Hot Takes Episode 39 features Jim, Bill, Stefphon Walton, and Kevin Oakley for a conversation about building a long and successful career with one company. Stefphon spent 41 years with IBM, while Kevin spent 23 years with HP, giving them a unique perspective on company loyalty, career growth, and how the workplace has changed over the years.

They share how they got started, why they chose to stay with their companies, and how they continued to stay relevant as their industries changed. The conversation covers reinventing yourself, building strong professional relationships, proving your value, and developing the interpersonal skills that can help you succeed in any career.

The group also talks about the benefits and challenges of staying with one company, difficult moments at work, international opportunities, retirement, and the mental adjustment that comes with no longer receiving a regular paycheck. Stefphon and Kevin also reflect on work life balance, family, travel, and the importance of leaving a career on your own terms.

The episode closes with their hot takes on hard work, learning new things, cultivating relationships, helping others, and making time to experience life outside of work.

00:00 Welcome to Hot Takes
02:00 Two careers with one company
06:00 How their careers began
15:00 Is company loyalty still important?
18:00 Reinventing yourself as businesses change
22:00 Handling difficult moments at work
26:00 Staying valuable and relevant
30:00 Building professional relationships
38:00 The benefits of staying with one company
42:00 Deciding when it is time to retire
47:00 The psychological adjustment to retirement
51:00 Career regrets and lessons learned
53:00 Their hot takes on career success
56:00 Work life balance and travel
59:00 The value of company loyalty

On Hot Takes presented by Sumus, host Bill and Summus CEO Jim Baker interview entrepreneur Chase Hazelwood, third-generation owner of GoForth Pest Control. Hazelwood shares how he took over operations in 2008, bought and merged a competitor, and transformed the business by implementing checklists, scripts, technology, and a service model built on ultra-fast responsiveness. He explains shifting from paper tickets to automation, joining Vistage, focusing on profitability alongside growth, and scaling through acquisitions—highlighting one failed Richmond deal and successful market-expansion buys in Fayetteville, Hickory, and a family acquisition that grew from $3.6M to $6M. Hazelwood also details Galaxy AI tools for technician KPIs, customer communication, CRM features, and an AI texting campaign that sold $1M in mosquito upgrades in 45 days, emphasizing innovation for speed and accuracy rather than labor reduction.

00:00 Show Intro

01:08 Meet Chase Hazelwood

02:30 Family Business Roots

03:25 Taking Over and Scaling

07:19 Profit and Vistage Shift

09:30 Sales Systems and Checklists

11:13 Service Speed and Tech Edge

15:16 Acquisition Wins and Fails

23:58 Hiring for Soft Skills

26:50 Systems Feel Demeaning

27:29 Galaxy AI Under the Hood

28:48 AI CRM in the Field

33:08 Texting Wins and Call Center Limits

36:13 Automation Without Layoffs

39:03 Perceived Customer Value

41:31 Crawl Space and Recurring Revenue

43:20 Christmas Lights Reality Check

45:43 Homeowner Prevention Tips

47:59 Five Takeaways and Wrap

Finding the right bank is about much more than opening a checking account or securing a line of credit. In this episode of Hot Takes with Jim Baker, Jim Baker and Bill sit down with Dave Byerly and Preston Bergen from Fifth Third Bank to discuss what business owners should really expect from a banking relationship—and what banks look for when evaluating growing companies.

The conversation explores everything from commercial lending and relationship banking to financial statements, cash flow, projections, asset-based lending, private equity, acquisitions, and why communication is one of the most valuable assets a business owner can bring to the table.

Whether you're launching your first company, growing beyond $1 million in revenue, or preparing for significant expansion, Dave and Preston share practical advice on building a banking partnership that can support your business through every stage of growth. They also explain why transparency, long-term planning, and surrounding yourself with trusted advisors can make all the difference when it's time to secure financing.

00:00 – Welcome to Hot Takes with Jim Baker
01:00 – Meet Dave Byerly and Preston Bergen from Fifth Third Bank
02:30 – Why banking is more than deposits and checking accounts
03:00 – The story behind the Fifth Third Bank name
04:00 – How technology is changing modern banking
05:00 – What industries banks like to finance
06:00 – Why leadership matters more than the industry itself
07:00 – The value of long-term banking relationships
08:00 – What makes a business attractive to a bank
09:00 – Why financial statements matter
10:00 – Tax returns, QuickBooks, and professional financial reporting
11:00 – The value of a fractional CFO
12:00 – Why communication builds trust with your banker
13:00 – Exit planning, succession, and business transitions
15:00 – A real-world business growth success story
17:00 – Personal guarantees and business lending explained
20:00 – How banks evaluate risk
22:00 – Understanding asset-based lending (ABL)
25:00 – Financial projections and avoiding the "hockey stick" forecast
29:00 – Why regular communication with your bank matters
31:00 – Funding growth versus funding losses
33:00 – Why some businesses aren't bankable—yet
35:00 – How banking regulations affect lending decisions
39:00 – Why some banks say "no" while others say "yes"
41:00 – Technology, AI, and the future of banking
43:00 – Why physical bank branches still matter
45:00 – The Triangle economy and current business trends
46:00 – Private equity, acquisitions, and the business transition wave
49:00 – Five key takeaways for every business owner
53:00 – Final thoughts and closing