In this episode, Nicky and Terry use artificial intelligence to go back in time and interview Senator Jennings Randolph who sponsored the original Randolph-Sheppard Act in 1936. What would he think about the program today? Well, you will find out.
Intro Music (00:03):
We are Randolph Shepherd Podcast. We're Randolph Shepherd podcast. This is the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast, promoting blind entrepreneurship and Independence. And now here's the dynamic duo, Nikki Geicos and Terry Smith.
Nicky (00:26):
Here we are, the recording of December. We are Randolph Shepherd podcast and of course we need to start by thanking our sponsors, the National Association of Blind Merchants, Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, sight Line Wealth Management, Sodexo Integra Commissary Services of Nashville, Tyler Technologies, FSIG. You selected Cantaloupe Jerk, Dr. Pepper Barry, how are you?
Terry (01:01):
I'm doing great Nikki. And you just read the list of sponsors and we need to welcome a new sponsor there. Commissary Services of Nashville and that is Melissa Chilton and she runs the TBE commissary there and I think she's got a couple of commissaries that she operates. Always been a big supporter of ours and she wanted to come on board as a sponsor and she doesn't really, not going to gain anything advertising, but just wanted to show her support in Melissa Chilton. We really appreciate it and cherish the relationship. I've known her since way back when and she is absolutely top-notch. But Nikki, the thing is, can you believe it, season three, episode 12, we have made it three full years and when we were talking about it way back three and a half years ago, we might want to do a podcast. I don't know that. I thought we would be still doing it three years later. Did you?
Nicky (02:08):
No, not at all. It doesn't seem like, well, it's funny. I think I told you other day, I walked out of the store on Monday morning and I said, was blast just Friday? Was it just last week? It seems like it was like a dream. It's been a dream. It's been a lot of fun doing this and it's hard to believe that it's been three years and let's hoping. Who knows? We'll do it another three years.
Terry (02:31):
Yeah, who knows. You never know. I think we're going to have to go back and do the best of
Nicky (02:37):
Yeah. Yeah,
Terry (02:39):
The best.
Nicky (02:40):
Well now we know that James Randolph is listening to it, so we got to make sure we
Terry (02:45):
Exactly. Oh, so Nikki, before we get into the other stuff, I do want to just make a quick note We're college season is winding down. We're two weeks for knowing who's in the playoffs. And so just a quick check in. When we made our college football predictions, you predicted that Texas would win the national championship and that Arch Manning would come off the bench and lead 'em to glory. You're still alive with that pick. It looks like Texas is going to be in the field. So you still have a shot?
Nicky (03:24):
I do. And I think you picked Georgia Bulldogs, didn't you?
Terry (03:28):
I did actually. All four teams that I picked, if the playoffs started today, all four teams that I picked would be in there. I think I picked Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Ohio State. So I got a shot, but I did pick Georgia to win it all. Not feeling real good about that, but hey, you never know and there's not a dominant team out there and maybe we can redeem ourselves with our predictions. I mean, you hit last year with the pick of Michigan to win the national championship. I think two in a row would be headline news.
Nicky (04:04):
It wouldn't. I'm just glad we didn't pick Florida State.
Terry (04:08):
Funny thing, I don't know if you remember, but I went back and listened to what we said about when we did our predictions and you started out by saying, before I say who's going to be there, I can tell you who's not going to be there and it won't be Florida State. So you did nail that one. Nikki, you mentioned Blast and we are fresh off of that. We're recording this just a few days after Blast was over and I think probably still on a bit of a high after what was just an amazing week and I know you're proud of what we pulled off and you've gotten a lot of positive feedback as have I what a week it was, wasn't it
Nicky (04:59):
Terry? It makes you feel, it's amazing how it comes together. We work hard on getting the trade show. We work hard on getting the speakers. We worked hard on getting the venue. We worked hard on putting it all together. We never thought we'd have close to 600 people there. And when it comes all together and you pull it off, it's like, wow. We always talk about Blast being a wow. This one certainly was. I sat and thought about past blasts with Rudy and La Badman and the Disney training that we've done and Barbara Canelli, but this one was just so exciting, so glad to be part of a team that put this together and a team that wants to thrive with Randall Shepherd and just bring training. This wasn't just Randall Shepherd, there's a lot of Randall Shepherd, but the attorney training, my email box has been lighting up and I'm sure yours had too, about the content of the speakers and the whole ambience of it and ending with a comedian and the doing pianos, people just having fun.
(06:14)
We needed to do that. We hadn't done it in six years. It was just great. It was really something. I'm so excited to be part of this team and of course I thank you so much for all the work that you do on it and stuff. We kid around that. I say, let's come up with ideas and you get it done and you really got it done this time. And of course we can't got to thank Barbara who stepped up big time and Melissa Smith too, who just became a grandmother who runs a business but was there all through registration and making sure that everything ran right. And so thank you, thank you, thank you.
Terry (06:51):
For those of you who are listing training a conference with Nikki is an adventure and he is always talking about that wow moment he wants to wow people with. And generally when you do these conferences, you're looking for that one wow moment. We had multiple wow moments. I mean, I think the feedback we got, we had 150 people at the SLA training, which was outstanding. We had seven of the foremost Randolph Shepherd attorneys in the nation that donated a full day of their time and did just a fabulous job in talking about issues related to Randolph Shepherd. And then we got kicked off that first morning with a country music show that was as good enough to be on the Grand Ole Opry. I mean, they were real professionals, man, there's so much talent in Nashville, it's just unbelievable. And people were saying, where did you find these people?
(07:51)
And I'm saying, this is the kind of talent you can find on any corner in Nashville. It was just phenomenal. And we had the impersonators, the Dolly Parton. I actually had someone say, how did you get Shana Twain here? They came up to me during the show and I had to laugh and say, that's not really Shana Twain. They sincerely thought it was the real Shana Twain. And then Clint Pulver, the drummer, Emmy Award winner, motivational speaker, been on America's Got Talent. Now he took the house down and everybody had drumsticks and they were up playing drums on the table and we had people from the hotel that were showing up just looking in the doors to see what in the world was going on. And that's the one guy you really wanted to deliver and we were able to get him. And he may have been as far as a keynote kickoff speaker, I think he may have been the best we've ever had. Would you agree?
Nicky (08:54):
I agree. It's funny, I traveled to a lot of different conferences and I saw him right after Covid, my first conference after Covid, and I saw him in Denver and I said, we do this last conference and if we do it again, I need you there and the drums and anxiety and everything they brings. And he said, and we'll make it happen. And we did. And so excited about that.
Terry (09:19):
I thought it was great. The thing I was pleased with was we hit 'em with information and then we entertained them and then we hit 'em with information and then we entertained them. And the banquet, the final banquet on Thursday night was just a real party. People didn't want to leave. I mean, we shut down at 11 o'clock and the room was still full of people. We had a great comedian, we had a great dueling piano. Something else that you have been wanting for years, we finally delivered. And boy were they good. And I mean it was just a big party. And Dorothy Young set the stage with just an amazing speech before we got to the entertainment. And we appreciate the folks who cantaloupe sponsored the banquet and we had some great sponsors. FSIG helped sponsor Clint Southern did the lunch and Joe Blackstone did the opening session and we couldn't do it without those guys who helped us out and we really appreciate it. But it just like every time we turned around, it was a wow moment.
Nicky (10:37):
And again, you're right, we couldn't do it without those sponsors and thank them off for sponsoring the big segments of the conference. And we had a lot of other sponsors that made the thing happen. And it's funny, I think if you remember we talked about do we need a keynote speaker for the
Terry (10:57):
Banquet? Banquet?
Nicky (10:57):
I said, Terry, for the banquet. I said, we really don't. We're going to give so much content, we don't need it to sit and listen to a banquet speaker. But I don't know where you found Dorothy, but she stepped up big time. Yeah. She said, well, if you're not going to have a Bankless speaker, I'm going to do it. And she was just great. She was just great. And like you said, we ended on a wow. We started with a while and ended with a while and it's hard to do. Like you said, it was all wow, it's all in between. It wasn't just, that was okay. That was okay. You know how I know it was? How many times did you see, usually you go to conference, how many people are standing outside, right?
AI Nicky (11:38):
Yeah,
Nicky (11:39):
I walked outside a lot of times to get to the other side of the room. There was Harvey, anybody standing outside that room, they were in that room almost the whole time. That's kudos to a lot of times for our conferences and people have in their own conference outside, not this time.
Terry (11:56):
That's a good point. And I want to also shout out to Jimmy Newsome. Jimmy was there the entire week. He did a breakout session on marketing with AI on the first afternoon, Tuesday. We're going to be talking here in a little bit about another project he helped us with. And then on Friday morning for the diehards, he did a two and a half hour workshop on how to ignite your business. And I told him we won't have many stay that's getaway day. People will be cutting out and maybe 75 to a hundred people. And the room was packed. It was filled. And so I was really, really pleased with that and positive feedback about that too. But Nikki, it wasn't all good news. We did have some unfortunate situation developed. Michael Armstrong, who is the committee chair in Georgia, became ill, had to be rushed to the emergency room as we're recording this on Tuesday after blast, he is still in intensive care and the hospital apparently has had some mini strokes. That's not firsthand information, obviously. That's what the Georgia folks are telling us. And he has been under sedation and we wish him a speedy recover. Michael's a good guy and hope he is back on this in the saddle here pretty soon.
Nicky (13:31):
He is a good guy. And also shout out to Joanne Wilson, who was coming to blast with Harold, her husband past Gold Star winner and suffered what they thought was a stroke, but it was an immune disease and she was in the hospital and then rehab, but she is home now and starting to get better. So prayers to Michael Joanne and prayers to everyone, and thank you for bringing that up.
Terry (14:00):
So Nikki, before we get into the meat and potatoes here, we always do the WhatsApp section where you can take a few seconds to tell us what's going on with you. So Nikki, what's up?
Nicky (14:13):
Okay, the thing I want to bring up is I told everybody that this was my last big blast and stuff. I said that prior to the conference, but then you come off the conference and you say, we just talked about being a wow and everything, but people have some talks with people about the work that takes put into it and we have a small team that does it and that and stuff. And I'm not saying we're going to do another big blast, we're going to do some other stuff. But I mean I got home on Friday, I had to go to work. I mean I run a posting facility that's been basically closed for a year and a half to have my income to come in to do that. And I get excited when we put on conferences like this and I really like to do more because I believe in training.
(15:03)
But the thing is that I get fired up from this. I do. We have some things, some pots in the fire with a, who knows, with this administration, with the Department of Education, which I think could be a good thing that maybe we get moved. Who knows? So I'm going to stick around for a while. I've had some people think that I was going to retire, but I'm not retiring. I want to make sure that we move forward. We've got some good momentum from this conference. And so what's up with me is that I'm ready to go back to work in December and more traveling and get ready for a great year in 25. And who knows after that? But that's what's up with me. What's up with Dukes?
Terry (15:44):
Well, what's up with me is I finally can sort of think about things other than blast. And I don't think people really understand how much of your time and energies go into planning something like that. But now I can focus on Christmas and I can tell you that I don't know that we are in the Christmas spirit. I love giving. I just love giving. I love giving to the kids, I love giving to the grandkids. I hate shopping. And they have made it so easy. We have got Amazon list for all the kids and as all we went through, we hit add to cart, add to cart, add to cart, and then we got more packages in the mail than we could put in the car. And I think my wife Carrie, spent all weekend wrapping presents and we are probably about 80% through with Christmas and we're all going to get together in South Carolina for Christmas this year and looking forward to having all the grandkids together and get to play Pops instead of playing all these other roles that I get to play. I love playing the other roles, but playing Pops is still, there's nothing better than that. So we'll have all the kids together and they will go through, they will open all those presents. They'll forget 'em two days later. But hey, that's okay. It's the magic of the season and it's my favorite time of the year. So Nikki, let's get down to business.
Nicky (17:21):
Wait, lemme just finish up on that too. With a name like Nicholas and thing, Nicholas being like Santa and stuff, I love to give to more than ever. We give our time in a lot of ways and other things that we do, but it's going to be great looking home that Jasmine be home from college and the other kids are growing up and be always goes above and beyond getting presents and then they open one and two and the next thing you know they're playing with or looking at some dress or trying something on. And we've still got a bunch of other presents, but I guess we're just givers and we'd love to give no matter what it is. But I'm also excited looking for forward the Christmas season
Terry (18:02):
Going to be good times and then we'll be back in January and doing this all over again. So Nick, on the business side of it, I do want to just mention, not discuss it really, but just remind people that as of right now, the Corporate Transparency Act, the beneficial ownership program, the deadline if you are incorporated is still December 31st. And so if you have not filed and you are incorporated or you're registered with your Secretary of State in some way, you're some legal entity, then you have to file that report. And it's not hard. I have filed one, I think you filed one and it's no fun, but it's certainly not. I've done a lot harder things in my day. So I just remind you, we can't give legal advice and this is a legal document, it's not an accounting document, but if you are incorporated, please make sure you file because it's a $500 a day fine if you do not. So get out there and make sure you get that done. And if you're not sure, talk to your attorney and they can help you with it.
Nicky (19:22):
I think we've been talking about this for about a year and there's penalties $500 a day. You do not want to pay those. So please, everyone, please get it in. If you're not sure, find out. But if you don't want to pay those penalties,
Terry (19:37):
Nikki, the hottest topic when we're at blast, we had a panel discussion talking about the political landscape. Now that the elections are over, a lot of people now are asking questions about what does all of this mean for Randolph Shepherd? I think on the bright side, I want to say Randolph Shepherd has always been nonpartisan. This is not like some programs where you got the Democrats have always supported it and the Republicans want to get rid of it. So I don't think the fact that the Republicans have the White House and both branches of government is a threat, necessarily a threat to Randolph Shepherd. And there could be some fallout wood to see how all that shakes out, but I don't think we need to panic because we have always been nonpartisan. And you look back, some of the biggest accomplishments we made were with the help of Republicans.
(20:40)
We had Pete Sessions, his letter that he's a Republican from Texas, but it was his letter that really knocked down some walls in terms of applying the priority to the dining facility attendant contracts. And so it didn't matter that he was Republican, he supported the program. So I'm not too concerned about that. The question that we get a lot is what's going to happen? Are they going to eliminate the Department of Education? What happens? Well, first of all, I don't know if they're going to eliminate the Department of Education. They may, they're going to have 60 votes or somehow figure out how to get around it. But we existed before there was a Department of Education. Department of Education did come around in 1979. So I don't think the fact that there is or is not a Department of Education is a major, major consideration when it comes to Randolph Shepherd. Do you agree or disagree?
Nicky (21:44):
I agree a hundred percent. I've been critical about the Department of Education for years and there's one time where I said, can we sue the Department of Education? So if it doesn't go away, we'll work with him to try to make it better for Rand Shepherd. And if we move, then we always change. We like to be part of it. And we've been part of the change being part working with RSA on the tax and everything else that we've done and stuff. And so I think, I'm glad the election's over couldn't take the commercials anymore, but we've always built, like Jeff Sherick said, who works for the n fp Now we've built relationships in Congress, we've done that on both sides with the Aguilar and Pete Tyson. So I think we'll be okay. I'm not worried about it. We be what it is and maybe this the take people up and get 'em more involved with us.
Terry (22:42):
Well, we can hope so if they move us, then it becomes do they move us to the same department that they move vocational rehabilitation? There's been talk in the VR would go to the Department of Labor, which makes sense, but would they take Randolph Shepherd with them? Would we go to Commerce or somewhere else? There's lots of reasons to stay with vocational rehabilitation, but there are also some reasons to maybe break away. If they would send the money, the federal dollars, carve out a piece of the federal dollars, the VR dollars to send with Randolph Shepherd to another department, it could be actually a good thing. I think the thing that does concern me about it is that regardless, I think RSA, at least internally with other federal agencies when called upon, they have taken a strong stand in support of Randolph and too much to the disagreement of a lot of other departments.
(23:50)
So if we end up with different attorneys in different departments, they may look at things differently and so then it could become a problem, but we have to wait and see on how all of that turns out. And I think the other thing is, and I don't know, you were part of the conversation with a state director in Nashville where they were talking about block grants. Now this goes way back to the Reagan days when Ronald Reagan wanted to do that, but there was actually some support to giving states block grants. Like if it was just the VR dollars, the VR dollars, then you would leave it up to the states on how to spend it. They could spend it for vocational, they could spend it for independent living, they could spend it for Randolph Shepherd. It would just be one pot of money. That would be interesting. I don't know how I feel about that, but that would be very interesting. But the thing to keep in mind is the law does not change. The Randolph Shepherd Act still exists. The Rehabilitation Act still exists. So unless they're going to change the laws, the program's going to exist and somebody will be out there having to manage it. And it doesn't really matter what department they're in,
Nicky (25:08):
It doesn't, we've been working with the SBA about getting blind vendors certified. It's able to own businesses and maybe this will be part of that plan or whatever. So you know, whatever comes, we're ready. Like I said, we'll be backed on it and I think we got people excited from Blast and let's go see what the challenges are. We always have challenges in Randall's effort, but somehow we always come make you make it better and let's get people back to work. Maybe a lot of talk about federal employees coming back to work that would sure help a lot of our guys, a lot of big companies that started to bring people back to work. So okay, like you said, we're going to get through Christmas and then we're going to hit it and see what happens with the new administration. And we are playing a fly in, so we got a lot of things working already, but it was just, we'll see what happens, but we'll be ready for it. We'll be ready for it.
Terry (26:07):
Well, you mentioned the federal workers coming back to work and I think it's really, really interesting that this new Department of Government efficiency, which is outside of the government, it's not a real department, but it's that Elon Musk is heading up. That is one of the things that they have said that they are going to do is to require all federal workers to come back. So now if all federal workers come back, then that's good news for us. So our vendors will have more customers. Of course, the motivation for bringing the employees back is that they're thinking that if they do that, that as many as 30 or 40% will quit and they can then reduce the size of government that way. So it's good news and that we got more people back in the buildings and even at that, even if people quit, we're going to have more people in the buildings than we do now.
(27:09)
I guess if I had one concern I would be concerned about, are they mentioned the Department of Defense? We are so small. I mean we are so tiny in the big picture, but do they look at the way that we do military dining and the Department of Defense insists that we cost more money and if they're looking for cheaper options, do they look at that? So there's no indication that they will, but we sort of have to be on our guard to make sure that if they do that we are ready to address it. So Nikki at Blast, we did something unique and we're going to revisit that now. And just so folks know, when we were planning Blast Nikki, he comes up with these ideas. He mentioned that earlier and they're great ideas, but he comes up with this idea. He said, we were talking one day and we said, well, what would Jennings Randolph think about this or that, seeing how the program has grown and all that kind of stuff.
(28:23)
And he says, Hey, wouldn't it be great if we could get a hologram of Senator Jennings Randolph and have it at Blast? And so I actually got into doing all the research and we couldn't quite pull that off, but we did pull off an interview with Senator Randolph using artificial intelligence. Jimmy Newsome helped us out with this project. My son Eric helped us out with this project and basically we did this interview at Blast at our luncheon and people were absolutely blown away because first of all, they didn't know it wasn't you talking, but we used artificial intelligence and what we did was we posed questions using artificial intelligence and had AI tell us how Senator Randolph would answer that question. And a lot of people who heard this interview thought that we just wrote the answers and then we put Senator Randolph's voice over it.
(29:33)
That is not what happened. These are answers that artificial intelligence in searching the internet on everything he's ever said, these are the answers they came up with or that AI came up with. This is exactly what Senator Randolph would've said if you had asked him the question. And so we're going to play that for you in just a minute. It's not very long, but these are not Nikki's voice, this is not Senator Randolph's voice. We took voice samples from both. There were some old YouTube videos of Senator Randolph and we took voice samples of both, and so that's what you're going to hear. You're going to hear artificial intelligence talking as if it was a conversation between Nikki and Senator Randolph. Nikki got anything to say about it before we queue it up?
Nicky (30:33):
Nope, I'm ready. Let's do it.
Terry (30:35):
Alright, so here is Nikki Geicos interviewing Senator Jennings Randolph.
AI Nicky (30:41):
Hello, I am Nikki Geckos, president of the National Association of Blind Merchants, and it is such an honor to have this opportunity to talk with Senator Jennings Randolph, who is a hero to every blind entrepreneur in the country. How are you Senator?
AI Senator Randolph (30:55):
I'm great Nikki, and I'm equally honored to be with you today.
AI Nicky (30:58):
Senator Randolph. I have always wondered how you first became interested in helping the blind.
AI Senator Randolph (31:03):
Helping blind people has always been really important to me because I believe everyone deserves a fair chance. Growing up, my family talked a lot about helping others and making sure everyone in the community was supported. When I got into Congress, I saw how many obstacles blind individuals face just trying to get decent jobs and live independently. The Randolph Shepherd Act, which I sponsored in 1936, was a way to give blind people more job opportunities by letting them run vending facilities on federal properties. It wasn't just about jobs, it was about giving them dignity and the ability to be self-reliant. Seeing the difference it made in their lives only strengthened my commitment Throughout my career, I kept pushing for better policies and technology to help blind individuals. Watching how these changes positively impacted lives was incredibly rewarding for me. It's all about making sure everyone has the chance to reach their full potential no matter their physical limitations.
AI Nicky (32:05):
Well, you certainly had a positive impact on the lives of literally thousands of blind people, and we thank you for that. What made you think vending would be a good fit for the blind?
AI Senator Randolph (32:15):
When I thought about opportunities for blind individuals, I believe vending facilities were a great fit for several reasons. First and foremost, vending operations can be managed with relatively little. If any site, the tasks involved like stocking, handling, transactions, and managing inventory can be adapted with the right tools and training. This field also allows for independence and entrepreneurship, giving blind individuals a chance to run their own businesses and be self-sufficient. I also saw vending facilities as a way to challenge and change public perceptions about the capabilities of blind people. By proving that blind individuals could successfully operate these businesses, we could show that blindness is not a barrier to running a profitable enterprise. This in turn would open up more opportunities for all blind people and reduce the stigma and discrimination they face in the job market.
AI Nicky (33:11):
This was such an innovative idea at the time, and I suspect your colleagues in Congress questioned it. What was the biggest challenge in getting the Randolph Shepherd Act passed?
AI Senator Randolph (33:20):
The biggest challenge was overcoming skepticism and resistance from those who doubted the capabilities of blind individuals. Many people questioned whether blind vendors could successfully manage vending facilities. It required persistent advocacy to demonstrate that with the right opportunities and support, blind individuals could thrive in entrepreneurial roles. Convincing other members of Congress and the public of this potential was an uphill battle, but ultimately the Acts passage was a significant victory for both economic opportunity and disability rights.
AI Nicky (33:54):
We still have that same challenge when it comes to educating our public officials and the public in general. Funny how some things never change. In discussing the 74 amendments, one of our own, Jim Gael played a big hand in getting those amendments passed.
AI Senator Randolph (34:09):
Yes indeed. I'm incredibly grateful for Jim Gas's work on the 1974 amendments From the beginning, my goal was to open doors for the blind, giving them real opportunities to build their own livelihoods, not just rely on handouts. Jim's dedication to pushing for these amendments carried that mission forward in a powerful way. He understood what I always believed, that people who are blind have the same desire to work and support themselves as anyone else. His efforts helped make sure the program wasn't just about providing a job, but about providing dignity through work thanks to people like Jim. The vision we had back in 1936 grew into something even more impactful. Yeah, that's the kind of progress that inspired me and it's what keeps this program evolving for the better.
AI Nicky (35:01):
We certainly appreciate the efforts of Jim and the NFB, but the program has continued to evolve over the years. In the 1974 amendments, you for the first time included priority for the operation of cafeterias. That was huge. Did you envision that someday blind people would be successfully operating large military dining contracts?
AI Senator Randolph (35:22):
I always believed in the potential of the Randolph Shepherd Act to open up new avenues for blind individuals. And the 1974 amendments were a big part of that vision. Seeing blind vendors now running profitable cafeterias on military bases the country, it's truly gratifying. It shows that with the right support and opportunities, blind folks can excel in diverse fields like food services. This success story just reinforces why I fought so hard for equal opportunities and economic empowerment. Through legislation like the Randolph Shepherd Act
AI Nicky (35:54):
Today, we face unique challenges and threats. What can blind entrepreneurs do to ensure that the priority is here for future generations of blind people
AI Senator Randolph (36:03):
To protect the Randolph Shepherd priority for future generations? Blind vendors need to be proactive and engaged. They need to stay informed, which helps in advocating effectively for their rights. They need to advocate by getting involved with organizations like the National Federation of the Blind, which works to protect and promote the interests of blind vendors. Being part of them strengthens the collective voice of the blind. It also helps to develop good relationships with federal and state officials and other stakeholders in the vending industry. These connections can help ensure that the program's priorities are respected and there are opportunities outside the priority. Next, I think blind vendors need to embrace innovative business practices that can make vending operations more competitive and profitable. This shows the continued relevance of the Randolph Shepherd program. Finally, they should promote awareness because raising public awareness about the successes and importance of the Randolph Shepherd program is key. Sharing success stories and engaging with the community can help build broader support.
AI Nicky (37:05):
Wow. I hope all of our guys hear this. A lot of people think Nikki and Terry will take care of it, or NABM will protect the program or the NFB won't let anything happen to our program. With that in mind, you mentioned the NFB and we are a division of the NFBI was wondering about your thoughts on the job the National Association of Blind Merchants is doing.
AI Senator Randolph (37:26):
You guys are doing a fantastic job in advancing the cause of blind entrepreneurs. You act as a collective voice for blind business owners advocating for their rights and providing essential training and resources. Your work with the Randolph Shepherd Act is particularly crucial as it ensures that blind individuals have fair access to business opportunities in vending and other areas. One of the standout aspects of NABM is how you address the specific needs of blind entrepreneurs By advocating for policy changes and providing practical support, you help blind business owners navigate the challenges they face. This includes offering guidance on rehabilitation, social security, and tax issues, which are critical for running a successful business. Overall, I'd say NABM is doing a stellar job of not only addressing immediate needs, but also paving the way for future generations of blind entrepreneurs. You are building a supportive and empowering environment where blind individuals can thrive in their business endeavors.
AI Nicky (38:28):
In closing, I have one last question. It may be the most important question. I was just wondering, or maybe I should say curious. By any chance, do you happen to know anything about the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast.
AI Senator Randolph (38:43):
I've actually listened to a few episodes of the We Are Randolph Shepherd podcast, and I have to say I'm quite impressed. You and Terry Smith bring a lot of energy and passion to the show, which really shines through. You cover important issues that matter to blind entrepreneurs from legal strategies and industry innovations to personal stories and practical advice. As I see it, the podcast has become a vital platform for keeping the Randolph Shepherd community informed and engaged. It's not just about vending, it's about building a sense of community and advancing the cause of blind entrepreneurship in a fun and accessible way. The episodes are fun and informative. I like that you often feature insightful interviews with notable guests, adding depth to the discussions. Overall, I think you're doing a fantastic job. It's a great resource for anyone involved in the Randolph Shepherd program or interested in blind entrepreneurship. The fact that it's well received by the community speaks volumes about its impact and relevance.
AI Nicky (39:43):
Well, folks, you heard it here first. Senator Jennings, Randolph endorses the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast and thank you for not mentioning our sports predictions. Thank you so much. Senator. If we weren't out of time, I'd love to ask you your thoughts about a fellow West Virginian who goes by the name Hillbilly Biker, but maybe next time.
AI Senator Randolph (40:02):
Thank you, Nikki. I've enjoyed this very much.
Terry (40:04):
So Nikki, you did a good job interviewing the man. Some really, really interesting answers there. And I guess the best one was he endorses the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast. So that's pretty amazing, isn't
Nicky (40:20):
It? It's pretty amazing. And I happened to be sitting next to Jim and Susan Gastro when the interview started, and Susan said to Jimmy, is that him? And he said, oh yeah, that's him. That's his voice. And so it was amazing, and maybe we'll have to do that again with another interview. But it's amazing with ai, I throw that at a conference again, glad I get to travel and saw the ai, what it could do, and we pulled it off and there was just, people were like that him, is he a alive? None of them people didn't realize, died many years ago. And it was also great to have Jim Gastro there to talk about the 74 Amendments and working with Jens Randolph. So kudos to Jimmy Newsome for helping us with that. And Eric, and thank you for that. I think it was great. I think it was, again, was part of the wow of,
Terry (41:15):
We asked Senator Randolph, or you asked Senator Randolph about Jim Gael and the role he played, and we were really honored that Jim and Susie Gas were there at this conference. And as you said, Jim spoke at the luncheon right after this about the 50 years and about his experience with the 74 Amendments and what's happened since, which was really good historical information. I mean, really good information. But Nikki, you got to give Jim a special award.
Nicky (41:49):
We did. We gave Jim a lifetime achievement award. He was well deserved for Jim. He talked about 50 years ago being in Senator Randolph's office and talking about cafeterias and committee of blind vendors, and he talked about his age being 78. And I said, wow, he was 28 years old when he was down in that office. To me, that's young for somebody to be down there and doing that. And he said that he talked about Dr. The Journey, giving him the confidence to do that. I also want to mention while we do give about the Lifetime Achievement award for Jim, that we gave out a couple other awards, this Scott Young Award to Ron Brown, Indiana, and two Gold Star Awards to Melba Taylors, Maryland and Michael Colburn from Minnesota. well-deserved awards. So it was just put a cap on a great blast conference with our award winners. And like you said, for Jim and Susie to be there and spoke to the SLAs on or Tuesday to talk about the history of it too. I think it's important that people need to know the history of all the work that went into this and the work to do that, and the fights that we had with the postal unions and GSA about this. So it was just great. And Jim deserved that award. And thank you, Jim, Susan for coming to Blast.
Terry (43:08):
Well, Nikki, let's bring the curtain down on 2024 and let's have some good family time over the next few weeks and let's come back in January. We will drop a podcast the first week of January. It will be the Blitz, so hope everybody is listening to that to catch all the news. That is the news. But until then, Nikki, I guess we'll catch you on the next one in 2025,
Nicky (43:39):
I guess. And Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah, and happy New Year to everyone.
Sponsors (43:43):
The Weir Randolph Shepherd podcast would like to thank our sponsors, the National Association of Blind Merchants, Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, Siteline Wealth Management, Sodexo in Reach, Tyler Technologies, F-S-I-G-U, selected Cantaloupe, Keurig, Dr. Pepper, commissary Services of Nashville.
Support (44:07):
If you would like to support the We Are Randolph Shepherd podcast, we would love to have you on board. Corporate sponsors may contact Nikki gecos@nikkicolorado.netscape.net. Individuals who would like to support the podcast may do so by donating to the National Association of Blind merchants@www.blindmerchants.org. We would love to have your support. I.