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

Stanford Le is the CEO and president of Snoqualmie Casino. Le joined the casino as chief marketing officer in June 2018 and helped shape the marketing and acquisition strategy for the record-setting year and 2019. During his tenure as interim CEO, Le led the casino team through the pandemic while retaining the company’s entire team member workforce of 1,100. Le has more than 24 years of experience as a senior executive, leading companies including Fortune 500 casino companies, including Wynn Resorts, Sands China and Caesars Entertainment. During his tenure with those companies, he’s been part of the opening or pre-opening planning for five different integrated resort properties, which have grown significantly. Le holds two post-graduate degrees, a master’s degree in management and a law degree he earned concurrently while attending Cornell University.

James Miller, II is a Board Director and CEO who works in partnership and collaboration across diverse groups of people to set strategic direction, foster cross-functional consensus, enable transformation, and attain mission success. Merging extensive C-level leadership experience with a broad and diverse Board Director background,  James guides companies and their leaders in achieving strategic growth.  James has served in numerous C-level roles, as well as mid- to senior-level positions, across diverse industries where he has garnered extensive experience in multi-unit management/ownership, strategic brand positioning, business growth/transformation, product development, M&As, and marketing in domestic and international markets. He has also served on 15 Boards of Directors as Chairman, President, Parliamentarian, Sergeant at Arms,  Secretary-Treasurer, and multi-board liaison for private, public, and nonprofit sectors, both international and domestic, including Subway (Corporate and Franchisees), Westin Resorts, Vistana Signature Experiences, and  Marriott. In all roles, James works in partnership with all board members and company leaders, creating and launching forward-thinking strategies that create highly competitive market leaders.  Beginning his career with Weaver Popcorn as Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, James was selected right out of college from 1,200 applicants to spearhead a $20M division. In 1996, James was recruited by Nesco, a highly specialized utility equipment company in international telecom and fiber optic as their first  Chief Marketing Officer of North America, adding the title of Chief Sales Officer of North America one year later.  In these roles, James turned around the business, securing status as a Top 3 largest global supplier in the industry and positioned the company for successful acquisition, and was awarded Recipient of Award from CEO for the  Highest Sales Transaction in Company History.  In 1998, James founded Vision Investment Group, where he served as a Chief Executive Officer and Chief  Marketing Officer of Subway Multi-unit Franchising, where he initially acquired two Subway Franchises with 20  employees and led the company through startup to strategically position his Subway franchise business to grow to today’s “Top 25 largest franchisees globally” (50+ locations; 1,200 employees). He grew revenues from $250K  to $20M+ by acquiring 38+ businesses and building 14 new locations from the ground up.   Within the Subway family, James is most proud of generating $3.8B in sales as Board Liaison working with Subway marketing team by creating and launching a $5 Footlong promotion in recessionary 2008. This campaign achieved a #1 Fast-Food Brand ranking in multiple categories worldwide and is recognized as the highest revenue-generating promotion in company history (recorded in Smithsonian’s Institute of Marketing). James has also received additional awards that include Franchisee of the Year, Best Advertising and Promotions of the Year (2X),  Most Improved Operations, Highest Sales Growth (multiple), and Manager of Year (multiple), among others.  James Miller is a strategic, game-changing visionary who brings about the revolutionary and constructive change that positively impacts profitability. Leading from the front, he builds highly cohesive environments and teams.  Throughout his career, he has forged and delivered numerous multimillion-dollar partner relationships with companies that include Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Subway, Sprint, NASCAR, NFL, Disney, Twitter, Google, Westin Hotels, and Resorts, American Heart Association, and Walmart, among others. James is recognized for merging an open mind, an engaging personality, and an out-of-the-box leadership style to uncover new opportunities, improve brand positioning, significantly enhance operational efficiencies, and quickly resolve business challenges.  An accomplished speaker, James has presented to audiences of up to 2,500 people and has served in an advisory/mentoring role for various fundraising efforts and companies that include Dancer Concrete, Subway  Franchisees, Steak ‘n Shake, Mr. Brews Taphouse, Umi, and the Subway Executive Leadership Team. James also served as the Advisor to the Boy Scouts of America/Scouts Canada, where he was awarded the “men’s necktie”  worn by Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien, for exemplary service to Scouts Canada. James attended  Milligan University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Computer Science, and Team Labor. 

John W. Kett is CEO and President of IAA, Inc., the leading multi-channel vehicle marketplace (NYSE: IAA). John became CEO in May 2014, after serving in a variety of executive roles at IAA for more than fourteen years. In June 2019, he led IAA through the process of becoming an independent public company. In 2019, IAA generated $1.4 billion in revenue and sold more than 2.5 million vehicles through its platform. IAA is a global leader in technology innovation, analytics, and operational execution. Formerly with IAA, John served as senior vice president of planning and business development, CFO, and president. He sits on the national board of directors for SkillsUSA and the Northern Illinois University Board of Executive Advisors. John is also an active member of the Economic Club of Chicago. Prior to IAA, John held senior financial roles at Central Steel and Wire Co., and Safelite Glass Corporation, Newark Electronics, and Deloitte LLP. He received a master’s degree from Northwestern University and a B.S. from Northern Illinois University.

Kent A. Kramer joined Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana in 2002 as Vice President of Retail Operations, later serving as Chief Operating Officer. In 2015, he was named President and CEO. Kramer leads 4,200 employees (two-thirds of whom have a significant employment barrier) who educate more than 4,400 students in 16 high schools and provide direct services to more than 2,000 low-income families in central and southern Indiana.  A proud alumnus of Indiana State University, Kent holds a Bachelor of Science degree in management and serves on the university’s Alumni Association Board. He also holds an MBA from the Falls School of Business at Anderson University. Kramer is a 2010 graduate of the Goodwill Industries International Executive Development Program and serves on the School of Business and Information Technology Advisory Board for Purdue University Global. Kramer was elected to serve on the Goodwill International Board of Directors in 2019. Kent is an active member of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis. Prior to joining Goodwill Kramer spent 13 years in multi-unit leadership positions with Sam’s Club and Kmart across several states. Kramer resides in Pendleton, Indiana with his wife Jamei. They are the proud parents of four adult children and are active members of Madison Park Church of God, where Kramer serves as an Elder.

Stephanie Pugliese has been President of the Americas with Under Armour since June 2020. Prior to that, she served as President of North America from September 2019 to May 2020.  Prior to joining Under Armour, Ms. Pugliese served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Duluth Trading Company from February 2015 to August 2019, and as President from February 2012 to August 2019. Prior thereto, she served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Duluth Trading Company from February 2014 to February 2015, Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer from July 2010 to February 2012, and as Vice President of Product Development from November 2008 to July 2010. Ms. Pugliese also served in various leadership roles with Lands’ End, Inc. from 2005 to 2008 and at Ann Inc. from 2000 to 2003.

Syed Barizuddin, Ph.D is a researcher, an academic, and an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. Syed’s bachelor’s degree and subsequent work experience of 5 years gave him the expertise in Electronics Engineering, Power Systems, Telecommunication Engineering, and Control Systems. The Master’s degree research imbedded the expertise on Nanotechnology, Chemical Engineering and Energetics. His Doctorate education and subsequent work experience of 10 years encompassed expertise in Bio-Medical Engineering, Microbiology, Optics, Diagnostic Systems and other areas of science and technology. More recently, his work experience has focused on Environmental Engineering and Green Technology projects.  Also unique to Syed’s experience is, how intrinsically he is aware of the academic and industrial setting and their workings. He has been on both sides and has led project teams as the Principal Investigator, as well as founded two start-up companies and was an equal partner in the third.  He has worked on projects for federal agencies such as the DoD, NSF, NIH, EPA, and many multinational companies. He insists on how important and meaningful partnerships can be - be it with the industry partners or government agencies. His experiences over the years and the acquired nuances in the interactions and engagement with corporates, industry partners, and government agencies provide an advantage for his start-ups to succeed. In my current position as the Chief Executive Officer of Plasmonic Diagnostics, he is busy leading the company to commercialize a disruptive non-invasive and ultra-sensitive technology in the infectious disease space. Born in Hyderabad (central/South), India, Syed moved to the United States more than two decades ago. He has mostly resided in the midwest. His reason for not making a move from Missouri according to him are the courteous drivers and people kindly holding the doors for you to pass!

Donald Bloom is the President & CEO of Prime Retail Services, Inc., an international company with operations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Prime provides construction services, equipment installation, technology deployment and multi-site electrical services to national and international, multi-site property owners and managers.  Since 2003, the team of professionals at Prime has offered excellent services to its clients by keeping operation focused project teams. Donald holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Georgia and has held a CPA license. After graduation, Donald worked with regional CPA firms working with audit, tax, and business consulting clients. The experience in public accounting provided Donald with the experience to start other business ventures in Georgia.  Donald was a founder of Cagle, Bloom and Company which provide capital funding guidance to business owners in North Georgia. Donald was a founder in Tab Merchandising which provided retail teams for big box store set-ups and remodel programs.  The mission of Prime is to be great at managing projects and to make a lifetime impact on each person it encounters. This has been Donald’s greatest passion and is lived out both personally and professionally. His wife, Joy, and twelve children also share in the pursuit of this daily purpose. This positive impact is created by living out the core values of Prime which are: honesty, integrity, hard work, putting others above themselves and thanking God for His provision.  Donald’s family mission is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church. He measures this by asking his wife and children for frequent feedback and in doing so, has generated strong support of this mission by everyone in the family. Donald and Joy both strive to encourage other husbands and wives to pursue a flourishing marriage. 

Leo Resig is the Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder at Atmosphere, the world's leading streaming TV service for businesses.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Management, Leo tested a range of career paths -- everything from screenwriting to personal banking -- before discovering digital advertising in its nascent stages in 2002. He cut his teeth on the agency side as a digital media Ad Ops manager in Hollywood at Crew Creative. He then joined Gorilla Nation (now Evolve Media), on the publisher side with roles in ad operations and graphic design.  Leo and his brother, John Resig, started theCHIVE.com in 2008 as a one-stop shop for viral photos and videos. theCHIVE became a global lifestyle movement and CHIVE Media Group became the umbrella company for theCHIVE.com, their ecommerce business The Chivery, a 501c3 non-profit called Chive Charities, and streaming OTT app, CHIVE TV.  The brothers spun the idea for Atmosphere TV over beers at a local bar, after realizing that the experience of consuming content on TV’s outside the home could be elevated. This was the birth of CHIVE TV, which became the flagship channel within Atmosphere’s streaming platform, which now houses over 50 TV channels.  Along the way, Leo also went on to co-found a golf apparel company called William Murray Golf with Bill Murray and his brother John. He also launched a top 50 US-brewery called Resignation Brewery in 2014 selling KCCO Beer. Philanthropy has always been important to Leo and he and his brother established Chive Charities in 2011 which has helped raise and donate over $20M to help individuals with rare medical disorders, veterans and first responders.  Family has always come first for Leo. He is a proud father to two amazing children and husband to his wife, Tiffany. Hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Leo now resides in Austin, TX by way of Chicago and Venice Beach

Rodolfo is a global consumer products executive with a consistent track record of improving operating performance and increasing shareholder value across multiple categories, in established and emerging markets, at a diverse set of FMCG companies. He has achieved above-market revenue and profit by successfully integrating organizational, strategic, operational, and financial dimensions of complex businesses.  Rodolfo has broad experience in leading organizations across many geographies and business situations (turnaround, rapid growth, category creation,  integration, acquisitions, and divestiture) and he is a builder of strong and connected teams, creating winning cultures in multiple business environments. Rodolfo is currently the CEO of NatureSweet, and his past roles include: Present President, Pet Consumer Products, Central Garden & Pet Global President, Nutro and North America Pet Specialty, Mars Inc. General Manager, Mars Caribbean and Central America Vice-President Marketing Consumer Growth, Del Monte Foods  Vice-President Marketing, StarKist Seafood Vice-President Marketing, Pet Food USA Director Marketing, Pet Food USA  Director Marketing, Pet Snacks, H.J. Heinz Senior Brand Manager, Dog Snacks, H.J. Proctor & Gamble Chile  Brand Manager, Fabric and Home Care, H.J. Proctor & Gamble Chile 

Deverl Maserang  President, Chief Executive Officer, & Director Deverl Maserang II is an innovative food & beverage industry leader with more than three decades of successful experience. He joined Farmer Brothers in 2019 as President,  Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and member of the Board of Directors,  shepherding the company successfully through the turbulence of the COVID-19  pandemic. Respected as an entrepreneurial innovator with a social conscience, he has led multiple turnarounds and global supply-chain transformations in addition to consulting for many well-known, successful corporations to provide strategic business guidance.  Prior to taking the helm at Farmer Brothers, Mr. Maserang served as President and CEO  of Earthbound Farm Organic, an independent division of Danone, where his dynamic leadership fostered a successful turnaround of the legacy organic brand between 2017  and 2019. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Maserang was Executive Vice President of Global  Supply Chain for Starbucks Corporation where he was responsible for end-to-end global supply chain operations spanning manufacturing, engineering, procurement,  distribution, planning, transportation, inventory management, and sourcing. Mr.  Maserang has also held leadership roles with Chiquita Brands International, TADD  Holdings, Peak Management Group, FreedomPay, Installation Included, Pepsi Bottling  Group, and United Parcel Service.   Mr. Maserang received his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Tech University.