CEOs Speak

How has predicting the weather changed? Learn from the "most accurate man in weather” as he was named by The New York Times. Dr. Joel N. Myers is considered the “father of modern commercial meteorology” and the nation’s most respected authority on the business of meteorology. Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AccuWeather, he has been recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs book as one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history. He is a proven visionary leader, founding the company in 1962 and successfully establishing AccuWeather as the largest and fastest-growing weather media company as well as a global leader in weather-related big data, business, and predictive analytics. Dr. Myers continues to champion global business growth at AccuWeather while helping others.

Alexandre Douzet is the CEO of Pumpkin Pet Insurance.

Alexandre has an MBA in general management, an MS in direct marketing, and a BS in economics and business administration. Prior to Pumpkin, he was founder and CEO of Ollie, and before that TheLadders.com. He is also a competitive athlete and has completed several Ironman competitions.

Nancy Leavitt is the woman behind the award-winning Nancy Leavitt Agency, LLC, a woman-owned business through American Family Insurance in Bellingham, WA, which has provided auto, home, business, life, and other insurance in the Pacific Northwest for almost twelve years. In that time, she’s developed thousands of policies, serviced hundreds of claims, and touched the lives of thousands of residents in her community.

In this second podcast with Gary Schoeniger of The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, Gary digs deeper into a discussion of his "entrepreneurial mindset theory."  To explain this theory, he shares that he "wanted to understand how people with no particular advantage in their life, managed to rise above their situation, to create some modicum of meaning and prosperity in their life. "

Dr. Kennette Thigpen, or Dr. K as many have come to call her, is a Corporate Mental Health Consultant and Speaker. She has spent the last 15+ years helping hundreds of companies of all sizes, in multiple industries, from around the globe develop, implement and integrate mental health strategies by developing tailored initiatives, delivering training, and speaking. In doing so, she is able to help companies experience a more resilient, productive, and engaged workforce.

Her innovative methodology when working with companies has awarded her the IChange Nations award for Women Who Add Value and as a Distinguished Leader. She is an International Psychologist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker who graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and East Carolina University.

Brian Harris is the CEO and co-founder of MedRhythms, a digital therapeutics company that uses sensors, music, and software to build evidence-based, neurologic interventions to measure and improve walking.

In a multi-billion-dollar law enforcement organization, Jonni Redick oversaw large-scale civil disturbance, natural disaster response coordination, and oversight, and managed thousands of personnel within daily operations. A 29-year veteran, rising through the ranks of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) from county clerical worker to breaking through the “less-than-one-percent” ceiling for women of color in executive leadership in law enforcement.

Her progression from front-line police work to executive leadership generated her passion for cultivating trust and legitimacy in organizational cultures. She now builds 21st Century leaders as the founder and CEO of JLConsulting Solutions (JLCS) where she works with police executives in law enforcement and public safety, CEOs in corporate, government, and nonprofit businesses.

She is a thought leader in law enforcement and educates public safety and law enforcement leaders across the country. Jonni Redick is also the author of “Survival Guide” to Law Enforcement Promotional Preparation and the forthcoming book “Black, White & Blue: Surviving the Sifting.”

Ryan Novak is the 32-year-old owner of Chocolate Pizza Company, Central New York’s largest chocolate maker that has grown from a small-town chocolate shop into an emerging national brand. The company’s signature, products Chocolate Pizza® and Peanut Butter Wings® are gourmet chocolate gifts for business or personal occasions made with the highest quality Swiss-style chocolate. They have been enjoyed by A-list celebrities, hall of fame athletes, music legends, top political and business executives, and chocolate lovers from 6 continents. In 2016, Chocolate Pizza Company was named “Business of the Year” (less than 50 employees) by Centerstate CEO, the area’s largest business development association covering 12 counties in Upstate New York. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from Syracuse University where he also played college football. He is a 40 Under Forty awardee and was honored as “Young Alumnus of the Year” by SU’s Whitman School of Management. Ryan is married and resides in his hometown of Marcellus, New York.

Gary Schoeniger is the founder of the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI) and co-author of Who Owns the Ice House? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur. He led the development of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program and has presented about re-defining entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking at numerous keynotes, workshops, and training programs throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Stephen King is the CEO and founder of GrowthForce. From startups to working with Fortune 500 executives, Stephen brings a unique combination of vision, foresight, and experience to help small businesses run better, grow faster, and make more money. Regarded as one of the accounting industry’s top thought leaders, he’s currently serving as President and CEO of GrowthForce, one of the nation’s largest cloud-based accounting service providers.

A highly energetic and motivational business leader, entrepreneur, and speaker, Steve has a passion for helping businesses and nonprofits reach their growth potential. His ability to visualize the future of accounting and assemble a highly qualified and motivated team has led GrowthForce to become one of the nation’s largest cloud-based bookkeeping, accounting, and controller service providers.