Building Opportunity

D. Lee Scott:
Hello, ladies and gents. Welcome to Sound United Presents, a diverse and inclusive podcast featuring familiar names and new voices. In each episode, our guests candidly share their stories filled with triumphs, setback, humor, lessons learned, and of course, nuggets of wisdom. We're excited to share these stories with you. Now let's meet today's guest. Hey folks, thank you for hitting the play button and welcome to another episode of Sound United Presents Podcast here in the friendly and comfortable confines of Sound United Podcast Studio. And as I always say, whatever time you listen to this, good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. So my guest today, as we jump into this, you know, we got a new format. I'm going to do some, some cover fire for him because, you you know, kind of the surface level stuff because we really kind of like to go deep into allowing them to introduce themselves. But here's a little, here's a little information for y'all. So he's been in the banking industry, I'd say 20, about 23 years, around 23 years. He is currently the Vice President and Community Development Officer for Farmers National Bank. He is a board member. So he served and is serving on many impactful boards, not just locally, but Also regionally and statewide. And I do want to kind of promote this one because, you know, sometimes people get awards or you hear someone getting awards and it's like, oh, they did that. But he is the 2023 award winner of the American Bankers Association's Emerging Leader. And I want to kind of go in detail of what this is real quick. So what it does, it recognizes the next generation of bank leaders who are committed to the highest standards of achievement and service to both, not just the industry, but one of the big ones I'm excited about this one is the local communities. And with that, now that I gave some cover fire so he don't have to go all into his title and all that other stuff, for people meeting you for the first time, who is Mr. Juan Santiago? Ooh, man.

Juan Santiago:
Who is Juan Santiago? So I have to go back to when my parents came from Puerto Rico. This is back in the '50s, actually 1953 to be exact. So my dad came here to work in the steel mills. And actually, he came a year before and worked here for a while, well, for the year, and then went back to Puerto Rico to get my mom and then came back. So we were all born and raised here. And so I'm one of 8 siblings, and there were 4 and 4, and it was boy, girl, boy, girl down the line.

D. Lee Scott:
In that order?

Juan Santiago:
In that order.

D. Lee Scott:
Wow.

Juan Santiago:
My mom actually wanted twins, and so that didn't happen. But, um, so my— I had one brother, he would have been the third oldest. He passed of pneumonia at about, um, I think 8 months is when, you know, what I was told. So that he would actually pass before I was actually born. So, um, you know, grew up in a, in a family where you understand hand-me-downs and, you know, sharing everything and sharing beds and bedrooms and, and everything. But I think that When you're talking about who's Juan Santiago, family, parents, understanding sacrifice, all of that really has kind of defined and shaped the person that I am. You know, um, you know, they say if you say you're humble, then you're really not humble. But I under— I saw it embodied like in my parents, you know, just working hard, taking care of, of your own, and not necessarily, um— And they were recognized for different, you know, in the Hispanic community. My mom was like Mother of the Year at one time and things like that. But it's just the effect and the impact, and it's so vital. And I think that's why in today's society— not to go off on a tangent— but that's why I think we deal with a lot of the, um, the challenges that we deal with in society, because the breakdown of that family unit. And I think having that, it really— if you can have a strong family, then I think that's going to bode well for your community, for your society, for the state, the nation. Denzel Washington, I'm a big Denzel Washington fan. And, when they pose questions to him, he always goes back to, where's the father in this situation, in that family? Is he there?

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And so, not only that because you always hear about, hey, mom works hard, and my mom did this, my mom did that. And, I'm a big fan, cheerleader of my mom, but at the same time, I had a a great relationship with my dad. And so, you know, I, I like not to go off too much on a tangent, but I think about great athletes, whether it's Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and, and then kind of the list goes on.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
But the common denominator, if you look, Michael Jordan's father was always in the stands and he played a big role in his life. Tiger Woods, his dad was at every golf match. And so you just see the impact of that father figure. So I'm trying to live that out with— I have 3 sons, you know, and they're all in their 20s now. And, um, you know, just trying to embody what I was taught of sacrifice, you know, providing, protecting, and, you know, just taking care of, um, mine and, and living out that role the way I should so that they become upstanding men and, you know, responsible, hopefully one day, fathers and husbands as well.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah, when I talk to my, you know, sons about that, it's there is this thing, you know, I always tell them iron fist, velvet glove, you know, when I, when raising them, you know, because as you know, as a dad, I always say, uh, my son, he just, you know, he has a 5-year-old boy. And I said, well, in about, probably about 11, 9 years, you're gonna have a come to Jesus moment with him. You know, it's the thing that we do. It's almost like, you know, it's gonna happen. But at the end of the day, you know, that happens and you just, you know, the bond gets tighter and whatever. But there is this importance of, you know, Right. It's a blessing to have a nuclear family, if you will, you know, father in the household and things like that, you know, setting the rules, the tone, and especially when it's a harmonious relationship between the mother and the father. You know, there's a team there.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
Right? Even unfortunate sometimes, good cop, bad cop thing. Oh yeah.

Juan Santiago:
I've been in that situation many a time.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah. I used to tell my kids, yeah, what y'all didn't know, your mom was the bad cop. I wasn't. I was the one.

Juan Santiago:
I always tried to pass that off on her.

D. Lee Scott:
I was the fall guy.

Juan Santiago:
So what'd your mom say?

D. Lee Scott:
So you mentioned growing up. Where did you grow up?

Juan Santiago:
In Youngstown on the east side. Actually, I was born— well, when I was born, we were in Briar Hill on the north side of Youngstown for a while. And then we moved— and I don't want to give my age away, but we moved to the east side, I think. I want to say late '60s, maybe somewhere around there.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay. How was childhood? What was it like?

Juan Santiago:
Childhood, kickball, basketball in the neighborhood. We'd play football, tag on the street from telephone pole to telephone pole. But it was a neighborhood, diverse neighborhood. You had a couple Hispanic families, couple African American families. We had Greeks, Italians. We had a little bit of everything in the neighborhood. So I'm really grateful for the way that we grew up because you had a chance to, you could smell the sauce cooking in the Italian household or people making pierogies or whatever.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And then growing up in our— I attended a parochial school in middle school for a couple of years. And I was pretty much the minority. It was predominantly Caucasian. Not a problem. But high school, Youngstown East, it was predominantly Black. Okay? When we went to church, it was Hispanic because the mass— grew up Catholic and mass was in Spanish. So we were always in different circles. So it was nothing— it wasn't uncommon. to be around different cultures, different languages or whatever. And I'm grateful for that. So now when I get to travel a little bit, whether I'm in DC or I was just at a conference in Phoenix, and so you're around different people and different languages, different foods, customs. I have friends who are Muslim, friends who are Hindu.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And all of that. And I love it all. And my kids have been exposed to that. So it's not uncommon, they come home and it's like, wow, where's this person from? They're like, 3,000 miles away, you know, the other part of the world or something. So.

D. Lee Scott:
I think there's something, there's something to that, you know, multicultural, you know, just, just being blended in that. Um, I kind of tout that with the D5 side, with our, you know, with our partners, our squad, that we're just, it's different cultures, different perspectives, different things. And so I think that just makes a person that much stronger. And like you, I was the only, uh, Black kid at Elm Road Elementary. from 1st grade to 4th grade. And I remember who was 2nd. That's how impactful it was.

Juan Santiago:
Exactly.

D. Lee Scott:
I'm sure you probably do. But then I would leave to go hang out in public housing over my grandmother's on the East Side. Now I'm the majority, right?

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
But then I go back to my neighborhood and I'm once again kind of blended, but now I'm the minority. And so you do. And a lot of times, man, especially growing up with kids, there might be a few little things said as kids, you know what I mean? But for the most part, man, they don't care. You play together. You know what I mean? You joke around together, you everything, man. And so it just makes you that much of a better, you know, person. And then when you grow into the professional world, you know, you sitting there talking to somebody that, you know, that's from Bangladesh on, you know, this topic, just a normal human being.

Juan Santiago:
Exactly.

D. Lee Scott:
You know, so I think there's, there's a lot to say to that exposure to the, to different cultures, I think is super important.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah. And sports was a big part. You know, it's now, it's very organized. You know, kids are starting out 3, 4 years old and they're in soccer or, you know, Yeah. T-ball. You know, you have all these different leagues. I didn't get into sports until middle school. Basketball was my first love. And, um, and I said, hey, I wanna be the first Puerto Rican to play basketball for East High School, start for, you know, and I don't know if I was or not, but I did. You know, I started as freshman year and, and sophomore year point guard, but Running kind of was my thing too, as well, because everywhere— didn't have a— we had a bike at home. You know, remember, I'm one of 8, well, 7. And we had one bike. Bike was stolen. My parents were like, nope. And then my sister fell off her bike and chipped a tooth. And so, you know, I was running everywhere. And so kind of took it up. My brother, who— my next brother up, he ran in high school. And so I kind of followed in his footsteps, and that led to— being able to run in the state cross-country meet, ran in nationals for Junior Olympics for 5,000 meters. So those are glory days, as they say. But just being exposed, I actually, at one point, I wanted to move to the Carolinas because when I ran in that national meet, it was held at Duke University in Raleigh-Durham. And so I thought, wow, the ground was red of clay or the dirt or whatever. And so I thought, wow, this is really cool. And that's probably my first exposure. Neighborhood was diverse, but then meeting kids from different parts of the country who were there for that meet. So you had sprinters and long jumpers, just track, so many different events. But that was something that— so when you asked the question about childhood, fond memories. You have your challenges, but I mean, the neighborhood, the kids.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
You know, getting together all the time and hide and go seek and all those different games and all that. So that's what I miss seeing today.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
We had one— the kid who lived across the street from us had a basketball hoop. So all the neighborhood kids would get together and play basketball over there. Now, when I drive home in my neighborhood, I see a basketball hoop almost at every home, but you don't see anybody playing basketball.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah. Or on the street.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
Or, you know, right there.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah. But I miss those days of You know, just seeing kids get together. I mean, organized, of course they do it, but just, you know, just when I see kids on bikes and just running around and not on their phones.

D. Lee Scott:
Makes you smile.

Juan Santiago:
It makes me smile.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah, there's something— it's crazy. Never would I have thought you'd have to tell your kid, go outside and play.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
I never would have thought that that would be something that you would have to force.

Juan Santiago:
Right. Punishment was go to your room. Now they're like, I'll be more than happy to oblige.

D. Lee Scott:
You ain't doing nothing. You just, you know, making my space smaller. That's all.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
You know, so growing up, and you were talking about your parents, and, and so it's kind of a then and now thing. What, what value, you know, is there certain values that you growing up that you hold today and what you do and just how you operate that you learned as a kid or through your parents?

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, um, relationships. I mean, within family, I mean, family is very important. Um, we are, we're going to have our 4th family reunion this coming summer with family from Lorraine, and it's more on my mom's side. We'll have about 100 people, and that's kind of in our culture. I mean, big families. My wife is one of 9. I'm one of 8.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
And so that is very— family's very important, number one. Well, not number one, but faith in God. I mean, we grew up going to church, and that's a big part of— and I'm sure we'll probably delve into a little bit more, but Faith in God, family, and for me, it's really relationships even beyond blood relatives and your immediate family. I have relationships with, say, older men who have been mentors to me, models that really played a big part in my life, in how I think. And now looking back, I didn't look at them as leaders back then, but now I understand, oh, they were leaders, whether it was in the home, my dad, a pastor at a church. There was a football coach at East High who also was a track coach, Herman Jackson. I think he played a little pro ball. I remember he said, Santiago, you ran a great race. But he goes, to be a great runner, he had a poster on the door to his office and it says, consistency is the greatest measure of success.

D. Lee Scott:
Hmm.

Juan Santiago:
So that was something that stuck with me. Um, there's another gentleman who came into my life when, um, my dad passed a couple of months later. I met him through my, my, one of my best friends in childhood. And this gentleman's into my— he's in probably like early— he'd probably kill me for saying this, but, you know, in his early 80s now, but still in my life to this day. So that influence of mentorship is really important. So for me, what have I learned? Family, faith, and relationship, you know, friendships and stuff like that are just invaluable. You can't put a price on that.

D. Lee Scott:
That's what I was gonna ask too. You alluded to, you know, your dad, the coaches and stuff. Is there, you know, you mentioned them. Is there anyone else or is there someone who stands out also who had an impact on you growing up?

Juan Santiago:
Besides Dr. J.

D. Lee Scott:
You was a Dr. J fan?

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, I was a Dr. J fan.

D. Lee Scott:
I don't think he get his flowers enough.

Juan Santiago:
No, I know, right?

D. Lee Scott:
Outta him and Dominique Wilkins.

Juan Santiago:
Yep.

D. Lee Scott:
I don't.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah. So Dr. J fan. I was a big, um, I was a boxing fan. I, you know, my brother, my oldest brother, he'd have fights. That's when we, you know, you'd pay, all these guys would pile into the basement. He'd get some food and we'd watch the— that's when it was Larry Holmes back in the day.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, yeah. Muhammad Ali was on the, the tail end of his, you know, his career. He'd come in and fight some fights, you know, probably just to make money, I guess, at that time. I don't know, but, or to keep the legacy going. But, um, yeah, so coaches, and I think more so now, I would say, um, I used to attend a church on the south side of Youngstown, Mount Calvary Church.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
And Bishop Wagner was, was a tremendous leader, um, not just in the spiritual or faith-based realm, but just his way of thinking really shaped. And to this day, I mean, he passed, I think, in 2010. So you're talking 16 years ago. And there were a lot of things he would always speak about purpose and he would speak about paradigm, our thought process. And so those things have really impacted not only myself, but many individuals. And again, to this day, he was one. And then another person, actually, if I think back, take it back to high school, Locke Beacham was our principal.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
And he would always tell us, you are somebody. You are somebody. And that just resonates to this day. And he's still around. I see him every once in a while at an event or events in the community. And he really stressed believing in ourselves and that we had something to offer. And even though we're from an inner city school, predominantly minority, it's like, no, you can go on, further your education or get into a career, whatever it might be. But that belief in ourselves and having that support and holding us accountable, you know.

D. Lee Scott:
What was your, um, you know, jobs early on, like in high school?

Juan Santiago:
And so I started middle school cutting grass around the neighborhood. So that was back in the day.

D. Lee Scott:
These kids don't understand entrepreneurship at its earliest.

Juan Santiago:
Oh my goodness. I had probably about 4 or 5 lawns— excuse me— lawns that I would cut in the neighborhood. And then of course we'd go around with the shovels, you know, knocking on doors. You know, shoveling driveways before the days before snow blowers. And, um, so those were things that I did, you know, saving money. And then my first real, real job, you know, where you get a W-2 and a pay stub, you know, every couple of weeks, right, was with the company— well, they're still in existence on South Avenue— Ohio Edison. And it was through an internship. I was supposed to attend a certain college and they were offering an internship and, or, you know, summer employment.

D. Lee Scott:
Right.

Juan Santiago:
And, um, you know, I remember saving $2,000 back in the summer of, uh, back in the '80s. I'll just say the '80s.

D. Lee Scott:
You saved it?

Juan Santiago:
I saved it, man.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay, so I'm thinking of the position and being in that certain industry you are being in. I wouldn't have been able to do that, man. Yeah, I'd have been lucky to save 10% of that.

Juan Santiago:
I learned how to hold on to a dollar. Well, because your parents teach you, you know, they went through some, some challenging times.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
So just understanding like, hey, you got to hold on to that because, you know, things are gonna happen. It's not if but when. And so you want to be prepared for those things. And so, so my first real job, you know, where I had to answer to a boss and all that, was, yeah, right my first— right when I graduated from high school. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week throughout the summer. And so, and then after that, you know, random jobs.

D. Lee Scott:
When I was listening to you talking about your, your mentors and stuff and I see them as, you know, even though they're in the line of, let's say sports, they're in a service type thing. You know, they are, you know, instilling knowledge, instilling skillset, mindset, and all those different things. So, you know, they're giving, you know, building up that type of thing. For you, and that's why I asked about your job, which relates because the question I'm gonna ask you is when did service become kind of personal for you? You know what I mean?

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
And I say that just thinking of even myself, my first job being a waiter, but I tell people all the time, that was the best job I ever had. That was the most impactful job that I ever had. I've managed and done other things. That job right there impacts me more to this day than anything else. It was service. I'm serving people whether I like them, don't like them, you know, all kinds of different things that go on where you think they gonna tip, might not tip. The ones you think gonna tip don't. The ones that, you know what I mean? The ones you don't think gonna tip do.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
But it was just a service thing, continuous service. So I look back on that and wonder, working in nonprofits, serving people, you know, working in retail, serving people, you know, even now my mindset, whether it's in this podcast studio or on D5 site, serving, right? Um, when did service become personal for you?

Juan Santiago:
It's hard to put an exact, excuse me, day and time or a date on it. But as I look back on my life, you know, you know, growing up in the church and just seeing how priests would serve, you know, their congregations. I'm always fascinated by good servers in restaurants or people who shine shoes. You know, it's like, it's a position of humility. And, you know, and again, I'll refer back to scripture when, you know, when Jesus says, if you're gonna be great in the kingdom, you're gonna be the servant of the people. So it's always taught, you know, and you hear about different styles of leadership, there's servant leadership. And so Tim Tebow was speaking, he was, you know, a Heisman Trophy winner, Florida Gators, and, and he speaks in a stadium. And I've, and I've shared this before, but he talks about the difference between success and significance.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
Success speaks about you and you, you know, you garnering that success, but significance is about others. So when you think about— and I know the question wasn't necessarily about leadership but about service— but it's always the great people, whether it's a Martin Luther King or a Nelson Mandela Mandela. And you kind of go on, like I said, it could be someone— I remember having a good, good conversation with a gentleman from Africa. This was in Washington, DC. In his country, he had like graduate degrees and everything, and I, I can't remember his position, but he goes, here they don't, they don't recognize, you know, his credentials from his country. So he's now, he's serving in the capacity of, um— So basically he's serving the people And, and it's just the humility and just the service of always looking out for other people. And like I mentioned, great leaders that we remember that it was always about other people. It wasn't about self-serving, but how do I help my fellow man? And that's how you leave legacy is by serving other people.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
And so really that's what really stands out to me. So I guess for me, You know, thinking about how often we would have people at our house all the time. My mom was always cooking and serving, and so I didn't recognize there. It was just like, hey, we don't— maybe we're not giving like today. Hey, if you could help this nonprofit or help this organization, you know, write a check. But it's like, hey, offering someone a meal when they need a meal, or just being open— you're opening your door and saying, let's have a conversation. I know you're kind of going through, or someone may have lost a loved one.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
And just being there for them. So there's just different ways. How do you categorize or define service? It's just really being there for other people in time of need, and maybe not even being in a time of need, but in a culture where it becomes so much about us.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
It's like, wow, to see people who serve and do it joyfully, humbly, it says a lot. So I can't— I think I've learned it. I learned at a young age, but I can't necessarily identify that, that, that moment where kind of the light went off.

D. Lee Scott:
So I'm going to go to talking about your work and impact because this ties right in because it's service, right? Um, I did earlier mention, you know, kind of your position, and I don't want to— I'd like you, before we go into some questions with that, I'd like you kind of to talk about the position right now currently you're in, just so it segues and makes sense to listeners who with some of the questions that we get. So, you know, at Farmers, you are the vice president and also the community development officer.

Juan Santiago:
Correct.

D. Lee Scott:
Correct. What does that entail? That part right there, what does that entail?

Juan Santiago:
Okay, so let me give you a little context. Back in 1977, Congress enacted what's called the CRA. CRA stands for Community Reinvestment Act. So that was legislated so that— well, holding banks to task to ensure that they were meeting the credit needs of their community, inclusive of low-to-moderate income individuals. So, when you think about it, many people are familiar with redlining, where maybe institutions would lend in a certain area, but maybe not over, say, on the other side of the tracks.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Or maybe a certain demographic. This is to ensure that banks are making certain that capital is accessible, whether you're— to everyone, inclusive to the low to moderate income individuals, whether it's buying a home, starting a business, there's community projects, that the funds are available not just for the well-heeled or well-to-do or certain communities, but all communities, especially the ones in need that may be a little challenged. So there's 3 areas to that. And one is the lending component that I just alluded to. The second would be service. So whether it's teaching financial literacy, homebuyer education, homebuyer counseling, serving on boards of nonprofits. So there's different avenues that we can serve in our community. So that's the second test. And then the third one is investment dollars of what we put back into the community. for affordable housing initiatives, or maybe supporting nonprofits that are helping the community. The key is where 51% or more of the individuals being served are categorized as low to moderate income. Low to moderate income doesn't mean poor.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
It could be a teacher, it could be a police officer, it could be a social service worker, your neighbors who are in, you know, decent-paying jobs, but, uh, they fall at 80% or less of the area median income. So you're categorized as low to moderate income. So we're serving that community. So my role is essentially building relationships and identifying opportunities where we can serve, where again, education being key, homebuyer literacy, serving on boards of nonprofits, Investing dollars into those organizations that are helping the community. And again, identifying opportunities where we can make funds available. Like, you know, I was instrumental in helping create a program that helps individuals get into homes. So it helps remove barriers like, hey, if down payment is a problem, hey, we've created a product where you can come in with as little as $500.

D. Lee Scott:
Wow.

Juan Santiago:
At minimum or more. But you can essentially get a home and, and we remove, you know, private mortgage insurance. We help reduce your closing costs. We actually add, and I'm, this is kind of a plug for what we, you know, what we have.

D. Lee Scott:
No, man, go ahead. Please do. This is an independent show.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
Do what you need to do, man.

Juan Santiago:
And so it's called the Affordable Home Mortgage. So I'll just kind of, you know, kind of give that a little plug. But so say, hey, I wanna buy a home, but I only have a couple thousand dollars and I know I can't, I can't afford a home. Well, you can, because with as little as $500— now it may be a little bit more, it might inch up to $1,000, but we're saying you have to have some skin in the game.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah, sure.

Juan Santiago:
And that skin is $500. So we make it, you know, people would say, well, I can't come up with a down payment. Okay, you can finance— if it's a $100,000 home, we can finance $100,000. Oh, well, I'm challenged because I don't have the closing costs. Well, we're allowing the seller to contribute towards that. And we're going to offset by giving you, or crediting you $3,000 to help you with the closing costs at the end. Oh, I don't want to pay private mortgage insurance. Okay, we're eliminating that. So it's creating something, a vehicle where people can experience the dream of homeownership, but saying, hey, we're coming alongside you and helping you out, but you have to have a little skin in the game. Again, Whether it's that $500, we want you to take homebuyer education counseling so that you understand, hey, there's maintenance because eventually my furnace may go out or the roof may need replaced. And so I don't believe, you've heard the cliché, you know, in handouts, but a hand up. So I can help you, but we have to do this thing together.

D. Lee Scott:
You gotta help yourself too.

Juan Santiago:
Right. It can't just be like, hey, just give me this. those things weren't available when I was coming up or my parents. So I'm thinking, how did they make it?

D. Lee Scott:
Right, it's a whole different mindset.

Juan Santiago:
It's a whole different, and it really starts right up there.

D. Lee Scott:
I'm glad you kind of broke down that definition of low to moderate because there is a tendency when certain people hear that, oh, poor, right?

Juan Santiago:
Like, you're just poor. Right, and that's not the case.

D. Lee Scott:
And it's not the case. And with that, so in your role of serving low to moderate income families, like what fear Do they carry into a bank that most people wouldn't recognize when they, when they come to deal with you?

Juan Santiago:
Well, it, it, it's, again, it's a thing of education. You know, we've heard it said people don't know what they don't know. So they just think, oh, I, I can't afford that. Or, or the bank isn't going to want to help me. So it's just a, a per— a perception that's really not a reality. And it's like, pretty much if you, or I'll give you a fine example. So, traditionally, we want to see, say, 3 trade lines on a credit report. And a trade line is like, say, you have a MasterCard or you have a Discover card or JCPenney's or a car loan or a student loan. That's a trade line.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
Where it's tracking when it was opened, have you been making your payments on time, how much is the payment, how much credit was extended. So, if— let's just say you don't have traditional credit. I've had individuals come from other countries where credit is a bad thing. So, for them, they say— I had a gentleman, true story, he was in his 50s and he never had taken out a loan or had a credit card. So, he just paid cash for everything. Okay? So, he's like, hey, I want to buy a home, but I've never had credit. So, I pulled his credit and nothing showed up. So, okay, we allow for alternative credit. And alternative credit is, hey, do you pay rent? You've been paying it on time for a year? We can use that. You've been paying, you know, you need electric, gas, water bill, car insurance. We can use those as an alternative or in lieu of traditional credit. So those things count. And now you can have those report on a credit report, credit bureau. So we can use that. So some of the fears that people think, well, I don't have credit, or my credit's bad. Well, individuals think it's bad because They owe a couple of things. You know, I owe $500 here and I owe $1,000 there. That's not bad credit, as long as you're paying it on time. Now, of course, we can get into credit utilization. How much are you borrowing versus what's been extended to you? You know, you don't want to push it up, you know, up to a certain limit. Are you paying on time? There's a number of things that people think like, oh, to buy a home, I need 20% down. You do not need 20% down.

D. Lee Scott:
I've heard that.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
I've heard that.

Juan Santiago:
You can go as little as 5%, 3.5%. And now we have the product where you can finance the, the full amount that you're buying it for. So there are some misconceptions and preconceived information flying out there that people think. So I think it's wrong information and it's just people getting educated. And I think now with information being so readily available, it's you actually have to teach it almost probably in middle school before kids start getting credit card offers in high school and all that. 'Cause sometimes even that's too late. And so, you know, when I, and I always refer back to when I was coming up, you know, I couldn't get a credit card until I had a job that I can demonstrate that I can pay it back.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Then kids in college started getting credit cards and it gets younger. So I think that misinformation has kind of hindered the ability for individuals to realize that, you know, what we call one part of the American dream.

D. Lee Scott:
2 things. One, when you started talking about the gentleman in his 50s who didn't have a credit card or never took out a loan, the credit card part, when I heard that, I was like, oh, he ain't talking about me because I've never taken out a loan. But culturally, it's just because I've said this before, when I grew up, it was, you know, don't borrow, you know, make sure you Pay back, don't borrow money, don't, don't, don't do this. So culturally for me, it was like, you know, everything in here I own. I didn't, you know.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
But then you start to learn there's, there's, there's kind of good debt, right? You can, you can have, there's good debt. Talking to a friend of mine at, um, at Valley Partners, he's like, D, you never like— nah, man. He was like, I just reinvested everything back into the business and didn't pay myself, man. You know, that was it. So I thought you was, you was gearing up, teeing up, or did some research on me. The other, the other one real quick was, When you talked about the credit cards and the kids, listen, when my son was about to graduate high school, we was tearing them things up and putting them— he don't even know they existed. We was shredding them up. Now his sister, you know, it was like, hey, you know, maybe because she was going into college, like something responsible. But my son, yeah, we tore them up. I ain't tell him that till years later. He was like, Dad, for real? I said, oh yeah, we get that with your name on there, look at each other, shred it up, put it in the trash. Ain't no way.

Juan Santiago:
Well, let me piggyback on that. So I have a son who, again, I mentioned I have 3 boys, The one son doesn't live with us. He receives credit card offers. I mean, he has a credit card or two, and he still receives credit card offers to this day. We get it, we look at it, it's an offer, I throw it away. He doesn't even see it. I don't even give it to him, because some of his mail still comes to our house.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
So, but there again, and so I want to address something. You mentioned good debt, bad debt. Bad being revolving debt, credit card debt where you're paying interest and all of that. There's a show that I listen to occasionally, the Dave Ramsey Show, and he's, you know, Financial Peace and Total Money Makeover, and he's definitely not an advocate for any kind of debt. You know, pay off your mortgage, that's the only debt you should have. Pay your cars cash, don't take out a credit card. You know, I don't necessarily agree with everything, um, that he teaches or, or what they espouse. And then you have individuals you know, having a financial advisor, I know he, um, and being in the industry, understanding that some people say, whoa, you don't want to pay that off because you're only paying 3, 4%. If you have that money, instead of paying off that debt, invest it in the market, you're going to make 8 to 10 or 12%. So it's like, hey, I'm making, say, 10%, and you're paying 4% on a debt.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
Well, you're still 6% to the better because that so many thousands you were going to pay off that debt to eliminate it, You could use it, invest it, and it's going to grow and compound interest and all of that. So, there's different schools of thought. And so, it depends on what side of the fence you're on. Are you for it? You know, I just heard a program where, do you invest in real estate or stocks? And then they're doing, hey, I had $50,000, I invested in investment property and all the costs with that, or $50,000 in the market and index funds and how that grows. So, it's really understanding the full picture and what works best for you.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Risk, um, you know, with investment properties, then you have maintenance and people calling you, hey, my furnace went out, are you going to re— when are you going to replace it? Or when someone vacates, or if they don't pay their rent on time and you don't have a tenant, so now you're not receiving an income, but you're still paying on that note to the bank. Those are things to think about. So I, I think what it really comes down to is people educating themselves and getting good advice From people who know, who can kind of help share and enlighten you about all the different aspects and say, okay, then what fits for me? Because there's not a one-size-fits-all.

D. Lee Scott:
Educate and knowing somebody. Like before, it's not dating, but I'm just saying I've had mentors too, but all of my mentors was pre-social media. I think one of the things that it's so confusing now To your point of education, right? It's, it's easy for somebody who probably has no experience like you all of a sudden roll out of bed and need to get YouTube popular, or case may be, and want to talk about bank finances and things like that. It's so confusing out there that I think for a lot of, a lot of us, we freeze up, right? Who do we trust? Who do we, you know, this sounds great, but this is my money and I'm afraid to do this. You know what I mean? And so to your point, Education is important, but I really think, like, for me, if I don't know, if I'm looking for a certain vehicle to buy, I'm going to go talk to mechanics. I ain't talking to no car dealers.

Juan Santiago:
Exactly.

D. Lee Scott:
I'm talking to mechanics. I don't necessarily have to know you.

Juan Santiago:
I'm easy.

D. Lee Scott:
I'm one of them people. I'll pick up the phone and visit the shop. Hey man, you got 5 minutes? I'm thinking about getting this vehicle and I ain't trying to, you know, boom. I think those things help, but, but what braces a lot of people up, especially when it comes to kind of what you talking about, is just so much. And Dave Ramsey is an expert in what he does, right? and there's other people, and then in between all that, you got these people, some of them don't have a clue. It just freezes you up, and that's the scary part. So to your point, I think education is important, but I think people should really go find that person, as you said.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
And really get the information of what they need. Going back to low to moderate income families, when you're talking to a Deshaun or whoever, right, across the desk from you or what have you, what words matter In that first conversation with me or with that person?

Juan Santiago:
I think establishing trust relationship is, is key because you have a plethora of opportunity or of choices. So you can go to, again, Huntington, PNC, 717 Credit Union. I mean, there's all these financial institutions. So what I try to do is build a rapport with people, but I try to understand what it is that you're trying to accomplish. Like, it used to drive me crazy when people would come in and say, Well, how much can I afford? This bank down the street said I'm pre-approved for $200,000. And I might say, well, you can, but I wouldn't recommend that. I said, well, and we have to be careful of the language that we use.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
But I would say, well, here's some things to consider. All right, right now you don't have a car payment, but is that car going to last you forever? If you're taking out a 30-year mortgage, is it going to last you 30 years? Probably not. So you have to think about, all right, when the time does come, if I've maxed myself out, that's not good. So number one, it's a loan officer doing their part to understand what does Deshawn need? You know, what's your desire? And then I sit down and I explain, like, fine example, I remember, or on the other end, there was a couple I remember coming in to see me and they wanted to build up, they were going to build a home.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
And I said, okay, you're gonna build in this neighborhood. It was maybe $400,000 at the time. This was some years ago. So, you know, in today's dollars it might be $600,000, $700,000. So I said, okay, you're gonna move into this nice neighborhood. All right. Are you gonna have your landscape put in and all that? So you can't, you know, you want to fit in with the neighborhood, you can afford it. Or are you gonna have your, um, a sprinkler system so the water, the green, the grass stays nice and green? That's another expense you have to incur.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
So it's thinking about things that most people don't think about. So what I try to do is understand where you're trying to go and how can I help you get there, but avoiding the pitfalls so that you can be a successful homeowner.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
So I would say I would pride myself on understanding if I was sitting on that side of the table, help me to understand all the things I need to know, and then I'm making an informed decision. So for me, it's really critical when I talk to people in any aspect of life, understand all the nuances that exist that people aren't telling you about. Because as a loan officer, hey, I wanna make this loan so I can get paid. And that shouldn't be the case. That shouldn't be priority one. I've, I've literally discouraged people from like saying, when I say discourage, I have to be real careful.

D. Lee Scott:
Right.

Juan Santiago:
But I would say, Did you think about this, this, and this? And okay, if you're fine with that and you feel like you have the, the financial wherewithal to do it, okay. I'm not of the mindset just because the system says you're approved or an underwriter says, hey, they qualify, um, and, and maybe they do on paper, but I'm like, you got to consider life. Oh, I want to, you know, make sure my kid goes to college and all. Well, are you putting money away in a 529 or are you Putting money aside for that. So it's really, I think what's critical as a loan officer looking out what the customer needs and how to help them to be successful in it. And it's main, not just getting the home and making the payment, but maintaining the home. Like, you ever see a car driving down the street and it's all beat up and it's like, couldn't they afford their deductible to get that fixed?

D. Lee Scott:
You know?

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah. Hate to say it, but it's, it's a reality. So it's all right. You can afford the monthly payment, but can you afford to keep the grass cut and keep the landscape taken care of, the maintenance of it? And I'm always— I'm a stickler. I learned that from a young age. Can you maintain? Can you maintain relationships? Everything in life, every aspect of life, the maintenance part is just as important, if not more so, than just the acquisition.

D. Lee Scott:
Man, say that again. Say that again. You know, it's interesting too, because when you said It's refreshing to have somebody across the table if I'm coming to get the loan that can give me those things to consider. Example, I really want a container home. I keep telling people, I ain't playing. I want a container, a nice one, right?

Juan Santiago:
Right, I got you.

D. Lee Scott:
One story, because he's, you know, I'm at that age where I just need one floor. Give me a dog and a pickup truck. I'm cool. And a little bit of land. I'm content. And so I was talking, I was like, you know, yeah, I'll just get some land and, you know, do that. And And I was talking to this gentleman, um, he was in banking, different position. He goes, oh, did you think of the plug-up? I'm like, plug-up? You know, yeah, where you put it, is it going to be easy to plug up? And he was just grinding the ground or whatever, you know, all this stuff where I was like, oh, I never really thought about all this. I just wanted to plop that thing, get it designed, get the blueprints. And so it is refreshing when you have someone across the table who has your best interests at heart. And it's not about just getting the loan and jamming you up and things like that. So yeah, absolutely.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
Let's switch to small business owners. I think this one resonates with some of our— we have a lot of listeners who own small business, but I think this resonates to me too. We often feel intimidated by lending institutions, right? Like, I don't know, I don't know where that comes from, but small business owners, we often do feel intimidated. Like, what misconceptions kind of hurt us the most?

Juan Santiago:
I think the big one that comes to mind immediately is you may be good at something. Say you're very good with cars, uh, you're an excellent mechanic, or you're a great cook. Okay, that's good. Or maybe designing clothing or whatever it might be. But there's so much more to it. And I think the misconception is just because I'm good at this that means I'm going to be successful. I see businesses closing down left and right, big retail chains and the like, and I'm sure they do all— they have all the accountants and all the financial people who kind of check the numbers, they look at the demographics. I mean, they're going like, is this going to be successful? How can we sustain and maintain and grow? And all those things are taken into consideration. So, I think it's going in being prepared It takes more. I think the misconception is I'll be successful because I have a positive mindset and I'm going to do this. Okay, that's great, but positive mindset doesn't pay the bills. And so I think the key, again, when we were talking, you know, earlier in the show about financial literacy for young people, like, hey, credit card's going to be coming my way. Hey, I want to go to this college because of this experience. I want to, you know, and I want to live away from home. Okay, that's okay, that's fine. Now, is that degree going to translate to a job that's going to pay you X amount to pay that debt back? And then eventually buy that home that you want and that new car because you're tired of driving a used vehicle and all of those things. So, to not get off the subject, when it comes to business, there again, it's the education component.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm.

Juan Santiago:
Do you go to— if you're a minority, do you go to the minority business assistance centers where they're helping you to prepare for, hey, I need payroll and I have to understand utility costs and salaries, the working capital. Hey, it's not just I can make a good pizza or a hamburger or soul food or Latino, whatever it might be. It takes more than that. And so I think there again, not only in life, but in business, mentors, people who have done it, have done it well, and people who maybe haven't done it well, maybe they went out of business, but you can learn from both.

D. Lee Scott:
Man, I say that all the time. Give me both of them.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
Give me both. So even today, give me both, right?

Juan Santiago:
Exactly. Yeah, I, you know, I've talked to friends, uh, I've been married, you know, going on 33 years this year, and, and I've had friends say, I've been married 3 times, so I'm an expert, I know what not to do. And I'm like, well, I want to talk to the person who knows what to do too, you know. So, so anyways, um, I think we— advice, good advice, sound, um, there's a scripture that says Um, it talks about there's safety in the multitude of counselors and understanding that, okay, and not that you have to take— everybody's going to have a slant or, or they're kind of more biased towards what's worked for them. But I always like, you know, and another one that I refer to is before a man builds a house, he counts the cost or considers the cost. So I think that in business, that's great. You have a great idea. Um, but get with the people who can help you to navigate and prepare you so that when you do go to the bank, you have all your— in the proverbial ducks in a row.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
So it's like, hey, my financials are in place. This is my, my cost estimates. This is what we look at business, um, is going to do. We can support it because of the population that we have and the income, and all that information is readily available. On your phone. I'm working on a project right now, and so median income, average home prices, population, all of that just on my phone. I speak it into my phone, I get the information I need, put it on a report. Now, the numbers speak. They say men lie, women lie, but the numbers don't lie. So you kind of look at that, but of course you have to be an honest person and want to do the right thing and all of that. Preparation is key.

D. Lee Scott:
What makes a strong— I mean, you alluded to some of it, but what makes a strong application for someone to come in? Deshawn's coming in to see you. What makes a strong application?

Juan Santiago:
You definitely want to have, you know, of course you want to have your credit in order. Um, so there again, it's, it's from a young age being responsible with what's been extended to you. Um, having your financials in order. And then, and there again, I mean, there's And we all love the grant and, and the money and, and the free money, and that's wonderful, but we can't become— we can't treat it as a crutch. Like, I need this, what, you, you owe me this, you should get— no. Um, you have to have some skin in the game. So what have you done to build up and say, hey, we're gonna help? Like, I love grants that say we'll give you $5,000, but you have to raise— like, we'll match you dollar for dollar up to a certain amount.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Instead of just saying, Just give me the money.

D. Lee Scott:
Yep.

Juan Santiago:
And so when I see— fine example, I was at the park the other day and these 2 young little kids were selling lemonade and the parents was kind of sitting back off to the side, you know, behind them. And I said, you know what, when I come back off this walk, because I'm not going to carry it with me, I said, I'm going to buy from you guys. Because I remember as a child, I would go around the neighborhood knocking on doors selling candy bars, gift wrap paper. I mean, you name it, junky things that I would, you know, I wouldn't buy today, but Quite honestly, but because I made the effort. I don't like— this may get me in trouble, but when parents just bring— they're selling whatever their kids are selling at school, they bring it to work and they're selling it for the kids. I'm like, I'll buy it if the kid comes in and asks me, then I'll be more than happy to spend $5, $10, whatever, $20 to help support. But it's because we're teaching them responsibility and accountability and effort.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Not just give me. So I, I think that preparation, you know, getting together with the different, whether it's the Youngstown Business Incubator, it's MBAC, but use the resources that are available. And if you're gonna get into something, do your homework. And to answer, again, answer your question, credit in, in order, um, your financials in order, you have some money to invest into it. It's not just expecting the The, the bank to say, hey, you've never had a business before and I'm just gonna invest in you and just give you the money.

D. Lee Scott:
Right.

Juan Santiago:
It does. It doesn't work that way.

D. Lee Scott:
What's your thoughts? And this was, this is off question a little bit, but just in that realm, what's your thoughts with AI? And, you know, do you, do you get those business plans or whatever? Or are you like, oh man, this, I mean, you clearly know that it is not.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
See, coming from mind to hand to—

Juan Santiago:
I'm not an underwriter, so I really can't speak to that.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
Um, totally. But I will say, I think AI, and I use it for some things, it has its place, but we can't allow it to replace— a friend of ours is an attorney, a US attorney as a matter of fact, and he was talking about some prosecutors, they come in and he goes, they prepared these things on AI. He goes, I know as I read through.

D. Lee Scott:
That's scary.

Juan Santiago:
And so we've become a little too dependent on it. So I think you can use it as a tool.

D. Lee Scott:
Yes, absolutely.

Juan Santiago:
In that toolbox. That's good. But don't allow it to, you know, you hear it even in the pulpit, pastors are using, you know, sermons, you know, from AI. And I'm like, that's a little rough. So I would say that it has its place, but let's keep it in its proverbial rightful place.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay. Going back to You know, financials, but when you think about economic mobility, what's the missing conversation in our community, do you feel?

Juan Santiago:
Really, I guess, and that could be, we can spend hours on that, but—

D. Lee Scott:
We'd have to do a roundtable or something. Yeah, there you go.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, truthfully, I really think it's just being educated and understanding that you don't have to have everything now. And so, understand you have to have a plan in place, and sometimes it's going to take sacrifice, and you're going to have to make choices and decisions to say, I'm going to have to forego this now so I can have this later. I think one of Dave Ramsey's famous lines is, live like nobody else now so you can live like nobody else later.

D. Lee Scott:
Hmm.

Juan Santiago:
So, it's like, hey, all my friends are driving new cars and they have the latest this. And all that. And you're like, why you still driving that old car? 20 years old, you know, started to get rusty and all that. You should get something new. You can afford a payment. And it's like, that's okay. Because I know down the road I'm putting away because I'm gonna pay cash for this. Or I'm gonna—

D. Lee Scott:
I want that container home.

Juan Santiago:
Right. Right. So, I mean, but it, it's really thoughtful planning is the key. But when it comes to economic mobility, I think that, you know, they talk about, we talk about net worth, you know, assets, liabilities, your home being an asset. I kind of look at it differently. And I may go against all the experts and all of that. But yeah, okay, you have a home. Say you have a $200,000 home and you own it free and clear. Well, I can tap that to invest in my child's business, or I can help put them through college. But again, you're putting yourself back in the debt by tapping that home.

D. Lee Scott:
Hmm.

Juan Santiago:
While you're paying for that home, it's a liability. Because you're paying the bank until you pay it off. So, they own it until you've paid for it. So, when we're talking mobility, I think again, in this whole conversation is going roundabout on education, is understanding. I remember my financial advisor telling me 3 things. He goes, my job is to make sure that your money doesn't run out before I pass away. Like, say I live too long and my money runs out like at 75, 80 years old. I'm like, oh.

D. Lee Scott:
Oh.

Juan Santiago:
I don't have any more money. It's not enough to sustain. Social Security isn't enough, but we're just depending on that. If I die too soon, am I leaving my family in a situation— if I was the primary breadwinner or my wife and I are splitting it, if I'm out of the picture, are they going to be able to sustain or maintain their standard of living if I'm out of the picture? Are we prepared for that? Or if I become disabled. So those are the 3 things. You live too long, money runs out. You die soon, And how are you leaving those who are, you know, that you're in charge or responsible for?

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
Or if you become disabled. So, when it comes to mobility, I think, again, there's education, there's sacrifice, there's— you know, there was something I read and I don't know the exact number, but if you start investing, I think $150 a month, thereabouts, and you could probably look it up on your phone, at the age of 21, by the time you're 60, assuming 10% return compounded, and you do the numbers and you invest that $150 for 40 years, then you'll be like a millionaire by the time you're 60 or something like that. And I thought, wow, you know, that's all $150, you know. But as you get older, then it becomes a lot tougher.

D. Lee Scott:
Who you telling?

Juan Santiago:
It becomes a lot tougher. So now, you know, you and I talking about that, we have to put away $1,500 a month, or, you know, a couple thousand, you know, whatever that number might be. But the key is I think understanding from a young age, I mean, it can happen later, but when you're behind the game, then it takes a lot more work and a lot more sacrifice. So, I think it's delayed gratification. And the hard part is, as you know, we're the ones all these companies are targeting. So, if you look at one thing, if you look at a pair of, I don't know, tennis shoes or a suit or clothing, whatever, online, You're gonna get ad after ad after ad.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And so the hard part is how do I fight that? It's like, oh, I'd like to have this. I'm working hard. I'm not, I'm not finding myself getting ahead. And so it's like, yeah, but I have to think the long game, you know? And so, you know, the sacrifice, the preparation. So when it comes to mobility, again, I, I refer to, I threw a lot out there. We talk about the home being a vehicle that you could use, you know, to tap equity and pull dollars from to fund an education, fund a business, you know, things like that. But I think too, teaching people, whether it's investing in real estate, whether it's like saying, hey, you know what, my company is going to match me 50 cents on the dollar up to a certain percentage of my income pre-tax. So you're saving on the tax— the taxes, the liability there. You're saving for the future and you're getting a 50% return. Immediately, like right now. You put in $100, they're putting in $50. You put in $200, they're putting in $100.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
So, right now, your $100 becomes $150. Your $200 becomes $300. And then on top of that, it's earning interest. And of course, you could be a little more— you can invest in things that are a little more riskier, but with the understanding that there's a greater possibility for greater returns. And the markets go up and down if you look at history and all of that. So it's, it's really, I like to look at it as, let's not— Social Security is good and it has its place. And I know some people, you know, that's all they have to kind of work on. I mean, to use. But if you can put yourself in a position where you start early and you start investing so that you don't have to rely on it, it's like, wow, this is extra. That's great. If I want to have— go on vacation every year and have a place down south somewhere where it's warmer, don't want to be here in the winter.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
Great. Use that Social Security money for that if you can. Not everybody's in that position, and I understand that. But what I am saying is, hey, let's start teaching our people, um, or just the community, like, you don't have to go this route of everybody else, and you don't have to buy everything that's the latest. Because guess what? What you thought was the thing you had to have, where's it at today? And you maybe bought it a year ago, and that's not popular because they're going to keep you buying and And, and investing on things that there's no return on. So I, I will say that one little caveat, I'm not the type of person that says save, save, save everything, invest everything, and live, you know, like a vagabond. But by the same token, you know, I think there has to be a balance.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
It's like, hey, you wanna enjoy a little bit of life, but you gotta plan for the future. And so—

D. Lee Scott:
It's hard to stay consistent. Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
And that, and that's the key.

D. Lee Scott:
It's important.

Juan Santiago:
Consistency. Consistency. And so you need some accountability partner or whatever that looks like. But when it comes to mobility, I think it's not being a slave to debt. 'Cause it says the borrower's slave to the lender. 'Cause guess what? You're coming to work 'cause you have to earn that income so that you can pay that, that note that you have out there, whether it's a car or education, a home. Right. So, It's understanding, hey, live beneath your means so that you can, instead of paying it to a bill, you can put that money into something that's earning money so that you can have a little something later.

D. Lee Scott:
My uncle used to tell us, live and look poor and save up for whatever. A family wants to strengthen their financial position, right? And, and just real quickly, what's, what's the first step they should do? I know you talked about different things, but a family within 1 year, they want to improve, not, you know, 1 year we want to be able to go to Barbados and all that, but just we want to improve our financial, you know, position a little bit within a year. What's one step that they can take?

Juan Santiago:
The first step they have to take is you have to know where you're at. I mean, I've literally had people come in and say, I know I— and I've had people with over 10 credit cards and, and a balance on all of them, but they don't know. I'm like, hey, do you know your credit score roundabout? So when we start having the conversation, I'll say, here's what the bank's looking for, you know. Credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and all these other things. And so they're like, well, I really don't know. I'm like, well, do you know— well, we start talking about their liabilities before I pull credit. They don't know. They just know I'm paying everything on time. And hey, I can afford it because I— the store told me I can afford this outfit because it's only going to cost me $25 a month for the next 3 years. So that outfit that you bought for $100 and some odd dollars Once you're done paying it, if you make the minimum payment, it's going to cost you double, if not more. So you have to understand where you're at and where you're trying to get to, and then you can devise a plan. So the first step is know where you're at.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay. Yeah. I'm gonna give you a break from the finance talk now.

Juan Santiago:
That's okay.

D. Lee Scott:
But it's important. Like our listeners, even me, I learned a lot. You know, I mean, that's, that's, you know, super important. I want to go to You know, just you, you as a person, um, with everything that, that you faced, whether it was, you know, losing your dad and, or seeing your mom, you know, take care of the household and, and roles changing and your coaches and things like that. And, um, just in general, how do you, cuz this is a big word with me for, for a variety of reasons. This isn't my podcast, this is yours. So I'm not gonna go down that, go down that hole, but how do you define resilience today?

Juan Santiago:
Whew. Resilience today.

D. Lee Scott:
With everything that you've been through.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah. I mean, staying calm in the midst of the storms. And the storms could be, hey, cancer, that's the word that changes everybody's life. We've been impacted by it, losing my mom that way. There's other family members and that. Trusting, you know, and again, faith is a big part of, you know, of who I am. Um, so I, you know, I don't shy away from that, but just understanding, you know, God's got it, he's got me, um, and that faith and belief. And not every— and I understand that's not everybody, um, and we all have our own, you know, um, choices to make and what direction we want to go. But resilient, being able to stand amidst all the challenges, whether it's, you know, people coming against you or situations, you know, loss of job, loss of life, loved ones, relationships going bad and all of that, but being able to stand and to continue. There's a gentleman who spoke, and I can't remember his name, but he spoke at a commencement speech for a university somewhere down south, and, and, uh, his wife— he lost his wife to cancer And his— I think it was his dad that says, son, you just stand. And it was just with such conviction, you know. He goes, no matter what, you stand. He's talking about being a man. And, and, um, it's like you have these children that are relying on you and you have other people. So I think that being able to, you know, sometimes when we want to give up, um, where does your faith lie, you know, and, and your hope? And, and who's depending on you?

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
And all of that. So staying true, also staying true to who you are amidst the winds of changing times and culture and all the things that are being thrown at us, I think it's really tough. For us who are older, more established, been around the block a few times, it's one thing, but it's imparting that resilience in our young people because it's so much—

D. Lee Scott:
It's hard. The stuff that they gotta go through.

Juan Santiago:
Exactly.

D. Lee Scott:
Like, uh, I mean, not beating it up, but I am beating it up. Just, just the things where if I was mad at you back in the day, I'd call you and you didn't pick up the phone. You know, I'm talking dial-up. Now I can reach you on whatever social media platform you want. I can— it's just they, they get hit with so much. I worry about that with my grandkids. Um, not that, you know, my kids, they're great parents. They do balance it out, you know, but it's just so much that they face. every day within the schools, outside of the schools. Uh, listen, I'm in marketing and I will tell you, it is— there's just some huger firms, man, they, they tapping into the cartoons to reach your kids. They're tapping into the commercials to reach your kids. It's just so much, man, that they have to deal with that it's just like, you know, when I sit back now, I feel like the old man who used to tell me how he was growing up back in the day.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, absolutely.

D. Lee Scott:
It was so much peaceful. All we had was pagers and phones and You know, or we'd go out and just eat crab apples and get sick. And, you know, if we didn't like you or we had a beef, we wouldn't talk to you no more. Or if it was 2 dudes, we'd fight and then somebody lost. And then 2 days later, we buying Orange Nylators at the corner store and cracking jokes on each other.

Juan Santiago:
Right.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah, it's different now. It's different and scary now. Uh, region-wise, before we wrap up here with your, um, random round question, I do want to hit you with this. So the Valley has seen I mean, Mahoning Valley has seen a lot of hardships and we're rebuilding, right? In particular, I speak on Warren because just some of the things we have happening here. What gives you confidence that this region can still grow?

Juan Santiago:
It's the belief that people have that it can be turned around. It really is. I mean, I go to different places. I'm not a world traveler by any means or anything like that, but even just traveling within the States and I'm in Columbus quite a bit and just kind of hearing, there, I think it's between Columbus and Austin, Texas that are like the fastest growing cities in the US. And they talk about economic opportunities and jobs coming. And I think Ohio is now maybe one of the top 5, if I'm not mistaken, nationally. So you have a lot of, just a lot of activity. You're seeing new construction, homes going up and jobs, and they're expanding freeway, you know, the highways and all that, because to accommodate all the traffic and, you know, it continues to grow. So what gives me hope, and sometimes it actually comes from people from the outside who have moved here and said, oh, this is a great place to raise a family and to live. And, you know, and, but they didn't see us in our heyday when the steel mills were booming and General Motors and Packard, you know, the list goes on and on of all these places of employment. And, you know, Youngstown and it, and it's at its peak.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
'Cause I'm, you know, I'm in Mahoning County in Youngstown. I think the population at its peak was like at 170,000.

D. Lee Scott:
Wow.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah. And now it's down to like around 60 or just—

D. Lee Scott:
170,000.

Juan Santiago:
And now this might've been like the early 1900s.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
You know, but still was big, you know, steel was big, coal and all that.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Um, but anyways, even amidst all of that affordable, you know, affordability. So, you know, cost of living, being able to afford a home. And even though things have gone up, It's still, I think it's— this is the one thing that I find in having been to different big cities, Miami, Washington, Detroit, Chicago, you go all these different places, but the people here, there's something about the people. So when people have moved here from California or Florida, I'm like, why did you come here? Before I used to say, why are you moving here?

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
They're like, hey, my friends have got— they're older, they want to see the grandkids, or a job brought me. But I think where we're placed geographically between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, or we're right in the middle for economic opportunity, we're dead center between Chicago and New York. And they talk about the highways and all the different opportunities. You're beginning to see some things. Everybody talks about Kimberly-Clark and—

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
and other things with the data centers and things and such coming. So I think there's some things on the horizon that are coming, and I know they haven't shared everything with us, but there's opportunities that are coming. And, and I would love to see— for me, why I'm invested in the area is because I actually started to run a campaign for county commissioner about a year, a little over a year ago, and decided to step out, step away from that. But one of the reasons I was running was because I don't want my kids to have to leave for opportunity. I would love to see them thrive here. I mean, okay, people would say, hey, get your degree, get out of here, go away and just see me on the holidays. Well, I don't want to see my kids on the holidays. I'd rather see them on a more regular basis. And if there's grandkids, blessed with grandkids, I want to see them on a regular basis, not that I have to get on a plane to go see them.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
So what keeps me hopeful are the people who do believe and continue to fight and have had opportunities 'Cause there's great people who have left our area. And I'm like, man, just imagine if we could have kept those people who went somewhere else and made things happen. What if you would've stayed and made things happen? So I was one, and I was one of those individuals that had opportunities and every time, but you know, you pray about it and it's like, eh, maybe, you know, maybe I shouldn't.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And so I feel like what keeps me hopeful is I wanna do big things here and not just for me, but to leave a legacy for my kids and hopefully my kids' kids and, And for other people. So I think it's still a great place to call home. And, and if we have enough people, when I see other people who are excited about it and passionate about it and doing good things, it's like, all right, hey, let's turn this thing around. We can do it together. So that's— hopefully I answered your question.

D. Lee Scott:
You did, sir. Are you ready for this random, random question round?

Juan Santiago:
I don't know.

D. Lee Scott:
We'll get to your one word and, uh, at the close out with your one word. These is easy, man.

Juan Santiago:
Okay, so I'm answering one word with your questions?

D. Lee Scott:
No, no, no, no, not yet. You have a one word that I asked about, but then these are just random questions that I actually this I was sitting and thinking about you. I was like, hmm, I wanna ask him these questions.

Juan Santiago:
Okay.

D. Lee Scott:
Some of them are, if you heard the podcast, one of them might be, you know, something similar, but I'll start off with it. If you could have one, if you could have dinner with one historical figure, who would it be? Actually, let me change that. I wanna, I wanna do something a little better with you.

Juan Santiago:
Okay.

D. Lee Scott:
If you could have dinner with one historical figure, who is it? And what's the first question you would ask him or her? I gave you a 2-parter there.

Juan Santiago:
Oh man. Well, you know, Jesus still lives. Okay.

D. Lee Scott:
And I talk to him every day.

Juan Santiago:
every day, so we're gonna go. If you're saying historical figure, Solomon, because wisest man ever lived, had everything. People say, oh yeah, concubines. Okay, but that aside, wealthiest. They said if you translated that money that he had back then to today's dollars, it's like, I don't know if it's in the trillions, but I know it's in the billions.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And it's like, wow, you had all of that. You had everything. But, and you talk about wisdom, you know, when the— they're like, this is my child, and the other woman said, no, that's my child. And he says, okay, cut the baby in half, you get half and you get half. Like, no, no. So when the woman said, let her have it, he goes, that's the mom, because she didn't want to see harm inflicted upon the child. So I would say, um, Solomon.

D. Lee Scott:
What would you ask him?

Juan Santiago:
Oh man, what would I ask him?

D. Lee Scott:
You get one question, what you gonna ask?

Juan Santiago:
Basically, you had everything, but you, you made some— I hate to say poor decisions, you know. And it's like, why, knowing that nothing was withheld from you, why did you choose to, to make decisions that you know were not in alignment with, you know, who God created you to be?

D. Lee Scott:
You know, the hardest thing about these random questions is that's something so deep, and then I come with some— okay.

Juan Santiago:
What's my favorite sport?

D. Lee Scott:
What crayon color best matches your personality?

Juan Santiago:
Oh, man.

D. Lee Scott:
You could use the, you know, the ones I used to wish for. You can use a 64-box of Crayola, or you can go with—

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, but it's only one color though.

D. Lee Scott:
One color that matches your personality.

Juan Santiago:
Oh, man. I'm gonna— white is a color in the crayon box, and what I would say that, and let me tell you why.

D. Lee Scott:
That's your color?

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay.

Juan Santiago:
I know it sounds kind of like, and maybe that's a bad color. And the reason I'm gonna say that is because it's like, it's transparent.

D. Lee Scott:
It's your personality. There is no bad color. Well, no, because I don't know, what color would you say Okay, I think I'm—

Juan Santiago:
that's bad. Scratch that.

D. Lee Scott:
Okay, so no.

Juan Santiago:
No, no, no, no. I would say whatever would be like a vibrant color. Like, I think I bring energy and positivity.

D. Lee Scott:
Like orange?

Juan Santiago:
All right, I guess so.

D. Lee Scott:
Did you color back in the day?

Juan Santiago:
I did, but I didn't have any favorite color. I colored all the time. I used to draw drag cars, like race cars, you know.

D. Lee Scott:
So yours would— so vibrant color would be orange or— Well, you kinda got that look about orange.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, something about orange. I don't know. That's a tough one.

D. Lee Scott:
Vibrant, vibrant, vibrant. Uh, green? Depending— OK, you got a 64 box. So, like, uh—

Juan Santiago:
That's a bad question. Let's keep it real.

D. Lee Scott:
See, if you asked me, I'd say red.

Juan Santiago:
You know what I mean?

D. Lee Scott:
That would be my color off the rip.

Juan Santiago:
All right, let's go with that. I'll go with that. I'm with you on that one.

D. Lee Scott:
I'mma save you and not say— I'm not gonna even say white. We'll say red.

Juan Santiago:
OK.

D. Lee Scott:
If your life had chapters, what would you name this current chapter of your life? What would the title be?

Juan Santiago:
Almost Arrived. And, when I say almost arrived, I think oftentimes through life, and maybe it's different for everybody, some people are like, I know who I am and I don't deviate from that. But sometimes you want to please people, you want to be— have you heard of code switching?

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Okay. So, it's like, hey, I want to fit in here, so I have to conduct myself a certain way or I have to do certain things. But I think when I say almost, or just arriving at authenticity, like being the real me. Like before, let's say you and I had a difference of opinion. Like you would ask me that question, oh, what color describes your personality? And you'd say, oh, I think this. I'm like, okay, orange, okay. So not to have any kind of conflict or disagreement, where now I'm like this, nah, that's not going to work.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah, I can tell off your expression. Like, nah, he don't like orange.

Juan Santiago:
Nah, that's not going to work. So I think for me—

D. Lee Scott:
That was a selfish answer because I like orange.

Juan Santiago:
No, I got you.

D. Lee Scott:
So I'll just throw it out there.

Juan Santiago:
No, it's all good. But I mean, I like navy because that's what I like to wear all the time. But, you know, that's not my personality.

D. Lee Scott:
Well, see, that's trust. Well, it's trust and, you know, navy is trust and executive and, you know, calming. Blue in general.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, that could be. But I'm also like, I think I have like an energetic personality. You know, it's the little Latin spice in me.

D. Lee Scott:
So what color is that? I wanted you to say that. I wasn't going to say that. But yes, like vibrancy, man.

Juan Santiago:
But sazón is a spice or a A packet of stuff that we put in a lot of our food, and the package— the packet it comes in is orange. So—

D. Lee Scott:
We'll see. Okay.

Juan Santiago:
So I don't know. We have to work on that one. Come up with a new color. But, um, yeah, that chapter would have to be arriving at authenticity. Okay.

D. Lee Scott:
Um, if you could pause time, you got this power, you can pause time for 2 hours, no work, no nothing, what would you do with that 2 hours? You just pause it. To do whatever you wanted to do?

Juan Santiago:
I mean, you're not saying go on vacation or anything like that. I think it's— you know what I value now is really just kind of sitting and reflecting on life, on relationships, and on things, and where the world is going. And that could be good and bad. I mean, it's sad, I think, in some respects, but really taking time to ponder things and, and kind of let things marinate. And, you know, reflection I think is, is key because I think we don't take enough time to be still. And I think it's just because it's like, hey, I'm on all these boards, and hey, I'm doing this thing and I'm striving for that. And so we're in the do mode all the time.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
As opposed to just the be mode. Just sit still and be and, and, and, um, and kind of think like, hey, am I being— am I presenting the best me I can, whether it's to my wife, to my kids, to relationships that I have? Being intentional about spending time with the people who want to spend time with me. Friend of mine, great, great, great young lady. It's funny because every time I would see her, her hair would be a different color, you know. But she's, she's cool with it. But she— I remember at the end of the year I said, hey, what's going to be your new thing for the upcoming year? This was a couple years ago. And she said Choose people who choose me.

D. Lee Scott:
Bingo.

Juan Santiago:
And I said, that's, you know, that's kind of profound, you know, in its, in its own little way. Because oftentimes, sometimes we're wanting to be in the presence of certain people or develop relationships, and they're— they could take you or leave you. Whereas it's like, no, this person like wants to give, wants to listen. They're going to be loyal, trustworthy.

D. Lee Scott:
And like, hey, I understand we all have our shortcomings, but fidelity, fidelity and friendship, man.

Juan Santiago:
There you go.

D. Lee Scott:
So my final question for you is, um, the one word. I'm always intrigued by people's one word. Uh, in this season of you, right, what's the one word that, that you would use to define you? Or what's your one word?

Juan Santiago:
I would say, man, there's so many, but I would say caring. And the reason I say that Well, no, no, take it back. I would say care, but I would say empathetic. That's, that's probably better.

D. Lee Scott:
That's the word, empathetic?

Juan Santiago:
Yeah, because I'm really trying to understand where people are at. Because at one time I thought, well, hey, I did this, you can do it. Or why do these athletes, they get all this money and they're sleeping around with all these women or doing whatever, you know, they shouldn't be doing that. Don't they know they— like people said, they lost all their money because they got on cocaine. It doesn't matter if you make $50 million a year, but if there's an addiction and what led them to that, really trying to understand. I'm really trying to get to that place to really understand where people are coming from and see them where they're at.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And even though I may not agree with choices that you're making or decisions that you're making, but trying to understand where you're at and better relate to you and understand the value in you. You know, I just— fine example, I walk my neighborhood if I'm not at the park. My wife and I walk a lot at the park, pretty much when the weather's nice. I can honestly say almost every single day. It's like part of our routine. If we don't walk the park, there's a mile loop in my neighborhood and I'll go around it a couple of times. About a year ago, there's a gentleman I'd see every day. There's a fourplex apartment and there's a gentleman who sits up on the second floor. And I'd see him, just put up a hand, hey, how you doing? So one day I decided I'm gonna stop and talk to him.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
And I did. His name was Chester, and he had graduated from the Rand School in Youngstown. You got to say the Rand School.

D. Lee Scott:
Oh, I learned something new.

Juan Santiago:
Okay, it's the Rand. So I always joke around and say I went to the East High School, but it's the Rand School. But anyways, he was probably, I'm gonna guess, maybe in his later 70s. You know, it's— I think I'd never asked him his age. But anyways, then I'd see him. His name was Chester. And, and so Next day I'm going, he's saying, hey, how's it going? He might be smoking a cigar or something. And I'd walk up to the building and he's up on the second floor and we'd chat a little bit. So I kind of look forward to this year. We started having little conversations. He goes, hey, I didn't see you, you know, about a week or so. I said, oh, I was traveling or different things. That was last year. So I was waiting winter. We've gotten through winter, weather's nice. My wife and I were walking around the neighborhood last night and I said, man, I haven't seen Chester. I see the front door, I see the screen door open on the second floor.

D. Lee Scott:
Oh, Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
But I don't see Chester. And so yesterday my wife and I walked up, doors open. I say, hey, Chester. His wife comes out and I say, hey, is Chester here? She goes, no, he died. You know? And I was like, wow. You know, but just taking time, it kind of really hit me. And I don't really know this gentleman. It wasn't like he was a friend friend. It's just somebody I just met last summer, just walking the neighborhood. And we'd have small conversations, you know, hey, I used to work fire department or do different things, you know? But it's like, man, that's a life. And I think a lot of people are going through life, going through a lot of things. And we don't take the time to just spend with people just to converse. And he looked forward to it. He's like, hey, man, I haven't seen you. That let me know, hey, I'm looking for you.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And it's just the little things that I think we're so caught up in, like, I'm striving, I have goals, I'm trying to get ahead, I'm trying to make something of my life, I'm trying to make money, or whatever we're chasing— money, fame, power— but we forget these are people. And I have to add this, and I'm sorry to run long, but I was visiting my sister. I was at a conference in Arizona and my sister lives in Tucson. Went to visit her. And she was an accountant, decided to stay home, raise the kids. And now she has a little hustle. I think she works at an assisted living facility. And these are all— there's like 10 people that stay at this place and it's really nice. And they're all by themselves watching TV or just kind of sitting there. And it's like, wow, they were vibrant people. One guy was a big-time military guy.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
You know, I don't know if he was an admiral or colonel or whatever, but now just by himself. Still married, but his wife can't stay with him. He needs to be there for what he needs. And I was like, wow, all these people. And that'll be us one day, you know, where it's like— and hopefully you don't have to go through that. Maybe family can be around you or whatever. But it's like, wow. And sometimes I think we don't think about that. You know, one day we're not gonna have the podcast or the banking or whatever we're doing.

D. Lee Scott:
Yep.

Juan Santiago:
And it's like, what's life gonna look like? And do we take time to spend time with people Um, or, you know, whether someone's going through or people just living life, just to be mindful of that.

D. Lee Scott:
I remember, uh, there was a, it's still there, assistant living or nursing home, what have you, but it's, it's out of the way there. And I was doing, this was when I was doing, uh, event photography, part of the company. I'd go out there and document stuff. And after the event, you know, and you notice too, I'm looking through a lens at people and, you know, I'm not photographing people eating, you know, any of that. I want to photograph people, you know, having a good time. You just know when to take that photo. And they were having a good time, but there was this lady. She was sitting in the chairs up against the wall. Actually, it was 2 ladies. The one got up and left. And so me, it was all over, and I always noticed her. So I sat down, you know what I mean? My grandmother was in a nursing home for a little bit. I'd go visit her. You know, I sat down with her and just, you know, hey, how you doing? Did you have a good time? She goes, yeah, I had a great time, honey. You sure handsome. You know, get that all out the way.

Juan Santiago:
Oh yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
And then she just, her expression changed from like a smile to just a straight face. Nothing sad. It was just like, like if I was smiling and like that. So I was like, what's going on? You okay? She goes, yeah, I'm fine. She said, I sure wish my kids would visit me. So in my head, I'm like, oh, you know, I just asked, when's the last time they visited you? Next week or something? It'll be soon. She goes, I haven't seen them in years. And I said, what? So I remember going back and telling Erica, I'm like, hey, you know what I mean? Like, just, it impacted me. You know, nursing homes always impact me like that, man. Just to your point, they, in the heyday, they was probably this or that, and then now they're just there. So it does, like, even in my situation now as a widower, I think about that and healthcare a lot, like those 2 things. Um, and it's important to me, and we did it as parents together with our kids and family, but it's always important to me to turn the switch off. As much as, you know, I, I love, enjoy business and serving people and doing this and tinkering with my mind and that, there comes a time when I will shut it off, whether it's for me and just going to bed at 7 o'clock because my brain said, hey, that's enough, man.

Juan Santiago:
Yeah.

D. Lee Scott:
Like, go to bed. Or it's like, I want to hang with the grandkids, or I want to crack jokes with my kids, you know, or be around my tribe and play games or something like that. Those things are very important, man. So yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. I enjoyed this conversation, man.

Juan Santiago:
Me too.

D. Lee Scott:
Is there anything you want, you want, you know, cause listen, we got listeners in like Philippines. Germany is actually our highest international thing.

Juan Santiago:
Oh, wow.

D. Lee Scott:
But this is all about our local community as well. Is there anything you want to share or anything?

Juan Santiago:
You know what? I just watched a video about a young man who— and you can find it on YouTube. He was giving his commencement speech and he talks about how a year before he said, hey, I'd be in the running. I think maybe entering his senior year, I think. And it's like, hey, if you continue to stay on this trajectory, there's a good chance you could be the valedictorian of this class. So he goes, so I worked for it and I dedicated my time and did everything. And I got it. I won. He goes, for 15 seconds, like, oh, I'm valedictorian and balloons drop. He goes, I don't know what I expected. And 16th second, nothing. And he goes, basically the whole thing was about, he goes, whether— and that's just me trying to become valedictorian. This is what I want to say. It does tie in. I am going to bring this in to a close.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
I'll bring the train into the station. But the thing was, he goes, whether it's goals, whether it's I'm trying to get ahead in my career, um, what I'm trying to make this amount of money, or I have to do whatever it is that we're going after. He goes, don't do that. And the casualty of it are your, your important relationships.

D. Lee Scott:
Mm-hmm.

Juan Santiago:
And that to me is so, you know, I, we've talked a lot in this last, however long we've been talking, hour, hour and a half. Um, we've talked about mentors, we talked about my parents, we talked about siblings. You know, great friends. I have this gentleman I talk to every single day, you know, and, and we chop it up about different things. And so for me, relationships are really, really key at the end of the day, whether it's people in a nursing home. Relationships. Don't forget that, because one day that'll be us, you know. I mean, hopefully not, you know, but it— the likelihood. So I think that, um, you know, for me, relationship with my Creator, you know, my spouse, my kids, my close friends.

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
relationships and life and just being mindful that everybody's on a journey and everybody's gone through— I didn't know until you shared with me you had lost your wife. Not today, of course, when we talk. I lost my dad. My dad was murdered. Everybody's going through stuff, has gone through, and a lot of times that stuff doesn't just go away. It kind of stays there and different things will remind you of that time. And it's just kind of being a little more careful on how we talk to people, how we treat people. Does it really— does this really matter? Is it enough to fight and end a relationship over, you know, whatever you get hung up on?

D. Lee Scott:
Yeah.

Juan Santiago:
Politics, the foot— you know, a sports team, you know, just foolishness. And so I think just being mindful of, you know, people being on their journey in this walk in life, um, and just being a little more considerate, a little more understanding. A little more loving, a little less judgmental. And again, you don't have to agree with everything, but just say, hey, we're on this thing together, and how can we just be a little kinder to each other?

D. Lee Scott:
That's a better conclusion to this podcast than I could give, sir. Thank you very much. Hey folks, I do want to deeply thank you for joining me and Mr. Santiago here on Sound United Presents. This is Deshaun Scott signing out. This episode was produced by the Sound United Podcast Studio, led by Kimberly Gonzalez. Photography and video content produced by the D5 Group. And be sure to visit our website, soundunitedpresents.com, where you can catch up on all the episodes and get some behind-the-scenes content. I'm Deshawn Scott. Thank you for listening. Thank you.