his church choir as a six year-old. With the release of “Green Onions” in 1962, Booker T. & the M.G.’s organ-infused Memphis soul sound became a number-one hit on Billboard’s R&B chart. Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Jones at the North Carolina Folk Festival, where he recalls growing up in Memphis, playing as a stud... Read more

The advent of battery powered e-bikes and fat tire beach cruisers—along with good old knuckle-busting maintenance and repair—helps sustain independently-owned, neighborhood bike shops. Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Morro Bay, California for a visit with Dave Shultz, owner of the The Bike Shop , to learn the rest of the story.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he visits with owner-partner Dennis Quaintance. The Proximity , the first Platinum LEED-certified green hotel in America. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification provides "independent verification of a building or neighborhood’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance ... Read more