Of Note

Nearly a third of all U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are produced by transportation GHG emissions. Today, industries across the board are actively working to improve their sustainability practices and thanks to early adopters like Proterra, the technology now exists to support the mission. The founder of the world’s first fast-charging, all-electricity city transit buses had a vision two decades ago to help reduce the planet’s pollution problem by reinventing its biggest contributor. Its newest heavy-duty vehicles can now travel over 300 miles on a single charge, electrifying the transit industry for airports, universities and private entities. It wasn’t enough to be the first in the market, they also needed to be the preferred choice. The industry leader aimed to create a safer, more reliable, and cleaner transportation option, offering a more pleasant solution for commuters, drivers and the air we breathe.

Proterra’s VP of Customer Success, Program Management and Transit Product Management, Mike Finnern shares what the road to innovation has been like for the company pioneering the nation’s transition to electric vehicles. He shares the secret to building an advanced company from the ground up, in a segment that didn’t yet exist, and how they’ve earned their high repeat customer rate in the process. On this episode of Of Note, Mike joins our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ to explore how to spot innovative talent, inspire it and apply it to achieve success. Learn how Proterra scaled their company from a single product manufacturer to a three-tiered business manufacturing electric commercial vehicles, EV technologies, and charging infrastructures.

Workplace burnout and quiet quitting have become major concerns for companies of all scales. Employers across the nation are seeking solutions to remedy these issues as they navigate the modern challenges that arise with remote and hybrid business models. An innovative 3D product experience startup took the risk of offering its entire team unlimited PTO to prevent these complications–and the results have been positive. Dopple employs a number of 3D artists and uses Augmented Reality (AR) to offer clients product visualization services, so they can sustainably alter and scale product designs online. The technology helps companies track inventory, leverage assets and create interactive product experiences for consumers.

In this episode of Of Note, VP of Product Development, James Townsend joins our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ to share his unique approach to 3D visualization and leadership. James combines the narrative of eCommerce and company culture to explain how his brand maintains passion for their product and the momentum to keep up with the rapidly evolving industry. He reveals how Dopple keeps their innovative product ahead of the competition and relevant to the market, and ways the brand maintains its forward-thinking mindset. To learn his key practices for creating a contemporary, flexible, inclusive work culture, listen now.

Many women who have tried to conceive or have been pregnant are aware of the stigmas and frustrations that existing reproductive care products impose. Despite the variety of natal tools and resources available today, most haven’t adapted to the needs of their modern users. Sterile-feeling products and overly gendered designs subliminally make assumptions about the baby-to-be or add pressure to the aspiring mothers using them. Natalist introduces a neutral, compassionate line of conception and pregnancy products, without bright pink packaging and baby blue bottles inflicting outdated expectations on their users.

The sustainable brand takes a human-centered approach to pregnancy planning, enduring, and recovery products. Natalist’s VP of Operations, Vernita Brown joins us to share how her and the female founder developed the brand based on their own unique pregnancy journeys, and what they did to get the startup in big box retailers so quickly. Natalist embodies its mission to bring comfort to the female experience in every aspect, from company culture to product packaging and use instructions.

In this episode of Of Note, Vernita joins our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ to explain how her brand reimagined and reintroduced pre-existing products to the marketplace amidst the pandemic, successfully catching the eye of retailers like Target and Whole Foods. Learn Vernita’s advice on acquisition, branding and driving company consensus, right here.

With so many diverse uses for data in the modern world, there’s a growing need to store that valuable information somewhere reliable and readily accessible. Thanks to innovators in the technology and science industries, the software continues to adapt to our evolving and expanding needs. Professor Thomas M. Crawford and his lab at the University of South Carolina work to anticipate consumers’ data needs and iterate existing hard drive designs to develop technology that will accommodate them.

The breakthroughs Thomas and his lab experienced along the way have much broader applications than the nanoparticle discoveries’ initial purpose. Thomas shares how he was discovered by USC, applied his previous experience in the disk drive industry to the experimental nanoscaled technology field, and what crucial partner pulled him and his lab out of debt. The professor offers his unique perspective on the relationship between academic and scientific research and reveals what the college and graduate program curriculum won’t prepare researchers for.

In this episode of Of Note, Thomas Crawford joins our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ, and reveals the lesser-known risks of modern research, how to pivot when demand doesn’t support the discovery, and the skill innovators need to be successful. To hear his advice on entrepreneurship, responding to failure and introducing futuristic discoveries to uncertain markets, listen now.

Most travelers are familiar with the frustration that comes with the packing and hauling portion of taking a trip. Two entrepreneurs decided it was time for a product that freed vacationers from the inconvenience of juggling and toting all of their equipment and belongings from their doorstep to their vehicle and the ultimate destination. OME Gear Co-founders, Jules Weldon and Stacey Pierce, developed a solution that supported their audience’s travel needs, while aligning with the brand’s vision and values.

Entrepreneurs can sometimes lose sight of their central goal, while taking serious risks, making major sacrifices, and iterating their product to get it to market. Jules and Stace share how they navigated funding and industry challenges to design and develop a product that kept their mission in focus. They unpack what they’ve learned from building this sustainable, multi-functional product, a good-natured brand around it, and a strong network of fellow entrepreneurs, outdoor enthusiasts and interested consumers.

In this episode of Of Note, Jules and Stace sit down with our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ to share how they’ve smoothed funding speedbumps, prepared for potential risks and responded to the needs of their audience. Learn about risk strategy, building a brand and network, and utilizing your platforms to nurture key relationships.

Is leadership innate—or learned? As CEO at Tetramer, Jeff DiMaio has learned that leadership takes both natural aptitude and purposeful practice. Tetramer’s work in the research and development of advanced materials requires a collaborative process, trust between company and client. Those clients, from government agencies to private industry, often call in search of a product that does not exist. Tetramer’s team of scientists and engineers then begin brainstorming, trying to find a solution that works.

That same trust with clients also applies to leadership, requiring understanding and commitment between team members. It’s a group narrative, not an individual one. Honest communication and team buy-in are crucial, whether the end goal is fiber laser weapons systems or low-calorie fat replacers.

In this episode, Jeff DiMaio joins our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ to talk about building a team, learning to lead, and finding work/life balance. Listen as Jeff DiMaio talks about the variety of products that Tetramer has produced, why failure is important, and how they bring ideas from research to reality.

Proteins and peptides have unique characteristics which can help with the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic prediction of diseases. The study of these indicators, called proteomics, hinges on accuracy, which is why a lab in South Carolina is working to make the process of identification more precise using automated technology. And if successful, the work done in this lab could help to prevent neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

A leading biotech company, Integrated Micro-Chromatography Systems (IMCS Inc.) has already discovered three product lines of unique enzymes that help indicate neurological illnesses and are used for drug testing. Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Andrew Lee, Ph.D., joins us to breakdown the powerful capabilities of the enzyme his lab is working to develop and what that means for the future of medical science. Andrew unpacks the path to discovery, the importance of patenting your ideas, and why IMCS is determined to make the decoy sugars better, faster, and more accessible.

In this episode, Andrew Lee joins our hosts Joseph Nother and Kim Christ to explain how he grew the leading lab from the ground up, to where it is today on the precipice of a revolutionary discovery. Listen to his advice on delegating, dealing with weaknesses and transforming neurodegenerative research.

Today, there are two jobs available per every unemployed person. With many of those open positions falling in the skilled labor industry, how is anything getting made? That’s where global automation innovator, Integrated Systems, Inc. comes in. If the job is dull, dirty or dangerous, ISI sees opportunity for automation.

Leading companies from Tesla to John Deere, bring ISI into their plants to help automate operation systems to improve efficiency. They develop customized solutions for each client, innovating robotically-based tools to integrate into the manufacturing process. Originally a welding integrator, ISI evolved from a company specializing in custom machinery to eventually become the global supplier of robotically-based automation systems that they are today.

Bob Brown, the owner of ISI, has a unique strategy to inspire consistent creativity and innovation within his team and keep the company and its sustainable solutions evolving. In this episode of Of Note, listen as Bob Brown joins our hosts Kim Christ and Joseph Nother to break down how he manages innovating robotically-based automation systems for a company that’s everything but automated. Learn from his early days of entrepreneurship, willingness to fail and take risks, and the leadership traits behind it all.

Many people have experienced the wrath of middle school bullies and reacted instinctively. For one young entrepreneur, the momentary embarrassment built more than character; it inspired him to take the first step in building an innovative business, grossing roughly $350,000 each year. The then-seventh grader was called out for accidentally purchasing–and wearing–a pair of knock-off KD 4 All Star Galaxy sneakers and he immediately listed them for resale. Even then, Sean Powers turned a $200 profit, overnight.

Seeing such a quick and effortless return on revenue made Sean rethink his perception of high-end, limited-edition sneakers as a passion, and start considering it as a potential business venture. Ten years into the luxury resale game, he’s already developed a brand of his own. Balancing eComm 101, the Entrepreneurship Club at USC, and the inventory, management and sales of his designer product listings truly paid off. Sean used his sneakerhead community, entrepreneur network, and insight into the problem with eCommerce merchandising to develop an innovative software solution alongside fellow recent graduate and entrepreneur-at-heart, Brett Nilson.

In this final episode of our four-part mini-series, “Becoming the Origin Story,” hosted by Laura McIntosh, Copyt Co-Founders, Sean Powers and Brett Nilson, break down their journey to become market leaders. Learn how these young entrepreneurs used social media, existing eCommerce platforms, and a people-first approach to emerge in a $2 Trillion, global market.

Job seekers are given a test before even interviewing for the role they’re hoping to land. They’re challenged to lay out their achievements, career history and professional ambitions on a single page, in a way that stands out–but is organized–and communicates their personality, passion and potential. Employers are equally frustrated, sifting through hundreds of resumes, all blurring together with redundancy coursing through the same flat, impersonal language.

The owner and founder of a consulting firm, and the CEO and owner of a career coaching company came together and said enough is enough. Inspired by GenZ’s affinity for TikTok and short form videos, the two entrepreneurs co-founded a platform that puts a modern twist on resumes. They share their experiences emerging in the tech-world for the first time, the strategy that allowed them to launch their startup debt-free and how they’ve navigated the male-dominated tech space as emerging female entrepreneurs.

In this third episode of “Becoming the Origin Story,” hosted by Laura McIntosh, The RezRev Co-Founders Jackie Kohlepp and Brittany Betit open up about bringing their vision to life, to help connect job seekers to companies more effectively. Learn how these leaders disrupted a dreaded, decades-old protocol, changing the hiring game for both camps–for the better.