Ford The Rock Podcast is brought to you by The Element of Rockford. Join us as we talk to Community Leaders, Artists, Entrepreneurs, and people in the know about what it takes to develop a thriving community.
Born in Amityville, NY, Barbara Berney is a freelance graphic artist, editor, and jewelry designer, a member of The ELEMENT, and an exhibiting board member of the Inscape Midtown Collective on 7th Street at 1st Avenue. Her activities in the arts community have included managing the Art on the Lawn show from 2000-2014, overseeing the Rockford Art Guild as president for four years, and participating in ArtScene and other art shows in the Rockford area.
18 Jun 2026
Anthony Cortez, Executive Director, Rockford Public Library
Welcome to Ford the Rock, presented by The Element, where we highlight the people, organizations, and ideas helping shape the future of Rockford.
Today, we’re joined by Anthony “Tony” Cortez, Executive Director of the Rockford Public Library.
A graduate of Rockford University, Tony has dedicated his career to serving our community through administrative positions, access to information, and lifelong learning opportunities.
Under Tony’s leadership, the Rockford Public Library continues to evolve as a vital community resource, offering much more than books—from technology and workforce development
programs to community engagement and educational initiatives that impact residents of all ages.
We’ll talk with Tony about his journey to library leadership, the role the library plays in the Rockford region today, and his vision for the future of one of our community’s most important institutions.
Tony, welcome to Ford the Rock.
8 May 2026
Bobby Walsh
Born and raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts, today’s guest has never been afraid to bet on himself. After a few years at the University of New Hampshire, he made a life-changing move at just 20 years old—heading to Chicago to work on the legendary futures trading floor at the Chicago Board of Trade, right in the middle of one of the most intense, high-pressure environments in the country.
In 2008, he pivoted and opened his first restaurant back in Wellesley. Like many business owners during the recession, he faced enormous challenges and ultimately sold the restaurant in 2010. Instead of slowing down, he pivoted again.
Bobby jumped into real estate and started building an entirely new career from the ground up. Then, in 2016, he and his family relocated to Rockford to raise their young children, which opened the door to the next chapter of his story.
In 2017, Bobby joined SupplyCore as their in-house real estate broker. He was in charge of all their local real estate, logistics, warehousing, and property management. He spent three years there and departed in 2020.
In 2020, he partnered with Chris Manuel to expand real estate development into residential rehabbing and also took over all property management for CMM & Associates. He spent two years there, leaving in 2022.
In the fall of 2022, he decided to go back to selling real estate full-time and joined Dickerson Nieman.
And now he has two major projects on North Main Street on Rockford's Northwest side.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
115
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
55
Social presence
0
YouTube
64
Engagement
32
Contact Ford The Rock
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Ford The Rock?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
