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Past Episodes

October 26, 2023
Chocolate, Baking Competitions and Hospitality: The Sweet Success of Norman Love Confections

Today we are speaking with Norman Love, founder of Norman Love Confections. Together, we discuss Norman’s start at Ritz Carlton, creating the TV Food Network show, “The Challenge” and how …

October 19, 2023
Go under the couch cushions with DutchCrafters furniture CEO Jim Miller

Today we are speaking with Jim Miller of DutchCrafters. Together, we discuss how DutchCrafters (formerly JMX Brands) found their niche, how Jim looks for leaders inside the company, and handling …

October 12, 2023
Motors, Murals and Museums: The Interesting Life of Liz Dimmitt

Today we are speaking with Liz Dimmitt, CEO of Fairgrounds St. Pete and Managing Partner of Dimmitt Chevrolet. Liz works at the intersection of innovation and tradition. She is the …

October 5, 2023
The largest independent coffee roasters in Florida — Kahwa Coffee

This week we are speaking with Kahwa Coffee founders Sarah and Raphael Perrier. Together, we discuss how they got started and challenges they faced as independent roasters. Now that they …

September 28, 2023
'Anything less than the best is a felony' with Pushing the Envelope’s Samantha Scott

This week we sat down with Samantha Scott, President of Pushing the Envelope, a marketing and PR firm based in Fort Myers. Samantha shares with us leadership lessons, including taking …

September 21, 2023
Gather Around the Melting Pot with Dan Stone

This week we are joined by Dan Stone, Chief Operating and Development Officer at Front Burner Brands, parent company for the Melting Pot restaurants. Together, we talk about how Melting …

September 14, 2023
Running with the Bulls: Leadership lessons from USF President Rhea Law

This week, we are speaking with University of South Florida President, Rhea Law. Together, we chat about how Rhea tackles leading a 16,000-employee organization, leadership advice for students, being invited …

September 7, 2023
Carrying the Legacy With Sunshine Ace Hardware’s Michael Wynn

This week, we are speaking with Sunshine Ace Hardware’s President, Michael Wynn. Together, we discuss how the organization has stayed relevant in the highly competitive sector, Sunshine Ace’s core values, …

August 31, 2023
Building sustainable restaurants with Ed Chiles

This week, we are speaking with Ed Chiles. Ed’s company owns and operates three popular Manatee County waterfront restaurants: Beach House, Mar Vista and Sandbar.  Together, we discuss how Ed …

August 24, 2023
The Business of Advocating for Businesses with Heather Kasten

Join us this week as we speak with Heather Kasten, President and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. Together, we discuss Heather’s career trajectory, her success in returning …

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 »

Team

Host

Mark Gordon

Mark Gordon is the managing editor of the Business Observer. Mark has been a business journalist and editor for more than 20 years, and one of his passions is writing about leadership. That led to Mark to start writing a leadership column in 2021 in the Business Observer, called Leadership Matters. It also led to the creation of the From the Corner Office podcast in June 2023.

Producer

Read Corley

Read attended elementary, middle and high school in Manatee County. After graduating from Florida State University and navigating the pandemic, Read joined up with his father to create the podcast I 501(c) You - The Podcast for Nonprofit Board Members. As the podcast has grown, Read has created a path producing podcasts for others, including the Business Observer.

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