Empower Hour

BJ Lieberman

GBQ — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 01:30:44 +0000

Despite being a James Beard Award semifinalist and earning glowing praise in The New York Times, Chef BJ Lieberman isn't one to rest on his laurels in the culinary haven of Columbus, Ohio.

Bill Balderaz

GBQ — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 04:49:25 +0000

Step into the dynamic world of data-driven decision-making to predict customer behavior, where you'll find yourself eager to weave Bill's innovative insights into your own business narrative.

Kevin Jackson

GBQ — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 17:50:21 +0000

Level up your cyber strategy game with insights that will safeguard your business's future – a must-listen for business professionals seeking to stay ahead in the digital realm.

Danielle McCormick

GBQ — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 19:57:02 +0000

Learning has the power to change one's career. Hear how a fast-growing start-up promotes a unique approach to developing and retaining professionals, empowering engagement and firm growth.

David Cofer

GBQ — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 14:03:40 +0000

The job market has allowed companies like GBQ to think more broadly about talent attraction and growth opportunities. This conversation highlights Columbus State's innovative collaboration with local employers, including GBQ.

Daniel Burrus

GBQ — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:48:48 +0000

The (digital) future waits for no one. Embrace uncertainty, ride waves of change, and dive into boundless opportunities with this futurist, strategist, and disruptive innovation extraordinaire.

Dr. Frederic Bertley

GBQ — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:26:50 +0000

Discover with us the secrets of science woven into everyday wonders and explore the "chemical reactions" behind the success of COSI President & CEO (and eight-time Emmy award winner!) Dr. Frederic Bertley.

Michele Cuthbert

GBQ — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 01:08:02 +0000

When it comes to Michele's brand strategy firm, making waves (and headlines) is a good thing. After all, surges of opportunity help clients rise above the competition; they spark innovation and empower growth, and, in this case, unite corporate culture and customer experience.

Monica Dominic

GBQ — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 20:54:07 +0000

Asked to describe her personality using hashtags: #LovingLife #NeverMetAStranger #SmileOften. While these qualities have contributed to her BD/marketing success in start-ups and Fortune 500s, we're adding #PSICoOwner #WomanInIT #GoalChaser.

Bryan Driscoll

GBQ — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 18:29:06 +0000

Whether you know him as Bryan, Coach Driscoll, or team-building extraordinaire, his contributions (in the office or on a football field!) provide meaningful impact and transform cultures by empowering individuals to operate with confidence.

Peter Margaritis

GBQ — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:48:15 +0000

Go “off script” with this improv virtuoso, author, speaker, coach, podcaster, communication expert (and accidental accountant!) to explore how mastering the art of business improv reinvents how individuals and teams connect, communicate and collaborate.

Katy Tombaugh

GBQ — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:41:23 +0000

If there’s one thing Katy knows best, it’s this: when you keep your mind and body in a healthy place, the demands of everyday life become far more manageable. A passionate and creative entrepreneur, she agrees that pressure is real (yet so is the opportunity to thrive!).

Helen Patton

GBQ — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 20:33:05 +0000

Helen Patton has decades of information security experience, including working at JPMorgan Chase, The Ohio State University, and Cisco. Perhaps the most rewarding – and fun – aspect is sharing all she has learned, most recently in her book, Navigating the Cybersecurity Career Path.

Lisa Patt-McDaniel

GBQ — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 19:30:12 +0000

Podcast host Doug Davidson and Lisa Patt-McDaniel go way back. Not only did he make the introduction to her husband, but he influenced her professional career while attending Miami University. From politics to public service, Lisa’s passion for people continues to make an impact.

Maddy McIntyre

GBQ — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 22:22:10 +0000

When it comes to leadership, former OSU Buckeye Maddy McIntyre hits it out of the park. Born and raised in San Diego and a seeker of adventures (from surfing to softball!), she shares her latest professional endeavors along with insight on the next generation of leaders.

Jerod Brennan

GBQ — Tue, 31 May 2022 17:08:11 +0000

Storyteller, speaker and security architect only begin to describe cyber expert and enthusiast Jerod Brennan. Learn how he went off-script to explore a career in technology with the goal of helping folks get one step closer to doing what they want to do - securely.

Tim Bezbatchenko

GBQ — Mon, 16 May 2022 15:23:54 +0000

The Crew is considered a team of firsts – first club in MLS, first soccer-specific stadium, and recipient of its first international trophy win in 2021. Crew President & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko, though, is no rookie to the world of soccer – on and off the field.

Keith Stevens

GBQ — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 15:06:44 +0000

Keith Stevens was born to serve, solve, and deliver. While his 28-year career has taken him from copier technician to managing a multi-million dollar technology business, this founder, advisor, and investor has never shied away from a challenge. After all, if you’re not solving a problem, you don’t have a business! It’s that very mindset that led to the creation of PSI (Proteam Solutions Inc.), founded in 1992 to help clients (including GBQ!) reach new levels of productivity and efficiency through business technology consulting, staffing, and business process outsourcing.

Keith continues to empower growth and provide solutions through the creation of Akava, a technology consulting and talent studio serving Fortune 1000 enterprises and start-ups of various sizes. This former Columbus Chamber Chair also continues to serve the community through UpRys, a strategic group of business professionals dedicated to elevating organizations by providing valuable expertise in finance and accounting, operations, HR and marketing, technology, and leadership.

Whether pivoting post-pandemic or adding value through nonprofit work and mentoring, you won’t find this golfer and chess player (and aspiring musician!) on the sidelines.

Laurence Jones

GBQ — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 14:06:03 +0000

A mentor once encouraged Laurence Jones to be a professional problem solver. Challenge accepted.
Coupled with knowing the right questions and networking to understand resources and skillsets, it didn’t take Laurence too long to figure out that solving problems for others is the secret sauce to success in both business and in life.

As President & Co-founder of RiskVersity, Laurence helps organizations solve problems (before they even occur!) by providing risk management services to promote long-term stability. And that’s only the beginning. A proud University of Cincinnati alumnus, his contributions to both his alma mater and the community earned him the Distinguished Service Award at a University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business signature event recognizing business achievement and service.

Where a problem needs to be solved, there is Laurence, crediting his grandmother along the way for instilling in him the value of giving back.

A-Jay Orr

GBQ — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:08:10 +0000

As a U.S. Army veteran, selfless service in the pursuit of the greater good is A-Jay Orr’s binary code. And it’s the values he learned at age 17 that prompted this entrepreneur and author to future-proof businesses through innovative cybersecurity solutions. This is reflected in his creation of Simple Plan IT, whose mission is to take the confusion out of IT and prove to business leaders that investing in new technology can be practical, effective, and stress-free.

According to A-Jay, being a business leader is similar to being a commander in war. In this episode of Empower Hour, and in his recently published book titled The Art of War in Business Technology, A-Jay sets the tone to not only surviving but thriving amid industry disruption, globalization, and digital transformation. You will also hear how A-Jay continues to serve his country and military families by serving as an ambassador for Bunker Labs, launched in 2014 to provide community, programs, and courses to help veterans and their spouses start and grow successful businesses and startups.

Derek Harp

GBQ — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 13:47:44 +0000

For more than twenty years, Derek Harp has relentlessly pursued new ideas that could impact the world through founding, co-founding, advising and investing in new companies. Near the end of his U.S. Naval service in 1997, he founded his first cybersecurity company, and you could say that was just the beginning as ongoing and everchanging issues are making it difficult to protect the infrastructure of organizations.

Derek currently serves as the Chairman and founder of (CS)²AI, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit cyber security workforce development association with more than 22,000 members worldwide. Additionally, he is the founder of Sable Lion Cyber, a holding, investing, and operating company focused on the cyber security industry. Previously, he was Co-founder of the Industrial Control System (ICS) cybersecurity division of the SANS Institute and the GICSP certification, the global ICS industry gold standard certification.

A passionate professional speaker, Derek regularly shares his technology and security wisdom (and occasionally scuba diving and brisket-smoking tips!) with Fortune 500 companies, military leaders, Entrepreneur Organization chapters, universities and conference attendees around the world. We’re pleased to add GBQ to his list of speaking engagements in this episode of Empower Hour.

Gary Ross

GBQ — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 05:39:00 +0000

If you ask Gary Ross, he would tell you that early on in life he realized the blessings of not just his successes, but of the challenging times, too. A career that initially began in sales and marketing and operational roles, Gary became President of four organizations within a 15-year period. As time went on, he became CEO and entrepreneur of four technology, software and services businesses, with success leading a $150M business with 600 associates.

And he didn’t stop there. Gary lead two family-owned businesses and launched several startup businesses, including his most recent venture, Med-Compliance IQ. Partnering with Rev1 Ventures, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and OhioHealth, Gary has worked to successfully develop a mobile, patented, software application that helps healthcare teams heal wounds.

We’re pleased to share Gary’s story in this episode of Empower Hour and the ways in which he empowers growth by serving as a business coach to founders of startups and CEOs, utilizing tools and techniques from his book, The Growth Cube.

Haley Boehning

GBQ — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 05:47:00 +0000

It’s typical for organizations to be on different pages, resulting in a lack of growth and unhappy cultures. If there’s one thing Storyforge Principal Co-founder Haley Boehning knows, it’s that the most meaningful stories in business are those that are both told and lived. With decades of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and startups, Haley excels at getting everyone on the same page, creating alignment, evaluating storytelling and building differentiated brand positions.

With everyone on the same page, everything changes. Just ask GBQ! We have been a purpose-driven company long before the term even existed. In 2017, we engaged Storyforge to help us tell our authentic story and define our purpose of empowering growth.

In this episode, Haley discusses why it’s critical to have a story and brand that aligns with actions, and shares insight regarding conscious capitalism and the value of for-profit businesses with a greater purpose that exists for the social good.

At GBQ, we make it easy to keep up. Subscribe to Empower Hour to ensure you never miss an episode of insight, impact, and empowering growth!

Host: Doug Davidson

GBQ — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 15:06:00 +0000

Rugby player. Eagle Scout. Football coach, wrestling coach, and proud dad of three (you guessed it) boys. Combine all that real-life learning with a career spanning nearly two decades, and it’s safe to say Doug knows a thing or two about helping people grow. With the launch of Empower Hour, Doug is thrilled to share area leaders’ innovative stories where solid (well-founded, tried and true, renowned, notable) business principles intersect with digital transformation and a consciousness that capitalism empowers the community.