Building Excellence

#140: Don Wenner is the Founder and CEO of DLP Capital, a private real estate investment and financial services firm focused on making an impact on American communities by acquiring, developing, and building relationships, housing, leaders, and organizations. Wenner founded DLP Capital in 2006 and has since spearheaded its meteoric growth, with the firm ranking on the Inc. 5000 list of “Fastest Growing Private Companies in America” for 10 consecutive years—among the few companies on the list to achieve such growth consistency. The firm now has more than $4 billion of assets under management.

He originally formed DLP Capital—standing for “Dream, Live, Prosper”—as a small, residential real estate sales firm in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia. Within five years, he had expanded the firm to include an investment portfolio of real estate rentals along with property management. Soon after, under Wenner’s stewardship the firm added real estate brokerage and construction affiliates and had grown to a team of 100 employees and now over 400 plus.

This Elite Execution System, or EES, is today a hallmark of Wenner’s success. Wenner became a bestselling author in a book that elaborates on this EES model, Building an Elite Organization: The Blueprint to Scaling a High-Growth, High-Profit Business. The book, a Wall Street Journal, USAToday and Amazon bestseller, also elaborates on other best-in-business practices for 10x-ing growth as well as focusing on core values that contribute to driving greatness. Earlier this year he released his newest book Building an Elite Career: The Blueprint to Thriving in a High Growth Organization.

Among additional noteworthy milestones in Don Wenner’s career: he has closed more than 28,000 real estate transactions, overseen the acquisition of 30,000+ homes and apartments, and impacted more than 838,000 lives through DLP Capital’s affordable housing initiatives. Under his leadership, DLP Capital consistently receives regional accolades as a Best Places to Work, among other awards of distinction.

For more on Don & DLP check out dlpcapital.com and for more on his books check out dlpelite.com 

Enjoy the show!

#139: Mitch Canham is the Head Baseball Coach at Oregon State University. Coach Canham played at Oregon State where he was a 2007 All-American and guided the Beavers to three trips to Omaha, culminating in National Championships in 2006 and 2007.

Following his stellar career at Oregon State, he was selected in the first round, 57th overall, by the San Diego Padres in the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He was the sixth first-round selection in Oregon State history.

He spent four seasons with the Padres’ organization, reaching as high as Triple-A Portland. He also spent time with the Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals’ organizations before ending his professional playing career with the independent Lincoln Saltdogs in 2015.

After playing he decided to get into coaching and served in different roles with the Seattle Mariners as manager of the Arkansas Travelers, Modesto Nuts, and Clinton Lumber Kings before arriving in Corvallis as head coach at Oregon State. 

Canham’s contributions to local communities have continued during his professional career and include founding and serving as the CEO of BASE By Pros LLC, an organization that provides personalized baseball instruction and mentorship to kids across the country.

During his time at Oregon State he has led the Beavers to 2 NCAA Regionals and 1 NCAA Super regional   in his first 3 full seasons, with a record of 141-71.

On the show he shares his story, the power of effective communication, body language, the art of teaching, pouring into others, leadership, what the best do, resilience, and much more. 

Enjoy the show! 

#138: Oliver Winterbone is the Vice President & Director of Coaches & Executives at Wasserman. Wasserman proudly represents elite athletes, broadcasters, coaches, sport executives and influencers. As an agent some his clients are coaches such as Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls & Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Prior to Wasserman he spent 18 years on the sidelines and front offices of places like the OKC Thunder, University of Florida, University of Virginia, & Rutgers University. During his tenure in those places he was able to help build great teams and programs which ultimately culminated into experiences in the Western Conference Finals, Final Four, SEC & ACC Titles, to name a few. He has worked alongside some of the most elite players, coaches, & executives. The Athletic named Oliver to their 40 Under 40 in the NBA.

On the show Oliver shares his story of growing up, getting into basketball, the power of relationships, hard work, making decisions, finding opportunities, being great where you are, authenticity, and much more. 

Be sure to take notes and enjoy the show!

#137: Andrew Abernathey is the founder and CEO of Abernathey Holdings, a leading real estate holding company driven by a passion for business and inspired by the value investing approach of Warren Buffett and the simplicity approach of Gary Tharaldson.

Andrew’s investing journey began at the age of 13, exploring a diverse range of public securities. By the age of 18 he was already a millionaire.

Established in August 2012, Abernathey Holdings initially pursued a diverse investment strategy. However, in 2019, they strategically shifted their focus to developing and owning class-A self-storage facilities across the sunbelt region, while also owning the operating companies to ensure vertical integration. This streamlined approach has not only enhanced their returns but also propelled them to achieve remarkable market-beating results, elevating their assets under management to an impressive $250 million and quickly growing.

In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, he co-founded Abernathey Brothers Farm, an agricultural enterprise spanning multiple locations in North Dakota. Their focus is on planting, growing, and harvesting thousands of acres of small grains, which are sold in the open market.

Beyond his corporate endeavors, he is actively engaged in the nonprofit sector. Through the Abernathey Foundation, he collaborates with Unseen, a Fargo-based organization, to combat global human trafficking. By combining his expertise in real estate investments, agricultural enterprise, and philanthropy, he strives to make a lasting impact and contribute to the betterment of society.

For more on Andrew check out andrewaabernathey.com or abernatheyholdingco.com

Enjoy the show!

#136: Thomas R. Williams is a professional speaker and the author of “Permission to DREAM,” “The Relentless Pursuit of Greatness” and “DIG”.

As a professional speaker he is a member of The Jon Gordon Speaking team and communicates with great passion and purpose on “The Energy Bus” and “The Power of Positive Leadership” He impacts his audiences by helping them create a successful vision that leads them to greatness.

When Thomas isn’t speaking with corporations and organizations, he works closely with both college and professional athletes on the inevitable transition to life beyond the scoreboard. It is here where he drives home his mantra, “Athletes are great people first, who just so happen to be great athletes. Greatness may have started with sports, but it doesn’t end when you retire… GREATNESS is a lifestyle.”

In 2008 Thomas graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Sociology. Nicknamed The Hitman, Thomas was a captain on USC’s football team, where he and his Trojan teammates had a record of 59-6. They won 2 National Championships and 3 Rose Bowls under now Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

Selected 155th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft Thomas played 5 years in the NFL, where he was not just focused on winning and competing, but rather mastering TEAMWORK, MENTAL TOUGHNESS and LEADERSHIP. During his time as a player he was able to learn from some of the best coaches such as Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, and Ron Rivera.

In 2012 after a career ending neck injury, Thomas transitioned from a game changer to a life changer, helping teams tackle obstacles and finding their winning solutions.

On the show Thomas shares his story of growing up, becoming an elite athlete, college at USC, playing in the NFL, what he learned from great coaches, leadership, accountability, buy in, obedience, running towards the roar, and much more.

For more on Thomas check out thomasrwilliams.com

Enjoy the show!

#135: Aaron Ackerman is Partner at HoganTaylor and leads the firm's Financial Management Services practice which includes fractional CFO services, Transaction Advisory Services, and Client Accounting Services. He is a CPA with more than 20 years of experience and leadership in both public accounting and private business. 

Over the course of his career, Aaron has served clients in a wide variety of entities including nonprofit, manufacturing, construction, and self-insurance funds. After transitioning to corporate accounting/finance he worked in energy services, television/online media, and retail fuel. Aaron has served as Controller or CFO for a 50-year-old family owned business, as well as a hedge fund backed start-up company.

He is also the co-host of the How That Happened Podcast, which is a business and innovation success podcast.

On the show Aaron shares his story, the impact of family, gathering advice, making decisions, leadership, prioritizing, building community, consistency, and much more.

To find out more about Aaron and Hogan Taylor, check out hogantaylor.com

Enjoy the show!

#134: John Ramstead is the CEO of Beyond Influence and former Navy F-14 tomcat fighter jet pilot. He is also the president of Alpha Principle and host of the Eternal Leadership Podcast.

John began his career as an active-duty Navy F-14 combat pilot, serving in Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War. He was invited to join the acclaimed Top Gun school in 1994, then served in the Navy reserves for 8 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

After the Navy John became an entrepreneur and was part of founding and building three technology companies before making the move to Wall Street in 2004. John served as a trusted advisor to his investment and financial planning clients while at Bernstein and Financial Designs. He specialized in multi-generational legacy planning, impact investing for philanthropy, and creating long-term security for his clients.

After his decade in the investment and financial planning industry, John became a world-class coach to senior executives of Fortune 100 companies as well as the U.S. Department of Defense. John helped guide their vision, communication, and collaboration. As a coach, John’s purpose is to connect individuals, families, and organizations to their purpose and guide them into their full potential by living a life that outlives their lives. He is the bestselling author of On Purpose with Purpose – Discovering How to Live Your Best Life. John’s podcast, Eternal Leadership, was named by Inc. Magazine in “The Top 12 Podcast Leaders You Need to Listen To.”

On the show John share lessons learned from growing up, becoming a fighter pilot, getting accepted to TOP GUN, adversity, overcoming a near death horseback riding incident that left him in the hospital for nearly two years, leadership lessons, gratefulness, faith, what matters, and much more!

For more on John check out BeyondInfluence.com as well as a link to his book in the show notes. 

Enjoy the show!

Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Discovering-Live-Your-Best/dp/1631952560

#133: Jacie Hoyt is the Oklahoma State University Women’s Basketball Head Coach. 

In her first season as head coach at Oklahoma State she lead the Cowgirls to 21 wins, matching the program's best tally ever under a first-year head coach. OSU’s total marked a 12-win improvement from the previous season and resulted in one of the 10 largest turnarounds in the nation, as well as making it to the NCAA Tournament. 

Before coming to Oklahoma State, she was the youngest head coach in the country at UMKC where she lead the Roos to a first ever 2020 WAC regular season Championship and was named 2020 WAC Coach of the Year. 

Coach Hoyt grew up in Kansas. During her high school years she enjoyed one of the most prolific scoring careers in Kansas prep history, finishing with 2,016 points in only three seasons at Hoxie (Kan.) HS. Her career average of 26.6 points per game ranks sixth in state history.

On the show she shares her story, lessons learned from her parents, how relationships matter, selflessness, commitment to the process, the power of alignment, holding people accountable, never settling, choosing hard, being uncommon, leadership, and much more. 

(Also the week this podcast comes out, Coach Hoyt and the cowgirls are hosting an open practice on October 24th at 5pm. So if you want to see Coach Hoyt and the Cowgirls live in action be sure to check that out.)

Enjoy the show!

#132: Lloyd Reeb is a successful real estate developer, owner of retirement housing, Co-Founder of both the Halftime Institute & Ardent Mentoring.

He made a mid-life transition, looking for greater meaning, joy and impact in his second half. To his surprise he discovered that he was not alone in this journey and that many talented leaders are longing for midlife renewal.

Lloyd has had the privilege of investing 25 plus years helping leaders plan their second half. He, along with his mentor Bob Buford, helped launch the Halftime Institute, a global team that teach, coach, and connect successful men and women in pursuit of significance.

Lloyd has taken the Halftime message around the world: speaking, teaching and coaching individuals through the journey. As a result, he understands the issues that surround your Halftime in a deep and practical way.

He is the author of From Success to Significance: When the Pursuit of Success Isn’t Enough, which is a road map for this mid-life transition. His book The Second Half: Real stories, Real adventures, Real significance provides compelling evidence that your second half could be the most creative and productive season of your life.

Lloyd and his wife, Linda, have written the family-focused relationship series: Halftime for Couples, Finally Connected, andBuilding a Thriving Family.

On the show Lloyd shares his story of growing up, being a gymnast, building on your strengths, starting in banking then real estate, freedom, meeting Bob Buford, Halftime, low cost probes, success to significance, parenting, knowing your spouses dream, family vision, and much more.

For more info on Lloyd check out haltimeinstitute.org and ardentmentoring.org as well as social media platforms. Also, if you want to see any of the examples or material Lloyd mentioned on family vision, values, or list of characteristics to instill in your children just let me know. 

Enjoy the show! 

#131: Bob Richey is the head men’s basketball coach at Furman University. 

Coach Richey has helped propel the Paladins to national prominence leading Furman to the 2023 Southern Conference regular season title, the program’s first SoCon Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth since 1980, and its first tournament victory since 1974 against the University of Virginia this past season. 

In his six seasons as head coach he has guided the Paladins to a 139-54 overall record and 78-27 mark in Southern Conference play while posting a .720 winning percentage, which ranks in the top 20 among all active Division I head coaches.

Under his leadership, Furman ranks as one of just 19 Division I programs to win at least 25 games in three of the last five seasons and one of only 12 Division I schools to record at least 22 victories in six of the last seven years. Furman’s .720 overall winning percentage and .727 SoCon winning percentage over the past six seasons are both tops among SoCon schools during his tenure.

On the show he shares his story of growing up in South Carolina, impact of his parents, playing college basketball, becoming a college coach, being bold, growth, accountability, leadership, designing things to be hard, your best, understanding your gifts, building excellence, and much more.

Enjoy the show!