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Joann MacMaster brought extensive background in entrepreneurship and startups to her position as the Director of Business Development for the University of Arizona's Tech Launch Arizona. In addition to having three successful exits (including one IPO) in private enterprise, she has served as Director of the Arizona Center for Innovation (AzCI) technology business incubator, Program Director for the UA McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, and is a UA Academic Leadership Institute Fellow.
Among the many topics we cover, Joann discusses how to create a healthy corporate culture, mentorship and building mentor networks, and changes in the culture of entrepreneurship.
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Art of the Start 2.0 by Guy Kawasaki
The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
The Rainforest - by Victor Hwang
John Phelps is the CEO and executive director of the State Bar of Arizona, an organization focused on improving the administration of justice and the competency, ethics, and professionalism of lawyers in Arizona.
John's introduction to Arizona came when his father was stationed at Ft. Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Ultimately, John became a second generation career Army officer where he also became an intelligence officer before pursuing a law degree from the University of Arizona and joining the US Army's JAG corps. Following his 25-year career in the Army, John served in the Arizona Office of Homeland Security, the Grand Canyon Chapter of the American Red Cross, and as the chief of staff at the US General Services Administration.
John discusses topics ranging from the challenges of leading in a "zero-defect" environment, balancing "gut feelings" with data, leading in non-profits and government organizations, surrounding yourself with trusted advisers, and so much more.
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Good to Great and the Social Sectors by Jim Collins
Hamilton by Ron Chernow
We’re joined by three generations of leaders from Hickman’s Family Farms - Bill Hickman, Sr., Glenn Hickman, and Branden Hickman. Each one shares stories and insights I know you will enjoy and learn from.
They share some unique insights to being part of a family business, engaging with community, the importance of education, and how they approach changing production requirements in response to customer demands for products such as cage-free eggs.
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Arizona's Future of Education Vision event on 12/12/17 (Glenn mentioned in the podcast)
Dirty Jobs w/ Mike Rowe at Hickman's Family Farms (Season 4, Episode 25)
David Kolbe - the CEO of Kolbe Corp - shares insights into how they help individuals and companies thrive, how leveraging technology can grow your audience and simultaneously reduce costs, and how seeking feedback from users can lead to new product offerings.
Additionally, David shares his story which takes him from Brophy College Prep to the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. After a brief stop on Capitol Hill, he returned to Arizona to attend law school at Arizona State University, practice law, and ultimately join Kolbe Corp.
David’s mother, Kathy Kolbe, founded Kolbe Corp in Phoenix in 1975. Kolbe Corp helps businesses and individuals identify, understand, apply, and leverage their unique instinctive strengths so they can be more productive and more fulfilled.
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This week we talk with Justin Gray, the CEO and founder of LeadMD, co-founder of PaidSuite, co-owner of Greyson Organics (an organic farm in rural Missouri), and co-founder of Six Bricks.
Justin, who grew up in Fountain Hills and attended the University of Arizona, talks with us about his passion for entrepreneurship and modern-day marketing - topics he has written and spoken about extensively. Justin has been published over 300 times in industry publications and holds his own column, Tribal Knowledge in Inc., as well as featured contributor statuses with Entrepreneur and others.
We cover a wide range of topics including how he approaches writing (and why it is important for marketers to hone this skill), when should founders get out of the way, the importance of culture and values governing behavior, his views on unicorns and hiring, empathy, and the concept of 1+1=4.
Also, check out Justin's podcast - Driven & Co. - which examines guests' "unconventional roads to leadership." Great stuff!
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Todd Belfer is the managing partner of the venture capital firm Canal Partners. Todd shares his early entrepreneurial days when he bused fraternity and sorority students to Laughlin and later found himself founding software companies, restaurants (Ra Sushi Bar), and supplement and herbal tea companies. Today, he and his partners focus on helping entrepreneurs and founders, in a defined stage of their growth, flourish.
Todd touches on a number of topics of interest to founders, entrepreneurs, college students, and each one of us who have a passion for what we do. In fact, he really dissects the subject of "passion" and gives some great insights we can all learn from on that and many other topics.
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Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Official Site
Ambassador Barbara Barrett joins us for this week's conversation. She currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Aerospace Corporation and as the CEO of Triple Creek Ranch. Ambassador Barrett has served as the US Ambassador to Finland, the Deputy Director of the Federal Aviation Administration, the President of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and the CEO of the American Management Association, just to mention a few.
Our conversation covers not only her story, but her passion for education, lifelong learning, problem solving, and leading through significant change and rebuilding of an organization. Ambassador Barrett discusses her passion for supporting the military, advocating for space exploration and aerospace, and giving back to the community. She also shares some poignant thoughts on legacy, influence and why she does not embrace the concept of a "bucket list" (and what she and her husband, Craig, use instead). Undoubtedly, you will benefit personally and professionally from what she has to say.
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The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
Heidi Jannenga is the president and co-founder of WebPT, a SaaS company providing support to physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
WebPT has been on the INC 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the US for five years straight and is one of Arizona's fastest growing companies.
Our conversation takes us from Heidi’s days playing basketball to finding her passion in the profession of physical therapy. She then explains how seeing a huge problem led to the creation of WebPT. We talk about corporate culture, engaging your customers, the fear of failure, generational issues, and so much more.
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Special Episode with Michael Lorsch - Vision v. Behavior
Special Episode with Michael Lorsch - Overcoming Failure
Email us at contact@azoriginals.net
This week Jeffrey Pruitt, founder and CEO of Tallwave, joins us for a fascinating conversation about his journey from accountancy to entrepreneurship and from "running through walls" to leading smarter.
An Arizona native, Jeffrey explores taking ideas to market, finding capitol for those ideas, and building a strong organization based on values and strategy. You will want to have your notebook ready for this conversation, especially as he talks practically about how Tallwave strives to be a friction-less workplace.
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The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Contact us at the podcast: contact@azoriginals.net
This week, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack returns for the second installment of our conversation. When she last joined us in Season One, we left her in Colorado, and today we hear the rest of the story.
In addition to her journey, Colleen addresses topics each of us can learn from. Those range from mentoring, to life-long learning, to taking risks, and finding balance in life. You will also want to hear her story about one particular cast of the show "Evita" and the lessons we can learn about excellence and accountability.
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Noorderzon - Performing Arts Festival - Groningen
Email us at contact@azoriginals.net
Jason Pistillo is the president of the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona. Our conversation takes us from Jason building his first computer game at the age of eight, to becoming a network engineer at 21, to his 23-year career at UAT. He has been recognized as a leader in business and was most recently given the East Valley Institute Technology's "Sam and Olga Bender Award" for being a strong community partner over the past decade.
We cover a wide range of topics ranging from building a "fast, fun, friendly and smart" culture, instituting rigorous hiring practices, maintaining motivation and focus, investing in the community, and empowering staff. Jason also discusses why their culture of vulnerability among staff has made their team stronger, and so much more.
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University of Advancing Technology
Alignment For Success by Katherine Halpin
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook by Peter Senge
S*** My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Contact us at the podcast: contact@azoriginals.net
Greg Head has spent most of his professional life in the world of software, including being part of the startup and growth stages of two major Arizona companies and as the chief marketing officer for Chandler-based Infusionsoft. Today, Greg consults founders and CEOs, curates Gregslist (an active list of Arizona-based software companies...over 300 strong), and has more projects and initiatives on the way.
In our conversation, Greg shares thoughts on not only marketing, but focus, intensity, scaling your business, Arizona's technology mindset, and what it means to transition your business from being ADD to OCD. You will want to take notes!
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Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Contact us at the podcast at contact@azoriginals.net
Our first guest of the new season is Brian Mueller - Chairman, President and CEO of Grand Canyon University. Our conversation begins in Milwaukee, WI where Brian grew up along with his parents and seven siblings. We then look at his years as a teacher and basketball coach and ultimately to his move into leading two major higher education institutions.
President Mueller discusses everything from finding purpose and passion to the importance of focusing on planning and preparation. He talks about the time in his life he received the best training for leading businesses, and discusses his decision checklist when it comes to running a publicly traded company. We also talk about partnerships, team building, and so much more.
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Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Contact us at the podcast at contact@azoriginals.net
This week we are joined by Jackie Norton who is the president and CEO of The Rodel Foundation of Arizona. A native Arizonan, Jackie's career path has taken her from the private sector as a partner at the Gallagher & Kennedy law firm, to the public sector where she held several positions including the Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce for two governors, and in the non-profit space where she led the Arizona State University Foundation and now leads at Rodel.
Jackie shares valuable insights about how to become an effective leader though collaboration, focus, and discovering how to leverage assets. Her views on mentoring, lifelong learning, and vision for an organization will instruct and inspire you.
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Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
This week we are joined by Colleen Jennings-Roggensack who serves as the executive director of Arizona State University's Gammage and is ASU's Vice President for Cultural Affairs.
We recorded this episode just days after Colleen returned from the Tony Awards. She holds the distinction of being the only Arizonan who casts a ballot for the Tony Awards. And this year she celebrates both her 25th year leading the way at Gammage and the fact they have already sold out their 2017-18 season. Not to mention the fact she is responsible for bringing Hamilton to Arizona next year.
Colleen talks about life as a military brat in which she found herself living in 13 states and two countries before going to college. She recounts the influence her parents had on her and her siblings through the lens of "sacred texts" her parents taught them to live by.
In our brief conversation, we cover several issues related to leadership and personal growth...and we provide some teasers for an eventual Part II to this delightful conversation.
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Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
We all read books and hear inspirational speakers which motivate us to look at how we lead or run our organizations. But, often, the daily grind prevents us from actually taking action on those ideas.
This week we have a special, topical episode featuring Michael Lorsch, principal consultant for The Table Group which was founded by best-selling author, speaker, and leadership guru Patrick Lencioni. Today, Michael discusses how to strategically do the hard work to implement ideas.
This week we speak with Jim Ward, the president and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony. In addition to his role at the Symphony, Jim is also a Venture Partner in the venture capital firm, Alsop Louie Partners.
In our conversation, Jim takes us from his roots in Indiana to his first move to Arizona where he attended the Thunderbird School of Global Management. From there, his career took him to places he never expected and afforded him the opportunity to lead global marketing campaigns for Apple, Microsoft, and Nike. Jim was also recruited to oversee the global distribution and marketing of all of Lucasfilm's motion picture, television, and video properties...and develop the plan to launch Star Wars Episodes 1-3. In case he needed more to do, he was concurrently named the President of LucasArts where he oversaw the rebuilding of the video game company.
Jim talks about mentors (including his influential piano teacher, Ms. Breckenridge), building trust with clients, the importance of teams, how data influences marketing decisions, and explores the concept of "irreverence justified." You will enjoy the stories and learn from his perspectives on leading and innovating.
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Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
What happens when your organization drifts from its core mission? How do successful entities innovate and push the envelope while maintaining firm footing?
This week we have a special, topical episode featuring Michael Lorsch, principal consultant for The Table Group which was founded by best-selling author, speaker, and leadership guru Patrick Lencioni. Today, Michael discusses the concept of strategic anchors and how organizations use them to make efficient and focused decisions.
Next week we will be back with our regular program where we talk with another Arizona Original! Please join us again next week.
Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
This week's guest is Phil Potter, founder and CEO of The Armory Incubator - a non-profit with the mission of helping veterans launch and scale startups. Fast Company magazine listed The Armory as Arizona's contribution to its "United States of Innovation" special feature in the May, 2017 issue.
Phil earned his Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University and then received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Arizona State University. Phil shares what led to his decision to join the US Air Force where he received his commission and served for six years. Following his service in the Air Force, Phil returned to academia at ASU and found his way to an opportunity focusing on helping veterans seeking to become entrepreneurs.
Phil shares the early influences which led him to be an entrepreneur, in his own right, at an early age. From there, he discusses lessons learned from the Air Force, why it is good to be the "dumbest person in the room", identifying the context of leadership, his connection with the book Hillbilly Elegy, and much more.
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Follow The Armory Incubator on Twitter
Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
Today's guest is longtime Arizona radio personality Tim Hattrick. In our conversation, Tim tells stories about notable personalities he has worked with over the years, including his nearly three-decade partnership with Willy D. Loon (the Tim and Willy Show). At the beginning of 2017, Tim returned to the airwaves at KNIX 102.5 FM as a member of the morning show (the Tim, Ben and Brooke Show) after he encountered some unexpected twists and turns professionally.
Tim shares entertaining stories (including one about Glenn Beck you may not know) and valuable insights he has gained over his many years in the broadcasting booth. He touches on a number of topics including working with millennials, building rapport with a team, and pursuing your passions.
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Connect with Tim via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
The Moth podcast
Arizona Storytellers on KJZZ
Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
Today's guest, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, has served as a US Navy physician, was hand selected to serve for two years as one of three attending physicians for the US Congress (including the US Supreme Court Justices), and has practiced medicine in Arizona.
The son of political refugees from Syria, Dr. Jasser also founded the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and can often be found testifying before Congress and speaking at conferences and on television about issues related to terrorism, Islam, and democracy.
He shares his story about growing up in middle America and how his paternal grandfather, in particular, helped foster his passion for political, social and cultural change. He discusses the concepts of passion, hard work, and how to channel a strong competitive spirit in positive directions. And listen to the very end of the discussion where he shares some fascinating thoughts about having a sense of humor.
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Reform This! - podcast hosted by Dr. Jasser
Dr. Jasser on Twitter (@DrZuhdiJasser)
Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
This week, Dolan Ellis joins us to share his journey from a farm in Kansas, to landing a job at KOOL-TV in Phoenix, to winning a Grammy with The New Christy Minstrels, and then back to Arizona where he continued his career in music. The merging of his passion for Arizona, music, heritage, nature and photography has resulted in a diverse body of work spanning nearly six decades.
In 1966, then-Governor Sam Goddard approached Dolan and asked if he would be willing to be Arizona's official balladeer, and the first person in the country designated as such. The next 12 governors made the same designation, and this year marks Dolan's 51st year as Arizona's official balladeer.
In our conversation, we cover a number of topics relevant to entrepreneurs, artists, and people who simply love Arizona, including pursuing your passion, finding mentors, taking risks, and making time for contemplation. Dolan belies his age (82-years-old) and will enrich the way you think about Arizona.
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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net
You will not want to miss our conversation with Glenn Williamson. Glenn serves as the Honorary Consul of Canada to Arizona, is the founder and CEO of the Canada Arizona Business Council, is the chairman and CEO of EPCOR Water USA, and owns and operates Nest Ventures. But the list of titles and jobs does not end there. Glenn shares his passion for family and community involvement, and why he values his role as assistant Boy Scout leader.
Glenn holds nothing back as he shares his story which begins in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His journey takes him from a dysfunctional family, to military school, to becoming a wunderkind in the tourism industry, to finding great ups and downs in the entrepreneurial world, and ultimately to Arizona where he lives out his passion for building strong economies and strong families.
We cover a host of topics and he shares some remarkable insights into how he leads, how he views success and failure, how his mistakes got him hired to a remarkable job, and how he engages with his children. He imparts wisdom which will inspire and challenge you.
Arizona Originals Podcast Website
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net