Community, Connections, & Commerce Episode 10 with Spencer Porter

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Welcome back to Community Connections and Commerce. I'm Drake Watson
as always, along with Wendy Anderson and our guest today,
Spencer Porter. Thank you for giving us your time this morning,
and we really appreciate you coming on and making it
over to the studio to UH to hopefully have an
incredible conversation with us.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
So far, we've been doing really well, so welcome Spencer,
thank you, thank you.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
For having me. It's a pleasure to be here, so
excited to be here.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
So you are the publisher of Saint Clair's Saint Clair Magazine.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Correct Magazine.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yes, if you could kind of give a little backstory
to folks who may not be aware fully of who
or what you who you are, what you do, just
give us a little backstory and how you got to
where you are now and kind of what motivates you
to do what you do.

Speaker 3 (00:59):
Absolutely so. I am originally from bel Air, Ohio, and
went to high university in a high university Eastern graduated
from there and then I ended up moving to Italy,
af pairing with a family. After my time there, I
then shifted moved to Hawaii. I had a bikini company.

(01:19):
I did a lot of work in Hawaii, and then
from there I actually ended up moving to Los Angeles, California.
I was there for about five or six years, learned
so much, and then decided to move back to the
Ohio Valley and I have been here for a few
years and I found this opportunity to be able to

(01:40):
have a community magazine, have my own small business with it,
and really be able to uplift local families, create platforms
for small businesses in the area. And it's been a
dream come true and loving working with everybody. And here
we are today.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Wow, that is so cool'en the magazine. It is very
very nice. It's very nice.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, So how do you choose your families to be
on the front page?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
The magazine is really, like I said, community centered, so
it is maybe somebody that has a really interesting story
that needs to be shared. Families, business owners, anybody in
town can nominate somebody. We've had a lot of nominations,
were actually booked out for covers until about next March.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Really, yeah, we are nice.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
It's really exciting how great the reception has been and
how so many people want to participate in what we're
doing and are really just supporting those families.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
How did you get the idea to showcase different families
in that way?

Speaker 3 (02:45):
So my parent company is Best Version Media. We have
magazines all over the US, so that's the premise of
what they do, and when finding this opportunity, it is
just really the center of the business to uplift families
and have them on that cover. And that really drives

(03:05):
the open rate. It really drives why people want to
open the magazine and read it from cover to cover
because it's your friend, your family, And even if you
don't know the person on the cover, you're like, excuse me,
I know everybody in town. How don't I know that?
And so that's another reason why people open and engage.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
That is so cool. So I also know that you
are now the new position publisher of Wheeling Neighbors at
Best Version Media. So tell us about that and how
did that come about.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yes, we are in the midst of launching that, which
excites me so much. And how that came about was
as I was meeting with businesses all throughout the valley
to be a part of Saint Clair's The Living magazine,
which I do have some Wheeling businesses, the mountains, oil
businesses that are participating what we're doing in Saint Clairsville.
I had a lot of feedback from so many businesses

(03:55):
that said, we love what you're doing, we love this idea,
but we would participate if this wasn't Wheeling because that's
a bulk of our business. Okay, great. I kept hearing that,
so then I went back to Best Version Media and said, hey,
I really think we have a lot of opportunity here
in Wheeling. And there's a funny backstory with that. How

(04:17):
our divisions are broken up within the company, that's a
whole other segment of the business. There's like a line
between Wheeling between West Virginia and Ohio. And I went
back and spoke to some of my leadership and said, hey,
we may be two different states, but we are one area.
The commerce here just goes back and forth. The families,
the friends, the relationships, like this is one area. Could

(04:39):
we maybe have West Virginia and put that in our
Ohio district. And they came back and said, honestly, it
makes great sense for the business. It makes great sense
for your area. You know your area. Bring it on over,
let's get to launching Wheeling. There was just a need.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
That is such such great words to hear for me,
because we are the valley and that's what people they get.
They they don't like sometimes that the Saint Clair's Old
Chamber has Wheeling members or you know, we have Saint
Clair'sville members, we have Jefferson County members. But we are

(05:16):
we are all the Ohio Valley and that's what people
have to understand. And you're right, we do business across
that river. We're so close, and yet we're so divided.
And that mentality, that closed mindedness, just does not make
sense to me.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
It doesn't make sense. And it also we are just
cutting ourselves off from so much opportunity to have a
closed mind about anything. I think like something that marks
just intelligence in someone is someone simply just being open
to learn more and instead of saying an immediate no,
maybe let's think about it, let's entertain this, let's talk

(05:57):
about the pros and the cons, let's see how this
really could benefits. And I think having that mindset, every
single person involved benefits so much just from simply entertaining
an option. Because you maybe have a blind spot, maybe
then think of something and then someone else can bring
that thought to you and it could be awesome for everybody,
like we're seeing with the two sides of the river. Yeah,

(06:18):
coming together exactly and working together.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
And you just mentioned a moment ago, your kind of
willingness to have an open mind and kind of you know,
reach across the aisle or go across the river quite
literally and maximize your opportunity, because that's what it's all about.
I mean, you at a certain point you look at
it and it's you're hindering your own growth if you don't,
you know, maximize both sides of this of this thing exactly.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
You're right.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
Absolutely. I think as much as we can really zero
in on, we are united by so many more things
than things that divide us. And I think if we
can continue to realize, like we the strength of our
community can deliver so much to all of us.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
Oh the economy number one, Yes, yes, I mean, my goodness,
we I shop on both sides of the river. In fact,
I have a sign that says my home is on
both sides of the river.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
One in West Virginia, one in Ohio. We're just very
fortunate where we're located because we are so close, Yes,
and so let's take advantage of that. That is not
a disadvantage, that is an advantage.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
Such an advantage. And I also think it's an advantage
of just where we're so strategically located on the map.
We're so close to three different states, yes, so many
big cities around us. We have the inner State. We
are in a spot, and I think that really served
us well one hundred years ago. And I think as
things have changed here over the past hundred years, we're
just simply having to reinvent ourselves and remember our strategic location,

(07:46):
how to tap into that exactly. And I think if
we just continue to do that and really build on
that with the strength of our community and our small businesses.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
Right Yeah, in seventy seven and seventy nine are all
pretty simple drives. I I that's all connected. You use
you get those those three big metro areas together maximize
your opportunity. I wanted to talk about your inspiration that
you may or may not have had while you were traveling.
Is there anything that that you noticed during your travels
overseas and then in Hawaii and then to California that

(08:15):
you that that kind of spoke to you and maybe
not directly inspired what you're doing now. But at least
helped out along the way.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
Great question. Absolutely, I have been an outsider a lot
moving places, living in Hawaii, especially the culture there is
very Hawaii centric. It is you have to be a Hawaiian.
If you are anything other than a Hawaiian, you are
viewed as maybe some sort of problem or some sort

(08:44):
of issue, and there's names for white people. It's a
very fascinating cultural structure there. And I had family that
had a home there, so I would spend time there
growing up, so I was a little bit accustomed to that.
But I moved there with my boyfriend at the time
and he wasn't aware of any of that happening in Hawaiian.
He got there and he did not like it. But

(09:06):
when you go to Hawaii, you have to have this
mindset of like I am a student. I'm a student,
like always consistently continuously learning, and I'm an outsider. So
I need to be respectful. I need to learn how
to forge authentic and genuine relationships, and I need to,
like I said, just be really respectful of what's around
me and that I'm a guest. And that was a

(09:27):
consistent theme living in Italy. I was a guest the
part of Italy I lived in, they didn't speak much English.
I had to learn some things there. I still don't
speak good Italian, but I had to learn some things,
and so that was a great experience living other places.
It was simply I'm new, I'm the outsider. You guys
show me and teach me. Grateful to be here. And

(09:48):
I really learned throughout those times too that we really
are all so different. And it's like this recurring theme
for me. We are so different. There are so many
things we can learn from each other. But at the
end of the day, we're all humans.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
We all want to be successful, we all want to
be happy, we all want to just live a happy,
simple life exactly. And realizing that there really are a
lot of things we can come together on. And that
was my premise for this magazine as well of being
able to be a facilitator of community and doing that

(10:21):
through simply just getting to know each other. Even when
I work with people with the magazine and maybe it's
not the time for them to be in the magazine,
it doesn't work out for them at this moment, but
I always simply tell people, let's just meet, get to
know each other. If it's not the time, now, that's great,
it's no problem. I'm sure at some point we're gonna
run into each other, we're gonna do business with each other.
Let's just know each other, right.

Speaker 1 (10:42):
Yeah. I love when I asked you about your inspiration
around the world and traveling is so important. I think
just to open your mind, as you said, you didn't
mention anything tangible, and everything you spoke to was the
intangibles about how you developed having an open mind and
how you got accustomed to being the student, as you said,
and there's obviously nothing greater than learning. And I just

(11:02):
think that's that's a really powerful way that you decided
to go about that, and that's super inspirational.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
Thank you. It's always scary, though, to do new things
or the outsider. I remember on the flight to Los
Angeles and I was moving there because I wasn't expecting
to move there. My boyfriend at the time was like,
I studied film, I want to go to Los Angeles.
I can't stay in Hawaii. Are you coming with me?
I was like, you know. I took some deliberation and
I was Okay, I'm coming. And I get there and

(11:31):
I remember telling myself on the plane. You don't have
the most money, you don't have the most experiences, you're
not the prettiest, you're not this, you're not that. Just
preparing myself to not talk down on myself, but just
be realistic on like, you're going to this new place
and there's going to always be somebody that has more
than you. Don't compare yourself. Just know that, like you're you,
stay in your lane, be open to experiences. Don't make

(11:55):
your first response. Always know. Because I was in like
a headspece, so I would do that, I would be defensive,
and it was all fear. Yeah, and then once I realized, like,
there's nothing to be afraid of, right, Someone's always going
to do something better than you. Yeah, So just oh
absolutely be okay with it and lead like with kindness
and and open heart and just see what happens.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
We had a guest speaking of fear that talked about
just a few weeks ago, that talked about how he
dealt with fear, and he said, what did he say?
He said that he wrote down what his biggest fear was. Yeah,
and then he worked up until he got comfortable with
that and he was willing to accept that, and then
he wrote down what's worse than that? And I thought
that was really a really good way to go about it,

(12:38):
and really a good way to kind of look at
things in a better way to take risks.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
As you said, I applaud you though for taking risk
at such a young age. I wish I would have
done that early on in my life, and you know,
that would have probably led me somewhere else. But you know,
I think that's wonderful. So how do you give back
to the community. I know that you are a mentor

(13:03):
for yss, right I sure, yes you are so. And
that just looks that just brings a big smile of
your face right there. So tell me a little bit
about that.

Speaker 3 (13:14):
I love Yss. I love the mission of empowering youth
once again, forging real, genuine relationships with people around us.
And I have the best little sister. She and I
have a wonderful bond. I adore her family too. Her

(13:36):
mother is amazing. We are just able to have such
great special experiences together. She has taught me a lot.
I hope I've shared some interesting fun things with her.
But we're just continuously building our relationship. And I love

(13:56):
the events that they put on. I do my own
things with my little sister, and it's honestly just a
fulfilling experience, and I just really enjoy it. And I
can't wait to see how our relationship continues to develop.
She's only in fifth grade, going to sixth, and she
and I both said, we really adore each other. We're

(14:18):
going to continue growing our bond and just see where
we end up together.

Speaker 2 (14:22):
I love that. It's so cool it is. Have you
ever thought about having an intern, like an older from
Ohio University Eastern or maybe another college absolutely to follow you.

Speaker 3 (14:36):
I'm I'm open to whatever makes sense for everybody involved. Absolutely,
I've never even thought about that. That's a cool idea.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
Do you think just kind of you know, you just
said you'd never thought about it, But if you were
to think about it, what do you think you would
be looking for in someone that would have that role?

Speaker 3 (14:54):
Somebody that's fueled by possibility?

Speaker 1 (14:57):
Ooh love that.

Speaker 3 (14:58):
I love that, because quite literally, anything as possible if
you're just simply eager, if you operate from a positive
good intention to space sky's limit.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
Oh my gosh, that's wonderful. I bet you could teach
someone a lot.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
Maybe, but you know what.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
Since your openness, you could learn too. Yeah, they might
come up with something.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
That you never thought of, absolutely, and.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
I think that is really interesting.

Speaker 3 (15:35):
I love to be a student. I love to be
the odd person out. When I was in Tokyo a
few years back, and I'd never been somewhere where I
was just so blatantly different from everybody around me, and
it was such an interesting experience, so eye opening because
I just stood out like a sore thumb because I

(15:56):
didn't speak Japanese. Everybody was looking at me. I was
just like, oh my, this is a crazy experience. I
love it. See that type of thing though, excites me.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
It fuels you, it does I can tell wow you with.

Speaker 1 (16:11):
Your open mindedness, which I think is an incredible trait.
Is it ever difficult for you to shoot ideas down?
Maybe you come up with something that you're like, oh,
wouldn't it be and then you think, you take a
step back from yourself and you think that's actually a little.

Speaker 3 (16:22):
Crazy, amazing question, because that has been something I've actually
had to deal with, like the negative repercussions of that
throughout my twenties. So down to try anything, and then
sometimes I would get myself in situations where I'm like,
this wasn't very smart. Maybe it's like a small decision.
I mean, living in Los Angeles, there are so many
opportunities to do so many things, right, yeah, and I

(16:42):
would find myself like, this isn't maybe the safest thing
I could have done, but you know what, it was
an experience thing.

Speaker 1 (16:48):
God, yeah it worked out.

Speaker 3 (16:49):
Okay, my poor parents. My mom said she would just
lay in bed at night for like five years and
just not be exact spence are doing, which those are
stories for another time. But it was really fun. But
there's also been some big ideas that I've had and
I've had to train myself to have the big idea,
feel the excitement around it, but wait for the ebbs

(17:12):
and flows of emotion to flow out until we're in
a neutral space.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
There you go and you can analytically think about it correctly.

Speaker 3 (17:19):
I've had to figure that one out.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
Oh yeah, some.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
Time, absolutely, because everyone's still I mean you're you're still
growing just as much as Wendy and myself are and
everybody else in the room. And I I think I
think I forgot what I was going to say. Okay,
lost that happened.

Speaker 2 (17:40):
So when I when you came to my office a
while ago. Yeah, I was just struck by your enthusiasm,
just the way you walked into the office. And but
I've seen you in other areas, you know, for events,
and and you still have that same wonderful, oh, that

(18:07):
sparkly personality. How does your mom and dad give you that?
Who do you get that from?

Speaker 3 (18:13):
Thank you? I have been told that I got those
traits from my mother's mother, who has passed away. Actually
this week it'll be well maybe eight years now, I'm sorry,
nine years. Yeah, thank you, But no, she her life
was so sparkly and her personality just radiated. And just

(18:39):
to have a little bit of that, a little bit
of that, I'm so grateful. So thank you. I really
really appreciate that. But my grandmother was the life of
everything she touched, and our family definitely has lost it
sparkle since missing her. But it's really cool. There's some
different people in the family that have taken that on
a rand. So very cool. Yeah, thank you. I'm just

(19:01):
actually I just get excited by creating things and connecting
with people. Everybody needs their alone time, as I do.
But I'm really energized by working with people just simply
getting to know them, but also creating opportunity with people

(19:21):
and for people. It makes me so excited to watch
somebody else shine and their whole thing take off and
them just be excited about what they're doing. To be
a part of that excites me.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Oh, that's wonderful.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
The point I was going to mention that I forgot
was that you know, we're all still growing and everybody,
you know, it's very important to never stop learning and
never stop growing and improving. And I think when you
stop learning, you've kind of lost your purpose. But I
want to touch on that spark aspect that you guys
have been talking about. How imperative is it do you
think it is to have that meaning? Like if somebody

(19:56):
didn't have that bright personality or at least maybe not
even personality, but just an open, bright mind like a
light bulb, if they didn't have that or didn't have
that to a certain extent, do you think the things
that you were doing or are still possible?

Speaker 3 (20:10):
I think anything is possible. Excuse me, and I say
that because I really think everybody is so different. But
if you were authentically you really aligned with your own purpose,
your energy, your happiness. There are some people think about,
like really well known artists that are just me like,
they're just kind of down and law blah. But that's

(20:33):
so them that it's magnetic. So I really feel like
if you're just super in tune with yourself, you have
great knowledge of self, you are just really aligned in
what you're supposed to be doing. I think that creates
the magnetism. And I think you just need to be you.
I love that. Just be you and things will work

(20:54):
out if you're really in tune.

Speaker 1 (20:56):
So don't be a sparkle. But if you happen to
be a sparkle, you happen is sparkle. Don't don't be
a downer, but if you happen to be one, yeah,
I like that as well. Just well, we're not.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
Everyone's cup of tea. No, that is what makes the
country great, It really is.

Speaker 3 (21:13):
I could not agree more so.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
We are all so different and unique, and the idea
of me sitting here with Drake honestly has enhanced my
life because I'm looking at life a little bit differently
through his eyes. And I'm older, so to have that
young person's eyes, it's just a wake up call. And

(21:36):
I really think more people need to align themselves with
people opposite of them to get to know their thoughts,
their opinions, and be flexible and a sponge enough to
gravit get all that stuff inside of you so you
could take it apart and take what you want and

(21:58):
leave what you don't want.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
And I try to be humble enough to understand that
you have a lot more years under your belt than
I do, and so naturally there's a lot more experience
in wisdom that you are able to provide that I'm
not aware of yet, and that you know it's more
important for me to listen as opposed to speak, and
especially when we have a guest on who has as
much to add as you do, which we are so
grateful for, It's all important to listen and take in

(22:21):
all your great ideas and your great insight. We've about
run out of time for today, but if there's anything
else you'd like to add'll let you throw it in
real quick and we'll get you out of here.

Speaker 3 (22:30):
I just want to say it, Wendy, I cannot agree
more with what you just said. Having relationships with people
in so many different areas, so many age ranges, I
always say I have friends that are nineteen to eighty five.
I really do.

Speaker 2 (22:45):
I do too.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
I have friends all over the board because we all
have so much to share with each other and teach
each other just by simply existing with one another. So
I want to thank both of you for having me
here today. This has been so amazing, so eye opening.
I'm so proud of what we're doing in Saint Clairsville,
what we're kicking off and wheeling Saint Clairsville Living Magazine

(23:07):
is thriving and growing and putting me more proud of
every single person that I work with. Wheeling is going
to be so much fun. Yeah, Bet, thank you both
so much for having me. This has been an absolutely pleasure.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
You're so welcome well, thank you for coming on and
dedicating your time. Thanks as always to Wendy for putting
up with me this morning. I'm Drake Watson, and thank
our listeners for for listening and have a good one.