That Sounds Terrific in the 585

Ashley Fico joins us in this episode with a new innovative take on the escape room. The InnoQuests mobile app takes you and your fellow adventurers on a choose-your-own-adventure experience in your hometown. Solve puzzles from location to location and rediscover your city like you never have before. Join our terrific guest as we learn more about this hybrid virtual escape room experience. 

About InnoQuests LLC

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InnoQuests LLC offers a new way to explore, like never before! Created by Kyle Anker & Ashley Fico, InnoQuests transforms touring a city into an escape room-like experience. Players are immersed in a story delivered via the InnoQuests mobile app that guides them from location-to-location. Puzzles/clues presented along the way can only be solved through real-world exploration!

More About Dr. Ashley Fico, CEO/Co-Founder, InnoQuests LLC

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Ashley Fico is CEO and Co-Founder of InnoQuests LLC. Along with her brother, Kyle Anker, she created the InnoQuests' mobile app. They are committed to using their product to provide interactive adventures that provide unique and memorable opportunities to explore the world.

That Sounds Terrific - With Host Nick Koziol

For more information on our Podcast, That Sounds Terrific visit our website at www.thatsoundsterrific.com  and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you or someone you know are doing some terrific things that should be featured by our show then be sure to reach out by emailing us at [email protected].

Special Thank You to Our Sponsors and Key Supporters:

Chris Jones of Chris Jones Media for the Introduction and Outro recordings for That Sounds Terrific. If you need some great talent for your podcast, voice-over, and/or video contact Chris today. Be sure to check out his podcast "The Bow Knows VO" which is available on your favorite apps, including Stitcher and Soundcloud.

Into and Outro animation created in collaboration with Ben Albert of Balbert Marketing, LLC. Boost your business popularity, traffic and conversions online!

The video and audio portions of this podcast are powered by the Vidwheel Creator Network. Join Neil Carrol and be a part of the network that brings together solopreneurs, business owners, and company stakeholders who aspire to take our businesses to the next level with self-produced video content but feel overwhelmed with where to start and what skills we need to be successful, to master our gear, learn and develop the video skills necessary make powerful video content and look awesome on camera so that we can sustain and grow our businesses, reach a wider audience of clients and partners who need to hear our message and develop the flexibility in our businesses to thrive in a turbulent world.

In this episode of That Sounds Terrific we speak to Mike Anderson of G.R.O.W. Buffalo which supports small businesses and sales professionals. Starting during the Corona Pandemic this organization is continuing to pave the way for unprecedented growth in area businesses through networking, training, and other support. Join us to learn how G.R.O.W. Buffalo is making a positive impact in the WNY area and how you can benefit from joining their network of professionals. Let's Grow Buffalo!

About G.R.O.W. Buffalo:

G.R.O.W. supports local small businesses and sales professionals! We are starting during this difficult period of Coronavirus-19 quarantine and intend to keep the group active and growing well past this current crisis.

• Sharing helpful, up-to-date, and relevant information for WNY businesses through text and video posts

• Online video networking and educational events specifically geared to our local business community

• People and organizations to share ways in which they will help businesses in unique and low cost or free ways

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More about Mike Anderson:

Mike did not take a traditional path to get where he is. He dropped out of high school and got in trouble a few times as a young adult, but was able to turn it around over 15 years ago. He ended up graduating from the University of Buffalo with his Bachelor's degree in Business and go on to have a successful and evolving sales career. He has been in sales for about 20 years, ranging from outbound cold calls, inbound calls, and then worked at a bank for almost 9 years starting from customer service and leaving as a Branch Manager. Throughout his career, he has received multiple awards and has helped manage teams to become some of the best branches in the country. He has changed his approach from more of a direct sales approach to recently changing to building a business on high-quality relationships. He is now a Business Insurance Agent with Witkin Scott, a Partner in a Commercial Mortgage Brokerage Firm. And His biggest passion is a newly formed Non-Profit called GROW Buffalo Business. In 12 months, it has grown to over 2,000 members, became a non-profit, and has hosted over 150 virtual events, with mastermind groups, non-profit networking, and a youth program coming, among other things. He prides himself on being someone who can continually learn, adjust, and turn weaknesses into strengths. Most important to him is helping and support others, especially working closely with business owners to help in a variety of ways, which was how G.R.O.W. started with the 2 other co-founders, Connie and Kanishka

That Sounds Terrific - With Host Nick Koziol

For more information on our Podcast, That Sounds Terrific visit our website at www.thatsoundsterrific.com  and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you or someone you know are doing some terrific things that should be featured by our show then be sure to reach out by emailing us at [email protected].

The perceptions of culture and their impacts on the learning process in our community are lacking. Students are not adequately taught the importance of intercultural competencies and cross-cultural communication. Dr. Rhianna Rogers launched the Buffalo Project to analyze where we are, where we are going, and to address these issues.  In this episode of TST learn more about how cultural understanding across gender, race, ethnicity, class, and location affects communication. 

More About Dr. Rhianna Rogers

Bio: Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Coordinator of the Global Indigenous Studies program at SUNY Empire State College. She is an expert in cultural/ethnic studies, intercultural competencies and diversity education, cultural mediation, and virtual exchange programmatic development and implementation. Dr. Rogers is the Principal Investigator (PI) of SPEC/Buffalo Project, a grant-funded and award-winning, comprehensive, action-based diversity program focused on upskilling populations to inform solution-making efforts in college and community environments (2010-present). She was the Ernest Boyer Presidential Fellow at the Rockefeller Institute of Government - Center for Law and Policy Solutions (2019-2020), a Stevens Initiative/COIL Visiting Professor of Anthropology at the American University of Technology in Kaslik, Lebanon (2017-2018), and served two terms as the SUNY Empire State College Coordinator of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (2017-2019 & 2014-2017). Dr. Rogers has been appointed to a variety of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leadership positions including, NY Board of Regents and the State Education Department Digital Equity Summits (2021), the Lumen Circles/Gates Foundation DEI Faculty Development Project (2021), the Kettering Foundation Civic Engagement and Deliberative Dialogue (US and International) Institute consulting team, the SUNY Empire Presidential Diversity Taskforce, the SUNY Empire DEI Council & PRODiGY Steering Committee, and she is an active member of the Racialized Faculty Caucus. She has won multiple awards for her innovative approach to teaching and learning, including, most recently, 2021 James William and Mary Elizabeth Hall Endowed Award for Innovation, the 2020-2021 & 2019-2020 SUNY Empire Provost Innovation Award, the 2018-2019 SUNY Explorations in Diversity & Academic Excellence Award (EDAE), and the 2017-2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Learn More About The Buffalo Project

The Buffalo Project is a longitudinal participatory action research project based in Buffalo NY. For ten years (AY 2010-present), Buffalo Project data has been analyzed to discuss college students’ perceptions of culture and its impacts on the learning process to develop programming that is sensitive of the intersectionalities of our community.

The SPEC Collective

SPEC is an open learning organization that empowers individuals to be catalysts for positive change. We provide mentoring, training, internships, and host events to help individuals from underrepresented backgrounds learn the essential skills required to build a sustainable career and make a positive impact in their communities.

That Sounds Terrific

Visit www.thatsoundsterrific.com for more information. For guest, suggestions email us at [email protected]

All relationships are built on trust. When you lose it, trust is so hard to gain back. Sometimes couples seek out a professional to help you rebuild what they lost. But, who do you go to when your company has trust issues? The person you seek is Bob Whipple. If you want to grow amazing leaders and mold your company culture back into a thriving work environment you look no further than the Trust Ambassador. Join host Nick Koziol and learn from Bob Whipple about what it takes to rebuild relationships at the corporate level.

About Bob Whipple, The Trust Ambassador

Official website: www.leadergrow.com  

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That Sounds Terrific - With Host Nick Koziol

For more information on our Podcast, That Sounds Terrific visit our website at www.thatsoundsterrific.com  and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you or someone you know are doing some terrific things that should be featured by our show then be sure to reach out by emailing us at [email protected].

Special Thank You to Our Sponsors and Key Supporters:

Chris Jones of Chris Jones Media for the Introduction and Outro recordings for That Sounds Terrific. If you need some great talent for your podcast, voice-over, and/or video contact Chris today. Be sure to check out his podcast "The Bow Knows VO" which is available on your favorite apps, including Stitcher and Soundcloud.

The video and audio portions of this podcast are powered Vidwheel Creator Network. Join Neil Carrol and be a part of the network that brings together solopreneurs, business owners, and company stakeholders who aspire to take our businesses to the next level with self-produced video content but feel overwhelmed with where to start and what skills we need to be successful, to master our gear, learn and develop the video skills necessary make powerful video content and look awesome on camera so that we can sustain and grow our businesses, reach a wider audience of clients and partners who need to hear our message and develop the flexibility in our businesses to thrive in a turbulent world.

Overnighting at camp is an opportunity for kids to be kids. For many, it is viewed as a necessary right of passage but what happens when your child has cancer and needs to be in a hospital or have treatments on a regular basis? These children also have weakened or compromised immune systems and often have to miss out on a lot of things. These children need a came to come to and Camp Ta-Kum-Ta in South Hero, Vermont provides an amazing experience for these kids and their families. Join host Nick Koziol and our terrific guest Dan Osman, as we learn more about this terrific place and the wonderful memories it creates for these special campers.

Learn More about Camp Ta-Kum-Ta:

Website: www.takumta.org

Mission: Camp Ta-Kum-Ta provides challenging, extraordinary experiences in a safe and loving environment for children who have or have had cancer and their families.  Camp exists for Vermont and Northern New York children (including other out-of-state children who are treated in Vermont), at no cost to their families.

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta was founded through the dedicated efforts of a small group of people lead by Sheara Billado, a pediatric oncology nurse at UVM Medical.  Wanting a parent’s perspective to be core to the planning, she invited Ted and Debby Kessler to be a part of the group and before he knew it, Ted became the Camp Director.  Both Ted and Debby wanted to recreate the mind/body healing experience their son Todd had at a cancer camp in New York State.  Together, for over 30 years, Sheara, Ted, and Debby fundraised, planned, and built an outstanding non-profit organization that now owns its own property and runs year-round programs for children with cancer and their families.

How the Camp Got Its Name:

More about Dan Osman:

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Dan is one of the leading experts and premier trainers on kids, staff, fundraising, and the experience of summer camp. He has been involved with camps and youth development for twenty-five years as a volunteer, counselor, fundraising professional, and director. He is currently the Director of Development at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta an organization that creates year-round experiences for families impacted by childhood cancer. Dan is also an award-winning advocate for mental health on the state and national level, working with government officials to change the landscape of health care to best serve those in recovery from addiction and mental health conditions. Dan lives in Milton, Vermont with his wife Audrey and daughter Emma.

For change to happen one must establish goals, deliver them in clear communication,  and often they need to collaborate with and create strong partnerships to achieve a mission. Movements for change are often is sparked by a moment in history that defines us. Dina Johnson has answered a calling. In response to questions from her own teenage children about George Floyd, Dina made a conscious effort to educate a community by forming a coalition for positive change. Started in Monroe County, New York the Monroe County Family Coalition (MCFC) is looking to mobilize this movement and open the lines of communication around inequity gaps to bring about necessary change in our communities. MCFC is educating through action and has clearly defined goals. They are building partnerships with civic leaders, local organizations, and law enforcement in order to establish stronger lines of communication and understanding. Inequality is one of the biggest issues in America, join the coalition to bridge those gaps together.

Monroe County Family Coalition, Inc. (MCFC)

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Monroe County Family Coalition, Inc. (MCFC) is a nonprofit organization formed by a group of Monroe County parents, teachers, and counselors, in the wake of the Black Families Matter rally held on June 20, 2020, in the Town of Greece. Members came together with a vision to create opportunities for youth and families, bring about change, and bridge inequality gaps in the community.

More About Dina Johnson, CEO:

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Dina is the founder and CEO of the Monroe County Family Coalition, Inc. (MCFC) and director of care and support at the Alzheimer’s Association, Rochester and Finger Lakes Region. 

She graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science/premed with a concentration in psychology. Dina also holds a graduate certificate in nonprofit management leadership from St. John Fisher College and attending St. John fisher College in the Fall of 2021 majoring in the M.S. Mental Health Counseling Program. 

Dina is a member of the Board of Directors and chair of the Community/HR Committee at Partners in Restorative Initiatives, and a member of the Mental Health Workgroup for Racial and Structural Equity Commission. She also serves as a parent liaison for culturally-responsive Education at Greece Athena Middle School. 

Dina’s motivation to form this group was inspired by a Black Families Matter rally held in the Town of Greece on June 20, 2020. After the rally, Dina decided to get involved in stakeholder discussions around key issues such as diversity, inclusion and equity within the government bodies and community organizations within the Town of Greece.  These meetings led to the forming of the Monroe County Family Coalition. Dina hopes that MCFC will serve all people in Monroe County, providing much need resources such as tutoring for children and families, educational lectures, mental health services, etc. Having a Baptist faith background and raised by a pastor and wife, she believes in the power of bridging gaps, creating unity, and particularly serving the underserved and underrepresented communities.

Dina lives in Greece, NY, is married, and has four children and two grandchildren.

Have you ever been in pain? Everyone has experienced some sort of pain but what if that pain never went away? How do you manage pain like that? Arthritis affects 1-4 adults and what's worse is it is not just limited to older people, children suffer from it as well. It also never goes away and could get worse with time. This week on TST we hear from Nancy Sorbella at the Arthritis Foundation where they are fighting to raise awareness, ease symptoms, and most importantly - develop a cure. Join us during Arthritis Awareness Month to learn more about how you can help!

About Nancy Sorbella, Community Engagement Director for the Arthritis Foundation of NY

Nancy is the Community Engagement Director for the Arthritis Foundation of NY where she works in mission programming, community outreach, volunteer cultivation, and fundraising. After years of working in marketing and sales, she has used her extensive volunteer experience as a springboard into where her passion truly lies: the non-profit sector. Every day is meaningful, rewarding, and energizing.  She lives in Carmel, NY with her husband and 3 kids and is an engaged alumni board member at her beloved alma mater, SUNY Cortland, a member of the Bedford Armonk Rotary Club, and a committee member for the Carmel Rams Youth Football & Cheer organization.  When she is not working and raising her family she is studying for her Masters in Healthcare Leadership, teaching aquatic exercise, gardening, and cheering on her friends in every aspect of their lives.

Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn

About the Arthritis Foundation - New York:

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Arthritis is one of the most widespread health conditions in the United States. It affects about one in four adults overall. That's over 54 million men and women. To recognize this toll on Americans' health, CDC, the Arthritis Foundation, and other partners observe Arthritis Awareness Month in May.

May is Arthritis Awareness Month!

54 million Americans, including over 300,000 children have arthritis.  To date, there is no cure.  It is the #1 cause of disability in the US.  The AF is boldly pursuing a cure but we are not there yet.

May 16th is the Walk to Cure Arthritis -- sign up for free:

www.arthritis.org/nyc

www.arthritis.org/capitalregion

www.arthritis.org/longisland

www.arthritis.org/buffalo

www.arthritis.org/rochester

Household cleaners are dangerous. A child accidentally ingesting them could prove to be fatal. What if I could introduce you to someone that could help you eliminate that threat from your home? What if that person can help save your family from many harmful products? Meet, Stacy Gulick. She has been known to ingest a cleaner or two...wait...WHAT?!? They definitely don't taste terrific but Stacy has done it to prove a point: EcoSense products are that safe. Stacy is armed with an amazing source of information that can help you find the best cleaning solutions, premium cosmetics, healthy snacks, scientifically proven vitamin packs, and other incredible products that are all environmentally safe.  Join Nick Koziol as we explore the healthier side of living that is Melaleuca The Wellness Company. 

That Sounds Terrific - With Host Nick Koziol

For more information on our Podcast, That Sounds Terrific visit our website at www.thatsoundsterrific.com  and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you or someone you know are doing some terrific things that should be featured by our show then be sure to reach out by emailing us at [email protected].

About Stacy Gulick, MS, OTR/L, ATP

Stacy works with individuals frustrated with their chronic illness who want to improve their health, or families who are healthy and just want to stay that way while staying on a budget. She uses extensive healthcare expertise and 13 years of personal experience with the products, to match households to the supplements, skin care, nutrition plan, or household solutions they need to meet their wellness goals.

Website: Fit Healthy Home

Connect with Stacy on LinkedIn

Fingerlakes Wellness Facebook Page

LinkedIn Business Page

Focus my young padawans. Networking...hard it is. Opening your meeting with a sales pitch is the path to the dark side … the sales pitch leads to anger … anger leads to hate … hate leads to suffering sales margins. A true networker that wants to make the sale of a lifetime will give more than they take. What better person to explain this than the Obi-Wan Kenobi of Networking Christine Smith of riplEFX. Christine is a 4 to 4 Expert, an Intentional Networking Coach, a Debt Terminator, and a Process Strategy Consultant. Come and learn the ways of the force with this Networking master. 

That Sounds Terrific - With Host Nick Koziol

For more information on our Podcast, That Sounds Terrific visit our website at www.thatsoundsterrific.com  and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you or someone you know are doing some terrific things that should be featured by our show then be sure to reach out by emailing us at [email protected].

More About Christine Smith, CEO-riplEFX - Networking Jedi

Christine is not your average gal. A divorced mom of one, Christine has an engineered, artistic mind with a bartender’s personality. She has made her way through pre-dominantly male industries to build a business tailored to those with a genuine givers mindset. Her experience has aided in her development of a process to educate others on how to build their networks intentionally. Christine has built her business through active community building and strives for others to be able to replicate so that perhaps one day networking won’t always feel like a dirty word. 

Connect with Christine on LinkedIn

riplEFX

riplEFX Memberships provide intentional networking opportunities without using the used car salesperson approach.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP?

riplEFX Website

riplEFX LinkedIn Page

riplEFX on Facebook

Have you ever ordered in a restaurant and while you are waiting you see someone else get their food. That looks so good! Why didn't I order that? What if you could find the perfect meal just by viewing photos on your phone? Are you hungry yet? You'll want to swipe right for this TST episode. Join host Nick Koziol and explore the career journey of Dan Abbotoy. No journey is without its twists, turns, and meandering paths. From driveway car wash to Med student on a SUNY-wide college tour to multiple Entrepreneurial startups. Dan's journey of never having the word "No" in his vocabulary is creating a Tinder for food to put local restaurants on an even playing field with the mega-chains. 

That Sounds Terrific - With Host Nick Koziol

For more information on our Podcast, That Sounds Terrific visit our website at www.thatsoundsterrific.com  and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you or someone you know are doing some terrific things that should be featured by our show then be sure to reach out by emailing us at [email protected].

Connecting with Dan Abbotoy:

Dan is a dreamer just trying to figure it out like everyone else. The more hurdles in the way, the more solutions there are. Dan believes that rocket science is rocket science and brain surgery is brain surgery. While challenging those things can be learned through time and dedication.

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

The Food Court

Venture Herd Website