Square Stories

A respected senior executive in the world of food retailing, Michael Sansolo is now a consultant, speaker and author. In his first book, “The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies,” Michael takes all kinds of cool leadership, marketing and workplace dynamic lessons learned from awesome movies like “The Godfather,” for example. His second book, “Business Rules! 52 ways to achieve business success,” came out in 2014. Michael writes a weekly column on current business trends for themorningnewsbeat.com, a daily blog with more than 30,000 readers. He’s also a speaker and moderator at conferences and company meetings around the world. Oh, and he’s the research director at the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council. So tune in as our host Brian Burkhart and Michael discuss best practices for live speaking, why experiences are so important in food retail and the lessons we can learn from McDonald’s.

Joe Tortorich is perhaps the most passionate person you’ll ever meet — and his passion for everything he does is undeniably contagious. As the Vice President of Operations and Sales at Torch Trailer Repair — his family’s business — Joe jumps into every day on the job headfirst. And while he’s proud of his work and his family’s success in the business world, his actual family members mean most to him. So come along for the ride as our host Brian Burkhart gets the inside scoop about empathy and compassion, raising four children with his beloved parenting co-CEO, the value of working hard and building a family legacy.

Kathy Kolbe is a fascinating individual in a class all by herself. She’s an iconoclast who’s always been ahead of her time as a female leader. In fact, she was even recognized in Time magazine’s 1985 "Man of the Year" issue for her groundbreaking accomplishments. Kathy is the founder of Kolbe Corp and is arguably best known for creating the Kolbe A™ Index, which is widely considered "the only valid and reliable assessment tool for measuring an individual’s method of operation within the conative faculty of the brain." But she’s so much more than just that — she’s also a theorist, bestselling author, entrepreneur, educator, organizational strategist, consultant, speaker and the founder of Dynamynd Inc., her latest business venture. Come along as our host Brian Burkhart gets the scoop on Kathy’s very own Kolbe Index score, the "family business" and why the current generation of America’s youth sparks so much hope.

Alan McLaren is an incredible leader. He self-describes as “always happy, but never content.” He’s really a man on the move — for more than 30 years, this accomplished executive has been an integral part of everything from Fortune 50 public firms to small startups to volunteer positions on international boards. He currently serves as the CEO of InfinityComm, a marketing/communications company, and he’s the co-founder of SaluberMD, a digital telehealth platform. Come along for the ride as our host Brian Burkhart gets the inside scoop on the Young Presidents’ Organization, the impact sports have on our lives and not being afraid to work with only the right clients.

Our guest on Episode No. 5 is a man whose background is almost as diverse as his view of the world. A former Captain of the United States Air Force, Chris Moreland is a guy with corporate experience that includes selling fossil fuels, soft drinks, financial services, travel, software and now healthcare. He currently holds the position of Chief Inclusion and Diversity Advocate at Vizient, one of the nation’s premier healthcare companies. He’s a man on an absolute mission to change people’s lives by giving them a broader perspective about other human beings, and he won’t let anything stop him from doing just that. Tune in as our host Brian Burkhart gets the full scoop about the childhood struggles Chris endured as a young African-American, the importance of finding your life’s purpose early on and his mission to change the way human beings see one another. 

Our guest on Episode No. 4 is Catherine Jelinek, founder and partner of The Junto Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Junto is a leadership and revenue accelerator for growth-stage companies with 10-100 employees and/or $1 to $10 million in annual revenues. Catherine believes deeply that it’s nonnegotiable to lead with humanity in business, she embraces the power of periods, aligns with Mother Nature and preaches that everyone should be alive at every moment. Join our host Brian Burkhart as he gets the dish on what makes Catherine such a gift to the world.

Our guest on episode No. 3 is Dan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Tiesta Tea. He and his fellow co-founder started the company with the mission of creating functional, loose-leaf tea blends that are affordable, accessible and understandable. Tiesta Tea has been recognized by the biggest news outlets including Inc., Forbes, ABC and FOX, and is available in tons of places like Target, Costco, Safeway and on Amazon. Perhaps the most impressive part is that Dan is just getting started — he’s only 30 years old. Join our host Brian Burkhart as he chats with Dan about tea, total transparency, teaming up with Chicago’s beloved Chance The Rapper and helping those who need it most.

Our guest on episode No. 2 is Kelly Manthey, CEO of Solstice. Solstice is one of Chicago’s largest and fastest-growing software-services companies. She leads a world-class team of digital strategists, designers and engineers in Chicago, New York, London and Buenos Aires. Kelly, along with Solstice as a whole, is hellbent on changing the world through reimagining the digital customer experience and launching new digital products from many of the world’s largest brands. Join us as our host Brian Burkhart chats with Kelly about the Digital Age, building a culture of help and support, and why it’s so important for leaders to learn how to be empathetic.

Our guest on the inaugural episode of Square Stories is Mike Maddock, founder of internationally-recognized innovation consultancy Maddock Douglas. Mike believes in lifelong curiosity, shared responsibility and leaning into creative solutions. His services have been sought out by more than 25 percent of the Fortune 100. Mike’s purpose in life is to inspire and empower curiosity. He’s driven by his passion for making people believe they can change the world, and gives them the connections, tools, frameworks and wisdom to help them do just that. Come along as our host Brian Burkhart puts Mike through the four-sided, stories-based interview sequence that is Square Stories.