After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from the University of Kentucky, Ace McGill began his finance career in corporate America. During his tenure in corporate finance, Ace led Procter & Gamble’s valuation projects for billion-dollar brands like Bounty, Charmin, Gain, and Tide. To strengthen his business knowledge, Ace attended an entrepreneurship-focused MBA program at the Grazadio Business School at Pepperdine University. Ace also was a finance leader for Whirlpool and most recently Brown-Forman.  

Today, Ace continues his entrepreneurial journey as a business-finance influencer with a diverse investment portfolio including a valuation app, real estate, hemp distribution, cannabis consulting, money lending, and software development. In addition to pursuing new business ventures, Ace enjoys consulting other entrepreneurs in their quest for financial independence and business ownership. He hopes that his latest project, Value Buddy, a fintech software, can be a catalyst to help those he mentors be able to scale their businesses and leverage technology to advance their overall business objectives.

Recorded March 2024

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• ⁠Ace McGill on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠⁠Value Buddy on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Guide Book⁠ website

Leave Some Feedback:

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Ben Roberson⁠⁠⁠ and Stuart Jordan⁠ are cofounders of ⁠⁠Guide Book⁠⁠, a platform built to empower outdoor guides by getting them in front of new clients and providing them the tools they need to manage their business all in one place.

Ben is a fly fishing guide and has used that experience to inform Guide Book's growth so far, Stuart brings a lifetime of outdoor experiences and business prowess to the table, and their combined efforts have allowed Guide Book to flourish. They are excited about the future of the business and the changes it will bring to the outdoor guide industry.

Recorded November 2023

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• Ben Roberson on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stuart Jordan on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠Guide Book on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Guide Book website

Leave Some Feedback:

• Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with what you want to hear about next.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

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• Subscribe to our podcast

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠awesomeinc.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Alli Truttmann⁠⁠ is the Founder and CEO of ⁠⁠Wicked Technologies⁠⁠, which specializes in smart bedding and sleep products. Their newest product, the Wicked Smart Pad is a washable, sensorized bed pad that detects moisture and alerts caregivers in real-time for smart incontinence care.

Alli is a graduate of Bellarmine University and The University of Louisville. She is passionate about education, entrepreneurship, and the Autism community. Her superhuman trick is being able to recite all of the U.S. Presidents to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy while jumping on a pogo stick.

Recording from November 2023

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alli Truttmann⁠⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠Wicked Technologies⁠⁠' Linkedin page

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wicked Sheets⁠⁠ website

Leave Some Feedback:

• Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with what you want to hear about next.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to our podcast

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠awesomeinc.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Amanda (“Mandy”) Ralston is a queer, neurodivergent serial Founder. She is a 25-year veteran practitioner and has been certified as a behavior analyst since 2002.

During her career she has founded two clinics that provided applied behavior analysis services to hundreds of families, schools, and individuals with autism or other developmental or intellectual disabilities. She successfully exited to the 4th largest ABA provider group in 2019.  
Mandy has served as a Subject Matter Expert to several international workgroups and panels related to Behavior Analysis, Ethics, Outcomes, and Practice. She is a featured speaker in several mediums globally.  She has twice been nominated for Small Businessperson of the Year in 2015 and 2017.  She was the recipient of the Autism Innovation Award at the Autism Investor Summit in 2023.
Ralston creates unique solutions by synthesizing her own history of reinforcement and punishment with evidence-based practices, Clinical and Business Intelligence, and Technology to further support clinicians, funders, businesses, and founders in changing the world for Quality of Life, Outcomes, neuro/diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Her behavior continues to be shaped by its impact on a world where autism exists, and the field of behavior analysis.
Her most recent venture is NonBinary Solutions - a data analytics and technology firm making Clinical Decision Support Systems for providers and other constituents of Applied Behavior Analysis and neurodiversity.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• ⁠NonBinary Solutions⁠ website

• Founder, ⁠⁠⁠Mandy Ralston⁠⁠⁠ on Linkedin

Leave Some Feedback:

• Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ with what you want to hear about next.

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Connect with Us:

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Recap of Wicked Technologies winning the 2023 5 Across Finals on December 6th, 2023:

⁠Alli Truttmann⁠ is the Founder and CEO of ⁠Wicked Technologies⁠, which specializes in smart bedding and sleep products. Their newest product, the Wicked Smart Pad is a washable, sensorized bed pad that detects moisture and alerts caregivers in real-time for smart incontinence care.

Alli is a graduate of Bellarmine University and The University of Louisville. She is passionate about education, entrepreneurship, and the Autism community. Her superhuman trick is being able to recite all of the U.S. Presidents to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy while jumping on a pogo stick.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alli Truttmann⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠Wicked Technologies⁠' Linkedin page

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wicked Sheets⁠ website

Leave Some Feedback:

• Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with what you want to hear about next.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to our podcast

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠awesomeinc.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Instagram -- @awesomeinclex

• Twitter -- @awesomeinclex

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube

The Awesome Fund is the next step in the cultivation of the Kentucky Startup ecosystem. The first investments were made on 8/1/2023!

Founded after more than a decade of helping promote and incubate Kentucky startups, Awesome Inc has launched a venture capital fund to help provide funding for companies in this overlooked region.

Focused on early stage software companies, the Awesome Fund is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the infrastructure that Awesome Inc has spearheaded in building since 2009.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Benjamin Strevy⁠ on Linkedin

• Keith McMunn on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Awesome Fund⁠ website

Leave Some Feedback:

• Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with what you want to hear about next.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to our podcast

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠awesomeinc.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Instagram -- @awesomeinclex

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Donna's speech from the 2023 Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame ceremony in Lexington, KY on November 2, 2023.

Donna Salyers

President and Founder, Fabulous Furs

Beginning with a faux fur sewing kit she designed and assembled in their basement, Donna Salyers Fabulous-Furs has grown into a majority asset of Salyers Group, a diversified investment company. Her products are sold through catalog, Internet, retail, and wholesale accounts in over 4,000 hotels, stores, and boutiques including Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, plus TV shopping networks Shop HQ and Australia’s TVSN.

Inspiration occurred in the late 80’s when, on her way to purchase a mink coat, Donna chanced to hear a broadcast describing kittens being skinned alive for “mink” teddy bears. Instead of buying a coat, she set out to create a luxurious alternative.

Known as the World’s finest faux furs, her designs have appeared in hundreds of Broadway productions, movies, and TV shows, plus every major fashion magazine. Donna was profiled in People Magazine and twice in the Wall Street Journal. A retail showroom in Covington houses Donna Salyers Fabulous-Furs and Fabulous-Bridal.

Salyers Group opened Hotel Covington in late 2016 and added 23 suites in 2023, complementing the Madison Event Center they opened in 1989. Donna wrote a syndicated newspaper column for 17 years, leading to a video series, a national TV show and eight books.

Links:

• Donna Salyer's Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame profile

Tony's speech from the 2023 Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame ceremony in Lexington, KY on November 2, 2023.

Tony Lamb

Founder & CEO, Kona Ice

Founder & CEO, Travelin' Tom's Coffee

Tony Lamb is the founder and CEO of Kona Ice and Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck. When Tony launched Kona Ice in 2007, he wanted to give families a better ice cream truck experience after his 3-year-old daughter had an awful encounter with an ice cream truck man.

Since then, Tony Lamb has revolutionized the food truck space and Kona Ice has grown to the World's Largest Food Truck Company with more than 1,700 franchisee-owned trucks in 49 states and Canada.

Keeping the same vision, Tony launched Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck in 2020. With 150 franchised trucks on the road by the end of 2023, Tom's Coffee is growing exponentially with over 300 reservations for future trucks.

Kona Ice has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, rated #1 New Franchise in the US in 2013, and regularly in the Top 25 Fastest Growing Franchises. Kona Ice has been consistently ranked #1 and #2 in Franchisee Satisfaction by Franchise Business Review for the past 12 years.

Additionally, Tony was named the 2021 Chief Executive Officer for a Large Private Company by Cincinnati Business Courier. This program honors executives who’ve shown outstanding leadership and stellar performance at Greater Cincinnati businesses and nonprofits.
Links:

• Tony Lamb's Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame profile

Jimmy's speech from the 2023 Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame ceremony in Lexington, KY on November 2, 2023.

Jimmy Kirchdorfer

Chairman & CEO, ISCO Industries, Inc.

James Kirchdorfer, Jr. (or Jimmy as he’s known) is the chairman and CEO of ISCO Industries. A proud alum of the Catholic school system in Louisville, Kentucky, Jimmy then went on to graduate with a degree in business from Miami University.

Jimmy began his career at ISCO in the early 90s, working summers during college. In 1993, he became one of the first ISCO sales representatives to live outside of Louisville. Working his way through the ranks, he was named general manager, then president, and has been Chairman and CEO since 2010. With humble beginnings in a family hardware store, ISCO has seen tremendous growth over the years and has become a global leader in HDPE piping solutions.

In 2022, along with three other partners, Jimmy purchased Valhalla Golf Club. He is the General Chair of the 2024 PGA Championship. He was named Ernst & Young 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Kentucky/Ohio region, named one of the Most Admired CEOs by Louisville Business First Magazine in 2019, received the 2020 J.W. Janes award for his contribution to the growth of amateur golf in Kentucky, and was inducted into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame 2021 class.

Jimmy currently serves on several boards, primarily supporting youth golf programs and advancing educational opportunities in Kentucky. He resides in Louisville with his wife, Dana, and their two children, Jay and Emma.

Links:

• Jimmy Kirchdorfer's Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame profile

Here's an insight to our fourth bi-annual showcase of the Awesome Inc Fellowship Program's startup portfolio.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Graduating Portfolio Companies

• Party Horses⁠ || Founder, ⁠Chris Wiedmar⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠MiniGrip⁠ || Founders, ⁠Kirk Selenberg⁠ and ⁠Bill Meehan⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠UJOIN⁠ || Founder, ⁠Kory Payne⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠PrepSharp⁠ || Founders, ⁠Moshe Ohayon⁠, ⁠Grace Lee⁠, ⁠Ross Thompson⁠ on Linkedin

Halfway Accelerated Portfolio Companies

• ⁠Feedcoyote⁠ || Founder, ⁠Dr. Stevens Bonhomme⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠C2 Keep⁠ || Founder, ⁠Roland Achenjang⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠Cartoonize My Pet⁠ || Founder, ⁠Jennifer Williams⁠ on Linkedin

• ⁠Smoove Creations⁠ || Founders, ⁠Isaiah Kelly⁠ and ⁠Vivi McCloy⁠ on Linkedin

Newly Onboarded Portfolio Companies

• ⁠⁠Guide Book || Co-Founders, ⁠⁠Stuart Jordan and Ben Roberson on Linkedin

• ⁠⁠kyndly⁠⁠ || Co-Founders, Waleed Bahouth and Erik Anderson on Linkedin

• NonBinary Solutions || Founder, ⁠⁠Mandy Ralston⁠⁠ on Linkedin

• Wicked Technologies || Founder, Allie Truttmann on Linkedin

Leave Some Feedback:

• Email ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ with what you want to hear about next.

• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to our podcast

• ⁠⁠⁠awesomeinc.org⁠⁠⁠

• Instagram -- @awesomeinclex

• Twitter -- @awesomeinclex

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