EQUITY BANK - DOSE OF LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW SERIES

Jared Peterson began working at Vermillion in 2009 as a Sales Associate, specializing in sales of wire harness and custom cable for the aerospace and defense industries.

He quickly rose through the ranks and became Director of Manufacturing Operations in 2014.  During that time, Jared worked closely with the former president and in 2017, the president retired, leaving Jared at the helm.

Jared went to Douglass High School and graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  He is on the Executive Committee of the Wichita Manufacturers Association, where he is the publicity co-chair.

Vermillion specializes in custom-made cables and shielding built to meet a vast number of MIL-Spec requirements for applications in the Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as for General Aviation and OEM applications.

For over 50 years, Vermillion has provided the military and aerospace industry with high-quality harness assemblies.

View Jared's Post at DoseofLeadership

Victor Lukic joined Great Plains Industries as president in November of 2012 following the unexpected death of Grant Nutter. Vic has extensive experience in companies which manufacture proprietary products. He has work in companies of varied sizes and in diverse industries from truck bodies to cabinets to pumps.

Vic has degrees in both Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering. Since arriving at GPI Vic has initiated lean programs, assembled an innovation team and led a re-branding effort. Vic really enjoys getting out and spending time with current and potential customers.

When Vic isn’t at work you may see him out running, attending the soccer games of son Jack or dance recitals of his daughter Victoria. Vic and his wife Julie enjoy traveling but mostly they love the local family life.

Founded in 1972 and privately-held, Great Plains Industries, Inc. is respected globally for its high-quality fuel transfer pumps, fuel meters, flow-meters and Industrial instrumentation for fluid transfer pump and liquid flow-meter markets around the world.

Great Plains Industries’ products are manufactured in the U.S.A. by more than 200 employees.

Great Plains Industries is headquartered in Wichita, Kan., with locations in Sydney and Mexico City.

View Victor's Post at DoseOfLeadership.com

Syndeo is a Kansas-based, independently owned human resources company.

The Syndeo family of companies is made up of Syndeo Outsourcing — a full-service human resources outsourcing (HRO) provider, Syndeo Payroll Solutions — a full-service payroll services provider, and Syndeo Staffing — a full-service recruiting and staffing services provider.

While all of these options are available to companies, these branches of Syndeo provide targeted solutions for every client.

Bill Maness. Entrepreneur. Dedicated. Loyal. Fiercely competitive. Demonstrative.

All very descriptive of this high performing bundle of energy, but don’t be fooled by his burly exterior.

Everyone who works at Syndeo knows he just a big ole softy.

Bill is committed to driving Syndeo’s growth into the future and looking forward to enjoying the ride getting there.

View Bill's Post at DoseOfLeadership.com

Bud Gates has served as Chairman and CEO of Easygates, LLC, from March 2007 to present. In addition, he serves as President and CEO of Gates Enterprises, Inc., 1985 to present.

Gates was owner and operator of Rent-A-Center and ColorTyme franchises from 1996 to 2006 and Pizza Hut franchises from 1985 to 2007. The company owned and operated Heroes Sports Bar and Grill in Wichita, Kansas from 1991 to present, and has owned and operated various other businesses in the past.

Mr. Gates served as Deputy Chief Executive of THORN Group, THORN EMI’s worldwide organization of rental companies which employed 20,000 people in 20 countries and he was a member of the THORN Executive Committee.

As Chairman and CEO of THORN Americas, Inc., 1992 to 1996, he was responsible for rental operations of THORN EMI plc in the Americas (including Rent-A-Center) and the Asia-Pacific region. He held the title of President of Rent-A-Center, Inc. in 1986 and added the title of CEO upon THORN EMI plc acquiring Rent-A-Center in 1987.

From 1979 to 1985, Mr. Gates was an executive of Pizza Hut, Inc., a Division of PepsiCo, Inc. He held various marketing roles within Pizza Hut, culminating in the role of Senior Vice President of Marketing.

Mr. Gates began his career with PepsiCo in its Wilson Sporting Good division in Chicago, IL in the Team Sports Group ultimately heading up the company’s athletic footwear business.

Mr. Gates received a B.S. cum laude with a major in mathematics and a minor in physics from the State University of New York (Albany). He received a Master of Education from Boston University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Jon Rolph was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. After graduating from Baylor University, he worked for the National Student Leadership Forum in Washington D.C.

In 2002, he moved back to Wichita to work in his family’s business, Sasnak Management, where he is now the President. Sasnak owns and operates over 60 Carlos O’Kelly’s and Applebee’s across 10 states, along with two breakfast concepts in Wichita - The Good Egg and HomeGrown. Jon currently serves as co-chair of The Greater Wichita Partnership, and on the board of Intrust Bank and the CEO Forum.

Jon has served as the Chairman of Visioneering Wichita and has sat on the boards of the Wichita Children’s Home, United Way of the Plains, the YMCA, and the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, among others.

Jon and his wife, Lauren, have been married for 12 years and have five children: Emma, Olivia, David, Peter, and Austin.

Teresa Lovelady joined the HealthCore Clinic (formerly Center for Health and Wellness) as President and Chief Executive Officer in March 2011. Teresa has been a medical patient at the Center since 2003 and served as a consumer board member since May 2009. She brought a wealth of experience to the board as a patient and as a professional in the mental health field.

Previously, Ms. Lovelady served as the Vice President of Prevention and Advocacy at the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas. Teresa has served on many taskforces, coalitions and committees including National Mental Health America, Visioneering Wichita, African-American Coalition, the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas, Wichita State University, Wichita Public Schools (several site councils and parent teacher organizations), Social Rehabilitation Services (SRS) statewide review of disparities in the child welfare system, and COMCARE in addressing needs of disadvantaged persons, particularly children.

Teresa has demonstrated leadership and excellence by being a team player willing to negotiate and mediate for “win/win” situations and serving as a positive role model within the community.

Ronnie Leonard is the President and CEO of Balco, Inc., a local manufacturing company. She has been with Balco for 22 years-16 years as the CFO and the past 6 years as CEO.

Ronnie graduated from Wichita State University in 1987 and worked for Baird, Kurtz & Dobson as a CPA for 5 years and as a controller for NPC, a local manufacturer, for 5 years.

Ronnie serves as a member of the Fairy Godmothers, a women’s community organization that provides scholarships for women at Wichita State University. She also currently serves as the treasurer for Kansas Global Trade Services and the assistant treasurer for the Ninnescah Sailing Association

VISIT BALCO.COM

Dan McKenzie is the CEO of Ensignal Inc as well as CFO of Golden Wheat Inc. Ensignal began in 2000, with an acquisition of a 14 store operation headquartered in Steamboat Springs Colorado.

Over the ensuing time frame, Ensignal has grown into sizeable regional Verizon Premium agent, with 94 locations in eight states.

The company’s primary market focus has always been in the rural markets of the west.

For strategic reasons, Ensignal has intentionally avoided putting store operations in Kansas. Current employee count is in the 350-365 range.

Dan believes success comes from having a strong and consistent focus on three key areas:

Knowledge is the most vital component of success. Knowledge of your industry, your product, your peer companies, and competitors is critical. Knowledge of acquisition targets, not only the company but the executives—their interests, their aspirations, their personalities…all these are critical. Knowledge of your employee’s abilities, where they need development, when they need confidence, when is the right time for them to “fail”. Failure is the best tool to teach leaders. Assist them in learning and understanding the difference between ego and ability.

Objectivity in decision making is the second component of success. Separating emotions, opinions and organizational politics away from decision making is difficult, but critical to maintaining successful organizations. Creating objectivity in decision making is difficult to do, and very difficult to maintain as organizations grow larger.

Ethics and Values is the final key. Knowledge can be gained through intensive learning and teaching. The ability to become objective in decision making can also be learned through example and consistency in decision making. Ethics and values, however, are deeper ingrained in personalities. Core beliefs of what is right versus wrong, fairness in dealing with delicate situations, and most importantly, the ability to acknowledge your own mistakes and shortfalls are the final piece to success. The inability of leaders to see, or even acknowledge their mistakes has led to many spectacular failures not only in business but when you look back at history, the same faults in world leaders have changed the course of the world.

Karyn Page is recognized at the local, state, and national level for her expertise on export promotion and export ecosystem development in both private and public sectors.

She consults small businesses and communities across multiple industries on trade strategy, advocacy, compliance, market entry, and identifying global opportunities.

Ms. Page currently serves as President and CEO of Kansas Global Trade Services, a full-service trade advisory firm, helping companies and cities leverage their capabilities and global reach.

Kansas Global was honored in 2017 with the Presidential Award for Export Service, recognizing four consecutive years of sustained commitment to export expansion that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.

Ms. Page is a graduate of Georgetown University with a Global MBA and a graduate of Wichita State University with a BS in Business Administration, in international business and economics.

She is also a certified Global Business professional. As the current chair of Industry Trade Advisory Committee 9, a unique public-private partnership jointly managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of United States Trade Representative, she engages business leaders in formulating U.S. trade policy.

Ms. Page is also the chair of the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Freight Committee, 2016 - present. Ms. Page currently serves on the World Trade Council Board, Friends University - Global MBA Advisory Board, and the Wichita State University Management Department Advisory of the W. Frank Barton School of Business. She also serves on the Wichita Airport Advisory Board (2014-present) and is a member of the Greater Wichita Partnership’s Strategic Advisory Team on Economic Development, the State International Development Organization (SIDO), the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Committee, and Wichita Downtown Rotary.

In 2014, Ms. Page led the effort to create regional Export and Foreign Direct Investment plans including best-in-practice performance metrics. To date, through the plan’s hallmark export ecosystem, small businesses have achieved tens-of-millions of dollars in new exports and earned the region recognition as a top exporter in the nation.

Her agility to embrace change and harness the strengths of others allows her to execute on big ideas. She is a frequent guest speaker at universities, organizations, and conferences, and regularly works with media and elected officials on the nuances of international trade practice and policy.

She makes time to read to elementary students through Rotary’s Reading is Fundamental program.

Married to Mark Paolucci and mother to 20-year old daughter Kaitlynn, she enjoys time with family and friends – especially while in the kitchen or traveling.

Trevor is a proven, results-oriented entrepreneur with a passion for innovation & empowering others. His extensive background in sales and marketing provides him with the experience to develop products and implement his strategic vision in innovative ways. Trevor is currently President of Buddy Brands, a vertically integrated pet products company he founded in 2011. Buddy Brands makes solution based products under several different brands in the pet industry including BuddyRest, Natural Doggie, Pup IQ, Tough Pup, and SitStay. In addition to those brands, they also develop and manufacture pet products for other companies like Airstream, Wayfair, Gunner Kennels, and more. Outside of work, Trevor enjoys spending time traveling, coaching youth basketball and finding adventures with his beautiful family.

Michelle Becker is the Founder & CEO of Profit Builders Inc.  Founded in 1994, Profit Builders is an industry leader in Outsource Accounting specializing in a full platform of accounting services.

Profit Builders is proud to support leading Small to Mid-Size businesses across 40 states. Their areas of specialty include Restaurant, Health Care, Construction and Agriculture.

Profit Builders is known for working closing with business owners; becoming the eyes and ears for their clients so they can make effective & profitable decisions.

Michelle's career started at Pizza Hut Corporate where she worked in Real Estate Tax, Restaurant Accounting and finished her stint there as a Senior Budget Analyst. She worked part-time prior to starting PBI installing accounting systems in the Wichita area for Professional Software. Both of those opportunities have been very instrumental in building her entrepreneurial & leadership success story at Profit Builders.

Allen Fee serves as President of Fee Insurance Group.

Mr. Fee also serves as Director at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, Inc.

He has served as chairman for several organizations including the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, United Way, Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce.

He began his career with the family business upon graduating from KU in 1984.

Fee Insurance Group provides innovative solutions for individuals and businesses of all sizes regarding insurance, risk management, and benefits.

As a 3rd generation family-owned business committed to transitioning to the 4th generation, Fee Insurance Group understands the traditional values that are important to families and business.

Their culture is based on delivering a great customer experience with a personal touch in a high-tech world. They deeply know who they work for, and the delivery of value-based recommendations is what drives their success.

Jeff Lange embodies the spirit of the Kansas Entrepreneur.

A native Kansan, Jeff first learned the excitement and perils of owning a business by growing up with a family farm business.

Jeff’s next experience came when he pursued a career in real estate and eventually opened Lange Real Estate.

In 1998, he and a partner entered the storage business. A few years later, he bought out his partner to become the sole owner of A Box 4 U, now RedGuard, a company that initially focused on providing temporary and mobile storage solutions that now has become the leading authority in blast-resistant buildings.

Jeff attributes his success to basic principles and values.  Jeff demands that each team member and project be: Ethical, Passionate, Dedicated, and Professional. Jeff is a firm believer in teamwork, where each team member’s entrepreneurial spirit becomes a driving force for success.

For Jeff, it's all about leveraging each team member's strengths and talents to provide exceptional service.

Dr. Sheree Utash has served as president of Wichita Area Technical College (WATC) since 2015 and has overseen the transition of the college to the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech).

Prior to that she served eight years at the college as vice president of academic affairs. With 6,500 students, WSU Tech is the largest technical college in Kansas and acts as managing partner for the National Center for Aviation Training.

Dr. Utash offers a unique blend of teaching, administrative and leadership experience in both higher ed and private industry. She has provided administrative oversight for the college's academic programs, with emphases in manufacturing, aviation, design, IT, specialized trades, health care and general education.

Dr. Utash has overseen faculty, grants management, adult literacy, academic planning and resource management. Her role involved the formation and leadership of the lead institution for the National Aviation Consortium, a $15 million grant project with direct working relationships with two-year colleges in five states. Additionally, Utash has managed and facilitated the college’s last self-study with its major accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, North-Central Association.

Utash earned her Ed.D Community College Leadership at National American University, a Master of Arts, Liberal Studies in Communication / Education / Sociology from Wichita State University and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism / Marketing from Kansas State University.

Steve Werner is the CEO & Founder of Lawn Buddy, an on-demand lawn care service, that connects lawn care providers, "lawntrepreneurs", to homeowners, via a user-friendly app and website.

Werner says the technology has evolved into an operating system for lawn and snow-removal services, and it's starting to be used in other industries.

Werner describes his company and his leadership/entrepreneurship journey in this episode.

We explore how his time in the United States Marines has helped and hindered his progress.

You can learn more about his website here, and connect with Steve via LinkedIn.

This show is brought to you by our sponsor Equity Bank.

Scott Schwindaman has been president and CEO at Lubrication Engineers since 2007, having started as a laboratory technician in 1981 while he was still in college and working his way up through the ranks.

Today, he oversees a company that has more than 100 employees in the U.S. and a large network of independent consultants and distributors who sell LE products and services worldwide.

Since 1951, Lubrication Engineers has manufactured and distributed high-performance lubricants made of highly refined base oils and proprietary additives.

To complement its lubricants, LE offers a full line of lubrication reliability products and services. LE’s domestic facilities include a manufacturing facility, laboratory, warehouse and office in Wichita, Kan.; a sales and technical support office in Fort Worth, Texas; and warehouses in Knoxville, Tenn., and Las Vegas, Nev.

Throughout his time at the company, Scott’s hard work and initiative have propelled him from his original lab position to research assistant, R&D manager, quality control manager, assistant plant manager, plant operations manager, plant manager, and executive vice president.

He also serves as vice president of Alpha BioSystems, Inc., a small upstart company that manufactures all-natural, nontoxic products for improving soil health and yielding stronger crops and vegetation.

Scott recently finished his term as the 2017 chairman of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. He founded and is a board member of the Chamber’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. He is on the executive board of the Greater Wichita Partnership (GWP) and was instrumental in the formation of two Wichita business initiatives: the Entrepreneurial Task Force and the e2e Accelerator / Incubator. He is on the executive board of Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA), serving as treasurer; and is a member of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE).

Scott has a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from Wichita State University and has completed master’s level business courses at WSU in addition to other executive business training.

He and his wife, Janet, have three grown children and seven grandchildren. Scott and his family raise, train and breed horses at their Cowskin Creek Clydesdale Farm in Goddard, Kan.

Clint Whitney is CEO and President of Superior Tool Service (STS) headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. STS began operations in 1987 and, today, serves more than 400 machine shops worldwide utilizing state-of-the-art CNC tool grinding machines to manufacture precision quality cutting tools.

Clint, from Clearwater, Kansas, began grinding tools for STS in 1998 and owns the company with his wife, Christie, and Buddy Harrison. All three work inside the company.

Clint has used his background of mechanic schooling and his apprenticeship of grinding as the catalyst to grow the company and seek out new services and products to offer.

Since his start of running the company in October 2014, they have added STS Supply, a distribution company, and STS Coatings, a PVD coating center, and STS Firearms, a firearm modification company.

With this expanded growth they have doubled the number of employees and sales. He believes using his passion for constant learning and pushing others out of their comfort zone, has contributed to their success. Visit SuperiorToolService.com for more information.

Julie Huber joined Equity Bank in January 2003 and currently oversees mergers and acquisition integration and major projects for the $4.0-billion bank in her role as Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives.

Julie began her banking career with Peoples Bank and Trust in McPherson, Kansas, and soon supervised retail, operations, compliance, training and security functions for Sunflower Bank over 8 years.

She has been a member of Equity Bank's senior leadership team since the bank's inception, serving roles in human resources, retail, finance, training, and compliance, as well as two years as Chief Risk Officer, 4 years as Chief Credit Officer, and the last two years in her current role.

Julie is an alumnus of McPherson College, with B.A. degrees in Business Administration and History and also earned an MBA from Baker University. She graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 2006 and was honored by the Wichita Business Journal as a class member of “40 under 40” in 2008 and Women In Business in 2013.

Julie is a 2012 graduate of the Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK), sponsored by the Kansas Bankers Association.

Julie has previously served as President for the Andover Advantage Foundation in Andover, Kansas, and currently serves as a Board Trustee for McPherson College.

A restaurant operator to the core, Scott loves the sights, sounds and smells of a well-run restaurant.

Growing up in St. Louis, he got his start in the restaurant business at age 15 catering events for groups of two to 6000.

Paying his way through college by managing a steakhouse, he earned a degree in restaurant and hotel management. Redler moved to Minneapolis and then Washington, DC, to manage a 5-star restaurant.

Back in St. Louis, he launched his first restaurant as a sole proprietor—a quick-service Chinese food concept called Shanghai Charlie’s.

After selling that, he moved back to DC to serve as Executive Vice-President for the American Café. Scott eventually moved to Wichita, KS, accepting the position of Executive Vice President of a local restaurant group.

In 1997, Scott together with Bill Simon opened Timberline Steakhouse. In 2002,

Redler again partnered with Bill Simon and his brother Randy to launch Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.

Freddy's based in Kansas, has grown to more than 340 locations at last tally, and the entire chain generated $474.7 million in system-wide sales last year, creating $21.3 million in revenue for the home office—about $10 million of that as profit.

An experienced business owner and manager with an Executive MBA, B.J. has spent the last 18 years as the Director and ultimately President of a family-owned company.

Entrepreneurship runs in his blood. B.J. enjoys the challenges and has the skills to conduct business with the regulatory agencies overseeing the brewing industry.

He also brings extensive marketing and customer relations experience to Walnut River Brewing Co., as well as sales know-how.

He has been a successful fundraiser and, most importantly is passionate about business and beer.

B.J. has been honored in Wichita Business Journal’s 40 under 40, and his broad business horizon serves him well as Walnut River Brewing Co.’s Business Operator.

An IT Executive and Entrepreneur, Rodney has spent the last 20 years working on his IT management career and real estate business.  Rodney hails from a working-class family in southeast Kansas and moved to Wichita in 1993.

Knowing no one, living in a one-bedroom apartment and working at a fast-food restaurant, Rodney attended Wichita State, where he got involved in student life and a fraternity which eventually helped Rodney create a network and a place to call home.  After graduating with Honors from WSU, Rodney chose to pursue the military instead of graduate school.  Rodney did a short stint in the US Army and then returned to Wichita to begin a family and working on the IT industry.

Rodney has since moved on to own Cana Wine & Cocktails – craft cocktail and wine bar and Shift Auto Society – a country club for car guys, both in downtown Wichita, with plans set to acquire more commercial real estate in the near future in downtown.  Rodney enjoys a challenge and continues to grow his side businesses while balancing out his day job helping customers leverage IT investments with business objectives.

Rodney went on to get his Masters of Management of Information Systems from Friends University and has been honored as a WBJ 40 under 40 and Wichita State Senior Honor Man.

Alan D. Banta is the President of the Trans-Pacific Oil Corporation where he has served many roles since it’s inception over 35 years ago.

A geologist by trade, he graduated with a BS in Geology and a minor in Mathematics from Wichita State University in 1979.

Alan’s extensive knowledge in petroleum geology and all phases of exploration and production caught the attention of some Japanese investors in the early 1980s.

These investors saw something special in Alan and eventually led to them bring Alan in as the lead Exploration Manager of the newly formed Trans-Pacific Oil in 1986.

Alan’s passion for geology, attention to detail, intense work ethic, and focus on leadership eventually led Alan to take the President’s seat of Trans-Pacific Oil in 2006; where he continues his role of coordinating exploration strategy and evaluating acquisition opportunities.

Alan’s leadership style, coupled with a humble teachable spirit, has allowed Trans-Pacific Oil to see continuous positive growth in a volatile industry.

Alan’s professional affiliations include Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association as Executive Vice Chairman in South Central Region, Kansas Oil & Gas Resources Board as Chairman, Society of Economic Geologists, Kansas Geological Society, Kansas Geological Library, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and American Association of Professional Landmen.

He has recently been named as co-chair of the Oil and Gas Cluster for the Blueprint for Regional Economic Growth. Also, serves on the Board of the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation and is a member of the Self Supporting Municipal Improvement Advisory Board.

Heading up the team at Field Station: Dinosaurs is Guy Gsell. An adventurer, teacher and life- long dinosaur lover, Guy has produced educationally themed theater, live events and exhibits in a career that spans thirty years and three continents.

As the Founding Director of Discovery Times Square in Manhattan, Guy created sold-out workshops and ancillary programming for the famous “King Tut” exhibit as well as “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” and “daVinci’s Workshop”.

He was a Producer at the 2011 World Science Festival and, for six years, Managing Director of the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, New Jersey where he launched one of the State’s top theater education programs.

He spent twelve seasons touring the world’s theaters and classrooms with the renowned Paper Bag Players, America’s foremost theater company for children.

He has taught at the high school and college level, acted off-Broadway, written two plays, appeared on Jeopardy! and appeared at some of New Jersey’s legendary music venues as a singer-songwriter.

At the Field Station, Guy is finally able to combine his serious dinosaur obsession with his love for family entertainment, hands-on teaching and working with children.

In 2003, Eric Maddox collected the intelligence which led to the exact location of Saddam Hussein—the Ace of Spades in the infamous Deck of Cards. His technique shaped the future intelligence collection for the military and civilians around the world.

Today, he shares that technique—empathy-based listening—with people and companies around the world as an inspirational speaker, author, consultant, and negotiator. Empathy based listening teaches that trust is the most important element in all relationships. When you have trust, you turn clients and customers into champions and advocates. You gain and maximize influence. There is no other skill needed more to improve every aspect of your personal and professional life.

During his six month tour with this Delta Force team, he conducted over 300 interrogations and collected the intelligence which directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. For his accomplishments, Eric was awarded the Legion of Merit, the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director’s Award and the Bronze Star.

Following the capture of Saddam Hussein, Eric was hired as the first civilian interrogator for the Defense Intelligence Agency where he continued to work with the Joint Special Operations Command in tracking down the U.S. military’s most-wanted radical extremists. Since 2003, Eric has conducted over 2,700 interrogations of prisoners from 25 different countries while deploying eight times including two tours to Iraq, three tours to Afghanistan; and tours to The Philippines, Bosnia, and Herzegovina as well as undisclosed locations in Eastern Europe.

Eric served in the U.S. Army and the Defense Intelligence Agency for over 20 years before retiring in 2014. He continues to help corporations, organizations, universities, CEOs, and audiences worldwide in the art of questioning, negotiations, and information gathering.

Check out Eric's Website: EricMaddox.com

David Barnes is the Chief Operating Officer & Co-Owner for Tallgrass Freight in Olathe, KS.

David saw tremendous success as an owner of a digital marketing agency (Sweet Spot Marketing) between 2007-2015.  This meteoric rise of this company gave him the leadership, business, & life lessons in eight years that many never achieve in a lifetime.

It also gave him the financial freedom & confidence to take advantage of a co-ownership opportunity for his current role at Tallgrass Freight.

David is the epitome of the tenacious & intentional entrepreneur that possesses a humble/teachable spirit; a very powerful combination.

In this value-packed conversation we discussed David's habits and mindset of success to include:

• The power of confidence in your abilities and the people around you.
• The value of mentorship and surrounding yourself with the right people.
• The importance of a vast and deep network.
• The requirement for being tenacious and never giving up.
• Being prepared to say yes to opportunities.

Since 2009, Dallas has been the President of Benefit Management LLC (BML), specializing in providing customized cost containment solutions to enhance employer’s self‐funded health plans.

Dallas has also been integral in the development and marketing of BML's new Value‐Based Administration division and possesses the experience, skillset, and knowledge necessary to successfully lead BML in his role as President.

Dallas earned his master’s degree in the Social Sciences from Baker University. He joined the BML family in July of 2009 in the Sales and Marketing department, then worked as a Group Sales Consultant and SVP of National Sales.

In addition to success at BML, Dallas is an active industry leader, serving multiple terms as a board member of the Wichita Association of Benefit Professionals (WABP), formerly Wichita Association of Health Underwriters (WAHU), including a term as President. His community involvement extends outside the insurance industry with his membership in the Wichita Business Coalition on Healthcare.

Kevin Kunz is the President and CEO of SleepTopia Inc, one of the leaders in home sleep testing.

He founded the Kansas based home sleep testing in 2013 after realizing the need for a better, affordable solution for sleep testing.

He has spent most of his professional career in healthcare because he loves being in a role where he can help people live better, healthier, and more fulfilled lives.

He believes this all begins with education and awareness of the dangers associated with undiagnosed sleep apnea.

He is considered an expert in the field of home sleep testing and obstructive sleep apnea and has given several lectures on the subject.

He is passionate and excited to continue applying his philosophy to healthcare and entrepreneurship.

Jim and Sherri Fouts’ 33-year-old dream of developing a world-class breeding facility and wildlife park is, of course, going to involve the entire family.

Jim & Sherri's son, Matt Fouts, plays an integral role at Goddard’s Tanganyika Wildlife Park where he is the Associate Director & Operations Manager.

Matt appears on Dose of Leadership to talk about his life among the animals and how to be intentional about building a culture that makes an impact; for both humans and animals alike.

Tom Triumph helps companies grow by collaboratively helping them reinvent their business, product development, and marketing.

Along the way, he’s helped large organizations act nimbly and small companies scale. He’s been a participant in two technology revolutions–less invasive surgery and software–and has been part of some remarkable success stories (and some misfires).

He fulfilled a childhood dream of living aboard an ocean research ship and tending to the mini-sub (Cousteau was on the Board), wrestled in the Olympic trials, and helped oversee the design and fabrication of the largest composite hovercraft ever built in the US.

He resides in North Carolina and is an ultrarunner who envies Tom Hanks’ long run as Forrest Gump.

Tom’s Website: https://tomtriumph.com/

Link to his TEDx video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNfaK-k4vYE

Link to his book, “Evolve or Die “Lessons for World-Class Creativity & Innovation:”  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1732686602

BONUS/GIFT: Any listener can instantly receive a 52 page, 4-color ebook “The Call To Innovate” by texting “evolve” to 33777. (it’s $10 on Amazon, but you’ll get it for free. Here’s some additional info on the e-book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1732686696)

People that text “evolve” to 33777 will ALSO receive (automatically about two weeks later) another book by a major author

During his entire career, Dan Shurtz has always been driven by his passion to help others accomplish their goals and exceed their own expectations.

With over 20 years of experience contributing to and leading organizations in Retail, Real Estate, Marketing & Advertising, and Senior Living, Dan has seen the power that culture has on the success or failure of individuals, teams and entire organizations.

It is his desire to help organizations unlock their full potential by helping them unlock the full potential of their people.

Dan believes each of us was created for a purpose and that our great responsibility is to discover that purpose and achieve it to our fullest potential. The Culture Print™ was created to help people and organizations do just that.

Dan created The Culture Print™  to help people and organizations fulfill the purpose and potential they were created for.

He does that by unlocking the power and impact of an engaged workforce and help organizations foster engagement through discovery, declaration, and demonstration of their unique Culture Print.

They believe the foundation of a successful organization is a culture that engages, empowers, and equips its people.

At The Culture Print™, they bring clarity to your unique culture and arm your leaders with the language and tools required to inspire your workforce to achieve success and increase the impact your organization makes on your employees, customers, shareholders, and the communities you serve.

Dayton Moore, the General Manager for the Kansas City Royals, joins me on Dose of Leadership.

He knows a thing or two about how to build winning cultures, leadership and how to be heroic both professionally & personally.

Dayton Moore marks his 14th full season with the Kansas City Royals in 2020.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, he brought an impressive resume to the Royals in 2006, having previously worked for the Atlanta Braves’ organization during their run of 14-straight division titles.

After joining the Royals in 2006, Moore set out to bring a World Championship back to Kansas City, a dream that was brought to fruition in 2015 when the Royals bested the New York Mets in five games to win the franchise’s first World Series championship in 30 years.

A leader in the Kansas City community, Moore is also a regular speaker at numerous community events each year. In 2013, Moore started the “C” You In the Major Leagues Foundation, which provides hope and support to children and families by using youth baseball to develop future character-driven leaders.

Following the 2014 season, Moore wrote a book, “More Than a Season” (updated in 2016), with all of the author proceeds going to “C” You In the Major Leagues.

Christina M. Long brings more than 15 years of communication and design experience to CML Collective.

Her background in education, working for the state's largest public school system, as well as her years reporting for the state's largest newspaper, The Wichita Eagle, has helped Long develop an expertise in crafting, packaging and delivering messages for a variety of audiences.

Dedicated to her community, Long also serves as the President/CEO of Create Campaign, Inc., which helps urban entrepreneurs in Kansas to launch, innovate and excel. Long serves as the historian for Wichita Urban Professionals; editor of its premier publication, Urban Magnate; is the leader of NetWork Kansas' Wichita Urban E-Community and a board member of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

Recent awards include being named the Wichita Regional Chamber's Exceptional Young Leader,  Wichita Urban Professionals' Urban Woman Professional of the Year, 40 Under 40, Kansas Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce's Office of Minority and Women Business and an Emerging Leader by the Wichita Business Journal. 

Long is a graduate of Wichita State University earning a degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism and a minor in Ethnic Studies. She is married and has three children.

Deena James is the President & Co-Founder of Cowell James Forge Insurance Group.

Prior to this founding, Deena served for 4 years as president of Krueger & James.

She is passionate about providing world-class service and peace of mind to clients and instilling a sense of shared mission and quality to everyone on her team.

Deena was honored in 2014 by Thinking Bigger Business Media with the  “25 Under 25” award, which recognizes the impact of Kansas City businesses with fewer than 25 employees. In 2013 the Kansas City Business Journal named her one of 25  “Women Who Mean Business,” an award for successful female entrepreneurs, corporate officials and other leaders in the for-profit sector.

Past President of the KCI Rotary Club, Deena is Vice President for the North Kansas City Business Council and a Board Member for the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce. She serves as secretary of the board for Angel Flight Central, a nonprofit organization that provides free air travel for people facing a medical emergency. She also is active in the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program.

Deena holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Certified Insurance Counselor.

Married for more than 40 years, Deena and her husband have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

David English is the Vice President of Ad-Trend Outdoor Advertising and Owner of Simple English Consulting.

He's a 15-year veteran in the marketing industry and a graduate of Rockhurst's Executive MBA.

He's an experienced sales manager and sales leader who has consistently increased revenue, decreased costs, and improved the quality of the work environment with a positive attitude.

His management of a growing sales group has built sales by focusing on the customer first with exemplary customer service.

With experience in both the corporate environment and running a small business provides a foundation for a well-rounded understanding of leadership and how to achieve success.

He is experienced in wearing many hats while running his sales team. His understanding of how to efficiently run a business has allowed his sales division to see success each and every year.

In the midst of this economic uncertainty due to this COVID-19 crisis, I thought it would be good to bring on two seasoned marketing professionals to discuss what we should be focusing on now.

This episode is full of actionable tactics, strategies, and pivoting mindsets that will allow you to better deal with our new reality.

Mike Snyder is a managing partner of RSM Marketing, a firm of 35 professionals working across six brands. RSM has offices in Wichita and Kansas City and has clients nationally through its novel Outsourced Marketing Department through a flat-fee subscription service.

John Hanley is Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing for Equity Bank, a $4-billion regional community bank. John leads all marketing, communications, messaging, media, public relations and brand strategy throughout Equity's network in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Jon Holzmeister has been in sales leadership for the majority of his career. At age 24, Jon was Unitog’s youngest sales manager managing the Southeast Region, which included Atlanta and Charlotte. After his success at Unitog Jon moved to AngioDynamics, a pre-IPO medical device company where he achieved a growth rate that exceeded 20% annually. In 1999, Jon returned to Kansas City where he became the Vice President of Sales for Marketshare Group where he remained for 17 years. Marketshare Group specialized in consumer direct mail, list brokerage, email and mobile marketing -- at their height, Marketshare Group mailed to over 16 million consumers. Jon then moved in the VP of Sales and Marketing role at NetStandard, an outsourced technology for the SMB space.  At NetStandard, he achieved year-over-year growth each year of his tenure, including 2019, which is the largest revenue in company history.

Which brings us to today, Jon is the President of the Kansas City Region for Accelerent, a Business Development platform with business leaders that are focused on helping each other build their businesses.  Accelerent currently has six market-locations including Kansas City, Washington DC, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Phoenix, and Denver. Each partner is exclusive to its business category and Accelrent brings them together in a variety of environments to build relationships and create new business. Accelerent uses a proprietary suite of tools, training, strategy, and support to generate measurable results for its partners. Before joining Accelerent, Jon was a partner for three years in which Accelerent was a core pillar in his business development platform. He understands first hand how Partners can use Accelernet to fuel their growth and benefit from building long-term relationships.

Sandy Kemper is the founder of C2FO and serves as Chairman of the Board and CEO. In addition, he is Chairman of the Board of The Collectors Fund, a private equity fund focused on alternative asset classes.

Prior to founding The Collectors Fund and C2FO, Sandy founded Perfect Commerce (fka eScout.com) and served as the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 2000-06.

Prior to founding Perfect Commerce, he served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of UMB Bank and CEO of UMB Financial, a NASDAQ traded financial services company more than $20 billion in assets.

Sandy began his career with UMB after graduating from Northwestern University in 1987. He majored in American History.

Sandy is an active angel and venture investor and serves on the corporate boards of UMB Financial (NASDAQ: UMBF), UMB Bank, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV), and AXA Art USA (NYSE: AXA).

He previously served on the board of Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe) and BATS Exchange, two of the largest stock exchanges in the world. Sandy and his family are active in academic, civic and philanthropic endeavors.

He serves on the board of the Agriculture Future of America (AFA), a non-profit scholarship and leadership development organization that he co-founded. Sandy and his family live on a farm in Kansas City, Mo., where they raise and care for their horses, sheep, and any and all wild animals (not including their four children).

Sean Van Horn is the co-founder of Freight House Fitness, a local Kansas City fitness center where people are blessed with a feeling of being welcomed, loved, & healed. Not just physically but mentally and spiritually.

The story of how Sean and his wife Kendra created Freight House is one of inspiration and faith.

In 2010 Sean was currently laid off from his job on the railroad and really wanting to make the leap into being a personal trainer. Kendra was a former athlete and always into working out for as long as she could remember. She even remembers using her mom’s ab roller when she was little in the living room while watching cartoons.

Kendra knew Sean’s desires and she knew that Sean could be a great trainer. Kendra was working full time as a hairstylist and was super creative, artistic, and had a passion for design.

They had a few years of partying and really trying to find themselves and deal with their past hurts. In 2013 they went through an inner healing ministry at their church and it was at that moment they came together in their relationship and started to get a vision for Freight House Fitness.

Sean and Kendra wanted an environment fueled by Kendra’s creativity and Sean’s gift of helping people accomplish their goals and become the best version of themselves.

Today Sean and Kendra are so blessed to have an amazing group of trainers helping them and a community filled with some of the most genuine, loving people around. This was their dream and their vision.

In this episode, Sean tells us how he improvised, adapted, & overcame his business model during the COVID-19 crisis.

Tammy McDonald is the owner and Publisher of HERLIFE Magazine. Tammy is about to celebrate her 5^th year with HERLIFE Magazine and the magazine just entered its 12^th year of publication. She has franchises in California, New York, Columbia, MO and Kansas City. Tammy and her husband, Trey, have 2 boys, Carter 8 and Quade 10, and she is the proud stepmom to Brooklyn 17.

Tammy was born and raised in Overland Park, KS. She attended the University of Georgia on a full-ride diving scholarship. At Georgia, she was a member of the NCAA National Championship team for 3 consecutive years. Tammy continued her education at UGA and earned a Master’s in Sport Management.

When Tammy isn’t working at HERLIFE Magazine, she enjoys spending time with her family. She loves to travel and ride bikes with her boys. She chose to take the path, one that was not planned, in publishing because the once in a life opportunity came up and she decided to take the leap. Life is too short to not take risks or to think too long about changing paths.

Julie Towner is an established entrepreneur with a proven history of scaling companies, by improving business processes, team culture, and brand. Through her dogged negotiation and planning skills learned while she held the position of Production Manager at GAP Inc, overseeing the denim production in the Americas, Julie has found her passion for growing companies through strategic acquisitions. In 2008 she purchased a failing clothing store in St. Louis and within the first year cut overhead by more than 80% and increased margins by almost 60%.

She is currently the owner and CEO of Towner Communications which she acquired in 2015. Founded in 1965, Towner was a well-known Mid Missouri Telecom company, with a deep heritage. In the first year of business Julie and her leadership team expanded the business, with national and international accounts, and increased revenue. This made them the fastest growing women owned telecommunications company in the Midwest. They been able to realize growth year over year through their emphasis on culture and customer experience.

Julie and the company are committed to their community and work closely with several local organizations. Towner is passionate about being a safe place for survivors of domestic violence and women in recovery, working with Amethyst Place and the 100 Jobs for 100 Women program. In 2015 Julie lead the development of the Young Friends of WEN (Women’s Employment Network). She has sat on the Planning Committee for Susan G. Komen’s Rock the Ribbon event, is the 2018-2019 Board President for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Kansas City Chapter, and currently holds a PASC seat on a committee for NAWBO. She currently serves on a task force for the State of Missouri to improve their communication infrastructure. Julie is a graduate of Missouri State University, holds a degree from the London Institute the London College of fashion, and the Stanford Graduate College of Business leadership program.

Justin Maxson is the Senior Executive Vice President of NCRI – National Catastrophe Restoration Inc, which is a national property damage restoration contractor.

Within a decade, Justin has climbed the corporate ladder to become a successful young executive, focusing his efforts on growth within the organization.

He holds certifications and awards from The Construction Infection Control Training Institute, Restoration Consultants, American Osage Consultants, Claims Training Services, Restoration Sciences Academy, and the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification.

As the third generation of a family business, Justin is determined in proving stereotypical statistics wrong. His proven strategies over the last decade, with a resilient entrepreneur mindset, are setting NCRI apart from their competition.

Justin currently sits as Chapter President of Disaster Kleenup International – one of the oldest and largest property restoration organizations. He is also a member of the National Catastrophe Committee, developing plans of action during the nation’s most devastating weather events.

Justin and his wife, Karley, reside in the Kansas City area and thrive off each of their passions for helping and being of service to others.

Michael Higgins is a founding partner of MSP Consulting.  Mike has more than 30-years of business consulting experience helping clients increase performance.

Mike has extensive experience working with businesses to optimize their non-cash payments across many industries and has presented at banking conferences to help financial institutions improve payment services to business.

Prior to MAP Consulting, Mike was a partner at Accenture, one of the world’s leading technology and management consulting firms.

Mike graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Industrial & Management Systems Engineering from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and has three children with his wife Sue.

Jared Young is President and CEO at Employer Advantage, an HR outsourcing firm based in Joplin, Missouri.

Prior to joining EA in 2015, Jared practiced corporate law at a large law firm in Washington, D.C.  He also worked in the healthcare IT industry before attending law school.

Jared holds a BA in Middle East Studies/Arabic from Brigham Young University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

A Pittsburgh native, he is a proud father of four, an avid basketball player, a budding cyclist, and a fan of classical literature.

Here are Jared’s Company Values that we discuss in the episode:

Greg Knowles is the Founder, President, and CEO of ATI Electrical Supply.

Greg began his career doing internships with electrical distributors while getting his degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M from which he graduated in 1990.

After graduation, Greg went to work for two manufacturers where he focused on increasing his product knowledge, and overall understanding of how manufacturers go to market through distribution. Greg worked as a commissioned salesperson, then in executive management for two different electrical distributors for 10 years before founding ATI Electrical Supply in 2004.

Greg loves to stay healthy and active, getting his black belt in Tang Soo Do in 2005, and surfing, paddleboarding, hiking, playing tennis, and doing yoga consistently.

He volunteers as part of the security team at his local church, and mentors other business owners on how to profitably grow their business while staying debt-free.

Greg, his wife Patricia of 26 years, their daughter Elise and son Garrett live in Bend, Oregon.

Arika Pierce is both a Millennial Success Strategist and an expert on multigenerational workforces. She is a keynote speaker and author of The Millennial’s Playbook to Adulting which provides the Millennial generation with straightforward guidance and techniques for success as they navigate the transition into life as a working adult.

Her second book, Millennials Leading the Way: Proven Habits of High-Performance Millennial Leaders, will be released in Fall 2020. As a Xennial (the micro-generation between GenX and Millennials), Arika has a unique perspective and has developed key strategies to bridge Millennials to generations before and after them.

Arika is an experienced speaker and has presented at events such as South by Southwest (SXSW), Soledad O’Brien’s PowHERful Summit, and the BOSS on Campus Annual High Tea at Howard University. She has also worked with organizations such as American Airlines and Laserfische and is the host of The Millennial Boardroom podcast. Through Arika’s keynotes, books, weekly podcast and online courses she helps hundreds of Millennials navigate “adulting.”

She holds a JD from the George Washington University Law School and a BA in political science from Louisiana State University. Arika lives in Washington, DC but remains a diehard New Orleans Saints fan, WHO DAT!

Learn more about Arika at www.arikapierce.com.

Retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman spent 21 years as a Navy SEAL and ten years as a SEAL Officer leading SEAL teams in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Severely wounded in Iraq in 2007 earning him the Purple Heart, Jason is now sharing his relentless Overcome Mindset with people around the world.

Jason has done an incredible job of taking these lessons learned over his military career and making them relatable to teams, businesses, and organizations.  As Jason says, “These are not SEAL lessons, these are human lessons!”

Jason teaches individuals, companies, and teams how to overcome failure, setbacks, and catastrophic crisis through his incredible presentations on life ambushes and his proven  “Get off the X” methodology to not only survive the crisis but thrive and even launch from it.

Jason is the best-selling author of two outstanding books: “The Trident: The forging and reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader“; and his latest book, “Overcome” which teaches us how to overcome adversity.

Jason also recently launched a brand new podcast called “Jason Redman’s Moving the Needle“, where Jason brings you insights from some of the biggest names in business, sports, and some of the world’s most groundbreaking thinkers.

In each episode, he talks with CEOs, authors, entrepreneurs, athletes, and influencers about how they moved the needle in their own lives, and how listeners like you can do the same.

Visit Jason’s Website: jasonredman.com

John Mackey, co-founder, and CEO of Whole Foods Market has led the natural and organic grocer to a $13 billion Fortune 500 company. With more than 370 stores and 80,000 Team Members in three countries, the company has been named by Fortune magazine as a “Best Company to Work For” for 16 consecutive years and the Number One Most Admired Food and Drug Store Company in the World in 2012.

While devoting his career to helping shoppers satisfy their lifestyle needs with quality natural and organic foods, Mackey has also focused on building a more conscious way of doing business. He was the visionary for the Whole Planet Foundation to help end poverty in developing nations, the Local Producer Loan Program to help local food producers expand their businesses, The Global Animal Partnership’s rating scale for humane farm animal treatment, and the Health Starts Here initiative to promote health and wellness.

Mackey has been recognized as Ernst&Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Winner for the United States,” Institutional Investor’s “Best CEO in America,” Barron’s “World’s Best CEO,” MarketWatch’s “CEO of the Year,” FORTUNE’s “Businessperson of the Year,” and Esquire’s “Most Inspiring CEO.”

A strong believer in free-market principles, Mackey co-founded the Conscious Capitalism Movement and co-authored a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book entitled Conscious Capitalism, Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business to boldly defend and re-imagine capitalism, and encourage a way of doing business that is grounded in ethical consciousness.

Mackey’s latest book, Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Through Business closely explores the vision, virtues, and mindset that have informed Mackey’s own leadership journey, providing a roadmap for innovative, value-based leadership—in business and in society.
 
Conscious Leadership demystifies strategies that have helped Mackey shepherd Whole Foods through four decades of incredible growth and innovation, including its recent sale to Amazon. Each chapter will challenge you to rethink conventional business wisdom through anecdotes, case studies, profiles of conscious leaders, and innovative techniques for self-development, culminating in an empowering call to action for entrepreneurs and trailblazers—to step up as leaders who see beyond the bottom line.

Mackey cut his pay to $1 in 2006 and continues to work for Whole Foods Market out of a passion to see the business realize its potential for deeper purpose, for the joy of leading a great company, and to answer the call to service he feels in his heart.

Jake Wood is the co-founder and CEO of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization with over 125,000 volunteers.

Wood had previously spent four years in the Marine Corps, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as a scout-sniper.

Since founding Team Rubicon in 2010, Jake has built the organization into one of the United States’ most celebrated non-profits.

He is a sought-after speaker on issues of leadership, culture, and innovation.

In Jake’s latest book, Once a Warrior, Jake recounts how, over the past 10 years, he and his team have recruited over 130,000 volunteers to his disaster response organization Team Rubicon. Racing against the clock, these veterans battle hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, pandemics, and civil wars, while rediscovering their life’s purpose along the way.

Once a Warrior provides a gut-wrenching account of the true cost of our Forever Wars–and more importantly, a glimpse of what might become of America’s next greatest generation.

Natalya Cappellini is a start-up founder, real estate investor, TV personality, and owner of a full-service construction company called CURATO Design/Build.

She is a licensed general contractor and was recently featured on HGTV’s series BUILD ME UP, and was previously on Animal Planet’s series ANIMAL CRIBS, both of which involve extensive and ambitious renovations on tight schedules for a variety of clientele.

She currently serves as a co-host of the Startup to Storefront Podcast, in which business founders share their stories – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the untold challenges of scaling a business.

Raised on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, Natalya attended Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston where she received a B.S. in Architecture.

She is considered a pro at flea market antique finds, she’s an avid lefty tennis player, and holds the record for fastest permitted ADU Conversion in the city of LA.