Consensus in Conversation

This week’s guest is Ron Hovsepian, president, CEO, and board member of Indigo Ag. Founded in 2013, the company uses nature-based and digital technology to optimize agricultural supply chains, increase farmer profits, and reduce environmental emissions. 

Ron spent his first 16 years after college at IBM, where he worked his way up the corporate ladder. He later served as president and CEO of Novell Inc. and Intralinks Inc. He also joined the Board of Directors for ANSYS in 2012, which he still serves on today.

After serving on its board for a year, Ron began his current role at Indigo Ag in 2020. Since then, he’s used his valuable leadership and technology experience to develop new ways to help farmers and the natural environment they rely on. 

Ron brings an expert knowledge of leadership and technology to the conversation, and you won’t want to miss his insights on the future of agriculture, technology, and sustainability. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform!

More:

• Visit https://www.indigoag.com/ to learn more about Indigo Ag. 
• Connect with host Conor Gaughan on LinkedIn to stay up to date on all things CiC.

Time Stamps:

• (0:00) Ron Hovsepian on carbon removal
• (0:51) Conor Gaughan introduces Ron and Indigo Ag 
• (3:02) Growing up in Boston, school, and career overview
• (7:28) Staying ahead of the curve and pattern recognition
• (11:41) Origin story of Indigo Ag and what they do 
• (19:04) Technology, agriculture, and farmers
• (28:16) Water, waste, and soil 
• (30:51) Carbon capture and merging profit with purpose
• (35:22) Building agricultural resilience
• (37:21) Growth and the future of Indigo Ag
• (39:26) Community, policymakers, and partnerships 
• (43:19) Wisdom, tractors, and what’s next 
• (49:42) Finding motivation and optimism
• (53:08) Conclusion and end credits

Extra Resources:

Company Website → https://www.indigoag.com/ 

Company Social → https://www.linkedin.com/company/indigoag/ 

Guest Social → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronhovsepian/ 

Conor Social → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgone/

This week’s guest is Dr. Seonghoon Woo, the chairman, co-founder, and CEO of Amogy, a tech startup using ammonia as a clean energy fuel source.

Woo, an MIT doctoral graduate with an expertise in materials science, worked as a staff researcher at the Korean Institute of Science and Technology and at IBM, but he was always an entrepreneur at heart. During his studies, he witnessed the promising potential of ammonia as an energy source, and in 2020 , he launched Amogy Inc. with three MIT peers.

To date, the startup has raised hundreds of millions in seed funding with Dr. Woo at the forefront, leading Amogy’s mission to decarbonize (and revolutionize) the transportation industry. 

If you’re a fan of science that seems like fiction (but actually isn’t!); if you love entrepreneurship, taking risks, or a classic startup success story, listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 

More:

• Check out https://amogy.co/ to learn about Amogy and their latest innovations. 
• Connect with host Conor Gaughan on LinkedIn to stay up to date on all things CiC. 

Episode Highlights

• (0:00) - Seonghoon Woo on entrepreneurship
• (1:01) - Conor Gaughan introduces Dr. Woo and Amogy Inc. 
• (2:26) - Growing up, military service, science education
• (6:14) - IBM, semiconductors, and energy
• (8:07) - Amogy, ammonia, and the current landscape
• (13:12) - Average customers and early investors
• (15:08) - Balancing science, technology, and business
• (16:51) - Business lessons from the early days 
• (19:56) - Current growth, common misconceptions, and educating consumers
• (23:20) - Sustainability at Amogy and the wider energy sector 
• (30:05) - Milestones, programs, and technological innovations
• (32:52) - Optimism and different perspectives on sustainability 
• (37:26) - Conclusion
• (38:17) - End credits

Extra Resources:

• Company Website → https://amogy.co/ 
• Company Social → https://www.linkedin.com/company/amogy/ 
• Guest Social → https://www.linkedin.com/in/seonghoon-woo/ 
• Conor Social → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgone/

Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, Founder and President of the Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, joins this week’s Consensus in Conversation. 

Edwards is a legendary footwear designer. He rose to prominence in early sneakerhead culture as the head designer for Nike’s Jordan brand, where he designed over 500 styles for Michael Jordan, Tupac, the Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, multiple Olympians, and countless other sports stars. 

In 2010, Edwards began a path mentoring and educating other aspiring designers, creating Pensole Footwear Design Academy, a first of its type in the nation. Later, Edwards reopened the Lewis College of Business, a formerly defunct HBCU in Detroit, Michigan, founding the Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design in 2021.

Today, Edwards is working on new and exciting ways to advance footwear design and education. The school recently announced JEMS by Pensole, the nation’s first Black-owned footwear factory. Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is an icon in the footwear industry, and even if you aren’t a sneakerhead, you’ve definitely seen his designs on famous musicians, athletes, or celebrities. 

For an inspiring conversation covering sneakers, self-taught schooling, business, launching a college(!), and so much more, listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 

More on the episode:

• Learn more about Jems by Pensole at https://jemsbypensole.com/ or on Instagram at @jemsbypensole 

Time Stamps!

• (0:00) - D’Wayne’s cold open
• (1:02) - Intro on Dr. Edwards, Pensole Lewis College, and JEMS
• (2:56) - Background: growing up, footwear, and California
• (8:23) - Sneaker culture and the footwear industry
• (12:51) - A big break into footwear design
• (19:03) - Nike, MJ, and D’Wayne’s legendary career
• (24:09) - Launching Pensole, a footwear design academy
• (33:22) - Launching Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design
• (37:39) - Creating JEMS, the footwear factory
• (40:38) - Sustainability and creating a positive impact
• (44:52) - Mentorship, students, and legacy
• (47:58) - Advice for younger self
• (51:00) - Conclusion and end credits

Today’s episode features Rick Fox, co-founder and current CEO of Partanna Global, an innovative company developing carbon-negative concrete.

Rick, a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, actor, and entrepreneur, launched Partanna in 2021 with co-founder and renowned L.A. architect Sam Marshall. Their idea was simple, if not audacious: make the traditional concrete-making process, a major source of global carbon emissions, “green.”

And that initial idea has yielded promising results. Rick, who is originally from the Bahamas, spoke to us from inside Partanna’s newly unveiled model home concept in Nassau. 

He joins the pod to talk about building a winning team, his journey leading up to Partanna, what the future looks like, and his impromptu call with the Bahamian Governor. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 

More on the episode:

• Check out Partanna’s new model home concept at https://homes.partanna.com/gallery 
• Learn more about what Partanna and Rick Fox are up to at https://www.partanna.com/ 

Episode Time Stamps:

• (0:00) - Rick’s cold open 
• (1:20) - Intro on Rick Fox and Partanna
• (3:20) - Background and the Bahamas
• (10:09) - The origin story of Partanna
• (14:19) - Carbon-negative concrete and its impact
• (18:40) - Early moments and team effort
• (21:47) - VCs, markets, and first mover status 
• (24:55) - Customers, sustainability, and durability
• (27:35) - Impact and doing good 
• (30:36) - Carbon credits
• (32:56) - NBA career and lessons from Lakers
• (35:22) - Acting, entertainment, and the business world
• (37:22) - Optimism and motivation
• (39:10) - Best advice from a coach
• (40:42) - Conclusion and end credits

Matt Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Mill Industries, joins today’s episode. 

Mill’s mission is to reduce food waste and its related carbon emissions by offering customers the chicest waste bin ever made. This brilliantly designed, high tech product decomposes and dehydrates food scraps before turning them into animal feed. Mill then picks up those food scraps and distributes the feed to local farms and others. 

It’s a unique and innovative product, but that’s nothing new for Matt Rogers. He started his early career at Apple, designing and building groundbreaking products like the iPod and iPhone. Then, in 2010, Matt co-founded Nest Labs Inc, reinventing the home with the first smart thermostat. By 2014, Nest was acquired by Google. 

When co-founder Harry Tannenbaum reached out to Matt with a new product idea for reducing food waste during the pandemic, Matt was hooked. Mill Industries was launched a few months later, and now it’s already turning heads and garnering interest for its innovative concept. 

Matt gives takeaways from his early days at Apple, shares valuable insights as the founder of Nest, and talks through the origin story of Mill Industries. Whether you’re a future founder, current business leader, or just someone looking to create the next big thing, you’ll leave this episode inspired and informed. 

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform!

More:

• Head over to https://www.mill.com/ to learn more about Mill Industries and its innovative food waste bin. 
• Follow CiC host Conor Gaughan on LinkedIn to stay up to date on new episodes and more. 

Episode Timestamps:

(0:03) - Matt’s cold open 

(0:50) - Intro on Matt Rogers and Mill Industries

(2:43) - Background and childhood

(5:05) - Engineering education

(8:03) - Working at Apple Inc. 

(15:08) - Founding and scaling Nest 

(21:20) - Origin of Mill Industries 

(23:43) - Mill’s product and innovative approach

(34:18) - Growth and behavior change 

(40:27) - Aligning profit with purpose

(42:57) - Decarbonizing the economy 

(46:23) - Finding motivation, optimism 

(48:32) - Conclusion and end credits

Ben Bressler, founder and president of Natural Habitat Adventures (NHA), joins the podcast. 

Ben had the epiphany for what would become NHA as a teacher during a ski trip. Soonafter, he launched the responsible nature travel company in 1985 with a core idea: create life-enhancing travel experiences by taking people to some of the world’s most remote places– while also getting as close as possible to the wildlife. 

Fueled by a passion for travel, nature, and the outdoors, Ben and Natural Habitat Adventures are still finding new ways to enhance their adventures and impact on the environment 38 years later. NHA, the conservation travel partner of the World Wildlife Fund, was the first 100% carbon-neutral travel company. But who better to tell the full story than Ben himself?

Whether it’s a close-up encounter with polar bears, talking about the restorative power of nature, or how to launch and lead a company for almost 4 decades (and still going), this episode has something for everyone. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

More:

Visit www.NatHab.com to learn more about Natural Habitat Adventures. 

Follow CiC host Conor Gaughan on LinkedIn to stay up to date on new episodes and more. 

Episode Timestamps:

(0:03) - Ben’s cold open 

(0:52) - Intro on Ben Bressler and Natural Habitat Adventures

(2:54) - Background, passion for nature, and college 

(8:11) - Early career, teaching, and the epiphany for a travel company

(11:01) - Origin and early days of Natural Habitat 

(19:16) - First big sale and International Fund for Animal Welfare

(25:18) - Memorable moments and what Nat Hab is up to today 

(29:56) - Reflecting on the experience of nature and travel

(35:41) - Economic benefits, biodiversity, and community 

(40:30) - Sustainability-based initiatives

(43:03) - The future, new trips, and leaving a legacy 

(46:51) - Where to learn more about Natural Habitat Adventures

(47:54) - Conclusion

(48:40) - End credits

Jeff Siewicki, founder of Vital Mission Farms and RegenerativeSuccess.com, joins this week’s podcast. 

Jeff started his career as a pharmacist, but his passion for regenerative farming led him to leave his corporate job and found Vital Mission Farm in 2017. His main goal? Use innovative, climate-friendly regenerative agriculture techniques to grow healthy food for others.

After finding success and scaling the farm, Jeff decided to share all the lessons he had learned with others and launched RegenerativeSuccess.com in 2021. The online community offers consulting, educational materials, and advice to farmers and farmers-to-be on how to start and scale a profitable regenerative farm. 

Jeff dives into all the details behind his journey, from leaving the pharmacy world and starting his own farm to launching a platform that helps others with theirs. His desire to help others (and the Earth) is contagious, and one can learn a lot from his unique journey. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 

For more on Jeff Siewicki and Regenerative Success, check out https://regenerativesuccess.com/ and/or Jeff's LinkedIn page, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsiewicki/

Stay up to date with current and future Consensus in Conversation episodes and content by connecting with Conor on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgone/

Episode timestamps:

0:04: Jeff’s cold open on farming

0:52: Intro on Jeff Siewicki, Vital Mission Farm, and Regenerative Success

2:43 Background, early career path, medicine 

9:19: Getting into farming, Vital Mission Farm

13:09: Memorable moments, sustainability, healthy foods 

18:19: Advice on finding success 

20:31: Regenerative agriculture, climate change

28:26: Finding and building resiliency

34:18: Optimism, entrepreneurship

39:17: Motivation, key takeaways 

40:54: Conclusion and end credits

Today, Oct. 6th, is the 8th annual Green Sports Day, so it only felt right to rerun our episode with Roger McClendon, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance (GSA). 

After all, Roger and the GSA are an instrumental part in promoting Green Sports Day – where the global sports community works together to encourage sustainable action, raise environmental awareness, and celebrate the positive impact sports can have – across the globe. Learn more about #GreenSportsDay, at greensportsalliance.org/greensportsday/

Roger is well equipped to talk about sustainability and sports: he finished as the second all-time scorer for the University of Cincinnati men’s basketball’s team, behind only Oscar Robertson, became Yum! Brands’ first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer, and now leads the Green Sports Alliance, a national non-profit organization promoting sustainability and health in sports. 

Roger’s talent and leadership has taken him from hardwood courts to boardrooms, leaving behind a trail of success and positive impact. And it’s no different at the Green Sports Alliance, which continues to scale and find new ways to make a positive impact for communities nationwide. 

Even if you’ve listened before, it’s worth another one– Roger brings a wealth of wisdom to the table. Happy Green Sports Day! 

Time Stamps!

0:00: Cold open ||

0:34: Intro on Green Sports Day, Roger, and GSA ||

2:30 Background and basketball ||

6:53: Early career and Yum! Brands ||

13:35 Roger’s “F squared C squared” approach ||

16:48: Green Sports Alliance ||

19:02: The origin of GSA ||

21:22: Stakeholders: sports leagues and more ||

25:24: Sports, community, and collaboration ||

27:08: The power of fan participation ||

30:35: Motivation, the future, and what’s next ||

31:52: Roger on Green Sports Day ||

32:26: Final, inspirational words ||

33:14: End Credits ||

More Resources:

• Green Sports Alliance Linktr.ee
• Roger’s LinkedIn

Connect with Conor Gaughan on LinkedIn (@ckgone). See you next week!

Today’s episode features Michael Chanin, founder and CEO of Cherry Street Energy, a Georgia company powering cities, businesses, and more with renewable energy. 

Like me, Michael spent his early career in finance. He was an analyst and associate at Goldman Sachs, prior to stints at a few other financial institutions. When Georgia passed an industry-altering law around solar power in 2015, he saw a massive opportunity and launched Cherry Street Energy. In the following years, Cherry Street has emerged as one of the nation’s leading solar energy firms, helping people and businesses of all kinds transition to cleaner energy. 

Michael Chanin adds interesting insights on the future of solar power, shares how the company has scaled so successfully, and offers a unique perspective on competition in the energy industry. 

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Timestamps

0:01: Cold Open with Michael Chanin || 

0:52: Intro on Michael, Cherry Street Energy || 

3:20: Background, Growing Up || 

4:11: School, Education || 

6:25: Finance Career || 

9:49: Origin of Cherry Street || 

14:30: Taking The Leap || 

15:47: Customer Adoption || 

21:01: Utilities, Stakeholders || 

24:09: Energy Growth, Trends || 

26:23: Doing Good, Favorite Projects || 

31:07: Growing Cherry Street || 

34:16: Workforce Development || 

39:11: Motivation, Inspiration || 

43:22: Outro, How To Learn More || 

44:01: End Credits || 

More from the episode:

• Check out the latest from Cherry Street at www.CherryStreetEnergy.com  
• Connect with Conor Gaughan, our host, on LinkedIn (@ckgone)

Today’s episode features Jamila Norman, owner and founder of Patchwork City Farms, star of the urban farming show Homegrown, and, most importantly, a farmer at heart. 

Jamila, also called Farmer J, started Patchwork City Farms (PCF) in 2010 after recognizing a need for more locally available, accessible produce and food in the Atlanta area. Jamila has led PCF with one approach in mind: grow sustainable produce in the city, for the city, and educate others while doing it. Her passion for urban farming and food advocacy led to Homegrown, a show on the Magnolia Network where Jamila helps families turn their outdoor spaces into functional farms while sharing the benefits of growing one's own food.  

Jamila is all about helping others, and she's quite good at it. But she's also a successful founder, farmer, and food advocate. If you're seeking answers on how to inspire others, help your community, grow a business, or just need some inspiration, this episode is a must listen. 

Timestamps:

0:01: Cold Open with Jamila Norman || 

0:42: Intro on Jamila, Patchwork City Farms || 

2:31: Background || 

4:37: Environmental Influences || 

6:12: School, Early Career || 

11:23: Urban Farming, Growth || 

18:46: Stories, Lessons Learned || 

23:29: Farmers, Markets || 

27:05: What’s Next at Patchwork || 

29:48: Homegrown, Magnolia || 

34:27: Doing Good For Others || 

38:29: Motivation, Inspiration || 

42:09: End Credits || 

More from the episode:

• Follow Jamila on Instagram @patchworkcityfarms or check their link tree.
• Connect with Conor on LinkedIn. 
• You can stream seasons 1-3 of Homegrown on Discovery+ and Max.