Leopard Spots Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with former colleague and President of Impressia Bank, Mary Kate Loftus.  As a prior 2018 finalist in the American Banker Digital Banker of the Year, former Senior Advisor at Plaid, and senior-level leader at global and super-regional banks, Mary Kate shares her broad experiences.  We discuss her career lessons, the importance of women in the leadership, and all that is happening at Impressia Bank; a bank built for women in business, by women in business.

Be sure to visit https://impressiabank.bank/ to learn more, and as always, visit https://www.fraxtional.co/ to see how we can help support your compliance and risk needs!

In this first episode of 2025, I sit down with friend, entrepreneur, and President of Cuvée Imports, Daniel (Danny) Christmann.  Danny parlayed a career in photography, to becoming a Sommelier, and ultimately Founder and President of a Buffalo-based wine importer, focused on fine European wines.  We discuss the start of the business, the economics of the wine industry, headwinds facing the industry, and much much more, including a bit of sampling!  

Be sure to visit https://cuveeimports.com/ to learn more, and as always, visit https://www.fraxtional.co/ to see how Fraxtional can help you with your compliance and risk needs.  

Wines sampled include:

Domaine Tracot Beaujolais Lantignie (https://cuveeimports.com/our-wines/wine:beaujolais-villages-lantignie-rouge/)

Jean Diot Champagne Blanc des Blanc (https://cuveeimports.com/our-wines/wine:magie-blanche-blanc-de-blancs/)

Amarone della Valpolicella (https://cuveeimports.com/our-wines/wine:tenuta-vignega-amarone-della-valpolicella/)

Cheers!

In this episode, I sit down with longtime colleague, friend, and retired President & COO of M&T Bank, one of the top 15 largest banks in the United States.  I met Rich 26 years ago when I began my career at M&T, and was fortunate enough to be in his direct orbit throughout my career.  During this podcast, Rich shares his story about leaving Long Island for a storied career in banking at Buffalo-based M&T.   We talk about lessons learned, the future of work, and most notably, his passion for behavioral science in the workplace.  Be sure to like and subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts, and don't forget to visit https://fraxtional.co/ to learn more about our best-in-class risk and compliance services!

Brought to you by Fraxtional, this was an episode for the ages!  I sat down with Frank Ewing, a close personal friend and CEO of AML RightSource, a leading global provider of Anti-Money Laundering services to some of the biggest names in finance.  With over 4,500 employees across 10 countries, Frank shares his path from consulting, to banking, to law, and ultimately running a billion dollar organization at the cutting edge of solving financial crimes.  But more than that, we talk (and sample) some wine, discuss music (namely Taylor Swift), and reminisce about some of the greatest athletes and what makes them special.  It was one hell of a fun conversation!  Be sure to like and subscribe, and also don't forget to visit both https://fraxtional.co and https://amlrightsource.com to learn more about how both companies can assist your risk, compliance, and AML/BSA needs!

In this episode I sit down with Bob Clerici, a well-known entrepreneur in the Western New York region who led a successful exit in 2014 of Inergex, a company he co-founded and ran for 14 years.  Following his time at Inergex, Bob went on to invest in multiple endeavors, including as co-owner of a custom clothing company Bureau (https://bureaumade.com) and Bar High Violet (https://barhighviolet.com/home), a high-end cocktail lounge in Buffalo, NY.  We talk about lessons from business, the current work environment, and advice for folks looking to pursue their passions!  Be sure to like and subscribe, and also visit https://fraxtional.co to learn more about Fraxtional's industry-leading risk and compliance services.

I sat down with the Founders and Operators of Baseball BBQ!  Great timing given the NCAA College World Series.  Life is about connections, and this podcast came about given my nearly 30 year relationship with a former Lafayette College football teammate Charles Lovell, CPWA, CFP, CEPA, CPM whose Son, Charlie,  founded a cutting edge company that is blazing a trail!  Checkout www.baseballbbq.com to order awesome products for any occasion.  Be sure to visit www.fraxtional.com to see how we can provide risk and compliance leadership to your firm!

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Hollis, former NFL All-Pro Kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars and current entrepreneur.  We talk about Mike's path from University of Idaho to the NFL where he spent 9 years as one of the best and most accurate kickers in NFL history.  Mike transitioned from the NFL to entrepreneurship, launching ProForm Kicking Academy
(https://www.proformkicking.com/) and most recently joined THREE, a proactive wellness company focused on Cellular Absorption Nutrient Delivery technology (https://www.proformkicking.com/three_inquiry).  It was a great conversation!  Be sure to like and subscribe and watch the video version on YouTube by visiting @LeopardSpotsPodcast.  Also don't forget to visit https://fraxtional.co/ to learn more about our industry-leading risk and compliance services!

In this first episode of 2024, I sit down with Jessica Liang, Founder of Steadfeather Capital (and former awesome employee of mine!).  Jessica shares her incredible journey as a first generation immigrant and first in her family to attend college in the United States.  She shares her journey from Yale, to Buffalo, to business school at University of Michigan, and back to the Bay Area as an entrepreneur.  Be sure to like and subscribe and watch the video version on YouTube by visiting @LeopardSpotsPodcast.  What a great story!