How do you scale across five states and 23 locations without losing the culture that made you successful in the first place?

In this episode of Ever Onward, we sit down with Kelly Olson, President and COO of Western States Equipment, to unpack how a legacy Caterpillar dealer has grown into a 1,200-person organization while building a workplace people actually want to stay in.

Kelly shares her journey from Montana-raised CPA to leading one of the largest equipment dealers in the region—and why the leadership principle “manage processes, lead people” shapes everything from hiring and coaching to customer experience. We dig into the Western States Leadership Academy, how shared language and intentional development turn strategy into execution, and why culture—not perks—is the real retention strategy.

We also explore how heavy equipment has become a technology business. From sensor-driven machines and predictive diagnostics to platforms like VisionLink and MineStar—and Caterpillar’s partnership with Nvidia—Kelly explains how data, AI, and smarter job sites are helping customers bid tighter, work safer, and stay productive.

Beyond the job site, Kelly breaks down Western States’ investment in people and community: technician career pathways, a nine-month Technician Academy, CTE partnerships, Dozer Day, and a clear commitment to responsible mining, workforce development, and local impact through Western Cares.

If you care about leadership that scales, technology that actually improves work, or building a career without a traditional four-year path, this conversation delivers.

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Four murders in Moscow put Idaho at the center of a global spotlight. Former U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit joins us to break down what the public didn’t see inside the Bryan Kohberger investigation—how early clues like the knife sheath DNA and the white Elantra shaped strategy, how federal and state agencies worked together under extreme pressure, and why careful communication mattered when the entire world was watching Idaho for answers.

From there, we shift to the issues reshaping safety and policy across the state:

• Fentanyl’s evolution from counterfeit pills to powder—and why overdose trends exploded

• How cartel supply chains move drugs into Idaho’s rural communities

• What Oregon’s decriminalization experiment means for Idaho’s borders

• Why unregulated, high-THC marijuana products are showing up in Idaho schools

• Whether a tightly regulated medical model could work without opening the floodgates

Hurwit’s perspective blends federal prosecution, on-the-ground Idaho realities, and a firsthand look at how big cases really come together. This is a conversation about justice, public safety, and the future choices Idaho leaders will have to make next.

If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who’d value the insight, and leave a review to help others find Ever Onward.

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What does it really take to sell real estate in 2026? According to Elliot Hoyt—former Boise State Bronco, Top 1% Realtor®, and founder of THG Real Estate—the winners aren’t the loudest agents in the room. They’re the ones who lead with value, understand human behavior, and build a modern content engine that earns trust at scale.

In this episode, Elliot breaks down the journey from a small-town kid in Tavistock chasing rugby dreams…to landing on the blue turf at Boise State…to building one of Idaho’s fastest-growing and most talked-about brokerages. His path wasn’t linear—nine months without a deal, a humbling reset, and a rebuild driven by discipline and process, not luck.

Elliot opens up about:

• The real 2026 playbook for selling real estate: trust, clarity, and hyperlocal expertise
• How he built THG’s media machine, running daily content with one-hour film blocks and scripts that actually convert
• Why consumers follow educators, not entertainers—and how value-first content attracts developers, sellers, and agents
• What’s actually happening in Boise’s market, from “shadow” inventory to rate-locked owners and the life events that will drive the next wave of movement
• How Traction reshaped his business, helping him identify as a visionary and build a leadership team that can scale

You’ll walk away with a blueprint for selling homes in a changing market, a deeper understanding of how Boise really moves, and a reminder that consistency beats charisma every time.

If you’re a builder, agent, entrepreneur, or just Boise-curious, this is one of the most actionable conversations of the year.

Like what you hear? Follow, share with a friend, and leave a quick review—what part of Elliot’s 2026 playbook will you try first?

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What can Idaho business leaders learn from the billion-dollar surge of the WNBA? A lot more than you might think. In this episode, Angela Taylor—Idaho native, former WNBA executive, leadership coach, and founder of The Taylor LEAD Foundation—joins us to break down the habits, culture, and mindset that turn underdogs into champions and organizations into movements.

Angela shares the leadership rule that shaped her entire journey—“we don’t quit”—and how it carried her from Centennial High School to Stanford, a national championship, and the earliest days of building the WNBA. We dig into the business principles behind the league’s explosive rise: stronger ownership commitment, real investment in player development, brand partners seeing long-term value, and a national appetite for authenticity and competitive excellence.

Then we bring it home to Idaho. Angela explains how those same lessons apply to local companies, community leaders, and anyone building teams in a fast-growing state. From aligning vision and standards to inviting friction that sharpens performance, her insights translate directly to boardrooms, startups, nonprofit leadership, and family-owned Idaho businesses.

We explore her statewide work through The Taylor LEAD Foundation and iWIN Sports—platforms expanding access for youth, especially girls and underrepresented communities. Her stories show how courage at the local level can spark community-wide change and build the next generation of Idaho leaders.

Angela closes with a practical playbook: do honest self-scouts, surround yourself with truth-tellers, build teams like championship programs, and lead with purpose that outlasts the moment.

For anyone growing a company, leading people, or shaping Idaho’s future, this conversation is packed with the billion-dollar lessons hiding in plain sight.

Subscribe, share with someone who leads, and drop a review with the takeaway you’re applying this week.

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For our 100th episode of Ever Onward, Dr. Tommy Ahlquist sits down with Boise radio legend Kevin Miller for one of the most wide-ranging and relevant conversations we’ve ever released — a deep dive into Charlie Kirk, Kanye West, AI, Idaho politics, college sports, and what the future looks like for the next generation of Americans.

The episode opens with never-before-told stories from the early days of Turning Point USA, when Charlie Kirk was still mostly unknown — including a wild trip Tommy took with Charlie and Candace Owens to Kanye and Kim Kardashian’s home in LA. Tommy shares what Charlie was really like behind the scenes, how TPUSA made conservative ideas culturally “cool” again on college campuses long before it hit mainstream politics, and why the response to Charlie’s recent death has revealed so much about today’s online world.

From there, the conversation moves into conspiracy culture and why so many people — especially young people — are getting pulled into increasingly extreme narratives. Tommy and Kevin talk candidly about online influencers, polarization, and how a vacuum in culture has created space for voices that don’t always lead people in the healthiest direction. They also explore what the counter to that should be: grounded mentors, real conversations, faith, context, and slowing down enough to offer the next generation something deeper than algorithms and outrage.

The episode also goes inside Idaho politics, including Tommy’s brutally competitive governor’s race — complete with the moment when two attack ads against him ran simultaneously on two TVs inside Kevin’s radio studio. They unpack what running a major campaign is actually like, why losing hits differently than anything else in life, and how much influence donors, media, and timing really have on the political process.

Then the conversation shifts into one of the most pressing topics of our time: AI. From Terminator references to Sam Altman’s confirmation that real humans decide AI’s moral guardrails in back rooms at OpenAI, they explore why the coming years will redefine how people learn, how truth is filtered, and why the next generation will desperately need mentors, scripture, grounding, and real-world wisdom to navigate what’s coming.

Sports fans will get a deep look at the future of Boise State, NIL, and college athletics — including why schools like Ohio State have $40 million NIL war chests while mid-majors like BSU fight uphill battles. Tommy shares insights on stadium upgrades, leadership under Jeremiah Dickey, and whether Boise State can still compete in a landscape changing faster than anyone expected.

They also cover Idaho’s rapid growth, infrastructure delays, and the possibility of Idaho drifting toward the same gridlock problems Austin experienced when it was too late to catch up. From Cuna to Star to I-84, Tommy explains why planning and bonding decisions made now will shape Idaho’s quality of life for decades.

And woven through the episode is Kevin’s quiet but powerful personal story — a seven-second heart pause, nearly needing a pacemaker, and the disciplined routine that helped him lose 93 pounds. It’s not the headline, but it adds a human and hopeful thread to everything else they

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We sit down with Senator Codi Galloway to trace a path from classroom to small business to the Idaho Senate, and we use that lens to tackle three urgent pressures in Boise and beyond: public safety and homelessness, foster care, and the cost and speed of building homes. The through-line is simple and powerful—clear standards, faster processes, and compassion that actually helps.

Codi was born in Panama City, Florida, raised in Ada County, and earned a BA in education from Brigham Young University.  She spent three years teaching in public schools and then founded a talent-development school in Meridian, Idaho.  That background—teaching, entrepreneurship, hands‐on education—shapes how she approaches policy: practical, accountable, grounded in real-world work.

Now serving in the Idaho Senate (after earlier service in the House) for District 15, she brings that teacher-turned-small-business mindset into a part-time legislature that still “moves mountains” of bills each session.  

Here’s how her story connects to three of the major issues facing Boise today:

• Public safety & homelessness.
  • With her classroom and business experience, Codi emphasizes that approaches which protect dignity and foster opportunity win out over purely symbolic action. She talks about small statutory tweaks that save schools money—like permitting minivans instead of expensive buses for smaller student groups—and how that principle scales: allow flexibility, reduce cost, deliver value. Then we turn to encampments: how can Boise keep its parks and river-path systems open and safe while also ensuring the unhoused aren’t left out in the cold? Codi argues for pairing shelter capacity and treatment with consistent enforcement—not to criminalize poverty, but to set a floor of dignity and access the whole community can support.
• Foster care & child‐first reforms.
  • As someone with a strong background in education and youth development, Codi looks at foster care through the lens of stability, relational bonds, and timeliness. We examine reforms to speed permanency—tightening court timelines, better supporting stable caregivers, and honoring the bonds children form when they have consistent adults in their lives.
• Housing affordability & building speed.
  • Here her business mindset comes into play: “time is money” in construction. Permits that take months, inspections that restart the clock—these slow the supply of housing and drive up rents and mortgages. Codi has championed practical fixes like video re-inspections and clearer, faster responses from city departments so builders can add supply without sacrificing safety. The idea: reduce friction in process so homes get built faster and costs don’t spiral for families and workers.

We wrap with a call to expand re-entry opportunities: targeted training, employer partnerships, and a supportive runway that prevents people from slipping back into homelessness or instability.

If you care about safer streets, stronger families, and homes people can afford, this conversation offers grounded answers and proof that small changes add up. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about Boise’s future, and leave a review with th

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A one-room school with three third graders. A teacher living in an RV to reach them through winter. A powerhouse high school on the other side of the state. That’s Idaho’s daily reality—and the backdrop for a quiet surge in K-12 results that’s changing how students read, train, and launch into work.

We sit down with Superintendent Debbie Critchfield to unpack the moves behind the momentum. She explains how returning to the science of reading—putting phonics, aligned curriculum, and real coaching at the center—turned “back to basics” into real gains, including a sharp rise in K-3 reading proficiency. We dig into why third grade is a decisive milestone, how smaller early-grade classes and better assessment practice support growth, and what it takes for leaders to build the conditions teachers need to thrive without shouldering the blame for every external factor.

The conversation then shifts to career technical education and the dignity of skilled work. Debbie walks through Launch and the Idaho Career Ready Students grant, which have brought welding, diesel, construction, health occupations, cybersecurity, forestry, machining, and more to life across the state—programs tied directly to local industry needs. We explore why Idaho ranks at the top for CTE participation and return on investment, and how these pathways keep students rooted in their communities with options that actually pay.

We also take on the hard stuff: the housing crunch that drives a teacher distribution problem, not a teacher shortage; the politics and potential of consolidation and shared services; and what it looks like to scale excellence by matchmaking similar districts to replicate proven strategies. Through it all, we keep the focus where it belongs—on the teachers who change lives and the students who deserve a system designed for their success.

If this conversation challenged a myth or sparked an idea, share it with a friend, subscribe for more candid education deep-dives, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

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Leadership isn’t always loud—it’s earned through humility, consistency, and the kind of listening that makes people feel seen. As Tommy Ahlquist shares in his introduction, this conversation has been a long time coming. Coach Wade Anderson isn’t just another guest—he’s one of Tommy’s greatest mentors, a man he calls a legend, a hero, and a friend. “God broke the mold when he made Wade,” Tommy says—and by the end of this episode, you’ll understand why.

From the hayfields of Rupert to Madison Square Garden, Wade’s story bridges cowboy grit with timeless lessons on teaching, parenting, and leadership. Alongside his son Clay—himself an accomplished real estate professional—they reflect on the kind of character, humility, and faith that shape lives far beyond the game.

Wade shares how setbacks can forge resilience, how faith becomes practical wisdom, and why the best leaders care more about growth than glory. Through stories of small-town roots, college triumphs, and decades of coaching, he reminds us that titles fade but integrity endures. You’ll hear about the class ring that became a lesson in earned respect, the noon-hoops games that broke down hierarchies, and how a stack of Louis L’Amour books turned into a lifelong habit of reflection and perspective.

Wade’s philosophy—family first, encouragement over criticism, and the simple goal of “raising your best friends”—translates far beyond sports. It’s a masterclass in leadership that lasts, delivered by a man who’s spent a lifetime proving that the best mentors don’t just coach—they build people.

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Boise is in a renaissance—and not the glossy kind that happens only on brochures. We’re talking about the gritty, sleeves-rolled-up version driven by accurate data, shared ownership, and citizens who show up when roads, schools, and hospitals feel the strain. With TOK Commercial’s managing partner Michael Ballantyne, a seventh-generation Idahoan and pillar of the Treasure Valley, we follow the throughline from family roots and adoption to a leadership philosophy that treats service as a core operating system.

Michael pulls back the curtain on TOK’s growth model: celebrate people at every level, expand only to create opportunity, and build your own research so decisions are grounded in what’s real, not what’s reported. That data advantage matters in non-disclosure markets and “lifestyle” regions like Boise and Spokane where national tools miss the mark. We unpack why office isn’t dead, how industrial overbuilt at the big end while small-bay space is scarce, and where retail thrives when it becomes Amazon-proof through services and experiences. The center of gravity keeps shifting west, and mixed-use will reshape legacy sites as the valley evolves.

We also tackle the issues everyone feels: growth fatigue, infrastructure gaps, and the housing squeeze that turned a once-affordable market into a tougher climb. The fix isn’t a slogan; it’s policy and participation. Cities need to allow more apartments, townhomes, and condos, streamline entitlements, and stop treating infill like a four-letter word. Impact fees and process friction matter. So does showing up—at chamber committees, BVEP, city council, and nonprofit boards—where Boise’s cross-partisan, practical problem-solving still works.

If you care about how a city scales without losing its soul, this conversation is a blueprint: measure what matters, invest in people, build the missing supply, and keep the civic muscle strong. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Boise (or wants to), and leave a review with the one change you’d make to improve housing or infrastructure—we’ll feature the best ideas in a future episode.

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Garden City, Idaho is only four square miles—but right now, it feels like the center of the Treasure Valley. With a professional soccer team arriving, the Expo sports park taking shape, and the river and Greenbelt drawing more people every season, the stakes for smart, human‑centered growth have never been higher. We sit down with mayoral candidate and longtime community leader Molly Lenty to map out how a small city can make big moves without losing the people and places that make it home.

Molly’s path started with “accidental leadership”—showing up for hard school district votes, winning bond and levy campaigns, and guiding visioning work that translated values into buildable plans. That experience informs a clear framework for Garden City: pair a shared North Star with practical tools like urban renewal, targeted incentives for mixed‑income housing, and neighborhood pocket parks that make streets safer and families feel rooted. We dig into the Glenwood–Chinden corridor’s potential as an entertainment and mobility district, the role of a pedestrian bridge and better north–south connections, and why active transportation can’t rest on the Greenbelt alone.

We also get candid about zoning friction and “first do no harm” governance. Molly explains how to simplify approvals without lowering standards, collaborate with Ada County and nearby cities, and protect long‑time residents from displacement as investment accelerates on the east side. And because local elections are personal, she shares what she hears at the doorstep, why she handwrites her phone number on campaign cards, and how four thousand votes could redefine the city’s future.

If you care about inclusive growth, safer streets, and a riverfront that welcomes everyone, this conversation will give you a blueprint and the motivation to act. Listen, share with a Garden City neighbor, and if the show resonates, follow, rate, and leave a review—then text a voter who needs to hear this.

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What if the story of a city could be read through the choices of one family—what they built, what they preserved, and where they chose to lean in? We sit down with Skip Oppenheimer, chairman and CEO of Oppenheimer Companies, to trace Boise’s evolution from a pioneer outpost to a dynamic regional hub, and to examine how business, philanthropy, and policy intersect when leaders commit to the long game.

Skip opens with deep roots—his great‑grandfather’s department stores and his parents’ cross‑continental romance—then maps how he and his brother Doug turned a regional operation into a diversified food enterprise. From private‑label frozen desserts and True Whip to a national food service buying group and logistics, he shares how shared infrastructure, long partnerships, and patient strategy kept independents competitive and growth resilient. The conversation shifts downtown, where we unpack the coalition that revitalized Boise’s core: anchor tenants, visionary redevelopment leaders, credible urban planners, and a commitment to local subs. We also get inside The Arthur—named for Skip’s father—to see how thoughtful design, cultural fit, and national‑local collaboration can elevate multifamily living without losing a city’s character.

Healthcare takes center stage with an honest look at system strain: rising costs, value‑based care that hasn’t delivered broad savings, and the challenge of recruiting physicians amid cultural and legal headwinds. Yet there’s real hope in the caliber of local leadership, clinical excellence, and systems sized for both capability and humanity. Education rounds out the arc: literacy as a non‑negotiable, go‑on pathways that include trades and certificates, the outsized returns of early childhood, and the steady, nonpartisan role of Idaho Business for Education and Launch in aligning students with opportunity.

This is a playbook for builders and neighbors: cultivate partnerships that last, back institutions that outlive cycles, and show up long enough to see compounding effects. If you care about how places thrive—and how business can be a force for public good—this conversation will stay with you. If it resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more candid leadership stories, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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