Restarting America

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews Maryann Loncar, a cannabis advocate who has helped craft legislation in Illinois for the last 15 years. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Loncar shares how the current health pandemic has affected her work and how she is adapting to new circumstances.

Loncar co-wrote the first Illinois Industrial Hemp bill SB1294. She also helped secure the passing of the current hemp bill SB2298 and co-wrote the current Medical Cannabis Pilot Program in Illinois. Loncar worked on both sides of the aisle to build consensus among Democrats and Republicans to gain votes for the bill's passage. She was instrumental in pushing legislators to add military veterans in writing to HB1. She has traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate on a federal level for veterans.

During her time in Washington, D.C., Loncar was asked to participate in discussions with military veterans on PTS. Maryann is currently working with veterans to move bills forward on a federal level. The CARES Act currently allows The Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical cannabis to military veterans suffering from serious injuries or chronic conditions like post-traumatic stress in states where it is legal. She fought tirelessly to ensure the epileptic and sick children would be included in this legislation.

Loncar is one of the board members of Illinois Agri-Women. She is working in the industry, processing hemp and helping Illinois farmers be successful in growing this type of hemp. She is also working with the country of Croatia, her parent’s homeland, to help grow her cousin’s hemp fields. Her dream is to move the world forward and allow all farmers access to this plant.

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews Stanley Dayan, the owner and operator of a financial services practice through Northwestern Mutual. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Dayan shares how the current health pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances.

Dayan’s practice focuses on helping people much like himself—young people looking to grow in their careers and leave a positive legacy on the world. Dayan focuses on building comprehensive financial plans that create a core of money that, no matter what happens, grow with time.

Dayan is a graduate of The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. He lives in Northbrook with his wife, Sara, and their three daughters.

In this episode of Restarting America, Jeremy Greenberg from 97 Switch interviews Brad Zelinger, the founder and CEO of Stride Autism Centers. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Zelinger shares how the current health pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances.

Zelinger was inspired to found Stride Autism Centers by his adult sister who has a severe ASD-related disorder called Rett Syndrome. He is personally and professionally dedicated to supporting individuals with complex needs.

Zelinger began his career in investment banking at Moelis & Company in New York. Before founding Stride, he was a private equity investor at Madison Dearborn Partners and TZP Group, where he evaluated, executed, and oversaw investments in growth-oriented companies.

Zelinger earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA with High Distinction from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He serves on the Boards of Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) and Aspiritech and is Treasurer of the Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis (ILABA).

In this episode of Restarting America, Jeremy Greenberg from 97 Switch interviews Nate Hendrikse, the owner and founder of Navigator Bookkeeping. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Hendrikse shares how the current health pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances.

Hendrikse works one-on-one with agency owners and small business leaders to help them harness their finances to reach their business goals and drive profitability. He is also the host of the Navigating Business Podcast, where he dives into the joys and challenges of small business ownership with other small business owners.

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews AJ Greenberg, the co-founder of bioGraph, a storytelling and publishing company that helps individuals, families, and organizations write their future. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Greenberg shares how the current health pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances.

AJ and his brother Aaron co-authored a memoir titled Recorded Time: How to Write the Future, slated for publication in December 2020. The memoir outlines their intent and vision for the next evolution of bioGraph: a virtual storytelling platform that makes their service-turned-product accessible to everyone.

In this episode of Restarting America, Jeremy Greenberg from 97 Switch interviews Brianne Caplan, the Founder and Executive Director of Code Your Dreams, a nonprofit that empowers youth to innovate community solutions through code. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Caplan shares how the current health pandemic has affected her nonprofit and how she is adapting to new circumstances.

Earlier this year, Caplan founded CoderHeroes, a coding program for children with a buy-1-give-1 charitable model to support Code Your Dreams students throughout the pandemic. As a former Data Scientist and Program Director for the University of Chicago's Careers in Computer Science program, she has a passion for giving every student the technical skills and inspiration to create the change they wish to see in the world.

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews Mark Horoszowski, the co-founder and CEO of MovingWorlds, a social enterprise working to create a more equitable, just, and sustainable global economy. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Horoszowski shares how the current health pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances.

Horoszowski is an RSA Fellow and is a founding adjunct faculty member and lecturer on Corporate Social Responsibility at the University of Washington Tacoma's Center for Leadership and Social Responsibility. He has been published in HBR, Fast Company, Conscious Company, and more for this work helping brands like Microsoft, Kering, Avanade, PayPal, and more build more effective social impact programs.

MovingWorlds partners directly with businesses to scale social impact, sustainability, and equity initiatives by educating and engaging employees. It also operates the MovingWorlds Institute to help professionals create purpose-driven careers, as well as the S-GRID program, which helps social-impact and underrepresented businesses scale by building partnerships with the corporate sector.

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews Andrew Gardner, COO of Humanly.io. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Gardner shares how the current  pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances. 

Andrew Gardner is the COO of Humanly.io Humanly is a hiring platform that screens and schedules job candidates at scale, reducing time to hire and providing the best possible candidate experience for all applicants. He has 10 years sales and management experience with early stage tech startups. Previously, Andrew worked with HR SaaS startup TINYpulse as global account executive, working with SMB - Fortune 500 companies.

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews Lalanii Wilson-Jones, the founder of Mogul 247. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Wilson-Jones shares how the current health pandemic has affected her company and how she is adapting to new circumstances.

Wilson-Jones is a business powerhouse with successful imprints in the healthcare, education, beauty, and wellness sectors. With offices across the state of Texas, Wilson-Jones has excelled as a powerful chief executive officer and executive director of more than a dozen dynamic companies. Her bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and Master of Business Administration degree from Argosy University, as well as her 25+ years of experience, make her a formidable leader who is nationally recognized as a front runner in business and entrepreneurship.

Wilson-Jones is also an accomplished author with the release of her new urban fiction novel, Sugar Mama: A Keilanii Jennings Saga, which is available on Amazon.

In this episode of Restarting America, Josh Gibbs from 97 Switch interviews Loren Nelson, the founder of Campus Point Coffee. Throughout the interview, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and society. Nelson shares how the current health pandemic has affected his company and how he is adapting to new circumstances.

Nelson is a seasoned business development, sales, and marketing professional with a demonstrated track record in rapid growth and change management. He has been vice president, director of operations, and national director of sales for companies spanning the real estate, architecture, and manufacturing worlds.

Nelson is a decisive leader with a reputation for building solid, profit-focused teams in diverse environments, and has been successful in creating new markets and strategic positioning while increasing sales across multiple business product lines, and leading operational improvements while driving productivity and reducing costs. He recently co-founded ANF Realty Partners, which is a multifamily acquisition and development company.