Conquering Columbus Podcast

A look back at some of our most liked episodes in 2022 featuring: Giri Devanur, Matt Scantland, Ernest Levert Jr., Dr. Zeenia Kaul, Andy Miller, Joanna Pinkerton, Emily Quick-Schriver, Louise Rodino-Klapac, Thomas McClure, Vamsi Kora, Chris Cooke, and Laura Wilkins Cooke.

Hugh Cathey is the CEO of ChromoCare, which is a leader in the field of Pharmacogenetics (PGx), aka the genetic testing of patients to ensure compatibility with prescription medications. Prior to ChromoCare, Hugh served as a Principal for Columbus-Partners, LLC, and CRO at Healthspot, Inc. Additionally, he has a wide range of leadership experience at …

Chris Cooke and Laura Wilkins Cooke are the Co-Founders of Positive Foundry. Positive Foundry provides training and consulting services to help people and businesses thrive. Prior to founding Positive Foundry, Chris and Laura both had highly successful careers in their own right. Laura got an MBA from Michigan’s Ross School of Business and has held …

Objective Prosperity: How Behavioral Economics Can Improve Outcomes for You, Your Business and Your Nation is co-authored by Roger Blackwell and Roger Bailey; Blackwell has written 40 previous books and served on the boards of 14 public companies over the course of his professional career.

Vamsi Kora is the Founder and CEO of Gathi Analytics. Gathi Analytics was acquired by Apexon (a Goldman Sachs portfolio company) in 2021, and today Vamsi serves as the company’s Chief Data Officer.

TalentShare is a mobile application designed to connect collegiate athletes with younger, local athletes looking for coaching and training opportunities.

Claudia De Leon is the Co-Owner and COO of La Mega Media. La Mega Media, Inc is a minority-owned business, and is one of the largest Hispanic media companies in the Midwest. The company’s corporate office is located in Columbus, OH, with additional offices in Cincinnati and Cleveland, while also reaching into Dayton, Northern Kentucky, …

Brian Zuercher is the CEO and Co-Founder of Align, which helps companies optimize their work experience for their employees. Previously, he was a Co-Founder and leader at SEEN, which was eventually acquired by ICX Media.

Marty Gage and Spencer Murrell are partners at Lextant. Lextant focuses on helping businesses create customer experiences that win in the market. Marty and Spencer were part of the founding team at Lextant; and today, Spencer is the VP of Insight Translation and Marty is VP of Design Research.

Nick Jones is the Vice President of Community Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Nick has been working at Nationwide Children’s since 2016, and before that, he worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus as well as several other non-profit organizations. Present day, he helps Nationwide Children’s spearhead their initiatives centered around improving the …

Alison Marker is the President and CEO of Marker, Inc. Marker, Inc. is a woman-owned commercial real estate and full-service construction company. Prior to Marker, Inc. Alison spent time as a psychotherapist. She’s also an alumnus of The Ohio State University, and she was elected one of the 2021 Columbus Business First 40 under 40.

Monty Ragland is the CEO and Monica Dominic is the Chief Client Officer of Proteam Solutions, Inc., or “PSI” for short. PSI was previously owned by brothers Keith and Doug Stevens, but they recently wrapped up a deal to sell the company to Monica and Monty, holding off several outside offers to ensure a smooth …

Thomas McClure is the Executive Director and Founder of The Columbus Fashion Council and Columbus Fashion Week! The Columbus Fashion Council is a non-profit organization seeking to expand the fashion economy in Central Ohio through a combination of industry growth initiatives, community organizer support, funding access opportunities, and creative program development. Since its debut in …

Andrew Bennett is the chief business officer at Provide, a national fintech company focused on financially empowering healthcare providers to achieve their practice ownership dreams. Provide’s streamlined digital finance experience, personalized customer service, and comprehensive suite of financial products make opening, running, and expanding a healthcare practice easier for our community’s dentists and veterinarians.

Dr. Louise Rodino-Klapac is the EVP and Chief Scientific Officer at Sarepta. Louise joined Sarepta in June 2018 and was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer by December of 2020. Prior to this role Louise served as Sarepta’s senior vice president, gene therapy. She became head of R&D in November 2021. She has led …

Dr. Eric Karolak is Chief Executive Officer of Action for Children, the source for child care and early learning services in Central Ohio. Under his leadership, Action For Children was able to combine forces with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the City of Columbus to launch the Franklin County RISE Program, which offers …

Bill Balderaz is the Founder and President of Futurety. We had Bill on the show before we even hit 100 episodes to talk about Futurety, and since then Bill and his team have been hard at work. Today, we’re talking to Bill about a SaaS product called Huckle, which their team is getting ready to …

Jane Wolfe is the author of two previous best-selling biographies, “The Murchison’s: The Rise and Fall of a Texas Dynasty” (St. Martin’s Press) and “Blood Rich: When Oil Billions, High Fashion, and Royal Intimacies Are Not Enough” (Little, Brown & Co.). She is also a freelance writer for several publications, including the New York Times …

Mark Kelnhofer is the CEO of Return on Ingredients. He has more than 20 years of experience in bottom line-boosting accounting, and he spent 20+ years in managerial cost accounting refining his methods; including seven years in restaurant cost management. When these two areas of expertise combined his one-of-a-kind methodology was born. He is also …

Kwame Christian, Esq. is the Director of the American Negotiation Institute, subject matter expert in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution, bestselling author, and podcast host among many other impressive feats. He runs his own podcast, Negotiate Anything, and recently released his second book, How to have Difficult Discussions About Race.