Matt Bergmann is an enthusiastic business owner with a consistent record of high performance in providing problem solving, leadership and vision to thrive in our targeted specialty niches of electrical contracting. Under his leadership, LEC has boosted its revenues 22X and grown our team from 12 to 135+. Areas of expertise include business management, building strong relationships, developing and implementing innovative strategies and motivating others. LEC is a 7X Inc 5000 honoree. Matt is also...
Apr 29, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Jim Afinowich is a distinguished figure in the realm of business brokerage, renowned for his role as the Managing Partner of Fox Financial, LLC. With a wealth of experience and expertise in the field, Afinowich has earned a reputation for his exceptional leadership and strategic acumen. Additionally, he has served as the Past President of The International Business Broker's Association (IBBA), demonstrating his commitment to advancing professional standards and promoting excellence within the in...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 103
Mike Bontrager is a visionary and makes it real through sound strategy. He grows organizations by understanding market trends and leveraging talent and resources with relentless execution. He is a servant leader energized by solving complex problems for customers, colleagues and other organizations. Respected as creator of high performing cultures, a strategic decision maker and good communicator. Mike Bontrager oversees the strategic direction and overall growth performance of the Arizona offic...
Apr 15, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 102
Michael Sheldrick is a prominent figure in global policy and activism, renowned for his pivotal role as the Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact, and Government Affairs Officer at Global Citizen. With a profound commitment to effecting positive change worldwide, Sheldrick has emerged as a driving force in advocating for policies addressing critical issues like poverty, climate change, and social justice. His journey into activism stems from a deep-seated passion for social equity and a determinat...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 101
With over 40 years in the construction industry, Robert Johnson is an esteemed executive and current Business Development Manager for FRAMECAD, overseeing Western North America. Apart from his professional life, he's a popular LinkedIn influencer with 58,000+ followers who look forward to his motivational and insightful posts on leadership and industry trends. Outside work, he cherishes family time with his wife of 43 years, Pam, their three children, and ten grandchildren, and enjoys traveling....
Apr 01, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 100
Ville Houttu, originally from Finland, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Privv. He’s a serial entrepreneur who successfully exited his previous software company in 2023, after growing it from $0 revenue to over $13 million. Ville is also a business advisor and a renowned TEDx speaker whose leadership has been recognized in well-known publications such as TechCrunch, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, the Harvard Business Review, and on Adam Grant's TED Podcast. Ville has been honored as a finalist for the 2023 E...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Grenee Martacho, CEO of Concord General Contracting, has made it her mission to shatter the norms in commercial construction while empowering the men and women around her to do the same. As CEO she focuses closely on the culture of Concord and ensuring employee owners are continually finding work/life balance, while exploring the opportunities of career advancement. A passion for strategic planning, Grenee is constantly focusing her team on the long-term growth and expansion of the firm, while n...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 98
Bob Worsley is a seasoned entrepreneur and former Arizona State Senator known for his innovative ventures. He is the Founder and CEO of ZenniHome, a company focused on addressing the housing crisis through modular building and sustainable solutions. Bob is also renowned for founding SkyMall, a pioneering in-flight catalog retailer. With a track record of entrepreneurial success and a passion for sustainable housing solutions, Bob Worsley is a prominent figure in the business and political sphere...
Mar 11, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 97
As a 4th Generation mover, it would not be a stretch to say that Matt “grew up” in the industry. Matt joined Dircks Moving & Logistics full time in 2012 after graduating from Arizona State University. Matt began his journey at Dircks working on the trucks learning from our crews and has also spent time in our Dircks Logistics operation, serving as the General Manager as we launched our Tucson branch, leading our Dircks Business Services team and as of January 1, 2023 leading the organization...
Mar 04, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Shannon Breen is a visionary leader who has left an indelible mark on the logistics industry through his remarkable journey as the Co-CEO and Founder of FreightVana. With over two decades of experience in the field, Shannon has emerged as a trailblazer, transforming the way logistics and transportation companies operate. His unwavering commitment to excellence, coupled with a deep-rooted passion for innovation, has propelled him to the forefront of the industry. https://www.freightvana.io/animat...
Feb 26, 2024•55 min•Season 2Ep. 95
Matt DiBara, a fourth-generation contractor and the owner of DiBara Masonry, began his journey in the family business at the age of nine. His dedication grew the family business to become LA's number-one masonry and concrete company, earning recognition from Congress for Quality and Craftsmanship. His journey started as a masonry student at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School in Massachusetts who won a silver medal at the 2010 SkillsUSA Championships — an experience that solid...
Feb 19, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 94
Joe Corcione is the partner manager at Trainual, Entrepreneur, Athlete, and Podcast Host. Joe Corcione has built and grown multiple businesses, and helps other business owners scale as the Partner Manager at Trainual. After growing successful teams, Joe shares his experience and tips on the keys to delegation, documentation, and building a playbook with business owners, so that they can scale beyond themselves and reach their goals. Joe is also an endurance athlete and the host of the top-ranked...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 93
Kimberly Davids is the President of the Arizona Builders Alliance. She has over 20 years of construction industry experience having served in a variety of roles throughout her career including project engineer, superintendent, project manager, project executive, operations manager and vice president and general manager overseeing an entire business unit for the southwest region of a large general contracting company. She was recognized in ENR’s National (and Southwest) Top 20 Under 40 List in 20...
Feb 05, 2024•47 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Vincent Serpico is the Founder and CEO of Founders Workshop, established in June 2009. Located in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Founders Workshop stands out as a unique software development company specializing in creating mobile and web applications for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Utilizing a business-centric approach, Vincent has overseen the development of over 150 scalable software products. In addition to his role at Founders Workshop, he recently co-founded ...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 91
Dr. Urban A Kiernan is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of iMetabolic Biopharmam Corporation. With over 20 years of industry business and research experience, Urban A. Kiernan, PhD is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of iMetabolic Biopharma Corporation, iMBP, an early stage techbio company that is developing innovative computation technologies to streamline drug discovery and support its current therapeutic pipeline of 5 drugs. Dr. Kiernan is a seasoned leader who has already raised more than $1.75 Mi...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 90
Brandon Bell is the owner of Next Level Steel, a company specializing in the structural steel industry. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Brandon has honed his expertise and proven his dedication to the steel industry. Prior to founding Next Level Steel, Brandon played a pivotal role in the growth of another steel company in Phoenix. Starting from humble beginnings, he helped transform the business from its origins in pool fences into one of the largest and most successful steel com...
Jan 15, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 89
Scott Carlson is a highly skilled and experienced Information Security advisor with 30 years of experience, adept at identifying risks and developing solutions. He enjoys cracking difficult problems and seeking out hidden solutions that deliver the most secure data management. Scott is a complexity simplifier, translating the technological jargon associated with Information Security into “human speak” so that all team members and leadership are confident in decisions. He loves to tackle challeng...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 88
Michael Spangenberg is the CEO and co-founder of State Forty Eight, a clothing brand inspired by his home state of Arizona. He embarked on this journey after studying hospitality at Scottsdale Community College. His love for community and fashion led him to launch a brand that has now become one of Arizona's most recognizable apparel brands. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, he also holds the position of Chairman of the Board at the State Forty Eight Foundation 3 . Despite the succ...
Jan 01, 2024•50 min•Season 2Ep. 87
Merry Christmas from Mac & Bleu! MAC & Bleu , your go-to podcast for the innovative minds shaping our nation’s future. Our topics are not only vast but advanced and forward looking, as we explore emerging trends in blockchain, AI, the Metaverse, and both virtual and augmented reality within the construction, business and entrepreneur market segments. Our conversations are as diverse as they are enlightening, traversing not just the topics of economic development, supply chains, diverse m...
Dec 25, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 86
Casey Strunk has been a Licensed Insurance Broker since 2004. He joined Strunk Insurance Group to join his father's business that same year, after graduating from Northwestern University. Casey's unique approach to Employee Benefits has earned him a spot amongst Arizona’s Top Brokers year over year with the Phoenix Business Journal. Serving as President & Owner of Strunk Insurance Group and Strunk HR since 2018, Casey empowers each of the firm's team members to continue to push the envelope ...
Dec 18, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 85
Glenn Williamson is a seasoned business leader with a deep understanding of the relationship between Canada and Arizona. He is the founder and CEO of the Canada Arizona Business Council (CABC), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing trade and investment between Canada and Arizona. Under his leadership, CABC has created an elite network of executives that span across every major sector, fostering a strong cross-border relationship that has resulted in significant growth in trade and to...
Dec 11, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 84
Sidney Hawkins MBA , Canyon State Electric's safety & training manager, recognized job site hazards and now leads others to do the same. He has launched forward-thinking safety programs such as the University of Canyon State Electric, 4x5, and Good Catch, and manages CSE's partnership with ADOSH. If you see Sidney on the job site, you can use him as a resource or show him what you're working on— regardless of which trade you work for. https://www.instagram.com/canyonstateelectric/ https://ca...
Dec 04, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Todd Hall is The Phoenix YouTube Realtor. Todd tells the story of Greater Phoenix Homes & Hotspots through the Power of Video and Community. https://toddhall.homesmart.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thephoenixyoutuberealtor https://www.youtube.com/phoenixhomesandhotspots https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddshall12/ https://www.instagram.com/phoenixhomesandhotspots https://www.tiktok.com/@todd.s.hall https://twitter.com/ToddandCoHomes MAC & Bleu , your go-to podcast for the innovative minds sh...
Nov 27, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Happy Thanksgiving From Mac & Bleu MAC & Bleu , your go-to podcast for the innovative minds shaping our nation’s future. Our topics are not only vast but advanced and forward looking, as we explore emerging trends in blockchain, AI, the Metaverse, and both virtual and augmented reality within the construction, business and entrepreneur market segments. Our conversations are as diverse as they are enlightening, traversing not just the topics of economic development, supply chains, diverse...
Nov 23, 2023•34 sec
Heather Personne is a Managing Principal of Evolve Ventures, a regional real estate development and advisory group focused on adding value to all aspects of the real estate life cycle through a focus on the evolution of real estate to reflect a more consumer-driven experience. Heather has over 25 years of experience in real estate acquisitions, development, management and dispositions. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded the development of more than 100 retail, office, hospitality and mul...
Nov 20, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 81
John Smolen is an accomplished attorney and a partner at Ballard Spahr. Before joining Ballard Spahr, Smolen served as a Navy officer for 10 years and earned numerous awards and commendations for his service. In his legal practice, Smolen has focused on public finance and has been instrumental in closing several successful P3 (public-private partnership) projects that have had a positive impact on the country. Smolen's commitment to serving his clients and the community is reflected in his work ...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Trent Duncan, Director of Construction at Starwood Custom Homes, is a husband and father of 8 children. Originally from Southern California he grew up in Mesa, Az and has called that home since 1987. He is a unicorn when it comes to functional personality. In one aspect he is a total clown but has mastered the art of easing tension through humor. In another aspect he is a serious finisher and is completely passionate about bettering systems and achieving objectives as quickly as possible. He has...
Nov 06, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 79
Barry Chasse earned his bachelor’s degree in construction from Arizona State University in 1991 and worked for 17 years at one of the nation’s largest general contractors before founding CHASSE Building Team (CHASSE) in 2007. Despite opening during the Great Recession and obstacles like the pandemic, CHASSE has grown to a 220-person team with two Arizona offices – Tempe and Tucson. CHASSE completes $450 million-plus in projects annually, specializing in K12, multifamily, municipal, job order con...
Oct 30, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Steven Carroll is the CEO for Kelso Industries. Steven founded the company with his best friend since fourth grade. We are growing the nation's preferred mechanical service partner. We've completed 12 acquisitions so far and have over 1,100 employees. We have big goals and want to grow our business to $1B in annual revenue. Website: kelso-industries.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenhcarroll MAC & Bleu , your go-to podcast for the innovative minds shaping our nation’s future. Our topics a...
Oct 23, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 77
As a former therapist and professor of human and sports psychology, Andy Maurer has taken the best of cutting-edge neuroscience and performance research and paired it with therapeutic best practices to create the Pursue Whole® Coaching Model. His unique framework brings clarity, relief, and growth to the struggles leaders face on the inside. Website: https://pursuewhole.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andymaurer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pursue-whole Instagram: www.instagram.com/purs...
Oct 16, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 76
