Uniquely Placed

Once a month, Chip Miceli goes out, sits on the curb and asks himself what he needs to change about his business, Pulse Technology. He’d recommend any business leader do the same.

But this was something Chip did even before the pandemic turned everything on its head. Because Chip learned back when he was helping his dad first get the family’s business off the ground (and out of their garage) that adapting and really listening to the customers’ needs was the only way to survive. 

In this episode, Chip shares how he surrounds himself with big idea people, focuses on only three ideas at a time and then asks his team if they’re possible. And, ultimately, how this led him to being CEO of one of the most innovative, respected businesses in the office equipment industry. 

You’ll also hear: 

• Why, as a business leader, you can’t go it alone anymore
• How he learned negotiations from his dad and sales from his paper route
• When he took over the family business, which contract clause he’ll never forget 

If you’d like to hear more from Chip, reach out to him at [email protected]. 

When Patrick Adesso was in school, a teacher told him to find three passions: one for himself, one to share with his family and one to turn into a profession. Luckily for him, his first passion for technology started when he was a kid with a screwdriver, a knife and an old computer. 

Throughout the years, he’s found the other two passions as well, even though they’ve swapped their roles a bit. His passion for aviation moved from a profession to a hobby while his interest in software took over as a career. But that passion for his family stayed steady throughout.

In this episode, Patrick shares how he’s balanced his many passions, how a chance encounter at a first birthday party set him on the course to being the CIO at DEX Imaging and why an old aviation saying from his dad still serves as a reminder to never give up.   

You’ll also hear: 

• How computers saw Patrick through his punk, teenage angst years
• What he’s learned from Dan Doyle Sr., Dan Doyle Jr. and other mentors within DEX Imaging
• How it felt more like DEX was doing an acquisition when Staples acquired them

If you’d like to hear more from Patrick, reach out to him on LinkedIn.

Innovation can’t scale without creativity. 

This is one of the many lessons motivational speaker, coach, creativity expert, co-creator of #ItWasNeverADress campaign and author of Creative Trespassing, Tania Katan, preaches. And this lesson was put to the test this year when COVID-19 put a stop to her main livelihood, live speaking events. Like so many others, she had to pivot and put what she’s taught to Fortune 500 business leaders to the test.  

But Tania Katan has made a career of leaping into unknown territories, so getting comfortable with the uncomfortable was nothing new, though no less challenging. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how Tania navigated all of the change this year, her advice for doing the same next year and how she moved from the theater to a modern art museum to a tech company and ultimately to helping thousands find that creative spark again.     

You’ll also hear: 

• How she did the work to create opportunities for herself throughout her career
• How she overcomes feeling overwhelmed by large goals and projects
• How sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is take a walk  

If you’d like to hear more from Tania, reach out to her at TaniaKatan.com.

The job is what you make it. Be patient. Know how to break down problems into clear and specific steps. Ask for help. Soft skills are just as important as hard skills. Just let it go.

Some people have gained so much wisdom, it feels like every other sentence they say is a piece of invaluable advice. Nitsa Zuppas is one of those people. With over 20 years in the marketing world, Nitsa has created dozens of award-winning advertising campaigns with talented teams, made a profound impact in the business world and beyond, and gathered countless insights from mentors and her own experiences. 

And she’s happy to share them. 

In this episode, enjoy Nitsa’s lessons learned from working her way up to the VP of Marketing at Siebel Systems, becoming the Executive Director of the Siebel Foundation, and now having earned the position of CMO at Veeva Systems.   

You’ll also hear: 

• How she views a career like a wide staircase instead of a ladder
• Why the number one feeling she has about her career is surprise 
• How she got a crash course in documentary filmmaking in the first few weeks at the Siebel Foundation 

If you’d like to hear more from Nitsa, reach out to her on LinkedIn.

When Richard Sellar was a kid, he didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up. Honestly, he still doesn’t. It’s not from a lack of interest, but rather an abundance of interest in simply finding new things to dive into.

In this episode, we hear how Richard’s love of innovation and change led him from studying aerospace to dabbling in the culinary world to technology consulting into SpaceX and ultimately to being the CEO of Stellar One Consulting now. 

You’ll also hear: 

• What lessons he learned from Elon Musk during his time at SpaceX 
• How he and Stellar One team are trying to turn the services business on its head
• How mixology has become his newest interest 

If you’d like to hear more from Richard, reach out to him on LinkedIn or at [email protected]. 

You don’t just wake up one day and earn the title “legend” within your industry. You have to hustle for years, build something that positively changes people’s lives all over the world and even find time to give back to those causes closest to your heart. You know, a positive, generous outlook doesn’t hurt either. 

In this episode, we hear how Navy veteran Mike Stramaglio earned that title throughout his 40+ years in the office imaging technology channel, during which he built MWA Intelligence, launched the FORZA open-architecture ERP system on SAP Business One, saw his career come full circle with Konica Minolta and decided to start a new venture during another economic downturn.      

You'll also hear: 

• How he’s come to appreciate the trials of life
• Why his daughter was a catalyst for putting MWA Intelligence on the fast track
• His advice for young entrepreneurs looking to start their own company

If you’d like to hear more from Mike, reach out to him at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

From helping to pave the way for women working with men’s professional sports teams to finally realizing her dream of being at a company run by two powerful mothers, Tami Nealy forged a winding path to land right where she wants to be. 

In this episode, we hear about how a somewhat incognito interview led Tami to join fellow LifeLock alumni at Find Your Influence as Vice President of Communications and Talent Relations, how she learned from mentors who truly believed in her and cared enough to give her honest feedback and how she’s working to do the same for other young professionals.     

You'll also hear: 

• How she knew joining LifeLock was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity
• How she balanced being a NASCAR fan and a professional at Phoenix International Raceway
• What a good dose of crisis communications can teach you

If you’d like to hear more from Tami, reach out on her LinkedIn. 

Paul J. Zak is definitely not afraid of getting it wrong. Because, he says, when you get it wrong, you learn. And it’s taken a lot of learning to lead Paul to where he is today. 

Before he was an entrepreneur, founder and Chief Immersion Officer of Immersion, a Neuroscience as a Service platform, Paul spent two decades researching and studying oxytocin and the neuroscience of human connection. He’s also the founding director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and Professor of Economics, Psychology and Management at Claremont Graduate University. Plus, he’s earned mathematics and economics degrees from San Diego University, holds a Ph.D. in economics from University of Pennsylvania and has post-doctoral training in neuroimaging from Harvard. 

In this episode, we hear what led this scientist, author and speaker to become interested in human connection, how he’s using his research to now predict outcomes and gauge unconscious emotional responses to content and how we can create those needed connections despite physical distance.   

You'll also hear: 

• Why he’s happy to be seen as “stupid or naive”
• What Neuroscience as a Service is and how it’s changing the entertainment industry
• How business leaders can create the serendipity of an in-person workplace even when everyone’s working remotely

Learn more about Immersion at GetImmersion.com and Paul’s academic lab at NeuroeconomicsStudies.org. 

In this episode, we hear from Robert Markley, Jr. (Bob, as he likes to be known) who’s built a career of sharing his technical expertise to impact people’s lives. After 22 years of teaching businesses how to better use technology as a trusted consultant and entrepreneur, he turned his focus to teaching. Now, he guides college students to understand how they can change their lives using technology, specifically SAP Business One, as a Professor at Saint Vincent College.

You'll also hear: 

• How launching business makes all the stress and pressure worth it
• Who was the catalyst that jump started his teaching career
• How he's watched the Biz.ONE Conference diversify over the years as he's brought more and more students to attend

Learn more about Saint Vincent College's SAP Business One program here: stvincent.edu/sap

Feel free to reach out to Bob on his LinkedIn.

In the first episode of Uniquely Placed, we learn the story of Chassi’s own Andrew Zwerner. We may be a little biased, but once you hear it, you’ll understand why we chose him to be guest number one. He shares how serving as an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALs helped to develop his lateral, trust-driven leadership style and how with each leap of faith in his journey, he bet on himself and the kindness of others.  

You’ll also hear: 

• Why the life of an FBI special agent just wasn’t for him 
• How he knew it was time to step away from one of the fastest growing businesses in the U.S. 
• His advice for those who find themselves at an inflection point in their career 
• How each leap of faith in his journey led him to a team that’s helping people find deeper meaning in their work at Chassi 

To hear more, ask questions or grab a coffee virtually, reach out to Andrew at [email protected].