Mission CTRL

If you’re a golf fan and love entrepreneurial startup stories with unexpected plot twists, we’ve got you covered. This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew are joined by Ken Burns, founder of Bigga Balls, and Joe Ward, the company's Digital Marketing Manager. Burns started as a caddy at 12 and had his sights set on being a rock star but eventually joined the family construction bu...

If you're a lover of words, board games, and what was once considered nerdy geek culture, you'll feel right at home with our next guest. Joining Ramon and the PD Flight Crew in the studio is Kelly de la Rocha. De la Rocha is a poet, journalist, and founder of Poem Renovation. Forty years ago, as a distraught teenager dealing with her parents' separation, Kelly turned to poetry to help...

This week on MissionCTRL, the PD Flight Crew is flying solo without Ramon, but the mission remains the same as Jorge steers the conversation alongside Kevin and Maggie in the studio. In this episode, the Flight Crew explores the challenges and best practices of networking, based on the practical principles they’ve applied over the years while building Peralta Design. Whether you’re an introvert or...

Our guest this week on MissionCTRL is Gary Wallace, the owner and founder of Hall of GraFX, a full digital six color imaging center located in Providence, RI . Wallace joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew to share his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his days as a B-Boy growing up with Ramon inProvidence, RI. Gary’s curiosity for technology and passion for art from an early age, combined with...

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner looking to get a handle on your business or seeking capital to scale, you won’t want to miss this episode. This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew are joined in the studio by Valerian Gomez. Gomez is a veteran entrepreneur and business advisor with a master's degree in organizational leadership, skilled in applying Lean Six Sigma...

Christopher J. Wirth joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew in the MissionCTRL studios to share his No Quit story and inspire the audience. Wirth is the founder and president of No Quit Living (NQL), a speaking, coaching, and training company that focuses on culture, leadership, mindset, and accountability. No Quit Living works with individuals, teams, and corporations to help improve profitability, a...

This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew are joined by Joshua “Josh” Paiz, a fellow artist, auto enthusiast and founder of JPaiz Studios, for a riveting conversation about cars and his own personal evolution as a muralist. Paiz discovered his interest in art when his mother, a domestic worker, would bring home discarded scrap paper, which he used to create and entertain himself. As h...

What makes the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who continues to struggle? How do you define success? What’s the differentiating factor? What separates leaders from followers? In this episode of MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew host Jessica Rivera, Executive Business Coach and Mindset Master, who together, set out to answer these questions. Believe it or not, a lot has...

Our next guest on MissionCTRL has a name that bears a striking resemblance to the call letters of a radio station, which is ironic because Lidj Lewis started his career at WWRL as an intern with Sonny Taylor. Lewis was born in Harlem and grew up in Brooklyn. He holds a BA in English/Communications from The City College of New York, an MBA from Pace University, and an MA in Secondary Inclusive Educ...

Today's MissionCTRL show is special because it’s not every day that Ramon and the PD Flight Crew host a power business lunch, book launch, and record an episode with the same client/guest, Chris Jarvis. Jarvis is more than a client and guest; he’s Ramon’s high school buddy. Chris joined Ramon and the PD Flight Crew in the MissionCTRL studios to share his story and promote his latest book: *Be...

This week on MissionCTRL, Sarah Taylor joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew to share her unintentional entrepreneurial journey. After nearly a decade working within NYC Foster Care and Child Protective Services, Taylor suffered extreme burnout. Faced with the exorbitant housing costs associated with living in NYC and wanting to continue doing good in the world, Taylor decided to move back to Connect...

Pitch & Pixel, also known as Maggie, PD’s Marketing Associate and George, PD veteran staffer and interactive designer, join Ramon and the PD Flight Crew this week in the MissionCTRL studio for a special Tiny Desk performance. Maggie is PD’s resident triple-threat entertainer, and George is a semi-professional musician with over 40 years of experience as a guitarist. As the PD Flight Crew prepa...

Up next on MissionCTRL with Ramon and the PD Flight Crew is Dr. Marlon Gray, a young, energetic, and passionate social entrepreneur. Dr. Gray is not the kind of doctor you’d call in an emergency to perform an operation, but rather a PhD, one that is serving families and communities within the behavioral healthcare world. Marlon built a successful startup and then sold the business after growing it...

This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew are joined by Nelson Merchan from the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, where he serves as a Business Advisor. Born in Bogota, Colombia, Merchan, like many, migrated to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream. Nelson holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Universidad del Rosario and an MBA in Mark...

Guy A. Fortt joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew in the MissionCTRL Studio to share his adventurous journey into entrepreneurship.  After witnessing a traumatic murder at 18 years old, Fortt made a vow to dedicate his life to serving others. This decision led to a 28-year career as a Firefighter/EMT.  Fortt holds a Bachelor's in Organizational Leadership from the University of Bridgeport and a...

This week on MissionCTRL, Sean Rabinowitz, President of Procyon Partners, joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew in the studio to share his servant leadership journey. Rabinowitz is no stranger to being on air; he started his first broadcasting adventure with "In a Pinch Call Pete Finch." However, broadcasting was not in the cards for Sean.  Rabinowitz grew up in Trumbull, CT, and holds a Ba...

Martha Alejandro-Bird (the original “Marty Bird”) joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew on this episode of MissionCTRL to share her journey from the inner-city pitfalls to becoming a Naval Officer. Alejandro-Bird is now an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Martha began following her gut instincts as a student at Bridgeport’s Bassick High School. The "brain in her gut" led h...

This week on MissionCTRL, Lorraine Gibbons joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew in the studio to share her story. Gibbons is the Executive Director at the Cardinal Shehan Center & McGivney Community Center in Bridgeport. At 14, Lorraine migrated from Jamaica to the United States, like many immigrants, in pursuit of the American Dream. Lorraine is an experienced executive with a demonstrated hist...

Mark Lazarus joins Ramon and the PD Flight Crew this week in the MissionCTRL studios to share his 20-year journey in IT and discuss how IT programs are transforming lives. Lazarus serves as the Program Manager of Information Technology at The Workplace’s Tech Ready Career Training Program . In high school, Mark was an avid athlete, participating in basketball, track, and martial arts. After an inj...

This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight crew sat down with the CEO and founder of Latin Financial, Sonia Alvelo. After graduating high school in Puerto Rico, Alvelo dreamed of living in the United States, a dream her aunt helped turn into reality. Alvelo landed in Bristol, Connecticut, and seized every opportunity afforded to her by attending ESL classes and practicing English through wa...

This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew sit down with Jermaine Brookshire Jr., Esq., an attorney at Wiggin and Dana LLP. Wiggin and Dana is a full-service law firm renowned for its highly talented, creative, and experienced lawyers who are dedicated to exceeding their clients' expectations daily. With offices in Connecticut, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Palm Bea...

Ep. 130 Lessons in Living and Selling with Doug Rawady   This week on MissionCTRL, Doug Rawady, a lifelong veteran sales professional, joined Ramon and the PD Fight Crew to share his personal development journey. Doug started his career in Westchester, New York, working in the family business. At an early age, Rawady learned he had a knack for using his charismatic personality to increase the size...

This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew present an electrifying episode with Paul Brunson, accompanied by plenty of pre-wired electrical puns. Brunson, a licensed electrical contractor in the State of Connecticut, boasts over nine years in the construction industry.  Paul’s interest in becoming an electrician was sparked during a part-time gig, marking a non-traditional entry into t...

On this episode of MissionCTRL, Ramon and the PD Flight Crew sit down with Thaddeus “Tad” Stewart, the managing principal at Integrated Design and Construction. Stewart was born and raised in Bridgeport, CT, and later relocated to Huntington, CT.  As a young man, Thaddeus was athletic, playing three sports; this competitive prowess proved valuable when he transitioned into business. Thaddeus was i...

Ramon and the PD Flight Crew sat down with Oliver Antigua, President of Pinnacle Basketball Group to talk all things sports and leadership in this episode of MissionCTRL. Antigua immigrated from the Dominican Republic to the Bronx with his mother, aunt, and two brothers. Sports played an integral part in Oliver’s childhood development and can be credited with keeping him on the straight and narrow...