Project Management and Technology E37

How much easier would life be if there was an app to streamline your business or you could outsource all of your projects to someone else? Sounds amazing right? Check out this episode of Collaborative Connections Radio Show and Podcast to hear how it’s possible.

Host, Kelly Lorenzen was on-air with Joe Pusz, PMP, Founder of The PMO Squad and The PMO Leader, Melissa McDonald, PMP, Founder of The Smart PM, and Ben Johnson, Owner of Arizona Web Pro. All four business owners shared advice, insights, and lessons learned.

Ben, Kelly, Joe, and Melissa talked about business ownership, community, philanthropy, project management, and technology. This is a great episode to listen to if you want to learn more about any of the above. These guests are experts in their field and share so many great tidbits.

The PMO Squad is a Phoenix-based Project Management Consulting firm which helps organizations deliver projects better. Their team of Project Management experts assist clients across all industries with Solutions Made Simple to improve their project delivery capabilities. Our Customer Focused and Purpose Driven Approach provides custom Agile and Project Management solutions to fit your needs.

They have been recognized as the 2022 Small Business of the Year, micro category, by the Phoenix Business Journal. Their Founder and President is a Finalist for 2022 World PMO Influencer of the Year by the PMO Global Alliance.

You can count on The PMO Squad for all your Project Management resource needs, to build or improve your Project Management Office, Project Management training, or PMOaaS to take on the full Project Management needs of your organization.

Now approaching their 10th year in business, The PMO Squad has earned the Platinum Medallion designation in 2021 and 2022 from the Department of Labor HIRE VETS program for the work they do hiring and retaining Veterans. They are also Co-Founders of VPMMA, Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance, a 501c3 non-profit organization supporting Veterans and Military Spouses transitioning to civilian project management careers.

Joe Pusz, PMO Joe is an internationally recognized leader in the Project Management and PMO community. He is a frequent Keynote Speaker, Author, Project Management Innovator and was recently named a Finalist for 2022 World PMO Influencer of the Year by the PMO Global Alliance. Joe speaks on topics of Leadership, PMOs, Purpose Driven Mindset, the Project Management Journey, and a variety of other trending Project Management topics.

He is the Founder and President of THE PMO SQUAD, a Phoenix-based PMO and Project Management Consulting firm serving clients across the United States. The PMO Squad was named 2022 Small Business of the Year, Micro Category, by the Phoenix Business Journal. Joe is the host of the Project Management Office Hours Radio Show and Podcast providing Project Management Leaders a voice within our community. Now in the 5th season, the show has over 40 million plays and downloads featuring guests from around the world.

Joe is also Co-Founder of VPMMA, the Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance which is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization assisting Veterans seeking to transition into civilian Project Management careers. He is the Founder of The PMO Leader global community. The community is the only global e-commerce community for PMO Leaders and teams to share content, gain knowledge, and exchange experiences.

Joe supports our industry having served as a Judge for the Global PMO Awards, participates with the PMI Executive Roundtable on PMOs, and is a long-time member of the Project Management Institute. He has been a PMI Volunteer, Sponsor, and Mentor.

Follow The PMO Squad on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Smart PM is a Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business with Certified Project Management Professionals and Smartsheet Professional Services providers that love what they do! They are recognized 5x as top 5% Smartsheet Automators who will help your organization adopt, implement, and optimize your use and knowledge of Smartsheet to fit your processes to prioritize, manage, and see the work you are doing.

TSP consultants are Project, Agile, Change Management, and Smartsheet certified with more than 30 years of project portfolio management experience in public and private sectors. Their services expand outside of project management and include Smartsheet assessment, design, development, administration, training, and optimization for your current business programs and processes.

The Smart PM provides dedicated support by working together to create a smarter business solution for your team and the know-how to take it to the next level. TSP team members are nationwide and provide onsite, virtual, and hybrid consulting options, as well as the availability to travel to your location.

Melissa McDonald is the Founder and Managing Director of The Smart PM, a Woman Veteran Owned Small Business that provides expert Project Management and Smartsheet services and support. Melissa is a Smartsheet Silver Partner. More importantly, she is a former three-time PMO Director and Smartsheet user herself. Melissa and her team at TSP will enhance your organization with project management best practices and advanced Smartsheet know-how.

Melissa has more than 20 years of experience managing people, projects, and portfolios in both the government and private sectors. She has supported clients in various industries, to include Defense, IT, Healthcare, Finance, Engineering, HR, and Operations. Melissa has a Master of Science Degree in Project Management (MSPM) from Boston University and Bachelor of Science in Physics from Xavier University. In addition, she is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP), Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP), SAFe Agilist, and Certified Smartsheet Professional Services Provider and Trainer.

Before joining the consulting industry, Melissa worked her way up in corporate American from a Project Manager to implementing and leading PMOs. And before that, she proudly served on Active Duty in the United States Army as an Engineer Officer. Melissa has spent over 20 years supporting the military community and has received the U.S. Army Forces Command Dr. Mary E. Walker Award and 2013 Volunteer of the Year for the Vicenza, Italy Military Community. She is an active member of PMI, The PMO Leader, and The Women’s National Memorial. Outside of work, she loves to road bike, hike, and travel the globe with her family.

Follow The Smart PM on LinkedIn.

Arizona Web Pro is a web development and automation business focused on simplifying complex data solutions.

Ben Johnson is a web developer, a data engineer, a digital nomad, a father, and tinkerer.

Connect with Ben 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.