CEOs Speak: Recent Episodes
Charlie Katz
CEOs Speak is where CEO’s open up to what it takes to reach the pinnacle. What drives them, what sustains them, the challenges they face and the lessons they’ve learned through their long difficult journey. Join Charlie Katz, Bitbean's Executive Creative Director as he interviews the dynamic thought leaders who are building some of America’s most successful companies.
Elly Perets is the Chief Executive Officer at Utilis. He has 20 years of experience in executive management, enterprise software sales, marketing, business development, and OEM.
Mychal Manolatos is Vice President of SOLitude Lake Management, a nationwide environmental firm specializing in the sustainable management of lakes, stormwater ponds, wetlands, fisheries, and drinking water reservoirs. He is responsible for driving the overall direction and strategy of the business while upholding the company’s mission to provide premium, accessible environmental solutions. Mychal earned his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Hospitality Management from Michigan State University and began his professional career in 1999. He has led various teams and businesses across multiple industries, including two Fortune 500 Companies.
Manley Hopkinson is the founder of renowned leadership consultancy Manley Talks LTD and The Compassionate Leadership Academy, author of Compassionate Leadership, and a sought-after keynote speaker.
Jim Grundy is the CEO/Founder of multiple oil and gas service companies based out of Dallas/Fort Worth. With an MBA from the University of Texas, Arlington, Mr. Grundy has spent the better part of his working life optimizing various PML platforms for numerous Fortune 500 companies and is now the founder/CEO of Sisu Energy LLC. Since 2018, Mr. Grundy has generated more than $100 million dollars of revenue without financially leveraging a single company-owned asset. Utilizing smart technologies and implementing his PPP (Praise, Promote and Pay) initiatives, Mr. Grundy represents the ‘new breed’ of entrepreneurs providing Supply Chain solutions that optimize business strategies while at the same time creating a financial model that is both responsible, yet sustainable.
Known as the “world’s smartest coach,” Cynthia Davis is an authority on transcendent leadership and cultivating potential in maverick innovators. She is the CEO of Radiant Blue and the founder of the Incremental Monumental Change community, two separate but related endeavors that foster excellence in extreme pioneering.
Before striking out on her own, Cynthia led a publicly held consulting company as its first female CEO, served as a VP of International Business Development, a VP of Global Operations, an Executive VP, and a Management Consultant at some of the world’s most prestigious corporations including Raytheon Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Bausch & Lomb, and General Electric. During her tenure at these legendary Fortune 50 companies, she learned what it takes to achieve massive success on both the individual and corporate level, and felt compelled to share that hard-won wisdom.
For more than 20 years Eric Strafel, former CEO and Fortune 500 executive, has dedicated himself to building forward-thinking teams and scaling innovation to create transformational organizations that thrive in an increasingly entrepreneurial and purpose-driven world. His recent corporate leadership roles include Vice President of Strategy and Market Development for Boeing Global Services and President/CEO of Aviall, where he led the creation of the framework for Aviall’s 20/20 vision for future growth. Strafel is passionate about helping small and midsize companies grow profits and scale, which motivated him in 2019 to launch SUMMi7, an EdTech platform featuring a series of pursuits focused on improving business and society by creating opportunities for underrepresented communities. He is on a mission to share collaborative leadership strategies and create opportunities for a more human-centric and inclusive planet.
Jamie Straz has over 6 years of experience with both public and private sector projects. He has served as Project Architect, Manager, and Designer for both large and small scale projects through the schematic and design development stage, construction documents, permitting, and construction administration for various types of projects and clients. He has a diverse design background that he integrates into his Architectural work whether it is through Art, Sculpture, Journalism, Marketing, or Graphic Design. Understanding what the client wants and working with them to create a design that reflects their dreams into a reality, good design does not come at a cost and Mr. Straz strives to incorporate this philosophy into his work regardless of the type of project.
Erdin Beshimov is an entrepreneur and educator at MIT. He believes that the mission of education is to help humanity escape the Paradox of Progress. He also predicts that the best universities of the 22nd century will be different from the best universities today.
Rob Weinhold, a crisis leadership expert , is the Chief Executive of the Fallston Group, which he launched in 2009 to help organizations manage their reputations during life’s most critical times. As an executive serving various organizations in the public and private sectors, including the Baltimore Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice, and Ripken Baseball, Rob developed deep experience in crisis leadership, innovation, business growth, marketing, and public affairs. In all these roles, Rob also served as chief strategist and has appeared on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, BBC and many other media outlets. He holds a Master of Science in Marketing degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Larry Oberly brings 26 years of franchise experience from the foodservice, real estate, and large-format printing industries. Before joining SpeedPro in November of 2017, he served for 17 years as Vice President of U.S. and Global Operations at RE/MAX LLC, where he headed growth, development, technology, and training for more than 100 countries and territories, 3,850 offices, and 54,000 agents.
Prior to RE/MAX, Larry was a successful multi-unit Baskin-Robbins franchisee with full P&L accountability for marketing and sales, quality customer service, team development, purchasing, and accounting. After six years, he built and sold his businesses at a substantial profit and was elected to serve on the Baskin-Robbins National Marketing Committee.
Larry has three main roles as the President and CEO of SpeedPro: setting the vision of the company, growing existing studio sales and profits, and awarding and supporting new studios.
Larry’s wife owns a Medical Training company and they are parents to one son. Larry loves traveling, running, and hosting parties at their home. He has run seven marathons and eight half-marathons. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of Colorado and Georgetown University. He holds a BBA from Kent State University, an MBA from California State University, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and is a member of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board of the University of Colorado-Denver, IFA International Committee and Convention Committee.
How has predicting the weather changed? Learn from the "most accurate man in weather” as he was named by The New York Times. Dr. Joel N. Myers is considered the “father of modern commercial meteorology” and the nation’s most respected authority on the business of meteorology. Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AccuWeather, he has been recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs book as one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history. He is a proven visionary leader, founding the company in 1962 and successfully establishing AccuWeather as the largest and fastest-growing weather media company as well as a global leader in weather-related big data, business, and predictive analytics. Dr. Myers continues to champion global business growth at AccuWeather while helping others.
Alexandre Douzet is the CEO of Pumpkin Pet Insurance.
Alexandre has an MBA in general management, an MS in direct marketing, and a BS in economics and business administration. Prior to Pumpkin, he was founder and CEO of Ollie, and before that TheLadders.com. He is also a competitive athlete and has completed several Ironman competitions.
Nancy Leavitt is the woman behind the award-winning Nancy Leavitt Agency, LLC, a woman-owned business through American Family Insurance in Bellingham, WA, which has provided auto, home, business, life, and other insurance in the Pacific Northwest for almost twelve years. In that time, she’s developed thousands of policies, serviced hundreds of claims, and touched the lives of thousands of residents in her community.
In this second podcast with Gary Schoeniger of The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, Gary digs deeper into a discussion of his "entrepreneurial mindset theory." To explain this theory, he shares that he "wanted to understand how people with no particular advantage in their life, managed to rise above their situation, to create some modicum of meaning and prosperity in their life. "
Dr. Kennette Thigpen, or Dr. K as many have come to call her, is a Corporate Mental Health Consultant and Speaker. She has spent the last 15+ years helping hundreds of companies of all sizes, in multiple industries, from around the globe develop, implement and integrate mental health strategies by developing tailored initiatives, delivering training, and speaking. In doing so, she is able to help companies experience a more resilient, productive, and engaged workforce.
Her innovative methodology when working with companies has awarded her the IChange Nations award for Women Who Add Value and as a Distinguished Leader. She is an International Psychologist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker who graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and East Carolina University.
Brian Harris is the CEO and co-founder of MedRhythms, a digital therapeutics company that uses sensors, music, and software to build evidence-based, neurologic interventions to measure and improve walking.
In a multi-billion-dollar law enforcement organization, Jonni Redick oversaw large-scale civil disturbance, natural disaster response coordination, and oversight, and managed thousands of personnel within daily operations. A 29-year veteran, rising through the ranks of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) from county clerical worker to breaking through the “less-than-one-percent” ceiling for women of color in executive leadership in law enforcement.
Her progression from front-line police work to executive leadership generated her passion for cultivating trust and legitimacy in organizational cultures. She now builds 21st Century leaders as the founder and CEO of JLConsulting Solutions (JLCS) where she works with police executives in law enforcement and public safety, CEOs in corporate, government, and nonprofit businesses.
She is a thought leader in law enforcement and educates public safety and law enforcement leaders across the country. Jonni Redick is also the author of “Survival Guide” to Law Enforcement Promotional Preparation and the forthcoming book “Black, White & Blue: Surviving the Sifting.”
Ryan Novak is the 32-year-old owner of Chocolate Pizza Company, Central New York’s largest chocolate maker that has grown from a small-town chocolate shop into an emerging national brand. The company’s signature, products Chocolate Pizza® and Peanut Butter Wings® are gourmet chocolate gifts for business or personal occasions made with the highest quality Swiss-style chocolate. They have been enjoyed by A-list celebrities, hall of fame athletes, music legends, top political and business executives, and chocolate lovers from 6 continents. In 2016, Chocolate Pizza Company was named “Business of the Year” (less than 50 employees) by Centerstate CEO, the area’s largest business development association covering 12 counties in Upstate New York. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from Syracuse University where he also played college football. He is a 40 Under Forty awardee and was honored as “Young Alumnus of the Year” by SU’s Whitman School of Management. Ryan is married and resides in his hometown of Marcellus, New York.
Gary Schoeniger is the founder of the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI) and co-author of Who Owns the Ice House? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur. He led the development of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program and has presented about re-defining entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking at numerous keynotes, workshops, and training programs throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Stephen King is the CEO and founder of GrowthForce. From startups to working with Fortune 500 executives, Stephen brings a unique combination of vision, foresight, and experience to help small businesses run better, grow faster, and make more money. Regarded as one of the accounting industry’s top thought leaders, he’s currently serving as President and CEO of GrowthForce, one of the nation’s largest cloud-based accounting service providers.
A highly energetic and motivational business leader, entrepreneur, and speaker, Steve has a passion for helping businesses and nonprofits reach their growth potential. His ability to visualize the future of accounting and assemble a highly qualified and motivated team has led GrowthForce to become one of the nation’s largest cloud-based bookkeeping, accounting, and controller service providers.
Dr. Bart Barthelemy is the Founding Director of the Wright Brothers Institute and the President of the Collaborative Innovation Institute. He was the National Director of the National Aerospace Plane Program, where he reported to the White House and was responsible for the development of the nation’s hypersonic aerospace plane. While a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, he served as the Technical Director of the Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, the Air Force’s largest research and development complex. He has been a consultant to a variety of aerospace industry companies and federal government organizations, including Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, the Department of Defense and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Bart was also a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute and Carnegie Mellon University and Adjunct Professor at the University of Dayton. Bart’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from MIT, Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering and Physics from MIT, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Physics/Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. Bart published High Performance, a book on high performance technology leadership in 1985, and The Sky Is Not The Limit: Breakthrough Leadership, St. Lucie Press, a book on breakthrough leadership in 1993 and Collaborative Innovation, a book on the future of innovation, Balboa Press in 2020.
William D. Novelli is the Founder of Georgetown Business for Impact, and Distinguished Professor of the Practice, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University.
As a professor in the MBA program at McDonough Georgetown, Bill teaches Principled Leadership for Business and Society and Managing the Enterprise. He developed and previously taught courses in Corporate Social Responsibility and Leadership and Management of Nonprofit Organizations.
He founded Georgetown Business for Impact at McDonough and oversees the program, which partners with companies, nonprofits, and government to create social, environmental, and economic impact.
Bill is also co-founder and co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, a national alliance focused on reforming advanced illness/end-of-life care in the U.S.
Previously, he was CEO of AARP, a membership organization of 40 million people 50 and older. Prior to AARP, he was founder and president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, EVP of CARE, the international relief and development organization, and co-founder and president of Porter Novelli, a global public relations firm and now part of Omnicom.
Andy Techmanski is the Founder and CEO of FORLOH, a new premium, technical hunting, fishing, and outdoor apparel brand with apparel that is 100% Made in the U.S.A. Before switching paths to pursue his passions for hunting and American-made manufacturing through FORLOH, Andy worked in the energy sector as CEO of Whitefish Energy Holdings, an energy construction company. Prior to joining Whitefish Energy Holdings, Andy was the Senior Vice President at Arctic Arrow Powerline Group, a consulting firm in the energy industry. On his new career path, Andy is excited to combine his passion for hunting and vision for American-made manufacturing to his latest business venture. Andy’s vision for FORLOH is for the brand to become a global leader in the hunting and outdoor apparel industry. Andy is based in Whitefish, Mont., where FORLOH is headquartered.
Christine Nguyen is a WashU student by day and a nonprofit leader by night. She is the founder and CEO of Limitless Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fighting for equitable and accessible healthcare, in loving memory of her uncle Cuong Ngo. Christine has worked in the nonprofit sector, legislative offices, political campaigns, startups, and venture capital firms. Outside of Limitless, she is currently using her experience to serve as president of the WashU Catholic Student Union and as an engagement manager for Consult Your Community (an organization that provides pro bono consulting services for small businesses).
Kenetia Lee, is the Founder and CEO of PopUP CleanUP, which started in 2016 as a hip niche commercial cleaning company offering best-in-cleaning crews to maintain cleanliness at the hottest events, festivals, races, and concerts, in Greater Los Angeles. PopUP CleanUP offers pre-event production set-up/cleaning, cleaning during events, and post-event cleaning in any indoor or outdoor event space. Our roster of events include the 2017 Los Angeles NBA All-Star Games, 2018 ComplexCon in Long Beach, 2019 Blast Pro Series and Los Angeles Marathon, working with clients like Nike, Adidas, Facebook, PopSugar and Lululemon to name a few.
Kevin Wilson is the CEO and President of Buzz Franchise Brands. He has held the position since July 2012. Prior to this, Kevin was a Senior Managing Director with Envest Ventures where he oversaw $160M across three funds that made 28 investments, four of which were franchisors. Before joining Envest, Kevin was a Senior Managing Director of Discovery Americas, a private equity fund based in Mexico City, Mexico. Utilizing his experience in the airline industry, he developed a business plan and co-founded Volaris, (NYSE: VLRS) an ultra low cost airline. His career includes being CEO of South African Airways Technical, the independently owned maintenance operation of South African Airways, based in Johannesburg, South Africa; the CEO and Founder of Benny’s Bagels, a franchisor of retail bagel stores based in Dallas, Texas. Kevin began his business career working for Bain and Company as a consultant in Toronto, Canada and Dallas, Texas.
Kinga Jentetics is the CEO and founder of PublishDrive, the all-in-one digital book publishing platform for e-books, print books and audiobooks for authors and publishers.
She made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Media and was named one of the Top 100 European Female Founders by The Hundert. With PublishDrive, she took part in global accelerator programs of Google in Silicon Valley and in Europe. She was also nominated for the 2018 Digital Book World Awards (in a list that included Jeff Bezos). As an advocate of using new technologies such as blockchain and AI, Kinga is helping to rewrite the rules of the publishing landscape with PublishDrive by providing digital services from global book distribution to promotional tools and financial services tailored for indies. So that publishing will not be the privilege of a few but a resource for many.
*Wanda Wallace, Ph.D. is a Leadership and Inclusion Expert and Radio Host. She is an accomplished keynote speaker and Managing Partner of Leadership Forum, LLC. She coaches and facilitates improving leadership by improving the quality of conversations — helping women and men advance, stick, and thrive.
Her most recent work has been on helping managers break out of being the expert and build truly inclusive cultures. This work is captured in her latest book You Can’t Know It All: Leading in the Age of Deep Expertise. Wanda hosts a weekly radio show and podcast: Out of the Comfort Zone. Dividing her time between New York City and London, Wanda speaks, coaches leaders, conducts seminars, and works with teams at all levels in the global corporate context. She works around the world and is versed in leadership, politics, and strategic perspective. She helps women advance their careers as well as engages managers in the inclusion agenda. As a consultant and educator who is equally at ease in the distinct worlds of business and education, she has designed a number of highly-rated programs for high potential leaders that have been enthusiastically received around the world. For clients, she has developed and introduced a number of executive education models that combine the best of practice, dialogue, thought and action.*
Chip has worked at RJ Young since he was fourteen years old. In his own words, working for RJ Young is “the only life I’ve ever known.” In 1987, Chip started officially at RJ Young as a sales representative after graduating from the University of Mississippi. In 1989, he graduated to director of sales, then eventually executive vice president, and chief operating officer.
In 1995 Chip was named president and CEO of RJ Young. Guided by an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit, Chip has led the company to see double-digit annual growth — now ranking as the largest, privately-held dealer of office technology solutions in the Southeast and one of the largest in the nation. He oversees an operation that covers eight states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee, and employs more than 600 people in 30 locations.
Chip Crunk serves as the president of the School of Business Board for Ole Miss, is a founding member and past president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Organization (EO) and serves on the board of directors of Fourth Capital Bank. Throughout his career he’s also been an active member of the Ricoh Executive Steering Committee, the Canon Dealer Council, and the Copier Dealers Association. He is active in community and civic organizations and enjoys flying, boating, golfing, and the Tennessee Titans. Chip and his wife Gina reside in Brentwood, TN, and have two children.
Rod Washington serves as Dallas regional president for Frost Bank, where he oversees the teams working to build and strengthen business relationships within the Dallas community. Washington joined Frost in 2007 as an executive vice president in charge of its Dallas-area real estate banking group and has more than 35 years of experience in the banking and real estate industries. Born and raised in southern Dallas, Washington serves on the board of directors of Dallas Methodist Hospital Foundation, including its Finance Committee, and the board of the Real Estate Council Community Fund and its Loan Committee, and he’s passionate about being a part of the community in which he lives and works.
Chelle Neff has been a leader in the U.S. salon industry since founding Urban Betty in 2005. As the CEO, Neff has successfully grown Urban Betty year after year and today has a salon company that houses more than 60 employees and has 2 locations. No stranger to innovation, Neff designed and developed an app, FyleStyle, which allows stylists to track client information and color formulas, and in 2017, she launched a series of educational classes called Betty Bootcamp. Since 2018 Urban Betty has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies by Inc 5000 three times consecutively.
Erica Pattni is a seasoned CMO and startup advisor with a successful track record at developing numerous high growth companies to profitably establish them as health & wellness and tech leaders. Erica led all marketing during the rapid growth phase at KIND from $10M in sales to $350M in sales while increasing brand awareness from 10% to 32% awareness with 100% annual sales growth. She has led numerous global brands to establish or reestablish brand leadership including Oracle, Nestle, Williams Sonoma, West Elm, Sun Run, Urban Remedy, Clif Bar, Conde Nast, and Gillette by guiding strategy, acquisitions, branding, marketing communications, and innovation and building brand value to help them forge ahead of the competition across their industries.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Whit and Colin Hunter of BetterWorld, a free, easy-to-use fundraising platform that helps nonprofits and individuals raise funds online.
Since the age of 18, Whit Hunter has worked in startups from Shanghai to Palo Alto. After recognizing that up to twenty percent of funds raised for nonprofits do not make it to the end cause, Whit set out to disrupt the charitable giving industry for the better. With a background in best-in-class technology and a passion for nonprofit work, Whit has dedicated his life to imagining new ways for businesses to do good. He currently lives in Charlottesville, VA.
Colin Hunter is the co-founder and head of strategy and growth at BetterWorld. From his early career at Bain and Company, Colin brings with him a vast background in strategy consulting. He is also the proud founder of the premium menswear brand Alton Lane, which allows him to bring a multidimensional, entrepreneurial mindset to the team at BetterWorld.
Recognizing that a large portion of donations made to charitable causes do not make it to the end cause, he used his expertise in scaling and growing brands to found BetterWorld. He has a deep-rooted commitment to nonprofit work, having served in every role of the nonprofit ecosystem, from board member to advisor, consultant, event host and donor.
Nick Ron, CEO of House Buyers of America, is a tech-savvy industry veteran with over 20 years of experience as a real estate investor. Since 2001, Nick has bought 1,000s of homes in the Washington D.C. Metro area through his hybrid real estate model that balances technology with human, on-the-ground expertise.
Steven Seiden is CEO of Acquired Data Solutions (ADS), Inc., a 22-year old engineering services company specializing in solving customer’s complex engineering problems serving the Aerospace and Defense, Transportation, Critical Infrastructure, Medical, and Food and Beverage industries. These solutions include Internet of Things (IOT), software and hardware development and design, test, automation, and cybersecurity. ADS serves federal agencies such as TSA, NIH, DHS, DOD, and many large prime contractors including Northrop Grumman, AT&T, SAIC, Leidos, ManTech, and Raytheon.
Jorge Sun is the founder of Lending Front, a technology company that powers the future of business lending for community banks, credit unions, CDFIs, payment processors, and alternative lenders. The SaaS platform enables lenders to separate small business lending from the traditional commercial lending process so they can lend capital in a more efficient, low-risk manner. Jorge Sun founded LendingFront in 2015 after working in small business lending for a number of years with Capital One, OneDeck, and others.
Jason Dunn Sr. is the Chairman of NCBMP and has been a change-maker in Cincinnati and within the national hospitality industry for almost two decades. He has a drive to redefine how the industry thinks about multicultural and diversity meetings and their impact on the destinations. As the first supplier to be elected Chairman of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP), Jason Dunn, Sr. has found intersections between his role as Group Vice-President in Cincinnati and Chairman of NCBMP. Under Mr. Dunn’s leadership, NCBMP has forged a partnership with Meeting Professionals International (MIP) and provides an equitable exchange- introducing professional development access through educational opportunities. The partnership will focus on unifying the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry in a comprehensive way by leading with data and mutual access to untapped resources.
Since joining the Cincinnati Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CCVB) in 2004, Mr. Dunn has led efforts to deliver significant new convention business and forged inroads with the national multicultural and diverse meetings market. During his tenure, the number of multicultural and diverse meetings in Cincinnati has represented more than one-third of all CVB new business from 2008–18, with a direct visitor spend of $200 million. Mr. Dunn brings deep perspective and a successful track record in connecting communities of all backgrounds to Cincinnati, Ohio.
With more than 25 years of experience in the apparel industry, Lisa Struble has led global teams in technical design and product development and has been featured in Sourcing Journal, Nashville Fashion Week, Textile Excellence and many more. After 15 years at Abercrombie & Fitch as the Vice President of Technical Design and 5 years at UnderArmour as the Vice President of Product Development and Quality, Struble moved back home to Tennessee for a much-needed break. During those few months off, she discovered BANDED in her hometown and instantly fell in love with the brand and mission. After serving as the Executive Vice President for a season, Struble jumped at the opportunity to purchase the company. She hasn’t looked back since.
Kym Gold is the original Co-founder/Designer for True Religion Brand Jeans. Her talent and passion for design has been translated into other premier brands like Babakul, Bella Dahl, Hippie Jeans, and most recently Style Union Home. “Fashion for the home,” Style Union Home is handcrafted, fired with love ceramic houseware. A luxury passion project where Kym employs her innovative “disheveled sexy” aesthetic approach to designing timeless, cohesive, unique, interchangeable Home Fashion. Part of her business success hinges on her long-held belief that “you are only as good as your team.” Kym paves the way for her team’s growth and autonomy. She leads by example and welcomes collaboration.
Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant. He is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Nielson BookScan, and New York Times #1 bestselling author of 9 books about companies like Starbucks, Mercedes-Benz, Zappos, Airbnb, UCLA Health Systems, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. His latest book is Stronger Through Adversity: World-Class Leaders Share Pandemic-Tested Lessons on Thriving During the Toughest Challenges. Among other honors, Dr. Michelli has been named the #2 thought leader in Customer Service by Global Gurus.
Joseph is the CEO of MYOS RENS Technology Inc in Cedar Knolls, NJ, a research-based company focused on addressing musculoskeletal health through the development and commercialization of advanced nutrition products for both humans and pets. Prior to joining MYOS, Mannello was the Executive Managing Director at Brean Capital LLC, an independent investment bank and asset management firm. He also served as head of corporate credit for Gleacher & Company, Inc., a publicly-traded investment bank; was Head of the Fixed Income Division of BNY Capital Markets, Inc., a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
Charles (Chuck) D. Stokes, Former President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System, joined the system in 2008 as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In June 2017, he was named President and CEO of the System. In his role, Chuck was responsible for leading and overseeing the $5.6B System’s network of more than 17 hospitals and 300 delivery sites, with more than 27,000 employees and 6,400 affiliated physicians in the Greater Houston area. Chuck retired from Memorial Hermann effective December 2019.
Chuck has four decades of leadership experience in healthcare, and throughout his accomplished career has achieved success in service line leadership, employee engagement, leadership development, physician collaboration, and quality and patient safety improvement.
Meredith Stoddard is currently Vice President, Life Events Planning at Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing and other financial products and services to more than 26 million individuals, institutions and financial intermediaries.
Jean Freeman is the Principal and CEO of the award-winning creative agency Zambezi, which is one of the largest, female-owned, full-service creative agencies in the country. Jean has successfully grown Zambezi to a thriving business.
Grant Aldrich founded OnlineDegree.com with a purpose-driven mission: make higher education more accessible and affordable for everyone. After graduating college with an overwhelming amount of debt, he was determined to change how students embark on their college education. Grant has spent his entire career working in startups with nearly 15 years of experience. He has been a board member and donor to a number of non-profits, an advisor to many publicly traded companies, and a guest speaker at seminars and graduate school courses. He graduated with honors from University of California Irvine in Economics.
Mitch Luciano is President and CEO of the #1 Ocean Carrier Trailer Bridge*, the #1 Place to Work in Jacksonville, and an Inc Best Workplace for 2020.
"*Trailer Bridge was founded in 1991 by Malcom McLean, a true pioneer in the container shipping industry, moving freight between Florida and Puerto Rico. I think the vision and purpose we live and work by today really came to life in 2015 and has grown into an exceptional model of what’s possible when you simply put your people first."
Anthony Denier is the CEO of Webull Financial*, a commission-free trading platform with over 11 million users worldwide. The platform offers online stock trading, ETF trading, real-time market quotes, and comprehensive market data from more than 100 exchanges and 90 countries worldwide.
"*Even though Webull was not built to be a “stay at home” company, our business has thrived during this pandemic. Many of our users found our platform looking for more financial freedom, while others who have been putting investing off for years now finally had the time. We will use this growth to re-invest in even more powerful tools, services, and asset classes to continue with our mission to provide a better platform for users. We will also be using this tailwind to grow our staff and our footprint globally."
Winston C. Fisher directs Fisher Brothers' financing/investing activities, property acquisitions and dispositions, and oversees all new development initiatives. With experience across a broad range of transactions, Mr. Fisher leads all financial analysis, due diligence, project capitalization efforts, and joint-venture partnerships for new and distressed real estate projects. His active participation in the company’s development projects includes serving as CEO of AREA15, a first-of-its-kind experiential and interactive retail, dining and nightlife complex. In addition, he manages the Fisher Brothers; investment portfolio, including asset allocation, risk management, and investment manager selection and holds the position of Chairman of Lionheart Strategic Management, which provides financing on transitional assets.
Mr. Fisher is the Co-Chair of the NYC Regional Economic Development Council and serves as a Trustee on the Citizens Budget Commission. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York. Mr. Fisher also serves on the Board of the Realty Foundation of New York and is on the Board of Trustees at Syracuse University, and the Horace Mann School.
Involved in a number of philanthropic activities, Mr. Fisher is on the Board of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and has been active through Team Intrepid Fallen Heroes in participating in extreme sports to raise funds to support our U.S. wounded troops. He also serves on the Board of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
"When KardasLarson began, it was founded by two women who were actually in competition with each other. Both were determined to use their expertise to help organizations strengthen their workplace practices ensuring compliance with ever changing laws and building effective leaders and teams. After losing business to each other, they joined forces and built an organization with a terrific reputation. I’m honored to be walking in these ladies’ footsteps and working with very talented HR professionals.
Today, our purpose remains the same — to help organizations maximize performance. While KardasLarson’s service areas are broad, my specific expertise is helping corporate and nonprofit leaders navigate change successfully."
Dave Krepcho is President/CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida; a member of Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the U.S. Second Harvest Food Bank serves a six County area in Central Florida through a network of 550 partner agencies. Last year, with the help of food and financial donors, volunteers, and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed enough food for 76 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, daycare centers, and Kids Cafes. In addition, Second Harvest’s 16-week culinary program teaches foodservice-based technical, life, and employability skills to economically hard-pressed adults. Second Harvest is distributing enough food to feed 66,000 people a day. The organization annually receives Charity Navigator’s Four-Star rating.
Dave has 26 years’ experience in food banking, holding positions such as a national Feeding America Board member, past president of Feeding Florida, chair of the Feeding America eastern region, chaired various national task forces, member of a bi-partisan Washington, DC think tank, serves on the 4ROOTS Board as well as the Florida Nonprofit Alliance. He was the Orlando Sentinel’s Orlando Sentinel’s “2009 Central Floridian of the Year” and in 2019, Orlando Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful People: Philanthropy & Community Voices.” Prior to his role at Second Harvest, Dave was V.P. of Business Development at Feeding America. Before he reinvented himself as a food banker, he had a career in the Advertising Agency business and attended Columbus College of Art & Design.
Cole spent two decades working in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, solving complex sales and strategy puzzles for some of the world’s largest companies. Her success during that period came from merging smart business strategy with her own long-standing mindfulness practices. Her approach to work created higher levels of trust, connection, engagement, focus, and understanding and changed the experience her teams and clients had as they worked together. She built Cool Audrey™ so she could enable other people to do the same.
As Founder and Kindness Director of Cool Audrey™, Cole understands that everything good and lasting in business begins with people. She partners with companies to make EQ actionable by cultivating kindness-first cultures and seeding practices that elevate mindfulness to a strategic, must-have business imperative. She’s unconventional in her language, in her approach to business, and in the way she sees the world. ---Authority Magazine
*Colin House is an entrepreneur at heart and a highly seasoned professional in the sleep space. He entered the sleep market in an unusual way — through a friend who had assembled a team of brain scientists that developed a sleep program using the healing benefits of sound, founded on research to help NASA get astronauts to sleep in space. After acquiring the technology, Colin developed an app called Sleep Genius and took it to market. Sleep Genius provided something the industry had never seen before — it focuses on treating sleep problems, not just tracking them.
Recruited to Intellibed as CEO in 2014, he contributed his leadership and high-tech experience with disruptive technology to the company., which differentiates itself in the sleep category with its disruptive Gel Matrix®. He is responsible for leading the overall company strategy, overseeing the sales team, establishing strategic retail partnerships, guiding organizational initiatives, and determining unique POS retail activities. Over the last five years with the company, Colin has expanded distribution of their high-end luxury products at retailers from coast to coast, introduced Sleep Genius to the mattress and bedding industry, and championed the launch of the unparalleled Sleep Genius Smart Base. Over the last three years, Intellibed has doubled its business each year, making it the fastest-growing luxury mattress brand.*
As founder and CEO of Thrive Senior Living, Jeramy Ragsdale is a man on a mission to nurture a business with people right at the heart. He is the founder behind Thrive, responsible for business development, strategic management and supporting the company’s leadership team. He’s a frequent speaker and panelist at industry conferences and events across the U.S., Asia, and Europe.
Prior to founding Thrive Senior Living in 2007, Jeramy worked in homebuilding, creating infill developments throughout metro Atlanta. Jeramy has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Samford University and is a member of, and active participant in leading industry organizations, such as ASHA, Argentum and NIC. An Atlanta native, he is a father of four daughters, a private pilot, and a marathon man.
*Henry S. Givray is the current Chairman and former President & CEO of SmithBucklin Corporation, an association management and services company. During Henry’s 13 years as CEO between 2002 and 2015, SmithBucklin achieved unprecedented success since its founding in 1949, including client satisfaction and retention, employee engagement, company growth, and financial performance.
Two companies Henry served as CEO faced three high-stakes external crises — the dot-com crash, 9/11, and the 2008/2009 Great Recession. Henry confronted and successfully navigated these crises while delivering his best for his colleagues, clients, boards, and shareholders by consciously applying and continuously honing certain practices underlying key principles drawn from his many years of continuous leadership learning and personal growth.*
Michael Stausholm is the founder of Sprout — the company behind the first pencil in the world that can be planted and grown into herbs, vegetables, and flowers.
Michael Stausholm began his career in the shipping industry, working for A.P. Møller/Mærsk. With interests including green entrepreneurship and sustainability, he worked for companies such as Nike and Walmart, helping them establish more sustainable and responsible textile production processes from 1996–2006. In 2013, he founded Sprout as a company and launched the Sprout pencil. Today, he owns all the patents to the company’s products and is a principal shareholder and chairman of the board.
Michael Stausholm is an experienced public speaker who has spoken on behalf of the United Nations, at the Sustainable Brands Conference and at a number of public and private events. He has provided commentary to CNN Money, Forbes, Fortune, Huffington Post, the Daily Mail, and Business Insider, and a wide range of other international outlets. He also contributes to the Huffington Post.
With 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, Stephan launched 30 startups including an app for celebrity wines and spirits (GrapeStars), a magazine (Ocean Drive Canada), a fashion line of custom sandals (Tuccia Di Capri), a modeling and talent agency (Talent), and 21 restaurants/clubs from NYC, Miami, LA, Montreal & NE. His latest project, GrapeStars, is a revolutionary app and marketplace offering wines and spirits of over 200 celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, George Clooney, Mila Kunis, John Bon Jovi, Conor McGregor, The Rock, Jay Z, Sarah-Jessica Parker, and Robert De Niro among others.
Mark Testoni is the CEO of SAP National Security Services (SAP NS2). We provide SAP solutions to the US National Security community under a special arrangement with the US government. Over the last 25 years, we have watched the national security space evolve and become much more asymmetric. Throughout much of the world’s history, national security involved protecting the homeland and critical trade lanes — often sea and land to include eventually air. Today, perhaps the most critical ‘lanes’ are the digital ones, that transcend any traditional borders. As a result, today’s national security is broader and includes protecting critical institutions like financial services, and vital infrastructure, like utilities.
Haresh Mirpuri is the Founder and Creative Director of Aranyani, the luxury Indian handbag company. He began his career in the manufacturing industry in Indonesia and worked in numerous positions throughout Southeast Asia. In 1996 Haresh founded a spinning mill and soon became the most renowned producer of open-end yarn in all of Asia. After 20 years working in manufacturing and mastering textiles, Haresh launched Aranyani to revitalize and redefine the luxury industry in India, as well as to spread Indian artistry and the message of sustainability to the world. Aranyani is the only luxury goods company in the world that owns and operates its own atelier and also trains, educates, and houses all staff members their families. Mirpuri received his MBA in 1993 from the Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in Anantapur, India.
As part of my series about the “How Business Leaders Plan To Rebuild In The Post COVID Economy,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul McKeon, CEO of Team Building with Taste. Paul has merged his love of cooking with his previous business experience building and running high-performance sales and marketing teams. Paul has seen the benefits of teamwork from the trenches. Before entering the culinary world, Paul founded and sold two successful marketing and creative firms where he learned that teamwork and collaboration where keys to success. He went on to run a global marketing practice for Ketchum, one of the world’s largest public relations agencies. Since 2013, Team Building with Taste has used kitchens, and its unique culinary team building curriculum, to bring teammates together and enhance the performance of more than 2,000 organizations.
Clark is the President of Twiddy & Company, a family firm based along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Specializing in the vacation rental market, Twiddy & Company manages more than 1,000 privately owned vacation homes and employs more than 125 full-time staff. A combat veteran of the U.S. Navy, Clark’s leadership experience also includes service on the boards of public, private, non-profit, and government organizations.
A serial entrepreneur over the past 30 years, Mr. Meuse has started and built over a dozen successful businesses and in the process has also helped thousands of other US companies execute on their business plans. Sectors of experience span financial services, investment banking, accounting and finance, IT, business consulting and legal services, giving Joe a broad perspective on best business practices and how they can be most effectively transferred across categories. As a thought leader in business transformation and financial management, Mr. Meuse has been a regular contributor on TV and radio, including Bloomberg, CNN, CNBC and Fox Business.
Business GPS, which was launched in 2013, has helped hundreds of businesses, across all business sectors, stay in business by improving their cash flow and resolving their financial issues. Business GPS maintains co-headquarters in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, California.
In the career services world, Mir Garvy is a leading job search strategist, writer, and In the career services world, Mir Garvy is a leading job search strategist, writer, and speaker. An authority on resume writing, LinkedIn design and development, and job search strategy, Mir delivers engaging, fun, insightful keynotes and corporate events. Mir is the owner and founder of Job Market Solutions, a resume writing firm providing resumes, LinkedIn makeovers, and career guidance to job seekers across the nation. The business is 10+ years strong and counting, has five-star reviews across many social media channels, produces award-winning resumes, and has helped clients land jobs with companies like Google, Tesla, Salesforce, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Disney, Airbnb, Adobe, Spotify, and more. She is a Master Resume Writer (MRW) and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). Job Market Solutions has been writing job-winning packages since 2009. Today, owner and founder Mir Garvy directs a team of expert resume writers who have each been personally trained and mentored in Mir’s specific style and methodology of resume writing. In early 2020, Garvy launched a new website, GetResumeHelp.com, specifically for young professionals and recent graduates.
Tony Montero brings thirty years of industry experience to his role as CEO of the award-winning Hai Hospitality restaurant group. The Austin-based group includes concepts Uchi, Uchiko, Uchi Houston, Uchi Dallas, Uchiba, Uchi Denver, and Loro, with new locations on the horizon. Montero joined Hai in 2016 and leads the implementation of company-wide initiatives to continuously improve operations and drive financial results across the growing restaurants in the Hai family.
Vicki is a cofounder of Karner Blue Capital, LLC and has been its Chief Executive Officer since it commenced operations as an investment adviser in 2018. Ms. Benjamin was a partner at KPMG from September 2005 until February 2015, when she joined Calvert Investments, Inc. as its Chief Financial Officer. Since January 2017 she has served as the President of Calvert Investments, Inc. Ms. Benjamin is also an Executive Vice President of the Karner Blue Center for a Humane Economy, Inc. She received an MBA from Bentley University McCallum Graduate School of Business.
After 5 years as an Assistant State Attorney in Dade County Florida, Mark entered private practice where he represented a number of fragrance distribution companies. In 1986 he co-founded Northern Group, a distributor of fine fragrance that grew to $120,000,000 in annual sales. In 2002 he purchased Demeter Fragrance Library with his partner, Debra Janke, and together they have grown that business to a worldwide niche fragrance brand.
Cindy DiBiasi is a Co-Founder of 3D Communications and 3D Executive Communications. As a leading communications consultant to Fortune 500 companies, Cindy specializes in helping executives become powerful communicators who inspire audiences — regardless of the complexity of the issue or how high the stakes.
Cindy started turning complicated information into clear, engaging stories as a broadcast reporter in the United States and Europe. Over 15 years, Cindy’s reporting assignments ranged from serving as the medical reporter for the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., to working as a correspondent for CBS Radio in Paris, where she covered business, culture, and breaking news.
Cindy serves on the Board of Directors for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association and is on the Advisory Council of World Visions’ Strong Women, Strong World. She has a master’s degree in International Relations from Boston University.
From the small city of Barstow CA, (yeah, the pitstop on the way to Vegas) Adrian Rashad Driscoll followed his dream of becoming a professional actor and moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, he was woken up. After 9 years of great weather and bad traffic, he now makes his living as a filmmaker and Immersive Media consultant. With a dedication to storytelling and quality, his company (Driscoll Entertainment) has created many phenomenal visual experiences. Recently partnering with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles to create a 360 experience, guiding people through the process of receiving supportive housing. This effort was an effort to aid in the fight against Homelessness and since then, over 12,000 people have received homes. In addition to creating content, Adrian has had the privilege of working with the EAST school program, NBC, Facebook, Oculus and more! His goal is to focus on the deeper side of Immersive Media and to destroy the stigma of this all “Being just for gamers.” French Fries are the key to his heart.
Mario is the CEO of the start-up Reinvention Revolution. The time was right to help people reinvent themselves and their business due to the unprecedented development in multiple industries, the low barriers for entry in different businesses, and the convergence of diverse technology. COVID-19 made the interest grow tremendously, especially as people understood that the acceleration Mario has been talking about for years, is now real and more pressing than ever.
Paige is the founder & CEO of global marketing and branding firm Mavens & Moguls based in Cambridge, MA. Her clients include Microsoft, Virgin, venture-backed startups as well as nonprofit organizations. She graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School. She is a popular speaker and columnist who has written for Entrepreneur and Forbes.
Meryl Kennedy is the CEO of Kennedy Rice Mill, LLC and the founder of 4Sisters Rice. She was recently appointed Vice Chairman of the USA Rice Miller’s Board and is the first woman to ever hold the prestigious position.
The youngest of four daughters, I was born and raised in a small rural village in North East Louisiana called Mer Rouge. After completing my degree in International Affairs from the University of Georgia, I had planned on attending graduate school in London. However, my father with some very “smooth” negotiation skills convinced me to return home and assist him with the family rice business. Our family agribusiness includes rice drying, grain storage, grain marketing, land management, real estate and rice milling. From the very beginning, I was put into a swim or sink situation. My father was older and, in his words, “You are going to make it, or we are going to sell the business.” This put extreme pressure on me not only to succeed but to continue his legacy, and ultimately found my company, 4Sisters Rice.
David joined ENCON full-time in 1993 and worked his way up to president. He’s most thankful for having an incredible working relationship with his father Marty — who founded the business in 1968 — for over 26 years which is rare for generational family businesses.
David’s vision is for ENCON to continue to lead the industry over the next 50 years, both in the use of technology, growing the team, and working with customers who appreciate the value of partnering with ENCON. “I give so much credit to our team and am really proud of their work and the degree of complex projects they have completed,” says David. “Some of our top performers have been with the company over 40 years.”
While Marty taught David to be a problem-solver early on, at the same time his mother Micki taught him compassion. This “figure it out” mentality mixed with his compassion for people and charity is a common thread throughout the company, and a value instilled in their team. While ENCON has always supported charities and the local community, David has taken it to the next level with the creation of ENCON’s Rock & Bowl charity bowling event to benefit the Make -A-Wish Foundation, and David was recently named Chairman of The Board of Make-A-Wish New Jersey. David and the team are proud to have donated over half a million dollars to charities nationwide.
Sam Baker is the CFO and co-founder of Farm Flight. Sam oversees the day to day operations while also developing business strategies and key partnerships. His vision for the company is to make data-driven farming possible for every agricultural worker in the United States so that they can feed the rapidly growing population.
Fig partners with nonprofits to create socially responsible financial products for underbanked Americans. They started as a collaboration with the United Way and their latest product is called Fig36, which has been called Shopify for lending. Fig36 provides turnkey lending-as-a-service solutions for nonprofits and local organizations that want to operate their own credit building programs.
Prior to starting Fig, Jeff worked at the Boston Consulting Group in their Consumer practice area. He received his MBA from the Wharton School and was an ESPN All American Swimmer while pursuing his BS in Chemical Engineering from MIT.
Kristy Lewis is the Founder/CEO of Quinn Foods LLC, based in Louisville, CO. Kristy, mom of three little boys, and wife of Coulter Lewis, Founder/CEO Sunday, launched Quinn Foods with no prior food industry experience just three days after her first son, Quinn, was born. She succeeded in her mission to clean up microwave popcorn by inventing a patented Pure Pop® microwave popcorn bag, the first bag without chemical or plastic coatings, such as PFOAs and PFCs. Kristy continued her mission of making better-for-you classic snacks (never compromising on flavor) by launching a line of gluten-free and grain-free pretzels. Since the beginning, Kristy has been a pioneer in ingredient transparency and is pushing for sustainable agriculture in the food industry. Quinn’s ‘Farm-to-Bag’ Policy connects consumers directly to the source where the ingredients come from and their ‘Be Better. Do Better.’ mission takes these ‘Farm-to-Bag’ relationships a step further by encouraging their growers to improve agricultural practices that will not only benefit them, but also the planet.
Christian is driven by a quest of disruption and innovation. He approaches each new undertaking — be it a design project, a business initiative, or an industry‑wide effort — with a desire to push boundaries, do it better, and solve tough challenges.
Throughout his efforts, he brings a balance of more than 25 years of experience working within the building industry along with an innate ability to think progressively, often times far beyond what others in the industry are thinking or doing.
It is this quest that brought him to Mancini more than five years ago. Leveraging the firm’s 100‑year‑history spanning architecture, interiors, and planning, Christian saw a unique opportunity to recalibrate the firm’s approach — emphasizing technology to transform the way designers across disciplines work — while capitalizing on its deep New York City roots and proven technical ability delivering built work. He set ambitious goals for the firm to revolutionize the way things are done and opened the call to action to every team member — from design to finance and from operations to marketing — to see that vision come to life. A year after joining the firm, he was appointed President and in 2017 became its majority shareholder. In all this time, he continuously pushed limits to elevate the firm by activating this vision.
Today, under Christian’s leadership, Mancini totals more than 90 designers across two regional offices — two‑and‑a‑half times the 35 designers in a single New York City office when he joined the firm in 2013 — all circling around the vision of being a technology‑first design firm. Each person is inspired to push the boundaries of technology to deliver better design solutions, better results for the firm’s clients, and better ways of doing things for the industry.
Today, Mancini continues to be recognized as an industry‑leader, pushing more and more boundaries to the brink of reinvention, thanks to Christian’s big vision and tireless efforts. One of many recognitions for this work was the firm being named a finalist at Commercial Observer’s Inaugural Innovator Awards in the Construction & Design Tech category among technology firms and start‑ups, not among other design firms — the ultimate confirmation that Christian’s big vision and ability to see it delivered is truly changing the way things are done.