National news, true crime, comedy, and science – these are all topics that you can find at the top of the podcast charts. Podcasts focusing on local news or the people and places around you are much rarer. You might see a business go up, a new ordinance be made, or a new city program launch and have no idea how any of it came about.
The La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership (LEAP) is hoping to change that with its podcast, “Plugged In La Porte,” which launched earlier this year. Hosted by Pastor Nate Loucks of State Street Community Church, who previously hosted the weekly radio show “SOUND OFF,” it highlights the stories of local business owners and entrepreneurs, features updates and insight from local economic and civic leaders, and aims to keep people informed about the hows and whys of La Porte’s latest developments, challenges, and opportunities.
“We want to get more information to the community about the things that are impacting their daily lives,” Loucks said. “We think the best way to do that is through conversations, so we bring these leaders and businesses on to talk about their experiences both good and bad. We hear about their ideas, their histories, and how they got to where they are. Whether they’re a small florist in downtown La Porte or a large multi-million dollar factory that’s expanding, we want to make sure that people know about them.”
Guests and topics can vary wildly from one episode to the next. One month, Loucks sat down with Courtney Dickman, co-owner of the yogurt and ice cream shop Downtown Delights, to discuss the ins and outs of La Porte’s business landscape. Just a few months later, he took a deep dive into the county’s Drug Court with Honorable Judge Greta Friedman and Sergeant Adam Hannon.
The aim is not to persuade but to entertain, inform, and give guests a platform on which to share their stories.
“We want to make sure that we’re having honest conversations, not combative ones,” he said. “This is not a podcast where I’m trying to debate people or get them to take on a worldview or my opinion. I just want them to tell their story, to talk about why they’ve decided what they’ve decided. It’s up to the listeners to decide if they like those decisions after they’ve heard the ‘why.’”
The episodes focusing on businesses are Loucks’ personal favorites because they rarely get that kind of platform.
“I love talking to our political leaders, but they tend to get more airtime and press – business leaders don’t always get that,” he said. “In one of our episodes, I talked to Scott Hamilton, who leads one of the large factories in town. He joined this company that’s been in La Porte for generations right after college and worked his way up to the top of it after starting near the bottom. That’s a conversation that informs the economic and workforce development in our community.”
“Plugged In La Porte” is not on a schedule, though LEAP and Loucks aim to release at least one episode every month or so. Lindsay Kneifel, director of marketing & communications for LEAP, noted that quality always trumps quantity. Guests have included City Park Superintendent Mark Schreiber, Mayor Tom Dermody, co-owner of Bare Bones Gastropub Blake Murray, and many more.
“We don’t want to bring on guests at short notice just to put out an episode,” Kneifel said. “We’re also always willing to take suggestions about potential guests that people want to see. We got the Drug Court episode together thanks to a listener's suggestion.”
You can listen and subscribe to “Plugged In La Porte” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. To learn more about the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership and to send suggestions or feedback, visit laportepartnership.com.
