Business & Beyond with Gerry Dick

“I made up my mind when I was 14. I wanted to be a sports broadcaster.” Howard Kellman knew from an early age what he wanted to do, but this native New Yorker never dreamed it would be in Indianapolis. In episode 126, the legendary Voice of the Indianapolis Indians talks dreams, quirky players and the significance of the number 61.

Growing up in Seymour, Indiana, basketball was life for Indiana University Women’s Basketball Head Coach Teri Moren. And that Hoosier hoops passion has paved a path for her to become one of the top women’s coaches in the country. In episode 125, she talks Sundays at grandma’s, Title IX and the importance of staying curious.

“I think I was 15 when we bought our first two vehicles, so I couldn't even drive the trucks.” His entrepreneurial journey started with a successful landscaping business as a teenager, a venture that would ultimately lead to a real estate investment firm with a more than $3 billion portfolio. That passion for hard work and entrepreneurship is serving Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers wel...

“I’m going to tell you something, I walked in there with a whole oak tree on my shoulder.” When he arrived at Colts camp, Robert Mathis knew he had something to prove. And the fifth-round draft pick from Alabama A&M did just that, becoming one of the NFL’s most feared pass rushers in a career that included five Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring. Today, his passion off the field is as intense as it w...

“He cleared his throat and said, men, the deal has been done. We’re going to Indianapolis tonight.” Rick Venturi was there for the Colts’ stealth move to Indy. His assignment: removing blackboards with a screwdriver. Just one of countless stories from more than four decades in the coaching business at the college and pro levels. In an entertaining episode number 122, the popular Colts radio game a...

“I’ve worn a lot of hats in my life, but I truly believe the most rewarding hat is the one of husband and dad.” Carlos Diaz has spent his professional life in front of a camera, reporting for some of the biggest names in television. But after ditching the microphone for the Florida sunshine, he’s living his best life with a golf bag strapped to his shoulder.  In episode 121, the Greenwood native t...

“Everything we built from that day to this came from that original $500 and the American Express card.”  Netlogx founder Audrey Taylor’s passion for adventure brought her to the United States with scant resources and absolutely no knowledge of Indianapolis.  In episode 120, she talks about her path to entrepreneurship, talent and what makes Indiana special.

“We literally cashed out our 401k’s, maxed out as many credit cards as we could get, and got a small SBA loan.” It sounds like risky business, but the whiskey business was a natural fit for Bedford native Blake Jones, who, along with his brother and a buddy, founded West Fork Whiskey.  And they just may have found lightning in a bottle. He talks about the entrepreneurial journey to create a “boldl...

His passion for what he does is rooted in a difficult childhood, growing up in a tough southside Chicago neighborhood. For Jimmie McMillian, the mantra “never give up” has special meaning. In Episode 118, the senior corporate counsel and chief diversity officer at Penske Entertainment talks about how that upbringing, a Firestone store in Bloomington, and his first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Sp...

Elaine Bedel has traveled many miles from the southeast Indiana farm where she grew up, creating a successful a business along the way. Now, as CEO of the Indiana Destination Development Corporation she is, in a sense, back home again, selling the state she loves. In episode 117, the Hanover College grad gives us her Hoosier sales pitch.   

He may just be the most interesting man in Indiana. Restaurateur. Renovator. And for 30 years, on the road with Jimmy Buffett. But that’s only part of Indianapolis native Tom Battista’s rambling career journey. In episode 116, find out how the Brebeuf High School and Indiana University graduate is continuing to create a better future for his community.

“We used to pile in the back of my red Impala. Drive down the road, play somebody, get back in the car, and drive back.” Lin Dunn knows about women’s sports pre-Title IX because she lived it. The Hall of Fame coach and trailblazer, who led the Indiana Fever to an improbable championship, talks about the path to progress, legacy, and the source of her competitive fire.

“I didn’t have a TV growing up. We worked and played basketball…with a rim nailed to the barn.” Christopher Day has gone from a low-tech childhood to the heights of high-tech success by always leaning in. The CEO of Elevate Ventures talks about life on the farm, creating “Indiana’s South by Southwest” and why it’s Toph, not Christopher.

Purdue University’s 13th president is an academic, an entrepreneur and an ice cream lover, who describes the transition from former President Mitch Daniels as “Harley-Davidson to Häagen-Dazs.” Mung Chiang immigrated to the United States, using education as his ticket to success. He’s also started three companies and has more than two dozen patents. In episode 113, Mung talks about Purdue’s next gr...

First Internet Bank CEO David Becker says his entrepreneurial journey started as a ten-year-old paperboy, hawking newspapers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I figured out that I could control my own destiny and control my earnings,” said Becker, who has launched and sold five Inc. 500 companies and created the first state-chartered, FDIC-insured bank operating solely on the Internet. In episo...

“It was miserable…I had a lot of doors shut in my face.” Angie Hicks is a self-described introvert who thought she was destined for a career as an accountant. So how then did she decide on starting a business by going door to door on the streets of Columbus, Ohio? The Angie’s List co-founder talks about how it all started, growing up in Fort Wayne and life lessons learned from her parents.

Dennis Murphy always knew he wanted to make a difference. And at the age of 14, he left home to do just that, enrolling in a Catholic seminary. While he ultimately opted for a career in healthcare instead of the priesthood, it was an experience that changed his life. In episode 110, the CEO of the state’s largest health system talks about the importance of giving back, family, and the challenging...

“I rolled a car at about 175 MPH and was knocked out and airlifted to the hospital when I was about 17.” You could say cars and racing are part of Morgan Lucas’ DNA. And while he has hung up his helmet, he remains in the fast lane, charged with growing the family business. The president of Lucas Oil Products opens up about risk, family and why the company is all in on Indiana.

She is an engineer turned educator with no experience in the world of museums. But Colette Pierce Burnette has never been one to shy away from a challenge, so she says it was a natural to for her to accept the CEO role at Newfields as the organization endured one of its most challenging periods. “There's so much opportunity for us to enrich lives…who would shy away from that?

It is the result of vision ,persistence and a belief that more than 200 acres of neglected property along the White River could be something special. 35 years after opening, White River State Park is a gleaming collection of arts and culture, sports and entertainment attractions.  But, as Executive Director Jake Oakman explains, this urban park’s relevance, and size, are about to grow.      

From the bright lights of TV news to the rough and tumble world of the Professional Bull Riders circuit, Fanchon Stinger’s career has come full circle. The Emmy award-winning journalist bid farewell to news and is now bucking trends and breaking barriers for minority women in one of America’s fastest growing sports. A homecoming of sorts that takes her back to her childhood.

“It’s also suspicious when you have these objects flying over our military installations. And I think it calls for deep concern.” From the downing of a Chinese spy balloon to prospects for high-speed rail, Indiana’s 7th District Congressman talks politics, his late grandmother and how his fascination with UFO’s began as a teenager.  

From the chaos of war to the pandemonium of a presidential debate, ABC News anchor Linsey Davis feels right at home in the heat of the action. In the opening episode of season three of the podcast, she talks about life in the fast lane of network news, her emerging profile as a children’s author and why Indiana will always feel like “home.”  

In the second half of our 100th episode, the always opinionated sports talk host weighs in on playing for Bob Knight, his favorite teammates and the head slap that got him to IU.

For episode 100, we begin a two-part Business & Beyond podcast with the one and only Dan Dakich. From his first recruiting trip to IU to playing for Bob Knight to his career as a firebrand media personality, this Gary native has lots of stories to tell. And he tells them with the passion, and humor, you’ve come to expect from the guy who shut down Michael Jordan.