Conquering Columbus Podcast: Recent Episodes
Josh Whitt, Mike Manuche, Joe Grandominico
Conquering Columbus is a brand for those across Central Ohio who are determined to find a way to align their skills, values, and talents in order to make a lasting and long impact during their lifetime on the city of Columbus. With a podcast as our medium, we research and interview those across Columbus, and at times abroad, who have achieved success in areas ranging from business and athletics, to medicine and beyond.
The goals of the Conquering Columbus podcast is to document these individuals stories – from how they got to where they are today, to gaining a better insight into who they are and how they think – and provide our listening base in the city with valuable content to apply to their own lives. We have long term hopes that the podcast will become a central hub for all things extraordinary in Columbus, ultimately inspiring those across the city and connecting dots that otherwise may have been left unconnected for the worse.
Lindsay Fork is the Founder and CEO of Luxe Brands, the parent company of La Jeune Mariee Bridal Collection, Luxe Redux Bridal, and Ohio Bridal Outlet. An award-winning entrepreneur, Lindsay has led the self-funded expansion of her companies into a multi-location bridal group delivering a luxury experience at every level — uniting multiple brands, price points, and …
Little Diggers is the fastest growing indoor children’s playspace featuring over 1200 sq. ft. of sandbox space and 200+ toys, including Tower Blocks and the Sand Stacker. Originating in Dublin, OH, and now opening locations across the U.S., the company emphasizes hands-on play by offering open play sessions, birthday party packages, private event rentals, and …
Randy Languis is the President of BSI, LLC, the Midwest’s leading provider of adaptive and remanufactured vehicles serving schools, healthcare systems, childcare organizations, public transit agencies, parking management operators, and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining BSI, Randy was a Division 1 Student Athlete for The Ohio State University, and professionally spent more than a decade …
The Motivated Speaker is a collaborative work by Ruth Milligan, Acacia Duncan, and Blythe Coons. Drawing on their extensive experience coaching TED speakers, Fortune 500 executives, and other business professionals, they present a distinctive framework that transcends conventional public speaking guidance. Their expertise sheds light on the barriers that prevent individuals from becoming impactful communicators—and …
Balanced Family Academy of Clintonville is proudly owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Rob and Courtney Lewis. The couple began their entrepreneurial journey together by launching their Balanced Family Academy franchise, only to face the immediate challenges brought on by the COVID pandemic. In this piece, we delve into their motivation for starting a Balanced …
The Brokerage House, founded in November 2024, is a revolutionary, agent-driven real estate agency created by six of Columbus, Ohio’s leading real estate experts. Designed to challenge conventional brokerage models, it promotes a collaborative, empowering, and high-performing atmosphere where agents can excel. This forward-thinking group, made up of once-rival agents who have joined forces as …
Elevate Human Performance introduces a revolutionary gym experience that prioritizes holistic wellness and encourages individuals to take charge of their health. Breaking away from traditional fitness models, Elevate offers more than just access to equipment—it provides a supportive community where people at all fitness levels can unite and explore innovative paths to healthier, happier living.
Huber Equity Group is a private equity firm focused on value-add multifamily investments throughout the Midwest and Southeastern United States. Established in 2019 in Columbus, Ohio, the firm has successfully acquired 1,032 multifamily units and achieved $120 million in transaction volume. Additionally, the team at Huber recently founded a second venture, Verti Commercial Real Estate.
PANL is on a mission to be the future of home building, where innovation and sustainability lead the way. PANL is transforming the industry with faster, simpler, and eco-friendly solutions designed for modern living — reimagining homes and redefining what it means to build for a better tomorrow.
Ryan Burgess is at the helm of Goodwill Columbus as it celebrates its 85th anniversary this year. He and Marketing Director Simone Attles talk about intentional growth as they opened three new multi-faceted facilities under 12 months, nearly a century of local impact, and what’s ahead for one of the region’s largest job providers employing …
Randy Wilcox is a Managing Partner at Wilcox Communities, one of three leading the firm. Before this role, he was a serial entrepreneur with a notable track record, founding SARCOM and 4Privacy, co-founding Long & Wilcox and Insight Bank, and establishing the Quest Conference Center.
Monica Tellez-Fowler is the recently appointed CEO of the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). Before assuming her current role, she served as Deputy CEO since 2023, and also briefly held the position of COO.
Kevin Knight, a distinguished builder and designer based in Central Ohio, is renowned for his passion for homes. With a unique blend of scientific precision and artistic creativity, Kevin and his team of skilled artisans approach each residential project through the individual perspective of the client, aiming to transform each house into a personal retreat. …
Chad is the Owner and CEO of Darby Creek Trading, a flourishing ecommerce venture specializing in high-end floral designs and wreaths. Under his leadership, Darby Creek has experienced an unprecedented 2863% growth between 2018 and 2023. In addition, Chad serves as the Senior Vice President at United Midwest Savings Bank where he specializes in SBA loans.
Traci Martinez is the Office Managing Partner of the Columbus, Ohio, office and an experienced civil litigation and labor and employment lawyer. She has a unique and broad practice that focuses on the business objectives of her clients, whether through counseling, litigation or transactional matters. Traci is also a demonstrated leader in the Central Ohio …
Denny Freudeman is the CEO of Hplex Solutions. Hplex’s areas of expertise include asset management, development, owner representative services, property management, master planning, strategic development planning, and physician partnerships for healthcare projects.
Michael Edwards is the Founder & Owner of Michael Edwards Building & Design. With a steadfast commitment to excellence, he heads one of Central Ohio’s top-rated home builders, specializing in exquisite custom-homes situated exclusively in the Upper Arlington area.
Tony Collins is the CEO of the YMCA of Central Ohio. Tony has been CEO of the YMCA since 2019, and before that was the Director of the Columbus Recreation and Parks department.
Maletz Architecture + Build is a highly esteemed home builder in Central Ohio. The founder, Andrew Maletz, is a licensed Architect and a second-generation home builder with 30 years of professional experience. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design and a Master of Architecture from Miami University in Ohio. Andrew is licensed to practice in …
Ghiloni Custom Builders, established in 1979 by Vince Ghiloni in Central Ohio, has emerged as a renowned leader in residential home design and development. As they gear up for several future generations of exceptional home building, Gino Ghiloni, Vince’s son, is taking the helm, ensuring a smooth transition in leadership.
Brad is the founder and CEO of Lion Cub’s Cookies. What started as an idea Brad had while at the Fisher College of Business (Go Bucks) quickly grew from a one man show to a full business for Brad, complete with recipe developers, bakers, and drivers. Brad had a ton of success growing through instagram …
Jay Harkrider is the Managing Director of Foxen, a software company that started out by focusing on helping property managers better track and manage renter’s insurance across their tenants. However, over just a few years, Foxen has evolved into a FinTech company providing innovative financial solutions for residential and commercial real estate companies. On top …
Ed Porter is the founder of Blue Chip CRO, where he works as a fractional CRO for businesses from $0-$20 million in revenue entering growth mode or restructuring their businesses
FocusCFO provides fractional Chief Financial Officer support to small and medium-size businesses that are not large enough to need a full-time CFO. Brad Martyn, the founder of FocusCFO, started the company in Columbus in 2001. Today, FocusCFO operates in 10 states, has over 140 associates, and is the Top 5 in the US within the …
Lisa Arledge Powell is the President and co-founder of MediaSource, an award-winning creative agency that specializes in content-focused public relations, content marketing and national media exposure for major brands. The industry leader was named the Best HealthCare PR/Marketing Agency by Ragan Communications for four consecutive years. The company works with the nation’s top hospitals and …
Mark Kelnhofer is the CEO of Return on Ingredients. He has more than 20 years of experience in bottom line-boosting accounting, and he spent 20+ years in managerial cost accounting refining his methods; including seven years in restaurant cost management. When these two areas of expertise combined his one-of-a-kind methodology was born. He is also …
Wayne is the President and Founder of 614 Media Group, a central-Ohio-focused media company behind magazines like (614) Magazine, Stock and Barrel, as well as Columbus Restaurant Week, Burger and Beer Week, and more. They are also partnered with Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, working together on 614 Lager, which has become their best-selling beer in just …
Keira Chatman is the new Executive Director of the Columbus Fashion Council, the organization behind Fashion Week Columbus and many other fashion initiatives here in the city. Prior to taking over as Executive Director of the Columbus Fashion Council, Keira spent time in a variety of roles and is also an entrepreneur. She is the …
Sean and Addison are the Co-Founders of S’wich Social, a build-your-own ice cream sandwich shop based in Italian Village! Sean and Addison launched S’wich Social in March of 2021.
Service! Is a non-profit focused on meeting the ever-changing needs of service industry professionals, which was birthed out of the outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic. When Governor DeWine closed in-restaurant dining in March 2020, the founding group immediately sprang into action and put together a plan and process for providing free meals to those who …
Rita McNeil Danish is the CEO of Signal Ohio – an independent, community-led, nonprofit newsroom. It’s one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country with a newsroom in Cleveland and one upcoming in Akron.
Brad Griffith is the Founder and President of Buckeye Innovation. Buckeye Innovation believes all businesses and organizations deserve equitable access to the best software and design. For the past 14 years, their team has combined the best of software engineering, design, and strategic planning to provide businesses with a sustainable, maintainable website or mobile application …
Matt is the Founder and Creative Director of Made by Things, an award winning animation studio that helps connect brands to their audience by using a combination of strategy and video content. Matt and his team have worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world, and they’re based right here in Columbus
Bob Szuter is a Cofounder and the Head of Operations at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing. Wolf’s Ridge Brewing was established in 2013 by Bob and his father, Alan, with a passion for brewing. Today, Wolf’s Ridge is a centerpiece of the Columbus brewing community, and they also have a sister location, Understory, located in Cliftonville.
Paula Haines is the CEO of Freedom a la Cart, and has led the organization since June 2016. She began her work at Freedom in 2013 as a volunteer, board member and founder of the Eat Up! Paula leads the organization from an entrepreneurial perspective having operated her own boutique marketing agency for ten years. …
Seventh Son Brewing is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year, and since their inception have grown to become a staple of the Columbus brewing community. In this episode Jen and Collin talk about how Seventh Son got started, how things have changed over the past 10 years, and where they’re heading from here
Carla Epler is the COO of Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, which was established in 1886 by J. Fred Schmidt, and it has been a staple of German food in Columbus ever since. Carla has been working at Schmidt’s since 1987, and she is also the executive director for Columbus Oktoberfest.
Dr. Christofides opened Endocrinology Associates in 2000, a medical clinic specializing in diabetes, thyroid disorders, hormone therapy, weight management, and clinical research. She also offers transgender and transitional care services for the LGBPTQA community. She currently serves as Managing Partner of the MediZen Institute, Columbus’ premier medical institute for people in pursuit of medical mindfulness, …
TRADR is a mobile app that automates the process of following financial markets. Their technology continuously monitors thousands of securities and surfaces what is most relevant at any given time. Instead of a conventional watchlist, they use feeds similar to your favorite social media apps, and their relevance-driven Market Intelligence Feeds focus on different strategies, …
Description: Kelley Griesmer serves as the President and CEO of The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, a public foundation with a mission to transform the lives of women and girls by mobilizing the collective power and passion of all people working together. As a bridge builder with an unwavering commitment to gender equity, inclusivity, and …
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio (Formerly CATCO) is dedicated to harnessing the transformational power of theatre that engages with the current moment to inspire a community of empathy for adults and young people.
Donald Halpern is a serial entrepreneur, having founded companies such as Loss-Proof, Freakmount, and Loctote Industrial Bag Company. For Loctote, he pitched the company on the show Shark Tank, where he made a deal with shark Robert Herjavec to raise $150k for the business.
High Bank Distillery Co. is a distillery and restaurant located in Grandview, OH. The team at High Bank distills Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Rum, and their restaurant serves a variety of options that change fairly often with the seasons. They’re most known for their world-class meals, award winning cocktails, and unmatched environment.
Dryver is a personal driving service that serves both business and personal needs in the Columbus area and Nationwide (32 states, 77 cities). They’ve been providing safe transportation and creating jobs since 2010; and they’re slightly different than other ride share companies as they’ll drive your car so that you don’t have to.
battleface provides travel insurance benefits and services to travelers visiting or working internationally, including in the world’s most challenging destinations. They cover emergency medical treatment, evacuation and accidents, adventure activities, and travel to isolated places, with 24/7 assistance and claims services. Sasha Gainullin is the CEO of battleface, and Anthony Spiteri is the CTO. Anthony …
Floriss Group helps CEOs and sales leaders build reliable, high-performance sales growth engines at scale; led by Founder and CEO, James Gore’s.
Valter Veliu is the Owner and Head Chef of Valter’s at the Maennerchor, a German restaurant in Columbus’ own German Village.
Noble Method is a new fitness studio in Columbus, Ohio that focuses on bringing the most cutting edge fitness equipment and methods to the city, along with capturing the big-city feel that you get working out in studios in cities such as LA or NYC.
Amy is a nationally-recognized sales strategist, author, and keynote speaker. She also has served as chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland for four years. In this role, she has overseen a $16 million transformational initiative to build a new STEM and leadership center to transform workforce development. Amy also …
The Dayhuff Group is a born-in-the-cloud service provider supporting their customers in accelerating the reinvention of their applications and data in the cloud. They excel in developing and deploying data lakes and analytics, ML/AI, automated attendants, and data modernization + development by leveraging AI technologies from IBM and AWS to drive measurable business results.
Green Light Improv provides classes on improv to university students and corporations to help improve their team’s creative thinking skills and innovation.
The Grote Company manufactures reliable, top-quality food-slicing and assembly equipment. They’re a leader in the market, and based here in Central Ohio. Bob Grote has served as CEO since 2012, and has worked at the company since 2000.
Pathfinder Product Labs is a consulting group that helps companies embrace proven, repeatable methodologies for embracing uncertainty and defining product direction. Brett Buchanan founded the company with fellow co-founder Nick Baker in 2019, and today he leads the company as a Product Management Consultant and CEO.
Triad is an architecture + design; construction + facility management; and real estate development company based in downtown Columbus. 2023 marks a major celebration of 25 years of service to the Central Ohio region!
Bruce Garfield is the Executive Director of the Columbus Music Commission, a role he has served since August 2018 following his move to Columbus in November of 2017. Before the Columbus Music Commission, Bruce had a successful career as both a major record label executive and talent management, working with artists like Sinead O’Connor, Grace …
Chris is the Owner and President of AutoSweet, a digital marketing and advertising firm that helps car dealerships nationwide drive quality website traffic, convert leads, and match back offline sales from their online advertising.
Callan Harrington is the CEO & Founder of FlashGrowth, a sales and RevOps consulting company that helps start-ups and scale-ups unlock their next level of growth by creating, implementing, and executing proven go-to-market plans for rapid growth.
FocusCFO provides fractional Chief Financial Officer support to small and medium-size businesses that are not large enough to need a full-time CFO. Brad Martyn, the founder of FocusCFO, started the company in Columbus in 2001. Today, FocusCFO operates in 10 states, has over 140 associates, and is the Top 5 in the US within the …
Michael Wezner is the owner of XGolf (Columbus and Powell), a franchise that combines a high-tech golf simulator experience with a bar and restaurant.
Bob White is the CEO of the Daimler Group, a commercial real estate developer based in Columbus, Ohio for over 40 years. Bob has spent the last 25+ years with the Daimler group, making his way up from Marketing Representative to CEO.
Chris is Founder and CEO of Cyanna Education Services, a full-circle educational consulting firm focused on building & improving institutions of higher learning, and EDvera, a software company that sprung up out of some of the regulatory challenges Chris and his team saw from their clients in the education space. He is also the Co-Founder …
Todd Swickard is the CEO and Founder of Smart 1 Marketing. Smart 1 Marketing is a full-service digital partner, offering solutions to help with everything from website design and development to sales training, SEO optimization, Social Media, and more.
Wes Strickling is the CEO and Founder of codexIT. CodexIT provides complete Managed Technology Services to multi-office & PE platform Eye Care groups. Their deep industry knowledge allows them to provide support for all of the moving parts in a modern practice.
Tom Bruce is the CEO and Founder of Conversion Path. Tom is a former CFO-turned-marketer, and he founded Conversion Path in 2011, which offers eCommerce brands specialized strategies to maximize sales and profits. The innovations they’ve developed in search, social, and marketplace advertising give their clients a competitive advantage in their market.
Bryon Murray is the CEO and Founder of Enzee Health, a cloud-based platform that helps measure compliance and quality across multiple modalities and, soon, across the whole healthcare system, giving hospitals the power to provide better patient care. Bryon is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University.
On this episode from 2021, Josh and Mike talk with Larry Connor, Founder and Managing Partner of the Connor Group. Larry is not only an extremely successful entrepreneur, he’s also a champion race driver, flies fighter jets, astronaut, and more as you’ll hear about in this interview.
Heartland Ventures was formed to do what no other venture capital fund has done before: connect established Midwest companies with coastal startups, giving business leaders a voice in the tech transformation happening in their industries. By leveraging a network of strategic investors composed of private, often rural, and mostly multi-generational business owners and operators, their …
Mike and Josh are on vacation for the first time in seven years, so this week, we went back to May of 2021 to re-release one of Mike’s favorite interviews. On this interview from 2021, Mike and Josh spoke with Dr. Annalies Corbin, Founder, President and CEO, and Chief Goddess at the PAST Foundation.
A look back at some of our most liked episodes in 2022 featuring: Giri Devanur, Matt Scantland, Ernest Levert Jr., Dr. Zeenia Kaul, Andy Miller, Joanna Pinkerton, Emily Quick-Schriver, Louise Rodino-Klapac, Thomas McClure, Vamsi Kora, Chris Cooke, and Laura Wilkins Cooke.
Hugh Cathey is the CEO of ChromoCare, which is a leader in the field of Pharmacogenetics (PGx), aka the genetic testing of patients to ensure compatibility with prescription medications. Prior to ChromoCare, Hugh served as a Principal for Columbus-Partners, LLC, and CRO at Healthspot, Inc. Additionally, he has a wide range of leadership experience at …
Chris Cooke and Laura Wilkins Cooke are the Co-Founders of Positive Foundry. Positive Foundry provides training and consulting services to help people and businesses thrive. Prior to founding Positive Foundry, Chris and Laura both had highly successful careers in their own right. Laura got an MBA from Michigan’s Ross School of Business and has held …
Objective Prosperity: How Behavioral Economics Can Improve Outcomes for You, Your Business and Your Nation is co-authored by Roger Blackwell and Roger Bailey; Blackwell has written 40 previous books and served on the boards of 14 public companies over the course of his professional career.
Vamsi Kora is the Founder and CEO of Gathi Analytics. Gathi Analytics was acquired by Apexon (a Goldman Sachs portfolio company) in 2021, and today Vamsi serves as the company’s Chief Data Officer.
TalentShare is a mobile application designed to connect collegiate athletes with younger, local athletes looking for coaching and training opportunities.
Claudia De Leon is the Co-Owner and COO of La Mega Media. La Mega Media, Inc is a minority-owned business, and is one of the largest Hispanic media companies in the Midwest. The company’s corporate office is located in Columbus, OH, with additional offices in Cincinnati and Cleveland, while also reaching into Dayton, Northern Kentucky, …
Brian Zuercher is the CEO and Co-Founder of Align, which helps companies optimize their work experience for their employees. Previously, he was a Co-Founder and leader at SEEN, which was eventually acquired by ICX Media.
Marty Gage and Spencer Murrell are partners at Lextant. Lextant focuses on helping businesses create customer experiences that win in the market. Marty and Spencer were part of the founding team at Lextant; and today, Spencer is the VP of Insight Translation and Marty is VP of Design Research.
Nick Jones is the Vice President of Community Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Nick has been working at Nationwide Children’s since 2016, and before that, he worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus as well as several other non-profit organizations. Present day, he helps Nationwide Children’s spearhead their initiatives centered around improving the …
Alison Marker is the President and CEO of Marker, Inc. Marker, Inc. is a woman-owned commercial real estate and full-service construction company. Prior to Marker, Inc. Alison spent time as a psychotherapist. She’s also an alumnus of The Ohio State University, and she was elected one of the 2021 Columbus Business First 40 under 40.
Monty Ragland is the CEO and Monica Dominic is the Chief Client Officer of Proteam Solutions, Inc., or “PSI” for short. PSI was previously owned by brothers Keith and Doug Stevens, but they recently wrapped up a deal to sell the company to Monica and Monty, holding off several outside offers to ensure a smooth …
Thomas McClure is the Executive Director and Founder of The Columbus Fashion Council and Columbus Fashion Week! The Columbus Fashion Council is a non-profit organization seeking to expand the fashion economy in Central Ohio through a combination of industry growth initiatives, community organizer support, funding access opportunities, and creative program development. Since its debut in …
Andrew Bennett is the Chief Business Officer at Provide. Provide is a digital financial services company focused on the healthcare sector. In particular, they serve healthcare organizations by providing financial products throughout their journey, from startup loans to remodels, expansion services, and more.
Dr. Louise Rodino-Klapac is the EVP and Chief Scientific Officer at Sarepta. Louise joined Sarepta in June 2018 and was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer by December of 2020. Prior to this role Louise served as Sarepta’s senior vice president, gene therapy. She became head of R&D in November 2021. She has led …
Bill Balderaz is the Founder and President of Futurety. We had Bill on the show before we even hit 100 episodes to talk about Futurety, and since then Bill and his team have been hard at work. Today, we’re talking to Bill about a SaaS product called Huckle, which their team is getting ready to …
Dr. Eric Karolak is Chief Executive Officer of Action for Children, the source for child care and early learning services in Central Ohio. Under his leadership, Action For Children was able to combine forces with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the City of Columbus to launch the Franklin County RISE Program, which offers …
Mark Kelnhofer is the CEO of Return on Ingredients. He has more than 20 years of experience in bottom line-boosting accounting, and he spent 20+ years in managerial cost accounting refining his methods; including seven years in restaurant cost management. When these two areas of expertise combined his one-of-a-kind methodology was born. He is also …
Kwame Christian, Esq. is the Director of the American Negotiation Institute, subject matter expert in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution, bestselling author, and podcast host among many other impressive feats. He runs his own podcast, Negotiate Anything, and recently released his second book, How to have Difficult Discussions About Race.
Ryan McManus is the CEO and Co-founder of SHARE Mobility, a mobility company focused on providing other companies with the ability to provide transportation to their staff as a benefit. When we first spoke with Ryan back in 2019, he and his team had been at it for a few years, but things have really …
The Matriots is a political action committee dedicated to supporting, endorsing, and encouraging women candidates for office in Ohio. Their goal is help women get elected to office in Ohio with the hope that by getting more women into office, Ohio becomes a more equitable place to live. Their bold vision is for 50% of …
Amy Shore is the EVP and Chief Customer Officer at Nationwide! Amy has over 30 years of experience in the P&C industry, including over 20 years in varying leadership positions at Nationwide. She has leadership experience in a variety of business functions including sales, underwriting, product/pricing, customer service, and general management. Additionally, she has served …
Joanna Pinkerton is the President and CEO of COTA (Central Ohio Transit Authority). When many of us think of COTA, we leap to the city’s bus system first, but COTA is responsible for far more than that. Since Joining the COTA team in 2018, Joanna has focused on driving innovation and revamping options for mobility …
Brian Ross is the President and CEO of Experience Columbus. Experience Columbus is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating and showcasing the best of the Columbus experience to the world. They accomplish this mission by encouraging tourism as well as driving career opportunities in Columbus to encourage the world to visit our great city.
Jay Amstutz is the President of Ohio Power Tool. Ohio Power Tool has been in business since 1983, and Jay joined the team as Vice President in 2008. Since becoming President in 2015, Jay has focused on expanding their influence in the Ohio region while simultaneously working to build their online presence and sales.
Andy Miller is the Founder of Waveform Music Group, which focuses on songwriting and production serving a variety of different companies across all kinds of production needs. Andy has a deep background in music production, post mixing, and sound design. He earned a BFA in Electronic Media (Audio, Film, and Television – Honors) from The …
Wayne is the President and Founder of 614 Media Group, a central-Ohio-focused media company behind magazines like (614) Magazine, Stock and Barrel, as well as Columbus Restaurant Week, Burger and Beer Week, and more. They are also partnered with Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, working together on 614 Lager, which has become their best-selling beer in just …
Val Jorgensen is the Founder and Owner of Jorgensen Farms. Following some of the most progressive and ecological farming practices, Jorgensen Farms is also one of Central Ohio’s most desirable wedding and event locales, caterers, and floral designers. They’ve been recognized with the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and the American …
Suraj Hinduja is the Managing Director of RTRX, a networking event firm founded by Jim Merkel, Founder of Rockbridge Capital, which aligns itself with Pelotonia in an effort to eventually see an end to cancer. The RTRX experience, held in collaboration with Pelotonia’s Ride Weekend, is uniquely curated with business, philanthropy, fun, and thought-provoking and …
Corey Poches is the Founder and CEO of Motive CBD, as well as a Managing Partner of Verdant Creations. Corey and his Wife, Kelly Hondros, founded Motive CBD in 2018, and they were outsourcing their hemp until it became legal to grow for medical marijuana in Ohio in 2019. After that, they began growing their …
Ed Porter is the founder of Blue Chip CRO, where he works as a fractional CRO for businesses from $0-$20 million in revenue entering growth mode or restructuring their businesses.
Deirdre DeWeese is the Vice President of Philanthropy for the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland – if you’re followers of the show, you might remember we had Tammy Wharton on the show previously from the Girl Scouts as well. Deirdre has worked in fundraising and development across a variety of organizations throughout her career, and …
Dr. Zeenia Kaul, CEO and CSO at ReHeva Biosciences. ReHeva Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical startup founded in 2016, is discovering and developing naturally occurring, complex botanical agents to treat and manage cancer. Their goal is to help people live longer and healthier with cancer, ultimately transforming cancer treatment into disease management. They recently started their …
Matt Wyckhouse is the Founder and CEO of Finite State. Finite State automates product security for connected devices and embedded systems, enabling developers and security teams to ship their products with confidence.
Ernest Levert Jr is the founder of the Royal Oak Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on developing community through the game of chess. What started as a bi-weekly meetup has grown into a community of chess enthusiasts as well as a chess-based mentoring program, and the Royal Oak Chess Initiative recently signed a …
Jacob Block is the CEO and Founder of American Nitrile, a disposable glove manufacturer headquartered here in Columbus. Jacob founded American Nitrile in 2021 in an effort to combat the PPE shortage that hit the U.S. and the world due to the COVID pandemic. With the motto “Bring Manufacturing Back Home,” Jacob and the American …
Matt Scantland is the Founder and CEO of AndHealth, a digital health company with the mission of helping people reverse chronic disease, which he started after his own battle with chronic disease. AndHealth is the world’s first virtual Center of Excellence for migraine reversal, and is soon launching a virtual Center of Excellence for autoimmune …
Jay Harkrider is the Managing Director of Foxen, a software company that started out by focusing on helping property managers better track and manage renter’s insurance across their tenants. However, over just a few years, Foxen has evolved into a FinTech company providing innovative financial solutions for residential and commercial real estate companies. On top …
Tom Dailey provides independent expert strategic and practical advice to merchants, payment processors, investors, law firms, and other organizations. He is a recognized, trusted expert in the card and payments space. As a senior executive at Discover, he managed the multi-billion dollar merchant business unit, including a team of over 2,000 across 28 facilities. More …
5.Life is a collection of world-class climbing facilities based in the Midwest and has been in business for thirty years in Columbus, Ohio. The first facility, Vertical Adventures was hand-built by Alexis and Carrie Roccos, with the help of their friends, and opened in 1994 in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, the business and climbing community …
Ernie Knight is the Managing Director and CEO of Valley Growth Ventures. Valley Growth Ventures is a “micro” venture capital investment fund created to support high-growth, early-stage companies across the state of Ohio, with a preference for those in the Mahoning Valley. Formed in collaboration between five area organizations, VGV serves to aid in the …
Joe Petrelli is the President and Co-Founder of Demotech, the first insurer rating service to review independent regional and specialty insurers. At the time of the founding of Demotech in 1985, the insurance rating industry was controlled by a few key players, and many of them said it would be impossible to rate smaller regional …
Esther is the Founder of Benesafe Solutions. Benesafe Solutions LLC manufactures, produces, and sells eco-friendly, plant-based insect repellents without harsh chemicals making them safe for families, pets, and the environment. Their goal is to create products that are in line with their values and minimize the impact on the environment and the planet. Prior to …
Brian Gregory is the CEO and a Co-Founder of FMX. FMX is a facilities management software company founded in 2012 that has grown to serve over 1,500 customers across the world today. Prior to co-founding FMX, Brian was an engineer working in the energy services industry, and he graduated from the Ohio State University with …
Sean and Addison are the Co-Founders of S’wich Social, a build-your-own ice cream sandwich shop based in Italian Village! Sean and Addison launched S’wich Social in March of 2021.
Gus Hashem is a Co-founder of T-CETRA, a company focused on solving the challenges of a massive problem in the U.S. – serving the 84 million people who lack access to bank accounts or other traditional financial products and services. These un/underbanked individuals still need to interact with an increasingly digital world, and that is …
David Bullivant is the founder and CEO of Yellow Weld, a startup welding company here in Columbus. David studied Welding Engineering at Ohio State before founding Yellow Weld in June of 2020.
Brent is the Principal and Founder of Crawford Hoying, a real estate development firm managing several communities throughout Ohio. Brent is responsible for managing $1.3 billion in development and over 16 million square feet of properties. Brent taught property management and real estate trends at The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University …
Adam Carr is the Master Integrator at Save a Warrior, an organization dedicated to ending the epidemic of suicide among our nations’ military, veterans, and first responders. He is also the Founder and CEO of the Western Zen, a leadership and development company based out of Columbus and focused on serving corporations, academia, and first-responder …
Josh Curtis is the Managing Director of Footprint Capital. Footprint Capital assists owners of privately held companies with mergers and acquisitions, strategic decisions, ownership transition planning, and corporate finance. As Managing Director, Josh works directly with business leaders to help strategize and plan these complex transactions.
Jim McGuire is the CEO of Entrotech, a vertically integrated provider of advanced material solutions. Jim studied Chemistry at Ohio State and founded Entrotech in 1999. Today, the Entrotech group includes several companies such as Advanced Paint Technology, Entrochem, inc., and Entrotech Life Sciences.
Giri Devnaur is the CEO of reAlpha, a fintech company with the mission of democratizing real estate. Their AI finds the best potential properties for investment, and those properties are listed on their digital marketplace where you can invest in them.
Angie Lloyd is the Executive Director of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation. The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, founded in 1994 as the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation and located in Columbus, is a statewide, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that civil legal aid is available to all low-income Ohioans. The Foundation’s board is composed …
Lauren Culley and Jeff Excell are the Founders of Fox in the Snow – a bakery, coffee shop serving up rustic-style baked goods and hand-poured drinks out of three quaint shops in the Italian Village, German Village and New Albany neighborhoods of Columbus, Ohio.
Brian Billingsley is a Co-Founder of Basis Theory, a tokenization API to help secure any data. Basis Theory helps developers build secure and compliant applications faster, and helps clients secure data such as credit card information, HIPPA-related data, credentials, banking information, and more.
Matt Benson is the CEO and Founder of eFuse. eFuse was founded in 2018 and is the place where gamers meet, compete, & are discovered. Available in the form of a web and mobile application, eFuse connects the highly fragmented gaming community and provides tools for individuals to build a unique gaming portfolio, collaborate professionally, …
Travis Hedge is a Co-Founder of Vouch Insurance. Vouch is a business insurance platform for startups. Built by founders for founders, Vouch’s fully digital coverage takes minutes to activate, with everything from application to claims designed for the unique needs of high-growth companies. Because Vouch does all of the underwriting, not just brokering out to …
Ira Sharfin is the CEO of Continental Office. If you missed our first episode with Ira, go back and check it out – we talk about Ira’s story, the story of Continental Office, and more. We’ve brought Ira back on to talk about what’s new for the Continental Office team, and how offices and workspaces …
Mark was the Founder and President of Signature Closers, LLC, a notary closing partner for many local, regional, and national title companies. What started as a single signing agent providing notary signing services to Central and Southwest Ohio grew to provide services throughout the entire state of Ohio. Signature Closers, LLC was recognized on the …
Dan Snyder is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lower, a multi-channel fintech focused on helping more people achieve wealth through homeownership. Dan was recently named the #4 CEO by Glassdoor, and Lower is the naming rights partner for the Columbus Crew’s new stadium, Lower.com Field. His leadership style has led to multiple local and national …
Nancy Matijasich is the President and CEO of Manifest Solutions here in Columbus, Ohio. Manifest Solutions is an IT consulting firm serving fortune 100 companies in the insurance, Financial Services, Utility, Manufacturing and Retail industries. Nancy has worked for Manifest Solutions for 27 years, and prior to that was the President and Co-Founder of another …
Myron Leff is the Owner and Founder of Leff & Associates, a business and marketing consulting firm, which focuses on Strategic Business and Marketing Plans, Brand Development, and Management Consultation. Myron started the company in 1996 and has continued to run the firm until today, growing the business along the way.
Bobby George is a majority owner in over 20 restaurants, including Townhall here in Columbus, and he is tied to over 30 other businesses. While mainly known for his restaurants in Cleveland and Columbus, He is also the founder and CEO of Ethos Capital.
John Brooks is the Founder and Managing Partner of BTTS Holdings. For more than 20 years, BTTS Holdings has been proud to be a stress-free, one-stop-shop event partner for their clients. Their family of venues include Brookshire (Lewis Center), WatersEdge (Hilliard), The Estate (New Albany), The FIG Room (Short North), and Edison777 (Italian Village).
Sara Sable-Antry is a Co-Founder and the CEO of HCRPath, and Ed Porter is a Co-Founder and CRO for HCRPath. HCRPath is a healthcare tech startup focused on helping providers provide better continuity of care for seniors while helping seniors get better preventive care to help improve outcomes.
Rebecca is the Chief Creative Officer at The Creative Content Shop, a local marketing agency here in Columbus, Ohio that specializes as a one-stop digital marketing shop for small brands and entrepreneurs.
Steve Morris is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Asset Strategies Group (“ASG”), as well as the Founder and Chairman of CBUS Retail. ASG is a leading provider of outsourced real estate services – their team has worked with clients like DSW, Sephora, Express, and ASICS to optimize their real estate investments through a variety …
Megan Kvamme is a UNC alumni who got her start on Wall Street as an analyst for a fixed-income investment banking group. Since then, she’s founded several of her own companies, including Beez (Formerly FactGem), a data visualization startup here in Columbus, and is Chairwoman at Avery’s Trail Distilling Company. Steve Stone served as CTO …
Centric Consulting is a consulting firm offering services for the business, technology, and digital needs of its clients. Larry started his career in consulting but found himself burnt out at 25. He and his wife decided to go on a backpacking trip around the world, and when he returned, he and his peers decided to …
Nevin Bansal is the Founder and CEO of Outreach Promotional Solutions as well as the Founder, Chairman and Executive Director of Small Biz Cares. Outreach Promotional Solutions is part print, promotional apparel, and logo apparel as well as part graphic design and web design shop. Nevin took a community driven approach to Outreach Promotional Solutions, …
Tammy Wharton is the President and CEO of Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, which serves more than 40,000 Girl Scout members. Her initial connection with the Girl Scouts began in 2001, when she led the organization’s fund-raising and public relations efforts. In 2005, Wharton left to become the executive director of the Columbus Literacy Council …
Dr. Tim Miller is a Co-Founder, President and CEO of Forge Biologics, a gene therapy biotech company that is both providing manufacturing and development services to other companies and working on its own pipeline. This dual mission is a challenge to build and operate, but the Forge team was able to raise $40 million in …
Matt Miller is the President of Park National Bank, a family of community banking teams providing the heart and style of a local community bank with the resources of a big bank. Matt has worked at Park National since 2009, where he started with the company as Vice President. Prior to Park National, Matt spent …
Ross Klosterman is a Co-Founder of UnifiHealth, a brand new health plan for small businesses and their employees. Their vision is to create the last healthcare plan someone will ever need — a VERY big goal! Ross and his Co-Founders are backed by some of the leading names in healthcare investing, and they’re planning to …
Dr. Steve Graef is a psychologist and the Founder of Mindurance, an organization that helps high performers across industries minimize mental barriers and maximize life through online self-study, group programs, and personal coaching. Prior to founding Mindurance, Steve was a sports psychologist for OSU athletics and he was also a Mental Conditioning Consultant for IMG …
g2o is a digital experience and technology partner. They drive growth for companies who aspire to greatness, and partner with them from vision to execution to build a stronger bond between their brand and their customers. With a focus on balancing creative energy with process rigor, they are as committed, accountable, and driven as their …
Jon Eesley currently serves as Senior Partner at Windsor Advisory Group, a privately owned, fee-only advisor group. They focus on solving complex problems for their clients and in particular they work with many business owners and families in and around Columbus on big issues such as financial planning and succession planning. Prior to Windsor, Jon …
Jason is the Founder and President / CEO of Environmental Pest Management. Jason has been in the pest management industry for 28 years, and he started EPM out of his basement. He is responsible for determining the vision, strategic planning and family succession of the business. Jason has also worked with Dr. Susan Jones at …
Rick is a Co-Founder and serves as CEO of Revolution Group, and Polly is a Co-Founder as well as VP and Director of Salesforce Services. Started in 1995, Revolution Group is a consulting firm dedicated to helping small and mid-size businesses better use technology to improve business processes and achieve the competitive advantage that good …
battleface provides travel insurance benefits and services to travelers visiting or working internationally, including in the world’s most challenging destinations. They cover emergency medical treatment, evacuation and accidents, adventure activities, and travel to isolated places, with 24/7 assistance and claims services. Sasha Gainullin is the CEO of battleface, and Anthony Spiteri is the CTO. Anthony …
Olivia is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Tandem, a free marketplace for childcare. Tandem helps parents connect with babysitters that are vetted and hand-selected by Olivia herself. They’re able to provide the platform for free to sitters and parents thanks to their creative revenue model. Prior to co-founding Tandem, Olivia actually started her first …
Larry Connor is a founder and CEO / Managing Partner of the Connor Group. Larry got his first taste of entrepreneurship in High School after starting a painting business with a close friend. That taste led to a career in entrepreneurship (with a few pit stops along the way). Larry has founded companies from the …
Dr. Rustin Morse is the Chief Medical Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. As CMO, Dr. Morse leads key operational areas such as clinical care and medical education. He also guides programs like their quality and safety program, Zero Hero (More on that to come). Dr. Morse is a faculty member at the Ohio State University …
Dr. Annalies Corbin is a nationally recognized researcher, speaker, author, and foremost expert connecting scientific research with education and business, and industry within communities. Affectionately called, the Chief Goddess, Annalies has spent more than 20 years as Founder, President, and CEO of the PAST Foundation – an educational non-profit organization. She is also the host …
Tom Burden is a former Air Force mechanic turned entrepreneur after encountering a problem at his job – there wasn’t a good way to hold tools, especially when working on aircraft with a lot of different angles you might have to position yourself on. So he invented Grypmat – a heat-resistant, gripping tool mat that …
Chris Hawker is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and professional speaker. Some of his products and companies include (but aren’t limited to): Trident Design, PowerSquid, Thirsty Light, WaveRider Design, Zilla, and Straptor. Most recently, he’s been working on a SaaS venture, OMS.
Founded in 2014 by James Forbes and his mother, Jane, North Country Charcuterie is a small business offering hand-cured meats and salamis made locally in Columbus, Ohio. Their products include traditional salamis and edgier options, such as coffee bacon. You can find North Country Charcuterie at eateries and gourmet grocers across Ohio. mi
Paul Powers is the CEO and Founder of Physna, a software company that helps companies take 3D models and turn them into usable data for software applications — This helps increase productivity in manufacturing and empowers companies to better utilize emerging technologies such as 3D printing, as well as augmented and virtual reality.
Lindsey is the COO at the Wellington School, a private, pre K-12, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Upper Arlington. Prior to taking on the COO role, Lindsey served as the Athletic Director for the Wellington School. She has also been an L1 Advisory Board Member for Crossfit, Inc, as well as being a Crossfit …
Linda is the CEO of MedVet, one of the more well-known and fastest-growing groups of emergency and specialty referral veterinary hospitals for companion animals. Linda joined MedVet as a Staff Cardiologist back in 2000, and over the past 20 years has moved her way up to take on the CEO role in 2019.
Dr. Kevin Klingele is the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, as well as Director of the Nationwide Children’s Fellowship program. He is also the Surgical Director of Sports Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He received his medical …
Saket Agrawal and Navin Goyal are the CEO and Cofounder, respectively, of OFFOR Health, a mobile anesthesia and healthcare company, which currently servicing patients in 3 states. Navin also serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Loud Capital, a venture capital firm focused on empowering founders utilizing a unique investment model.
Rob Ouellette is a Partner at Ice Miller, and he focuses his practice on complex corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions (particularly private equity investments and transactions), and a range of financing transactions.
Chris Sauerzopf is the Founder and CEO of SafeWire, a company designed to stop the rampant wire fraud seen today in real estate. Nearly 1 in every 450 real estate transactions has associated fraud reported, costing consumers and businesses over $221 million in 2019. SafeWire is a software program that allows digital authentication of buyers …
Eric Jenkusky is CEO and a Cofounder of Matrix Meats. Matrix Meats designs and manufactures novel three-dimensional (3D) nanofiber scaffolds for the culturing of meat in cellular agriculture. Eric is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded several other companies, and currently, he also serves as a Cofounder at T.J. Clark International, which focuses on the …
Steve is a Cofounder and the CEO of Branch Insurance, an insurance firm founded in 2018 and headquartered Columbus, Ohio. Branch’s biggest differentiator is their ability to bundle home and auto insurance faster than anyone because they are the first company to sell it online with just a customer’s name and address. Steve came together …
Dr. Greg Berlet is the Managing Partner of The Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center (OFAC), a practice devoted to multi-disciplinary foot and ankle care in Westerville, Ohio. He is also a past Chairman of the Education Committee for the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society and a past board member of the American Academy of …
Andy Panos is a Cofounder and the COO of Cloudbreak Health, and Jamey Edwards is a Cofounder and the CEO at Cloudbreak Health. We previously had Andy on the show to talk about the story behind Cloudbreak Health and how the company got started, but it was recently announced that Cloudbreak Health will be merging …
Jim Merkel is the Founder and CEO of Rockbridge, a private investment firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio that has been focused on the hospitality industry since 1999. Rockbridge has made more than 260 real estate and hospitality investments in 38 states, worth over $8.5 Billion in total capitalization. In 2011, Jim also founded RBHD, a …
High Bank Distillery Co. is a distillery and restaurant located in Grandview, OH. The team at High Bank distills Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Rum, and their restaurant serves a variety of options that change fairly often with the seasons. They’re most known for their world-class meals, award winning cocktails, and unmatched environment.
Matter is the only women-owned, non-profit, investigative local news outlet. Matter was founded a little over two years ago, with the mission of covering the most pressing issues for Central Ohio,
Matthew is the Senior Vice President of Culinary and Menu Innovation at Piada. Prior to joining the Piada team, Matthew was the Corporate Executive Chef at Brio. Previously, Matthew spent time as an Executive Chef at a variety of restaurants, including Lindey’s, and his cooking career has brought him all over the world to places …
Don M. Casto, III is a partner of CASTO. Prior to joining the organization in 1971, he was in the private practice of law in San Francisco, California. Casto is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School and holds a master’s degree in Natural Resource Law from George Washington University. He is actively …
Andy Hays is the Co-founder and President of Copper Run, an investment banking firm focused on helping their clients manage acquisitions, company sales, and “Taking some chips off the table.” Prior to co-founding Copper Run, Andy worked for, and helped found, Cantor Fitzgerald’s investment banking group on Wall Street, after 9/11. Cantor’s investment banking group …
Ryan Sevey is the General Manager at DataRobot. Prior to joining DataRobot Ryan was the CEO and a Co-Founder of Nexosis. Nexosis was a provider of machine learning API for developers, which was then acquired by DataRobot in 2018.
Outern is a revolutionary early careers jobs tryout platform; it allows companies to source and evaluate talent at scale, and from anywhere, through the power of data, video content, and remote work. The company is aiming to level the playing field by making opportunity dependent upon what candidates can do, rather than where they come …
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, The Wasserstrom Company is the world’s leading restaurant supplier and distributor of foodservice supplies and equipment. Since 1902, Wasserstrom has provided foodservice operators with high quality products, like kitchen supplies and catering supplies, from the industry’s leading manufacturers. Brad graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Marketing before getting …
Todd Penegor is the CEO of Wendy’s. Todd joined the Wendy’s team in 2013 as SVP and Chief Financial Officer in 2013, and was appointed CEO in May of 2016. Prior to his employment with Wendy’s, Todd worked at Kellogg Company (a global leader in food products) from 2000 to 2013. Todd held several key …
Philip Payne is the Principal and Founder over at Apportis, a technology company here in Columbus focused on disrupting the healthcare industry; their goal is to provide real time guidance on diet, exercise, medication, and more, from your phone, laptop, or tablet when you need it. Philip held senior level marketing roles in several major …
David Specht joined The Waterworks in October 1998; From 1998 to 2001, he served as the Vice President of Operations, then becoming the President in November 2001. The Waterworks is one of the premier plumbing, sewer, drain cleaning, and HVAC service businesses in the midwest.
Coach (John) Tortorella is the head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Peter Mohler, PhD, is the vice dean for Research in the Ohio State College of Medicine, chief scientific officer and director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. His research is focused on uncovering the mechanisms underlying abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure in children and young adults with the goals of …
Lewis “Lou” Von Thaer is the President and CEO of Battelle, the world’s largest independent research and development organization.
Andrew Ginther is the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio — Andrew was elected to the Mayor’s office as the 53rd Mayor of Columbus in 2015, succeeding Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who was the longest serving mayor in Columbus city history. Mayor Ginther previously served on the Columbus City Council from 2007-2015.
Mark Kvamme is a Co-Founder and Partner at Drive Capital. Mark and Co-Founder, Chris Olsen, relocated from San Francisco to Columbus to start their own Venture Capital firm. Before founding Drive, Mark and Chris were working at Sequoia Capital (one of the most well known Venture Capital firms in Silicon Valley). Many would have called …
Studium is an education technology company offering high schools and colleges tools to build community and retain students. Studium improves student retention by breaking down barriers to student involvement and providing institutions with a holistic understanding of their student’s college experience.
JL Holdsworth is the Founder of The Spot Athletics, a World Champion powerlifter, and the Co-Founder of Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR). RPR is a system of daily self-care techniques that allow you to improve your performance. Whether you are a business owner, parent, special operations in the military or professional athlete, RPR helps you perform …
Steve Testa is the President of Nationwide Children’s Foundation; he was appointed the position in January 2018, after joining the Nationwide Children’s team in 2014. His previous roles with the foundation included Senior Vice President and Executive Director. Prior to joining Nationwide Children’s in 2014, Steve was Assistant Vice President, Foundation, at Valley Health System …
John Egnor is the Founder and President of JME Hospitality. Since the company’s beginnings in 1989, JME Hospitality has designed over 4,000 hospitality projects spanning the entire world.
Cathy Lyttle is the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Worthington Industries. Lyttle joined Worthington Industries in January 1999 as Vice President of Corporate Communications, and then became the Investor Relations Officer in 2009. Before joining Worthington, she was the Vice President of JMAC Hockey, LLC, where she helped direct the startup …
Dave has a diverse background spanning his 20-year career in healthcare and life sciences, as well as in both large corporations and start-ups. Prior to leading the creation of Deep Lens, Inc., Dave was the Director of Data Strategy for Cardinal Health (Fortune 500-Rank #14) where he developed data monetization strategies and new product development …
Mike Edwards is the Founder of The 5 Stones Group and is an 12-time EMMY Award-winning director and cinematographer. Mike’s background in production was inspired by a hobby of taking still photos with a camera he received from his parents while in 6th grade. Mike’s passion for storytelling and the team atmosphere he creates has …
Tom Stalf is the President and CEO of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, one of the most successful zoological institutes in the country. He has over 30 years of experience in zoo-keeping and zoo management, and he’s traveled extensively for over 20 years with Jack Hanna to do educational programs, zoo promotions, and national television …
Kwame Christian is the Director of the American Negotiation Institute, subject matter expert in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution, bestselling author and podcast host among many other impressive feats. He also runs his own podcast, Negotiate Anything, about negotiation and discussing challenging subjects.
Britney Ruby Miller is CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, Cincinnati’s preeminent restaurant group which manages a portfolio of high end steakhouses widely regarded as among the best in the nation. She heads an organization of 7 steakhouses in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee and leads a team of more than 700 employees.
Kevin Crowley has been in the restaurant business his whole life; and while not originally from Columbus, he found his way here for undergrad at tOSU, before leaving undergrad to attend culinary school. Kevin came back to OSU for his MBA, and in 2018 he and his wife decided to found the Lox Bagel Shop. …
Lorien Luehrs is the President and COO of HomeTown Ticketing, one of the fastest growing digital ticketing providers in the K-12 industry serving schools, districts, conferences, and state associations at no cost.
Debra is the President and CEO of Penzone Salon and Spas, where she has worked for over 28 years. She has received numerous awards including the YWCA’s “Women of Achievement,” award, as well as being recognized as a Forty Under 40 from Columbus Business First. In 2014, Debbie received the “Columbus Smart 50 award,” from …
Tom Ryan is the head coach of The Ohio State University Men’s Wrestling Program. As a wrestler, Coach Ryan was a two-time NCAA D1 All-american for Iowa under Dan Gable, and was a part of two Big Ten and National Championship teams. As a coach, Tom has lead the Buckeyes to their first National Title …
Rachel is the founder and CEO of TENFOLD, an award-winning strategy and creative firm here in Columbus. Prior to founding TENFOLD in 2014, Rachel was the EVP of Marketing and Branding for Continental Office and spent years working for industry innovator, Herman Miller. Rachel has over 25 years of experience in marketing strategy, branding and …
Studio Freight is an independent brand and digital design studio here in Columbus. Working with teams like Root Insurance, Roosevelt Coffee Roasters, and Elliot (to name a few) their team helps grow brands by making them easy to understand, and impossible to ignore.
Todd King is a VP and Partner at Sky Climber, LLC. The Sky Climber brand represents a multi-national family of companies brought together to meet a variety of safe access needs across several business verticals. Through its various businesses, Sky Climber delivers products and services across several work-at-height industries including renewable energy, telecommunications, aerospace, industrial …
Brian Schottenstein was recently named one of the Smart 50 executives by Smart Business Magazine and is currently a columnist for the magazine. Brian was also recently selected as a Future 50 leader by Columbus CEO magazine. Brian now oversees Schottenstein Real Estate Group as President of the company. He is on the board of …
Clint Edgington is the founder of Nest Opportunity Fund. Nest Opportunity Fund is a positive impact investment fund that allows you to defer and reduce capital gains taxes while helping to rebuild American communities that have great potential but lack smart, strategic investments. Clint also leads the Beacon Hill Investment Advisory’s high net worth client’s …
Chad Underwood is Co-Owner at Modo Yoga Columbus, a hot yoga studio here in Columbus. Modo Yoga is a community-based hot yoga studio, with a focus on decreasing our impact on the environment as well as fostering a sense of belonging for community members.
Michael Triplett is President of Carmen Partners, a life science ventures and innovation advisory firm. Michael is Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Armatus Bio LLC, a gene and cell therapy company based in Columbus. He is also Co-Founder, President, and initial CEO of Clarametyx Biosciences, Inc. a startup infectious disease company spun out of Nationwide …
Tanisha Robinson is a serial entrepreneur, founder, and the current CEO and Founder of W*nder, a CBD-infused, sparkling water brand. Tanisha came up with the idea while working as the Chief Disruption Officer for Brewdog, but when the Brewdog team was not ready to take the leap into the CBD market, Tanisha decided to forge …
Greg is the founder and President of The Schenk Company, Inc., Central Ohio’s exclusive tenant/buyer representative brokerage and consulting firm. He has 32 years of experience in the real estate industry, ranging from representing tenants and buyers in relocations to assisting clients in negotiating commercial space. He’s also been teaching for 25 years, is on …
Dr. Anup Kanodia is a graduate of the North Eastern Ohio Medical University, did his residency in family medicine at the Mayo Clinic, and did a fellowship at Harvard in alternative and integrative medicine. He also has a master’s in public health from Harvard. Dr. Kanodia currently practices Medicine in Columbus.
Urban Meyer is a retired college football coach, with over 18 years of experience as a head coach of NCAA Division 1 teams. As a coach, Urban led three of his teams to national titles. He was the head coach at The Ohio State University from 2011-2019, leading the Buckeyes to six major bowl appearances …
Emre is the Founder and CEO of DAtAnchor, a data security startup that helps companies keep their secure data safe, even when sharing it with team members and other remote teams. Emre is a professor at the Ohio State University and earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.
Dan Sorenson is the CEO and Founder of Flywheel Advertising, a customer acquisition consulting firm that helps businesses accelerate their sales cycle and push more leads through the funnel by optimizing channels like paid search, paid social, website development and data analytics. Before founding Flywheel, Dan worked in customer acquisition for Manta and as a …
Jason Block is the CEO of Brewdog USA as of January 2020. Before Brewdog, Jason was the President at Homage, but he left that role in 2018. Between that role and taking over at Brewdog, Jason co-founded Innerspace, a coworking space aimed at health professionals.
Dr. Tsipursky is a consultant, speaker, coach, trainer, and author whose mission is to protect business leaders from dangerous cognitive biases and help them make better, data-driven decisions. Using his over 20 years of experience, Gleb has written 2 books, with his most recent book becoming a best-seller, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering …
Alex Gertsburg is the CEO of Gertsburg Law Firm and Founder of CoverMySix. A serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, Alex has been involved in dozens of projects throughout his career, and even hosts his own podcast, “Best.Podcast.Ever”. He’s also a veteran of the Army Reserve, having been called to serve in Iraq.
Greg Oden is a former professional basketball player, as well as a former Ohio State basketball player, having helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and a runner up finish at the NCAA tournament in 2007. He was later drafted, as the number one pick, by the Portland Trailblazers and played 6 seasons …
Jeff is the Co-Founder and President of Clarus R+D, a technology-driven solution for claiming research and development tax credits, helping innovative companies get money back into their business so that they can continue to innovate and grow. Prior to Clarus, Jeff served in a variety of leadership roles at several companies, and he is also …
Adiya is the Founder and President of Yubi Beauty. Before founding Yubi, Adiya was the Director of International Counsel for Wendy’s. As a mother of two, she was leading a busy life and found she never had time for beauty, which is why she created Yubi – centered around a 9-in-1 beauty brush which slides …
Bob Lester is the Founder of PaveBid, as well as President and CEO of Dura-Seal. Dura-Seal is a high-quality commercial and industrial sealcoating, asphalt, and concrete services company based here in Columbus. Founded in 2007, Dura-Seal continues to grow and evolve today to bring their clients innovative solutions to their unique problems.
Rick Ricart is the President of Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus, Ohio. Ricart Ford was founded in July 1953 by his grandfather, Paul Ricart Sr. It was his grandfather’s philosophy that to lead, you must first work alongside the employees. Rick started out as a lot attendant, and by 2005 had worked in eight different …
Tony Guilfoy is the Founder and Head Distiller at Noble Cut Distillery, located in Gahanna. He founded Noble Cut with the help of his great-great-grandmother, Seraphina, whose limoncello recipe became a center-piece for the brand. They also distill several types of whiskey here locally.
Kelly Gratz is the President and CEO of g2o, formerly ICC. Kelly has led the charge to shape g2o as they have rebranded from ICC and explored new territory as a company in order to bring their customers more value in the ever-changing world of digital design and experience.
Lisa Arledge Powell is the President and Co-Founder of MediaSource, an award-winning creative agency that specializes in content-focused public relations, content marketing and national media exposure for major brands. As an industry leader, MediaSource was named the Best HealthCare PR/Marketing Agency by Ragan Communications for four consecutive years. They work with the nation’s top hospitals …
Jess Hellmich is the CMO and Paul Sherry is the COO of Dueling Axes, an axe throwing lounge here in Columbus that is helping to shape the fast-growing industry; both here and with their new location in Las Vegas, opening in 2020.
Imran Nuri is the Founder and CEO of The 52 Million Project. Imran is also currently a student at The Ohio State University, and he was the President for BuckeyeThon from March 2019 – March 2019, which raised over $1.7 million dollars for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The mission of The 52 Million Project is to …
Perry Maughmer is a Chair for Vistage here in Central Ohio. Vistage is an invite-only peer group for CEO’s and Business leaders, which provides a space for people who run their businesses to discuss challenges with their peers. Before Vistage, Perry served in a variety of leadership roles for companies like Alliance Data, Idegy, and …
Summary: Casey McCarty is the CEO of the Idea Foundry. Before taking over as CEO a year and a half ago, Casey had served as the COO for 7 years. The Idea Foundry is a community of makers, designed to inspire creativity and help their members bring out new ideas and unleash their passion to …
Summary: Alex Bandar founded the Columbus Idea Foundry, a community of makers, designed to inspire creativity and help their members bring out new ideas and unleash their passion to make things; from learning to weld, make video games, launch a startup, or even just take a class or two, you can do it all at …
Summary: John Young is the CFO for BOLD PENGUIN, an insurance focused startup. Prior to BOLD PENGUIN, John garnered extensive experience as the CFO for several other technology startups such as Nikola Labs, SestraSystems, Micropact, RedCloud Security, and more. He’s also an alumni of The Ohio State University! Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:42) Small Biz …
Summary: Lindsay is a Partner, as well as Chief Legal Counsel and Fund Manager, for NCT Ventures, a Midwest-focused venture firm based here in Columbus, Ohio. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:52) Small Biz Cares (00:01:30) The SunDown Group (00:01:52) FMX (00:02:27) Conquering Columbus Intro (00:03:20) Introduction to Lindsay Karas Stencel (00:04:10) Background and path to …
Summary: Joe Kahn created Condado Tacos in 2014. Joe began his restaurant experience as a busboy at Sizzler in Chicago. After bussing, washing dishes, and serving at several more restaurants, Joe went all the way to Colorado for his first bartending experience (but not before he spent some time as a roller-skating server in Boulder). …
Summary: Doug Ulman is the CEO at Pelotonia, and Joe Apgar is the COO. We had Doug on the show a couple of years back to talk about his story and how he ended up leading the Pelotonia team. Today, we’re here to talk about how things have changed since then, and learn more about …
Summary: Bob Otter is a longtime Firefighter for the Granville Township Fire Department, as well as the founder of CitizenAID – a platform designed to train everyday people to save lives between the time a person is wounded and the time help arrives. CitizenAID has developed several disaster prevention tools for citizens, including a free …
Summary: Nils is a Partner at Drive Capital, one of the most influential venture capital firms in the country. Before joining Drive Capital, Nils founded Bookbag Video, a commercial video production agency. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:46) Small Biz Cares (00:01:21) The SunDown Group (00:01:43) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:02:18) Conquering Columbus Intro (00:03:13) Introduction …
Summary: Mark is the President and Founder of Simple Times, LLC, and previously Karate Cowboy Spirits. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:01:05) Small Biz Cares (00:01:40) The SunDown Group (00:02:06) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:02:39) Conquering Columbus Intro (00:03:33) Introduction to Mark Tinus (00:04:21) Mark’s background and upbringing (00:08:15) MBA at NYU while juggling a full-time …
Summary: Rick Harrison Wolfe is the Executive Director of the historic North Market. Annually, over 1.5 million people visit The North Market, making it one of the most successful public markets in the country, and a big economic driver for central Ohio; not to mention, many of the Columbus’ most well known brands in food …
Summary: Michael Moran is the President and CEO of Affiliated Resource Group, a cybersecurity, managed compliance, and IT support firm located in Dublin, Ohio. Mike is one of the areas foremost experts on cybersecurity and network solutions. He is a regular speaker at the Ohio Association of CPA’s and the OHCA. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks …
Summary: Jon is the Co-founder and Head of Marketing and Business Development for Rhove. Rhove is a financial services application that partners with building and apartment owners to offer renters the ability to earn rewards, save money, and invest in real estate through their rental payments. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:38) Small Biz Cares (00:01:13) …
Summary: Acacia and Meagan are executive trainers at Articulation, and they have both taken over leadership of the TEDxColumbus event which is coming up on the 15th of November, 2019. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:44) Small Biz Cares (00:01:12) The SunDown Group (00:01:34) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:02:09) Conquering Columbus Introduction (00:03:04) Introduction to Acacia …
Summary: Abhi and Huy are the co-founders of Uplancer, a platform that helps universities and learning institutions connect their students with gigs that provide them with experience and insights into today’s work environment. Before Uplancer, Huy and Abhi both have experience as entrepreneurs and founders. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:40) Small Biz Cares (00:01:42) The …
Summary: Since 2009, Columbus Gives Back (CGB) has been providing fun, easy engaging volunteer experiences for Columbus residents. They are a 501c3 non-profit, with over 100 nonprofit and partner organizations in the community. Their team is made up of over 20 event leaders (6 of which are on the board) and they all volunteer our …
Summary: Evan Ryan is CEO and Founder of Abundat. Abundat collaborates with businesses of all sizes to launch their moonshot, build new product lines, and/or automate processes. Their goal is to use AI to help their clients help as many people as possible. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:41) Small Biz Cares (00:01:16) The SunDown Group …
Summary: Jesse Lear is a serial entrepreneur — He was the co-founder of V.I.P. Waste Services, which was acquired in 2018 by Valet Living and is one of his most recent companies. V.I.P. Waste Services provides valet trash and recycling programs for the multi-family housing industry, as well as comprehensive waste management solutions. Milestones: (00:00:00) …
Summary: Kelly Ruoff is the Chief Brand Officer at Root Insurance Company, a car insurance company that helps good drivers get better rates on car insurance, based on how you drive. Before joining the team at Root, Kelly was a Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Ologie, and she also spent some time as a …
Summary: Gordon Gough is the President and CEO of The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. In this role, he is the point person for the Ohio retail and wholesale issues in the Statehouse and Congress, and he manages the council’s budget, staff, and vendors. He’s spent over 15 years at the Ohio Council of Retail …
Summary: Chris is a partner and co-founder of the Green Block Group, a strategic communications and innovation consultancy firm working with businesses, entrepreneurs and organizations to build better products and get buzz doing it. Before co-founding the Green Block Group, Chris spent some time in politics and got his degree from Miami University here in …
Summary: Jeff and Neil are Partners at Nonfiction, a local branding and design agency based in Worthington. Their team works with clients like Huntington Bank, Columbus State, BalletMet and Echo Spirits Distilling. They envision every design project with less complexity and noise, and more honesty and meaning; which is how they help their clients stand …
Summary: Brett Kaufman is the founder and CEO of Kaufman Development – Brett has been working in the real estate industry for over 20 years, with a focus on investment, banking and development. He has received numerous awards for his professional accomplishments, including being recognized twice as the developer of the year by the Building …
Summary: Brandon is a serial salesperson, 2x Seven-Figure Entrepreneur, Sales Author, Angel Investor & expert speaker on sales, marketing & entrepreneurship. Brandon is the Founder and CEO of Seamless.ai, a sales leads company based in Columbus where they help companies maximize revenue, increase sales and acquire their total addressable market instantly using artificial intelligence. Milestones: …
Summary: Madison is the founder and CEO of POINT, as well as the Director of Corporate Development at GnomeDX. POINT is a 501c3 non-profit organization, which has designed an application to help connect volunteers with charity opportunities in their city. Last September, they secured $200k in funding, and they currently have over 4,000 users and …
Summary: Andy Panos is a Co-Founder and the COO at Cloudbreak Health, a tele-health company that provides a suite of industry-leading services to their customers. Andy first founded LAN, or the Language Access Network, back in 2003 when his brother got into an accident in Mexico, which was compounded by the fact that Andy’s family …
Summary: Judy Mobley is the CEO of Children’s Hunger Alliance, a local non-profit with the mission of ensuring that children without access receive healthy food, education, and physical activity. In Ohio, 1 in 5 children are unsure of where their next meal will come from. However, because every region faces its own unique barriers for …
Summary: Ed Porter is the former Chief Revenue Officer at Smart Harbor, as well as a Sales Leader in the Columbus Community. He’s also the Chapter President of the AA-ISP, a global inside sales organization dedicated to the advancement of the inside sales profession. Finally, Ed is launching his own consulting firm in July and …
Summary: Krista Powell is the Brand Manager for Aileron, as well as a leadership coach and a co-founder of Christopher and Mae Design Company – Aileron is a consulting firm with the mission of helping small business leaders unleash the potential of private business through professional management. In her role as Brand Manager, Krista is …
Summary: Michelle Murcia is the Founder and CEO of book+street — Specializing in private, venture-backed and pre-IPO companies, Book+Street provides comprehensive finance and administration services that make it easy for start-ups to start off right, right from the start. Book+Street is your outsourced finance and administration team, with fractional CFO, controllership, bookkeeping, talent acquisition and …
Summary: Mark Sellers is the founder and CEO of Breakthrough Sales Performance, LLC – a sales consulting firm headquartered here in Columbus, OH. Mark has helped over 120 sales teams around the world implement his proprietary “buying journey,” sales funnel model, the BuyCycle Funnel. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:44) Small Biz Cares (00:01:19) The SunDown …
Summary: Brittany Dixon is the Founder and Director of Operations at Brittany and Co., a consulting firm with a focus on systems, efficiency, and automation for startups and entrepreneurs. She helps them free up their time so that they can focus on big goals and sustain long term growth. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:43) Small …
Summary: The School Performance Institute (SPI) launched as the learning and improvement arm of the Columbus non-profit United Schools Network (USN) on July 1, 2017, with start-up grant funding support from the W.G. and Patricia M. Jurgensen Fund of The Columbus Foundation, The Columbus Foundation, and the AEP Foundation. SPI’s core purpose is to seek …
Summary: Brooke Yoakam is an Upper Arlington High School junior, actively involved in student council, Spanish honors society, and is the captain of her school’s soccer team. Brooke is also the CEO and Founder of GiftPocket, a mobile app designed to help teens easily store, manage, use, and exchange all of their gift cards. When …
Summary: Angela Rucci is the CEO and a Co-founder of Tego, a personal safety application that allows someone to send updates to their friends when walking by yourself. Angela thought of the idea after being assaulted while shopping at a local grocery store, and she pitched the idea at the OSU Hack-a-Thon in 2018, where …
Summary: Jack Tzagournis, President of Fortress Real Estate Companies, has over 23 years of experience in the real estate industry as Vice President of Development for Continental Real Estate Companies and Vice President of Sales at Dietz Commercial, prior to starting Fortress. He was responsible for site selection and development activities for Giant Eagle’s entry …
Summary: Jeff Terwin is the Associate Head of School and Head of the Upper School at the Wellington School. The Wellington School is private Pre K-12 school here in Columbus, with a mission of discovering and cultivating the unique potential in every student. Before Wellington, Jeff spent time working at several other private schools, and …
Summary: The Ohio State University’s Business Builders Club (BBC) is a group of passionate students who collaborate with the Columbus Community and organizations around the world to foster entrepreneurship. The BBC recruits, educates, and funds talented students at Ohio State, and their members are excited by the challenges and opportunities provided by entrepreneurship. Milestones: (00:00:00) …
Summary: Andrew is the Founder & CEO of United Schools Network, which started with just 57 students and one school. The organization has now grown to over 850 students, and their goal is to provide an excellent education to students that normally lack these opportunities so that they can be prepared for college and life …
Summary: Marc Hawk is the CEO/Co-Founder of RevLocal, a digital marketing company with a focus on revolutionizing the local digital marketing industry. Since the company’s inception in 2010, RevLocal has grown quickly – they were on INC 500’s list of fastest growing companies multiple years in a row, and they have been named to numerous, …
Summary: Rita Soronen is the President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption; a national, non-profit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes and loving families for the nearly 155,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven …
Summary: Kenny is the President and CEO of Columbus 2020, which is the economic development organization for the 11 county Columbus region. They work in partnership with state and local entities to generate opportunity and build capacity for economic growth. Prior to Columbus 2020, Kenny accumulated over 20 years of regional economic development and management …
Summary: Dwayne Steward is the Director of Prevention at Equitas Health. Established in 1984, Equitas Health (formerly AIDS Resource Center Ohio), is a regional not-for-profit community-based healthcare system and federally qualified community health center look-alike. Its expanded mission has made it one of the nation’s largest HIV/AIDS, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) healthcare …
Summary: Ruth Milligan is the founder and Managing Director of Articulation. Ruth founded Articulation after producing the first TEDxColumbus event in 2009 – She was looking for speaking and presentation coaches to help train the next group of speakers, and after coming up dry, she decided to create Articulation. She and her team run seminars …
Summary: Chris & Becca Apfelstadt are husband and wife entrepreneurs with two kids. Becca is the Co-Founder and CEO at treetree, The Agency of Special Projects, and Chris is the owner of Light Up Columbus, a company dedicated to installing, maintaining, removing, and storing holiday lighting and decorations for home owners, business owners, and municipalities. …
Summary: Jill Raderstorf is a Partner at Ohio Innovation Fund, which provides venture capital and expertise to enable early-stage Ohio companies to grow and prosper. They’re committed to retaining the best and brightest in Ohio and supporting the creation of the next generation of groundbreaking technologies, companies, and industries. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:40) Facilities …
Summary: Will is the Founding Partner and CEO of Nikola Labs, Inc, a wireless power company with an advantaged far-field technology that converts radio frequency (RF) energy into usable direct current (DC) power. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:39) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:01:09) The SunDown Group (00:01:32) SmallBiz Cares (00:02:09) The Conquering Columbus Startup Package …
Summary: Michelle Reese is the VP, Chief Talent Innovator and Nathan Vega is the Chief Commercial Executive at the Columbus Collaboratory. The Columbus Collaboratory is an analytics and cyber innovation center, funded by seven of the Columbus’ largest firms (AEP, Battelle, Nationwide, OhioHealth, Cardinal Health, Limited Brands, and Huntington Bank). Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:36) …
Summary: The AFCPE, short for Association for Finanical Counseling and Planning Education) is the nationally recognized leader in financial counseling, coaching, and education. They support professionals by providing career advancement and professional development opportunities, including exceptional financial education trainings, the Journal for Financial Counseling & Planning and the Annual AFCPE Research & Training Symposium. Rebecca …
Summary: Linda is the Co-Founder of Pyramid Community Development Corporation (CDC). Pyramid CDC is a non-profit organization created with the goal of lifting individuals out of poverty by providing advanced technology training, workforce development courses, financial literacy, virtual banking, self-development courses, STEM, robotics, and technology programming for youth; along with connecting these residents to self-employment, …
Summary: Kyle O’Keefe is the Director of Innovation and Programs for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). Kyle’s role at SWACO focuses on creating community supported waste reduction and diversion programs that help to build stronger and more resilient communities in central Ohio through environmental, social, and economic stewardship. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks …
Summary: Lindsay and Alex Remley are the owners of Edgework Creative, a millwork, metalwork and design shop located here in the heart of Columbus. They got their start in 2012 creating furniture from reclaimed lumber, and have since expanded their materials and capabilities to millwork and metalwork involving virgin lumber, live edge slabs, reclaimed lumber, …
Summary: Oyauma is the President and CEO at A Kid Again, which for 20+ years has helped restore a sense of normal for families that are caring for a child with a life-threatening illness. A Kid Again hosts year round events to support these families and provide them with memories that will last a lifetime. …
Summary: Rich is the Managing Partner at NCT Ventures, as well as a seasoned entrepreneur and investor. In 1986, Rich founded Digital Storage, Inc. (DSI), while attending The Ohio State University. Since that time he has founded, co-founded, acquired or invested in several more companies under the umbrella of NCT Ventures. Through his capacity as …
Summary: Bill Baumel is the Managing Director of the Ohio Innovation Fund. Bill has spent his career investing in venture capital-backed emerging growth companies, he has more than twenty years of experience, and close ties with a significant network of key Silicon Valley leaders. He was awarded Venture 100 status as one of the top …
Summary: Jim is the President and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association. Before joining the Alumni Association, Jim spent 25-years in the sports and entertainment industry. Some of his roles in that industry included VP & CMO of the Atlanta Falcons, President and General Manager for the Columbus Crew, Associate Athletic Director for …
Summary: Falon Donohue is a community organizer, veteran and the Chief Executive Officer of VentureOhio, a for-impact organization created to facilitate a collaborative statewide entrepreneurial ecosystem and increase access to angel and venture capital for Ohio entrepreneurs. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:32) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:01:00) The SunDown Group (00:01:25) SHARE (00:01:47) The Conquering …
Summary: Stephanie Domas is a driven leader and respected industry authority in healthcare and device cybersecurity. Her passion for cybersecurity, secure product design, and healthcare has earned her industry recognition and presentations at dozens of cybersecurity and healthcare conferences. In her current role, as Vice President of Research & Development at MedSec she leads business …
Summary: Ira is the CEO at Continental Office. Established in 1939, Continental Office is dedicated to improving the quality of life at the workplace. They work with companies to design a workspace from the ground up to fit with company culture and objectives. Ira has been with Continental for 13 years now, and before that …
Summary: John is the General Manager at Willow Works, a family investment fund that focuses on startups. Their team provides investment, consulting, and links startups to their advisor network, which includes previous Conquering Columbus guest, Pamela Springer, as well as several other leaders in the Columbus area. Before Willow Works, John spent time in a …
Summary: Greg Bixler, Ph.D., P.E., is the Co-Founder and CEO of Design Outreach. D.O. focuses on innovative products that improve the lives of the poor and provide better health, education, and employment opportunities. D.O.’s current flagship project, the LifePump, is helping to solve the global water crisis and bring the many benefits of reliable water …
Summary: Dan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ethex.market, a cypto-exchange centered around DApp, one of the first Web3 decentralized applications for trading cryptocurrencies. The Ethex team is also planning the eventual ICO of their own coin, ETX. Milestones: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:36) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:01:06) The SunDown Group (00:01:28) SHARE (00:01:50) The …
Summary: Alex is the former Director of Marketing at SEEN Digital Media, and he’s now the Marketing Director at ICX Media. SEEN was recently acquired by ICX Media, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is revolutionizing the digital media market by enabling data-inspired storytelling; transforming the way video is created, distributed, and monetized. Milestones: …
Summary: Artie Isaac leads peer groups with Vistage Worldwide, the world’s leading chief executive organization. Artie also leads corporate brainstorming and idea generation programs to develop new products and expand productivity. He holds a Professional Coach Certification from the International Coach Federation and certifications from EQ-i, Predictive Index and Myers-Briggs. His continuing education includes the …
Summary: Tim is a Nurse, Entrepreneur, and the Chief Innovation Officer at the OSU College of Nursing. During his time in the healthcare industry, he’s researched a variety of fields including neurosurgical research on Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome and improving patient throughput in the pediatric hematology/oncology ambulatory settings. He’s also an entrepreneur and an innovator, …
Summary: A founding family member of Donatos Pizza, Jane Grote Abell currently holds the title of Chairwoman of the Board. Throughout her many leadership positions, she helped steer the company’s business strategy. In 2003, Jane was a major catalyst behind the decision to purchase Donatos back from McDonald’s. Following the buy back, in December of …
Summary: Bridgeway Academy is a non-profit organization with a mission to inspire the potential and celebrate the ability of every child. Founded by speech-language pathologist Abby David and music therapist Erin Nealy in 2005 as Helping Hands Center for Special Needs, the organization’s goal is to help each child reach his or her highest potential. …
Summary: Rick Malir is President and Co-Founder at City Barbeque. We welcome him back for the second time, this round to focus on community impact and City Barbeque’s goal to shape every community that they’re involved with. Also, Rick buys a goat. Milemarkers: (00:00:00) Opening remarks (00:00:36) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:01:05) The SunDown Group …
Summary: The Gryphon is a legendary mythical creature that is half lion and half eagle, entrusted with the duty to guard and protect treasure and priceless possessions. That is the mission of the Gryphon Financial team as well — to safeguard their clients’ family, business and wealth. They’re committed to consulting and guiding their clients …
Summary: SafeChain believes that property transactions should be seamless and completed within a matter of seconds. The groundbreaking application of blockchain technology within the software behind SafeChain will prevent fraud in real estate transactions. SafeChain has the ability to disrupt the age-old methods of how property transactions have been completed traditionally. They provide services for …
Summary: Ryan is a serial entrepreneur, having launched over 45 new products and companies. Previously he was the President & Founder of ContentVia and the Co-Founder of Pangaea Services, and currently he is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Smart Columbus and the Co-Founder/CEO at SHARE. SHARE is a new ride-share service that helps you plan …
Summary: Tanny is the President and CEO at the Crane Group, which got its start as Crane Plastics in 1947 by her grandfather. Tanny joined the company in 1987, and since then she’s worked along side an amazing team to build a network of local, regional, and global firms in an ecosystem centered around helping …
Summary: Matt Wald is a lifelong information technology enthusiast specializing in business growth and in placing collaboration at the center of innovation, leadership, and accelerated learning. Currently President & CEO of the Columbus Collaboratory, a unique advanced analytics and cybersecurity solutions company, he works with large businesses to harness the power of collaboration to drive …
Summary: Two weeks ago, Brooke Sousa claimed the title World’s Strongest Woman in Norway, competing against 21 other professionals from around the world across 6 different events. Brooke has only been training for Strongwoman competitions for four years, and she’s a mom to two daughters, and a full-time personal trainer! Milemarkers: (00:00:00) The Conquering Columbus …
Summary: Gavin and his co-founder, Tim Ward, met while completing their MBA’s at the Fisher College of Business. They recognized an opportunity to bring a new kind of brewery to Columbus: one that focuses on the EXPERIENCE of brewing. So, in 2011, North High Brewing was born as Columbus’ first and only Brew-on-Premise establishment, where …
Summary: Mark is the President of Cup o’ Joe/Stauf’s Coffee Roasters, a very successful chain of coffee shops in Columbus, Ohio. Milemarkers: (00:00:00) The Conquering Columbus Startup Package (00:00:40) Like, subscribe, and share Conquering Columbus! (00:01:00) The SunDown Group (00:01:22) Voice Metrics (00:02:24) Facilities Management eXpress (FMX) (00:02:55) Do you want to sponsor Conquering Columbus? …
Summary: Tom is the President & CEO of the most active venture fund in the Great Lakes Region, Rev1 Ventures, which combines funding and strategic services to help entrepreneurs build companies. Under Tom’s direction, Rev1 Ventures has evolved from funding just a hand full of companies to producing $1.2B in capital, revenue, and exits since …
Summary: Wayne is the Executive Managing Director at Newmark Knight Frank and has over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Wayne was the Top Producer at his firm for 20 straight years, and he has a lot of great insights into the Columbus real estate market and commercial real estate in …
Summary: Gretchen and Keri are founders and trainers at System of Strength, a gym with three locations across Columbus including Grandview, Dublin, and Clintonville! System of Strength was founded with a focus on getting back to the basics and building a community of “inspiring, like-minded badasses”. Milemarkers: (00:00:00) The Conquering Columbus Startup Package (00:00:45) Like, …
Summary: Jared Friesner is the CEO and founder of Cliff Original – a hair, beard, and skincare company built around creating products from all-natural ingredients. The Cliff Original team believes that being healthy is more than just the food we eat or the miles we run or the sleep we get. It’s also what we …
Summary: Aaron is a Director at Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter, a law firm that counsels companies around the world on everything to do with business and law. Aaron has a wide range of experiences in the law field, and he did his studies at Capital University’s Law School. In addition, he coaches Rugby at …
Summary: Gregory Lehman is the Owner and Distiller at Watershed Distillery in Columbus, Ohio. Gregory graduated from The Ohio State University and the Fisher College of Business with a degree in Operations Management, while also playing for the Varsity Volleyball team. Watershed Distillery is a micro-distillery that crafts high-quality Gin and Vodka. They’re proud to …
Summary: Gary has conquered cancer, he’s the Founder and CEO of Wound Wise IQ, and he’s the CEO and a Leadership Business Coach at Ross Innovations LLC. Additionally, he’s held leadership roles at several companies throughout his career, including heading up a division of 600 people at a Fortune 500 company and holding the CEO …
Summary: Lori is a Principal and the Director of Commercial Studio at M+A Architects in Grandview – She’s played a large part in the precedent-setting Easton Town Center since 1994, and she was a graduate of the Pratt Institute in NYC with a professional degree in architecture. As a member of the International Council of …
Summary: Carrie is a Principal and the Director of Interior Design at M+A Architects in Grandview! Carrie has many years of previous experience in the Design industry, and as the Director of Interior Design she has a wide range of responsibilities including sourcing materials for sustainable builds, staying on top of industry trends, and working …
Summary: Bill is the Chief Sales Officer at 104.9 the River, a licensed radio station serving central Ohio as well as Chillicothe and Newark. Bill has over 20 years of experience in Radio Sales, he’s a graduate of Wizard of Ads Academy, a Certified Radio Marketing Consultant (CRMC, a Certified Digital Marketing Consultant (CDMC), and …
Summary: Fred and Katie are the co-founders of Uprising Capital, a social impact investment firm that brings together market needs, passionate people, investment capital, management expertise, an extensive network, and technology to achieve economic gains and social good. Fred has a wide range of experience in the investment world, having participated in over $27 billion …
Summary: Pete is the founder of CheckFree, which started as an online bill payment company and grew into the largest online banking, payment processing, and business analytics company in the world before selling to Fiserv for $4.4 Billion in 2007. Pete started CheckFree from his grandmother’s basement in 1981, and CheckFree helped put Columbus on …
Summary: Born in Edinboro, Scotland, Stuart Hunter eventually found his way to Columbus, Ohio where he founded the company roll: Bicycle Company. Sparked from a poor experience trying to find a bike for himself, Stuart set out to develop a more user-centric bicycle-buying experience, built on the skills that he gained from years of consumer …
Summary: Alex Fischer is the President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a civic organization of Columbus, Ohio’s top business leaders formed in 2002 to improve the economic and cultural base of central Ohio. He has served on numerous for-profit boards, and is currently serving as Chairman for Nationwide Children’s Hospital amongst other board positions. …
Summary: Ryan Baker is the Principle and one of the founders at Upsourced Accounting, a virtual accounting firm that delivers full service bookkeeping and accounting packages designed to help small businesses grow. They leverage powerful cloud accounting tools (like Xero) to provide real time financial statements and advisory to business owners. In this episode, we …
Summary: Mark Henson is an entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience creating inspired, energized and unusually effective business retreat experiences. He is also the founder of sparkspace and the author of Ordinary Superpowers: Unleash the Full Potential of Your Most Natural Talents. Milemarkers: (00:00:00) Mark Henson, Founder of sparkspace (00:00:30) Like, subscribe, and share Conquering …
Summary: Bill has spoken at over 150 conferences from New York to California, and he’s been featured in over 100 media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and NPR. He’s a serial entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and board member, who frankly, “doesn’t give a d**n about your chair”. Most recently, he became the President …
Summary: Philip Payne is the Principal & Founder at Apportis, a software company that delivers connected health and wellness information to patients and healthcare providers through it’s revolutionary push engine. Prior to starting Apportis, Philip spent time leading branches of several large companies such as MindLeaders (now Skillsoft), Barclays, and AutoSweet; additionally, he holds his …
Summary: Adam & Allie Lehman are husband and wife and the founders of The Wonder Jam, a Columbus based creative agency that’s very good at branding, has a passion for product and food photography, and focuses on building relationships with smaller to midsize businesses! In this episode, we cover their background, path to meeting each …
Summary: Scott Kingsbury and Matt Baxendell are sports fanatics and the founders of Minuteman Tickets. Minuteman Tickets is a ticket brokerage based in Columbus, Ohio and prides itself on great deals, great customer service and great tickets! Moreover, the company is dedicated to doing its part to clean up the ticketing industry & has built …
Summary: Eric Spurling is a West Point graduate, a veteran of the U.S. Army, a former Green Beret & Commanding Officer, and he was the COO and second in command of a 104 person special forces element in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, Eric is one of the Co-Founders of the Alan Morgan Group and has …
Summary: From Jersey to Ohio, from deciphering Taliban messages out of his dorm room in college to turning down an offer directly from Mark Zuckerberg, and from Nationwide to now founding his own company, Wiretap, Jeff Schumann is an interesting individual. Not to mention, he’s extremely intelligent and passionate about making a difference in the …
Summary: Chris Sentz is the CEO @ F13 Works, a company centered around bridging the gap between manufacturers and e-commerce websites. F13 Works provides manufacturers, drop-shippers and order fulfillers of all types with a connection to millions of online stores. Orders from third-party sites will seamlessly enter their production process and payments will be automatically …
Summary: FUSIAN is a Columbus based, startup, fast-casual sushi restaurant with goals to make a significant impact on the world and drive value to their customers and their company. In this episode, we catch up with CEO and Co-Founder, Zach Weprin – Zach takes us through how the company has evolved since its founding in …
Summary: Ken Gold, Chief Executive Officer, has more than 35 years of real estate development and brokerage experience. In that time, he has built a strong reputation as a real estate development professional who brings something different to the table — creative solutions and uncompromising integrity. Not to mention, he’s also a leading real estate professor at …
Summary: Ilya Bodner is a first generation immigrant & a serial entrepreneur with a life vision to simply “build something bigger than himself”. With a goal like that, you can imagine he’s been a part of some really special companies over his life thus far. He graduated from tOSU, started as an insurance agent, and …
Summary: Dave Colina co-founded O2 Oxygenated Natural Recovery drink in Columbus in 2014, because him and his partner were sick of unhealthy sports and energy drinks. With electrolytes, natural caffeine, and added oxygen to help your body process toxins faster, O2 helps you recover from everything you give your all – your workout, your family, …
Summary: Kevin Stoller is the CEO of Kay-Twelve.com, an Author, and a Podcaster. Kay-Twelve.com is passionate about improving learning outcomes, and it drives everything they do as an organization. They help schools, colleges, and corporations create better learning environments. In this episode, Kevin takes us through his childhood, college, MBA, path to helping create Kay-Twelve.com, …
Summary: Amy Franko is a keynote speaker, consultant, and thought-leader in the world of sales and leadership training/development. She is also the Founder and President of Impact Instruction Group, which works with growth-oriented B2B companies to advance sales performance and cultivate future leaders amongst its employees! In the episode, we cover her background, growing up, …
Summary: Sam Havelock is a former U.S. Marine, Former U.S. Navy SEAL, and a serial entrepreneur. As a civilian, he dedicates his time to SOFX, an organization that provides information and connectivity of extreme value to special operators and a global network of high influence people, so that evil may be defeated and suffering averted …
Summary: Nathan is the CEO and one of the Co-Founders at the locally (Columbus, Ohio) based startup, Healthy Roster. Healthy Roster is the only sports medicine injury documentation tool that allows athletic trainers to build deeper relationships with parents and prove school outreach works for their system. The speed and efficiency of Healthy Roster let …
Summary: If you’ve ever been interested in performing at a higher level and getting more out of yourself, this is the episode for you. Tim and Brian Kight are the founders of Focus 3, an organization committed to providing resources that help people perform better, leaders perform better, and businesses perform better. Focus 3 continuously …
Summary: Jordan Miller is the President & CEO Central Ohio at Fifth Third Bank, a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jordan is also a native of Columbus, Ohio, growing up in Milo Grogan. In this episode, he takes us through his childhood, family background, path to the University of Maryland, time serving …
Summary: On this episode of Conquering Columbus we sat down with Blane Walter, who is currently a partner at Talisman Capital Partners. Before joining Talisman, Blane was the founder and CEO of InChord Communications, which he grew to be the largest independently owned Healtcare Communications company in the world. We talk about his journey to …
Summary: Darren and Brad are Managing Members of the, now two, Columbus, Ohio Duck Donuts franchises. Duck Donuts was founded in 2006 by Russ DiGilio in Duck, North Carolina. His intention? To solve a family vacation problem: “Our family wanted a place to buy warm, delicious, made-to-order donuts!, and when we couldn’t find one, we …
Summary: Nick Gesue is the CEO at Columbus, Ohio based Lancaster Pollard, a specialized financial services firm focused on commercial real estate finance for health care, senior living, and affordable multifamily housing properties. Moreover, Nick became the CEO over a 17-year span, climbing the ranks from an entry level intern role! In this episode, Nick …
Summary: Mike Liddy is the Chief Digital Strategist, Creative Director, and Producer at Choptank. Choptank works with companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 to mid-size, while also doing pro-bono work for causes they’re passionate about. They specialize in creating powerful and memorable digital marketing strategies for their clients. In this interview, Mike takes us …
Summary: Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, is director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, chief executive officer of Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, and holder of the John L. Marakas Nationwide Insurance Enterprise Foundation Chair in Cancer Research. He also is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and …
Summary: Steve Weyl is the Founder of ABLE Roof, which he grew to $105M in revenue before exiting the business. Steve’s story is pure entrepreneur from the beginning – He’s a natural visionary in business and has some of the best sales skills you’ll ever hear. In this episode, the takes us through growing ABLE …
Summary: Michael Mapes is the current Chief Executive Officer at Exal Corporation, the global leader in premium aluminum packaging. Before Exal, Michael climbed the ranks of Greif, the global leader in industrial packaging, along with spending sometime as a consultant at McKinsey and Company. Academically, he’s spent time at some of the top schools in …
Summary: Roger Blackwell has been a keynote speaker in over 3,000 business meetings across six continents – He’s a world-renowned marketing expert, and he’s worked with the likes of some of the most highly respected business leaders in the world, including Les Wexner and Jack Welch. Not to mention, he’s an all-around wealth of knowledge …
Summary: Dress for Success Columbus empowers women to regain their dignity, realize their potential, and achieve + retain economic self-sufficiency through innovative and engaging programs. Vicki Bowen Hewes is the CEO of the Columbus branch, and in this episode she takes up through her path to where she is today, how she founded Dress for …
Summary: Kwame Christian is the host of one of the top negotiation podcasts in the country, Negotiate Anything. He’s also the founder and owner of his own law firm, The Law Office of Kwame Christian, a mediator, a public speaker, and all-around just one of the best people you’ll ever meet. In this episode we …
Summary: Nate DeMars is the Founder and CEO of the Columbus, Ohio based company, Pursuit, a company targeted at “suiting the next generation”. In this episode, Nate takes us through his childhood, climbing the corporate ladder, going back for his MBA at The Ohio State University, graduating from his MBA and turning down the corporate …
Summary: Frankie is a former professional soccer player and current brand ambassador for the Columbus Crew SC. Frankie spent 16-years playing soccer professionally, during which he represented the United States in two World Cups and two Olympics, and competed in two MLS Cup Championships (including the Crew SC’s 2008 MLC Cup victory), just to name …
Summary: Dustin Myers and Cory Gregory are lifelong friends, fitness gurus, cofounders of Old School Gym (aka the Midwest Mecca, which has featured the likes of several world-class athletes, including Arnold Schwarzenegger), and part of the founding team of Max Effort Muscle . In this episode we talk about the process of building a brand …
Summary: Lisa Ingram is the President, CEO, and Board Member of one of the most iconic hamburger chains in the country, 95-year-old, 4th-generation, and family owned, White Castle. The brand has been affiliated with the likes of Alice Cooper, The Beastie Boys, and Stan Lee, just to name a few, and it’s even been the …
Summary: As a first generation entrepreneur himself, Randy Gerber knew the challenges of starting his own company, and he knew entrepreneurs needed a partner to help them through the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial journey. In this episode, Randy talks about why he founded Gerber, LLC, and how they are helping first generation entrepreneurs …
Summary: Alex Frommeyer is the Founder and CEO of Beam Dental, a Columbus based dental company that employs a unique and state-of-the-art approach to dental coverage. In this episode, Alex takes us through his childhood years, where he initially discovered his passion for building things, his time in college where he built his first company …
Summary: Mark Fazzina is the Principal at Executive Search Partners, which specializes in recruiting c-level positions for companies across Central Ohio and abroad. Mark specifically focuses on the financial sector, filling roles in accounting, banking, finance, and more. In this episode Mark takes us through his childhood and upbringing, his collegiate experience, his path to …
Summary: Rick Malir is the President and Co-Founder of the nationwide barbeque chain, City BBQ! If you can breakdown who Rick is into just a few lines, he grew up on a rural farm in Kansas, and when asked how he felt about the words ‘live uncomfortably’ he responded “…in life, never be satisfied, you …
Summary: The CEO and Founder of the Columbus Idea Foundry, a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Lehigh University, and an all around passionate about knowledge and life individual, Alex Bandar joins us on this episode of Conquering Columbus – Alex talks with us about his childhood and learning to be curious about the …
Summary: Cameron Mitchell is a household name in Columbus, Ohio for delivering some of the finest dining experiences the city has to offer. Not to mention, he’s the epitome of going from the bottom to the top, building a nationwide restaurant empire that does more than $100 million in sales annually and a few billion …
Summary: On this episode of Conquering Columbus we sat down with Zachary Traxler, CEO and Founder of Traxler Printing LLC. Zach walks us through his journey, from his upbringing in Athens, Ohio, to struggling with addiction in High School, and wrapping up with how he built Traxler Printing on the mantra of Buy Local Buy …
Summary: Chet Scott and his team at Built to Lead are leadership and development coaches for some of the most influential leaders across the city of Columbus and abroad. In this episode, Chet takes us through his path to creating Built to Lead, which involved a long stint at Columbus founded CompuServe, how to find …
Summary: Ever wonder what it’s like to take over a family business with no business experience? Have you ever been curious about the path that the peanuts in your peanut butter take before they make it into your kitchen? (hint: it’s way more technical than you’ll ever guess) What about what it’s like running a …
Summary: Mike Lanese is a former Ohio State football player under direct coaching of Jim Tressel, a graduate from the University of Oxford, a Navy Veteran, a member of the Army Reserves, and a serial tech-entrepreneur here in Columbus, Ohio. In this episode we cover it all with Mike, with a heavy focus on his …
Summary: Joe Anstine is the Co-Founder & CEO of PriorAuthNow, a company dedicated to changing the fragmented and broken process of prior authorizations in the personal healthcare space (and single-handedly putting the fax machine industry out of business). With no previous experience or background in healthcare, Joe has grown himself into an expert in the …
Summary: On this episode we sit down with Dr. Steve Smith of Smith Facial Plastics. Dr. Smith is a graduate of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Men’s Varsity Wrestling team. He then went onto attend medical school at The Ohio State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. …
Summary: Raised by a father who’s an executive of the 2nd largest insurance company in the world, Andrew took his own stab at the corporate world after graduating law school. He climbed the ranks quickly, but it didn’t take long for him to realize it wouldn’t be his place forever, and when 2008 struck Andrew …
Summary: Kip Morse, President of the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio, sits down with us to tell us his personal story & path to the BBB of Central Ohio, what exactly the BBB does, who it does it for, why it does what it does, and everything in between! Mile Markers: (00:00:00) Kip Morse …
Summary Andy Barth is a graduate of Columbia University, Summa Cum Laude while being a contributing & well-accomplished member of the Men’s Varsity Wrestling Team. Andy also received his MBA from Columbia, and he is now the President of one of largest Investment Management companies in the world. These days he splits his time between …
Summary: We sit down with Senior Vice President of The Ohio State University, Gene Smith, to talk about his background and childhood, his experiences playing college football, his path to a career in athletic administration, how he excelled in his career through simple practices like sticking to his values / constantly differentiating himself / and …
Summary: President Drake sits down with Conquering Columbus to discuss his path from Chancellor at UC Irvine to becoming president at the Ohio State University. The president tells us about his early career as a doctor and clinic chief, as well as shares the story of what it was like to be at the festival …
Summary: The Columbus Marathon is one of the most well-run marathons in the mid-west, and that world-class experience is orchestrated by a world-class team, backed by Mr. Darris Blackford. On this episode, we sit down with Darris as he takes us through his childhood, experiences as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch and traveling the …
Summary: Coyte Cooper is an expert on many things, but in the grand scheme of things he just flat out understands people, inside-and-out. In this episode Coyte talks with us briefly about his life and path to reaching an elite level in a D1 NCAA sports program, achieving his Ph.D, how to properly set and achieve your goals, …
Summary: Heather Whaling was just awarded the 2016 Ohio Valley EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, falling right behind MailChimp for her respected category, and she’s the President & Founder of Geben Communication. In this episode we talk with Heather about her background, path leading up to starting her first company, Geben Communication, what the …
Summary: With a focus on “average is just not that interesting” and “what you put into business and life you get out”, Lisa Stein and Pam Springer are two of the most elite entrepreneurs in the city of Columbus, and they’ve recently combined their talents to build & grow Oris Intelligence, LLC. In this episode …
Summary: In this episode we sit down with current President & CEO of Wolfe Insurance Group to talk about his path from playing college basketball at Capital University, to eventually completely buying out his dad from the company he built from scratch and recently acquiring one of the most historic homes in Ohio. Wes takes …
Summary: A nice little chat with Rise Brands (16-Bit Bar & Arcade and Pins Mechanical) Founder, Troy Allen – Troy tells us about his path from designing highly flammable, and possibly explosive, snow globes to creating several successful companies like Elevate Thinking & Rise Brands. Troy is a very creative mind, who thinks about things …
Summary: We talk with Chris Warner, one of the world’s most accomplished mountain climbers, CEO of a company that serves over 1 millions customers a year, and an Emmy nominated filmmaker. Chris has climbed nearly all of the world’s tallest peaks, and is one of less than 400 humans to have made the summit of …
Summary: We sit down with the CEO of the Columbus, Ohio based company, Air Force One. Air Force One has hundreds of employees, has been around since 1984, and is known for delivering superior service & quality to all of their customers in the facilities services space. Greg’s father, Bill, founded the company here in …
Summary: President of Fast Switch, one of the fastest growing, privately-held, IT staffing companies in the nation, sits down with us to to talk about his childhood, high school with experience with classmate Brad Pitt, path to an MBA at the University of Michigan, growing his current company, Fast Switch, from $5-million/year in revenue to …
Summary: Interim Director at Connects Columbus, Founder of the Small Business Beanstalk, Partner at Atlas Community Partners, and proclaimed (by former guest Steve Weaver) “Connector of Everyone” (Timothy) Wolf Starr sits down with us to talk about his path from dropping out of college to establishing himself as a high-level leader in several businesses before …
Summary: Former Ohio State NCAA & Big Ten Champion in Men’s Gymnastics, 3x World Team Member, World Medalist, Certified Personal Trainer, and Fitness Cover Model, Brandon Wynn, sits down with us to talk about this path to finding the sport of gymnastics, reaching the pinnacle of the sport, and what his goals are for the …
Summary: Dr. Gayle Gordillo, MD sits down to talk with us about her path to becoming one of the country’s premier researchers and practitioners in the field of plastic surgery. From her start at Stanford to her path to Columbus, we cover Dr. Gordillo’s childhood, what helped drive her through some of the most grueling academic …
Summary: Nancy Kramer, Founder & Chairman of Resource/Ammirati, which was recently acquired by IBM, takes us through the journey of creating one of the largest independently owned digital marketing agencies in the country. We cover everything from Nancy’s childhood and family, to landing Apple as her first customer and what her life is like today …
Summary: Director of Operations for some of Columbus’ hottest spots, including Forno, Standard Hall, and Pint house, Reed Woogerd, sits down with us. Reed takes us through his earlier days, his life under an entrepreneurial father, his wildcard trip to New Zealand, and his path to meeting Chris Corso & helping create and grow Corso …
Summary: Joe DeLoss, Founder & Head Fryer at Hot Chicken Takeover, sits down with us to talk about his background, business successes/failures leading up to Hot Chicken Takeover, the “why” behind creating Hot Chicken Takeover, what his hiring process is like and how he separates those to bring on the team vs those to not, …
Summary: In honor of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and in celebration of The Black Lens recently winning the Grand Prize at the Self Published eBook Awards, we welcome Columbus-based author, Christopher Stollar. Christopher has an extensive background in journalism, which he has leveraged over the last 5-years to write an award winning …
Summary: Wil is a serial entrepreneur who started his first company at the ripe age of 19 years old. Since then he’s had numerous successful exits, most with very strong returns, and runs one of the world’s largest startup platforms, startups.co. On this episode we cover a bit of his life story, his take on …
Summary: Co-Founder of TrashCab LLC, a valet recycling service for businesses, apartments, and condominiums sits down with us to discuss his journey from studying accounting at Notre Dame to starting his own business. We cover everything from how studying accounting & Brennan’s first job out of college played a crucial in his ability to start …
Summary: A Harvard graduate & an all around-brilliant individual, Greg Ubert takes us through the creation of Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea from ideation to present day. Greg’s idea started fairly simple with a go-to-market approach of wholesale distribution, but has since evolved to a somewhat “specialty coffee shop consultant” of sorts, by still focusing …
Summary: On this episode we sit down with another wrestling alum and Co-Founder of FloSports, Martin Floreani. Martin takes us through his first few business attempts in college, where some failed and some dissipated on behalf of an unclear vision, up through the founding and creation of the multi-million dollar (and growing) sports media company, …
Summary: We sit down with UFC Welterweight and MusclePharm sponsored athlete, Matt Brown, to talk about his transition from training and living in Columbus, to training and living in Colorado, his battle with drug addiction growing up and how he survived a near-death heroin overdose experience, his fighting career up until now with MMA and …
Summary: On this episode we were fortunate enough to sit down with Definitive Homecare Solutions (DHS) Founder, Stuart Crane. With the help of his partner, Stuart bootstrapped their company to a $43 million exit, and split the cash right down the middle. There’s something special and inspiring about the story of their successful company, maybe …
Summary: Unfortunately, Mike had to miss out on this episode due to unforeseen circumstances, but Josh was fortunate enough to sit down with Jungle Jack Hanna and capture a great look inside the life and mind of the Columbus Zookeeper and TV Personality. Jack is one of the most authentic people you’ll ever meet, and …
Summary: On this episode we sit down with Ryan Frederick: Principal at AWH, Director at Startup Grind (Columbus), Advisor at Rev1 Ventures, Advocate at i.c.stars, Principal at Stepside Co. LLC, and an all-around household name in the Columbus startup community! We cover everything from Ryan’s background (up to where he is today), his current role …
Summary: On this episode we sit down with Nichole Dunn, CEO of The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio. Nichole Dunn talks about how she got to where she is today, what The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio stands for, the initiatives that they’re involved in, some of the things we as a community in Columbus can …
Summary: On this episode we were fortunate enough to catch up with Pelotonia’s CEO, Doug Ulman – Doug is a 3x cancer survivor, former collegiate athlete, graduate of Brown University, creator of a very successful non-profit (The Ulman Cancer Fund), former CEO/President of Livestrong, and the current CEO of Pelotonia; not to mention, Doug (which …
Summary: On this episode we sit down with Serial Social Entrepreneur, CEO of CleanTurn, and candidate for OH State Representative, Mr. John Rush. John is an extremely intelligent individual that is well versed in a variety of fields – During our time together we cover how to create a successful social enterprise (from raising money, …
Summary: In this episode, we interview former Division 1 NCAA Wrestling Champion and openly gay male, Mike Pucillo. Mike is one of the most accomplished wrestlers to ever set foot on an Ohio State Wrestling mat. In high school, he was a 4 time OHSAA state placer, 3 time finalist, and a 189 lbs State …
Summary: On today’s episode we’re fortunate enough to sit down with Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Some of the key areas we cover are Jeni’s childhood, how crucial her sense of smell has been in her life, how she made it into Ohio State with a hand-written letter (in pencil), how …
Summary: We sit down with Vegan, Health Blogger, and our Webmaster’s (Joe) WIFE, Sara Grandominico, to talk about the benefits of a plant-based diet, growing a successful blog and social media following built around your passion, and the keys to living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining that lifestyle with a busy schedule. Timeline: 00:00 Intro …
Summary: “What problems do you want to solve? What do you love doing? Who do you want to be around?”… This week we’re fortunate enough to sit down with Talent Partner at Drive Capital, Robert Hatta – Robert holds experiences from some of the most successful startups (or at least what once were) in the …
Summary: You’re sitting in the space shuttle for the first time ever and it begins to countdown from 10, what’s going through your mind? We received the amazing privilege to sit down with veteran, U.S. Astronaut, and all-around extraordinary individual, Captain Dominic Gorie. In this episode, we cover everything from the thoughts that went through …
Summary: Water, Hunger, and Human-Trafficking – Nobody should die of preventable water-borne diseases, nobody should starve to death, and nobody should lack freedom. We sit down with Kenny Sipes, the Founder of The Roosevelt Coffeehouse here in Columbus, Ohio to talk about his (faith-based) leap from a trusted & sustainable career into entrepreneurship, all inspired …
Summary: From Princeton grad & military helicopter pilot, to running 7 marathons in the Sahara desert and recovering from losing over a billion dollars in the 2008 crisis, Mr. Mike Novogratz takes us through his life journey. We also cover how athletics, primarily the sport of wrestling, helped shape him into the man he is …
Summary: On probably one of the most fun episodes we’ve had to date we sit down with good friends, Alex and Lacey Picazo, to talk about their unique paths to entrepreneurship, what it took to create several successful and sustainable businesses, focusing on providing value in all aspects of your life to open up opportunities, …
Summary: How to break ties with business partners that you care about, start a company from the ground up, and turn a company into something sustainable are just a few of the topics that we cover with Blake Compton, founder of Compton Construction, on this episode. Compton Construction has evolved itself into one of the …
Summary: We sit down with Mike Sorboro, Founder and CEO of Mikey’s Late Night Slice, to talk about his path to Columbus, the story of his restaurant, and what the future looks like for him and Late Night Slice. Show Mile Markers: 00:00 – Patreon support & Conquering Columbus intro 02:30 – Typical day in …
Summary: Tommy Rowlands, a former USA Wrestling National Team member and Buckeye, as well as the current VP of Sales at R.S. Hanline Co, joins Josh and Mike to discuss leadership, the value of hard work, and being obsessed with reaching your potential. Episode Milemarkers: 01:05 – Josh tells a little about Tommy Rowlands 03:30 …
Summary: Dr. Allen Proctor, Founder and Principal of Linking Mission to Money discusses Social Enterprise in Columbus and how Non-Profits need to change their mindsets in order to better succeed in their missions. We also discuss the power small businesses have to create change in their local communities. Episode Milemarkers: 00:00 – Intro 03:45 – …
Summary Jeff Wilkins is an extraordinary business leader, speaker, and all around individual. We talk with him about his journey creating one of the most monumental companies not only in Columbus history, but in the history of the internet. Jeff also shares with us his thoughts on success in life and living a healthy, meaningful …
Summary: Josh and Mike sit down with Kevin Harrington, who created the infomercial and was one of the original sharks from CNBC’s show Shark Tank. Take a listen as they ask Kevin a few questions about his life and experiences in business and the world. Show Milermarkers: 00:00 – Intro 02:10 – What does Kevin’s …
Summary: In this episode we sit down with 2 of the coolest dudes we’ve ever met, Zach Weprin and Stephan Harman, to talk about their journey (along with Zach’s brother, Josh) to create the restaurant chain Fusian. Fusian is now at 9 locations and growing across Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. We cover everything from the …
Summary: Jay Clouse, Founder of MarketOSU and COO of Tixers, joins Josh and Mike to talk about founding a company and his current role as COO at Tixers. He gives some great advice on building your networking skills, and how continuously putting yourself in front of new people creates a positive feedback loop that leads …
Summary In this episode, Columbus based Olympians Tervel Dlagnev and Kyle Snyder talk about their upbringing, path to finding wrestling, what aspects drew them to wrestling, how they’ve been able to reach the pinnacle of the sport, the battles they’ve faced along the way, and much more! Some of the key topics covered in the …
How can businesses be for-profit but still give back to their communities? Starting from a garage in Columbus, Andrew and Natasha, CoFounders of Outfit Good, have grown their business over 200% annually the last 3 years, all while giving 50% of their profits back to causes in their local community. Hear their story and learn …
Take a journey inside the life and mind of James Lawrence as he accomplishes the impossible. James has set three world records so far during his lifetime – the first was an accident, the second wasn’t enough, and the third was downright impossible. In this episode you’ll get to hear how the Iron Cowboy became …
Your business burns to the ground… so you go to lunch? Steve Weaver, who founded the Candle Lab with his wife in 2006, joins Josh and Mike to talk about starting his business in Columbus, and how it has grown from just a single shop in Worthington to a 7-figure business with multiple locations throughout …
Introduction to Mike, Joe, and Josh. Why did we create Conquering Columbus? What’s the mission of Conquering Columbus? and more!