Sarah Holtan, PhD, talks with Jessie Cannizzaro, owner of Milestone Plumbing, about the true meaning of community and how businesses can teach colleges to connect with their neighbors in ways that matter. If you’ve ever wondered why universities struggle to partner with local businesses, Jessie’s experiences might change your mind about what community really is.

Jessie shares how her business balances profit, passion, and service, revealing why even a small gesture—like collecting pop tabs—can spark huge impact. You’ll hear how employees’ personal “why” drives engagement, and why listening beats boardroom strategy every single time.

Want to know why the secret to better town-gown relations starts with getting out of the boardroom and into the neighborhood? Tune in and learn from Jessie Cannizzaro’s candid insights on making business and social impact one genuine connection at a time.

Episode Highlights:

04:55 - It's one singular community. It's not just this local area, it's the associations and the things that we're involved in at the state level, at the regional level, now at the national level, because it's one community that's doing collaborative efforts for a greater good.

09:08 - I lay them out in advance, which can sometimes be frustrating when people want a quick meeting, you know, oh, I wanna show you this demo on something that I probably don't need, and they get irritated that I can't make that time. But it's not that I'm saying no, always I'm always trying to be rude, but more importantly, I've committed to things. My schedule fills up quickly, so I think the time management is probably the most important part.

10:55 - We're very transparent, so they know if we're getting involved in an initiative, they know well in advance and have the ability to come along with during the planning stage, which I think is really important.

14:52 - I think sometimes it's easy from like a boardroom to try to make decisions, but if you don't know the people, you don't know what's going to matter to them.

Sarah Holtan, PhD

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Jessie Cannizzaro

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Milestone Plumbing

Resources

Locus: Take Control and Change the Direction of Your Life

The THRIVE Journal: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Create and Accomplish Your Goals

Chief Energy Officer: the #newCEO: How high-performing leaders manage people, pressure, and profit to build thriving organizations

Quantum Lead: How Visionary Leaders harness a hidden energy to create massive breakthroughs, accelerate growth and transform organizations

High-Performance Leadership: Success Strategies to Grow Yourself and Your Organization (2025),Vision to Business: A No-Nonsense Blueprint to Help You Turn Ideas into Income

The Mission Mover: Laser Focus Your Time and Energy to Build a Mission that Lasts!