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

Anne Beiler began twisting pretzels in 1987 to support her husband's vision of offering free counseling services in their community.  What started as a single farmer's market stand grew into Auntie Anne's®, the world's largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise.  Anne's journey towards success began many years before she rolled the first pretzel when she and her husband experienced any parent's worst nightmare – losing a child.  This propelled Anne into years of darkness, depression, and despair but out of her pain came purpose and the desire to persevere towards personal and professional success.  Anne is among an elite group of women who have founded national companies in America and is among an even smaller group that has owned an international franchise company. She was named one of America's 500 Women Entrepreneurs by Working Women and Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine. Many television shows have featured Anne's Entrepreneurial insights and personal story, including Secret Millionaire, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, ANDERSON, and Food Court Wars. Her story is highlighted in numerous publications, including Fortune Magazine, Inc Magazine, Guidepost, and Nation's Restaurant News. Anne also received honorary doctorates from Eastern College and Elizabethtown College.  Anne sold Auntie Anne's® in 2005 and authored Twist of Faith, a revealing look inside her life and business.  She followed up that book with The Secret Lies Within, which provides an inside-out look at trauma and how to overcome it through sharing your story. Today, Anne speaks to audiences worldwide, inspiring people with her authentic stories and life experiences. Her mission is to help women overcome the pain, blame, and shame of their past by sharing their stories so they can lead with purpose. 

Thomas Hill III is Chief Executive Officer of Kimray. As the grandson of Kimray’s founder, Garman Kimmell, Thomas grew up around Kimray. He has worked at the company in virtually every department, giving him an intimate knowledge of the processes and people involved from start to finish. Thomas manages the family-owned company with a sense of stewardship and heritage. Thomas is also the author of the book Recovering Leadership: Musings of an Addict Leader where he shares his personal story of advancing in leadership at Kimray, spinning out of control, and the long and difficult road of recovery that transformed his life and leadership. He also writes weekly “Monday Musings” on various leadership topics. Thomas currently serves on the board of Salt and Light Leadership Training, and he is vice-chair for Hope Is Alive ministry where he personally mentors a group of men recovering from addiction. He and his wife, Rebecca, both received their degrees from Oklahoma State University. They have been married for more than 30 years and have six children.

Fee Stubblefield is the CEO, Founder and President of The Springs Living with its home office in McMinnville, Oregon.  Fee started The Springs Living in 1996, with an idea to build a retirement community his grandmother would want to live in as she faced the challenges of aging. Today there are 12 communities in Oregon and 5 communities in Montana.  They offer senior living with options for independent retirement living, assisted living and memory care. The Springs Living has never focused on being the biggest, but simply to offer a high-quality experience for its customers and employees. Fee embraces the fact that the “magic” of our profession is in the daily interactions between the residents and direct care staff. The Springs Living has grown organically through acquisition and ground up development.  The Springs at Lake Oswego, Oregon and The Springs at Bozeman, Montana are the newest communities that opened in the winter of 2019.  Each community offers a full continuum of living options that include independent living, assisted living and memory care. Fee is married and has three adult children.  He is the Immediate Past Chair of the Oregon Health Care Association (OHCA) and on the Operator Advisory Board of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). 

Ric Phillips is a Senior Executive with deep experience developing strategy, driving execution, negotiating mergers and positively impacting organizational culture. He brings a track record of strong leadership and positive impact across businesses in sectors ranging from industrial to distribution, e-commerce & digital, consumer and healthcare. Ric currently is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Elkay Manufacturing Company, a large privately held organization located in the Chicago area. Elkay is a leading manufacturer of world-class stainless steel and quartz sinks, in addition to drinking fountains, Smartwell Water Delivery Systems, and the award-winning ezH20 bottle-filling stations. Elkay also is a global designer and producer of commercial kitchen equipment and interiors for the foodservice, hospitality, education, and retail market segments, including Starbucks, McDonald's, and Dunkin Brands. Ric is building a long-term corporate strategy and prioritizing focus and investment. He is leading the senior management team in efforts to grow the business by commercializing innovations, expanding global presence, executing on acquisition opportunities, and maximizing shareholder return through enhancements in revenues, profitability, and growth. Ric previously was President & Chief Executive Officer of Essendant, Inc. (formerly United Stationers, Inc.), a Fortune 500 wholesale distributor of workplace items. As CEO, Ric rebuilt the company’s overall strategy and oversaw the largest restructuring in its history. He delivered performance at or above Wall Street guidance in each quarter and share price increased by more than 50% during his tenure. He planned, negotiated, and announced a major industry-changing merger with a $2 billion competitor. He then navigated the company through an acquisition attempt that eventually led to the successful acquisition of the company, which was completed in January 2019. Prior to his role as CEO at Essendant, Ric was President of ORS Nasco & Group President of Industrial Portfolio, with responsibility for three Essendant industrial business units totaling about $1 billion in revenue – ORS Nasco (industrial distribution), Medco (automotive aftermarket distribution) and CPO Commerce (B2C e-commerce player in power tools). He originally was recruited to Essendant as President of Online and New Channels. Before joining Essendant, Ric was with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, for 14 years from 1998 – 2013, and was elected Partner in 2005. He led more than 60 engagements across the globe with healthcare and/or consumer businesses ranging from $1 billion to $100 billion.  Ric began his career with Baxter Healthcare Corporation in 1992 as part of a finance rotational program and served in roles of increasing responsibility, including serving as National Accounts Project Manager, Renal Division.  His extensive Board experience includes serving on the Follett Board of Directors, the Essendant Board of Directors (prior), Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, and Indiana University Business School Dean’s Council.  He is a Member of the Economic Club of Chicago.  Ric earned a Master of Management (with distinction) from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Finance (with distinction) from Indiana University.  

Dr. Tianyi Jiang (TJ) co-founded AvePoint in 2001 and has served as the organization's Chief Executive Officer since 2005. A recipient of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in New Jersey in 2010, TJ received both B.S. and Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University, and a Master of Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Data Mining from the Department of Information Systems, Operations Management, and Statistics, Stern School of Business, New York University.

Larry Edwards is Chairman & CEO, Æon Group of Companies, Inc. and  President & CEO, Global Fusion Institute. Mr. Edwards is a visionary entrepreneur and technology developer with a strong background in entrepreneurship and marketing, and more than 40 years of business experience in the U.S. and abroad.  For many years he operated a successful public relations and marketing firm in Hawaii,  which specialized in tourism and real estate development projects. His understanding of the global market and technological vision have brought about significant breakthroughs in the lighting and energy fields. In 1980 he moved to The Philippines, where he manufactured the first photovoltaic panels in the country and developed a revolutionary uninterruptible lighting system that received six separate international patents. The system was later installed in NASA, the World Trade Center, New York City public schools, and many other facilities throughout the U.S.  Recognized as a leader in economic diplomacy, he is a noted authority and speaker on issues of global trade and development – particularly with regard to emerging economies.  Mr. Edwards is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Global Fusion Institute, a global network for the establishment of secure and harmonious cultural, educational, and economic relationships. In March of 2007, he was selected by the U. S. State Department as the keynote speaker for the AGOA conference held in Kigali, Rwanda.  Today his Æon Group of Companies employs its proprietary technologies throughout  Africa, with a focus on housing and infrastructure, waste-to-energy and microgrid power,  agriculture, and vocational and technical education (in association with the Oklahoma  Center for Career and Technical Education system).  Mr. Edwards is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a B.A. degree in Asian Studies.  He has served as a member of the Oklahoma Governor’s International Team and a board member of Sister Cities of Oklahoma City. He is a member of MENSA International.

  Mr. Schimeck has spent his career in environmental and industrial services, beginning as a management trainee at Chemical Waste Management, Inc.  He has worked in the C suite for 30 years in senior positions with The Brand Companies, NSC Corporation, K2 Industrial Services, The Brock Group, Veolia Industrial Services, and Optimer Brands.   His operational experience includes scaffolding, insulation, painting,  demolition and dismantlement, hazardous waste transportation, treatment, and disposal, environmental remediation, and nuclear facility decontamination and decommissioning.  He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at Versa Integrity Group, a leader in testing, inspection and certification services. He holds a BA in Economics from Alma College where he currently serves as Vice Chairman of  the Board of Trustees.  He is Chairman Emeritus at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago, Illinois.  Darryl and Jeanne, his wife of 36 years, live near the southeast shore of Lake Michigan where they enjoy golf, biking, and time with their family.

Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business Marty Strong's direct and compelling message is focused on business but in truth, its leadership tenets are agnostic as to industry, marketplace, private or public setting. This is not a textbook. It is a personal conversation between a high-performance business leader and professionals searching for actionable insights that deliver results. Be Nimble provides mentorship, tips, tools, and useful examples to help drive home its valuable leadership insights.  It's available now for pre-sale on Amazon (release Jan 1, 2022) Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business: Strong, Marty: 9781789048407: Amazon.com: Books     BIO - Introduction: Marty Strong is a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, and the author of the new business leadership book: Be Nimble: How the Navy SEAL Creative Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business. After leaving twenty years in the military Marty spent seven years as a successful investment advisor with UBS. He is now the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer of the LGS Management Group, Inc., an employee-owned multi-company enterprise focusing on training and healthcare. Social Media Platforms:   Website #1 http://www.martystrongbenimble.com Website #2 http://www.thesagamindset.com Website #3 http://www.mlstrongauthor.com LinkedIn URL https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-strong-9676bb13/ Facebook URL http://www.facebook.com/MartyStrong Instagram https://www.instagram.com/martinlstrongauthor%20%20https://www.instagram.com/thesagaleadershipmindset%20https://www.instagram.com/mlstrongauthor

Ken has been the President and CEO of America’s Thrift Stores since November of 2013 when he stepped off of the board to assume this role. He spent his first 4 years building the team (21 of ATS’s Top 25 leaders came from outside) putting in scalable systems and processes (Net Suite, Dundas BI tool, Day Force HCMS, Speed Rail Processing system), improving operations and cleaning up the balance sheet. All to prepare for accelerating growth.  Today, America’s Thrift Stores (ATS) is America’s premier thrift retailer in the Southeast, with 24 stores on track to deliver over $80 million in revenue and $10 million of sustaining EBIDTA in 2021 at a 66% gross margin and $12 million EBITDA run rate.  In the last 24 months, during the pandemic, ATS has added 7 new stores to its base of 17. Prior to the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, ATS’s business was already incredibly healthy, growing total topline sales for 12 straight quarters and same store sales for 11 straight quarters.  Reopening in June 2020, ATS emerged equally strong, with 4 back-to-back quarters of comp store sales growth, including an historic Q1 where both comp store sales and Total Sales hit record-breaking levels. Sustaining EBITDA is expected to be over $14 million in 2022 and will more than double over next 5 years as the company continues to grow comp store sales, opens 3-5 new stores annually and enters the rapidly accelerating on-line thrift space.  Prior to joining America’s Thrift Stores, Ken a mentor, advisor and coach to small and mid-size company CEO’s as an Operating Partner with Alpine Investors LLC stretching across industries from Online Education to Online Retail Lighting & Design to Retail Furniture to Used Cars to Retail Thrift.  In this role he coached CEO’s and their leadership teams on helping them build and drive their growth strategies and sales & marketing execution. He also stepped into interim leadership roles and helped with sourcing and due diligence on potential new acquisition candidates.  Ken Sobaski has been a visionary, strategic President & CEO with a history of significantly accelerating growth and inspiring teamwork on businesses across multiple different industries: consumer food, online e-commerce, recreational products and giftware. He has over 30 years of experience at blue chip marketing driven companies like Kraft, General Mills, Pillsbury, Polaris and Capella Education Company, where he grew brands like Orville Redenbacher, Green Giant, Wheaties, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Polaris.  Ken’s distinction is his ability to lead his teams to achieve significant levels of growth not reached before. Here are a few examples: At Pillsbury he took a $600mm refrigerated baked goods business that was flat or declining for 5 years and added $120mm in revenue in year 1 and built a pipeline of new products that grew $270mm of incremental revenue over 3 years At Green Giant he successfully launched Create-a-Meal, a $150mm new frozen vegetable meal starter business, achieving record shares in frozen vegetables, moving to #1 position in category in 12 months On Orville Redenbacher he reversed 49-months of declines with 12 months of double-digit volume gains. At Polaris he grew revenue +34% in just over 3 years by focusing/improving marketing execution and upgrading the dealer network At Capella Education Company (online consumer education company) he took growth from +15% per year to +25% per year, adding $120mm in revenue in under 3 years Ken has served on the boards of The Minnesota Diabetes Association, The Twin Cities United Way and The Council on Aging – Orange County.  Ken holds a BA in Economics & Urban Studies from St. Olaf College and an MBA in Marketing & Strategy from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University   

Sophie Ross is the Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Technology segment at FTI Consulting and is based in San Francisco. Ms. Ross also leads the Technology Steering Committee and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Ms. Ross has more than 20 years of experience in company management and operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Ms. Ross specializes in helping clients manage their overall e-discovery and review through predictable pricing models and by simplifying the multi layers of discovery management. Prior to her appointment as Global CEO of the Technology segment, Ms. Ross led the Western Region for the Technology segment, as well as the managed document review business globally. Ms. Ross joined FTI Consulting through its 2008 acquisition of Strategic Discovery, a leader in the litigation discovery industry, where she served as the Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for data processing, IT and client support, human resources and administration and accounting. Prior to Strategic Discovery, Ms. Ross was Executive Vice President of Global Delivery & Operations at Freeborders Inc., an application outsourcing and software firm. Ms. Ross has also held strategic and operational leadership roles at Revlon Inc./MacAndrews & Forbes and The Boston Consulting Group. In addition to her leadership role in the Technology segment, Ms. Ross serves on the Global Steering Committee of FTI Consulting’s Women’s Initiative, a company-wide program to attract, retain, develop and promote highly talented female professionals. Ms. Ross has served in the Israeli Navy Intelligence, possesses an international and European background and is fluent in four languages. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Tel Aviv University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.