Beyond Rockets

Clark sits down with Dr. Andrew Cummings, founder of Apex Chiropractic & Functional Wellness, to talk about what it takes to launch a business from scratch in a brand new city.

Andrew shares his journey from growing up in Rome, Georgia, playing collegiate basketball, attending chiropractic school, to working as an associate in Birmingham before making the decision to open his own practice in Huntsville. He discusses wh...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with Clayton Hinchman, Chairman and CEO of IGNITE, to discuss his journey from West Point and Army service to leading one of Huntsville's fastest-growing companies. After surviving a life-changing IED explosion while serving in Iraq, Clayton transitioned into entrepreneurship, founded and sold his first company, and eventually became the leader of IGNITE.

During the conversatio...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark sits down with Zack Penney, CEO of Bill Penney Motor Company, to talk about growing up in Huntsville, joining the family business, and eventually taking over leadership of one of Alabama's most recognizable automotive brands.Zack shares stories from his early days working in every department of the dealership, the lessons he learned leading through the 2008 financial crisis, and the importan...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, we sit down with Joanna White, Managing Director of the Apollo Coalition, for a conversation about Huntsville’s growth, the power of community, and what it means to build culture through innovation. A Huntsville native, Joanna shares her journey from growing up in the Rocket City and discovering the local music and arts scene to spending over a decade with Arts Huntsville helping shape event...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark sits down with Nathan Eldridge and Jeff Holsclaw, hosts of The Sift Podcast, to talk about how a simple idea turned into a growing platform centered around faith, honesty, and real-life conversations. 

Nathan and Jeff share the story behind launching The Sift, the mission of creating a space where people feel welcomed into conversations about life, marriage, struggles, faith, and the Bib...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark sits down with Brian Cook, President and CEO of Cook's Pest Control and Board Chairman of Cook Museum of Natural Science.

Brian shares the story behind a fourth-generation family business that started in 1928 and how it evolved into something far beyond pest control. What began as a small internal training tool eventually grew into one of North Alabama’s most im...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark sits down with professional fisherman, entrepreneur, and developer Boyd Duckett to unpack a career built on recognizing opportunity and taking action.

Boyd shares how dropping out of high school led to his first business, how he secured a $565,000 loan at just 22 years old, and the lessons learned from building and selling multiple companies along the way. From launching a successful tan...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with legendary Huntsville meteorologist and innovator Bob Baron to unpack a career that helped reshape how we understand and track weather.From his early days in radio to becoming a trusted voice on television, Bob shares how creativity and curiosity led to the creation of his iconic “Weather in Motion” — long before modern graphics existed. But what began as...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with Jordan Rodriguez, founder of Freedom Exteriors, to talk about his path from athlete to entrepreneur and how he built a growing exterior remodeling company in Huntsville. Jordan shares how his journey took him from Grissom High School to college athletics, into multiple careers, and eventually into the home improvement industry, where he found his fit.

Jordan explains ...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with Vania, founder and creator of ShopMOSS, a jewelry and apparel boutique located in the Village of Providence in Huntsville.Vania shares her journey from moving to the U.S. from Rome at age 12 to building a creative brand deeply rooted in her Italian heritage. After earning a degree in graphic design and spending a decade in photography, she picked up clay on a whim in 2018...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with Jack Fite, CEO of Fite Building Company, to talk about five decades of construction in North Alabama.

Jack shares his journey from growing up in a family lumber business to leading a multi-regional construction firm, celebrating 50 years in business. Along the way, he opens up about the early grind, navigating economic downturns, Huntsville’s explosive growth, and wh...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with Jordyn Brummett, co-owner of The Vessel, a community pottery studio in Huntsville, to reflect on how far the journey has come since her first appearance on the podcast more than three years ago.

Jordyn shares the story of launching The Vessel as a brand-new concept, testing the idea at Stove House, and quickly realizing the demand for creative space and community...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, host Clark Dunn sits down with Anusha Davis, Vice President of Retail at Crunkleton Commercial, for an in-depth look at the evolution of Huntsville’s retail and mixed-use real estate landscape.

Born and raised in Huntsville, Anusha shares her unconventional path into commercial real estate, starting with a background in communications and journalism before finding her footing i...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark Dunn sits down with Chef James Brown (The Standard), Ben Brennan (Del Chuco), and Luke Hawk (The Local)—three key leaders behind Huntsville’s Mercado Group. They share how their paths first crossed in Huntsville kitchens years ago, what it’s been like building three distinct downtown concepts in rapid succession, and why making nearly everything fro...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark sits down with David Fernandes, Senior Vice President at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing and Group Vice President for Toyota, to go inside one of North Alabama’s most transformative projects. David shares his journey from growing up near the Indy 500 and working at GM and Rolls-Royce to leading multiple Toyota plants across the U.S., South Africa, and now the joint Mazda Toyota facility in ...

In this episode of Beyond Rockets, Clark sits down with Erica Hardesty, Founder & Executive Director of Make It Matter Collective and Owner of Noella’s Flowers, to explore how one idea, one flower truck, and one leap of faith turned into a movement changing the lives of young people aging out of foster care.

Erica shares her journey from social work to launching a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring t...

In this episode, we sit down with Melissa Thompson, CEO & President of the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, for a powerful conversation about generosity, growth, and what makes Huntsville unlike anywhere else.

Melissa shares her journey from growing up across multiple states to eventually landing in Huntsville, where she found a city defined by innovation, collaboration, and open arms. She walks through the early days...

Former TV anchor turned “socialpreneur” Lee Marshall shares the 20-year story behind Kids to Love—one of Alabama’s most impactful nonprofits serving children in foster care. Lee opens up about her adoption roots, the flight that sparked the nonprofit’s founding in 2004, and how Kids to Love grew from a garage project into a statewide ecosystem: K-TECH workforce training, college scholarships, a child-p...

On this episode of Beyond Rockets, we sit down with Larry Lowe, Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Huntsville. Larry shares his path from radar engineering and startup life to Fractal Brewing and data/AI, then into City Hall, where he’s helping the City of Huntsville, Huntsville Utilities, and the Solid Waste Disposal Authority use technology responsibly and transparently.

We talk about:

What a municipal CIO actually does...