Conquering Columbus Podcast

Deirdre DeWeese is the Vice President of Philanthropy for the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland – if you’re followers of the show, you might remember we had Tammy Wharton on the show previously from the Girl Scouts as well. Deirdre has worked in fundraising and development across a variety of organizations throughout her career, and …

Dr. Zeenia Kaul, CEO and CSO at ReHeva Biosciences. ReHeva Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical startup founded in 2016, is discovering and developing naturally occurring, complex botanical agents to treat and manage cancer. Their goal is to help people live longer and healthier with cancer, ultimately transforming cancer treatment into disease management. They recently started their …

Matt Wyckhouse is the Founder and CEO of Finite State. Finite State automates product security for connected devices and embedded systems, enabling developers and security teams to ship their products with confidence.

Ernest Levert Jr is the founder of the Royal Oak Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on developing community through the game of chess. What started as a bi-weekly meetup has grown into a community of chess enthusiasts as well as a chess-based mentoring program, and the Royal Oak Chess Initiative recently signed a …

Jacob Block is the CEO and Founder of American Nitrile, a disposable glove manufacturer headquartered here in Columbus. Jacob founded American Nitrile in 2021 in an effort to combat the PPE shortage that hit the U.S. and the world due to the COVID pandemic. With the motto “Bring Manufacturing Back Home,” Jacob and the American …

Matt Scantland is the Founder and CEO of AndHealth, a digital health company with the mission of helping people reverse chronic disease, which he started after his own battle with chronic disease. AndHealth is the world’s first virtual Center of Excellence for migraine reversal, and is soon launching a virtual Center of Excellence for autoimmune …

Jay Harkrider is the Managing Director of Foxen, a software company that started out by focusing on helping property managers better track and manage renter’s insurance across their tenants. However, over just a few years, Foxen has evolved into a FinTech company providing innovative financial solutions for residential and commercial real estate companies. On top …

Tom Dailey provides independent expert strategic and practical advice to merchants, payment processors, investors, law firms, and other organizations. He is a recognized, trusted expert in the card and payments space. As a senior executive at Discover, he managed the multi-billion dollar merchant business unit, including a team of over 2,000 across 28 facilities. More …

5.Life is a collection of world-class climbing facilities based in the Midwest and has been in business for thirty years in Columbus, Ohio. The first facility, Vertical Adventures was hand-built by Alexis and Carrie Roccos, with the help of their friends, and opened in 1994 in Columbus, Ohio. Since then, the business and climbing community …

Ernie Knight is the Managing Director and CEO of Valley Growth Ventures. Valley Growth Ventures is a “micro” venture capital investment fund created to support high-growth, early-stage companies across the state of Ohio, with a preference for those in the Mahoning Valley. Formed in collaboration between five area organizations, VGV serves to aid in the …

Joe Petrelli is the President and Co-Founder of Demotech, the first insurer rating service to review independent regional and specialty insurers. At the time of the founding of Demotech in 1985, the insurance rating industry was controlled by a few key players, and many of them said it would be impossible to rate smaller regional …

Esther is the Founder of Benesafe Solutions. Benesafe Solutions LLC manufactures, produces, and sells eco-friendly, plant-based insect repellents without harsh chemicals making them safe for families, pets, and the environment. Their goal is to create products that are in line with their values and minimize the impact on the environment and the planet. Prior to …

Brian Gregory is the CEO and a Co-Founder of FMX. FMX is a facilities management software company founded in 2012 that has grown to serve over 1,500 customers across the world today. Prior to co-founding FMX, Brian was an engineer working in the energy services industry, and he graduated from the Ohio State University with …

Sean and Addison are the Co-Founders of S’wich Social, a build-your-own ice cream sandwich shop based in Italian Village! Sean and Addison launched S’wich Social in March of 2021.

Gus Hashem is a Co-founder of T-CETRA, a company focused on solving the challenges of a massive problem in the U.S. – serving the 84 million people who lack access to bank accounts or other traditional financial products and services. These un/underbanked individuals still need to interact with an increasingly digital world, and that is …

David Bullivant is the founder and CEO of Yellow Weld, a startup welding company here in Columbus. David studied Welding Engineering at Ohio State before founding Yellow Weld in June of 2020.

Brent is the Principal and Founder of Crawford Hoying, a real estate development firm managing several communities throughout Ohio. Brent is responsible for managing $1.3 billion in development and over 16 million square feet of properties. Brent taught property management and real estate trends at The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University …

Adam Carr is the Master Integrator at Save a Warrior, an organization dedicated to ending the epidemic of suicide among our nations’ military, veterans, and first responders. He is also the Founder and CEO of the Western Zen, a leadership and development company based out of Columbus and focused on serving corporations, academia, and first-responder …

Josh Curtis is the Managing Director of Footprint Capital. Footprint Capital assists owners of privately held companies with mergers and acquisitions, strategic decisions, ownership transition planning, and corporate finance. As Managing Director, Josh works directly with business leaders to help strategize and plan these complex transactions.

Jim McGuire is the CEO of Entrotech, a vertically integrated provider of advanced material solutions. Jim studied Chemistry at Ohio State and founded Entrotech in 1999. Today, the Entrotech group includes several companies such as Advanced Paint Technology, Entrochem, inc., and Entrotech Life Sciences.

Giri Devnaur is the CEO of reAlpha, a fintech company with the mission of democratizing real estate. Their AI finds the best potential properties for investment, and those properties are listed on their digital marketplace where you can invest in them.

Angie Lloyd is the Executive Director of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation. The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, founded in 1994 as the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation and located in Columbus, is a statewide, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that civil legal aid is available to all low-income Ohioans. The Foundation’s board is composed …

Lauren Culley and Jeff Excell are the Founders of Fox in the Snow – a bakery, coffee shop serving up rustic-style baked goods and hand-poured drinks out of three quaint shops in the Italian Village, German Village and New Albany neighborhoods of Columbus, Ohio.

Brian Billingsley is a Co-Founder of Basis Theory, a tokenization API to help secure any data. Basis Theory helps developers build secure and compliant applications faster, and helps clients secure data such as credit card information, HIPPA-related data, credentials, banking information, and more.

Matt Benson is the CEO and Founder of eFuse. eFuse was founded in 2018 and is the place where gamers meet, compete, & are discovered. Available in the form of a web and mobile application, eFuse connects the highly fragmented gaming community and provides tools for individuals to build a unique gaming portfolio, collaborate professionally, …

Travis Hedge is a Co-Founder of Vouch Insurance. Vouch is a business insurance platform for startups. Built by founders for founders, Vouch’s fully digital coverage takes minutes to activate, with everything from application to claims designed for the unique needs of high-growth companies. Because Vouch does all of the underwriting, not just brokering out to …

Ira Sharfin is the CEO of Continental Office. If you missed our first episode with Ira, go back and check it out – we talk about Ira’s story, the story of Continental Office, and more. We’ve brought Ira back on to talk about what’s new for the Continental Office team, and how offices and workspaces …

Mark was the Founder and President of Signature Closers, LLC, a notary closing partner for many local, regional, and national title companies. What started as a single signing agent providing notary signing services to Central and Southwest Ohio grew to provide services throughout the entire state of Ohio. Signature Closers, LLC was recognized on the …

Dan Snyder is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lower, a multi-channel fintech focused on helping more people achieve wealth through homeownership. Dan was recently named the #4 CEO by Glassdoor, and Lower is the naming rights partner for the Columbus Crew’s new stadium, Lower.com Field. His leadership style has led to multiple local and national …

Nancy Matijasich is the President and CEO of Manifest Solutions here in Columbus, Ohio. Manifest Solutions is an IT consulting firm serving fortune 100 companies in the insurance, Financial Services, Utility, Manufacturing and Retail industries. Nancy has worked for Manifest Solutions for 27 years, and prior to that was the President and Co-Founder of another …

Myron Leff is the Owner and Founder of Leff & Associates, a business and marketing consulting firm, which focuses on Strategic Business and Marketing Plans, Brand Development, and Management Consultation. Myron started the company in 1996 and has continued to run the firm until today, growing the business along the way.  

Bobby George is a majority owner in over 20 restaurants, including Townhall here in Columbus, and he is tied to over 30 other businesses. While mainly known for his restaurants in Cleveland and Columbus, He is also the founder and CEO of Ethos Capital.

John Brooks is the Founder and Managing Partner of BTTS Holdings. For more than 20 years, BTTS Holdings has been proud to be a stress-free, one-stop-shop event partner for their clients. Their family of venues include Brookshire (Lewis Center), WatersEdge (Hilliard), The Estate (New Albany), The FIG Room (Short North), and Edison777 (Italian Village).  

Sara Sable-Antry is a Co-Founder and the CEO of HCRPath, and Ed Porter is a Co-Founder and CRO for HCRPath. HCRPath is a healthcare tech startup focused on helping providers provide better continuity of care for seniors while helping seniors get better preventive care to help improve outcomes.

Rebecca is the Chief Creative Officer at The Creative Content Shop, a local marketing agency here in Columbus, Ohio that specializes as a one-stop digital marketing shop for small brands and entrepreneurs.

Steve Morris is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Asset Strategies Group (“ASG”), as well as the Founder and Chairman of CBUS Retail. ASG is a leading provider of outsourced real estate services – their team has worked with clients like DSW, Sephora, Express, and ASICS to optimize their real estate investments through a variety …

Megan Kvamme is a UNC alumni who got her start on Wall Street as an analyst for a fixed-income investment banking group. Since then, she’s founded several of her own companies, including Beez (Formerly FactGem), a data visualization startup here in Columbus, and is Chairwoman at Avery’s Trail Distilling Company. Steve Stone served as CTO …

Centric Consulting is a consulting firm offering services for the business, technology, and digital needs of its clients. Larry started his career in consulting but found himself burnt out at 25. He and his wife decided to go on a backpacking trip around the world, and when he returned, he and his peers decided to …

Nevin Bansal is the Founder and CEO of Outreach Promotional Solutions as well as the Founder, Chairman and Executive Director of Small Biz Cares. Outreach Promotional Solutions is part print, promotional apparel, and logo apparel as well as part graphic design and web design shop. Nevin took a community driven approach to Outreach Promotional Solutions, …

Tammy Wharton is the President and CEO of Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, which serves more than 40,000 Girl Scout members. Her initial connection with the Girl Scouts began in 2001, when she led the organization’s fund-raising and public relations efforts. In 2005, Wharton left to become the executive director of the Columbus Literacy Council …

Dr. Tim Miller is a Co-Founder, President and CEO of Forge Biologics, a gene therapy biotech company that is both providing manufacturing and development services to other companies and working on its own pipeline. This dual mission is a challenge to build and operate, but the Forge team was able to raise $40 million in …

Matt Miller is the President of Park National Bank, a family of community banking teams providing the heart and style of a local community bank with the resources of a big bank. Matt has worked at Park National since 2009, where he started with the company as Vice President. Prior to Park National, Matt spent …

Ross Klosterman is a Co-Founder of UnifiHealth, a brand new health plan for small businesses and their employees. Their vision is to create the last healthcare plan someone will ever need — a VERY big goal! Ross and his Co-Founders are backed by some of the leading names in healthcare investing, and they’re planning to …

Dr. Steve Graef is a psychologist and the Founder of Mindurance, an organization that helps high performers across industries minimize mental barriers and maximize life through online self-study, group programs, and personal coaching. Prior to founding Mindurance, Steve was a sports psychologist for OSU athletics and he was also a Mental Conditioning Consultant for IMG …

g2o is a digital experience and technology partner. They drive growth for companies who aspire to greatness, and partner with them from vision to execution to build a stronger bond between their brand and their customers. With a focus on balancing creative energy with process rigor, they are as committed, accountable, and driven as their …

Jon Eesley currently serves as Senior Partner at Windsor Advisory Group, a privately owned, fee-only advisor group. They focus on solving complex problems for their clients and in particular they work with many business owners and families in and around Columbus on big issues such as financial planning and succession planning. Prior to Windsor, Jon …

Jason is the Founder and President / CEO of Environmental Pest Management. Jason has been in the pest management industry for 28 years, and he started EPM out of his basement. He is responsible for determining the vision, strategic planning and family succession of the business. Jason has also worked with Dr. Susan Jones at …

Rick is a Co-Founder and serves as CEO of Revolution Group, and Polly is a Co-Founder as well as VP and Director of Salesforce Services. Started in 1995, Revolution Group is a consulting firm dedicated to helping small and mid-size businesses better use technology to improve business processes and achieve the competitive advantage that good …

battleface provides travel insurance benefits and services to travelers visiting or working internationally, including in the world’s most challenging destinations. They cover emergency medical treatment, evacuation and accidents, adventure activities, and travel to isolated places, with 24/7 assistance and claims services. Sasha Gainullin is the CEO of battleface, and Anthony Spiteri is the CTO. Anthony …

Olivia is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Tandem, a free marketplace for childcare. Tandem helps parents connect with babysitters that are vetted and hand-selected by Olivia herself. They’re able to provide the platform for free to sitters and parents thanks to their creative revenue model. Prior to co-founding Tandem, Olivia actually started her first …