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

Kelley Thornton is the Founder & CEO of Tiege Hanley. He was born and raised in Towson, MD. He moved to Brookfield, CT to finish up high school and start his first entrepreneurial pursuit, house painting. With the money he earned from the business, he financed his college tuition at the University of Connecticut, where he would meet his future business partner and co-founder of Tiege Hanley, Rob Hoxie. After college, Kelley entered the Metropolitan New York area workforce as a sales representative in the point-of-purchase display and packaging industry. A few years into his career he was tasked with developing a Chicago presence for his company, Phoenix Display & Packaging, which later became part of International Paper. He relocated to Chicago, IL in 1993 and continued his trajectory to National Accounts Manager and ultimately Regional Sales Manager. After a successful 20-year career in the throes of Corporate America, he left the industry to found his second company, Purchase Point LLC. Purchase Point helped CPG companies think differently about their in-store merchandising platforms. Growing quickly with global customers such as Unilever, Mars Wrigley, Bayer, and Pfizer, Kelley brought a creative approach to captivating consumers during the last seven seconds along their Path to Purchase. Through his experience at Purchase Point, Kelley found the rapidly growing men’s care industry inspiring. In 2016 he stepped away to found his next company, Tiege Hanley, a 6-year-old e-commerce company with the mission of helping men look and feel amazing. The business has evolved from selling three distinct Skin Care Systems to boasting a wide variety of products, including deodorant, bar soap, body wash, and a detoxifying clay mask. Tiege shipped its 1.5 millionth box in July 2022 and has over 350,000 customers worldwide. Kelley is focused on enriching the experience for all customers and guiding men to healthier lifestyles founded on self-confidence.

Satyam Kantamneni is the Managing Partner & Chief Experience Officer of UXReactor.  Satyam founded UXReactor in 2014 together with his brother, Prasad. Under his leadership, UXReactor has become the fastest growing specialized experience design firm in the USA, with a team of 60+ employees spread over three continents. Before starting his entrepreneurial journey, Satyam served as Managing Director of Product Design at Citrix in San Francisco, where he played a crucial role in growing the product design team from four members to over 100+ practitioners. Satyam was instrumental in building PayPal’s Global Design Center in India while leading a design team in Silicon Valley. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s famed General Management Program, studied Design Thinking at Stanford University, and holds a master’s degree in Human Factors from Wright State University. While at Harvard, Satyam realized that most businesses aren’t leveraging the full power of UX as an engine for strategic growth. Companies either don’t have the in-house design expertise or relegate design to a support role — even when hiring external UX agencies. Satyam resolved to change that. Through UXReactor, Satyam is demonstrating that UX can and should drive enterprise-wide innovation and business outcomes. UXReactor has enabled clients to generate multiple billions in additional value from user-centered innovation. Satyam has also advanced the UX discipline by developing the PragmaticUX framework: a consistent, replicable, measurable, and scalable approach to innovation. UXReactor relies on this proven framework to lead user experience and product innovation for multiple Fortune 500 Companies. He lives in Pleasanton, California with his wife and children. Together with his brother and business partner, Prasad, Satyam leads UXReactor’s global service operations, headquartered outside San Fransisco in Pleasanton.

Chase Harmer is the founder of Wishes. After receiving a full track and field scholarship to Cal Poly in 1998, he decided to attend another college called "The School of Hard Knocks" and started his first business in the payments industry at 19. That business would eventually become a 40 million per year business before Chase was 32. As the founder at Wishes, he and his team have focused on the biggest problems in the charitable giving space today by making donations for social impact instant, fully transparent, tax-deductible, and rewarding, in addition to delivering funds to recipients 10X faster than any competitor in the market. At Wishes, they are passionate about redefining the charitable giving experience and creating a more connected future for all humanity. Prior to Wishes, Chase Harmer spent seven years as the founder at ProfitPay, which was acquired by the travel platform OnRiva. As a non-tech founder, ProfitPay was the single greatest challenge of his career and he learned more meaningful lessons in those seven years than the combined 27 previously. ProfitPay was a massive product, with many moving parts, hundreds of employees, and partners which had us moving 100 mph at all times. The end product delivered an all-in-one platform that included payments, a proprietary gateway, and card issuing tech with integrated fraud prevention which made payments centralized, easy, and more secure for online stores and marketplaces. Chase has spent nearly three decades in payments and has built products and infrastructure on both the acquiring and issuing sides. Chase brings a diverse and rare perspective from his time in the trenches, producing positive outcomes for connected partners and internal stakeholders.

Replacing fear, shame and insecurity with love, grace and the mercy of God—that is Angela Ball’s life work. Angela hails from the vibrant land of Colombia, South America, and embarked on a courageous journey to the United States at a tender age of 15, all while still in High School. Her path led her to North Palm Beach, Florida, where she serendipitously crossed paths with her wonderful husband, Ray, with whom she has shared 28 blessed years. Together, they are proud parents to their 19-year-old son, Ashton, a passionate basketball enthusiast, die-hard Heat fan, and a young soul filled with entrepreneurial zeal. Angela's story of abortion turned her pain into her purpose.  Her experience with abortion became the catalyst for her life's purpose—to be a beacon of hope and support for single mothers who exhibit bravery and courage she once struggled to find during her own journey. Her heart aches for these brave souls, and for the past 12 years, Angela has tirelessly served single mothers in various capacities and through different organizations. Stepping into the world of non-profits, she obeyed her calling and founded "Hearts for Moms" in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she currently serves as the dedicated CEO. Angela's passion lies in shedding light on the everyday challenges that single mothers and their children face. Driven by a commitment to excellence, Angela honed her leadership skills by attending Christ Fellowship's Leadership College. The mission of "Hearts for Moms" is to provide invaluable resources to enrich the lives of single mothers and their precious children. Their ultimate goal is to keep families united, heal brokenness, help rebuild futures, and restore lives. In Angela's inspiring words, she encourages us all to LIVE OUT OUR FAITH, GIVE SINGLE MOMS HOPE AND SHOWER THEM WITH LOVE!  Together, we can make a difference in the lives of these remarkable women and their families.

Brad Casper is the CEO and co-Founder of Heart & Soul Marketing, the fiercely independent boutique agency for challenger brands that uses strategy, art, science, and our unique voices to create purpose-driven business solutions, while being a positive force for change.   With a lifetime of experience on the client side of the table, Brad knows what matters to brands and marketers most, which led him to create Heart & Soul. Beyond that, he also recognizes many of the modern pain points both agencies and brands face, and that all actionable solutions must have a heartbeat and a conscience to truly make a difference.   He’s now stepped out from established leadership roles in previous companies to infuse his entrepreneurial spirit into his clients, while helping challenger brands compete against legacy brands as well as market leaders.   A leading business executive across industries, Brad has a diverse track record of success leading some of the world’s most iconic brands like Tide, Dial, Olay, Pampers, Pantene, Arm & Hammer, Trojan, First Response, and Right Guard. He has run large, well-resourced companies, as well as entrepreneurial, smaller ones -- publicly traded, private, and private-equity backed.   Previously, he served in several client side leadership roles, including: CEO of Dogswell, a private-equity backed pet food company located in Los Angeles; Executive Chairman of Dymatize Nutrition, a private-equity backed sports nutrition business in Dallas; President of the Phoenix Suns; President and Chief Executive Officer of The Dial Corporation in Scottsdale, Arizona; President of Church & Dwight in Princeton, New Jersey; and more than 16 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of leadership positions domestically and globally.   Brad Casper received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Virginia Tech University, and was extended a fellowship by Thunderbird Graduate School of Management. He also attended executive education courses at Harvard Business School. Brad served as an advisor on the Pamplin School of Business at Virginia Tech for nearly a decade. He has also been involved in a significant number of community roles in Arizona, including Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), as well as industry association boards (GMA, CHPA, CPC)

Vince Moffitt, CEO of Basin Home Health and Hospice, shares his experiences as a crisis leader, his passion for teaching fire and rescue skills, and his belief in servant leadership. He also discusses his nomadic childhood, the importance of positive attitude when hiring, and career advice for working in a family business.

Brian Will is a Serial Entrepreneur, a Two-time Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author, and an industry-leading Business and Sales Management Consultant. Brian has created or co-created seven successful companies in four different industries during his career. These companies were worth over half a billion dollars at their peak. He has also done multiple turnaround projects for companies from startups to Fortune 500, and helped those organizations drive billions of dollars in sales. His multifaceted background allows him to understand and teach agile processes and principles and articulate their implications from multiple perspectives, from the development team to the executive board. Today, Brian owns a growing chain of restaurants in the Atlanta area and a residential and commercial Real Estate business in Georgia and Florida. He also serves on the city council in his hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia.

John Case, CEO of Acumatica, discusses his journey from Microsoft to Unify Square and then to Acumatica. He shares insights on leadership, culture building, and the challenges of being a CEO. He emphasizes the importance of mentorship, acquiring broad skills, and leveraging the expertise of others.

Adam Spiegel, CEO of NorthStar Anesthesia, discusses the importance of company culture and assuming positive intent in healthcare. He shares insights on investing in and hiring people, adapting to the impact of COVID-19, and offers career and life advice for aspiring top positions.

Shelly Swanback, CEO of TTEC Engage, discusses her extensive experience in digital transformation and strategic consulting, as well as her role in building Accenture Digital into a global powerhouse. She also shares insights on her journey from college scholarships to multiple jobs and staying with the same employer for 28 years. Shelly highlights the reasons behind her transition to TTEC and emphasizes the importance of building diverse teams and creating a culture of excellence.