The Business Observer’s From the Corner Office Podcast

This week we are joined by Dan Stone, Chief Operating and Development Officer at Front Burner Brands, parent company for the Melting Pot restaurants. Together, we talk about how Melting Pot has both built a welcoming place to work while maintaining a go-to spot for event and experience-based dining, leadership lessons from Dan’s time in the hospitality industry, and how the Melting Pot is staying up to date with their clientele.

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This week, we are speaking with University of South Florida President, Rhea Law. Together, we chat about how Rhea tackles leading a 16,000-employee organization, leadership advice for students, being invited into the Association of American Universities (AAU), and a status update on a new football stadium. 

Rhea Law was named president of USF in March 2022. She’s the eighth president in USF history and the first USF alum to serve a...

This week, we are speaking with Sunshine Ace Hardware’s President, Michael Wynn. Together, we discuss how the organization has stayed relevant in the highly competitive sector, Sunshine Ace’s core values, and how Michael looks for leaders to promote from within. Michael has done a wonderful job carrying on the legacy of his grandparents, who started the company, and is now looking to expand the brand even further with home services...

This week, we are speaking with Ed Chiles. Ed’s company owns and operates three popular Manatee County waterfront restaurants: Beach House, Mar Vista and Sandbar. 

Together, we discuss how Ed and his team built the waterfront restaurant company over 45 years, working for a purpose larger than yourself, and the leadership lessons Ed learned from his father, the late Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles. 

3 Takeaways:

1. (12:45) Especially no...

Join us this week as we speak with Heather Kasten, President and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

Together, we discuss Heather’s career trajectory, her success in returning to work after raising children, what qualities she sees in great leaders, and how she has shaped the culture of the Chamber.

3 Takeaways:

1. (13:00) You have to have a balance of stress and fun in a work environment
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Join us this week as we speak with West Herford, President and CEO of On Ideas. On Ideas is a branding, PR and change management company with offices in Jacksonville and Sarasota. 

Together, we discuss West’s interesting background in advertising. West started his journey in Paris and London, then came back stateside and worked with companies like Jack Daniels. We chat about lessons learned in navigating the challenges of the pande...

Join us this week as we speak with serial entrepreneur, Brian Anderson, co-founder of ERTC Express. ERTC Express is a Tampa business that helps businesses nationwide apply for the federal pandemic relief Employee Retention Tax Credit Program.  

Together, we chat about the art and science of hiring dozens of people at the same time to staff a rapidly growing company, how to maintain a strong culture as a startup and empowering manag...

Join us this week as we welcome Julie Henry, founder of Finish Line Leadership. Julie has presented her leadership teachings before more than one million people across 32 states and six countries. That goes from on-site and online settings, and, she says, “from auditoriums and ballrooms to boats, beaches, forests, theaters, boardrooms and even underwater while feeding sharks and moray eels.”

We discuss lessons that can resonate wit...

A former corporate executive of three Fortune 10 firms, Kyle began to transform his career with the book “Begin with We: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence.” His motto now is to rid the corporate world of its toxic ways using 10 principles that govern how the team treats each other and those they serve. 

Join us as we speak with Kyle about the concepts in the book and how executives can apply them. We...

On this week’s episode, we are speaking with co-founder and CEO of PRESS PR + Marketing, Holly Clifford Corral. Holly founded PRESS in 2007 and has since become a go-to marketing and PR firm for dozens of entertainment, sports and food and beverage clients, from Outback Steakhouse to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Holly shares leadership lessons from her time as an collegiate athlete, techniques for finding and hiring top people and why...

Jeff has been CEO of Venice-based PGT Innovations, a national leader in impact-resistant windows and doors, since 2018. Jeff joined the company, one of the region’s largest private employers, in 2005 and led its IPO in 2006. The company now does nearly $1.5 billion a year in revenue. 

Join us as we speak with Jeff about his roots in accounting and how that experience helped him in his roles at PGT. We also discuss how Jeff maintain...

This week’s guest is Deanna Wallin, founder and CEO of Naples Soap Co. She has a classic entrepreneur story: she sought a product, soap for her daughter’s sensitive skin. But no one sold one she liked. So in 2009 Deanna, a former nurse, created the soap on her own. Then she started to sell it. After a decade, with lots of twists and turns, she’s at the helm of an $11 million publicly traded company that mixes a dozen or so stores w...

This week’s guest is Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch. A word many people use to describe Chris’ management style is “authentic.” From eating lunch in the break room to delivering Gatorade to stores in preparation for their busiest day, Chris tries to lead by example. Chris joins us to speak about leading through the pandemic as a new CEO, taking First Watch public, recognizing outstanding employees and the lessons he learned from...

This week’s guest is Audrey McGuckin, CEO of the McGuckin Group. Audrey grew up in a mining village in Scotland, where she started her career working in a sand quarry. She took some risks, seized opportunities and grew her career quickly, rising to become chief talent office at St. Pete tech giant Jabil.  

Now at the helm of the McGuckin Group, Audrey and her team collaborate with organizations worldwide. They offer expertise in ta...

Join us as we extend a warm welcome to OfficeMax Founder, Michael Feuer, on the inaugural episode of the Business Observer's From the Corner Office Podcast. Prepare for an engaging conversation as Michael delves into the essence of effective leadership, shares invaluable lessons from his tenure at OfficeMax, and recounts a bold encounter when he cold called none other than Jack Welch, one of America's most esteemed business executi...