ROI’s Into the Corner Office Podcast: Powerhouse Middle Market CEOs Telling it Real—Unexpected Caree...

Jon Bassford is an operations professional and entrepreneur driven by his Curiosity! Curiosity is his superpower, and it has driven his personal and professional advancement. After law school, Jon put this curiosity to work by launching, managing, and improving operations for venture-backed startups and global nonprofits with a positive impact. For Jon, there is nothing that curiosity can’t help. Today, Jon is recognized for his curiosity-driven leadership, which helps organizations and individuals innovate, change, and grow by adopting Curiosity as their superpower.   Throughout his career, Jon has led organizations with innovation, growth, and change. His career, spanning over 15 years, has involved working at the director, VP, and C-Suite levels before creating Lateral Solutions and serving in similar roles as a Consultant and Fractional COO. Jon has a proven track record of delivering tactical and strategic solutions to growing startups, small businesses, and nonprofits.

Matt Guse is President of M.R.S. Machining Co., Inc. Matt Guse and his wife Vicki own M.R.S. Machining Co., Inc. was started by his father in 1986 in his garage. Matt has been in the manufacturing industry for over 30 years. Matt has also been very active in his community by serving on his local school board, he is a licensed official for both football and basketball, and serves on the Chippewa Valley Technical College Machine Tool Advisory board. Matt Guse also was part of the startup of Cardinal Manufacturing at the Eleva-Strum school by donating equipment. He continues to donate his time and expertise to this great educational opportunity on a regular basis. He is keenly interested in developing new talent and ideas for the manufacturing industry and created two patents for cutting tools that he himself developed. Matt is also an author, and you can find his book MRS Machining: A Manufacturing Story on Amazon.

As a seasoned digital marketing industry veteran, I work to daily put into practice the lessons of generosity and “helping, not selling” that have been shown to be my so many colleagues over my career. My purpose in business is to help marketers and companies to get the most out of their digital marketing strategies, tactics, and investments. Despite all of the distractions, constant change in our industry, and competitive forces in the digital marketplace, I can count hundreds of specific examples of success and ROI and the realization of return on investment in subject matter that sometimes doesn’t feel possible. I’m an industry speaker, best-selling author, contributor to top publications, conference founder, board member, and guest weekly on podcasts about digital strategy, digital marketing, the START Planning process, and how to build a Digital Marketing Success Plan™ All of those things are connected back to my purpose and drive to help people and teams reach their goals and full potential in digital marketing. Through speaking, coaching, and the work of my digital agency, I have the privilege of working with some great people in finding their paths to success. Skills: - Digital Strategy - Digital Marketing - Speaking - Book Writing - Podcasts - Lead Generation - ROI Strategy Planning - Website Strategy - Website Creation - SEO - Search Marketing - Article Writing Digital Marketing Success Plan™ website: https://thedmsp.com Connect with me at corey@thedmsp.com

Kevin is the father of the Virtual Assistant and a Silicon Valley innovator, serial entrepreneur, CEO, and futurist. He was INC Magazines’ Entrepreneur of the Year, a CNBC top Innovator of the Decade, World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, Chair of Silicon Valley Forum, Planet Forward Innovator of the Year nominee, featured for 5 years on TechTV’s Silicon Spin, and inducted into RIT’s Innovation Hall of Fame. He has 94 worldwide patents and led pioneering work on the first cellular data smartphone (AirCommunicator), the first human-like AI virtual assistant (Portico), soundproof drywall, high R-value windows, AI-driven building management, Generative AI for QA automation, supply-chain auctions, and the window/energy retrofits of the Empire State Building and NY Stock Exchange. His upcoming book, titled The Joy Success Cycle, changes the way people act and think every day, leading to more fulfilment and life success.

As CEO of AFIRE, Gunnar Branson brings nearly three decades of experience across commercial real estate, professional services, education, and association leadership. Prior to joining AFIRE in 2018, he served as CEO of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers (NAREIM), and before that, he led strategy and marketing for Fortune 500 and other innovative mid-market companies. As a recognized thought leader, Gunnar is a regular speaker, panelist, and spokesperson for the global real estate and investing community, focused on institutional investing, urbanism, sustainability, and future trends.

Brandon Acker is CEO of Titan Abrasive Systems.  Bio: I acquired Titan Abrasive from my uncle in 2013, after working with him for years learning the industry. I had two main goals in the early days. One was to keep costs low for customers by selling direct to them versus through a huge distributor network. I had seen the challenges – including the long lead times and meeting quotas versus providing the best system. Second, I wanted to solve some of the legacy industry challenges, such as blast cabinet legs that crumbled at the mere bump of a fork-lift and energy inefficient equipment. I wanted Titan blast equipment to meet the rigorous demands of companies blasting on a daily or even 24/7 basis – while providing unmatched performance benefits. The Titan team has achieved all this and more. Today, the Titan name is synonymous with rugged, high performance blast equipment that’s custom engineered to solve tough application challenges.  What’s in our future? Like you, we’re navigating supply chain challenges and rising costs.  We’re redesigning our media reclaim system, and want to take another look at our dust collector. We’ve begun our move into more complex application challenges in the nuclear, aerospace, and energy industries. And, we want to expand our team. But one thing will never change: You deal with us. No reps, no middlemen, no waiting weeks for an RFQ. You get intelligent engineering, product advice, and friendly customer service that can’t be beat. That’s the Titan difference.  

Jeff DeBoer is the founding President and CEO of The Real Estate Roundtable. He has been at the forefront of national policy affecting the real estate industry for the past 40 years. The Real Estate Roundtable represents the leadership of the nation’s top 150 privately owned and publicly-held real estate ownership, development, lending and management firms, as well as the elected leaders of the 18 major national real estate industry trade associations. Roundtable member portfolios contain over 12 billion square feet of office, retail and industrial properties valued at nearly $4 trillion; over 5 million apartment units; and in excess of 6 million hotel rooms. The 18 national trade associations participating with the Roundtable represent more than 3 million people directly employed in the real estate industry. Mr. DeBoer also chairs the National Real Estate Organizations, a 17 member real estate trade association coalition focused on industry communication, advocacy and diversity efforts as well as the Real Estate Industry Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RE-ISAC), an organization dedicated to enhancing communication between the industry and federal policymakers on terrorism threats, building security, and major incident reporting. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Coalition to Insure Against Terrorism (CIAT) and for several years he co-chaired the Advisory Board of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Terrorism Risk Management Policy. Mr. DeBoer previously served on the Advisory Board of Washington DC’s Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute. Mr. DeBoer has discussed real estate and economic policy issues numerous times in Congressional testimony as well as on FOX News, Bloomberg Television, MSNBC and CNBC; and his editorials have been published in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. In 2010, Globest.com named Mr. DeBoer a “top 10 Industry Newsmaker of the Decade”; in 2013 Commercial Property Executive named him one of the “30 most influential people in real estate”; in 2016 Real Estate Forum honored him as the “Voice of the Industry” and one of the nation’s top CRE bosses; in 2017 Washington Life Magazine included Mr. DeBoer in its “Power 100” list of Washington DC’s most influential unelected, non-governmental people; and since 2017, The Hill has placed Mr. DeBoer on its annual list of the top lobbyists in Washington DC, a list it called: “the players at the top of their game, known for their ability to successfully navigate the byzantine and competitive world of federal policymaking.” In 2024, in recognition of his positive influence on national public policy, Commercial Property Executive presented Mr. DeBoer with its Lifetime Achievement award. Mr. DeBoer earned degrees from Washington and Lee University School of Law (JD) and Yankton College (BA).

Bill Remy, CEO and Chairman of TBM Consulting Group, shares insights from over 25 years in manufacturing and supply chain leadership. He highlights his journey from pre-vet to industrial engineering, fueled by a passion for problem-solving. Remy discusses the critical role of resilience seen during crises like 9/11 and COVID-19, and emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement. He also dives into current concerns for manufacturing CEOs, the impact of AI as a force multiplier, and shares vital advice for aspiring leaders seeking success in their careers.

David Stanford is a founder and Enterprise Managing Consultant with RealFoundations and brings over 35 years of experience providing strategic financial and operational improvement services to clients in the property and building industries. David is the Chief Growth Officer of RealFoundations, with the primary responsibility to initiate new solutions and grow the RF Network of people, partners, clients, and industry participants. He is also responsible for the corporate development activities of the firm. Additionally, he is responsible for implementing the global presence and alliance program of RealFoundations. David is highly experienced in providing large-scale operational and digital improvement services to private and global real estate owner/operators and institutional investors. He has directed client teams in the execution of large business improvement projects, long-range digital capital plans, packaged technology selections, and solution implementations. David is also highly experienced in assisting management teams with strategy, development, and operating model transformations. Some of his clients include the most respected real estate organizations in the world, including Blackstone, GIC, J.P. Morgan, Greystar, Walmart, KIMCO, Hines Interests, Brookfield and Invitation Homes. Prior to founding RealFoundations, David was a Partner of Ernst & Young’s real estate practice in Dallas. He also worked in the Transaction Advisory group of Kenneth Leventhal & Company. David graduated from Baylor University with a BBA in Finance & Accounting.

At the time of this recording, Buzz Bradley as CEO of Zpacks Corporation. He is now the CEO of True Access. A natural at sales, marketing, and helping clients maximize product and service offerings, Buzz Bradley has an extensive career helping grow and lead middle market manufacturing organizations. From Account Manager to Sales leadership roles and up through the executive suite, Buzz’s strong customer service focus, eye for details, and innovative, entrepreneurial spirit have allowed him to adroitly manage production, people, and profits. Buzz has been the CEO of Zpacks Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of ultralight backpacking equipment since 2015. Buzz lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his family and is passionately invRe-olved in charitable service.