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

Tom Schmitt took on the role of President, CEO and Director at Tennessee-based Forward Air Corporation in September of 2018. He was elected Chairman of the Board in May 2019. Forward Air is a market leader in expedited pallet and truckload transportation across the U.S. It is Nasdaq-listed and has a strong track record of profitable growth. Prior to joining Forward Air, Tom served as a Management Board member for Schenker, a Freight Forwarding, Transportation, and Logistics company, operating in 140 countries with $20 billion in global revenues. He headed up a team of 22,000 in the Global Contract Logistics business, where his strong emphasis on continued and accelerated profitable growth paid off for the company. In his first two years, the division reached record revenue and profit levels and was awarded the “best Logistics brand in Germany,” as well as the prestigious parent company’s DB Award for Customer and Quality. In addition, as Chief Commercial Officer, Tom led Schenker AG’s global sales and marketing activities. In his first full year in this role, the company grew by more than 1 bn € – as much as in Schenker’s previous 10 years combined. Before joining Schenker, Tom led Aqua Terra, reporting directly to the Board as one of the company’s owners. Aqua Terra is Canada’s leading provider of natural spring water and Tom’s leadership transformed the company into a Canada-wide Nourishment company with an export business of its premium water. Tom served as CEO and director on the Board for Purolator, Canada’s top parcel and freight transportation company, and under his leadership, the company saw growth in the same year for both market share and profitability for the first time in more than 10 years. During Tom’s tenure, Purolator doubled its presence in the U.S. market and enhanced its penetration in small and medium business- es and retail segments with double-digit revenue growth. He also transformed the company into an industry leader in environmental stewardship with more hybrid vehicles than any other transportation company in the world. Purolator is a $1.6 billion company with 12,000 employees. Tom came to Canada with a proven track record in place after 12 years at FedEx in Memphis, where he served as CEO of FedEx Supply Chain, a FedEx operating company. He also led FedEx Solutions, a FedEx Services division that developed and executed specific and integrated turnkey supply chain customer solutions. Tom built the organization from a team of fewer than 50 employees in the late 1990s to more than 800 people in 2008. Tom holds an MBA as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School; as well as a Bachelor of Arts in European Business Administra- tion, First Class Honours, from Middlesex University. He was named one of the 100 most Influential Tennesseans by the BusinessTN Power 100. He is also the co-author of Simple Solutions, a successful management and leadership book that lays out simple and pragmatic tools to draw on both the analytical more creative sides. Now in its second printing, it was published by Wiley & Sons, the premier business publisher.

Jake Elgin is currently owner of Rainbow International of Greater Charlotte. Prior to Rainbow, he spent three years working in Catawba Nuclear Station in York, SC, and five years at the US Department of Energy Hanford Site in Washington State. He holds numerous IICRC Certifications, and graduated from Purdue University with a BS in Industrial Hygiene. You can rely on Rainbow International® to provide emergency response and quick professional service 24 hours a day for home restoration, because we understand how important it is to react quickly in the unfortunate event of water, smoke, or fire damage. We also have the expertise and experience necessary to provide you with a comprehensive scope of the job, while immediately beginning to minimize losses. Our training and equipment is top notch, and we use the latest technologies available to the restoration industry. Whether you need fire damage restoration, water restoration, or smoke restoration, you can rest assured, once Rainbow International is on the job, mitigation of property services will proceed smoothly. Whether a residential or commercial customer, all of Rainbow International's professional restoration franchise resources work together to ensure quality results as well as totally satisfied customers.

Capone leads Qlik’s mission to create a data-literate world, one where people, businesses, organizations and governments tackle their most complex challenges with data. Mike has first-hand experience in leveraging the power of data through analytics to transform businesses and entire industries. In addition to his extensive experience in high-growth SaaS companies, Mike was the COO of Medidata Solutions, a publicly-traded provider of SaaS analytics solutions to the Healthcare, Life Sciences and Pharma markets. There he played a significant role in the company’s product development, data science, professional services and go-to-market operations, accelerating its strategy to provide a comprehensive cloud platform that leverages data and analytics to transform clinical trials. Prior to Medidata, Mike held senior leadership positions at ADP including Corporate Vice President of Product Development, CIO, and SVP & General Manager of ADP’s global outsourcing business. He was also head of product development and technology operations for ADP, one of the world’s largest B2B cloud services providers, delivering critical services to over 600,000 companies and 39 million of their staff members worldwide. Capone holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Dickinson College and a master of business administration degree in finance from Pace University.

Sean is a dedicated resort operations leader and PGA member with more than 20 years of experience. He has a clear understanding that service is the cornerstone of club/resort operations and his leadership philosophy is centered on exceeding the needs of the guests and members while driving superior financial performance. He founded Taylor Hospitality and Up to Par Management after identifying a market need for solutions-oriented business practices. Sean focuses on optimizing property-wide processes with Six Sigma initiatives as well as enhancing associate engagement through management training programs.

With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Joe is responsible for promoting and expanding the Beecher Carlson brand and footprint through client service, prospect development, and team recruitment and development. Joe began his career as a property underwriter for Arkwright Mutual and then developed and serviced a large book of risk management clients for Hobbs Group. He joined Beecher Carlson in 2004 and has held numerous sales and leadership positions in the company. Joe is a graduate of Loras College in Dubeque, Iowa where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Marketing.

With over 20 years of experience, Mr. Heeley has overseen many leading brands across the fast casual industry. Prior to joining Veggie Grill in 2014, Mr. Heeley was President and CEO of Earl of Sandwich, LLC, an international, high-volume fast casual sandwich brand. During his tenure, Steve spearheaded the company’s 30 percent annual growth. Before his success at Earl of Sandwich, Mr. Heeley served as COO of Au Bon Pain café bakery, led operations for Los Angeles-based The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and served as COO of Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, where he was instrumental in the brand’s growth to over 300 restaurants and the company’s sale to Wendy's International Inc. Previously, Heeley was President and CEO of the San Francisco-based SIMCO Group, a multi-unit restaurant and retail operator. Steve started his professional career at the full service Mexican restaurant El Torito, where he advanced through the ranks at the company to assume a leadership role. In Mr. Heeley’s free time, he likes to spend time with his children, travel while exploring veggie food and culture in restaurants around the world, distance cycling, volunteering with at-risk youth, track racing, real estate investing and fixing.

Todd graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a B.S. in Marketing and immediately joined Gulf Winds International in 1996. Beginning as a fork-lift operator, he has served within or led every department within the company, leading to his current position of President. Todd is primarily responsible for working with key stakeholders to establish and maintain a culture that reflects the mission, values and overall strategic "world class" vision for the organization. Through being an active C12 Group member, Todd continues to learn how Gulf Winds International is here to serve a greater purpose and holds strongly to the biblical servant leadership model that empowers team members to grow personally, professionally and spiritually. He is passionate about how the gospel of Christ can restore hope in local and global communities. In 2017, this led Todd to found More Than The Move Foundation which exists to aid life-changing non-profits such as International Cooperating Ministries, Steiger International and Ground Wire via corporate generosity, corporate volunteerism and corporate advocacy.

As President and CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Kyle Waide oversees the distribution of nearly 70 million pounds of food and grocery products each year through a network of 600 local and regional partner non-profit organizations that feed those in need across 29 Georgia counties. Prior to being named CEO in June of 2015, Kyle served for three years as the Food Bank’s Vice President of Partner Operations, leading the organization to record-breaking years of food distribution to the hungry. Through Kyle’s collaborative efforts to improve distribution best practices, the Food Bank dramatically increased the nutritional quality of its product offerings, including fresh produce. Currently, the Food Bank distributes more than 16 million pounds of produce each year. Prior to joining the Food Bank, Kyle held several management roles at The Home Depot Inc. in disaster relief, corporate responsibility, community affairs and store operations. He also previously served as part of the management team that created and launched Charity Navigator, the nation's premier charity evaluation service. Kyle is a graduate of Harvard University. He currently is serving as the Chair of the Southeast Regional Cooperative and the Vice Chair of the Georgia Food Bank Association. Kyle also is a member of the Ending Hunger Advisory Committee and the Policy, Education and Advocacy Committee for Feeding America. He is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2015, the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the Community Advisory Board for The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc., the Super Bowl LIII Host Committee Advisory Board, the Committee For A Better Atlanta, and the board of directors for Goodwill Industries International Inc. Kyle resides in Decatur, GA with his wife, Christina, and their three children. To donate for #GivingTuesday: acfb.org

Francesco and Ignacio co-founded Grove Bay Hospitality Group and both is currently its’ Co-CEOs. The group has successfully launched an array of chef driven restaurants in partnership with celebrity chefs such as Jeremy Ford, Marcus Saumelsson, Jeff McInnis, Janine Booth and Giorgio Rapicavoli. Currently, the company owns and operates 9 different restaurants in Miami, and is bracing to launch five more, by the end of 2020. Grove Bay Hospitality Group was recognized by Restaurant Hospitality in their “RH 25 Most Innovative Multi-Concept Restaurant Groups”, was ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as the “#250 Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America”, and was named the “Business of the Year” by the South Florida Business Journal. In addition, Ignacio and Francesco were Finalists for the “EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award” during 2018.

The global energy system is undergoing a huge transition, and perhaps the most notable change is that renewable energy is no longer for the idealistic few but has become mainstream for many—both in terms of top of mind and the bottom line. In more and more locations, renewable energy is now cheaper than conventional energy like oil, gas and coal. The challenges are no longer those of an early-stage industry, so as these companies forge a way forward, we want to share their remarkable stories with you. RENEW Executive Search is bringing global renewable CEOs, industry business consultants and other subject matter experts forward who are driving this energy transition from traditional energy sources to solar, wind and hydro power as well as battery storage to a new weekly podcast. We have invited some of the top renewable industry minds to share how they are overcoming the challenges they encounter in bringing the industry mainstream while helping to deliver a better tomorrow. We welcome those both inside and outside the renewables sector who want to listen to this exciting new podcast launching in January 2020. You will learn more about how this fast-growing industry is rapidly changing and creating incredible opportunities for growth, profits, and careers—and you will be surprised by many of the developing trends!