American Operator

About American Operator

See America’s small businesses the way they were meant to be seen — up close, on the ground, and through the eyes of the people who run them. American Operator documents the real stories of Main Street: • We visit small businesses across the country. • We highlight operators keeping their towns alive. • We show what ownership actually looks like. • And we expose the hidden cost of private equity roll-ups hollowing out local communities. From family-owned shops to essential service businesses, from thriving main streets to towns devastated by outside ownership, we’re capturing the reality of American small business at a turning point. Our mission is simple: keep America locally owned & operated by shining a light on the businesses, operators, and communities worth fighting for. Subscribe and join the movement to rebuild, revive, and protect America’s small business backbone. This is American Operator Pod: @AmericanOperatorPodcast Insta: https://www.instagram.com/theamericanoperator

Publisher

Joseph Cabrera

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Oct 2024

Latest episode

23 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

15 of 70 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Jun 2026

   Why America Can't Find Electricians (And How We Fix It) | Emily Escobar | AO 70

   Most people don't realize how difficult it is to become a licensed electrician. After more than 20 years in the electrical trades, Emily Escobar has seen firsthand why so many talented people struggle to advance. A master electrician, educator, doctoral researcher, and founder of Electra, Emily is on a mission to help the next generation succeed in one of America's most important industries. In this episode of American Operator, JC sits down with Emily to discuss the skilled labor shortage, t...

2. 

   16 Jun 2026

   Profit vs Care: The Crisis in Senior Living | James Lee | AO 69

   What happens when the people who cared for us become dependent on someone else for care? In this episode of the American Operator Podcast, JC sits down with senior living expert James Lee, a 20-year veteran of the industry who has spent his career helping families navigate aging, dementia, Alzheimer's, and end-of-life care. But this conversation goes far beyond senior living. James shares what happens when elder care becomes just another financial asset, why many facilities optimize for occup...

3. 

   9 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Secret to Building a Blue-Collar Brand People Love | Lance Ingram -Waterloo Turf | AO 68

   Lance Ingram, founder of Waterloo Turf, shares how purpose and people build a beloved blue-collar brand, offering listeners insights into creating a thriving business culture.

Inside a recent episode

The Secret to Building a Blue-Collar Brand People Love | Lance Ingram -Waterloo Turf | AO 68

Published 9 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Let's do it, man. So turf is made typically 15 feet wide by give or take 100 feet long. Yeah. So it's essentially just yard carpet. And it's installed fairly similar, but where you connect the rolls of turf is what the seam is. And so what you don't want is to see every 15 feet, just a big line. That's like, it just really, that's the thing you can, you can, Oh yeah. Yeah. I guarantee the next time you like are out and about and you're going to wherever there's maybe some turf, unless it's Waterloo turf, you'll probably see some seams and you'll start to pick up on it. But that's for sure the telltale sign of like an install done correctly and one that wasn't done so well. […]

Who has been a guest on American Operator

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Lance Ingram
• Nelson Monteith
• Ashley Stroud
• Warren Stroud
• Joe Soelberg

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

167,671

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

15 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

25

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

51