

ROI’s Into the Corner Office Podcast: Powerhouse Middle Market CEOs Telling it Real—Unexpected Caree...
Brandt Handley
The road to the middle market CEO corner office is paved with mile markers that guide in surprising, unpredictable, and some might even say “mysterious” ways! But how do you get such a widely coveted position? This is the question often heard during decades of ROI’s executive search interviews, conducted with top-level executives. ROI’s Into the Corner Office podcast is a new inspiration and answer platform which premieres visionary tales of adventure with great endings and highlights, from powerhouse CEOs driving the formidable success of the U.S. economy’s middle market sector. The CEOs behind this impressive growth reveal insights which equipped them to lead their organizations. Showcasing dynamic leadership stories, Into the Corner Office dives into the heart of what informed and formed these CEOs. Guests share their backgrounds, talk about their early years, and explore what shaped them before they were known for their successes in growing, developing, and leading extraordinary mi...
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 7, 2020 • 41min
Larry Griffith, CEO, Corporate Chaplains of America
Larry Griffith, CEO of Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA), loves God, people, and business. Larry has walked with Christ since his childhood and brings more than three decades of leadership experience at a Fortune 250 firm, in the non-profit sphere, and as a Naval officer. At the pinnacle of his business career with ALLTEL, he led more than a thousand employees with annual P&L responsibility exceeding $1.5B. He considers his role at CCA as the magnum opus of his life, and is energized by their quest to see 6,000 people a year come to Christ through their Chaplains building caring relationships in the workplace.

Jun 30, 2020 • 41min
Martin Myers, CEO, Trelus
Martin is CEO and Co-Founder of Trelus, an online platform transforming the misaligned marketplace for business owners seeking growth equity or to exit. Trelus was built from the ground up to empower owners, giving them more control of their outcomes and legacy with smart tools and intelligent matching to a peer-reviewed network of win-win advisors, investors and buyers.
Martin’s professional career includes executive level experience spanning startups, Fortune 500 financial institutions, and advisory work for global private equity firms. Prior to founding Trelus, Martin was managing director at NexSpring Group, an advisory firm whose clients included leading global private equity firms and top-tier financial institutions. His private equity-related advisory work included acquisition targets and company turnarounds ranging in target/ investment size from $100MM to $1B+.

Jun 23, 2020 • 40min
Miles Harter, CEO, Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations
Miles Harter is the CEO and co-owner of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations. In 2007, he recognized a need for electronics recycling and founded Dynamic Recycling. Through innovation and constant refining of services, Harter has helped grow the company to Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations, a full-service electronics and materials lifecycle management corporation specializing in IT asset disposition, electronics recycling, legislative compliance, mobility management, product refurbishment, remarketing and resale, materials recovery, data security, and logistics. In 2018, Harter received the “Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year” award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Jun 16, 2020 • 48min
Shashi Jasthi, CEO, Solugenix
Shashi Jasthi is the President and CEO of Solugenix. He is responsible for driving client and partner value through innovative technology and business solutions. Shashi has over 20 years of experience managing Information Technology and Consulting organizations. He built IT organizations and turned around loss-making acquisitions in Chicago, IL, Phoenix, AZ, Provo, UT, Wellington, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. He joined Solugenix in 1992, and after a brief hiatus in early 2000, he came back to lead the company.
Shashi holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business,
an MS in Computer Science from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, India. He holds patents in the areas of navigation mapping and routing. Shashi actively works with several excellent groups to promote STEM education and technology industries: He is a member of the Board at the Arizona Technology Council Member of the Governing Board for BASIS Schools Governing Body, and a member of the Board of Directors for University of Chicago Alumni Club Arizona.
Shashi lives in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife and two children. Shashi’s claim to fame? He can sing some oldies on an acoustic guitar that can clear a large public park in under 2 minutes.

Jun 9, 2020 • 45min
Robert Martichenko, CEO, LeanCor Supply Chain Group
Robert O. Martichenko is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LeanCor Supply Chain Group. LeanCor Supply Chain Group is a trusted supply-chain partner with a mission to advance the world’s supply chains. Robert is an industry thought leader and has spent over 25 years learning and implementing lean and operational excellence with a focus on end-to-end supply chain management across a wide array of industries.
Robert Martichenko’s mission is to embrace the role of the “Human CEO” where respect, empathy, relationships, education, courage and critical thinking still matter for businesses to remain relevant and competitive. As a professional speaker, Robert addresses topics such as “Building Cultures of Continuous Improvement,” “The Power of Narrative Leadership,” “Discovering Hidden Profit,” and “Make Work Meaningful: The Human CEO’s Strategy.”
He volunteers on multiple advisory boards and educational institutions and has received several prominent industry awards. Most notably, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), the highest recognition achievable for professionals in the supply chain industry.
Robert has written several business books, most recently, Discovering Hidden Profit. His other books include two Shingo Research award-winning books: People: A leader’s day-to-day guide to building, managing, and sustaining lean organizations and Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream. Additionally, Robert is the author of Everything I Know About Lean I Learned in First Grade and Lean Six Sigma Logistics. His debut novel, Drift and Hum, has won multiple awards including the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Winner Award for Best First Book-Fiction. He has also written two children’s books, It’s Perfect Being Me and A Day Well Spent.
Robert complements his professional experience with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, an MBA in Finance, and a Six Sigma Black Belt. Born in Timmins, Ontario, Canada, he and his family have lived in the United States for the past two decades.

Jun 2, 2020 • 40min
Michael Myhre, CEO, Florida SBDC
Michael W. Myhre is the Chief Executive Officer for the Florida Small Business Development Center. In this role, Myhre leads the statewide network of more than 40 offices and nearly 250 employees, providing strategic vision and oversight in the continued success of Florida’s largest provider of hands-on business assistance for small and medium-sized businesses.
Myhre holds more than 25 years of economic and business development experience, dedicating his career to ensuring success for entrepreneurs and small business owners. He joined the Florida SBDC Network in January 2011, and has served as CEO since March 2013.
Prior to his tenure with the Florida SBDC Network, Myhre held the position of Executive Director for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development for the State of Minnesota. In this position, Myhre provided oversight of Minnesota’s leading office of entrepreneurial and small business policy development and support services, including direction of the Minnesota SBDC Network.

May 26, 2020 • 39min
Tim Wallace, Strategic Advisor, iPipeline
Tim Wallace is a Strategic Advisor to iPipeline and has over 30 years of experience in the software, service, and consulting industry. In 2008, Tim joined iPipeline as CEO with the mission of scaling the company and solidifying iPipeline as an industry leader and innovator. Under his successful leadership, the company grew to be the largest provider of SaaS to the Life and Annuity industry and was acquired by Roper Technologies in 2019. With this change in ownership, Tim pivoted into a Strategic Advisor role, guiding the company in future mergers and acquisitions to continue expanding iPipeline’s market share and influence on the Insurance and Financial Services industry.
Tim previously served as President and COO of MEDecision Inc., a public software company. Prior to MEDecision, Tim was the CEO and Chairman of FullTilt Solutions, Inc. FullTilt a was recognized by Forrester and Gartner Research as the leading enterprise product information management software in the marketplace. Mr. Wallace is a winner of the 2011 Ernst & Young Technology CEO of the Year, the 2013 PACT Enterprise Award for Technology CEO of the Year, and the 2014 Red Herring Top 100 Award.
Prior to joining FullTilt in 2000, Tim served as CEO of systems integrator XeroxConnect, and as the President and CEO for XLConnect Solutions, Inc., where he was also one of the founders of the company. Tim and other members of the management team took the company public in October of 1996. Xerox acquired XLConnect in June of 1998 for approximately $420 million.
Tim was formerly a partner in The Waldec Group, a system integration company that was twice on the Inc. 500 list. He previously spent eleven years with Arthur Andersen & Company, where he was Managing Director of the Business Consulting Practice.
Tim received a Master of Business Administration from Miami University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has served on the following boards: AccuWeather, BizEquity, FullTilt Solutions, Knova, MEDecision, Migo Software, NitroSecurites, Point.io, Serviceware, Snickelways, and XLConnect.

May 19, 2020 • 42min
Dean Harrington, CEO, Shamrock Home Loans
Dean Harrington is the founder and current CEO of Shamrock Home Loans, the area’s largest home lending company. His role is to exemplify the company’s five core values and to set vision and strategy for the staff to inspire and engage. Dean began his consumer finance career in 1984. Dean is the immediate past president and current Board Member of The Rhode Island Mortgage Bankers Association and a member of C12 Southern NE Board of Advisors. In 2014 Dean was recognized by the Banker & Tradesman as one of the dozen most influential mortgage banking executives in New England. Shamrock Financial is a 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 recipient of The Best & Brightest Companies to Work for in The US and one of the top Mortgage Employers by Mortgage Professionals Magazine. The company employs 80 people and has its corporate offices in the Providence area. Dean likes to remind people that Shamrock is God’s company and that he was just the first guy to turn the lights on in 1989. Dean is married and has four children.

May 12, 2020 • 44min
Matt Harrison, CEO, WellAware Holdings, Inc.
Matt is Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of WellAware Holdings, Inc. based in San Antonio, Texas. He has more than 20 years of experience delivering results in high-growth technology companies. At WellAware, Matt drives the overall business and product strategy while also leading the day-to-day execution of the company’s vision of connecting people to the things that matter.
Matt is also a partner with Eldon Pass, a trusted partner that helps connect entrepreneurs and investors to build great companies for a greater purpose. He is also a partner in InCube Ventures, a leading medical device venture capital firm, with offices in California and Texas. Prior to joining InCube, Matt was the General Manager of Texas Instruments Medical Business Unit, where he was responsible for overall direction, growth, strategy, promotion, and execution of the business. Matt began his career with Texas Instruments (TI) and held many roles and management positions. He led the creation of two internal business units for TI that contribute more than $50M in revenue, one focused in optical networking and the other in digital power.
Matt currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Pine Cove Christian Camps, which serves more than 2,000 college counselors and 45,000 campers every year.
Matt holds a BS of Science degree from Texas A&M University. He and his wife and best friend, Julie, live, work, and play in Boerne, Texas and stay busy with their two daughters, Lana and Haley.

May 5, 2020 • 41min
Jamie Lagarde, CEO, Sedera, Inc.
Jamie is a successful serial entrepreneur and experienced executive with a consistent track record of rapidly accelerating top line growth, improving profitability, and building successful organizations. His functional experience spans new technology implementation, launching start-ups, streamlining operations, and he is seasoned in leveraging his background from a variety of executive management roles. He is a dedicated leader focused on developing and retaining top talent, and has a collaborative style that works extremely well with customers and partners alike.
As CEO of Sedera, Jamie brings over 15 years of healthcare experience and over 20 years of operational and information technology expertise to the Team. His daily mission is to empower individuals to form better collaborative partnerships with their healthcare providers and to radically change the way we pay for healthcare, one member at a time.
Jamie is also an active member of the Austin community. He serves on the Goodwill Central Texas Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He is an active Board member of C12 and The Karis Group. Jamie, his wife Alisha, and their three young boys are parishioners of Saint John Neumann Church, and are founding members of the Austin Legatus Chapter.