Best Blockland Podcasts (2025)

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#211: Max Pennington (CLEANR) — Microplastics, Macro Solutions 1:06:37

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6d ago1:06:37

1:06:37

Max Pennington is the Co-Founder & CEO of CLEANR, an innovative company that uses filters to prevent microplastics from entering water streams. Max graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, where he co-developed CLEANR’s innovative VORTX filtration technologyb. Inspired by nature, VORTX bi…

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#210: Umberto Fedeli Round III — Patience & Persistence, Progress & Perfection, Rationality & Uncertainty 1:12:53

20d ago1:12:53

1:12:53

I’m very excited to welcome Umberto Fedeli back for his third conversation. In our first two conversations — episode 135 and episode 171 — we explored Umberto’s remarkable life journey, deep-rooted wisdom, and how he's mastered the craft of building authentic relationships and connecting people across business, politics, and philanthropy. Those epi…

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#209: Daniel Anstandig (Futuri Media) — AI, Future of Media, Music, and Investing 1:15:34

27d ago1:15:34

1:15:34

Daniel Anstandig is the CEO of Futuri Media, a leading AI-driven platform he founded in Cleveland in 2009 to help companies build and monetize engaged audiences. Today, Futuri’s sales, content, and audience technology serves over 7,000 media brands across 22 countries, powered by a bold and passionate team recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of Americ…

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#208: Sonia Winner (Cleveland Museum of Natural History) — $150m Centennial Transformation 1:01:14

1M ago1:01:14

1:01:14

Sonia Winner is the CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. In July 2018, she became the 10th director of the Museum in its more than 100-year history, dating back to 1920. Since then, she has spearheaded a $150 million reinvention of the institution—reimagining its campus and exhibits to highlight the interconnectedness of life on Earth. U…

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#207: DJ Eidson (Limitless Minds) — Peak Performance, Deep Humility, Power of Mindset 54:10

1M ago54:10

54:10

DJ Eidson is the President and Co-founder of Limitless Minds, where he spearheads efforts to make elite mindset coaching accessible to everyone. Through their digital platform and programs, Limitless Minds has empowered hundreds of individuals and teams across organizations like Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Chick-fil-A, Bristol Myers Squibb, Goldm…

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#206: Blake Squires (Findaway, Movable, and Stubl) — Serial Entrepreneur 1:07:16

2M ago1:07:16

1:07:16

Blake Squires began his journey in the mid-90s in Los Angeles, capitalizing early on the convergence of technology and media. He soon returned to his hometown of Cleveland to co-found Everstream with Steve McHale (episode 196) and Charlie Lougheed (episode 42, and also my co-founder at Axuall). Blake served as COO until Everstream’s acquisition by …

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#205: Carl Walz (NASA Astronaut) — 230+ Days In Outer Space 53:06

2M ago53:06

53:06

Carl Walz is an astronaut, a pioneer of space exploration, and a proud Clevelander! As an astronaut, Carl is a veteran of four spaceflights, logging a total of 231 days in outer space and performing three spacewalks during that time. A physicist by training, with degrees from Kent State and John Carroll University, Carl made his way to NASA via the…

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#204: Paul Roetzer (SmarterX & Marketing AI Institute) — Accelerating AI Literacy 1:05:27

2M ago1:05:27

1:05:27

Paul Roetzer is the founder and CEO of SmarterX and the Marketing AI Institute—a media, event, and online education company that he started back in 2016 to make AI accessible, approachable, and actionable for marketers and business leaders. Through the institute, he created MAICON—the leading annual Marketing AI conference, which is hosted here in …

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#203: Geoff Bruder (Sonic Fire Tech) — Fighting Fires with Sound and Acoustic Waves 39:46

3M ago39:46

39:46

Geoff Bruder, co-founder of GhostWorks Engineering and Sonic Fire Tech—a company redefining fire suppression—is fighting fires with acoustic wave technology. Geoff's journey is rooted in his work at NASA Glenn Research Center here in Cleveland, where he focused as a Research Engineer on projects like the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (AS…

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#202: Jared Semik (Eternium Aerospace) — Transcontinental Electric Flights 1:00:28

3M ago1:00:28

1:00:28

Jared Semik, founder of Eternium Aerospace, a long-range, zero-emissions aircraft development company, is focused on sustainable transatlantic flight. A multi-service military aviation veteran with three global deployments, Jared began his career in the Marine Corps in 1999. He is an aerospace research and development engineer with over 20 years of…

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#201: Robert Marks (Projector) — Keepsake and Personal Streaming for Legacy 1:03:27

3M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

Robert Marks founded Fidelity Voice and Data in 1999 with just a $600 investment, which he grew into a business generating over $30 million in revenue, making it one of the largest telecommunications and cloud services competitors throughout the Midwest. The company focused on providing high-speed Internet access to various industries. After sellin…

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#200: Andy Tran (Arthur Street Ventures) — A Modern Renaissance Man 55:17

4M ago55:17

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Andy Tran has lived more lives than just about anyone I know. He’s a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple businesses across industries, including tech, ammunition manufacturing, defense contracting, and tequila, among many others. Andy is a true modern Renaissance man whose path defies convention and serves as a testament to his deep curios…

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#199: John Knific (Squad) — The EdTech Guru 1:06:13

4M ago1:06:13

1:06:13

John Knific is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has built three venture-backed software companies here in Cleveland. His latest venture, Squad, is a peer discovery platform designed to gamify ratings and rankings for Gen Z, starting on college campuses, delivering valuable preference data to marketers. Before Squad, John co-founded Wisr, a vi…

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#198: Rob van Haaren (Proximal Energy) — Powering The Solar Revolution 1:02:31

4M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

Rob van Haaren is a Dutch-born entrepreneur and CEO of Proximal Energy, a Cleveland-based SaaS company transforming asset management for solar and energy storage projects. Rob has long been interested in renewable energy engineering — he holds a Master’s from Columbia University in Earth and Environmental Engineering and a PhD from Columbia as well…

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#197: Ali Bonar (Oat Haus) — The Granola Butter Company 58:06

4M ago58:06

58:06

Ali Bonar — CEO & Co-Founder of Oat Haus, a food company bringing fun and play to eating. Their flagship product, Granola Butter, is the world's first oat-based spread and while Oat Haus was born out of Ali's decade-long battle with an eating disorder, and it's now her mission to help others feel less alone. Since its beginnings in 2018, Oat Haus h…

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#196: Stephen McHale (Graici & Unify Labs) — Serial Entrepreneurship & the Pursuit of Inclusive Prosperity 51:46

5M ago51:46

51:46

Stephen McHale — a long-time Cleveland serial entrepreneur with a 40-year career founding, investing in, and building companies. Most notably, Steve served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Explorys, which he formed in 2009 in partnership with The Cleveland Clinic. He co-founded and funded Explorys with Charlie Lougheed, one o…

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[Bonus] Rust Belt Rundown featuring Jeffrey Stern of The O.H.I.O. Fund 49:06

5M ago49:06

49:06

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Lay of The Land podcast. Today, we're doing something a bit different as I take on the role of guest on other podcasts to discuss recent developments in my journey and offer a glimpse of what lies ahead. As some of you may know, I've recently embarked on a new professional path by joining the founding team …

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#194: Hanna Kassis (Babylon Asset Management) — Business Financing, Private Credit, and Growth Capital 51:08

6M ago51:08

51:08

Throughout his career, Hanna Kassis has overseen $1.5 billion in capital deployment. Hanna began his entrepreneurial journey in Youngstown, where he managed Tim Ryan's congressional campaign from 2008 to 2011. This early taste of independence would prove formative for his future ventures. Though he initially pursued law school in Chicago with inten…

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[In Honor Of] Bob Sopko 58:55

6M ago58:55

58:55

It is with a heavy heart that I honor Bob Sopko’s memory by revisiting Lay of The Land's 12th episode. While no conversation could ever fully capture the breadth or depth of his legacy, I hope this episode relays an essence of his spirit, his unwavering commitment to supporting others, and his vision for Cleveland’s entrepreneurial future. Bob will…

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#193: Ryan Schreiber (Streamline) — The One-Stop Streaming Guide 56:19

7M ago56:19

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Ryan Schreiber is a long-time Clevelander and major advocate for the city, as well as the founder and CEO of Streamline, an innovative mobile platform tackling one of the streaming industry's most pressing challenges—helping users navigate the increasingly fragmented world of content and entertainment, from sports to shows and movies, across over 2…

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#192: Jim Weisman (Ingine) — Revolutionizing Knowledge Generation for a Healthier Tomorrow 53:21

7M ago53:21

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Jim Weisman, CEO of Ingine, exploring deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare In our world where healthcare costs are soaring and drug development timelines stretch into decades, Ingine is revolutionizing how we can analyze complex medical and healthcare data to produce better knowledge to create better medicine. By lev…

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#191: Lance Hill (Within3) — Raising >$100 Million to Breakdown Healthcare Communication Barriers 1:01:31

7M ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Lance Hill, CEO of Within3, has led one of Cleveland's most well-capitalized startups, raising over $100 million to transform how the healthcare and life sciences industries communicate. What began in 2007 as a secure peer-to-peer platform for physicians quickly evolved into something much more ambitious—a solution to break down communication barri…

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[Bonus] Marketing Moves — Investing in Ohio's Future: Ft. Jeffrey Stern 41:20

7M ago41:20

41:20

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Lay of The Land podcast. Today, we're doing something a bit different as I take on the role of guest on other podcasts to discuss recent developments in my journey and offer a glimpse of what lies ahead. As some of you may know, I've recently embarked on a new professional path by joining the founding team …

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#189: Chas D. Withers (Dix & Eaton) — Running Towards the Fire 59:29

7M ago59:29

59:29

Chas Withers, chairman and CEO of Dix & Eaton, the storied Cleveland integrated communications firm, known for its specialization in marketing communications, Crisis management, and investor relations, which has partnered with its clients to drive impact and results in their public relations since 1952. While Chas has led the firm as CEO since 2015…

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#188: Joe Pulizzi (Tilt Publishing & Content Entrepreneur Expo) — Content Marketing, Community, and Cleveland 51:50

8M ago51:50

51:50

Joe Pulizzi is a serial entrepreneur and deeply passionate about all things content marketing and entrepreneurship — he is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc., selling over 500,000 copies worldwide with his work featured New York Times, Insider, Entrepreneur, and other notable publications he hosts multiple podcasts and wri…

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#187: Aaron Hoffman & John Zinno (DeliverThat) — The Future of Catering Delivery 1:10:21

8M ago1:10:21

1:10:21

Aaron Hoffman and John Zinno — co-founders of DeliverThat, based in Canton Ohio. Friends for life, the two of them started this business out of Ohio University in 2016 off the bat of a viral tweet and have since proceeded to revolutionize catering delivery with over $300 million dollars of catering delivery under their belt, a network of over 25,00…

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#186: Andrew Rising (Encore Venture Labs) — Bridging Cleveland's Industrial Heritage To Its Industrial Future 59:17

8M ago59:17

59:17

Andrew Rising, CEO of Encore Venture Labs. As someone who believes deeply in the opportunity for Cleveland’s future, I find Andrew’s journey to be an inspiring and optimisitc one… …Deeply rooted in the heart of Cleveland’s west side where he grew up before embarking on a decade-long adventure in the Bay Area—a place where innovation and venture cap…

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#185: Franco Kraiselburd (Asclepii Inc.) — Building the Next Generation of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Cell Therapeutics to Improve Human Health 1:17:25

8M ago1:17:25

1:17:25

Franco Kraiselburd — Co-Founder and CEO of Asclepii — building the next generation of tissue engineering therapeutics for wound healing. I’ve recently heard a life’s work described as a lifelong quest to build something for others that expresses who you are. It feels to me that Franco is not just building a company, but has found his life’s work an…

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#184: John Vickers (Blue Abyss) — Building the World’s Foremost Extreme Environment R&D Facilities for Space and Deep Sea Exploration 1:08:30

9M ago1:08:30

1:08:30

John Vickers, Founder & CEO of Blue Abyss. John is building one of the most ambitious and inspiring projects I’ve encountered while exploring what people are building in Cleveland! After spending eight years in the British Army, John completed his service at the rank of Corporal in 1991 and transitioned to a civilian career where he worked in manag…

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#183: Laura Bennett & Alex Krooglik (Embrace Pet Insurance) — The Story of A Cleveland Unicorn 1:08:17

9M ago1:08:17

1:08:17

Laura Bennett and Alex Krooglik, co-founders of Embrace Pet Insurance, which was sold in 2023 for $1.5 billion to JAB Holding Company. The duo founded Embrace Pet Insurance after graduating from Penn’s Wharton School of Business in 2003 and moving to Cleveland, where they built and grew this e-commerce, specialist insurance company selling pet insu…

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#182: Dan Nitowsky (Tiger21) — Wealth Preservation, Legacy, and Ultra-High-Net-Worth Peer Support 45:23

9M ago45:23

45:23

Dan Nitowsky, Chair of TIGER 21 Cleveland. Dan, like me is a native New Yorker who has made Cleveland his home & has spent 30 years here in Cleveland as a highly accomplished executive with a proven history of success in distribution and manufacturing, with leadership roles in the Electrical Distribution industry — where expanded Mars Electric from…

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#181: Fred DiSanto (Ancora) — Connecting Dots, Activist Investing, Mentorship, and Deal Making 1:15:36

9M ago1:15:36

1:15:36

Fred DiSanto, Chairman and CEO of Ancora — the Cleveland-based investment firm with nearly $10B in assets under management and over 100 employees — which he’s led since 2006! Before Ancora, Fred had an expansive investing career, most recently overseeing investment management, private banking, and Trust and Banking Services at Fifth Third Bank. Fif…

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#180: Taylor Evans (Rust Belt Recruiting) — Talent, Reindustrialization, and Manufacturing Recruiting 1:13:58

10M ago1:13:58

1:13:58

Taylor Evans — Founder and President of Rust Belt Recruiting, a leading local manufacturing recruiting agency, which also hosts a kindred-spirit podcast to Lay Of The Land, called Rust Belt Rundowns, where they are amplifying the stories of local manufacturing executives and leaders across Northeast Ohio. Today's conversation explores Taylor’s path…

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[Bonus] Weekly Impact: Craig Hassall (Playhouse Square), IoVs and, Innovation Summit 14:12

10M ago14:12

14:12

My guests this week are my friends and partners over at Impact Architects —who many of you will note are the longest-time supporters of Lay of The Land and the community building work we’re doing together — Kris Snyder and Jim Haviland who’ve spent over a decade together as serial entrepreneurs building companies like Ninety, Vox, and Impact Archit…

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#178: Jared Anderson & Sandor Gyerman (Andor Creative) — 100M+ Organic Views, Gen Z Marketing, and Social Media Authenticity 53:00

10M ago53:00

53:00

Sandor Gyerman and Jared Anderson, the dynamic co-founders of Andor Creative. Founded in 2018 when they were Sophomores at Cleveland State University, Andor Creative was born to find more innovative ways to produce advertising and marketing content for companies, bridging the gap between Gen Z and established businesses in Greater Cleveland. Since …

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#177: Joshua Edmonds (DigitalC) — Bridging the Digital Divide in Cleveland & Internet as a Human Right 1:01:53

10M ago1:01:53

1:01:53

Joshua Edmonds, CEO of DigitalC. The digital divide — this gap between people who have access to the internet and those who do not — is something you may have heard me bring up a few times before on this podcast — while not uniquely a Cleveland issue, Cleveland historically has been one of the most challenged connected large cities in the country w…

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#176: Mike Malley (Malley’s Chocolates) — Coco, Milk, Sugar, and Cleveland 1:01:37

10M ago1:01:37

1:01:37

Mike Malley, President and CEO of Malley's Chocolates. If you grew up in northeast Ohio it’s very likely you know of Malley’s Chocolates, a staple of this community, providing delicious chocolate candies & treats for over eight decades now with nearly two dozen retail stores across the region and a modern chocolate-making 60,000 sq foot factory off…

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#175: Craig Hassall (Playhouse Square) — Surprise & Inspire the World — Cleveland’s Artistic Renaissance 56:20

11M ago56:20

56:20

Craig Hassall, CEO of Playhouse Square Craig is a mainstay in the international theater community, with decades of experience operating and curating the most prestigious venues across Europe and Australia. Over his career, in addition to his role as CEO of the Royal Albert Hall in London, he was also CEO of Opera Australia which oversees the Sydney…

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#174: Keith Gerchak & Marisa Guterman (Lost & Found In Cleveland) — The Making of a New American Fable on Hope & the Post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest 1:16:56

11M ago1:16:56

1:16:56

Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman — Founders @ Double G Films This is a truly special episode — I always love exploring the parallels between entrepreneurship and art and in our conversation today, we get to explore the fascinating journey behind 'Lost and Found in Cleveland,' the upcoming feature film and brainchild of Keith and Marisa, which brin…

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#173: Mitchell Vargo (Forward Hospitality Group) — The Business of Hospitality & Entertainment in Cleveland 52:51

11M ago52:51

52:51

Mitchell Vargo, Partner at Forward Hospitality Group. Since its founding in 2015, the Cleveland-based Hospitality Group has built out unique entertainment, bar, and restaurant experiences locally and all across the country — from here in Cleveland to Chicago, Miami, and beyond! The breadth of concepts spans FWD — the large-scale day and nightclub b…

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#172: Ian Maurer (GenomOncology) — Precision Oncology, Convergence of Genomics & AI, and Improving Cancer Care 1:00:22

11M ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Ian Maurer — Chief Technology Officer at GenomOncology and co-lead of the Cancer Informatics for Cancer Centers’ AI working group. With over two decades of software experience, Ian has led GenomOncology — a Cleveland-based software company — in their pursuit to provide the healthcare community with data-driven insights to improve cancer care and st…

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#171: Umberto Fedeli Round II — Lifelong Learning, Happiness, Wealth, and Investing 1:03:22

12M ago1:03:22

1:03:22

Umberto P. Fedeli — Founder, President, and CEO of The Fedeli Group I first had the opportunity to speak with Umberto on this podcast just over a year ago! At the time, our conversation extended far beyond what we were able to include in the original episode exploring his Italian heritage & Cleveland upbringing, the evolution of his career, life ph…

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#170: Matt Buder Shapiro Round II — Investing in Cleveland, Storytelling, and Reflections on Vytalize Health's MedPilot Acquisition 46:08

12M ago46:08

46:08

Matt Buder Shapiro — Chief Marketing Officer at Vytalize Health, Previously Founder at MedPilot (Acquired) I first spoke to Matt on this podcast 3 years ago. At the time, as a co-founder and chief marketing officer of MedPilot, he was navigating an acquisition to Vytalize Health after having built the company to help service over a million patients…

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#169: Aaron Slodov (Atomic Industries) — Techno-Industrial Optimism and Exascaling American Manufacturing 1:10:30

12M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

Aaron Slodov — CEO of Atomic Industries, a company he co-founded back in 2019 and has raised over $20 million from leading investors like Toyota Ventures, Impatient Ventures, Narya Capital, 8090 Industries, and others! Atomic is on a mission to exascale the American manufacturing sector, starting with making tool and die-making orders of magnitude …

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#168: Darren Small (Oko) — Simplifying Logistics and Automating Supply Chains 52:24

1y ago52:24

52:24

Darren Small, co-founder and CEO of Oko. With over a decade of experience on Wall Street, Darren’s analytical background from the world of investment banking, stocks, and data, equipped him with a keen eye for efficiency and growth opportunities which he’s now applied to the world of logistics! Darren co-founded Oko back in 2021 after witnessing fi…

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#167: John Kempf (Advancing Eco Agriculture) — Regenerative Agriculture 1:06:27

1y ago1:06:27

1:06:27

John Kempf — founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), a regenerative agronomy company started back in 2006 to share the knowledge, tools, and systems that regenerate farm profitability, soil health, and plant health, all while reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Under John’s leadership, AEA has grown to be trusted by over 10,000 gr…

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#166: Adam Graybill (Journey Biosciences) — Shifting the Future of Diabetes & Care 50:45

1y ago50:45

50:45

Adam Graybill, co-founder and CEO of Journey Biosciences. With a robust 20-year tenure in the diabetes market, Adam has been at the forefront of assembling purpose-driven teams and forging impactful strategic partnerships across the healthcare landscape; having played an instrumental role in building the Cardinal Health At Home business to a billio…

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#165: Phil Londrico (Jatango) — Livestream Shopping — Fostering Intimacy & Connection in E-Commerce 51:24

1y ago51:24

51:24

Phil Londrico, Founder & CEO of JaTango — an interactive broadcasting and e-commerce platform that gives individuals the power to host their own live shopping channel anywhere. For many years now, we’ve seen e-commerce grow, sparking an entire industry of new brands, channels, and technology stacks. Today, everything from a legacy department store …

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#164: Dr. James Kenyon (NASA Glenn) — To the Moon, Mars and Beyond, From Cleveland — The Future of Aviation & Space Exploration 53:38

1y ago53:38

53:38

Dr. James Kenyon, Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio The road to the Moon goes through Cleveland. With a budget of approximately $900 million, a staff of more than 3,200 civil servants, over 725 patents, and over 120 R&D 100 Awards, Glenn — under Dr. Kenyon's leadership and in accordance with NASA's mandates — is providing …

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#163: Ryan McManus (SHARE Mobility) — Mobility as a Service & The Future of Transportation 57:42

1y ago57:42

57:42

Ryan McManus — founder and CEO of SHARE Mobility Ryan is passionate about solving workforce and rural mobility challenges, creating and affording equitable access to transportation, and ultimately changing the way people actually commute. To this end, SHARE Mobility, which raised over $12 million in funding from investors like JumpStart Ventures he…