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Mark explores the minds of visionary entrepreneurs who refuse to limit themselves to a single venture to learn how these trailblazers manage risks, innovate across industries, and turn ideas into impact.
Whether you’re scaling your first business or juggling several, this podcast is your ultimate guide to thriving as a parallel entrepreneur.
Well the competitive nature of things in life
let's talk a little bit about that
Our guest today is someone who embodies what's possible
when purpose meets persistence
Rod McDaniel grew up here
in public housing in Nashville
and today he's the CEO of S3 Recycling Solutions
a nationally recognized technology recycling company
with locations in Tennessee
and as far away as California
under Rod's leadership S3 has grown more than 3,000%
landed in the ink 5,000 five times
he's been named Best Place to work
and given nearly
10,000 devices to underserved communities
Rod has earned honors
like the entrepreneur of the year from Arnstein Young
most admired CEO and he currently serves as board chair
of the Greater Nashville Technology Council
helping guide the region's technology future
Rod has spoken on stages across the country
he's mentored founders
and poured himself into boards and organizations
that lift people up especially right here at home
and these titles though
they don't they don't tell the whole story
what you'll hear today
is a man whose leadership is rooted in faith
shaped by community
and focused on creating opportunity for others
Rod is a friend a great leader
and he reminds us that success isn't just about scale
it's about stewardship let's get into it
so there's an inward look at Nashville
and what makes Nashville stronger
and then there's this relative
Nashville to other communities
perspective that we hear
different people bring a facet to that conversation
when you say what's Nashville strong at
and when you look outside of Nashville
what do we envy
so what is Nashville strong at
yeah I think it's a
it's one of so S3 has core values
one of our core values is community
I think Nashville is great at community
think about it just
just a you know
I know my story is widely known
but a kid like me able to do what
what I'm doing today
I don't think you can do that without community
and so I think we do a great job in the city
at
welcoming people and then getting them connected
and then supporting them through their journey
so I I think
I think we do a great job there
now what we can approve on
come on I know everybody hates traffic here
yeah wow
traffic reaching to the choir yeah
so I don't know I
I this probably a little controversial
but maybe that tone will help
hahaha dig
baby dig ah yeah
I mean and I'm probably digging right now um
but yeah I
I it's not necessarily
directly related to technology
but I remember the
Mario Cano coming to speak to our board
and he was talking through how
that transit plan had um
upgrades for lights
and using technology to try to move cars and vehicles
throughout the city a lot faster
so I think
you know one of the things that
we can work on is
transportation in general cause at the end of the day
like I think about my mom
in order to make a really good living
you've got to get
you've got to be able to get back and forth to work
and then on the flip side
you know
we don't want to spend a whole bunch of time in
traffic sitting in our cars
when we can be at spending time with people
doing community
I love it I just I'm having
yeah
it's right yeah
I'm sorry so you're the expert
so I'm not well no
I'm just thrilled to hear
somebody in your position of leadership
and recognizes that our mobility
our individual mobility
is a direct relationship to our economic success
and when we're stuck in traffic
we're polluting
we're not leveraging technology
although I have a theory and the theory might be
that Nashville's growing so fast
new people come to Nashville
and then they sort of look around and listen to us
locals complain about traffic
but then they go y'all call this traffic yeah
and they don't see traffic in Nashville as a problem
because where they came from
it was insufferable usually
and so I'm
I have a theory that probably isn't very popular
but I'm gonna explore it real quickly
what if the time you spend in your car
everybody in this culture in this community
got involved in educating themselves
while they were there rather than entertaining
rather than listening to something
that got you riled up about the news
and divided us we actually said
this is a competitive advantage in Nashville
when we're going to work we're employed
when we're in a car with somebody else
we're building a community in that
in that vehicle let's share rides
let's listen to something
that invests in ourselves
and builds our own inner capability
so we arrive at work in a better Zen state
we come home
and maybe we're ready to be a better family man
or or family member right
so I wonder if there's a way we can push
the idea that we can use that time
trapped in traffic to improve our mind
traffic university traffic university
you're speaking my language now
I love it
professional development yes sir
at dead times man
that's man
you're speaking my language
cause you know
it's it's always hard to find time right right
and so I so I swim in the mornings
and I've got this new device that
Bluetooth does not travel underwater
and so there's this device that I put on my head
and I can listen to podcast
so I'll swim for about 45 minutes
but I also it's my chance to
to actually listen to a leadership podcast
I I love you
if you go through my podcast Leadership Leadership
Leadership same thing in the car
if I'm not taking a call
I will try to find some time to to
listen to some type of leadership podcast
cause to your point whatever we're inputting
it's gonna actually come out
and so if you know
you're listening to something controversial to work
you're being triggered
and then you're going to work with that
with that spirit on you and so yeah
I I
I really try for for myself when
when there's dead times like that
to make sure I'm doing that professional development
so you're speaking my language man
just imagine it if it's a half an hour or 45 minutes
or an hour to work insufferable as it may be
wouldn't that be great if we got a couple of hours of
intellectual property development
and everybody that's going to work in Nashville
throughout the entire area
may just set this new cultural standard
we're gonna educate ourselves
while we're stuck in traffic
and we no longer feel stuck
so much of what we do is around distraction
and this is about personal growth
so how does the Technology Council help
manifest Traffic University
let's get this thing going ooh hey
we've we've got a Mister Transportation here
here you go we gotta
we gotta figure out we gotta figure out something man
got a nap yeah
well no
sign me up
we actually sold that company to a couple of really
really strong local entrepreneurs
AI blockchain geniuses I'm feeling like
I'm excited about the idea that
good ideas continue to propagate
and they take on new life from new leadership
back to your point about leadership
what what do you think
Nashville is really enjoying right now
in terms of a a leadership renaissance as I see it
what do you see haha
man a leadership renaissance
now are you
are you are you talking specific to government and what
fair question you're asking me to narrow it
I love what's happening with Vanderbilt
and the innovation cooperation
that Freddie O'connell has brought to the table
I think the the
the the ecosystem of cooperative support organizations
I think this fabric is getting tighter
I think there's a renaissance
I'm seeing it in new leadership
I'm also seeing really friends of mine
and ours that are leading these organizations today
are very open
to change yep
and it feels like the state of Nashville
this Middle Tennessee area
is experiencing a renaissance in creative leadership
yeah so I'd say this
so I mentioned earlier that I think community is a
a strong point but I also think it's a weakness because
because sometimes in that community
you build a community
you sometimes unintentionally shut people out
but I think what we're seeing and
and just go back to what I said earlier collaboration I
I to
to that innovation alliance that you're speaking
I'm start I feel like I'm starting to see
new leaders come in and wanting to collaborate
instead of building a wall and saying hey no
this is this is
this is what we do
you're seeing organizations
really work with each other now
and say hey look
it's you know
and ultimately it's better life is done better together
so why not collaborate so I
I think that's kind of what
what I'm seeing
I think the traffic is a is sort of a side effect of
of the growth that that transplants are bringing
and I think it seems like the
the wave of of people coming in
they're bringing new ideas and new concepts
and innovative ideas that maybe aren't as homegrown
and as a homegrown kid I like the homegrown stuff
but I do think you're right
there's a
there is an inclusion component that
that just happens naturally
when everyone hears from somewhere else
oh yeah good point yeah
as a as a native kid I've
I've watched ideas change and
and flow
tell us a good example of a leader
you're currently working with
that's from somewhere else
that brought some special flair to Nashville
a leader that I'm working with
that's from somewhere else
you know what
I'd say
this is probably gonna surprise him for
for me saying this
Carl Spurls
he is he is a leader that I have come to really admire
he's got a he's
he's very technical
he comes uh
and he's got a servant leadership heart and I think his
um his focus on uh
workforce development has
has really kind of
gotten us to really rethink the way
we have always thought about it um
and I I
I think um
yeah they came from I
I believe New York um
it it's just it's
it's always going back to the inclusive part
I think it's always good to have
someone from the outside
kind of coming in and shaking it up a little bit
and saying hey look
what about this what about that
asking the right questions
so that we can all arrive at the place
we really wanna be and Carl's a great example
CEO of Alliance Bernstein um
another transplant is Alliance Bernstein
so I'm gonna ask a different question
but sort of the same question
the companies that are coming to town
the people that are that are moving in
you know that we're also largely uh
landing large uh
organizations from other parts in and outs coming in
Alliance Bernstein I think a Shereon
there's there's all these companies that
that Nashville is now a destination to be uh
what are the companies bringing
what do you see the
the organizations bringing in that same vein
you know I
I've been really surprised and I think
you know we talked about Alliance Bernstein
I think they've done an amazing job at uh
incorporating themselves into the organization uh
to the city
from a philanthropic standpoint
and like just getting involved
um
I I am actually
I have been more surprised at the organizations
that have come in and actually
just embedded themselves into the community
um you know
you hear just a bunch of stories about uh
sometimes uh
the business community not uh
getting uh
much involved in the community
but I'm seeing
I feel like I'm seeing the opposite of that
uh they're wanting
at the end of the day their employees live here
they're wanting to make this place a better place
and they they're
they're really investing in it
and then getting involved with a
non profit organizations that fit their mission
yeah you know I
I hear people talk about quality of life
so you're a native I mean
there aren't very many native Nashvillians
so we blue blue blood
I'm a native as well and you're a native and I
my wife is a native we're
we're we're a unicorn as a couple
this is fantastic
this is Noah's Ark here of the natives
but what what
I've been here for 25 years
so I feel like I came in as a corporate transplant
and then sold the company
and you couldn't peel me out of here
I'm gonna create something new in Nashville
and I'm not leaving
I I've been driving around the rural areas of Nashville
lately it's been a thing that I've just
I had a chance to go out and explore
more of of Nashville and slow down a little bit
and I what I've noticed is that
man it's a beautiful countryside
it is a beautiful area
every single direction that you go in Nashville
doesn't matter which direction
it's beautiful here and um
I guess quality of life
has a lot to do with what you do with your little plot
what you do with your your
your seeds that you're planting in your company
and in your community and I just
I've consistently over 25 years
seen nothing but better and better and better
and better and better quality of life in Nashville
I would agree and that
that actually segways into a
into a good question and maybe our last one for Rod
someone asked me the other day
Greater National Technology Council
that g when did we change that
and I think it's been that way for
I don't know 10 years
that it's been the Greater National Technology Council
can you talk a little bit and really about
you know picture driving through um Goodlettsville
Tennessee Hendersonville
Tennessee Fairview
why is Greater Nashville Technology Council
why is that G so important
yeah the G
the G is extremely important and
and it's and it's a
you know what's funny we've been dropping it a lot
you think about it we've always said just the NTC
but the G is very important and I um
I was telling Mark the uh
some time ago and I just like hey
my new my new
my new theme is ain't nothing but a G thing hahaha
we gotta add the G back in
ain't nothing but a g thing baby
we are the G men hahaha
but to your point my business
a tech tech business is based in Springfield
yeah g
that's a g right
uh we are
I mean we're seeing uh
tens of thousands of devices
that go through our facility
on a monthly monthly basis
uh and we are a part of the greater Nashville area
and so I I think going back to the inclusive part
we've got we've got some work to do to make sure um
the G's are included because it
there are a lot of organizations in these rural areas
that have technology that
that are looking to improve technology
that we need to include in
and so I like I said
ain't nothing but a G thing baby
ain't nothing but a G thing
thanks for making it so great around here Rod
your contributions have been tremendous
well thank you
thank you thank you
you guys as well following
following behind some greats
2 2 exit tears
that's where that's where I'm trying to get
well we can help you with that
yeah and at the same time um
that is probably
a thing that is also important about Nashville
is that the people who exit don't leave yeah
they stay and continue to reinvest
I I
I've heard uh
complaints over the years about
not having the big exits and the big Silicon Valley
compared to what Nashville has
great citizens who do manage to create great companies
and contribute to the community
and then at the same time stay and reinvest in
in so many ways I think philanthropically there's a
a tremendous uh
philanthropic community here yeah
doesn't get enough attention
the the culture of
of help that Nashville brings to the table when
when we've talked to leaders and they um
they give feedback we
we ask them what's different about Nashville
that's always a great question
what's different about Nashville
what's what's our secret sauce
and almost always there's a conversation around um
two things one
we're a networking town
so you're always one degree away from someone
but the more important part that I've seen is
and there's a willingness to make introductions
cause without the second part
the first part kind of doesn't matter except for you
but there is a willingness we are here to help
and so I I love that we are that community
and I love those examples of where
not only is it about the connections and your network
but it's about the willingness of that network
that this town seems to have very uniquely
that I'll also introduce you to that one connection
I'm willing to help you and that is such a
a Nashville thing and I hope we always keep that so
what's what's one thing we can do to always keep that
huh
well I mean
it reminds me of company culture
um
you know I think that
that that's a hard one because the mayor
you know uh
uh policymakers change
those type of things change
but they're typically usually um
I'll call the anchors in business around here uh
that kind of set the tone
and I just like business CEO sets a tone for culture
and I think the anchor leaders uh
in town like HCA um
like like any of the major corporations
HCA is a a great giver of the community
and I think it
when you've got organizations that set that tone
that that's really the culture of the city
and so I I'm really proud of Nashville for uh
for keeping that culture but I
I think if we
as long as we can keep those organizations
if they can stay grounded the way they
they have been over the years
and HCA as I
as I mentioned is
is one that does a really good job
I think it's hard for other organizations
to come in town and not be a part of that culture
it's just it's just who we are
you get ostracized if you don't yep
you really yep
yeah well
you just don't fit I
I suppose might be what what yeah
I had an observation as a technology company owner and
uh
I think Nashville has a widely understood core fabric
underlying brand of Music City yep
and maybe on top of that is the healthcare city
etcetera
but I went in my own experiences with my employees
as I started to try to learn what
what is making them more successful in
in my organization
what makes them help each other be successful
and I noticed uh that spirit of collaboration
which we're talking about yeah
but they were all musicians um
my database guy was a musician
my customer service guy was a musician
my gal running the warehouse was a musician
and they did this thing during the day in the company
and then
as I started to get involved in the music business
myself I experienced what is collaboration
you're the lead guitarist you're the drummer
we're riffing
everybody is contributing and taking and receiving
and offering and improving
and they're collaborating in real time
like that's the thing
that's what you do as a musician is collaborate
and I noticed that
some of the greatest people that I have worked with
were like
secret closet air guitar
for sure talented musicians
and it became a pattern to me
I think that that that
the part of the fabric that is making Nashville special
is the thing that we don't think about
which is the why how we collaborate
how we collaborate with each other
and we're all good at collaborating with each other
and then at night time we go play
you know at some secret song circle thing
it's just a I'm wondering
do you experience that
when you look at your employee base
do you and your and your
and the people that you work with
do you see a pattern that they're in one form or
or another an artist or a musician underlying that
now that you have pointed out
yes haha
I've never thought of it but yeah
like uh uh
I think that is a and we encourage it at work um
so as an example one of our account managers
um he is a
he was a drummer actually
he no longer works with us now
but um
tell the story I have a video
it was posted maybe about 2 years ago of him and um
as a part of what we do
we try to support you externally
and so the entire team showed up
uh to his uh
he he performed downtown and we showed up and he
he didn't know we we didn't tell
he had told us about it but we
we didn't tell him that we were gonna show up
wow and we got it on video uh
his response of seeing us um
and I think that just goes back to
just encouraging people to still follow
you know follow your passions uh
outside of work cause I mean
at the end of the day work is work is work is one thing
um you know it
it does provide uh
a it gives you a living to provide for your family
but you know don't lose yourself and uh
and and not have fun and and
and make a life for yourself
so I I
I think that's uh
I think that's extremely important
I mean even for myself
I've I've had to go through that stage of myself
where I was just busy busy
busy business business
business and I stopped and was like
you know what uh
I'm gonna do something outside of this uh
I can add another facet to myself like kickball
like I play kickball we were league champions last uh
last the this past season
that's at
that has been fun every Monday go out and play kickball
um I officiate football
so it's a not necessarily from a music standpoint
but right we've got quite a few musicians on
on staff that uh
that that do that
but I think just your passions outside of work
in general right
and you just described team sports
I don't know I
I want to have a a formal survey someday
where we try to figure out
what percentage of our employees are musicians
and how does that translate
into a competitive advantage
I love that as a topic and I
and I've now that I'm thinking through it I
I can't unsee it it is a uh
it's it's every I t departments are 60% yeah
they're math math is music right
uh music is liquid architecture
and architecture is frozen music
maybe that's it the happy people make happy companies
and music
I dare you to listen to the music and not be happy
hmm
that's where we call on our closing uh
theme song right
Rod thank you so much for joining us
we appreciate your time
and you sharing your story and some of your insights
and this has been a great discussion
yeah really appreciate it
I'm gonna have to go get one of those underwater
earbud things oh yeah yeah
when you swim in one day Zygo Zygo
Zygo's the name it's pretty cool