The Market That Moves America

In this episode, we welcome Robert Shenton, Executive Director of the CEO Forum at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Robert shares his vision for fostering leadership and growth in Ohio's middle market. Discover how peer-to-peer networks,  unique insights from the NCMM, and strategic business experiences are fostering growth, innovation, and advocacy within Ohio's vibrant middle market sector. Le...

Join us as we dive into the world of fintech solutions and digital payments for middle market companies. In this episode, we sit down with Jay Darnell, Senior Vice President of Fintech Partnerships at Veritex Community Bank, and Leigh Radtke, Vice President of North America Product at Visa Commercial Solutions, to explore the latest trends and innovations in the payment space. Jay and Leigh discus...

Joining us for today’s episode is Mike Knemeyer, a professor at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and Academic Director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at Ohio State. We unveil key findings from our latest research report that highlight the financial advantages, challenges, and strategies for navigating the complexities of global markets w...

Join us for this special episode with Anil K. Makhija, the dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and the first academic director in the National Center for the Middle Market's history. Anil, who will return to Fisher’s faculty in June after a decade as dean, shares his unique insights into the genesis, growth and triumphs of the NCMM,...

In this episode, we sit down with Sharon Heaton, the founder and CEO of sbLiftOff, a national M&A advisory firm located in Northern Virginia. Sharon shares her journey from seasoned attorney to founder of her own advisory firm specializing in the middle market. Tune in to gain valuable insights into the world of M&A and learn how empathy can be a game-changer in negotiations, ensuring succ...

Listen in as Terry Hill, Co-Head of Emerging Middle Market for JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking, and Charisse Conanan Johnson, Co-CEO of Next Street, dive into the unique challenges and opportunities within diverse-owned middle market businesses. Our guests share their expertise and experiences to help uncover the nuances of this vital sector with a discussion about the knowledge gap, capital cha...

Welcome to our special Year-End Middle Market Indicator episode, where we dive deep into the end-of-year 2023 insights of the U.S. middle market, brought to you by NCMM Managing Director, Doug Farren. Throughout 2023, U.S. middle market companies shattered records, boasting double-digit year-over-year growth in both revenues and employment. The year concluded with unprecedented achievements, inclu...

Join us for an engaging conversation with Steve Weber, founder of PaperTrl, a groundbreaking AP automation product. Explore the imperative for automation in addressing key benefits to help mid-size companies from labor shortages and efficiencies to fraud and phishing attacks, and the securing of digital payment methods. At the intersection of technology and finance, this episode offers a comprehen...

In part 2 of our insightful discussion, we continue our conversation on intellectual property with Bryan Wheelock and Joe Walsh from Harness IP. Join us as we explore fascinating case studies, learning from both the successes and challenges faced by businesses in safeguarding their identities. From the nuances of trademark usage to the pitfalls of overlooking comprehensive searches, we uncover the...

Did you know you can't trademark your copyright, but you can protect your brands and innovations with intellectual property rights?                                             &nbs...

Today, we're delving into one of the most crucial sectors of the middle market—manufacturing. Our guest, Mike Williams, Industry Practice Leader for Manufacturing at Chubb, offers valuable insights into the latest industry trends. Prepare for a dynamic conversation that unpacks the opportunities, challenges, and risks confronting businesses in this ever-evolving industry. Chubb is the world’s larg...

Join us as we learn from a middle-market business owner and hear the story of building a mid-size organization from his basement in 1991 to today as the largest supplier of outsourced claims. CIS Group is a proud member of NCMM. Michael Stanley, the founder of CIS Group, talks with Doug Farren on his perspective of owning a mid-size company on this episode of The Market That Moves America. CIS Gro...

Doug Farren, Managing Director of the National Center for the Middle Market provides an in-depth analysis of our most recent research findings on the US Middle Market. Revenue, employment, economic confidence, expansion, capital investment, Gen AI use, and more are all discussed in this episode of The Market That Moves America. The Middle Market Indicator surveys 1,000 CEOs, CFOs, and other C-suit...

In this episode, we sit down with John Drake, President of Drake Cooper and discuss advertising and brand recognition for middle market companies. Drake shares his insight on how to make your brand memorable, how marketing can improve your ROI, the natural advertising advantage mid-size companies have, and how to utilize it.  Drake Cooper, founded in 1978 is an employee-owned advertising agen...

On this episode of The Market That Moves America, Doug Farren talks with Darren Mowry and Laney Marx of Google Cloud about how middle market businesses can leverage cloud usage to drive growth. Darren and Laney share their expertise on ways that middle market businesses can be strategic as they look to integrate.  Google Cloud accelerates every organization's ability to digitally transform it...

As one of the world’s largest financial services companies, VISA helps middle market companies manage their own digital transformation in the payments space through collaborations with partners in fintech. Leigh Radtke, Vice President of North America Product at Visa Business Solutions, discusses ways middle market businesses can capitalize on digital solutions to maximize their business performan...

As the world becomes increasingly digitized, businesses are looking for ways to streamline their operations and improve customer experience. In this episode, we sit down with Max Eliscu, Founder of Viewpost, and discuss the benefits of moving away from physical checks to adopting electronic payment methods. Max shares his insights on the future of commercial payments and how middle market business...

Middle market companies continue to express concern about customer engagement and relationships as well as their own talent management capabilities and culture. What should middle market leaders be doing to adjust these issues and how has technology and digitizing the customer-employee experience enhanced the success of a real estate company located in the outer banks? Listen as NCMM's managing di...

As we start to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, middle market companies continue to express concern about customer engagement and relationships, as well as their own talent management capabilities and culture. How do middle market companies create and position their own brand effectively to both attract and retain customers as well as employees? Come find out in our discussion with...

Buying or Selling a Business might seem like an easily repeatable process for those with lots of resources and capabilities, but how do companies plan to operationalize and execute these deals in order to maximize value? Listen to our discussion with Dietrich Partners' founder and executive chair, Celia Dietrich, to learn more!

How does a successful middle market CEO think about culture and the use of digital technologies to drive growth? The National Center for the Middle Market sat down with PDC Machines CEO, Kareem Afzal, to find out.

How do companies in the lower middle market with $10 - $50 million in annual revenue need to respond when buying or selling a business? Elliott Holland, Managing Director at Guardian Due Diligence, sits down with the National Center for the Middle Market to share his expertise on both sides of deals in the middle market.  

Reflecting on 2020 and looking at the year ahead - is the worst behind us? Hear what leading economist Dan North of Euler Hermes has to say on this episode of The Market That Moves America.

Leaning on her deep understanding of companies in transition, Jennifer Fondrevay joins Doug Farren and the National Center for the Middle Market to share what business leaders have done to lead their organizations through the the uncertainty of 2020 and how these lessons can help others grow.

Now more than six months into the pandemic, NCMM welcomes AchieveNext CEO, Nick Araco, to share what he's seeing from CEOs and CHROs and how they're planning to lead their companies forward into 3Q 2020 and beyond, plus what those with a strong "immune system" in managing through the pandemic have in common.