Arizona Originals

Arizona Originals, hosted by Jason Isaak, brings you the stories, leadership lessons, and life lessons of the people who make Arizona a great place to live and work.

Tom Van Dyke - Author and Artist 11/21/2019

Tom Van Dyke - Author and Artist Our guest this week is Tom Van Dyke. He lives with his wife, Mary, on their ranch in the foothills of Tonto National Forest, Cave Creek, Arizona. He is the author of "A Cowboy Christmas: An American Tale" which received high praise from Elmore Leonard, Michael Blake, Don Collier, Marshall Trimble, Ken Rotcop, and so many others. Tom shares his story and his thoughts on art, creativity, the West, and his love for the great American cowboy. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/12118394

Tom Smith - Wrap Technologies 11/06/2019

Tom Smith - Wrap Technologies Our guest this week is Tom Smith, President of Wrap Technologies in Tempe, Arizona. Tom shares his thoughts on a variety of subjects, including making the transition from a science-based college degree to a career focused on sales, lessons learned in the hiring process, and how losing a bet in college led to an experience that still influences him today. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/11926877

George Weisz - Weisz Ventures and Scottsdale Community Bank 10/23/2019

George Weisz - Weisz Ventures and Scottsdale Community Bank Our guest this week is George Weisz, the President of Weisz Ventures and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Scottsdale Community Bank. A man of many interests and talents, George is a co-owner of two minor league baseball teams and a partner in Majerle’s Sports Grill with former Phoenix Suns All-Star Dan Majerle. In our conversation, we discuss George's passion for public service, the important lessons he learned from his father, his love for baseball, and so much more. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/11749784

Phil Boas - The Arizona Republic 10/10/2019

Phil Boas - The Arizona Republic Our guest this week is Phil Boas, the editor of the editorial pages of The Arizona Republic. Before that, he was editor of The Republic’s Sunday Viewpoints section and editor of its Community editorial pages. He joined The Republic in 1999. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/11586254

Chris Ronzio - Trainual 09/25/2019

Chris Ronzio - Trainual Our guest this week is Chris Ronzio, the founder and CEO of Trainual, a leading SaaS company that helps fast-growing businesses automate their onboarding and training by documenting every process, policy, and procedure in one simple, searchable, teachable system. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/11385785

Rachel Mertensmeyer - RexPay 09/11/2019

Rachel Mertensmeyer - RexPay Rachel is the co-founder and CEO of RexPay - a company developing an app to help patients and providers navigate the often overwhelming world of medical billing. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/11170031

Jamie Baxter - Qwick 08/28/2019

Jamie Baxter - Qwick Our guest this week is Jamie Baxter, the co-founder and CEO of Qwick. He began learning computer programming in the second grade, and by the time he was 16, he started his first company. With the sale of two companies he started under his belt, along with 18 years in major roles with Willis Towers Watson, Jamie has begun his latest entrepreneurial venture here in Arizona. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/11024324

Rick Smith - Axon 08/14/2019

Rick Smith - Axon Our guest this week is Rick Smith - the founder of Axon, the company formerly known as TASER International. We have a broad ranging conversation where Rick shares his thoughts about everything from being a reluctant Harvard student to the differences between being a founder and a CEO to his new book, The End of Killing. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/10872879

Karen Rasmussen - PrePass Safety Alliance 07/31/2019

Karen Rasmussen - PrePass Safety Alliance Our guest this week is Karen Rasmussen - the CEO of PrePass Safety Alliance - a non-profit public-private-partnership dedicated to bringing technology to the trucking industry in an effort to increase efficiency, compliance, and safety. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/10718624

Dr. Jeff Johnston - Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner 07/17/2019

Dr. Jeff Johnston - Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner This week our guest is Dr. Jeff Johnston who serves as the Chief Medical Examiner for the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner; a position he has held since 2013. He oversees the Office which provides all statutory forensic medical death investigations for the 4th-most populous and fastest growing county in the the United States. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/10493384

Brig. Gen. Todd Canterbury - Luke AFB 07/03/2019

Brig. Gen. Todd Canterbury - Luke AFB Our guest this week is Brig. Gen. Todd D. Canterbury - the Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. A true "Arizona Original", General Canterbury spent many of his formative years at Luke AFB where his fatheralso served as the commander. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/10383185

Brian Steele - Phoenix Dream Center 06/19/2019

Brian Steele - Phoenix Dream Center This week our guest is Brian Steele, CEO and Executive Director of City Help - also known as the Phoenix Dream Center - a nonprofit organization serving several populations we’ll discuss in the show, including victims of human trafficking. Brian has been with the Dream Center since its start in 2007 and oversees campuses across the state which house 800 people every night. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/10202642

Tom Espinoza 06/04/2019

Tom Espinoza Our guest this week is Tom Espinoza, President and CEO of Raza Development Fund (RDF). In our conversation, Tom shares his story and provides insights on how to build a quality team, how to balance activism and development, maintaining a healthy tension within an organization, thinking big, and everything in-between. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/10038194

Steve Sossaman - Sossaman Farms 05/22/2019

Steve Sossaman - Sossaman Farms This week our guest is Steve Sossaman, who describes himself as the Major Domo at Sossaman Farms in Queen Creek, Arizona. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Sossaman Farms and Steve does an amazing job telling the story of the farm and explains how he approaches farming, family, and life. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/9862055

Jason Beck - TYR Tactical 05/08/2019

Jason Beck - TYR Tactical This week our guest is Jason Beck, the founder and owner of TYR Tactical located in Peoria, Arizona. TYR Tactical provides tactical gear to law enforcement and military all over the world and has seen consistent growth under Jason’s leadership. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/9653753

Ellen Palestrant - Artist and Author 04/23/2019

Ellen Palestrant - Artist and Author This week we're joined by Ellen Palestrant, South African-born writer and artist and filmmaker. She was educated in South Africa and Britain and immigrated with her family to the USA in 1987. Palestrant has been a writer, artist, creativity expert, game inventor, hydroponic farmer, special education teacher, television scriptwriter (adult documentary and children's animation), film producer, college instructor (English, Humanities, Creative Writing) and co-publisher of a college press. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/9498620

Brian Mohr - Y Scouts and Conscious Capitalism 04/10/2019

Brian Mohr - Y Scouts and Conscious Capitalism This week our guest is Brian Mohr, co-founder of the first purpose-based leadership search firm, Y Scouts; president of the Arizona Chapter of Conscious Capitalism; co-author of Hiring on Purpose, and podcast host of Built on Purpose. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/9302360

Pastor Warren Stewart, Sr - First Institutional Baptist Church 03/26/2019

Pastor Warren Stewart, Sr - First Institutional Baptist Church This week our guest is Dr. Warren H. Stewart, Sr., a native of Coffeyville, Kansas. Today he serves as the Senior Pastor of the First Institutional Baptist Church of Phoenix, Arizona and has served there since July 1, 1977. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/9143351

Navigating Our Passions with David Kolbe 11/28/2018

Navigating Our Passions with David Kolbe In Season 2 Episode 12, we spoke with David Kolbe, the CEO of Kolbe Corp. If you haven’t already listened to that episode, I encourage you to do so. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7719164

Organizational Paralysis - David Kolbe 11/21/2018

Organizational Paralysis - David Kolbe David Kolbe, CEO of Kolbe Corp, was kind enough to share his thoughts on a variety of topics in short, topical episodes which we share intermittently. This week we spend a few moments with David on the topic of preventing organizational paralysis, including how success can paralyze an organization. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7435091

Empowering Employees - David Kolbe 11/14/2018

Empowering Employees - David Kolbe In Season 2 Episode 12, we spoke with David Kolbe, the CEO of Kolbe Corp. If you haven’t already listened to that episode, I encourage you to do so. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7434875

Mark Jacobs - Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University 11/07/2018

Mark Jacobs - Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University This week our guest is Mark Jacobs, the dean of Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University. During his tenure at Barrett Honors College, Dean Jacobs has overseen tremendous growth, and during our conversation, he shares his story, the influences in his life, and his approach to leading and learning which influence the way he approaches his job and the students and culture at Barrett. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7434773

Greg Peterson - Urban Farm 10/31/2018

Greg Peterson - Urban Farm This week our guest is Greg Peterson, founder of the Urban Farm in Phoenix. Our conversation covers everything from nurturing curiosity, finding passion, building community, engaging in lifelong learning, and creating a long-lasting impact in our communities. Greg's story engages and his enthusiasm inspires. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7379876

Jonathan Keyser - Keyser 10/24/2018

Jonathan Keyser - Keyser This week our guest is Jonathan Keyser - the founder of Keyser…a commercial real estate firm in Scottsdale, AZ. Jonathan discusses topics ranging from his views on: developing a long-term, sustainable and successful business thru helping others; developing resilience and patience; identifying what gets in the way of living out our values; and /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7294427

Sharon Orlopp - Author, Orangetheory Fitness, Core Scientific 10/16/2018

Sharon Orlopp - Author, Orangetheory Fitness, Core Scientific This week our guest is Sharon Orlopp - formerly the SVP of HR and Global Chief Diversity Officer for WalMart. Today, she is an author and continues her work as a leader in human resources for Core Scientific and Orangetheory Fitness. We discuss mentoring, the role of diversity in innovation, proactive goal setting, and the lessons she learned from her parents. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7203524

John Jennings - QuickPass and CQR Technologies 10/10/2018

John Jennings - QuickPass and CQR Technologies This week our guest is John Jennings - formerly the CEO of Safeguard Security, CEO of CQR Technologies and founder of QuickPass. A native Arizonan, John shares his story which took him from the early days of the security business to growing one of the larger businesses in the industry. He also discusses some important lessons learned from Jim Collins and how some counter-intuitive strategies led to tremendous growth for his company. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7144369

Joshua Becker - Becoming Minimalist 10/03/2018

Joshua Becker - Becoming Minimalist This week our guest is Joshua Becker - bestselling author, blogger and popular speaker on the topic of minimalism. You won’t want to miss his story and his thoughts on everything from building a platform, navigating career change, dealing with online trolls and haters, to building a team around you to make you your best. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7122614

Park Howell - The Business of Story 09/25/2018

Park Howell - The Business of Story This week our guest is Park Howell - founder of the Business of Story…and you also might know him from the ad agency he founded, Park & Co. This conversation is packed with great stories and very practical advice about how you can tell better stories to help you grow your business and your personal platform. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7089132

Ron Robertson - Picmonic 09/19/2018

Ron Robertson - Picmonic Ron Robertson is the co-founder and CEO of Picmonic, a revolutionary visual learning platform proven to help students master critical information and retain it longer. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7063361

Misty Hyman - Olympic Gold Medalist 09/12/2018

Misty Hyman - Olympic Gold Medalist Olympic gold medalist Misty Hyman won a stunning upset victory at the 2000 Sydney games when she came from behind to break the American record and win the 200-meter butterfly. Recognized as a pioneer in the sport for her innovative underwater dolphin kick, she won 13 U.S. and five NCAA national titles. /episode/index/show/azoriginals/id/7031365

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