Talk With the Top: St. Louis

A BIT ABOUT JAY GROSMAN, FOUNDER AND CEO OF IAUTO AGENT

If a person can be defined by those things he is passionate about, then Jay Grosman can be defined by his love of family, his concern for others, his integrity, his passion for vehicles and his commitment to his clients.

 

Jay feels that his career success can best be measured in his approach to customer service, his passion for building relationships, his knowledge of vehicles, his innovative marketing programs, and his unfailing desire to serve his customers.  His other job is his wonderful family.  He is devoted to his wife of 18 years and 2 kids.

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As the Founder and Managing Shareholder of The Growth Partnership, Jeff leads a dynamic team of professionals who are dedicated to helping their clients succeed as business owners.

Focused exclusively on public accounting firms, 

Jeff is best known for his work in two areas: helping firms design and successfully implement robust go-to-market positioning strategies, and developing the future leaders of the profession. He has repeatedly been named as one of the profession’s “Top 100 Most Influential People” by Accounting Today.

Currently, the client “footprint” of The Growth Partnership consists of 452 accounting firms in the United States – including 56 of the Accounting Today “Top 100” firms”; 39 associations / state societies; and 13 international firms.

A recognized face at most accounting conferences and conventions, Jeff is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter. His presentations consistently receive outstanding reviews from audiences, and are famous for having substantive tools and resources included as part of his materials.

In 2010, Jeff founded iShade.com. Under his leadership, the tech startup attracted an initial round of venture capital, achieved a successful launch and quickly lived up to it’s moniker as “The Accounting Profession Online”. Jeff and his other founding partners sold their controlling interests in the portal in 2012 – achieving a $3.3M valuation.

A 1991 graduate of Creighton University, Jeff currently resides in suburban St. Louis with his wife Cindy and their four children. In his free time Jeff enjoys escaping to his family retreat in remote McCloud, CA, and serving as the “voice” of the St. Louis University High School and Affton Americans hockey teams.

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A BIT ABOUT JILL  

Jill Farmer is the author of “There’s Not Enough Time… and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves” which debuted as a bestseller in the Time Management category on Amazon. In 2015, The Washington Post named Jill to its 21-Day Time Hacker team as one of the top time experts in the country. Jill travels the U.S. delivering keynotes and teaching her acclaimed program for some of the top corporations and organizations in the world. In addition to being a master certified life coach, Jill Farmer is a wife and the mother of two teens. For more than a decade, she was an Emmy Award winning consumer reporter and television anchor in St. Louis. Jill is also the unsuccessful herder of the two worst-behaved dogs in the universe.

Connect with Jill

Twitter

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A BIT ABOUT JIM  

Jim has spent over 30 years in the corporate world developing a career that has spanned several major corporations including John Deere, American Airlines, Reuters, Stone Carlie, an architectural firm and several consulting firms. He has held the titles of Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Facilities for North and South America, Vice President of Client Services, Director of Reengineering & TQM, Director of Human Resources, Senior Manager of Consulting Services, Manager of IdeAAs In Action and Corporate Administrator for two cost reduction programs for all North American factories.

Jim has two publications to his credit; Reviewing the Effectiveness of your Suggestion System and Creative Thinking Seminar, both published by N.A.S.S. in Chicago, Illinois. He was co-editor of the popular Legal Guidelines for Suggestion Systems, which he has presented in a workshop series for numerous organizations.

A few of Jim’s honors include:

Founders Award Recipient – for his work in the field of Employee Involvement (one of only 20 people in the United States to receive this honor)

President of the National Association of Suggestion Systems

Founder and first President of the Midwest Chapter of N.A.S.S. located in Moline, Illinois. Co-founder of the Central States Chapter of N.A.S.S. located in Tulsa

Received Certification and elected to the Board of Examiners for the Oklahoma Quality Award Foundation

Appointed to the Governor’s Quality Council for the State of Oklahoma by Governor David Walters

Appointed to the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Chairman for Section 1409 of the American Society for Quality Control in Tulsa

Appointed an Examiner for the Excellence in Missouri Foundation and also served as a Judge for the Team Quality Award

Co-Founder of the PeopleSoft Regional User Group in St. Louis

Co-Founder of ExecLink “Executives helping Executives” in St Louis

Co-founder and President of Business Development Team in St Louis

Jim has developed and presented workshops, speeches and panel discussions to professional and civic groups as well as companies covering thirteen states within the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Saudi Arabia. He has belonged to, or participated in, twenty-three civic and professional organizations at either a local, state or national level.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University. He is also is recognized as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute, Certified Manager of Suggestions Systems (CMSS) by N.A.S.S., as well as an Able Toastmaster Gold (ATM) from Toastmasters International.

Connect with Jim

LinkedIn

Twitter

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A BIT ABOUT KATHY 

Kathy Bernard is the CEO of WiserU, LLC, and the creator of the breakthrough WiserU Career System, a web-based system of 10 progressive modules that exponentially improve recent college graduates’ chances of landing well-paying, career positions. The WiserU Career System modules consist of introductory videos, research-based video tutorials, user-friendly action guides, and templates, plus a community forum that combine to train participants precisely how to land a job.

Before becoming a successful career coach and LinkedIn trainer, Bernard was an accomplished corporate communicator who received 27 awards for communications excellence during leadership stints with Enterprise Holdings (Enterprise Rent-A-Car), Caleres (Brown Shoe), and CBS Radio. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri with bachelor degrees in Journalism and Art.

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A BIT ABOUT DAVID  

A uniquely equipped individual with a proven track record of designing and developing organizations that are inspired to dream and green lighted to do.  15+ years of progressive experience building multiple eCommerce businesses from scratch into best in class, omni-channel, and highly profitable websites with a passionate and deeply connected culture.

Connect with David

LinkedIn

Twitter

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A BIT ABOUT ROBERTA  

Roberta Moore, determined business executive, and accomplished licensed therapist is the CEO of Moore Relations, where she coaches corporate executives in emotional intelligence. The author of the soon-to-be-released book, Emotion at Work, uses her knowledge regarding emotions in the workplace to offer relational services.

Roberta’s mission is to aid the formation of healthy relationships in the office and at home through boundaries, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationship skills. She has been the CEO of Moore Relationships for sixteen years.

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A BIT ABOUT STACY 

Stacy is an educator turned CEO of two successful startups with expertise in education, youth development and achievement, and female leadership and empowerment. She brings over 12 years of experience in the academic world as a high school math teacher and has earned Masters in both Administration and Counseling. Since leaving education, Stacy has spoken locally and nationally, including being the Keynote Speaker for the Rockwood School District’s Presidents’ Forum Leadership Conference.

Stacy founded her first company, Girls Dreaming Big (GDB), in 2013 and a year later won a $25,000 grant from the Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition (SEIC) sponsored by YouthBridge and Washington University’s Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in St. Louis.

Since the competition, Stacy has not only grown the company, but also interviewed hundreds of smart, strong, successful women who are looking to make an impact on teenage girls lives. These women inspired Stacy to start her second company, RISE Collaborative Workspace – a female-focused coworking space.

Connect with Stacy

Twitter

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A BIT ABOUT TERRY  

Innovative Business Advisors is the only local, full-service business brokerage company in the Metro East. Specializing in mergers and acquisitions, our highly trained staff assists clients who are looking to buy a business, sell a business, or value their business. Our certified valuation analyst can provide a complete business valuation for the eventual sale of a company, estate/gifting purposes, or marital resolutions.

Connect with Terry

LinkedIn

Twitter

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A BIT ABOUT WILL  

Will Hanke has a passion for helping businesses tell their story, get more customers and make more money. His company, Red Canoe Media, has helped mom & pops, startups and multi-million dollar companies with their online marketing strategies. Will teaches monthly classes and holds coaching webinars for small business owners throughout the year. He is an avid blogger and has published several ebooks including an Amazon Bestseller in Marketing.

A BIT ABOUT AMBER

Amber Hanke is a Digital Marketing Specialist for Red Canoe Media. She attends school at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and her major is Business Management. Amber is a certified Social & Community Manager.

Connect with Will

LinkedIn

Twitter

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