The Frontline Industry Podcast

Joel has an impactful conversation with Troy Morrison, President of North Texas Bells, a 2200 employee quick service restaurant company based in Texas, a big company with a small company feel. Troy shares about his move to franchise owner at 47 years old, his passion for helping people help themselves, the importance of a purpose driven life and what his purpose is, the two principles on which he...

Joel has a vulnerable discussion with Gary Magenta, Chief Pot Stirrer at The Magenta Mix, where Gary helps leaders and organizations "cut through the BS", get real, and redefine what success looks like for leaders, teams, and customers. Gary talks about  why leaders should talk what they suck at with their teams, how to build trust quickly, the epidemic of imposter syndrome in leadership...

Joel talks with the innovative Jason Radisson, Founder and CEO of Shift One, a company on a mission to solve the world's largest employment gaps with technology. Jason talks about major demographic macro trends in frontline workplaces, how AI plays into the future of frontline work and tech, his experience with hiring 5000 people a week, his lifelong mission and why he just won’t quit, and mu...

Joel sits down with McLain Hoogland, President of Hoogland Restaurant Group, the largest Marco’s Pizza Franchise in the country. McLain talks about his family history of owning the iconic Family Video, the massive Blockbuster competitor with over 800 locations in the Midwest at its peak, how being a Marine impacts the way he views young employees and how capable they are, the importance of getting...

In this meaty episode, meet James O’Reilly, CEO of Smokey Bones, meat heaven for meat lovers, the masters of meat, specializing in good food, good drinks, and good times. James expounds about the restaurant industry leaders he looks up to, the importance of transparency during crisis, the qualities he looks for in employees, the failure he learned from the most earlier in his career, the best comp...

The unforgettable Justin Patton is an award winning author, speaker, and executive coach. In this powerful episode, he explains what can be your biggest competitive advantage as a leader, what the most honest part of the body is (and it's surprising), how to diagnose if you need an executive coach, why so many jerks become company leaders, the best sort of company recognition plans, the power...

Joel has a delightful conversation with the charming Bobbi Capps, Regional Vice President of the West Region of Aramark Workplace Hospitality. Bobbi talks about the important three C’s in her world, what she’s learned about leadership through working in management roles since she was 17, opening her own restaurant, her rapid ascension at Aramark and what successes she’s known for, her big career g...

In our inaugural episode for 2023, Joel chats with Said Elkhodary, SVP of Professional Dining at Elior North America, one of the world’s leading operators in contract catering and support services. Said reveals the pivot he made from mechanical engineering to the service industry at the beginning of his career, he reflects on the biggest challenges in corporate dining now, the generational differe...

Joel wraps up the 2022 podcast season with a meaningful conversation with Barb Rooney, SVP of Lodging, Spa and Owner Services at Boyne Resorts. Barb talks about running Big Sky Resort lodging at just 24 years old and the painful but important learnings she experienced, how her change-agent personality has evolved over the years, the important transition Boyne made to focusing on servant leadership...

Joel continues his talk with Davin Salvagno, the globally recognized inspirational speaker and author known for connecting purpose, people, and performance. Learn about the “ROI” of focusing on purpose in your company, but how it’s also not the most important reason to pursue it, fulfilling dreams as the number one KPI at a multi-billion dollar company, the decision you can make each day that chan...

Joel has a deep and meaningful conversation with Davin Salvagno, the globally recognized inspirational speaker and author known for connecting purpose, people, and performance. We hear a lot about “purpose”, but what does purpose really mean? Davin reveals the answer, and the businesses and leaders who are living out purpose well like WD-40 and Costco, how to self-diagnose if you AREN’T leading we...

On our first two-guest episode, Joel has a candid chat with Josh Sevick, President of The Grounds Guys, and John Dobelbower, Director of Franchise Development at The Grounds Guys, a Neighborly company. Hear about the hard life lesson that changed John’s career path, the Code of Values that guides their company culture and is reviewed daily by their frontline teams, who is the most important role i...

Joel has a wonderful conversation with the iconic and inspiring Jennifer Lemcke, CEO of Weed Man, an international network of locally owned and operated lawn care businesses across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Jennifer talks about the family story of Weed Man, her powerful life purpose, the importance of active listening as a leader, how to build a great brand, the value of be...

Joel sits down for a transformational discussion with Jeff Oddo, owner and CEO of City Wide Facility Solutions, providing over 20 facility solutions, from handyman services to janitorial to parking lot repairs. Jeff shares the divine intervention of Mr. Cho, who inspired their pivot to the franchise model, leading his household how he leads his business, his advice to his younger self, how to chas...

Joel has a deep discussion with Jackie Ishimaru Gachina, owner of Gachina Landscape Management, one of the most awarded landscape companies in the Bay Area. Jackie shares the incredible challenge of taking over the business when her husband passed, creating a strong culture and winning mentality at the frontlines tied to tangible reward, what she’s most passionate about now, and much more. 

Joel has an incredibly engaging talk with Mary Miller, author, speaker, and CEO of JANCOA, a commercial cleaning company run by her, her husband, and soon the next generation. Through efforts to create an environment to attract the best in the industry, they created The Dream Manager program, popularized by Matthew Kelly's bestselling book by the same title. To date, this has been the most li...

This week Joel sits down with Jarrett Walters, President and COO  of Hawaiian Building Maintenance, to hear him talk about how basketball created authentic relationships with his employees, how he builds company culture across islands and locations, the way bolstering middle management transformed his business, what motivates him, and much more.

Joel sits down with the delightful Heidi Buske, Transformation Leader at Cargill, the largest privately owned company in the US. Heidi discusses why she loves manufacturing, ho w to create a “winning culture and community” in your company, how losing her best friend at work showed her the power of work relationships, the negative feedback she received early in her career that shaped her forever, a...

Joel chats with Jeff Engel, CEO of Location Tech Inc, a software platform providing precise locations 3-dimensionally inside and around buildings to track people, processes, devices, and equipment. Jeff talks of his Navy Seal days and the lessons learned, some stories never before told in the civilian world, he shares his driven approach to life, his passion for identifying and partnering with ove...

Dennis Jenkins joins the show to lay out his motivations and priorities as a man, a leader, and a business owner. Dennis is President of ABC Home and Commercial Services of DFW, providing high-quality, effective pest control services in Texas since 1949. Dennis shares who he is outside of work, how ABC’s unparalleled sense of purpose has led to deep missional investments in their communities, thei...

On this vulnerable and raw episode, Joel speaks to Edie Freeman, SVP of HR at Thompson Hospitality, the large minority-owned and family-run company that is redefining the art of hospitality. Edie shares her passions outside of work, her deep desire to help people be heard and develop them, her pursuit of boundaries and balance at home and at work, the importance of being vulnerable, and much more.

Joel continues his discussion with Patty Lopez-Calleja, Chief Experience Officer and SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Fiesta Restaurant Group. Patty shares the one thing she wants her in-store teams to know, their unique investment in frontline leadership development, creating a highly customizable employee experience, more about their forward-thinking frontline benefits, and much more.

In this exciting two-part episode, Joel talks with Patty Lopez-Calleja, Chief Experience Officer and SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Fiesta Restaurant Group, parent company of Pollo Tropical, the 138 location restaurant chain headquartered in Miami. Patty discusses creating an actual people-first culture, she reveals the secret and quiet ways they invest in their people and communities, “giving em...

On this fiery episode, Joel speaks with the energetic Shannon Coomes, President of Hill Fire Protection, the leading provider of inspection, testing, maintenance, repairs and 24 hour emergency service for fire sprinkler systems. Shannon ruminates about how being raised by a single mom impacted her personally and professionally, the challenge of rebuilding a team when she took her job, being one of...

Joel sits down with Josh Bickford, EVP of Strategic Initiatives and 4th generation owner of Clyde’s Donuts, a 102 year old donut manufacturer in Chicago-land. Josh talks about the family legacy and fun culture of Clyde’s, creatively involving the frontlines in ideation, how he wants to be an enabler for frontline employees, the joy of making a product that brings families together, and so much mor...