Critical Mass Business Talk Show | Orange County’s Longest-Running Business Talk Show

Erin Giglia is an owner and founder of Montage Legal Group. Erin graduated cum laude from Wellesley College.  She then graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2001, cum laude, where she was a member of the San Diego Law Review.

After law school, Erin practiced litigation at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison until 2002.   Erin then joined Snell & Wilmer, LLP where she defended companies in product liability, premises liability, environmental and commercial litigation.

Erin left Snell & Wilmer in 2009 to co-found Montage Legal Group, a freelance attorney company comprised of 400+ exceptionally trained freelance lawyers who opted out of the traditional law firm model in favor of career flexibility.

Erin is a frequent writer and speaker on legal outsourcing, work-life balance, women in law, legal ethics and contract attorneys. Erin’s speaking engagements include presentations for the ABA, numerous bar associations and other state and regional attorney associations, and private entities. Erin and Montage have also been featured in numerous publications, including The ABA Journal, CNBC, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, and Forbes.com. In 2015, Erin and Montage were featured in “Disruptive Innovation: New Models of Legal Practice” by UC Hastings Work Life Law Center. Erin is also a frequent podcast guest.

Erin and Montage serve the community through philanthropic efforts, and were named the National Philanthropy Day Small Business of the Year in 2017 for their charitable leadership.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Kurt Lohse, a dynamic entrepreneur and co-founder of Boredroom LLC, is making waves in the beverage industry with his innovative approach to consumer packaged goods (CPG). Alongside his partner Darin Rasmussen, Lohse has embarked on a mission to transform the conventional water category into a vibrant platform for artistic expression through their venture, Bored & Thirsty. This revolutionary Media + CPG brand stands out for offering a unique and refreshing premium alkaline water experience that aligns with contemporary consumer demands for both quality and creativity​​​​​.

Lohse's journey with Bored & Thirsty is marked by significant achievements and partnerships, reflecting his visionary leadership and strategic acumen. Notably, the company has gained prominence as the exclusive water partner for the Life is Beautiful Music Festival in Las Vegas, leveraging this opportunity to gain mass exposure. Bored & Thirsty also introduced an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) enabled can of alkaline water featuring a song clip from Snoop Dogg, illustrating Lohse's commitment to merging technology with consumer goods. Further solidifying the brand's market presence, strategic relationships have been established with major players like 7-Eleven, Save Mart / Lucky, and C3 Presents the festival arm of Live Nation. These partnerships, along with the company's focus on sustainability and high-quality manufacturing processes, underscore Lohse's dedication to creating a brand that resonates with a wide range of consumers while maintaining an environmentally conscious footprint​​.

Kurt Lohse's professional background extends beyond Boredroom LLC. He founded and led Releventure LLC, a content marketing agency since its incorporation in California thirteen years ago, and before that as the CEO of his media start-up, Keycode, from 1999-2010, demonstrating his longstanding commitment to entrepreneurship and business development​ that positively transforms industries.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

As the founder of FoodTech startup Nutripair, Catlin Tran is embarking on a journey to transform the Restaurant Dining landscape.

Tran is passionate about leveraging innovation and technology to drive positive impact on society and food accessibility. She is dedicated to sharing her experiences with others in hopes of motivating young founders to begin their own entrepreneurial journeys. 

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Mohammed Omar is a 31-year-old entrepreneur with a passion for business that started back in middle school. He kickstarted his journey by selling candy and snacks from his locker, undercutting the school cafeteria's prices with products he sourced from Costco. This early experience ignited his love for the world of business.

His entrepreneurial career took off with an e-commerce venture, specializing in selling branded, overstocked US products acquired from swap meets and third-party sales events. As this business grew, he transitioned it into a distribution and logistics company, broadening his industry expertise.

He later delved into product development, contributing to the design and marketing of over a hundred successful products in the US market. With the success of these endeavors, he ventured into the film industry, serving as an Executive Producer for holiday movies, and he's made a strong mark in the franchise industry, currently involved in three major franchises: Crumble Cookies, Ace Pickleball Club, and Toastique.

Additionally, he is in the process of relaunching a pet shampoo brand called Splash Plus, which offers dermatologist-level skincare for pets. His entrepreneurial journey continues to evolve and expand across various sectors, fueled by a passion for innovation and growth.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Bret Englander is the Co-Founder and Director of Sales and Marketing at Cerno. A native of Laguna Beach, CA, a melting pot of artists, surfers, hippies, and entrepreneurs, Bret developed a passion for the natural environment, design, and entrepreneurship in his youth. Bret’s parents ran their own business specializing in product development for the homebuilding industry. This meant many weekends were spent touring the latest completed homes, which Bret credits for his drive and ability to combine the creative and analytical sides of running a business.

Originally, Bret wanted to pursue a career in journalism and film, graduating from the University of Colorado. After working at a newspaper, he decided to switch gears and pursue a career in business, which led to a few informative roles in finance and marketing.

In 2009, Bret teamed up with childhood best friends Daniel Wacholder and Nick Sheridan to start Cerno. As co-founder, Bret wears many hats but focuses his efforts on business development as Cerno’s Director of Sales and Marketing. Cerno is a California-based design and manufacturing company that, over the last 14 years, has grown from three founders to a team of approximately 50 people who share a passion for design and making modern lighting in Southern California.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Craig Cooke is the author of the newly released book Business Kung Fu. A successful entrepreneur, Craig had the foresight to start a “digital first” company utilizing the Internet long before “digital first,” “digital transformation,” and other buzzwords of today were created. With extremely limited resources of $1,300 and an Apple computer, he started RhythmNet.com with a couple friends from college.

Over the years of struggle, adaptation, and repositioning the brand, “Rhythm“ was sold to a world-class digital creative agency in 2019. Craig stayed with the company for just over 3 years, completing a 26-year marathon of running the company as CEO. During his tenure at Rhythm®, Craig worked with middle market to large enterprise companies, such as American Honda Motors, Beats by Dr. Dre, ZO Skin Health, Irvine Company, The Travel Corporation, Segway, U.S. Bank, FivePoint, Online Trading Academy,Allergan, Abbott Labs, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and many other B2C and B2B brands.

During the course of leading Rhythm® to success, numerous organizational achievements were attained, including been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, five years in a row, and listed among the top 15 Advertising and Marketing Agencies in Orange County by the Orange County Business Journal.

In addition to the organization achievements above, Craig has been honored with several personal awards and recognitions, including being named one of the 5=40 under 40 of Orange County Professionals by OC Metro Business Magazine in 2009.

Today, Craig shares his business wisdom, experience, and expertise in three key areas: executive leadership, brand development, and marketing communications. He continues his training in martial arts, continuously learning and evolving his skills. Also, he has studied and served as a practitioner of Chinese Medical Qigong since 2015, bringing energy healing to hundreds of people.

Currently, Craig is pursuing a doctorate of Chinese Energy Medicine from the Temple of Change and Transformation. Craig incorporates his skills, knowledge, and expertise in energetic practices into the world of business to provide a truly unique perspective and method in working with professionals across a wide variety of industries.

Outside of his consulting and qigong practice, Craig enjoys spending time with his wife, two kids, and two dogs in Southern California.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Robert Riggs is the founder and managing member of Oralogix LLC, a health-care consultancy and specialty retailer of oral and perioral care products. He has over 20 years of experience in product commercialization and entrepreneurship. Robert is the innovator behind the Full Face Fitness™ movement – a program designed to integrate four previously siloed care areas: Face, Mouth, Neck, Upper Chest - plausibly uniting them into one high interest, high visibility region of the body…. The Social Zone™.

Riggs is a credentialed member of various professional societies aimed at restoration and rejuvenation of the mouth, jaw and face. He holds a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School and is currently an Integrated Healthcare Practitioner candidate. Robert resides in Southern California.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Addison Adams is the founder of Adams Corporate Law and stands out as the go-to voice on Mergers and Acquisitions for California-based businesses. With nearly three decades dedicated to closing deals, Addison’s expertise isn’t confined to just M&A transactions. He guides business owners, helping companies of all sizes and across all industries in the Golden State achieve growth.

Whether it’s mastering investor offerings, crafting watertight contracts, or navigating intricate corporate structures, Addison’s touch is evident in everything he oversees. Whether you’re a startup enthusiast or a seasoned business professional, Addison’s tales from the trenches of deal-making and California’s dynamic business environment promise to both educate and captivate.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Ria Berger is the CEO of Healthy Smiles for Kids Orange County. She is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 25 years of Operations, Business Development, and Human Resources experience in multi-cultural, multi-site locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Berger served for four years as a member of the Board of Directors at CalOptima (Orange County's single largest health insurer), with $3.6 billion in revenue. She is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance Fellow.

Berger was previously a VP of Human Resources for several Fortune 500 companies ($2B-42B revenue). She is currently the CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, one of the nation's largest oral health care providers for children.

Since the beginning of her tenure in 2014, the organization has increased its revenue by 250% within three years, tripled in employee headcount and launched an innovative Teledentistry program (one of the largest in the US.) Healthy Smiles was named one of Orange County Register’s Top Workplaces in 2017, 2018 and 2021, and Orange County Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2022.

She is a co-founder of Art 4 Fun, a 22 year-old business headquartered in London and continues to serve on the Board of Directors.

Ria Berger's greatest strengths are in the successful execution and transformation of world class organizational and business development programs. She has extensive experience in strategy, operations, board recruitment, leadership reorganization, culture transformation, and mergers and acquisitions. She masterfully architects innovative systems integration and delivers outstanding results to Fortune 500 companies, private corporations, and nonprofit organizations.

Berger holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC), and has taught HR and business courses at the University of California, Irvine and USC.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning

Jan Miller is a graphic artist, creative solutions specialist, and president of 21-13 Impact Graphics Inc. After graduating high school in his hometown of Downey, Califonia, Jan worked for Mann's Theaters for about a year doing accounting. From there, he started working for Musicland Group, where he stayed for a decade before deciding to go back to college to combine his business skills and artistic skills by pursuing graphic design. He graduated with high honors in 1998.

Jan was soon after recruited by PSB, The Marketing Supersource (now known as West America Communications), as a graphic designer. His career then brought him to Advanced Media Post (AMP), where he served as a senior graphic designer, working on graphics for multi-media DVD menus, as well as print-work for films such as movie posters and DVD wraps.

In 2005, Jan formed his own company, 21-13 Impact Graphics, Inc. He has won several awards, including Graphic Design USA Magazine's “2022 Designer to Watch” recognition, and Small Business Diversity Network's Presidents Award (2023).

Jan currently lives in Irvine, California, with his wife. When he is not working, his hobbies include Peloton, bike-riding, and networking.

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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.

Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF

LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ

Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi

Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m

#orangecountyca #mastermind #ceopeergroups #peergroups #peerlearning