Clint Bissett Knows A Thing Or Two About Leadership In Celina Texas

Clint Bissett (00:08):

I mean, you've seen Jurassic Park, you got a fighting chance of running from the T-Rex <laugh>. Those,

those little ones that come by the hundred, you're screwed. I'm going with the horse size Duck

Ron Lyons (00:17):

<Laugh>. Welcome to CelinaRadio.com. I'm your host, Ron Lyons, and this is the voice of Celina, Texas.

Ron Lyons (00:45):

Guys, welcome to another episode of CelinaRadio.com. Today we've got Clint Bissett, and if you don't

know Clint, then you are missing out on somebody who is a massive fan of Celina, Texas, and he's here

today to talk to us about Leadership. Celina. If you don't know what that is, it's definitely something that

you're gonna want to learn about and possibly get involved with. They're taking applications right now

for class three, and I was involved in Leadership Frisco back in the day when it first launched. And let me

tell you, this is the time to get in to leadership Celina. Tomorrow's leaders are defined by so many

different actions. One of those things that helps shape and form those leaders is graduating from a class

of leadership Celina. Now, Clint, miss it is just a cool cat you're gonna really like hearing from him. He's

got a very interesting story, how he fell in love with Celina, how long he's been here, what he likes to do

here, and a couple of fun questions along the way.

Ron Lyons (02:05):

On today's episode is brought to you by my new Facebook group called The Best of Celina. Now, that

page, that group has been growing by leaps and bounds, over 100 people per day. We're at 2,500

people and we haven't been active for over a month yet. So just, if you haven't checked it out, the best

of Celina, it is a fantastic place to go and get a real sense of community. The best of the best are on the

best of Celina on Facebook, so go check it out guys. But for right now, but sit back, relax, and let's talk

with Clint Bissett. Guys, I'm here right now with somebody that you would know if you have ever been

involved with the Chamber of Commerce, the wine crawl or anything like that. And his name is Clint

Bissett. Clint, how you doing, buddy?

Clint Bissett (03:10):

I'm good, sir. How are you?

Ron Lyons (03:11):

I'm really, really good. And there's a real specific reason that you're here today. It's not because I'm such

a good looking guy and you want to come hang out with me, but you actually have something going on

right now that we're gonna talk about. We're gonna get into that a little bit, but let's just give everybody

a hint. What is it that's going on that you're involved with right now?

Clint Bissett (03:27):

You said there was free food here,

Ron Lyons (03:29):

<Laugh>. I did. There actually is, there actually is food. I don't, I don't wanna admit this, but we had an

event here weeks ago and we had all this food we bought I think we bought 600 breakfast tacos

forward, two of the businesses here in town. Nice. They they made their way in there and then they got

forgotten to the leftovers. So they're, they help yourself. I don't know.

Clint Bissett (03:51):

I don't all I can eat perfect, just the way I like it.

Ron Lyons (03:55):

No, tell, tell, tell everybody what you've got going on. It's something very exciting that we're gonna try

and kind of bring a little bit of you know, a little kind of interest and bring it to everybody's attention. Let

people know that it's going on. What is that amazing thing that's going on?

Clint Bissett (04:12):

So it is about leadership. I'm gonna lead off with that. And then it also involves Celina,

Ron Lyons (04:18):

That's, you can't really beat the combination leadership and Celina in a growing community like this. Yes,

sir. It's

Clint Bissett (04:26):

Critical. It is.

Ron Lyons (04:26):

It's absolutely critical. So we'll get into that in just a minute and just, you know, to kind of help the

people like me who don't catch on too fast, leadership Celina. Yes, sir. That's kinda what we're gonna

talk about, so, yep. But let's talk first about Clint Bises. So Clint, how long have you been in Celina,

Texas?

Clint Bissett (04:43):

So, our office, so I work for Pacheco Co, an engineering firm. We're officed on the square. That office

opened up in January of 17. I was asked to take over the office in July, August of 17, something like that.

Actually the initial inaugural wine crawl was the ribbon cutting for the PK office. So I was invited up here

to attend that by some of the principals, and I think they already had in their head that they were gonna

ask me to take over the office at that point. So they, they, they played me a little bit, but it, it worked

out okay. Okay. And

Ron Lyons (05:14):

Where did you and you came from? Where?

Clint Bissett (05:16):

I was actually working down in the Dallas office at that time. So,

Ron Lyons (05:19):

Okay, so, so a bit of a jaunt. Had you heard of Celina before?

Clint Bissett (05:22):

Yes. And I knew we were opening the office, but that's really all I knew about the community at that

point. So,

Ron Lyons (05:26):

So let me ask you from a, from an outsider's perspective, somebody who wasn't here yet and hadn't,

you know, seen all the amazing things that are Celina, Texas now. Were you a little apprehensive? Were

you a little concerned? Because I came from Dallas. I, I mean, back in the day. It's been a long time, but

Sure. You know, the first time I came to Celina, I'd never seen anything like it before. And I really,

coming outta Dallas, I was used to like lots and lots of homeless people and crime and things like that.

And I came up here and the boys are roping each other like cattle out on the square, out of the back of a

pickup. I was like, where am I? What is this place? And it was awesome. It was such a, it was like going

back to like Indy Griffith or something. It was fantastic. So how was it for you coming up here?

Clint Bissett (06:09):

So, I grew up, my, actually my wife and I both grew up in Clyde, so it's just right outside of Abilene. Small

town. Small town, 2000 people when we were there. So when I came up here, my wife was not able to

attend the wine crawl that night. So I came up here, they started broaching the subject of, you know, we

were running this office, we would have you doing this and this. And so I've knew the question was

coming. So I told her, you're gonna love this place. It has that small town feel that we grew up with, but

it is a thriving community. The growth is coming and in, in 17 it wasn't here, it was still little stuff. I

mean, the square wasn't built out anywhere near it, what it is now. So she came up here with me on a

Saturday, went and sat in one of the local wine bars and talked about what this looks like. If we get this

offer to move up here, are we gonna take it? We both decided that we like the feel, we like the

hometown to it. We like the small town. The people that we'd met at that point, we enjoyed. So when

they asked, we said yes. We sold our house in Denton. We put in a contract to build a house out here,

closed on it in April of 18, and have loved it ever since. So

Ron Lyons (07:18):

That's what I was gonna say. So have you ever looked back and said, wow, we shouldn't have done that.

We should have done moved somewhere else, or any regrets at all?

Clint Bissett (07:26):

No. I, I have made a lot of stupid decisions in my life. Tons, tons. Won't even get into those <laugh>.

Ron Lyons (07:33):

That's a different show.

Clint Bissett (07:34):

Yeah,

Ron Lyons (07:34):

Yeah. We could compare bad decisions or something.

Clint Bissett (07:37):

Yeah. And I've, I've made a few good ones, like getting married to my wife. Right. but this is one where

we both look up and go, this is a no-brainer. This was such a great decision. And getting up here before

everything really started booming and started growing and being able to kinda get ingrained into the

community and be a part of helping. That has been

Ron Lyons (07:58):

Awesome. I love that. And so there's, there's, as we speak right now, they're getting ready for an event

out on the square. And, and to me the square is just kind of like the center. It's like the hub. It's like such

a great, you know, center for a city like this. And it really draws the community together. I know that

your office is on the square. Yes, sir. So, so what's it like being right there on the square and seeing all of

these events and, and I guess you could go out there pretty much any time of day and see families out

there doing all kinds of things. What's, what's it like being on the square?

Clint Bissett (08:29):

I, I don't even know how to adequately explain it. Cuz my office, my office office is right on the square.

So I look out my window from my desk and I stare at the square. Wow. So I see all the older people

coming to the senior center for lunches. I see the families that are out there having a picnic or playing

ball. When we have events, we actually open up the office for clients and stuff to come through there.

So they've got, like, when we do Cajun Fest, you know, you've been to Cajun Fest, it gets warm out there

occasionally. So we give a place where our clients and our workers can come in and get outta the sun

and have some drinks and some food and, but still get to enjoy it. So it's, it's just pretty darn cool.

Ron Lyons (09:14):

It is. And so, being on the square, and I ask this question a lot and people like to hear this, people like to

know because it's just kind of one of those things. What, what is it like a on a, on an average day? And

unless you're, unless you're like one of my recent guests who's like a, a workout person, you probably

then like carry your lunch every day assuming that you eat out like I do. Yeah. What what, what do you

do on the square? Where do you go? What's I, they're all awesome. Yeah. We're not picking one over

any others. No, but what do you, like, what does Clint visit it like?

Clint Bissett (09:46):

Well, so one of the things PK does is we get breakfast for our office every Friday morning. So this

morning we had tacos and tenders, which is a regular staple on our Friday morning breakfast. Nice. So

tenders is always great. Probably my go-to it, it probably varies between toasted walnut and Lucy's.

Gotcha.

Ron Lyons (10:08):

So it, so, so pick one of those for me. Pick one that you, I want to, I want to quiz you about things on the

menu.

Clint Bissett (10:14):

Let's go with Lucy's then.

Ron Lyons (10:15):

Okay. Lucy. So you walk into Lucy's, which if you walk in there, you're probably gonna run into me.

We've probably been in there at the same time and just didn't realize it at some point. As a matter of

fact I, I, I kind of hate to admit this, but I was in there twice yesterday, <laugh>. So I was in there for a

networking thing in the morning and had breakfast. And then the wife said, Hey, let's go eat where you

want to eat. And I was like, how about Lucy's? I mean, I know I just left, but

Clint Bissett (10:39):

Yeah, it's two separate meals. It's counts.

Ron Lyons (10:41):

It's it is. So it, it is ki it's a little sad whenever you walk in and they're taking everyone into order and they

get to you and they just look at you and keep walking cuz they already know. So when you go to Lucy's,

what is Clint best it like to order?

Clint Bissett (10:55):

So I waffle back and forth. And I will tell you that as soon as I sit down, they bring over my unsweet tea

without even asking me what I want. <Laugh> love it. It's just a given. That's awesome. And then I will

bounce back and forth between the buffalo wrap and the burger.

Ron Lyons (11:12):

Okay. All right. Good stuff. So I have a financial advisor who very involved in Frisco and things like that

just now really discovering Celina. Okay. And loves to come up here and try new things. So yesterday he

was like, okay, where can I get a really awesome burger in Celina, Texas? And I was like, well, you know,

we don't have a dedicated burger place per se anymore. Yeah. And, but you could go here or here and

get a really, so I, I mentioned the Wagyu Burger. Oh yeah.

Clint Bissett (11:43):

Toast. Tim's Wagyu Burger man wanting water now thinking, appreciate

Ron Lyons (11:46):

That. We'll go over there after this. So, and then, and then I, and then I, I mentioned Lucy's is a great

place to grab one as well. Well, yeah. And he was like, you know what Lucy's it is, I've heard great things

about that. So he got to experience Lucy's yesterday and texted me back. He's like, I love it. He's like,

and I love the Square. It's awesome.

Clint Bissett (12:03):

Well, and the, so one of the coolest things about that is that for all of us regulars that down here, people

that live in Alana, you go to those restaurants on a regular basis and it's not just the servers that start to

recognize you. You get to know the owners. So you know that when you sit down at Lucy's, if Moises is

around, he's gonna come by and say hi and talk to you for a minute. 100% Joey's gonna swing by it when

you're toasted. You know, you're, if Eddie happens to roll through at Gaos, he's gonna come talk to you.

Yep. So it's, it's that way at all the restaurants here. And it's just that small community that, that just

feel, that binds everybody together.

Ron Lyons (12:39):

It really does. And the the, the other side of that is the fact that that is so appealing and it's so awesome

and so amazing that it's pulling many people here. Yeah. And you, you can't fault them because they're,

they're pursuing the very same thing you and I did. No, we came here looking for something, we found

it, and now more people want to do it. But inherent to that is the fact that no longer will this always be

the small town that it is now. So weigh in on that for me just a little bit. How does Clint best it feel about

small town, the growth? Like what, what do we do?

Clint Bissett (13:14):

All right, so let's, let's throw this out there. Tinder's opened up in 17, just like PKS office did up here.

Which means when they got that number two Yelp review for best places to eat in America, we went

from walking in, sitting down, enjoying our brisket or our ribs to standing in line for an hour, hour and a

half. And if you're lucky, they didn't run out of food before you got there. Exactly. Right. Which at first

you get a little irritated. You're like, what's inconvenience? I like eating here now I can't eat. I, I work,

you know, five steps from here and I still can't get in getting brisket. Right. But then you step back a

minute and you're like, but this is amazing for this company and this restaurant. And the people that

don't wanna wait an hour and a hour and a half, they're rolling around the corners to go into Lucy's.

They're gonna go find somewhere else to eat. So they're going to frequent the other businesses, or

they'll go down to the Willow house and shop while they're waiting on their turn. So, and I'm a being a

civil engineer and I do both public and private work. So I help do site civil stuff for developments that are

coming. I help do infrastructure projects, you know, roads, pipelines, stuff like that for municipalities. So

part of it is, my business is growth and infrastructure, but seeing everything come together and seeing

how we've, you know, we went from,

Clint Bissett (14:35):

What, 17,000 people when they did the census back in 2020. And we're at 43,000 people now three and

a half years later, seeing all that take place. Yet we're still maintaining that small town community feel.

You know, there's some stuff that's not the same. It takes a little bit longer to get somewhere when you

get on some of those roads. The construction is a pain in the butt when you're trying to get somewhere.

But the, the feel and the community is still the same. It's just more people are getting to enjoy, it's

helping those businesses that are growing. So it's, I love it. I think it's good for the community. I think it's

good for all of us that are living here, and especially the business owners that are trying to make a living

doing it. So I, I'd like and support it and part,

Ron Lyons (15:21):

So it, it sounds to me like hanging onto, like keeping an anchor in things like this downtown Square and,

and, and helping to always keep and promote that small town feel is just gonna be paramount to

moving forward as a community. Because I remember back in the day, I was, I was, you know, very

involved in active in Frisco, you know, back when Frisco was going through exactly what we're doing

right now here. And there were a lot of plans to hold onto kind of that small town who we were, where

we came from. And I, and I don't know that that's actually been maintained not to, not to be hating on

Frisco at all. Love Frisco, spent many, many years there, worked there, did all kinds of things. Sure. Yeah.

Built a very successful business there, but not and, and, and I don't know that anything like that has

really been, you know, the, the same challenge that faced Frisco and now Faces Celina. I, I don't know

that that faced, you know, did, did Carrollton have that too? Did Farmers Branch? I, I don't, I don't know.

Clint Bissett (16:25):

I I think probably Frisco's the, the best comparison just because the rate of growth. And I think that

we've got a couple of advantages over Frisco. One is that we watched Frisco grow. So, you know, the

mistakes they made, you know, the missteps they had, some of the things they could have done better.

You can learn from both the good and the bad that took place during that growth and make sure that

we don't make the same mistakes they do. And that's, that's key is you make your own new mistakes.

Don't make one that you can watch from somebody else. Secondly is that Frisco didn't have the Square.

We do, they don't have that heart. The, they've got their old downtown, but they don't have a place that

they can draw people to, like our Square does. They don't have a place where they can hold events that

you'll have seven to 12,000 people come through in a day.

Clint Bissett (17:18):

And so I think we've got an advantage of that, which lends itself more to that small town feel. Whereas

if you don't have that and you just start throwing up houses and businesses all over the place, then you

lose that. But the, the city leadership over the last several years, going back to corporate when he was

mayor, they've made an effort to make sure that we keep that and draw people into that downtown

because that's where they're gonna fall in love with the city and that field. So just moving forward, we

still have to be able, yeah, there's gonna be stuff on the tollway, there's gonna be stuff on Preston,

there's gonna be stuff all over the place. But if you still have that heart of downtown and all roads lead

to downtown, then you've got a much better opportunity to keep that feel to it.

Ron Lyons (18:04):

Absolutely. And I think that that is exactly, exactly, that's what's going on. It's the way it's gonna be, and

it's the way that we hold onto who we are. Hang on. Our heritage. Hang on to not letting ourselves kind

of, you know, turn into, I I don't wanna be another Frisco. No. I just don't want to be another Frisco. I

want to be, like you said, I wanna learn from those things and I want us to be better in every way. And I

I, I don't know if you're aware or not, but I started this little page called The Best of Celina. Yes, sir. I am.

I am so proud of the membership. The people, you truly get a feel for the, the community when you go

there. It's, it's amazing. I I it makes me so proud of my city when I see all of the people joining the best of

Lina talking about their families. Yeah. Talking about their small business sharing their triumphs and

their successes and the, the trophy or the award or the, you know, whatever it is. I, I, I love every bit of

that. So I, I'm glad that you're aware about it about that page. But it's doesn't that just kind of speak to

who we are right now and isn't that worth preserving?

Clint Bissett (19:10):

It is, definitely. Yeah. And it's that's one of the cool things about that page is when people are coming

on, they're, Hey, this is so and so, and this is my community. Here's, here's my family. This is what we

do. This is when we moved here. And just, you know, here's a paragraph that tells you about my life and

my family and getting to know each other that way. So there's, you know, a lot of 'em I've seen before,

but there's new people that pop up on there, or new people that are like, oh, I've got this new business

and we just moved to town. And it's just cool seeing that. And you, I think that that is it speaks volumes

about Celina in general and it people that we have here.

Ron Lyons (19:46):

I think it does. It's a, it's, to me, it's a, it's very representative of our community and, and like I said,

super blessed, super amazed, very happy. Love all the people. I just, I, I can't imagine Celina being any

different than it is. It's, it's just so special. And I, I think that's why we're so passionate about it, right?

Yeah. Because we care so much about it. But I wanna I want to ask you about the, the name of the

company you work for. You've already said it a few times here, <laugh>. It has to be the most maligned

and missed stated. It's just, I've, I've heard it said so many different ways. So pronounce it exactly

correctly for me,

Clint Bissett (20:24):

It is Pacheco Koch and I, I can't even go down the list of all the ways people mispronounce Pacheco. It, it,

you get Pacheco, Pachako, <laugh>, I, there's

Ron Lyons (20:37):

Coke, Koch every different, yes. It's a thousand different combination possibilities. And so it's just, it's

it's, it's good when you can just say

Clint Bissett (20:45):

Pk. Yes. And pk And we actually got acquired by a company called Westwood about a year and a half

ago, which has been a really good move for us and made us a national firm at that point. So people can

say Westwood a whole lot easier than

Ron Lyons (20:56):

I. That was way, way better <laugh>. I like it. I like it. So let's get a little bit into this thing that you're

actually trying to kind of bring some attention and focus too. And it's, it's a really awesome thing. I was a

part of the initial the startup and when Frisco did this exact same thing, now they're many years into it.

Give us an idea of what's going on and where are you trying to bring some awareness to? Okay.

Clint Bissett (21:22):

So the program is Leadership Celina. It is a Chamber of Commerce program and it's done at Chambers

throughout the us. The intent of it is to get people involved that are up and coming leaders and let them

see behind the curtain as to what goes on in the community. So we've got, it's a eight month long

program. You're basically dedicating a day, a month, every month for that eight months. And every

month we do something different. The first one is a team building deal, then we'll do education and

healthcare where you go to the high school and Collin College and you visit some of the, the medical

practices around here and get a feel for that. We've got a local government, which is city and county

government. We usually start the day over at Collin County Admin Building and go visit with the county

judge and the sheriff and some of the other county officials and get a feel for behind the scenes, what's

going on over there. How do they run the county, what do the county commissioners actually do, what

does the sheriff do? And how does that interact with the rest of the law enforcement community? Then

we'll come over to the city and visit with the fire department and the police department. The city

manager will go out to the wastewater plant, cuz you haven't seen a city until you've been to the

wastewater plant. That's

Ron Lyons (22:47):

A, it's, it's a critical part of the operations. It is of a city. It's not, maybe not always the most fun, but it is

very interesting. Well,

Clint Bissett (22:53):

And it's, you'll hear people that will, will include the public works with the, with the fire and police. It is,

it is a first responder of sorts. And nobody thinks about it until you flush that toilet and it doesn't go

away <laugh>. Or you turn on that tap and there ain't no water there. <Laugh>. And those guys are the

unsung heroes.

Ron Lyons (23:15):

They, I I, I wholeheartedly agree with that. That is, that is the absolute truth. The ones that don't

necessarily get all the fame and all the glory, but it without, I will

Clint Bissett (23:24):

Tell you, when we in trouble, when we had that freeze and nobody left their house for a week, those

guys were out there, they were making sure that the water wa the water was running, that the

wastewater was running <laugh>. They were making sure that you could get where you were going. I

mean, they're out there freezing their tails off, making sure you have water. So I I, I'm in charge of that

day when we do it. And that's one of the things that I try to make sure we do because it is a critical

piece. And those guys that are running that plant or that are going out and working on the sewer lines or

a water main break in the middle of the night, I have heard them tell me that they love their job because

they're an unseen hero. There's somebody that something goes to hell in a hand basket and they go out

there, they do their job, they get it back going, and then they just drift off into the night and you don't

see 'em. Wow. So they, I like that. They love that they can be such a big benefit to the community, but

they don't want the spotlight while they're doing it.

Ron Lyons (24:22):

Right. I like it. I like it a lot. It's very, very good stuff.

Clint Bissett (24:25):

The intent is to show them how everything kinda works. So, you know, how, what charities do we have

in town and how do those work and how do they help people? And how do, how does somebody that's

in need find those people to get the assistance? If somebody's got an issue with, I know your water, your

sugar, your pothole in front of your house, whatever, how do you get that addressed? So it puts people

in a position where they know how stuff works behind the background and they meet the people that

are kind of key players on that, and they build relationships with them so that if something like that

comes up, they've got the ability to go, Hey, I know the guy that you can call that'll get that, get that

fixed for you. Or, Hey, I I, your house burned out. We know these Grace Bridge guys are helping hands.

We can, we can help you get past this. So it, it's part, it's partially about relationships. It's partially about

learning how the community works. And a big part of it is putting people who are up and coming leaders

in a position to where they can help and benefit others with the knowledge that they have at that's been

imparted to 'em through this program.

Ron Lyons (25:34):

I like it. And give me an idea. So what are the qualifications like, it, you, you, obviously there's some

certain, you know, requirements that you've gotta meet in order to join Leadership Alliance. Sure. So tell

tell me about that.

Clint Bissett (25:49):

So the, the biggest one is since it's the Chamber of Commerce program, you have to be, you or your

company have to be a member of the Chamber. And then the, the other biggest deal is you've gotta

have the desire and the commitment to put in the time. So, like I said, it's a, it's a day a month. So if

you're self-employed, you gotta know that you're not gonna be in the office for that day. If you're

working for somebody, you, your boss needs to know that you're making a commitment and you're

going to be out these days and, you know, those days ahead of time.

Ron Lyons (26:18):

So I know this is the, the third,

Clint Bissett (26:21):

Yes, the

Ron Lyons (26:21):

Third what, what do you call it? The, the third class.

Clint Bissett (26:24):

Third class. Yes, sir.

Ron Lyons (26:25):

Okay. So, so first class and I know you said each one does a project. Yes. They have like a, a class project

or something like that. Then I believe they end up introducing that or, or or submitting that whatever to,

to city council. And it's kind of this big deal. I know there's, there's a, a graduation. Yes, sir. So there's

different elements of it. Like I said, very similar to, to how everybody else does it. And so gimme an idea

on, on class one Leadership, Celina class one. What was their project?

Clint Bissett (26:56):

So their project was, they went through, so one of the big things that they enjoyed was one of the days

is basically Celina history. And we drove around downtown and had a gentleman that's a big historian,

knows a lot of stuff about Old Celina from way back in the day when it started. So we drove through and

had talk about some of the houses and what happened there and the families that were there and how

they were influential in the community as it was growing back in the day. Then we went out to Cottage

Hill Cemetery and saw some of the old tombstones out there from way back when. And this, these are

some other influential people within the community. Then we went out to the school and, all right, this

is the school that was built on property from this family that we just talked about.

Clint Bissett (27:49):

So they wanted to help bring some of that history to people that are new to the community. So what

they did was they put together, and it's like I said, it's on the city's website somewhere. It's kind of

buried a little bit hard to find, but they've got a page in there that's got a map up the top of it. And it has

little dots that are associated with numbers. And as you scroll down, there are some little factoids as

well as some recordings. Like, so one of them was the old line of football field. And the class went and

interviewed Ga Moore and talked about what happened back in the day. And all these championships

that you won, all this the things that you instilled in these young men to make them passionate about

football, good at football, hardworking, have that mentality, but not just on the field in their everyday

life and in their community. So you get to listen to him. Talk about that. Excuse me. You get to talk about

when Kenny Chesney came and was, you know, did the video. Right.

Ron Lyons (28:54):

Kinda a kind of a, a a a little known interesting thing. Yeah. Kenny Chesney actually came to Celina. Yep.

And not for a concert specifically.

Clint Bissett (29:03):

Yeah. He came to do the Boys of Falls video. That's right. And then came back after that. Like, I think

they were playing maybe Anna. Mm-Hmm. I forget the story exactly, but Right. There were little rumors

going around that, oh, Kenny's in town right now. Kenny's in town right now. Right. And they were

having a pep rally over at the school. And Kenny touched base with somebody, was like, Hey, you mind if

I come over to the, the school before the pep rally went over there and showed up and stepped out and

everybody just went nuts. And by the time they got over to where they were playing the football game,

the opposing team already knew about it was like, Hey, how, how was Kenny doing <laugh>? It's just

cool stuff like that. Right. So they talk about that. There's one on Bobcat, Benny, there's one on Punk

Carter.

Clint Bissett (29:46):

And it's, you know, like I said, there's some little snippets in there where they had conversations, some

little wart doing that, that are in there. You can go listen to and hear some of the history on it. So that's

what theirs was. And it was kind of a cool project because it's one of those where classes after that have

the ability to go in and edit and update that and add more information. So if there's, if there's pieces of

the history or something that appeals to that class, they can go in and add that to it. So it's, it's one of

those that can kind of morph over time and continue to build.

Ron Lyons (30:18):

Very, very cool. And what was the, the second class project? Do you remember what that was?

Clint Bissett (30:23):

Yes. The, the second class did a storybook, like an illustrated kid storybook. I forget exactly which class it

is. I won't say is either second or third grade. But they again, put something together that is kind of a

history of where we came from. Cause it's one of the things about Lina is it's not just about where we're

going with this growth or where we are right now with what's going on, or just about the history. And

the people that came before us and set the stage, what we're doing now was built on their shoulders as

they made Celina what it is. And what we're doing now will help carry that into the future. So the

storybook kind of goes through some of the stuff that went on back in the day at a level that a second or

third grader can understand and get interested in. So it's set up as Benny Bobcat is a time traveler and

he is going back in time Wow. And kind of goes through these pieces. Very cool. So they put that

together and then got a sponsor that actually printed up copies of them where every child in that grade

next year we'll get a copy of this book. Wow. So it's kind, kind of a cool little Yeah. Deal.

Ron Lyons (31:38):

It's super cool. And now it's time for class number three to be formed. Yes, sir. So applications are being

accepted right now, is that, is that correct?

Clint Bissett (31:47):

Yes. Yep. Applications are open through the end of the month.

Ron Lyons (31:49):

Okay. And talk to me about that. Where would someone go to find an application? How do they submit

that? What's, what's, what's required? Do they need to write a, an essay? What, what, what's involved?

Clint Bissett (32:00):

All right. So the applications can be found online at the Chamber of Commerce website or Facebook

page. There is, you have to fill out the application, which includes some basic information about you.

There's some questions on there about you know, what do you do, how are you investing in the

community? Do you do extracurricular stuff like volunteering for some of the events or Friday night

market, or with one of the churches or one of the charities around? Just kind of some public

involvement stuff that you do.

Clint Bissett (32:29):

What are you looking to get out of this class? What do you think you bring to the table that adds benefit

to the class? It's just not a dissertation or, you know, I'm, I'm all this greatness or anything like that. It's

just some basic information so that we can look at the people that are applying and make sure that the

ones we're getting are ones that are driven and motivated and good future potential leaders. It is an

application process. We don't accept everybody that submits. So we, we have a kind of a set size that

we're looking, we for the first few classes, we wanna keep it at 15 or under just so we can make sure

that as we grow it, we are putting the program together like it needs to be so that we can get, get a

good solid program for the people going through so they get value out of it.

Clint Bissett (33:19):

If you get too big, it gets a little outta hand. Logistics become an issue, stuff like that. So there is also a

application fee of $500 application. It's a class fee, so if you apply, you don't have to pay it. Then if you

get accepted into the class, then you have to pay the $500 fee. You've also got to have at least one letter

of recommendation from somebody, either somebody you work with or something like that. And then

there's a place where you have to sign off that yes, if my employer knows that I'm applying for this, they

support this, they support the time commitment that goes along with this

Ron Lyons (33:55):

Good stuff. So, and then there's a, a process where you guys would then make your selections and that

sort of thing. Is, is there, are there any interviews involved in

Clint Bissett (34:04):

This? Yes, there are. So we have a steering committee back up just a little bit. So the, the Chamber of

Commerce has been talking about for years, starting up this leadership's lineup program. And you really

need to have a, a good basis of companies that are, or chamber members that are here so that you've

got a pool to pull from. Otherwise like, oh yeah, we're gonna do this. We got one class through and

there's no new applicants <laugh>, every chamber never signed up. Right, right. So we, we've been

talking about it for a while. My wife Amy and I have been talking with Melissa Cromwell at the Chamber

probably five years ago, cuz I had been through Leadership Grandberry when I was down there. Amy

had been through Leadership, Denton was on the steering committee over there. So as we started

getting some momentum, we needed a steering committee to help put it all together, plan out the

program days and all that.

Clint Bissett (34:55):

So we added in some other people that had been through the program. Chad Anderson had been

through Leadership Frisco, I believe he was actually class two in Frisco. Tom Parsons went through

leadership Waco several years ago. Brenda Carter with Colin College has been through, she's our

superstar. She's been through three different leadership programs. So all of us had been through it and

knew the value that it brings to both the applicants and the community in general. So we were kind of

driven, it was a, a soft spot in our heart to put this program together and make it something that was

good and something that people would want to be a part of, and kind of an elite organization as it

moves forward. And then from there we make a selection of who's gonna make the cut.

Ron Lyons (35:40):

So when this is all said and done, what is there, is there always a a similar start date for each group? For

each class,

Clint Bissett (35:47):

Yes. Generally we will get together and the kickoff, which is the team building, will be in late September.

Ron Lyons (35:55):

Okay. And, and the team building thing. So back then my day, there was an actual one of those it's not

called a confidence course anymore, but there was, there was some sort of a, a course

Clint Bissett (36:06):

Thing, the Ropes coach

Ron Lyons (36:08):

Yeah, yeah. One of those type types of deals. And so many people were afraid to do that. Yeah. But

yeah, they, they still had good leadership qualities, but they didn't like to climb up on the telephone pole

and jump to a trapeze and that sort of thing. So what, what kind of team building things have you seen

so far with leadership Soup?

Clint Bissett (36:27):

So typically what we'll do is we'll start off the day and it's kind of, I guess to know each other. We go

through and just do, you know, introductions and two truths and a lie and just kind of ice, two truths

Ron Lyons (36:39):

And a lie. Yeah. I like it. <Laugh>.

Clint Bissett (36:41):

So this is gonna give it away for all the future classes though. But one of the two truths and a lie that

comes up or has come up at the first two is that there's three of us in this room that have matching

tattoos,

Ron Lyons (36:55):

<Laugh> <laugh>.

Clint Bissett (36:58):

And the looks we get are like the one that's on your face right now. Exactly.

Ron Lyons (37:02):

Like, what

Clint Bissett (37:02):

The hell is going on here? <Laugh>.

Ron Lyons (37:05):

That's awesome. Oh man, that is funny.

Clint Bissett (37:09):

I'll tell you, it's me, my wife and Melissa Cromwell since we're all on the chambers Wine Crawl planning

committee, we all got a little wine glass tattoo several years ago. So

Ron Lyons (37:19):

<Laugh> well just, yeah. And, and you may or may not be being honest about that right now, just to

throw someone off so you know. Hey, just we'll find out. We'll find out. That's right. If

Clint Bissett (37:31):

We, we see if anybody actually listens to this or not. That's

Ron Lyons (37:33):

Right. That's right. Well, just, just so you know about right now, running around 6,000 listens per

episode. So in a city like Celina, I think a few people are gonna hear this. It's a good job. Yeah.

Ron Lyons (37:45):

Guys, what do you think about Clint Bissett so far? Super cool guy, right? And it just so happens that he's

doing a fantastic job over at the Celina Economic Development Corporation and he's doing a fantastic

job promoting leadership Celina as well. And we're not done with the interview. We've got a little more

to cover, but I just wanted to take a moment and invite you to join my Facebook group called The Best

of Celina. If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out on so much. It's a place where you can really get a

sense of community in Celina, Texas, Texas, lots and lots of families, small businesses, events. We're

gonna have some meetups pretty soon. We've got a networking group coming that's going to be very

supportive of our small businesses in Celina. So there's a whole lot there for you to do, participate in,

hang out with some of the best of the best, find out what's going on. And by all means, we would love to

have you join that page. I think you're just gonna love it. It's different than almost anything else out

there. So go check it out. Just go on Facebook, do a search for the best of Celina and join. That's it for

now, guys. Let's get back to the interview with Clint Bissett. You got a little more to talk about with him

and leadership Celina, and then some kind of interesting and fun questions towards the end of the

interview. So let's get back to Clint ett.

Clint Bissett (39:25):

So as part of the rest of the team building day, the part of the first day, we also do like a scavenger hunt

and some other stuff. And then we'll have a happy hour at the end of it where it'll be the new class as

well as the previous classes and the chamber board so they can meet everybody there.

Ron Lyons (39:40):

It sounds to me like maybe doing the happy hour thing is kind of the, the fun part. No, I'm just kidding.

That's, that's why I would join.

Clint Bissett (39:45):

You would think. But you haven't heard about the second day yet.

Ron Lyons (39:48):

<Laugh>, tell me about the second day.

Clint Bissett (39:50):

So the second day we go out to punk Carter's ranch, and I don't know if you've been out there and hung

out with him. He's absolutely an amazing man Yes. To start with. He's got such great storage, but we'll

go out there and we will have a cowboy breakfast that they cook over the fire. And then like last year

actually both years, GA Moore came out there, but last year we had like an impromptu discussion with

Ga where he told us, oh, I sat there and talked for probably 20 minutes, just regaling us with what

leadership means to him and how he tried to instill that in the boys that were coming up through his, his

program. And then punk gets you on the horses and you get to ride around the horse. You do some, you

know, trying to lasso the little horse or the cow dummy. Right, right. Do some cutting on there where

they get the flag going back and forth and you try not to fall off the horse. So there's, it's really cool. It's

gets everybody out of their comfort zone. And if you've met punk, you know that you, there is no saying

no to this man <laugh>.

Ron Lyons (40:50):

Nope.

Clint Bissett (40:51):

We, we went the first year and he had everybody go through and get on the cutting horse. And I'm not a

huge horse guy. And he's like, all right, you're next. I'm like, no, I'm good. And he goes, yeah. I said,

you're next.

Ron Lyons (41:02):

Exactly.

Clint Bissett (41:03):

<Laugh>, it. All right, let's

Ron Lyons (41:04):

Go. That's exactly, that's exactly how a conversation goes with punk Carter <laugh>. That's so awesome.

Clint Bissett (41:11):

So it's good times though. So if you know of punk, we were sitting there the first year when we went out

to his place and we're having lunch and he looks down at his phone, he gets a text and he leans over to

his wife Rita, and goes, eh, Juan just asked if we want to go to her concert down in Arlington tonight, go

backstage and hang out. He said, I don't really feel like going to Arlington today, so I'll just tell her no

<laugh>.

Ron Lyons (41:36):

Exactly. Exactly. Right,

Clint Bissett (41:38):

Right. That's what my typical Friday's like too. Just, you know, why on to hit me off if I wanna go to

concert

Ron Lyons (41:43):

<Laugh>. Unbelievable. A man with a lot of history and a really good meatloaf over at Lucy's too. Yes, sir.

That's right. So hopefully we get some really, really good leadership candidates for you and they can get

in that process. And you guys can, I I I I guess I'm gonna call it help build the legacy of Celina. Yes.

Because we, we all come from a a, a past and I don't know if past leadership knew what one day would

come. I don't know that you could necessarily know that back in the day, but we certainly know it today.

Oh yeah. Yeah. And so this is a critical part of building Celina into the kind of community and city that we

all wanted to be. Something that we all love so much. We all share that in common. And I, I think doing

this leadership seina thing is just gonna be, you know, as it grows, it's gonna be an integral part of the

future of Celina. It's gonna be amazing. So thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming on here and

talking about that. And we'll certainly love to follow up later and find out how everything went. Yes, sir.

And kind of get a, get a, get an update maybe you know, maybe just on a regular basis maybe you can

come back and give us a little insight on how everything's going.

Clint Bissett (42:55):

And you must be desperate for material. If you're asking me back <laugh>,

Ron Lyons (42:59):

You know, what you would be, you would be amazed at, at the the things that people love to hear on

this show. And I know this is gonna be one of those things, so I know they'd love to hear from you again,

but we're not just gonna walk away on that note. No. Okay. You, you, I told you already, I'm not gonna

pull out any games. You're not gonna have to give a makeup tutorial or do anything like that, but I, I do

have a few just for fun questions. Just, you know, I learned a little bit about Clint Bissett and we know

that he, he likes to get the cheeseburger from Lucy's and all that kind of stuff, but I'm gonna ask him a

few more questions and he has no idea what I'm about to ask him. So these will be a little bit more fun.

So give us an idea if you had to choose between every day riding the motorcycle of your dreams, Harley

Davidson, whatever you like, or driving the pickup of your dreams, what do you choose?

Clint Bissett (43:52):

Not really a motorcycle by gas. I'm gonna go with the pickup.

Ron Lyons (43:55):

Gotcha. All right. And if we got in that truck and we crank it up, what kind of music do we hear?

Clint Bissett (44:01):

Oh dude. So I will tell you, and this is gonna be a long answer for just a simple question, <laugh>, I did

the little profile for this line of record while a while back, right. And one of the questions was, what's my

go-to song? And I'm like, I, I listened to so much stuff, whether it is nineties rap or heavy metal, or Texas

country or I, I just have a broad range of likes when it comes to music. But I also said in that article that I

think it'd be this or this, but if you ask me what my walkup music is,

Ron Lyons (44:38):

<Laugh>

Clint Bissett (44:39):

Your walk up music, I can answer

Ron Lyons (44:41):

<Laugh>. That's awesome. I like it. What's my walk? I mean, that's gonna be a new question for me.

Yeah. Now what's your, what's your, what's your walkup song? What's your I like that. That's good. So,

so, so what do we hear coming out of the radio?

Clint Bissett (44:53):

It's probably gonna be Texas country. There's gonna be some Randy Rogers or some Parker McCollum or

some co wetzel going most days. Very

Ron Lyons (44:59):

Good. So let me ask you this. Not part of this the little line of like crazy questioning, but do you like

doing the Troubadour Festival? Yes. Okay, so we've got that coming up.

Clint Bissett (45:08):

So I, I live in Parkside so I can sit out in the hot tub and listen to the music from there.

Ron Lyons (45:14):

You're so lucky.

Clint Bissett (45:15):

The drinks are free

Ron Lyons (45:16):

<Laugh>. That's awesome. Yeah, you're right there. You're very, very close to the action. You don't have

to even try to listen to it. So, so if you if you, do you, do you drink coffee or no? No, not a coffee drinker.

Not a coffee drinker. Soft drinks. Yep. Coke, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi. What's your flavor?

Clint Bissett (45:34):

I'm either a Cherry Zero or a Dr. Pepper guy.

Ron Lyons (45:38):

Wow, okay. Very interesting news guys. You're

Clint Bissett (45:40):

Gonna do Dr. Pepper, you gotta go full lettuce. You don't, you don't get that diet Dr. Pepper Kraft, but,

but the Cherry zero.

Ron Lyons (45:47):

I like it. Yeah, I like it. So chicken fried steak or fried chicken?

Clint Bissett (45:51):

Oh, chicken fried steak. Oh man. White grape.

Ron Lyons (45:54):

Speaking my

Clint Bissett (45:54):

Language, my potatoes, green beans,

Ron Lyons (45:56):

My language. I love it. Good stuff. So favorite movie that just comes to mind right off the top of your

head? Favorite movie? Oh. Or a favorite movie?

Clint Bissett (46:07):

Dazed and Confused.

Ron Lyons (46:09):

Dazed and Confused. You know, that's the second time I've heard that really. Second time I've heard

that. What in the world about that movie? What is it that's so appealing? I

Clint Bissett (46:16):

Don't know. I think it's just the, it's just the cool laid back vibe to it and back when things were quote

unquote simpler. Right

Ron Lyons (46:25):

On. I like it. I like it. So if you could go back in history, and this is one of those cliche questions, but if you

could sit down, have dinner conversation with anyone from history, famous or not famous, who would

you, who would you like to sit down with? Have a meal and have a conversation?

Clint Bissett (46:46):

I mean, nothing could be cooler than this conversation we're having, but

Ron Lyons (46:50):

<Laugh> Well, I, okay, that's true.

Clint Bissett (46:51):

If I gotta pick a number two then,

Ron Lyons (46:56):

Oh man.

Clint Bissett (46:58):

I think it would be kind of cool to go back and talk to, let's just pick Benjamin Franklin. Okay. Good

choice.

Ron Lyons (47:07):

Very

Clint Bissett (47:07):

Interested person he went through and how his mind worked and the just overall general curiosity had

about how things work and figuring out how that all comes together. Absolutely. I think he'd be just

interesting guy to talk to.

Ron Lyons (47:22):

Very, very interesting. If you ever study history and you study Ben Franklin, you, it's, it's, it's very

enlightening. Yeah. To say the least. It's not, you just see like this older guy and he did this or that and

flying a kite or whatever. No, there's so much more to, to him. So if you could be in any other career

besides being an engineer, doing what you're doing right now, just a any job in the world and you'd be

really, really good at it, what would you do?

Clint Bissett (47:48):

I think one that on a day-to-day basis I would really enjoy is being a float fisherman guide. Wow. Okay.

Being up in, I don't know, go White River in Arkansas or

Ron Lyons (48:01):

Interesting.

Clint Bissett (48:04):

Go up to Wyoming, float the green up there, or even in Alaska doing stuff like that. Wow. I, I grew up

going up to Colorado every summer and trout fishing up in the mountains and I'm not gonna brag too

much, but I'm pretty good at it. So <laugh>, I've had more

Ron Lyons (48:20):

Than sea yourself. Well

Clint Bissett (48:21):

It's

Ron Lyons (48:21):

Good. I like

Clint Bissett (48:22):

It. Well we floated the, floated the white up in Arkansas when I was in probably fifth grade and we got

up there and I had my little spinning rig and food guide was like, man, this is fly fish and water, you're

not gonna catch anything with that. And about 15 fish later he looks over at my dad and goes, he's

pretty good with that spinning rig, isn't he? My dad's like, yep, you should have listened to. That's

awesome.

Ron Lyons (48:42):

I love it. That's awesome. Good stuff. I'm not gonna ask you then beach versus mountains cuz I, you just

answered that one. No

Clint Bissett (48:48):

I didn't.

Ron Lyons (48:49):

No.

Clint Bissett (48:49):

Really? I love both of them. Really? Yeah, my wife's, wow. My wife's a beach baby, so we been, we're

actually going to Mexico in a couple of weeks, so we hang out on the beach. So we like both and just

depends on the day. Okay.

Ron Lyons (48:59):

And the last question and the one that everybody gets asked and it's like so exhausted now, but you

know what, it's just the funniest thing ever. And I'll, I'll just probably keep doing this the rest of my time

doing this podcast. If you had to choose between fighting a horse sized duck or a hundred duck sized

horses, which fight do you take? A horse-sized duck. So it's a duck I,

Clint Bissett (49:23):

No, but it's horse

Ron Lyons (49:24):

Size that big.

Clint Bissett (49:25):

Where's a little horses

Ron Lyons (49:28):

Or a hundred of them? As small as ducks running around and I happen to have horses and ducks so I

can, I I get the size thing.

Clint Bissett (49:34):

I mean you've seen Jurassic Park, you gotta fight in chance are running from the T-Rex <laugh>, those,

those little ones that come by the hundred, you're screwed. I'm going with a horse-sized duck <laugh>.

Ron Lyons (49:44):

So you're gonna go out there and duke it out with a horse-sized duck. I like it. I got,

Clint Bissett (49:49):

I got a fighting chance that maybe I'm quicker

Ron Lyons (49:51):

<Laugh>. There you go. Yeah, I think so. I think so. Unless you just ate it Lucy's and then you

Clint Bissett (49:57):

Know, lay down and take it. <Laugh> <laugh>,

Ron Lyons (49:59):

Go ahead and get killed by the horse. So just duck. So good stuff Clint, thank you so very much for being

on this show. We appreciate very much everything you're doing to make Salan better. So thank you for

that very much and we will hopefully get you back on the show again in the future. I

Clint Bissett (50:15):

Appreciate the invite, Ron. Thanks for having me

Ron Lyons (50:17):

Guys. That is Clint Bissett.

Ron Lyons (50:24):

So there you go guys. That is Clint Bissett. He happens to be the president of the Celina Economic

Development Corporation. He is also on the steering committee for Leadership Celina. And like I said

before, if you have any aspirations of becoming a future leader in Celina, Texas, one of the greatest

stepping stones that you can take is enrolling in, participating and graduating from Leadership Celina.

It's just a critical part of that process. It gives you a huge headstart. Clint visit is the person to talk to. The

deadline for applications, from what I understand is the last day of this month, June of 2023. It's a big

commitment, but it has a big payoff. So guys, that's gonna wrap it up for today. You know that we all

live, work and enjoy the greatest city

Ron Lyons (51:36):

In the United States. Yeah, I'm very biased because I love my Celina and I love you guys. I appreciate the

fact that you're here and that you listen to this show with regularity. It's an amazing thing. And so thank

you. Thank you so very much for that. We've got so Manny guest coming up. We are running about 10

to 12 weeks behind right now because we've got so many people who wanna be on the show and

they're amazing people. You're gonna love these episodes. Remember, go to the best of Celina, go on

Facebook and join the group called The Best of Solina. That's gonna be one of the coolest things that you

can do because you're gonna become an even stronger part of the community of Solina, Texas when you

meet all of the people, attend the event and participate in this fantastic city. So guys, until that next

episode, stay safe and God bless.