Square Stories
Episodes
Elyse Guidas is a deep thinker and always has been. She’s moved and grooved, in and out of her hometown of Phoenix, all while being focused on the well being of others. As the CEO of Farm Express, a fleet of former city buses transformed into mobile produce markets built to serve communities in food deserts, she’s focused on creating an even playing field for all. Armed with a truly unique revenue model, an ...
Lauren Bailey has always been comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Where others would wither away or tremble in fear, Lauren thrives. From picking and paying for college to building restaurant concepts, her creative problem solving has led to massive success. She’s a powerhouse; equipped with boundless energy, a deep wanderlust to experience the world and brains equal to her brass fortitude, Lauren makes things happen.
Haley Rushing believes that discovering your life’s purpose is perhaps the most important thing you’ll ever do. But she also understands that’s not an easy task — for both individuals and organizations… That’s where her purpose comes in. Join us as Brian talks with Haley about how traveling as a child shaped her worldview, how not having a plan can be the best path, why having a purpose should d...
Sentari Minor believes in the power of doing good. No, not doing “well” — doing good, as in changing the world. He also believes in the power of relationships. Sentari leverages those two beliefs to lead his mission as a social-impact advocate and passionate relationship builder. Join Brian Burkhart as he talks to Sentari about his Phoenix roots, life at a small liberal arts college, Arby’s Jamo...
Brad Farris believes business founders are control freaks who need to learn to let go. His purpose is to help the founders and owners of various firms do just that — let go so their businesses can grow and their people can thrive. As the founder and principal advisor of Anchor Advisors, Brad has served as a small business advisor to more than 100 companies. He and the team at Anchor believe in the power of the four P’s —...
Pearl Chang Esau believes that access to an excellent education is transformational for individuals, families and communities. Deeply committed to improving life prospects for all, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity or disability, she champions educators, students and disadvantaged populations so that they can reach their full potential. Pearl is a BIG DEAL. She’s received tons of comm...
Tom LaMantia believes in making things happen. He’s the managing director and co-founder of Magenium Solutions, where he helps clients implement technology in order to grow their businesses, be more productive and stay competitive. With over 30 years of experience in global, high-tech digital transformation, Tom truly is a strategic thinker and innovator. And he’s one hell of a leader. Before starting Magenium, he was the co-fou...
Robin Reed believes in learning from the past to change the future. And instead of dwelling on the inevitable challenges one faces in business, Robin believes those obstacles are invaluable opportunities to grow, gain insight and refine problem-solving skills. He’s the President and CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona, a nonprofit founded in 1998 that exists to improve the economic development of its business entrepreneur...
Pamela Slim believes that people have the power to shape the world through their work. So much so, that she traded in her job as a corporate training manager for a solo career in the late ‘90s … and she’s been changing the world ever since. With her newfound sense of purpose and excitement out on her own, her life came alive. She had to share that feeling with the wor...
Luis Avila is a man who believes deeply in the power of collaboration to create platforms, spaces and opportunities for empowerment — he’s got a passion for working with people to get big things done. And he’s got quite the résumé. After migrating from Mexico almost two decades ago, Luis stayed in the United States to attend college, where he developed projects with people involved in the arts, politics and social justice. This ...
Mark Rickmeier believes in the power of failure. He’s the CEO of Table XI, a UX research, design, and software development company based in Chicago. Table XI has helped massive clients such as Tyson Foods, AccuWeather, Northwestern University, Jimmy Dean, the YMCA, the Journal of the American Medical Association and so many more. Mark has only been at the helm of Table XI since October 2016, but he’s called the tech world home f...
Ivette Rodriguez is the co-founder and Executive Director of Phoenix International Academy, a charter school in Phoenix. Talk about standing for something — Ivette and the other founding members built the school on a foundation of strong, well-codified core beliefs. For example, they believe in partnering with families and communities to provide learning experiences that develop innovation, collaboration and social responsibilit...
Jenny Poon is a highly diverse entrepreneur and the founder/CEO of CO+HOOTS, the largest coworking community in the state of Arizona. CO+HOOTS was ranked the No. 4 coworking space in the nation by Inc.com, and it currently serves as the home to more than 280 entrepreneurs and small businesses. Because of her tremendous success and the rapid growth of CO+HOOTS since it opened in 2010, Jenny was named Phoenix Business ...
Candice Frazer is the Senior Vice President of Operations at TTI Success Insights, a local Scottsdale firm that provides assessment-based talent management solutions to organizations on a global scale. As the SVP of Operations, Candice acts as the central hub of communications for all projects, initiatives and results for the organization. Her self-described superpower is “organizing the chaos and embracing visions not often see...
Robert Armstrong is a co-founder and the CEO of Appstem, a leading digital product agency based in San Francisco. Appstem is all about creating informed, human-centered innovations that transform complex business problems into elegant digital solutions. But Appstem hasn’t always been at the top of the digital food chain, so to speak — Robert and the team come from humble beginnings. Appstem’s first big client came when Robert co...
Todd Unger is the Chief Experience Officer and Senior Vice President of Physician Engagement at the American Medical Association. He’s known as a transformational leader for the digital age, with the classic profile of a “productive disruptor” — and man, he has the résumé to back it up. Before his time at AMA, Todd was the CMO and Chief Digital Officer at Daily Racing Form, a 125-year-old news outlet ce...
Reid Lappin is the founder and CEO of Vokal, one of Chicago’s leading digital design and innovation firms. Thanks to Reid, his company's client roster will certainly get your attention — Vokal has worked with Whole Foods, Bosch, Groupon and the San Francisco 49ers, to name a few. So yes, Reid is a technological prodigy, a genius by any measure — but interestingly enough, he wasn’t always on the front lines of technology and ...
A respected senior executive in the world of food retailing, Michael Sansolo is now a consultant, speaker and author. In his first book, “The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies,” Michael takes all kinds of cool leadership, marketing and workplace dynamic lessons learned from awesome movies like “The Godfather,” for example. His second book, “Business Rules! 52 ways to achieve business success,” came out in 2...
Joe Tortorich is perhaps the most passionate person you’ll ever meet — and his passion for everything he does is undeniably contagious. As the Vice President of Operations and Sales at Torch Trailer Repair — his family’s business — Joe jumps into every day on the job headfirst. And while he’s proud of his work and his family’s success in the business world, his actual family members mean most to him. So come along for the ride a...
Kathy Kolbe is a fascinating individual in a class all by herself. She’s an iconoclast who’s always been ahead of her time as a female leader. In fact, she was even recognized in Time magazine’s 1985 "Man of the Year" issue for her groundbreaking accomplishments. Kathy is the founder of Kolbe Corp and is arguably best known for creating the Kolbe A™ Index, which is widely considered "the only valid and relia...
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