Economics & Strategy Podcast

DePaul MBA alumnus, Jeff Lemonds is the Managing Director at Casappa Corporation, which is a firm that specializes in hydraulic systems. Hydraulics are a very old technology that is inside almost all machinery with moving mechanical parts. Jeff talks with me about his industry's dynamics, how COVID has disrupted the supply chain, and how his firm views the next step of innovation for this very established technology.

Lead Product Marketing Manager at Esri, Lauren Lipovic speaks with us about the GIS industry, which stands for geographic information system. GIS is one of those services & products that we often overlook, but consider any kind of dynamic map you've encountered. Every single one is GIS and each provides vital information for daily routines, but also massive resource management for large organizations. The applications are endless, and Lauren's job is to understand that demand curve.

Carlie Frisch is a DePaul MBA Alumnus and Client Insights Manager at SPINS, a wellness-focused data technology company. Carlie talks with me about the growth of the 'naturals' industry within consumer packaged goods. The CPG industry is a very competitive space that must quickly respond to changes in consumer preferences while leveraging massive economies of scale to keep costs low. Yet in the face of those challenges, natural products continue to find ways to successfully innovate and disrupt.

This month we are joined by Senior Manager of Corporate Development at Blue Cross of Illinois, Louise Anderson. Health insurance in the US is a quagmire of complex interactions with lots of moving parts between providers, insurers, governments, and patients. Louise talks with me about how the health insurance industry is organized and how an aging population and the very recent influx of telehealth technology are factors in the industry's response to inflationary healthcare spending and public policy.

Bob Schiller is the Countrywide Product Manager at National General Insurance (an Allstate Company). Insurance is at the foundation of de-risking many other activities, making them more accessible and fueling economic development. That also means that insurance can be inherently slow to innovate. However, technology and consumer preferences have drastically changed in the past decade, which is forcing relatively quick changes for insurance in the forms of M&A, technology adoption, and product development.

DePaul MS-EPA Alumnus, Marty Friel, is a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services which is a highly competitive industry for 2 reasons. Firstly, the service is usually only differentiated by the way products are packaged and the relationships with advisors. Secondly, its hard to judge the quality of an investment strategy even after years of being a client. Marty talks about how using strategy frameworks has super charged his ability to differentiate himself & demonstrate his quality to clients.

In this episode, we are joined by DePaul MBA Alumnus and COO of Equipment International, Bradley Lerner. In Feb 2020, Bradley had recently stepped into his role as the operations leader for a Chicago based firm that sells and services industrial laundry solutions. He began surveying the lay of the land and developing a strategic plan… and then the lockdowns began. One year later, Bradley talks with us about his experience balancing the responsibilities of crisis manager and strategic leader.

In this episode we are joined by DePaul Triple Demon Tom Lubinski, Product Manager at adidas. As you might expect from the competitive nature of sports, the sports apparel industry is similarly competitive. Jobs at firms are coveted by sports lovers, so high performance expectations tend to be intrinsically built into company cultures. This permeates into the everlasting chase of identifying new trends across cultures, sports, and market segments, which must be drilled down into the products Tom builds.

In this last episode of 2020, we speak with Double Demon, Kirsten Ahlen. Kirsten is a musician turned consultant that specializes in strategic management for Associations. She talks with me about the interesting industry landscape for Associations as well as the challenges of creating differentiated value. Associations have been forced to adopt technology solutions a much quicker pace as the industry begins to accept that our definition of normal is quickly becoming thing of the past.

Steel Construction is at the heart of infrastructure level projects. Brian Raff speaks with me about how his industry works with firms and governments to advocate for legislation that achieves its intended purpose while still encouraging a level playing field. Brian talks with us about growing environmental awareness that has led to a more regulated steel construction industry. He describes how his industry is supportive of legislative goals, some misconceptions about steel, and about areas of innovation.