Limpert Tech on iHeartRadio 4/22/22 - Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts, a RV Membership Service

Even though I’m not an RVer, I think about traveling the country in an RV often.

This week, Rick is joined by Joel Holland, travel expert and CEO of Harvest Hosts, a membership platform for RVers to find unique overnight stays.

Have a listen:

Harvest Hosts, a membership program giving RVers access to unique overnight stays, finds that in a recent survey, 63% of respondents sleep in parking lots–such as Walmarts, Cracker Barrels and rest stops–less often as a result of being a member. Additionally, a full 23% of Harvest Hosts members report using their RVs more frequently each year as a result of being part of the program. Members are going on multiple trips each year, and during those trips they’re staying at a mix of Harvest Hosts locations as well as traditional campgrounds. Since Harvest Hosts locations offer boondocking (no hookups) for 24 hours, the data shows that members are more likely to spend additional nights in campgrounds before and after visiting small businesses in the Harvest Hosts network.

“Our stay at Belle Marie [a Harvest Hosts location] was a one night stay between week-long campground stays for us,” says Steve and Sigrid, members of Harvest Hosts. “We very much enjoyed many of the wines at Belle Marie.”

RV ownership and rentals are reaching record levels. According to RVIA, 72 million Americans plan to go RVing this year. As they set out on the open road, the more options there are to stay overnight in their RVs, the better. Campgrounds and Harvest Hosts locations enable RVers to commune with the outdoors, connect with fellow road travelers, support small businesses, and take in some incredible views. Both options are actively helping RVers avoid spending the night in a public parking lot. With Harvest Hosts and traditional campgrounds as options, RVers are doing more of what road trips are intended to do – explore the country, not just park in it.

“As 2022 is going to be yet another record year for RVing, road trippers are looking for amazing things to do and see. For most, this doesn’t include seeing the parking lots of America,” says Holland, of Harvest Hosts. “We’re finding most of our members are going on more trips per year since joining the Harvest Hosts program, leading to more total bookings that help support small businesses and traditional campgrounds overall.”

The RV industry is bracing for another busy summer for road travel. Harvest Hosts locations complement traditional campgrounds across America to provide RVers with an incredible overnight experience no matter where the road takes them. In 2022, Harvest Hosts members will spend over $40M directly with the small businesses and communities they visit, and the company does not take any cut of that additional revenue.

Limpert Tech on iHeartRadio 4/8/22 - Sandeep Harpalani, VP of Product Management at NETGEAR

Talking about high speed internet this week with Sandeep Harpalani of NETGEAR.

Harpalani, VP of Product Management at NETGEAR as an expert source on WiFi 6E and the future of WiFi technology.

Have a listen as he discusses with Rick.

According to recent research from NETGEAR, average US household Internet speeds rose 30% to 196 Mbps and peak Internet traffic increased 32% this past year over pre-pandemic levels as people regularly spend more time online between working, learning, and playing. As a result, WiFi congestion and sensitivity to delays have become a major pain point. To solve this, NETGEAR became one of the first adopters of WiFi 6E technology with the introduction of the industry-first Orbi Quad-band Mesh WiFi 6E system in October 2021.

They discuss:

The future of WiFi and streaming and how it relates to sports streaming.

Harpalani is the Vice President of Products at NETGEAR responsible for their complete product portfolio for the consumer home. Sandeep has been with NETGEAR for the past eleven years and has been responsible for the launch of industry leading products like Orbi Mesh WiFi Systems and Nighthawk WiFi Routers. He has been through multiple WiFi technology transitions from WiFi 4 (802.11ac) to WiFi 5 (802.11ax) to WiFi 6 and now 6E.

Zack Hample, Youtuber, Baseball Fan an Home Run Ball Catcher

Rick is joined by baseball fan and internet sensation, Zack Hample this week.

Have a listen:

Hample has attended games at 61 different MLB stadiums and snagged more than 11,000 balls in the stands including Mike Trout's 1st career home run and Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit.

Zample gives his tips for catching baseballs at games.

Zack is also the subject of a new feature-length documentary which was released on March 29, 2022. It's very interesting.

Enjoy this talk with Zack and check out his website.

Limpert Tech on iHeartRadio 3/26/21 - Kevin Gallagher, Autor 'Teach Your Kids to Hit'

Rick talks to Kevin Gallagher this week.

Baseball and more!

SAVE THE GAME ™ is a grass roots initiative to invigorate Major League Baseball and increase youth participation in the game; the initiative was launched by the nine-year veteran former MLB player Jeff Frye (Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, Blue Jays), and two New York college standouts - Kevin Gallagher (Pace University) and Pat Geoghegan (Mercy College). Gallagher’s book, “Teach Your Kid to Hit … So they Don’t Quit,” was the genesis of the “Save the Game” ™ movement. The hope is that the initiative will ensure the revitalization of the game toward a healthy business future.

Visit www.savethegameus.com for more information and to sign the petition.
The initiative starts a one million signature petition-for-change effort to gain momentum toward a National movement, while grabbing the attention of MLB executives on a league and team level.  Visit www.savethegameus.com for more information and to sign the petition.
 
Simply stated, Gallagher, Frye and Geoghegan contend that MLB has lost its entertainment value because of its reliance on the power swing and little action between home runs. America’s youth is not engaged with MLB because the game has become too slow for this generation. Without the next generation’s involvement, MLB’s customer base will be diminished and baseball could lose its relevance and becomes a niche sport.
 
SAVE THE GAME ™ group wants to align with MLB on issues it has raised and problems already recognized in a grassroots effort.
Some of the focuses of SAVE THE GAME ™ include:
·       Give a Voice to the American baseball fan.
·       increasing youth participation in baseball with instruction from the book, and aligning with MLB to partner on the message.
·       reaching out to the RBI Foundations of each team (Revive Baseball in Inner Cities) to provide support and tools to help kids play the game
·       developing an app for parents which will provide a process to teaching kids, so they enjoy the game
·       Creating new fans.
 
It is the belief of the trio, and many experts are in agreement, that baseball has lost its luster because of its lack of action and strategy. Once America’s pastime, today it lags in television ratings (down 50 percent since 2003), sponsorship dollars and younger fan interest (only 7 percent under 18 watch baseball).
 
The hope is to revive baseball by bringing it back to its quicker pace of bygone years. The strategy, beginning with a player’s swing in youth baseball, includes: contact hitting and keeping the ball in play instead of swinging for the fences to increase action, thus making the game more entertaining; and by engaging younger fans and instructing younger players on the art of the game from Little League to High School to College.
 
Gallagher gives this example of the current “All or Nothing” approach: “There are only 2.46 home runs hit per game. In a three-hour game, you’re only getting a home run every hour. In between home runs is what is killing baseball. There is no action. We have to restore the game to the way it was historically played.”
 
An advisory board is being formed and a National Save The Game Day will both be announced in February.
 
Thanks for taking a look, John C., 914-260-7436
1.   “Save the Game” ™ is a movement brought about by our concern that Major League Baseball could be irrelevant or just a niche sports in Ameriica in 15 years.
 
2.   The reason is that MLB has changed the Fundamentals of the game that have been successful for 125 years and shifted to an all-power game, reducing the amount of action and entertainment for the viewer.
 
3.   Longtime fans are watching less, and younger people are not watching at all. The game is too boring for the younger generation who has many other entertainment venues from which to choose.            
 
4.   In 15 years MLB will depend on this younger generation to support the game. Unless the trend is reversed, baseball will be a secondary sport in America.
 
5.   We want to “Save the Game”™ by Harnessing the “Energy of Discontent” of the baseball fan across America and collect 1 million digital signatures which we will bring to MLB to help them realize their game is in jeopardy and needs change.
 
6.   We want to give the Fan of America a Voice to MLB.
We will then work with MLB providing solutions to bring back action and engage with the younger generation.     

Limpert Tech on iHeartRadio 1/7/21 - Gabby Thomas, Olympian, Lenovo 'Just Watch Us' Campaign

Rick is joined by Gabby Thomas this week. Thomas won both a silver and bronze in Tokyo and is the third fastest woman all-time in the 200 meters.

A graduate of Harvard University, she studied neurobiology and global health as an undergraduate. While at Harvard, Thomas won 22 conference titles across her three years of athletics in six different events, setting the school and Ivy League records in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the indoor 60 meters. She is now doing postgraduate work at the University of Texas.

Gabby is partnering with Lenovo for a new campaign.

Have a listen to Rick and Gabby

Lenovo’s “Just Watch Us” Campaign for ThinkPad Z.

Just Watch Us will position the new ThinkPad Z as the technology that has arrived at the most opportune time in history to help create change: a tool that will not only allow Gen Z +Y to excel in the new world of work, but to power their ideas that will imagine, create and define the future. This campaign will activate a call for the trailblazers to rethink and reimagine what’s next; they will be the face, the voice, and inspiration of the campaign.

Gabby is a Lenovo user and her passion for health and technology, including how she is using smarter technology to drive health equity outcomes and reform the healthcare industry to better serve historically disadvantaged communities.

Gabby is just getting started with all aspects of her career. Wishing her the best!