I am joined in this episode by Ken Tomita, the founder and CEO of Grovemade, the Portland based company that make beautiful desk accessories. Ken talks about his journey from artist to iPhone case maker to nationally recognized maker of furniture for your desktop. He describes how the journey shaped the company's culture and how they determine which products to create. There is so much more involved than building a great product. Ken's wisdom is relevant for anyone starting or building a business of any kind.

Franz Maruna is the founder of PortlandLabs and the founder of concrete5, one of the internet’s pioneering Content Management System (CMS) websites. In this episode, Maruna reflects on his time in the tech industry, his entrepreneurial spirit and gives advice for those looking to jumpstart their own tech careers.

My guest today is Ana Chaud.  Ana was the co-founder and CEO of Garden Bar, the incredibly successful Portland based fast casual healthy eating restaurant chain that was acquired last year by Evergreens of Seattle.  In our discussion Ana talks about her key learning from starting a restaurant business with no prior food industry experience and what it was like to let go of the business she built.  She shares invaluable advice for anyone starting or running a business.

Kevin Adler is the CEO and co-founder of Miracle Messages, the nationally recognized not-for profit organization focused on ending relational poverty on our streets. Kevin explains the Miracle Messages vision and what motivated him to get started. He describes how a major initiative failed and because of it they achieved a huge breakthrough leading to one of their most effective services. Kevin concludes the interview with terrific advice for anybody starting out on a journey to lead major social change.

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Kate Delhagen, the founder of the Oregon Sports Angels was recently named one of the most influential women in Oregon. Kate talks about how the world of sports has shaped her leadership perspectives and she shares advice for anyone looking to follow in her leadership footsteps.

Jeremy Pelley is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of OMFGCO, the renowned Portland based creative agency.  He talks about their secret sauce - the values on which the company is built, how they became the 'Official Manufacturing Company' and a whole lot more.