Episodios

  • Augustine Wadian & Noah Jackson, Premier Home Pros

    Augustine Wadian & Noah Jackson, Premier Home Pros
    Apr 23 2025
    Augustine “AJ” Wadian is the Co-Founder and CEO of Premier Home Pros, a home improvement company projected to hit $180 million in revenue by 2025. AJ sparked the idea for the company, launching it with his partners and closing their first sale within three days. He’s passionate about scaling smart, aligning sales, marketing, and installation through systems-driven leadership.

    Noah Jackson is the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Premier Home Pros, a fast-growing home improvement company projected to hit $180 million in revenue by 2025. With a background in sales, Noah helped lead the company from launch to $100 million in just two years. He’s all about building smart systems, scaling sustainably, and keeping people at the center of growth
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    16 m
  • Michael Sirpilla, CEO Society Brands

    Michael Sirpilla, CEO Society Brands
    Apr 16 2025
    Michael Sirpilla is a co-founder and CEO of Society Brands Inc., a tech-enabled consumer products company headquartered in Canton, Ohio that acquires e-commerce native brands. Society Brands recently raised $205MM for acquisition financing, one of the largest early stage raises in Ohio’s history. He has primarily focused on organic growth throughout his career. Prior to starting Society Brands, he founded a financial services wholesale agency with 40 direct reports and built it to a multi-million-dollar business. He also partnered in a population health management business and scaled it from $0 to $150MM in revenue within five years.
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    28 m
  • Jeff Beck, CEO Window Nation

    Jeff Beck, CEO Window Nation
    Apr 16 2025
    Jeff Beck is a seasoned business executive with extensive experience in the home improvement industry. He began his career at Leaf Home Solutions, where he quickly worked his way up the ranks to become the company's CEO. Under Beck's leadership, Leaf Home Solutions experienced significant growth and expansion, becoming the world’s largest provider of gutter protection with LeafFilter.

    In his new role as CEO of Window Nation, the nation’s 3rd largest window replacement company, Beck is expected to drive the company's growth and continued success. Beck is a graduate of Kent State University, where he earned a degree in Business Administration who many consider a visionary leader, who brings a wealth of experience and a great understanding of how to apply leading edge big data principles and technology to the home improvement market. In his free time, Beck enjoys physical fitness, attending Cleveland sporting events, listening to music and loves spending time with his family – fiancé Krystal, daughter Regan, son Peyton and dogs Krom and PAC. Beck is actively involved in the community and is a member of various professional organizations within the industry.
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    12 m
  • Steve Allison, CEO Fire-Dex

    Steve Allison, CEO Fire-Dex
    Apr 16 2025
    Fire-Dex, provides innovative PPE customized to keep firefighters safe. A family-owned company that is committed to the health and safety of first responders. Partnered with their sister company, Gear Wash, the largest Independent Service Provider of PPE care and maintenance in the world, their mission is “to serve those who serve."

    Steve Allison took over operational responsibilities for the company worldwide. Allison is a 28-year veteran of the fire service personal protective gear manufacturing and sales marketplace. He joined the company in 2014 to serve as Director of Sales then was promoted to VP of Sales & Marketing in 2016. Fire-Dex continues to grow with a facility expansion finalizing this year.
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    10 m
  • India Birdsong Terry, General Manager and CEO of The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA)

    India Birdsong Terry, General Manager and CEO of The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
    Apr 1 2025
    India L. Birdsong Terry serves as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). She joined RTA in September 2019 and brings over 15 years’ experience working in positions of increasing responsibility in the public transit industry. Birdsong Terry began her career in 2006 when she joined the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), where she served in planning, instruction, control center, operations, and finally as Senior Manager of the central region for Bus Supervision and Instruction. In 2015, she was appointed Chief Operating Officer of WeGo Public Transit in Nashville, where she served until coming to Cleveland. At RTA, Birdsong Terry oversees more than 2,000 employees at the largest transit system in Ohio, which provides more than 24 million annual rides to customers using the bus, rail, paratransit, trolley, and bus rapid transit system across the county’s 457 square miles. Responsible for managing the Authority’s $292 million operating budget, Birdsong is committed to transparent leadership, management accountability and sound financial oversight.
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    14 m
  • Mark Allen Roberts, CEO OTB Solutions

    Mark Allen Roberts, CEO OTB Solutions
    Mar 20 2025
    Mark Allen Roberts is a senior level sales and marketing leader with over 35 years of experience in driving profitable sales growth in market leading organizations. He has done so at companies like Timken, VMI, Gardner Denver, Mobility Works, and Frito Lay. In 2018, he received the Business Excellence award from NSME and in 2019, The Highspot Sales Enablement Award. He was also recognized by Sales Hacker Inc. in the Sales Enablement Category.

    Mark is the founder of OTB Solutions, LLC and the popular business development blog here at https://www.nosmokeandmirrors.com/blog, ranked #1 in fixing sales problems.

    Today he is the founder and president of OTB Sales where he helps clients diagnose and improve sales effectiveness and hire and develop their sales talent to improve sales results. Author of Driving Explosive Growth, Voice of Customer, and Branding Backwards, as well as several whitepapers and articles.
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    9 m
  • Ted & Kelly Otero, Otero Signature Homes.

    Ted & Kelly Otero, Otero Signature Homes.
    Mar 10 2025
    Ted Otero: Ted Otero is a Cleveland native from Independence and now resides in beautiful Auburn Township with his wife and business partner, Kelly, and their two children Isabella and Austin. He is the founder and President of Otero Signature Homes. He holds a civil engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University and an MBA from Cleveland State University. He has over 25 years of real estate and construction experience both in the commercial and residential arenas. Ted served as the 2017 President of the Home Builder's Association of Greater Cleveland and is currently a member of a national Builder's 20 group. Ted Otero is also the managing partner of the Otero Group. Ted strives to offer clients a unique approach to selling their homes in a highly competitive market, which uses his extensive experience in marketing high-end luxury homes.

    Kelly Otero: Kelly Otero earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Case Western Reserve University. She used her entrepreneurial and business skills to start Otero Signature Homes in 2004 alongside Ted. Working closely with clients to select all of their custom home finishes, Kelly recognized the need to expand her talents. Clients were so pleased with their experience that they often asked for continued design services to give their home the finishing touch, thus founding Ovation Interior Design in 2013. Her creative talents and extensive knowledge of residential design give her the edge needed to expand both businesses and create cutting edge offerings in the Cleveland market. Kelly enjoys working alongside her team to provide the best possible experience to their customers and trades.
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    19 m
  • Megan McNamara, Co-Founder Prayers from Maria Foundation

    Megan McNamara, Co-Founder Prayers from Maria Foundation
    Mar 7 2025
    Megan graduated from Marquette University with a liberal arts double major in Spanish and English and earned a minor in Philosophy. As an AFS student she attended the University of Sevilla and went on to attend the University of Madrid, Spain her junior year of college.

    Her continuing desire to learn about other cultures and ways of life and to delve in completely through the language lead her to serve in the Peace Corps in Thailand from 1992-1994. During her 2 ½ years of service, Megan traveled to Calcutta, India to work with Mother Teresa. Megan adds, “I have always had a desire to serve, to know and understand others of different walks, backgrounds, and cultures. When I was young, I had a particular desire within me to give back to others and to learn from them as well. Mother Teresa was a very big example and role model to me. My experience observing Mother Teresa and serving the beautiful people in her homes who were either dying, diseased or sick physically and/or mentally had a major impact on my life as well as did the people I served in Thailand.”

    Once back in the U.S. Megan was a pioneer on the Internet Team at Progressive Insurance, obtaining 3 patents.

    In 2006, Megan’s 6-year-old daughter, Maria, was diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor with no hopeful treatment or cure. Maria was given 10 months to live and succumbed to the disease a year later after finishing her first grade year. Inspired by her daughter’s battle with the disease and the tremendous love that Maria had for her fellow friends suffering from cancer, Megan co-founded the Prayers from Maria Foundation with her husband Ed in 2006 with a mission to put childhood cancer at the forefront of the battle against cancer.

    Megan and her husband Ed live in Cleveland, Ohio with Maria’s four brothers- Eddie, Aidan, Blake and Josh.
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    16 m
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