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Arizona Originals

Arizona Originals, hosted by Jason Isaak, brings you the stories, leadership lessons, and life lessons of the people who make Arizona a great place to live and work.
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Now displaying: April, 2017
Apr 25, 2017

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.

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Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Give us feedback at contact@azoriginals.net

Apr 18, 2017

Co-founder and CEO of Qwaltec, Inc., Shawn Linam, shares the unique journey which led to her role as chief executive of an aerospace engineering company.  As you hear her story, the idea of resilience emerges time and again as she recounts moving frequently as a young girl, struggling with math, and navigating the male-dominated engineering profession.  But through it all, you will hear the constant refrain of hard work, finding your passion, and the importance of being open to unexpected opportunities.

Shawn has led Qwaltec from three employees (the original founders) in 2001 to 65 employees today.  Her company provides support for manned and unmanned space flight programs for both government and private entities.  She also plays an active role in the community where, among other things, she mentors young women and serves as the STEM Director for the Girls Rule Foundation.

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Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Give us feedback via email - contact@azoriginals.net

Apr 11, 2017

This week's conversation with Joel Grimes ties together several subjects - entrepreneurship, art, passion, hard work, intuition, competition in the marketplace, and overcoming obstacles.  Drawing upon his real world experience as an acclaimed photographer, who nearly gave up on his dream were it not for a college professor who encouraged him to move beyond a limitation some would consider a non-starter for a photographer, Joel shares marketplace insights relevant to everyone from CEOs to students.

Joel teaches classes all over the world related to lighting and photography, and he holds the distinction of being both one of Canon's Explorers of Light and one of Adobe Photoshop's Spotlight Artists.  Additionally, he continues to work as a professional commercial photographer in Arizona and around the world.

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Joel Grimes Photography & Joel Grimes Workshops

Ray Lamontagne

Apr 4, 2017

Kimber Lanning is the founder and executive director of Local First Arizona, a nonprofit that supports, promotes, and advocates for a strong local business community here in Arizona.  In our conversation, Kimber shares how this passion for locally-grown businesses and her connection to "place" developed.  Additionally, Kimber owns both Stinkweeds new and used record store and Modified Arts gallery and performance space.

Kimber discusses the foundations of Local First Arizona's mission, and explains how she engages with employees and communities/neighborhoods to advance that mission.  Additionally, she discusses how she views entrepreneurship through the lens of hometown pride and connection to the individuals in your community and neighborhood.  She also mentions several former podcast guests whose companies exemplify those locally grown businesses, such as Infusionsoft, U-Haul, Upward Projects, and PING.

Learn more about Arizona Originals at www.azoriginals.net

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Find out more about the Arizona Chamber at: www.azchamber.com

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kimber@localfirstaz.com

 

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