"I am interested in what facts informed your viewpoint." -- Commander Lippold October 12, 2000 the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole while refueling at port in marked an impotant line in the way the Unites States deals with terrorists. All terrorism is state sponsored. Therefor, we have to respond differently to protect the United States of America…

"Tanganyika-- It means the origin of Life." -Matt Fouts [working with animals]..."it makes you rmember that life's problems are small." -Lynnlee Schmidt Being an Entrepreneur is full of challenges. Being a successful Entrepreneur and succesfully transitioning a business and the next Generation grows it exponentially is elite territory. Matt Fouts h…

"When we are struggling, that's where discipline comes in for support." -- Carl Bowden Leadership is profoundly misunderstood. We are each leading in some capacity every day. Do you recognize it and are you taking it seriously? Carl Bowden tells us that "Leadership is not about us, it is about others." If we hold ourselves accountable we will serve…

"We bring a national network of Leaders to support Technology ecosystems." -- Julie Huls, Founder Waymaker Group Hailing from the rural heartlands of Illinois, a farm girl like Julie Huls appreciates the importance of natural systems. While technology has the potential to supplant human efforts, a profound understanding of people is crucial to ensu…

"You operate best when you are operating in your best role." -Stephanie Wise Primaries are so important. It is the best time to share your voice and support for the change you wish to see in Government. Stephabie Wise is running for Sedgwick County Commission. WiseforSedgwickCounty.com She is a Business Woman. She is a mother. She is a Leader in he…

"In order to have Freedom-- Personal Freedom-- you need Financial Freedom." -Michael Raanan, President Landmark Tax Group Finding out what you are doing wrong is often the best way to get your life moving in the right direction. IRS Agent turned Entrepreneur, Michael Raanan, was intentional about his professional develoment as a young man. He knew …

"We are running for something bigger than ourselves." -Clay Shively "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence, talent will not…" It’s also important to be coachable. Clay Shively discovered running as a freshman in high school. Most elite athletes begin working on their sport early in their life. That is why they excel-- they have tho…

"We finally unlocked the potential of the Wichita music ecosystem. People in our community felt support and when they feel supported they grow." - Jessie Hartke "I've never seen a ball of Energy like that. I just want to thank Wichita" - Chase Koch "Social Change, you can say it or you can see it in action." - Adam Hartke The Elsewhere Music Fest e…

"If an adversary gains this type of information, what are they going to do with it?" -Clint Stevens With over 23 years of dedicated service in military intelligence, Clint offers a wealth of expertise in cybersecurity gained through extensive experience and practical on-the-job training. Emphasizing the power of experiential learning, Clint believe…

"I try to have Fun with every. single thing I do." -D'Aydrian Harding D’Aydrian Harding does have fun in everything he does and it’s on full display in his videos on YouTube. With over 3 million subscribers on the YouTube platform, 10 million subscribers on TikTok and millions more across othe Social Media platforms, he has captured the attention o…

"We believe in the power of music to unify people." -- Chase Koch Elsewhere Music Festival & Conference is here in Wichita, USA. Entrepreneurs, Artists, the business community and non-profits have collaborated for Social Change through action. Removing barriers for Artists so they can reach their full potential-- this is a festival celebrating the …

"In this community... you really are one phone call away from an opportunity." -Wayne Bell, District Director SBA Entrepreneurs need to know and understand the resources they have available to them so they can continue to deliver greater value for their customers. The SBA has an enormous amount of resources. When an Institution has so much to offer…

"I have had to get so comfortable with being uncomfortable... keep risking, because its worth it." -- Samantha Lucciarini When you find what you love, what you are good at and it brings you success, it doesn't mean that you will not face a tough road. This is the journey of the Entrepreneur. Knocked down? Get up. Samamtha found her love when she fo…

"When you Play, Play for something." - Corey Novascone Congratulations to Coach Novascone and his boys of Kapaun Mt. Carmel on a 2024 Team State Championship and to Asher Whitaker, 2024 Individual Champion. Golf is a remarkable game. So many of us play it, or try to, and very few are excellent at it. No one beats it. It is a game of honor, respect …

"You gotta take the chance. You cannot sit and aggressively wait for the phone to ring." -Michael Gregory Mike Gregory will improve your Business. He is a self-proclaimed "data driven" guy. And the real strength in that is his application of the data. He has helped resolve conflict negotiations within large scale Corporations, Start-ups, Family Bus…

"Mentoring needs to be Revolutionized. The Talents of our Children are going to waste." -Sean Gates/ Founder The reason we get up every day and [should] work towards a "worthy ideal" is the collisions that can take place with other Human Beings. I am so grateful I collided with Sean Gates. His work daily is towards a "progressive realization of a w…

Being present with people, "I think it's the way that humans are designed to work together." -- Phil Mershon Phil is back on the ictpodcast.com because Experience is a BIG subject. Every day is full of experiences. How are we setting ourselves apart and creating and undeniable experience?

"We pride ourselves on Customer Service; mindful, strategic and efficient with your time." -Ashley Moore Ashley gives of herself every day. It benefits all who know her, work with her.. and even those who don't. Entrepreneurs must adapt. And as Ashley says, "my purpose hasn't changed. My job desription has." The admiration I have for her Leadership…

"I've learned a lot more from my mistakes than I have from my triumphs." -- John Culver I have yet to meet a successful Entrepreneur who does not stress Hard Work and the necessity of good People to help you achieve your goals. John Culver is no acceptation. His professional life and professional success comes from a foundation of Hard Work. Succes…

"I am a Localist. In Sedgwick County we need to sew seeds Relationally. Great leaders cast Vision." --Ryan Baty Commissioner Ryan Baty is leading through the relationships he is creating. We have a lot of issues to solve in Sedgwick County and in the Greater Wichita area. We can solve those problems through communication and collaboration. Ryan Bat…

Curt Gridley loved being with his family. Curt loved solving problems and helping others solve theirs. And he solved a lot of difficult problems. His methodical approach gave people an insight into his thought process. This allowed others to learn and to be inspired. Curt you continue to inspire us all. You are missed. Your legacy lives on through …

For over 50 years Rainbows United has supported kids with developmental delays. Families needing support at home or on a Rainbows campus are served by an incredible highly trained staff. South Central Kansas is a better place because of the work Rainbows does for the people of our community. Michelle Eastman has dedicated nearly 20 years to the adv…

"The death of live television has been Falsely predicted for decades..." -Mike Rajewski, General Manager KAKE It's been a joy to get to know Mike and see the contribution he has made to Kansas. KAKEland is an important broadcast network in Kansas and the Headquarters received a facelift and significant upgrades to its technology so they can continu…

"If you haven't walked away different then why did you go?" -Phil Mershon Director of Experience When you have a "culture of service" you are focussed on creating the best experience for your Guest (customer, employee, client, patient..) And Phil Mershon is leading in creating transformational experiences. I think we need to think of the daily work…

"More important than the machine is the machine that builds the machine." -- Renan Devillieres, CEO Renan is a global Entrepreneur who invests in and co-builds the software stack of the future of operations. They have found great success helping manufacturing firms modernize and create greater value through customized software. Renan is incredibly …

"We started with a small change... we saved for a decade... we wanted to do something together that fits with who we are." -- Cody Beard, Prime IV East & West Wichita An Entrepreneurs' journey takes different paths and there is not a determined timeline. However, Success is undoubtedly through determination to take action. Lacy and Cody took action…

"With. Take the ACTION with the obstacles." -Robert Feeney Robert Feeney is using his technology Ringorang to help students become Future Ready. Ringorang is a technology that is proven to change behaviors and when an individual needs help changing a certain behavior they can do it by engaging in a 1-2 minute daily "game" that begins to direct you …

"I asked myself, how can I flip capitalism and our financial system to work for me?" -Jonathan Roper, Entrepreneur When you get a chance to hear a Founder/Entrepreneur talk about the process followed to create opportunities, it is a rare moment of transparency. We may hear about the difficulties, hard work and persistence and we will never quite un…

"When they [endocannabinoid system] line up better, your body is working more efficiently and you feel better." -Sheldon Coleman, CEO AdvenTrue In part II of our discussion with Sheldon Coleman we have a refined dialogue around Hemp and the scientific processes that take place at AdvenTrue to create the wellness products they procure. Cannabis is t…

"Learn to not carry the burden of the fear of failure." -Steven Werner, CEO Lawn Buddy/Blue Ox It is my experience that entrepreneurs and Founders are slightly different. The difference is in the pursuit. All entrepreneurs have grit and determination. They figure out a way. The Founder pursues the idea, the business like their life depended on it. …

"What can we do to remove those barrier? ...to put that money directly in control of the parents." --James Franko on Education Savings Accounts and school choice. It is logical that we all learn differently and that means we all need options for learning. When it comes to school and the development of kids it is important to provide meaningful choi…

"Provision means: For the Vision. If we don't have Vison, how do we expect Provision?" -Jason Toevs, Entrepreneur Artificial General Intelligence is the most compelling technology of my lifetime. So why does something with such incredible promise and opportunity scare so many people? ai is both promising and terrifying at the same time because huma…

Sheldon Coleman is life-long entrepreneur and businessman. The best entrepreneurs pursue ventures that solve problems for people. And they solve problems in areas that they believe in, have a passion for and can track with fervor. AdvenTrue Wellness is a nature based Hemp company. Sheldon and his team continue to do extensive research and developme…

"Wait! Wait! This can be different." -- Ashlyn Lindskog, Attorney "I had to climb workaholic mountain." -- Sam Foreman, Attorney Sam Foreman and Ashlyn Lindskog take a thoughtful approach to practicing law. "The traditional practice of law can really hurt people," says Sam Foreman. And that is why Sam decided to start his own practice with a differ…

"Somebody has to take the risk." -- Ron Cornejo "We are used to self-performing." -- Marty Cornejo When Jess Cornejo took the risk to go into business for himself, his wife Josephine broke into tears. Someone has to be willing to take the risk and that does not mean that it is without fear or pain. Often times we just see success and we do not see …

"Engagement. Engagement is about communication. We want to remind our community we are serving them." - Mayor Lily Wu All for Wichita is how Lily ran her campaign and all for Wichita is how she is leading Wichita. And all she asks from us is to actively participate so we can all celebrate small wins and big wins together. This is Wichita and we all…

""I feel like we are in the golden age of Aviation... Wichita has some of the brightest minds in Aerospace." -Ben Sauceda Aviation and aerospace manufacturing are synonymous with Wichita, KS. The history is barely 100 years and we have gone from wooden propellers to Direct Metal Laser Sintering. And the greatest trajectory is yet to come. Ben Sauce…

Jennifer has written a follow up to her successful adventure athlete book Go Far. In Go Multisport she is sharing how to make adventure and sport more accessible to all and giving us the inspiration to make it happen. All of our lives are more fulfilled when we take action. And Jennifer details why taking action is so satisfying. Around each of us …

Angel's genuine curiosity for people, for life is her unique ability. You put that together with hard and you have a person who creates value for others. When Angel first got into real estate she collaborated with other professionals because [as she state] "I didn't want my client to lose money on a deal because of my inexperience." That is an abun…

The Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas serves a vital role in our community. MHA is committed to giving a hand up when any of us may need it. At Christmas time it is better to give than receive-- there is no question about that. Families who do not have resources for basic needs ask MHA for help and MHA asks the community to "Adopt a…

Re-release from our January 2020 conversation Wichita lost a prolific Leader. Wichita lost a fantastic Friend. "And if we get up thinking we are entitled, instead of thanking God for the blessings we have...we got up on the wrong side of the bed, I believe." -Nestor Weigand From the Book of Proverbs: Blessed is the man for whom a good family lives,…

"Our culture is this, LOVE, nothing but love." Chef George Youssef A first generation Wichitan, a first generation American; George Youssef has his heart in everything he does. People are the most important part of his life and he works every day to be humble and to lead with love. I am grateful for this. I am grateful for his friendship.…

"Because someone gave me a 'Not Discount Card', I can no longer do the thing that is important, [which is] take care of their health" -- Dr. Brandon Alleman Entrepreneurs are like artists; the work they do must have meaning behind it. Dr. Brandon Alleman is dedicated to Direct Primary Care because "when you have physicians running the Practice you …

"Its a GET UP AND GO kind of book." Vanessa Whiteside, Author Secret Wichita Entrepreneurs are created when action is taken on the idea/dream burning inside. Vanessa took action and her Life, her One Delightful Life, is the result. And in her second book, SECRET Wichita, she gives us the knowledge, history and culture that makes up our thriving com…

"I believe that State Capitalism in the short term provides certain advantages because you can mobilize in a concentrated way a lot of resources to reach a specific objective. I believe the future is not State Capitalism or Shareholder [private] Capitalism, the future is what I call Stakeholder Capitalism which is capitalism combined with social re…

Tommy Castor uses his unique abilities every day of his life in a career he pursued and you can hear it in his voice. You can hear that voice on local Sports Talk radio KFH 98.7 and Keeper of the Games podcast (@KOGpod). It is a joy to talk with people that love what they do. There is an inspiration and a connection that happens when you see their …

"I live off the generosity of others" --Alex Bennett Art mimics life. Alex interacts with people in a place where we are arguably our most human-- a bar. We go to bars to be with people. We go to be a lone. We laugh and cry. A bar gives us what we need and it also can take it all away. Alex has spent his life with us in that bar. A professional at …

"You start seeing what looked like a coordinated attack." --Phil W. Magness Data Analysis is important. Data Analysis in a vacuum is dangerous. Phil Magness, Author & Economic Historian does extensive data analysis and uses it to explain economic and cultural events with the goal of achieving greater human freedoms. His data analysis lends signific…

"I watched this child slowly lose that spark in her eye." -- Stan Saiz, Founder Green Gate School Education is fundamental to human development, cooperation and success. Stan Saiz took action to create a place where kids can learn in the most human of ways; through play. Play is adaptive learning. School/Education in this country is controlled by a…

"We thought we could do this and not just make it a hobby, so we started putting the pieces of the puzzle together." --Michael O'Shaughnessy, Co-Founder "It was one of the proudest days of my career when the first bottles of Keepers Heart were coming off that line and you know that it actually came from nothing..." --Brian Nation, Master Distiller …