Ian Heller is the Chief Strategy Officer for Distribution Strategy Group. He has more than 35 years of experience in the wholesale distribution industry, and he writes and speaks extensively on technology, strategy, sales and marketing, and disruption.

Ian entered the distribution industry as a truck unloader at a Grainger branch while in college. He eventually became Vice President of Marketing there and has since held senior executive roles at GE Capital, Corporate Express, Newark Electronics, and HD Supply.

Ian holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was elected commencement

For additional information, visit Ian's website:

DistributionStrategyGroup.com

Eliseo can be reached on his website mainlinemedicarenursenavigator.com or by calling 610-646-1946.  All Medicare inquiries are free of charge. 

John was born and raised in St. Paul, MN. He attended the University of Notre Dame on a hockey scholarship and graduated with a degree in American

Studies/Communications. After deciding not to attend law school, he started his business career as a local salesperson with WCCO-TV (CBS) in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In addition to serving the station’s existing clients, he developed a passion for successfully creating new customers and watching their business grow.

After seven years and moved to Atlanta, GA for a similar position with WSB-TV (ABC). After three years he was promoted to sales manager and served as a

National Sales Manager and Local Sales Manager. In those roles, he managed 13 national rep offices and a team of local salespeople. He also managed the station’s political advertising. During his time at WSB-TV, the station consistently overachieved its annual budgets and delivered unprecedented market revenue shares.

In 2020, at age 62, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and retired after a 40-year career. But wait, there’s more! There are three intangibles he saw in

himself and always looked for when hiring salespeople. Those are grit, tenacity, and a little bit of junkyard dog. Choosing not to participate in spending the

remainder of his life dealing with Parkinson’s, he leaned on those three attributes which led him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Where, after three days of testing, he learned he did not have Parkinson’s.

He is currently writing a book about his life-changing experience at the Mayo Clinic and his 40-year business career. His purpose is to create awareness about a treatable condition often misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or Dementia. He will also share his insights on hiring successful salespeople and creating a winning culture.

John and his wife JoAnn have been married for 39 years and reside in Atlanta. They have two children and one granddaughter.

Account Executive | Personal Lines Benefits Specialist

Over 35 years of insurance experience. Call me for individual or group health, Medicare Supplements, Long Term Care, Life insurance or Annuities

WHAT DOES EXCPETIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE LOOK LIKE TO YOU:

Doing more than the customer expects. When they go to bed at night, I want to have been the bright spot of their day!

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL APPROACH TO INSURANCE:

I remind clients that they have worked hard to get where they are and that I would like to help them protect what they have and take care of themselves and their family.

FAVORITE INSURANCE COVERAGE:

Health insurance because it’s not about planning way into the future. Everyone needs it now and no one should be without it.

UNIQUE PROFESSIONAL FACT:

I treat everyone like family. I am a straight shooter who will supply facts so you can make an informed decision that is best for you and your family.

(715) 478 2215

Bill Whiteside, who is the oldest of six kids, grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs,

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Management, he spent 14 years in food marketing – first with Mrs. Paul’s, which most people know for their fish sticks and onion rings – and then for a small family-owned dairy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

While working at the dairy, he purchased a software package to help forecast and plan sales and production of the company’s  ice cream products. He was so impressed with the software, he quit that job to start his own business to sell the software. During the course of his thirty-years selling software, he worked with customers as diverse as Under Armour, Maidenform, Lindt Chocolate, and Bob’s Discount Furniture.

He made another drastic career switch three years ago when he shut down his business to devote his time to writing a book about Winston Churchill and a  little-known event from World War II. In late 2022, he took a slight detour to publish a book titled “Everybody Knows a Salesman Can’t Write a Book.”

BIO

Gary A. Smith, CPIM-F, CSCP-F, CLTD-F is an Independent Supply Chain Consultant, Author, Speaker, and Mentor. His forty-plus-year career includes leadership positions in warehouse operations and management consulting in a variety of industries and in both private and public sectors. Gary recently retired as Chief, EAM / SCM for New York City Transit, where he identified and implemented supply chain concepts, tools, equipment, systems, and best practices as New York City Transit implemented its Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program, to reduce costs and throughput while improving overall processes. He also served as its Vice President of Supply Logistics for six years.

Gary currently writes the “For What It’s Worth” column for the Supply Chain Mavens monthly newsletter (www.supplychainmavens.net). He recently wrote a white paper, “Developing and Agile China Procurement Strategy for a Post-COVID World” that was also published by Supply Chain Mavens.

Gary is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds Fellow-level status in all three APICS Certifications; Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM), Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), and Certified in Logistics, Transportation, and Distribution (CLTD). He Chairs of the CLTD Certification Committee for ASCM and is an ASCM Recognized Instructor. Gary and his wife Liz make their home in St. Simons Island, GA.

David Steven Jacoby is a well-known expert in the global supply chain. He is changing the supply chain game. He has written make books on the topic, which you will find in his Bio below. To learn more about David, visit these websites:

http://www.supplychainification.com/  (COMING SOON)

https://bostonstrategies.com/

https://davidstevenjacoby.com/

BIO

David is the President of Boston Strategies International, a consultancy that helps energy companies and national governments develop strategic value chains for critical materials, components, and equipment to achieve superior profitability and energy independence. He is teaches Operations Management and Supply Chain Management at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering and is a Senior Fellow at Boston University’s Institute for Global Sustainability, as well as a former adjunct professor at Boston University’s Questrom Graduate School of Business. He wrote Guide to Supply Chain Management for The Economist, Reinventing the Energy Value Chain for PennWell Books, and four other books on supply chain management and international trade. He earned his MBA and a Masters of Arts from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania,  and his academic and professional contributions to the field of supply chain management span hundreds of publications and media events. He holds supply chain certifications including C.P.M. CTL, CIRM, CFPM, CSCP, and AEE.

He has served as an advisory board member at New York Energy Week and a Chief Judge at the International Supply Chain Educational Association and was previously an international management consultant at Kearney and Oliver Wyman in the United States, France, Brazil, Hong Kong, and elsewhere.

David is passionate about building businesses that transform global supply chains. Based on extensive management experience in energy, automotive, transport, and retail in more than 50 countries managing and advising executive leadership teams, he has deep and practical first-hand knowledge of what’s on the other end of your international supply chain and how you can use that information to reduce cost, grow revenue, and increase shareholder value.

To learn more about David, please visit https://davidstevenjacoby.com/

Brian Cui will share his experiences in developing a great team called the "Hot Potatoes" that strives for excellence. But you'll have to listen to the podcast to understand why they are called the "Hot Potatoes".  Each team member is a mentor to the team in their area of expertise. The team supports itself as they lean on one another. Brian will show his passion for constantly making things better for the team and the organization.  

You can find additional information on Brian Cui as he is on LinkedIn and is known as Medical Coding Geek on both Facebook and YouTube.

Amanda McDonald is a graduate of SUNY Empire State College, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business, Management and Economics, and is an experienced leader and administrator in the field of healthcare. She is driven by her compassion and accountability to lead by example and cultivate inclusive environments where employees, patients, and providers of all cultures feel supported and valued.

For nearly a decade, she managed four multi-specialty offices in Upstate New York, where she focused on promoting respect and engagement in the workplace, and ensuring all staff had the tools and resources they needed to provide excellent care to patients in the region. In late 2022, she changed to a different path within healthcare, moving from direct clinic management to a behind the scenes EMR (electronic medical record) project role.

In addition to her primary job functions, she has been recognized by hospital leadership for her involvement in opening and managing a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in early 2021.