This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.
Alright. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting.
Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a camp miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Experience music performances by major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Join this landmark celebration and get your America's Block Party tickets now for $17.76 at America250.org slash LA. This is Tony A.O. from The Real Report with Tony A.O.
and Uncle Murder. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rent, streaming, even extra social at your favorite burrito spot? But with Boost Mobile, you don't have to play the Will This Go Up Soon game. Boost Mobile offers an unlimited talk, text, and data plan at a price that'll never go up.
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We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ionic 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedi Lamar. Want the full story? Take a listen. She starts dating Howard Hughes. And in fact, she helps him design a faster plane.
So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode, Spotlighting Groundbreaking Innovators like Hedi Lamar and Billie Jean King. Presented by the Hyundai Ionic 5.
Goodbye. When Kohler, global design leader in luxurious kitchen and bath products, asked me to be their ambassador for timeless, elegant, durable cast iron, I said, I'm in.
Soon after, I was in their Kohler, Wisconsin foundry, watching molten iron poured, enamel applied by hand, and the beautiful finished pieces ready to ship. Since eighteen eighty three Kohler cast iron has been crafted by incredible artisans, and seeing it first hand gave me a whole new appreciation for their craftsmanship.
Now, I am proud to lend my stamp of approval to my favourite Kohler cast iron products for their durability, beauty, and enduring style. Shop my curated pics at Kohler dot com. As the Kohler Cast Iron Ambassador, I say, Long live Cast Iron. And we continue with our American stories and now it's time for our Do the Right Thing series about ethical dilemmas that's sponsored by the great folks at the Daniels Fund. and our own Monty Montgomery brings us Today's Edition Here's Matty.
In 1979, Steve Bell was married. had a child. And his father-in-law had to let him go from his construction firm because of the recession.
So I hung out my shingle, you know, we'll work for food type thing. and my plumber introduced me to a dentist. He introduced me and I went up and I started remodeling his home on a time and materials basis. and he introduced me to his buddy that owned a dental supply company. One thing led to another and I became a tenant improvement contractor building dental offices.
And so I had Eventually seven or eight guys working for me. I was 29 years old and I thought I was God's gift to the world of business. And um One morning, about eight o'clock in the morning, I get a phone call from my attorney. And he said, Steve, are you sitting down? And I go, Yeah.
He said, Did you read the newspaper this morning? I go, No, I. I don't get the newspaper. And he goes, well, You better pick up a copy of today's Seattle Post Intelligence or because your dentist buddy is on the front page. He just got arrested up in Vancouver, British Columbia with a briefcase full of cocaine.
Well Our world quickly came crashing down. These two guys were involved in a drug smuggling ring with organized crime. And I was so naive. My parents were dead honest people. I never in my whole life heard my dad tell a lie.
Well, that um It was a rude awakening. Mm. And I found out that these two guys had uh been pulling a bunch of shenanigans. I remember getting a call. In the middle of the night that Someone had broke into one of their dental offices and Burglarized it and vandalized it and So I was called on to go and put it all back together.
Well, later I found out that they had done that because they got short on cash to the mafia. And so they staged a robbery of their own dental office. fence the stolen goods in Chicago and hired me to put everything back together.
Well, about the time that this all happened I was uh Pretty young. We had two small children and a Third one on the way. Life was pretty desperate. They owed me at that time over $100,000. This was in 1980.
Over $318,000 in today's money. And I didn't know what I was going to do. My attorney and my accountant got me together, and I remember sitting at this big conference table, and they looked at me and they said, Steve. You've just simply been had. We don't think anyone would hold it against you, but you really have no choice except to file bankruptcy.
There's no way that you can ever pay this debt off. I remember looking at them and I said, you know, it doesn't look good. I know it doesn't look good, but I've been reading my Bible. There's a verse in Philippians 4.19 that says, My God will supply all your need. according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.
Now, I'm not blaming God for the mess I'm in, but I'm sure going to rely on Him to get me out. And maybe you're right, maybe I'll have to do this. But before I go down that road, I'm going to try it my way. I remember back. growing up My dad, from the time I was a toddler, my dad would teach me to be a man of my word.
I remember him telling me, your word is your bond. I didn't even know what a bond was, but... It must have been something important. And then I remember him sitting me down and Um In our basement of our home in Gladstone, Oregon, I was 17, about to graduate from high school, and he said, Steve, You're going to graduate from high school soon and You're gonna go on and experience life and my direct influence in your life is going to become less and less. That wasn't really true, but...
Maybe that was a lot. Maybe that was a lot. No. My influence in you is going to become less and less. But I want you to know that there's only one thing you can carry through your entire life.
And that's your good name. Learn to protect it at all costs. Because every single day of your life, you're going to be faced with choices. And every single choice you make has a consequence. Good or bad.
And what you become at the end of your life is the sum total of every single one of those choices.
So learn to choose well. Uh As I was going through this difficult time in I kept thinking about the choices I had to make. Learn to choose well.
So I ended up writing a letter to every single person I owed money to. And following up with a personal visitor phone call explaining to them exactly what happened. taking full responsibility I admitted my culpability and my own naivety and lack of business experience. And told them that all I could offer them was my good name. and if they would trust me and give me some grace, Uh I would pay them every dime with interest.
I wasn't asking for a dime of discount, all I was asking for is time to let me pay them on my terms not theirs.
Okay. And I remember the attorney looking at me, shaking his head, saying, Son, son, son, you just don't realize this is not the way the world works. Within a month, you'll have a dozen lawsuits filed against you. Bill collectors will be hounding your wife day and night and your life is going to become a living hell. I said, sir.
Life's already a living hell. And maybe you're right. But I'm still going to try it my way.
Well th oh, those were I'd come home. And I was feeling lower than low and Yeah. You know, my wife came from a... Not a Wealthy family, but certainly. A blessed family and I felt like I was not worthy of her.
I had failed miserably as a business person. And all the bills just kept mounting up and I was struggling to get the work to stay ahead and pay everybody and I remember Just laying on the floor just uh Telling her that She deserved better than me. And um She got down on the floor with me and just held me. And said, Steve, I believe in you and God will provide for us. And the very next day.
Went out to the mailbox and there was a check from the IRS for $2,500. It was a refund from something I don't even know what it was from. I wasn't expecting it. I had no idea it was coming. But it Literally got us through that month, and I think got us through Christmas that season.
And uh God. has always provided. Even when it's It just seems so impossible to hang on at times. But you just have to. If you're gonna make it in business and life, you just can't quit.
You just have to keep going and keep going and keep going. But I don't understand it. It's one of the mysteries of why that story. hit me like it does. even to this day.
It's 40 years ago. There's just something really deep. inside and and I appreciate it. I love it. I would be disappointed if it ever went away.
And you're listening to Steve Bell. tell his story about a business catastrophe. When we come back, we continue with Steve Bell. His story. continues here on our American stories.
This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a camp-missed 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances by major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Join this landmark celebration and get your America's Block Party tickets now for $17.76 at America250.org/slash LA.
I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.
Alright. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting.
Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News, reporting for America. With my mom and dad living in Orange County, when we bring my five and seven-year-old to visit, we are sometimes in for a two-hour drive that could feel like 10. Oh, as an avid camper, I know all about this.
We'll pack up the RV and know this is either going to be the trip of a lifetime or a complete disaster. Which is why we load up the iPads with Lingo Kids before we even pull out of the driveway. It's what dreams are made of. Lingo Kids keeps kids engaged and quiet with over 4,000 interactive games, songs, and shows that kids simply cannot get enough of. You can pack whatever you think you'll need, but Lingo Kids is the only entertainment you'll need for a stress-free car ride.
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Search Lingo Kids in the App Store or Google Play. Lingo Kids: Everything Kids Love. I'm not great with words after a fight, and I'm sorry wasn't cutting it this time.
So I used Joybox to write a soulful ballad about how she's always right. By the second chorus, the silent treatment was officially over. Visit joybox.com and get out of the doghouse today. This is Tony A.O. from The Real Report with Tony A.O.
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And we continue with our American stories and with Steve Bell's story. for our Do the Right Things series sponsored by the great folks. at the Daniels Fund. After having been stiffed, For $318,000 in today's dollars terms for construction work. The was determined to pay back almost the same amount to all of the vendors and contractors who had helped him, and he thought that his best shot was to focus on cabinet making.
Let's return to Steve. I had them. met with uh an elder at one of our uh church I was going to who had Had a successful career in the trucking industry, and I remember having coffee with him, asking him, What should I do? and he said, Steve, These are times when you have to compartmentalize. Take all of that bad debt and put it in a bucket.
And go to every one of your suppliers and tell them that the only chance you have of paying them off is if you can stay in business. and promise that if they allow you to stay in business, You will absolutely stay current on every single current bill. You will never get past due on anything. and then you'll be allowed to chip away at the old stuff. And so I got tunnel vision.
I had to make X amount of money every month to chip away at the old stuff. It's very simple. You spend less than you bring in. And if you're not willing to discipline yourself to spend less than you make, you're gonna get in trouble. We tore up our credit cards.
I didn't have any credit cards for three years. Took a scissors and whacked them all up and if we didn't have money in the bank, we didn't buy it. Carolyn went to Goodwill and Salvation Army and Value Village and got clothes for our kids. Yeah. Okay.
We just made it through. We just did what we had to do. We had three small kids at the time and You know, I can If you ask my children, what it was like. I don't think any of them would have recollection of us. Being poor or doing without But they will have recollection of me working a lot.
I just found a letter that my daughter had written to my mother back in the late 80s telling that my dad was working 12 hours a day and Mm-hmm. amazing letter to find but I always made time for them. I always came home for dinner. Yeah, read to them at night, made sure I could tuck them in bed, and then I'd go back to work. But we just made sure we spent time.
That's all they wanted was time. Valuable time. When I was going through those hard times, If I didn't have any money to pay them, I've got I've called him. Explained it.
So every single month, everybody I owed money to heard from me, either in the form of a check or a phone call. And it took me six and a half years. I remember in 1988, I paid off the final bill. Not one person ever filed a lawsuit against me. Still in business and stronger than ever.
Thieves' Belmont cabinets helped establish frameless European-style cabinets in the U.S. And today. are one of the industry leaders.
So I I've dealt with people that owed me money. Probably in my lifetime, I could count on less than two hands, the number of people that owed me money that did what I did. Which is pay the pay it back. incrementally. In the 2009-10, I had probably a million dollars of bad debt written off.
to me that I couldn't collect on. I can't tell you how many people have owed us money and then they just go silent. And if people would just communicate, we'll work with them until the end of the day. But I remember one guy in particular. Yeah.
He owed me about $80,000. And he called me up and he just said, Steve, I'm so sorry. I just am so sorry. Everything's getting taken away from me. There's nothing I can do.
I can't. I can't make it right and I remember writing him a letter. Uh And forgiving him the debt. I said, Steve. I'm going to write this thing off, and I'm not going to.
charge it against your account and Well That person. Peak. He called number one. It's another one of those moments. But he called me up weeping.
and appreciation. And his Recommendation has brought me so much more business over the last. 15 years than I could have ever gotten out of him. I could list about a half a dozen accounts, good paying accounts that I have right now. that were all brought to me by this one individual.
You just have to do what's right. You have to l love people. Because ultimately, people want to do business with people they trust. It doesn't matter what the law says, it doesn't matter what the government says. People gravitate to people they trust.
and people who keep their word. And that will always be a higher standard than whatever Lawful standard there might be out there. Our tagline in our business is: we'll do what's right for you. And in the 40 years that I've been in business. We have never gone to litigation with a customer.
I was a member of the KCMA Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association for many, many years. And I would hear horror stories about all the lawsuits that were out there.
So for Anyone to have been in business For 40 years with 370 employees and doing millions and millions of dollars of revenue, not to have gone to court I think is pretty. Pretty. Rare. In fact, every banker, every business advisor I've ever talked to has commented on how. rare that actually is.
We just make sure that we take care of people, even when we're not at fault. Yeah. We just take care of people. God loves cabinets and I It sounds funny, but God loves what we do with gabbets. Every single one of our suppliers gets to pay their employees and pay their suppliers.
Every one of our customers gets to sell our product and earn a living. A Honest. Worthwhile living by selling our products and taking care of customers. Our end customers get to feed their families at beautiful kitchens. And our employees get to have pride and dignity and the value of work.
Work is a blessing and a gift from God. And Through our hard work, He takes pleasure in our Efforts. But that's how we That's how we uh demonstrate the creativity that God put into us. He created us in His image. He was a creative God.
And we have creativity as a result of that.
So when we use that creativity to advance his kingdom and make the world a better place, I'm sure that he smiles. Yeah. And a special thanks to Monty Montgomery for the production and to Alex Cortez for bringing us the story and putting it together. And also a special thanks to Steve Bell for sharing his story with us. My goodness, who have not been in litigation for forty years of business, What a testimony to the character of this business.
Steve Bell's story, his do the right thing story, here on Our American Story. Yeah. Yeah. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a Camp Miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Experience music performances by major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Join this landmark celebration and get your America's Block Party tickets now for $17.76 at America250.org/slash LA. With my mom and dad living in Orange County, when we bring my five- and seven-year-old to visit, we are sometimes in for a two-hour drive that could feel like 10. No, as an avid camper, I know all about this.
We'll pack up the RV and know this is either going to be the The trip of a lifetime or a complete disaster. Which is why we load up the iPads with Lingo Kids before we even pull out of the driveway. It's what dreams are made of. Lingo Kids keeps kids engaged and quiet with over 4,000 interactive games, songs, and shows that kids simply cannot get enough of. You can pack whatever you think you'll need, but Lingo Kids is the only entertainment you'll need for a stress-free car ride.
Or really, any ride. Plane, train, hovercraft, whatever. Download LingoKids for free today. Or unlock even more amazing content with LingoKids Plus. Choose the yearly plan and save up to 60%.
Search Lingo Kids in the App Store or Google Play. Lingo Kids, Everything Kids Love. Flowers fade, cards get tossed, but a personalized song? That lasts forever. Surprise someone you love with a custom song made just for them with Joybox.
Visit joybox.com to get started on your personalized song today. Don't just say I love you, sing it with Joybox. Hi, it's Karen in Georgia from My Favorite Murder. We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ionic 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedi Lamar. Want the full story?
Take a listen. She starts dating Howard Hughes. And in fact, she helps him design a faster plane.
So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode, Spotlighting Groundbreaking Innovators like Hedi Lamar and Billie Jean King. Presented by the Hyundai Ionic 5.
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