Leaders On Tap

Chris Miller didn't set out to build a brewery empire. He started as a trained arborist with a forestry degree from Virginia Tech who loved working outdoors. Today, he's a partner in Lone Oak Farm, a vertically integrated operation in Olney, Maryland featuring a brewery, distillery, speakeasy, and event venue that's hosted 2,600 events over six years. But this conversation isn't really about beer....

Rich Daughtridge didn't set out to build a cinema empire during a pandemic. He started with a rundown 10-screen theater in the middle of a cornfield that no one else wanted. Today, Warehouse Cinemas is one of the top-performing independent cinema circuits in the country, and Rich is helping reshape an entire industry. But this conversation isn't really about movies. It's about a former professiona...

Will Cox spent 15 years in ministry with Young Life before stepping into the business world. When he did, he didn't start at the top. He started at the bottom of the org chart, getting feedback on his emails from a 23-year-old scheduler. Today he leads 700 caregivers serving hundreds of Maryland seniors and their families as CEO of Avila Home Care. But this conversation isn't really about home car...

Steve Tate calls himself a pilgrim, not a CEO. After 25 years at the NSA and 20 years building BCT — a defense IT company protecting the country in silence — he's still showing up to work at 75 because the business is a vehicle for something bigger than the business itself. In this conversation with David Weigelt, Steve opens up about the 17-year journey through his late wife Jackie's cancer, the...

What does it look like to build a company where grace is a core value, generosity is a way of doing business, and the name literally means "the glory of God"? In this episode of Leaders On Tap, David Weigelt sits down with Scott Ryser — former co-founder and CEO of Yakabod, a Frederick, Maryland-based tech company that served the federal government and intelligence community before being acquired...

We're all finite, fragile, fallen, and fallible humans — me king amongst those people." In this episode of Leaders On Tap, host David Weigelt sits down at RAK Brewing Co. with Vineet Rajan — Co-founder and CEO of Forte, the mental fitness platform helping employers care for the whole person, "for the healthy AND the hurting." Vineet is a former U.S. Marine Corps Major and intelligence officer, a S...

Charles Griffin, former founder and CEO of Next Rev Technologies, shares his journey through exit and post-exit, highlighting the challenges, faith, and family balance. The conversation explores the pivotal moments, decision-making, and the impact of the post-exit period on personal growth and purpose. The conversation delves into the personal and professional journey of the speaker, highlighting...

In this inaugural episode of Leaders On Tap, David Weigelt sits down with AJ Ballantine, Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Remodeling and RENDR, for an honest conversation about the realities of leadership during seasons of rapid growth. AJ shares the pressures of leading two fast-growing companies, the personal toll of striving to keep up, and the lessons he learned about shifting from control to tr...