Square Stories

Robin Reed believes in learning from the past to change the future. And instead of dwelling on the inevitable challenges one faces in business, Robin believes those obstacles are invaluable opportunities to grow, gain insight and refine problem-solving skills.

He’s the President and CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona, a nonprofit founded in 1998 that exists to improve the economic development of its business entrepreneurs and the communities it serves. Robin and the Chamber offer leadership and advocacy surrounding economic, political and social issues, as well as help to attract local, national and international opportunities for black-owned enterprises. 

Before landing his gig at the helm of the Black Chamber, Robin served as the President and Senior Strategy Officer for Occam Sustainability Partners, as well as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and later Waddell & Reed. 

Tune in as Robin chats about befriending the neighborhood bully, his advice for entrepreneurs and the definition of “success.”

Pamela Slim believes that people have the power to shape the world through their work. So much so, that she traded in her job as a corporate training manager for a solo career in the late ‘90s … and she’s been changing the world ever since. 

With her newfound sense of purpose and excitement out on her own, her life came alive. She had to share that feeling with the world.

In 2009, she wrote a book called, “Escape From Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur.” It helped spearhead the movement of people leaving corporate jobs to start their own enterprises, and was named the Best Small Business & Entrepreneur Book of 2009.

Now an award-winning author, speaker and small-business strategist, Pam founded The K’é Main Street Learning Lab in 2016. Based in Mesa, Arizona, it serves as a community think tank for small business economic acceleration.

Look, life really is too long to work for an organization that doesn’t believe what you believe. That’s why people like Pam are so incredible, whose core purpose is to inspire others to break free from that very situation — to find the life where they feel strongest. Tune in as Pam discusses compassion, empathy, perspective and her core belief that we all need each other.

Luis Avila is a man who believes deeply in the power of collaboration to create platforms, spaces and opportunities for empowerment — he’s got a passion for working with people to get big things done. And he’s got quite the résumé. After migrating from Mexico almost two decades ago, Luis stayed in the United States to attend college, where he developed projects with people involved in the arts, politics and social justice. This makes perfect sense as he’s an author, a traveler, an entrepreneur, an actor…and even the Spanish voice of the infamous McRib sandwich. He’s the Founding President of Iconico, a consulting firm that helps build advocacy capacity in communities. He’s a Google NextGen fellow, a member of countless advocacy boards and has worked diligently on a number of campaigns, both national and regional, right here in Arizona. Tune is as host Brian Burkhart chats with Luis about “modest success,” perseverance and the willingness to try new things, and fighting for those who need it the most.

Mark Rickmeier believes in the power of failure. He’s the CEO of Table XI, a UX research, design, and software development company based in Chicago. Table XI has helped massive clients such as Tyson Foods, AccuWeather, Northwestern University, Jimmy Dean, the YMCA, the Journal of the American Medical Association and so many more. Mark has only been at the helm of Table XI since October 2016, but he’s called the tech world home for nearly two decades. Over the last 18 years, he’s created more than 100 mobile apps, custom-built web applications and intuitive user experiences. In 2014, he founded the Operations Conference to bring together a global community of software companies, and in 2017, he co-founded the “Walkshop,” a multi-day hiking and design-thinking experience for leaders, executives and entrepreneurs to get offline and build new connections across the industry. Tune in as Mark discusses his trips around the globe, learning through playing games and why “busy is the new stupid” is his new life motto.

Ivette Rodriguez is the co-founder and Executive Director of Phoenix International Academy, a charter school in Phoenix. Talk about standing for something — Ivette and the other founding members built the school on a foundation of strong, well-codified core beliefs. For example, they believe in partnering with families and communities to provide learning experiences that develop innovation, collaboration and social responsibility. They believe awareness is one of the foundational pieces of being a global citizen. And they believe in the importance of understanding the lives, circumstances and reality of people and places that are different from ourselves. Previously in her career, Ivette served as the principal of Cesar Chavez Community School and later as the Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services in the Roosevelt School District. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and two master’s degrees from ASU. Tune in as Ivette discusses the school’s core beliefs, its vision to give EVERY kid the ability to build the future they want and the importance of living boldly.

Jenny Poon is a highly diverse entrepreneur and the founder/CEO of CO+HOOTS, the largest coworking community in the state of Arizona. CO+HOOTS was ranked the No. 4 coworking space in the nation by Inc.com, and it currently serves as the home to more than 280 entrepreneurs and small businesses. Because of her tremendous success and the rapid growth of CO+HOOTS since it opened in 2010, Jenny was named Phoenix Business Journal’s 2016 Phoenix Businessperson of the Year, making her the first minority AND the first woman to receive the honor. She’s a regular speaker, giving presentations on topics including leadership as a millenial and the importance of nurturing innovation in the workspace, all while bringing visibility to coworking as an economic development tool for building vibrant and equitable cities. Oh, and she’s also the creator of “eeko studio,” a design and branding boutique committed to working with business, large or small, who are hell bent on having a positive impact on their community. Join us as Jenny discusses women and minorities in business, the immeasurable impact her parents had on her life and her vision for the future.

Candice Frazer is the Senior Vice President of Operations at TTI Success Insights, a local Scottsdale firm that provides assessment-based talent management solutions to organizations on a global scale. As the SVP of Operations, Candice acts as the central hub of communications for all projects, initiatives and results for the organization. Her self-described superpower is “organizing the chaos and embracing visions not often seen by others.” In other words, Candice is in charge of ensuring TTI SI’s success, which is no small task…but let me tell you, she’s got the chops for the job. She’s previously worked for SOCIALDEVIANT, CareerAgility, Verizon, Redbox Instant by Verizon and more. She hails from New York, so she knows all about grit and work ethic. She’s got an MBA in marketing from Boston University, she reads business books for fun, she’s a self-proclaimed lover of tea and she’s a mother. Come along for the ride as Candice dishes about when she fell in love with storytelling, why she expresses gratitude every morning and how “your vibe attracts your tribe.”

Robert Armstrong is a co-founder and the CEO of Appstem, a leading digital product agency based in San Francisco. Appstem is all about creating informed, human-centered innovations that transform complex business problems into elegant digital solutions. But Appstem hasn’t always been at the top of the digital food chain, so to speak — Robert and the team come from humble beginnings. Appstem’s first big client came when Robert cold-called the CEO of Gold’s Gym in 2010…and since then, the firm has landed some impressive clients, such as Tesla, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, JetSuiteX, DUFL, Kaiser Permanente, Johnson & Johnson and more. Appstem’s success thus far can be attributed to Robert’s core belief that you should only ever build a company that you enjoy. And while he loves growth more than just about anyone else on the planet, he will never sacrifice growth for building a company that he hates — or that anyone hates for that matter. Join us as Robert talks about the perks of heading a boutique firm, the benefits of Appstem’s “mellow” culture and why constantly spending on marketing may not be the best plan of action.

Todd Unger is the Chief Experience Officer and Senior Vice President of Physician Engagement at the American Medical Association. He’s known as a transformational leader for the digital age, with the classic profile of a “productive disruptor” — and man, he has the résumé to back it up. Before his time at AMA, Todd was the CMO and Chief Digital Officer at Daily Racing Form, a 125-year-old news outlet centered around horse racing. He’s also served as the VP of Marketing at YooStar Entertainment Group; the GM of Digital and Executive Vice President at Major League Gaming; the Senior Vice President of Digital for the Time4 Media Division at Time, Inc.; the GM of Online and Senior Vice President of Brand Extensions at Lifetime Television; the VP and GM of Local and the Director of Product Management at AOL — yes, AOL as in “you’ve got mail”; the VP Account Supervisor at the Leo Burnett Company; and finally, an Assistant Brand Manager and Brand Assistant at Procter and Gamble. Oh, and have you ever heard of Yelp? Well Todd created the “AOL Local Expert” reviewing platform during his time at AOL, which was a precursor to Yelp before Yelp ever existed. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School, he’s led new business initiatives for Scope Mouthwash and Metamucil, he’s overseen commercial productions for some of the nation’s biggest brands like Sony, and he’s worked with blue-chip advertisers like Old Spice, HBO and Dr. Pepper. But don’t think all of his accomplishments throughout his illustrious career have gone to his head — Todd firmly believes that it’s always, always about the customer. Join us as our host Brian Burkhart learns about the Unger family’s “performance gene,” P&G/HBR’s incredible impact on Todd’s life and why powerful storytelling is so important in the Digital Age.

Reid Lappin is the founder and CEO of Vokal, one of Chicago’s leading digital design and innovation firms. Thanks to Reid, his company's client roster will certainly get your attention — Vokal has worked with Whole Foods, Bosch, Groupon and the San Francisco 49ers, to name a few. So yes, Reid is a technological prodigy, a genius by any measure — but interestingly enough, he wasn’t always on the front lines of technology and innovation. Before founding his first tech company, Reid was an organic farmer. So come along for the ride as our host Brian Burkhart chats with Reid about organic farming, using technology to better people’s lives and why knowledge and security must be at the forefront of technological advances in the future.