Podcasts about Clorox

Episode 525 - Richard DeVeau - Light's Out - We Paint a Picture of a special forces veteran, CIA officer, and leader of Boston's Homeland Security teamAbout the authorAfter majoring in marketing at Bentley University, Richard spent a career as a copywriter and creative director serving such clients as Red Lobster, Ducati Motorcycles, Marriott Hotels, and Clorox. He also brought his writing skills to bear for communications agencies that serve nonprofit organizations, including American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project, Toys for Tots, CARE, Special Olympics and many others. And he was a frequent editorial contributor to Fundraising Success Magazine.In 2000, he helped launch acclaimed author Stephen King's internet publishing debut and the world's first mass- marketed e-book, Riding the Bullet. Richard wrote the online ad campaign that prompted more than 400,000 people to purchase and download the novella.His screenplay, Graven Image, placed in the top twenty percent of the Academy of Motion Pictures' Nicholl Fellowships international screenwriting competition in 2014.Richard is also an accomplished fine art painter. Over the past thirty years, he has exhibited work in numerous solo and group shows. His work was represented by two commercial art galleries in his native Boston and is now represented by a gallery in Chicago, where he currently resides.Richard and his wife have four adult children and two grandchildren.Book: Light's OutA retired couple are murdered in their Wisconsin home - art and other valuables are stolen. A Lake Michigan oil tanker explodes and sinks that same night.Eve Taunt - special forces veteran, CIA officer, and leader of Boston's Homeland Security team - believes there is a connection between these two events.She and her team quickly find themselves in pursuit of a domestic terrorist - an M.I.T. educated, military trained missile genius with Ted Bundy-like psychopathy - to stop him before he carries out his next devastating attack. This one is even more lethal than the overhwelming inferno he just unleashed on Boston.As Eve closes in, she discovers these attacks are orchestrated by a US senator and a powerful cabal of highly placed leaders and lawmakers with a hidden agenda.https://a.co/d/2yD92bjSupport the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

The Federal Court in Australia has fined the company Clorox $9 million for claiming Glad bags were partly made of recycled "ocean plastic" when they weren't. Consumer NZ Chief Executive Jon Duffy spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Retailers today face a world of constant change—from supply chain shocks and tariff fluctuations to climate disruption and consumer unpredictability. In this episode, we unpack insights from The Future of Commerce's latest report on how scenario planning has evolved into a must-have capability for navigating this volatility.We explore how smart retailers are integrating AI, predictive analytics, and dynamic collaboration into their planning processes. This isn't about forecasting averages—it's about building resilience through adaptive thinking and data-driven simulations. Drawing lessons from industry leaders like Walmart and Clorox, we reveal how long-term vision, real-time visibility, and strategic flexibility are helping companies not only weather disruptions—but emerge stronger.Whether you're a supply chain leader, retail executive, or strategy planner, this episode offers tangible ways to turn uncertainty into a competitive advantage.What You'll Learn in This Episode:

In this episode, I chat with Charlie Weisman, the creative force behind Staff, a brand that's reimagining the most overlooked items in your home such as plungers, lint rollers, and oven mitts with joy, color, and a whole lot of personality.   What started as a quirky side project during the COVID lockdown turned into a design-forward brand now making waves with retailers, collaborators, and even celebrities like Drew Barrymore.   Charlie opens up about building Staff from scratch, why he didn't tell anyone what he was working on, and how trusting his instincts (plus a little naivete in the beginning) helped him take a bold, playful idea and turn it into something unforgettable. From early retail wins to lessons in manufacturing and shipping, this one's packed with insights and good vibes.  

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Saturday, April 5, 2025. West Virginia's central location and business friendly climate makes it the ideal place to locate your manufacturing base…enjoy a spring outing in the mountains of Pocahontas County…and the West Virginia Historic Preservation Conference is set for May in Wheeling…on today's daily304.   #1 – From WVDED – We believe there's no better place to build and grow a business in the Eastern United States than West Virginia. Many smart companies, whether they are starting or expanding their operations, are already benefiting from the opportunities found in West Virginia. Global leaders such as Clorox, Toyota, NGK Spark Plugs, Procter & Gamble, Infor, and Northrop Grumman choose West Virginia for their facilities. Additionally, a multitude of companies chose to expand their operations here. You can join the ranks of other great companies who call West Virginia home. Visit West Virginia Economic Development online to discover why West Virginia's pro-business climate gives your business the advantage and opportunity needed for success. Learn more: https://westvirginia.gov/   #2 – From POCAHONTAS COUNTY CVB – Spring has sprung in Pocahontas County, West Virginia! As the days grow longer and the weather warms up, it's the perfect time to plan an outdoor escape.  Reconnect with nature as it comes to life for the season and explore the activities waiting in five state parks — Beartown, Cass Scenic Railroad, Droop Mountain Battlefield, Greenbrier River Trail and Watoga.  Visit wvstateparks.com to book a cabin stay at Watoga or reserve a Company House at Cass. Then plan to spend the next few days hiking, biking, fishing and exploring in Almost Heaven, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.  Read more: https://pocahontascountywv.com/visit-these-five-state-parks-for-a-spring-getaway/   #3 – From WV EXPLORER – Hosted by the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, the West Virginia Historic Preservation Conference takes place May 1-3 in Wheeling. The event features tours, speakers, demonstrations, and educational sessions designed to help community leaders, preservation professionals, and owners of historic properties. Danielle Parker, executive director of the organization, said the 2025 event will feature more tours, speakers, and demonstrations than in the past and is being expanded to help the increasing number of owners of historic properties. “People are investing in historic properties in West Virginia at a greater rate than ever before," Parker said. "With this in mind, we're gearing up the conference to provide them all the resources and contacts we can.” To learn more about becoming a member for discounted entry, volunteering for a discounted rate, or purchasing tickets for the conference, visit www.PAWV.org or contact info@pawv.org. Read more: https://wvexplorer.com/2025/03/20/west-virginia-historic-preservation-conference/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

Toney v. The Clorox Company

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Thursday, April 3, 2025. West Virginia supports a wide array of thriving industries…plan a spring getaway to scenic Bluestone State Park…and a modern new apartment complex in Advantage Valley aims to help with the housing needed to support more workers moving into the area…on today's daily304.   #1 – From WVDED – West Virginia is a powerhouse in metals, chemicals, polymers, and automotive components, hosting industry giants like Nucor, Toyota, Procter & Gamble, and Clorox.  The state's manufacturing sector benefits from an abundant supply of natural resources, strategic location and robust infrastructure, as well as a skilled and stable workforce. Active industrial parks and research institutions further strengthen its position as a thriving environment for manufacturing.  Contact West Virginia Economic Development to learn more about what makes the state an attractive destination for long-term investments and growth. Read more: https://westvirginia.gov/industries/manufacturing/   #2 – From WV STATE PARKS – Looking to escape the daily grind this spring? Bluestone State Park in Summers County is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy nature. Bluestone's cabins are budget friendly and some cabins are also pet friendly. Spring is an excellent time to observe vibrant wildflowers and wildlife like white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. The park also is less crowded in spring, allowing more quiet time to enjoy a picnic or explore more than 8 miles of hiking trails around the lake. Visit wvstateparks.com and book your cabin stay today! Read more: https://wvstateparks.com/add-bluestone-state-park-to-your-spring-bucket-list/   #3 – From GAZETTE-MAIL – With its development spurred on by Advantage Valley's 2023 housing needs assessment, the 304 At Valley Pointe apartment complex opened to its first renters March 17. Completed by AB Contracting, 304 At Valley Pointe is now leasing. It offers three floor plans — one, two and three bedroom apartments — with some fully furnished options available. There will be 304 total units in the three buildings of the development, which should be complete by spring 2026, according to AB Contracting marketing director Brittany Allen. The project was built based on demands for more housing as more workers relocate to the area. In recent years the region has attracted several new manufacturers, including the Nucor plant in Mason County. Those wishing for more information or to book a tour should visit liveat304.com. Read more: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/putnam_county/new-apartments-in-putnam-county-boast-amenities-aim-to-help-with-housing-shortage/article_0101f11a-c0fc-4baa-bcb0-73448a438899.html   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

(00:00-33:54) A glorious weekend in st. Louis sports. Sending the Twins a-packing. Torpedo bats. Doug's got the Cardinals winning it all. Youngry is everywhere. No credit though. Doug's tired of all this taxation without representation. Raised on print journalism. Marc on the phone lines with a scorching hot Jordan Binnington take. Mmmmm, Clorox. Heck of an ending in Colorado. 9 in a row for the boys. (34:02-51:44) Texas Tech melting down late against Florida. Chalky Final Four. TMA Walrus Number One checking in with a Youngry story for us. Bar-K. Rough connection. Jobu is 2025's Gloria. Audio of Binner talking about Jobu's speech. Gerbil on the line with a navy cap nugget for Tim. Where's the bullpen in the bedroom? (51:54-1:04:15) Yankees doing some raking in the Bronx with their new torpedo bats. Poor Nestor Cortes. Get your text name changes ready for tomorrow. Be gentle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Approximately 5 years ago, huge portions of the worlds population walked into their homes and locked the doors behind them. We waved at loved ones through windows, donned our masks, hoarded our toilet paper and used Clorox wipes on everything, including containers of Clorox wipes. We were all trying desperately to avoid Covid, which many of us got anyway and most of us have gotten since. It was a strange and sad time for the world but it was when our little podcast got some of the most fascinating stories we've ever heard. This week, Haunted AF is recognizing this difficult anniversary by revisiting some of our favorites from the very first weeks of lockdown. They aren't all scary, but they were definitely a way to feel connected while we were isolated. 

Alaska has spawned a long list of serial killers from the gold rush era in the early 1900s to the present day. Is Brian Steven Smith the latest member of this notorious fraternity? I did an episode on this case several months ago, but a great deal has happened with it since then. Smith's first two murder cases have moved through the court system, and the police have released information suggesting he has more victims. Sources Batts, Amber. “Anchorage police ignored warnings, let Brian Steven Smith keep killing.” August 18, 2024. This is How We Rise. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Anchorage jury sees horrific video evidence of woman's slaying.” February 13, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Are you guys in a rush?: Smith interrupted police interview to confess to second killing.” February 15, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “As Smith murder trial begins, a new explanation of how digital card showing killing got to police.” February 6, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Daughter of homicide victim testifies in Smith trial.” February 8, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Defendant in hotel killing indicted on additional charges: FBI ‘actively' assisting investigation – Court documents filed this week indicate an active, wide-ranging investigation that may extend beyond Alaska.” October 15, 2019. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Homemade silencers, Clorox and latex gloves: what police found in Brian Smith's home and truck.” February 21, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “'I have something to show you': Murder suspect texted Anchorage man in hours after hotel room killing, met him at Hillside park.” February 22, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Judge rules graphic video of killing can't be shown to Smith trial jurors --- yet.” February 9, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Jurors see interrogation video in which Smith admits to dumping body.” February 14, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Jury in Smith trial hears how railroad workers discovered body.” February 16, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriaul. “Family of missing Alaska woman believes she may be Brian Smith's third victim.” July 28, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Prosecutor says he ‘targeted the most vulnerable, and videos will prove it.' His defense says the evidence isn't so clear-cut.” February 7, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Smith found guilty on all charges in double murder trial.” February 22, 2024. Anchorage Daily News. Boots, Michelle Theriault. “Victim's family members and activists pack court hearing of man accused of killing two Alaska Native women – Veronica Abouchuk's family members filled the courtroom as Brian Steven Smith pleaded not guilty to her murder.” October 22, 2019. Anchorage Daily News. Brown, Lee. “Wife of ‘memory card' murder suspect Brian Smith shocked at his ‘dark' side.” October 24, 2019. New York Post. Deliso, Meredith, and Dhanika Pineda, “How a stolen phone led to a murder trial for deaths of 2 Alaska Native women.” February 9, 2024. ABC News. Hollander, Zac. “Anchorage man accused of hotel killing charged in the death of another woman – Brian Steven Smith, 48, now faces murder charges in the deaths of two women.” October 17, 2019. Anchorage Daily News. Hollander, Zac and M.T. Boots. “Videos and photos show brutal attack of woman in Anchorage hotel room by man charged in her death, charges say – A 48-year-old Anchorage man was charged with murder in the death of a woman whose body was found along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage last week.” October 9, 2019. Anchorage Daily News. Kuhn, Jonson. “APD says photos do not prove Alaska Native woman was murdered by Brian Smith.” July 29, 2024. KTUU. Ortiz, Aimee.

'Miracle Spring Water' lands Christian TV channel with $150,000 fine in the UK, Clorox claims that satisfaction you get from cleaning with their products feels just as good a 'petting puppies', So, now we have some men trimming their eyelashes to appear more 'manly'

There was panic, there was fear... Doug's Dime: What do you remember from COVID 2020?Support the show: https://www.facebook.com/AM790KFGOSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teresa Brazen is a leadership coach with over 15 years of experience helping leaders thrive. With a background in human-centered design, Teresa has worked with organizations like NASA, Cisco, and Clorox to help their teams work smarter, lead with purpose, and innovate. As the driving force behind the global expansion of Cooper Professional Education, she […] The post Teresa Brazen with Brazen Leadership Development appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

What Jesus might say to the conventional wisdom that "you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with," the value of interfaith employee resource groups, and how Chris stopped chasing promotions and started chasing a quieter life.Links Mentioned:Chris Hunt on LinkedInCloroxClorox ERGsTim KellerWill: The Sunday Times Bestselling AutobiographyThe Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual LifeTo Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern WorldManaging Leadership Anxiety: Yours and TheirsManaging Your Metron: A Practical Theology of Work, Mission, and MeaningJonathan NowlenJordan RaynorJoin the Mere Christians Community

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Employers, take advantage of a free platform where you can post job opportunities in #YesWV…from abundant natural resources to strategic location and robust infrastructure, West Virginia makes the ideal manufacturing base…and check out some of the amazing success stories from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority…on today's daily304. #1 – From JOBCASE – Consumers are in constant contact with products containing elements made in West Virginia.  The Mountain State's diverse manufacturing sector includes chemicals, biotech/pharmaceuticals, primary metals, automotive components, fabricated products, wood products and more.  West Virginia's workforce ranks first in the U.S. for the lowest turnover rate in manufacturing-specific jobs. Through their partnership with Jobcase.com/WV/Post, #YesWV offers a free platform for local employers to post job opportunities, ensuring that positions reach the right candidates. Learn more: https://www.jobcase.com/articles/manufacturing-in-wv   #2 – From WV DED – West Virginia is a powerhouse in metals, chemicals, polymers, and automotive components, hosting industry giants like Nucor, Toyota, Procter & Gamble, and Clorox.  The state's manufacturing sector benefits from an abundant supply of natural resources, strategic location, and a robust infrastructure. Active industrial parks and research institutions further strengthen its position as a thriving environment for manufacturing.  Additionally, West Virginia's manufacturing workforce stands out for its unparalleled stability, boasting the lowest turnover rate in manufacturing-specific jobs nationwide.  Visit the West Virginia Department of Economic Development to learn more about manufacturing in #YesWV. Learn more: https://westvirginia.gov/industries/manufacturing/   #3 – From WVEDA – The West Virginia Economic Development Authority is charged with the responsibility to develop and advance the business prosperity and economic welfare of West Virginia, by providing financial assistance and operating leases for the promotion and retention of new and existing commercial and industrial development. The WVEDA boasts a lengthy list of success stories involving every industry from aviation to potato chip production. Visit the website to read some of these stories and learn more about manufacturing in #YesWV. Read more: https://eda.wv.gov/success-stories/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

Das Donald Trump die gegen Mexiko and Kanada angedrohten Zölle um 30 Tage vertagt, sorgt an der Wall Street für ein leichtes Aufatmen. Deshalb nur leicht, weil seine Amtszeit erst begonnen hat, und das rapide hin und her droht das Vertrauen der Unternehmen zu untergraben. Außerdem wird es zu dem Thema weiterhin viele Schlagzeilen geben, mit der EU als nächstes im Fokus. Der 10%-Zusatzzoll auf chinesische Importe scheint in Kraft getreten zu sein. China wird ab dem 10. Februar im Gegenzug ebenfalls bestimmte Waren aus den USA mit Zöllen belegen. Bis dahin wurde ausreichend Zeit gegeben, um auch hier einen „Deal“ zu machen. Ansonsten stehen die überwiegend soliden Ergebnisse im Fokus, mit den Aktien von Palantir, Spotify, Pfizer und Ferrari freundlich. Nach den Zahlen geht es hingegen bei PayPal, Pepsi, Merck, Estee Lauder und Clorox bergab. Nach dem Closing melden AMD, Google und Chipotle Quartalszahlen. Abonniere den Podcast, um keine Folge zu verpassen! ____ Folge uns, um auf dem Laufenden zu bleiben: • Facebook: http://fal.cn/SQfacebook • Twitter: http://fal.cn/SQtwitter • LinkedIn: http://fal.cn/SQlinkedin • Instagram: http://fal.cn/SQInstagram

EXKLUSIVER NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/Wallstreet Jetzt risikofrei testen mit einer 30-Tage-Geld-zurück-Garantie! +++ Alle Rabattcodes und Infos zu unseren Werbepartnern findet ihr hier: https://linktr.ee/wallstreet_podcast +++ Ein Podcast - featured by Handelsblatt. Das Donald Trump die gegen Mexiko and Kanada angedrohten Zölle um 30 Tage vertagt, sorgt an der Wall Street für ein leichtes Aufatmen. Deshalb nur leicht, weil seine Amtszeit erst begonnen hat, und das rapide hin und her droht das Vertrauen der Unternehmen zu untergraben. Außerdem wird es zu dem Thema weiterhin viele Schlagzeilen geben, mit der EU als nächstes im Fokus. Der 10%-Zusatzzoll auf chinesische Importe scheint in Kraft getreten zu sein. China wird ab dem 10. Februar im Gegenzug ebenfalls bestimmte Waren aus den USA mit Zöllen belegen. Bis dahin wurde ausreichend Zeit gegeben, um auch hier einen „Deal“ zu machen. Ansonsten stehen die überwiegend soliden Ergebnisse im Fokus, mit den Aktien von Palantir, Spotify, Pfizer und Ferrari freundlich. Nach den Zahlen geht es hingegen bei PayPal, Pepsi, Merck, Estee Lauder und Clorox bergab. Nach dem Closing melden AMD, Google und Chipotle Quartalszahlen.

Steven Cress talks to Kim Khan about his top dividend picks for the year. How dividend stocks may fare in 2025 (1:25). Highlighting Quant dividend grades (5:05). Why NewLake Capital Partners is a hold but still recommended (7:20). John Wiley & Sons' great safety grade; Clorox's diversification and profitability (8:45). CareTrust REIT's strong valuation (11:45). Northrop Grumman's record backlog (13:30). Philip Morris for diversified yields, comparing it to Altria (16:10). VICI Properties' great profitability (20:30).Show Notes:Top Dividend Stocks For 2025Read our transcriptsFor full access to analyst ratings, stock quant scores and dividend grades, subscribe to Seeking Alpha Premium at seekingalpha.com/subscriptions

In Dumb Ass News, a man's birthday burrito surprise was not the happy moment it should have been. (0:00)  Brian Foley was on the phone with Chaz and AJ this morning to talk about the security measures that go into a Presidential Inauguration. (7:34)  Tommy from Wing Addicts was on the phone with Chaz and AJ to share his DIY fail story. Trying to save a few bucks, he attempted to clean his water system by adding some Clorox to his well, after watching a video on YouTube. (22:37)  A woman went viral on TikTok, after finding some marijuana in her order from Burger King. (29:12)  After taking too much heat from strangers on the internet, Boss Keith has decided to change his resolution for the new year. Plus, four other things in the news that he's  paying close attention to. (38:11)

Send us a textWe've Reached 100 Episodes! Isn't That Amazing?In the 100th episode of Remotely One, co-hosts Kaleem Clarkson and Rick Haney celebrate this significant milestone—a journey that began three years ago—by reflecting on their incredible growth and the valuable lessons they've learned along the way! This landmark episode perfectly captures the podcast's core mission: to bring remote work closer to listeners by sharing authentic stories from industry leaders, researchers, and everyday professionals who humanize this evolving work model. Filled with laughter, heartfelt gratitude, and memorable anecdotes, Kaleem and Rick reflect on how far they've come, look forward to an exciting future, and proudly announce their recent recognition as Podcasters of the Year by Crossover, the world's largest recruiter of full-time remote jobs—highlighting the significant impact Remotely One has had in shaping conversations around remote work.Have you checked out some of the incredible insights shared on Remotely One? If you're wondering where to start, the duo reflects on some of their most impactful interviews. One standout guest was Jack Nilles, who coined the term "telework" in 1967. A former rocket engineer on the Apollo mission, Nilles questioned why traffic congestion couldn't be solved if humans could be sent to the moon! Another powerful discussion was with Brian Elliott, former executive at Slack's Future Forum. Elliott emphasized that "time matters more than place," a perspective supported by research showing a 39% productivity boost when employees have flexible schedules.Still learning about the advantages of remote work? Tune into the episode with Dr. Nick Bloom, a leading researcher on remote work. His data-driven analysis debunked widespread myths and highlighted the productivity advantages of flexible work models.Curious about pay equity in remote work? Dive into their conversation with Job van der Voort, founder of Remote.com, who raised an impressive $500 million in funding. Insights from Dr. Kelly Monahan of Upwork's Research Institute and from Sasha Connor, a pioneer in remote leadership at Clorox, further enriched the podcast!Looking for more unfiltered stories? Check out the fan-favorite segment, "Not Safe for Remote Work", where frontline workers share their most hilarious and inspiring remote work experiences. One unforgettable story came from Becky Jones, who delivered a high-stakes pitch to an executive board from a café—only for a nearby child to smear frosting on her face mid-call. Then there's Kristen Bass, whose story could rival a thriller. Jamie Jackson, co-host of the Humorous Resources podcast, also left a lasting impression with relatable stories about managing remote work while parenting.We proudly celebrate our achievements—from meaningful interviews with top industry voices to fostering one of the largest remote work communities, now boasting over 3,500 Slack members and 5,000 email subscribers. With deep gratitude, we thank our listeners and guests for making this journey possible! Kaleem and Rick are more committed than ever to sharing authentic stories and fresh insights as they continue to explore the evolving landscape of remote work.Here's to the next 100 episodes! More about us: Remotely One's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remotelyone Remotely One's Webpage: https://www.remotelyone.com/

In this episode of the Supply Chain Careers Podcast, we speak with Rick McDonald, most recently CSCO for The Clorox Company, as part of his 32 years with the company, plus multiple previous positions over nine years at Frito-Lay. It all started with a summer job at a metal fabrication factory, growing an interest in developing his efficiency gene. Rick took on the tasks at Clorox that nobody else wanted, enabling his ability to be called on as a fixer, stepping into difficult situations where things were broken. An important lesson he discusses is how to develop teams and lead as you develop trust. Listen as Rick talks about how to approach problems, learn what matters, and develop accountability. He talks about avoiding the straight-up climb of the ladder in favor of lateral moves that can help you connect the dots. Rick tells you to find your passion, develop agility, beef up your emotional intelligence, and increase your digital fluency. He provides a detailed analysis of developing resiliency, then closes with some of the best advice he has heard and likes to provide to others.Need help hiring top talent? Engage a recruiting firm that specializes in your hiring needs: Supply Chain Recruiters Operations Recruiters Manufacturing Recruiters Distribution Center & Warehouse Recruiters Continuous Improvement Recruiters S&OP Recruiters Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Recruiters Inventory Planning Recruiters Transportation & Logistics Recruiters

Ralph Loura, Co-founder of Sustainable IT.org and former CIO – Catalytic Transformation is 99% Mindset In this episode, we sat down with Ralph Loura, seasoned tech executive, former CIO at HPE and Clorox, and Co-founder of Sustainable IT.org , to discuss the unique dynamics of being a Catalyst executive. Having recently shared his wisdom at Davos and UN Climate Week, we were thrilled to learn from Ralph about insights from his personal catalytic journey. Ralph unpacks how the ability to see the world through a different lens and always find alternative ways of doing things is his Catalyst way of operating and has guided his entire career. However, to be a successful Catalyst, Ralph emphasizes the importance of tying that creativity clearly to the corporate strategy and value creation within the organization. Along his journey, as he encountered the inevitable resistance Catalysts face from stakeholders who often prefer the "old way" of doing things, his mentor reminded him “It makes sense to them.” Ralph explained that when that resistance emerges, you either have to figure out why the change is making people uncomfortable or realize that perhaps it will never make sense in that organization, in which case it's time to go. Lastly, Ralph shares insights on why, even for those of us who thrive on change, it's vital to get comfortable with discomfort—a key to navigating the uncertainties of transformational leadership. Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Discover why more companies are saying #YesWV to the state's friendly business climate…and boy, do we have the holiday celebrations for you--in the beautiful mountains of Pocahontas County and at state parks throughout Almost Heaven--with Christmas trains, Thanksgiving buffets and more…on today's daily304. #1 – From POCAHONTAS COUNTY – It's the most wonderful time of the year! Spend the holiday season in the scenic mountains of Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The event calendar is packed with merriment, from annual parades to family-friendly gatherings.  Some can't-miss seasonal events in Pocahontas County include a Christmas train at Cass Scenic Railroad, a drive-through holiday lights show at Boyer Station Campground and a Village Christmas Celebration at Snowshoe Mountain.  Check out the calendar for more festive events and get ready to celebrate! Read more: https://pocahontascountywv.com/8-holiday-events-to-enjoy-in-pocahontas-county/   #2 – From WV DED – Many smart companies, whether they are starting or expanding their operations, are already benefiting from the opportunities found in West Virginia. Global leaders such as Clorox, Toyota, NGK Spark Plugs, Procter & Gamble, Infor, and Northrop Grumman choose West Virginia for their facilities. Additionally, a multitude of companies chose to expand their operations here. Affordability, prime location, quality of life, world-class workforce, workforce training and more -- those are just some of the reasons why West Virginia's pro-business climate gives your business the advantage and opportunity needed for success.   You can join the ranks of other great companies who call West Virginia home. Connect with the West Virginia Department of Economic Development today! Learn more: https://westvirginia.gov/advantage-west-virginia/   #3 – From WV STATE PARKS – Looking for that perfect seasonal getaway? West Virginia State Parks offer a variety of holiday traditions that showcase the best of the season. From festive meals and cozy gatherings to special events for the whole family, the state's beautiful parks provide a perfect setting for celebrating.  Whether you're looking to enjoy a holiday getaway or simply take part in a unique local tradition, these events across our parks are sure to make your season brighter. Check the events calendar to find fun and festive events like Thanksgiving buffets, a cookie bakeoff and holiday market, Breakfast with Santa, drive-through holiday light shows and more. Planning to stay for a bit? Visit wvstateparks.com to book your cozy cabin or lodge room! Read more: https://wvstateparks.com/add-these-festive-west-virginia-state-parks-adventures-to-your-holiday-bucket-list/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

Welcome back to another installment of Moneda Moves mi gente! Diana Hernandez Wayne wants you to live your life intentionally; otherwise, what's the point? I first met her at L'Attitude, the annual conference hosted by the $100 million fund (LAT VC) investing in Latino businesses.  Diana is an absolute force, and I am so excited to have her on the show. She is a wealth of knowledge and feels like she's lived a thousand lives! Diana learned early in her career that she would rather live an intentional life than a stagnant one. To do that, she had to learn how to let go of her scarcity mindset. Diana Hernandez is an executive coach and consultant who advises corporate clients, venture funds, and founders on scaling their businesses. Diana has experience moderating and leading career advancement workshops and uses neuroscience-based practices to drive change.  Before executive coaching, she spent her career in consumer brands, working for Fortune 500 companies, including Clorox, Brita, and Method Products. She has experience in P&L management and cross-functional roles in finance, sales, marketing, and e-commerce, with expertise in launching and growing multimillion-dollar brands with major national retailers. Living intentionally comes at a cost. To live the life we want, we have to let go of our fears.  So many of us stay exactly where we are because we are afraid of failure. The fear of failure almost kept Diana in a financial reporting job she wasn't aligned with. Once she overcame that fear and requested to switch departments, more opportunities opened up for her. In this week's episode, Diana shares the most important lessons she has learned from her years of personal and professional experience. Climbing the corporate ladder has never been easy, especially when she's usually the only Latina in the room. She was frustrated with her career path but was afraid that pivoting meant quitting. Once she faced the grief of losing two sisters in one year, Diana knew she had to live her life intentionally. She needed to take control of her life and make her decisions from an empowered place and not from limiting beliefs.  It wasn't until she left the finance department for the sales department, and then the marketing department, that she began to align with her true purpose. Diana learned that she had to let go of her scarcity mindset and embrace her power. After years of honing her skills, Diana is teaching corporate leaders how to embrace their power, build their brands, and live intentionally. No te lo quieres perder. Follow Diana on TikTok and Instagram: @dianalives  Follow Moneda Moves on Instagram: @MonedaMoves Follow your host Lyanne Alfaro on Instagram: @LyanneAlfaro Main podcast theme song from Premium Beat. Our music is from Epidemic Sound. Podcast production for this episode was provided by Sarah Tulloch and her podcast production company, CCST.

In this episode of the Realfoodology podcast, I sit down with the incredible Grace Price, an 18-year-old changemaker who is already making waves in the world of cancer prevention and food activism. Grace, who you may recognize from her powerful testimony at the Senate, shares her inspiring journey—from losing her grandfather to cancer to creating a free documentary that explores the link between processed foods and cancer. We discuss the corrupt influence of big food and the dangers of ultra-processed foods. We also talk about regenerative farming, tackling food deserts, and empowering Gen Z to challenge the status quo when it comes to public health. Don't miss this eye-opening conversation on how we can flatten the cancer curve and improve our food system for future generations! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction   00:05:51 - Grace's Documentary   00:07:55 - Cancer Research   00:09:59 - Genetics and Cancer   00:13:31 - The Food Pyramid and Other Big Food Corruption   00:19:18 - Ultra-Processed Foods Are the New Cigarettes   00:22:22 - Dietitian Curriculum and the Importance of Whole Foods   00:25:41 - Bottom-Up Change   00:27:28 - Big Tabasco and Big Food   00:33:40 - Kellogg Campaign and Senate Roundtable 00:35:53 - Coca-Cola Donating to the American Cancer Society   00:40:16 - How Bad Is Processed Food & Worst Processed Foods   00:44:38 - Carb Loading and Blood Sugar Spikes   00:45:31 - Cigarettes and French Fries   00:48:14 - Clorox and Twinkies   00:50:07 - Getting Gen Z Involved   00:54:53 - Harnessing the Power of Rebellious Teens   00:56:08 - Climate Change and Agriculture   00:58:06 - What's Next for Grace   01:01:56 - CGMs and Learning the Long-Term Impacts of Processed Foods   01:03:38 - Flattening the Cancer Curve   01:06:48 - Grace's Health Non-Negotiables   Show Links:  211: BRCA, Modernizing Cancer Treatment, + Medical Ketosis | Dr. Thomas Seyfried  No Such Thing As Vegan Food | Chef Mollie of Sage Cancer: A Food-Borne Illness Good Energy (Book) Health Roundtable (Senate Hearing) Kiss The Ground (Documentary)  Common Ground (Documentary)  The Ends (Restaurant)  Sponsored By:  Organifi Go to www.organifi.com/realfoodology and use code REALFOODOLOGY for 20% Off and from 11/12 - 11/13 enjoy Fall savings

Evelyn Walter is an experienced career, executive, and leadership coach with over 25 years of human resources expertise in diverse global environments, including roles at Cummins, Vail Resorts, Clorox, and others. She has a strong track record of leading HR transformations, integrating acquired businesses, and promoting diversity, equity, and leadership development, particularly in fast-growing or transitional organizations. Currently, she leads Next Up Leadership Group, where she coaches individuals and teams to achieve personal and professional growth, leveraging her skills in trust-building, team effectiveness, and organizational change. https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelynjwalter/ The Riderflex Podcast, hosted by Steve Urban, features insightful interviews with entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives from various industries. With over 400 episodes, the podcast offers listeners inspiring stories of success, leadership, and personal growth. Steve Urban, as Founder & CEO of Riderflex, brings his extensive experience in recruitment and business consulting to the conversations, providing valuable career and leadership advice. Guests often share their journeys, challenges, and lessons learned, making it a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals looking to gain practical insights into business and personal development. Learn more about Steve Urban here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepurban/ steve.urban@riderflex.com

Jackson Jeyanayagam is an accomplished executive leader whose work has spanned across many industry sectors and a wide range of organizations. He began his career on the agency side, where he worked for 15 years before pivoting into digital marketing, P&L management, and DTC growth for top brands like Chipotle, Clorox, and AB InBev. Jackson also has experience on the startup side, having served as CMO for Boxed, a DTC startup. Most recently, Jackson was responsible for founding and scaling RTD brand Hey, Hei for AB InBev, helping to incubate the brand and develop a startup mentality under AB InBev's larger corporate umbrella. Jackson and Roy discuss the parallels between agency work and developing a startup, the necessity for widening the hiring funnel to better include outside strategies and perspectives, and the ways in which conventional interviewing methods are keeping brands from attracting and securing top tier talent.Highlights from our conversation include:Jackson's experiences at startups vs. more established brands (2:07)How he builds teams when coming into new organizations (5:11)Jackson's process for determining opportunities for change (and what not to mess with when starting a new role) (8:19)Gauging intentional and unintentional toxicity within one's team (13:21)The intersection between curiosity, vulnerability, learning, and hiring (16:07)How Jackson is intentional about influencing and shaping culture (21:58)His process for making executive-level hiring decisions and who's involved (23:18)Ensuring the hiring process is equitable and attractive to a diverse range of talent (24:06)Talent market trends Jackson's noticed from both the candidate and hiring sides (25:26)Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.Follow Roy Notowitz and Noto Group Executive Search on LinkedIn for updates and featured career opportunities.Subscribe to How I Hire:AppleSpotifyAmazon

In this episode of Building Texas Business, I chat with Renee Morris, Chief Curl Officer at Uncle Funky's Daughter. We explore her path from management consultant to leading a national hair care brand. Renee shares her approach to maintaining business control by relying on personal savings and family support rather than external investors. She discusses forming partnerships with major retailers like Target and Walgreens while building a creative team to drive innovation. I learned how she tackles recruitment challenges and ensures brand visibility at a national level. Looking ahead, Renee explains her vision to expand into skincare and education, and serving communities of color in new ways. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Renee Morris discusses her journey from management consultant to Chief Curl Officer at Uncle Funky's Daughter, emphasizing her desire to balance career ambitions with family life. We explore Renee's decision to purchase an existing company rather than starting from scratch, leveraging her experience in sales and marketing strategy within the consumer products sector. Renee highlights the importance of having a financial safety net when transitioning to entrepreneurship, sharing her personal experience of not drawing a salary for years and relying on her husband's support. We talk about Renee's strategic decision to avoid third-party investors to maintain control over her business, focusing on conservative growth and solving customer problems. Renee explains her approach to forming strategic partnerships with major retailers like Target and Walgreens, discussing the role of distributors in helping small brands enter national markets. We discuss the challenges of recruiting and nurturing talent, emphasizing the importance of fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovation and creative thinking. Renee outlines her vision for expanding the brand into adjacent areas such as skincare and education, aiming to serve the community of color more broadly. We explore Renee's leadership style, focusing on adaptability and learning from failures as she considers new business ventures. Renee shares personal insights from her early career and hiring experiences, emphasizing the importance of trusting one's instincts during the recruitment process. We examine the role of social media and influencers in maintaining customer confidence and visibility during brand transitions, particularly when changes are made to product packaging. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About Uncle Funky's Daughter GUESTS Renee MorrisAbout Renee TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode you will meet Renee Morris, chief Curl Officer at Uncle Funky's Daughter. Renee shares her passion for helping curly girls solve their hair problems with unique and innovative natural hair products. Renee, I want to thank you for coming on Building Texas Business. It's so glad, happy to have you as a guest. Renee: Thank you, I'm excited to be here. Chris: Okay, so you won the award so far for having the coolest and, I would say, funky, but that would be. Renee: Play on words Right. Chris: But as far as a name for a company, uncle Funky's Daughter, yes. Okay, tell us what is your company known for and what do you do? Renee: So Uncle Funky's Daughter is a hair products company. We're based here in Houston, texas. I bought the company, so the parent company is Rotenmore's Consumer Group. But I bought the brand Uncle Funky's Daughter 10 years ago from a husband and wife team. So Uncle Funky's Daughter curates natural hair products for women, men and children who choose to wear their hair naturally, and so that's shampoos, conditioners, curl definers, moisturizers, stylers, finishers. Shampoos, conditioners, curl definers, moisturizers, stylers, finishers you name it, we make it. We also have a thermal protection line for women who want to blow dry and style their hair with heat, and we're distributed nationally Target, walgreens, kroger, cvs, heb, locally, so you name it, other than Walmart, we're there. Chris: Beauty Easy to find, easy to find, easy to find well, I have to ask this because I have daughters. I mean Sephora or Ulta. Renee: No, Sephora or Ulta. Yet we've been working that line. We can talk about that as part of this deep dive, but we've been working that line and but no land in Sephora or Ulta just yet okay, very good. Chris: So how did you find your way into the hair care product world? Because you didn't start there. Renee: No, I am a former management consultant 20 years management consulting, advising clients multi-billion dollar companies on how to drive revenue growth and through sales and marketing. And I was a mother of three kids. At the time my son was probably three or four, my daughters were two and I was flying back and forth between Houston and New York for a client. And I had this realization that I didn't want to do that as a mom. I needed to be home, but I still wanted to be a career person. So I knew I am not built to be a stay-at-home mother. That is not who I am, and COVID taught me that with isolation. And so what I started deciding was I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do next and I realized I had some options. Right, it's that fork in the road that you go through. You start to look inwardly every time you have that fork in the road and I did that and I said okay, your option A is to go find a company based in Houston and be a VP or senior VP of some operation. Option B is you find a small company and you're like a big fish in a small pond kind of thing. Option C is you just go do your own thing. And after I kind of went through it, I realized I worked for the Coca-Colas, like in GE Capitals of the world, in my past. I didn't want to go work for a big company. I didn't think I wanted to work for a small company because of my personality style, right, um. And so I decided I wanted to go buy something and then or have my own company. And so then the question becomes do you build or do you buy my? I'm a management consultant by heart, so it's always go buy something. Why? Because I can take it, I can fix it and I can grow it. And so then it became all right, well, what are you going to go buy? And so, like most people out there, they're thinking about buying a company. I started reaching out to brokers, I started doing some networking, calling attorneys, people that work on deals, that kind of stuff, just putting my name out there, and I got all the things that you normally get when you're looking to buy a company the gym, the dry cleaner, the storage facility, the gas station, all the things that I didn't want to buy because I didn't have a passion for them. And so, also, for background, my consulting experience in sales and marketing strategy has been predominantly in consumer products. So I know consumer products, I know revenue growth, I know marketing strategy. So I was like okay, so I kept looking and I used this hair product called Uncle Funky's Daughter. I found it when I first moved here in 2000. Like all curly girls out there back then, that was almost 20 years ago, my goodness. But 15 years ago back then there weren't a lot of natural hair products out there for women of color and women of curly hair with curly hair specifically. And so I googled when I first moved here natural hair products, curly hair, houston and Uncle Funky Stoddard came up. I've never heard of this company right. So I go to rice village and buy this product and I start using it. Extra butter, start using it. And for those out there that are, you know, african American descent, you know thick, curly hair, we do this thing called two strand twists to what. I love it. Two strand twist. Chris: Okay. Renee: So, you take your hair and you twist it in like instead, instead of braiding it, you put it in twists, and there are single twists all over my head right. So that's how I would style my hair wear it, rock a two strand twist. Those out there will understand that, look it up and then Google it and then and so that worked on my hair really well. And so, again, for those with tight, curly hair, finding the right hair product that works for your hair is tough. It is not easy, as you know. One of your team members, courtney, was talking about. She's gone through all the products Because you go through this product journey trying to find something that works for you right. So found Extra Butter, worked, loved it, and then I would stop using it while I'm traveling because I would forget it right at home sure. I would go back to some other competitive brand and it didn't work for my hair. So I'm like, okay, uncle Funky's daughter is the only thing that works for my hair. So I go in to get my Uncle Funky's daughter one day, after I, you know, had braids and wash them out. And yada, yada, yada. I'm going in, I'm getting my extra butter and this guy behind the counter who I bought hair products from for the past at this point, five years, says yeah, my wife and I are going through a divorce and I'm like, oh, so I do have an MBA right. I'm not some, you know, trying to sound like a shark, but my MBA said distressed asset might be willing to sell stress asset might be willing to sell. Like literally, that is the voice that went in my head. And so I was like, oh really. So I stood there in that store and I just chatted with him for hours and about the company, you know what, you know personally what he was going through, because divorce, you know, for those that may have gone through it, can be an emotional, you know troubling time. So I was a listening ear. But as I'm listening, I'm also thinking about like, okay, what's the story behind the brand? Is this going to resonate? And I'm also watching people come in and out, right. And so I said, well, if you guys are you guys thinking about selling it? And he gives me a story about you know what's happening with the sell and cell and I said, well, if you're ever thinking about selling it, let me know. So I walk out, I Google, because you know this is horrible to say, but divorces are public right right. Chris: Is it filed in state court? Renee: it's a public record so I'm figuring out what's happening with the divorce and I find out that the company is in receivership. And for those who don't know, because I did not know at the time what a receivership was, a receivership happens when a divorce is happening and the husband and wife aren't operating, behaving appropriately. Chris: Well, they can't agree on the direction of the company and it can be not in a divorce. But basically, owners cannot agree and a court may appoint a receiver to run the company. Renee: Exactly. Thank you, that's why you're the attorney and a court may appoint a receiver to run the company Exactly. Chris: Thank you. That's why you're the attorney. Renee: Have a little experience with that yes, so the judge had appointed this guy to be the receiver. I reached out to the gentleman and I said I'm interested in the sale of Uncle Funky's daughter, if that so happens to be the case. And so the one thing I did learn and you can probably expound on this is oftentimes in a divorce, when the receiver comes in, at that point that receiver is really thinking about how to get rid of this asset. And so those are all the things that I learned during this process, and I was like, okay, so he wants to sell because he wants to get paid and he knows nothing about this business. Chris: He was, you know no offense, no emotional tie to it, for sure no emotional tie. Renee: He's an older white gentleman who knows nothing about black hair products and so I was like, okay, so he doesn't know, he doesn't have an appreciation for the value of the company. And so I reached out and I said, okay, here's a number. You wouldn't believe the number I gave him and he counted with some minor you, some minor adjustment, and we bought this company for less than $100,000. And they had a revenue at the time. When I saw their tax returns, I think it was maybe a million or so that they claimed in revenue. At some point they said, but at least for sure I think our first year of revenue was probably around and it was a partial year. Probably a quarter million dollars is what revenue they generated, and so we really, if you talk about a multiple of sales, we bought it on a tremendous it's a heck of a deal the deal. Okay, I can't find those deals these days. If anybody has one of those deals, you come let me know and so. So that's how we ended up buying this company ten years ago and shortly thereafter, target comes knocking at the door and says, hey, we were having this discussion with the owners about, you know, potentially launching. Would you be interested? And I'm like, absolutely. And it was because they were going through this divorce that they couldn't get over the finish line, right? And so shortly after we buy, we're launching in target. But before I did that, one of the first things I did was because, if you ever, if any, it's probably so old you can't find it. But the label. When I first bought the company, when I was buying it, it was this woman's face with a big afro on the front and it had a cute little 70s vibe on it and it was in this white hdpe bottle which, by the way, those aren't recyclable. So I said first, we need to change this, we got to change the packaging, we got to upgrade the label, we need to make it universally appealing to all curly girls, because if I look at a woman with a big afro, I think tight, curly hair like mine right and our products work across the spectrum from wavy, like Courtney, to really tight, like Renee, and that wasn't representative on the label okay so we redesigned the label, changed the bottle from an HDPE bottle to a PET bottle, which is recyclable, and then just upgraded this packaging to what I consider a sleeker new look. Chris: Very good, Great story, Thank you. So back up a little bit, share a little bit, because so you go from big corporate consulting job some comfort in there probably. You mentioned travel and you did mention the mom aspect playing a role. But let's talk a little bit about actually getting the courage to take that leap out of the big corporate role into. I'm going to buy something that's all on me now to either make it or break it. Yeah, that had to be scary. Renee: It was, and I am fortunate in that. You're right. I had comfort. We have financial security. I had a husband who was, who still is, who's a senior executive in medical devices has nothing to do with anything about consumer products, but you know, we have the luxury for him to say I can carry this load, financial load, and I think that's the big mix, right? I tell people all the time if you're going to take that leap, you got to make sure you've got cash flow, because for not only for your, you know, for the company, but for you personally, right? Because there were several years where my husband called my business a hobby Because I was contributing nothing to the financial plan. Chris: In fact, you were probably taken away. Yeah, I was taken away. Renee: So every year I mean. So I wasn't drawing a salary. I didn't draw a salary for a couple of years after I, I didn't draw a salary until our tax accountant said you have to draw a salary because we're changing you from whatever tax to an S-corp. And I was like oh, wow, really Okay. So what am I going to pay myself? Okay, and then he goes Well, you have, and it has to be reasonable. So for probably three or four years after I bought the company, I didn't draw a salary. I was paying my employees but I wasn't paying myself. And so I think and I say all that to say yes, it takes a leap, but it also takes the ability and the willingness to take that financial hit Right. So were there things that we probably wanted to do as a family that we didn't do? Probably so. Chris: Yeah. Renee: Because I'm growing this brand and was there times I went to my husband like I need another thirty thousand dollars? Probably so. And because one of the things I specifically had chosen is I did not want, and I currently still don't want, to pull in private equity, vc any type of third party investor funding. That is a personal decision I've made and it's because I am a former accountant and I'm extremely financially conservative and I also don't want different incentives to help influence how I run my business, different incentives to help influence how I run my business, and what I mean by that is I personally just didn't want to have a PE company saying you need to do these three things because your multi, your EBITDA needs to look like this and your revenue growth needs to look like that. Right, so I could have we could have easily grown really fast, like a lot of brands do, and grown themselves out of business, or, but I chose the path to grow really conservatively Now, and so I think I say all that to say I think, yes, financially speaking, having the bandwidth to be able to float yourself and your company for a while is critical, and so don't take the leap if you're still, if you're at your job today, living paycheck to paycheck right, you have to have a cushion. Your job today, living paycheck to paycheck right, you have to have a cushion. So what that means is, maybe if you're trying to start the company, then you're running your business while you're living paycheck to paycheck and oh, by the way, you gotta stop living paycheck to paycheck because you got to start to build that cushion, right. So some of the you got to make sacrifices and I think that's the hard thing. Not everyone's willing to make the financial sacrifice that it takes to really run and grow a business without third party support. Now, in today's world, you can go get bc capital funding and you know money is flowing, or at least it was, you know but there, but there's sacrifices, but there's sacrifices with that, and so, yeah, that's great advice, you know. Chris: The other thing that you mentioned, as you were evaluating companies is one of my favorite words when it comes to business is passion. You passed on a ton of things because you weren't passionate about it. Renee: Yeah. Chris: You found something you were passionate about, and I think that's a lesson for people too, right Is? It's not easy to do. As you mentioned. Sacrifices have to be made. So if you're not really passionate about that decision to go be an entrepreneur, start your own business. It's going to be tough. Renee: Yeah, it's going to be tough, and so, because I have to wake up every day, I my passion is really helping people solve problems, and I do that through hair, because hair is a problem in the curly hair community. How do I maintain frizz? How do I keep it under control? How do I keep it healthy so it doesn't break? How do I keep it healthy so it can grow? How do I stop the scalp irritation? There's so many problems that happen in hair and so I what I think about. Like literally yesterday I was with my marketing team and we're talking about a campaign for the next month for products etc. Or really November, and I said, OK, what problem are we helping her solve? And that's literally the way I think about stuff what problem are we helping her solve? Because if we're not helping her solve a problem, then I don't have anything to talk about. Chris: Ok, Right, yeah, it's not going to move off the shelf. Renee: It's not going to move off the shelf thing to talk about. Chris: Okay, right, yeah, it's not going to move off the shelf. It's not going to move off the shelf. So another thing that you kind of alluded to, you went through somewhat. It sounds like a kind of transforming the business that you took over, right? You mentioned the product label and packaging. Let's talk. What else did you, you know, in taking that business over, did you find yourself having to change, and how did you go about making those decisions? Are either prioritizing them and you know we can't do it all- at once yeah, so what walk? us through some of the learning you went through that well, you know what's interesting is. Renee: So it wasn't much of a transformation, but it was. If you think about learning from a marketing standpoint, if you're going to buy a business, especially a consumer product company, and you buy it in today's world where we're so used to knowing who the owner is the first people don't like change. So one of the first things I had to do was convince our current customers that nothing had changed other than the label. The minute your package changes and it looks different, they're like the formulas have changed, it's not the same be the same. It's not the same product. So the first thing I had to do was convince them that this is the same product. In fact, I brought back discontinued SKUs that the receiver had stopped selling because they were slow moving. **Chris: How did you go about convincing the existing customer base? Nothing changed. Renee: So news articles, facebook articles, facebook social ads, like having live conversations, going live on social media all of those were things that I had to go in and dispute or Dubuque being like I was the person respond. There was no team, it was me and one other person. The first person I hired was a social media person. Okay, wasn't a warehouse person, it was a social media person because I knew being the being in the face of the customer was so important. So being live and answering questions online, answering the phone and people would call they will go. I heard that this wasn't the same formula. No, ma'am, it's the same formula. And actually having those, it was me having those live, one-on-one conversations. And so I think really touching the customer and being personal with her was the key to our success in in gaining that confidence. And we also you know this was early in the days of influencers we also had to partner with people to be able to talk about. Like it's the same stuff, guys, this is the bottle. This is the old bottle. This is the new bottle. This is both sides of my hair, no change. Chris: Okay, okay, very smart to especially, like you said, I mean so many people now the social media influencers have such impact on what products get picked up in the mainstream. Advert Hello friends, this is Chris Hanslick, your Building Texas business host. Did you know that Boyer Miller, the producer of this podcast, is a business law firm that works with entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders? Our team of attorneys serve as strategic partners to businesses by providing legal guidance to organizations of all sizes. Get to know the firm at boyermillercom, and thanks for listening to the show. Chris:So let's move forward a little bit. Part of changing things new products. There's a level. You mentioned your marketing meeting yesterday. What do you do within the company to help kind of foster innovation and inspire your people to be innovative about the products? Renee: That's a tough one because it's hard. Here's the challenge that we have as a small company. As a small company, it's hard for me to afford to pay me like the equivalent of a me right. The woman or a man with the MBA in marketing who's got, you know, 10 years at Coca-Cola. I am oftentimes recruiting talent, that's learning and I'm teaching, as they, you know, grow up in our company and so innovation is really. You know, I'm usually in that meeting asking the provocative question Like do these assets, does this story come together like cohesively, what problems are we helping them solve? Like, I am there helping them think through and push their thinking a little bit forward. We'll sit and we just do brainstorming with, you know, little toys in the room and stuff to play with, but it's really just helping them kind of. All right, just toss some ideas out there. Let's just throw like what is this, what does this mean? What's her brand voice? What does she sound like? What does she look like? Like asking those questions to help them just kind of think outside of the box. Now, if she looks like this, so what kind of tone is she going to have? All right, so what would she say then? Okay, so let's talk about, like how then that manifests itself and how it shows up creatively, and so just helping them kind of drill down to the so what is really kind of the role I like to play. It's the role I'm playing right now because I'm looking for a marketing director. Chris: Okay, yeah, anybody listening out there. Renee: Anybody listening out there? Submit resumes. Chris: So you talked about some major players as partners that you have right, yeah. Target and Walgreens and CVS, et cetera. So let's talk a little bit about that. How did you go about? You kind of you told a little bit about Target, but what have you done and what have you found to be successful? And maybe strategies that weren't successful in forming those relationships, but maybe, even more importantly, fostering and maintaining those relationships. Renee: So forming on the forming side retailers. For those who may or may not know the space, they want to come to you in one of two ways either direct or indirect through a distributor. For a small brand like mine, it's usually hey, I don't want to service direct, I want you to go through a distributor. And usually it's because when you first launch, you're going to be in a handful of their stores not full distribution is what they call it so not in all 1700 Target stores, but I think we started out in a hundred and so we had to go through a third-party distributor, and so that distributor then opened the door to other national retailers for us. So if you're thinking about launching into a national retail partner and you're a small company like mine, your best route to market is finding a distributor that represents your category in a national retailer. So whether that's peanut butter, hair products, lotions, flat tires, whatever, so you have to go and find that distributor. So that was step one. Once we got that relationship, our job is to grow it by driving traffic through the stores and getting that sell through. If it's not generating units per store per week, it gets pulled right. So one person wisely said a retail shelf space is like real estate. Once you buy your home, you don't want to lose it to foreclosure. So once you've got that slot, my job is to defend those two slots. And when I say we're national retailers, we're not like a P&G where P&G dominates the shelf. We've got sometimes two slots, sometimes four, but we're not, we don't have 10. So our slots are really important for us at a retailer and so for me, maintaining the relationship comes back to driving the traffic to the store. But, more importantly, supply chain. So when I talked about growing too fast for some brands and having measured growth, it was very important for me because I understood I came from a consulting company, although I did did sales and marketing most of what we did as an organization was supply chain. I wasn't the supply chain person, but I like to say I knew enough to be dangerous when I bought Uncle Plunky's daughter. So because I understood supply chain, I knew that not, we could not risk. We needed to have safety stock, we need to have inventory levels that look like x, and so that's why I did what I called measured growth. And so you know the distributor may come to me and go. I can get you into Kroger, walmart. Nope, we're going to do one retailer a year, one big guy a year, because I need to make sure I can scale, I need to make sure my contract manufacturers can scale, I need to make sure my team knows what to do and they know how to execute and fulfill the requirements of that specific retailer and so that we are successful. So that was the way that we grew and that's kind of the way we've continued to grow. Chris: That's so smart, that discipline right. It's easier said than done, because you just start a company and you go a couple years not making any money, or what you do make you put back in the company and then you got all these great opportunities. Come at you once. Renee: It's easy to say yes yes, yes, yes and yes, but you can't fulfill those promises, no one will come back. And there are horror stories where brands have been like yes, I'll go into Target, walmart, kroger, heb, cvs and Walgreens all at the same time and they can't meet the demand or they launch and they don't have enough awareness in the consumer market to be able to support and drive the traffic in all of those stores. So you really have to focus on how you're going to grow, where you're going to grow, and how you're going to drive traffic into these markets and into those stores. Chris: I mean any details you can put behind that, just as some examples to make it a little more tangible of things that you did, things that you thought about. Okay, we have to get this right to kind of prove that we can go to the next level. Renee: Yes. So for Target we did a lot of in-store events, so we took Target. So imagine if I was doing replicating this across like five different retailers. But for Target back in the day, for social media was much more organic and less pay-per-play than it is now, right, so we would do like it's a 10-day countdown. You know, to Target we're launching in 10, 9, 8, like on social media, it was like running ads. Then we did a find us in the Target, so we would do these fun games on social media and our followers would have to find us in their local Target and if they found us and they won a gift card, so we were doing anything we could. We would do in-store events where we would just have a table popped up where you can try products, give away products, get coupons, you name it. We were doing it. Gotcha, we were doing events outside the store. Inside the store. I was rogue because I didn't have permission from Target to do this. I mean because that would have cost me tens of thousand dollars, right, Target, I hope you're not listening and so we would literally just grab a camera and kind of come in and we would kind of sneak our little basket through the store down the hall and we would sit in there and the manager would come like, oh, we're just doing some footage, and I would say I just launched and I'm really trying to help my business and they would get it because you know, their local store manager, and so they would allow us to do like a little bit of a, a little bit of a pop-up shop kind of thing, and they would allow it. Now, today they probably wouldn't allow it because we're probably a lot more disciplined, but 15 years ago, 10 years ago, they would allow it and so, yeah, so those are the things that we had to do. So imagine if I was doing that for sally, for walmart, for kro, all in the same year, and I'm still trying to drive the traffic right, because we were still a small brand. Chris: Sure. Renee: I still call us a small brand because you know, if I go to you and I say, have you heard of Uncle Funky's Daughter? And your answer is no, then I'm a small brand, right. If I say you cause, everybody's heard of Clorox, coca-cola, pepsi, all the things, right, lacroix, you name it, they've heard of it, they haven't heard of Uncle Funky's Daughter. And so we're still in constant mode of brand awareness, and so trying to build that brand awareness and drive demand in every retail shelf at the same time would have been a daunting task for a brand like ours. Chris: Sure, do you still have the Rice Village? No, okay, shut that down we shut it down. Renee: I shut it down when I bought the company. That was the condition of the acquisition, because the day that I went and discovered who the owner was of the brand and I was sitting there chatting up the guy, in about a four hour period that I was there, maybe three people walked into that door okay so that you know, my brain said all right, that's a like a revenue killer. I'm not, you're not driving revenue right you need to focus on driving traffic on the retail shelf, and so are. We have no physical retail store now. Will we once again one day, maybe in a different format? Right, because now you, my friends? Other people have said you guys should open up a salon, and I'm like so maybe we'll open up a salon where the products are available and featured, but a retail store exclusively focused on our products will not be in a timeline. Chris: Okay. So there's an example right of an idea from friends. Maybe you thought about it, of branching out from what's core to your business. So far you've said no because you haven't done it. Maybe it's still out there. Why have you not done that? And I guess what could you counsel some listeners if they're faced with that? Or maybe they've done it and trying to make it work Again. That's another danger point, right Before you kind of branch into something different. Renee: So there are two things what I think about. Again. I always go from management consultant first right when I think about my business. I don't think about it personally, right, I think about it objectively. So I can go deep in my vertical or I can go wide horizontally, and I can do both. And so right now, where we are as a brand, honestly, is we need to go deeper in R&D and innovation. So we have not had an opportunity to launch a new product since COVID, and so we're in the process of developing a new product, so that's my primary focus. A new product line so we're developing a new product line, so that's my front focus. New product line so we're developing a new product line, so that's my front focus. Then, as I start to think about adjacency, about how do we take our core and expand and pivot beyond. Do you go to Skin next and stay in consumer products and go into Skin? Do you go in the two places that I'm more actively looking at Skin is out there as a product extension, but that's still core to Uncle Funky's Daughter. Do you go and do you buy another small company within Rote Morris Consumer Group and now you build a portfolio of brands? Because that's, really what I wanted to do when I started Rote Morris Consumer Group. My vision is to have a portfolio of consumer goods brands that meet the needs of the community of color, whether it's beauty, so for beauty. So that could be hair, that could be skin, it could be makeup, it could be a variety of different things that help her solve her problems every day. So that's really the vision. And then I bought this building a couple years ago and we have this wonderful, amazing space, and so and I open up this space I'm looking around. What are we gonna do with the rest of this space? We have this whole first floor, we have a whole second floor that's unoccupied, and even before I bought the building, this idea of building talent and a pipeline of funky junkies is what we call our followers funky junkies yeah that's what we call our followers, our customers. But how do you start to build not only a pipeline of loyal customers but a pipeline of loyal users? And so I started thinking about what if you actually had a trade school? What if you actually started? What if you were the next Paul Mitchell for African-American hair products, right when there's a Paul Mitchell school and you're teaching natural hair instead of you know other treatments that they do, and those exist outside of Texas. There's one that exists in Houston, but not focused on natural hair, but focused on beauty school. And so for those people out there who choose to have a different path in life and not go to college, but they're looking for a vocation or trade school and they want to be a hairstylist or barber, do you create a space for them to be able to do that? So that's the second adjacency. And then the third adjacency is then do you go the other end? So I know how to do hair, I'm learning how to do hair, I've got hair products, I'm doing hair on the other side and that's where the salon comes in. So in all both ends of the spectrum, I am a deep analytical person, so it's understanding what's happening in the market. So in the salon side, you look and you have to figure out and this is for anyone right. You never take a leap in adjacencies just because you think you have the money, the capability, the resources, whatever. You have to understand what's happening in the market because you're not smarter than the whole market. You might be smarter than a couple people in the market, but not the whole market. And so when I look at the hair salon space, I knew of several people in the Houston market that had launched salons and they had failed. They had failed within a three-year cycle and they had failed because the type of offering service offering that they wanted to provide was challenging. And that's the same service offering that we would need to provide as a brand. Chris: Right. Renee: And resources and talent. Going back to this other end of the pipeline I was talking about, in the supply chain, those can be sometimes challenging resources to recruit and retain in a salon side, and so when I do the analysis, it's looking at the risk versus reward. How am I smarter than the next person? How do I learn from those failures and ensure that I can recruit talent where I'm not? I don't have a high degree of turnover. I can create brand consistency. I can create service levels that meet the needs of not only what I want to offer, but what our customers expect. I need to exceed it, and so, because I haven't gotten that magic formula yet, we're leaving the salon right here in the marketplace. Chris: It's still on the drawing board right. Still on the drawing board, I like. I like it well, as it should be, until you figure it out, right? Yeah well, so let's turn a little bit and talk a little more about you yeah in leadership. How would you describe your leadership style? How do you think that's changed or evolved in the last 10 years? Renee: so I am a type a, hardcore type a. I am a driver and I know that about myself. But I also know that one of my weaknesses as a leader is I don't micromanage. What I have learned to evolve because of my consulting background, right In a consulting world you know 20 plus years is how I was trained. I'm a former salesperson. You just go get it done right, you know. So that is that's kind of like my bread and butter, and you have a team of type A's that are pretty much driven just like you are. So when you guys have a clear plan and you've got the end goal, all you're doing is managing the type A's to make sure that they get to the goal right at a very high level. No one needs to. You set meetings to review the spreadsheet and the spreadshe's done right. Fast forward to Uncle Funky's daughter. You set meetings to review the spreadsheet and it's like, oh, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, what you wanted me to do, so it requires much more. What I'm learning is it requires me to evolve my leadership style from one that's hands off, that's a little bit more hands-on, to make sure that my team understands where the bar of excellence is what our customers want from us, what the implications are when we miss deadlines, what the implications are if we ship the wrong product to the wrong customer, and so showing them and teaching them is where I've kind of learned. That's where my role is as a leader, really helping them really understand the implications of behaviors. And so I've evolved to from a leader that's I'm still. I still tell my team hey, I don't micromanage. If I have to, if I know it before you do, that's probably a problem, and so so they understand that, and so I think I'm still evolving my leadership style to adapt to a smaller company with a different team that thinks differently from the type A consultants with the MBAs that I'm used to working with, to the ones who you know maybe they don't have the MBA or maybe they're going to get it, or maybe they have a desire to get there, and so it really has required. It's a growth opportunity for me that I'm still learning to grow in, to be able to shift my mental mindset away from I got a team of driven people to I got a team that needs to be inspired, you know. Chris: Yeah, that's great. So what have you done to try to help you in the hiring process? Make sure you're making the best decision you can make about who you're bringing on your team? Renee: You know it's the hire slow, fire quick. Chris: Yes, another easier said than done. Renee: Easier said than done and that's where I am right now. Even in this open marketing director job that I'm looking for, it's really making sure I've gone through I go through so many, I go through all the resumes. My assistant will filter out the trash. But once she's filtered out the trash, I'm looking at those resumes going okay, is this someone who's going to? Because I'll openly say the reason I'm looking for a marketing director. I'll tell you this story. So I hire this person and she's from Adidas. She comes from Adidas background in marketing and she's Under Armour in marketing and she was in Latin America director of Latin America markets and she's just moved from Houston. So I'm thinking I've got a Latina because it's part of my demographic. That's awesome. She's got this global brand experience that's awesome. All in athleisure but transferable skills. It's marketing. She quits three months later, found another job in athleisure. So I interviewed, interviewed and found this one and this woman, you know, sold me on. I mean we had multiple conversations. I was like you know, sold me on. I mean, we had multiple conversations. I was like you know, hey. Chris: I'm really concerned about whether or not you know you can migrate from big company to this small company Cause it is a very valid concern. Renee: It's a big change. Right, you don't have a team. Your team is a team of three, not a team of 20. Right, and so your role really changes. And so she. You know, she convinced me that, but the lesson learned was that you know my spidey senses. I didn't listen to them. Like my spidey senses said, she may not stay. Like there were little things that happened along the way you get enamored with all the other stuff. Right, but I was so hungry to have a big company, someone to come in to show my team other than me, for them to hear it from someone other than me that this is what marketing looks like, Right, this is the marketing discipline that we need to have. And so she came in. She brought some marketing discipline. She heard that, you know she brought some value in the three months, but it was. It's been really a painful learning process, right, because now I'm short of marketing director, I'm stepping in, yeah, yeah. Chris: Well, what you alluded to there, right, is just the cost hard cost and soft cost when you make a bad hiring decision yeah Because you know you're having to fill the role or someone else. Renee: Yep, so that distracts, you, it's me right now. Chris: It distracts you from doing your full-time else. Yep, so that distracts you. It's me right now. It distracts you from doing your full-time job. Yep, you're now spending time going through resumes and going to be interviewing and you wasted, if you will, all the time on the one that only lasted three months. Yeah, so there's a lot of cost there. There's a lot of cost there. Renee: And then you're sitting there and knowing I've got to restart this whole process, I've got to try to maintain the momentum within my team this is the second marketing person they've had in the past year so and so how do you start to just kind of manage through that and so, instead of and when you get burned, that one time, as I'm looking at resumes, I'm looking at people with deep experience in a particular industry and I'm going oh nope. Chris: Learn, that is, that there's that bias creep right you're. You have to not let yourself penalize these people you've never met, just as they might look the same on paper yeah, as the one bad actor in the group. Renee: Yeah, and so you and you're right, and so I'm going well, and I'm having these conversations and then yeah, so it's just. Yeah, I think that's like one hiring, firing, hiring slow, firing quick. Chris: Sometimes, even when you hire slow, you still get I tell people it's part science, it's part art and it's the more process I think you can put in place and follow the better. But you're never going to be 100 right and I think figuring out the characteristics that work in your organization is something that you can incorporate into your hiring process and know that this is the kind of background traits, characteristics that thrive here. Renee: Yeah, and even and I would also say, listening to that, you know, those spidey senses that are coming with those thoughts creep in like, and they were coming like there were things, there were triggers that happened through the hiring process. Then I was like I'm not sure she's going to be a good fit. Like you know, for example, she called and said hey, can I work from home? I was like no, you cannot work from home. So that was like that was. Oh, renee, we're gonna do a whole episode on work from home. Oh yeah, oh yeah. And so those were the triggers of like, okay, she might not be the good fit. And when those were the when that happens to you, you got to listen to it and like and be okay with backing out. But I didn't listen to the trigger because we were so far down in the negotiation and I should have just said, you know, I don't think this is going to work out Right, and rescinded the offer. But I had already extended the offer, right, and I didn't want to have egg on my face. Chris:Sure. Renee: So I mean I, what I should have done is just let my ego go, rescinded the offer and continue to look. Chris: Yeah, or at least be upfront about this is starting to give me concerns. Here's why. Renee: Yeah. But I you know you know it's which I did that I did that okay, she covered it up she covered that up. She told me exactly what I wanted to hear, but still the those doubts were in my head and I should have listened to my gut. And that gut is a powerful thing. You know that, maxwell Galt, maxwell Galt Gladwell, it's a powerful thing. And if, when you listen to it, you're usually right, 100%. Yeah, 100%. Chris: Renee, this has been a fascinating conversation. Just to wrap it up, I have a few just personal things. I always like to ask yeah, what was your first job as a kid? Renee: Newspaper. I was a newspaper girl. You had a newspaper route? Yes, Absolutely I did. I'll be darned. My sister got up in the morning and helped me through my newspapers. Chris: You're not the first guest. That was their first job it was fairly common. Renee: You had to make me dig deep for that one. Chris: Okay, you made me dig deeper on this one. Sometimes people say this is the hardest question. Yeah, do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Renee: Barbecue no sauce Seasoned, very well seasoned, no hesitation. Chris: No, no hesitation and the woman knows what she wants. Yes, right. Renee: Don't bring me brisket with sauce on it. No. Chris: No sauce Extra seasoned. Renee: I want seasoned brisket, the moist kind. Okay, and, by the way, I'm not a Texan, but I moved to Texas and now I've been here 15 years and now it's like brisket barbecue. It's the only thing that I eat. Chris: I eat it's the only thing I want to eat. I might die of a heart attack, but it's the only thing I want to eat. I love it All right. So because you have four kids and I know your life's running crazy, this will be more of a fantasy. Renee: Yeah, if you could take. Chris: If you could take a 30 day sabbatical, where would you go? What would you do? Renee: Oh, I would be somewhere, probably in South Africa, in the, probably on a safari. I would tour safaris. I would go South Africa, kenya. I want to see the migration of animals. I would do that. Chris: I love it. Renee: That's where I would be. Chris: Renee, thank you so much for being on. This has been just a pleasure getting to know you and hear your story. Renee: Thank you. This is awesome. I listened to NPR how I built this. So this is like my. I feel like I'm excited. I've kind of done the NPR check. I like the how I built this check. Do you listen to that? Chris: I do, I do, I love it. I love that analogy. Renee: Yeah, it's great. Chris: Thanks again. Renee: Thanks for doing this. Special Guest: Renee Morris.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #246 we were live at the Thompson Hotel in downtown Austin, TX at XDay 2024 with Gary Pansino, Founder at Velodu based Gary is an Alumni of Intuit, P&G, Clorox, BMS. He now runs a Qual and Quant research factory with his sister. Questions from mostly repeat clients arrive on trucks. And they do their thing and ship answers back to them, with a smile.In this episode, Gary and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at Velodu thinks through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #246 Highlight Reel:**1. Building expertise in surveys & customer research at massive companies 2. Increasing the speed of growth by customer listening & focus groups 3. Leveraging customer information to drive product & service innovation 4. Customer team building & collecting constant employee feedback 5. Investing in competitive research & understanding your primary threats  Click here to learn more about Gary PansinoClick here to learn more about VeloduHuge thanks to Gary for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content,  our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Video Episode: https://youtu.be/yyl2icu6o3I In today’s episode, we discuss groundbreaking research from Chinese scientists who demonstrated that D-Wave's quantum computers can break RSA encryption and threaten widely used cryptographic methods, emphasizing the urgency for quantum-safe solutions. We also cover the aftermath of a significant cyberattack on Clorox, which has impacted its sustainability goals, and analyze a report from Checkmarx detailing “command jacking” vulnerabilities in open source packages, highlighting the need for robust security measures in software development. Join us as we unpack these critical cybersecurity developments and their implications for businesses and the future of data protection. Source articles: 1. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3562701/chinese-researchers-break-rsa-encryption-with-a-quantum-computer.html 2. https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/clorox-cyberattack-waste-reduction-goals/729642/ 3. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3560931/open-source-package-entry-points-could-be-used-for-command-jacking-report.html Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:57 – Quantum Cracks RSA 02:26 – Clorox behind on plastic reduction 04:41 – Command Jacking in OSS 1. What are today’s top cybersecurity news stories? 2. How are quantum computers threatening RSA encryption? 3. What impact did Clorox's 2023 cyberattack have on its sustainability goals? 4. What is command jacking in open source software? 5. How can D-Wave’s quantum computers break cryptographic systems? 6. What are the implications of quantum computing for data security? 7. How did Clorox recover from its major cyberattack? 8. What vulnerabilities exist in open source package managers? 9. Why is post-quantum cryptography important for cybersecurity? 10. What strategies can developers implement to safeguard against package entry point vulnerabilities? D-Wave, quantum computing, RSA encryption, cryptographic solutions, Clorox, cyberattack, sustainability, plastic waste, Checkmarx, command jacking, malicious code, security checks, 1. **RSA Encryption** – *Definition*: A widely used public-key cryptographic system that relies on the computational difficulty of factoring large integers, ensuring secure data transmission. – *Importance*: RSA is foundational to numerous secure communications over the internet, and its potential vulnerability to quantum attacks could compromise global data integrity and confidentiality. 2. **Quantum Computer** – *Definition*: A type of computer that uses quantum bits (qubits) and principles of quantum mechanics, enabling it to process complex computations significantly faster than classical computers. – *Importance*: Quantum computers, by their nature, pose significant threats to classical cryptographic systems due to their ability to solve problems deemed infeasible for traditional computers, such as factoring large numbers. 3. **D-Wave** – *Definition*: A company specializing in the development of quantum computing systems, particularly known for its quantum annealing technology. – *Importance*: D-Wave’s systems are central to the study showcasing quantum capabilities to break traditional encryption, illustrating the practical advancements in quantum technologies. 4. **Quantum Annealing** – *Definition*: A quantum computing technique used to find the global minimum of a given objective function over a set of candidate solutions, particularly useful in optimization problems. – *Importance*: This technique has been demonstrated to potentially break encryption by optimizing and solving cryptographic problems more efficiently than classical methods. 5. **Substitution-Permutation Network (SPN)** – *Definition*: A method used in the design of block ciphers, which is based on a series of linked mathematical operations involving substitution and permutation. – *Importance*: SPN forms the basis for various encryption algorithms, and compromising it indicates vulnerabilities in widely used cryptographic systems. 6. **Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)** – *Definition*: A symmetric encryption algorithm adopted as the standard for encrypting data by the U.S. government, based on the Rijndael cipher. – *Importance*: AES is critical for securing sensitive information worldwide, and any threat to its integrity threatens global cybersecurity structures. 7. **Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)** – *Definition*: A branch of cryptography focused on developing algorithms resistant to attacks from quantum computers. – *Importance*: With quantum computing emerging as a threat to current cryptographic systems, PQC aims to secure communications in a quantum-capable future. 8. **Public-Key Cryptography** – *Definition*: A cryptographic system that uses pairs of keys: public keys that may be disseminated widely, and private keys which are known only to the owner. – *Importance*: It is pivotal for numerous secure transactions and encrypted communications on the internet, underpinning the security of data exchanges. 9. **Encryption** – *Definition*: The process of encoding information in such a way that only authorized parties can access it, rendering the data unreadable to unauthorized users. – *Importance*: It is essential for protecting sensitive information across all forms of digital communication against unauthorized access and data breaches. 10. **Quantum-Safe Encryption** – *Definition*: Encryption methods that are secure against decryption by quantum computers, typically developed as part of post-quantum cryptographic efforts. – *Importance*: As quantum computing progresses, developing quantum-safe methods is crucial to maintain the security of data and communications against future quantum threats.

Send us a textIn this episode, we're excited to welcome Vivian Chang, a direct-to-consumer expert who recently led the DTC function at Clorox, overseeing brands like Burt's Bees and Brita. Vivian shares her insights on transforming legacy CPG brands to connect with modern consumers through innovative DTC strategies, subscriptions, and digital marketing. She dives into the importance of collapsing the marketing funnel, using consumer insights, and leveraging omnichannel approaches to stay ahead of the competition. If you're looking to drive business growth and adapt to the fast-paced world of e-commerce, you won't want to miss this conversation! Tune in for actionable strategies to elevate your brand and connect with customers in new, meaningful ways.

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Chris Jamroz is the CEO and chair of the board of Roadrunner, a less than truck load, (LTL) trucking company. You get to learn, as I did, all about this industry as described by a fascinating man who clearly understands leadership and how to build companies as he did with Roadrunner and other companies before his current one. Chris was born in Polland. Throughout his life he also has lived in France, England, Canada and now he calls the United States home. Chris tells us that he greatly values the American way of life and finds that here he, and the rest of us, can exercise our entrepreneurial spirit like nowhere else in the world.   As I said, we get to learn about the trucking industry with Chris. He also talks about the economy in general including discussing the forces that lead to events such as recessions and successes. Chris and I even discuss AI and how it will in some ways affect his industry.   Chris is quite a thought-provoking individual. I learned a lot not only about his industry, but I gained knowledge about management and leadership. I think you too will value greatly from listening to our conversation.   About the Guest:   Chris Jamroz is the Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO at Roadrunner. Chris is a highly experienced executive focused on creating shareholder value through active executive management of portfolio companies in transportation, logistics and cyber security. Chris has made great contributions to the open office environment and culture at Roadrunner.    Previously, Chris served as the Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO at Ascent, a privately-owned freight forwarding and domestic brokerage services provider. Chris has led the transformative investment in GlobalX (TSXV: JET), a full-service passenger and cargo airline headquartered in Miami, FL. He is the founding partner of LyonIX Holdings LLC, a specialty investment, equipment leasing and direct operations private fund.   Before coming to Roadrunner, Chris served in executive roles at Emergent Cold, STG Logistics, and Garda Cash Logistics. He also serves as Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum (‘ROM'), Canada's largest museum. Chris is a lifelong advocate of education, promoting diversity, equity & inclusion, and mentorship. Chris has been a tenured mentor to students at Schulich School of Business. He holds a BA in Business Studies with First Class Honors (Summa Cum Laude) from Birmingham City University in the UK as well as an MBA with Distinction from York University in Canada.   Ways to connect with Chris:   LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/christopherjamroz Contact email chris.jamroz@rrts.com Roadrunner Company Website www.RoadrunnerLTL.com   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and once again, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We get to interview, well, not interview, because it's the conversation, of course, but we get to talk with Chris Jamroz, who is the executive chair and the board and CEO of Roadrunner. Ah, Chris, it must be lonely at the top,   Chris Jamroz ** 01:43 but it's Thank you for having me, Michael and to keep my company.   Michael Hingson ** 01:49 There you go. Well, we're really glad that you're here, and I'm glad that we have a chance to visit. It's been a while in coming. I know you've been pretty busy. We we originally chatted last December, but now we get to do it, and that's fine. So I'm really appreciative of your time, and this is all about you and talking about being unstoppable and so on, and so to start that, why don't you tell me a little bit of kind of, maybe, about the early Chris growing up and all that sort of stuff.   Chris Jamroz ** 02:21 So little Chris was born in Poland, behind the at that time the Iron Curtain under the socialist regime dominated by the Soviets. And little Chris spent his childhood dreaming of playing with real cars and dreaming of having a vehicle, which was a luxurious scarcity back then in that part of the world, and and looking through the Disney Disney movies, I learned a lot about Road Runner, so little that I knew that 40 years later, Road Runner will die be part of my path. But that journey has taken me through being a farmhand in France, a student in England, a banker in Canada, all the way to be an honest operator in the United States, when I finally make my way over to this greatest country on Earth,   Michael Hingson ** 03:19 well, and I agree it's the greatest country, and I hope we continue to do great things. I know we're working at it, and sometimes we all tend to take some missteps, but it all balances in the end. And I think that's one of the neat things about democracy, and I'm sure you have a lot of thoughts about that, as opposed to what life was like in the Iron Curtain,   Chris Jamroz ** 03:42 I certainly do. And while we do have our challenges here, and they are undeniable, the spirit of American people is the force to be reckoned with, and one of the most inspirational forces I've ever encountered my life.   Michael Hingson ** 03:56 There's a lot of creativity here, and it shows and it continues to advance, and I'm sure that it will, least, that's my belief in the in the whole system, which is cool well, so you have been in a variety of countries, and I'm sort of curious, having had experience in Everything from Poland through France and England and Canada. And here, how would you come other than the country and the politics? How would you compare life in in those different countries? And what did it teach you?   Chris Jamroz ** 04:34 I think, listen every every country has the unique history and culture and customs. Which argument wants life experiences when you have a chance to immerse yourself and in the local context, and if you do it truthfully, and not necessarily from a tourist vantage point, but as a as a person who tried to fit into the society. And performs, you know, a function or role, or whatever that may be. I think that that enriches one's lives. At the end of the day, you know, when you think about history, these two are all men and women brave enough to board, you know, ships and embark on a voyage to an unknown. We're willing to cut ties with everything they've ever known and the history and legacy and potential prosecution and all those things that may have not been kind to them or they were escaping from and come to North America and make the United States their home and start fresh. And what I do love about that the nation that now I call home, is that unstoppable force of entrepreneurialism, resourcefulness, resilience, that truly burning desire to accomplish something remarkable with with your life. And that's I've never experienced that anywhere else in the world.   Michael Hingson ** 06:01 I've been blessed since escaping from the World Trade Center back on September 11. I've been blessed to be able to travel to a variety of countries and speak and one of the things that I very much enjoy is experiencing different cultures and different attitudes. And sometimes I may not necessarily agree with them, but it isn't about agreement. It's really about understanding and broadening one's horizons and understanding. And I think it's so important to be able to do that, to really understand where various people come from and how they live and what they do. And you know, even in the US, it is such a large country that the way you experience life in Florida or West Virginia is different than what we experience in California. And it is not to say that one way is better or worse than another. It's just all part of the same country. And what's wonderful is to see all of it meld together   Chris Jamroz ** 07:01 Absolutely, absolutely, and it's,   Michael Hingson ** 07:04 and it's so much fun to be able to do that, but you said that you originally learned about Road Runner a long time ago. And how did that happen? Or what, what did you learn? Or how did you experience Road Runner years ago?   Chris Jamroz ** 07:17 Oh, that was, I was just being a little bit joking of watching Disney cartoons, and you know, got   Michael Hingson ** 07:24 it? Okay? Wiley Coyote. As I said, there you go. Wiley   Chris Jamroz ** 07:28 Coyote, but later that, I knew that would become such an important part of my adult life.   Michael Hingson ** 07:33 So do you find Wile E Coyote creeping up every so often today we   Chris Jamroz ** 07:38 do have we divided teams between Wiley coyotes and Roadrunners, and we have a contest and and a very healthy rivalry going between the two groups and, but it is, you know, it is nice to have something that is so embedded, and an industry culture and the name is so well known, and, and we Finding, and I think we found a way back to the original glory days of the beginning and the excitement and that kind of youthful and youthful excitement about our brand, which is a delight to me right now.   Michael Hingson ** 08:16 I suppose one of the advantages of watching Roadrunner years ago in another country, is that, since it was really a cartoon with very little, if any, talking, it was easy to show without having to worry about translators.   Chris Jamroz ** 08:32 But there's, there's a lot of lessons from that Michael to think about sure that that little, that little bugger, was resilient, and, oh, he was absent, and there's, there's a lot of valuable lessons to never let, never let the circumstances get you down, and always find a way to come back on top.   Michael Hingson ** 08:50 And no matter which Acme Company Wiley Coyote went to to get something that never worked, correct. I was in Montreal once, and turned on the TV. It was late morning, and there I was listening to the Flintstones in French, which didn't help me a lot, not speaking French, but it was fun to to know that the Flintstones are in different languages. Yeah,   Chris Jamroz ** 09:17 that's true. Our chief operating officer Hey, it's from Montreal, and he's now, obviously stateside, but there's and now we've, since we've opened service to the French Province of Canada, we maintain those links, and it's very interesting when we encounter French language in our daily emails and communications, it just gives us the the indication of the the fastness of the culture and and the customs across even this North American continent that we share, which   Michael Hingson ** 09:50 is really cool. I was in British Columbia in early October of 2001 I had been invited up to. Because people heard about my story, and I went to a guide dog organization that asked me to come and speak. And we got there on Saturday, and the next day, we were down in the hotel restaurant having breakfast when the news hit the TV screens that the United States had invaded Afghanistan. What a strange feeling to be, not only away from home, but in a foreign country, when our country was responding as they did, and invaded Afghanistan because of september 11, it was, it was a strange feeling. But at the same time, people were so supportive, which was a wonderful feeling, and mostly that was the case. There were a few people who said, well, America got what they deserve, and they were really shut down pretty quickly around Canada.   Chris Jamroz ** 10:53 That's correct, that's correct. Yeah. That was a very special time in our show history,   Michael Hingson ** 10:58 yeah, yeah, it was and it was strange we when we were at the airport in Newark getting ready to fly across country to Canada. It was Saturday, and the airport was pretty empty, and as my wife said, it's strange to see these 18 year olds with machine guns strapped to their bodies patrolling the airport and And nevertheless, it was, it was an interesting time. Well,   Chris Jamroz ** 11:31 strange to us here is actually a common occurrence, and yeah, many places around the globe to see those young men and women patrol airports and train stations with machine guides ready to be deployed   Michael Hingson ** 11:43 well, and as my wife said, The problem is these kids probably don't even look old enough to know how to really work the gun, but I'm sure they did, but it was, it was an interesting time, and it's unfortunate that we, we all had to experience that, but that's kind of the nature of The world? Well, tell me a little about Roadrunner, what it is, what it does, and so on, how you got involved, rather than through the Wiley Coyote.   Chris Jamroz ** 12:09 That's right. But Roadrunner originally was built as a metro to Metro, direct transportation, trucking service in the sub market referred to as less than truckload, so called the LTL. And what it means is that within you know, when you see a semi tractor, you know, speeding down and very hopefully observing the speed limit, usually about 90% of the market. When you look at those, those trucks, they are full truckloads, or referring an industry as truckloads, it's TL, TL and truckload means that all the contents, all the freight contained within the space of that trailer, is destined to one shipper. And shipper is the term we use for customers here interchangeably. So Lt. The difference of LTL is that within that same trailer, same 53 foot long trailer, you have freight for a lot of different shippers, and LTL is the sub segment of the broader trucking dedicated to service those customers who do not have the need or cannot necessarily afford the cost of chartering the whole trailer, and that may not have any specific need to for that kind of space, and they utilize pallet positions within that trailer to transport the freight from point A to point B. That accounts for about 10% to 20% depending on who you talk to of the overall market, and it's and Roadrunner became an expert and a specialist in taking loads directly across the continent from it started in Milwaukee, in Cudahy, Wisconsin, and Shooting loads directly to America's southwest to, you know, and back that's obviously was linked to the port activity and intake in intake freight input point from Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. But he became an expert, and over time, the different management teams and different constituency of shareholders embarked on a strategy of growing it across different modes and a lot of things, and it became bit of a problematic story for the last four years. We We spend a concerted amount of time and discipline effort to unwind those those layers and bring it back to the specialist metro to Metro, long haul, specialist tracking service, which has kind of helped us resume our path to sustainability and excellence.   Michael Hingson ** 14:52 Is there a lot of competition for well among LTL companies? Yeah.   Chris Jamroz ** 15:01 I think there's a fair degree or healthy competition among them. It's, it's a fairly limited market of players. It's, I came up through my, through my experience in LTL, I I've coined this phrase that LTL stands for, less than likely to go perfect. It's, you know, despite the fact that you think it's a pretty simplistic concept of picking up the palette in in Philadelphia and delivering it in Dallas, it's actually an extraordinary complex and difficult to execute service, and from a perspective of being on time, of not losing, not damaging, the freight and trust to you. And obviously do it in a sort of in a fairly compressed timeline. So it is, it is a very specialist place. It's very different from what I mentioned, about 80% of the market, which is the truckload market, which is, you know that, you know, full trailers picked up from pay B, they just go to to the destination. This one is a consolidation play. There's, there's different touch points. It's a very complex so while the competition is very healthy, it's a good competition because it's sort of a tide that raises all the bonuses. These are very high quality providers, and as we compete, our customers win,   Michael Hingson ** 16:29 yeah, which is kind of important, and as long as everybody recognizes that it makes perfect sense that it ought to be that way. Why are what makes Road Runner kind of unique, or what sets it apart from other companies.   Chris Jamroz ** 16:42 What it said that we specialize in doing that one thing, which is taking loads directly and connecting a very far apart points across the United States, Canada in increasing Mexico direct. So a lot of large, large carriers or trucking companies have a very densely populated terminals, and they've, you know, they may have in excess of 300 terminals in the United States alone. What they do is they like very much, like an airline. They created a sophisticated hub and spoke system where the shuttle service connects the entire network. So for example, the freight from picked up from Long Beach destined to a planner may go through five different hubs as the network is designed. The problem with that is that every time you have to go into an LTL trailer, that means the forklift drives inside, lifts the pallet, needs to take it out, then take the cross to CrossTalk, puts in another trailer that's going to be destined to the next point and stop on the way. Damage happens, loss happens, and time is wasted, just and time is wasted. So what we do is we only have 36 terminals, but we we're in major metro, Metro, Metro to Metro connectivity. I always say that if you have a professional sports team, ideally a good one, and you we're going to have a terminal there in those settings, and we use our team drivers, and we just just shoot those votes straight across. So we compress the time that it takes to traverse the distance, and we eliminate those points of rehandling of powers and freight and greatly reduced the risk of loss, the risk of damage, etc.   Michael Hingson ** 18:48 And presumably, as part of that, you are very creative in scheduling, so that when you take a load somewhere and you get to the final destination, you also have other material to pick up, to go back or to go elsewhere, so you don't leave trucks idle very often,   Chris Jamroz ** 19:06 correct. So that's that's the art and the science of network design. Yeah, the way we execute it. We obviously have tremendous amount of data analytics and algorithmic tools to help us route this way, because at the same time, not just the trucks sitting idle, but the drivers don't like, you know, drivers like to drive, because when they drive, they make money, yeah, and that's we are very good at keeping them on the road and making money.   Michael Hingson ** 19:38 So what got you started in deciding to be part of Road Runner and and working up through the system to get where you are.   Chris Jamroz ** 19:47 You know, over the last two decades, I've become a sort of a specialist in unlocking trapped value in logistics companies across all modes of supply chain, globally and Road Runner. Certainly one platform with very severe challenges and and I really loved the story. I was completely taken by the strength and of and the resilience of its people. And I really thought it's an incredible opportunity to orchestrate a turnaround like no other in the trucking industry. And while it may sound a little bit arrogant, it's not meant to be. But you know, as I've heard it from equity analysts and bankers, many, many trucking companies have attempted turnaround and restructuring, and very few ever made it. There was a time when Old Dominion road lawyers, which is one of the best, arguably the best LTL carrier in the nation, they used to suffer from terrible reputation. And I remember they were called the referred to as the old smelly onion. Today it's a gold standard for all of us in this business to aspire to. But there was a time in the 90s when they suffered greatly and they orchestrated a spectacular turnaround. And there were there were some others as well, but road run in recent history is definitely the most spectacular comeback in that space.   Michael Hingson ** 21:21 Well, it obviously, in part, has to do with being very creative and figuring out ways to do exactly what you do, which is to get material from one place to another, minimum of any transfer from one truck to another, because you're right that can cause a lot of damage, and it does take a lot of time, and I'm sure that the result of that is that drivers appreciate it as well.   Chris Jamroz ** 21:46 Drivers do. Drivers are, you know, hardworking people. It's tough to think when, when I do about more a group of of the more patriotic pillars of our society. Drivers are a true American entrepreneurs, and we pride ourselves in empowering them and putting them in business and helping them build their own businesses. And we have, you know, so many success stories that filled our hearts with pride. But at the end of the day, drivers stay and drivers support carrier that helps them make money, that means, helps them busy, stay them enrolled, gives them good loads. And we have become, you know, we've kind of prioritized this as our core competence.   Michael Hingson ** 22:32 So with all of that, how was it during the whole period of covid? Because, of course, a lot of things happened. A lot of things shut down, and a lot of things changed because of covid. How did all that affect Roadrunner and what you do, and how did you all come out of it?   Chris Jamroz ** 22:53 We certainly, we kind of started the restructuring, and literally in the beginning of March, which was in 2020 which was like two weeks before the entire country shut down. So obviously that made it for a very interesting time in our life. But Trucking is such an essential service, it never stopped, right? Without trucking, nothing gets delivered. You cannot do anything. It's probably next to the sanitation services, I think, the most critical part of American or any economy for that matter. And so we worked, we worked interruptly through the pandemic. We were very focused on rebuilding our business and fixing our operations so everything that was happening external to our business were kind of very much in our peripheral vision, because we had so much work to fix our business from inside out, and that kind of kept us busy for for pretty much the next two and a half years.   Michael Hingson ** 23:58 So covid was kind of a good impetus and an excuse to to do the things that you you knew you kind of needed to do anyway. It   Chris Jamroz ** 24:06 was a good it was a good time, because we would have had to do it anyway. But the people were so distracted by, obviously, the stress of of the situation, that kind of took the focus completely away from what we were, what we needed to do. And I think that was a blessing.   Michael Hingson ** 24:25 Several um, weeks ago, I had the opportunity to chat with a gentleman named Glenn Gao, who lives in Northern California, who's a business leader coach, and he promotes the whole concept of AI and specifically managers using AI to help create ideas to improve what they do and to improve their companies and so on. But one of the discussions we had, um, and he and he said something very interesting during the discussion. But one of the discussions we had was how AI is going to affect. People as we go forward, and one of his positions was artificial intelligence, and all the things that are going on with AI doesn't eliminate jobs. Rather, people eliminate jobs because either they they find that they can do things cheaper, but they're they're not really doing themselves any good by doing that, because what AI should really do is where relevant help redefine jobs. And one of the things that we talked about was exactly the whole concept of truck drivers, when AI and autonomous vehicles come more into existence, what will happen to truck drivers? And his point was, even if you let a vehicle operate autonomously and it's completely safe, what that really should do is not to require a driver to not be in a truck anymore, but rather, you find other responsibilities and other things for the driver to do while monitoring the Driving of the vehicle no matter how safe it is. And so that that prompts the question, what do you think about the whole issue of autonomous vehicles and AI, and where you think that might might go over time? Because I tend to agree with Glenn, it shouldn't eliminate jobs. It may cause some expansion or redefining of jobs, but not elimination. Yeah.   Chris Jamroz ** 26:21 I think, listen, this is a, obviously a topic that could take a day, and everybody has no yeah. I always, I always love watching those clips from the news, yeah, news from the 1990s when the first the internet, the World Wide Web, was introduced, and people kind of speculating with it, if it's going to, you know, mean anything you want to. You don't want to be that guy who voices an opinion that gets recorded, and 20 years later your kids get to see it. What you know, What a dumb Damas your dad may have been. This is, this is one of those. So I have a very specific view on this. I, you know, I always kind of think that are certain tools that I invented that help things, and some of them were very useful and don't necessarily make the life easier. An example for that is a vacuum cleaner. You know, when I, when I was born, the vacuum cleaner was still a novelty and not particularly a widely think what was happening that once a year the entire Thai family would gather to take one or two rugs that that were present. Now, take them outside, clean them, usually in the snow, because I was thinking, and come back and just enjoy the freshness for the next year. Now the vacuum cleaner comes a genius invention. Genius invention. What do we do? You know, if my mom would have her way, I would be vacuum cleaning every day, just instead of a once a thing. I have a hobby now that every time my mom is a pond to one thing, I'd better get on that and get it clean. So did it really save us? I don't know, but definitely it's full invention, AI broadly, I think has has an immense impact on our lives, to the to the extent that I don't think anybody can even appreciate right now, in terms of the logistics business, I actually think there's very limited impact of what AI can do. And this is a sort of, and this is very humble opinion, after, you know, spending the two decades and fixing different supply chain businesses, and it's just the unpredictability, the the size of these, you know, statistically viable data samples, the the the the patterns of different outcomes is just impossible to scale and up until you can lift A pallet from Portland and and it can traverse in Metaverse to Chicago. You still need a truck, you still need a forklift, you still need someone to oversee this, right? So definitely impact on jobs and logistics, I'd say minimum. I think basically, maybe quality, the quality of service, perhaps we're using machine learning and AI algorithmic methodologies in our static load plan, which basically means routing the freight the best possible way. But at the same time, it's not an infinite benefit game. At the end of the day, you have a night 10 corridor and you have a truck that can traverse as the speed limit. And what is the best case? It's just there's very limited outcomes to the upside here. So I think the AI in terms of the, you know, in terms of the logistics space, will have probably the most commute. It effects of across the board, if I think about it, and definitely as I'm looking forward to the marginal benefits, I don't see it as a particular needle mover for us here. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 30:13 as I said, even if you could completely automate a vehicle so that it could drive itself, and that's fine. I still say that ultimately, I would never want to remove the driver from the vehicle, but rather give the driver other things to do to help the company. And they're the creative people will figure that out, and I think that there is no way that it should eliminate jobs. It's ridiculous to think that it's supposed to enhance and I think that there are ways that it will, whether vehicles will really become fully autonomous anytime in the near or intermediate future, at least, is is open to conjecture. But I I don't like the idea of, well, it's going to eliminate jobs. I don't believe that that's true. And I think that's what you're saying as well, and it makes sense.   Chris Jamroz ** 31:07 Yes, yeah. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 31:09 so in terms of shipping and logistics, what does, if you will, shipping and logistics indicate about kind of the broader economy, because it's certainly listening to what you said earlier. It continued during the pandemic, and I guess that means economy continues. But in general, just the whole industry. How does that affect or fit into the whole issue of the economy, and what your industry does for the economy?   Chris Jamroz ** 31:41 So you know, the American economy, every economy has a different mix of drivers, right? The American economy is a consumer driven economy, right? A percent of the GDP is driven by the discretionary consumer spend. So everything that you and I go and, you know, whether we go to a restaurant or go to the, you know, go to a wonderful vacation spot and buy it, you know, a plane ticket and book a hotel. All those kind of things make a difference. And obviously our discretionary shopping habits, that's critical. LTL is very much driven, you know, the entire supply chain accounts for 8% of American GDP. So it's not insignificant, and it is a sort of a barometer of activity. The broader, the broader trucking index could be an indication of of many drivers in common with this, whether that's industrial out of gage, project driven infrastructure investments by, you know, oil and gas sectors, or public works, or earth moving projects, you have all this kind of interaction with LTL is predominantly linked to e commerce near shoring and a little bit to the Import activity that when we have goods imported, they enter United States either through the port of New Jersey, New York or Long Beach, Los Angeles, and obviously Seattle, Tacoma or Charleston and Houston have all these kind of different entry points and and we monitor this. So we definitely are continued to be in a third year of recession, or this, you know, the tail end of the second year of recession, a freight recession. That is where the the volume of shipments have been dramatically, muted, dramatically, and then we continue to see the excess capacity, the full truckloads that I spoke about earlier, they hurting the most from the truckers. LTL is a fairly protected niche, and again, e commerce, which is still alive and healthy near shore, obviously growing in abundance and significance. That's also helping and so those the LTO is a little bit insulated from their role, and I wouldn't, and it's never particularly good or more reliable, most reliable gage of American economy or its health, the truckload is probably in other modes of trucking are more indicative, I would say. But again, you know we can, you know this was, you know what we experienced in 2021 and beginning of 2022 which was unprecedented peak and that benefited all people in supply chain, that obviously has been a peak in a cyclical business. And no matter what you call it, the transportation business are commodity businesses. And commodity businesses cycle, and some of the modes within that sector cycle more violently than others. And and we are at the trough of that cycle. And and probably will be here for quite some time, because we see before we see any mean. For recovery.   Michael Hingson ** 35:00 Why is there such a upright recession right now?   Chris Jamroz ** 35:06 What has happened is, if you remember that, there's couple of things, number one, at any cycle, at the peak of a cycle, a lot of people make decisions, and there's this unimpeachable view of self, intellect among them, among some of the decision makers who think, Okay, this time will be different, and this time, we won't let this slip. And there are decisions made at the peak of the cycle that have consequences or carry the consequences through the trough. Those decisions in our industry usually impact capacity, such as the number of new orders for trucks and trailers and terminal expansion when, when you look at this never, ever before in the history of mankind, more tractors, trailers and terminals have been commissioned or ordered than it were in 2021 and 2022 all These orders are now coming, then, creating unprecedented capacity. And now mind you, 2020, and 2021. Tested, you know, tested our ability to function without the ability to interact with each other. So you remember, we all remember, everybody was stocking up on just about any house, good supplies, you know, toilet paper, Clorox and disinfectants and just about anything, and the volume was just that no matter how much capacity you had, you you didn't have enough to satisfy the thirst of the consumer back in those days. So people made a lot of decisions. Most profound were those of ocean shippers who commissioned more supermax container ships than ever, ever in the history of the planet. And all these ships are being launched right now in the second world so soon in the second part of 2024 never before we had such a non swap of new supply in the notion, which obviously collapsed the pricing and in an ocean market. And that has a domino effect through, you know, starts with an ocean, because everything comes from China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam. Nothing comes from, you know, nothing comes from, you know, from the American Midwest anymore to meaningful thing now, thankfully, that's been offset by those near showing trends and the resurgence of Mexico and infrastructure investment in manufacturing on this continent, which is phenomenal. But you know, you had that, that onslaught of capacity and carried from ocean ships through through train cars, through tractor trailers, through new terminals, and, you know, they're just, you know, we, we didn't stay at that peak. You didn't, you know you're not. You don't have a three month supply of paper towels in your cupboard, probably today. And those trends reversed, and they kind of reverted to more historical median. So we went to the median shipping, not not anything dramatic, but we overbuilt capacity to to to support an abnormal volume demand. So you have this, you know, you have anybody who could have a truck, you could became an instant billionaire, right? If you could commit a thing, and you could drive the truck and take somebody's cargo shipment from it from one point to another. You're in business, and you're doing extremely well. And then that, you know, at the same time, the government stimulus, the low, super low interest rate, the financing, those, those things you picked for nearly nothing in terms of financing costs, and those covid leases are still in place. So we have a bit of a delayed effect of people exiting the industry, which is a normal thing in a down cycle, and it's prolonged, because the cost of the equipment is a lot cheaper than ever before in the history of economic cycle. So you have this prolonged exits which have not rationalized the supply demand equation. You have those very committed, serious infrastructure investment in terminals and expanding the infrastructure for handling exuberant amount of freight in this in this country, and that kind of makes it for a fairly miserable outcome for for those who try to make a living in transportation.   Michael Hingson ** 39:29 Do you think that there are things that we could have done to prevent what happened? Because it's it seems to me that it is a cycle, but at the same time, how could we have avoided it, given what happened in the pandemic and everybody was stocking up and so on, how could we have avoided doing exactly the thing that occurred, which now leads to the recession in this industry? And I'd be also curious to see if you think that that's going to spread. Further to the rest of the economy. But how could we have avoided it? Or could we have,   Chris Jamroz ** 40:06 I don't think so. Now you'd have to convince people to hate making money, and that's that's a tough thing, because at the peak of the cycle, every incremental capacity you know delivers extraordinary monetary benefit. So you would, you would have to ask for restraint and discipline. That is, is not natural to us, a natural to us as humans, and definitely not part of the American, American fabric, which is obviously opportunist, opportunism and entrepreneurialism. So, and it's there's a history of that every unprecedented event, if you go back in history, tend to occur every six to seven years. We have that unprecedented event of of a of a decline in the trough that that one can fully expect we in the decade the smarter people. I mean, that's that's sort of a South tyling Kong. But you know it when, in our business, we really reserved a lot of cash in 2020, and 2021, and I directed all of my management teams to just prepare for inevitable recession and entering entering with a high, you know, high reserves of of cash helps you through the town cycle. People who have leveraged themselves to the tilt and the pursuit of getting access to that capacity can deploy to earning, earning activities, have found themselves disappointed and and at the point of, you know, difficulty or despair at times, and many of them have since exited the industry or the business and all together. But it's not a it's not, I don't think it's avoidable. It's a cyclicality of commodity businesses, a lot of businesses, go through cycles. Oil and Gas is a violent cycle, ocean shipping, transportation, businesses of all coins, all of them are extraordinary. Link to economic gravitas, and that just, you know that just happens. The question is that, can you make the landing as soft as possible? Well, because you cannot avoid not going down,   Michael Hingson ** 42:18 yeah, which is really the wisdom and the thing that you have to do, we can't prevent it, but at the same time, we, if we are wise, we can prepare for it. And that makes perfect sense, because it's it is one of those things that just too many people just run right into things, and they do things, they just react. We have too many knee jerk reactions without strategizing, and that's part of the problem. So what you did is clearly the way to go, and the hope is that you're predicting enough of the recession and the level of it that that you'll be able to survive it and it won't become too bad.   Chris Jamroz ** 43:02 Yeah. I mean, listen, people at the peak of the cycle have difficulty seeing the cliff. They always try to believe that this time will be different and and it won't end up in tears like every single time beforehand. At the same time, people at the bottom of the cycle can sometimes pass. He passed the doom and gloom of the misery of today. But you know, as Rumi, the poet, says, This shall pass too. Yeah, say, and it's just, you know, you can never predict. And I don't you know, there's just you know all the even you know a broken clock is, is right twice a day, which is one of my favorite sayings, and right if you perpetually predict the negative you one day, you'll be right. If you you know a perpetual optimist, one day, you'll be quoted that you had predicted it. But I don't think there's this ability to put the timing on severity of these swings. What you can do is to do your absolute best to prepare for the cyclicality and inevitability of a of an economic cycle that impacts industry that are commodity industries, and try not to believe your own headlines. That's one of my favorite sayings to the things just when you have this kind of, you know, exuberant confidence in your own ability, but there's always a healthy check in that is, that is required and, and I always tell the management team don't, don't. You know, we very good, but we're not that good, and never, ever believe in your own press releases.   Michael Hingson ** 44:27 Yeah. Well, one of my favorite sayings is, don't worry about the things that you can't control. Focus on what you can and let the rest take care of itself. And you can't control the recession concept or recessions, necessarily, but what you can control is how well you prepare for it, and you think about it far enough in advance or sufficiently that you prepare as well as you can, and that's all you can do.   Chris Jamroz ** 44:52 Yeah, well said.   Michael Hingson ** 44:54 So I assume that right now, rates are cheaper than they have been in the past, and this is a good. Time to ship.   Chris Jamroz ** 45:02 It is a good time to ship. It is a good time to ship, particularly from, from a perspective of past. You know, years of 2020, 2122 and but you know, you don't. You know, the rates are byproduct of capacity and demand, right? It's always, there's the markets are very efficient when they find a market clearing price or rate for any service. The key is that you know, what do we do? Like about the LTL industry, that all the carriers are disciplined, so while everybody, nobody will be reporting record earnings this year, the what we do provides an adequate return on capital to provide for continuity and sustainability of our enterprise. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 45:49 it sounds like that you and what you do with Roadrunner, and I think in other places, have built companies and made them successful. And I think the most important part about that is that you build good teams. How do you do that?   Chris Jamroz ** 46:07 You know, everybody wants to play on the winning team. I've learned that fairly, pretty often, if you want. You know you could be not necessarily the easiest coach or not the kindest general manager of a sports team, but the players who want to join and come and play on the team, if you, if you win in championships and and it's all about the creating the little victories and momentum and creating the positive momentum, because it kind of takes a life of its own. And it's all about velocity of decision making processes. These are sort of a things that when, when I see, when I see organization crippled, you know, by the paralysis by analysis. And they kind of these full of smartest people in the world, but they just cannot make the right decision that they spend endless time through, you know, trying to model different outcomes. You attract top people who believe in the ability to become very effective as leaders, as managers, by combining the intelligence, the talent, the respect for data and analytics, and they empowered to make decisions, and they empowered to make a difference. That, you know, even through my life, you know, I've seen how many changes and the generations that are entering the workforce today are very different in behaviors that even Iowa's. And the contrast is quite stark, but what it is very magnetizing to to them is the ability to be impactful and do something they truly believe in, and do the right thing, and based upon very objective analysis, as opposed to, you know, do it because I say so, or gut based decision making and and so forth. So my teams, my management teams, evolved quite rapidly. You know, the last 1415, years, you know, I've had about probably 90% rotation in 19 million continue to upgrade, and so can people continue to find different paths so they just not good enough as the caliber of challenges I take on increases, but you know, I'm thrilled to see so many incredibly young, young folks on my team doing things that are just almost, you know, I could only describe as inspiring to me.   Michael Hingson ** 48:47 There's something to be said for energy, isn't there?   Chris Jamroz ** 48:51 Oh, energy is key. And from the leadership perspective, you need, you absolutely need credibility. So you need to act with integrity, authenticity. You need to win the respect of the people by fighting alongside with them in the trenches, you know, and being a very high energy leader, I think, is critical, particularly in industry as ours, right. I love the kinetic movement. I love the energy released by by transport and moving and and I lead the way that I would want to see the people around me behave, and I think that's critically important.   Michael Hingson ** 49:33 Yeah, I think there's a lot to be said for the fact that people need to relate to you and to leaders, because if, if they can't relate, if they can't really feel like they're part of the team, then they never will be. And the leaders, the person or the leaders, are the people who need to make that happen.   Chris Jamroz ** 49:57 I agree. I think there are different industries that. That that that aspect that you just mentioned is extremely important, logistics, absolutely. But there are different industries like, think about law firms or hospitals. They doctors don't need to be inspired by leadership. Lawyers need to be inspired by the Management Committee, the excellent professionals, and they operate within their own scope of autonomy, and they phenomenal what they do in logistics. It doesn't work. You could be the most brilliant person in the room. If you do not win the hearts and minds of your fellow teammates, you're not going to get anything done. And that is critical, because, if you and that's why logistics business, particularly those who do extremely well, have leaders, who have, you know, extremely personable, personable with a very high degree of energy. They're not, you know what you would have imagined in the past. You can see and sort of even the if you look in SMP and stock performance and and the shareholder value creation. You those firms who have very passionate, charismatic leadership teams tend to outperform dramatically the rest of the peer cohort. But   Michael Hingson ** 51:12 even in a law firm, if it's a real firm, and I think that's the issue, if it wants to operate as an entity, even the lawyers have their own cases and so on. But if, if it really wants to operate as an entity and find ways for people to collaborate and work together or work with each other at least, then there's got to be some level of leadership in it. And it sometimes happens, and then sometimes it doesn't. And I think that's true in in a lot of industries, but the best companies are ones where there is a a leader or leaders who can bring people together and make people all work toward whatever the common goals are, absolutely yeah, what's the best part of your job?   Chris Jamroz ** 51:58 You know the best part is seeing the people who have worked so hard, committed so much of the personal time and sacrifice of the years come to work, and you see that moment when there there are sparks in their eyes, when they see that their work matters and they Making a difference. And there's nothing more fulfilling, because everybody wants to be, you know, on the winning team. And you know, in the history of roadrun, which is obviously the most current one, but every other business that I've had the privilege of of being at the helm. You When? When, when people who make the companies start really feeling that they've made the difference and their contributions matter, and they're being appreciated, and the work shows there's no greater feeling in the world. So   Michael Hingson ** 52:49 what, what influences you? I mean, obviously you learn. You find ways to learn, and things need to probably influence you to to get to think the way you do. What are the things that influence you in the world, other than Acme and the Wiley Coyote?   Chris Jamroz ** 53:11 You know, this is I, I've, I've gone through my share of role models and mentors, and, you know, I'm profoundly grateful for the influence they've had on shaping the character of a person that I am and, and the business person that I've become and, and there were many right now, it's really sort of, you know, as you kind of, as I'm, you know, becoming more mature. It's really a kind of creating legacy and living legacy, and doing that through passing the proverbial baton to the new generations and seeing people step up and grow and become more confident in their abilities and truly believe in themselves, that's really is is is tremendous. And I think that's you know, as you know the you know, the my 20s and 30s, and soon the 40s will be over. The next, the next decade in my life will effectively about creating the living legacy, and that's probably the most powerful influence in my life. One   Michael Hingson ** 54:18 of the things that I've learned came from being a member of the largest consumer organization of blind people, the National Federation of the Blind, and the president of the Federation, years and years and years ago, started organizing what he called Leadership seminars. And that's continued with later presidents. But one of the things that the President said, well, actually, a question that he asked, I remember it clearly. It was on the Saturday Night of the seminar, is what is the most important thing that the president of the organization can and should be doing? And his response, after hearing what other people said, is. Because the most important thing I think the President has to do is to be looking for his successor, because there will become a time that he doesn't get to be president anymore, and if the organization is going to continue, then the President needs to be the one to find the person who can take over and do what needs to be done going forward. What do you think about that?   Chris Jamroz ** 55:28 I think it's very profound. I think it's critical. I I've, you know, through my, through my adventure and logistics, you know, I've been at the helm of, you know, now, the helm of eighth and ninth organization, and I've done, I've executed seven exits, and every single time that I left, what was left behind was a fully sustainable management team that could take, they would take the operation to the new The new level, but it would be their, their story wouldn't be mine anymore, right? And it's, it's tough. It's tough because first you first there's, we're humans, and we develop emotional connectivity. If we have the humans we obviously we relate, relate to fellow humans and and we we like what we do, and we tend to touch so it's difficult to let go. Second of go, particularly things going well. There's, you know, we tend to develop. There's an impeachable view of self, intellect and supremacy and irreplaceability, which is complete and nonsensical, but it is human. And I've maintained a very healthy discipline of not staying at the helm of any organization for more than three, four years, and and that's, you know, that's, that's very healthy. And I think at any given time you you have to create because, to be honest, if especially in today's, today's society, if people do not see the path forward, if they think that their abilities will not be recognized within the meritocracy of the organizational dynamics, they will leave the competition for talented spheres. And it's not a defensive play, but it's makes organization better. I've seen a lot of executives trying to hang on to the spots for decades and and to be honest, all they've accomplished. I think it's time. The the potential that organization could have had doesn't mean the businesses are not performing, but I think the reasons could have gone a lot further. And but it's time. It's difficult, right? We don't want to seem we don't want to see ourselves as impediments to growth. Who wants to think of themselves by that? It's I think, but I think it's a very healthy habits. As much as I'm a firm believer in term limits and in certain government fears, I'm a strong believer in term limits at the helm of commercial organizations, and I've lived by by example of that, having, you know, having exited seven times already. So my average tenure is just under, you know, just about two and three years well   Michael Hingson ** 58:12 and and obviously you Leave when you know that you've been able to put together a team, and even possibly including a person at the top of the team who can take over and continue the growth or whatever it is that the organization needs which is important,   Chris Jamroz ** 58:28 absolutely, absolutely. So   Michael Hingson ** 58:32 on a personal note, what do you do when you're not being CEO or chair of the board? What kind of hobbies or pastimes and other things like that do you do to be a little bit more frivolous in the world?   Chris Jamroz ** 58:45 So my absolute thing in the world is kiteboarding, which I don't get to do enough, but it is aspirations. Kiteboarding and sailing. These are the most relaxing things I can ever envision doing in my life, and it's been quite some time since I since I've sailed, and it's been quite some time since I kite board, so like, I'm targeting, you know, the end of this year to maybe get at least a few weekends out in The ocean, as   Michael Hingson ** 59:21 long as the sharks leave you alone.   Chris Jamroz ** 59:24 Well, if you outrun them,   Michael Hingson ** 59:26 well there, there's that. That's fair. Okay. Well, Chris, I want to thank you for taking so much time to be here. My hope that you've enjoyed it and had fun. I certainly have learned a lot, which is what I always like to do. And I really appreciate you taking the time to spend with us and making this, I think, a relevant and memorable podcast for people to hear. I   Chris Jamroz ** 59:49 could absolutely and thouroughly enjoyed myself, and thank you so much for inviting me and having me on your show.   Michael Hingson ** 59:54 Thanks very much for listening to unstoppable mindset. We hope that wherever you're listening, you'll get. Us a five star rating. We value that very highly. If you want to comment on this podcast, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me at Michael h i@accessibe.com, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, you can also go hear other podcasts anywhere podcasts are available, especially you could go to www dot Michael hingson, M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, s, o, n.com/podcast, but wherever you listen to us, please give us a five star rating. We value that very highly, and we hope that you'll come back and visit with us again next time. On unstoppable mindset, you music.   **Michael Hingson ** 1:00:45 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

With environmentally preferred purchasing policies in place in more than three-quarters of U.S. states and certified eco-conscious products required for new custodial contracts in federal buildings, demand for more environmentally friendly cleaners in public facilities continues to rise. Tune in as we speak with Kirsten Hochberg, Ph.D., Senior Specialist within CloroxPro's Clinical and Scientific Affairs team, about their company's solutions to protect health and the environment.

In this conversation, Liz Ross, CEO of Shift Paradigm, discusses the importance of transparency within a framework in leadership communication. She shares a personal experience where lack of transparency caused disruption and unrest within her organization. Liz emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the big rocks and immovable objects in a business, while acknowledging that there may still be uncertainties. She also highlights the value of having opposing force personalities in a team to challenge and push against strengths and weaknesses. In this episode you'll learn: Transparency within a framework is crucial in leadership communication to address uncertainties and prevent disruption. Leaders should communicate the big rocks and immovable objects in a business, while acknowledging that there may still be uncertainties. Having opposing force personalities in a team can lead to better decision-making and growth. Having a point of view and being willing to disagree is essential for effective communication and growth. Having a point of view and expressing it is crucial for effective communication and influence. The difference between disagreement and resistance. Why her philosophy is “never look backwards“ How to decide when to push an issue How she had to redirect on a $300 million campaign Advocating for others and building a team that complements your strengths is essential for success. About Liz Liz Ross is the President and CEO of Shift Paradigm and brings more than 26 years of experience leading some of the world's most progressive and fastest-growing agencies. She is passionate about challenging the norm and inspiring marketers to be early adopters of innovative ideas and technology. As a dynamic leader accustomed to navigating today's complex marketing world, Liz has pioneered brand-consumer relationships for clients such as General Motors, Delta, HP, General Electric, United Health Group, Michelin, Citibank, IBM, Clorox, Cox Communications, Hillshire Brands, Visa and Pepsi-Cola, to name a few.   You can connect with Liz Ross in the following ways: Shift Paradigm Website: https://www.shiftparadigm.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethross/   You can connect with Dr. Laura Sicola in the following ways: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/laurasicola-inc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VocalImpactProductions Facebook: Dr. Laura Sicola Twitter: @LauraSicola Instagram: @drlaurasicola Website: https://laurasicola.com Laura's Online Course: virtualinfluence.today See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CEO of Virtual Work Insider, Sacha Connor discusses the challenges of remote work and how distance bias affects professional teams. Marketer turned remote work advocate, Sacha Connor, shares about her journey and insights into leading distributed, hybrid, and remote teams. Sacha shares her experiences from working at advertising agencies to leading teams at Clorox and starting Virtual Work Insider in 2018. They discuss the challenges of remote work, including distance bias, creating team agreements, the importance of flexibility, and the necessity of evolving leadership skills for the modern workplace. The conversation also highlights practical solutions for improving productivity and connection within remote teams.BIOSacha Connor is the CEO of Virtual Work Insider, a consultancy that provides training programs and content on how to lead, communicate, collaborate, and build culture in hybrid, distributed, and remote teams. Sacha has 18 years of business leadership experience in marketing, sales, and new product innovation roles, including over 13 years of experience leading hybrid & distributed teams while working fully remotely. As one of the first remote marketing directors at The Clorox Company, she led brands worth over $250M and was the first fully remote member of the leadership team for a $1 billion business unit. Since the launch of Virtual Work Insider in late 2018, VWI has delivered over 300 skills training workshops, executive team sessions, and speaking engagements about hybrid and remote work to audiences of 10 to 1,000+. VWI has worked with clients that span a range of industries, including Toyota, Sephora, Vanguard, Under Armour, Allstate, Eventbrite, and Optum Health. CHAPTERS05:38 Sacha's remote work story08:18 Sacha's views on remote vs. in-person work13:10 How leaders reacted to Sacha's remote work experiment15:43 Becoming an omnimodal leader 17:50 Leading remote teams vs. in-person teams19:32 The value of remote work management skills22:24 Leadership skills and managing the abstract nature of people26:47 The importance of communicating preferences31:31 The mindset shift required to embed connection in work34:00 Is it necessary to meet in person?37:10 Building connections continuously38:53 Focusing on goals and roles and creating team agreements42:31 Flexibility in omnimodal environmentsLINKSNarnia WestmountEp. 1 - The Secret Super Powers of HIghly Sensitive People - with Clare KumarVirtual Work InsiderThe Clorox CompanyOrbit ERGDave UlrichInvested Leader ProgramHot Topics PlaylistHappy Space Work Style Profile™

With environmentally preferred purchasing policies in place in more than three-quarters of U.S. states and certified eco-conscious products required for new custodial contracts in federal buildings, demand for more environmentally friendly cleaners in public facilities continues to rise. Tune in as we speak with Kirsten Hochberg, Ph.D., Senior Specialist within CloroxPro's Clinical and Scientific Affairs team, about their company's solutions to protect health and the environment.

Lindsay Pedersen is the Founder and Brand Strategist at Ironclad Brand Strategy, a company that partners with CEOs to create rigorous and focused brand strategies, making the brand a powerful North Star for organizational growth. She is the author of the best-selling book Forging an Ironclad Brand: A Leader's Guide and an advisor to several companies, from startups to national corporations, including Duolingo, Starbucks, and IMDb. With a background as a P&L owner at Clorox, Lindsay brings a disciplined, growth-oriented approach to brand building, helping businesses increase their value with clarity and intention. In this episode… In a crowded marketplace, what truly sets your business apart? With so many options available to consumers, it's crucial to stand out, but how can you ensure your brand is memorable and distinct? According to Lindsay Pedersen, a seasoned brand strategist and author, differentiation is the cornerstone of building a powerful brand that resonates with customers. She explains that a well-defined brand makes it easier for customers to choose your business over competitors and enhances loyalty and pricing power. Maintaining a clear and consistent brand message over time requires ongoing innovation and commitment, ultimately strengthening your brand's position in the market and driving sustainable growth. In this episode of the Financial Clarity podcast, host Hannah Smolinski sits down with Lindsay Pedersen, Founder and Brand Strategist at Ironclad Brand Strategy, to discuss the significance of differentiation in branding. They explore how businesses can craft and maintain a strong brand, the importance of consistency in messaging, and practical strategies for leveraging brand differentiation to achieve long-term success.

Abby and Vanessa chat with RHOC's Gina Kirschenheiter about her new partnership with Clorox, cringe worthy housewife moments, back to school challenges and more. Learn what she wishes she could do over again and advice to mom's experiencing the first day for the first time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gibson Johns interviews "Real Housewives of Orange County" star Gina Kirschenheiter all about season 18, where she stands with Katie Ginella, supporting Shannon Beador, how Tamra Judge is acting this season, upcoming drama with BFF Emily Simpson, making that viral TikTok about her confessional look, working with "RHOM" star Dr. Nicole Martin on a Clorox campaign and more. Before the interview, Gibson recaps and shares his thoughts on Brandi Glanville's big receipt drop against Andy Cohen this week. Support “Gabbing with Gib”: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gabbing-with-gib/support   Subscribe to "Gabbing with Gib" on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/471D8Gb Follow "Gabbing with Gib" on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3StiCtY  Follow "Gabbing with Gib" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gabbingwithgib Follow "Gabbing with Gib" on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabbingwithgib  Follow Gibson Johns on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gibsonoma Follow Gibson Johns on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gibsonoma Follow Gibson Johns on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gibsonoma Subscribe to Gibson Johns' Newsletter: https://gibsonoma.substack.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gabbing-with-gib/support

Send us a Text Message.In this lively episode of the Remotely One podcast, hosts Rick Haney and Kaleem Clarkson chat with Sacha Connor, founder of Virtual Work Insider and a seasoned expert in remote work. Get ready for some valuable insights as Sacha takes us through her professional journey, marked by her pioneering role in remote work long before it became mainstream. Her story, deeply influenced by her Philadelphia roots, is one of resilience, innovation, and a commitment to redefining work in a distributed environment.Sacha's career took off in brand marketing after she graduated from Lehigh University. She worked at various advertising agencies, including the prestigious Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. But her desire to get closer to the products she was marketing led her to The Clorox Company in Oakland, California, where she managed iconic brands like Hidden Valley Ranch, Kingsford Charcoal, and Brita Water Filters!A pivotal moment came when Sacha decided to relocate to Philadelphia after the birth of her first child. Not wanting to leave her role at Clorox, she boldly asked to work remotely from the opposite coast—a groundbreaking idea in 2010, long before remote work was widely accepted. Clorox agreed but with significant caveats. However, despite these limitations, Sacha embraced the challenge and became one of the early pioneers of remote work, navigating the steep learning curve during a time when the tools and technologies we now take for granted were still in their infancy.As Sacha's remote work experiment at Clorox evolved, she effectively led distributed hybrid teams. Initially, the company viewed her remote work arrangement as a temporary experiment with strict boundaries. Still, Sacha's success eventually paved the way for a broader acceptance of remote work within the company.Turning 40 became another turning point in Sacha's life. Contemplating the next stage of her career, she decided to establish Virtual Work Insider. Virtual Work Insider offers training programs aimed at developing virtual leadership skills and equipping leaders with the tools they need to manage hybrid, remote, or geographically distributed teams.They also assist organizations in developing "team working agreements" or "team charters," which are foundational documents that clearly define how teams will operate in a distributed work environment. These agreements cover aspects like meeting times, communication norms, and how to accommodate team members in different time zones, helping to overcome some of the challenges that come with flexible work arrangements.Sacha's experiences and insights provide a valuable perspective on the ongoing evolution of work in a post-pandemic world. As companies continue to navigate the complexities of hybrid work, clear communication, effective coordination, and strong leadership skills are becoming more critical than ever. Through Virtual Work Insider, Sacha is helping shape the future of work by providing the tools and training necessary for teams to thrive, no matter where they are located!Learn more about Sacha:Sacha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachaconnor/  Learn more about Virtual Work Insider's training programs and speaking engagements: https://virtualworkinsider.com/

Marci updates you on her week. You will feel younger when you hear it. Someone asks for "The before picture". Bathing in nail polish. A miracle cure for the coffee-stained outfit.

Polaris' Chief Customer Growth Officer talks with The Current Podcast about how many of the company's customers are multicultural and have preferred style over performance. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.[00:00:59] Damian: I'm [00:01:00] Damian ​Fowler.[00:01:05] Ilyse: And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. And[00:01:07] Damian: welcome to this edition of The Current Podcast.[00:01:09] Ilyse: This week, we're delighted to talk with Pam Kermisch, the Chief Customer Growth Officer at Polaris. [00:01:15] Damian: Polaris was founded 70 years ago with the invention of the early snowmobile in 1954. Polaris takes its name after the North Star, and it's meant to reflect the location of the company's first headquarters in northern Minnesota. [00:01:34] Ilyse: These days, Polaris is the global industry leader in power sports. Offering everything from Indian motorcycles to its off road racers. And all the accessories that go with them.[00:01:44] Damian: During the pandemic, the brands saw a surge of interest in its vehicles as people embraced outdoor activity. Although it started out as a specialized brand, it continues to build on its popularity through its marketing campaign. Think outside. [00:02:03] Pam: Back in 1954, two brothers and a best friend decided they way, faster to get to their location. And they literally strapped a motor to the back of a sled and created the first snowmobile. It was ingenuity at its best. [00:02:20] And when I think about Polaris today, We have recreational vehicles. We have motorcycles. We have off road vehicles. We have boats. We also have utility vehicles that help people do work smarter. And at the end of the day, it's really about getting people outside and helping to have a better way to do things, whether it's working smarter or on the recreational side, having the most epic experiences with your friends and family.[00:02:47] Ilyse: Very nice. Now in 2019, the brand actually underwent a new rebranding with a new Think Outside campaign. [00:02:56] Ilyse: I read that there is a goal to basically grow the base [00:03:00] by 50 percent by tapping into your existing base and finding new customers as well. What was your strategy around that and how has it played out to this point?[00:03:11] Pam: Yes. So in 2019, We really took a look at talking to our existing customers, talking to potential intenders of our brands and talking to people we thought might be interested in what we offer. And we did some great consumer research. And what we learned is at the heart of it, we tapped into what they really care about.[00:03:35] And what we found is what our current existing owners care about. More people could care about. We just had to find the right people. We had to reach out to them. We had to show them how this could fit into their lives and introduce them to our brand. And it's really been a  huge effort the past few years. To find the right people and show them how this could fit in with what they  already do and make it better. And on top of bringing in more new customers, it's also bringing in new people that look a little different than our core customers.[00:04:11] Damian: Very interesting, because when you think what sell in a way, kind of very specialized, I don't know whether I'd it niche. [00:04:22] Pam: you know, I think when you look at household penetration off road vehicles, for example, household - So you're right. It's not something where it's 70, 80, 90 percent of the market has one of these. But what I will say is if you think about some of the audiences. We do attract people love outdoor recreation. love being outside. They love adventure. They might do camping, they might do hiking, they might do fishing. We also think about the people who do property maintenance They're farmers, they're ranchers, They're hunters. So, when you think about those populations, they are much more likely to buy our products. But if you look at the penetration even within those, We don't have 80 90 percent of hunters, so there's still so much penetration opportunity within people who do the activities where it seems like they would really benefit from something that we could offer them. [00:05:26] Damian: Was there a moment when you realized there was the potential to expand the audience? That's so interesting to me and I wonder how you found that opportunity.[00:05:40] Pam:  So I'm kind of a nerd, self admittedly kind of a nerd. And I really think that CRM and data and analytics played a huge role in this journey because prior to [00:06:00] having that type of capability, we actually didn't know how many customers we had. We had customers for decades, but we actually didn't know how many customers. We knew how many units we had sold, but units does not equal customers because you have people who have owned more than one over time. So going back a handful of years, we were able to Get CRM, take our data in, cleanse the data, de dupe our, people and, understand how many customers we had and set some goals and start measuring how many new customers came in each year.[00:06:35] And when I say new customers, some were brand new to the category. Some had owned competitive vehicles before, but never bought from Polaris.[00:06:45] Pam: some may have owned a used Polaris vehicle, but had never bought new from us. So It's not a flash in the pan sort of thing. This is a strategy that we really need to go after. And so it became very intentional to, of course, as the global leader, it's in our best interest to get existing customers and come back to buy again because we have the largest number of existing customers. But we also need to focus on bringing in new people and we've proven we can do it. So let's do it. [00:07:17] Ilyse: And that first party data is huge to any brand. How is Polaris is actually getting your first-party data from customers? Can you explain that shopper journey a little bit? And may how that journey may be different from a traditional auto dealer.[00:07:31] Pam: And Absolutely. So if you buy a car. It has to be warranty registered. So that manufacturer will know that you bought a car from them. So if anything should go wrong with warranty, that they are able to contact you. Very similar, when someone buys one of our vehicles and it gets warranty registered, we receive the customer information.[00:07:54] And we certainly can use third party data to append that, but we know who owns that vehicle. [00:08:00] We also do have people who visit our website. In our dealerships, the majority of them, we call them multi line dealerships. So, they do sell Polaris, but they also may sell Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Can Am. And so, you think of it very to being grocery store being in a cereal aisle, where you have all the competitors right there in the same you may think you're going to the cereal aisle to buy Frosted Flakes and Flip and buy multigrain cheerios. [00:08:32] Pam: A customer can come to our dealership thinking they're going to buy a Polaris Ranger and that salesperson can flip to a Can Am Defender. And so when you think about it, it is in our best interest with marketing to try to get that customer as committed to which brand and which product they want as early in the journey as possible to make sure that they can't get flipped at the last minute at the dealership. [00:08:59] Ilyse: You know, when it comes to digital marketing, because it's such a niche product, are there specific digital channels you've found to have more potential to reach the type of consumers you're trying to reach? [00:09:20] Pam: You know, I would say it's less about it being one particular channel because at the end of the day, our, our customers are, they're all over the place [00:09:31] in terms of their habits, their consumption habits, and whatnot. They're [00:09:34] regular people. But what's more important to us is understanding the people who buy our products. So we do have our owners. We know who our owners are. [00:09:44] And we can do third party data appending, we can do look alike modeling to understand. We can't afford to go after maybe everyone who loves the outdoors. That wouldn't make financial sense. We may not be able to afford to go after everyone who owns one or two or [00:10:00] five acres of property or more around the country or the world. But what we can do is do look alike modeling and use that data with our media partners to try to get more narrowed in on: Who are the right hunters that we should be going after? Who are the right type of landowners? And part of it is not only being able to find the right people but understanding which populations which segments came to our ones ended up buying, and using that info to continually optimize. But also, lot of really, smart things these days where using our current inventory and using that our media to be able to reach out to the right show them this sportsman that you looked at recently is available right now at this dealer down the block and trying to [00:11:00] drive urgency there or using other types of data that we might have.[00:11:04] whether they think they're shopping or not at that moment in time. [00:11:08] Damian: I wonder how you're connecting this because adventure tourism is a big deal right. And that's a growig market. Is that something you're growing into? [00:11:18] Pam: I, I Yes. So, several years ago we started something called Polaris Adventures. So certainly places rented off road vehicles in the past, but oftentimes they were the old ones kind of broken down and it was really important to us from a brand perspective. We're talking about if you're gonna do something from a brand perspective, build your brand. We wanted to make sure people were in the current vehicles, the most modern ones and the ones that we knew were going to give them the best experience. So we created something called Polaris Adventures. And you can go online and you can find Polaris Adventures and you can go to one of 270 locations. [00:12:00] 268 of them are in the United States.[00:12:01] One is in Mexico. One's in New Zealand. And you can rent a Polaris Side by Side Razor. You can rent a Polaris Slingshot, which is a three wheel roadster. Think of a Batmobile. It looks like a Batmobile. it rides on road. You can rent an Indian motorcycle if you ride motorcycles. And so you can do that in all of these different markets. And I'll tell you, even though I work at the company, I have used Polaris Adventures. I've ridden in the dunes in Oregon. I've ridden in the desert in Arizona and Mexico. I've ridden in the mud trails of West Virginia, and all, all kinds of other markets. In each one of those is a different experience because the terrain is very different. [00:12:42] Rock crawling in is completely different being in the and is completely different than being different than dunes in a [00:12:59] Pam: It's an [00:13:00] amazing way to people experience it. And you know what? Not all go buy one some will never buy one. Some may buy maybe at a time in life when it fits them better. And others may just put it in their Instagram feed. And guess what? I promise this. If you were to do this activity and you were to put it, in your Instagram feed, it is the best FOMO ever. All of your friends are, you know, texting. Where are you? What are you doing? and they want a piece of that. So I think it's highly relevant in today's world. And I think we're just playing a part of this growing travel market. [00:13:36] Ilyse: So, much fun. have fOMO right now. just even talking about and you know, it's [00:13:48] Ilyse: You described your family not as the stereotypical sports kind of family, and I would imagine there's a bunch of Polaris customers that wouldn't qualify as the stereotypical power sports types of people. Are there any types of segments that you wouldn't expect that are interested in power sports vehicles?[00:14:00][00:14:08] Pam: So it's interesting if you think about maybe what you would expect to think about from traditional power sports customers. You know, you might think older white male and historically, maybe that's how the category had been, particularly with ATVs and whatnot. Like I said, half of our customers now are younger women multicultural. So let's blow that up right now. But what I will say is going back a number of years ago, We created a product called the slingshot Polaris slingshot.[00:14:40] And like I said, it's a three wheeled vehicle. It rides on road. it's 5. 5 inches from the ground, open air cockpit. and it's very auto like, right? So now you can actually, get one that is automatic or manual. And, When we started with this vehicle, we assumed it was gonna be about performance because that's what a lot of power sports customers like.[00:14:59] [00:15:00] And if you look at it, it kind of looks aggressive, so it looks like it's gonna go super fast. We marketed it. We even did demos on racetracks because it was all about performance. And it was doing okay, not phenomenal. And we actually looked at the data, and the data showed we had a much higher percentage of multicultural customers who own this vehicle, and that was really not typical of the industry.[00:15:25] So we did consumer insights research to understand what brought them to Slingshot, why did they love it, and what we found was they weren't coming in because of performance. It was the style that really appealed to them and they loved that when they drove around in this slingshot heads turned.[00:15:42] And when we said there's something to this, let's start marketing that way. First of all, I think the brand is 40 plus percent multicultural customers today. But on top of that, the white customers that are buying this love style, [00:16:00] The personalization. They love the same what's interesting is when you go slingshot meetups, a lot local groups, clubs that have organized and they all get together. [00:16:10] When you at [00:16:13] Damian: has [00:16:14] Pam: diverse group of people you've ever seen. You multicultural, old, young, it might not be a group of people you ever would have imagined congregating, but they are loving each other and checking out each other's slingshots and talking about getting together and how much they love it.[00:16:32] And it's this common community that has brought these people together. And so I think we've learned some great lessons about. Sometimes you think you know, and one of the number one rules of marketing is, you know, you don't know, don't make assumptions. You need to actually listen to customers, learn from them and be willing to adapt. And that's been an awesome learning and really opened our eyes to opportunity within power sports. [00:16:57] Ilyse: that's a [00:16:57] good [00:16:58] Pam: the [00:17:00] things and to these there's of that look [00:17:11] Damian: vehicles. And then that goes out on social [00:17:13] Pam: is [00:17:13] Damian: that a whole [00:17:16] Pam: know, white Absolutely. You know what? You know what? Here's what I will tell you. Going back, I joined Polaris in 2015 and we had done some research on the Indian motorcycle brand and the path to purchase and[00:17:32] back then, the number one way that people came in on the brand was word of mouth. And that's been probably for centuries and for decades, it's word of mouth. [00:17:43] Pam: And in motorcycles, it might been, know, yes, your friends and family, but go to a truck stop and someone else there and you're checking out their bike you're asking they ask you how you like it. The beautiful thing today that definitely still happens a lot. But with digital[00:18:00][00:18:00] Ilyse: kind [00:18:00] Pam: learn from and share with. People they don't even know. And so you see people when they're shopping for a vehicle, they will ask, how do you like yours? What do you like? What don't you like? And it's authentic word of mouth. And so from a brand perspective, if you create something wonderful and people love it and you make them feel valued and appreciated as customers, then hopefully they're the ones out there selling for you. [00:18:28] Ilyse: You know, you mentioned social media, and typically, at least, the younger generation are on social media. Is it more difficult to inspire those younger generations. They're known for being tied to their technology, I know the pandemic at least many people looked to go outside more. Now that it's more safe, is it harder to inspire those generations to think outside?[00:19:03] Pam: I don't think so. what I will say is getting outside with friends and family and sharing experiences. is something people, especially our younger people love to do. I think a lot of our younger customers will tell you that if they're new to the workforce or if they're in school, you know, they feel handcuffed to their responsibilities. [00:19:26] Sometimes when you get outside, you put the phone in the glove box and you go out for a ride and you just you turn the tunes on. You have a great time. You'll get back to the phone later. No question. And you're going to stop and capture a lot of content and share with your friends on on Snapchat and whatnot.[00:19:42] But it is 100 percent about sharing experiences, and they love that. But I will tell you, going back in time, Innovation has always fueled our category. That's just the new news. People always want the newest, latest thing. And for a long time, it was power, horsepower. Is it more [00:20:00] CCs? Is it, you know, bigger, better, stronger, faster? I will tell you, technology is playing a very large role now in what people are choosing to shop for. [00:20:10] So, a couple proof are, we have something called Ride Command. So, I want you to think about it. If you were off roading or going on a snowmobile ride, you're not on roads. And a lot of times you lose cell service out there. One of the biggest fears people have is getting lost. You're out there in the middle of the woods and you get lost. You're out there in the middle of the desert dunes, you get lost. We have ride command technology that the maps will work even when your cell phone service doesn't work. And that's super helpful. It also has a, capability ride. So say I out with different,[00:20:46] Ilyse: probably [00:20:48] Pam: we want to ride together, but I don't want to ride so close that I'm inhaling your dust or your exhaust. So we out, but you might come to a fork in the road and take a left and I go to the right. Now we lose each other. [00:21:00] That's not fun either. The ride command has a group ride function where I can see all the other razors in my group. So we can ride together. I'm doing air quotes, but we can separate. And then I still know where everyone is. So technology, it's not technology for technology's sake. It's actually making the ride experience better. And I think that is extremely relevant to our younger customers.[00:21:29] called group go five [00:21:32] Ilyse: sales climb. as, as more [00:21:43] Pam: want to spread for sure. You know, well, at my house, you know, at least in the beginning, I was Clorox wiping the groceries. So I think we all kind of have vague memories of those days and. Life wasn't very fun because you were trapped inside unless you could go outside on a walk or do something. And we saw our [00:22:00] business really sore because on one hand, from a recreational standpoint, it was something that you could do safely outside and actually think about off road riding. You could be riding with a bunch of friends and you could each be in your own vehicle. So you were safe. You're wearing a helmet. I spent that first summer of 2020. A lot of weekends out on our boat and out there, the world felt normal. So for sure we saw sales surge. [00:22:27] And we were concerned, though, thinking, Okay, this is great. But when people have other options to spend their money on, are they gonna just trade in all these vehicles and flood the market? And suddenly we're not gonna have a sustainable, you know, healthy business that we've been having. It's not the case.[00:22:47] We actually look very much at our repurchase rates, and we look at short term one year. We look at three year. We look at five year. We look at 10 year. When you look at the one and three year repurchase rates, they are [00:23:00] very healthy and the five year repurchase rate is very, very strong, which tells you that the customers we brought in in 2020, 2021, they aren't just abandoning.[00:23:12] They actually have found something that really works for them and they're continuing to come back and buy again. [00:23:18] And by the way, they're going to tell their friends and family. So we believe that, It's a, good example of I always say never waste a crisis. pandemic was tough for a lot of reasons, but it certainly gave our business a boost and brought in a lot of new customers. And it seems like it's a very healthy population we in.[00:24:36] Damian: That's it for this edition of The Current Podcast. We'll be back next week, so stay tuned. [00:24:42] Ilyse: The current Podcast theme is by Love and Caliber. The current team includes Kat Fessy and Sydney Cairns.[00:24:48] Damian: And remember,[00:24:49] Pam: find the right show them how this could fit in with what they already do and make it better.[00:24:56] Damian: I'm Damian. And[00:24:57] Ilyse: And I'm Ilyse. And[00:24:58] Damian: we'll see you next time. And [00:25:00] if you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, tune in to our other podcast, The Current Report. 

In today's episode of Clocking Out, Raymond is joined by Sacha Connor. Sacha is the CEO of Virtual Work Insider. After experiencing first-hand how hard it truly is to lead across distance at Clorox, Sacha's team at Virtual Work Insider uses battle-tested strategies and tactics to teach teams and organizations how to lead, communicate, collaborate, and drive culture across distance. Virtual Work Insider has counseled and trained clients across many industries, including Toyota, Eventbrite, Vanguard, Under Armour, Sephora, L'Oréal, Highwire PR, Gilead, and Cisco. Since the launch of the company in late 2018, Virtual Work Insider has delivered over 250 training sessions, executive team workshops, and other speaking engagements on the topics of hybrid and remote work – to audiences of 10 to 1,000+.Sacha has been the keynote speaker for conferences and client events on virtual work topics like Leading Virtual Teams and creating a Virtual Workforce Employee Resource Group. She's spoken at conferences and events on marketing topics like Brand Purpose, Digital Marketing, and Influencer Marketing.Listen as Sacha shares her background, career path, how she founded her company, and other pivotal “clocking out” moments.  ResourcesConnect with Sacha on LinkedInLearn more about Virtual Work Insider at virtualworkinsider.comThe Invested Leader Training Program was designed to teach people managers the skills to connect, coach, and create inclusivity within their hybrid, geographically distributed, and remote teams. It is a 6-week cohort program with on-demand micro-learning components and live peer-sharing events. Learn more here.Visit careerminds.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, & YoutubeVisit Raymond's website or follow him on socials: LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok, X, & YoutubeOrder Clocking Out: A Stress-Free Guide to Career Transitions 

Doug Milliken shares his insight into being a highly experienced professional who deeply values the culture of an organization. After dedicating 35 years to a senior leadership position at The Clorox Company, he made the courageous decision to move forward. His motivation stemmed from recognizing that the organizational culture was not conducive to his mental and physical well-being. Doug's journey led him to co-found Creamer & Milliken, a boutique consultancy that specializes in helping clients establish cultures that foster engagement, commitment, and ultimately, organizational success. Doug is a firm believer in the power of belonging and the positive impact it can have on individuals within an organization, he references these unique human beings as “Difference Makers”. We extend our gratitude to Doug for sharing his expertise on the podcast and for his unwavering passion to drive positive change in corporations and communities alike. You can connect with Doug Milliken on Instagram @dougcmilliken or check out their website www.creamerandmilliken.com

Paul Jarrett is the Co-founder and CEO of Bulu, a company in the business of creating private-label subscription box businesses for some of the world's biggest brands such as Disney, Clorox, GNC, and Discovery Channel. Paul and his Co-founder and wife, Stephanie, launched Bulu Box, Bulu's flagship program in 2012 as the sixth subscription box to the market. Bulu pioneered taking subscription boxes from concept to creation and now they ship millions of boxes to happy subscribers nationwide. They specialize in working with multibillion-dollar retail brands by offering innovative solutions to go to consumers and they also offer e-commerce brands turnkey services such as customer service and fulfillment. Paul quickly gained recognition as a trailblazer and has been featured in the Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, PBS, Inc., CBS News, and many other major media outlets. In this episode… Have you ever wondered what it takes to navigate the complexities of e-commerce and logistics to turn a simple idea into a booming business? How does one go from packing boxes in a studio apartment to managing a 100,000-square foot warehouse while helping brands adapt and grow? Paul Jarrett's journey from running a subscription box service to leading a logistics powerhouse offers invaluable lessons in business transformation. His diverse background, spanning collegiate football, MMA, and roles at industry giants like Disney and GNC, adds a unique dimension to his story. The evolution of his company from a modest startup to a logistics leader exemplifies persistence, innovation, and strategic growth. Through Bulu Group, Paul and his team have mastered the art of providing customizable logistics solutions, enabling brands of all sizes to deliver their products to customers efficiently and affordably. In this episode of Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz hosts Paul Jarrett, Co-founder and CEO of Bulu, to discuss the importance of relationships, both in terms of networking and in running a business with his wife, Stephanie Jarrett. He emphasizes the value of grit, adaptability, and the willingness to challenge industry norms to create win-win solutions for clients. This conversation is packed with insights on leveraging technology and strategic thinking to overcome logistical hurdles, streamline operations, and dramatically increase a brand's reach and efficiency.

Kristian Schwartz spearheads The Montgomery Group, a boutique search firm he established, specializing in senior-level marketing and media placements. He is known throughout the industry for his thank-you notes. In this episode, we explored the power of thank-you notes and their impact on your professional brand. Whether digital or handwritten, thank-you notes create lasting impressions and show genuine appreciation. In this episode we discussThe benefits of sending thank you notes.What happened when a top company didn't receive any thank you notes from their leading candidatesShould they be digital or handwritten?How do different generations feel about thank-you notes?How thank you notes contribute to your professional brandShow guest:Kristian Schwartz, a seasoned leader with over 20 years in digital transformation and marketing, transitioned to executive search at Korn Ferry, rising to Senior Partner. His professional journey is a testament to his expertise, with tenure at renowned companies such as Wired Magazine, Razorfish, and Sapient, where he collaborated with influential Fortune 500 brands like Visa, Verizon, Clorox, Unilever, and Hewlett-Packard. Kristian founded  The Montgomery Group, a boutique search firm., specializing in senior marketing and media placements. He holds a B.S. in Microeconomics from the University of Oregon. Support the Show.Jill Griffin helps leaders and teams thrive in today's complex workplace. Leveraging her extensive experience to drive multi-million-dollar revenues for brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Samsung, and Hilton Hotels, Jill applies a strategic lens to workplace performance, skillfully blending strategy and mindset to enhance productivity, teamwork, and career satisfaction across diverse organizations. Visit JillGriffinCoaching.com for more details on: Book a 1:1 Career Strategy and Executive Coaching HERE Gallup CliftonStrengths Corporate Workshops to build a strengths-based culture Team Dynamics training to increase retention, communication, goal setting, and effective decision-making Keynote Speaking Grab a personal Resume Refresh with Jill Griffin HERE Follow @JillGriffinOffical on Instagram for daily inspiration Connect with and follow Jill on LinkedIn

Since first getting what she thought was her big break on ‘Last Comic Standing' almost 15 years ago, comedian Rachel Feinstein has been waiting for something to come along and help her achieve the next level of success. “By the time this comes, I'm going to be a star,” Feinstein says. “Hopefully after this interview, I'll at least get a Clorox commercial or something.” In this episode, recorded just after she taped her latest ‘Tonight Show' appearance and right before her debut Netflix special ‘Big Guy' premiered, Feinstein reveals that she may never have gotten this breakthrough moment in her career had she not done the one thing that “scared” her the most: getting married to the New York firefighter husband she spends much of her special mocking and then having a daughter. She also shares stories about mentoring Lil Jon in stand-up comedy on Donald Trump's ‘The Apprentice,' roasting Gilbert Gottfried's Hitler as Anne Frank on Netflix's ‘Historical Roasts,' and more. Plus, Matt and Allegra break down what makes ‘Hacks' the only funny comedy series on TV right now—and why Shane Gillis' ‘Tires' on Netflix is the exact opposite.Follow Rachel Feinstein on Twitter @RachelFeinstein and Instagram @rachelfeinstein_Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Alan Cox Show

The Alan Cox Show