Episodes

Season 4, Episode 18 of The Front Porch Podcast features Jason Little (City Manager), Reed Greer (former Mayor and Facilities Director) and Gail Dansby (Executive Director of Adminstrative Servies). This is Episode No. 100 of The Front Porch. Links: Gail Dansby Podcast: Listen Now Jason Little Podcast: Listen Now Reed Greer Podcast: Listen Now City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Season 4, Episode 17 of The Front Porch Podcast features Paul Anderson, president of the Melissa School Board and a founder of Melissa Sports Connection. Links: Melissa ISD: Website Melissa Sports Connection: Website City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Season 4, Episode 16 of The Front Porch Podcast features Darren Thompson, who serves on the Melissa School Board and was an inaugural member of Leadership Melissa. Links: City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Season 4, Episode 15 of The Front Porch Podcast features Katie and Roberto Hern, owners of Hern's Pest Control and Hern's Pro Products. Links: Hern's Pest Control: Website Hern's Pro Products: Website City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Season 4, Episode 14 of The Front Porch Podcast features Anthony Obiselu, part owner of Yonx Pizza Bar & Co. Links: Yonx Pizza Bar & Co: Website City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Season 4, Episode 13: On this episode of The Front Porch, Cachelle and Puc Westrupp discuss the FC Cardinals soccer program. #frontporch Links: FC Cardinals: Website FC Cardinals: Facebook City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Season 4, Episode 11: Faith led Jamie and Seth Tilley to Melissa, Texas. They were traveling three days a week from their home in Richardson to attend First Melissa and spend time with Seth's dad. During those frequent visits, they started to fall in love with community, specifically the people. Then ... a seed was planted by one of Seth's friends that changed everything. That seed was watered by Jamie and Seth's entrepreneurial spirit and Cardinal Carriers Express was born, filling a huge void ...

Season 4, Episode 11: Zach Stinton and Bruce Tyner love the game of football. They also love kiddos and Melissa, Texas. What do you do with all that love? You create Cardinal Nation Sports. On this episode of The Front Porch, these two passionate fathers talk about how and why they created this community's premier sports league. Cardinal Nation gives every kid in Melissa, Texas, the opportunity to play football or run track. That's all Zach and Bruce wanted to do - that has been their driving fo...

Season 4, Episode 10: Phil Lytle – a.k.a. Santa Phil – has a heart for giving back in this community. That is kind of ironic to say, because his actual heart was the culprit behind this life-changing transformation. It was a health scare and a brush with death that inspired Santa Phil to start spreading joy across Melissa, Texas. Whether that's greeting customers at Ace Hardware, putting out flags for the Rotary Club or participating in one of the city's citizen's academies ... he's determined t...

Season 4, Episode 9: Ashlee Palma had a tough decision to make when she was opening her own salon. She was living in Melissa, Texas, but starting her business down the road in McKinney was the safer bet. Ashlee decided to take a chance and get ahead of the wave in her new hometown. She opted to open The Society Salon and Boutique in Gateway Village last November, and she's starting to hit her stride. The community has embraced her business model, which revolves around creating community within c...

Season 4, Episode 8: Tarnesha Nickens is a firecracker! That is said probably ten times on this episode of The Front Porch. After hearing her story and all the ways she is giving back in Melissa, Texas, you understand how fitting that title truly is. She gets stuff done, and her driving force revolves around legacy. During our conversation, she said: "Sometimes your legacy is not always with the next generation - with your children - it's what your handprint has left in the community that you're...

Season 4, Episode 7: Father Fred Caldwell is spreading the love of God across Melissa, Texas. And he's doing it in a very unique way. If you visit Kroger ... or WalMart ... or HEB in this community, there is a great chance you'll run into this 91-year-old Catholic priest. He'll be wearing one of his unique spiritual t-shirts, and he'll simply be visiting with people. He has no agenda, but when they find out he's a priest, the conversation usually turns spiritual. But this is only part of Father ...

Season 4, Episode 6: Brittany and Brian Shull are extra - in the most wonderfully great way. Everything they do is done full throttle, and the ripple effects they're creating across Melissa, Texas, are profound. On this episode of The Front Porch, Brittany and Brian discuss all the different ways they're giving back and supporting this community – whether that's through the youth football league or turning their front yard into a winter wonderland at Christmas. Spoiler Alert: There are countless...

Season 4, Episode 5: Ericca Boone has only lived in Melissa, Texas, for six months, but she already has a heart for this community. On this episode of The Front Porch, we get amazing perspective from someone who discovered exactly where she "should be," after spending a majority of her adult life in the Greater DFW area. Do you know what surprised her the most about Melissa, Texas? Listen and find out! #frontporch Links: Hope Coffee Podcast: Listen Now City of Melissa: Website Music: https:/...

Season 4, Episode 4: Sgt. Bryan Kile has worked for the Melissa Police Department for 16 years, and his love for his department and this community runs deep. Throughout this episode of The Front Porch, Sgt. Kile references the strong culture across the city. It's evident how proud he is to work for the Melissa Police Department. Reminder: Our shadow mission when visiting with city staff is to humanize them. They are real people serving this community. Sgt. Kile shares a couple things he loves t...

Season 4, Episode 3: Tyler Bark was born to work in parks and recreation. He watched his father work in that capacity of city government for most of his life. Then, Tyler got his own little taste of the parks and rec world while he was in college. That's when a legacy was born. Now, Tyler serves as the Parks and Recreation Manager for the City of Melissa. When we recorded this episode of The Front Porch, Tyler had only been on the job for 6 weeks, but he had already developed a love for this com...

Season 4, Episode 2: Jon Underbrink gets the opportunity to give back in Melissa, Texas, in a very caffeinated way. As a shift supervisor at the Meilissa Starbucks from Day 1, it has been his mission to create positive ripple effects across this community - one cup of coffee at a time. On this episode of The Front Porch, Jon shares how he ended up in Melissa and waited patiently for the Starbucks to be built ... he talks about his 19-year career with Starbucks ... and he explains what he loves a...

Season 4, Episode 1: Andrea and Scott Murray - owners of Ash & Sage Sauna Spa - have a simple goal. They want to create community through wellness. This power couple has taken an out-of-the-box wellness concept - which is emphasizes self-care and self-love - and started to make it come to life in the heart of this community. On the spa's Facebook page it says: "A sanctuary where you can elevate your wellness routine with contrast therapy & luxury hydrotherapy." On this episode of The Front Porch...

Season 3, Episode 26: The 601 Boutique is leaving its mark on Melissa, Texas. It has turned into the go-to place for Cardinals gear, and it has grown into a unique store-front. All of this is fueled by one family's love - for each other and the community. On this episode of The Front Porch, we sat down with Brittany Dyden and her mom, Michelle. They are the co-owners of The 601 Boutique. They share how they ended up in Melissa and how this entrepreneurial endeavor captured the heart of Cardinal ...

Season 3, Episode 25: Mark Stover is starting to become an expert in retirement. Over the years, this recent retiree has accumulated quotes, tips and tricks to create his own blueprint for life after the 9-to-5. Now, he wants to share his findings with other people and help them retire with grace and intentionality too. On this episode of The Front Porch, Mark tells his story, shares some of his retirement nuggets and talks about being retired in Melissa, Texas. He also shares his affinity for M...

Season 3, Episode 24: Jerry Song has seen other North Texas communities grow up around him. He's spent time in Richardson and he currently lives in Frisco. But now, as the market president for Texas Republic Bank in Melissa, he's getting a front-row seat as this community starts to grow. On this episode of The Front Porch, Jerry discusses talks about his excitement for the growth, but he also discusses potential growing pains for Melissa. The big takeaway: Jerry is on the board for the Melissa C...

Season 3, Episode 23: Rob Zschau is strengthening Melissa, Texas - literally and figuratively. He is the owner of Redigo Coaching, which is located in Downtown Melissa. His No. 1 goal is empower individuals navigating changes in their lives. He definitely has a heart for this community, which he has called home for almost 19 years. On this episode of The Front Porch, Rob shares his story of relocating to Texas, he talks about running a small business in Melissa and he reveals what he loves about...

Season 3, Episode 22: This is an engaging conversation with Katie and Rendell Hendrickson - two people who have a heart for Melissa, Texas, and feel inclined to serve in the community they love. Rendell is on Melissa's City Council, while Katie is heavily involved with the organization Feed the Need. One of the most powerful parts of our conversation revolved around why they do what they do in regards to giving back. Besides our discussion on serving, Katie and Rendell share a couple lightheart...

Season 3, Episode 21: Emeka Eluka is living and loving "the process." That's how he describes his time in Melissa, Texas. Driven by "grit, global roots and a whole lot of heart," Emeka has wrapped both of his arms around this community. He has fallen in love with Melissa, and he's paying to forward by getting involved and giving back. Early on in the conversation, he said that he'll be in Melissa forever. #frontporch Links: City of Melissa: Website Music: https://www.purple-planet.com