Consensus in Conversation

Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Founder and CEO of LIVSN, a sustainable outdoor clothing brand, joins this week’s episode. Before his success launching LIVSN, Andrew struggled with addiction, which led to his incarceration. On his long road to recovery, he set his life back on track and eventually launched LIVSN, which raised over $100K through a Kickstarter campaign.   Andrew’s powerful story span...

Chris Anderson, CEO of Vantem Global, is on a mission to build sustainable, affordable energy efficient homes at scale. Vantem’s 3 million square feet of prefabricated dwelling units reduce construction costs, delivery times, and energy use. Before Vantem, Chris was the founder and CEO of Simex, a sustainably harvested timber company. If there’s anyone that knows the ins and outs of sustainable co...

Jill Brosig is a physicist turned Managing Director, Chief Impact & ESG Officer at Harrison Street. And, she has done it all, from researching inertial confinement fusion and earning her masters in engineering and now helping to pioneer new asset classes at Harrison Street.  Jill brings a science-first approach to the investment firm, which focuses exclusively on alternative real assets....

After serving as a U.S. Navy SEAL for almost a decade, Greg Putnam co-founded Little Belt Cattle Co. (LBCC), a first generation Montana cattle ranch, in 2020.  Greg started the company with almost no ranching experience, but he has successfully grown the local beef business to new heights, even in an industry not known for newcomers. Greg stands out for his mission-driven leadership style, co...

When Smooth Ambler opened in 2009, few envisioned the craft whiskey distillery would grow so big so fast.  John Little, co-founder and whiskey maker, started the company with his father-in-law. The two had no experience with distilling, but their enthusiasm to learn, commitment to transparent labeling, and community-driven ethos has brought them success and industry-wide respect. Despite the...

Land O’ Lakes is known for butter: they make 300 million POUNDS annually! But equally as important: their commitment to sustainable agriculture. Tina May, VP, Rural Services and Chief of Staff to the CEO, joins us to talk agriculture, broadband, rural services, and so much more. From her start as a grain merchandiser, to her work at the USDA, to Land O’ Lakes, where she leads the development of th...

Roger McClendon is always near the top: he finished as the second all-time scorer for the University of Cincinnati men’s basketball’s team, behind only Oscar Robertson, became Yum! Brands’ first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer, and now leads the Green Sports Alliance, a national organization promoting sustainability in sports.  Roger’s talent and leadership has taken him from hardwood court...

Navy SEALs and successful entrepreneurs share at least one thing: both are hard work!  Meet Tim Sheehy, a former US Navy SEAL officer turned successful entrepreneur. Tim is Founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company. He previously founded and sold Ascent Vision Technologies (AVT), a data and surveillance-driven defense and aerospace company. If anyone has found a way...

Imagine a restaurant that changes its menu twice a day, every week. Why? To reduce food waste and support local farmers.  Enter Chef Steve McHugh: a record six-time finalist for Best Chef in Texas. We talk about his time at the CIA (no, not that one), learning cooking skills, rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and overcoming non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Oh, and, launching restaurants while growin...

I'm joined by Vailia and Russell From, two friends and winemakers pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation in the wine industry, while staying focused on sustainability and being good stewards of the lands they cultivate.  Vailia has worked in all things wine– from the restaurant floor to sales to importing to harvesting, and now she’s running her very own Desparada, a vineyard roo...

We're joined by Juliana Garaizar, an angel investor working as the head of innovation for Greentown Labs, the largest climate tech incubator in North America. Juliana has lived across the globe, and now she’s now in Houston– working on the intersection of climate tech, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. We discuss entrepreneurship, supporting climate-positive startups, advocating for inclusivit...

Today we welcome Charles Dimmler, CEO and co-founder of Checkerspot, and Matt Sterbenz, GM of Wintersports. Checkerspot is a high performance materials company proving that you don’t have to choose between sustainability and performance. Founded in 2016, the company is pioneering a planet-first approach to product creation and innovating the outdoor industry through biotechnology and sustainabilit...

This week’s guest is Lew Moorman, co-founder of Scaleworks, a venture capital firm, and Soilworks Natural Capital, an investment fund. Lew grew up in Texas Hill Country, home to some of America’s best ranchland, and although he started his career in consulting, he found his passion in venture capital, helping small software companies flourish. Now, he has turned his sights towards one of America’s...

This week’s guest is Brent Harris. He’s the VP of Governance at Meta, where he has played an integral role in the organization’s approach towards governance, including the creation and development of the Oversight Board. He is currently helping the company and broader industry to envision and build a Metaverse with empathy, accessibility, and sustainability at its core. Brent’s career has stretche...

We welcome Michael Blaugrund, Chief Operating Officer at the New York Stock Exchange, to talk about Natural Asset Companies (NACs), ESG, the capital market landscape, and the NYSE’s role in it all. Nature and the related ecosystem services are worth an estimated $100-$150 trillion a year, revealing a massive opportunity for nature in the business world. NACs aim to unlock that value as they suppor...

We’re joined by Jonathan Goldberg, founder and CEO of Carbon Direct, a company at the forefront of scaling carbon management and the negative emission industry. Jonathan’s diverse career, from trading at Goldman Sachs to founding a commodity hedge fund to becoming a partner at Glencore, gives him a unique perspective on the future of energy, particularly at this moment in history as we transition...

Ken Grossman started homebrewing as a teenager in the 70’s. Fifty years later, he’s a legend in craft brewing. The founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has built one of America’s most successful craft beer companies while building a legacy of doing good for the world alongside doing great in business. We sit down with Ken Grossman and his son, Brian Grossman, to learn more about your favorite...

We're talking to Danny Seiden, President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization that represents businesses and CEOs across the state. He's held a storybook career that started in Disney World, led to law school, and eventually public service, where he worked as a trusted adviser to Arizona's governor, Doug Doucey. Today, he's truly a CEO of CEOs helping lead a sta...

Today, I’m talking with the entrepreneurs behind Luke's Lobster – a family-owned Maine seafood business, founded by third-generation lobsterman Luke Holden and business partner Ben Conniff. What began as a tiny lobster roll shack in New York City now includes locations in ten US states, Japan, and Singapore, a seafood purchasing and production business, and products in grocery stores across the Un...

Today we're talking with Nona Yehia and Caroline Croft Estay. These two, along with co-founder Penny McBride, built Vertical Harvest, a vertical farm that helps address food security, sustainability, and workforce development in what some may consider an unlikely place: Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  From designing a three story greenhouse, which looks a little bit like glass shipping containers sta...

Welcome to Consensus in Conversation, a new podcast hosted by Conor Gaughan where we talk to innovators and entrepreneurs who have built great businesses and careers that do well while doing good. A rich life is so much more than a unicorn start-up going public. The true unicorns are those living fulfilling lives doing what they love AND making it to their kid’s games. This podcast is an opportuni...