Conquering Columbus Podcast

Green Light Improv provides classes on improv to university students and corporations to help improve their team’s creative thinking skills and innovation.

The Grote Company manufactures reliable, top-quality food-slicing and assembly equipment. They’re a leader in the market, and based here in Central Ohio. Bob Grote has served as CEO since 2012, and has worked at the company since 2000.

Pathfinder Product Labs is a consulting group that helps companies embrace proven, repeatable methodologies for embracing uncertainty and defining product direction. Brett Buchanan founded the company with fellow co-founder Nick Baker in 2019, and today he leads the company as a Product Management Consultant and CEO.

Triad is an architecture + design; construction + facility management; and real estate development company based in downtown Columbus. 2023 marks a major celebration of 25 years of service to the Central Ohio region!

Bruce Garfield is the Executive Director of the Columbus Music Commission, a role he has served since August 2018 following his move to Columbus in November of 2017. Before the Columbus Music Commission, Bruce had a successful career as both a major record label executive and talent management, working with artists like Sinead O’Connor, Grace …

Chris is the Owner and President of AutoSweet, a digital marketing and advertising firm that helps car dealerships nationwide drive quality website traffic, convert leads, and match back offline sales from their online advertising.

Callan Harrington is the CEO & Founder of FlashGrowth, a sales and RevOps consulting company that helps start-ups and scale-ups unlock their next level of growth by creating, implementing, and executing proven go-to-market plans for rapid growth.

FocusCFO provides fractional Chief Financial Officer support to small and medium-size businesses that are not large enough to need a full-time CFO. Brad Martyn, the founder of FocusCFO, started the company in Columbus in 2001. Today, FocusCFO operates in 10 states, has over 140 associates, and is the Top 5 in the US within the …

Michael Wezner is the owner of XGolf (Columbus and Powell), a franchise that combines a high-tech golf simulator experience with a bar and restaurant.

Bob White is the CEO of the Daimler Group, a commercial real estate developer based in Columbus, Ohio for over 40 years. Bob has spent the last 25+ years with the Daimler group, making his way up from Marketing Representative to CEO.

Chris is Founder and CEO of Cyanna Education Services, a full-circle educational consulting firm focused on building & improving institutions of higher learning, and EDvera, a software company that sprung up out of some of the regulatory challenges Chris and his team saw from their clients in the education space. He is also the Co-Founder …

Todd Swickard is the CEO and Founder of Smart 1 Marketing. Smart 1 Marketing is a full-service digital partner, offering solutions to help with everything from website design and development to sales training, SEO optimization, Social Media, and more.

Wes Strickling is the CEO and Founder of codexIT. CodexIT provides complete Managed Technology Services to multi-office & PE platform Eye Care groups. Their deep industry knowledge allows them to provide support for all of the moving parts in a modern practice.

Tom Bruce is the CEO and Founder of Conversion Path. Tom is a former CFO-turned-marketer, and he founded Conversion Path in 2011, which offers eCommerce brands specialized strategies to maximize sales and profits. The innovations they’ve developed in search, social, and marketplace advertising give their clients a competitive advantage in their market.

Bryon Murray is the CEO and Founder of Enzee Health, a cloud-based platform that helps measure compliance and quality across multiple modalities and, soon, across the whole healthcare system, giving hospitals the power to provide better patient care. Bryon is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University.

On this episode from 2021, Josh and Mike talk with Larry Connor, Founder and Managing Partner of the Connor Group. Larry is not only an extremely successful entrepreneur, he’s also a champion race driver, flies fighter jets, astronaut, and more as you’ll hear about in this interview.

Heartland Ventures was formed to do what no other venture capital fund has done before: connect established Midwest companies with coastal startups, giving business leaders a voice in the tech transformation happening in their industries. By leveraging a network of strategic investors composed of private, often rural, and mostly multi-generational business owners and operators, their …

Mike and Josh are on vacation for the first time in seven years, so this week, we went back to May of 2021 to re-release one of Mike’s favorite interviews. On this interview from 2021, Mike and Josh spoke with Dr. Annalies Corbin, Founder, President and CEO, and Chief Goddess at the PAST Foundation.

A look back at some of our most liked episodes in 2022 featuring: Giri Devanur, Matt Scantland, Ernest Levert Jr., Dr. Zeenia Kaul, Andy Miller, Joanna Pinkerton, Emily Quick-Schriver, Louise Rodino-Klapac, Thomas McClure, Vamsi Kora, Chris Cooke, and Laura Wilkins Cooke.

Hugh Cathey is the CEO of ChromoCare, which is a leader in the field of Pharmacogenetics (PGx), aka the genetic testing of patients to ensure compatibility with prescription medications. Prior to ChromoCare, Hugh served as a Principal for Columbus-Partners, LLC, and CRO at Healthspot, Inc. Additionally, he has a wide range of leadership experience at …

Chris Cooke and Laura Wilkins Cooke are the Co-Founders of Positive Foundry. Positive Foundry provides training and consulting services to help people and businesses thrive. Prior to founding Positive Foundry, Chris and Laura both had highly successful careers in their own right. Laura got an MBA from Michigan’s Ross School of Business and has held …

Objective Prosperity: How Behavioral Economics Can Improve Outcomes for You, Your Business and Your Nation is co-authored by Roger Blackwell and Roger Bailey; Blackwell has written 40 previous books and served on the boards of 14 public companies over the course of his professional career.

Vamsi Kora is the Founder and CEO of Gathi Analytics. Gathi Analytics was acquired by Apexon (a Goldman Sachs portfolio company) in 2021, and today Vamsi serves as the company’s Chief Data Officer.

TalentShare is a mobile application designed to connect collegiate athletes with younger, local athletes looking for coaching and training opportunities.

Claudia De Leon is the Co-Owner and COO of La Mega Media. La Mega Media, Inc is a minority-owned business, and is one of the largest Hispanic media companies in the Midwest. The company’s corporate office is located in Columbus, OH, with additional offices in Cincinnati and Cleveland, while also reaching into Dayton, Northern Kentucky, …

Brian Zuercher is the CEO and Co-Founder of Align, which helps companies optimize their work experience for their employees. Previously, he was a Co-Founder and leader at SEEN, which was eventually acquired by ICX Media.

Marty Gage and Spencer Murrell are partners at Lextant. Lextant focuses on helping businesses create customer experiences that win in the market. Marty and Spencer were part of the founding team at Lextant; and today, Spencer is the VP of Insight Translation and Marty is VP of Design Research.

Nick Jones is the Vice President of Community Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Nick has been working at Nationwide Children’s since 2016, and before that, he worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus as well as several other non-profit organizations. Present day, he helps Nationwide Children’s spearhead their initiatives centered around improving the …

Alison Marker is the President and CEO of Marker, Inc. Marker, Inc. is a woman-owned commercial real estate and full-service construction company. Prior to Marker, Inc. Alison spent time as a psychotherapist. She’s also an alumnus of The Ohio State University, and she was elected one of the 2021 Columbus Business First 40 under 40.

Monty Ragland is the CEO and Monica Dominic is the Chief Client Officer of Proteam Solutions, Inc., or “PSI” for short. PSI was previously owned by brothers Keith and Doug Stevens, but they recently wrapped up a deal to sell the company to Monica and Monty, holding off several outside offers to ensure a smooth …

Thomas McClure is the Executive Director and Founder of The Columbus Fashion Council and Columbus Fashion Week! The Columbus Fashion Council is a non-profit organization seeking to expand the fashion economy in Central Ohio through a combination of industry growth initiatives, community organizer support, funding access opportunities, and creative program development. Since its debut in …

Andrew Bennett is the chief business officer at Provide, a national fintech company focused on financially empowering healthcare providers to achieve their practice ownership dreams. Provide’s streamlined digital finance experience, personalized customer service, and comprehensive suite of financial products make opening, running, and expanding a healthcare practice easier for our community’s dentists and veterinarians.

Dr. Louise Rodino-Klapac is the EVP and Chief Scientific Officer at Sarepta. Louise joined Sarepta in June 2018 and was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer by December of 2020. Prior to this role Louise served as Sarepta’s senior vice president, gene therapy. She became head of R&D in November 2021. She has led …

Dr. Eric Karolak is Chief Executive Officer of Action for Children, the source for child care and early learning services in Central Ohio. Under his leadership, Action For Children was able to combine forces with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the City of Columbus to launch the Franklin County RISE Program, which offers …

Bill Balderaz is the Founder and President of Futurety. We had Bill on the show before we even hit 100 episodes to talk about Futurety, and since then Bill and his team have been hard at work. Today, we’re talking to Bill about a SaaS product called Huckle, which their team is getting ready to …

Jane Wolfe is the author of two previous best-selling biographies, “The Murchison’s: The Rise and Fall of a Texas Dynasty” (St. Martin’s Press) and “Blood Rich: When Oil Billions, High Fashion, and Royal Intimacies Are Not Enough” (Little, Brown & Co.). She is also a freelance writer for several publications, including the New York Times …

Mark Kelnhofer is the CEO of Return on Ingredients. He has more than 20 years of experience in bottom line-boosting accounting, and he spent 20+ years in managerial cost accounting refining his methods; including seven years in restaurant cost management. When these two areas of expertise combined his one-of-a-kind methodology was born. He is also …

Kwame Christian, Esq. is the Director of the American Negotiation Institute, subject matter expert in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution, bestselling author, and podcast host among many other impressive feats. He runs his own podcast, Negotiate Anything, and recently released his second book, How to have Difficult Discussions About Race.

Ryan McManus is the CEO and Co-founder of SHARE Mobility, a mobility company focused on providing other companies with the ability to provide transportation to their staff as a benefit. When we first spoke with Ryan back in 2019, he and his team had been at it for a few years, but things have really …

The Matriots is a political action committee dedicated to supporting, endorsing, and encouraging women candidates for office in Ohio. Their goal is help women get elected to office in Ohio with the hope that by getting more women into office, Ohio becomes a more equitable place to live. Their bold vision is for 50% of …

Amy Shore is the EVP and Chief Customer Officer at Nationwide! Amy has over 30 years of experience in the P&C industry, including over 20 years in varying leadership positions at Nationwide. She has leadership experience in a variety of business functions including sales, underwriting, product/pricing, customer service, and general management. Additionally, she has served …

Joanna Pinkerton is the President and CEO of COTA (Central Ohio Transit Authority). When many of us think of COTA, we leap to the city’s bus system first, but COTA is responsible for far more than that. Since Joining the COTA team in 2018, Joanna has focused on driving innovation and revamping options for mobility …

Brian Ross is the President and CEO of Experience Columbus. Experience Columbus is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating and showcasing the best of the Columbus experience to the world. They accomplish this mission by encouraging tourism as well as driving career opportunities in Columbus to encourage the world to visit our great city.  

Jay Amstutz is the President of Ohio Power Tool. Ohio Power Tool has been in business since 1983, and Jay joined the team as Vice President in 2008. Since becoming President in 2015, Jay has focused on expanding their influence in the Ohio region while simultaneously working to build their online presence and sales.

Andy Miller is the Founder of Waveform Music Group, which focuses on songwriting and production serving a variety of different companies across all kinds of production needs. Andy has a deep background in music production, post mixing, and sound design. He earned a BFA in Electronic Media (Audio, Film, and Television – Honors) from The …

Wayne is the President and Founder of 614 Media Group, a central-Ohio-focused media company behind magazines like (614) Magazine, Stock and Barrel, as well as Columbus Restaurant Week, Burger and Beer Week, and more. They are also partnered with Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, working together on 614 Lager, which has become their best-selling beer in just …

Val Jorgensen is the Founder and Owner of Jorgensen Farms. Following some of the most progressive and ecological farming practices, Jorgensen Farms is also one of Central Ohio’s most desirable wedding and event locales, caterers, and floral designers. They’ve been recognized with the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and the American …

Suraj Hinduja is the Managing Director of RTRX, a networking event firm founded by Jim Merkel, Founder of Rockbridge Capital, which aligns itself with Pelotonia in an effort to eventually see an end to cancer. The RTRX experience, held in collaboration with Pelotonia’s Ride Weekend, is uniquely curated with business, philanthropy, fun, and thought-provoking and …

Corey Poches is the Founder and CEO of Motive CBD, as well as a Managing Partner of Verdant Creations. Corey and his Wife, Kelly Hondros, founded Motive CBD in 2018, and they were outsourcing their hemp until it became legal to grow for medical marijuana in Ohio in 2019. After that, they began growing their …

Ed Porter is the founder of Blue Chip CRO, where he works as a fractional CRO for businesses from $0-$20 million in revenue entering growth mode or restructuring their businesses.