Be EPIC Podcast

Continuing the Entrepreneur Series of the Be Epic podcast, Matt sits down with Drew Medlock, CEO of Allied Cycleworks. During the episode they discuss Drew’s 20 years of experience in the cycling industry along with what distinguishes Allied from other manufacturers. Allied focuses on creating upper end performance bikes with carbon fiber frames that are made in the US and painted to order. They finish the episode by discussing the growth of gravel biking as a sport and the future of Allied and their foray into mountain biking.

Continuing the Entrepreneur Series of the Be Epic podcast, Matt talks with Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Founder and CEO of LIVSN Designs. To begin their conversation Andrew shares how he started LIVSN through the crowdfunding channel, Kickstarter, and the evolution of the brand to today. The pair also chat about Andrew’s Venture Mentor and GORP mentor positions for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the U of A. He leaves listeners with two pieces of advice if they want to start their own business. Learn more about LIVSN Designs: https://www.livsndesigns.com/

This week begins a special series on the podcast where Matt sits down with local entrepreneurs to discuss their businesses and the growing startup scene in Northwest Arkansas. We begin the series with Carter Malloy, founder and CEO of AcreTrader, which is a land transaction and investment technology company based in Fayetteville. Matt and Carter discuss the background of how AcreTrader began, the importance of finding product market fit and the challenges in managing a business with a two sided marketplace. They also touch on the importance of experimentation within your business, finding the right messaging, the journey to raising capital, and importance of building a culture in a growing startup as well as mentorship. Learn more about AcreTrader: https://acretrader.com/

This week on the podcast Matt sat down with Anton Vincent, President for Mars Wrigley North America and former President at General Mills of multiple divisions. Anton highlights his experience in mergers and acquisitions, which helped him successfully navigate the acquisition of Pillsbury by General Mills. They then focus on discussing Mars Wrigley and especially their work in pet food and pet health. They finish the discussion with Anton’s approach to leadership that is driven by mindset, consistency and talent development. Anton Vincent on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonvincent/Mars Wrigley North America: https://www.mars.com/

This week on the podcast Matt sits down with Shelley Simpson, President of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. The episode centers around Shelley’s 28 year career journey at JB Hunt where she started as a customer service representative directly out of college. They discuss her early success in the pricing team just 5 years into joining JB Hunt, then segue into her opportunity just 10 years after college to build a new billion dollar segment of JB Hunt (ICS). Since then she has championed JB Hunt’s transformation to be mode indifferent and helped the organization to grow to a $15 billion company with 37,000 people located across North America.

This week on the podcast, Matt talks with John List, the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and Chief Economist at Walmart. List walks through his role at Walmart and how his work has the potential to change the world because of Walmart’s footprint. They then discuss his experience in working with Lyft and United Airlines on loyalty programs and they finish discussing John’s book, The Voltage Effect, and the concept of optimal quitting. 

This week Matt speaks with Ebony Wyatt, Customer Vice President - Target and Meijer at General Mills and founder of Ebony Wyatt Speaks LLC. The pair talk about Wyatt’s extensive experience at General Mills and how she built her leadership voice, her brand and confidence in the workplace. She also shares how she instills that confidence in her team and in the workshops she hosts.

This week Matt is joined by Emi Cardarelli, Head of Wholesale Club - Customer Development at Unilever. In the episode, Matt and Emi discuss her 13 year career at Walmart and the many opportunities it provided for her across multiple parts of the business. Then, the pair transition to Cardarelli's current experience at Unilever. Finally, Emi leaves students with the advice to find a company that shares similar values as you, be prepared for change, and build your network.

This week Matt talks to Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, one of the largest online learning platforms in the world. They begin their conversation by discussing Jeff's career at Financial Engines and how he became the co-founder of it. Maggioncalda then describes how his life-long career at Financial Engines eventually led him to becoming CEO of Coursera. The pair also share the importance of relationships and establishing a long-term reputation with others. Finally, he shares how Coursera is changing the way people learn online and shaping the future of worldwide education for all.

This week on the podcast, Matt sits down with Tiffany Hamilton, Vice President of Sales - Hardware and Club at Reckitt. Tiffany graduated from the University of Arkansas with an accounting degree and went on to work at Nestlé Purina North America, Duracell, and now Reckitt. To begin their conversation, Tiffany shares the exhilarating experience of when she left her small hometown in Camden, AR to move to Chicago at the start of her career. She attributes her career success to a value that she was raised with and was taught at the U of A: Always treat people right. They conclude their conversation with some advice for incoming and current students.