Interviews
Success stories
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Therrian Fontenot
Therrian Fontenot is a former professional football player whose path has been shaped by discipline, competition, and a willingness to take chances. Born in Louisiana, Fontenot later moved to Los…
What Does Success Mean to You? Philip Ashton-Rickardt
Philip Ashton-Rickardt has built a career around science, leadership, and the willingness to take a different path when needed. Raised in the UK in a working-class family, he learned early…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Katie Nielsen
Katie Nielsen has built her career around learning, discipline, and a willingness to keep improving. Based in Carthage, Panola County, Texas, she is an attorney and the sole proprietor of…
Donald Deibler Builds Business Around Community and Family
For Donald Deibler, business has never been separate from family or community. His career has taken him from a sports-focused childhood in Donaldson, Pennsylvania, to managing local businesses and helping…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Craig Plescia
Success can look simple from the outside. A strong company. Bigger projects. More opportunities. Better results. But for Craig Plescia, the real work happens behind those outcomes. As the founder…
What Does Success Look Like to You? — Blake Osgood
How do you define your role today beyond your formal title? I think of myself as a problem-solver more than anything else. I own Ozgood Land Restoration, where I work…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Don Carlos Lee Gibson Jr.
Don Carlos Lee Gibson Jr. has built a career by leading people, improving operations, and creating lasting results across multiple industries. From serving as a Military Intelligence Analyst in the…
What Does Success Look Like to You? — Kyle Asman
Most venture capitalists trace a familiar route: top-tier MBA, analyst years at a brand-name firm, partner track. Kyle Asman came to the business from a different direction. After years in…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Javier Burillo Azcárraga
Javier Burillo Azcárraga is an entrepreneur, hospitality executive, and philanthropist whose career has been defined by independence, service, and a commitment to excellence. Although he was born into the renowned…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Alyssa Ciarrocchi
Success can be measured in countless ways. For some, it’s a promotion or a milestone. For others, it’s knowing they made a difference in someone’s life. Throughout her career in…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Ali Gillani
Born and raised in Toronto to immigrant parents, Ali Gillani learned early that success is built through discipline, education, and service. Watching his parents work hard to create opportunities for…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is a Business Development Director, entrepreneur, and philanthropist based in Houston, Texas. His career spans business development, real estate, finance, marketing, portfolio management, and education, with experience working…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Naimur Rahman
Naimur Rahman has built his life around consistency, resilience, and taking pride in doing meaningful work. Living in Montreal, Quebec, with his wife and daughter, he has learned that success…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Kendra Stearns Drozd
Success isn’t something Kendra Stearns Drozd believes can be measured by a job title or a résumé. Over the years, she’s built a career in advertising, brand management, and executive…
What Does Success Look Like to You? — Lee Lorenzen
Lee Lorenzen is the Founder and CEO of Cluster Solutions, a California-based company he established in 1989 to develop and advance clustered water technology. Born and raised in Northern California…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Michael Sealy
Michael Sealy has spent more than two decades building a career in commercial real estate in Dallas, Texas. As Director of Corporate Strategy at Sealy & Company, he has held…
What Does Success Look Like to You?—Manie Theunis Du Bruyn
Manie Theunis Du Bruyn is a South African entrepreneur who has built two distinct but connected businesses from Pretoria. He founded Black Lion Property Group in 2015, a real estate…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Sergio P. Mendes
Sergio P. Mendes has spent nearly twenty years building a career at the intersection of finance, data, and commercial strategy. A Connecticut-based executive of Portuguese heritage, he earned a Bachelor…
What Does Success Look Like to You? – Michael Griffin
Michael Anthony Griffin Sr. is the CEO of National Business Center, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Vegas-Style Skill Games and Blue Bull Gaming, all based in…
What Does Success Look Like to You? — Dr. Janice Crowder
Janice Crowder, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with more than three decades of clinical experience in women’s health. She currently practices at Mainland Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates in…