SLU International Business Now: Conversations That Matter

Join guest host, Aubrey Zobrist as she chats with a panel of IMSTL representatives, including IMSTL Co-founder and Program Directo, Susan Gobo, about the IMSTL mission of connecting international women and their families with St. Louisans, empowering them to thrive in the region. The St. Louis International Mentoring Program started in late 2017 as a pilot with just ten women - five international...

Featuring Cultivo Co-Founder & CEO, Dr. Manuel Piñuela Join host Todd Hovermale and guest Dr. Manuel Piñuela, Co-Founder and CEO of Cultivo in a discussion about the company’s early years, building a team for a resilient future, and staying rooted in nature.  Dr Manuel Piñuela is a nature advocate, technology, health and science entrepreneur, and recipient of multiple awards, including MIT Tec...

Featuring X-Culture Program Founder and Coordinator, Dr. Vas Taras Join host Chris Carril and guest Dr. Vas Taras, founder and coordinator of the X-Culture Project, as they discuss the X-Culture and its mission.  X-Culture is a large-scale international experiential learning project that involves over 6,500 MBA and business students from 150 universities from 70 countries on six continents every s...

Featuring Sensient’s President, Steve Morris Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Steve Morris, President of Sensient Flavors and Extracts, as they discuss adapting to mega trends in flavors, meeting global challenges head on, and what is driving growth at the company.  Steve Morris joined Sensient’s Color Group in June 2007 and served as Sales Director of Food Colors US. He served as General Man...

Join host Nick Coffman and guest Jamey Stegmaier as they discuss tariffs on China, their effects on board game publishers, and how the industry is approaching a future full of uncertainties.  Jamey Stegmaier (he/him) is the co-founder, lead designer, and president at Stonemaier Games (St. Louis, Missouri). He also handles development, marketing, content creation, project management, and direct-to-...

Join guest host Chris Carril with guests Matt Blakely and Dr. Jeff Heaton as they discuss RGA’s sustainability efforts, responsibility to its community and stakeholders, and leveraging AI to help in those efforts.  Matt Blakely leads RGA’s global philanthropic, volunteerism, and sustainability reporting efforts. Since joining RGA in 2020, Matt and his team have developed and executed enterprise st...

This month's episode is a reissue of a previous episode from April 2022.  International Business Disruptions:  Leading During Chaotic Times with  A.C. Marchionne The international business landscape has been disrupted by COVID-19 for nearly 2 years, and now a war in Europe is creating chaos.  Join host Todd Hovermale, Advisory Board Member in the Boeing Institute of Business, as he discusses...

Join guest host Lin Hemings with guest Rich Puskarich, Workplace Production Vice President, Digital at International Flavors & Fragrances as they discuss what caramel macchiato, Chanel #5, and LLMs like ChatGPT all have in common at IFF.

Join guest host Matthew Wilcox with guest Peter Smith, former VP of Global Franchising at Enterprise Mobility, and Dr. Mamoun Benmamoun, Saint Louis University, IB professor, as they discuss international franchising and the many challenges of business abroad. Peter Smith oversaw Enterprise Mobility’s worldwide franchise operations and expansion efforts up until his retirement in 2024. Dr. Mamoun...

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Elzandi Oosthuizen, Senior VP and Head of Corn Product Team at Bayer as they discuss Elzandi’s path to Bayer and keeping the world’s farmers connected in an everchanging field.    This conversation is an excerpt from the 2024 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 4, 2024, at Saint Louis University. Elzandi Oosthuizen is part of the...

In celebration of the 2024 Bayer International Business Converence, we revisit the Fireside Keynote Chat from our 2023 edition of the conference. A conversation with Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation, on facing adversity and staying resilient in times of global disruptions. Stay tuned for the 2024 Fireside Chat, out January 14, 2025. Original Shownotes follow: Fo...

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Jeremy Williams Ph. D., Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming, and Commercial Ecosystems at Bayer, as they discuss how Climate LLC is working toward its mission of optimizing yields, maximizing efficiency, and reducing risks for farmers through innovative technologies and data-driven decision-making. Dr. Jeremy Williams serves as Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farm...

Join host Chris Carril and guest Wendy Ritz Ph. D., AIB-SE Conference Chair, and Dr. Brittney Bauer, Ph. D., AIB-SE Marketing Chair, as they discuss planning the annual AIB-SE conference, the history of X-Culture, and defining a successful international business conference. Chris Carril is the Vice President-Tax Planning and Treasury Management for Maritz Holdings in Fenton, MO.  His responsibilit...

featuring Greg Gorman  Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Greg Gorman, Chief Growth Officer with Nidec Motor Corporation, as they discuss Nidec’s focus on organic growth, adapting to the everchanging world of motor application products, and balancing organic and inorganic growth. Greg Gorman is the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) of Nidec’s Motion & Energy Platform. In his role, Greg has overall...

This episode is a reissue from February 2023.  Join host, Todd Hovermale as he leads a discussion with Dr. Patricia Wolff and Chris Greene from Meds & Foods for Kids, a nonprofit organization based in Haiti. This episode dives into the background and operations of this inspirational and important organization. To learn more or to donate to MFK, please visit https://www.mfkhaiti.org/.     Patri...

This episode is a reissue from October 2021. As businesses worldwide increasingly focus on reducing their own environmental impact, it is important to examine how industries are evolving to embrace more sustainable practices. In episode 4 of SLU International Business Now, guest host Dr. Jennifer Mackey sits down with Carol O'Neill, Group President of Packaging for Barry-Wehmiller, to discuss...

Introduction by Todd Hovermale Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Chad Merryman, Chief Commercial Officer with Watlow as they discuss the recent growth of the thermal product manufacturer.  Approaching 19 years with Watlow, Chief Commercial Officer, Chad Merryman has a proven track record in driving revenue growth through exceptional strategy development and clarity, channel execution with mast...

Foreword by Todd Hovermale Introduction of Arnold by John Lyday Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation as they discuss the challenges Arnold faced as CEO and his path to the position. This conversation is an excerpt from the 2023 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 6, 2023, at Saint Louis University....

In October, Enterprise Holdings announced a name change to Enterprise Mobility to honor their business’ 65-year history and mark the beginning of the next chapter. This episode is a reissue from December 2021.  Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Peter Smith, VP of Global Franchising at Enterprise Holdings, as they dive into the strategy and decision processes used by Enterprise as it expanded fro...

featuring Dr. Paul Beamish Join host Todd Hovermale and guest Dr. Paul Beamish, Professor of International Business at the Ivey Business School and founder of the 39 Country Initiative, as they discuss the case study accessibility, getting the 39 Country Initiative started, and its needs moving forward.  Paul Beamish is Professor of International Business at the Ivey Business School, Western Unive...

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line, as they discuss how Carnival overcame the challenges of the Covid pandemic and the creation of opportunities to propel the company safely into the future.  This conversation is an excerpt from the 2021 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 7, 2021 at Saint Louis University. Christi...

Join host Gene Cunningham for a special roundtable conversation with Eric Doherty, Dr. Ted Conklin, and Dr. Joseph Colorafi about PERSOWN’s mission to transform global health and health data access.   Eric is the President of PERSOWN. Eric has nearly 30 years of healthcare-related executive leadership experience in starting and reorganizing businesses in the areas of medical devices, pharmaceutica...

Join host Todd Hovermale for a special conversation with Thad Simons to  hear how The Yield Lab is investing in and accelerating high-impact early-stage companies in agrifood systems, around the world. Thad is the Managing Director and founder of The Yield Lab. Founded in  2014, The Yield Lab brings together new innovative technologies focused on  improving productivity, enhancing knowledge, erodi...

Featuring Ahmed Al Lawendy  Franchising can help a business successfully enter new markets by leveraging the market knowledge, and expertise of the franchise partners.  At the same time, compatibility is seen as an important characteristic for long term franchise success.  Join host Gene Cunningham for a special conversation with Ahmed Al Lawendy to hear how Al Jomaih Holdings of Saudi Arabia and...

Join Boeing Institute of International Business Advisory Board member Todd Hovermale as he leads a discussion with Dr. Patricia Wolff and Chris Greene from Meds & Foods for Kids, a nonprofit organization based in Haiti. This episode dives into the background and operations of this inspirational and important organization. To learn more or to donate to MFK, please visit https://www.mfkhaiti.org...