Beyond High Street

Brian Niccol: CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Special guest on the pod today – Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Brian Niccol (Chipotle now has more than 2,500 restaurants!). A rapid fire discussion on innovation, learning daily, mentorship and dealing with conflicts/problems. He takes us on a journey of finding an internship that led to his first job (P&G for 10 years) and the power of problem solving. We also talk about the balance of daily execution while thinking about long-term opportunities and change. Stay for the close where he talks about his second stop each time on campus (his first being Chipotle, of course).

Cameron Cummins: Co-Founder, Pivotal Growth Partners

Cam Cummins is co-Founder of Pivotal Growth Partners, Owner of inHOUSE Marketing and is quite simply, a great person. We have spent quite a bit of time together on Miami University’s Entrepreneurship Board and I learn something from Cam every time I see him. Today’s conversation stretches from the art-and-science of franchising to the power of Miamians in Chicago. We also touch on taking unpaved paths, and figuring out pain points in work and using them to your advantage. He credits the late Miami professor Doc O (Bruce Olson) as an inspiration to his success. Doc O forced Cam to be better and overachieve (and he did so for many of his students in Oxford!). Finally, Skipper’s gets some great shout outs in the pod as it was the physical location in which Cam made his decision to head out to Los Angeles for work immediately after graduation.

Austin Mace: Co-Founder & COO, Subvrsive

It is incredibly impressive to see what Austin Mace has managed to accomplish despite being just four years removed from his graduation at Miami. He is the Co-Founder and COO of Subvrsive, a  company developing exciting new ways to capture content across a variety of mediums. Like many guests on the pod, he identified something he was passionate about while at Miami and figured out a way to make it his career. For Austin, it was developing a new camera to shoot in VR-compatible 360°, which is the foundation of what Subvrsive does to this day. He serves as an Advisory Board Member at Miami’s College of Creative Arts, and was recently awarded the prestigious 18 of the Last 9 Award.

Jeffrey Kadlic: Founding Partner, Evolution Capital Partners

Each time I listen to Jeff Kadlic I learn something new. He is a 25-year friend (and our wives were housemates at Miami too!) and a Founding Partner at Evolution Capital Partners. Our discussion spans from goal setting (and the moment he figured out the importance of that trait) to an 101 on the financial capital markets. Like many, he credits Miami for the opportunity to think and the experience he received traveling to Lux and Moscow as a student. He leads Miami’s Cleveland development team and is a Miami Entrepreneurship Board member (me too). He closes with wise tips for students and those eager to learn and advance in their careers. Hope you enjoy. I did.

Ron Carson: Founder, Cool Action Suits

Ron Carson is the creator and founder of Cool Action Suits, a first of its kind suit company that brings moisture wicking fabric technology to formal wear. Ron had the idea on a hot tarmac in New Delhi as a logistics, security lead for President Obama that there has to be a better way to dress (formally) in heat. And as they say, the rest is history. In our conversation, he shares a wonderful story about Miami’s motto Prodesse Quam Conspici and how it made Oxford feel like home.

 

Jeff Pegues: Justice & Homeland Security Correspondent, CBS News

Jeff Pegues is a CBS News correspondent, two-time author and multi-Emmy winning journalist. And just last month, he was the commencement speaker for Miami’s 2019 graduating class. He currently leads the Chief Justice and National Security beat for the news organization. I enjoyed the discussion about how he prepped for delivering an address to students (yes, of course he was a bit nervous) and the key messages he wanted to make sure he conveyed to the graduating class. He likes to explore the unknown and stresses the importance of trying new things to the students and his peers.

Charlie Metzger: EVP, Detroit Pistons

Charlie Metzger is the EVP, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at Palace Sports and Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons, where he oversees all business functions including marketing/sales strategy, communications, fan experience, social media, and community relations. We discuss the challenges of his job and the differences of working for a team, brand and agency (he has done all three!). He discusses the advice he shares to many about the willingness to take on all challenges and try as many adventures as you can. He is data driven, customer-centric and the dad of a recent Miami grad.

Mike "Doc" Emrick: Play-by-Play Announcer, NBC Sports

Miami University alum Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick is not only the voice of the NHL on NBC Sports, he is simply the voice of hockey. His vast and successful 46-year broadcasting career 46 years includes six Sports Emmys for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play – including just two nights ago! Our conversation focuses on the beginnings of his incredible vocabulary and language recall to his advice for new graduates, and how he keeps his energy up throughout his broadcasts (spoiler: Peanut Butter). During his recent Sports Emmys acceptance, he even gave out his personal email (2x) for aspiring broadcasters to reach out to him for advice and questions. Now that’s a class act. Make sure to catch Doc calling the Stanley Cup Finals beginning May 27 on NBC.

Kathryn Stalmack: SVP & General Counsel, BioScrip

A deep discussion with SVP and General Counsel of BioScrip, Kathryn Stalmack about work-life balance and the personal choice of a woman to work or stay at home. It’s an important discussion that is not shared publicly much. Kathryn took it head on. She also elaborated on the unpredictable aspect of her work and the tone/communications skills needed for her audiences (staff, clients, shareholders, Board). We also dig into Kathryn’s process for learning, and the importance of taking care of your yourself in order to bring your best self to work. And of course we touch on Miami, ever-lasting friendships she made in Oxford, and how one of her best friends enabled her to be proud of every aspect of her personality. She makes a great point about the importance of understanding the unique personality traits that separate you from others, and being willing to embrace them. 

As we head into the summer months, we are turning the podcast into a once every two weeks release. See you at Skippers.

 

Andy Sauer: Founder, Hilo Nutrition

Andy Sauer continues a recent conversation trend; entrepreneurs who identify problems and work-round-the-clock to solve them through innovation. There was a lack of convenience and clarity in performance nutrition and Andy isn’t stopping until it is fixed. Through experience and a bit of trial and error, he and his team at Hilo Nutrition have developed a gummy product to meet the needs of all athletes. Our conversation focuses on the line entrepreneurs must toe between wanting to get your idea to market, and taking the time to make sure it’s perfect. He shares the journey as they evolve from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar and he shares great advice for upcoming graduates too. He points out: learn as much as you can at each stop in your career, and continue to rely on the mentors you meet along the way.