Our Town With Host Andy Ockershausen - Homegrown History

Marc Bluestein, Founder and CEO of Aquarius Sports and Entertainment, shares his passion for sports and marketing with Our Town host Andy Ockershausen in this all new episode of Our Town podcast. He is originally from Philadelphia, but grew up in Our Town, and as Andy tells him "is a big part of Our Town". Marc Bluestein, also known as "Blue", grew up playing baseball and always dreamed of playing college ball. After high school he attended the University of Tampa and successfully “walked on” to the university’s baseball team. He realized after a short time that he couldn’t compete in Division 2 baseball in Tampa, and ended up transferring to the University of South Florida to concentrate on his studies. While at USF, Marc interned with the Tampa Bay Lightning after they joined the NHL in the 1992-93. He came back to Our Town after college, but is quick to say that Tampa holds a special place in his heart. Blue began his career in Our Town with W.B. Doner Advertising in Baltimore. He eventually moved

Irene Pollin, a major contributor to the growth of Washington DC metro, is Andy O’s special guest on this all new episode of Our Town podcast. Irene Pollin has recently released her memoirs, “Irene & Abe: An Unexpected Life”. Her book reveals the ins and outs of Irene’s life with her husband and business partner Abe Pollin. Irene now shares her memories with host Andy Ockershausen in this episode of Our Town. Irene Pollin and Abe Pollin were introduced by Irene's Aunt Fanny who happened to be married to Uncle Dan of the Pollin family. Irene was 17 and living in St. Louis with her family. Abe,18, was living on the East Coast. After they met, Abe wooed Irene long distance – writing one letter after another. Irene recalls visiting his family in Washington DC in 1941 at their beautiful home off of 16th Street, NW. Irene and Abe dated more than a few years. Eventually, Abe not only successfully convinced Irene to move to Washington DC to be with him, but he also convinced her entire family to move with he

Kurt Erickson is President of Washington Regional Alcohol Program(WRAP) and is Andy O’s guest in this all new episode of the Our Town podcast. Listen in as Kurt and Andy discuss the history of WRAP, how and why it came to be. They also discuss the good work done through WRAP regarding the issue of drinking and driving. Kurt Erickson was born in Boston and moved to Our Town in 1970 with his family when he was a child. He attended Radford University and afterward worked 10 years for the American Lung Association fighting against tobacco use in a state fueled - at the time - by tobacco. Kurt now lives with his wife and three children in a small town outside of Leesburg - Waterford, Virginia one of the oldest towns in Our Town. Kurt has been leading the non-profit WRAP as its President since 1999. WRAP takes the fight against drunk driving seriously- advocating for tougher penalties for repeat offenders as well as teaching the dangers of drinking and driving to school aged children. WRAP was founded in

Susan Lacz, CEO of Ridgewells Catering, speaks with Our Town host Andy Ockershausen about her life and career in Our Town. Hers is a lively interview! By the end, you will understand, if you don't already, why she has been, and continues to be, a successful business woman in Our Town. Susan has lived and worked in and around the Washington DC metro for almost 40 years. Originally from North Jersey, “totally a Jersey girl”, she moved to Arlington in 1978 to attend Marymount University which, at the time, was an all girls school. She has nothing but wonderful things to say about her college experience, and now serves on Marymount’s board of trustees. Susan attributes much of her success to her parents’ strong work ethic. Through high school, Susan worked Saturday and Sundays and during the week after school at Wyckoff Deli in Wyckoff, New Jersey. When she came to Our Town to attend college she worked at Tino’s restaurant in Arlington, just for the fun of it. She tells Andy she was hooked on the food indu

Paul Berry is an award-winning producer, reporter, and news anchor who has covered news in Washington, D.C. and Detroit for more than 25 years and currently hosts his own nationally syndicated weekly radio talk shows. Andy O and Paul Berry reunite in this all new episode of Our Town podcast to reminisce about the broadcast industry and where it is now in Our Town. Paul and Andy met each other in 1972 when he came to WMAL. Paul already knew that he loved Washington, DC from a previous trip here and was thrilled with the opportunity to work in this city. Eventually, WMAL split into two different stations. Paul stayed with TV and Andy went with radio but these two have remained buddies over the years. It is a pleasure to hear them chat about both the past and the present during Our Town. Paul began broadcasting in Vietnam. It was there that he established the first radio station in that part of the world for the military. The show was a hit and folks from the US started sending in records for him to play on

Bob Pincus, Vice Chairman of Eagle Bank, is Our Town's host, Andy Ockershausen's, guest this week in an all new episode of on the Our Town podcast. Bob attended the University of Maryland and focused on Finance. He went on to receive a MBA from American University, where he was hired as an executive Vice President at DC National Bank by one of his professors. Bob contributed to the bank's extraordinary growth and in ten years became DC National's CEO. Bob's father owned a restaurant in Cottage City, Maryland. The restaurant was known for its crabs, and became a local hang out for many local baseball players. Although Bob, and his three brothers, grew up in Cottage City around the restaurant, Bob was the only one who worked there. During the course of Bob’s banking career, he sold several banks. His goal was always to stay within his community and remain a local banker. Andy and Bob recount many dramatic changes to the banking industry that they have seen over the years. Community service is importa

Our Town host, Andy Ockershausen, welcomes Chip Akridge as his special guest this week in this all new episode of Our Town. Our Town is a podcast that dives deep and reveals new insights into the lives of prominent Washingtonians who have had made Our Town what it is today. Please listen in to learn more about the fascinating life of Chip Akridge of the well-known Akridge real-estate firm! Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Akridge began working in the real estate industry when he was only 12 years old. He continued working in real estate while he attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA. There he was enrolled in the ROTC. After graduating Georgia Tech, Akridge joined the Army. Later, he graduated from Harvard Business School and then went on to serve our country in Vietnam. Andy and Chip discuss his road to Harvard Business School. He did not have great undergraduate grades because he spent most of his college career being active in the student government. He served as President of his class. Despite his GPA,

Sonny Jurgensen, pro-football hall of famer, continues his intimate conversation with Our Town host Andy Ockershausen in part two of the two part series. Andy chats with Sonny about his college career at Duke University. Then lead him to a conversation about his career in Philly prior to the Redskins. When Sonny was traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Washington Redskins, he admits that it was a bit of a shock. He actually thought his buddies were playing an April Fool’s joke on him when he first heard the news! “But in the end, it was the best thing that could have happened to me because it gave me a chance to start over again,” Sonny tells Andy. During Sonny’s Redskins days, he was unstoppable. Sonny is remembered as more than just a great football player. He was a great student of the game. “Sonny is the best quarterback the NFL has ever seen. A more intelligent courageous leader, a more dedicated competitor, a more talented performer would be impossible to find.” In this Our Town interview, And

Listen in as Andy Ockershausen hosts the legendary Sonny Jurgensen on Our Town this week. You’ll feel like you’re part of an intimate, casual conversation as these two long-time friends talk about everything from Sonny’s early days to his present travel plans. Sonny Jurgensen has been in Washington for over 50 years. He began his career as the Redskins’ quarterback and then continued his Redskins career off the field in both TV and radio announcing for the team. Coach Lombardi once said, “Sonny is a great quarterback. He may be the greatest this league has ever seen. He is certainly the best that I have ever seen. He hangs in there in the worst of adversity.” Andy reminisces with Sonny about his humble yet remarkable childhood growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina. Sonny’s father hauled freight and Sonny got great pleasure from riding alongside him on trips. Sonny has hilarious stories to share about messing up Coca Cola deliveries while trying to help out his dad. His father was a strong man with a

Andy Ockershausen welcomes Frank Herzog as his special guest this week on Our Town. Our Town is a podcast that dives deep and reveals new insights into the lives of important Washingtonians who have made this city what it is today. Please listen in this week to learn more about the fascinating life of Frank Herzog as they discuss his broadcasting career in Our Town! Frank currently resides in North Carolina where he says “the weather is warm and the traffic is thin.” He was back in town recently when he was inducted into Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame. His extended family all came to cheer him on and to celebrate this huge honor. A standing ovation was in order for the man who has left such a mark in the world of sports broadcasting. Frank Herzog talks about his early days as he transitioned from the United States Air Force into his broadcasting career. He got his foot in the door through persistence and climbed his way to the top through hard work and dedication. He describes his own life as “almos

Everyone in Our Town knows Father John and that’s not an overstatement. A funny line affectionately said by his life long friends and parishioners who greet him is “Hide your wallet, here comes Father John!” There is not a truer statement ever spoken. Giving back to God has been at the heart of his priesthood, and now is at the heart of his work. Father John is a premiere fundraiser and he has to be in his role as CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. Catholic Charities serves more than 160,000 people through63 programs in 48 locations throughout the District of Columbia and Montgomery, Prince George’s, Charles, Calvert and St.Mary’s Counties in Maryland. You can plainly see that Catholic Charities does God’s work for Catholics and Non-Catholics in Our Town. In addition to his mission with Catholic Charities, Washingtonians know him as a champion of good causes, beloved Parish Priest, Board member of Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, Monsignor, and 2012 Washingtonian of the Year.

Halloween in Georgetown is what it is today because of Linda Roth and Mike O'Harro. In Part Two of a Two Part Series, Our Town host, Andy Ockershausen, learns the tricks of the trade and gets the inside scoop from the queen and king of DC nightlife themselves! Listen in to learn how Linda Roth and Mike O'Harro began opening restaurants and bars to make the DC night scene full of life and energy. You can listen in to Part One of this series here. Our Town host Andy Ockershausen dives deep into conversation with Linda Roth to uncover her humble beginnings here in Our Town and follows her journey to the successful “go to” woman in publicity that she is today. In the late ‘70s, Roth came to Mike O’Harro’s night club to interview for a management position but was instead hired to be the editor of the International Discotheque Association and together Mike and Linda proceeded to mold the nightlife of DC. Linda recalls being a huge part of making Halloween in Georgetown what it is today. Additionally, due to

Halloween in Georgetown is what it is today because of Mike O'Harro. In this Part One of a Two Part Series Our Town host, Andy Ockershausen, learns the tricks of the trade and gets the inside scoop from the king and queen of DC nightlife themselves! Listen in to learn how Mike O’Harro and Linda Roth began opening restaurants and bars to make the DC night scene full of life and energy. In Part One of Our Town's Two Part Series dedicated to Halloween and DC Nightlife, we are fortunate to have as our guest “the Disco King” and “Washington’s Hugh Hefner” Mike O'Harro. Mike grew up in Hollywood and served in the U.S. Navy when he came to the Washington, DC area in 1963. Andy Ockershausen reveals how Mike wasdiscontent with the social scene here in the DC area. So he got busy, and according to Les Shaver, he became “an officer-by-day and a party-planner-by-night” as he carried both top-secret letters and party invitations around town. O'Harro left the Navy and went into business with Jim Desmond to open his

Where do all those wacky ideas come from...two squirrels high-fiving each other after a car barely misses running them over, the Hump Day Camel walking around the office, the Geico Gecko spouting queries with an English accent, an offended Caveman sulking or a pig in a blanket watching a football game? Listen to Our Town host Andy Ockershausen ask these very same questions of GEICO’s VIce President of Marketing Ted Ward. Ted says "you should see the ideas that never make it off the desk, we never discourage our agency from presenting the wildest things!” Consistency, continuity, the boss’s wife and a crazy sense of humor has helped keep GEICO in the top two rankings of insurance companies in the country for the past 20 years. Geico has had the same message for decades, “15 minutes will save you 15% on auto insurance,” they have also had the same advertising agency for decades, the same marketing staff and management for decades. Ted says that there might be a message in there, that longevity and a good b

Listen in this week to Our Town as Andy O has a heart to heart chat with Silver Spring native Tara Lewis, the current Senior Regional Marketing Director for Yelp! Yelp is crowd-sourced app which carries reviews about local businesses, as well as the online reservation service. Tara’s enthusiasm and positive energy can be felt through the mic as she and Andy reminisce about her humble beginnings as a receptionist at Comcast SportsNet. Creativity, passion and hard work have lead Tara to a career that seems to have been “written just for her” from her internship with sports legend George Michael to creating new job opportunities for herself in the University of Maryland’s sports department, Tara has blazed her own trail. She tells her story about her reaching out to Monumental Sports owner Ted Leonsis on Facebook and he answered her back. Tara's is an incredible tale of seizing an opportunity when it presents itself. Learn more about Tara and the solutions that Yelp offers for both consumers and business own

Our Town guest Jim Dinegar is President of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. By the end of their conversation, host Andy Ockershausen tells Jim “You are the image, Jim. You’re stuck with it!” Jim is humble in his response, saying that he does get to work for the Board of Trade, but “it is not him, and he’s not it.” Throughout the interview, time and again, Jim Dinegar demonstrates humility, a rarity in a man of his standing in a city like Washington DC. Accordingly to Andy, Jim's impact on the region’s business over the last 10 years as President of the Board of Trade is big. After listening in, you might agree that it’s due to Jim’s passion for the community in which he lives and works, and for the work he does representing the Board of Trade and its members within the Washington DC metro region. Although originally from Bayside, Queens, New York, Jim calls the Washington metro his home. His first impression of Washington DC as a visiting high school student was a lasting one. He came to s

Sports marketing and broadcasting can be difficult careers to get started. Our Town host Andy Ockershausen and guest Eric Shuster discuss what to do to start a career in sports marketing and how to be successful. Andy says that Eric may be “possibly the most powerful man in sports in ‘Our Town’”. Listen in and find out how Eric achieved such a standing in Our Town. Let's start at the beginning. Eric didn’t really know it at the time, but one of the most important meetings he would ever have was with basketball great Lefty Driesell. Eric met retired college basketball coach Lefty Driesell at a youth basketball camp when Eric was just in elementary school. Coach Driesell sat with Eric and told him something that has proven true to this day, and encouraged him to pursue a career in sports other than on the field. Eric took Coach Driesell’s advice to heart in high school when, at 15, he became an Assistant Coach to the girls’ basketball team at his high school John F. Kennedy in Silver Spring, Maryland.

What do Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Christine Brennan, Lenny Shapiro and Shirley Povich all have in common? They all worked for our next guest, George Solomon, former sports editor and columnist for the Washington Post. Not a good person to try to beat in a Trivial Pursuit game in the sports category . . . George can tell you who the first woman sports reporter was in 1934, what exact minute the Senators left Washington for Minneapolis and can even name the interim coach between the great Vince Lombardi and George Allen . . . what doesn’t he know after over 30 years at the Post. In this hilarious repartee between the host and the guest, Solomon sets the record straight on everything from baseball to hockey to football . . . George knows his stuff and it’s obvious that Andy remembers a little of this and a little of that - and don’t ask about the Red Wings. George became Professor of the Practice at the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism in 2008, and Director in November 2011. We hope y

The spirit of adored sports writer Mo Siegel lives in this man. When Andy Pollin opens the Our Town show it’s shocking to hear his impersonation of Siegel. It sounds more like Siegel, than Siegel. The Siegel bit for those who remember him, sets the tone of the interview. Ockershausen has a great deal of respect for this young man Andy Pollin and feels a camaraderie with him, in that he enjoys the same love of football that he has felt throughout the years as a big fan of the Washington Redskins. Andy O refers to Andy Pollin as the "book," defined as one who knows the sports world like no other, or in other words a Walkingpedia of Sports. Andy O’s biggest regret at WMAL back in “the day” was not hiring Andy Pollin when uncle Abe Pollin called him for employment advice. But no one is happier than Andy O when Andy Pollin gets his job back at ESPN 980 radio. His dial is rusted on 980. It’s a mutual admiration society when these two broadcasters come together to share their love of sports and history in Our Tow

In this all new Season One episode of Our Town, host Andy Ockershausen takes a walk back in time with bon vivant, raconteur and man about town, Bill Regardie. Bill looks back on his humble beginnings in "Our Town", how he came to start and own one of the most successful Washington DC magazines during the 80s - Regardie’s Magazine. He also discusses his involvement as co-owner of New Homes Guide and Housing Data Reports. As Regardie's story unfolds you'll find that he was academically challenged until he received a tip from his wife, Renay. If you continue to listen Regardie reveals the helpful tip in his interview. Regardie also gives us insight into his journey as a disgruntled waiter slinging hash in a New Jersey kosher restaurant through being fired from 11 of the 13 jobs that followed. The statement “I have my own way of doing things.” rings so blatantly true, and you'll know what I mean when you hear some of the stories that Regardie reveals in this episode. You'll find him funny, scary at times an