NetWorkWise Presents: Conversations with Connors

At age 28, Tom Hardin was a junior partner at an up-and-coming hedge fund. He was on track to achieve his dream career, but before long, felt like he was falling behind in an increasingly competitive industry. Then, a moment arose when he made a decision to cross a very important line and the rest is history. Tom was later charged with felony securities fraud and, known as "Tipper X," became the FBI’s most productive cooperating witness in Operation Perfect Hedge, a sting setup by the U.S. government during 2008-2012 targeting the hedge fund industry. The sting branched out into the largest insider trading investigation of a generation, leading to over 80 guilty pleas and convictions.  Since resolving his case in 2015, Tom was invited by the FBI to speak to their NYC rookie agent class in 2016 and now consults and speaks on insider trading, conduct risk, ethics and compliance issues from his former frontline perspective through his company Tipper X Advisors. He holds a B.S. in Economics with a Finance concentration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Today’s Subjects:

• Discusses how he tells “his story”

Eric Rebhuhn has spent his career building teams through expert networking. And that network he developed has been extremely supportive not only as he coached three consecutive Big East Tennis Championships, it is also proving effective as he embarks on a new career as a consultant.

Core Quality Consulting is dedicated to helping companies assess their present position, improve weaknesses, and broaden their strengths to be more successful through quality operations and improved market share. Eric specializes in building teams with people who are goal-oriented and self-motivated with the skill sets to support a common mission – to improve the work environment and develop strategies that increase revenues.

Every business starts with a mission, but once it gets into a market that mission can be disrupted. When a company develops a product for a particular market segment, after a few years they have saturated that market with the product…and need a new path. At this point adjustments are needed, and Eric’s skills help in making tough decisions for change – whether it’s regarding personnel, products, or the infusion of capital.

Everyone wants to win – but it takes certain abilities to achieve success. Eric has won at every level of his career and will bring his expert focus to your business. Looking deep into the facts and seeing where improvement is needed can be hard for most, and Eric possess the ability to see and quantify those details. He ultimately helps the company keep an eye on their mission, as well as improve their bottom line.

Today’s Subjects:

• The importance of preparation and how it leads to success

Rob Fajardo is a sought-after influencer, speaker, and business accelerator who is the Founder of Leave Normal Behind and one of the viral marketing partners who launched fidget spinners. He is listed as a Top Millennial Influencer to Follow by both BuzzFeed and Everipedia. He's collaborated with top brands like Red Bull and Wyndham Resort Group and has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine. Rob's main mission is to inspire others in leaving their normal behind to become the best version of themselves – and create things that matter.

Today’s Subjects:

• What it’s like to influence the minds of others who want to be the best they can be through the Leave Normal Behind movement

Chuck Garcia is an author, executive coach, keynote speaker and CEO of Climb Leadership International. He coaches executives on public speaking and leadership communication. A 25-year veteran of Wall Street, he spent several of those in leadership positions at Bloomberg, Blackrock and Citadel. He is also adjunct associate profession at Columbia University where he teaches leadership communication in the Fu Foundation Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Chuck leverages his business leadership experience, as well as his hobby of mountain climbing to provide an effective teaching narrative for professionals applying his tools and techniques.

Chuck has an Amazon best selling book in multiple categories and has been translated into Mandarin Chinese.

Chuck is a graduate of Syracuse University and has a master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership.

Today’s Subjects:

• Tim Ferris major impact on Chuck on Chuck’s life

Nick Passarelli has been working in Regulatory Compliance since 2003. Currently, he is the Chief Compliance Officer of a FINRA registered Broker Dealer, a role that he has held since 2009. Nick began his career working in Human Resources at two larger firms.

He holds a B.A. from St. John's University and an M.B.A. from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College. He also has the Series 4, 7, 9, 10, 24, 63 and 99 professional securities licenses.

Nick has lived in Hoboken, NJ since 2007 and is very active in the community. He has served as a volunteer coach in the Hoboken Youth Soccer League the past five years. He is also involved in the planning of the Swing Fore The Schools golf event, which benefits the Hoboken schools. He’s been involved in this since 2013 and is Chairing the 2018 event.

On a personal level, Nick is a big believer in physical fitness. He is either at the gym lifting weights or running on a regular basis. He ran the 2016 NYC Marathon on behalf of the Army Ranger Lead The Way Foundation raising nearly $14,000 for an incredible organization.

During his free time, you can find Nick chauffeuring his wife and two kids around Hoboken.

Today’s Subjects:

• How his network helped him get back in the workforce.