Latest / Mind Your Business - A Podcast Series produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce / State of App State Athletics with Doug Gillin

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State of App State Athletics with Doug Gillin · Mind Your Business - A Podcast Series produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_03: The influence of an state analytics of the local economy is influenced.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_02: Mind your business brought to you by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate, providing professional commercial real estate services.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: Visit Appalachian CRE.com.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: Hello and welcome into Mind Your Business.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_03: I'm David Jackson, President and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for joining us once again this week, whether through the airwaves of WATA here in Boone or as a subscriber of the podcast version of the program, which is made possible each week by our friends at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: Haven't subscribed just yet?
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: That's not an issue.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: Just search for Mind Your Business wherever you get those podcasts.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: You can gain access to full archives, occasional bonus content, maybe some election-related content, extended episodes, and plenty more as we connect you with the business news that you can use from right here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_03: That fall chill in the air earlier this week here in the high country.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry, not sorry.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_03: And next week at this time, the trappings of Abstate Game Day will be more noticeable around the Boone area as the Mountaineers prepare for their season opener against the Black Bears of Maine.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: You know we love numbers here at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_03: To illustrate the impact of Game Day in the high country, we used our partnership with Placer AI to examine one home game day last fall.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_03: That was October 4th, App State versus Oregon State, which led to a dramatic Mountaineer win.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: Of the roughly 31,000 in attendance that day, 41% came to the stadium from a destination less than fifty miles away.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_03: And about 10,000 of those visitors were students.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_03: After the game, when looking at visitor traffic toward restaurants, hotels, and retail locations, half of the ten most popular game day destinations were to King Street-based businesses, suggesting people do fan out around the community after a game, and I think we all know and feel that.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_03: Here's another fun fact.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_03: Since the beginning of the Tailgate era at Kid Brewer Stadium, that's 2005 for those that need a jog of your memory, and factoring out the 2020 COVID season, App State has drawn 20,000 or more fans at 106 of its 117 home games during that span, or about 91% of the time.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: That includes 34 games with at least 30,000 in attendance.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: That's about 30% of the total games.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: And 23 of the last 24 home games have seen crowds of 30,000 or more.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: You know me, I love a good football stat.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: These are fans.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: They lead to an incredible home field advantage, and these are customers our local business community has come to rely on, and many of these customers return at different times of the year.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_03: Whether you are a fan of football or not, attending games at the Rock has been a gateway to small business growth in and around the Boone area, and businesses get the schedule chiseled onto their calendars as soon as it's released each spring.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: It's no secret that college athletics looks a bit different than it did back in the national championship era of the mid-2000s.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_03: It looks different than it did four years ago when Appstate knocked off Texas AM and brought ESPN's college game day to boon.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_03: What happens to the business of college sports has an impact on our local economy.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_03: The latest study of Abstate Athletics' economic impact here in the high country surpassed one hundred million in their study just a few years ago.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_03: And it's not just football.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: Basketball has been hot lately, new venues will bring conference championships to boon in the coming years, and the summer camp machine brings thousands of potential students and athletes to boon each summer, and mom and dad are always hungry, and they always need somewhere to stay.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: How we imprint these opportunities helps even out or even set the year for many of our boon businesses, and we need to keep up with the trends.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: So on this week's Mind Your Business, it's time for our annual conversation with App State Athletics Director Doug Gillen, who prepares for his twelfth season on the mountain.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_03: We'll talk about AppState's national brand and how the game day experience will play out over the next year across all sports.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: We'll also talk about revenue creativity, something any business can relate to.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_03: And if you've been paying attention, AppState has been hosting more than football of late.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_03: Our chat with Doug Gillen coming up right after the break.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: Stay tuned, you are listening to Mind Your Business.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: Each fall, the Boon Area Chamber of Commerce leads a celebration of community, the people and businesses that make us unique, the leaders that make the high country strong.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: This celebration captures the spirit of Boone.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_03: Join us Thursday, September 24th from 5.30 to 9 o'clock in the Grandview Ballroom at Kid Brewer Stadium as the chamber hosts Spirit of Boon.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: Connect and network with nearly 400 fellow business and community leaders.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_03: Enjoy a delicious dinner.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_03: And help us celebrate the accomplishments of the Chamber's annual Community Award Honorees.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_03: Spirit of Boon is the Chamber's largest fundraiser of the year with event proceeds that fuel our mission-driven work, programs, and projects.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_03: Seating is limited, and this event has sold out in past years.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: Tickets and corporate tables are available now at BoonCamber.com.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: Join us as we celebrate the Spirit of Boon.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: Reserve your seats today at BoonChamber.com.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back to Mind Your Business.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_03: I'm David Jackson.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: Before we talk App State Athletics and its impact on the high country, let us first hear from an all-conference caliber player that can bring speed and skill to your next commercial real estate must-win.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_03: That's James Milner and Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_03: They solve simple and complex commercial real estate problems in and around the Boone area and beyond.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_03: Whether you own or lease commercial real estate, regardless of the property type, have an advocate on your side, along with the expertise and experience to assist you and your business.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_03: For more information, check them out on the web, Appalachian CRE.com.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_03: Like many of you out there, I got schooled on Appalachian State, my eventual alma mater, in the confines of a fourth grade classroom.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: That's where I first saw a Black Saturday poster, and that cute poster of those two kids with the tagline, I can't wait to play at Appalachian State Above Their Heads.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: You know the one I'm talking about.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: My App State alumni teachers sold me on Boone before I knew I was being sold.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: Back then in the mid to late 1980s, Black Saturday was the theme.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_03: Sparky Woods and the Mountaineers were in SoCon championship mode, and Appstate football was a unique experience that the state could rally around.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: And for the most part, that experience has remained unique, and that fan base has certainly grown.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: Now you can't drive up to the stadium fifteen minutes before kickoff and buy a ticket anymore.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: Appstate game days call for a bit more planning and coordination these days, and that means business for high country hotels, restaurants, retailers, artisans, and plenty more.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_03: The business of the business of college athletics matters to us greatly.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_03: Doug Gillen is in his twelfth year as director of athletics at Appalachian State, and he will see the twenty twenty six season from a different vantage point.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_03: College Football Selection Committee news, congratulations on that.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_03: Have you been practicing by selecting things randomly around your house?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: How do you get ready for something like this?
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's actually I've been to one meeting so far, and it's uh it's a little intimidating when like you're gonna be watching 25 to 30 games a week.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: So uh I think how I have to get ready, I need to like get the basement ready, I gotta get the man cave ready, I'm gonna have to get some TVs ready.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um but it it's exciting.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think really I always talk about it's the position, not the person.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think for the athletic director at Appalachian to have a seat on a pretty big committee is good for for us.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's good for the Sunbelt, and certainly good for our university.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, talking about the national reputation that the Sunbelt has gained and having the conference involved in that selection process is key.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um when you look at other conference-related issues, a new team into the league this year in Louisiana Tech as Texas State rolls out.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: I know that stability isn't what it used to be, but if you look around globally, the Sunbelt has maintained membership, maintained markets about as well as any league in the country right now.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_03: What has been the strategy behind that?
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: And is the Sunbelt achieving what it's setting out to to make things a little bit more uh fiscally reasonable for its teams in terms of travel and and keeping competitiveness high?
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think certainly from uh fiscally geographically, it makes a lot of sense.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why, you know, when you lose one in the West, um, you know, the conference was interested in adding one in the West, and that that ended up being Louisiana Tech was kind of the best available type thing.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I think that makes sense.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um what what I believe the Sunbelt really needs to work on is we need to get more competitive across the board.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that will lead to more television dollars when we get back into negotiations.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: That means more teams in the NCA tournament and every sport.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we've got if you look across our platform pretty much one bid league in most of our sports.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think the challenge for all of us is to invest enough, um, be competitive enough to get more teams in what is in an increasing uh increasingly less accessible NCA tournament for all sports.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um when you look at the power four versus a group of six and how much access you get and who gets in and who doesn't get in, and you look at all these sports.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's some surprises in baseball with some mid-majors that didn't get in.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then on the Sunbell got five in, you know, so there's there's a lot of things to look at.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's competitive.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: I want it to be more competitive, and certainly we need to do our part.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you mentioned the competitiveness on campus, and that always drives the product, but for those that might not understand the influence that the league office has on investing in its sports, um, you know, whether that's scheduling priorities or uh creating things like the Sunbelt Mac challenge and getting a quality non-conference game on the opponent, what what is that side of the house, if you will, doing to make sure that schools can supplement their competitiveness also with a strong head end that's leading them into good situations?
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think the the conference has done a great job, certainly with the bowl games that we're in now, the maturation or at least my this will be my 12th football season of you used to have to pay bulls.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: We've turned that around to where we're actually seeing some revenue, um, offsetting some expenses from the bowl games conference done a nice job of that.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: The basketball tournament in Pensacola has worked out well for us and it continues to grow.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of those things you kind of keep building it.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um so some more of those um neutral sites that that are enticing for other sports, less expensive, more geograph geographically centralized.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, certainly we're a little bit of an outlier on the northeast side of it.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: But I I think that's been really, really important and good good for the experience for student athletes.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned revenue from the bowls a second ago.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_03: That leads into the larger revenue generation pool, uh revenue sources, like for many businesses, athletics no different.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_03: You have to rely on a little bit of a lot of things to to make the the engine move.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, how has athletics spread out those revenue opportunities now in your 12th year, but certainly over the last few years when you've got a lot more to pay for than you used to as well?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think certainly football is always going to be the most important from a revenue standpoint.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: Selling out season tickets for the fifth straight year is really important.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: We gotta now get some of these single games sold out.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: Those things matter.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: So gates, and then certainly when you look at the revenue, um, we've got six opportunities, have a packed house, concessions, merchandising, um, parking, etc.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Those are all revenue sources and tentacles that feed off of football.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we're looking at more of um our venues being available, whether we're renting them or doing special events at different things.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: You're you know, we've got a tennis facility coming online, we've got a track for beautiful track facility, indoor and outdoor tennis.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, with our new Sofield Indoor, we'll have a hundred-person event space right there in that building.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: So trying to find other ways to maximize our facilities.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: Uh certainly we talked a little bit earlier about concerts.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we did three concerts this past year, four concerts actually.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um with now having the oversight of our homes, we're looking at how do we manage that facility a little bit more.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um fall, spring, winter, you know, trying to bring in certainly um what's student focus, what's community focus and events.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: We've even, you know, put our toe into some comedy shows and partnered with Appalachian Theater.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: And really we're trying to figure out what will the community support.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we we want to be an economic driver not just for us from a revenue standpoint, we want to be an economic driver for our community.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: We've said that for 12 years, and so everything we've done has been along those lines.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: But we also need to figure out what the community supports so that we can keep doing things that are fine fiscally responsible.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: I know that a big part of the ticket sales piece to this is putting quality opponents inside Kid Brewer Stadium.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: You've got Charlotte here this year, scheduling dynamics changing a little bit out there because of the more global picture of college athletics.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, how do you maintain those relationships with the Charlotte's East Carolinas and others, Western Carolina coming to the rock here soon to make sure that those regional players and most important state partners are in the building every once in a while?
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think that that's been our focus if you look at it over the years from a scheduling standpoint is statewide matchups that are economically good for our state.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I just saw that our game at NC State sold out.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um our game at East Carolina, I'm assuming, will be sold out this year.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then certainly our game here with Charlotte at our place will be sold out.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: Those things are good not only for us and our community, but for the state.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we have a responsibility to play games in our state that are good for the economic development of the state of North Carolina.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: So we've definitely done that.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then you look at you know next year with Boise coming in, kicking off the season with an opponent like that.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: The next year, if you look at 28, might be the best schedule we have had here, which would be Western Charlotte and NC State all in the month of September, playing seven home games here in our community.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's really important.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then you're gonna try to sprinkle in some hey, you want to go play a Boise or go play a Wyoming or go play uh, you know, another some of these schools, certainly East Carolina, but we want to go play South Carolina 27 or 29.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Those are good games for us.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: More of that to come.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, football scheduling is getting harder, you know, with a lot of uh conferences going to nine games plus one in the power four and gives them two games to play with.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: That means less opportunities for us.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: So we just got to get creative and continue to smile and dial.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: We'll pause for a moment more of our conversation with App State Director of Athletics Doug Dillon.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: Comes your way in just a moment.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: You are listening to Mind Your Business.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: Appalachian Commercial Real Estate provides professional commercial real estate services in the Boone area.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: They provide sales, leasing, consulting, and appraisal services to owners and users of commercial real estate.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: For more information, go to their website at Appalachian CRE.com.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back to Mind Your Business.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'm David Jackson.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: We continue our conversation with App State Director of Athletics Doug Gillen about the state of college sports and the upcoming year for the black and gold.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_03: Also saw a uh thing online.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh one of those great internet uh memes puts together the top ten stadiums in the state of North Carolina.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_03: Kid Brewer Stadium ranked right on top of that uh from experience, from just the overall atmosphere that college football can provide ahead of NC State and North Carolina.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: We know this to be true.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: That also signals the investment that you've made in facilities, not just football related, and that has been a massive project over the last 10 years or so to get not only sites selected but facilities built.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: Can you give us an update on what's new at the stadium for this fall, maybe, but also how you have transformed some programs based on investment in their facilities?
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think you know, for for Kid Brewer, um more of the same.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing we we're we're bringing back some some interesting promotions that I think will haven't we haven't been done here in a couple of years, um, or certainly even in my time here.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we're trying to continue to be intentional, reinvest, focus on the fan experience.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: How do you get in, how do you get out, how do you, how are the lines, how are the bathrooms?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: Everything matters on that six game days that we have 30 plus thousand people here.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh certainly our students.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: We now need to make sure to continue to make sure the students have a great experience, and then they bring this building to life.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that's been um intentional.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: You'll see more of that coming up.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: Certainly, if you look at 105, you know, from from you know the old days when you were here.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: Now, since I've been here, you know, the fact that track and field has their own locker room, tennis has their own locker room, things that never happen at Appalachian in its history.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have our our own track facility that's been amazing.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna host the Sunbelt Track Tournament um here this spring.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's huge for our community.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: There'll be a ton of kids here, great experience for all Sunbelt participants.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Now we got the Jim Elaine Jones Outdoor Tennis Corps, we got the Mildred Southern Indoor Tennis Corps, great facilities for us to not only um for our team, our women's team, but also, you know, is there USTA tournaments that is there youth things that we can do at those facilities?
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: We're certainly going to take it slow to make sure we get the best fit for that.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then as you and I were talking a little bit earlier, you know, we had softball, our softball field is as good as there is in the state.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then we had camps, you know, I met folks from California to to Charleston to Florida that came up for camp this weekend.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then as I talked to you about, like we were all up in King Street, up and down King Street, shopping, eating, etc., those are also things we want to bring into the community.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: Those facilities have made that happen.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna continue to look at how do we upgrade home center um over the next couple of years.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: Certainly with the Sofield Indoor Facility, that opens up opportunities.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: We're bringing in a volleyball tournament.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've always said even with my children that we always have to go off the mountain.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna try to be more intentional.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: Some of these club tournaments, whether it's volleyball or others, to bring some of them up into the high country in the summer so our families aren't always traveling off the mountain.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: So we're trying to do a lot of those things using our facilities, um, certainly to help our athletic department, but also the community.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, when we worked together about a decade ago, that was right uh kind of in the middle of the renaissance of the facility and its impact on recruiting uh across the board in college athletics.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_03: The facilities arm race mattered.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: Does it matter at the same percentage now that you've got things like NIL and RevShare?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: Is the recruitable student athlete still looking around at the place they're gonna spend their time as much as they were 10 years ago given other things available to them?
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I think that I know that it matters.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: It still matters.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: I do think the percentage is probably lower.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um now the good news is we've kind of set ourselves up, but you won't see a lot of facility, new facilities, certainly at Appalachian.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're in a really good spot.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: Now we got to focus on revenue generation opportunities for whether it's Rev share, for whether it's nutrition, other things, because everything matters.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you look across the country, and a lot of folks in my position are like, do I need to build that facility?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: Do I need to enhance that facility, or do I need to put it back into you know what is the new world order in college athletics?
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say the good news is we're in a good spot because we've renovated just about everything.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um and you won't see a lot of a lot of building for both reasons moving forward.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you mentioned the King Street experience a second ago with camp.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'll I'll date myself here and remind folks I'm apt state years old enough to remember when the licensing revenue number on a yearly budget sheet was hardly four figures.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_03: Now that is a significant piece of revenue.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: You've done a great job in getting the block A in markets far outside of Boone, but also making the the Boone experience special where you can get unique products, things along that line in the marketplace.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_03: Where is licensing today?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: How is that helping continue the narrative of the national brand just by logo recognition and in marketplaces far and wide?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think it's a significant revenue stream for us approaching seven figures and that that has been a build every year, you know.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: And then whether it's different, you bring back different vintage marks, or you bring that it were intentional in how you market it.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: So the block A certainly being our primary mark, and then you've seen us do flying Yosef on our helmets, you've seen us doing some other vintage stuff.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now you got now we're in this run of the 20-year anniversaries of the 25, 26, 27, trying to do some unique stuff around those national championship teams and and the vintage gear that they wore back when they had all their success.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we we try to do things like that, and then licensees, you know, we go out to the shows in Vegas and look at okay, what's the newest and greatest, whether it's the Abstate cutting board or the next backpack or the next hat or you know the upside which I'm not a big fan of, but the upside down letters is all of a sudden a thing, right?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, but but you gotta be in tune with what um our our fan base is interested in purchasing.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we've got some folks interested in the gold out.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna do a gold out again this year, and then we'll probably take a couple years off from that.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then you know, periodically we've done the white out, those drive licensing numbers.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um I was out getting my gold out, my gold stuff on King Street this weekend.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that was uh got a couple different options for that photo first home game, but had to make Make sure I was ready.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I do think in licensing can continue to grow here.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: We've got a great brand, great color scheme, good marks.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Those all matter.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: We just need to continue to market it.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: Couple of final questions for you.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: I know we've talked a lot about the business side of this.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: Small businesses love to imprint themselves to the black and gold in ways they can.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: And I know there's been a renewed effort for King Street businesses and those beyond the immediate campus imprint of finding those ways to connect business with opportunities, whether that's NIL or sponsorship, Yosef Club, what have you.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: What does that relationship mean to you here to have that strong local base to yeah, as as people are coming here to show off that that this community is as black and gold as we say it is?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's really, really important.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great question.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you asked it.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: So um because I am surprised.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um we are we have so many passionate local businesses that that support Abstate Athletics in some way, shape, or form.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: And you know there's a million ways you can do that.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um it can be buy season tickets, it can be um have our folks out for a meal, maybe give us a little discount.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but then you have some folks that don't support us at all, you know, from a local business standpoint.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that's always a little bit surprising to me.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we did$114 million of economic impact just two years ago when we did our latest study.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: So we continue to make sure that we have and and take care of our partners.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: We only do business with those that do business with us.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: We think it's really, really important if you're gonna support um Appalachian State Athletics and we're gonna support you.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: And you see that throughout if we have a dollar to spend, that's where we're gonna spend our dollars.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: Our our challenge is continuing to get the folks that don't support us to to see value in supporting us.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we got to continue to tell our story maybe a little bit better, and and hopefully um that helps because a strong community and our athletic department is gonna be only as strong as the community that supports us.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I won't name the school, but I was out traveling uh with my son's baseball this this summer.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: I was at a school in our state and I was at uh uh a shopping plaza, and every business in that shopping plaza said we hard this school, right?
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: We need that type of support because it doesn't, it's not just from an economic standpoint, it's from a student recruitment, it's a student athlete recruitment when parents and families come to visit Boone and they see that the local businesses are supporting them, that they're having their banners in the window, and we love App State and we support App State, that matters for everybody.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: So there's you know, it's like to put the pebble in the in the water and the wave, you know, it disseminates, right?
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Like you have to have when folks come on campus, you got like two days to sell them, whether it's a student athlete or a student.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: And a lot of that is how does the community support you?
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think that's really, really important.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: Well, and I think a a way to show how you are getting the the core of this conversation is about student athletes and about the teams and and what you bring from that perspective.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_03: Your teams have been out en masse, especially since they've arrived back in Boone again.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_03: But we see teams imprint themselves to community service opportunities.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_03: I know that's been a huge part of your platform as athletic director since you've been here of creating that social responsibility, uh, whether that's shaking kids' hands in the in the drop-off line on the first day of school or supporting camps, things like that.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_03: The meaningful aspect of that for the student athletes.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_03: How do you see them rallying around that opportunity to just get out and and do something that might not be practiced one day, but certainly is connecting them to the place they call them out?
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think Any great point, they're all there's the humanistic side, like we're all people.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you and most people enjoy being around people.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: Most people enjoy being around people and making them smile or seeing them smile.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think our student athletes really get that.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: And we we do tell them at the beginning of your year, like you have a four now, a five-year window, um, where people are gonna ask for your autograph and and and really look up to you and see that A, and then you're gonna graduate, you're gonna get a job, and you're gonna be like everybody else.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: But for that five-year window, you have an opportunity to impact the youth of America, and I think that's really important.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we've talked about this with our student athletes ever since I've been here is you you have a chance to make an impression.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: You and I will drop our kids off in those those drop-off lines and seeing your kids going from you know when they're in eighth grade and they're embarrassed, but when they're in fifth grade or fourth grade, when they're all excited, right?
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: When they get out of the car and Yosef's there, or student athletes are there.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's one of the the my favorite things that we do at Appalachian certainly is a drop-off line.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: We are intentional about trying to give back.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: We believe you got to give to get.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: And if you want your community to support you, you gotta support your community, and we're really intentional in doing that.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_03: Twelve years in now, getting ready for for year number twelve.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_03: Is this what you expected it to be twelve years after you started here?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think the the challenges have certainly changed.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: And the challenges are probably as high as they've ever been.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's always about finances.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like you know, we way back and 12 years ago, our budget's 23 million, we've we've grown that significantly, but the expenses have grown significantly as well.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: Scholarships, the changing now five for five.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that means not only are you gonna have undergrads, but then you're gonna have grad school, and right now grad school cost more than undergrads.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: So when you start looking at the math, um it's more expensive for that fifth year.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of things that you don't think about it until you look at the economics of it.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's the most challenging part.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh, but the fact that we still have a fan base that cares, a fan base that sells out, a fan base that continues to grow and grow.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that to me is exciting.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think I'm not sure.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: I saw like five straight season ticket sellouts when I started here 12 years ago, and we were only getting 30,500 students to come to our games, and now we're getting 10,000.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I think some of it is there's still room for growth.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: You've grown a lot, a lot a lot of room for growth.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we appreciate your impact in it all.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate the time as always.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_03: Best of luck with being your host.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Dave.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks to Doug for his insights.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_03: As always, you can get your first look at the Mountaineers against Maine next weekend at the Rock 330 kickoff on Saturday, September 5th.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_03: The scheduled night game with Charlotte is also on the September slate of games, along with a nationally televised battle with James Madison later this fall.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_03: Get the schedule, mark the date, prepare the tailgate, or swing by any restaurant in town, and I'm sure they'll have a game day special just for you.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_03: You are listening to Mind Your Business.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Are you a young professional looking to expand your network?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: The High Country Young Professionals affectionately dubbed the High Country Young Ros, is a dedicated group of 200 plus professional young adults under the age of 40 serving in various industries across the high country.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Join us for a casual networking event on the first Tuesday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: As we visit locations across the high country.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: Events are free of charge, however, donations are appreciated.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: Not a chamber member?
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: No membership needed to join us.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: You just have to be under 40.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: Learn more about High Country Yo Pros at boonchamber.com slash H C YP.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: Mind your business.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: Brought to you by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate, offering sales, leasing, consulting, and appraisal services.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_02: Visit Appalachian CRE.com.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_03: Some news and notes from around the high country.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: Championship football, not the only thing we have here in the High Country.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_03: We have a championship winery as well.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_03: Mill Camp Wines and Ciders took home 13 awards at the 2026 North Carolina Wine Competition.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_03: That's the state's premier competition for commercially produced wine, cider, and mead.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_03: Mill Camp split the North Carolina Cup with Noble Cider of Asheville.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_03: Millcamp also took home two best-in-class awards, a pair of double golds, a pair of golds, three silver, and three bronze awards.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_03: Entries in the North Carolina wine competition are judged blind on appearance, aroma, taste, finish, and overall impression using the American Wine Society 20-point scale.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure they need volunteers for this, right?
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_03: Products eligible for the North Carolina wine cup must be made with a minimum of 75% North Carolina grown fruit or honey, and that is a standard that Millcamp meets with its high country grown apples and fruit.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_03: Millcamp Wines and Ciders will celebrate its upcoming first anniversary during its opening week, October 15th through the 19th.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_03: About that same time on the October calendar, the Valley Country Fair will be hosting its 48th annual event featuring artists and food vendors from around the region.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_03: Over the years, Valley Country Fair has helped distribute over$1.4 million to 128 different charities and nonprofit organizations.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_03: This year, that total is about$83,000 in grants, and it goes to 15 different organizations, like Wataga County Habitat for Humanity, Hunger and Health Coalition, Fosco Home Team, our newest chamber member, by the way.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_03: Also, the Children's Council of Watauga County, Wammy Community Action, and Farm Cafe were included, among others, on this year's list of grantees.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_03: Valley Country Fair is set for October 17th in beautiful Valley Cruces.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_03: No football that weekend, so no traffic-related excuses to attend the festival or woolly worm up at Banner Elk that same weekend.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, two festivals separated by less than 10 miles.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_03: All of your holiday gifts can be found in one beautiful part of our community.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_03: Last but not least, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Task Force hosted our second Policy and Pints event at the Cardinal this week.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: We recapped some of the 2026 state legislative wins, particularly around the child care industry and what comes next in terms of solidifying this important group of businesses for Watauga County.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_03: We also heard updates on fundraising projects for Western Youth Network's new afterschool youth center and the Children's Council's new headquarters facility on Highway 105.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_03: Those two projects total over 16 million dollars in infrastructure for the administration and implementation of out-of-school care for area children, ranging from infants to middle schoolers.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_03: The business of child care is not just about the kids in the centers, it's about the businesses that do the work to keep the rest of the businesses functioning in our area and in communities just like ours across the state.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_03: Our next policy in pints will be coming your way toward the end of the year post-election, where we'll recap whatever is going to happen there.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure there'll be something of note to report.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_03: You can get a preview of that activity at our annual Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum that's coming up October 1st, starting at 5 30 at the Appalachian Theater of the High Country.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_03: You can hear directly from candidates for the Watauga County Commissioners Race, Board of Education, and the candidates for the North Carolina House and Senate races from our area.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_03: Now remember earlier I talked about subscribing to the podcast version of the program, and I've done that ad nauseum over the last few years, and it's on this podcast channel.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: We'll also be releasing conversations with candidates for Watauga County Sheriff and the Clerk of Court races and the U.S.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_03: House race if those candidates decide to participate.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_03: Access to those conversations will become available October 1st as well, so you have some time to subscribe, or you can get those bonus episodes automatically, or subscribe today and be prepared.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_03: You are listening to Mind Your Business.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: Appalachian Commercial Real Estate provides professional commercial real estate services in the Boone area.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_02: They provide sales, leasing, consulting, and appraisal services to owners and users of commercial real estate.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_02: For more information, go to their website at Appalachian CRE.com.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_03: Precious fused seats available for Spirit of Boon down to about 50 or so.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_03: Our annual membership gathering is coming up September 24th.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: We can celebrate our award winners and connect with business leaders from across the community.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks to Skyline SkyBest for serving as title sponsor once again, and we look forward to helping them tap off their 75th anniversary here as well.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_03: If you want to join us, make plans now at BoonChamber.com.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_03: And if you want to hear from those award winners, tune in to Mark in the morning on WATA here over the next couple of weeks.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_03: We'll be talking to all nine of those recipients as we lead up to Boon.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_03: That'll do it for this week's Mind Your Business, this program written and produced by the Boon Area Chamber of Commerce.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks to WATA for putting us on the airwaves each week.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_03: And thanks to James Milner and the team at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate for making the podcast version of this program possible.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_03: If you haven't subscribed yet, you've got to do it because you gotta make sure you get that politics stuff right.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: Search for Mind Your Business wherever you get your podcast.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_03: You can visit us online at BoonCamber.com anytime as well.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_03: Until next week, go along, everybody.