BCN News

BCN News

Download on the App Store

BCN News episodes

  • Let's Talk About Heroes - Ryan Weaver

    Ryan Weaver is a high-energy, all-American, rockin’ country music artist who proudly served as a Black Hawk Helicopter Aviator, Chief Warrant Officer 3, in the United States Army. In 2017, Ryan was announced as the Patriotic Voice of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) for their Celebrate America Campaign at the 2017 PBR World Finals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2018 and 2019, Ryan toured across the U.S. and internationally to Australia with the PBR

    Buy Ryan's latest release - Let's Talk About Heroes https://linktr.ee/RyanWeaverOfficial

    ABOUT RYAN WEAVER

    Ryan’s personal story is like no other artist in country music today. Growing up with a family of eleven in a small town in Floral City, Florida, he joined the Army right after high school. After several years of working as a Military Intelligence Analyst, Ryan followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Steve and Aaron, by attending Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school. He graduated top of his class in flight school, becoming a Black Hawk Aviator.  In April 2003, he deployed to Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. Shortly after, one of his brothers, Aaron, was deployed just west of him in Fallujah.

    On January 8, 2004, Aaron was killed in action when the Medivac helicopter he was a passenger in was shot down by enemy fire. Ryan certainly understood mortality and the risks of combat…  After all, Aaron had survived the bloody 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia – the same battle that became the basis for the movie, Black Hawk Down. When Aaron died, however, something changed for Ryan. He returned from combat, taking a new position training the next generation of Army aviators and officers at Fort Rucker, Alabama and has not piloted a Black Hawk since that fateful day. 

    On December 17, 2013 Ryan’s brother-in-law, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy Billings, was killed in action in Afghanistan when the Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting was shot down by an enemy ground-detonated explosive device.  This second heartbreaking loss made the Weaver family a two-time Gold Star family. Both of his brothers’ ultimate sacrifices continue to fuel Ryan’s fire to accomplish his dreams in music.

    In late 2016, Ryan released the music video for his single “Burn,” featuring Kris “Tanto” Paranto and John “Tig” Tiegen from the movie 13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. “Burn” aired nationwide on The Country Network and Heartland, and internationally at over 5,000 retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues throughout the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. Ryan’s first music video “Crank It” played nationally on ZUUS Country TV and TNN/Heartland Network and spent 8 weeks on their Top 10 Video Countdown – a network record. 


    19 min
  • Be Nimble. Adapt. Be Ready
    Be NimbleHow the Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business


    Marty Strong's direct and compelling message is focused on business but in truth, its leadership tenets are agnostic as to industry, marketplace, private or public setting. This is not a textbook. It is a personal conversation between a high-performance business leader and professionals searching for actionable insights that deliver results. Be Nimble provides mentorship, tips, tools, and useful examples to help drive home its valuable leadership insights.

    Marty Strong has an accomplished leadership career spanning four decades. He worked his way from enlisted SEAL Team member to the SEAL Officer corps, retiring with twenty years’ service in that highly-decorated and esteemed military unit. He is the author of the Time Warrior Sagas and the SEAL Strike Series.

    Link To The Book:
    https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/business-books/our-books/be-nimble-navy-seal-mindset



    27 min
  • Give Thanks and Enjoy

    When the Marines and the Army partner up, nothing can stop them.  And this is true for Cheramie and Todd Aho , the owners of Cheramie Wine, a Texas wine company that is showcasing the best of Texas wine and how it can be up there with the best.

    This episode talks about the importance of having the right wine with the right dish, and especially for this Thanksgiving holiday.

    Cheramie and Todd are going to be regular guest on the show and they will be showcasing up and coming wines they are launching.

    You can learn more about Cheramie Wine by visiting their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/cheramiewine

    23 min
  • Embrace Creativity. Don't Suppress It.

    When people say to me "you are so creative" it gives me a sense of pride that someone has seen I have put thought into my idea, action or work.  So when I was given the opportunity to have the co-author of the book "Cracking The Creativity Code" - Shlomo Maital, as a guest on my show, I jumped at the opportunity.  Shlomo, is Senior Research Fellow at the Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies, Technion and Professor (Emeritus) at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. 

    All that being said I was honored that he joined me and Michael Steiner, Executive Director of BEST Robotics, Inc. to discuss this topic of creativity.

    We discussed whether creativity can be taught or are you born with it, and the answers were very interesting.

    Shlomo and Michael talk about the situation in todays educational systems and some concerning trends they are seeing.

    I am hoping that when leaders of industry and key executives listen to this conversation they learn to embrace creativity within the workforce, and educators see the potential in students that demonstrate creativity.

    42 min
  • Communication is the beginning of Great things

    Over the past few months, we have been having some disruptive, and thought-provoking conversations with Michael Steiner, Executive Director of BEST Robotics around the training, education and the elements and skills that students and the workforce need today.

    One part of my last conversation made me stop and think.

    Michael talked about the importance of communication in today’s business World, and I wanted to have a deeper conversation around this subject, so we arrange the recording of this segment.

    I have been an enterprise sales professional for the majority of my career, and I chose to use the power of communication to help educate my audience about the things I am passionate about in the process of doing this over the past several years I have created many strong partnerships and had several win-win outcomes where we have benefited from this approach.

    But communication was a key element of this approach.  And in today’s “instant” reward approach, sometimes communication is diluted and some of the key elements are lost.

    If you lose key elements in a business communication, it can be the difference between success or failure, a great idea or missed opportunity, and that can cost the individual or the organization millions in revenue.

    The art of putting together a clear, and concise communication piece is more than having good grammar and punctuation – it is the structure of how you present the information and the data.

    Many people just jump in and present the idea.

    But it is essential to put the idea into context, so that the recipient can relate to why you are communicating this.

    Michael gives some great examples of communication that worked, and enabled the communicator to put their case forward so that the recipient could make an informed decision.

    About BEST Robotics:

    Take plywood and a box filled with items such as PVC pipe, screws and other hardware, an irrigation valve cover, piano wire, aluminum paint grid, a bicycle inner tube, a BRAIN (BEST Robotics Advanced Instruction Node programmable platform), and something called a micro-energy chain system and try, within six weeks, to design and build a functioning machine that can perform certain, specific tasks in three minutes. What do you get?

    You get BEST, a middle and high school robotics competition whose mission is to engage and excite students about engineering, science, and technology as well as inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.

    Through participation in our project-based STEM program, students learn to analyze
     and solve problems utilizing the Engineering Design Process, which
     helps them develop technological literacy skills. It is these skills that industry seeks
     in its workforce.

    Each fall, over 850 middle and high schools and over 18,000 students participate in the competition.

    For More Information Visit Their Website : https://www.bestrobotics.org/

    About Michael Steiner

    Michael Steiner came from humble beginnings. He is the son of Polish Holocaust survivors who made it through World War II as orphans because of a great deal of help from others. Over the years, he has become an accomplished and entrepreneurial international executive. Michael has over thirty years of experience in leading companies, organizations, and projects across industries. His proven track record includes team management experience, negotiation skills, and the highest level of due diligence. Michael Steiner is the co-founder of Your Global Strategy (YGS). This innovative consulting agency works with thought leaders and governments across the globe to manage projects and drive creativity toward growth.

    Throughout the years, Michael Steiner’s clients have included go

    38 min
  • Music with a Mission - Ryan Weaver on Vets4Vets Nation Talks

    Ryan Weaver is many things -- a U.S. Army Combat Veteran, Two-Time Gold Star Family Member and a Country Music Singer/Songwriter.

    Ryan’s personal story is like no other artist in country music today.  He’s a former Black Hawk Aviator who lost a brother and brother-in-law in service, making them a two-time Gold Star family. His brother Aaron was killed in Iraq on January 8, 2004 and his borther-in-law Randy was killed in Afghanistan on December 17, 2013.

    Ryan used his heartache as determination to succeed.  Both of his brothers’ ultimate sacrifices continue to fuel his fire to accomplish his dreams in music.
    In the music video, 24-Year NYPD Detective & Emergency Service Unit - Rich Miller relays the behind-the-scenes story of how he helped raise the flag amidst the rubble of the downed World Trade Center buildings after 9/11 – an iconic moment and photo in American history.

    Learn More: www.ryanweaver.net

    21 min
  • Train For Teamwork. Your Future Is Teamwork.

    An Individual is an Island. A team player is The World 


    Over the next few months Business Class News is going to be having various conversations with Michael Steiner, Executive Director of BEST Robotics Inc.  

    BEST is an organization that is dedicated to programs that teach students how to work together as teams and give them the experience of the various components of developing a project from design, testing, production, and marketing. 

    A couple of weeks ago Michael spoke with our publisher, Karl Woolfenden and they discussed the topic of training for the future and the importance of getting our students comfortable working as teams and supporting each other to see the best results. 

    It became obvious that this was not a one segment conversation and there are supporting topics that need to be discussed. 

    Training in its traditional sense is developing skills that allow an individual to perform and complete tasks that are essential to a project or job function. 

    Michael wanted to discuss a skill that is quite complex but is something that needs to be learned for today's work environment, and fits with the project model of Fit, Flat and Fast that organizations are using to advance innovation. 

    In the interview you will hear Michael talking about various organizations that use this model, and how this skill impacts the results of projects and the team members involved. 

    The skill Michael talks about is Cognitive Resilience, which Karl remembered from his military training, and in that context, it was about stress mitigation in extreme circumstances, but Michael explained that in this fast-paced world, workplaces, and job roles need to have individuals understand how to cope with situations they may be placed within to make them effective and healthy. 

    Michael talks about the cognitive resilience grid and he explains about the elements that are involved in this essential skill. 

    1. Capacity Growth 
    2. Mapping Ambiguity 
    3. Compassion and Empathy 
    4. Optimism 
    5. Self-Efficacy 
    6. Greater Good 

    Karl talked about culture and if this needs to be part of the overall corporate culture, and Michael talked about BEST Culture and had an amazing answer. 

    As we continue these conversations, we are going to build a more complete picture of “Training for The Future” and why this is so important as we grow our talent pool. 

    52 min

About BCN News

From the publisher's feed

BCN News prides itself in educating its listeners about new and exciting products and solutions. We work with our clients to provide the best information which is helpful to our listeners