Mission CTRL

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host A.V. Perkins , media personality and Co-Founder & CMO of University of Dope . Perkins shares the story of how she, alongside her college friend, came to create an award-winning game for hip hop lovers, covered in Forbes, NBC, Essence, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. Along with the story of bringing the product to life and how to play the p...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host Michael (Mikey) Cotela, the After School Coordinator at Derby Public Schools. Mikey shares his journey of how working with kids has always been his passion from the beginning. The PD flight crew and Mikey discuss the nonlinear path that his career took from working at the Boys & Girls club to owning a deli, then becoming a private ch...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host Nicole Stere, Director of Resource Development at The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Nicole shares the journey of how she arrived at her current position directing the BGC's community efforts. She works to advocate for the kids who rely on the club and has gained support for their life-changing programs. Be sure to...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host Abdul Muhammad, Executive Director and founder of the multidimensional social service agency, My People Clinical Services. While diving into his entrepreneurial efforts and overcoming adversity, Muhammad discusses with the PD flight crew how he came to build a business that provides support for fatherhood, manhood and dream chasing. Be s...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host Tori Brown, Executive and Celebrity Shef (Yes, that’s chef with an s, for SHEf!) and founder of Breakfast Belle. Shef Brown joins the PD flight crew to tell her story about how she came to make the big decision of stopping her catering business and making the full-time switch to growing her food product line ‘Breakfast Belle’. Be sure to...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host Aaron Moynihan, owner of The Perfect Mix Recording Studio and adjunct professor in music production at Middlesex Community College and The University of New Haven. Joining the PD Flight Crew for the first time, Aaron shares his story on how he started in music production. Through finding mentorship as he came into the industry, Aaron tal...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, and Kevin hang out with the Cordido Brothers, Andres and Alejandro who share their story of what inspired them to launch and expand their growing Venezuelan arepa empire with locations in New Haven and Shelton, CT. Their story of being first generation college kids who ultimately quit their day jobs to launch their own restaurant chain is funny, inspiring an...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin host Rob Thomas, author of “Who Do You Need to Meet”, Founder of Networking in Diners and Creator of the Rob Thomas Method of Networking. Rob joins the PD Flight Crew at MissionCTRL for a 2nd time to share how he pivoted during the pandemic and came back stronger, expanding his networking consulting empire across continents in his latest rebr...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon, Jorge and Kevin are visited by Robert Warren, a bright, young man who just graduated high school but is already running his own SMS marketing agency called Blue Cyclone Media. Ramon met Robert Warren at a local business pitch competition as was impressed by this aspiring tech entrepreneur. After some jovial banter between the PD Flight Crew, listen in as Rob...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Joe Treacy, a returning guest and the founder of Treacyfaces. Joe Treacy has created groundbreaking Treacyfaces TF font families like TFForever, TFTrantino, TFHabitat, and TFAvian. In this episode, Joe explains the process of creating a font family, and how his fine arts and graphic design background helps him design typefaces. Tune in for this i...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Chad Betz, an executive coach, speaker, and the published author of “Late Bloomer” and most recently, ”The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese”. He has devoted himself to helping people and organizations achieve success through building relationships, improving processes, coaching teams, and driving production. Chad shares his journey from growing up in...

In this special episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Eric Hardy, w3r’s President, CEO, and co-founder, and Carolyn Ball, w3r’s Vice President of Strategy & Client Solutions. w3r Consulting is an award-winning, IT consulting and management company that delivers enterprise solutions at the intersection of innovation and ingenuity. Together Eric and Carolyn walk us through the story of how w3r...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Simone Morris, an amazing transformative leader and a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the field of Diversity and Inclusion! She’s the CEO of Simone Morris Enterprises, a professional services firm that provides career expertise and inclusive leadership consulting to empower others to take control of their careers. Morris is a fellow podcast host,...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Lee Cantelon, a global citizen, talented photographer, and fellow creative. However what is most remarkable about Lee is his dedication to helping the less fortunate. Cantelon’s mission has tied into his role at Microboard where he is in charge of Special Projects. This outstanding company, located here in the Valley, has been involved in aid pro...

In this special episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by PD flight crew members Jorge, Amanda, and Francisco! The team came together to discuss the newest installment of the Batman saga, “The Batman” directed by Matt Reeves. The film stars Robert Pattinson in the dual role of reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, and his alter ego the Batman, Gotham City’s vigilante detective. “The Batman” has bee...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Dr. Dwayne Smith, the CEO of Housatonic Community College. Dr. Smith is a fellow Alpha Brother who is held in high esteem across the country for his roles in education, servant-leadership, and transformational leadership. He is the immediate past interim president of Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, and in a short time is already makin...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Elena Cahill, the new Vice President of Innovation, Strategy, and Advancement at the University of Bridgeport. Elena is a highly sought after entrepreneur, speaker and author who continues to oversee the University of Bridgeport’s Bauer Hall Innovation Center, leads UB’s government and external affairs programs, and serves as the contact for city...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, the President of The Productivity Institute. Don is a legend in the world of productivity and time management, and his proven methods are known to increase productivity rates by 25%. He has led more than 2,000 presentations for over 100,000 people all over the globe, and has even been to Dubai several times as a professiona...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by long-time friend Matt McGuire, who is an account executive at MNI Targeted Media Inc. where customer-centric, brand agnostic campaigns start. Matt is a big sports fan, a husband, a great dad, and a lover of all things media-related. He discusses what it’s like working at an agency like MNI, what Targeted Media is, and how it can help business own...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by Olivier Kpognon, the founder of O & Co. Media Group, a full-service photography, film, and design studio launched in 2003. He’s one of PD’s strategic partners and is known in these creative streets as a self-described international lifestyle "documenteur”, a world traveler, and a jetsetter. Olivier or “O” as many call him is a master with the len...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined once again by Bryan Tamburrino, the Founder of Tangible Analytics.  Listen in as Bryan describes how his business found an entirely new vertical due to Covid that has now since become a main focus of his business.  Communicating value is getting increasingly more important as businesses struggle to differentiate themselves when the proof is all in t...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by a very special guest, the Founder and Director of Technique Tigers Baseball Academy… Manny Torres. He’s a PD client and a former professional baseball player - The Texas Rangers selected him in the 28th round of the 1995 Amateur Baseball Draft but he chose to attend the University of Alabama on a baseball scholarship and he played in the 1996, 19...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by a Dominican Republic-born, New York City-raised mother of two who set out to start her own company with almost a decade of bookkeeping management behind her. She focuses on small businesses because she strongly believes in serving her local community and beyond. Businesswoman Karla G. Checo, founded KGC Consulting in 2020 and is quickly becoming...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by a very special guest,  he’s a fellow Networking in Diners member, one of PD’s strategic partners. He’s an entrepreneur, small business owner and a master with the lens - he’s a video storyteller, an auto enthusiast… he loves cars and we share a passion for speed. In this candid and inspiring video, David walks us through what drives him as a busi...

In this episode of Mission CTRL, Ramon is joined by a very special guest,  he’s a long time PD client and supporter, he’s a published author, an entrepreneur, a former break-dancer (yes, he’s old school Hip-Hop!) a passionate educator, a fellow podcaster, and most importantly, he helps people discover their multi-potentiality… As a personal coach for life and business, Tom inspires and is a positi...