Category Archives: Uncategorized

New Levels of Growth and Leadership Conviction



Rana DeBoer from Keystone Group chats with Abbey Vanderwerf, Vice President, Employee Health & Benefits at Marsh McLennan Agency Dakotas about leading with conviction through growth, and the evolution of business & people.

About Abbey

Abbey Vanderwerf is the Vice President of Employee Health & Benefits at Marsh McLennan Agency Dakotas. Since joining the agency in 2008 she has held a variety of roles assisting employer groups with their overall benefits strategy, spending time educating on the Affordable Care Act, leading both operations and sales for the team and currently is responsible for both the Sioux Falls and Fargo benefits team. Prior to joining MMA she spent the early years of her career in Human Resources. Abbey stays active in the community on two local non-profit boards and teaching religious education at her church. In her free time, she can be found camping and fishing with her family, catching a run on a good dirt road or riding her peloton bike.

About Marsh McLennan Agency:

MMA is a local Insurance Agency with Global Reach. They are committed to their culture and colleague experience, giving employees the opportunity to grow in both their personal and professional aspirations leaving them with limitless potential.


When in Transition, Listen



Chelsey Paulson from Keystone Group chats with Jim Roddy, CEO of the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) about the moments that shaped him, and the many lessons he learned through leadership transitions.

About Jim:

Jim Roddy has been active in the retail IT channel since 1998, including 11 years as the President of Business Solutions Magazine, six years as an RSPA board member, and one term as RSPA Chairman of the Board. Jim has been recognized as one of the world’s Top 100 Retail Influencers by RETHINK Retail and as a Leading CannaTech Influencer by 420MSP. He is author of The Walk-On Method and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer and is host of the award-winning RSPA Trusted Advisor podcast.  

Contact Jim: jroddy@gorspa.org

www.gorspa.org

Book: The Walk-On Method

Book: Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer


The Importance of Well-Being



Rana DeBoer from Keystone Group chats with Chaz Sandifer, CEO/Founder of theNEWmpls about the importance of well-being, her story of finding peace, and her drive to make an impact in people and community – everyday.

About Chaz

Chaz Sandifer is the CEO/Founder of theNEWmpls which focuses on affordable fitness, wellness and nutrition. Bringing her holistic approach to the community, Chaz was able to teach others how to break generational cycles, instilling that fitness is fun, quality nutrition is king, and wellness is key to a healthy future. Chaz is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Life and Wellness specializing in trauma healing, diabetes and arthritis prevention. She teaches a monthly meal prep class called Meal Prep w/a Twist, Works with the CDC, Ramsey County, MN Dept. of Health on Diabetes & Arthritis Prevention Programs and operates /owns a Farmers Market. She is humble and grateful for this journey, Chaz welcomes you to theNEWmpls. 

Connect with her here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenewmpls/

https://www.thenewmpls.info/

https://www.thenewmpls.info/farmersmarket

 


Owning your Leadership Style.



Jaime Taets from Keystone Group chats with Brooke Foley, CEO & Founder of Jayne Agency about how there is not one right way to lead.

About Brooke:

A strategic powerhouse with a commitment to clarity, Brooke helps businesses of all sizes achieve dependable, repeatable, scalable revenue. She founded Jayne Agency in 2009 as a bold, creative boutique specializing in strategic planning, storytelling and sustainable brand platforms. Jayne is a 100% woman-owned, 100% inclusive, WBENC-certified company committed to helping diverse businesses grow. The agency’s client roster includes Fortune 100s such as PepsiCo, Nationwide, American Red Cross, Vistra Energy, as well as small- to mid-market companies like Trans International (WBE), MicroAutomation (MBE) and VOZ Advisors.

Prior to striking off on her own, Brooke was a courageous creative leader and digital pioneer, serving as Executive Creative Director at several of the world’s top advertising and marketing agencies, including DDB, Ogilvy and Razorfish. She has created award-winning integrated campaigns and brand experiences, garnering global recognition by the Clio Awards, One Show, NY Festivals, Communication Arts, Webby’s, OMMA, American Design Awards, Communicator Awards, Axiem Awards and MarComm Awards.

A passionate thought leader on the topics of branding, women leadership and supply chain diversity, Brooke is a 2020 Enterprising Woman of the Year Winner and an active contributor to WE USA Magazine and NANOE. She has been a keynote speaker at Social Media Week, HOW Design Live, Eaton’s Supplier Summit, Ad Tech, St. Louis Business Development Connection and many more. She sits on several boards, including Magdalene House Chicago, DesignedbyUs.org and UCAN Chicago, and has achieved numerous certifications and memberships, including WBENC, BEP/CMS, WOSBA, Cook County DBE, DA4S, WIM and NAWBO.

She holds a BFA in Graphic Design from University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Art and Design, and is a graduate of Dartmouth’s Tuck Women’s Executive Program and the Yale Brisaago Program.


Hiring into Culture.



Chelsey Paulson from Keystone Group chats with Jay Rosencrantz & Heather Alberti from Pappas DeLaney about why focusing on culture during your hiring process is critical

About Heather:

Heather Forston Alberti is a seasoned Consultant and Vice President at Pappas DeLaney, with over twenty years’ experience in executive search and executive development.Heather’s professional practice spans many industries, working with all executive levels from management to board level in Manufacturing, Healthcare and Professional Services. Her clients include publicly held, privately held, ESOP’s and private equity-held companies.  Heather’s consulting and search experience covers the entire lifecycle of an executive’s tenure with an organization-from recruitment, to coaching, to management team development.

About Jay:

Jay D. Rosencrantz is Managing Director at Pappas DeLaney and brings over 20 years of diverse business experience and insights to his consultative role.  Jay possesses proven ability in helping organizations achieve business results through powerful and productive relationships that span diverse industries, disciplines, cultures, and geographies. This business acumen was forged through challenging roles in different industries, including domestic and international, corporate and field, in both public and privately held companies.Jay uses a practical approach in listening to and understanding the unique challenges faced by each client and can take complex situations and ideas, assess the information and present solutions with clarity and simplicity. He has experience in leadership development, business process improvement, consultative sales, workforce restructuring and M&A.


Finding Exponential Engagement through your “Why”



Rana DeBoer chats with Nick Ovenden, President, GreatLife Golf & Fitness about taking his “why” to the next level in life, leadership, and business.

About Nick:

Nick Ovenden was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by his parents and as a middle child of two brothers. He has a competitive edge which he channeled onto the football field. He started at a young age and eventually led to playing for the Vikings at Augustana College (SD) where he studied Exercise Science. With that passion for fitness and healthy lifestyles, he eventually moved to Minneapolis to work at Lifetime fitness while his wife, Alison, attended law school. After a few years of living life in the city as a lead fitness professional with his wife and dog he received a call to take his talents back to Sioux Falls to be the director of Fitness and Nutrition with a new company called GreatLIFE. The concept of Fitness and Golf coming together intrigued him, but more importantly, the opportunity to make a positive impact in his hometown. Two weeks after the call, he and Alison moved back to their college town and started a new adventure. Since 2014, Nick has been with GreatLIFE and became president in 2019. He enjoys spending time at the lake cabin with his daughters, volunteering at any local charity, hunting with his golden lab, or hanging with friends around the fire. Anyone who meets Nick will see his infectious smile and know he is a man after God’s heart and will go out of his way to make sure that you know that you are valued. He is also a Patriots fan, but don’t hold that against him.

Learn more about GreatLife here

Get in touch with Nick here


Your leadership journey starts early.



Jaime Taets and Jen Lindahl talk with Nate Randle about his journey, and the leadership skills he learned early on in life that formed who he is today.

About Nate:

Nate Randle is an optimist; a brand storyteller; a people-first kind of leader. Now as CEO of Gabb Wireless, Nate brings more than 20 years of experience and expertise to the nation’s leading kid-safe tech company. 

Above all, Nate Randle is a husband and father of four. He places the highest priorities on people and family. His values directly reflect his leadership at Gabb, where protecting kids and encouraging a stronger connection between families is of the utmost importance. 

Nate graduated in Finance from the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah. In his early career along the west coast, he held management and director positions at major companies like Callaway Golf and Nike. Finally returning to Utah, Nate managed divisions at Vivint, the Utah Jazz, and Qualtrics before joining Gabb in November 2021.

A few career highlights:

  • As CMO of Vivint, he exceeded $1B in revenue with Vivint C-suite team
  • Launched Utah Jazz #TakeNote campaign as Senior VP of Marketing (used by team 5+ years running)
  • Was an Exec leader on the Nike Golf team that generated YOY double-digit growth with $500M+ in annual revenue
  • Was awarded employee of the year at Callaway Golf for brand management leadership

 


Teaser Trailer



We are experiencing some exciting growth in KGI, as a business and in our team.  We want to bring you fresh and inspiring podcast content that drives your leadership to the next level and helps you take your business forward. Listen now to hear our CEO, Jaime Taets, give a teaser of the new things to come. Be sure subscribe today to SuperPower Success so you don’t miss a single episode!