Shed Geek Podcast
The Shed Geek Podcast offers an in depth analysis of the ever growing and robust Shed Industry. Listeners will experience a variety of guests who identify or specialize in particular niche areas of the Shed Industry. You will be engaged as you hear amateur and professional personalities discuss topics such as: Shed hauling, sales, marketing, Rent to Own, shed history, shed faith, and much more. Host Shannon Latham is a self proclaimed "Shed Geek" who attempts to take you through discussions that are as exciting as the industry itself. Listeners of this podcast include those who play a role directly or indirectly with the Shed Industry itself.
Shed Geek Podcast
Beyond the Fear: The Real Impact of Steel Tariffs
The headlines warned of economic disaster when steel tariffs were announced, but what's actually happening on the ground? The Steel Kings dig deep with Ohio State Representative Rodney Creech to separate market reality from media hype.
Representative Creech brings a unique perspective as both a fourth-generation farmer and state legislator, offering candid insights about American manufacturing's future. "Although there was some short-term pain, possibly some mid-term pain for long-term gain, I think we're there," Creech explains, highlighting companies that have already begun returning to the United States after previously moving operations overseas.
For Jared and Eric, the tariff situation prompted strategic innovation rather than surrender. They share how they're expanding their business model to include pole barns while maintaining their core steel building operations. This adaptability showcases what's happening across American small businesses – finding creative solutions that prioritize domestically-produced materials without passing dramatic price increases to customers.
The conversation reveals a significant disconnect between apocalyptic news predictions and actual market conditions. While initial reports suggested potential price increases up to 50% for steel products, businesses working with American-made steel are experiencing only marginal adjustments driven by demand. This practical reality check offers valuable perspective for anyone trying to understand how Washington policy translates into Main Street impact.
Perhaps most compelling is the discussion around America's renewed interest in supporting local businesses. As Rep. Creech puts it with stark simplicity: "Turn your news off. Buy local. Enjoy life." It's a philosophy that represents growing consumer awareness about the value of knowing who stands behind the products they purchase.
Ready to hear authentic insights about manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and the resilience of American business? Listen now and discover why the Steel Kings believe adaptation and authenticity are the keys to thriving in today's changing economic landscape.
To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.
This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: J Money LLC
Hey, this is Joel Oney at J Money in the heart of the Buckeye State, and I want to personally welcome you to today's episode of the Steel Kings podcast with my good friends Jared Ledford and Eric Olson, better known as the Steel Kings. Be sure to check out jmoneyllc. com for financing solutions for your buildings. And now let's get back to the Steel Kings podcast for your buildings.
INTRO:And now let's get back to the Steel Kings podcast.
Jared Ledford:Hey, what's up, guys? This is Jared, and over there is my best friend, Eric, and we are the Steel Kings coming at you with another episode this week of the Steel Kings podcast. Eric, what's up, man? How are you?
Eric Olson:What's up, brother? Happy July 7th. We have wrapped up the funnest weekend of the year.
Jared Ledford:Yes, sir.
Eric Olson:Hottest weekend of the year, yeah.
Jared Ledford:Hopefully you guys had a happy and safe 4th of July, enjoyed fireworks with your family and friends. We just got off a podcast with our friend Rodney Creech, who is the Ohio State Representative for District 40. And we were having, you know, God bless him for hanging out with us. We were having some technical difficulties with our, with our feed and everything else, so we're jumping back in here to shoot a quick intro and just talk about our week. Um, hope you guys are doing well. Um, did you have anything going on, man? Did you do anything fun over the fourth of July? And we talked about that on the last episode what we might be getting into what you end up doing
Eric Olson:Shout- out Hamilton, which is a huge city in Ohio, mind you, I think nobody really thinks that Hamilton's big city. But Hamilton is a big city. Um, they've got a quite downtown park area. Um, they had a. They had a huge July celebration, had live music, there was an ACDC Guns N' Roses cover band that played and there was a ton. There was thousands of people down there put on a big light. So, to the town of Hamilton. Man, they put on a good show. The police presence was good. There wasn't any major issues. I saw man good stuff.
Jared Ledford:Good.
Eric Olson:So yeah.
Jared Ledford:What about you? I worked on the community picnic book. Um, I grinded, you know, like normal, I sat outside with the girls for a short period of time. Um, I'm just not a big firework guy. I think I said that before. I've said it a couple of times Fireworks are just not my thing. Uh, I just never got into them, um, but the girls love them. I wanted to encourage that. There was a nice little firework display at the end of our street, so luckily we didn't have to go anywhere to see that. Uh, it was literally right up in our faces. I was sitting there with my fire extinguisher ready, thinking don't hit my house with the fireworks. That was what I was. I'm that guy, I'm that. Hey, shoot them off, just don't shoot them off towards my house. Yeah, yeah, I'm just. There's this one video where they're in the driveway and all these people are like shooting off fireworks and they just like explode all over these people.
Eric Olson:Yeah, that one.
Jared Ledford:Right, right.
Eric Olson:That one was.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, about.
Eric Olson:Having fun. Now I'm calling home insurance Making Calling the 911.
Jared Ledford:Calling dispatch or something. But yeah, we're going to share with you guys our interview with Rodney. We're going to. We're going to piece this together as best we can on our side and maybe the team over at Shed Geek Podcast will make it look clean and neat and organized for you guys. As always, the Steel Kings Podcast is brought to you by our studio sponsor, the guys over at J Money. If you're building or selling anything from metal buildings and sheds to doors, windows or pools, j Money helps you, offering financing that gets the deals done. No more losing jobs because a customer can't pay up front. Fast approvals, flexible terms and zero headaches. Head to jmoneyllc. com and grow your business with payment solutions that actually work. Big shout out to the team over there, Joel and those guys. They're doing a great job.
Jared Ledford:We are going to go ahead and share with you our interview with State Rep Rodney Creech and we will see you guys next week for another episode of the Steel Kings podcast. In the meantime, I'm Jared and he's Eric. Hang out and watch her interview with Rodney and we'll talk to you guys soon. Peace out the technical fiascos. This morning the steel Kings are struggling with our virtual backgrounds and stream yard, but we are super happy to have you with us, man. Eric, jump in here, man. How are you in here, man?
Eric Olson:How are you doing today? I'm not doing too bad. It's so hot outside.
Jared Ledford:It is.
Eric Olson:I went to Monday morning prayer at 6 am and it was too hot. I was in a sanctuary, and they didn't have the AC on and I was like, oh my gosh.
Eric Olson:Then I went to the gym.
Eric Olson:Gym was hot. Now I'm in my living room hot, you know. It's a good day to stay inside and keep the door shut and crank up that ac to about 68 find a fan.
Jared Ledford:Find a fan and find some ac I bought a.
Eric Olson:You know, you know, uh, I gotta show you guys, I got a little portable fan, it's right well fair enough man real talk we uh, we were talking about the 4th of July.
Jared Ledford:Last week we talked about the movie the sandlot. We talked about what me and eric are going to do on our July 4th. So, you're catching this a couple weeks after the 4th. So, we hope you had a happy and safe one with your families. But I thought who better to interview than a person who is representative of our state, somebody who's out doing the work every day for us? Rodney, introduce yourself to the, to the listeners and the viewers. We're super happy and privileged to have you here with us, man.
Rodney Creech:Well, thank you so much for the invite. You know, Rodney Creech, I'm in my third term as a state representative here in the state of Ohio and previously served as a county commissioner and township trustee in my area and I just have a great passion for serving the people that I represent, but in the real world I'm a farmer and a business owner.
Rodney Creech:A lot of times people look at me as a politician, but I'm a fourth- generation grain farmer and I'm celebrating 20 years on a local business. And so, politics even though I do it full-time because it's a full-time job it's not my livelihood. I'm not a lifetime politician. I can exit the game at any time and go back into the real world, and it's a great position to be in.
Jared Ledford:Well, I can tell you and I just want to preface this with the Steel Kings stay neutral. We're not a political party, we don't. We don't draw our lines on that side of the fence. But I can tell you from a personal perspective. You are my state rep. We've had breakfast a couple of times. We don't agree on a lot, right, but at the same time, you have taken your time to absolutely get to know me, hear my opinions, hear me out and same with you. You earned my vote, and I can tell you I love the fact that you're doing the podcast with us. I really appreciate it. I want to give you a platform up front. This guy is running for state Senate. This is a guy who wants to continue down the path, and you heard it straight from his mouth. He is not a lifetime politician. I can avouch for his family's hard work over the years. He lives 10 minutes from me, and he's built a thriving small business that is serving a large area of our area as well, so we are super happy to have you here. Rodney, I'm going to jump right in, man.
Jared Ledford:One of the things that we have been dealing with on our side of the fence has been steel tariffs and I know we talked about it from a from a state perspective. Not much going on there. This is more of a federal issue. But you know what are you seeing, hearing from constituents? I mean just you're out and about all the time. You know what are you seeing hearing from constituents. I mean just you're out and about all the time. You know what are you seeing and hearing. How is it affecting and what do you think the long-term ramifications are for steel tariffs?
Rodney Creech:Well, you know, I think anytime there's changes in administration, there's concerns on one side or the other, or maybe both sides, and you know tariffs have been taking up the news, especially back at the beginning of the year, the concerns of tariffs, and I think what we're seeing is, you know, those concerns, although they were valid and there was some short-term pain, possibly some mid-term pain for long-term gain, I think we're there, and you know I just was watching the news the other night and some of the biggest opponents of tariffs are starting to come around and say you know what this might work out.
Rodney Creech:And you know we have companies that have moved out of the United States that are coming back. Being heavily involved in the agriculture industry that's where I spend the majority of my time there are companies that are moving back to the United States. I know John Deere just made a huge commitment several weeks ago and so you know, unfortunately, for every action there's a reaction and I think there were some bad decisions that were made in the past and hopefully these tariffs will help correct some of that. But my heart goes out to all the businesses that have unknowns, the businesses in my district. They're having to tighten their belts because they don't know what the future holds. But I think long term they're going to be doing well.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, yeah, we're here. I mean, you know we're a business in your district, I mean we can speak from experience and we know it firsthand. You know, eric and I talked about it at length, probably three, four episodes ago. We really dug in deep on steel tariffs. We're of the opinion that long term, this is something that's going to be positive for the market, right, you know? I think right now, you know, eric took the stance of the more positive, I took the stance of the more negative and we just kind of shot at the hip, looked at some news reports and things like that. But I think from our perspective, you know, we really needed a self-correction, not just from a supply chain standpoint but also from a pricing standpoint. We sell steel buildings, prefabricated steel buildings, nationwide. That's a market that hadn't seen a price increase, eric. What do you think, man, the last five years I mean even during COVID it dropped.
Eric Olson:So, I would say this is probably the first time I would say, as owning Dayton Barns, so six, seven years now, like first time I would say as a as owning Dayton Barns. So, six, seven years now, like first time that that it's been talked about as much. Now our sales last month were like insane.
OUTRO:Well they're good, yeah, they were strong um, a lot of comments there.
Eric Olson:I think that, like tariff scare, if you're if you're buying a 30 000 product, you're buying a 30 000 product. Whether I you're buying a $30,000 product, whether I think the price is $34K or $28K, I think really what this is affecting that's the smaller carport people that they're negotiating. Okay, do I need to spend that this year? Maybe we could do this next year or the year after. So it's been unique navigating it and discussing it with you and others too.
Jared Ledford:I think it's tough. I think it's tough when the market, when that initial announcement comes out that steel prices are going up, I think that everybody immediately says, oh well, I saw on the news that steel is going up 50%, I'm not going to buy today. But once they have time to not just absorb the information that's in front of them but really see that oh okay, pricing hasn't gone up 50% across the board, as they start to understand the information that's coming at them, they see the prices are the same that they were a few months ago. They start to ease. I do think that there is Rodney jump in here anytime.
Jared Ledford:I mean you talk to more people than us. We're strictly focused on our side of the business, that is, tubular steel, sheet metal, things like that. We're hearing from some suppliers and manufacturers at this point that they are expecting it to tick up in price, but most of the manufacturers we work with are not outsourcing the steel to begin with. Rodney, you can probably give us the lay of the land. When they talk about steel tariffs, they're not talking about stuff that's made here in the States. They're talking about stuff that's brought in from other places. So maybe give us your overview on that.
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Rodney Creech:Yeah, I mean, I'm a buy local guy. You know, when I go out and eat, I don't want to go to the big box store, I want to support mom and pop shops. And you know, when I'm out, you know, as a business owner, it's really changed my mindset, I think before I owned a business, I wanted the cheapest I could get, and you know I was always trying to save money. Well, when you become a business owner, you're like you know what? I want to support those small businesses because I need them to support me. And I think you know, with tariffs it's the same thing. You know everybody's wanting cheap supplies. We all want the cheapest supplies we can purchase so we can pass that on to our customers and be competitive.
Rodney Creech:And you know, and I think the new administration says, you know, America first, and I'm a big supporter of America first, and we've not been that way for a long time, and so we may have to pay a little extra for whatever we're purchasing, but we're supporting local and those local dollars are going to go of the United States and I don't believe that the United States should be taking care of any other country. We need to take care of our own, and I think tariffs is a fix for that. Again, I remember the president saying there's going to be a lot of pain for this gain and I think we've seen some of that, but I think it's subsiding and I think that things are working out pretty well. Yeah, I think that things are working out pretty well.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, I think anything worth doing is worth doing, right? Yeah, and there's going to be a little bit of a bumpiness when you really get started doing something that's worthwhile, and I think that this is something that's needed to happen for some time. And really, as the rubber hits the road, as we start to get movement, I'm not seeing personally the kind of disaster that I thought I would, and Eric knows this. I mean, I was not feeling real good. I mean I just wasn't A couple months ago. I was like, man, this is really concerning me.
Rodney Creech:Well, keep in mind, politics is fear.
Jared Ledford:And it depends on what side and what's what.
Rodney Creech:And politics is fear, and I hate that, because why can't we just be honest with the people and say, hey, this might or might not work, but you know what? Let's buckle up. And I think what we're finding is the fear isn't working anymore, and people are not putting as much faith in the news. They're watching podcasts because it's normal. Americans talking to the people.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, I've been really surprised oh, I couldn't agree more with that. I've been really oh, I couldn't agree more with that. I've been really surprised by that. You know I. You know me, Rodney, I mean you know me well enough to know I'm a pretty traditional media consumer. You know I watch a lot. I watch the nightly news. I try to watch, you know I try to watch a good mix at night too. And I can tell you, man, we're knee deep in this. Eric and I deal with this every single day. We're getting messages from manufacturers, from partners, who are saying hey, keep an eye out. We don't know if we're going to be able to honor discounts much longer. Right now, they're extending discounts.
Eric Olson:Yeah, our suppliers extended them today.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, I think that they are feeling this is July 7th, to mind you. So I think we are seeing sort of a stabilization, right. When the market gets bad news, the market reacts accordingly and then the market always seems to correct itself once that news is absorbed and people start to put places, you know, put the pieces in place right. That's why I was really glad, you know, not just coming off July 4th to have Rodney here to reassure us. He's seeing more people, he's talking to more people as Eric and I come around. I think things are getting better. Is that what you're seeing?
Eric Olson:For the past 30 days, I would say we've had a higher-end sales month. I think the optimism is good. I want to touch on something. I said the new, what the news says, whoever that is. I think people are getting real content. Like they could say, oh, 50 tariff.
Eric Olson:But like if you just go to the store for six months straight and nothing budges, you're really not. If you're just reading some sentence and you have to get over it, that maybe it's not as devastating as what was behind the reason to write it, the way that it was written. So, I don't see shyness. In fact, I see more people doing what you're doing, Ronnie, which is going local, like, there's all these like, for example, I'm just gonna advertise some beef tallow lotion, some local business beef tallow lotion, and I'm, you know, to me I'm like, I'm intrigued by these people are like I don't want to make hourly anymore, I just want to do my own thing and um, and I buy raw milk, I buy farm fresh eggs, whatever the thing I bought this morning was, and you know, I find myself way more interested in in like, instead of buying lace potato chips, I bought these Massa.
Eric Olson:I've thrown a shout out for massive tortilla chips. It's just corn and uh and oil and it's always two ingredients and uh it's a local business that uh sell on Amazon and so I think people are more willing to buy local products and spend more money because they know the person behind it. They can call, talk to discuss it, give them their feedback and there is some value with that. I think it's kind of circling back to that mom and pop vibe.
Jared Ledford:Isn't that it's coming. That's the goal of tariffs, right, Rodney that?
Rodney Creech:is the goal America first man.
Jared Ledford:We're speaking it into existence right now.
Rodney Creech:Yeah, yeah.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, I mean.
Rodney Creech:think about it. We used to have a lot of steel manufacturers here and due to tariffs and due to unfair trade, those businesses closed up shop. What the Trump administration is saying is we're open for business. You fire your location up. Let's stop supporting other countries. Let's put America first. And I do believe I can tell you me all right, I'm an American flag guy through and through. I wear it every day, I think about it every day, I talk about it every day. And if somebody comes to me and says we use all American-made products and the other company doesn't, more than likely I'm going to support American-made, and I think we're to that point. Five, ten years ago maybe not the case. I think a lot of people. It doesn't matter what political party they are. They want to put their country first, or I hope they do.
Eric Olson:Yeah, you know there's a. I live in Germantown in one of the neighborhoods here and, and there is a kid; and I brought this up with Jared before. There was a kid who is an entrepreneur. He has a couple of houses down and he and he keeps setting up tables on his driveway to sell stuff. He's like maybe 10 years old or something. So, the other day he had bracelets that he was making, and he was selling them for like five or ten bucks a piece. Well, he second, he doubled down on his business and so simultaneously now he has a bracelet table, but now he's got a lemonade table too, so he wants you to get a drink. So, even out of.
Eric Olson:I know it seems like a joke that I'm saying this, but like it's true, the guy he's like you know, maybe I need to offer this. On top of this, I need to add this and that's what kids need, like that's what people need to think. Like you create your own thing, you know, and then adjust it's hot, offer lemonade. I mean, it's really like that simple and don't outsource the lemonade.
Eric Olson:Yeah, don't outsource the lemonade. Make it in your kitchen and sell it on the street.
Jared Ledford:That's what we're doing, Eric, right, I mean the steel tariffs. So, I don't think Rodney knows this, maybe he does. The steel tariffs forced us to make an executive decision at our business level to really start a second business, and it's something that we've been doing for some time. We've been brokering all kinds of structures nationwide for years now, but we're finally going to dive into pole barns, and pole barns have really become, you know, from an agricultural standpoint. So, speaking to a farmer, fourth generation farmer, you know pole barns tend to be the really the bee's knees when it comes to ag projects. They tend to do better with livestock. They tend to do better just across the board.
Jared Ledford:But that's something that, if nothing else, was accomplished through the tariffs for Dayton Barnes it was able to see us go and expand off into starting a new business, starting a new pole barn business and really making that a formal kind of a thing. So, it motivated us. I mean, I'm sure it's motivating you out there that are doing new things, and that's really what it was designed to do. It was to really get us motivated to do something. Like Rodney said America first, start a new business, get out and do something new. Eric, you said that too. It really excites me, man. I mean honestly like I'm feeling a lot better about it than I was a few months ago. Yeah, there's no tariffs on wood, it just grows. Well, there's no tariffs on American steel, no pun intended. Yeah, you know, I mean that's.
Jared Ledford:That's the thing that I think a lot of people have to really kind of understand about this process. The people who are going to struggle, the people who are going to have issues, are the ones who are getting Chinese, Taiwan, all of the Mexican steel. I mean all that stuff is going to be imported and really going to be increasing in price. So, when you see these kind of everybody sees them in our industry. Right, these metal building companies that pop up with these crazy prices and they're coming out of every which direction, work locally.
Jared Ledford:If you are a metal building dealer and you're in North Carolina, South Carolina, find the right manufacturer to partner with, find the right team to work alongside, make sure that they're sourcing really good American-made steel and their pricing is going to stay probably flat. The only increase in price is going to be due to demand and it's not going to be 50%. I can tell you that right now they're going to produce at a level that they need to. I think most of these production facilities were probably running below what they were maximum capacity for Rodney. I don't know if you can add anything to that. I mean, that's kind of the way that we're seeing it is. It's a supply and demand kind of a thing. With American goods the price is probably going to go up marginally and that's just something to be expected. Yeah, but not 50%.
Rodney Creech:We're not seeing that? Yeah, and again I think we go back to the fear factor. I mean a know a couple weeks ago when we had the Israel-Iran happen everybody said go get your fuel, guys. They're going to be paying $4.50 for fuel and I saw today for $2.55. They sure did, and so I think it is you know. Turn your news off. Buy local, enjoy life yeah.
Jared Ledford:That's all there is to it. Yeah, I think it was. What was it? A Saturday, I was planning on doing something with the kids and they're like, yeah, don't go outside, there's going to be riots, there's going to be fires, there's going to be all this stuff going on. I was like, yeah, I'm just going to go to Young's Dairy. Yeah, it's not going to be a riot there. Matter of fact, we had a good time, and the weather was nice no fires, no emergency.
Jared Ledford:Um, you know, God bless southwest Iowa man. Yeah, you know, thank, thank God, thank God for people like you, Rodney, that got us through something like COVID, where they locked us in our houses. And I know I'm getting a little political, but I can tell you it was people like you that fought alongside and said, hey, you know, enough's enough, we need to get back out. And you know, that's the kind of stuff I'm fearful of as someone who does watch the news and does have a little bit of. You know, I know to which I speak on a lot of subjects Jack of all trade, master of none, right, but I can tell you I will never be locked up in my house again. That is never going to happen to me.
Rodney Creech:That will never happen again.
Jared Ledford:I love where we live and I love the help that people like you, Rodney, are giving us man.
Rodney Creech:Well, in the future, the governor has 30 days. We passed Senate Bill 22. In fact, we had to do a veto override on Senate Bill 22. And so, the governor will have 30 days to make some decisions and after that the legislature takes over. And I can promise you I don't make a lot of promises, but I can promise you that that'll never happen again, because my people don't want it and I will vote for my people and if they want to make health decisions for themselves, that's what they're going to do. The government's not going to do it again.
Jared Ledford:Yep and decisions that you make got you. I think you won 70-30 in your district. I mean, you are overwhelmingly popular in your district.
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Rodney Creech:No Transcript..... and it's just the
Rodney Creech:way I operate.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, we welcome that man. We welcome that. I can tell you it's been a real pleasure, Rodney. Been, an absolute pleasure to have you on here with us. Man, tell us a little bit as we, as we wrap up for today. Tell us a little bit about what you're doing in the future. Tell us a little bit about next steps, where they can check you out, anything you got coming up that you want to share with us.
Rodney Creech:Yeah, I mean you know we had an exciting announcement a few weeks ago. You know I was asked to run for the Senate about 18 months ago and keep in mind politics there is some planning that goes into it, it's not something that just pops little bit. You know I've always been a big term limit guy and I still am. But in the state of Ohio we have eight-year term limits in the House and eight-year terms in the Senate, and what I can tell you is I'm in my fifth year as a state rep, and the first four years you figure out where the bathrooms are, you figure out personalities, you figure out how the place works. So, you know I'm halfway through my house career, if you will, and I've just learned how to do my job and I still got a long way to go. And so, you know term limits have changed everything. I feel like you know we should probably have 12-year term limits. The term limits are probably a little too short. You spend half your career learning how to do it and the last half getting to do it.
Rodney Creech:So, you know I am in my fifth year, got asked to run for the Senate, talked to my wife about it. You know people don't understand the life that we live. You give up a lot. You know my dad. I farm with my dad. Farming is my number one passion in life. A lot of times dad's home farming by himself and I'm in Columbus or out across the district or out across the state with engagements. Long story short, you know I love it and when I got asked to run for the Senate, talked to my wife. She said yes, I committed to it and I've been working the Senate district for about the last 19 months and so really excited.
Rodney Creech:And you know I just want to take what I'm doing in the state rep district. A Senate district is three state rep districts, so a state rep district represents 120,000 people and the Senate district's around 360,000 people. You know I just wanna take what I'm doing and affect two other districts and represent the people that elect me. It's not that complicated. Listen at home and take the beliefs, ideas and thoughts that you hear from the majority. You know I love it when I'm on social media and I type in and they say you don't represent me. Well, I represent the majority and if you think that men should be playing in women's sports, I probably don't represent you. You're right, and so you know I go up there and my theory is I'm going to go up there, I'm going to vote my heart, I'm going to do what's right, and the day that the people don't like me, I get a farm full time and I consider that a huge win.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, and I can tell you, to echo off, we don't have people that want to run that have any kind of common sense about what they want to do with if they win. You know I, Rodney, you've been super, super helpful and gracious to me as I'm considering running for council in Brookville and you've been very motivating to me and pushing me towards that, which I really appreciate. But I can tell you, you know, we've got open seats and it doesn't seem anybody wants to run and we've got who would want to?
Eric Olson:Yeah, I mean I mean you know, there you go.
Rodney Creech:I mean, let me get this right. So I'm going to give up my life. I'm going to make twenty five dollars for a council meeting and lose some of my friends.
Jared Ledford:That's right, that's right, that's right. I mean, you know, for me,
Rodney Creech:I mean you know, for me I'll tell you this. I mean I make 70 grand a year in state rep. Okay, I put 30,000 miles on my car a year. I'm never home.
Rodney Creech:I miss family events because I put my district first and you know people can say well, you should be a family man. I am a family man, yeah, but I can tell you what a lot of people don't sacrifice to serve the public and I've chosen to do that. I love my job. You have to make sacrifices and I think you know. I tell people. You know we have three farmers in the Ohio House. You know our country was founded upon Christian farmers. Doesn't matter if you like it or not, that's just the facts. And today, if you look at the Ohio State Legislature, we have three farmers in the Ohio House. We have no farmers in the Senate and one of the big jokes is why don't we have any farmers at the Ohio house? And my joke is farmers are smart enough not to do it. I just didn't, you know. I just I'm just. You know I didn't. I took the bait and it's the best thing I've ever done. I love it. You know I live for my district. I really do.
Jared Ledford:I can vouch for you. My friend and I can tell you we are beyond appreciative. We'll have you back on as you are rolling down the road and helping the people in your district. But, man, I can tell you, Rodney, it has been a real, real pleasure to have you on the podcast.
Eric Olson:Eric, you got anything as we part out for this week. Brother, it's a pleasure hanging with you. You are one of the most, if not the most, charismatic farmers. You couldn't even not that you can tell a farmer, but you couldn't tell if you're a farmer or not. But it's, it's, it's nice because you kind of you're a rep first, your family, you're, all these things you can't tell. So you're, you are, uh, you're a beautiful mix of things.
Rodney Creech:so, man, I'm blessed, I'll tell you. I mean, it's just uh, I gotta tell you, though, and you guys didn't ask, but I got to tell you this you know, the number one question I get is why did you get into politics? Number one question I don't care, I was on a podcast last week and number and I got to tell you this when I live.
Rodney Creech:I'm a fourth generation farmer. My grandpa lived in this house. He moved in this house when he was seven years old and when he died he still lived in this house and my grandfather was a township trustee. And the only reason that I'm into politics is because my grandfather was a trustee and I got to watch him serve people and you know. So I'm really carrying on the family tradition.
Rodney Creech:I don't think people were born to serve. I think they have to learn to serve and, thank God, I had great leadership from my family to always put others first. And you know, and there's a lot of great people out here in the state. I mean, when you look at the legislature, the House and the Senate, these people love it. I may disagree with them on 100% of everything, but at the end of the day, they love their district as much as I love mine and they're there to represent their district just as I am. That's the way I look at it. I wish we could get younger people in politics. I wish we could get more people engaged in politics, but, like I said before, who wants to do it? It's just a tough sport. It's a tough sport.
Jared Ledford:When they're coming at you from all sides. Man, nothing's off limits. They can say anything they want and get away with it. And I can tell you, if you want the truth, come get it from Rodney. He'll give it to you straight every time. He's giving it to me straight even when it hurts, and I really appreciate it. I really appreciate that. But I mean to be fair. You take it.
Rodney Creech:You take the feedback.
Jared Ledford:You know what I mean, and in a respectful way. I think that I earned your respect because I'm respectful. Right you know that's the biggest thing. I think you meet that you will treat somebody how they treat you. I think you meet. You meet that you will treat somebody how they treat you, and I can tell you I have enjoyed my time with you, Rodney, and I've enjoyed this very much, and we'll get together for breakfast or something soon, I'm sure.
Rodney Creech:Let's do that.
Rodney Creech:And the one thing, the one message I would like to send before we get anything you want is you know, remember, your elected officials work for you and I think a lot of times, you know, I remember when I was a little township trustee and I would see our congressman, I'm like holy cow, that's our US congressman. What does that suit cost? You know well. Guess what my suits cost? The same as everybody else's. And you know I think we come across.
Rodney Creech:Sometimes I wear polo shirts, I wear a hat anytime I can. I'm a farmer, I wear hats. I don't dress up, I don't act fancy. Be sure and reach out to those people that are elected. Be sure and reach out to those school board members. If you're not happy with a school issue, reach out to that school board member. If you're not happy with a village or city issue, if you're not happy with a state issue, I give my phone number to everybody with a state issue. I give my phone number to everybody. Everybody has my cell phone number and you know, reach out to us, because you know I have made decisions based on input for my constituents. I've changed my votes because of constituent input. So please know that your elected officials work for you and if they don't think they do, two options you can remind them or run against them and you know. But I think we've got to remember that we work for the people and the people need to remind us that.
Jared Ledford:Yeah, yeah, hold your elected officials accountable. Rodney, I appreciate you man. He's the Ohio State Representative, district 40. Rodney Creech he's running for state senate. We are finishing up on this episode. I'm going to give a quick shout-out to our team over at VersaBend. Today's episode of the Steel Kings podcast is brought to you by the team over at Cold Spring Enterprises. They brought to you this great tool called the VersaBend. This beast bends bows and three moves, flat handles, multiple tubing sizes and switches between them in seconds. No tools, no hassle. Still that same price $19,500, with average shipping around $600. If you are in the state of South Carolina, you do pay tax. Everywhere else is tax-free. Get ahead of the curve, visit csecarport. supply or call 864-446-3645. Seriously, tell Wendell. The Steel Kings sent you. We are going to wrap up this episode of the steel Kings podcast. I'm Jared, he's Eric. We are the steel Kings with Rodney. We will see you guys next week for another episode and we appreciate you guys. Talk to you soon.
Eric Olson:Peace out, go America and go red Go.
Jared Ledford:America and go Reds. Yeah, go Reds. Talk at you later, guys, go Reds.
OUTRO:Before you go, the J Money team wants to thank you for listening to today's Steel Kings podcast. Remember, money is king and if you need a financing option on your portable wood sheds or steel buildings, we are here to help. Just check us out at jmoneyllc. com for more information and don't forget to catch the next episode of the Steel Kings podcast and have a great day.