The Kopis Edge

Host Cody Edgar sits down with Greenville Chamber President and CEO Carlos Phillips as they chat through Carlos's experience in Greenville and what the Chamber is looking forward to in 2020.

On this episode of The Kopis Edge we're joined by Ryan Heafy, COO of 6AM City. 6AM City is best known by it's local email products, which over the past 3 years have garnered hundreds of thousands of subscribers and millions of impressions. Since launching in Greenville in 2016, 6AM City has experienced exponential growth and is now open in 5 other markets - Charleston, Columbia, Asheville, Lakeland, and Chattanooga. We kick this episode off by talking about the start of 6AM City, the importance of facilitating conversation within your community, and some of the challenges that come with launching in a market where you don't exist. From there we dive into the processes that make 6AM City and it's email products so successful, along with some of the tools that help their team work as efficiently as possible. We wrap up the conversation by talking about 6AM City's relationship with advertisers, the importance of knowing when to say "no" to certain business opportunities, and what the future holds for Ryan and 6AM City.

For this episode of The Kopis Edge we switch things up a bit by having two guests. Our very own Adam Drewes, General Manager of the Kopis ERP division, interviews Ralph Heredia, Co-Founder of Zipit Wireless. The big focus of this episode is the Internet of Things, better known as IoT. Both Adam and Ralph work extensively within the IoT space and bring interesting perspectives on how connected devices are changing our businesses, our lives, and our world. Over the course of this discussion we cover the basics of IoT, the challenges and benefits it presents to businesses, and the impact we can expect from IoT in the next 5-10 years. We also dive into how Greenville is being impacted by IoT, and how it’s reputation as a tech hub is impacting IoT businesses like Zipit Wireless.

This month on The Kopis Edge we're joined by Chris Brank, CEO and Founder of Let People See. Let People See is one of the largest and fastest growing production companies in South Carolina, having recently expanded to Charlotte and Atlanta and growing nearly five times in the past three years. Chris tells us his interesting story of entrepreneurship, explaining how he turned a hobby into a career and illustrating the challenges and advantages that come from exponential growth. We dive into the evolution of videography as technology has advanced with the advent of things like DSLR cameras and faster processing speeds, and also talk about the possibilities that are opening up with cloud and AI. We wrap up our conversation by looking to the future as Chris explains his long term vision for Let People See.

This episode of The Edge features Christy Ashkettle, Director of Communications and Culture at NEXT. Christy regularly works with tech entrepreneurs and brings a unique perspective to the podcast. We dive into the mission of NEXT and the numerous ways in which it nurtures and cultivates a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Upstate of South Carolina, discussing the importance of bringing high-impact startups to the area. We also talk in-depth about Venture Pitch, NEXT's yearly conference that brings together venture capitalists and local entrepreneurs, discussing its impact on the community and the often behind-the-scenes role that NEXT plays in helping companies grow and thrive. Christy caps the episode by sharing some advice for entrepreneurs, talking about the importance of networking and keeping an open mind when building a company.

In this first episode of The Edge we're joined by Lelia King, Executive Director of Build Carolina. She shares her experiences with Build Carolina and its predecessor, the Iron Yard, explaining the importance of high quality technical training in a landscape where software professionals are in higher demand than ever before. Lelia also dives into the role that Build Carolina plays in connecting business owners with talent, illustrating how training programs must listen and adapt in order to teach skills that are relevant and highly sought after.