OTSS Podcast

Jason Swenk’s story is remarkable. After he built a website for fun, friends began to ask him to build theirs. He then started to make a living constructing websites for businesses. That small venture eventually became a highly successful digital agency with over 100 employees and major clients like Lotus Cars, AT&T, Hitachi and more. That climb from the bottom to the top is fascinating enough, bu...

Jim and Mike Ring are an amazing success story from the heart of America. The youngest of seven kids, the brothers grew up in the small town of Plain, Wisconsin, with a population of just over 600 people. From an early age, the duo was highly interested in cars, tinkering with anything with an engine way before either could legally drive. After graduating from high school and working in constructi...

TLG Auto’s Marco Gerace on “Only The Strong Survive” Air-cooled Porsches have always been a huge part of Marco Gerace’s life. His father founded TLG Auto in 1978, originally a small service shop with a single bay. With a fondness and deep knowledge of Porsches, his dad quickly specialized in working on the German marque. Eventually, TLG Auto morphed into a specialty business restoring vintage Pors...

Jeff O’Neill’s life has always revolved around great wines and ideas. In 1980, he joined the family wine business that his grandfather had initially started. With the winery in bad financial shape before his onboarding, it wasn’t long before the bank took it over. However, Jeff was able to repurchase its assets and continue operations with the help of private equity investors. In 2004, he sold the...

Ami Kassar wears many hats as a columnist for 21 Hats, a former advisor to the White House, the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve, and the author of “The Growth Dilemma.” He is also the founder and CEO of MultiFunding LLC, a consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs find smart and strategic funding to help grow and finance their businesses. Founded to give counsel to businesses on finding...

Julie McQueen’s journey to the head of CarbonTV started behind the camera. Initially, she documented others' outdoor adventures as a camerawoman and producer before transitioning to a show host. All of those roles were natural fits for someone with a strong love for the outdoors and who is a passionate conservation advocate. As her expertise in digital media quickly grew, Julie became the presiden...

Natalie and John Radzwilla of Hook & Barrel Magazine on “Only The Strong Survive” Natalie and John Radzwilla have a fascinating story of entrepreneurship. Initially, the couple owned a boutique public relations firm in the outdoor space. After having difficulty finding any media to connect with their more lifestyle-oriented clients, they decided to become the media. In a time when most were strong...

Tim Parkhurst's love for the U.S. Marine Corps started early in life. After some difficulties in public school, he was enrolled in a private military high school that mirrored the Corps. The experience was life-changing, as Parkhurst knew he wanted to be a Marine from that point forward. Upon graduating, he quickly enlisted and became part of the elite Marine Corps Scout Snipers. He would go on to...

Some entrepreneurs who started their own businesses can envy those who run their families’ companies. After all, many of these multi-generational leaders didn’t have to go through the often painful process of starting a brand from scratch. While that may be true, running a family business comes with a whole other set of unique challenges. And keeping that business going for generations also requir...

Operational excellence and process improvements are significant parts of Mario Iannantuono’s life. After getting an engineering degree, he worked as a process engineer for an OEM. That first role created interest and excitement in the manufacturing process and how to improve it. After leaving the OEM side, Mario switched roles to working for Tier 1 OEM suppliers. Eventually, he became a global man...

Hilary Hutcheson on “Only The Strong Survive”Hilary Hutcheson’s love of the outdoors started early in life as the child of parents who worked for the National Park Service in Glacier National Park. Her “wild” childhood was spent riding bikes all over the park, running rapids, floating down rivers, exploring nature and fishing. After the explosion in the popularity of fly fishing, partly thanks to...

The SHOT Show (an acronym for the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) has come a long way since its first show in 1979, held in St. Louis, Missouri, which had 5,600 attendees. Now, it has become one of the largest firearms shows in the world, regularly attracting over 50,000 people to peruse its 630,000 square feet of exhibit space. It has also branched out beyond solely focusing on firearm...

Cory Burns from Kahn Media on “Only The Strong Survive” Growing up as a car-crazed kid in Southern California, Cory Burns’ life has always revolved around automobiles. That love of cars eventually led Cory to a part-time job working for Joe Molina’s JMPR agency. As one of the era's most dominant automotive PR agencies, it was a natural fit for the young Burns. That two-week gig quickly turned into...

Most of Craig Underwood’s life has revolved around farming in Moorpark, California. As a second-generation farmer, Craig built his career working alongside his father on the family farm before striking out on his own to create Underwood Family Farms and Underwood Ranches. At the center of his journey is one of America’s most beloved condiments: sriracha. For years, Underwood Ranches was the key su...

Dylan Tomine is an avid lover of the outdoors, an author and a fly fisherman. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Tomine learned his love of fishing and appreciation of nature from his father, spending much of his youth in the local rivers and mountains. That love of nature also plays a central role in the two books he has written. “Closer to the Ground” follows a year with his family on Bainbrid...

Mike Good’s path to his current role as president of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) is an interesting one. As the son of a long-time General Motors employee, Good was always around cars. During his teenage years, he started his own car detailing company and raced motocross. After college, Good continued his entrepreneurial journey and founded a medical technology company. He then became a m...

The Stuckey’s brand was familiar to many in the Southeast and Midwest as convenience stores with pecan candies and kitschy souvenirs.  Started by Stephanie Stuckey’s grandfather during the peak of the Great Depression in 1937 as a roadside pecan stand, the business quickly prospered. By the end of the 1960s, Stuckey’s had grown to almost 370 stores spread across 40 states. After it became too big...

CarBahn’s Steve Dinan on “Only The Strong Survive” On this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Steve Dinan discusses his remarkable entrepreneurial journey with Dinan and CarBahn. Like Apple, Dinan started the company that bears his name in a small garage in Cupertino, California. Instead of personal computers, Dinan’s focus was on improving the performance of BMWs. Eventually, Dinan...

Tim Kennedy on “Only The Strong Survive”For many, Tim Kennedy needs little introduction. However, for those unfamiliar with the name, Kennedy is a former UFC fighter, New York Times best-selling author, decorated Green Beret sniper and founder of multiple successful businesses. He also created Save Our Allies, an organization that works to rescue American allies in war-torn environments and aid Am...

BluePrint Engines CEO Norris Marshall on “Only The Strong Survive” BluePrint Engines CEO Norris Marshall is an amazing example of a true American entrepreneurial success story. Born in rural Nebraska, Marshall spent much of his youth working on the farm. However, he began working in a small-town repair shop in his teenage years. It was there that he discovered his love of working on engines. Event...

The Roadster Shop’s Josh Henning, Jeremy Gerber and Phil Gerber on “Only The Strong Survive” Josh Henning, Jeremy Gerber and Phil Gerber are the team behind Roadster Shop and the “Oil & Whiskey” podcast. Now known as one of the premier manufacturers of high-end chassis for hot rods, muscle cars, trucks and customs, the road to the top wasn’t an easy one. Both Jeremy and Phil started working in the...

Todd Taylor is one of the lucky people who have turned their passion into a successful business. After growing up in the Midwest, he eventually moved to Colorado for a new job. To explore the beauty of his new locale and the Rocky Mountains, Taylor wisely bought a Jeep. However, like many newbies, he quickly found himself in over his head and driving in terrain beyond his skillset on a local trail...

Melanie Hellwig White is the CEO of Hellwig Suspension Products. Founded in 1946 by her great-grandfather and grandfather, the duo went door to door selling helper springs to improve the ride and handling of heavily loaded cars. After making a sale, the father-and-son team installed the new springs in the customer’s driveway. From those humble origins, Hellwig Suspension Products has become one of...

Terry L. Karges of the Petersen Automotive Museum on “Only The Strong Survive” On this episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” host Dan Kahn talks with Terry L. Karges. As the executive director of the famed Petersen Automotive Museum, Karges has played a central role in its transformation. Since joining the museum 13 years ago, he has helped quadruple ticket sales and tripled staff size. Going beyo...

Brendan Ballou Discusses Private Equity on “Only The Strong Survive” In the second part of our two-part series on private equity, “Only The Strong Survive” host Dan Kahn talks to Brendan Ballou. The author of “Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America,” Ballou is a federal prosecutor who served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. Before tha...