Episodes

This week’s episode of the Business Brief podcast looks at the bicycle industry, which has experienced a stretched supply chain since the beginning of the pandemic. Even as the surging demand seen two years ago decreases, Missouri bike shops still struggle to keep their racks stocked with high-end bikes. Then, David Slusky, an economist at the University of Kansas, joins the podcast to discuss what Missouri’s recent ban on abortion means for the business environment in the state.

This episode of Business Brief features a St. Louis entrepreneur who shares her experience of the climate for LGBTQ business owners in Missouri. Plus, it looks at a company in Springfield working to make esports more accessible amid rapid growth in the industry.

The Business Brief podcast is back with new hosts Sigi Ris and Teddy Maiorca. This episode dives into the four-day workweek, a schedule gaining more popularity among employers, including one Missouri nonprofit making the switch in August. Plus, this episode features an interview with Love Holt, director of the St. Louis Juneteenth Celebration and Resource Fair, who joined Missouri Business Alert to discuss how Juneteenth can rally support around Black small business owners and entrepreneurs.

As the pandemic wanes, wedding businesses are gearing up for what is expected to be a huge year. The latest episode of the Business Brief podcast features insights from event-based companies, which are being inundated with clients planning their nuptials. Plus, this episode features an interview with Ram Basnet of the Small Business Administration’s Kansas City office, who joined Missouri Business Alert to mark Small Business Week and recommend resources for entrepreneurs.

Since 2018, more than 30 states have legalized some form of sports gambling. There has been a concerted effort to do the same in Missouri, but legislation legalizing sports betting faces long odds of passing this year. The latest episode of the Business Brief podcast examines the legislative roadblocks preventing that from happening. Then, the podcast dives into the evolution of Missouri’s rural economies and their biggest challenges.

This episode of the Business Brief podcast examines the state of renewable energy adoption in Missouri and the choices consumers face when considering a switch against the backdrop of rising prices and a volatile economy. Then, the podcast looks into the recently announced Taylor Geospatial Institute and the broader push to advance the geospatial industry in St. Louis.

This week's episode of the Business Brief podcast looks at maker spaces and the effect these facilities hope to have on spurring small businesses growth in Missouri. Then, we hear from the owner of an event company about the return of live events and what kind of staying power virtual events may have.

In this week's episode, we talk to Jennifer Garrett-Hart, a small business award winner who’s built a successful construction company in Kansas City. Then, we dive into the economic and cultural impact of the new stadium for the Kansas City Current, the city’s first professional women’s soccer team.

This week's episode examines the approach James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, is taking to tackle inflation. Then we look at a type of business that’s been both hurt and helped by the pandemic: coworking office spaces.

This episode of the Business Brief podcast examines regulations from the Biden administration targeting consolidation in the meatpacking industry and how these policies affect Missouri. It also looks at unsuccessful efforts establish a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Columbia and how the issues such a group would have attempted to address continue to affect businesses today.

This week’s episode of the Business Brief podcast looks at how Missouri coffee shops have adjusted to rising prices of coffee beans and long wait times for materials. Also, we look at the history of a tax credit program designed to attract filmmakers to shoot movies in Missouri — and the latest effort to revive it.

On this week's episode of Business Brief, we examine the pay-to-play nature of club volleyball and how it can determine athletes’ access to college scholarships. After that, we look at Ice Cream Factory, a family-owned mid-Missouri ice cream producer that is starting to develop a national footprint.

Major League Baseball announced this week that the start of its regular season will be canceled because of an ongoing labor dispute between owners and the players' union. This week’s episode of the Business Brief podcast goes beyond the owners and players to look at the effects of the lockout on stadium workers and local businesses in Kansas City and St. Louis. Plus, the podcast checks in on Columbia Startup Weekend. The startup pitch event, which over the last decade has given rise to multiple ...

In the latest episode of the Business Brief podcast, we hear from Black entrepreneurs about the challenges they have faced finding funding in Missouri, and how they managed to overcome some of the hurdles in their path. Then we look at the state's medical marijuana industry and what's been done to address a lack of diversity in the nascent sector.

The latest episode of the Business Brief podcast begins with a business that’s no stranger to staffing challenges: child care. The pandemic has added stress to a child care system that was already under strain, and this week we hear from one Missouri facility about the challenges it has faced. Then, the podcast looks at the obstacles Missouri faces in its efforts to boost entrepreneurship, digging into a new report that proposes strategies for increasing innovation in the state.

The latest episode of the Business Brief podcast examines an issue that has been literally hidden underground across the state for years — orphaned oil wells. We learn what risks these wells pose, and what is been done to address them. Plus, with Valentine's Day coming up, this week's episode looks at small businesses in Missouri that are showing love by embracing the social enterprise model.

This week's episode of the Business Brief podcast looks at the state of live entertainment venues and a proposed grant program to help keep them open amid continued pandemic challenges. Then, it examines the positives and risks of monoculture, a technique that has allowed farmers to increase efficiency and boost food production — but has recently faced questions from some consumers.

Missouri doesn't have the same reputation for wine as regions like Napa Valley. But one company wants to change that. The Hoffman Family of Companies is working to turn Augusta, a town of about 300 people in east-central Missouri, into a national destination for wine tourism. Not everyone in Augusta is happy about that. In this week's episode of the Business Brief podcast, we dive into a plan to invest more than $100 million into winemaking and tourism in Augusta and its effect on local business...

The Market Dives podcast continues its look at the business and economic indicators that will help tell the story of 2022. The second episode of this two-part forecast focuses on indicators measuring business confidence, auto inventory, home foreclosures and workspace shifts.

While 2021 brought significant recovery from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year also saw labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising prices. What can we expect in the new year? The Market Dives podcast wraps up 2021 and looks ahead to 2022 with a focus on some of the key economic indicators that will help tell the story of the next year — and beyond. The first episode of this two-part look-ahead focuses on key indicators for labor markets, agricultural commodities, ...

Missouri ranked second in the country in 2020 in coal-generated electricity. But the state is undergoing a shift away from coal. In the latest episode of the Market Dives podcast, we look at how this transition is going and what the path toward a different energy profile looks like.

Businesses are trying to cope with the holiday season crunch in an economic climate the likes of which they have never experienced. With some projections forecasting the biggest holiday season ever for retailers, business owners are facing high demand while contending with supply chain issues, labor challenges and other lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This week's episode of the Market Dives podcast looks at challenges facing Missouri businesses as the Christmas season approaches. Fir...

Demand for housing has skyrocketed during the pandemic, but homebuilders and remodelers haven’t caught up because of labor shortages and long wait times for raw materials, tripling the timeline of some housing projects.

On Oct. 1, Missouri is experiencing something that hasn't happened in a quarter century: an increase to the state's gas tax. The driving force behind that tax hike? Transportation infrastructure. This episode of Market Dives examines how the tax increase addresses a growing need for funding in Missouri’s roads, bridges and more.