Conquering Columbus Podcast

Summary: Tom is the President & CEO of the most active venture fund in the Great Lakes Region, Rev1 Ventures, which combines funding and strategic services to help entrepreneurs build companies. Under Tom’s direction, Rev1 Ventures has evolved from funding just a hand full of companies to producing $1.2B in capital, revenue, and exits since …

Summary: Wayne is the Executive Managing Director at Newmark Knight Frank and has over 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Wayne was the Top Producer at his firm for 20 straight years, and he has a lot of great insights into the Columbus real estate market and commercial real estate in …

Summary: Gretchen and Keri are founders and trainers at System of Strength, a gym with three locations across Columbus including Grandview, Dublin, and Clintonville! System of Strength was founded with a focus on getting back to the basics and building a community of “inspiring, like-minded badasses”. Milemarkers: (00:00:00) The Conquering Columbus Startup Package (00:00:45) Like, …

Summary: Jared Friesner is the CEO and founder of Cliff Original – a hair, beard, and skincare company built around creating products from all-natural ingredients. The Cliff Original team believes that being ​healthy is more than just the food we eat or the miles we run or the sleep we get. It’s also what we …

Summary: Aaron is a Director at Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter, a law firm that counsels companies around the world on everything to do with business and law. Aaron has a wide range of experiences in the law field, and he did his studies at Capital University’s Law School. In addition, he coaches Rugby at …

Summary: Gregory Lehman is the Owner and Distiller at Watershed Distillery in Columbus, Ohio. Gregory graduated from The Ohio State University and the Fisher College of Business with a degree in Operations Management, while also playing for the Varsity Volleyball team. Watershed Distillery is a micro-distillery that crafts high-quality Gin and Vodka. They’re proud to …

Summary: Gary has conquered cancer, he’s the Founder and CEO of Wound Wise IQ, and he’s the CEO and a Leadership Business Coach at Ross Innovations LLC. Additionally, he’s held leadership roles at several companies throughout his career, including heading up a division of 600 people at a Fortune 500 company and holding the CEO …

Summary: Lori is a Principal and the Director of Commercial Studio at M+A Architects in Grandview – She’s played a large part in the precedent-setting Easton Town Center since 1994, and she was a graduate of the Pratt Institute in NYC with a professional degree in architecture. As a member of the International Council of …

Summary: Carrie is a Principal and the Director of Interior Design at M+A Architects in Grandview! Carrie has many years of previous experience in the Design industry, and as the Director of Interior Design she has a wide range of responsibilities including sourcing materials for sustainable builds, staying on top of industry trends, and working …

Summary: Bill is the Chief Sales Officer at 104.9 the River, a licensed radio station serving central Ohio as well as Chillicothe and Newark. Bill has over 20 years of experience in Radio Sales, he’s a graduate of Wizard of Ads Academy, a Certified Radio Marketing Consultant (CRMC, a Certified Digital Marketing Consultant (CDMC), and …

Summary: Fred and Katie are the co-founders of Uprising Capital, a social impact investment firm that brings together market needs, passionate people, investment capital, management expertise, an extensive network, and technology to achieve economic gains and social good. Fred has a wide range of experience in the investment world, having participated in over $27 billion …

Summary: Pete is the founder of CheckFree, which started as an online bill payment company and grew into the largest online banking, payment processing, and business analytics company in the world before selling to Fiserv for $4.4 Billion in 2007. Pete started CheckFree from his grandmother’s basement in 1981, and CheckFree helped put Columbus on …

Summary: Born in Edinboro, Scotland, Stuart Hunter eventually found his way to Columbus, Ohio where he founded the company roll: Bicycle Company. Sparked from a poor experience trying to find a bike for himself, Stuart set out to develop a more user-centric bicycle-buying experience, built on the skills that he gained from years of consumer …

Summary: Alex Fischer is the President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a civic organization of Columbus, Ohio’s top business leaders formed in 2002 to improve the economic and cultural base of central Ohio. He has served on numerous for-profit boards, and is currently serving as Chairman for Nationwide Children’s Hospital amongst other board positions. …

Summary: Ryan Baker is the Principle and one of the founders at Upsourced Accounting, a virtual accounting firm that delivers full service bookkeeping and accounting packages designed to help small businesses grow. They leverage powerful cloud accounting tools (like Xero) to provide real time financial statements and advisory to business owners. In this episode, we …

Summary: Mark Henson is an entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience creating inspired, energized and unusually effective business retreat experiences. He is also the founder of sparkspace and the author of Ordinary Superpowers: Unleash the Full Potential of Your Most Natural Talents. Milemarkers: (00:00:00) Mark Henson, Founder of sparkspace (00:00:30) Like, subscribe, and share Conquering …

Summary: Bill has spoken at over 150 conferences from New York to California, and he’s been featured in over 100 media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and NPR. He’s a serial entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and board member, who frankly, “doesn’t give a d**n about your chair”. Most recently, he became the President …

Summary: Philip Payne is the Principal & Founder at Apportis, a software company that delivers connected health and wellness information to patients and healthcare providers through it’s revolutionary push engine. Prior to starting Apportis, Philip spent time leading branches of several large companies such as MindLeaders (now Skillsoft), Barclays, and AutoSweet; additionally, he holds his …

Summary: Adam & Allie Lehman are husband and wife and the founders of The Wonder Jam, a Columbus based creative agency that’s very good at branding, has a passion for product and food photography, and focuses on building relationships with smaller to midsize businesses! In this episode, we cover their background, path to meeting each …

Summary: Scott Kingsbury and Matt Baxendell are sports fanatics and the founders of Minuteman Tickets. Minuteman Tickets is a ticket brokerage based in Columbus, Ohio and prides itself on great deals, great customer service and great tickets! Moreover, the company is dedicated to doing its part to clean up the ticketing industry & has built …

Summary: From Jersey to Ohio, from deciphering Taliban messages out of his dorm room in college to turning down an offer directly from Mark Zuckerberg, and from Nationwide to now founding his own company, Wiretap, Jeff Schumann is an interesting individual. Not to mention, he’s extremely intelligent and passionate about making a difference in the …

Summary: Chris Sentz is the CEO @ F13 Works, a company centered around bridging the gap between manufacturers and e-commerce websites. F13 Works provides manufacturers, drop-shippers and order fulfillers of all types with a connection to millions of online stores. Orders from third-party sites will seamlessly enter their production process and payments will be automatically …

Summary: FUSIAN is a Columbus based, startup, fast-casual sushi restaurant with goals to make a significant impact on the world and drive value to their customers and their company. In this episode, we catch up with CEO and Co-Founder, Zach Weprin – Zach takes us through how the company has evolved since its founding in …

Summary: Ken Gold, Chief Executive Officer, has more than 35 years of real estate development and brokerage experience. In that time, he has built a strong reputation as a real estate development professional who brings something different to the table — creative solutions and uncompromising integrity. Not to mention, he’s also a leading real estate professor at …

Summary: Ilya Bodner is a first generation immigrant & a serial entrepreneur with a life vision to simply “build something bigger than himself”. With a goal like that, you can imagine he’s been a part of some really special companies over his life thus far. He graduated from tOSU, started as an insurance agent, and …

Summary: Dave Colina co-founded O2 Oxygenated Natural Recovery drink in Columbus in 2014, because him and his partner were sick of unhealthy sports and energy drinks. With electrolytes, natural caffeine, and added oxygen to help your body process toxins faster, O2 helps you recover from everything you give your all – your workout, your family, …

Summary: Kevin Stoller is the CEO of Kay-Twelve.com, an Author, and a Podcaster. Kay-Twelve.com is passionate about improving learning outcomes, and it drives everything they do as an organization. They help schools, colleges, and corporations create better learning environments. In this episode, Kevin takes us through his childhood, college, MBA, path to helping create Kay-Twelve.com, …

Summary: Amy Franko is a keynote speaker, consultant, and thought-leader in the world of sales and leadership training/development. She is also the Founder and President of Impact Instruction Group, which works with growth-oriented B2B companies to advance sales performance and cultivate future leaders amongst its employees! In the episode, we cover her background, growing up, …

Summary: Sam Havelock is a former U.S. Marine, Former U.S. Navy SEAL, and a serial entrepreneur. As a civilian, he dedicates his time to SOFX, an organization that provides information and connectivity of extreme value to special operators and a global network of high influence people, so that evil may be defeated and suffering averted …

Summary: Nathan is the CEO and one of the Co-Founders at the locally (Columbus, Ohio) based startup, Healthy Roster. Healthy Roster is the only sports medicine injury documentation tool that allows athletic trainers to build deeper relationships with parents and prove school outreach works for their system. The speed and efficiency of Healthy Roster let …

Summary: If you’ve ever been interested in performing at a higher level and getting more out of yourself, this is the episode for you. Tim and Brian Kight are the founders of Focus 3, an organization committed to providing resources that help people perform better, leaders perform better, and businesses perform better. Focus 3 continuously …

Summary: Jordan Miller is the President & CEO Central Ohio at Fifth Third Bank, a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jordan is also a native of Columbus, Ohio, growing up in Milo Grogan. In this episode, he takes us through his childhood, family background, path to the University of Maryland, time serving …

Summary: On this episode of Conquering Columbus we sat down with Blane Walter, who is currently a partner at Talisman Capital Partners. Before joining Talisman, Blane was the founder and CEO of InChord Communications, which he grew to be the largest independently owned Healtcare Communications company in the world. We talk about his journey to …

Summary: Darren and Brad are Managing Members of the, now two, Columbus, Ohio Duck Donuts franchises. Duck Donuts was founded in 2006 by Russ DiGilio in Duck, North Carolina. His intention? To solve a family vacation problem: “Our family wanted a place to buy warm, delicious, made-to-order donuts!, and when we couldn’t find one, we …

Summary: Nick Gesue is the CEO at Columbus, Ohio based Lancaster Pollard, a specialized financial services firm focused on commercial real estate finance for health care, senior living, and affordable multifamily housing properties. Moreover, Nick became the CEO over a 17-year span, climbing the ranks from an entry level intern role! In this episode, Nick …

Summary: Mike Liddy is the Chief Digital Strategist, Creative Director, and Producer at Choptank. Choptank works with companies ranging in size from Fortune 500 to mid-size, while also doing pro-bono work for causes they’re passionate about. They specialize in creating powerful and memorable digital marketing strategies for their clients. In this interview, Mike takes us …

Summary: Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, is director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, chief executive officer of Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, and holder of the John L. Marakas Nationwide Insurance Enterprise Foundation Chair in Cancer Research. He also is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and …

Summary: Steve Weyl is the Founder of ABLE Roof, which he grew to $105M in revenue before exiting the business. Steve’s story is pure entrepreneur from the beginning – He’s a natural visionary in business and has some of the best sales skills you’ll ever hear. In this episode, the takes us through growing ABLE …

Summary: Michael Mapes is the current Chief Executive Officer at Exal Corporation, the global leader in premium aluminum packaging. Before Exal, Michael climbed the ranks of Greif, the global leader in industrial packaging, along with spending sometime as a consultant at McKinsey and Company. Academically, he’s spent time at some of the top schools in …

Summary: Roger Blackwell has been a keynote speaker in over 3,000 business meetings across six continents – He’s a world-renowned marketing expert, and he’s worked with the likes of some of the most highly respected business leaders in the world, including Les Wexner and Jack Welch. Not to mention, he’s an all-around wealth of knowledge …

Summary: Dress for Success Columbus empowers women to regain their dignity, realize their potential, and achieve + retain economic self-sufficiency through innovative and engaging programs. Vicki Bowen Hewes is the CEO of the Columbus branch, and in this episode she takes up through her path to where she is today, how she founded Dress for …

Summary: Kwame Christian is the host of one of the top negotiation podcasts in the country, Negotiate Anything. He’s also the founder and owner of his own law firm, The Law Office of Kwame Christian, a mediator, a public speaker, and all-around just one of the best people you’ll ever meet. In this episode we …

Summary: Nate DeMars is the Founder and CEO of the Columbus, Ohio based company, Pursuit, a company targeted at “suiting the next generation”. In this episode, Nate takes us through his childhood, climbing the corporate ladder, going back for his MBA at The Ohio State University, graduating from his MBA and turning down the corporate …

Summary: Frankie is a former professional soccer player and current brand ambassador for the Columbus Crew SC. Frankie spent 16-years playing soccer professionally, during which he represented the United States in two World Cups and two Olympics, and competed in two MLS Cup Championships (including the Crew SC’s 2008 MLC Cup victory), just to name …

Summary: Dustin Myers and Cory Gregory are lifelong friends, fitness gurus, cofounders of Old School Gym (aka the Midwest Mecca, which has featured the likes of several world-class athletes, including Arnold Schwarzenegger), and part of the founding team of Max Effort Muscle . In this episode we talk about the process of building a brand …

Summary: Lisa Ingram is the President, CEO, and Board Member of one of the most iconic hamburger chains in the country, 95-year-old, 4th-generation, and family owned, White Castle. The brand has been affiliated with the likes of Alice Cooper, The Beastie Boys, and Stan Lee, just to name a few, and it’s even been the …

Summary: As a first generation entrepreneur himself, Randy Gerber knew the challenges of starting his own company, and he knew entrepreneurs needed a partner to help them through the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial journey. In this episode, Randy talks about why he founded Gerber, LLC, and how they are helping first generation entrepreneurs …

Summary: Alex Frommeyer is the Founder and CEO of Beam Dental, a Columbus based dental company that employs a unique and state-of-the-art approach to dental coverage. In this episode, Alex takes us through his childhood years, where he initially discovered his passion for building things, his time in college where he built his first company …

Summary: Mark Fazzina is the Principal at Executive Search Partners, which specializes in recruiting c-level positions for companies across Central Ohio and abroad. Mark specifically focuses on the financial sector, filling roles in accounting, banking, finance, and more. In this episode Mark takes us through his childhood and upbringing, his collegiate experience, his path to …

Summary: Rick Malir is the President and Co-Founder of the nationwide barbeque chain, City BBQ! If you can breakdown who Rick is into just a few lines, he grew up on a rural farm in Kansas, and when asked how he felt about the words ‘live uncomfortably’ he responded “…in life, never be satisfied, you …