System Execution Podcast

Allen Adamson is a noted industry expert in all disciplines of branding. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Metaforce.co and the author of BrandSimple, BrandDigital, The Edge: 50 Tips from Brands That Lead, and Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant in a Fast Changing World. Prior to Metaforce, Allen was Chairman, North America of Landor Associates, a global branding firm. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Allen’s experience and the expertise he has around branding The evolution of the term “brand,” what it has come to mean today, and why branding is all about getting your story out to the world What has changed in the branding space with the omnipresence of technology Why you need to constantly reinvent and re-sharpen your brand in today’s market Ways to know whether your branding is working or not including the most important thing for a brand to focus on The process Allen takes his clients through to determine what makes their brand different What you need to get focused on in your

Berkley Egenes is the Vice President of Marketing for MERIDIUN. A results-driven strategic marketing leader solving business challenges at the intersection of consumers and technology, Egenes is committed to building brands, launching products and producing returns for his partners. With a strong entrepreneurial spirit for creating insights-based understanding using a data-first brand strategy and development process, he has delivered measurable cross-channel platforms and technologies in the global economy with brands like Kellogg’s, AB InBev, Alcatel, VIZIO, Walmart, Seiyu, ASDA, Sam’s Club, CVS Pharmacy, Ahold USA, A&P, Spartan Stores, Hy-Vee, Inc., Big Y and Weis Markets. Always focused on the impact of technology in the global consumer ecosystem, he has an extensive background in augmented and virtual reality, retail, IoT, consumer electronics and mobility, consumer packaged goods and shopper marketing experiences working on the brand side at NextVR, NASCAR, and creative agency and services with CSE,

Peter Lovenheim is an author and journalist whose articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, New York magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Moment Magazine, The Washington Post, and other publications. His five previous books include In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time, winner of a Barnes & Noble Discover Award and the First Annual Zócalo Public Square Book Prize, and Portrait of a Burger as a Young Calf, a first-hand attempt to understand the food chain. Lovenheim holds a degree in journalism from Boston University and in law from Cornell Law School. He teaches narrative non-fiction at The Writers Center in Bethesda, MD and splits his time between his hometown of Rochester, NY, and Washington, DC. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The attachment effect and its elements including how a knowledge of attachment can help managers and owners The hunger we all have that drives the interest in attachment and how that stems from th

Rami Jebara is the Co-Founder & CTO of Tuangru, a software provider of next generation data center infrastructure management (DCIM), designed for today’s hybrid IT environments. Whether a users application workloads reside on-premises, in edge data centers or in the cloud, Tuangru provides users with a holistic view of their entire infrastructure for management and optimization. The company was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in North America by Deloitte Technology Fast 500™. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What Rami’s company, Tuangru, is focused on as well as the premise and belief it was founded behind How Rami got started in the IT world when the internet was still pretty new Hybrid IT- what it is and what’s happening with it in the IT world including what stays the same and what the challenge is with this different IT management The software system Rami uses to keep everybody in his company aligned and the agile process and system Rami’s team uses Two things that processe

David Thomas, CEO at Evident, is an accomplished cybersecurity entrepreneur. He has a history of introducing innovative technologies, establishing them in the market, and driving growth with each early-stage company emerging as the market leader. Today, as CEO of Evident, he helps provide innovative business solutions to simplify interactions with personal data assets. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why David enjoys building a business from the ground up and prefers working as a smaller business instead of as a larger corporation The importance of a rigorous process not only for businesses that specialize in data security but in all businesses seeking success The role automation plays in David’s organization and why it is so important for smaller businesses to help them achieve the larger visions of the organization Why David believes it’s important to hire quality people to handle the things that are outside of his expertise The way David responds to problems, with a team approach How David feels

By his 35th birthday, Mike Michalowicz had founded and sold two multi-million dollar companies. Confident that he had the formula to success, he became an angel investor and proceeded to lose his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Among other innovative strategies, Mike created the Profit First Formula, a way for businesses to ensure profitability from their very next deposit forward. Mike is now running his third million dollar venture, is a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal; is the former MSNBC business makeover expert; is a popular keynote speaker on innovative entrepreneurial topics; and is the author of Profit First, Surge, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, which BusinessWeek deemed the entrepreneurs cult classic. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Mike’s Pumpkin Plan system and the specific processes it includes The lessons Mike learned from being an angel investor How to determi

Kristin is the founder and managing director of Creative Development Agency (formerly award-winning firm, Marquet Media). She oversees the day-to-day operations of the agency as well as directs all client accounts and projects. With a strong eye for creating memorable brands and a diverse range of knowledge, Kristin provides strategic counsel to clients interested in developing successful internal and external communication programs across all media platforms. Kristin has forged successful partnerships with celebrity fashion designer and correspondent NV Nick Verreos; prestige hair care brand Briogeo; luxury skincare brand BubblePopBeauty.com; and many more. She has generated media placements in Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, Seventeen, Glamour, and ELLE magazines, Refinery29.com, and countless other outlets. Passionate about learning, Kristin has attended MIT, Boston University, and New York University, and holds degrees in Literature and Marketing/PR. In 2015, she authored of the book, Squash the comp

With experience in both office interiors and product design, Ken Baker understands the inside and out of the architecture and design field. Ken has been a Gensler Principal for 20-years and is currently serving as a member of the Gensler Management Committee. As a Co-Managing Principal of Gensler’s Southeast Region and past Co-Managing Principal of Gensler’s U.K., Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Gulf Regions, Ken is considered a global expert on workplace design and planning, particularly for law firms. He has designed over 10 million square feet of corporate headquarters and offices for law firms and financial institutions, and is one of Gensler’s major Global Account holders, managing relationships with clients such as Sidley Austin, LLP; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; JP Morgan Chase, and Barclays Capital worldwide. Ken is also a leader in Gensler’s furniture and product development practice and frequently speaks about the power of design at industry events around the world. A

Ken is the co-author of the recent manufacturing sales book, entitled “Selling in Manufacturing and Logistics.” Ken and his co-author are experienced Sandler trainers who play very important roles in the Sandler’s worldwide organization. They advise organizations and individuals on how to help discover their true potential and develop innovative solutions that create sustainable change. Ken is currently head of Sandler Training Consultancy in Akron, Ohio, and he and his co-author have really focused in on selling in manufacturing and logistics. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The systematic approach to manufacturing sales that led Ken to Sandler Training “Selling in Manufacturing and Logistics”: Ken’s book with Mike Jones The systems that most manufacturing sales people create that are really ineffective (and what can be done about that) Why finding new customers is such an essential part of the sales process Why sales isn’t as much about relationship building as it was in the past Prospecting the r

Peter Strohkorb has over 15 years of corporate business experience in executive-level Sales and Marketing executive roles with some of the biggest brands on the planet. Today, he is a sought-after expert business advisor on how to achieve significant sales revenue and business growth through better managing the intersection between your Sales, your Marketing and your ideal Customers. Peter’s clients have experienced sales revenue growth of up to 433% (!) and won more repeat business from existing clients. He is a published author of the Amazon 5-Star rated book The OneTEAM Method, which describes his holistic Sales and Marketing collaboration framework to lift sales results, enhance customer experience and boost staff engagement. Peter holds qualifications in Marketing and Management from the prestigious Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney, Australia. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The 7 Figure Sales Introduction system for improving your sales process Changing sales from produ

As a consultant, author, speaker and coach, Edgar Papke is dedicated to helping leaders build cultures of innovation and better align their organizations and teams to drive new ideas, produce change, and deliver meaningful solutions. He is the author of the books True Alignment and The Elephant In The Boardroom, and he is also the co-author of Innovation By Design. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Design thinking process: a way of engaging people and getting them to collaborate at a significant level through which you can identify and solve the right problems The five steps of the Design Thinking process: to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test Edgar and Thomas Lockwood’s book “Innovation By Design” that was born from studying the most innovative cultures in the world The common thread of design thinking that all of the cultures studied for the book implemented Empathizing in design thinking: understanding the experience of the customer Ignoring your personal experience: the most challengin

Kelly Manderfield is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cleveland Metroparks and leads all marketing initiatives across its 18 park reservations, eight golf courses, dining, retail, and a nationally acclaimed zoo. Manderfield is a critical member of the team that earned Cleveland Metroparks Best in Nation Gold Medal Award for excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Under her leadership, Cleveland Metroparks has developed and executed several transformative brand campaigns, including Cleveland Metroparks Come Out and Play and 100 Year centennial campaigns as well as the rebrand of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo bringing wildlife conservation to the forefront. As CMO, Manderfield has created a culture of strategic data-driven decision making to support the agency’s goals and initiatives as well as drive revenue. She manages overall marketing from end-to-end, including: communications, advertising, research, special events, event rentals, corporate partnerships, retail and visual communications. Manderfield has dev

Lauren Golembiewski is the CEO and co-founder of Voxable, a conversational interface agency. She’s lucky enough to run Voxable with her partner in life, Matthew Buck. Lauren and Matthew founded Voxable to help clients more effectively communicate with their customers through conversational interface design and development. They were originally inspired to create Voxable when they connected their home to a voice-first device and felt like the wizards and space captains they saw on TV. Lauren’s background is in product design and user experience which is driven by her fascination with the way things work, especially the human mind. Her experience working with startups and leading design strategy for tech companies enables her to dive into design problems and help clients understand the best path forward. She regularly speaks about conversational design and advocates for a greater creative effort to be invested in this new technology. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Chatbots, Alexa skills, actions on G

Linda Phan was born in LA, but she grew up in Massachusetts from eight years old onwards. She graduated from UMass Amherst with dual degrees in Accounting and Psychology and worked for two years as a corporate auditor at the 6th largest accounting firm in the US. Linda moved to Austin, TX a year ago and worked as Chief of Staff at Newchip, a financial technology company. She is currently on track of getting her MBA from Acton School of Business. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Linda’s background learning processes as an auditor The most important systems and processes for small businesses How Linda came to Newchip first as an executive assistant and then moved up to Chief of Staff by implementing systems and processes and making the company more efficient The time management skills Linda needed to balance working for Newchip, going to school full time, and helping her boyfriend launch his dental startup Figuring out the steps needed for hiring a great employee and sticking to that system The system

Curtis Watkins is the CEO of BovaMetrics, an Augmented Intelligence company focused on boosting performance in long-term portfolios managed by wealth advisers. This is his third entrepreneurial endeavor after previously serving as the COO of a micro-hydro renewable energy firm and also as a co-founder of a mobile software solutions company. Additionally, Curtis is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Joules Startup Accelerator program located at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a regular television contributor to news programs and shows focused on current events, and he also serves as the Chairman for a political software company he founded called CampaignKit. He is a 2013 recipient of the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award and a graduate of the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Curtis’ expensive career experience that has seen him in various roles as both an entrepreneur and an employee in Corporate America Bov

After graduating from UT Law in Austin, Reece began his career clerking for a federal judge in Dallas. From the courthouse, Reece headed to Thompson & Knight where he worked as an attorney in TK’s corporate section. After working at TK for a year, he decided to join his dad, Rob, and close college friend, Bryan Johnson, as they were blazing a trail in a unique healthcare delivery channel. Reece moved into the role of CEO at Innovative Infusions, helping to consolidate multiple Infusion Centers into one centralized operation. Working alongside Bryan and Rob, he helped create one of the most cutting-edge infusion delivery models in the country. Reece is passionate about creating solutions to relieve the complexity associated with managing an Infusion Center. In addition to his role as Co-Founder and COO of WeInfuse, Reece is the co-founder of and director at the National Infusion Center Association (NICA). What you’ll learn about in this episode: Reece’s path that led him from being a lawyer to moving to t

Andrei Popescu is a vision-driven entrepreneur with a career-long record of business growth and innovation. His international business ventures experienced a verifiable history of growth and expansion during his tenure as managing director and he has raised significant funds from various institutions, banks and third parties to participate in joint ventures. He’s been engaged on helping organizations that evolve in challenging markets to break down the barriers that prevent them from reaching their potential, which operate in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, China and Asia-Pacific. Andrei’s focus and interests are blockchain tech, DLT, SaaS for payments, finance, and investments. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Cryptocurrency: what it is and how it works How cryptocurrency opens up money to more people than the system we’ve used Different types of cryptocurrency that are available today (it’s much more than just Bitcoin) The big barriers that must be overcome with cryptocurrency What it will take for cr

Jeff N. Smith is the Corporate IoT Business Development Manager at Parker-Hannifin. He is focused on delivering new offerings, building out new business models, and commercialization frameworks for Parker’s Voice of the Machine™ IoT connected products. His global focus areas are Industrial Mobile Systems and Factory Automation. Prior to joining Parker, Jeff was the co-founder of a smart building IoT technology start-up focused on the commercial built environment, taking this solution from inception to thousands of controllable endpoints globally for Fortune 100 customers. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Jeff’s role implementing IoT technology (Internet of Things) at Parker-Hannifin Parker’s Voice of the Machine™ Why IoT technology is one of the most monumental shifts for companies since the internet Culture: a big factor in stopping companies from implementing IoT technologies Why Parker figures out if there is a problem worth solving and then figures out if there’s a way to deliver to customers at

Alex Klingensmith is an experienced Wealth Advisor and Chief Operating Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. He is skilled in Fiduciary Independent Investment Management and Financial Planning. Alex has strong community involvement in the Carlsbad Hi Noon Rotary Club and in North San Diego County. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Financial Detox: Labrum Wealth Management’s podcast for consumer advocacy Labrum Wealth Management’s decision to work for their clients and not a firm How to choose the right financial adviser for you Why it matters how your financial adviser gets paid The reasons fiduciaries offer better investments than brokers Finding the right cadence of communication with your financial adviser Choosing an investment philosophy Why it’s never too early or too late to start investing Where to find a great financial adviser Ways to start saving before you get an adviser Alex’s goals in getting Labrum Wealth Management’s message out there Ways

Marc Butler is the Chief Operating Officer and a Managing Director for Albridge, an affiliate of Pershing, a BNY Mellon company. Formerly, Marc managed the Business Development Group for iNautix USA, where he oversaw sales, client relationship management and overall Marketing activities. Prior to that, Marc was the general manager of Pershing’s NetExchange® suite of solutions. Marc joined Pershing in 1994 as a client service associate in PC Financial Network. He has previously served on the firm’s Conversion Task Force and the Bank Market Segment team. Marc has been in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and was formerly a member of both the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Internet Roundtable and SIFMA Investor Education Advisory Committee. He was previously the featured technology columnist in Boomer Market Advisor, a monthly magazine targeted at investment professionals. Marc frequently speaks at industry conferences including the Financial Services Institute