ICTPODCAST

  I've talked to many people who do difficult things at the highest level and entrepreneurs who don't quit and Brad Elliott is an entrepreneur who does not quit. He founded Equity Bank in 2001 in 2015. Equity Bank became publicly traded and remains Wichita, Kansas only publicly traded institution. Equity has grown organically as well as through many acquisitions. In our conversation, Brad shares t...

"Shared commitment and accountability — we make a plan so they are actively engaged in re-joining society."  -- Dan Clifford, Executive Director, Second Light Homelessness is a complex problem. Wichita, KS has assembled the team to confront and solve it.  And it takes everyone to get it done. The solution involves private, public, non-profit, the business community and each citizen to take action....

"I want to demystify city government." -- Mayor Lily Wu Lily is all for Wichita.   She leads every day through her actions.   From the beginning, she told our community of Wichitans "I will focus on public safety, grow and strengthen our economy, restore trust in City Hall and build a united community!" We reflect on specific examples of each one of her initiatives.  She addresses these on a daily...

"For the first 10 minutes all we do is talk about the Wins of the week." -Corey Novascone   The game of golf teaches life lessons.  Our friend Corey Novascone regularly says "I owe everything to golf," and he follows through with that by passing on what he has learned so that young people can apply the disciplines in their lives. The First Tee of Wichita is avaiable to anyone, without questions.  ...

"Have you done your research on WHO I AM and what I HAVE DONE? You are [kind of] talking to Ghandi about Peace."  -- Steven And no, I do did not "know who I am!" We are all suseptible to being arrogant.  It is part of the human condition and we are all flawed. However, we can fix it quickly when we are present in mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility value other...

"Who are my People I want to do life with?" -Jason Toevs, CTO Scroll Happy   Social Media pllatforms changed all of our lives-- some positive, some negative, some tragically. Jason Toevs is a Founder and Tech Leader and he is very thoughtful about his approach to this powerful tool.  Scroll Happy (scrollhappy.com) is the wholesome platform for Social Media.  This world will continue to grow and we...

"Why don't you give it a chance, Man..." Wichita by the Adler Brothers   The Adler Brothers Conor and Patrick are from a very talented family. They represent 2/3 of the band the Adler Brothers who have a brand new hit out anywhere that you get your music streaming called Wichita.   It's a joy for me to announce this song written by Conor. Conor came to Wichita USA from Chicago and all you have to...

You have to turn the corner from "I have to do this" to "I want to do this." -Kasey Beltz Founder, Inventor and Entrepreneur Kasey Beltz created his life on the principal of courage.  The Courage to pursue a better outcome despite resistance from societal norms.  As human being we are uniquely designed to create.  And each human being posesses unique abilities that when pursued and paired with oth...

Megan is an extraordinary young woman. She is accomplished. She is a communicator. She has tremendous courage. And she is ready to work. I am grateful to share her story.  Now you can learn about Megan and help get her started in her career.

"Once you find something that works, you go all in on it."   -Francis Baalman   Francis Baalman is an entrepreneur. Even if he didn't know what that word was as a child he knew he wanted to create a market and solve a problem for a profit at a very young age.   Francis wanted to be an entrepreneur so badly that he went to college and then he went to law school ,just so he could fund his future end...

Economist Michael Austin answered the call to solve a problem. The request came from Councilman Dalton Glasscock, "What are some things we can do to shore up Wichita's budget shortfall?" You can Lead in public service. It doesn't require you work for the government or you are an elected official-- Lead because it's the right thing to do for your community. Michael Austin isn't even a resident of W...

"Don't Gatekeeper what you know."  Taking action in life creates experiences. Experience creates personal growth. We need to promote more growth rather than change. Wichita By EB is all about experiences and he is sharing his with us every day on his social media platforms, his website and in his blog, Wichita By EB.   He's an interesting person. He is a talented person.  He's really just a good p...

"Dear Megan, You Got This!" -Megan Bailey Rainbows United is an extraordinary organization that helps families and kids who need a little bit more guidance on helping through potential developmental difficulties. My friend Michelle Eastman spent her career thus far, dedicated to these families and these children. It is because of her that I've had the opportunity to experience what they do for peo...

"The Declaration [of Independence] was a promissory note to Americans." -James Franko   The Kansas Policy Institute spends all of its time in deep research to hold the government and the legislators accountable. A free society is one that gives its citizens the greatest opportunity and the policies should match (or the lack of policies and laws should match).  Along with the Kansas Justice Institu...

"Not a whole lot changed, it was more Mindset."  -Noel Torres, Founder Wichita Training Center   The intensity of combat sports requires that you have discipline.  The costs are too high to not prepare every day.  If you are not-- your opponent is.   Noel Torres is an NCAA Division II National Champion, former member of the Mexican World Wrestling Team, a Teacher, A Coach, Father, Husband and all...

"I played the game different because I had to. I only knew one way." -- Matt Baty, former Div. I athlete and Entrepreneur   The NCAA ruled college sports with an iron fist for decades-- it was unconstitutional.   NCAA wants control. "The student athlete -- to me, the regulations need to be around the student" states Matt Baty, former Senior Associate Athletic Director for the University of Kansas....

Growing a national technology and remaining connected to your customers is daunting.  However, it is what has made Co-Founder Steve Werner stay connected to the point of service, allowing Lawn Buddy and Blue Ox to iterate in real time.  Improving your product and service through customer conversations is what makes their technology optimal for other Entrepreneurs to scale. And Steven Werners commi...

"I am thinking "these are the boots that I have to fill?" -- Matt Sain, CEO  An unfair opinion from society is that if you have inherited a business, all the work has been done and business is easy. It is one of the greatest myths and family business. Matt Sain Is second generation for central body RV collision. They have six locations across four states. Matt started with one. And his roots and h...

Michael and I met many years ago at a conference.  He was speaking about conflict resolution.  One of the 12 books he has authored, Collaboration Effect, is what drew me to him. Entrepreneurs collaborate.  Large scale Institutions lead to collectivism.  We are better people when we collaborate. Mike Gregory is a successful Entrepreneur becuase of his discipline.  After 28 years working in the Inte...

"When we stop having that dialogue, it makes it difficult to achieve that more Harmonious success." --Clint Stevens, Founder Clint Stevens spent his military career reducing vulnerabilities. As a cyber security expert, he worked closely with the Department of Defense to keep our country safe from cyber threats. Clint founded Phy-Cy. X to take that capability and help private companies thrive by re...

Mentorship plays a vital role in shaping success, and its impact is especially profound for young men. Sean Gates understands this firsthand; as a young man, he believed that having a mentor could have transformed his early adult life. This conviction inspired him to create Gates Institutes—an initiative dedicated to empowering the lives of young people through meaningful engagement, paving the wa...

"When you start pulling the string on one thing it begins to unravel the other problems."                 -Stacy Rogers   Entrepreneurs make great leaders because they are solution focussed.  Stacy Rogers is a successfull Entrepreneur and she is running to lead the State of Kansas as it's next Governor. She is looking to collaborate with experts to formullate ideas to solve problems in Kansas.  Fr...

"When and incident happens here, how are we hoing to react to it? That's what good stewardship is."  -Damon Young Talking with Damon about difficult things is comforting because he has a deep understanding of empathy . Leadership is communication and Damon wants to lead externally and with purpose. It's important for all of us to be open to the fact that we are wrong, and that comes with criticism...

Joan Vassos, herself a huge FAN of the Bachelor franchise, was a contestant on the Golden Bachelor and then received the honor to come back to be the first Golden Bachelorette. And she is a remarkable woman. She chose Wichitan Chock Chapple for the final rose. They are engaged to be married and living a dream. They share with me what it is like to try and find love under tremendous pressure-- with...