The Connected Enterprise Podcast: Recent Episodes
Carl Lewis of Vision33
Welcome to the Connected Enterprise Podcast, sponsored by Vision33 and hosted by Carl Lewis. Our guests share with us how they stay connected. We explore the stories of market leading businesses and how they connect and collaborate in the digital economy. Bill Gates co-founder of Microsoft has said that quote, "information technology and business have become inextricably interwoven. You can't talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other." Of course, the reality is that every business needs to be connected in order to be competitive in our global economy, whether it's to their value chains, partners, government, or the Internet of things. This podcast explores the opportunities and lessons in achieving profitable and productive business connectivity.
I spend my time building workflow solutions for companies that want to see massive improvements in ROI through better use of their data. Throughout my career, I've been lucky enough to work directly with great brands like OpenTable, Travelocity, Sephora, Cirque Du Soleil, Abercrombie & Fitch, and GAP Inc. to manage end-to-end data strategy that scales their omnichannel digital marketing efforts like crazy. I've also successfully built out data teams during hypergrowth and am constantly staying up-to-date with the latest trends in data operations.
I thoroughly enjoy creating algorithms and automated processes with SQL & Python. If you need someone to synthesize some data, develop a great strategy, and then make the tactical execution 10x faster - I can help. When I'm off the clock, you'll find me hiking the trails in Austin, jamming out on the drumset, or playing board games with friends.
I always want to meet new people, gain new experiences, and create something amazing. If you're interested in working together or just chatting about data and automation, email me at blakeburch@gmail.com!
Chuck Wachendorfer is President of Distribution at think2perform and executive coach. Chuck is tasked with diversifying distribution channels for the company’s products and services in this capacity.
In servicing clients, Chuck provides executives and business owners who want to achieve top performance without sacrificing balance. He coaches on mission and vision development, leadership engagement, accelerated growth and improved profitability.
As a result, he has developed leaders, high achievers, and cohesive teams to increase engagement and make a positive difference while building and enhancing market share, increasing client and employee retention, and improving the corporate bottom line.
Dan Straw is Director, HCM (Human Capital Management) Solutions of Vision33.
At Vision33, we are all about disrupting the ways businesses operate through the power of technology. We believe that people are an organisations most valuable asset and as such, they deserve leading technology that allows them to focus on what matters most; getting things done.
Established in 2020, Vision33's HCM Solutions team was created to bring together nearly 20 years of HR and HR technology experience and over 20 years of working with small and medium businesses to deliver technology change. Together, the founding parties have a vision to be the leading technology partner for small and medium businesses through providing best-in-class technology, support services and consultancy to drive business value and return on investment.
Product Tranquility is a consulting firm founded in Austin, TX, led by Dan Balcauski. As the principal consultant for Product Tranquility, Dan helps high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. He is a TopTal certified Top 3% Product Management Professional and helps teach the Kellogg Executive Education course on Product Strategy.
Experience
Over the last 15 years, Dan has managed multiple products throughout the product life-cycle from new concept incubation, product launch, product maintenance, platform transitions, and end of life. Dan has worked in both consumer and B2B companies, across consumer internet, mobile, IT software, and test and measurement hardware and software in addition to company sizes ranging from startups to publicly traded multi-national enterprises.
Prior to founding Product Tranquility, Dan completed a solo round-the-world expedition to 21 countries, a lifelong dream that involved several life-changing volunteering experiences and a new collection of friends and good stories. Prior to that, he was Head of Product at LawnStarter, a two-sided marketplace bringing the best lawn care professionals to customers across the US. He joined LawnStarter after SolarWinds’ $4B acquisition by Silver Lake and Thoma Bravo. At SolarWinds, he was a Principal Product Strategist where he helped form and execute product growth strategies across new and existing products, both on-premises and SaaS-based.
Dan has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Jonathan Chin is an experienced executive in product, strategy, and growth with a demonstrated history of working in FinTech, big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science. He’s the co-founder of Facteus, the largest provider of alternative data worldwide. Jonathan and Facteus are on a mission to democratize data insights by safely unlocking valuable data sets and increasing data literacy through technology. Jonathan holds a bachelor of arts degree in business economics and accounting from UC Santa Barbara.
With more than 20 years of recruiting experience, Vacare Group CEO and founder Nancy Dress was awarded the Smart CEO award from Brava in 2016 and was also recognized as one of the leading recruitment professionals in the Greater Boston area, consistently topping LinkedIn’s Recruiting List since 2015. She has assisted with the growth of many start-ups resulting in many of her clients winning prestigious technology industry awards (Best Places to Work, NEVY awards, Bostinno Tech Madness, 50 on Fire, and many others).
Matt Sitter is an experienced Project Manager at McChrystal Group, and has led two client engagements with global technology companies. In his role as manager of client engagements, Matt has advised senior leadership to improve internal communications and build organizational alignment.
Matt joined McChrystal Group following a successful career in the healthcare industry, serving in management positions in multiple functional areas. Matt worked as the Product Marketing Manager for Elekta AB, the Director of Disease Management for Celera, Inc., and the Director of Reimbursement Analytics for Veracyte. In each of these positions, Matt utilized and personally developed new methodology, metrics, and analytics – demonstrating his innovative approach to project management.
Matt completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University and received his MBA from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.
Joey Havens, CPA, is a partner at HORNE, where he passionately lives out his life’s calling to help others see and reach their full potential. Joey challenges leaders to bold transparency, calling on leaders to show their heart while working to connect everyone to the “why,” or the purpose, of the organization. Joey is a frequent presenter/teacher/facilitator on creating a culture of belonging, strategic planning, leadership development and loves to teach young professionals the ABCs to Outstanding.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
· American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
· Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants
· CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 30 Thought Leaders
· 2017 Mississippi’s Top CEOs by the Mississippi Business Journal
· Accounting Today’s 2016 Elite Managing Partner List
· Top 40 Under 40 Leadership Award by the Mississippi Business Journal
Dan Steele is a highly accomplished entrepreneur, author, and business strategist with 25+ years of experience in tech. He co-founded the largest influencer marketing company and authored "The Book on ChatGPT." Dan is a sought-after speaker on various topics, including social media strategy and entrepreneurship. He is passionate about mentoring and coaching budding entrepreneurs, and his innovative approach to business has earned him a reputation as a trailblazer in the industry.
Meet Ganesh Krishnan, a cybersecurity superhero with over 25 years of experience protecting the digital world from cyber threats. As a two-time founder with a track record of success at some of the world's top tech companies, he's earned a reputation as a thought leader at the forefront of cybersecurity. Now at the helm of Anzenna, his latest security startup, he's out to revolutionize the industry by making cybersecurity accessible to every employee, not just the security team.
Ganesh first realized his passion for digital security in college, working in the Purdue University cybersecurity lab. After earning his master's in Computer Science in 1997, he immediately got to work in the industry. Over the next two decades, he worked his way to top-level security and engineering roles at companies like Yahoo!, LinkedIn, Atlassian and landed a spot on the Forbes Technology Council.
In 2017 Ganesh launched his first AI-powered cybersecurity startup, Avid Secure, which was acquired after only 18 months. But despite his success, he wasn't content to rest on his laurels. He realized that to meet the challenges that lie ahead in cybersecurity, the industry needed a paradigm shift. So he launched a new company, Anzenna, with a simple yet powerful goal: to reimagine cybersecurity by empowering every employee with simple and effective security tools. They may be just getting started, but if Ganesh's past performance is any indicator, the world of digital security is about to change forever.
Chris Malta has been a successful business owner for more than 47 years, starting at the age of 15. He’s spent more than 30 of those years in Ecommerce and online marketing.
Chris developed the world’s most popular wholesale directory for online business owners, WorldwideBrands.com. He’s owned a wholesale supply company in western NY and built an Affiliate Program with over 27,000 members.
Chris has also designed the most comprehensive Ecommerce Education in the world and has been teaching it for over a decade. He has taught over 800 live online Ecommerce workshops, totaling more than 6,000 hours of live Ecommerce mentoring.
Chris is also a published business author whose paperbacks and eBooks have been read by at least 7 million people. Chris has spoken at national internet conventions, hosted two business talk radio shows for Entrepreneur Magazine, and worked personally with top level executives from Amazon, eBay, UPS and others.
Nate Sanders is the co-founder and CEO of Artifact, the CX forecasting company. Nate is passionate about leveraging human-centered design to make artificial intelligence products that are useful and accessible to everyone.
Alex Rooney
Vice President, ERP Solutions, United States
As Vice President of SAP Solutions in the US, Alex optimizes customer experience, drives sales and results, and develops strategic global partnerships. He sits on the prestigious Global Partner Executive Council (GPEC) for SAP. Alex co-founded Vision33 in 2004 and is instrumental in managing the SAP partnership.
Deb Muller is the founder and CEO of HR Acuity. Driven by an obsession to do things right, particularly in employee relations, she has spent her career championing excellence and effectively managing workplace investigations. After serving in executive HR roles at numerous Fortune 500 companies like Honeywell, Citibank, and Marsh & McLennan, Deb launched HR Acuity to create technology with built-in expertise and equip organizations to strategically manage employee relations.
Roselle Rogers is an accomplished HR executive with 30+ years of practical application. She joined Circa in 2006 and has been instrumental in the company’s growth from a local job board provider to its OFCCP compliance and diversity products launch. Roselle leads Circa’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, thought leadership, and the company’s OFCCP compliance and community partner relations.
Pankaj Srivastava is the CEO of MentorCloud, the world’s leading people development platform. A startup veteran, he is an entrepreneurial technology executive who pioneered popular revenue drivers such as Security-as-a-Subscription-Service and helped scale businesses worldwide. Pankaj has held roles as CEO, COO, GM, and CMO and has expertise in marketing, product, strategy, sales, M&A, and strategic alliances.
Enrique Alvarez is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Vector Global Logistics, a certified minority-owned supply chain and logistics company dedicated to world-class service, a results-only mindset, and social impact. He is proud to say that Vector’s success and growing impact has been built on their results-based culture, a passionate team, and their desire to truly partner with clients.
Before co-founding Vector, he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where his main focus was on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader.
He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Technólogico de Monterrey in Mexico.
Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.
Link to our Ukrainian coordination / support meetings – please invite anyone that might be interested even if they don’t necessarily manufacture or ship anything. Unfortunately, this conflict will go on for a longer time, people require a lot of support yet the news cycle seems to be passed the Ukraine war https://vectorgl.com/stand-with-ukraine/ (link to sign up for the meeting is : https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvfu2uqTsuGNZtMwrBOhMgr3qhZr_Yrd1r
Mr. Markley is a co-founder and Vice President of Regulatory and Quality Solutions LLC, a provider of full-service regulatory affairs and quality assurance expertise to medical device designers and manufacturers in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
Additionally, Mr. Markley is the Carpenter Technology - Latrobe Specialty Metals Sponsored Lecturer in the McKenna Business School of Saint Vincent College. At Saint Vincent College, Mr. Markley teaches the Management Information Systems and Accounting Information Systems courses and leads the SAP Business One™ certification program.
A native of the Pittsburgh region, Mr. Markley has been an entrepreneur with numerous local enterprises and has served as a trusted advisor to local organizations for over 22 years. He has an extensive background in information technology and substantial experience in strategic and management consulting including business process re-engineering, corporate restructuring, supply chain management and customer relationship management.
Prior to Regulatory and Quality Solutions™ and Saint Vincent College, Mr. Markley was the co-founder and President of Manufacturing Solutions LLC, a value-added reseller of the Made2Manage™ Enterprise Business System. He was also a co-founder of Corporate Solutions LLC, a consulting firm specializing in management and technology solutions. Mr. Markley helped negotiate the successful sale of both companies in 2004.
Prior to launching Manufacturing Solutions, Mr. Markley spent 5 years with Paragon Solutions, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based systems integrator, where he was part owner and responsible for the sales and delivery of Paragon Solutions™ Oracle services. In 1997, Mr. Markley, along with the other Paragon Solutions owners, co-founded OPSoft Technologies, the exclusive Oracle Applications dealer for western Pennsylvania, southern Ohio and upstate New York. Mr. Markley helped negotiate the successful sale of both companies in 1999.
Previously, Mr. Markley spent several years at Price Waterhouse, where he served in numerous consulting and leadership roles, primarily in the Mid-Range Consulting practice. He also served as Director of Management Information Systems for Pittsburgh-based Reese Brothers, one of the largest telemarketing fundraisers in the US.
Steven B. Strout
Mr. Strout's is a recognized and experienced technology leader with extensive experience in delivering value. He has successfully led business and technology transformations by leveraging many dozens of complex global SFDC, Oracle and/or SAP projects. He is especially adept at leading what some call “Project Rescues” - saving people’s careers where projects have gone awry; always driving "on-time and on-budget."
Mr. Strout, is the current President of Miovision Technologies and the former CEO and board member of the Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG). His wealth of practical knowledge comes from 30 years of extensive experience in many CxO and executive roles at some prestigious organizations such as Vonage, Sabre, BlackBerry, Shred-it, The Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters) and Morris Communications.
He is or has been on many different industry and company boards, including the Customer Advisory Boards of Apple, AgriSource Data, Dell, Edgewise, EMC, LogiSense, Socrates.ai, Spiro Carbon Group, and Unifi.
Mr. Strout speaks often at major conferences such as SAPPHIRE, Oktane, and user group meetings across the globe and is quoted in many publications including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. In addition, he has co-authored a number of books including: The Elephant in the Room: Data How to Best Govern and Manage Your Enterprise Data.
CEO and Founder at SMB Solutions Cloud Services Pty Ltd
Richard joined the work force at the age of 17 and started his first business at the age of 20. Since then, he has been focused on the world of IT and small business management software.
In the last 27 years Richard has run his own IT business for 12 of those years and most recently (since 1997) worked for Microsoft, Great Plains Software and SAP in a variety of channel roles.
These days, his focus is on software sales, marketing, cloud ERP and social media. Richard keeps his skills current with the latest in business technology, including VOIP, networking, messaging and associated cloud, and internet technologies through his cloud hosting business that focuses on delivering SAP Business One Cloud to SME's in Australia, new Zealand, South East Asia, the US, and Europe.
Introduction
Marty Strong is a retired Navy SEAL officer and combat veteran. He is a novelist, a practicing CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, and the author of Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business, and a second book, Be Visionary: Strategic Leadership in the Age of Optimization, set for release in December 2022. Marty's spent a lifetime meeting challenges head on, succeeding in three professions, anticipating crisis, and leading through chaos.
Background
When he left the SEAL Teams after twenty years, Marty joined UBS as an investment professional (7 years) focused on high-net-worth individuals. Seventy-five percent of his clients were self-made entrepreneurs and half had no college education. Marty learned key entrepreneurial lessons about what business leadership and success looks like, and what attributes are shared by highly successful people. Marty left the financial services industry to build and lead rapidly scaling companies. This involved defining market value, working with M&A pros, and buying or selling business units or companies. It also involved organizational design and scaling strategies (IT tool and processes implementation, integrating software, hardware, and talent solutions) to meet demand or new external challenges to doing business. Marty is currently the CEO of four companies within an ESOP enterprise structure and serves on two corporate boards. He writes about his experiences and insights in his book Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business. The book was released January 1, 2022. The sequel, Be Visionary: Strategic Leadership in the Age of Optimization, is set for release December 2, 2022. Marty has been interviewed on national news shows hundreds of times and is comfortable as a guest on radio and Podcast media formats.
As CEO of ASUG, Geoff believes that the connections we make for our members have the potential to become career-defining relationships that inspire innovation and success for their organizations. His forward-thinking leadership prioritizes helping our members make the most of their investment in SAP technologies. To that end, Geoff works closely with customers, members, the SAP Executive Board, and the extensive partner ecosystem to amplify the voice of the SAP customer. Additionally, he enjoys the time he’s able to spend with our members at ASUG conferences, events, as well as in informal meetings.
John Cerasani is a serial entrepreneur, business expert and venture capitalist. He currently splits time between Los Angeles and Chicago, and has been featured on FOX, NBC, WGN, and CBS. Notably, he was featured in Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 for one of his early companies at the age of 27.
More recently, John sold an insurance business that he started from his kitchen table to a large private equity backed player. This put him in a position to retire at the age of 42. A few months later, he unretired, changed professional direction, and started Glencrest Global. Glencrest Global has quickly earned a name for itself as one of the premier early-stage venture capital firms in the United States and is currently in more than 30 deals.
During this time, John has become business partners with some high profile founders, including: Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Garnett, Ashley Greene, and Jaleel White. Additionally, he is part of some very recognizable acquisitions and developments including apartment complexes in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, as well as The Vea Hotel (formerly the Newport Beach Marriott).
John will also be releasing his second book “2000 Percent Raise” which gives readers guidance on leaving their employers to go into business for themselves. He is very active on social media as a business influencer as well, @JohnCerasani.
John is a former scholarship Division 1 football player at the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University. He sits on multiple boards for non-profits and focuses much of his philanthropic efforts toward making higher education available to underserved communities. He also serves and has served as a Trustee for universities in both Indiana and South Carolina.
Enrique Alvarez is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Vector Global Logistics, a certified minority-owned supply chain and logistics company dedicated to world-class service, a results-only mindset, and social impact. He is proud to say that Vector’s success and growing impact has been built on their results-based culture, a passionate team, and their desire to truly partner with clients.
Before co-founding Vector, he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where his main focus was on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader.
He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Technólogico de Monterrey in Mexico.
Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.
Jonathan Rosenfeld is an attorney in Chicago, Illinois concentrating in cases
involving serious injury and wrongful death. Mr. Rosenfeld is the founder of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC where he has managed to consistently grow his business (10-20% annually) in the wake of additional competition and headwinds from the Covid-19 pandemic. At a time when other law firms are struggling to stay afloat, Mr. Rosenfeld continues to expand his law practice into emerging areas that help stabilize his revenue in uncertain times.
While nothing can take the place of hard work and commitment, Mr. Rosenfeld firmly believes in having balance in his life to include time for family, fun, exercise, and personal time. Even during hectic periods at work, Mr. Rosenfeld is committed to allotting time for each aspect of his life which in turn leads to more productivity and happiness.
When it comes to running a business, Mr. Rosenfeld is keenly aware that the race is indeed a marathon and successful people need to establish a solid foundation in order to set themselves up for success.
Founder of FocusPoint®, the fastest-growing eCommerce solution exclusively integrated with SAP Business One. FocusPoint's team of SAP Business One experts engages with customers on their eCommerce journey extending their SAP Business One functionality to provide a 360º customer experience
Brian Saemann is the Director of Digital Marketing Strategy at GoBeyond SEO. His experience includes fueling the growth of international B2B service and software companies, middle-market professional service firms and local small businesses. He specializes in marketing strategy, positioning, and digital lead generation. Brian considers himself a marketing nerd & junkie. When he isn't reading or thinking about marketing, you can find him spending time with family, out on the golf links or daydreaming about the beach.
Topsort CEO and Co-Founder Regina Ye is a GenZ entrepreneur and former small vendor. In college, she founded a brand and spent many tireless nights trying to understand Facebook and Amazon Ads. Today, she brings her on-the-ground retail experience to adtech startup Topsort, with her sights set on demystifying the advertising industry for all.
Topsort is a next-gen adtech company eradicating the native monetization black box for marketplaces, major retailers, and small vendors alike. Through its easy-to-integrate API, each player in the advertising ecosystem has full control over their ad spend and strategy - democratizing auction-based advertising for all.
Toby Zhang is the CEO and founder of Shop LIT Live, the social media-powered shopping platform. Toby leads a talented management team focusing on driving growth and innovation. Previously, Toby was a partner at CRCM Ventures leading the firm’s investments in consumer and emerging technologies. During his tenure, his successful investments include Musical.ly (now TikTok), Ripple, Ginkgo Bioworks, Firework, Drone Racing League, and more. In 2016, Toby was voted Forbes VC 30 under 30.
Joe started FlenTek Solutions 16 years ago after making the decision to become a full-time entrepreneur. During his corporate career of over 30 years, he has successfully turned around several Profit and Loss business units to operate in the black from regional, national, and global levels at several Fortune 500 companies. He has experience in all major aspects of American business from Product Marketing Management, Sales Management, Sales Operations Management, and Service Support Management. FlenTek Solutions has grown from $5,000 in annual sales to roughly $2-3M in sales annually with a staff of six people and growing.
Joe has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude) from National University, an MBA from John F. Kennedy University, Certificate of Excellence from Rutgers Business School (Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development), and three years of formal Electronic Theory and Education from the US Navy and Tektronix. He has been a professional in the High Technology Industry since 1981 from when he took over a $3M service operation with 40 (engineers, technician, and operations) employees and transformed from the worst in the country to the most profitable and responsive business unit for Tektronix for the next 9 years.
Joe has been married to his wife Odessa for over 30 years and has two adult children (Qiley Lewis and Joseph Lewis III) who have both graduated from college with bachelor’s degree. Qiley has assumed the position of Digital Marketing System Manager for FlenTek Solutions and Joseph (JC) is a Project Manager for Oracle. Odessa has a BS in management from Golden Gate University and assumes the position of Chief Financial Officer for the company. She maintains the company’s financials and continues to have only written off $50 in bad debt for the company while making sure capital was available to fund our growth. This is an amazing accomplishment.
Tiffany is on a mission to customize an organizational strategic approach to internal efficiencies to create optimal capital gains. She has obtained a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics and has 15+ years of professional experience in Program/Project Management and Business Process Management, her portfolio includes a host of multi-million-dollar programs and leading high-profile projects. She has worked industries that span from Education, Finance, Title, and currently Pricing and Sales solutions. She has been consulted by executive leaders on maturing their organizations by developing and visualizing effective practices, measurements, and methods. She is a Denver native and enjoys working with her community. Tiffany Boyd – Chief of Staff, Vendavo
Tom McGrath is the Principal Architect for Vision33’s Innovation Team. In this capacity, he oversees the strategic technical direction of the company’s exclusive products, including The Saltbox Platform. Saltbox is a cloud-native integration platform as a service (iPaaS) solution that seamlessly integrates hundreds of business applications.
Tom joined Vision33 in 2002 and has been focusing on Vision33’s product initiatives for 13 years. He also has 15 years of experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, including comprehensive knowledge of SAP Business One.
Tom holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Human to human marketing executive and public speaker, MK Getler, is on a mission to bring authenticity and empathy into B2B organizations around the globe. With over a decade of experience building and leading marketing and business development teams, a keen ability to make meaningful marketing, and a passion for bringing inclusion and equity to the conversation, MK thrives on empowering others to actualize their potential in and out of the workplace.
When MK is not flipping tables in the marketing world, they’re found either in the surf or snow. Or perhaps off finding adventures big or small with their fiancé, Natasha, and pup, Kody.
Ari Galper is the world’s #1 authority on trust-based selling and has been featured in CEO Magazine, Forbes, INC Magazine, SkyNews and the Australian Financial Review. He has created a unique and different sales approach based on trust and integrity called Unlock The Sales Game -- designed so the dreaded act of “chasing” and the painful experience of rejection is eliminated forever - a feat never thought possible, until now.
As trust becomes the most important currency in the new economy, the act of selling as a dehumanizing experience, with endless “chasing” and multiple steps, has been completely re-invented and anchored in the timeless values of integrity and trust through Trust-Based Selling.
In his best-selling book, “Unlock The Sales Game”, Ari describes his revolutionary sales approach based on getting to the truth and why shifting to a mindset of deep trust, instead of “the sale” – is ironically, 10 times more profitable.
His new book launching soon, “The One Call Sale”, is set to completely disrupt the entire sales industry as we know it today. No more chasing, no pressure and no closing. Everything you learned about selling will be turned upside down.
Ari is also the author of “Lessons From Toby”, a special book about his son Toby who has Down Syndrome, who has made a major impact in Ari’s approach to teaching authenticity and trust in his Trust-Based Selling approach, more about the book here: www.TobysBook.com
Niels is an experienced and successful global hands-on Executive who has for 20 years led international companies, business units, turn-around and turnkey projects. Was Global VP and Head of SAP Business One Sales and Strategy until 2009, where he joined Boyum-IT Solutions as Chairman, where he still chair the BoD so have be close business partner to Vision33 for almost 15 years.
Niels worked for several global enterprise software companies like OpenText and Stibo Systems but also in technology business like Danaher. Currently using these skills as industrial advisor for several global PE firms through my own VC and PE Management consultancy firm (Lanell.com). He is an advocate and practices a modern leadership style focusing on representing and leading the collective wisdom and experience of colleagues, customers and other stakeholders securing collaborative and accelerated transitions with results.
Professional styles include a relentless focus on identifying ways to improve and quickly getting to the core of problems using structured problem-solving technics. Trusts intuition to guide judgement and strongly inclined to develop strategies with a long-term view.
NetObjex CEO Mr. Raghu Bala was previously an executive with Yahoo, Infospace, PwC, and with 3 successful startup exits. He also the tutor for MIT Sloan School of Business’s online courses on the Implications of Artificial Intelligence on Business, as well as MIT’s Blockchain course.
Mr. Bala was winner of 2016 Best Abstract in Best Wearable Medical Device category at the AI in Medicine conference, and in 1993 winner of the Best Thesis Award on Temporal Databases at the Hartford Graduate Center Conference.
He holds an MBA in Finance from Wharton, an MS in Computer Science from RPI, has been a Columbia University Adjunct Lecturer, published author (Microsoft Press, Macmillan) and speaker at several major conferences including IoT Congress, Google IO, and more.
Lara Miller of Lara Miller PR has been an award-winning public relations (PR) consultant for more than 16 years. A bridge between companies and the media, Lara Miller PR specializes in media relations for enterprise technology, fintech, software as a service (SaaS), virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI) startups.
Karen Behnke has enjoyed a long and successful entrepreneurial career in the Health & Wellness Industry. Her consistent goal is to equally marry her passion for helping people enjoy healthier lifestyles with her skill at building financially successful businesses that are mission driven. Juice Beauty (as noted by Forbes, Cosmo, ELLE, etc.) is the “OG” - original green – beauty brand and leading the way in the clean beauty industry. The Company philosophy centers around strong commitments to vegan, cruelty-free, sustainability, certified organic ingredients, wellness and their unique Farm to Beauty approach.
Prior to founding Juice Beauty, from 1996-2003, Karen led the Healthy Lifestyle investment strategy for two private equity firms, including a firm that was the majority shareholder of a major fitness chain, where she was a Board of Director and an Operating Executive during a seven-year growth period, from $75 mm to over $1 billion in revenue.
From 1983-1996, Karen founded PacifiCare Wellness Company (formerly known as Execu-Fit Health Programs) in San Francisco, one of the first corporate wellness companies in the country. The company delivered worksite medical fitness screenings, health risk appraisals, and fitness programs, for major corporations. The wellness company grew to provide services to over 2 million members in six states.
Karen graduated from Western Michigan University and completed Harvard/MIT’s multi-year Executive Business Summer School “Giants” program. She has received many awards throughout her career including Goldman Sachs 100 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs (2019 & 2018); Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (2011); the “Top Eco-Leader” named by Glamour Magazine (2009); San Francisco Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (1987); the San Francisco Examiner’s Top 39 Movers and Shakers; and the WMU Distinguished Alumni Award.
Brandon Wilson is one of the world’s best communicators and a sought-after executive consultant. His impact has helped leaders realize daring pursuits — from building college campuses to addressing global wealth disparities. But more than this, Brandon is a survivor of leadership sabotage. His bout with betrayal, theft and deceit cost him more than $600,000, and threatened his livelihood in an unthinkable way. Brandon’s experience has taught him that despite a leader’s talent level, having an inability to survive leadership sabotage can stop anyone from realizing their full potential.
In his new book Sabotage, Wilson exposes the signs of leadership sabotage in your midst, also known as the Four Horsemen of Sabotage. Wilson’s practical approach to unlocking leadership productivity, and his entertaining recounting of real-life examples of leadership sabotage, provide you with the knowledge needed to: + See the signs of leadership sabotage before they strike + Survive management sabotage, including employee theft and defiance + Identify and remove the forces within each of us that lead to self-sabotage.
Get your copy of his book here.
Justin Silverman is responsible for leading the Mitratech product management team to drive new innovation, strong platform integration, and streamlined user experiences that bring differentiated value to Mitratech's customers. He brings over 15 years of product management and strategy experience, including many years in legal technology.
David Strausser is the host of the smash hit, small business growth podcast Shark Bite Biz, a member of Forbes Biz Dev Council, a Harvard Business Review Advisory Council member, General Manager of the Northeast Region for Vision33, CEO of his media company, Dead Brands, LLC., and a Notary Public.
Having worked in tech for most of his professional life, David has focused on helping companies drive profit with the right technology. A master at sales, marketing, and business development David uses those skills to help guide customers in the small business arena to find the right technological solution. These experiences and creating business growth in the “roaring 20’s” stands as the foundation for his podcast, Shark Bite Biz.
David’s main specialty comes with Vision33 where he manages their Northeast Region. David helps customers automate their business processes, cut down on manual, mundane practices, and eliminate data silos via the promise of technology. Specifically, David uses SAP Business One and Sage Intacct where he runs a team of experts, both on the sales and the professional services side that enable customers to digitally transform and gain value from their solution.
Chrissy Mathison
As VP of Sales & Business Development at SPS Commerce, Chrissy is responsible for leading sales teams that drive innovation for suppliers, 3PL’s and channel partners.
Chrissy is passionate about helping customers and partners solve real business problems while inspiring and helping others to achieve their goals. She has been at SPS Commerce for over 15 years and was named the 2021 Top Sales Director by Women in Sales Awards North America.
BILL FLYNN has collaborated with Alan Mulally, pitched Steve Jobs, accomplished much, failed often, and learned many useful lessons from thirty years of studying the science of success.
He is best described as a pragmatic Simon Sinek; an optimist and an operator.
Bill embodies his core purpose - simplified servanthood - by spending each working moment to help create a compassionately productive society by enabling enlightened leaders to focus on the few things that truly matter to their teams and key stakeholders. For having a great business is one way of making a better world.
He has worked for and advised hundreds of companies, including startups, where he has a long track record of success spanning multiple industries. Bill has been a VP of Sales eight times, twice a CMO and once a GM of a division of a $100MM IT services company before he pivoted to becoming a business growth coach in 2015. Prior to, he had five successful outcomes, two IPOs, and seven acquisitions, including a turnaround during the 2008 financial crisis.
As a coach, in addition to being connected with MG 100, Women’s Business Collaborative, MassMEP, Small Giants, and EforAll, Bill has earned certifications from ScalingUp, Gravitas Impact, Metronome United, Predictive Index, and The Neuroleadership Institute. Bill was also nominated for the 2021 Thinkers50 Radar Award.
Bill’s best-selling book - Further, Faster - The Vital Few Steps that Take the Guesswork out of Growth continues to garner a nearly 5-Star rating generating demand for virtual and in-person national and international speaking opportunities.
Away from his coaching, Bill is a father, learner, cultivator, entrepreneur, speaker, writer, athlete, brother, etiologist, iconoclast, Stoic, builder, giver, "musician", and friend. When he is not cheering on his collegiate-champion, musically-gifted daughter, Bill lives and works in greater Boston.
“Bill’s principles, framework, and methodologies align very closely to my own Working Together Principles that were applied to measurable success at Boeing and Ford. I was proud to nominate Bill as an MG100 member to help us advance systemic, extensive leadership development that increasingly creates healthy, thriving businesses, and enhances human flourishing. I look forward to our continued work.” - Alan Mulally, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ford Motor Company
“Bill provides some of the highest ‘value per word’ of any consultant (coach) I’ve ever met.” - Erik Waters, Co-Owner/CFO, Adtech Systems
"Thank you Bill for such a clear, accurate and eye opening workshop!" - Gil Almog, Chief Product Officer, MindCET - Edtech Innovation Center
Ambrose Blowfield, MARKETING AND BUSINESSS GROWTH EXPERT, AUTHOR
Ambrose Blowfield is one of Australasia’s leading trainers and speakers in sales, marketing and business growth.
He has both top-class academic and experience-based knowledge from working at many leading international companies, including P&G UK and Robert Half International, among others.
Ambrose has trained businesses of all sizes in both sales and marketing. He has delivered training in person in 10 different countries across 3 continents, while his online training has helped over 15,000 businesses in 20 countries, across 6 continents, make over $2B in additional sales... just Antarctica to go!
His first book, The Authority Guide to Writing and Implementing a Marketing Plan was published in the UK in 2017. His sales-focused book, Shut Up to Sell, is set to be launched in late 2021.
Howie Zales is an Emmy Award winning Camera Operator who turned his passion for television
broadcasting into several entrepreneurial endeavors.
Howie created HJZ Productions, Inc in 2000 to address the need for professional level sports crewing/staffing
in the New York market. Under his leadership, HJZ Productions grew to a multi-million dollar nationwide
provider of top talent in the broadcasting field. In 2019, Howie and his team founded Viridity Entertainment
Services, Inc. (VES) which initially focused on staffing in non-union markets.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, they quickly pivoted to offering best in class, broadcast
quality livestreams of professional sports shows and interviews, corporate interviews and meetings, and
religious services. In addition, Howie took his love of the television production business and created The TV
Sports Course, a hands-on training boot camp for the next generation of television crew professionals.
Howie is a graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh’s Mass Communication program.
Maria Tringali has been with Avalara since 2014, most of that time helping B2B and other highly exempt businesses better understand their tax compliance responsibilities. Currently she provides training, education and support for sales reps, partners and prospective Avalara customers on the importance of getting tax compliance right, even if you charge very little retail sales tax.
Mark Loveys, CEO of Datagate Innovation Group, is a serial software entrepreneur with a track record in founding and building successful software businesses in the accounting and telecommunications spaces.
Mark’s current business, Datagate Innovation which develops and markets a SaaS telecom billing solution designed for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Before Datagate, Mark was the CEO of Enprise Group, which marketed a Job Costing solution for SAP Business One, and Mark was a founding member and chairman of SAP’s global Solution Partner Advisory Council (SPAC) for Business One.
Other software businesses that Mark has founded and led include ExoNet (Australasian ERP software, now known as MYOB-EXO), EMS-Cortex (provisioning system sold to Citrix in 2011) and Datasquirt (Business SMS Text Application, sold to LiveOps in 2011).
Paul Du Bois
Paul Du Bois is CEO of Appenate, a platform for creating a line of business apps with customers in 30+ countries. Prior to Appenate, Paul spent over 10 years in enterprise software as a developer, architect and CTO. Paul’s passion for globally focused, revenue-based businesses stems from being a solo technical founder of a bootstrapped B2B startup in the Australian context. Given Appenate is a distributed company, Paul also has real-world knowledge of operating teams in multiple countries and time zones.
Mitchell D Lee | Profit Evangelist, Vendavo
Mitch is the Profit Evangelist at Vendavo with decades of experience in the technical, operational, marketing, and commercial arenas of the chemical industry. Prior to Vendavo, Mitch was with BASF and Orica in product marketing and business management, driving operational optimization, pricing excellence, and margin improvement, as well as personal engagement in high value sales negotiations. Mitch also has deep experience with raw materials supplier portfolio management having negotiated large scale and long-term supply agreements with leading global manufacturers.
Ray van Hilst is an inventive soul and his wit and charisma are present from the moment that you meet him. Ray seamlessly blends 20+ years of marketing experience with modern web principles to establish and advance the web presences of organizations that help build a better world.
When Ray isn’t in the office, or coffee shop, or client office, or WiFi hotspot… he is frequently found speaking at events about web strategy and marketing technology.
Darin Dawson is the Co-Founder and President of BombBomb, a Human-Centered Communication Platform that enables users to use simple, personal video messages to leverage their best asset …themselves.
Darin leads all sales, marketing, customer success and product development at BombBomb, a fast-growing, Colorado-based software company. He’s on a mission to re-humanize the planet and he wants to start with your business communication. He believes that human beings have intrinsic value and that every person deserves to be seen, heard and understood. That’s why he co-founded BombBomb.
Chad Knight is a 3D Instagram artist whose work has gone viral when Lindsay Lohan started an internet rumor that his art was a real-life place in Japan. He recently sold a record breaking 1 million dollars’ worth of art on the NFT platformNifty Gateway. Chad is more than just a freelance artist; he is the Head of 3D Design at Nike and not so long ago retired from an exciting career as a professional skateboarder that ran from 1998-2011. His work has been featured in Elle Decor, Vogue Italia, Vice, Bored Panda, and many more international publications. He recently debuted his first art collection in the Hamptons.
Chad Knight’s vibrant digital art moves between the meditative and the frenetic. The artist’s personal work seems to exist in alien worlds, with his works being made in Cinema 4D. These are places inhabited by enormous elaborate beings that appear in mid-evolution. The artist posts a new creation each day on his Instagram account as part of an ongoing, prolific effort.
A serial entrepreneur, David Wach's latest venture, Handwrytten, is bringing back the lost art of letter writing through scalable, robot-based solutions that write your notes in pen. Developed as a platform, Handwrytten lets you send notes from your CRM system, such as Salesforce, the web site, apps, or through custom integration. Used by major meal boxes, eCommerce giants, nonprofits and professionals, Handwrytten is changing the way brands and people connect.
Prior to his current initiatives, David founded Cellit, a mobile marketing platform and mobile agency. Under David’s leadership, Cellit became a leading player in the mobile marketing space and invented the concept of mobile customer relationship management (Mobile CRM). Cellit developed one of the most robust and widely used mobile marketing platforms in the world, delivering millions of SMS and MMS messages to consumers daily. Cellit was sold to HelloWord (f/k/a ePrize) in January of 2012.
David is also a frequent speaker on marketing technology and has presented for the Direct Marketing Association, South By Southwest, Advertising Research Foundation, and the National Restaurant Association. David has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Variety, Washington Post and many more.
Both Handwrytten and Cellit were on Inc. Magazine’s Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies. David now also writes for Inc. Magazine with his column “Stepping Away from the Day to Day”.
Paul Vitale
An experienced International Business Development professional with a driven, entrepreneurial attitude towards business growth, having worked with start-ups, SME’s, large corporations and government agencies for over 25 years.
Centrally located in Zug, Switzerland for the last 4 years, and with a good knowledge of supply chain/track & trace and blockchain technology, he was appointed in March 2020 by VerifyMe, the Brand Protection and Customer Engagement Solutions specialists, to the position of VP of Business Development for EMEA and APJ Regions; helping build partnerships, and the distribution and reseller network for the company. Now overseeing a team located across the UK, Central & Northern Europe, Africa, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and China.
Kris Reid from Brisbane Australia, studied software engineering, moved to London, and worked in finance until the 2008 Global Financial crisis took his job away.
He spent two years backpacking around the world to work out what to do with the rest of his life. During that time, he built an online game. As the game came to fruition, he began to consider how to get people to a website, and that’s when he started learning the mysteries of SEO. He is the founder of Ardor SEO and is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs get their business in front of the people that need them.
Scott Peterson, VP of US Tax Policy and Government Relations at Avalara, Inc. He is also the first Executive Director of the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board, an organization devoted to making sales tax simpler and more uniform for the benefit of business. He has 10 years' experience as the Director of the South Dakota Sales Tax Division and has spent the last 12 years providing research and legal writing for the South Dakota Legislature.
Roland T. Rust is Distinguished University Professor, David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, and founder and Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Service at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. An award-winning writer and researcher, he has edited several major journals and consulted with American Airlines, AT&T, Dupont, Eli Lilly, FedEx, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, NASA, and Sony, among many companies worldwide.
Rust is co-author of: The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy (Springer International Publishing; January 2021), at https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Economy-Artificial-Intelligence-Creating/dp/3030529762
Kris Beevers is co-founder and CEO of NS1, a leader in modern application and access networking. He leads a team of industry experts as they create products to automate the deployment and delivery of the world’s most trafficked internet and enterprise applications.
Kris is a recognized authority on DNS and global application delivery, and speaks and writes about building and deploying high performance, at scale, globally distributed internet infrastructure. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from RPI, and prior to founding and leading NS1, he built CDN, cloud, bare metal, and other infrastructure products at Voxel, which sold to Internap (NASDAQ: INAP) in 2011.
Jim Kofalt is the President of DX4 Research, an independent research and advisory firm that specializes in core business applications and digital transformation.
Jim has over 20 years of experience in the enterprise software space, serving in product manager and ISV channel management roles at Microsoft and SAP.
Jim attended Georgetown University and got his MBA from Syracuse’s Whitman School of Management. He currently lives in Wilton, New Hampshire. Connect with Jim on LinkedIn.
Denise has more than 17 year of experience providing companies of various sizes with business solutions consulting services related to their systems to include people, processes and technology systems. She has specialized knowledge in business systems application, workflow processes and analysis.
Denise aims to identify areas for day-to-day process improvements related to internal business and accounting processes, tracking and allocation within accounting and related 3rd party application systems and streamlining daily reporting. Denise has extensive knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and implementation of ERP technology, specializing in technology eco system planning and procedure implementation.
Denise provides customized tracking data and reports for large, complex projects and delivers scalable solutions aimed at improving processes, utilizing technology and ensuring compliance.
Duncan Wyeth
Throughout a career that spans the best part of 40 years, I have seen the full extent to which IT has revolutionized the business accounting process. From the initial impact of the mainframe, the mass adoption of the PC, and the current clamor for the cloud, business processes that were traditionally labor-intensive can now be done free of any human interaction. Now I focus on helping businesses drive savings through automation, reducing the manual effort that is wasted on transaction processing and refocusing that effort on profitable areas of the business. And while I’m at it, I do try to have some fun along the way.
Matt Sinclair, Head of SAP Business One & SAP Business ByDesign – United Kingdom & Ireland
9.5-year tenure at SAP to date with varying roles ranging from Channel Operations to Partner and Sales management. Always working in the partner first space with a passion for helping both our customers and partners grow with our amazing software.
MICHAEL T. STRAMAGLIO
Industry Leader
Michael T. Stramaglio is a well-known and respected industry leader with more than 45 years of experience in the office imaging & technology channel. However, many of you know him simply as, Mike! Most recently, Mike was President of MWA FORZA business unit after Konica Minolta’s acquisition of MWA Intelligence, Inc. in July of 2018.
“Founding MWA Intelligence, developing the FORZA ERP solution, and seeing it acquired by Konica Minolta where it will be an important component of their Workplace of the Future, was a goal I’d spent many years working toward,” said Stramaglio. “Now that FORZA is well situated in the channel with a solid team in place to continue its development and implementation, it’s time for me to move onto something new. I want to put my experience and knowledge to work to help others in this critical time.” And that is exactly what Mike decided to do!
Mike has served the imaging channel well and his roles range in complexity from President & CEO of MWA Intelligence, Inc., President/COO of Hitachi Koki International, VP of America Sales (Ricoh), to VP of Business Equipment Division (Minolta). He has traveled the world throughout his career and has been responsible for full P&L, engineering, sales, operation, marketing, partnerships, and much more. Additionally, he was responsible for offices and employees in the Americas, London, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Milan, Portugal, Romania, Sydney, and others. He has invested a great deal of his career visiting other country managers and considers his international travel as a cornerstone of his career.
Stramaglio has taken a no-time-off attitude and is eager to bring his knowledge, expertise, and skill-set to the imaging channel but in a much different role as Stramaglio Consulting!
Awards & Recognitions
- The Inaugural Kenny Venturi “Spirit of Giving” Award
- Business Technology Lifetime Achievement Award
- Three (3) Time Cannata Executive of the Year Award
- ENX Industry Influencer Award
- SAP Innovation Award for MWA and FORZA
- Leader of a charity Harley riding group, Patriots Pack
- Founder of the Technology United Group – a formal group of innovation and technology companies that included: Intel, SAP, Great America Leasing, and others
- Founder of the respected and highly successful Executive Connection Summit (ECS)! Arguably the best and most effective knowledge sharing program in the world for the channel.
Florian Zimniak is the managing director of SAP PRESS in Boston, MA.
Florian has worked in the book publishing industry since graduating from college with an M.A. in German literature in 1999.
From temporary worker on an early research project on electronic publishing, to development and acquisitions editor, to managing director - he has seen book production and distribution from every angle.
His focus of the last ten years has been on transitioning SAP PRESS from a traditional book business to a modern publisher of electronic information products in a B2C marketing and sales model.
Chase is a graduate of Saint Vincent College and their SAP Business One Training Program.
After several years working in the warehouse and manufacturing industries, Chase decided to open Tabono LLC.
Tabono is a consulting firm specializing in AI, ERP, and Lean Six Sigma solutions for warehouses and factories seeking to help business owners, who sacrifice every day, create something great.
As an award-winning marketer, Margie Agin helps B2B technology companies discover what makes them unique and find the words to say it. She is the founder and chief strategist of Centerboard Marketing, a marketing agency based in the Washington, DC area, and author of Brand Breakthrough: How to Go Beyond a Catchy Tagline to Build an Authentic, Influential and Sustainable Brand Personality.
As both an external strategist and an in-house marketing leader, Margie has helped companies in the cybersecurity, communications, EdTech, and software industries distill complex topics into content and campaigns that drive action. She has built and led teams through times of rapid change, launched and relaunched brands, and created sustainable marketing programs that prioritize the customer experience.
Jeff Chastain is an entrepreneur and coach.
While working with business leaders over the years, the underlying principles of a solid business remain the same.
As a Professional EOS Implementer, Jeff has a passion for helping entrepreneurial business leaders get more of what they want from their business.
Dan co-founded Vaporware to help entrepreneurs take their software ideas to market. Over the past 6 years, he has helped Vaporware deliver thousands of iterations across dozens of apps in 4 main industries (Healthcare, HR, Real Estate, and IT) - ranging from the first MVP versions to modern iterations on mature solutions.
With a strong belief that anyone can become the next big software as a service company, he leads Vaporware in helping business founders pivot their business through process automation, technical modernization, and software innovation.
Ian Hobkirk
President and Founder, Commonwealth Supply Chain Advisors
As President and Founder of Commonwealth Supply Chain Advisors, Ian offers a wealth of knowledge and experience in the supply chain industry.
During his 28-year career, he has helped hundreds of companies reduce their distribution labor costs, improve space utilization, and meet their customer service objects.
His tools of the trade include distribution center optimization, distribution center design, outsourcing strategy, WMS selection and implementation, and network optimization. Ian has also formed supply chain consulting organizations for two different system integration firms.
Ian is a thought leader, international speaker, blogger, author, and holds the unofficial title of ‘Food Critic’ of supply chain technology.
Jeff Ross has spent fifteen years enabling small to medium-size businesses in their digital transformation. He is currently an account executive at ShipEngine (a division of Stamps.com) a shipping API that gives brands, e-commerce platforms, and 3PLs the power to solve shipping and natively fit it into any warehouse operation.
With ShipEngine, you can validate global addresses, shop rates across multiple carriers, print labels, track packages, and more. Questions about ShipEngine or e-commerce in general? Contact Jeff at jeff.ross@shipengine.com.
Visit gear.shipengine.com to see ShipEngine in action. Use promo code ‘CONNECT’ to get 100% off any order up to $50.
In 1997, Mikael Boyum founded MBJ Electronics which would become Boyum IT in 2001 as their focus shifted from hardware to web-based solutions.
Over the next two decades, Boyum IT would become an SAP Partner, release the B1 Usability Package – racking up over 5000 installations in over 90 countries, acquire the Belgian company Produmex, and solidify their place in the warehouse management market internationally.
Annie Neubrech
Annie Neubrech is a Regional Vice President (RVP) of Experience Management at SAP. Prior to this assignment, she served as the COO for SAP SuccessFactors, NA and Partner Leader for the mid-market sales segment at SAP.
Annie is a 32-year sales veteran and has been leading teams for more than 25 years. Annie is known for transparent leadership and inspiring diverse cross-functional teams to use innovative thinking to solve complex problems that have immediate impact and sustainable results.
Prior to joining SAP, Annie served in multiple channel sales and marketing roles in the mobile computing, data collection and telecom industries. Her channel related experiences are in software, hardware, and services complemented by multi-tier routes to market. She has been recognized as the Top 100 Most Powerful Women of the Channel by CRN magazine in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Carnellia Ajasin is a startup advisor, angel investor, author and founder of Mind Katalyst, a design and strategy technology firm. From digital to physical she specializes in applying human-centered design principles to help clients define, design and develop software and hardware products that achieve business objectives, and a competitive advantage.
Carnellia and her team help ambitious organizations, nonprofits and entrepreneurs stay relevant, understand digital trends and emerging technology, and create growth through the development of meaningful and purposeful products.
Prior to founding Mind Katalyst, Carnellia held senior level positions at Oracle, Ernst & Young and Cap Gemini - leading enterprise-wide technology implementations throughout North America and Europe.
Carnellia has been intimately involved with many emerging technologies and is passionate about supporting the global entrepreneur and helping startups strategize, innovate, execute and expand purposeful tech product ideas.
Carnellia is an active mentor and frequent contributor to numerous business organizations such as Urban League of Greater Atlanta and National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps).
CRAIG DALE
With over 25 years of proven leadership and business development experience, underpinned by an MBA, Craig joined the UK and Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG) as its first employee in 2004.
Craig has led the user group through intense growth and looks forward to providing increased benefits to all parts of the SAP ecosystem.
Representing the user group within the SAP User Group Executive Network (SUGEN), Craig works collaboratively with both SAP Executives and user groups from around the world at a strategic level, to create added value for SAP customers globally.
In 2019, Craig joined the Board of the Institute of Association Leadership (IAL) as a non-executive Director (NED) having spent 15 years leading UKISUG, enabling him to give something back to the industry. IAL supports associations in their strive for excellence by sharing best practice and leveraging experts from relevant industries.
Judith Tigner, Senior Vice President, Client Success at Mitratech.com
Judith focuses on improving the client experience from implementation and beyond at Miratech.
Judith was formerly Director of Global Consulting and Training at SirsiDynix.
Samantha Stone is a revenue catalyst who helps unleash the possible in organizations that have complex selling processes.
She's a fast-growth, B2B marketing junkie, author, speaker, consultant and persona coach who has also managed to find time to raise four boys with her husband, David.
Throughout her career she has launched go-to-market initiatives and led marketing strategies for award-winning, high-growth companies including Netezza, SAP, Ascential Software and Powersoft.
In 2012 she founded The Marketing Advisory Network to help savvy business leaders unleash the possible within their enterprises.
Emrah Gultekin is the co-founder and CEO of the visual AI service, Chooch.
As a serial entrepreneur, Emrah has more than twenty years of building startups and businesses.
Before launching Chooch AI, Gultekin was CEO of Terra Invest where he was responsible for creating and developing a platform where commercial and social endeavors could deliver value to investors and stakeholders alike.
J. Scott Christianson is an assistant teaching professor of management at the Trulaske College of Business, where his interests are focused on the impact of technology on society and human well-being.
Prior to joining the college, Scott was a business owner with decades of experience in videoconferencing technology, project management and information technology.
He also serves on the leadership team of the MU Center for the Digital Globe. You can reach him at christiansonjs.com
Arie Brish is a business leader and best-selling author. He has led a wide variety of successful terms in different industries and business functions.
His business acumen includes CEO & GM roles, Board of Directors services, M&A, business development, turnarounds and change leadership, working with Fortune 500 corporations, entrepreneurial leadership, consulting engagements, and non-profit activities.
Arie is the author of the top ten best-seller “Lay an Egg and Make Chicken Soup”.
Gerald Murphy joined Vision33 in 2007 and is now our Vice President of Service Excellence. Gerald is an accomplished leader who ensures that Vision33’s customer experience is highlighted by exceptional professionalism.
He has an Masters in Business Administration from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada and is also a Certified Management Consultant.
With over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, Gerald has provided leadership to teams for various organizations across the globe in the telecommunications, manufacturing, finance, digital technology, and IT professional services industries. He currently lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Alan is a 13 year veteran at C Space – a “Customer Agency” - where he is a consultant and consumer insights professional specializing in solutions for food, beverage, grocery and retail companies. 20+ years ago C Space created the private, online customer community space and remains a leader in engaging consumers online, offline and in real-time for learning. Alan is focused on consumers behaviors, motivations and real-world experiences, and how those experiences can lead brands to greater customer empathy that drives their strategy and leads to innovation or improvements in products, services, marketing and more.
With 25 years of experience consulting to and working in food and beverage, Alan understands the unique needs and perspectives of both the companies and their customers. He provides market impact-focused consulting across the entire industry including: fresh, frozen and packaged foods manufacturers; beverage and spirits makers; grocery stores; QSR and fast-casual national restaurant chains; broad line distributors; and food and agricultural industry organizations.
His client work has been nominated for Forester Groundswell awards and won several Cspace “Impact” awards for solutions driving substantial revenue growth or increasing client’s customer satisfaction. Segments of his global research on “Food Buying and Trust” appeared in AdWeek (12/15) and he’s been interviewed in Food Dive’s brand “Mashups” series.
Outside of Cspace, Alan is the husband to a chef and father to a JWU culinary graduate working in Pastry in one of Minneapolis’ most exciting restaurants.
Paul Roetzer started PR 20/20 in November 2005 after seven years at a traditional PR and marketing firm.
He is the author of The Marketing Agency Blueprint (Wiley, 2012)and The Marketing Performance Blueprint (Wiley, 2014); creator of the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute and Marketing Score; and a graduate of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Kyle Tucker started Detroit Speed and his turned his passion for USA Muscle Cars into the business of his dreams. He left his engineering career at General Motors behind, working his way from a two-car garage into the award-winning company he leads today.
Kyle shares how moving on from QuickBooks and selecting a genuine ERP was a transformative decision that impacted the entire supply chain, including himself and the entire staff. Now Poised for growth they are taking new technology steps toward the future.
Ronald J. Baker started his CPA career in 1984 with KPMG’s Private Business Advisory Services in San Francisco.
Today, he is the founder of VeraSage Institute—the leading think tank dedicated to educating professionals internationally—and a radio talk-show host on the www.VoiceAmerica.com show: The Soul of Enterprise.
Ron is also the author of 7 books.
John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker, and author of Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine, SEO for Growth, and The Referral Engine and the founder of the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network.
His latest book, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur: 366 Daily Meditations to Feed Your Soul and Grow Your Business, is a daily reminder to entrepreneurs that a better you makes a better business.
Michael Mirau works with individuals and organizations to help them achieve the improved results they are looking for in their business and personal lives. Mr. Mirau is a nationally recognized business consultant and coach to top executives in numerous public, private, and non-profit organizations. Mr. Mirau has over 30 years of practical hands on business experience. Mr. Mirau has worked with organizations in over 80 different industries varying in size from start-ups to the Fortune 50.
Steve Crepeau, CEO and Founder of True Sales Results joins host Carl Lewis.
Steve and Carl discuss Steve founding True Sales Results 14 years ago. True Sales Results delivers a custom sales enablement services to fast growing B2B technology sales organizations.
That entails everything from building custom sales playbooks, building and delivering custom sales boot camps, a lot of videos these days.
So it's all around how can we improve our sales performance as technologists.
Carlos Aparicio from Vision33 is the general manager of the Vision33 cloud team.
Carlos has been with Vision33 for four and a half years. He's worked in the technology industry around 25 years. Carlos' role at Vision33 is the manager of cloud and IT services. Their goal is to deliver a seamless solution to SAP Business One customers. The team helps out by providing infrastructure support, deployment and procurement, both from a cloud perspective and an on-premise perspective.
Learn more by listening to the podcast episode.
John Wager is IT and Operation Manager for Saddleback, distributor of high-end and competition bicycle equipment. If you’re serious about cycling, you know Saddleback.
John talks about the Artificial Intelligence they have put into place to bring an extra level of security to their network. Time is money and this initiative brings a new level of insurance and protection to Saddleback.
As an avid cycler himself John knows the importance of good equipment and the strong connections this requires with their supply chain. As a leader in their marketplace Saddleback has great ideas about how to streamline these important relationships.
Tim Guest is Owner and Operator of Zoedale, a valves distribution in the UK and a Vision33 customer. Not only this but Tim is a long- time volunteer for the UKISUG and has recently been elevated to a member of the Board of Directors.
This makes Tim the only UKISUG Member from the SAP Business One Community to serve in this manner. Tim has spoken many times at UKISUG meeting but this fall for the first time he is speaking at the Biz One Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana which is ASUG community for North America.
His unique experience positions him well to share about the technology decisions facing SMB leaders around the world.
Podcast guest Justin Lake of Venado Technologies lives in the world of the mobile worker. With 20 years of experience he has seen implementations large and small. Justin’s unique outlook on “getting real value” from a mobile solution includes not only designing from the end-user first, but also focuses on the importance of training and education to gain true adoption and proficiency on the part of the mobile workforce.
Rainer Zinow is the Senior Vice President in SAP’s Business One & SAP Business ByDesign group and is responsible for product development of SAP Business One and SAP Business ByDesign. In this interview Rainer talks about the fast, and ever impending rise,of the digital enterprise and its impact on SAP’s fastest growing group of customers: those running SAP Business One. With over 30 years at SAP Rainer is perfectly suited to peer into the future from the vantage point of the past.
Today we look into the world of E-commerce as Carl interviews Jordan Knapp of Shopify. Jordan shares how Shopify has focused on making E-Commerce SAAS deployable which has made it far more consumable for Small and Medium businesses. Due to a more plug and play approach business can now focus on marketing their brand and extending their market coverage to social media and more. Getting started in E-Commerce has never been easier!
Carl’s guest on the Podcast today was Joe Leimer of DRI (Design Resources Inc.).With multiple companies and highly customizable apparel products DRI’s independent sale reps have transitioned from a paper and fax machine Sales Order processing methodology to a very customized web-based portal.
Joe and his team continually collaborate with other DRI employees and their independent sales reps to extend this new digital renovation delivering new features and functionality on a very constant basis.This portal based approach is a strategy that many companies will identify with and recognize the potential benefit should they also choose to extend their reach in this way
Adam Compain is CEO of ClearMetal a software company that specializes in predicative supply chain visibility. The trending conversations in today’s market place are packed with inferences about Artificial Intelligence, The Internet of Things, and Machine Learning.
The truth is that very few have deployed a genuine solution that has real business value. While many have developed cool toys for even cooler demos ClearMetal is delivering big value to some of the largest supply chain managers you can imagine.
You will enjoy Adam’s ability to easily illustrate examples of how these new technologies are solving problems each and every day for globally impacted shipping logistics.
Just listening to this podcast can give you a far better appreciation for technologies ability to make the complicated more simple and effective.
Host Carl Louis from Vision33 interviews guest, Professor Robert Markley from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe Pennsylvania.
Bob explains the unique SAP Business One program at Saint Vincent.
Bob shares how the students and their fresh perspective of growing up with technology helps their future employers stay connected.
Host Carl Lewis from Vision33 welcomes guest Mark Loveys, CEO of DataGate.
Mark's background is in financial software solutions. DataGate focuses on billing for managed service providers who sell telecom services.
Exciting changes are happening in the MSP world. Learn how technology has transformed the MSP world and helps us stay connected.
Eric Randolph of Eventful Conferences talks about the powerful connections that are made by attending a business related conference.
People have been gathering together to renew relationships, touch base with associates and catching up on industry trends since the first family reunion.
Conferences–another way people stay connected with their supply chain and their customers.
Carl interviews Ben Riches, CFO for David Leadbetter Golf Academy, a global business that educates golfers of all calibers helping them improve their swing.
Technology is an ever increasing part of the life of a golf instructor and their students.
Ben talks about cutting edge technology being deployed today to capture the data points of a golf swing, believing it will change the way golf instructors engage with students in the near future.
Carl interviews Brad Windecker, CEO of Orchestra Software. Brad Windecker is an industry expert for Craft Breweries, Spirits, and other beverages.
Today there are as many as 10,000 Micro Breweries in North America alone. Brad’s knowledge of this industry and their unique uptake on technology is well worth listening to.
Most Craft Brewers are small businesses. The kind at which 70% of Americans work. Their challenges are our challenges.
Carl interviews Alex Rooney, Vice President Vision33. Alex recalls a recent eye opening trip to Silicon Valley. As a member of the Global Partner Advisory Council for SAP Business One Alex is exposed to the latest trends and new horizons in the world of IT; deploying them in day to day business is also on his mind.
Interview with Hillel Sackstein, CEO of Virtual Graffiti. With 20+ years inside the world of IT and in particular Network Security, Hillel led his company though many purposeful automations and integration projects. These projects have helped them scale and grow to the international footprint they have today.
Carl Lewis interviews Mike Banwart from SPS Commerce. Carl and Mike talk about how EDI, while not a new technology, remains one of the primary tools businesses deploy to grow their businesses, and extend their services. It’s all about providing an enhanced customer experience. It may be driven by retail giants, but social media has made it more important that ever when it comes to meeting customer demands.
Carl Lewis Interviews Luis Murguia, Senior Vice President, SAP. In his role as the SVP responsible for Sales of SAP Business One and SAP Business by Design Luis Murguia has the opportunity to observe
many small and medium Businesses endeavor to become “Intelligent Enterprises.” Listeners on the way to this lofty goal will appreciate this podcast discussion.
Learn about SAP here – sap.com
Learn a little about Luis Murguai here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ej0RpatXDg
Carl interviews Geoff Scott CEO of ASUG (Americas SAP User Group).. As CEO of the largest user group under the SAP banner Geoff’s vantage point and perspective on technology is unique. With 100,000+ member organizations the power of ASUG lies in informal partnerships formed through knowledge-sharing and commitment to a commas cause. For 25 years, day after day, ASUG members help one another solve problems.
Based in the Houston, Texas region, HTRI is a world leader in heat exchange systems research, design, training, and testing software. For 55 years HTRI has collected and interpreted data, developed thermal process design and simulation software, delivered customized services and testing software and trained their customers in its use. Chris Walker shares the HTRI transition to the SAP HANA in memory database and the benefits this journey delivered to HTRI and their customers.