Shane Buerster is founder and CEO of Z Beans Coffee. As a student at Mercer University, a trip to Ecuador led him to a friendship and now business partnership with Arturo Penarreta, the tour guide for that mission trip.

Shane shares the journey from student to entrepreneur in this episode, and shares how Z Beans has created a way for Ecuadorian farmers to export coffee, create sustainability, and earn more than fair trade prices.

For additional information about Z Beans, visit www.zbeanscoffee.com and follow Z Beans social media - Z Beans Coffee on Facebook and Instagram.

David Aiello is GM of the Macon Centreplex (Coliseum, Auditorium, and Atrium Health Amphitheater). He discusses venue management, opening up a brand new building, show routing, and how many steps he and his team take during the day Macon is hosting a show at one of the venues he manages. We also find out more about strange requests he's seen on artists' riders.

More information, including ticketing information, for the venues we discuss is available at www.maconcentreplex.org

Scott Mitchell is one of Downtown Macon's most ardent supporters since 2015. He owns two businesses - The Bohemian Den and Sweet Eleanor's Divine Desserts - and has served on the Main Street Board of Directors, helped create the downtown Hype Team, and has been a huge supporter of other businesses. He helped create Macon Pride and is the President of the Macon Pride Board. Scott was Macon-Bibb Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Leader of the Year in 2022, and The Bohemian Den won the OUT Georgia Business Alliance Small Business of the Year that same year.

On this episode, Scott talks about the upcoming Macon Pride event (September 19-29) as well as the investments he's made in owning businesses in Macon.

Check out the Macon Pride schedule of events at www.maconpride.org. For information about The Bohemian Den, visit www.thebohemianden.com and Sweet Eleanor's at www.sweeteleanors.com.

Matt Chamberlin started in the film industry as Jerry Bruckheimer's personal assistant. He joined the locations world after that, and has worked on productions like A Man in Full, Will Trent, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Sleepy Hollow, Sully, Collateral, Must Love Dogs, Spider-Man 3, and Modern Family. His work on Zombieland: Double Tap, Hillbilly Elegy, and The First Lady brought him to Macon.

We discuss filming in Macon, how films and television shows find locations, the process for picking those locations, and how properties can make themselves available.

Macon-native Grey Henson is an actor, dancer and singer. He originated the role of Damian Hubbard in the Broadway production of Mean Girls, a role that earned him a nomination for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. He has also played Elder McKinley in both the Broadway and U.S. National Touring productions of The Book of Mormon.

Henson started acting and dancing as a young child in Macon at Macon Little Theatre, Theatre Macon, and Madison's School of Dance. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University.

Henson has played roles in other theatre productions like Shucked and tick, tick...BOOM! He also played Tate in the series Girls5eva.

Photo Credit: Playbill

We're changing the format up a little bit this week. Food is essential, and when people travel, local restaurants are a great way for them to get to know the community they're visiting. In order to highlight some of the great places in Macon to eat, I invited my buddies Charles Davis and Spencer Hawkins in to fantasy draft Macon restaurants.

We talked about BBQ restaurants, fine dining options, places for quick eats, desserts and even threw in a couple of wild card selections. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and is not intended to exclude anyone we didn't discuss. We could have talked for several more hours about all the great places to eat here in Macon.

For information about the places we talked about, and for information about all of Macon's eateries, check out www.visitmacon.org. You can also find videos featuring some of these, and other great Macon restaurants, at the Visit Macon YouTube page here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_-q26YUIzokbcsO09XD_zI0aX0lHmUdk&si=DyFlX7R0fNkrSX3I

Let us know what you think of our selections and other categories you'd like us to draft in the future!

Lisa Love is a Macon and Georgia music historian, expert, and fan. Her career has involved work with the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Georgia Department of Economic Development, and Georgia Music Foundation. Lisa helped create the Macon Music Revue and is working to preserve the state's music history, provide opportunities for students to participate in music education, and promote Georgia's music communities.

Steve Moretti is the co-founder, President and CEO of the Macon Pops. He is also a drummer/percussionist and producer. Moretti is a two-time Grammy Award nominee, Juno nominee and Telly Award winner. Moretti appears in the 2014 Clint Eastwood Film "Jersey Boys."

Macon Pops has been entertaining Macon (and beyond) for more than 10 years with concerts that feature music by artists well-known to audiences. The upcoming Macon Pops season will showcase music from The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Funk hits, and sing-alongs. The Macon Pops also provides the soundtrack to the award-winning Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza.

More information about Steve can be found at www.stevemoretti.com and information about the Macon Pops is available at www.maconpops.com.

Episode photo credit: Maryann Bates