The Empire Builders Podcast Podcast By Stephen Semple and David Young cover art

The Empire Builders Podcast

The Empire Builders Podcast

By: Stephen Semple and David Young
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Reverse engineering the success of established business empires.The Empire Builders Podcast Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • #219: LeNoble Lumber – 3 Generations Strong

    #219: LeNoble Lumber – 3 Generations Strong
    Aug 20 2025
    Jessica, Dan and Ben took on the responsibility of the family business and are driving it into the future. Three more generations please. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is... Well, it's us. But we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [No Bull RV Ad] Stephen Semple: Hey, it's Stephen Semple here with the Empire Builders Podcast, and we're giving Dave Young the day off. And in replacement of Dave, I've got three really fun people that I know you're going to love hearing their story, three folks from LeNoble Lumber. And I'm going to let them introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about each one of them because we've got me plus three people. So this is a little bit different, but I know everyone's going to find this an awesome story. So because we're all really super polite people, it's ladies first, which means Jessica, you're up first. Jessica LeNoble: I'm Jessica LeNoble. I am the last one to join the business of the three. I've been here for almost a year now. Dan, who you'll meet in a minute, is my older brother. And it's just great to be here. Stephen Semple: All right, awesome. Thanks, Jessica. Well, Dan, you've been teed up here now. She teed you up. Dan LeNoble: Hi. So I'm Dan LeNoble. I'm vice president of LeNoble Lumber. As said before, Jessica is my younger sister. Ben is also my partner over here. I've been full-time with the company for over 15 years now. And just excited to be here as well. Stephen Semple: All right, awesome. And Ben. Ben Bernstein: Yep. Stephen Semple: Now, I know this is a podcast. We can't see that Ben's wearing his very special, bright, lime green, fluorescent tuxedo because he's calling in today from the shop. So Ben, let us know a little bit about you. Ben Bernstein: Yeah, my name is Ben Bernstein. I am co-vice president with Dan. I have been with the company since 2013. All of us are just very happy to be here, excited to be on the podcast. Stephen Semple: And here's the thing that I think is really special before we get into things is you guys are kind of in a pretty special place when it comes to businesses in America and the world. The business was established in, if I remember correctly, I think it was 1965. Dan LeNoble: Correct. Stephen Semple: By Paul, right? And you guys are generation number three, really, to be coming through the business. Isn't that correct? Jessica LeNoble: Yep. Dan LeNoble: Yeah, to this company, we're the third generation, but the three of us, in terms of the lumber industry, we go back even further than that. I know for a fact Jess and myself we're at least fifth generation in the lumber and I believe Ben is also further along as well. So we're third generation to this business, but we kind of joke that we don't have blood, we have sawdust in our veins. Stephen Semple: But I don't think a lot of people realize the success rate of a business still being successful and in the hands of the third generation is really rare. There is actually not many businesses that have managed to do that. It's amazing how often either the business has rolled up or it's been sold to somebody else or has been merged with something and has kind of disappeared. But for this to be around and still prosperous and happening in generation three is really, really special. And you guys should pat yourself on the back on that, that you've been able to do all of those transitions. Ben Bernstein: Well, I think the credit for that really goes to the generations before us that have seen the vision of see...
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    24 mins
  • #218: Frappuccino – Not A Brand???

    #218: Frappuccino – Not A Brand???
    Aug 13 2025
    Starbucks was having a students going home issue and needed to keep selling coffee, so they copied and perfected as Seattle treat. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us. But we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients, so here's one of those. [Maven Roofing Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. I'm Dave Young alongside Stephen Semple. And man, this topic takes me back. I feel like in the early days of the Empire Builders Podcast, we talked a lot about coffee and coffee products. Stephen Semple: We did. We did. Dave Young: And today, you told me we're going to talk about Frappuccino. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: And my big question is is that a brand? Stephen Semple: No, it's a name. It's a product name. And it's actually owned by Starbucks. And yep, Starbucks, I looked this up, Dave, guess what episode Starbucks was? Guess how far back we got to go? Dave Young: I don't know, single digits? Stephen Semple: Yes, episode five. It's like four years ago we talked about Starbucks. Dave Young: And they own the word Frappuccino? Stephen Semple: They own the word Frappuccino. No one else can use the name. They didn't create it. And it's funny, when I learned this, I went, "No, no, no." Because Tim Hortons and things like that, they use Frappuccino. And then I noticed they don't. It's called things like frozen caps or frozen cappuccinos. No one actually uses the name Frappuccino, even though in my mind they did. Dave Young: I feel stupid. You don't hear why? Stephen Semple: Why is that? Dave Young: It's a portmanteau of frozen and cappuccino. I never figured that out before. Stephen Semple: Well, it's actually not quite that. Dave Young: Isn't it? Okay. Stephen Semple: No, it's going to be something a little bit more interesting. You're close, but it's a little bit more interesting than that. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So it's kind of an interesting story, and it's a huge category in Starbucks. And in fact, when the idea was first introduced to Howard Schultz, he hated it. He was like, "No, we're not doing this. I'm a coffee purist. We're not doing this frozen drink thing with the star and all this other crap." But our story actually starts with the relocation of George Howell from Berkeley to Boston in the early-1970s. Because George is a real coffee nerd. I mean real coffee nerd. There's stories of George pulling into a diner and wanting to have a coffee and smelling the burnt coffee in the diner. And basically, he'll ask for a pot of hot water and he'll pull out his beans, pull out a coffee grinder, and his French press, and to start to make coffee. And people would gather around, like, "What the hell are you doing?" Dave Young: To show them how to make coffee. Stephen Semple: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So it's the 1970s, and there's not much of a coffee culture yet in United States. But there was in Berkeley, which he just left. And Berkeley was kind of ground zero for the coffee culture in the United States. Dave Young: I see what you did there. Grounds, zero. Stephen Semple: I didn't even think about that. And he's moving to Boston. Now, ironically, Boston is kind of the starting point for coffee consumption in the United States, but it's really still not good coffee. George wanders the Boston area visiting literally every cafe and ordering coffee, and it's terrible. He tries all of them, and he's continually disappointed. And George not only misses coffee, but the culture of coffee,
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    19 mins
  • #217: Sesame Street – Breaking Boundries

    #217: Sesame Street – Breaking Boundries
    Aug 6 2025
    Using TV addiction to educate children. Sesame Street broke boundries and changed rules to bring education to every child. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is... Well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [Seaside Plumbing Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast, the podcast where Stephen Semple and Dave Young, that's me, Stephen Semple is him, we talk about businesses and how they grew and what made them empires. And normally during our little countdown to the recording, Stephen hands me the topic. He whispers in my ear what we're going to talk about today, and he didn't do that. So I still have no idea, but my enthusiasm is high because before we started recording, he said, "I've got some really good ones that we're going to record today." I'm thinking, "Finally. Finally, some good..." No, I just, they're all good. But you've got me on the edge of my seat, Stephen. You said I would be able to get this without the timer, without the countdown. Stephen Semple: That's it. So it starts off this way, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to..." Dave Young: Sesame Street? I can sing it. Stephen Semple: Yes, that's it. Well, I could sing it as well, but no one wants to hear me sing. Dave Young: Sunny day, dah, dah, dah. Oh, yeah. Oh, Sesame Street. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: Cool. Stephen Semple: Yes. We're going to talk about Sesame Street. Now- Dave Young: Are we going to do voices? Stephen Semple: You might be able to. Dave Young: Here's the countdown, 5, 4... Four countdowns. Three. I don't think The Count did countdowns, did he? Stephen Semple: No, he never did, I don't think. But it's a nonprofit. It's owned by a nonprofit. Dave Young: [inaudible 00:02:59]. Stephen Semple: But a 1996 survey found that 95% of all American preschoolers had watched it by the time they were three years old. Dave Young: Sure. I believe that. Stephen Semple: Ninety-five percent. Now, when you hit a number like that, holy crap. I started looking at some of these things and went, "This is a story that we've got to explore." So Sesame Street first aired on November 10th, 1969 on Public Television. And put in perspective, that's the year that a man landed on the moon. That's what we're going back to. Dave Young: So here's the funny thing, I wasn't even a preschooler. I was six. I'd watch it today if it was still on. Stephen Semple: It's amazing. Dave Young: All the Spanish I know came from Sesame Street. Stephen Semple: There you go. Dave Young: I can count to 10. Stephen Semple: There you go. Amazing, eh? Dave Young: Yeah. So 1969... Stephen Semple: It changed television. And it's estimated that it's contributed to the education of over 150 million kids. It's the home of Elmo, and Tickle Me Elmo is one of the best-selling toys of all time, and all this was created and owned by a nonprofit. And the creators were Joan Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett, and of course, Jim Henson was a big contributor in the early days. And Joan was a documentary TV producer for Public Television. And the story basically starts in 1966, and Joan Cooney had just completed a documentary on a school in Harlem that was trying to close the gap in results with white counterparts. And if you think about it, in the mid-1960s, a lot is happening. The Civil Rights Movement is in full swing, but there's still this big gap. And Black first-graders are scoring lower on tests than 85% of white kids.
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    19 mins
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