Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series on radio and podcast. I’m Paul Vogelzang, and for all of us in The Not Old Better Show audience who love corn beef and kugel, we’ve got a great show for you today!

Thank you so much for listening. John Jackson’s Breakdown, from Smithsonian Folkways, is our music today…a great song. And we’ve got a great guest today, whom I’ll introduce in just a moment…But, quickly, if you missed any episodes, last week was our 663rd episode, and we spoke to Smithsonian Associate David Maraniss about his new book on the life of Jim Thorpe. Two weeks ago, I spoke with Jenny Ashcraft about new headlines and what they teach us about ancestry from Newspapers.com.   Wonderful stuff…If you missed those shows, you can go back and check them out along with my entire back-catalog of shows, all free for you there on our website, NotOldBetter.com…and if you leave a review, we will read it at the end of each show…leave reviews on Apple Podcasts for us.

Our guest today is Smithsonian Associate Ari Weinzweig, who’ll be presenting at Smithsonian Associates coming up. Please check our website for more details about Ari Weinzweig’s upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation. But, we have Ari Weinzweig today. Ari Weinzweig is the founding partner of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, including Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Zingerman’s Creamery, and Zingerman’s Bakehouse. Google says Zingermans is one of the “iconic restaurants of Ann Arbor, Michigan.” But today’s interview is much bigger than just Ann Arbor, Michigan, although that might be enough… no, no, we have Ari Weinzweig today, and our conversation is about being your best self in work, your personal life, and the power of your beliefs!

Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan, opened in 1982 as a traditional Jewish deli and food shop that sold great stacked sandwiches and delicious baked goods. Less known is its role in building new business opportunities for others in the area, like ZingTrain and the BakeSchool

Corned beef and kugel made the deli a local icon. But rather than plant copies of the successful enterprise everywhere, co-founding partners Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw took a different path. They created Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, stores with their own food specialty, and managing partners who would replicate Zingerman’s values.

Ari Weinzweig writes books, pamphlets, and many other materials, all found HERE, on the e-newsletters site at Zingermans.

Please join me in welcoming you to the Not Old Better Show Smithsonian Associates interview series on radio and podcast Ari Weinzweig.

Our review today is from Lannie Morena

Sept 13, 2022,

Lannie Morena says: Perfect!

“I listen to many podcast shows and The Not Old Better Show seems perfect to me.”

Thank you, Lannie, and my thanks to Ari Weinzweig for his generous time today and his inspirational messages about life and power.

My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show.

My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience on radio and podcast. Today’s music, Breakdown, from John Jackson is from Smithsonian Folkways. Please be well, and be safe, which I’m telling you each show, followed by my message to eliminate assault rifles. Only members of the military use these weapons. Assault rifles are killing our children and grandchildren in the very places they learn: school. Let’s do better. Let’s talk about better. The Not Old Better Show on radio and podcast. Thanks, everybody, and we’ll see you next week.

Ari Weinzweig joins me today to discuss Zingerman’s story and unique approach to management and leadership. You can find out more about the upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation featuring Ari HERE.

Ari’s books:

* Zingerman’s Guide to Great Service

* Building a Great Business

* Being a Better Leader

* Managing Ourselves

* The Power of Beliefs in Business