Direct Edge: Growth Strategies for Breakthrough Success

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Brad Rickelman, Director of Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater, an Oklahoma regional vocational education school, where he manages two mixed-use business incubators as well as provides business consulting and training.  In this episode, Brad walks us through how a regional vocational school, once focused solely on welding, cosmetology, and C...

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Keith Goodman, VP of Corporate Sales and Marketing at Modern Postcard.  Keith Goodman is a 30-year veteran in the direct marketing space, a leading provider of direct mail marketing solutions that has leveraged today’s technology to provide businesses of any size access to a breadth of powerful direct mail services.  Keith traces his journey from...

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Bill Dolan, president and creative director of Spirit Media, about the power of media and storytelling to drive demand generation and sustainable growth.  They kick off by unpacking the promise and pitfalls of AI-generated content, how large language models can streamline production but often produce bland, cookie-cutter messages. Bill and Wilson...

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with James Snyder, director of marketing and community engagement for Quality Matters. Drawing on a career that spans physics to business development at Zairmail, adaptive testing with NWEA, and language assessment for the military, James shares how he found his mission in quality assurance for online learning.  He walks us through the evolution of dig...

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Dave Lewis, CEO and entrepreneur behind Snailworks and Track My Mail. Dave walks us through his 25-year journey in the mailing industry, from founding one of the first mail-tracking services and selling it to Pitney Bowes just before the 2008 financial crisis, to building and exiting Snailworks in 2023. Along the way, he’s become a recognized thou...

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Robin Michalisko about a career built on spotting opportunity and reinventing traditional industries. Robin takes us from his early days at R.R. Donnelley, where he helped launch a digital print and imaging arm tied to direct mail, to creating a technology-driven print venture that served brands like Nike, Adidas, and Intel.  He then walks us thro...

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Ralph Tommaso, Vice President of Marketing at First Choice Debt Solutions, about the art and science of turning cash-flow chaos into a strategic opportunity.  Ralph walks us through his own journey, from losing a major account in 2012 to building a specialized practice that helps small business owners diagnose, stabilize, and rebuild their finance...

Welcome to Direct Edge - the podcast where business leaders share the strategies behind building companies that are both scalable and profitable. I’m Wilson Zehr, founder and CEO of Zairmail, Cendix, and several other startup ventures. Alongside building tech companies, I also teach marketing, finance, and business strategy at the university level. Over the past 20-plus years, I’ve studied what se...