Karen, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Who Do You Have in Your Corner? E28

January 25, 2022 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Who Do You Have in Your Corner? E28

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Who Do You Have in Your Corner? E28

On this episode of Collaborative Connections Radio Show and Podcast, host Kelly Lorenzen was joined on air by Global Speaker, Business Coach, and Best Selling Author, Dena Patton along with Andrew Kolikoff, Principal – Culture Practice Leader at Aurelius, and Wendy Neal, Founder/ Managing Attorney at Neal Law, PLLC.

They talked about mindset, culture, law, leadership, coaching, passion, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and more.

If you are a business owner or C-suite executive, you will love this episode. Andrew, Dena, and Wendy share some great insights and golden nuggets that we can all use in our personal and professional lives.

More than 50 years of combined business ownership experience, makes this episode worth the hour it will take to listen to the whole thing.

Dena Patton Coaching and Training is an award-winning coaching and training company that works with world-changing business owners. They specialize in three areas:

The marketing & sales plan to increase your profits
Creating your internal systems to become a well-oiled machine
Helping you to master your greatness mindset to elevate your vision and leadership effectiveness.

Dena Patton has been an elite business coach for the last 20 years who helps world-changing, purpose-driven leaders and entrepreneurs break records with their income and impact.

As a Keynote speaker and best-selling author, Dena is an expert on human potential and greatness mindset.

Everything you want in your career or life starts with your mindset. Her mindset work can also be found in her book, The Greatness Game on Amazon.

When business owners want to take their impact or their income to new levels they hire Dena.

Connect with Dena on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Aurelius enables leaders to realize their business and personal visions.

They develop effective strategies together and work with you to implement your strategies in the key areas of process, people, money and growth. Most importantly, they work directly on transforming behavior to ensure we execute your strategy and create a great business.

Andrew Kolikoff is a multiple time C-Level executive/company founder, one time landing him on the Cover Page of USA today for a product he invented and received licensing from the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL in 2003.

Since that time, Andrew has dedicated his life to behaviorally elevating and transforming leaders’ lives. Now, Andrew is an inspirational speaker, author, leadership and culture transformation guru/coach.

While he brings with him his additional, wonderfully diverse experiences: 10+ years of not-for-profit board chairmanship, former chief science officer, university adjunct professor, and national director of business development, Andrew’s true gift has always shown up in HOW he delivers the change and growth.

As he says, before you can authentically create a culture of accountability, authenticity and scaled profitability… each leader first has to “see themselves for who they truly are and align themselves with themselves”.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Neal Law PLLC is a boutique law firm, established in February 2017 by attorney Wendy Neal, with a primary focus on providing outside general counsel, corporate transactional, and intellectual property counsel services to companies in the agriculture, technology, and food and beverage industries.

In addition to her more than two decades of legal experience, Wendy Neal leverages for her clients the business management and strategy expertise gained as a member of the executive team of an agricultural biotechnology company with whom she worked from the company’s founding until after its successful IPO.

Ms. Neal formerly was a partner in the intellectual property and technology group at a large Phoenix-based law firm, where her practice focused on designing and executing worldwide intellectual property protection and enforcement strategies, managing IP infringement litigation and dispute resolution proceedings, and negotiating technology-driven acquisitions, licenses, and other business transactions in the United States and abroad.

Before relocating to Tempe, Arizona in 1999, Ms. Neal worked with the patent team at a major aerospace company, served as a risk policy consultant to the government relations office of a professional engineers’ organization in Washington, D.C., and held various technical roles at chemical manufacturers and petroleum refineries throughout the U.S.

Ms. Neal earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and J.D. from the University of Cincinnati and is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She is licensed to practice in Arizona, California, and Washington.

Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn.

About Collaborative Connections

Kelly Lorenzen started the “Collaborative Connections” show to bring her clients and favorite charities together to meet each other, connect and collaborate in life and business. She hopes to build a stronger community one show at a time.

About Our Sponsor

KLM is a one-stop support shop for small business owners who are starting, growing, or trying to sustain. Our purpose is to foster the growth and prosperity of small businesses in our community.

Entrepreneurs & small business owners come to KLM for support in all areas of business. KLM clients think of us as a concierge, business snuggy, another arm, or duplicate for the business owner; They call us when they need us. Business owners can continue to do what they love while having the support they need when they need it.

About Your Host

Kelly Lorenzen, CEO of KLM, is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 15 years of business-ownership experience. She is also a certified project management professional.

Kelly’s expertise is in business development, customer service, marketing, and sales.

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn, and follow KLM Consulting on Facebook.

E95 Bridging the Strategy-Execution Gap with Annmarie Curley

January 25, 2022 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

E95 Bridging the Strategy-Execution Gap with Annmarie Curley

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E95 Bridging the Strategy-Execution Gap with Annmarie Curley

In this episode of Project Management Office Hours, Annmarie Curley and PMO Joe discussed how a top-down and bottom-up approach is necessary to bridge the strategy-execution gap and establish environments where teams can be successful without burning out.

Annmarie shares how teams spend so much of their time reacting and firefighting that they are unable to devote any time to learning new tools or methods to change how they operate. “It becomes a vicious cycle that are nearly impossible to break out of, and results in team members who are stressed, overworked, and overwhelmed.”- Annmarie Curley

One major contributor Annmarie mentioned is the type of chaotic environment, she calls “duct tape leadership” — the patched-together systems that help teams meet short-term goals, at the cost of long-term stability and sustainability. The antidote to duct tape is intentional leadership– taking time to establish the conditions your team needs to succeed.

Organizations achieve their mission through projects — and the work that project teams accomplish is pivotal to the organization’s success. The project manager’s ability to lead the team and transformation is a critical element. However executive leaders also have a responsibility to set the stage for the team’s success, and to ensure that the work being executed aligns with the strategic priorities.

“Revisiting the Agile Manifesto led me to think about the Project Leader’s Manifesto. The work that a project leader does isn’t easy – they often are working under duress, and it can sometimes feel like pushing a boulder up a mountain. However, I firmly believe that to be effective, project managers have to lead rather than manage which is why I call the role project leader rather than project manager.” “Organizations achieve their mission through projects — and the work that project teams accomplish are pivotal to the organization’s success. Project Leader Manifesto focuses on people over process and placing attention on the power skills. ” -Annmarie

Connect with Annmarie:
Website: https://lnkd.in/enfMJ6XM
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gQUHz4W
Twitter: https://lnkd.in/eFYh56Sp

Thank you to THE PMO SQUAD and The PMO Leader for sponsoring this show.

The PMO Squad is a leading provider of PMO and Project Management services in the US. They assist clients building and improving PMOs, provide Project Management Consulting services, deliver custom Project Management Training and provide Project Management staffing services.

Learn more about The PMO Squad – www.thepmosquad.com

Where do PMO Leaders go for Information, Learning, Networking and Services? The PMO Leader community has “Everything You Need to Become a Great PMO Leader”. One PMO World, One Community!

Learn more about The PMO Leader – www.thepmoleader.com

Annmarie Curley launched Newgrange IT Consulting, a management consulting business, in 2010 to help businesses accelerate their mission by effectively executing their strategy.

Her vision is that executives and their teams are aligned in real-time as strategy is being planned and executed, that leaders throughout the organization are empowered to develop strong, collaborative teams and establish environments where those teams can succeed, and that leaders and teams have the necessary project management and leadership skills to succeed in their role.

The Newgrange team assists clients by leading and supporting teams through projects to realize strategic objectives while optimizing the ROI from the investment, by galvanizing Project Leaders to elevate their performance leading their teams and projects to improve outcomes and accelerate results and by developing highly collaborative teams, creating environments where they can successfully execute their organization’s mission.

Annmarie Curley has over 20 years’ experience managing global teams and complex projects across financial, healthcare, Higher Education, and IT consulting services sectors. She has a track record of focusing on high-risk areas of a project or program, realigning projects that need rescuing, and delivering improved processes and technical solutions that result in tangible business value.

She is passionate about helping clients develop a culture of delivering the right results for their organization by aligning their strategy with execution and building strong collaborative teams to ensure that the initiative will succeed. She empowers leaders to step into their own leadership potential and establish environments where their teams can be successful through her project leadership and coaching programs.

Originally from Ireland, Annmarie moved to Vermont in 2006 after spending 10 years in New York City. She enjoys all the outdoors activities that Vermont has to offer and can be found on the ski slopes with her family in the winter and hiking and boating on the lake in the summer!

Annmarie has a BSc in Applied Computing from University of Ulster, Ireland. She holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) credential from the Project Management Institute, the SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) credential and Leading Safe Agilist (SA) credential from Scaled Agile.

ABOUT PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE HOURS SERIES

Project Management Office Hours is intended to provide Project Management professionals a place to drop in and discuss Success Stories, Best Practices, and Lessons Learned. Project Management Consultant Joy Gumz has shared with us, “Operations keep the lights on, strategy provides the light at the end of the tunnel, but project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward.”

Each of us has a unique story to tell, but collectively we share a message that organizations who embrace Project Management Best Practices perform better than those which don’t. Organizations which align Projects to Strategy perform better. Organizations with Engage Executive Sponsors deliver better results. Organizations which measure Project Management performance outperform those which don’t.

During our Project Management Office Hours, we hear directly from Industry leaders how to make an impact in our profession. How we, collectively, will Advance Project Management Best Practices, One Listener at a time!

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Joe Pusz started THE PMO SQUAD to bring real world PMO Leadership experience to the consulting space and to advocate for Project Management through his blog PMOJOE.com. The old saying is “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Following this mindset Joe left Corporate America in 2013 to start THE PMO SQUAD and work with fellow Natural Born Project Managers to advance Project Management Best Practices.

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

THE PMO SQUAD focuses exclusively on PMO and Project Management consulting. Corporate America is full of Accidental Project Managers running projects who haven’t been trained to be PMs. To help solve this problem THE PMO SQUAD is on the Leading Edge with PMO As a Service. PMO As a Service allows our clients to focus on their respective core competencies while THE PMO SQUAD delivers Project Management expertise. Contact Joe at 678-591-7868. Follow The PMO Squad on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Where do PMO Leaders go for Information, Learning, Networking and Services? The PMO Leader community has “Everything You Need to Become a Great PMO Leader”. One PMO World, One Community! Learn more about The PMO Leader – www.thepmoleader.com

Digital Accessibility Creates a World That Works Better For All E1

January 24, 2022 by Karen

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Changing the Perception of Blindness

Digital Accessibility Creates a World That Works Better For All E1

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Digital Accessibility Creates a World That Works Better For All E1

In this episode, David Steinmetz, Brandon Ramsey, Dan Holbrook, and Rus Ahrens got together to discuss the importance of developing an accessibility action team to ensure digital products are accessible to internal and external customers.

David stressed that “Digital accessibility is crucial to organizations, not just from a compliance perspective, but to organizations when recruiting, training and sustaining employment for people with disabilities.”

Software developers, Executive Leadership and Information Technology experts will gain a new perspective on bringing the various disciplines to the table during the initial development process. Dan explained the cost escalation rule AKA 1-10-100 rule during the software development process.

Nerdery is a digital product consultancy. Much more than consultants, they’re allies on their clients’ digital journeys — a collection of strategists, designers, technologists and proud “Nerds,” who are united around a vision of relentlessly inventing a world that works better for all.

Nerdery’s experience is rooted in technology and engineering, and they design to serve everyone. They work alongside their clients to create goal-oriented digital products that transform business, make enduring customer connections, and elevate the human experience. Nerdery was founded in 2003 and has offices in Minneapolis, Chicago and Phoenix.

Russ Ahrens is a user experience designer with a passion for bringing cross-disciplinary teams together to solve important problems.

Russ leads the Accessibility Action Squad, a group that is committed to elevating the knowledge, skill, effectiveness, and visibility of Nerdery’s accessibility practice.

Brandon Ramsey is the Sr. Customer Manager for Nerdery after seven years in tech at Microsoft and Insight.

During his career he worked for a national non-profit supporting people with disabilities, and he continues to focus on breaking down barriers for people with disabilities.

Dan Holbrook is a website and mobile app quality assurance tester with 15 years experience.

He has been testing accessibility for six years, and leads the accessibility testing team at Nerdery.

Follow Nerdery on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

As the manager of Community and Public Relations, David Steinmetz uses his expertise, education, and personal experiences to “change the perception of blindness.”

Diagnosed with RP, a blinding retinal disease, at the age of 19, David uses his personal story to drive change that leads to improved employment outcomes and community integration for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Mr. Steinmetz graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Economics. Additionally, Steinmetz has continued his education by graduating from the Business Management Training (BMT) program provided by Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia.

In 2008, David was the national recipient of the National Industries for the Blind Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement award. This prestigious award recognized Mr. Steinmetz for his career achievements and community service work.

David Steinmetz is a member of the Governors’ Council on Blindness & Visual Impairments, is a Board Member at the Arizona Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired (ACBVI) and serves his community through the Chandler Lions Club.

Connect with David on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Show

Changing the Perception of Blindness; One Conversation at a Time is dedicated to breaking down barriers, de-mystifying blindness and promoting real world solutions that empower people who are blind to live a full and inclusive life.

Host, David Steinmetz connects with organizations, industry professionals and thought leaders who are working to bridge the gap that creates a world accessible for all.

About Arizona Industries for the Blind

Arizona Industries for the Blind is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for people who are blind. It’s employees, more than half of whom are blind, deliver a variety of products and services, including a full-service Warehousing and Distribution Center, confidential Digital Data Scan (DDS) services for private businesses and government and the operation of Base Supply Centers located at each of Arizona’s three military bases under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Labor’s AbilityOne program.

Follow AIFB on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Women Changing the World with Lynda Bishop and Catherine Scrivano E1

January 24, 2022 by Karen

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iNudge

Women Changing the World with Lynda Bishop and Catherine Scrivano E1

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Women Changing the World with Lynda Bishop and Catherine Scrivano E1

Welcome to the first episode of iNudge with phenomenal guests, Lynda Bishop, Founder/CEO of Summit Alliance Solutions, LLC and Catherine Scrivano, President of CASCO Financial Group.

Listen in as Karen, Lynda, and Catherine share their wisdom and insight as to how they nudge their clients (and themselves) to living their best life.

From mental health and wealth management, to personal development and organizational success, they cover a lot of ground during this “fireside” chat.

We’d love to hear your takeaways and input!

Be sure to connect with Lynda, Catherine and Karen via Linkedin and their websites – see their individual bios below.

Summit Alliance Solutions, LLC, providing exceptional custom entrepreneurial advancement programs, education, workshops, mastermind facilitation and coaching services across the nation.

They specialize in programs focused on the advancement of women business owners, women in business, relationship improvement, and the next generation of entrepreneurial youth.

Started in 2008 by Lynda Bishop, President and CEO, Summit Alliance Solutions is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and has a small and mighty team of five employees across three states to serve clients across the country.

Lynda Bishop is a certified executive and empowerment coach, a master’s level mental health therapist, relationship advisor, speaker, author, and an international women’s leadership development facilitator.

She serves in many roles focused on the professional and personal advancement of women and youth nationwide.

She is Vice President of National Programs for the National Association of Women Business Owners Institute for Entrepreneurial Development where she creates and delivers their menu of programs offered to business owners and organizations of all sizes (from start-ups to multi-million-dollar businesses). She facilitates professional mastermind groups across the country to support women leaders in their personal, family and business lives.

As the Executive Director for the Aspiring Youth Academy, Lynda leads an exceptional team focused on serving entrepreneurial youth across Arizona from underserved communities and foster care to help them gain the confidence and skills needed to create their own powerful futures.

Lynda is the national mastermind facilitator and is an executive coach for the Network of Executive Women’s Rising Stars Program, whose mission is advancing all women, growing business and transforming our workplaces through the power of community and gender equality.

She loves the travel that her work and play bring her. On per personal time, you may find her in Corpus Christi, TX with her grandchildren, or in Arizona camping, hiking, being outdoors just about anywhere and likely with her beloved husband and four-legged companions by her side.

Connect with Lynda on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

CASCO Financial Group was founded to help people create the financial strength needed to achieve their dreams and build money power. They offer education , encouragement and enlightenment to help you accomplish what is important to you.

CASCO Financial Group’s goal is to help people realize their dreams! They believe that everyone has a goal to be, do or have something… and these dreams often have a financial component. They help people create the financial strategies to achieve those goals…and being part of that experience is the greatest honor of all.

Catherine Scrivano is the President of CASCO Financial Group. She started her business to help people create the financial strength they need to achieve their dreams. She believes you don’t have to be wealthy to be wise!

Catherine has been board chairperson, board member and participated in an advisory capacity to several organizations that promote equality in the workplace and in our community. Other endeavors include support of local and independent businesses, both as an advisor and as a consumer.

In 2016 she was named a finalist for the ATHENA award by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and recognized as an Outstanding Woman in Business by the Phoenix Business Journal. In 2017 she received the Dorothy Wiley Award, the highest recognition offered by the YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix, and has been named one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona by Arizona Business Magazine. She just learned she is being honored as the 2022 Growth Leader by Athena Valley of the Sun.

Catherine has written articles published in local and national media, and regularly appears on television, radio and in print and online media outlets. She regularly shares advice about money on The Women’s Eye Podcast.

Follow CASCO on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About iNudge Radio Show and Podcast

“Sometimes we need a good kick-in-the-pants to hurl us in the direction of our dreams; and other times, we just need a flick or a nudge. Either way, there is a force catapulting us forward.” ~ Karen Nowicki

High wealth professionals and extraordinary people profess they didn’t get to mastery without the guidance, strategies and support offered by those who have traveled similar paths before them. And, they’ll likely be shouting it from the roof tops with their arms stretched out to welcome you and to encourage others to do the same.

You see, believing in oneself, having a growth mindset, and never giving up, were never meant to be best kept secrets. Quite the opposite. Becoming the best version of ourselves is imperative frankly, it is our birthright and there is a standing invitation for all of us to show up as big and as bright as we can.

Is it really that easy? Oh, hell no. For some, it’s a grueling process…which is why most need professional champions and skilled cheerleaders to help them along the way.

iNudge is committed to helping you succeed, with a little nudge whenever you need it. We want to see you win and know you can Let us show you how.

About Your Host

Success. It is like a puzzle. You must have the puzzle box lid to see the big picture and know what your life, influence, income, and reach should be.

No matter if we are talking about:

How to take your skillset and grow it into a multi-million dollar business.
How to take your business brilliance and build it into lifelong influence and buying customers.
How to overcome those moments of overwhelm and self-sabotage (all together or at least a heck of a lot faster), so you can hit those next levels of success sooner and stronger.

Karen Nowicki has you covered.

The ultimate problem solver and solution finder, Karen’s natural perspective is understanding what you want, need, and how to make it a reality.

With advanced training and certifications in several modalities and disciplinary specialization, including: Facilitative Leadership, Organizational Development, Strategic Planning, Trauma Integration & Shadow Integration, Karen knows the business of business as well as the business of people. She will nudge you, walk alongside you, and guide you along the way.

No matter if you are building your industry influence, client relationships, or working on how to grow, scale, or accelerate your business to the next level, Karen is dedicated to helping you build your success puzzle while showing you the hidden opportunities that await.

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Phil Cox and Ryan Edwards with Silicon Valley Bank and Leib Bolel with Grayhawk Capital

January 20, 2022 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Phil Cox and Ryan Edwards with Silicon Valley Bank and Leib Bolel with Grayhawk Capital

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Phil Cox and Ryan Edwards with Silicon Valley Bank and Leib Bolel with Grayhawk Capital

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) helps innovative companies and their investors move bold ideas forward, fast. SVB provides targeted financial services and expertise through its offices in innovation centers around the world.

With commercial, international and private banking services, SVB helps address the unique needs of innovators.

Phil Cox is the Chief Operations Officer of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and is responsible for SVB’s core operations, enterprise project management, client service and information technology teams. Since joining SVB in 2009, Phil has led the establishment of SVB’s UK Branch banking business, as well as its operations in Ireland, Israel, and Germany.

Phil brings a wealth of experience and leadership to SVB. Previously, he was the Head of Commercial Banking at Bank of Scotland in London, a division of Lloyds Banking Group. In this role, Phil was responsible for relationship management, origination and operational aspects of the business.

Prior to that, Phil was with the NatWest/RBS Group for 23 years and held a variety of positions, including Managing Director of Transport and Infrastructure Finance, Regional Managing Director of the North of England Region and the same position for the South West and Wales business.

Phil is both ACIB (Chartered Institute of Bankers) and AMCT (Corporate Treasurers) qualified. He enjoys travel, photography, fishing and skiing and is a qualified coach in both Rugby and Cricket.

Ryan Edwards is the Managing Director of Technology Banking for Silicon Valley Bank in Tempe, AZ, covering Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Providing opportunities for technology companies to grow, raise capital, and elevate their business through the use of SVB’s network and decades of time in the industry.

Through 18 years in the banking industry and 13 years with SVB, Ryan has helped early stage through public companies in the hardware, software and medical device markets.

Ryan works closely with entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses.

Follow SVB on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Grayhawk Capital is a venture capital firm founded in 1999 providing capital to outstanding early growth stage companies. The partners of Grayhawk Capital have experience managing 11 venture funds, totaling more than $600 million with a collective 80+ years of experience.

Grayhawk’s investment philosophy has remained consistent through the years in targeting companies with characteristics including; Serial entrepreneurs and exceptional management teams – Dynamic, rapidly growing technology markets – Innovative and disruptive product offerings.

Sector focuses include, cloud/SaaS, security, enterprise & application software, business intelligence, healthcare IT, and financial.

Leib Bolel is a Partner at Grayhawk Capital and is active in the venture capital community sitting on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Venture Capital Association and the Arizona Fund Managers Association.

Prior to joining Grayhawk Capital, Leib was the President and CEO the Arizona Israel Technology Alliance.

With over a decade of experience in the area of business development, fundraising, startups, marketing, and general operations management, Leib has been instrumental in building organizations from the ground up.

Follow Grayhawk Capital on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Exploring STEM Hobbies E19

January 20, 2022 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Exploring STEM Hobbies E19

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Exploring STEM Hobbies E19

Hobbies are what we work hard to have the time to enjoy, right? Imagine exploring new ideas and activities to find your favorite. Now consider the career pathways related to that hobby and what you would like to call work.

The Arizona SciTech Festival is an opportunity to engage in new experiences to help identify a passion in STEM. Join us online or in person at a variety of community events! You are a Scientist!

Guests on this episode share their diverse backgrounds and their journey to STEM. We discuss the common misconceptions of certain hobbies, including difficulty levels and out of this world ideas. Listen in as we celebrate the need for failure and exposure to new ideas.

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension takes the science of the University to the people of Arizona through programs, publications, classes, events and one-on-one teaching. Cooperative Extension is one of the pillars of The University of Arizona’s Division of Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences & Cooperative Extension.

We are about “Improving Lives, Communities and the Economy” by serving as a statewide network of knowledgeable faculty and staff that provides lifelong educational programs for all Arizonans.

We are part of a nationwide educational network of scientists and educators who help people solve problems and put knowledge to use. Arizona Cooperative Extension provides a link between the university and the citizens of this state.

Anne LeSenne has been involved with horticulture her entire life having grown up on a farm and having a large garden ever since. Anne has both her Bachelor’s degree (BYU Idaho) and Masters degree (Texas Tech) in Horticulture.

Professionally she has been a Landscape/Irrigation Designer, Wholesale Nursery Salesperson, Arborist, Landscape Maintenance manager, and most recently a Teacher at a college in Oregon, teaching Horticulture.

She is also a board certified Master Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture and a beekeeper.

Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association provides opportunities for members and the community to learn about and share the joy and excitement of astronomy through observing, education, and fun.

Jim Knoll has a bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters in Business Organizational Management. He is a retired Air Force and Government Civilian.

He is serving on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Agua Caliente, a local county park in Tucson, AZ as Past President, current Treasurer and Membership Chair.

Jim is a volunteer with the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association as Star Party Manager, Director of the Chiricahua Astronomy Complex, and Social Media manager.

Follow Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association on Facebook.

Southwest Maker Fest is a collaborative one-day festival and community of makers seeking to achieve the vision of a connected community, empowered by creativity. The Southwest Maker Fest (SWMF) mission is to celebrate, engage, and inspire the maker in each of us.

The upcoming Southwest Maker Fest will be held Saturday, February 19, 2022, 10am-4pm along Macdonald between Main Street and Pepper Place in downtown Mesa.

For almost 20 years Michael Savarese has been designing, building and programming professionally as well as for fun. Just over 4 years ago he became involved with the planning and running of the annual Southwest Maker Fest in Mesa, AZ.

Along with the lead up to the day of the Festival, he also runs a workshop teaching kids to create their own boardgames with materials and guided instruction.

Follow Southwwest Maker Fest on Facebook and Twitter.

The Chandler Public Library serves the community through literacy building, information sharing, gathering spaces, and by providing unique learning opportunities.

With the creation of The Makery – a suite of spaces that includes a programming room, production studio, and maker lab – is the Library adding a new resource to realize our mission in the 21st century.

The Makery will include subject matter experts, hardware, and software that will address the digital literacy gap by ensuring all community members will have the opportunity to build their skills with digital creation software, coding, design, and gain access to technological equipment.

Stacey Akahoshi is the Makerspace Librarian at the Chandler Public Library. She is responsible for The Makery, a free makerspace that increases community access to emerging technologies and traditional maker resources.

Stacey is a visionary professional, that loves to create new ideas and incorporate innovation and diversity into her projects. Currently, she serves on the Arizona Library Association EDI committee, JCLC Conference Marketing Committee, is the Advisor of Inclusion at the ASU chapter of Pi Beta Phi.

Stacey enjoys playing soccer and training dogs outside of work.

Follow Chandler Public Library on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Our Sponsor

SciTech Institute™ was established as the Arizona Technology Council Foundation as the conduit for collaboration among STEM industry, academia, civic, and non-profit organizations in Arizona. Now, rebranded and named the SciTech Institute™ the goal centers around aligning assets and resources to motivate individuals to pursue STEM-related educational and career paths or find a passion while engaged in community events during the SciTech Festival.

The Chief Science Officer program highlights the 6th-12th graders that have been selected as leaders in their schools and communities to receive training to build a world-class community of diverse STEM-literate workers and knowledgeable, engaged citizens. Science For All allows for tax credit donations to provide engaging experiences for students while RAIN (Rural Activation Innovation Network) focuses on resources for the rural areas of Arizona.

As a STEM Learning Ecosystem, SciTech Institute™ focuses on collaboration and connecting individuals with opportunities! STEM Professionals are encouraged to engage with the future workforce by serving as a mentor, leadership coach, panelist, keynote and session trainer during a variety of conferences hosted or sponsored by SciTech Institute™ and The Arizona Technology Council.

Teachers and Administrators are invited to connect with the resources available while activating a large network of STEM champions for student projects, judges at events, volunteers, exhibitors and more. SciTech Festival Event Coordinators are supported during the planning and execution of community STEM events around the state by the SciTech STREET Team Members and the growing network of volunteers. The possibilities are endless! SciTech Institute™ looks forward to connecting with you today. Visit SciTechInstitute.org today for more information.

Follow SciTech Institute on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Your STEM Unplugged Hosts

After grow up in rural New York and joining the United States Army, Kelly Greene learned quickly to adapt to her surroundings to be successful. She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.

She also enlisted in the United States Army and after graduating from training, Kelly traveled the world with the military. While stationed in Misawa, Japan, she fell in love with learning about cultures around the world. Even as a deployed Soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom for two tours, she found opportunities to connect with the local children to form the Victory Base Council Girl Scouts with her fellow servicemen.

In 2013, she was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and traveled the country by air. During this deployment, she had the opportunity to utilize the most advanced technologies available to the tactical HUMINT operations in theater. Upon return from combat, she retired with 21 years of service and began teaching. From 6th grade Math to 7th grade STEM, Kelly used her enthusiastic nature combined with her strong classroom management to design curriculum based on the Engineering Design Process!

Now, as the Chief Operating Officer at SciTech Institute, Kelly is excited to serve the communities in Arizona and beyond to share their interest in STEM!

Claire Conway is the STEM Ecosystem Programs Manager at SciTech Institute.

Connect with Claire on LinkedIn.

Business Relationships are First Class EP 88

January 20, 2022 by Karen

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Phoenix Business Radio

Business Relationships are First Class EP 88

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Business Relationships are First Class EP 88

In this episode, host Austin Peterson interviews special guest, Alex Malebranche, Founder of PlaneAhead.

Alex shares his background with listeners and illustrates a road map of how he got from sleepless nights with 2 kids under 2, to selling his house to be a Founder of a successful start up company.

Listeners will hear about the niche market Alex was able to jump on board with and take flight.

Learn how you can save money with airfare and instead of booking one trip, you can save and earn money towards 1-2 more trips.

PlaneAhead does all the work for you while you sit back, relax and save money towards another trip. Whether you’re a frequent traveler for business or just booked your first family trip, PlaneAhead will earn you savings to put towards any future travels plans.

PlaneAhead takes full advantage of the termination of airline change fees. They track your purchased itinerary from the day you buy until take off. When the price of your ticket goes down, they automatically exchange the ticket and send you the airline credit from the change.

Due to COVID, the major airlines have committed to the termination of change fees permanently, so now it gives you unlimited flexibility! Great! But there is a secondary opportunity that this creates. If you can change your flight any time without penalty, then if your flight’s price goes down you can take advantage!

Truthfully, no one is going to check the airline websites every day just to make sure they get the best price. That’s where they come in! Now, let’s think about the businesses that constantly travel. What if there were a service that could enable small businesses or large corporations the ability to save millions of dollars a year by guaranteeing the lowest price? Again, this is the potential power of PlaneAhead.

Alex Malebranche is as hard working and as passionate a Founder that you will come across. He started working 2-3 jobs in high school to help pay for family bills, then joined the Army so that he could pay for his own education.

He always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but until the opportunity to start PlaneAhead came about, he worked for Amazon and Amazon Web Services for almost 5 years around the world. He then worked for a then startup, Plume, as the first employee in their delivery organization before finally starting PlaneAhead.

Follow PlaneAhead on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the Show

Tycoons of Small Biz spotlights the true backbone of the American economy, the true tycoons of business in America… the owners, founders and CEO’s of small businesses. Join hosts, Austin L Peterson, Landon Mance and the featured tycoons LIVE every Tuesday at 1 pm, right here on Business RadioX and your favorite podcast platform.

About Your Hosts

Austin Peterson is a Comprehensive Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners in Scottsdale, AZ. Austin is a registered rep and investment advisor representative with Lincoln Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Lincoln Financial Advisors, Austin worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry.

He began his career in financial services in the year 2000 as a personal financial advisor with Independent Capital Management in Santa Ana, CA. Austin then joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an internal wholesaler for their variable annuity and mutual fund products. After Pacific Life, Austin formed his own financial planning company in Southern California that he built and ran for 6 years and eventually sold when he moved his family to Salt Lake City to pursue his MBA.

After he completed his MBA, Austin joined Crump Life Insurance where he filled a couple of different sales roles and eventually a management role throughout the five years he was with Crump. Most recently before joining Lincoln Financial Advisors in February 2015, Austin spent 2 years as a life insurance field wholesaler with Symetra Life Insurance Company. Austin is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Chartered Life Underwriter. In 2021, Austin became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses.

Austin and his wife of 23 years, Robin, have two children, AJ (21) and Ella (18) and they reside in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in French and of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sales and entrepreneurship.

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Landon Mance is a Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He rebranded his practice in 2020 to focus on serving small business owners after operating as Mance Wealth Management since 2015 when Landon broke off from a major bank and started his own “shop.”

Landon comes from a family of successful entrepreneurs and has a passion and excitement for serving the business community. This passion is what brought about the growth of Backbone Planning Partners to help business owners and their families. At Backbone Planning, we believe small business owners’ personal and business goals are intertwined, so we work with our clients to design a financial plan to support all aspects of their lives.

In 2019, Landon obtained the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation through the Exit Planning Institute. With this certification, Backbone Planning Partners assists business owners through an ownership transition while focusing on a positive outcome for their employees and meeting the business owner’s goals. Landon is also a member of the Business Intelligence Institute (BII) which is a collaborative group that shares tools, resources and personnel, and offers advanced level training and technical support to specifically serve business owners. In 2021, Landon became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses by counseling owners about exit options, estimating the value of the business, preparing the business for exit and tax considerations.

Landon enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, stepson, and new baby twins. He grew up in sunny San Diego and loves visiting his family, playing a round of golf with friends, and many other outdoor activities. Landon tries to make a difference in the lives of children in Las Vegas as a part of the leadership team for a local non-profit. He regularly visits the children that we work with to remind himself of why it’s so important to, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.

Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.

Austin Peterson and Landon Mance are registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. Backbone Planning Partners is a marketing name for registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors. CRN-4142753-011022

Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. and its representatives do not provide legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a legal or tax advisor regarding any legal or tax information as it relates to your personal circumstances.

The content presented is for informational and educational purposes. The information covered and posted are views and opinions of the guests and not necessarily those of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Business RadioX® is a separate entity not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Are You Looking for a Solution or Support? E1

January 17, 2022 by Karen

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Phoenix Business Radio

Are You Looking for a Solution or Support? E1

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Are You Looking for-a Solution or Support? E1

We kicked off episode one of our new podcast and radio show with two long-time friends and amazing business leaders, G. Parekh of Parsus Solutions and Kristi Bell of Bell & Associates.

In the decade that we have known each other both G. and Kristi have grown successful businesses. Kristi also became a mother and tells us about life navigating a pandemic, being a leader, and also mothering two young boys. She reflects on how flexibility and transparency have been critical to navigating these uncertain times. She shares a simple question that has helped her both personally and professionally.

G. shares his journey of growing a successful technology company and reflects on how critical his people are to the success of his business. We talk about the things that originally brought our unlikely crew together and the things we still share in common.

In this episode, you will learn the tools that both Kristi & G. use to be the best version of themselves. If you are a business owner, leader, or parent there is surely something you will relate to!

The Founders of Parsus spent years at large multinational consulting firms like IBM and KPMG. What they saw were a ton of good ideas and “best practices” in delivering solutions, but also a bureaucracy with layers upon layers of management.

The emphasis at these companies was on profits. Delivery of projects was fraught with unnecessary red-tape and paperwork. Smaller, low-priority projects were used as training grounds for novice developers. Hours were counted endlessly to enable mid-level paper-pushing managers earn fat bonuses. Quality was compromised at the expense of time and money.

The idea of Parsus was born with a few simple philosophies:

>> Deliver top-notch quality by creating an environment that pushes the boundaries of thinking
>> Encourage people to work smarter, not harder
>> Provide simple, effective, maintainable solutions
>> Follow simple and nimble delivery frameworks to eliminate inefficiency and keep costs low
>> Create an ethos of honesty, trust and respect with emphasis on family and healthy living

The idea of Parsus took shape with the philosophy based on Occam’s Razor; aka the Principle of Parsimony. The word “Parsus” is the root of the word Parsimony. While there are various translations of the original text of Occam’s Razor, we have adopted the following as our basic mantra:

“If you have two equally likely solutions to a problem, choose the simplest.”

We built upon this simple idea and created our basic cornerstones:

>> Hire “experts” who are easy to work with and reward them again and often
>> Give preference to quality over cost or time
>> Encourage “out-of-the-box” thinking; encourage use of new technologies (when appropriate)
>> Respect personal lives of everyone we work with (family and health always come first)

Born in India, G. Parekh completed his MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland before working for a small minority-owned company that sponsored him for his permanent residency.

He then moved on to KPMG before moving to Arizona around the turn of the century. After a brief stint with a couple of small tech consulting firms, he formed Parsus in 2002 with his business partner Rahul Patel.

G. is an avid runner and road bicyclist. He has run all 6 marathon majors (Boston, Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, Tokyo) and also participated in several triathlons.

Lately, G. has revived his childhood wildlife and birding hobby. You will find G. hiking the trails of North Scottsdale with his binoculars and camera trying to identify every bird. Yep, he’s a birdnerd!

Connect with G on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Bell and Associates Consulting is a full service wholesale insurance brokerage agency, offering a comprehensive array of life insurance products as well as experienced marketing and underwriting support needed in today’s competitive marketplace.

Incorporated in 1981, Bell & Associates has grown a one man operation into a robust business employing more than 15 personnel providing services to over 300 brokers in 40+ states. Representing insurance companies nationwide, Bell & Associates Consulting currently maintains itself as a leading marketing organization for multiple insurance carriers.

Whether you are an experienced financial advisor or estate planning attorney, a small business owner or starting a new family, they present advanced life insurance marketing expertise in the areas of Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer strategies as well as in the extremely complex area of Executive Benefit Plan design and Premium Finance.

Their office can provide the extra insight and knowledge necessary to promote effective sales discussions and has the ability to train professionals of varied backgrounds to perform at a successful level.

They call Kristi Bell the sheriff. She runs a lean and mean operation at Bell & Associates, serving as the practice management specialist overseeing operations. She tries to be fair while also clearly being able to make fun of herself along the way to bring the testament “work hard, play hard” to the job.

Outside of the office you’ll find Kristi riding her trusty steed nicknamed “The Black Beauty”, a triathlon bike, or trying to round up the elusive 80 pound rascal (aka Labrador retriever) named Blue. And in recent years, spending time growing her family, as a mother of 2 boys. Each keeps her equally alert and skills honed to bring her best to everything she does at work or play.

A bean counter by trade, having graduated from the University of San Diego taking a job as auditor with Ernst & Young, you would not have imagined to find Kristi keeping the peace at the corral, yet that’s where you’ll find her; working alongside her father, brother and their esteemed team.

About The Messy Middle Podcast & Radio Show

“Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad but it’s the middle that counts the most.”- Hope Floats

We often talk about the beginnings and endings of things. We celebrate our firsts and mourn our lasts. We often ignore the in between, or what we like to call the messy middle. In this nebulous space, often there are no awards or recognition.

It is frequently characterized by the long days, hard work, uncertainty, self-doubt, small wins, setbacks, persistence, and sheer determination to simply keep moving forward. And, yet, it is also where the magic happens. The middle part of our journey is what shapes us, prepares us and fills our lives with meaning.

Welcome to the Messy Middle Podcast & Radio show! Each month we invite guests to share their own version of the Messy Middle and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Whether you’re in the messiness of growing a business, healing from trauma, or navigating the wild world of parenting; this show is for you! We’re so excited to celebrate the messiness of life and business with you!

About Mother & Founder Co

Mother & Founder Co was created to help people who are experiencing change and are looking for growth, healing & transformation. The only thing that is constant is change…and change is really difficult for most people. When remaining where you are is more painful than the unknown, change happens.

*And*

Mother & Founder is there to help you create, maintain, and navigate the changes you wish to make.

In addition to the amazing community of women, we provide trauma healing sessions, clarity courses designed to re-imagine what’s possible, individual coaching and small business strategy masterminds.

About Jen Burwell

Jen is the Founder of Mother & Founder Co. and Co-Founder of Jens LIGHT Events.

She is a recognized public speaker and enjoys working with audiences of all sizes. She is a fierce advocate of self-development and believes a kinder world begins from within.

Her goal is to help as many leaders heal themselves as possible. A healed world is a better world for all of us. In 2020, she received the prestigious honor of Business Woman of the Year by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.

She loves being right in the messy middle of growing business(es), mothering 3 young kiddos (2 on the Autism Spectrum) and navigating a healthy and happy marriage amid it all.

In her spare time, she enjoys morning solo runs accompanied by her AirPods and her latest Audible book. Her other joys include spa days, being near the ocean, travel and learning something new.

Follow Mother & Founder Co on Facebook and Instagram.

Pay it Forward E87

January 12, 2022 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Pay it Forward E87

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Pay it Forward E87

Sergei Guk joined the Tycoons and opened up about his inspiring journey to business ownership. After moving to America as a child and going straight to work after high school, Sergei met his share of struggles. He was a hard worker and brought success to the companies he worked for, but his plan to take ownership of a business didn’t work out. That’s when an investor that believed in him gave him the opportunity to be a business owner.

This journey and his investor, who is now considered family, taught Sergei an important lesson – to pay it forward. He wondered why anyone would take such a risk? If you want to make a difference in the world, find those opportunities to pay it forward. That has become Sergei’s “why” at Restoration HQ.

A large part of Restoration HQ’s success is in large part to their founding principles and company goals. They are centered around helping and protecting people and just being a good person. That’s why customers trust them, in addition to their quality workmanship.

RestorationHQ is an Arizona based commercial-only restoration firm celebrating its 7th anniversary in 2022. The company provides top-notch restoration, remediation, mitigation, and abatement services, with technical expertise and a commitment to proactive communication.

With over 41 million square feet under contract and a sole focus on commercial and industrial properties, RestorationHQ prides itself for working seamlessly alongside property management companies, general contractors, mechanical trades, facility management teams and subcontractors.

RestorationHQ continues to disrupt the industry by pioneering a new way of working with customers, in partnership. By working on behalf of its clients rather than insurance agencies, RestorationHQ is changing their experience by directly addressing pain points felt when working with vendors who align themselves with insurance companies.

With sights set on the national stage, 2021 kicked of the initiation of a three-year expansion plan, beginning with test markets in different parts of Arizona. Markets were based on how they represent similar challenges that could be encountered in other states, allowing them us to analyze and revise their model to ensure the successful launch in other regions.

RestorationHQ holds more than 20 current certifications, trainings, and safety courses including the IICRC (the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, the certifying body for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industry), AHERA Accreditation (Asbestos Hazards Emergency Response Act), EPA, OSHA, and other governing bodies responsible for compliance regulation and continued education.

For over 19 years, Sergei Guk has been on the front lines of the restoration industry providing services for buildings damaged by disaster and accident.

He has crafted expertise through both on the job experience and a litany of professional certifications including IICRC, The Asbestos Institute, the EPA, and BioCleaning Services of America, Inc., among others. With features on Channel 5 News in Phoenix, SHOPTALK360, and the Phoenix Business Journal, Sergei is a leading voice in his field.

He continues to educate the community by regularly serving as a guest speaker and panelist at industry events such as AZSHE, BOMA, IFMA and MARC Community Resources, Inc.

In 2014, after an impressive career that includes growing a similar company from $120,000 a year in sales to over $4 million, Sergei turned the industry on its head with the launch of RestorationHQ, a disruptive emergency services general contracting company pioneering a new way of doing business centered on the customer experience.

Connect with Sergei on LinkedIn and follow Restoration HQ on Facebook and Instagram.

About the Show

About Your Hosts

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.

Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.

Business RadioX® is a separate entity not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.