March 11, 2022 • 44 mins
Daniel Liberatoscioli, President (Walnut Hill College); Justin Wineburgh, President & CEO (Alkemy X); Erik Soiferman, Founder & Owner (Liberty Urgent Care); Brendan Slay, Executive Director & Head Coach (Pennsylvania RTC)
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Episode Transcript
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(00:10):
Welcome to Executive Leaders Radio, yourspot in the corner office, the radio
show where executives share their secrets tosuccess. Executive Leaders Radio. You're listening
to Executive Leaders Radio. This isyour host, Herb Cohen with my coach
Jim Wilson, Newmark Kilip Poppas Hamlinand Matt Clark Quescentric. Jim, can
(00:31):
you please give us a rundown?And who we have on the air today?
Please sure, Herb, We've gota great show today. We've got
Eric Souferman, founder and owner LibertyUrgent Care, Justin Weinberg, President and
CEO Alchemy X, Brendan Slay,executive director and head coach Pennsylvania RTC,
and Danny Liberato Sholey, President WalnutHill College. Let's get to our first
(00:56):
guest, Eric Suferman, founder,excuse me, founder and owner Liberty Urging
Care. Eric, what is LibertyUrgent Care? What are you guys doing?
Liberty Urgent Care is a welcome medicalclinic. We do non emergency,
non life threatening medical care. Whereare you from originally? How many brothers
and sisters and where are you inthe pecking order? From the Philadelphia suburbs.
(01:18):
I have one sister, she's threeyears younger than an eight to fourteen
What was the list of stuff youwere up to as a kid eight to
fourteen years old? Mostly sports.I had one really good best friend.
We were playing baseball and soccer andpretty much inseparable. So you're a doc.
How young were you when science beganto show up in your blood?
(01:42):
Probably around nine years old. Myfather was a doctor. I was at
his office. There was an emergency, either in the waiting room or on
the street, I don't quite remember, and he was the calm in the
storm and took care of the patient. And I knew that's what I wanted
to do. What do you meanthat's what you wanted to do? What
are you talking about? I lovedthe calm in the storm and being able
to take care of an emergency thatwas everyone else around him was panicking,
(02:07):
but he knew what to do,he knew how to fix it. And
that's that That's who I wanted tobe. Boy, makes a lot of
sense. That's why you're running Libertyurgent care centers. Caleb, Hey,
Eric, tell us a little bitmore about your dad. So my dad,
UM was a an attorney and aphysician. UM and you know,
(02:29):
was was my role model grown up. So did you ever spend any time
with them in his practice? Allthe time from the time I was about
I don't remember, you know,seven or eight years old, Whenever I
had free time, I wanted tospend time with Dad and I would go
down to his office and hang out. What did you see with between him
and the interactions of people in thecommunity. It was a South Philly practice,
(02:51):
so it was very community based.Um, the people loved him.
He loved the people, and itwas wasn't much of a you know,
it was a doctor's office, butit was a family kind as well.
So what did you learn about theserelationships with people and their doctors, their
employers, people in the community.That it's really important to form a bond
with the community where you work.Become as involved as you can so that
(03:13):
there's a respect both professionally and personally. It makes for things to go much
smoother. Jim. Yeah, Eric, he told us your mother also had
a big influence on your life.He tell us what she did. Yeah,
mom was a public ration public relationsdirector for hospital systems and medical practices
(03:35):
attorneys, and she also ran herown business. What were some of your
experiences with her. You mentioned somethingabout hearing her on the radio. Yeah.
So there was a tragedy when Iwas in tenth or eleventh grade right
around our neighborhood, and it wasa really trying thing, and I rent
I was in high school. I'dgot in the car when was running over
(03:57):
to her office to see if shehad heard about it, and I heard
her on news radio being interviewed aboutit. Um, it was really cool.
It was you know, there wasthere was my mom in the same
role there where my dad was,where she was the common the storm.
What do you take with your motherto work with you every day? Well,
when I was a kid, shewas on call and it was when
pagers first came out, and itwas this big, long brick thing,
(04:17):
And while I was sitting waiting forthe bus, I would be holding her
pager because my mom was so cooland my mom was important and it was
cool to hold that pager. Sothat that's a memory that I that have
kept with me since I'm you know, five six years old. Did you
want to be important like mom anddad like you are? With these urgent
care centers when somebody has an emergency, there's really depending on you, Matt,
(04:39):
What do you got? You mentionedyou switched from private school to public
school. Uh, at some pointin your childhood? What precipitated that moved
from from private school to public school? So my family moved from one house
to another, we moved into thepublic school system that was that was really
good, and we switched over schools. How all are you when that happened?
(05:00):
Twelve? Tough age to switch schools? Was that a tough transition?
It would have been a tough transitionexcept I had my best friend that went
to the old school with me.He also moved. We were inseparable at
the time, and we transitioned together, so it was much easier than it
could have been. And what didyou learn about having people kind of close
(05:20):
to you help you through kind oftough transitions. Relationships are amazing. And
you know now I have people thathave worked with me for years, but
even more so, I have peoplethat worked with me years ago that are
now back working with me again.Who's got the next question? Hey?
Eric? How young were you whenyou started making money? My first job
(05:43):
was sixteen at a cashier at asupermarket. Tell us a little bit about
some of your task what you're doingthe supermarket. It was just ringing things
up. It was before barcode,so everything was rung in by hand.
How about any influences there? Whatwere the bosses like? So there were
two that I remember. One wasgreat, you know to a sixteen year
(06:06):
old. Understood that I was sixteen. One was not so great, and
it wasn't a great experience, butit taught me a lot of the different
kinds of leadership and how I wantedto be when I you know, when
I was a leader. So youcan learn from good managers and bad managers.
Tell us a little more about that. I say it all the time,
(06:28):
and I, you know, Ithink that learning how you don't want
to do something is just as importantas how you as learning as how you
want to do something. So let'ssee some of a lot of the time
you spent growing up. You arein a doctor's office, you're in a
grocery store. These are really pillarsof the community. Do you think it's
important to have local businesses like that? Absolutely? And one of the things
(06:49):
that I really pride myself on isthe relationship I have with the communities where
I put my urgent cares. Firstthing I do is contact the township and
the police departments and the fire departments, and we sponsor all of the sports.
It is so important to be involvedin that community. It just makes
the relationship so much tighter and trustand being a part of it is really
(07:10):
really important. Do you get toknow the people in each individual community?
Absolutely tell us more about that.What are the relationships like there? You
start with getting to know the people. You start with getting to know the
township's administration to the point where theyall have my cell phone. They call,
they need a favor, They absolutelyno problem. How can I help
(07:31):
you? What can I do?And they reciprocate. You really become a
part of that. It's not justa business in the community, it's a
part of the community. You actuallyadmire your dad quite a bit and me
are a lot of who he is. How are you different from your dad?
So my mother says that I'm amore refined version of my father,
(07:53):
to the point where we unfortunately lostmy dad last year. But it's interesting
that he always knew somebody where whereverwe went. He had a lot of
contacts and a lot of friends,but a lot of it we're business contacts,
whereas I have less contacts and lesspeople, but the people that know
who I am, know me andknow why they know me, and know
who I am and what I do. Eric, you mentioned playing baseball at
(08:18):
a young age and you played everyposition, and then when you moved to
public school, you kind of wentfrom being the best player in the private
school to kind of middle the packat public school. What does that teach
you to how you're running the businessnow from you know that flexibility and that
that constant striving. It teaches youthat there's always something to strive for.
There's always going to be someone that'sbetter. There's always going to be someone
(08:41):
that has something that you don't.It teaches you about teamwork. It teaches
you about knowing who to look forand not being afraid to not be the
best, and to not being afraidto say, hey, I need help.
Um, you don't have to makethe double play by yourself. You've
got another player that you can throwthe ball too. What's the best part
of your job? As it sayshere, you're the founder and owner of
(09:05):
Liberty Urgent Care. What's the bestpart of your job? What do you
enjoy the most? Um, Ireally love everything about it. I love
the medicine, but but as Igrow the business, I love making those
relationships. I love being um,I love being a boss. Sometimes obviously
it's not so much fun, butI love that. I really have grown
(09:26):
my business to be that family atmospherelike I saw in my dad's practice.
UM My staff is terrific. Icouldn't do it without them. The townships
and the communities are terrific. Icouldn't do it without them. That's really
my favorite part of the job isthose relationships and do intended to build a
dynasty here or how large your house? Ball? Is this thing going to
(09:48):
be? Urgent cares in general aregrowing. I went from you know,
I started my first one in twentysixteen, and last year I opened two
more. Um so you know Ihave three now and we'll see what the
future brings. I mean, Ithink the plan is to keep going.
Why not? Um, Well,you sent earlier is always more. What
(10:09):
is the website address? If thiswe're going to known as Liberty Urgent Care,
It's Liberty UCC dot com. Letme have that one more time,
sure, Liberty UCC dot com.We've been speaking with Auric Suferman, who
is the founder and earner of LibertyUrging Care here on Executive Leaders Radio.
(10:30):
Don't we get to visit our websiteIt's Executive Leaders radio dot com to learn
more about our executive leaders. It'sExecutive Leaders radio dot com to learn more
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after this quick break. This isherbco and your host of Executive Leaders Radio.
(10:52):
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(11:13):
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(11:33):
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(11:58):
We're back here listening to Executive LeadersRadio. This your host, her
of Cohen. We'd like to introduceJustin Weinberg, President and CEO of Alchemy
X, Justin? What is alchemyX? What are you guys doing?
Alchemy X is a global media andcreative content company. We make television shows,
commercials, movies, advertising. Ifyou watch it, we make it.
And where you're from originally? Howmany brothers and sisters? Where were
(12:22):
you in the packing order? FromPhiladelphia? I have two younger brothers.
I am the eldest. And tellme eight to fourteen? What kind of
stuff for you up to? What'sthe list look like? First and foremost?
I played violin and tuba. Onthe sports side, played hockey and
lacrosse. Caleb Justin, tell meabout your musical career. How young were
(12:48):
you when you started? Five yearsold? My mother stuck a violin in
my hands, said you're going toplay an instrument and you're not going to
quit. What about your first performance? When was that? That was the
first real performance? Was in sixthgrade at the Philadelphia Academy and music.
Was it a small It was justyou and maybe five or ten other people?
No, it was a full distract. Was performing with the Philadelphia All
(13:11):
City Band of Orchestra. Okay,well, at least if you weren't having
a great day, you could probablyblend in with the whole orchestra. You
can only blend in as long asyou're in sync with the rest of the
orchestract. If your violin boat isn'tmoving in the same time, in the
same direction as everyone else, theyknow you're not doing your job. So
it seems like at a young ageyou probably learned to be in sync,
(13:31):
learn to be prepared. Does thathave a little bit to do with the
business at alchemy X? Now absolutelyevery single part of this company has to
be in sync at the same time. We're essentially a manufacturing assembly line for
creative content. Gotcha, Jim Justin, How young were you when you started
(13:54):
making money? Fourteen? I hada job at a cousin's construction company,
me digging holes four mailboxes. Sowhy were you digging post holes for mailboxes?
Someone turn you onto this A becauseI could. It was a job
that was readily available to me,and be because I had to. More
importantly, it was one that Ihad to do to make some money to
(14:18):
help support the family at home.So tell us about that you had to
help support the family. What wasgoing on at home then at the time
you are My father had left whenI was twelve years old, having two
younger brothers, I felt an obligationat that young age to do what I
could to make sure that everyone wasfed and everyone was clothed, and that
we had basically growing up extremely poor, we had enough money to make ends
(14:43):
meet. So you took on alot of responsibility an early age, helping
take care of your brothers and allthat. What did that responsibility and that
sense of obligation, what do youtake with that to Alcolm x Oh,
it's my complete guiding principle now ofservant leader ship. I'm not here to
tell all of our employees what they'resupposed to do. Quite frankly, they're
(15:05):
here to tell me what we haveto do and tell me what I can
do to help them achieve those goals. Mister Matt, you mentioned that your
mom got you into music, stucka violin in your hand. Did you
love it right out of the gate? Probably not, I suspect when I'm
five years old, I'd far ratherbe playing or doing other things. But
(15:26):
she was very clear that you can'tquit. And then I foolishly three years
later, decided to play tuba andshe said, you can do that,
you just can't quit. So whatdid you learn about sticking with things even
if you don't love them at first? We do what we have to right,
not always what we want to do, And to be successful in business,
(15:48):
we have to really be sure thatwe can focus on what we have
to do and don't quit. Soundslike you've got this thing about obligation and
sticking with things in the core.You're being am I reading that correctly?
Absolutely? I actually call it theninety percent rule that virtually all of us
can do things ninety percent of theway. It's that final ten percent that's
(16:11):
really the hardest part of getting anythingdone and the most difficult task, And
there's really only a small percentage ofpeople who can actually get that final ten
percent done at the highest possible level. H You mentioned that eight to fourteen
for you was just basically a launchpad because in your prior life for many
(16:33):
years you served as an attorney.Your whole nature since your father leaving,
seems to be one of serving peopleas an attorney. You served folks nowadays
as the president and CEO of AlchemyX. You're serving Am I reading that
correctly? What? Am I?What's up? Oh? Absolutely? And
(16:56):
you're actually skipping the page fourteen tograduating law school at twenty five, where
I was a physical server and bartender, actually physically serving people as a waiter,
and then when I graduated law schoolactually physically serving them as the mouthpiece
that they couldn't necessarily have on theirown. Give me that again, sure,
(17:19):
fourteen to age twenty five. Anactual waiter, a server, a
physical server to help people interact withpeople. And that's actually one of the
types of people we look for hereas employees, former servers and waiters.
And why because similar to athletes,they know how to play on a team.
(17:42):
And if someone can be a successfulserver for an extended period of time
and earn tips, they have toreally put up with a lot. They
have to be able to interact withpeople, They have to be able to
solve problems in real time. Andit's a way of gauging someone's at DoD
they resolve their personality and their stickto itiveness. Wow, Wow, you
(18:06):
really value some very basic traits andpeople. You're now looking for somebody with
some fancied degree or you're looking forwho the person is. Same thing with
athletes. You play a team sportat a high level. That means you
can play a team sport on theteam here at Alchemy acts M who's got
(18:26):
the next question? We've heard aboutyour musical career, and you've mentioned athletes
a couple of times. Were youan athlete at all growing up? Played
lacrosse growing up all through high school, and then played hockey growing up again,
really up until a couple of yearsago, when my body doesn't recover
the way you still What do youlearn as a hockey player? What are
(18:48):
some of the attributes to the guysout there on the ice? Knowing when
it's time to take a break,because when the gas is starting to come
out of the tank, you're notgoing to be the highest and best use
of yourself and you're not going tobe an asset to the rest of the
team. So you learn a lotabout stamina and endurance as a hockey player,
and knowing when it's time to takea break or ask for help,
(19:14):
or to take yourself out of thegame for however brief from a moment.
So are you able to recognize thatin others? Can you see when maybe
some of your teammates might need totake a break or might need some help.
I think that's probably the most importantpart of my job as the CEO
of the company. Tell us alittle more about that. How do you
spot that? And what do youdo when somebody needs a little bit of
a break or a little bit ofhelp. I spend a lot of one
(19:38):
on one time with our team hereand asking questions and trying to separate sort
of signal signaling from noise and figuringout when they need that help and how
I can help them. So Iget the sense you're not the guy who
hangs out in the corner office.You're kind of down there, rolling up
your sleeves getting the work done aswell, all the time out the field.
(20:00):
I don't need to hide in myoffice at all. What do you
mean by signaling versus noise? Sure? Really listen getting down to the root
problem right? When are people justkind of talking to vent versus what is
the root cause of an issue,of a problem of really what may be
(20:22):
gumming up the works in our operations? It sounds to me like as opposed
to an attorney and as opposed torunning a creative organization, it sounds,
I mean like you're a therapist atthe core. Sometimes that's what we are
as as running a corporation. Ittells me it's really a deep understanding of
people. Most important thing. I'mgoing to people business. If I don't
(20:45):
have our people here and then they'renot performing on the company's nothing. So
you really demand from yourself. You'revery demanding on yourself, sticking with stuff,
really getting that extra ten percent out. It's be the reason that alchemy
X is so successful, isn't it. I think there's a host of reasons
(21:06):
why. But I demand excellence andjust being great at what we do is
table stakes, right. Making surethat we're the best versions of ourselves and
the best we can be. Andreally a team that works together here to
create content is the special sauce.I wish the audience could watch your body
language, in your hand language,you know, as you were moving your
(21:29):
hands together and looks like you wereforming something. Oh, you were forming
the team. What's the website addressedfor this organization known as alchemy X.
It's alchemy dax dot com. AndI'll spell it quickly because there's alk emy
jashx dot com. We even speakingwith Justin Weinberg, president C of alchemy
X, here on Executive Leaders Radio. Stick around with you back in a
(21:52):
limit. Right after this quick break, don't go anywhere. We're back.
You're listening to Executive Leaders Radio.This year, host Herb Cohen'd like to
introduce Brandon Slay, executive director andhead coach Pennsylvania RTC. Brandon, what
(22:19):
is Pennsylvania RTC. Pennsylvania RTC isthe Pennsylvania Regional Training Center and we are
an Olympic Training Center for the sportof wrestling. And we trained at the
University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.And where you're from original? How many
brothers and sisters were you in thepecking order? I was born and raised
(22:41):
in Amarillo, Texas, which isNorth Texas. And I have one half
sister who is eight years younger thanme. And how came you have a
half sister? My mom and dadgot divorced when I was about three,
and my dad's on his third marriage. Now I've had two different step moms,
two different that's of stepsisters. Somay my upbringing I definitely didn't,
(23:04):
you know, come from mom anddad being married and you know that type
of family. Oh, so whoraised you? So my dad understood,
he knew that I needed a motherfigure, so he moved in with my
grandmother. So I lived with mygrandmother for when I was five, so
I was thirteen really important years.So my grandmother I called her Memall and
(23:26):
I'm a big time Memall's boy forsure. Um let's see, Uh,
Matt, why don't you give mea hint? Sure? Yeah, So
wrestling certainly not an easy sport,having a cut weight. You know,
it's a physical sport. First ofall, how did you get into it?
And uh? Did you love itright out of the gate? Was
(23:47):
it something that he just flashed ontoright away? My dad he wrestled in
high school, in wrestling in collegeat the University of Alabama, and I
think when I got to be aboutsix years old, he just hoped that,
you know, his his boy wouldlike wrestling too. So he took
me to local y m c ABoys club and Amarillo And it definitely was
not success from the start. Iwas and twenty my first year, I
(24:11):
got pummeled, you know, majorityof those times. But I made some
friends, and I would always tellpeople that friendships when you're when you're a
young athlete are really really important tostick with the sport. So those friendships
kept me going in that second yearI finally won some matches. I think
I won seven matches, a lostfifteen. But when you get your hand
(24:32):
raised and you finally experience what it'slike to be a winner, it's it's
pretty special. But there's there's acertain part of you inside of you.
And you got the friends, butthere's a certain part of you that's got
to have that persevere inspector and thatability to stick through things. Um,
you know, what would you learnfrom that experience about perseverance and how have
you applied that at later stages inyour life. I think the biggest thing
(24:56):
I've learned about that perseverance is soI started, as I said, at
twenty and then nineteen years later Iwas able to win Olympic gold medal.
So the point is like the understandingof how important time and commitment is to
anything in life, whether it's asport, whether it's a business, whether
it's a a friendship, a marriageor relationship, that that time and commitment
(25:18):
and just continued perseverance is extremely valuable. You ultimately ended up becoming a coach.
Did you have a coach when youwere younger that had an influence on
you and you said, hey,I want to replicate for somebody else what
that coach did for me. Igot some amazing coaches growing up, but
I never told anybody that I wasgoing to be a coach. That was
(25:40):
never part of the plan. Iwent to Penn, I got accepted the
ward in school Business. I graduatewith a degree in finance entrepreneurial Management.
I worked in commercial real estate forfive years in downtown Dallas. But I
missed olympism, I missed sports.I missed ability to just influence as people's
lives. So I switched to coaching. Jim Freend, Yeah, you said
(26:03):
you spent a lot of your earlyformative years with your grandmother, who you
affectionately call me Mom. What aresome fond memories you have with me,
Mom? Because my grandmother, shewas always there for me. Drove me
to school in the morning, Imiss she was there to pick me up
in the afternoon. She made sureI was all all of our wrestling practice,
football practice, and so I thinkjust the always being there, presence,
(26:25):
consistency, and unconditional love. Sowhat kind of life lessons did you
learn from from her always being therethat you take with you today. I
would say just the unconditional love thatI was not clearly her son. I
was her grandson, but she sacrificedher life for me and she didn't have
(26:47):
to do that. Caleb Brandon,I'm interested in the neighborhood growing up.
How many kids were there? Thereare some kids, but about two houses
down and there was a two twoa guy's horse and Cedric. They're two
African America boys, which you know, for me growing up in Texas,
that was just really important to havefriends. I would just say that,
you know, they were different,they were diverse, and I think that
(27:08):
that's been really important for me,you know nowadays when I went to school
penn from Texas, when I gotto West Philly, just growing up with
that diversity was really important and ithelped me. What made you different from
the other kids, having just likesome diverse friends, which, like you
said, nobody else in Amarilla,Texas really has. I think that you
(27:32):
know, in my sport, youknow, even in wrestling, in football
and the Christian school I went to, I mean it was pretty much just
all all white kids. And soagain on that street I grew up on,
to have kids that were you knowdifferent, you know, they look
different, was important. But thebiggest lesson I realized from that is that
they were all created equal and regardlessof what color your skin is, that
you know they're they're just like you. You know, they tie their shoes
(27:53):
just like you. You know,they love others and care about people just
like you. Important lesson who's next? Brandon? Brandon winning a gold medal,
that has to be the most fulfillingaccomplishment, right My dream was always
being Olympic Champion, and it wasvery special to do that. But it's
(28:15):
really important for me to tell peoplethat, you know, winning a gold
medal doesn't fulfill you know, allyour problems, doesn't. It's not like
after it's over, just that everything'shunky dory the rest of your life.
I mean, it's awesome, it'sgreat, but I think you need to
make sure you have the right motive. And if your motive is just to
win the gold medal, just tobe popular, to have fame and fortune,
you have the wrong motives. Andso I've realized for me that,
(28:37):
you know, my motives need tobe my faith, my family, my
friendships, and giving full effort,and if I do those things every single
day, that that is really whatfulfills me. I'm not sure I understand.
What are you talking about. Well, if I have a bad day
and I don't come into my officehere, you know, put my Olympic
(28:59):
gold medal around my neck and lookin the mirror and go, oh man,
you're just don't forget. You know, you're a the Olympic chap.
Don't forget. I mean if Iwould never do that, and if I
did that, all of you wouldthink that was ridiculous. All right,
So the success doesn't fulfill you.But you know, my faith, my
family, I'm married with four kids, my priceless friendships I've had for forty
(29:21):
years of my life. For moreand then again, just waking up every
day committing to full effort and allI do, husband, father, coach,
human. When I do those thingsfaith, family, friendships and full
effort, I always just tell peopleI have a lot of fun and that's
way more valuable than the successes ofthe world, the gold medals of the
world. Well, we are someof your core values, So the Pennsylvania
(29:45):
Regional Training Center. Our core valuesare number one, faith over fear.
Number two full effort. Number threeis to struggle well because life's a struggle
and struggle well. And number fouris to serve others. That realizing it's
laugh is not all about me,it's about serving other people and those values.
(30:07):
That's the kind of stuff that fillsyou up as opposed to a gold
medal. For sure, those thingsI've realized they are way more valuable,
way more important, way more fulfilling. And then when you can share those
values with your athletes. You know, my guys that I'm training to become
Olympic champions as well, when theylive those values out and they impact the
Pen wrestlers, the Drexel wrestlers,and all those high school wrestlers and youth
(30:30):
wrestlers they come in contact with,I feel like that's when we're really making
a difference in the world. You'rereally making a difference in the world when
when you commit to those values offaith over fear, full effort, struggling
well, and serving others, whenyou commit to those live those out on
a daily basis, and people lookto you and go, wow, there's
(30:52):
something different about those guys. There'ssomething different about those wrestlers and leaders from
the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center when theycan see that in us. We just
hope that that impacts them in apositive way and they continue to do that,
you know, in their schools,their communities, their homes. I
feel like that's why we can bea shining light. Is yours your grandmom
still around? Unfortunately we lost mygrandmother. She passed away, but I'm
(31:18):
still She's still always in my heartand I think about her every single day.
Yeah, you think you think she'sproud of you. I believe.
I believe that she is. Shewas with me from the beginning when I
was eight years old and I saidI wanted to be Olympic champion, And
sixteen years later in Sydney, Australia, she was in the stands waving her
American flag, charing for me.So she she got to be part of
(31:41):
that whole entire journey, which waspriceless. Mum. Website address for Pennsylvania
RTC our website is Pennsylvania RTC dotorg. Pencil give me that one more
time, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania r TCdot org. Interesting. We've been speaking
(32:04):
with Brandon Slay, who's executive directorand head coach Pennsylvania RTC here on Executive
Leaders Radio. Don't we get tovisit our website? Executive Leaders Radio dot
com. That's Executive Leaders Radio dotcom. To learn more about our Executive
leaders back in a moment right afterthis quick break, This is Herbco when
you're hosted Executive Leaders Radio dot com. Regarding your career, if you're trying
(32:30):
to figure out how to make themost money and also enjoy your career,
that's enjoy your career, I mean, really enjoy your career and make the
most money. You ought to talkto our CEOs. They've got the bird's
eye view of where the really profitablejobs are, where the really profitable jobs
(32:50):
are going to be, and they'rewilling to speak with you regarding their vision
for the future and where you mayfit into it. In order to make
the most money and really enjoy yourcareer, email us consult at Executive Leaders
Radio dot com. That consult atExecutive Leaders radio dot com to get help
(33:13):
from our CEO's regarding where you maywant to go in your career to make
the most money and really enjoy yourcareer. Consult at Executive Leaders Radio dot
com. We're back. You're listeningto Executive Leaders Radio this year host Herbercollen,
(33:44):
we'd like to introduce Danny Liberato Sioli, President of walnut Hill College.
Danny Wood is walnut Hill College.Walnut Hill College is America's first private college
to focus specifically on fine dining atluxury fatality careers. Well you're from originally?
How many brothers? Sisters? Whereare you in the packing order?
(34:05):
Born in Philadelphia, raised the immediatesuburbs on the second of four boys and
eight to fourteen? What's the listlook like of stuff you were up to?
You know, immediately shy kid,but interested in geography one of my
favorite subjects at high school, activein the stage crew and finding my way
(34:29):
as socially. Let's see, Matt, why don't you give me a hand?
So you're you're shy as in thatage of fourteen range? Did that
remain throughout high school and later stagedyour life or did you kind of open
up at any point? I verymuch opened up, And I think it
(34:51):
really was high school and being inthat setting out of round freshman year,
I decided to completely change and reallycatch up, if you will, after
all those years of being quiet.And can you point to anything in particular
that kind of facilitated that change?You know? I think I realized that
in high school the schools were larger, the students were from a wider geographic
(35:14):
area. And I said, thisis actually not only okay, it's fun.
And who would you consider to bea bigger influence in your life?
Your mother or your father? Frankly, I guess I want to say fifty
fifty, but I'll do it thisway. Fifty one percent my mom and
but forty nine percent my father.And why is that? Well? Being
(35:35):
an Italian American family, obviously,food and family meals and dinners and etc.
My mother was at the center ofthat. My father a bricklayer.
Every Sunday there was a ritual andwe together, him and I because my
brothers were outside playing with their friendsand riding their bikes. The shy kid
went with my father, the bricklayer, and we spent quite a lot of
(35:58):
time at the farmer's market, passingfruit back and forth, trying to smell
it if was fresh. Ending upat the local bakery in the kitchen with
the baker eating rolls almost right outof the oven, selecting the dessert.
It fascinated me that somebody that wasfrom a different world, a bricklayer,
was so intrigued with food, andmore so with the family experience and probably
(36:21):
get you going down that path ofthat hospitality and great, great, great
food sources and things of that naturevery much. My father always announced the
Sunday breakfast as we started to eat. No one is having such a fine
breakfast, No one in the world, Jim. Yeah. So, Danny,
(36:42):
were there other role models besides yourmom and dad? Yeah, no
doubt. I mean the extension ofthe Italian American family. I would say
my first primary role model chef wasmy grandmother who would come to our house
in the suburbs and prepare enough yunkiefor twenty people. Even though we were
six and fascinated to watch her makeher own bread and place them on cookie
(37:06):
sheets, and then to allow thebread to rise and proof, she would
place it under the blankets on thebeds. I was intrigued, What is
that special attention in that care thatyou saw your grandmother putting into that.
You know, what does that haveto do with, you know, running
bonne Hill College? Yeah, youknow what. To me, it was
a very obvious expression of love andconnection to people that matter to you.
(37:29):
So when you can share the foodand share those moments at the table,
it was really very touching Caleb Anny, How young were you when you started
making money? I was about fifteenyears old and I was a custodian at
a donut shop. A custodian ata donut shop. So most fifteen year
(37:50):
olds are probably sleeping the broom closet. What were you? What type of
role did you have as the custodianout there. Well, that's a good
question. You're right. Most ofmy friends were probably home sleeping or you
know whatever. I was thrilled tobe there. I'd showed up early.
I worked at Earnest, cleaned asas much as possible, and it was
fascinated to be around other folks,whether they were the staff. I was
(38:14):
working with the manager, but eventhe customers. Why is it important to
have a nice, clean donut shopfor the customers? Yeah, you know,
I do now know very much now, and we teach our students at
well No College that customers can understandthose kinds of gestures very quickly. Whether
a customer understands the complexity of acertain dish, a recipe, or a
(38:37):
line very much. Everybody can understandand see if the place is being taken
care of carefully, And that's anexpression of the level of commitment I believe
to hospitality. So you learned atan early age that it's really about customer
perceptions exceeding guest expectations. Tell usa little more about how you impart that
(38:57):
on your students at Walnut Hill College. Absolutely, you know, think about
it average college student and all thosecolleges are wonderful. There's fifty three hundred
higher education institutions. We try anddo some things that are a bit different
to exceed. For example, allof our students participate in foreign travel.
Our culinary and pastry students go toFrance for a week of gastronomy. Our
(39:22):
management students go to Florida Central Floridavisit Disney World, but also take a
cruise to the Bahamas. And thenat the baccalaureate level, at the next
section, they have their second travelexperiences, which is it to England and
the theme of that trip is hospitalityin action, So they're really gaining a
(39:44):
lot of rural world worldwide perspective.At Walnut Hill College, you'd mentioned that
you were a little shy as ayounger kid. What do you do to
help students find their way socially well? The student life experience here is very
dynamic and very much alive. Thereare twenty three student organizations. We require
(40:05):
our students to earn what we callstudent life and learning points pretty simple.
That means they have to be activeand involved. And there is on an
average about twenty additional activities per week, and these are outside of the normal
scheduled classes. You mentioned that whenyou were a kid you were involved with
stage crew. What stage crew haveto do with being the president of Walnut
(40:30):
Hill College. Well, you know, stage crew is certainly the background,
no doubt. But I did see, even through occasional mistake or two,
that what goes on in the backgroundis very important at the foreground. And
boy, here's an example. Wedid Little Abner. There was a very
large tree backdrop. It was probablysixteen eighteen feet high, and during the
(40:55):
middle of the performance it fell veryslowly. It fell. I think that
people in the first few rooms hada gust of wind, and we ran
and we saved the moment. Theshow must go on. So you're the
president of Walnut Hill College. Howlong have you been the president? How
(41:19):
much long are you planning to bethe president of Walnut Hill College. I've
been the President. This is thebeginning of my forty first year, and
it's the beginning of my next fortyone as well. I have not been
the work in forty years. Whatare you talking? Boy? You've been
the president for forty one years andyou haven't been the work in forty years?
What are you talking about? Absolutely? And it's what I wish for
(41:44):
all of my graduates because obviously,when you do what you love, I'm
never at work. What is ityou love doing for work that doesn't feel
like work? What is that?Well, it's a joy to actually be
part of somebody's life at the educationlevel. For me, one of the
most inspirational quotes I ever read,and I use it all the time with
(42:04):
my colleagues and so on, isChrista mcculliffe, the teacher that turned to
astronaut, and she says, Itouched the future I teach. Wow.
Do you ever stay in touch withthem? I mean, after your students
graduate, do you ever bother talkingto them? Ever? Again? Absolutely,
We've got such a stellar list ofgraduates. They're everywhere restaurants, hotels,
(42:30):
catering businesses, pastry shops all throughoutthe Philadelphia regia, but also all
over the country and even a fewinternationally. Did you think your family,
mom, dad, your grandparents,do you think they'd be surprised cousins if
they found out what you're doing nowadays? Yes? Well, luckily my parents
(42:50):
had passed away, but luckily theywere there forty years ago when I started
in this role, and they wereextremely proud, which was very meaningful to
me as well. Why were theyproud of? What? Why? I
think maybe to some degree, I'mgoing to say that they didn't expect it.
You know, the son of abricklayer is now in the food the
(43:13):
fancy food business and world, ifyou will, and then ends up teaching
and inspiring future great chefs Hotelier's pastrychefs. So you really are you really
love your job and it sounds tome like my bed is that the staff
you have long term staff members andteammates. What's the website address in this
(43:35):
walnut Hill College. It's walnut HillCollege done e E Edu for Education,
walnut Hill College. We've been speakingwith Danny Liberato Scioli, president of Walnut
Hill College here on Executive Leaders Radioand Jim, could you please give us
a rundown and who we've had onthe air today. Sure, we had
Eric Seyferman, founder and owner LibertyUrgent Care. We had Justin Weinberg,
(43:58):
President and CEO out me X.We also had Brandon Slay, executive director
and head coach Pennsylvania RTC, andfinally Danny Liberado Sholey, President Wanta Hill
College. Like to thank my cohost Jim Wilson from Newmark, Kilip Poppas
Hamlin and Matt Clark Core Centric forgiving me a handstructure in the questions.
(44:20):
So I hope we're providing our listeningaudience an educational and entertaining Show'd like to
thank our listening audience for listening,Otherwise we wouldn't have a radio show.
Don't we get to visit our websiteExecutive Leaders Radio dot com. That's Executive
Leaders Radio dot com to learn moreabout our executive leaders. Thank you for
joining us today and please have anice day. Bye bye
Welcome to Executive Leaders Radio, yourspot in the corner office, the radio
show where executives share their secrets tosuccess. Executive Leaders Radio. You're listening
to Executive Leaders Radio. This isyour host, Herb Cohen with my coach
Jim Wilson, Newmark Kilip Poppas Hamlinand Matt Clark Quescentric. Jim, can
(00:31):
you please give us a rundown?And who we have on the air today?
Please sure, Herb, We've gota great show today. We've got
Eric Souferman, founder and owner LibertyUrgent Care, Justin Weinberg, President and
CEO Alchemy X, Brendan Slay,executive director and head coach Pennsylvania RTC,
and Danny Liberato Sholey, President WalnutHill College. Let's get to our first
(00:56):
guest, Eric Suferman, founder,excuse me, founder and owner Liberty Urging
Care. Eric, what is LibertyUrgent Care? What are you guys doing?
Liberty Urgent Care is a welcome medicalclinic. We do non emergency,
non life threatening medical care. Whereare you from originally? How many brothers
and sisters and where are you inthe pecking order? From the Philadelphia suburbs.
(01:18):
I have one sister, she's threeyears younger than an eight to fourteen
What was the list of stuff youwere up to as a kid eight to
fourteen years old? Mostly sports.I had one really good best friend.
We were playing baseball and soccer andpretty much inseparable. So you're a doc.
How young were you when science beganto show up in your blood?
(01:42):
Probably around nine years old. Myfather was a doctor. I was at
his office. There was an emergency, either in the waiting room or on
the street, I don't quite remember, and he was the calm in the
storm and took care of the patient. And I knew that's what I wanted
to do. What do you meanthat's what you wanted to do? What
are you talking about? I lovedthe calm in the storm and being able
to take care of an emergency thatwas everyone else around him was panicking,
(02:07):
but he knew what to do,he knew how to fix it. And
that's that That's who I wanted tobe. Boy, makes a lot of
sense. That's why you're running Libertyurgent care centers. Caleb, Hey,
Eric, tell us a little bitmore about your dad. So my dad,
UM was a an attorney and aphysician. UM and you know,
(02:29):
was was my role model grown up. So did you ever spend any time
with them in his practice? Allthe time from the time I was about
I don't remember, you know,seven or eight years old, Whenever I
had free time, I wanted tospend time with Dad and I would go
down to his office and hang out. What did you see with between him
and the interactions of people in thecommunity. It was a South Philly practice,
(02:51):
so it was very community based.Um, the people loved him.
He loved the people, and itwas wasn't much of a you know,
it was a doctor's office, butit was a family kind as well.
So what did you learn about theserelationships with people and their doctors, their
employers, people in the community.That it's really important to form a bond
with the community where you work.Become as involved as you can so that
(03:13):
there's a respect both professionally and personally. It makes for things to go much
smoother. Jim. Yeah, Eric, he told us your mother also had
a big influence on your life.He tell us what she did. Yeah,
mom was a public ration public relationsdirector for hospital systems and medical practices
(03:35):
attorneys, and she also ran herown business. What were some of your
experiences with her. You mentioned somethingabout hearing her on the radio. Yeah.
So there was a tragedy when Iwas in tenth or eleventh grade right
around our neighborhood, and it wasa really trying thing, and I rent
I was in high school. I'dgot in the car when was running over
(03:57):
to her office to see if shehad heard about it, and I heard
her on news radio being interviewed aboutit. Um, it was really cool.
It was you know, there wasthere was my mom in the same
role there where my dad was,where she was the common the storm.
What do you take with your motherto work with you every day? Well,
when I was a kid, shewas on call and it was when
pagers first came out, and itwas this big, long brick thing,
(04:17):
And while I was sitting waiting forthe bus, I would be holding her
pager because my mom was so cooland my mom was important and it was
cool to hold that pager. Sothat that's a memory that I that have
kept with me since I'm you know, five six years old. Did you
want to be important like mom anddad like you are? With these urgent
care centers when somebody has an emergency, there's really depending on you, Matt,
(04:39):
What do you got? You mentionedyou switched from private school to public
school. Uh, at some pointin your childhood? What precipitated that moved
from from private school to public school? So my family moved from one house
to another, we moved into thepublic school system that was that was really
good, and we switched over schools. How all are you when that happened?
(05:00):
Twelve? Tough age to switch schools? Was that a tough transition?
It would have been a tough transitionexcept I had my best friend that went
to the old school with me.He also moved. We were inseparable at
the time, and we transitioned together, so it was much easier than it
could have been. And what didyou learn about having people kind of close
(05:20):
to you help you through kind oftough transitions. Relationships are amazing. And
you know now I have people thathave worked with me for years, but
even more so, I have peoplethat worked with me years ago that are
now back working with me again.Who's got the next question? Hey?
Eric? How young were you whenyou started making money? My first job
(05:43):
was sixteen at a cashier at asupermarket. Tell us a little bit about
some of your task what you're doingthe supermarket. It was just ringing things
up. It was before barcode,so everything was rung in by hand.
How about any influences there? Whatwere the bosses like? So there were
two that I remember. One wasgreat, you know to a sixteen year
(06:06):
old. Understood that I was sixteen. One was not so great, and
it wasn't a great experience, butit taught me a lot of the different
kinds of leadership and how I wantedto be when I you know, when
I was a leader. So youcan learn from good managers and bad managers.
Tell us a little more about that. I say it all the time,
(06:28):
and I, you know, Ithink that learning how you don't want
to do something is just as importantas how you as learning as how you
want to do something. So let'ssee some of a lot of the time
you spent growing up. You arein a doctor's office, you're in a
grocery store. These are really pillarsof the community. Do you think it's
important to have local businesses like that? Absolutely? And one of the things
(06:49):
that I really pride myself on isthe relationship I have with the communities where
I put my urgent cares. Firstthing I do is contact the township and
the police departments and the fire departments, and we sponsor all of the sports.
It is so important to be involvedin that community. It just makes
the relationship so much tighter and trustand being a part of it is really
(07:10):
really important. Do you get toknow the people in each individual community?
Absolutely tell us more about that.What are the relationships like there? You
start with getting to know the people. You start with getting to know the
township's administration to the point where theyall have my cell phone. They call,
they need a favor, They absolutelyno problem. How can I help
(07:31):
you? What can I do?And they reciprocate. You really become a
part of that. It's not justa business in the community, it's a
part of the community. You actuallyadmire your dad quite a bit and me
are a lot of who he is. How are you different from your dad?
So my mother says that I'm amore refined version of my father,
(07:53):
to the point where we unfortunately lostmy dad last year. But it's interesting
that he always knew somebody where whereverwe went. He had a lot of
contacts and a lot of friends,but a lot of it we're business contacts,
whereas I have less contacts and lesspeople, but the people that know
who I am, know me andknow why they know me, and know
who I am and what I do. Eric, you mentioned playing baseball at
(08:18):
a young age and you played everyposition, and then when you moved to
public school, you kind of wentfrom being the best player in the private
school to kind of middle the packat public school. What does that teach
you to how you're running the businessnow from you know that flexibility and that
that constant striving. It teaches youthat there's always something to strive for.
There's always going to be someone that'sbetter. There's always going to be someone
(08:41):
that has something that you don't.It teaches you about teamwork. It teaches
you about knowing who to look forand not being afraid to not be the
best, and to not being afraidto say, hey, I need help.
Um, you don't have to makethe double play by yourself. You've
got another player that you can throwthe ball too. What's the best part
of your job? As it sayshere, you're the founder and owner of
(09:05):
Liberty Urgent Care. What's the bestpart of your job? What do you
enjoy the most? Um, Ireally love everything about it. I love
the medicine, but but as Igrow the business, I love making those
relationships. I love being um,I love being a boss. Sometimes obviously
it's not so much fun, butI love that. I really have grown
(09:26):
my business to be that family atmospherelike I saw in my dad's practice.
UM My staff is terrific. Icouldn't do it without them. The townships
and the communities are terrific. Icouldn't do it without them. That's really
my favorite part of the job isthose relationships and do intended to build a
dynasty here or how large your house? Ball? Is this thing going to
(09:48):
be? Urgent cares in general aregrowing. I went from you know,
I started my first one in twentysixteen, and last year I opened two
more. Um so you know Ihave three now and we'll see what the
future brings. I mean, Ithink the plan is to keep going.
Why not? Um, Well,you sent earlier is always more. What
(10:09):
is the website address? If thiswe're going to known as Liberty Urgent Care,
It's Liberty UCC dot com. Letme have that one more time,
sure, Liberty UCC dot com.We've been speaking with Auric Suferman, who
is the founder and earner of LibertyUrging Care here on Executive Leaders Radio.
(10:30):
Don't we get to visit our websiteIt's Executive Leaders radio dot com to learn
more about our executive leaders. It'sExecutive Leaders radio dot com to learn more
about our executive leaders. Stick around. We'll be back in a moment right
after this quick break. This isherbco and your host of Executive Leaders Radio.
(10:52):
And if you're a business consultant,if you consult to business owners or
business owners team members, then we'dlike to speak with you because we're getting
requests from people all over the country, from entrepreneurs all over the country that
(11:13):
are starting and building their businesses wherethey're looking for help and maybe we can
help connect you. Why don't youemail us at consult at Executive Leaders radio
dot com. That's consult at ExecutiveLeaders radio dot com. And perhaps we
(11:33):
can connect you to folks, toentrepreneurs and their team members all around the
country that are looking for help.That's consult at Executive Leaders Radio dot com.
(11:58):
We're back here listening to Executive LeadersRadio. This your host, her
of Cohen. We'd like to introduceJustin Weinberg, President and CEO of Alchemy
X, Justin? What is alchemyX? What are you guys doing?
Alchemy X is a global media andcreative content company. We make television shows,
commercials, movies, advertising. Ifyou watch it, we make it.
And where you're from originally? Howmany brothers and sisters? Where were
(12:22):
you in the packing order? FromPhiladelphia? I have two younger brothers.
I am the eldest. And tellme eight to fourteen? What kind of
stuff for you up to? What'sthe list look like? First and foremost?
I played violin and tuba. Onthe sports side, played hockey and
lacrosse. Caleb Justin, tell meabout your musical career. How young were
(12:48):
you when you started? Five yearsold? My mother stuck a violin in
my hands, said you're going toplay an instrument and you're not going to
quit. What about your first performance? When was that? That was the
first real performance? Was in sixthgrade at the Philadelphia Academy and music.
Was it a small It was justyou and maybe five or ten other people?
No, it was a full distract. Was performing with the Philadelphia All
(13:11):
City Band of Orchestra. Okay,well, at least if you weren't having
a great day, you could probablyblend in with the whole orchestra. You
can only blend in as long asyou're in sync with the rest of the
orchestract. If your violin boat isn'tmoving in the same time, in the
same direction as everyone else, theyknow you're not doing your job. So
it seems like at a young ageyou probably learned to be in sync,
(13:31):
learn to be prepared. Does thathave a little bit to do with the
business at alchemy X? Now absolutelyevery single part of this company has to
be in sync at the same time. We're essentially a manufacturing assembly line for
creative content. Gotcha, Jim Justin, How young were you when you started
(13:54):
making money? Fourteen? I hada job at a cousin's construction company,
me digging holes four mailboxes. Sowhy were you digging post holes for mailboxes?
Someone turn you onto this A becauseI could. It was a job
that was readily available to me,and be because I had to. More
importantly, it was one that Ihad to do to make some money to
(14:18):
help support the family at home.So tell us about that you had to
help support the family. What wasgoing on at home then at the time
you are My father had left whenI was twelve years old, having two
younger brothers, I felt an obligationat that young age to do what I
could to make sure that everyone wasfed and everyone was clothed, and that
we had basically growing up extremely poor, we had enough money to make ends
(14:43):
meet. So you took on alot of responsibility an early age, helping
take care of your brothers and allthat. What did that responsibility and that
sense of obligation, what do youtake with that to Alcolm x Oh,
it's my complete guiding principle now ofservant leader ship. I'm not here to
tell all of our employees what they'resupposed to do. Quite frankly, they're
(15:05):
here to tell me what we haveto do and tell me what I can
do to help them achieve those goals. Mister Matt, you mentioned that your
mom got you into music, stucka violin in your hand. Did you
love it right out of the gate? Probably not, I suspect when I'm
five years old, I'd far ratherbe playing or doing other things. But
(15:26):
she was very clear that you can'tquit. And then I foolishly three years
later, decided to play tuba andshe said, you can do that,
you just can't quit. So whatdid you learn about sticking with things even
if you don't love them at first? We do what we have to right,
not always what we want to do, And to be successful in business,
(15:48):
we have to really be sure thatwe can focus on what we have
to do and don't quit. Soundslike you've got this thing about obligation and
sticking with things in the core.You're being am I reading that correctly?
Absolutely? I actually call it theninety percent rule that virtually all of us
can do things ninety percent of theway. It's that final ten percent that's
(16:11):
really the hardest part of getting anythingdone and the most difficult task, And
there's really only a small percentage ofpeople who can actually get that final ten
percent done at the highest possible level. H You mentioned that eight to fourteen
for you was just basically a launchpad because in your prior life for many
(16:33):
years you served as an attorney.Your whole nature since your father leaving,
seems to be one of serving peopleas an attorney. You served folks nowadays
as the president and CEO of AlchemyX. You're serving Am I reading that
correctly? What? Am I?What's up? Oh? Absolutely? And
(16:56):
you're actually skipping the page fourteen tograduating law school at twenty five, where
I was a physical server and bartender, actually physically serving people as a waiter,
and then when I graduated law schoolactually physically serving them as the mouthpiece
that they couldn't necessarily have on theirown. Give me that again, sure,
(17:19):
fourteen to age twenty five. Anactual waiter, a server, a
physical server to help people interact withpeople. And that's actually one of the
types of people we look for hereas employees, former servers and waiters.
And why because similar to athletes,they know how to play on a team.
(17:42):
And if someone can be a successfulserver for an extended period of time
and earn tips, they have toreally put up with a lot. They
have to be able to interact withpeople, They have to be able to
solve problems in real time. Andit's a way of gauging someone's at DoD
they resolve their personality and their stickto itiveness. Wow, Wow, you
(18:06):
really value some very basic traits andpeople. You're now looking for somebody with
some fancied degree or you're looking forwho the person is. Same thing with
athletes. You play a team sportat a high level. That means you
can play a team sport on theteam here at Alchemy acts M who's got
(18:26):
the next question? We've heard aboutyour musical career, and you've mentioned athletes
a couple of times. Were youan athlete at all growing up? Played
lacrosse growing up all through high school, and then played hockey growing up again,
really up until a couple of yearsago, when my body doesn't recover
the way you still What do youlearn as a hockey player? What are
(18:48):
some of the attributes to the guysout there on the ice? Knowing when
it's time to take a break,because when the gas is starting to come
out of the tank, you're notgoing to be the highest and best use
of yourself and you're not going tobe an asset to the rest of the
team. So you learn a lotabout stamina and endurance as a hockey player,
and knowing when it's time to takea break or ask for help,
(19:14):
or to take yourself out of thegame for however brief from a moment.
So are you able to recognize thatin others? Can you see when maybe
some of your teammates might need totake a break or might need some help.
I think that's probably the most importantpart of my job as the CEO
of the company. Tell us alittle more about that. How do you
spot that? And what do youdo when somebody needs a little bit of
a break or a little bit ofhelp. I spend a lot of one
(19:38):
on one time with our team hereand asking questions and trying to separate sort
of signal signaling from noise and figuringout when they need that help and how
I can help them. So Iget the sense you're not the guy who
hangs out in the corner office.You're kind of down there, rolling up
your sleeves getting the work done aswell, all the time out the field.
(20:00):
I don't need to hide in myoffice at all. What do you
mean by signaling versus noise? Sure? Really listen getting down to the root
problem right? When are people justkind of talking to vent versus what is
the root cause of an issue,of a problem of really what may be
(20:22):
gumming up the works in our operations? It sounds to me like as opposed
to an attorney and as opposed torunning a creative organization, it sounds,
I mean like you're a therapist atthe core. Sometimes that's what we are
as as running a corporation. Ittells me it's really a deep understanding of
people. Most important thing. I'mgoing to people business. If I don't
(20:45):
have our people here and then they'renot performing on the company's nothing. So
you really demand from yourself. You'revery demanding on yourself, sticking with stuff,
really getting that extra ten percent out. It's be the reason that alchemy
X is so successful, isn't it. I think there's a host of reasons
(21:06):
why. But I demand excellence andjust being great at what we do is
table stakes, right. Making surethat we're the best versions of ourselves and
the best we can be. Andreally a team that works together here to
create content is the special sauce.I wish the audience could watch your body
language, in your hand language,you know, as you were moving your
(21:29):
hands together and looks like you wereforming something. Oh, you were forming
the team. What's the website addressedfor this organization known as alchemy X.
It's alchemy dax dot com. AndI'll spell it quickly because there's alk emy
jashx dot com. We even speakingwith Justin Weinberg, president C of alchemy
X, here on Executive Leaders Radio. Stick around with you back in a
(21:52):
limit. Right after this quick break, don't go anywhere. We're back.
You're listening to Executive Leaders Radio.This year, host Herb Cohen'd like to
introduce Brandon Slay, executive director andhead coach Pennsylvania RTC. Brandon, what
(22:19):
is Pennsylvania RTC. Pennsylvania RTC isthe Pennsylvania Regional Training Center and we are
an Olympic Training Center for the sportof wrestling. And we trained at the
University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.And where you're from original? How many
brothers and sisters were you in thepecking order? I was born and raised
(22:41):
in Amarillo, Texas, which isNorth Texas. And I have one half
sister who is eight years younger thanme. And how came you have a
half sister? My mom and dadgot divorced when I was about three,
and my dad's on his third marriage. Now I've had two different step moms,
two different that's of stepsisters. Somay my upbringing I definitely didn't,
(23:04):
you know, come from mom anddad being married and you know that type
of family. Oh, so whoraised you? So my dad understood,
he knew that I needed a motherfigure, so he moved in with my
grandmother. So I lived with mygrandmother for when I was five, so
I was thirteen really important years.So my grandmother I called her Memall and
(23:26):
I'm a big time Memall's boy forsure. Um let's see, Uh,
Matt, why don't you give mea hint? Sure? Yeah, So
wrestling certainly not an easy sport,having a cut weight. You know,
it's a physical sport. First ofall, how did you get into it?
And uh? Did you love itright out of the gate? Was
(23:47):
it something that he just flashed ontoright away? My dad he wrestled in
high school, in wrestling in collegeat the University of Alabama, and I
think when I got to be aboutsix years old, he just hoped that,
you know, his his boy wouldlike wrestling too. So he took
me to local y m c ABoys club and Amarillo And it definitely was
not success from the start. Iwas and twenty my first year, I
(24:11):
got pummeled, you know, majorityof those times. But I made some
friends, and I would always tellpeople that friendships when you're when you're a
young athlete are really really important tostick with the sport. So those friendships
kept me going in that second yearI finally won some matches. I think
I won seven matches, a lostfifteen. But when you get your hand
(24:32):
raised and you finally experience what it'slike to be a winner, it's it's
pretty special. But there's there's acertain part of you inside of you.
And you got the friends, butthere's a certain part of you that's got
to have that persevere inspector and thatability to stick through things. Um,
you know, what would you learnfrom that experience about perseverance and how have
you applied that at later stages inyour life. I think the biggest thing
(24:56):
I've learned about that perseverance is soI started, as I said, at
twenty and then nineteen years later Iwas able to win Olympic gold medal.
So the point is like the understandingof how important time and commitment is to
anything in life, whether it's asport, whether it's a business, whether
it's a a friendship, a marriageor relationship, that that time and commitment
(25:18):
and just continued perseverance is extremely valuable. You ultimately ended up becoming a coach.
Did you have a coach when youwere younger that had an influence on
you and you said, hey,I want to replicate for somebody else what
that coach did for me. Igot some amazing coaches growing up, but
I never told anybody that I wasgoing to be a coach. That was
(25:40):
never part of the plan. Iwent to Penn, I got accepted the
ward in school Business. I graduatewith a degree in finance entrepreneurial Management.
I worked in commercial real estate forfive years in downtown Dallas. But I
missed olympism, I missed sports.I missed ability to just influence as people's
lives. So I switched to coaching. Jim Freend, Yeah, you said
(26:03):
you spent a lot of your earlyformative years with your grandmother, who you
affectionately call me Mom. What aresome fond memories you have with me,
Mom? Because my grandmother, shewas always there for me. Drove me
to school in the morning, Imiss she was there to pick me up
in the afternoon. She made sureI was all all of our wrestling practice,
football practice, and so I thinkjust the always being there, presence,
(26:25):
consistency, and unconditional love. Sowhat kind of life lessons did you
learn from from her always being therethat you take with you today. I
would say just the unconditional love thatI was not clearly her son. I
was her grandson, but she sacrificedher life for me and she didn't have
(26:47):
to do that. Caleb Brandon,I'm interested in the neighborhood growing up.
How many kids were there? Thereare some kids, but about two houses
down and there was a two twoa guy's horse and Cedric. They're two
African America boys, which you know, for me growing up in Texas,
that was just really important to havefriends. I would just say that,
you know, they were different,they were diverse, and I think that
(27:08):
that's been really important for me,you know nowadays when I went to school
penn from Texas, when I gotto West Philly, just growing up with
that diversity was really important and ithelped me. What made you different from
the other kids, having just likesome diverse friends, which, like you
said, nobody else in Amarilla,Texas really has. I think that you
(27:32):
know, in my sport, youknow, even in wrestling, in football
and the Christian school I went to, I mean it was pretty much just
all all white kids. And soagain on that street I grew up on,
to have kids that were you knowdifferent, you know, they look
different, was important. But thebiggest lesson I realized from that is that
they were all created equal and regardlessof what color your skin is, that
you know they're they're just like you. You know, they tie their shoes
(27:53):
just like you. You know,they love others and care about people just
like you. Important lesson who's next? Brandon? Brandon winning a gold medal,
that has to be the most fulfillingaccomplishment, right My dream was always
being Olympic Champion, and it wasvery special to do that. But it's
(28:15):
really important for me to tell peoplethat, you know, winning a gold
medal doesn't fulfill you know, allyour problems, doesn't. It's not like
after it's over, just that everything'shunky dory the rest of your life.
I mean, it's awesome, it'sgreat, but I think you need to
make sure you have the right motive. And if your motive is just to
win the gold medal, just tobe popular, to have fame and fortune,
you have the wrong motives. Andso I've realized for me that,
(28:37):
you know, my motives need tobe my faith, my family, my
friendships, and giving full effort,and if I do those things every single
day, that that is really whatfulfills me. I'm not sure I understand.
What are you talking about. Well, if I have a bad day
and I don't come into my officehere, you know, put my Olympic
(28:59):
gold medal around my neck and lookin the mirror and go, oh man,
you're just don't forget. You know, you're a the Olympic chap.
Don't forget. I mean if Iwould never do that, and if I
did that, all of you wouldthink that was ridiculous. All right,
So the success doesn't fulfill you.But you know, my faith, my
family, I'm married with four kids, my priceless friendships I've had for forty
(29:21):
years of my life. For moreand then again, just waking up every
day committing to full effort and allI do, husband, father, coach,
human. When I do those thingsfaith, family, friendships and full
effort, I always just tell peopleI have a lot of fun and that's
way more valuable than the successes ofthe world, the gold medals of the
world. Well, we are someof your core values, So the Pennsylvania
(29:45):
Regional Training Center. Our core valuesare number one, faith over fear.
Number two full effort. Number threeis to struggle well because life's a struggle
and struggle well. And number fouris to serve others. That realizing it's
laugh is not all about me,it's about serving other people and those values.
(30:07):
That's the kind of stuff that fillsyou up as opposed to a gold
medal. For sure, those thingsI've realized they are way more valuable,
way more important, way more fulfilling. And then when you can share those
values with your athletes. You know, my guys that I'm training to become
Olympic champions as well, when theylive those values out and they impact the
Pen wrestlers, the Drexel wrestlers,and all those high school wrestlers and youth
(30:30):
wrestlers they come in contact with,I feel like that's when we're really making
a difference in the world. You'rereally making a difference in the world when
when you commit to those values offaith over fear, full effort, struggling
well, and serving others, whenyou commit to those live those out on
a daily basis, and people lookto you and go, wow, there's
(30:52):
something different about those guys. There'ssomething different about those wrestlers and leaders from
the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center when theycan see that in us. We just
hope that that impacts them in apositive way and they continue to do that,
you know, in their schools,their communities, their homes. I
feel like that's why we can bea shining light. Is yours your grandmom
still around? Unfortunately we lost mygrandmother. She passed away, but I'm
(31:18):
still She's still always in my heartand I think about her every single day.
Yeah, you think you think she'sproud of you. I believe.
I believe that she is. Shewas with me from the beginning when I
was eight years old and I saidI wanted to be Olympic champion, And
sixteen years later in Sydney, Australia, she was in the stands waving her
American flag, charing for me.So she she got to be part of
(31:41):
that whole entire journey, which waspriceless. Mum. Website address for Pennsylvania
RTC our website is Pennsylvania RTC dotorg. Pencil give me that one more
time, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania r TCdot org. Interesting. We've been speaking
(32:04):
with Brandon Slay, who's executive directorand head coach Pennsylvania RTC here on Executive
Leaders Radio. Don't we get tovisit our website? Executive Leaders Radio dot
com. That's Executive Leaders Radio dotcom. To learn more about our Executive
leaders back in a moment right afterthis quick break, This is Herbco when
you're hosted Executive Leaders Radio dot com. Regarding your career, if you're trying
(32:30):
to figure out how to make themost money and also enjoy your career,
that's enjoy your career, I mean, really enjoy your career and make the
most money. You ought to talkto our CEOs. They've got the bird's
eye view of where the really profitablejobs are, where the really profitable jobs
(32:50):
are going to be, and they'rewilling to speak with you regarding their vision
for the future and where you mayfit into it. In order to make
the most money and really enjoy yourcareer, email us consult at Executive Leaders
Radio dot com. That consult atExecutive Leaders radio dot com to get help
(33:13):
from our CEO's regarding where you maywant to go in your career to make
the most money and really enjoy yourcareer. Consult at Executive Leaders Radio dot
com. We're back. You're listeningto Executive Leaders Radio this year host Herbercollen,
(33:44):
we'd like to introduce Danny Liberato Sioli, President of walnut Hill College.
Danny Wood is walnut Hill College.Walnut Hill College is America's first private college
to focus specifically on fine dining atluxury fatality careers. Well you're from originally?
How many brothers? Sisters? Whereare you in the packing order?
(34:05):
Born in Philadelphia, raised the immediatesuburbs on the second of four boys and
eight to fourteen? What's the listlook like of stuff you were up to?
You know, immediately shy kid,but interested in geography one of my
favorite subjects at high school, activein the stage crew and finding my way
(34:29):
as socially. Let's see, Matt, why don't you give me a hand?
So you're you're shy as in thatage of fourteen range? Did that
remain throughout high school and later stagedyour life or did you kind of open
up at any point? I verymuch opened up, And I think it
(34:51):
really was high school and being inthat setting out of round freshman year,
I decided to completely change and reallycatch up, if you will, after
all those years of being quiet.And can you point to anything in particular
that kind of facilitated that change?You know? I think I realized that
in high school the schools were larger, the students were from a wider geographic
(35:14):
area. And I said, thisis actually not only okay, it's fun.
And who would you consider to bea bigger influence in your life?
Your mother or your father? Frankly, I guess I want to say fifty
fifty, but I'll do it thisway. Fifty one percent my mom and
but forty nine percent my father.And why is that? Well? Being
(35:35):
an Italian American family, obviously,food and family meals and dinners and etc.
My mother was at the center ofthat. My father a bricklayer.
Every Sunday there was a ritual andwe together, him and I because my
brothers were outside playing with their friendsand riding their bikes. The shy kid
went with my father, the bricklayer, and we spent quite a lot of
(35:58):
time at the farmer's market, passingfruit back and forth, trying to smell
it if was fresh. Ending upat the local bakery in the kitchen with
the baker eating rolls almost right outof the oven, selecting the dessert.
It fascinated me that somebody that wasfrom a different world, a bricklayer,
was so intrigued with food, andmore so with the family experience and probably
(36:21):
get you going down that path ofthat hospitality and great, great, great
food sources and things of that naturevery much. My father always announced the
Sunday breakfast as we started to eat. No one is having such a fine
breakfast, No one in the world, Jim. Yeah. So, Danny,
(36:42):
were there other role models besides yourmom and dad? Yeah, no
doubt. I mean the extension ofthe Italian American family. I would say
my first primary role model chef wasmy grandmother who would come to our house
in the suburbs and prepare enough yunkiefor twenty people. Even though we were
six and fascinated to watch her makeher own bread and place them on cookie
(37:06):
sheets, and then to allow thebread to rise and proof, she would
place it under the blankets on thebeds. I was intrigued, What is
that special attention in that care thatyou saw your grandmother putting into that.
You know, what does that haveto do with, you know, running
bonne Hill College? Yeah, youknow what. To me, it was
a very obvious expression of love andconnection to people that matter to you.
(37:29):
So when you can share the foodand share those moments at the table,
it was really very touching Caleb Anny, How young were you when you started
making money? I was about fifteenyears old and I was a custodian at
a donut shop. A custodian ata donut shop. So most fifteen year
(37:50):
olds are probably sleeping the broom closet. What were you? What type of
role did you have as the custodianout there. Well, that's a good
question. You're right. Most ofmy friends were probably home sleeping or you
know whatever. I was thrilled tobe there. I'd showed up early.
I worked at Earnest, cleaned asas much as possible, and it was
fascinated to be around other folks,whether they were the staff. I was
(38:14):
working with the manager, but eventhe customers. Why is it important to
have a nice, clean donut shopfor the customers? Yeah, you know,
I do now know very much now, and we teach our students at
well No College that customers can understandthose kinds of gestures very quickly. Whether
a customer understands the complexity of acertain dish, a recipe, or a
(38:37):
line very much. Everybody can understandand see if the place is being taken
care of carefully, And that's anexpression of the level of commitment I believe
to hospitality. So you learned atan early age that it's really about customer
perceptions exceeding guest expectations. Tell usa little more about how you impart that
(38:57):
on your students at Walnut Hill College. Absolutely, you know, think about
it average college student and all thosecolleges are wonderful. There's fifty three hundred
higher education institutions. We try anddo some things that are a bit different
to exceed. For example, allof our students participate in foreign travel.
Our culinary and pastry students go toFrance for a week of gastronomy. Our
(39:22):
management students go to Florida Central Floridavisit Disney World, but also take a
cruise to the Bahamas. And thenat the baccalaureate level, at the next
section, they have their second travelexperiences, which is it to England and
the theme of that trip is hospitalityin action, So they're really gaining a
(39:44):
lot of rural world worldwide perspective.At Walnut Hill College, you'd mentioned that
you were a little shy as ayounger kid. What do you do to
help students find their way socially well? The student life experience here is very
dynamic and very much alive. Thereare twenty three student organizations. We require
(40:05):
our students to earn what we callstudent life and learning points pretty simple.
That means they have to be activeand involved. And there is on an
average about twenty additional activities per week, and these are outside of the normal
scheduled classes. You mentioned that whenyou were a kid you were involved with
stage crew. What stage crew haveto do with being the president of Walnut
(40:30):
Hill College. Well, you know, stage crew is certainly the background,
no doubt. But I did see, even through occasional mistake or two,
that what goes on in the backgroundis very important at the foreground. And
boy, here's an example. Wedid Little Abner. There was a very
large tree backdrop. It was probablysixteen eighteen feet high, and during the
(40:55):
middle of the performance it fell veryslowly. It fell. I think that
people in the first few rooms hada gust of wind, and we ran
and we saved the moment. Theshow must go on. So you're the
president of Walnut Hill College. Howlong have you been the president? How
(41:19):
much long are you planning to bethe president of Walnut Hill College. I've
been the President. This is thebeginning of my forty first year, and
it's the beginning of my next fortyone as well. I have not been
the work in forty years. Whatare you talking? Boy? You've been
the president for forty one years andyou haven't been the work in forty years?
What are you talking about? Absolutely? And it's what I wish for
(41:44):
all of my graduates because obviously,when you do what you love, I'm
never at work. What is ityou love doing for work that doesn't feel
like work? What is that?Well, it's a joy to actually be
part of somebody's life at the educationlevel. For me, one of the
most inspirational quotes I ever read,and I use it all the time with
(42:04):
my colleagues and so on, isChrista mcculliffe, the teacher that turned to
astronaut, and she says, Itouched the future I teach. Wow.
Do you ever stay in touch withthem? I mean, after your students
graduate, do you ever bother talkingto them? Ever? Again? Absolutely,
We've got such a stellar list ofgraduates. They're everywhere restaurants, hotels,
(42:30):
catering businesses, pastry shops all throughoutthe Philadelphia regia, but also all
over the country and even a fewinternationally. Did you think your family,
mom, dad, your grandparents,do you think they'd be surprised cousins if
they found out what you're doing nowadays? Yes? Well, luckily my parents
(42:50):
had passed away, but luckily theywere there forty years ago when I started
in this role, and they wereextremely proud, which was very meaningful to
me as well. Why were theyproud of? What? Why? I
think maybe to some degree, I'mgoing to say that they didn't expect it.
You know, the son of abricklayer is now in the food the
(43:13):
fancy food business and world, ifyou will, and then ends up teaching
and inspiring future great chefs Hotelier's pastrychefs. So you really are you really
love your job and it sounds tome like my bed is that the staff
you have long term staff members andteammates. What's the website address in this
(43:35):
walnut Hill College. It's walnut HillCollege done e E Edu for Education,
walnut Hill College. We've been speakingwith Danny Liberato Scioli, president of Walnut
Hill College here on Executive Leaders Radioand Jim, could you please give us
a rundown and who we've had onthe air today. Sure, we had
Eric Seyferman, founder and owner LibertyUrgent Care. We had Justin Weinberg,
(43:58):
President and CEO out me X.We also had Brandon Slay, executive director
and head coach Pennsylvania RTC, andfinally Danny Liberado Sholey, President Wanta Hill
College. Like to thank my cohost Jim Wilson from Newmark, Kilip Poppas
Hamlin and Matt Clark Core Centric forgiving me a handstructure in the questions.
(44:20):
So I hope we're providing our listeningaudience an educational and entertaining Show'd like to
thank our listening audience for listening,Otherwise we wouldn't have a radio show.
Don't we get to visit our websiteExecutive Leaders Radio dot com. That's Executive
Leaders Radio dot com to learn moreabout our executive leaders. Thank you for
joining us today and please have anice day. Bye bye
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