Critical Mass Business Talk Show | Orange County’s Longest-Running Business Talk Show

Teri Sawyer of T&Co and Gail Miller joined us in the studios to talk about the power of using public relations to market a business or company. Justin Sachs of Justin Sachs Companies joined our program to how he got his start, becoming a serial entrepreneur and some of his projecting including his publishing endeavors with Motivational Press.

Conrad Netting, president of Netting & Pace CPA's Inc., joined our program today from San Antonio, Texas, to talk about the importance of connecting with his clients and the idea and motivation behind his book Delayed Legacy.

Larry Sternberg, the newly appointed President of Talent Plus, returns to the program to talk about what his company does to engage their employees and why employee engagement is so important in small to medium businesses.

Brenda Williams, president of Your Coaching Solution, joined us in the studio today to talk about creating that "corporate culture" and how having a solid and motivated team can drive a any business to success. Patrick McClure, founder and senior executive of Connexia Group, joined the program to discuss how his company identifies business problems and creates solutions through the Gap Analysis strategy.

John Dewey, Vice President of Operations at Innovation Technology Machinery joins the program from San Antonio, Texas to talk about the state of manufacturing and how ITM is helping firms find effective manufacturing solutions. ITM was founded in 1929 and continues to grow as leading strategist for local manufacturers.

Larry Sternberg, the newly appointed President of Talent Plus, returns to the program to talk about what his company does to engage their employees and why employee engagement is so important in small to medium businesses. John Garner of Garner Consulting joins us in the studio to discuss topics from his recent health care related webinar and the state of affordable health care today.

James Obermayer, the founder and owner of Sales Leakage Consulting, Inc. joins the radio program to talk about the 6 most common forms of sales leakage and these factors can be dealt with and corrected. Michael Ledray, artist and business entrepreneur, joins us in the studio to talk about his successful business venture: Party Time Photo Booth. As a professional photographer, Michael saw the need to expand his vision of just regular photography to an entertainment form and started his own photo booth company in Orange County.

Jeff Thrash, the CEO of the Mental Health Association of Orange County joins us to talk about how is background as a therapist lead him to wanting to help out our under served mental health community. The Mental Health Association of Orange County was founded in 1958 and is also the largest provider for the homeless in Orange County. Jeanne Valenti, a puppy raiser from OC Coastal Puppy Raisers and Rick Wilcox from Guide Dogs for the Blind join us in the studio to discuss the process of how to raise a puppy for the blind. OC Coastal Puppy Raisers is one of the largest contributors for future guide dogs in Orange County.

Bob Wills, the CEO of a marketing advertising agency called the PM Group in San Antonio, Texas, joins the program to talk about how his expanding firm has helped created marketing solutions for companies all over the country.

Brad Leggett, a founder and CEO of The Leggett Group Inc., joins us in the studio to talk about how mid-sized companies can take their firms to the next level with just one key component: Sales. Dr. Jack Singer, a professional public speaker, sports psychologist and clinical psychologist, joins the program to talk about how he has implemented his experiences and skills as a sports psychologist into effect business strategies.

Jim Corbett, a board chair for the United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County, as well as a local business owner and CEO Vertos Medical, comes to the studio to talk about his work with UCP of Orange County and how it has coincided with his work at Vertos Medical. Gene Slusiewicz, a senior operations director at BBK, joins Critical Mass after returning to the states from Asia, to share with us some of the challenges and obstacles he faces while implementing BBK business strategies to his firm.

Wendy Welsh, the CEO and founder of Exclusive Originals at Outside the Box Events, joins the program to talk about the new wave of media advertising and how new ways to market ideas and products has helped her company since its beginning in 2002.

Joyce Catherine is founder of Satori Discovery, a health and wellness lifestyle coaching for women. Our guest Joyce talks about how she decided to become a life coach and some of the experiences and obstacles she has endured in the creation of Satori Discovery. Karl Hardesty, a managing partner at Hardesty LLC, returned to the show to talk about his firm and some of the leading principals behind the Hardesty LLC concept.

Dan Ganguly, partner in HomeUnion, joins the show to discuss how HomeUnion's real estate solutions have helped property buyers become true real estate investors and some of the hardships that he has encounter along the way.

Lorraine Conaway, a financial strategist of Conaway & Conaway, joins the program to talked about her inspiration for hosting her own weekly radio show and how it has helped market her investment business.

Neal Perlmutter, of The Pizza Studio introduces us to a the creative culinary concept of building your own pizza. Neal shares his guiding principals for The Pizza Studio along with some obstacles he has faced with his company. Raj Qsar, the owner/founder of The Boutique Real Estate Group, joins the program to talk about how using the social media tool of using videos to market homes has been successful for his firm.

Michele Richardson, CEO of ACR Builders, Inc. joins our show to discuss how she grew her firm to be the 2nd Fastest-Growing Private Company in Orange County, named by the Orange County Business Journal. ACR Builders, Inc is Woman Owned general contracting firm that specializes in tenant improvements and new/ground up construction projects for national clients, retail market facilities, commercial properties, and local government projects throughout the Greater Southern California Area.

Steve Wilkes, President of QPC Fiber Optic Solutions joins the program to discuss his vision for growing QPC. QPC offers custom-engineered fiber optic solutions for challenging environments. All of their products are designed and manufactured in their San Clemente, CA facility.

Eric Barnes, CEO & Co-Founder of KOR Water joins our show to discuss KOR Water's vision and the differentiated product offerings they have created. KOR Water creates iconic, design-driven hydration products that celebrate water.

Marla Rausch, Founder of Animation Vertigo joins our show to discuss her inspiration for building a production center in Manila for the 3D animation industry. Animation Vertigo provides high quality and reliable solutions for motion capture and animation needs. Caleb Walker, Owner of Chronic Tacos walks us through a typical day as a Chronic Tacos franchise owner and discusses the hands-on role he plays at his restaurant. Chronic Tacos in Huntington Beach opened in June of 2011 and was ranked in the top ten for annual revenue within the entire franchise system just two short years after opening.

Don DiCostanzo, CEO of Pedego Electric Bikes joins our show to discuss the invention of the Pedego Electric Bike and the growth he has experienced since they were put on the market. Pedego Electric Bikes combine the comfort and leisure of the automatic vehicle and the freedom and excitement of a classic bicycle into a new type of bike.

Dave Gajdzik, Partner of B2B CFO joins our show to discuss the role of a part-time CFO for mid-market businesses. B2B CFO is the world's largest CFO Services Firm, with over 200 partners nationwide.

Richard Franzi airs interviews that he conducted with select firms at the West Coast Franchise Expo on October 26th, 2013. The West Coast Franchise Expo is the largest franchise expo on the West Coast. Dawn Depke, Owner of AromaSeize joins our show to discuss how she used Etsy.com, "the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace", to grow her eco-friendly, 100% natural, plant based company.

Wayne Pinnell, Managing Partner of Haskell & White LLP joins our show to discuss the 3 common mistakes small and mid-sized business owners make. Haskell & White LLP is one of Orange County's largest locally owned accounting and consulting firms.

Dr. Susan Njemanze, Founder & Executive Director of Graceworks joins our show to discuss her most recent trip to Kenya and shares the inspiring story behind the start of her nonprofit organization. Graceworks helps to break the cycle of poverty and despair for orphans and vulnerable children by providing care, support and educational opportunities. James Littlejohn, Executive Director of The Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley joins our show to discuss the important role his organization plays in helping younger generations strive for a positive and fulfilling future. The Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley provides a safe place for young people to convene and enables them to participate in activities that broaden their interests.

Ramona Fasula, Owner & President, WellnessbyRamona shares the concepts contained in her latest book "A Health Coach's Guide to Heart Health" and her CEO Wellness Program. Ramona's book contains the 11 steps to a healthy heart. Suzanne Kaplan, President of Talent Balance brings her insights into how mid-market firms can bring together the multiple generations and focus them on a common ground of ideas and goals to achieve uncommon business results.

Jennifer McCusker, Director of Global Talent Develop at Oakley, Inc. discusses the emerging field of neuroleadership and brain science. Neuroleadership is an emerging field of study connecting neuroscientific knowledge with the fields of leadership development, management training, change management, consulting and coaching.

Amy Jo Pedone, Owner and Certified Chocolatier of Valenza Chocolatier, Inc. returned from a trip to Italy where she learned old and new tricks from Italian master chocolatiers and completed her Master Chocolatier Training. Amy Jo will discuss some of the newest trends in chocolate and how she realized she could turn her passion for chocolate into a successful business. Nicole Boice, President and Founder of The Global Genes Project joins our show to discuss the audio clips Ric collected at The Global Genes Project's RARE "Tribute to Champions of Hope" Gala, which was held in Newport Beach on September 21st. More than 450 guests were in attendance to celebrate the pioneering achievements of individuals and corporations in the rare and genetic disease community.

Janet Boydell, Founder & CEO of A Hire Connection developed a unique model that she calls the "Fast Forward Resume" in order to predict the success of current and future employees within a company. Janet will share with our audience how to create a "Fast Forward Resume" and explain why she believes most companies struggle with the hiring process.

Mark Quann, Author of Rich Man, Poor Bank joins our show to provide our audience with the correct financial principles and explain some of the keys to financial independence. Mark will also discuss some of the top banking scams our audience should be aware of and tell us why he believes credit unions are so important.

Quentin Wilson, President & CEO of Career and College Clubs joins our show to discuss the benefits of reaching kids in the middle school years and preparing them for success in life. Career and College Clubs is working to solve the high dropout rate and the lack of life and leadership skills among youth by engaging at-risk middle school students in a peer-to-peer learning environment.

Ric airs interviews with Lisa Kristine of Lisa Kristine Fine Art Photography and Eric Spitz of Freedom Communications. These interviews were collected from events around Orange County that were covered by Ric Franzi and the Critical Mass Radio Show team. Tina Aldatz, Founder of Foot Petals received a burn as a child that left her unable to wear shoes comfortably without the support of a foot-pad. After a career in the fashion industry, Tina noticed a void in the fashion marketplace for fashionable and comfortable foot pads and founded Foot Petals to fill this void. Tina recently sold Foot Petals to RG Barry Corporation and is about to start writing her first book.

Bob Eakin, Chief Executive Officer at JCAP Financial Group joins our show to discuss how watching big banks dominate over mid sized mortgages bankers influenced him to start a boutique financial provider firm that focuses on providing a high level of customer service. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Bob has grown his company into a multi-faceted finance lender that caters to consumers and the business community.Nitai Pathak, Managing Partner of Kling & Pathak LLC oversees the overall strategic direction and operations of Kling & Pathak LLC, while continuing to serve clients in his role as a tax partner. Nitai's firm prides itself on providing an innovative service package tailored to your specific needs to save you time and money.

Debra Hoffmeyer, CEO of CITrials join our show to discuss the impact, if any, that globalization of clinical trials has had on her firm. Debra's firm is learning how to grow in a world dominated by the internet and is now using social media to help find patients for their clinical trials. Bill Black, Certified Exit Planner at Exit & Retirement Strategies has over 25 years of Succession and Exit planning experience in Orange County and Southern California. Bill knows how to get business owners over the "Perma-Five" year plan and into an exit strategy that works. Bill was one of the first in the US to earn the prestigious CExP (Certified Exit Planner) designation and served as Chairman of "The Private Business Group".

Kip Marlow, Author of The Entrepreneurs: Success and Sacrifice joins our show to discuss the five basic tips he gives to all entrepreneurs trying to start their own business. Kip will also discuss the role of small business in our economy and explain some of the greatest challenges facing these small businesses. Tal Golan, CEO of Killer App Factory, Inc. recently made the decision to run his consulting firm full-time and leave his old job behind. Tal will explain what "cloud computing" means and how his firm helps enterprises with this specific area of technology.

Ken Mader, Founder of Maderfilm Productions joins our show to discuss the growing trend of crowd funding and the important role it plays in independent film production. This show originally aired on May 11, 2013, explores how independent filmmakers are finding new sources of money and investors through sites like indiegogo. Ken's latest film, "Displacement", is an intense thriller that is inspired by the loss of his mother to cancer.

Sonia Marsh, Author of Freeways to Flip-Flops was living in Lake Forest, California when she decided to pack up her family and move them from Orange County to Belize. "Freeways to Flip-Flops" chronicles Sonia's realization that paradise isn't always a destination, but an appreciation of the simple things in life. Sonia's second book, "My Gutsy Story Anthology", was released on September 1st and a portion of the proceeds with be donated to WomanSage. Doug Boutwell, Founders of Totally Rad! Inc. is a photo pro turned software creator that found success in photo editing software and iPhone apps. Doug and his wife created Totally Rad! Inc. and developed RadLab, the widely used desktop digital photo editing program for Photoshop. Doug's most recent creation, PicTapGo, is an iPhone app that features 55 different customizable filters.

Kenneth Mader, Founder of MaderFilm joins our show to discuss "crowd funding" and the important role it plays in independent film production. Ken's latest film, "Displacement", is an intense thriller that is inspired by the loss of his mother to cancer.Rael Isacowitz, Founder of BASI Pilates discusses his inspiration for starting an educational academy for Pilates teachers and a training ground for enthusiasts. This year celebrates BASI's 25th year of contribution to the Pilates community, which is headquartered in Costa Mesa with locations in 27 other countries.

Lacy Kelly, CEO of Association of California Cities-Orange County joins our show to discuss how her organization serves the needs of small and mid-sized businesses in Orange County. ACC-OC sponsored the 2nd Annual Golden Hub of Innovation Awards that honored cities in Orange County providing the highest quiality of services to their community while exemplifying fiscal responsibility. Jeri Wilson, Executive Director of The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation joins our show to discuss some of the new developments in cancer research over the last 30 years. Jeri's organization is holding the "Dribble for the Cure" event on October 20th at UCLA, which is a national campaign that involves college and university's basketball programs in the fight for children with cancer.

Ramona Fasula, Owner and President of Wellness By Ramona joins our show to discuss how she is bringing awareness to the health conditions seen in CEOs and business owners that result from stress and the fast-paced lifestyle common in the business community. Ramona is a certified holistic health coach who works with doctors to get patients referred for the purpose of improving their health through diet instead of pharmaceuticals.

Christi Griggs, Principal of Peloton Commercial Real Estate joins our show to discuss how she integrates the ideas of different generations in order to stay relevant in the real estate industry. Christi focuses on motivating her staff to create a unified and cohesive team. Don Douglas, Principal of Liquid Networx discusses his involvement with Angel Investing and why he dedicates his time helping startup companies. Don tries to provide feedback to entrepreneurs in order to help them avoid making the same mistakes he has seen so many other business executives make.

Dan Lubeck, CEO of Solis Capital Partners joins our show to discuss the role private equity plays in helping small businesses unlock their true potential and how business owners can develop a framework to determine their firm's value. Solis Capital Partners is a lower middle-market private equity firm that prefers to invest in business service, manufacturing and value-added distribution companies. Dan will explain some of the criteria his firm looks at when deciding whether or not to invest in a business.

Molly Brogan, Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Small Business Association joins our show to highlight the issues the members of the National Small Business Association face daily. The NSBA is located in Washington DC and works closely with elected officials to ensure the best future for entrepreneurs. Dana Butler-Moburg, Executive Director of The Shea Therapeutic Riding Center joins our show to discuss how her Non-profit is changing the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horseback riding, hippotherapy, and speech therapy. The Shea Center focuses their treatment method on therapeutic riding because the movement of the horse improves function in patients with neurmusculoskeletal dysfunction.

Molly Brogan, Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Small Business Association joins our show to highlight the issues the members of the National Small Business Association face daily. The NSBAD is located in Washington DC and works closely with elected officials to ensure the best future for entrepreneurs.

David Kanani, Founder of Kanani Advisory Group joins our show to discuss how the financial advisory industry has changed in the past 25 years and what changed he has noticed since the recession. Kanani Advisory Group recently celebrated their 25th year business and David will share some of his secrets to his firm's longevity. Ryder Smith, President of Tripepi Smith & Associates discusses how his firm achieved the title of "Corporate Sponsor of the Year" from the California City Management Foundation and the impact it had on his business. Tripepi Smith & Associates is a tight-knit firm that has expertise in the areas of website development and internet strategies.

Hari Dhiman, CEO of 88 Spirits Corporation joins our show to discuss the current state of the tequila industry and how his tequila brand is competing with larger brand-name tequilas. 88 Spirits Corporation creates tequila with an even richer agave flavor and captivating aroma, providing an ultra premium tequila that values the truest traditions of its craftsmanship and heritage.

Lisa Anderson, President and Founder of LMA Consulting Group, Inc. joins our show to discuss how manufacturing companies can benefit from focusing on their supply chain. Lisa has expertise in helping her clients with "supply chain management" and is the author of "Leveraging Social Networks to Drive Business Results".

Paul Leon, CEO & President of The Illumination Foundation joins our show to discuss the Illumination Foundation's upcoming event, Carnival for Kids, on August 17th. The Illumination Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to break the cycle of homelessness in Orange County by providing vital services to those in need. Nicole Boice, President & Founder of The Global Genes Project discusses her inspiration for starting The Global Genes Project: one of the leading rare and genetic disease patient advocacy organizations in the world. On September 21st, the Global Genes Project will hold the 2nd Annual Tribute to Champions of Hope Gala to honor some of the leaders working to advocate for those impacted by rare and genetic diseases.

Jennifer and Scott Fontana, Owners of Cristophe Salon Newport Beach join our show to discuss the current state of the hairstyling industry and the current business trends their industry is facing. Scott and Jennifer have managed to grow their business at a rate of nearly 5% every year; finding business growth even during the recession.

Dr. David Jones, President and CEO of HirePayoff joins our show to discuss how companies can use HirePayoff to make smarter and longer-lasting new hires. David explains the difference between "Can Do" skills and "Will Do" qualities and how to use these skills and qualities to determine which potential employees to hire. Tyler Russell, Founder of KX 93.5 discusses the current developments in local radio in Orange County. Tyler is the Founder of a non-commercial radio station and has received the "Community Hero" award of Laguna Beach for creating Laguna's only FM radio station.