Level Up With Lighthouse

What do brand and culture really mean for your business? And how do they shape the way you attract, retain, and engage both talent and clients?

In this episode of Level Up with Lighthouse, host Joe Ray sits down with Rachael Brown, VP of Sales and Marketing at Employer Services Corporation (ESC) and Meliora Partners to share how brand and culture show up in their businesses. With over 15 years at ESC and a career spanning sales, marketing, and continuous improvement, Rachael shares what she’s learned in helping build strong company cultures and brands that resonate in her community.

Rachael shares the journey of ESC from a scrappy startup to a thriving company celebrating its 30th anniversary, and how intentional investments in culture and brand have fueled both growth and employee engagement. She discusses the interplay between brand (your external reputation) and culture (the internal values and behaviors that define your organization), and how both are essential for long-term success.

Plus, Joe shares a day in the life look at how Lighthouse Technology Services approaches brand positioning for competitive advantage, clarifying their unique blend of IT staffing and managed services, and the role of marketing in building trust and community presence.

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Episode Highlights:

0:00 – Welcome to the show!

1:54 – Rachael’s journey and growth within ESC

6:03 – Connectivity between ESC and Meliora Partners

8:07 – Defining brand and culture

15:50 – The intangible effects of brand in a business

19:28 – Ingraining culture into company decision making

25:53 – How brand shows up in service work

29:18 – Making your core values tangible through merch

34:30 – Brand, culture, and talent retention

40:00 – Rachael takes on The Hero’s Journey

43:43 – BONUS: Day in the Life with Joe

56:22 – Wrapping up the show

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Learn more about Lighthouse Technology Services: www.lhtservices.com

Learn more about Employer Services Corporation and Meliora Partners:

https://myesc.com/

https://www.mymeliora.com/

Connect with Rachael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelmbrown/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeray119/

What do parenting, diplomacy, and project management have in common? A bit more than you might expect.

In this episode of Level Up With Lighthouse, Joe Ray is joined by Pauline McKeown, a dynamic project management professional with a fascinating career journey. Born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in Kenya, Pauline’s career has taken her around the world, including significant stints in West Africa and the Middle East. With a background in international diplomacy and a deep love for structure and people, Pauline brings a unique perspective to the work of managing people, processes, and risk.

Pauline breaks down the fundamentals of project management in a way that’s accessible, practical, and above all, human. From managing risk and timelines to using AI tools and building emotional intelligence, Pauline shares how project managers can bring clarity, calm, and connection to every project.

Plus, hear from Lighthouse’s Mark Rizzo as he walks through how our IT Services team approaches project work for clients: identifying needs, defining a project to complete, and making sure the solution creates meaningful impact when the work is done.

Whether you're a business leader looking to strengthen your internal processes, a professional interested in a career switch to project management, or someone who wants to bring more clarity to your daily work, this episode offers thoughtful advice with a personal touch.

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Episode Highlights:

0:00 – Welcome to the show!

0:49 – Pauline’s global journey

6:18 – Getting connected in Buffalo

8:13 – Project management at work and home

11:04 – How a project manager runs a project

13:00 – Risk isn’t always a negative

16:45 – Learning by doing in project management

20:05 – Servant leadership, team empowerment, and communication

24:29 – Technology tools and managing remote teams

28:50 – Leveraging AI while staying authentic

34:46 – Emotional intelligence and stakeholder relationships

38:52 – How to build real, repeatable value through PM

44:15 – Pauline takes on The Hero’s Journey

49:44 – BONUS: Day in the Life with Mark

1:02:35 – Key takeaways, what’s next

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Learn more about Lighthouse Technology Services on our website.

Connect with Pauline on LinkedIn.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn.

What does it take to build a thriving talent pipeline in a city like Buffalo? It starts with helping tomorrow’s tech talent see their place here. That means creating memorable experiences, and building connections that last.

For the last three years with TechBuffalo, Mary Ruelle has had a hand in developing strategic talent initiatives. She’s helped Buffalo college students connect with job opportunities and build an affinity for the city. Now in her newly expanded role, she’s heading up programs to increase technology access and aptitude at the K-12 level. TechBuffalo’s also leaning into measuring outcomes and advocating for policy change that positively impacts tomorrow’s tech workforce.

Join Mary and host Joe Ray as they explore the journey from internships to professional careers, holistic thinking around regional talent attraction and retention, the vision for Buffalo’s “K-to-gray” tech talent pipeline, and much more.

Plus, meet Lighthouse’s Director of Talent Services Brenda Czyz and learn more about a day in her life connecting tech talent with job opportunities in Buffalo and beyond!

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0:00 - Welcome Back to Level Up with Lighthouse!

0:32 – Show Introduction

1:35 – Lasting Impact of First Internships

4:36 – Mary's New Role and TechBuffalo's Growth

9:25 – PowerUpTech and the C3 Event

13:04 –Tech Design Challenge and Real-World Impact

20:48 – Measurable Impact of Talent Programs

23:12 – Foundational K-12 Tech Experiences

27:45 – “K-to-Gray” Talent Pipeline Vision

31:22 – Transformation of Seneca One and Buffalo

33:54 – Impact Across Generations

39:42 – Mary Takes On The Hero’s Journey

46:48 – Day in the Life with Brenda

53:05 – Wrap Up, What’s Next

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Learn more about TechBuffalo on their website: https://www.techbuffalo.org/

Experience TechBuffalo’s 2024 PowerUpTech events through their recap video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUtBga4ADW4

Voices of Vision 43North Foundation event recap (Buffalo News subscription required): https://buffalonews.com/exclusive/voicesofvision/article_b703162d-31d4-470e-a39e-3e043caf381a.html

Learn more about Lighthouse Technology Services, The Place for Technology Talent: https://www.lhtservices.com/

Connect with Mary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ruelle/

Connect with Brenda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-czyz/

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeray119/

What goes into building a learning and development program that spans different groups of employees from across the business? How do you connect onboarding to early mentorship and then continuous learning?

Hannah Buffa and her team at Buffalo Rehab Group have built an impressive and comprehensive development program. Bringing new skills and building up internal talent is key for a business that's quickly grown to over 200 employees all across Western New York.

On this episode of Level Up With Lighthouse, Hannah and host Joe Ray go into the full lifecycle of helping employees grow on their career path, how individual and group learning opportunities can work together, and what improving talent retention really brings to the business.

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0:00 – Welcome to Level Up With Lighthouse

2:24 – What Hannah learned as a college athlete

5:43 – The development lifecycle at Buffalo Rehab Group

10:28 – Personalizing career development

11:32 – BRG Leadership Development Program

14:12 – Connecting team members to company goals

19:06 – Making internal learning accessible

21:23 – Creating time across BRG for continuous learning

25:41 – In-person versus remote learning and training

29:36 – Learning, career development, and talent retention

34:55 – The Hero’s Journey: Get to Know Hannah

42:34 – Closing Thoughts

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Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Buffalo Rehab Group's physical and occupational therapy services in Western New York.

Learn more about Lighthouse Technology Services, The Place for Talent and Technology.

Lighthouse CEO Randy Harris joins host Joe Ray on this episode to share the backstory behind the business's move to Seneca One in downtown Buffalo, bootstrapping an office buildout during a global pandemic, and designing a space that aligns with your company's culture and values.

In late 2019 and into 2020, Randy saw the possibility of what Seneca One could become: a home for technologists eager to build in Buffalo, and a hub for a community to gather, connect, and discover ways to grow together.

Randy and Joe have some great stories to share that illustrate the spirit of the Lighthouse office space, emphasizing the importance of creativity and flexibility, particularly in a hybrid work environment - and how that all comes together to support talent attraction and building relationships with clients.

This episode also touches on a conversation that often draws polarizing opinions: the in-office/remote/hybrid debate for businesses. Randy brings some insightful thinking to help business leaders cut through the noise and ask the right questions to find their right answer to that question in an always-evolving world.

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0:00 - Welcome to Level Up With Lighthouse

1:29 - Story time: Joe's first experience at the Lighthouse office

5:09 - The journey to a new space at Seneca One

10:00 - The power of a tech hub for a community

14:00 - Designing an office built for hybrid work

22:58 - Adaptability of office space in a changing world

28:33 - The future of the in-office/remote/hybrid debate

30:40 - Technology's impact on an office space

32:21 - Connecting office space to your company's culture and brand

34:49 - The Hero's Journey: Get to Know Randy

Jieun Park, Director of Business Intelligence at BestSelf Behavioral Health, brings the story of her journey from Korea to Buffalo to our first episode of Level Up With Lighthouse

Creativity, resilience, and an innate curiosity have been key themes in Jieun's journey as she advocated for internal promotions and taking on new work. That's what helped her achieve her goal of having a greater impact in the community she serves.

Along with host Joe Ray, she also explores some of the basics of business intelligence as well, and how her work contributes to positive patient and community outcomes with BestSelf.

Jieun's story shows a very non-linear career progression, and for anyone curious about how they might find a tech job in Western New York - or even within their current company - you'll learn some valuable lessons from her experience.

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0:00 - Level Up With Lighthouse intro

0:59 - Jieun's journey from Korea to Buffalo

3:25 - Career progression within BestSelf

5:50 - Resilience and facing new challenges

8:50 - What is business intelligence

11:35 - How BI contributes to positive outcomes

15:56 - Embracing new opportunities and advancements in tech

18:38 - The Hero's Journey: Get to Know Jieun