This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need, from storm warnings to pollen levels, right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are.
It's hyper-local, real-time, customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free weather bug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI.
It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's.
Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com/slash podcast. Paid for by Public Investing. Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc., member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Registered Advisor.
Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/slash. disclosures. You're listening to a podcast.
So you're doing something else too, like maybe scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving places you like without thinking you'll get them. Because that's what house hunting has become. But Redfin isn't built for endless browsing, it's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents, which means when you find a place you love, you've got a real shot at getting it. Redfin helps turn saved listings into real addresses.
Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Wash away your worries with Anibay. Anibay is the only designer sofa that's machine washable inside and out, starting at just $699.
Plus, Anibay sofas are pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and feature changeable slip covers and modular pieces. Get up to 60% off site-wide with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Visit washablefas.com to get yours now. That's washablesofas.com. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
Big adventures, family chaos, untethered exploration. The Nissan Pathfinder is built for it. Powered by a lauded V6 engine and smooth nine-speed automatic transmission, the new Nissan Pathfinder is Adventure on Wheels. With seating for up to eight, a premium interior, and available second-row captain's chairs, it's adventure in comfort. And with 284 horsepower and 6,000 pounds of towing capacity, Pathfinder is adventure unlimited.
The new Nissan Pathfinder, power your adventure. Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner's Manual for additional information. Always secure cargo.
Okay. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. And we tell stories about everything here on this show, from the arts to sports, and from business to history, and everything in between, including your stories. Send them to ouramericanstories.com. They're some of our favorites.
And today, we bring you the story of Kurt Anderson, a man whose life was turned around by a company. and Carla Nugent. one of the founding partners of that company. Here's Robbie with the story. Kurt Anderson's childhood was pretty normal.
until tragedy struck. 1987, I lost my brother Brian to a motorcycle accident. And then started getting involved with some alcohol and marijuana. It was just a Instead of turning it into something positive I took it the wrong way. Just went.
downhill from there and uh I did manage to stay in school and Get my GED though.
So Just from there, you know, the... The alcohol. got worse and worse and 21 years old and you know, cocaine and Produce some methamphetamines. Was in and out of jail. Didn't really...
have a good job or anything like that or a career. I was just in and out of restaurants doing Short order cook type work. You know, I had met a girl, we had some kids together, and I was pretty much a knucklehead. all through my 30s. She actually ended up leaving me because I was just out of control.
I would pay the bills or whatever, but other than that, it was...
Well it's just my addiction. started getting felonies and Woo! Getting in trouble with the law. I caught my first felony and Two thousand and 2, 2003, somewhere in there. and was given a chance to do probation.
Didn't do do so well at that. Did it for about two months and then uh kind of went AWOL, so to speak. Ended up catching another felony case on felony probation. and they gave me five years ISP intense supervised probation. I did okay with that for about quite a year.
I ended up catching another case. This was my third felony.
So they sent me to DOC on that one. Department of Corrections. How much prison? Three-year sentence.
Well I was denied for parole. pretty much did the whole time.
So I was released in late 2008. In Colorado you have a mandatory parole.
So I did get on that. Completed my parole. Was doing okay. was pretty much cleaning off of meth for for my whole time on parole. And then once I got off parole, dove right back into my addiction again.
Caught another felony. 2010. for my fourth, fifth and sixth felony. They were trying to make it a habitual Crime that like enhances your sentence.
So I was looking at like 20 years DOC. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to Pier 1. It's a therapeutic community. I got to Pier 1 on 9-11-12. They call it your clean day, is what they call it the day you enter the program.
The graduation percent is only like. 11 or 12. 12% of the people that go to that program actually complete it. They uh pretty much Try to reprogram your whole way of thinking. You know, the first six months you don't have any contact with your family.
It's pretty intense. They kind of want you to get really in touch with yourself, bad decisions that you've made, be done with them. Get them out there, talk about it. Because see, that was me. I never talked about my problems and oh, I don't have a drug problem.
I'm not an alcoholic. You know, I'm okay in where I'm at. You know what I mean? The rent's paid, there's Food's food's in the fridge, but I'm not home for four or five days 'cause I'm out. ripping and running, you know.
So Yeah, they just want you to really be okay with who you are and where you want to go in your life. After I progressed through the program, I got to the part where I could go out and find a job. immediately went back to the restaurant and I was just like... I don't I don't want to do this anymore. I just I don't like it.
They reminded me of The old me. And then I was blessed enough to meet somebody in the program that had got hired on a Wayfield and said, well, why don't you try to be an electrician. They put you through school. It's a great company. And I said, that sounds like a good idea.
I think I'll go do that. And that's what I went and did in 2014. February. This is when I got hired at Wayfield. Carla Nugent is one of the founders.
and Chief Business Development Officer at Wayfield Group. one of the top electrical contracting companies in Colorado. At Wayfield, They believe that just because you have a past doesn't mean you can't have a future. Parents come up to me at some of these different events we do and just start crying and you know, thank you for giving my son an opportunity. Like he had made these bad decisions, hanging around the wrong people.
He's such a good kid, but then when he got out of his sentencing, nobody would give him a job and believe in him. Maybe fast food, maybe lawn service, but nobody would look at him as far as a career. And you guys treated him as anyone else that you would hire, you know, and weren't Cautious about his background, looked at it as that's a bad decision. Let's move forward and make good decisions. And so, those stories are like, wow, we're making a systemic.
change, right? And sharing those stories, I think Is powerful and important, and the thing I've been surprised is when we started to do this years ago. We thought it's the right thing to do. We didn't know that we'd have high success rate, right? We bring somebody in, we didn't know what to expect.
We thought we're gonna believe the best in them, set up a program, move forward, and quickly these individuals. We're at a point of like I've made bad decisions, I'm at a point of accountability, and I'm ready to go and start a career.
Okay. And you were just listening to Carla Nugent. and she is one of the founding partners of the Wayfield Group and again one of Colorado's largest electrical contracting companies. When we come back, more from Carla. and Kurt Anderson.
Here are Now our American stories. Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to hear again can be found there daily. Again, please. Please subscribe to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
It helps us keep these great American stories coming. No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need, from storm warnings to pollen levels, right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are. It's hyper-local, real-time, customizable alerts.
Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free weather bug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi-asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and now generated assets, which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt.
From renewable energy companies with high-free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index, and lets you backtest it against the SP 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com/slash podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio.
That's public.com/slash podcast. Paid for by Public Investing. Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc., member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC, SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool.
Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com/slash. disclosures. Uh Life gets messy. Spills, stains, head accidents, and kid chaos.
But with Anibay, cleaning up is easy. Our sofas are fully machine washable, inside and out, so you never have to stress about messes again. Made with liquid and stain-resistant fabrics, that means fewer stains and more peace of mind. Designed for real life, our sofas feature changeable fabric covers, allowing you to refresh your style anytime. Need flexibility?
Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa effortlessly. Perfect for cozy apartments or spacious homes. Plus, they're earth-friendly and built to last. That's why over 200,000 happy customers have made the switch. Upgrade your space today.
Sofas start at just $699. Visit washablefas.com now and bring home a sofa made for life. That's washable sofas.com. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Big adventures, family chaos, untethered exploration.
The Nissan Pathfinder is built for it. Powered by a lauded V6 engine and smooth nine-speed automatic transmission, the new Nissan Pathfinder is Adventure on Wheels. With seating for up to eight, a premium interior, and available second-row captain's chairs, it's adventure in comfort. And with 284 horsepower and 6,000 pounds of towing capacity, Pathfinder is Adventure Unlimited. The new Nissan Pathfinder, power your adventure.
Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner's Manual for additional information. Always secure cargo.
Hi, I'm Chef Franklin Becker. You know the jingle.
Now discover the facts about Ozempic, a GLP-1. There's only one FDA-approved Ozempic, made by Novo Nordisk. Learn about the real thing. Talk to your healthcare professional today. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit ozempic.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Ozempic.
Semaglotide injection 0.5 milligram, 1 milligram, and 2 milligrams. And we continue here with our American stories and the story of Wayfield Group, the Colorado electrical contracting company that finds much of its success in treating people well Like people. Here's more from Carla Nugent, the woman who helped start Wayfield Group. and Kurt Anderson, a man whose life Wayfield changed. for the good.
My passion for nonprofit community, you know, for Christ and starting Wakefield Group, and that no matter what we did, I wanted to figure out how we could give back to the community. And it was nice because we were all on the same page on the partnership side that that's the right thing to do. When we started, um none of my partners knew Christ. um did not have that faith, have different stories. And so it was neat how they still trusted my dreams and my vision and my faith and doing the right thing.
And play it forward now, 18 years later, two of them do know the Lord. But it's just neat to see how God's Use that, I think, soften their hearts and how we care for our people here at work, and it's become. part of our culture now, right? Our values are packed, P-A-C-T, people, advanced processes, community, and trusted relationships. Everything we do, we make very simple to bring back to that.
We want our employees, we want to be known for that through our employees, but also on the customer side, that we're all about our people and we build really cool projects. It's our experiences with people that we share our time with. Yeah, I'm not the typical person you probably run into in our industry. We're probably eight percent of construction would be um made up of women. Mm.
I Appreciate, I think, being a woman in our industry, and I think I can pull off things that maybe some can't. And I can push some of the values people that heart piece that maybe other construction companies wouldn't even think about and for me i want our employees to know that we care about them and value them and again it's not about the job but we're praying for their safety i pray for the jobs we're pursuing are not just to go get a new big shiny project and take care of this customer these are jobs for our families you know we provide now for over 600 employees and families.
Sometimes in construction you can get very in an execution mode. We have all these activities to do on this deadline as to happen and sometimes the pleasantries can come out of that. And so how do you keep the human element that we have all these things to execute? But how can I do it where you are valued and you are heard and we're working as a team and we're collaborating instead of just, you know, yell and scream and that's going to motivate you, you know, looking at it in a different way, like, you know, how do we honor our employees and we're thoughtful on how we treat them and respect them and build them up, train them, invest in them, believe in them. Yeah.
So we do. Believe we invest in our people, we care for our people, they care for our customers, they make happy clients. It's this whole cycle. And it's neat to see how God's just blessed those decisions when you look at financially of what are all the things we want to have better benefits than our competition and pay for full health insurance for our employees, pay for all of their training, and invest in all these things that we celebrate and giveaways and fun. We're always, there's some employee of the month, and we give a ton of stuff away, and we want it to be.
It's fun to work here and figure out how we connect individuals and challenge them to give back to their community and getting enrolled in our different kind of programs we do with charities. Make it fun, but have folks think about, like, gosh, God bless me. I'm an electrician at this company, and I can give back to my community. There's a charity I can get passionate about, I can give up my time, not just many. And if everybody thought that way, right, what a better community that we'd have, better city that we'd have.
I'm so thankful for them. for hiring me and putting me through school. Teaching me the whaler. The way to go, I've been blessed. to have the people in my life at Wayfield that I have, especially Carla.
and Brad and James and Pete. Just a bunch of Great human beings here. They're like family. If I ever had any problem with anything, I'd be the first people I'd call. Mm.
So Like, no, I can rely on them for anything. Since day one. Brad told me, I don't care what you've done, I care about what you want to do, where you want to go with your life from this moment forward. Yeah.
Wow. Let's You know You get judged a lot based on what you do. And whether it's negative or positive, you know, you just have to make the right choice.
So, yeah, I was I was blessed to get the interview and get hired and just I said, I'm gonna take this one all the way. You know, being a recovering addict, you know, I was just miserable for years and years. always unhappy and just After I got into Pier 1 and then I decided I'm not gonna be miserable no more. I'm gonna I'm gonna live life. I feel that God wants need to be happy and just enjoy life.
But you know what's easy to be. miserable and negative and grumpy and just I don't want that no more.
So I wake up every day and I'm happy. Just to wake up and have a great future at Wayfield, it's amazing. I actually have seven years clean, it's over. Most I've ever had in my life since I began my in my path down that road. I'm grateful to Wayfield.
I'm going to give him 110% every day that I go to work. My dad once told me if If you're not early, you're late, so. I show up early to work. If they need me to stay late, I stay late. You need me to come in Saturday, I'm coming in Saturday.
And that's just how it is. You know, I was blessed to give this opportunity to come have a career here. I'm gonna give it My all.
So, yeah. I'm going to stay with Wayfield until I retire. And then probably till I die. I'm so happy where I'm at in my life. And you know, there's other companies that are out there and you know you hear that a lot when you're in this trade.
You know, you see so many faces in construction. Oh, you're still at Wakefield, that's cool, and blah, blah, blah. You should... I'm like, I'm okay. I'm making the most money I've ever made in my life.
I have a 401k. I'm good. I'm buying my house. I don't need more money. I'm happy about that.
They pay me. Perfect. I'm okay.
So I have no desire to go anywhere else. You could offer me twice as much money and I would That's not about the money. I'm comfortable in life where I'm at and that's thanks to Wayfield Group. And great job to Robbie and to Alex for putting this piece together. And my goodness, it has so many of the elements.
That we care about here on this show, that authentic voice of the small business owner, her faith.
Well, there it is for all to hear, and what she does, and all the good that got done because of her faith, And also we heard from Kurt Anderson and his voice. And my goodness His honesty, his stark honesty about his life. and how he'd lived it. And we love When people can come clean like that and talk about the turnaround in their lives, and there is hope. In a story like this, And my goodness, it comes from so many different avenues.
That Pier One program. was essential. Without it, well Kurt couldn't have taken the next step. But then came well then came Carla. and that hand, that helping hand.
And offering this man a job. And by the way, Carla and Wayfield Group have done this in the low hundreds of times. Lending a helping hand and a job. to these at-risk individuals. And my goodness, a job at this company isn't just a JOB.
It's hope, it's love. And my goodness, it's so much more. And what a thing for Kurt Anderson to experience. was that kind of hope. at a time when he needed it most.
And last but not least, there were just a couple of things that Kurt said that really, really moved me. I've been blessed to have these people in my lives, he said of Wayfield Group. They're a bunch of great human beings. And for anybody listening who owns a company, runs a business, or runs anything. You gotta be asking yourself is...
Is that what your people are saying about you? And he also said, I'm grateful to be here. I'll give 110% every day. I'll show up early to work. I'll stay late.
If they need me on Saturday, I'm there. That's just the way it is. And that's just the way it is. Wayfield Group, their story. Carla Nugent's story.
Here. on our American story. No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need, from storm warnings to pollen levels, right at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are.
It's hyper-local, real-time, customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free weather bug app from the App Store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me.
I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time. And one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete my identity is something I am proud of. but I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big game really hit home.
It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the blue square. Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Wash away your worries with Anibay.
Anibay is the only designer sofa that's machine washable inside and out, starting at just $699. Bus Anibay sofas are pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and feature changeable slip covers and modular pieces. Get up to 60% off site-wide with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Visit washable sofas.com to get yours now. That's washable sofas.com.
Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. To test the new Pathfinder, Nissan turned to the boldest creators of all. Kids. Their drawings sparked a wild idea. Brought to life by a Hollywood director, a stunt team, and the SUV that makes the unthinkable unforgettable.
No tricks, just V6 power, practical effects, and the rugged new Pathfinder. Watch how it all came together and discover why JD Power ranks Nissan number one in new vehicle quality among mainstream brands. For JD Power 2025 U.S. Initial Quality Study Award information, visit jdpower.com slash awards. Awards based on 2025 model year.
Newer models may be shown. I'm U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Yeah.
We all get distracted when we drive. whether it's from our phones or kids in the backseat bickering. But how we handle these distractions can be a matter of life. or death. Before you get on the road for your next road trip, Please put your phones on silent.
and take a mental note. to focus on driving. Paid for by Nitza. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.
Mm-hmm.
