In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar speaks with Jeff Monroe, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of LifeSpaces Innovation Group, about how disruptive sustainable technologies are reshaping the B2B and manufacturing landscape. With over four decades of experience spanning consumer goods, food service, and industrial markets, Monroe shares how his company bridges innovation and sustainability—bringing robotics, AI, and eco-friendly materials like grass-based packaging and compostable films to everyday operations. His message is clear: true progress comes from thinking five to ten years ahead, driving efficiency, safety, and sustainability while creating a better world for the next generation.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews Ariadne Dimoula, CEO and founder of Paramount Planet Product (P3RD.Earth), whose groundbreaking innovation in microfibrillated cellulose could replace the world’s most common plastic pollutants—wrappers, lids, filters, and straws—with biodegradable, ocean-safe materials. Drawing from her background as an oceanographer and a family legacy in pulp and paper engineering, Ariadne shares how her company is redesigning packaging from the ground up to mimic nature’s closed-loop systems—where waste becomes nourishment instead of pollution. Her story is a powerful reminder that sustainability isn’t about cleaning up the past; it’s about inventing a smarter, cleaner future.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Skip Giessing, President of the Rotating Equipment Division at DXP Enterprises, to explore how he helped grow the division from $150 million to over $1 billion while preserving the company’s core culture of loyalty, entrepreneurship, and long-term vision. Skip shares how lessons from the U.S. Navy and owning his own business shaped his leadership approach—fostering innovation, empowering regional autonomy, and driving growth through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. His story is a masterclass in building billion-dollar success without compromising integrity or people.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews T’Ray Rutledge, P.E., CEO of Circle R Engineering, whose career spans the U.S. Air Force flight line to founding a design-build firm that turns napkin sketches into working machines. Rutledge shares how aerospace discipline, curiosity, and safety culture shaped his approach to hydraulics, pneumatics, and electric-drive systems across industries from agriculture to steel. He explains how Circle R Engineering helps inventors and manufacturers accelerate innovation with maintenance-friendly, power-efficient, patent-ready designs—demonstrating how precision engineering and servant leadership can move ideas from concept to market with reliability and heart.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Paul Jaminet, Ph.D., Founder and President of Angiex, to discuss a revolutionary new approach to cancer therapy that delivers drugs directly into tumor cell nuclei while sparing healthy tissue. Drawing from his journey through MIT physics, Harvard astrophysics, software entrepreneurship, and natural health research, Jaminet shares how he and his wife, Angiex’s scientific co-founder, developed AGX-101, a TM4SF1-targeted nuclear-delivered antibody drug conjugate now in Phase 1 clinical trials. This conversation explores how physics, biology, and patient-first engineering converge to change the future of oncology and redefine how cancer can be safely and effectively treated.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews Erik Visser, CEO of Hamlet Protein, to explore how early-life animal nutrition is shaping the future of sustainable protein. From law and political science to leading global feed innovation, Visser shares how strategy, culture, and servant leadership drive transformation across the feed and food value chain. He discusses how Hamlet Protein’s soy-based specialty proteins improve gut health and long-term performance in young animals, why data sharing and collaboration accelerate progress, and how global leaders can balance sustainability, efficiency, and affordability in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. The conversation offers actionable lessons on building trust, scaling innovation, and leading with empathy in an industry where people—and purpose—still matter most.

In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Ann Marie O’Connell, professional engineer, MBA, and certified Six Sigma Black Belt, to explore the intersection of process discipline and creativity. With over four decades leading MCU Limited, Ann Marie shares how flexible, physics- and economics-based design thinking can drive real innovation—without stifling imagination. She reveals why true process excellence isn’t about rigid control, but about empowering teams to think critically, identify root causes, and design systems that sustain improvement even in disruption. From digital twins to design-for-manufacture, Ann Marie explains how leaders can balance rigor and empathy to make continuous improvement part of their company’s DNA.

On Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews Sara Quintero, founder & chief innovation officer of KarmaChic Marketplace—an e-commerce platform built to scale women-owned and minority-owned businesses. Sara shares how a boutique setback became the launchpad for a human-first, AI-powered marketplace with low fees, geolocation discovery, and a CreatorLab vendor hub for content, analytics, and social scheduling. We cover why storytelling converts, which KPIs matter for small sellers, and how KarmaChic blends video, real-time analytics, and simple dashboards to turn data into action. Sara talks community-building, referrals, and mentorship, plus expanding from Tampa to Texas and Los Angeles—including a Youngpreneur track to reach Gen Z. If you care about inclusive commerce, AI tools that don’t erase the human, and practical growth for makers and service pros, this episode is for you.