PDX Executive Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dan Bruton
Ivan McClellan is the Founder and CEO of Eight Seconds and the Eight Seconds Rodeo. Driven by a sense of purpose, his work has transformed the lives of these cowboys and influenced the western space. He has executed numerous campaigns for Wrangler, Tecovas, Boot Barn, Stetson, Ariat and many other brands highlighting the spectacular Black cowboys driving this culture forward. His background is working as Design Director for internationally renowned advertising firms, most recently AKQA. Working on activations for the U.S. National Soccer Team, Chicago Marathon, Nike, Adidas and more serve his ambition to create an innovative and premium rodeo product.
K.L. Wombacher is the President and General Manager of the Hillsboro Hops, the minor league baseball team affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Rob Bach is the Founder of Spinney Media, an affordable, subscription-based physical fulfillment service for all working and aspiring musicians. Learn more at: https://spinneymedia.com/
Amina Moreau is the Co-Founder and CEO of Radious.pro, a marketplace for on demand private workspaces.
Oregon Treasurer Tobias Ready rejoins the podcast and discusses his candidacy to become Oregon's next Secretary of State. Learn more at https://www.tobiasread.com/
Mike Rogoway, Business Reporter for the Oregonian rejoins the show for his fifth guest appearance. Mike discusses the Oregon economy, startups, Intel/Chips industry, and more. Read Mike's columns at: https://www.oregonlive.com/user/MikeRogoway/posts.htmlFollow him on Twitter/X: @rogoway
Ben McKinley is the Founder of Cascade Web Development. Cascade Web Development creates intuitive, custom software that grows with your business. Our industry-leading platforms allow you to easily manage your online presence and internal processes with high flexibility and modular functionality. Learn more at https://www.cascadewebdev.com/
Matt Scott is the author The High Growth Nonprofit- proven steps to quickly double your revenue and drive impact. Matt is also the Founder of CauseMic, a consulting firm specializing in helping mission-driven organizations. Learn more at https://www.causemic.com/book
In 2017, frustrated with security, policy and regulatory/compliance tools that did little to actually help reduce risk, co-founders James Dirksen and Tim Morgan set out to create a product that would provide a comprehensive picture of an organization’s threat landscape. It had to be quick, efficient and accurate, and make it easy to communicate risk to regulators, auditors and non-technical executives.
Blake St. Onge is the Portland Managing Principal for Cresa, a global corporate real estate firm. Blake rejoins the show to give an update on the Portland area commercial real estate market, including vacancies, sub leases and hybrid work.
Rick Turoczy is the Co-Founder of the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE), Built Oregon, and writer/curator of Silicon Florist (https://siliconflorist.com/)
Amy Rosenberg is the author of A Modern Guide to Public Relations, Founder of Veracity, an integrated PR firm, and host of the PR Talk Podcast.
Byron Binkley is the Founder of Sella (https://hellosella.com/). Sella’s mission is to make buying and selling used stuff completely, 100% frictionless. That means tap to buy and tap to sell with confidence, trust and efficiency at every step.When you hire Sella to sell your stuff, they pick it up, prepare it for sale, research prices, craft your listing, respond to buyers and more. Sella handles everything so it’s the easiest sale you’ll ever make. And for shoppers, they make buying on Craigslist feel like Amazon Prime — you get complete, detailed product information, easy online checkout and next day delivery. And you can even return items if there’s an issue.
Lakayana Drury (He/Him/His) is the founder and Executive Director of Word is Bond (https://www.mywordisbond.org/). Lakayana Drury is an educator, storyteller, and community organizer. Lakayana was recently named one of Portland Business Journal’s Class of 2021 Forty Under 40.Lakayana Drury was raised in Madison, Wisconsin by his hardworking mother and is the eldest of three children. He experienced adversity at an early age, most notably a learning disability diagnosis in sixth grade and the absence of his father for most of his adolescent years. He overcame those challenges and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout and went on to pursue a career as an elementary and high school teacher which lead him to Portland, OR.Lakayana is of Sudanese and Irish ancestry and has done considerable work exploring his biracial identity, particularly his African roots. His lived experience drives his passion for culturally-grounded education, mentorship, healthy masculinity, community investment in Black communities, and reimagining community safety.Lakayana serves on the Black Male Achievement Steering Committee, Local Public Safety CoordinatingCommittee (LPSCC) Executive Committee, and the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) Guiding Coalition with Portland Public Schools.
Nora and Elizabeth Sheils are the Founders of Rock Paper Coin, the first-ever software to bring together event planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing contracts, paying invoices, and sharing documents. With its streamlined system, event professionals can manage the backend of their business with ease. To keep up with the demands of today's couples, Rock Paper Coin serves as a financial solution to help businesses book more clients. Visit rockpapercoin.com to learn more.
Aaron Ambuske is the Founder and CEO of HEST. Based in Seattle, HEST brings the comforts of home to the great outdoors by producing premium sleep products that build community around camping. HEST develops and delivers high-performance, low-maintenance solutions for camping and travel. HEST was launched in 2019 by outdoor industry product engineer Aaron Ambuske who was looking for a better night’s sleep when spending nights outdoors. Today, HEST is committed to building a line of products that takes all the best things from our beds at home into portable, adventure-ready forms. HEST revels in the idea of enabling more people and dogs to get outdoors and enjoy all that they have to offer, especially after a good night’s sleep. Learn more at https://hest.com/
Chad Brown is the founder and president of Soul River Inc., a nonprofit organization that focuses on connecting veterans and introducing diverse urban youth of color to the outdoors, nature conservation and growing young leaders into advocacy for our public lands, wildlife and freshwater. Recently, Brown has launched a new nonprofit Love is King that he leads with the mission to dismantle the hate, bigotry, ignorance and racism in the outdoors for BIPOC and all marginalized groups to have the opportunity to roam further and bolder in the outdoors and create wonderful memories for themselves without having to face any aggression. Learn more at: https://loveisking.org/ and https://soulriverinc.org/about/
Mike Rogoway is the business reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Read Mike's business coverage at: https://www.oregonlive.com/user/MikeRogoway/
Connect with Mike on Twitter @https://twitter.com/rogoway and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogoway/
Cara Turano is the President and Executive Director for the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN). Learn more about OEN at https://www.oen.org/
Thank You to our Sponsors:
Cresa Portland: https://www.cresa.com/portland-or
CauseMic: https://www.causemic.com/
Jeff Schneider is a sales trainer, coach and sales consultant. Connect with Jeff at https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneidertrain/.
Support for the PDX Executive Podcast is provided by:
Cresa Portland:https://www.cresa.com/portland-or
CauseMic: https://www.causemic.com/
Emmy Andrews is the Executive Director for Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA). Emmy has been hired to lead COTA in its next phase of growth, while continuing its core mission of developing, protecting, and enhancing the Central Oregon mountain bike experience through trail stewardship, advocacy, collaboration, and education. Learn more at: https://www.cotamtb.com/
Julie Harrelson and Robert Pease are the Managing Directors for Cascade Seed Fund. Founded in 2014 and investing as Cascade Angels Fund across five funds, they became Cascade Seed Fund in 2019 building on more than five years of early stage investing experience. Today Cascade Seed Fund continues to seek out opportunities to work with amazing entrepreneurs in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Ashish Kothari is an executive coach, author, consultant and founder of Happiness Squad. Ashish's newest book is available now, Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life. Learn more at:https://happinesssquad.com/
You may have seen the signs in your neighborhood: YOU ARE ENOUGH, DON'T GIVE UP, YOU MATTER. What started as a collection of yard signs has turned into a global movement. Amy Wolff, Founder of the Don't Give Up Movement and author of Signs of Hope, joins Dan Bruton to discuss how 20 yards signs became a global movement, learn more at https://www.dontgiveupsigns.com/. Support for this podcast is provided by CauseMic, a Portland based agency consisting of technologists, storytellers, and strategists who help nonprofits and B-Corps quickly grow revenue and impact. Start growing your mission driven organization with CauseMic at amplifypdx.com.
Chip Conley is the Founder of the Modern Elder Academy, Author of Wisdom at Work and former Head of Hospitality Strategy for AirBnb. This episode was originally published in 2020.
This conversation was originally published in April 2021. Rukaiyah Adams is the Former Chief Investment Officer for Meyer Memorial Trust. Check out Rukaiyah's Portland Tedx talk at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KLndPkbmzU
Rand Fishkin is the Founder of Moz and author of the new book 'Lost and Founder.' He is also the Co-Founder of SparkToro. Rand's new book reads part handbook for founders and a documentation of Rand's journey going from working for his Mother's ad agency to starting, then ultimately leaving Moz. In this episode, Rand opens up about writing the book - we discuss how VC funding is not right for every company, his fight with depression as a founder and the different approach he is taking to funding his new company SparkToro. This episode was originally published in 2018.
Jerry Colonna is the Co-Founder of Reboot, an executive coaching company. Learn more at Reboot.io. Jerry is also the author of Reboot: Leadership and The Art of Growing Up (Harper Business). This episode was originally posted in 2019.
Jessica Mozeico co-founded Willamette Valley winery Et Fille Wines, which means “and daughter”, with her father Howard Mozeico in 2003. Jessica grew up helping her dad with his winemaking hobby in their garage. She fell in love with wine, though it was a passion she cultivated from the sidelines as she pursued an undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, an MBA from Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, and a career in biotechnology marketing. After years of leading biotechnology drug launches and marketing teams, Jessica founded Mozeico Consulting to provide strategic planning services.
Finally, Jessica and Howard decided to co-found Et Fille Wines. They ran the winery together until Howard’s untimely death. Jessica learned everything about winemaking from her dad. Today, Jessica operates the business, making elegantly complex wines inspired by her late father's legacy and her daughter's future. She says, "I have the honor and responsibility to carry Et Fille forward in a manner that is consistent with my dad's vision, values, and palate. I will continue building the legacy of Et Fille for my daughter." She feels fortunate to be part of the collaborative and encouraging Oregon wine community
Dawnielle Tehama is the Executive Director for the Willamette Valley Visitors Association. Learn more at: https://willamettevalley.org/
Voted Top 100 Influential People in Tech, Faisal Hoque is a serial entrepreneur, senior executive, and philanthropist with more than 25 years of cross-industry success. Hoque expertly explores the intersection of transformational leadership, systemic thinking, and experiential learning—all required to survive and thrive the tsunami of changes and disruptions caused by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and misinformation trends.
Bob Hackett is the Executive Director of Travel Southern Oregon. In this episode, host Dan Bruton talks with Bob about the mission of Travel Southern Oregon and highlights some can't miss travel destinations in beautiful southern Oregon.
Stephan Longo, Vice President of Marketing for Repipe Specialists, joins host Dan Bruton to discuss the importance of customer experience and ensuring it aligns with your marketing strategy.
Laure X Cast is the Founder of GetWith.app, a platform to help build belong and deep connections at scale. In this episode, host Dan Bruton talks with Laure about to build a community that centers around belonging and best practices for creating connection among your community.
Justin Dunham is the Founder of ércule, a full-service agency with a focus on content & organic search. Learn more at https://www.ercule.co/
Thank you to our sponsors:
CauseMic: https://www.causemic.com/
PDX Executive Assembly:https://www.pdxexecutiveassembly.com/
Israel Angeles is the Founder and CEO of FleetNurse, an on-demand healthcare staffing solution that connects acute and post-acute care health systems with PRN Joint Commission accredited healthcare professionals (https://www.fleetnurse.com/).
Thank You to our Sponsors:
CauseMic:https://www.causemic.com/
PDX Executive Assembly:https://www.pdxexecutiveassembly.com/
SignalCast.fm:https://signalcast.fm/
Toban Zolman is the CEO of Kivo, a software company that enables regulatory teams to accelerate regulatory approvals through improved collaboration and management. Learn more at https://www.kivo.io/
Thank you to our sponsors:
CauseMic: https://www.causemic.com/
PDX Executive Assembly:https://www.pdxexecutiveassembly.com/
Tobias Read is the Oregon State Treasurer and candidate for Oregon Governor. Learn more about Tobias at https://www.tobiasread.com/
Dr. Smriti Zaneveld and Dr. Jacques Zaneveld are the Founders of Lazarus 3D. Their Pre-Sure® (PRE-operative SUrgical REhearsal) models are made with soft silicones and hydrogels that mimic human tissue making them ideal for practicing incisions and sutures. They allow you to practice on a 3D printed, patient-specific replica before operating. Notes from the show:
Video of Pre-Sure model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF1cKjD5C50
Thank you to our podcast sponsors:
CausMic: https://www.causemic.com/
PDX Executive Assembly:https://www.pdxexecutiveassembly.com/
Jamie Waltz is the Director for the Multnomah County Department of Community Services. Jamie's team oversees the county's elections, transportation, animal services and land use planning departments.
Links from the show: 40 day meditation challenge https://courses.tarabrach.com/courses/mindfulness-daily
Mindfulness daily at work: https://jackkornfield.com/event/mindfulness-daily-work-ongoing-register-time/
Learn about joining the PDX Executive Assembly:https://www.pdxexecutiveassembly.com/
Emily McIntyre is the Founder + CEO of Catalyst Trade. Emily has founded multiple coffee businesses since 2008, including Crema.co and Catalyst Coffee Consulting. She created the world’s first Coffee Marketing System, and has consulted in nearly every aspect of the coffee supply chain. A licensed Q Arabica Grader and a Director of the US chapter of IWCA, and an EO member, she is also a martial artist, a pro nonfiction writer, and a creator of speculative fiction.
Kate Winkler is the CEO of Ruby, a Portland based company that provides small businesses with the services, products, and analytics they need to manage customer interactions and deliver exceptional experiences in an increasingly digital world. Kate joins host Dan Bruton to discuss how Ruby evolved their company purpose and mission for the new world of work. Learn more about Ruby at https://www.ruby.com/
Jean-Baptiste Rivail joins host Dan Bruton for an interview at Ponzi Winery to discuss the opportunity of a lifetime to become CEO of Ponzi and how Ponzi's new owners are making significant investments in Oregon fine wine.
Stephen Green joins Dan Bruton to discuss the upcoming Pitch Black event, a competition that gives black entrepreneurs a platform to connect with the broader startup ecosystem - while also awarding them with cash prizes to help their concepts flourish. Learn more at https://www.pitchblackpdx.com/
Support for this podcast is provided by CauseMic, a Portland based agency consisting of technologists, storytellers, and strategists who help nonprofits and B-Corps quickly grow revenue and impact. Start growing your mission driven organization with CauseMic at amplifypdx.com.
You may have seen the signs in your neighborhood: YOU ARE ENOUGH, DON'T GIVE UP, YOU MATTER. What started as a collection of yard signs has turned into a global movement. Amy Wolff, Founder of the Don't Give Up Movement and author of Signs of Hope, joins Dan Bruton to discuss how 20 yards signs became a global movement, learn more at https://www.dontgiveupsigns.com/. Support for this podcast is provided by CauseMic, a Portland based agency consisting of technologists, storytellers, and strategists who help nonprofits and B-Corps quickly grow revenue and impact. Start growing your mission driven organization with CauseMic at amplifypdx.com.
Jennifer Davis rejoins Dan Bruton on the podcast to discuss her book, Well Made Decisions: Pro Tips for Finishing the Decisions You Start. Jennifer also is the Chief Marketing Officer for LEARFIELD, and she shares marketing insights & leadership lessons while navigating the pandemic. Learn more about Jennifer at:https://www.wellmadedecisions.com/book.
Support for this podcast is provided by CauseMic, a Portland based agency consisting of technologists, storytellers, and strategists who help nonprofits and B-Corps quickly grow revenue and impact. Start growing your mission driven organization with CauseMic at amplifypdx.com.
Nathan Wildfire is the Founder of the Missing Middle Housing Fund (https://www.missingmiddlehousing.fund/), a gap fund and incubator for cost efficiency innovations in housing development. The fund supports these innovations broadly, in many geographies, enabling local communities and development interests to capitalize on local expertise and preferences for certain types of housing. By accelerating and commercializing private and nonprofit sector innovations, the MMHF fuels economic growth while supporting those traditionally most impacted by the housing affordability crisis - working families, BIPOC communities, and communities far from resources and services.
Through this work, more diverse styles of workforce housing will be created faster, lowering housing costs for all.
Support for this podcast is provided by CauseMic, a Portland based agency consisting of technologists, storytellers, and strategists who help nonprofits and B-Corps quickly grow revenue and impact. Start growing your mission driven organization with CauseMic at amplifypdx.com.
Radhika Dutt is the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. Learn more about Radhika's work at https://www.radicalproduct.com/.
Support for this podcast is provided by CauseMic, a Portland based agency consisting of technologists, storytellers, and strategists who help nonprofits and B-Corps quickly grow revenue and impact. Start growing your mission driven organization with CauseMic at amplifypdx.com.
Jon Staff is the Founder & CEO of Getaway. Just two hours outside major cities, Getaway’s cozy cabins provide restorative stays in nature where you can take a break from work, wifi, and routines, and enjoy the company of those who matter most, https://getaway.house/
Josh Crossman is the CEO and Founder of Magnify.io, a post sales orchestration platform. Magnify recently raised a seed round of $6 million and in this episode Dan talks with Josh about the mission of Magnfiy, the process of founding the company in partnership with Madrona Ventures, and the growth of the tech ecosystem in Bend. Learn more about Magnify at https://www.magnify.io/
Kate Cockrill is a certified professional coach who partners with people in the midst of big transitions to design lives that are purposeful, balanced and make an impact in the world. Learn more about Kate at https://www.katecockrill.com/
On the season 5 premiere Mike Rogoway, business reporter for The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com, joins the show to give an update on recent and upcoming Oregon IPOs, the economy and notable tech companies in Portland/SW Washington. Follow Mike on twitter @rogoway
That's a wrap for season 4 of the PDX Executive Podcast! Thank you for listening & season 5 coming soon
Rick Turoczy is the Founder of the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE), Co-Founder of Built Oregon, and founder of the blog, Silicon Florist (https://siliconflorist.com/)
Andrew Chrostowksi is the CEO & Chairman of Vancouver, WA based RealWear, a maker of wearable industrial computers that is focused on helping frontline workers.
Johnell Bell is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Espousal Strategies LLC, a boutique consultancy that provides government relations, public and stakeholder engagement services to businesses, private-public partnerships, nonprofits, and government agencies. He’s also the Chief of Staff for the Portland Diamond Project, where he designs and implements a range of campaigns to bring Major League Baseball to Portland, including building local community and government support and participation.
He works with an array of stakeholders – citizens, international construction firms, D/M/W/ESB enterprises, and government officials – to design, implement, monitor, and document successful initiatives for D/M/W/ESB utilization, equity and inclusion, community engagement, and business, workforce, and community development.
He’s also nationally recognized for best practices advancing equitable access to public contracting opportunities for TriMet, Portland’s regional public transit agency. Under his leadership, TriMet achieved record-breaking utilization of minority and women-owned firms during the construction of the MAX Orange Line, awarding over $175 million to DBE firms, the largest awarded to DBE firms on a public project in the state’s history.
Brian Lockard and John Eberle are Co-Founders of BALA, a premium footwear brand for nurses.
Bill Piwonka is the Chief Marketing Officer for Exterro, a legal GRC software platform that has raised over $100 million.
Patrick Lightbody is Co-Founder of ReclaimAI, intelligence and automation for your calendar that aligns your priorities to the time you spend every week, empowering you to rapidly rebalance your schedule and defend your time to work on what matters. Like a power tool for your time, Reclaim enables you to focus on the stuff you’re uniquely positioned to work on, not the painful process of managing your calendar.
Tobias Read was elected to serve as Oregon’s 29th State Treasurer in November 2016. He ran for office because Oregon is facing challenges that cannot be solved by money alone, and our state needs a solid financial plan for a stronger future. As Treasurer, Tobias is focused on making Oregon a good financial partner to families, and providing the tools they need to get ahead.
Diane Fraiman is the Managing Director for Voyager Capital. Founded in 1997, Voyager has over $520 million under management in B2B, early-stage venture capital with a focus on Software, Cloud and Big Data Applications in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada,
Steve Daniel is the President of UV Health Group (SafeAirUV™), a new commercial UV-C LED system that continuously circulates air and has been proven to inactivate all airborne pathogens – including COVID-19.
Amina Moreau is the Founder & CEO of Radious, an online marketplace for rentable home office & meeting space. Learn more athttps://radious.pro/
Abe Cohen is the Chief Marketing Officer for KPA, an all in one platform designed to engage your employees, instill a culture of safety, and enable regulatory compliance: https://www.kpa.io/
Vanessa Sturgeon is the President & CEO of TMT Development, one of the West Coast’s top developers and property managers of Class A office towers, retail, mixed use and industrial spaces
As the President and CEO of See’s Candies, a nearly 100-year-old confectionery brand, Pat Egan is deeply committed to upholding See’s legacy of quality. Pat brings with him 12 years of invaluable Berkshire Hathaway experience, having served as SVP of Customer Operations at NV Energy and VP of Customer and Community Affairs at Pacific Power. Providing exceptional customer service and operational excellence have always been his primary focus. An attorney with a background in public policy, Pat held many positions in both the legislative and executive branches in Oregon, including working as Chief of Staff to Governor Ted Kulongoski.
Kristen Buchanan is the CEO & Founder of Edify, a platform that helps engineering teams hire, onboard, grow, and support their team. Learn more at:https://www.getedify.co/
Cindy Adams is the President & CEO for the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. Learn more about the United Way's work in our community athttps://www.unitedway-pdx.org/
Tyler Browder is the CEO & Co-Founder of Kubos Corporation, a cloud based mission control for integrated& scalable satellite operations. https://www.kubos.com/
Deena Pierot is the Founder of iUrban Teen and founding member of Black Women in STEM 2.0.
Eric Hermeling is the CEO & Founder of Belmont, a Portland based company that provides a platform to send curated coffee, tea and snacks that reconnect your team with your culture.
Jake Weatherly is the Co-Founder and CEO of SheerID, an Identity Marketing Platform that lets businesses create red carpet shopping experiences by delivering gated, personalized offers that reward students, teachers, the military, and other consumer tribes.
Blake Thiess is the Director of Talent Acquisition for Prestige Care, a west coast leader in skilled nursing, assisted living & memory care centers.
Darren Marshall is the CEO of Portland based Smith Teamaker. In this episode Darren discusses how Smith embraced change during the pandemic to pivot towards ecommerce & reinvent themselves as a direct to consumer brand.
Every day, iconic brands like J.C. Penny, Sears, Kodak, and Blockbuster vanish. As entire lawful industries are disrupted out of existence, how have some organized criminal syndicates endured for nearly a century - despite billions of dollars of law enforcement opposition and ruthless rivals dedicated to their demise?
In Relentless, authors Jerold Zimmerman and Daniel Forrester combine seventy-five years of Nobel Prize-winning economics research with insights from criminal prosecutors to examine how the Sinaloa Cartel, the American Mafia, the Hells Angels, the Crips, and the Bloods survive, and even thrive, whereas legal companies that play by the rules falter and often fail.
Scott Roth is the CEO of LegitScript, a Portland based company who has a mission to make the internet and payment ecosystems safer and more transparent.
Mike Rogoway is the business reporter for the Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @rogoway
Brian Lake is the Chief Operating Officer of StackPulse, a reliability platform allowing organizations to fully adopt the "You build it, you run it" paradigm. https://stackpulse.com/
Torben Nielsen is the CEO of Portland based Zoom+Care, a leading innovator of on-demand retail and digital healthcare
Erin Graham is the CEO of OMSI,s one of the nation's leading science centers and a featured attraction located in Portland, OR.
Brooke Jackson is the Founder of Rising Wild, a platform that offers digital and physical subscription options. Subscribers receive new fitness cards each month featuring the Rising Wild Heroes, characters that guide participants through an ongoing story and the monthly activities. The program includes an app (iOS & Android) with additional adventures and opportunities to collect points. The program encourages kids and their families, at an ability level to get outside and leverages key parts of video game culture to get kids interested. Sponsors and partners of the program include Subaru, CLIF Kid, Califia, Zevia and Noodles & Company and Partnership for a Healthier America.
Ashley Micciche is the CEO of True North Retirement Advisors, a firm that specializes in helping business owners exit their business & retire with financial security.
David Heller is the Co-Founder of Reimbi, the best way to reimburse for company expenses: https://reimbi.com/
Frtiz Brumder is the Co-Founder of Zipcan, the fastest way to enable video chat inside your website or application. As a second time Founder, Fritz talks with host Dan Bruton on lessons learned from his first startup, relocating to Bend to start his new company and the free resources available to tech entrepreneurs.
One of the hardest hit industries during the pandemic has been live events. Allie Magyar, CEO & Founder of Hubb- a platform for virtual, hybrid and in person events- discusses how her team took advantage of this time to create opportunity in transforming the event industry. Allie also discusses the importance of taking time to grieve the transition as a leader.
As the first black & Muslim commissioner in Washington County, Nafisa shared her powerful story of immigrating to America as a refugee and how her sense of service from an early age has empowered her to represent diverse lived experiences.
Tim Jakubowski is the Principal Partner & Managing Director for KPMG's Portland office.
Gaia Giladi, Co-Founder of Hilos, a company that blends 3D printing & hand craftsmanship to create zero waste, additive Footwear. https://hilos.co/
Daniel Harkavy is the author of The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders: A Proven Framework for Improving Decisions and Increasing Influence, and Founder & CEO of Building Champions, https://www.buildingchampions.com/.
Dr. Corey Fish and Darius Monsef are Co-Founders of Brave Care, a modern group of kid only urgent cares.
Jon Maroney is a General Partner for Oregon Venture Fund. Starting as an investor in 2013, Jon’s career focus has always been on technology, with an emphasis on helping new companies.
Jeff Hardison is the Vice President of Growth for Grain.co, a platform that instantly records, transcribes and highlights the best part of your Zoom calls.
Susanna Camp and Jonathan Littman are the authors of The Entrepreneur's Faces: How Makers, Visionaries and Outsiders Succeed. They answer the human side of this all-important question: Where do entrepreneurs get their edge? The solution is to know your type. Here we meet the Maker, the Accidental, the Visionary, the Outsider and more. They’re archetypes, or Faces, and readers will be drawn to find themselves in these compelling journeys and take action on their own paths. https://www.theentrepreneursfaces.com/
Doug Hunter is the recent Senior Director of Marketing for Lattice Semiconductor. On this episode, host Dan Bruton learns from Doug how he is taking an intentional professional sabbatical to upskill.
Rob Bach is the Chief Operating Officer of CD Baby, the largest platform that empowers independent artists to distribute their music, manage royalties and promote their library worldwide.
Sarah Smith is Co-Founder of The Dyrt, the fastest growing camping app on web and mobile.
Tara Bomberger is the Vice President of Finance for A to Z Wineworks, Oregon's largest winery and a certified B Corporation.
Ed Dominion is the President & Founder of D6, Inc. the fastest design-to-shelf packaging manufacturer in the world.
After spending over 20 years as a health communications consultant, founder Katie McCarron turned her nutritional eye to Rosie, her aging, standard poodle's diet. Unsure of what to feed finicky Rosie, who no longer enjoyed canned food and had begun to lose weight, the amount of unnatural supplements in basic dog food shocked Katie. She began to cook Rosie’s meals at home, always focusing on locally sourced, natural ingredients. Rosie regained the weight she had lost and Katie expanded on her meals and dog biscuits. Portland Pet Food Company was born!
Ben Kenyon is the performance coach for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Founder of the Great Day Squad, a wellness community committed to a shift in consciousness: to increase your performance in life, improve your mental wellbeing, and to facilitate authentic connections.
Mike Rogoway is the business reporter for The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com. In this episode Mike gives an update on the state of Oregon's economy, tech news, and the sentiment of Portland business owners of a recovery.
Michelle Cardinal is the CEO & Co-Founder of Portland based Rain Growth Agency.
Her first company, Cmedia quickly became one of the top DRTV media buying players in the country with clients such as Humana, Carnival Cruise Line, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America. In 2005, Michelle merged her company with Respond2, a Portland, Oregon creative agency, to create the fully integrated DTC agency, R2C Group. After rebranding as Rain the growth agency in 2020, it is one of the top, independent advertising agencies in the country, helping to build many well-known brands including: 23andMe, Peloton, Chewy, SimpliSafe, Humana, Bissell, 1-800 Contacts, LendingTree, and many more.
Michelle pioneered the marketing philosophy “transactional brand building” which believes in driving sales and building a brand at the same time. This concept has helped propel Rain to become the top choice for fast-growing e-commerce brands, as well as many traditional brands who have expanded their DTC channels.
Chip Conley is a hospitality entrepreneur, author, advisor to AirBnb and Founder of MEA, a midlife wisdom school in Mexico. When Chip Conley was AirBnb's Head of Global Hospitality and mentor to their CEO, he was twice the age of many employees. Chip embraced being a 'modern elder' and founded MEA, a midlife wisdom school in Mexico (https://modernelderacademy.com/)
Lakecia Gunter is the Vice President and General Manager for Global IOT and Strategic Engagement for Microsoft. In this episode we talked about 'Team Lakecia', her personal board of advisors that has helped guide her career, the power of positivity and optimism during this time, podcasting, diversity in Portland, and so much more. Lakecia's podcast, Roar with Lakecia Gunter, can be listened at: https://shows.acast.com/roar-with-lakecia-gunter/
Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, and venture capitalist and founder of the startup accelerator Play Labs @ MIT. A graduate of MIT and Stanford, he is also the author of Zen Entrepreneurship: Walking the Path of the Career Warrior (2013); Treasure Hunt: Follow Your Inner Clues to Find True Success (2017); and The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientist Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics, and Eastern Mystics All Agree We Are in a Video Game (2019).
Ray Costantini is the Co-Founder & CEO of Bright.md, a Portland based health tech startup. In this episode we discuss Bright.md's recent funding announcement, as well as his journey from medical Doctor to start up founder.
Drew McLellan is CEO of the Agency Management Institute, which offers agency training, consulting and agency owner networks for small to mid sized advertising, marketing, PR, digital and media agencies so they can increase their AGI by at least 25%, attract better clients and employees and best of all — exceed the agency owner’s life/financial goals.
Alisia Ford is the Founder & CEO of Glory Skincare. Glory was founded in 2019 on the belief that women of color should be at the forefront of every touchpoint in skincare and beauty. This includes a world where women of all hues are empowered to make educated decisions about their skin health.
Mariah Scott is the President of Skyward, a Verizon Company. Skyward provides drone operational management software.
Matt Scott is the Founder of CauseMic, a marketing and fundraising agency for West Coast nonprofits looking to rapidly scale online revenue through our proprietary systems.
In 2008 Bertony Faustin became the 1st recorded black winemaker in Oregon. The journey that lead him to this incredible accomplishment was not typical nor could it have been. In and industry of legacy and privilege Bertony had neither, he was not the decedent of prominent wine lineage and his motivation was never strictly about the wine. His destiny was sown deeply into the fabric of family and living up to the expectations of his father. With so many entering the industry to become a renowned wine maker Bertony had bigger plans. He saw his opportunity to build a platform that would allow him to change the world. "I don't love the industry, I love what the industry allows me to do." Building the foundation to bring people together, break bread and develop community. His efforts allow for a deeper conversation into diversity, equity & inclusion.
Mitch Daugherty is the Co-Founder of Built Oregon, Built Oregon's mission is to support, connect, amplify, and accelerate Oregon's consumer product ecosystem
Melanie Marconi is the Founder of Vida Coworking and Alex Linsker is the Founder of Collective Agency.
Mac Pritchard is the Founder of Portland job board Mac's List and the host of Find Your Dream Job podcast. In this episode we discuss the benefits of corporate podcasting and the state of the Portland market during COVID-19.
Ken Tomita is the Co-Founder & CEO of Grovemade, a Portland based design & manufacturing company for modern home office accessories.
Robbie Kellman Baxter is the author of The Forever Transaction & The Membership Economy. Download free chapters of the book at https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/the-forever-transaction-chapter-8/
Mike Rogoway is the Business Reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive.com. Mike discusses the economic impact in Oregon from COVID-19, as well as his experience as a journalist during this time.
Lili Yeo is the Co-Founder & CEO of goumikids, a Portland mom-founded brand that creates functional and sustainable baby essentials. goumikids.com/
Partners Karen O'Connor, Kevin Pearson & Jim Kearney from law firm Stoel Rives LLP joined the podcast to discuss the CARES act, including the Paycheck Protection Program, and the important aspects that small businesses should know about, including tax & employment law details.
Over 100 episodes ago, Aaron Kraljev was my first guest for the PDX Executive Podcast. He rejoined the podcast to talk about his new role and the evolution of Employer Branding, and our quarantine cocktails of choice (spoiler, anything with bourbon)
Allie Shanholt is the Co-Founder of Portland based Do Anything Foods, https://www.doanythingfoods.com/
Augusto Carneiro is the Founder & Chief Friendship Officer for Portland based Nossa Familia Coffee.
Kimberly Branam is the Executive Director of Prosper Portland, the economic and urban development agency for the city of Portland. In this episode, Kimberly discussed Portland's COVID-19 small business relief fund grant and loan program. Corporations and individuals can donate online to the Oregon Small Business Stabilization Fund at Oregon Community Foundation. They can reach out to Melissa Freeman if they want to designate funds specifically for Portland (mfreeman@oregoncf.org).
Jason Bolt is the Founder & CEO of Portland based Revant Optics (https://www.revantoptics.com/).
Sarah Outlaw is the Director of Human Resources for Wieden + Kennedy and Tia Coachman is the Principal and Founder of Affirma Consultancy (https://www.affirmaconsultancy.com/)
Nitin Rai is the Founder & Managing Director or Elevate Capital, a Portland based inclusive venture capital fund.
Blake St Onge is a Principal & office leader for Cresa's Porltand office. In this episode we talk with Blake on the economic effects we are already seeing on Portland's commercial real estate market from COVID-19.
Dr Vinay Prasad is a practicing hematologist-oncologist & Associate Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. Dr Prasad is also the host of the podcast Plenary Session, and author of the upcoming book 'Malignant: How Bad Policy and Bad Evidence Harm People with Cancer'
Carol Kruse serves on the Board of Directors for Valvoline, a publicly traded Fortune 1000 company, and is also an investor & advisor for the Oregon Venture Fund. Previously, Carol was the Chief Marketing Officer for Cambia Health Solutions, as well as the Chief Marketing Officer for ESPN.
Mike Rogoway is the business reporter for the Oregonian. In this episode Mike gives an update on the health of Oregon's economy, startup companies in the news and the 2020 business outlook for Portland. Follow Mike on Twitter https://twitter.com/rogoway and read Mike's recent articles at https://connect.oregonlive.com/staff/MikeRogoway/posts.html.
Eric Turner is the Executive Vice President for JLL and Trevor Dryer is the Founder & CEO of Mirador.
Carmen Ripley Wilson is the founder and owner of Beanstalk Children's Resale. In this episode we talk with Carmen about making the jump from being a naturopathic family physician to starting a resale business, and how they have thrived in the evolving landscape of retail.
Andrea Herron is the author of 'There's an Elephant in Your Office: Practical tips to successfully identify and support mental and emotional health in the workplace'. Andrea also leads Human Resources for WebMd's Portland office.
In our conversation we dove into how her sister's battle with depression sparked them to collaborate on writing this book, with the intention of providing real world examples and strategies that leaders can implement to support employees
On today's episode host Dan Bruton spoke with Mike Edwards, CEO of apparel brand Hanna Andersson. Dan visited Hanna's offices in NE Portland where Mike discussed his career path, his thoughts on inheriting a brand with so much heritage, and how is team is investing in innovation to fuel growth.
Steve Brown is a Futurist and the author of the new book Innovation Ultimatum, available February 5th wherever books are sold. Steve rejoined the podcast for his second visit to discuss the six strategic technologies that will reshape every business. You can learn more about Steve's work at https://www.baldfuturist.com/
Jennifer Johnson is the Founder of Trestle, a platform that helps consumers discover the values of their favorite brands. You can learn more at https://www.mytrestle.com/, and by contacting Jennifer@mytrestle.com
Ryan Anderson is the territory sales lead for Google Cloud. In this conversation, host Dan Bruton talked with Ryan about his background, the evolution of cloud and what the acceleration of cloud computing means for your business.
Cameron McAlees is the Manager of Blazer5 Gaming, the Esports franchise of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Tim Williams is the Executive Director for the Oregon Governor's Office of Film and Television (aka Oregon Film). In this episode we discuss the rise of the film & TV Industry in Oregon, as well as tax incentives & rebates available for local businesses through the tax credit auction (sign up to learn more about the auction by contacting Tim at tim@oregonfilm.org or join their mailing list at https://oregonfilm.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4499a55a04d21616ab32ef060&id=6e9b80dd3e
Bill Righter, Founder of BFit: The Shareable Gym Membership by Dan Bruton | PDX Executive Assembly
Blake St. Onge is the Senior Vice President for Cresa, one of the world's largest occupier centric real estate firm. In this episode Blake discusses workplace design and the trends in Portland's commercial real estate market. This episode is sponsored by Getaway.house and Beat Check, a new podcast from The Oregonian.
Jon Stine is the lead for the Open Voice Network, an organization whose vision is to create a future for AI voice search, communication and commerce that is open: standards-based, interoperable, and data-protected (openvoicenetwork.org). This podcast is supported by Getaway.house. Getaway offers escapes to tiny cabins nestled in nature just two hours from Portland near Mount Adams. It’s an experience that helps you slow down, disconnect from work and technology, and reconnect with yourself and others. Every cabin is dog friendly and provides everything you need and nothing you don't. Take $20 off your first escape when you book with code EXECUTIVE at www.getaway.house
Ashley Micciche is the CEO of True North Retirement Advisors. Ashley specializes in helping business owners with their most important decision - how to exit their business successfully.
Nina Church-Adams is the Vice President of Marketing for AskNicely. Nina has had several senior leadership roles in Portland and in this episode we discussed the Portland FinTech community, Nina's transition moving from New York to first work at Nike and lessons learned from building teams across different verticals.
Sam Pardue is the CEO & Founder of Portland based Indow Windows, as well as founder of the initiative WeHireRefugees.org.
Susan Bladholm is the Founder of Frog Ferry, an organization working to bring passenger river ferry service to Portland. More info about the project can be viewed on their site athttp://frogferry.com/
Ryan Ziegler, Executive Chef of Line & Lure Restaurant by Dan Bruton | PDX Executive Assembly
Jaime Schmidt is the Founder of Schmidt's Naturals and it was great to have Jaime rejoin the podcast. In this episode we discuss life since the acquisition of Schmidt's by Unilever and Jaime's new projects: the investment fund Color and the new editorial site, Supermaker.
Linda Wechsler is a consultant for the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP). In this episode we discuss the Oregon manufacturing industry and its importance to the Oregon economy, as well as how Linda and her team help manufacturer's growth. You can learn more about OMEP and their work at https://www.omep.org/
Ryan Buchanan is the Founder & CEO of Portland based digital marketing agency eROI. In this episode we discuss how Ryan has grown the business over the past 17 years, including the pivots he made to scale. Ryan is also the Co-Founder of Emerging Leaders PDX, a non profit dedicated to improving racial and cultural diversity at the leadership level in Portland area companies.
Mike Rogoway is the Business reporter for The Oregonian. In this episode, Mike gives an update on the tech industry in Oregon, including recent funding announcements, new companies in Portland and hiring/economic trends.
Allie Roth is the Founder of With Love, a Portland based nonprofit supporting foster families by providing safe, clean and quality clothing for children.
Kedma Ough has worked with over 10,000 small businesses to help them grow and is the author of Target Funding: A Proven System to get the money and resources you need to start and grow your business. Kedma was most recently the Director of the Innovation Center for the Oregon Small Business Development Centers.
Mike Weinhouse is the CEO & Co-Founder of Portland based digital marketing agency Logical Position. With 550 employees and growing, Mike sat down with host Dan Bruton to discuss how Mike & his Co-Founder created their company with intent of building a positive company culture that has helped them grow and attract talent.
Jerry Colonna is the Co-Founder & CEO of Reboot. His new book Reboot: The Art of Leadership & Growing Up is available on June 18th from HarperCollins.
Host Dan Bruton sits down with former colleague Josh Frickle, commercial account rep at Marketo, an Adobe company, to discuss the evolution of social selling and answer the question of what exactly does account based marketing mean now?
Kyle Hildebrant & Ryan Durant are Co-Founders of OVO, a Portland based agency specializing in branding. In this episode we discussed the the resurgence of focus on brand as the media landscape becomes even more fragmented. We also dive into how these Co-Founders continue to make their business partnership successful after 14 years since founding their agency.
With the recent announcement of the Blockchain Venture Studio opening in Portland, host Dan Bruton sat down with Jeff Gaus, Founder of the studio, to discuss his mission of putting Oregon at the center of the blockchain industry.
Allie Magyar is Founder & CEO of Vancouver, Washington based event management software company Hubb, who recently raised their series B funding for a total of $10 million. In this episode we discussed Allie's journey of founding the company and process of deciding of raising capital vs bootstrapping Allie is also a 2019 Portland Business Journal Women of Influence honoree and she talked about the importance of supporting underrepresented founders.
Dewayne Hankins, Chief Marketing Officer for the Portland Trail Blazers, is one of the humblest leaders I've ever met and It was great to have him on the podcast to share his career story and advice for young professionals looking to develop a career in the sports industry.
Tami Wood is the Community Lead for Jaguar Land Rover's Innovation Lab in NW Portland, and a 2019 Portland Business Journal Women of Influence honoree. In this episode we discuss the history of the innovation lab and why Jaguar Land Rover chose Portland for their innovation lab, as well as Tami's work fostering collaboration with Portland's tech community.
Kent Lewis is the Founder of Portland based Anvil Media, a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO & PPC. On this episode Kent discusses his long history of podcasting & the benefits of podcasting for B2B brands.
Mac's List was created in 2001 as a regional job board. A destination in for job searchers in Portland, Mac has grown the site to a full service platform for job seekers and hiring. On this episode we discussed modern hiring practices, employer branding and tips for hiring managers as well as job seekers.
With their recent $25 million Series A funding, host Dan Bruton sat down with RFPIO Co-Founder & CEO Ganesh Shankar to talk about their growth plans, how important the Oregon startup community's support has been for getting investment (with shout outs to the Portland suburbs!) We also dive into the demands of being a parent while launching a startup.
Ann Smith is Founder & President of Portland based communications firm A.wordsmith. In this episode Ann gives strategic and tactical advice for emerging companies to create thought leadership. We also discuss the journey of founding and building A.wordsmith, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
John Nee is the Founder & President of Act 1 Partners. In this episode we discuss the importance of Sales & Marketing alignment, his journey from corporate executive to staring his own business and recommendations for colleagues looking to make a similar leap. More info on John's company can be found at https://www.act1partners.com/
Natalie Fung is the CEO of Portland based AnswerConnect. In this episode we discussed how Natalie's team has scaled the business with a remote team, and lessons they have learned along the way.
Nathan Christensen is the CEO of Portland based Mammoth HR. In our conversation we dig into Nathan's unique path to becoming CEO of Mammoth. Nathan also gives his insights and data from Mammoth for best practices to drive employee engagement, how Portland has been great for Mammoth since relocating from Silicon Valley and advice to companies looking to relocate here.
Ep # 53: Cinthia Manuel, Director of Emerging Leaders for Portland Leadership Foundation by Dan Bruton | PDX Executive Assembly
Ep # 52: Ryan Beckley,Founder & President of TerraFirma by Dan Bruton | PDX Executive Assembly
Angela Earl is the Founder of Portland agency Haatzama Marketing. In this episode we break down the evolution of the agency model and how Angela's company is embracing the independent workforce.
It is rare that you meet CEOs that are willing to have the hard conversations and tackle problems like creating a diverse workforce, especially when it is your own company you have to improve first. Ryan Carson's enthusiasm is infectious and it was great to learn how his company, Treehouse, is partnering with community groups and companies to grow diverse tech talent.
Though we are a non-partisan podcast, every election is critical and we felt it was important to invite both leading candidates for Oregon Governor on the podcast. For this episode, we sat down with the Republican candidate for Governor, Knute Buehler, to discuss his background, why he got into politics and the issues that are important to business leaders in Oregon. We have invited Governor Kate Brown on the podcast, and are in contact with her communications staff to schedule an interview.
You might have heard that it takes 10 years and almost a $1 billion to bring a new drug to market. In this episode we talk with Jennifer Fox about how PSU is working with early stage bioscience companies to develop new drugs & vaccines. Jennifer is also a Board Member of the Portland Innovation Quadrant, and we discussed how the community is coming together to develop real estate that will fuel growth of innovation in Portland.
Junea Rocha is the Co-Founder & CEO of Portland based company Brazi Bites. She was recently named one of the Executive of the Year by Portland Business Journal. In this episode we discuss the beginnings of Brazi Bites and how the company recently partnered with a private equity company to fuel their growth.
Callie Christensen & Kelly Oriad had a decision to make when they found out they were selected to go on Shark Tank. They were both educators and knew the show would fuel exposure for Slumberkins, the company they founded. They decided to leave their jobs before the show aired, and now are growing quickly along with a production deal from the Jim Henson company to develop a TV show based on their product. Original music for this episode was composed by Levi Downey. The PDX Executive Podcast is part of the thatCAST podcast network.
Janet is the Chief of Staff & Vice President for Cambia Health Solutions. She recently was named on Portland Business Journal's 'Women of Influence' award list for 2018. In this episode we talk the future of health insurance, the importance of diverse perspectives in the C-Suite, and why companies should invest in having a Chief of Staff role. Support for this episode was provided by thatCAST creative, www.thatcast.com. Original music for this episode was composed by Levi Downey.
Lisa Sedlar, Founder & CEO of Green Zebra Grocery is on a mission to bring convenience stores with healthy options to cities all over the US. I love Lisa's passion and it was great to sit down with her for the podcast to discuss her career path from chef to Founder of the fast growing healthy convenient store company, Green Zebra.
Molly is the Chief Marketing Officer for one of the fastest growing companies in Portland, CrowdStreet. In this episode we discussed Molly's career and how CrowdStreet is disrupting the 'country club set' of commercial real estate. Original music for this episode was composed by Levi Downey. The PDX Executive Podcast is a production of thatCAST.
Michelle has banking in her DNA. Her father was a banker and she's risen to become the President of Oregon & SW Washington for KeyBank. In this episode we focus on the future of banking, how KeyBank and her industry peers are attracting talent in today's competitive employment market, as well as her deep commitment to the Portland community through serving on numerous non-profit boards. Original music for this episode was composed by Levi Downey.
Schmidt's Naturals started with humble beginnings before being acquired by Unilever. In this episode, Jaime discusses the early days of starting her company during the maker movement in Portland, her natural DNA of being an entrepreneur, and why she is staying and will be investing in companies in Portland.
Susanne's life and career has had so many interesting twist and turns, all leading up to the great work she is doing for the NW Outward Bound School and the several other non-profits she has served.
Fred Meyer is an iconic retailer in the Pacific NW and it was great to sit down with company veteran Brad Cope to discuss the brand, the future of retail and how Fred Meyer's parent company Kroger is implementing new tools to enhance the shopping experience, and how Fred Meyer has changed with the growth of Portland.
Brett Miller is the Director of Innovation & Marketing for NW Wine Company. In this episode we discuss how his team launched Westmount, a new lifestyle wine brand, the Oregon wine industry and his career path. Loved this discussion with Brett and there are great takeaways about his experience launching Westmount that can be applied to any industry.
Rand Fishkin is the Founder of Moz and author of the new book 'Lost and Founder.' He is also the Co-Founder of SparkToro. Rand's new book reads part handbook for founders and a documentation of Rand's journey going from working for his Mother's ad agency to starting, then ultimately leaving Moz. In this episode, Rand opens up about writing the book - we discuss how VC funding is not right for every company, his fight with depression as a founder and the different approach he is taking to funding his new company Spark Toro
Noah Jarrett is the Transportation, Ports & Maritime Industry Group Leader for Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. In this conversation Noah gives an update on our local ports and how it is impacting the local economy, as well as regulatory & other economical factors we should be paying attention to. We also discussed how corporate law is evolving with the implementation of new technology such as ediscovery.
In this episode we talk with Nick Hill, Vice President of Product for Lithium Technologies.
Anna-Mieke Anderson's company MiaDonna is disrupting the diamond industry and it was a pleasure to interview her and fascinating to learn about lab grown diamonds. Portland is lucky to have a entrepreneur of her drive and intent to make the world a better place. Learn more about her mission and company at https://www.miadonna.com/
Brian Garish: President of Banfield Pet Hospital by Dan Bruton | PDX Executive Assembly
When Howie Cockrill left his startup in San Francisco as their General Counsel & Vice President, his family began 'dating' 5 other cities they were interested to relocate their family. Massive spreadsheets crunching data and rankings to compare each city ensued. While we are in the midst of a wave of growth in Portland, I loved having this conversation with Howie breaking down the relocation process and what they found attractive about our city, as well how it has treated him since he moved here and the warm welcome he has received from the professional community.
We're back with our first podcast of 2018 and check in with our friend Mike Rogoway, business & tech reporter for The Oregonian. We discuss the health of Oregon's economy, the recent funding announcements of three local startups, Mike & his colleagues' recent reporting on Nike & Intel, and the state of the news industry.
Genevieve is a seasoned entrepreneur, “mentor capitalist,” and a founder of the XXCelerate Fund. She personally mentors and advises several companies as well as lends her expertise in demand generation and growth strategy, helping teams and companies align to create high performing, sustainable and executable strategy that will build the bridge they need to their next level. http://www.genevievelemarchal.com/services/
Farhad Ghafarzade is Founder of the certified B Corporation Green Drop Garage and a member of the Portland Business Journal's 40 under 40. I sat down with Farhad at their garage in eastmoreland and loved this wide ranging conversation discussing the origin story of Green Drop. After graduating with a degree in molecular biology, Farhad was on track to be a dentist until he traded surf lessons for a car that ran off of vegetable oil, which led him to start converting cars to vegetable oil for $200 each. We talked about how he draws inspiration from his CEO peers in tech by forming a membership platform model to scale Green Drop's car care & repair services. Farhad is also a member of EO and is speaking at the upcoming EO Talks event on January 16th at the Sentinel Hotel.
It was great to sit down with David Thompson, COO and General Counsel for the Portland Business Alliance. Our conversation focused on PBA's mission supporting businesses in Portland, and how they are working to shape the future of Portland, especially for small businesses. We also talked about some of the challenges Portland faces as we grow, and the 'second paycheck' concept of maintaining Portland a great place to work, and live.
In this episode, Dan sat down with former NFL quarterback Joey Harrington and discussed his experience learning from failure and how it has helped him in his post football life. Joey was incredibly gracious and open about his experience in the NFL, which he also shared in his Tedx talk titled "Perceptions of Perfection". He now runs an incredible foundation that gives back to the community he was raised in, and recently opened a restaurant in Portland's pearl district.
Ann Sacks's incredible entrepreneurial journey began with a visit to a local Portland dress shop when she was a social worker. The patterns inspired her to start a new kind of tile company, which was later acquired by Kohler. Now working on her third business, Ann's latest company Fetch Eyewear is focused on giving back. Fetch is part of a very small group of businesses identified by the Paul Newman Foundation as "hundred percenters." This group donates 100% of profits to nonprofits- in Fetch's case, they donate all their profits to the Pixie Project, a local animal rescue organization and shelter, and other animal welfare organizations.
Jenelle Isaacson is Founder & CEO of Living Room Realty. In this episode we discuss how Jenelle used her roots from being in a punk band to start her own company, how she first got into real estate as a way to support her creative pursuits, the challenges of building a successful business in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008 and her thoughts on how Portland has changed. Living Room Realty is one of the only certified B corp realty companies in the country, and we discuss her decision to obtain B corp status.
Dan Letchinger is the Vice President of Marketing for Dave's Killer Bread. In this episode we discuss his path from slicing bread with the founder of Dave's at the company's first bakery to becoming the head of the marketing department, and the growth of the company from its humble beginnings at the Portland farmers market. Dave's Killer bread has become an iconic brand in Portland, and Dan talks about the brand vision that founder Dave Dahl had, as well as the company's transition from family owned to being acquired in 2015.
Christina Rosalie is the Director of Brand for Vacasa, one of the fastest growing companies in Oregon. In this episode we discuss her path to leading the brand team at Vacasa, working at a fast scaling company and how the culture of Portland impacts our business ecosystem.
Eric Roedl is the Deputy Athletic Director & COO for the University of Oregon Athletic Department. It this episode we discuss Eric's path to athletic administration after being a college athlete, his role running the UO athletic department operations, as well as the excitement around the upcoming Duck football season and the success of the university's athletic program.
Rob McCready is the Managing Director of Hood River advertising agency Blue Collar. In this episode Rob & I have an expansive talk about the state of advertising, his path to starting an agency and discuss the growth of Hood River.
Melissa Ashcraft is the Global Director of Marketing Communications for Wacom, a maker of interactive pen displays, tablets and styluses. In this episode we discuss working for a company that powers the creation of products & tv shows like the Simpsons, working on a global team, and all things Portland.
Skip Newberry is the President for the Technology Association of Oregon. In this episode we discuss the state of the technology industry in Oregon, how Skip & his team are working with the tech industry to improve diversity, and the role of the private & public sector in preparing the workforce for when machine learning & AI start replacing jobs . Skip also highlights some of the most exciting startups in Oregon.
Steve Brown is a former Futurist at Intel and continues his work as a Futurist by projecting trends and looking at the intersection of these trends to help companies see new business opportunities. Steve's work is fascinating and we had a great conversation about his role at Intel, his thoughts on the current disruption that is happening across different business sectors and why he loves Portland.
Jasmine Agnor is the Senior Marketing Manager for the Oregon Extension Manufacturing Partnership; a non-profit that works with small & medium manufacturers to grow their businesses. In this episode we discuss the state of manufacturing in Oregon and how much our economy depends on it, as well as the growing maker community in Oregon.
Andrew Greif is the sports reporter for the Oregonian. In this episode we discuss my favorite things- Portland, business and the Oregon Ducks. Enjoyed talking to Andrew about the business of college sports and the ongoing debate about compensating college athletes, eSports and his thoughts on the upcoming Ducks football season.
Kevin Tate is the Chief Revenue Office for Rigado, an IoT company founded in Salem with offices also in Portland. Kevin is a veteran of the Portland investing & tech community, and in this episode we discuss his advice for Portland based early stage companies competing with Silicon Valley companies, and the future of the internet of things industry.
Cory Dolich is the Senior Vice President of Business Operations & Marketing for the Portland Timbers. In this episode we discuss Cory's path to working in professional sports after playing college baseball, the Timbers potential investment in eSports, and how to stand out when applying for a job with the Timbers.
In this episode Allison Tivnon, Head of Marketing for ECONorthwest, discusses the work her company is doing to help solve some of Oregon's most complex problems; from housing affordability to infrastructure needs as Portland, and the state, grows. It was also great to chat with Allison about her career path, which began when she co-founded an independent book publishing company during graduate school at Portland State University.
Ashley Williams is the Director of Global Brand Activation for KEEN Footwear. In this episode we discuss KEEN's value driven culture, how to break into the footwear industry, KEEN's loyal fan base and how they utilize that passion through their ambassador program.
Chris Murphy is the Managing Editor for the adidas Newsrooms in the US. In this episode, we discuss his 12 year career at adidas, starting as an intern to leading all of the digital marketing for adidas in the US, and his new role creating the newsrooms at adidas.
Susan Bladholm is the Head of Marketing for Erickson, Inc-an aviation and global defense & security company founded 40 years ago in Southern Oregon. In this episode we discuss her path to Erickson, her love of flying as a pilot, and the future of Portland.
In this episode Mike Rogoway, Business writer for The Oregonian, talks about the state of Portland's tech industry, the macro economic climate in Oregon, new and up & coming companies in Portland, and the changing business models of journalism. I really enjoyed connecting with my former colleague at The Oregonian and getting his thoughts on being a reporter covering businesses in the state of Oregon.
Luis Vargas is a Tedx speaker & travel industry executive with previous roles at Disney, REI and the Clymb. In this episode we deconstruct his recent Tedx talk about investing in experiences, the Portland business community, and his thoughts on the concept of a project based economy.
Jennifer Davis is the Chief Marketing Officer for Planar Systems & Leyard International. In this episode we discuss the origins of Planar as one of the original tech companies in the Silicon Forest, her role at Planar & Leyard International, as well as work/life balance and the importance of being involved in the community.
Aaron Kraljev is the Vice President of Employer Brand & Candidate Advocacy for Wells Fargo. In this episode we talk about his role at Wells Fargo, how to cultivate talent, his thoughts on living and working in Portland, and his side hustle owning a car dealership.