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Thank you for joining us today as we talk with Peggy Williams-Smith, fellow Milwaukee native, highly accomplished veteran of the hospitality industry, leadership mentor, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee… and so much more. Please find the landing page at: Peggy Williams-Smith: The Zenquest of Leaders with Jess Ollenburg — zenquest.online.

Our show enjoys worldwide listeners and the services of Ollenburg LLC are delivered worldwide as well. That said, many of our episode guests enjoy some connection to our hometown metro-Milwaukee.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin are together garnering so much positive attention, growth, success, tourism and honored among the best places to visit and best places to succeed.

It’s really exciting, and we recognize Peggy, Visit Milwaukee and some of our favorite hometown cohorts for shining a light on the exciting things happening.

Peggy joined Visit Milwaukee as the company’s first female president and CEO in 2019.

She credits her accomplishments to surrounding herself with a great team, and we’ve watched great humans jumping to collaborate with Peggy, because they trust her dedication to get it done.

Visit Milwaukee has launched exciting, dynamic marketing campaigns to increase economic impact to the community and elevate the city’s reputation.

Peggy’s focus on strategic partnerships has deepened the company’s local connections and allowed to develop a nimble team that is more responsive than ever to changes within the travel and hospitality industries.

This was none more apparent than during the pandemic when Visit Milwaukee became the go-to source for information for the hospitality industry and the industry’s No. 1 advocate on state and local levels.

Milwaukee boasts nearly 200 individually unique neighborhoods and nearly 200 independently owned and operated restaurants.

Our own company enjoys the good fortune of representing so many employers in the restaurant and hospitality industry, and we see the positive impact of Peggy’s work. It’s exciting!

From promoting the city to the nation during the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship run to leading the city’s bid to secure the 2024 Republican National Convention, Williams-Smith’s strategic leadership will ultimately result in economic gains for Milwaukee for years to come.

Prior to her work at Visit Milwaukee, she worked for Marcus Hotels & Resorts for over 22 years and held leadership positions at varying levels throughout the division.

Williams-Smith is a proud mentor of other women in business and uses her free time to support so many charitable causes.

Peggy resides in Milwaukee with her husband, Tim Smith, their fabulous niece, Jocelyn and their Boston Terrier, Tito Fenway.

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Today we’re talking Strengths Based Leadership, STEM Outreach, Leveraging Technology, Training Metrics, Critical Thinking, All Things Zen and The Spark of Watching Future Generations! We are talking with James Hischke, and we are so mutually excited to help the next generations succeed! The landing page for this episode is James Hischke: The Zenquest of Leaders with Jess Ollenburg — zenquest.online.

James brings over 20 years of experience in various leadership roles across business and technology. He builds high-performing lean/agile teams that solve business problems and advance business strategy, while ensuring the strengths of each individual are fully leveraged.

After starting his career as a Software Engineer for Strong Financial, he excelled in various roles during an 18+ year career at Northwestern Mutual that included project/program management, lean/agile IT transformation, IT vendor management, tech talent/workforce development, and lean process improvement.

He was instrumental in the work that led to the creation of the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition.

James is currently the Director of Consulting Services for Codeworks, LLC, serving exceptional nationwide clients. He serves on the advisory boards for i.c.stars Milwaukee and Pathways High School, and is a member of the Tech United (United Way) Advisory Council. James and his wife Beth have 4 children (Maddie - 18, Claire - 16, Owen - 13, and Simon - 11) and live in Muskego, WI. He spends his time outside of work traveling with his family, playing basketball, coaching youth sports, golfing, mountain biking, fishing, and just about any other activity someone wants to throw his way.

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Today we’re talking about art in education, art in careers and art in self-nourishment, and we’re talking with Joel Cencius, Executive Director of Arts at Large. Whether we’ve created or purchased the art, whether we deploy art in work, play or expression, the value is so strong in developing leaders, problem solving, communication, invention, wellness, mood optimization and so many strengths. We’re talking zen in art therapy, physical exercise and redirecting the human brain into re-energizing subject matter.

Enjoy the show's landing page at: Joel Cencius - The Zenquest of Leaders Podcast — zenquest.online

Here’s a little background on today’s guest…

• Joel Cencius is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with over 17 years of nonprofit management experience. He has held various direct-fundraising leadership positions as well as organizational management roles. Joel currently serves as Executive Director for Arts At Large, an arts education nonprofit committed to enhancing accessibility to the arts within the community.
• Prior to his current role, Joel served as the Chief Development Officer for St. Joan Antida High School, where he led the school's development and alumnae relations efforts. During his tenure, the school doubled its annual fundraising revenue, including securing the largest foundation gift in its 69-year history which led to the school’s first capital improvement project in more than 15 years. Joel's strategic initiatives extended to establishing the school's marketing and communications department, significantly elevating visibility and enrollment in a highly competitive high school market.
• Before rejoining St. Joan's, Joel served as the Vice President of Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee. In this role, he oversaw all fund development responsibilities for the agency that served over 1,400 children and their families annually.
• Joel has also held leadership roles at Cardinal Stritch University and the Betty Brinn Children's Museum.
• He is a member of Rotary serving as President for the Mequon-Milwaukee Diversity Passport Club. He has also been a long-time volunteer for Make-a-Wish of Wisconsin, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Washington High School Alumni Scholarship Foundation. He earned his undergraduate degree in communication arts and business at Cardinal Stritch University.

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Our featured guest this episode is Mary Starr, diving into topics such as Culture by Design not Default, The Culture of Mattering, Surveys Done Right, Healthy Partnerships, Laughable Moments… and of course… Zen. We’re talking personal zen through exercise, fresh air and living in the present. We’re talking creating zen for those we lead to help humans bring their A-games in productivity, well-being and work-life balance.

As referenced in today’s show, Mary is sharing “Culture by Design…” an insightful PowerPoint of The Starr Group’s own case studies and research to accompany this program. Mary's PowerPoint, show landing page, topic resources and contact info are available at Mary Starr: The Zenquest of Leaders — zenquest.online.

Here’s a little background on today’s guest…

• Mary Starr, Executive Vice President, has directed The Starr Group since 1985. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in sociology & social work and a minor in Spanish. She went on to earn graduate credits toward her master’s degree in social work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduate credits toward her master’s in business administration at Keller Graduate School.
• In 2010 Mary became a Certified Wellness Coach and in 2016 earned her Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist designation.
• Mary has served on numerous boards past and present, including: American Heart Association Board of Directors; Wellness Council of Wisconsin’s Executive Board of Directors; Board of Directors for the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare | Ascension Foundation; Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare Diabetes Awareness Advisory Board; Well City Milwaukee Advisory Board of Directors; MarshBerry and Associates Advisory Council, Milwaukee’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For Board, The South Suburban Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and more.
• Mary has been at the helm of creating The Starr Group’s current award-winning wellness program, Fit4Life, which has received numerous accolades including National Healthiest 100 Workplaces, inducted into Hall of Fame 2022; Well Workplace Award, Wellness Council of America, since 2011; American Heart Association Workplace Health Solutions Gold Award, and many more.

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Our featured guest this episode is Dulce Ruiz-Moreno, and we are talking new promise for the travel industry, as well as, lesser-known services available to travelers, global hospitality, coaching for success, “white-glove” service, zen through gardening, zen through cheffing authentic family recipes… and so much more. Episode landing page, guest contact info and topic resources are at: Dulce Ruiz-Moreno: The Zenquest of Leaders — zenquest.online

Here’s a little background on today’s guest…

• Dulce began her professional career while attending college and only 2 months after graduating high school. She shines among the youthful leaders we support on this show!
• While her original objective at MATC was to become a special education teacher, her rapid involvement in the hospitality industry guided her in a different direction.
• Dulce is now Vice President and General Manager for Interflight Parking Company, which manages multiple airports around the country including General Mitchell International Airport.
• She brings over 12 years of travel, hospitality, leadership, and management experience for a variety of departments such as operations, sales, marketing, and key administration.
• A strong and smart leader, Dulce was recognized as the top Regional Sales Manager for WallyPark Airport Parking nationwide, with over 500 employees, and during her tenure was promoted to various roles leading up to Customer Relations Manager. Dulce’s experience spans all aspects of parking operations including management of valet parking operations.
• Dulce Joined Interflight Parking in July 2020 during the pandemic as General Manager for the Milwaukee Airport Parking management contract and was promoted to Vice President and General Manager in September 2021.
• She is responsible for the direction of the Interflight Parking team, the strategic development, and guiding the company’s commitment to continuous improvement and growth.
• Dulce serves as Vice President of Membership for the Global Business Travel Association - Wisconsin Chapter, a non-profit organization comprised of travel managers, airlines, ground transportation companies, hoteliers and technology providers. GBTA stays current on the hot topics of today's ever-changing world of operational, financial and other travel industry-related issues.
• Dulce recently joined the Wisconsin Airport Management Association and serves on the annual conference planning committee. She is committed to getting involved in understanding new and emerging travel management practices that may impact the airport parking industry.

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Bob Gross talks leadership, life, family, travel, community giveback, his red EV mustang, music and so much more. Landing page, contact info and topic resources are at Bob Gross - The Zenquest of Leaders — zenquest.online.

As this episode releases, we raise a “Cheers” to Bob’s late father Eugene C. Gross. Administering guidance control systems, Eugene was integral to the Apollo program of missions. He would be 90 today, and we send him our grateful thanks! Cheers, Eugene!!

Robert J. Gross is both the CEO and the visionary of Gross Automation, LLC. More than 34 years ago, Bob saw an opportunity to take both his engineering skills along with his incredible sense of humor and apply them to an industrial automation and controls business, born in an incubator on the northwest side of Milwaukee.

Since then, the company has grown to currently include 31 employees representing 59 family lives. Gross Automation now represents more than 50 manufacturing partners and has more than 10,000 unique customers, both locally and internationally.

Bob is currently the President of the Kiwanis Club of Wauwatosa as well as chair of the sponsored youth and youth services committee. He also serves on the board of the Wauwatosa Lions Club. Both the Kiwanis and the Lions support his passion for Scouting by chartering Scout units and he currently serves there as both a unit commissioner as well as on the shooting sports committee with his NRA certifications of rifle, pistol, and shotgun instructor, and as a chief range safety officer.

Bob’s other passions include being an instrument-rated private pilot and having his baby grand piano in his office... for those occasions when he needs to just zen!

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Our featured guest this episode is Gavin Quinnies and our topics are The Power of Tzen, adventures in entrepreneurship and so much more. Gavin and Jessica have worked together on several successful initiatives, especially within the leadership ecosystems of innovation, technology, operations efficiencies and improvement of healthcare. This episode reveals PredictiMed’s uniquely validated science, helping us predict, manage and even cure disease before it happens. Gavin is a kindred soul at the intersection of invention and drive.

Episode landing page, topic resources and contact info for our guest at: Gavin Quinnies - The Zenquest of Leaders — zenquest.online

Here’s a highlight summary on Gavin…

· Trained in engineering and management systems, Mr. Quinnies started his career developing artificial intelligence, automated process planning, and intelligent networks in the aerospace industry.

· Afterward, he served as Chief Operating Officer for a metals manufacturing and distribution firm, playing a key role in its successful growth from $20 million to $100 million with multi-state operations. During this time, Mr. Quinnies developed industry-leading health, safety, IT, quality, sales and productivity management systems.

· He implemented his first incentive-based wellness program in 1992 resulting in a 4:1 ROI. After a successful exit involving a multi-competitor roll-up and NYSE IPO, he stayed on as Chief Quality, Safety, and Health Officer for the $2.0 billion dollar parent company, managing 100 locations nationwide.

· Before co-founding US HealthCenter, Gavin operated a consulting company for Quality, Safety, Health and Life Sciences. His largest client was IBM, contributing to an international pharmaceutical lifecycle management practice and system currently being sold globally.

· He is currently the Chairman and CEO of US HealthCenter and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Company including personnel, client services, financial decisions, software development, and sales management.

· Gavin earned his B.S. in engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

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Enjoy this incredibly informative, lively and entertaining conversation with Dr. Grace. We’re talking integration of mind and body, biohacks, gizmos and doohickeys, corn syrup, olympic training, spirituality, Dr. Google, thanking Carl Lewis, everything zen… and so much more. Check out this episode's landing page, links to topic resources and contact info for Dr Grace at The Zenquest of Leaders with Dr Grace Hameister — zenquest.online.

Here’s a quick summary on today’s guest…

•Since 1999, Dr. Grace has been in practice as a licensed and board-certified doctor of chiropractic, and advanced cold laser specialist in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, California, and now in Wisconsin.

•She has over 6,000 hours of advanced classroom and clinical orthomolecular nutrition experience, including her own trademarked cleanse and weight loss program, which has been very successful among her patients and corporate clients.

•A former Olympic-level rhythmic gymnast, World-Champion water skier, and post-grad assistant performing cancer research in immunology, Dr. Grace has intimate knowledge of how the body can function at its best - from the cellular level, on up to full-body systems integration and repair.

•While educating on the effectiveness of alternative care and integrative medicine, Dr. Grace is adamant about always being armed with the most current high-tech medical equipment and scientifically valid modern health solutions.

•From cold laser therapy for accelerated tissue repair and pain management, to anti-aging solutions with cellular detoxification, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, functional blood panel analysis, applied kinesiology, body composition analysis, and meditation & visualization techniques, Dr Grace integrates select tools for the most effective individual outcomes and consistent clinical results.

•As a current member of the American Academy of Private Physicians, you may find her working in her clinical setting, backstage in a VIP green room, private home, or on a corporate campus designing corporate wellness programs.

•Her life as an elite athlete merged with geeky scientist, and this combo has brought her to live and work in the world of high-powered executives, entertainers, athletes, gifted practitioners, and innovative thinkers who are having a positive impact on people and our planet.

•Currently, she sees patients in the 3rd Ward in Milwaukee, and is the Founder and CEO of her HealthTech startup Food FiXR, which is gaining massive momentum.

•Dr Grace is the host of the highly popular (un)Common Medicine podcast, where you’ll find another collaborative podcast with our host Jess Ollenburg.