The Toolkit

Justin Fortier interviews retired Marine Colonel Alex Vohr about his book, Speed Kills, which analyzes John Boyd’s OODA loop and its influence on Marine Corps maneuver warfare and business. Vohr explains learning the model during the 1980s doctrinal shift under General Al Gray, why he treats OODA as a theoretical framework rather than a checklist, and how organizations can improve observation, ori...

"The American Invasion" (1901) By Sir Christopher Furness An unabridged audiobook production of the short book written by shipping tycoon Sir Christopher Furness. This book captures the anxiety of early 20th-century Britain as it faced the rising economic power of the United States. Furness provides a firsthand account of the American industrial giant's rapid expansion, technological...

Join host Justin Fortier as he interviews Patrick Mehr, the publisher at Plunkett Lake Press, who has digitally transformed rare and old books into accessible eBooks. In this episode, Patrick discusses his transition from a management consultant to a digital publisher, the meticulous process of digitizing books, the challenges of securing electronic rights, and the satisfaction of making valuable...

Buying a company is one of the most expensive purchases possible. Investment bankers facilitate the buying and selling of companies and related financing. This episode focuses on the process of advising companies and investment firms to help the buying go smoothly. Doug Lovette is the founder and Managing Director of Third Coast Capital Advisors, a firm that helps private equity groups and compani...

This episode is all about who actually owns music and how they get paid. I sit down with one of the largest investors in music royalties to understand how it all works. Josh Gruss is the Chairman, CEO and founder of Round Hill Music. Prior to founding Round Hill Music, Josh Gruss was previously a partner at Gruss & Co., a private investment firm based in New York City. He also worked in invest...

Edward Peter Stringham is the Davis Professor of Economic Organizations and Innovation at Trinity College. He has extensively studied self-regulation and enforcement among private groups or individuals that fill a void that government enforcement cannot. In this episode, we explore the history of stock exchanges and the consequences of regulation through the lens of the burgeoning crypto ecos...

Cortec Group Co-President Dave Schnadig joined to discuss what he's learned from running an operationally intensive Private Equity firm. At Cortec he has nurtured the development of companies like Chauvet, Groundworks, and YETI where they turned a $67 million investment into $3.3 billion during Dave's 7-year term as Chairman. They are now investing out of their 7th fund, which is $2.1B. In this ep...

House music DJ & producer Carlos Cid (known as CID), joined me to talk about sustaining a career in music, starting his new label, and the steps required to be able to perform music in front of crowds around the world. CID is an incredible producer who has put out songs with Kaskade, Don Diablo, Loud Luxury and official remixes for Diplo, Lizzo an Ellie Goulding. He has over 100 million plays...

Richard Mejia Jr. became a partner the the accounting firm EY in 1983. A new opening at the San Diego office in 1988 catalyzed his transition into working primarily in Life Sciences and Technology. From 2001 to 2008 he headed up the entire Pacific Southwest Life Sciences Practice. Under his leadership, the San Diego office grew from a single partner to a well-structured practice with ~$14 million...

Jared Freid is a NYC Comedian. His comedy is current and reflects the ordinary daily thoughts of millennials and beyond. He’s a regular at the Comedy Cellar, Caroline’s on Broadway, Gotham, Stand Up New York and Comix at Mohegan Sun. He performed at the 2017 “New Faces” showcase at the 35th annual Just For Laughs festival in Montréal. He is a co-host of the "U-up" podcast and host of his o...

Since the Coronavirus has created immense challenges across the global supply chain, I wanted to discuss the tools government and industry have to address threats. In Episode #2, Col. Alex Vohr USMC, (Ret.) brings 30+ years of logistics experience across the Marines, Florida East Coast Railway and New Fortress Energy. In his former role as Director for Logistics -J4, he was responsible for directi...

Robb McDaniels is a media and technology  entrepreneur ,  investor  and current CEO of  Beatport . Beatport is an online record store, founded in 2004 as the principal source of music for DJs. In an era dominated by streaming, Beatport has grown its download sales over the last few years. Robb began his career in finance after graduating from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He then spent four yea...