WC Podcast

Denette Suddeth, the Regional President and head of Commercial Banking for PNC Bank joins the show today. Having moved from Southern California as a child, Denette attended local K-12 schools. She shares her journey, starting her career at UNLV while working for Nevada Title Company, and gives us a glimpse into her typical workday. Denette discusses the strategies PNC Bank uses to drive business g...

Vincent Saavedra, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades and a Workforce Connections’ Program Committee member, joins the show. Born and raised in Fontana, California, Vince comes from a hard-working blue-collar family. After moving to Las Vegas, he joined the Iron Workers Union Local 416. Vince discusses the 19 construction unions that are part of the Southern Nevada...

Former US Congresswoman Shelley Berkley joins the show today.  Born in New York, Shelley moved to California at 12, but once her family stopped in Las Vegas, she knew she had found her home. She attended John C. Fremont School and was part of the first graduating class at Valley High School. Shelley then went to UNLV, where she was even the school mascot! Shelley's passion for public service...

Joining the show, Tom Andrulis, the founder of Intelligent Technical Solutions (ITS) and a Las Vegas native, discusses the city's remarkable growth. His entrepreneurial journey began at 16 when he started working in food service. Over time, he transitioned through various jobs, eventually finding his way into the technology sector as a game tester, which ultimately inspired him to establish h...

Gourav Pani, President of US Independents at GoDaddy, joins the show to discuss his role overseeing the division dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship among small teams of 10 or fewer employees. He reflects on his diverse background, from growing up in India to studying in Singapore and Indiana, and now residing in Seattle. Gourav underscores the significance of the Microbusiness Summit in Las...

Joining the show is Ivan Ferraz, Senior Vice President of the Southwest division at Wells Fargo, who recently shared his remarkable journey from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to the United States on the show. After graduating college, he faced challenges while adjusting to life in the U.S., working various jobs to make ends meet. He pursued further education at Cal State Los Angeles, earning degrees in e...

Joining us today is Kim Dung Ho, the founder and owner of Kim Photography, LLC. Kim takes us through her remarkable journey, from her childhood in Vietnam to her unexpected transition from a pharmacist at Roche Pharmaceuticals to pursuing an MBA at Cal State San Bernardino, ultimately leading to the establishment of Kim Photography, LLC. She candidly discusses how her initial hobby of photography...

Joining the show today is Evelyn Garcia Morales, a remarkable individual serving as the Executive Director of the Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas, President of the Clark County School District Board of Trustees, and Member of the Workforce Connections’ Program Committee. Evelyn reflects on her upbringing in Los Angeles, California, alongside her two older siblings. Her parents, immigrants from Jalisco,...

Tyler Corder, Chief Financial Officer for Findlay Automotive Group, joins the show today to talk about his roots in a rural part of Central Montana, growing up on a wheat farm, and his time at Montana State University where he earned his business degree.  His career kicked off at General Motors Acceptance Corporations (GMAC), where he started by collecting past-due car payments. Tyler's dedic...

Jill Rowland-Lagan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Boulder City Chamber, joins the show today to talk about growing up in Boulder City, venturing off to college to earn a degree in court reporting, bringing her back to Boulder City as an entrepreneur.  She talks about her passion for entrepreneurship and how Boulder City supports small businesses despite the pandemic. Jill highlights the uni...

Betsy Fretwell, the founder of C4ward Strategies and the newly appointed chair of the Vegas Chamber Board of Trustees, joins the show to talk about her upbringing in South Carolina and her academic journey at the University of Georgia, where she earned her graduate degree in Public Administration before finding her way to Las Vegas. She discusses her significant roles with the City of Las Vegas an...

 Richard Derrick, City Manager of the City of Henderson, joins the show today to share his hometown pride and insights into leading Henderson through the pandemic. A UNLV accounting graduate, he worked in the casino industry and the school district before joining the City of Henderson for the last 25 years dedicated to public service.  He reflects on navigating economic challenges during COVID-19...

Dr. Joe Hardy, Mayor of Boulder City, joins the show today to share his extraordinary journey starting with his upbringing in Reno, Nevada. He talks about being a construction foreman at age 13 while living in Utah. He will share his collegiate journey from BYU in Utah where he met his wife of 51 years, to the University of Reno (UNR), and finally to Washington University where he earned his PhD,...

Kumud Acharya, President of the Desert Research Institute (DRI), joins us for an insightful conversation today. Born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, his journey began with an inspiring educational pursuit. After earning his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering in India, he sought further knowledge in the US, culminating in a Ph. D. in science and aquatic ecology, with a graduate degree in Env...

Leila Melendez, Chief Executive Officer at Workforce Solutions Borderplex, joins the show today to talk about her upbringing in El Paso, Texas and what led her to her career path in Economic Development. Leila talks about the changes that have taken place since becoming the Chief Executive Officer. She discusses the impact of the Workforce Situation Room podcast, and the Best Places for Working Pa...

**For the subtitled video, please visit our YouTube channel: (25) Episode 31 (100th Episode overall in Spanish): Carmen Gladys Cauchi Andrade - YouTube   In this special 100th episode, Carmen Gladys Cauchi Andrade, mother of Jaime Cruz, joins the show to share her inspiring life story. Born and raised in Peru, Carmen's journey began in the Peruvian Mountains, where her grandparents embarked o...

Lauri Perdue, National Workforce Director, at the University of Phoenix, joins the show to talk about her upbringing in Arizona then Las Vegas where she continued her education at the University of Nevada, Reno. Lauri discusses the theory developed by the University of Phoenix of becoming a career-centric university and how it will meet the needs of the workforce on a national level with what they...

Shaundell Newsome, founder of Sumu Marketing and Trustee for the Vegas Chamber, joins the show today to talk about his upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, and started his entrepreneurial care in graphic design at the age of 13. He discusses his journey to Las Vegas through the Air Force and the start of his marketing firm, Sumu Marketing. Shaundell shares the core principles and values of Sumnu mark...

Jorge Cervantes, Las Vegas City Manager and Board of Director member with the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance joins the show today to discuss his upbringing in El Paso, Texas, and how a phone call brought him to Las Vegas.  Jorge shares the details that are involved with being a city manager and the value of city parks especially during the pandemic.  He talks about the development of the Civic...

Ricardo Villalobos, Chief Program Officer at Workforce Connections, welcomes Jasmine Gibson to the first Youth Podcast. Jasmine discusses how the iFoster program has had a big impact on her life. She talks about her experience working with Dr. Tiffany Tyler-Garner and Sean Tory from the City of Las Vegas, who mentored her and gave her insight on becoming a professional. She also shares her thought...

Janet Uthman, Vice President of Cox Las Vegas joins the show today to discuss her upbringing in upstate New York when her father’s dream was to move the family to California. Her collegiate career started in finance and accounting but decided to venture in a different direction which brought her to her current career in cable tv. Janet talks about the importance of broadband internet access and ho...

Frank Woodbeck, Executive Director of Grants and Special Projects with the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) joins the show today to talk about growing up in Buffalo, NY, and his career experiences that brought him to Las Vegas. He the multitude of projects that CSN is working on to elevate the community to increase the talent pool for businesses in Southern Nevada and the CSN centers that are bein...

Jan Jones, Blackhurst, a board of directors’ member for Caesar's Entertainment, joins the show today to talk about her upbringing in Southern California and what brought her to Las Vegas. She discusses her experience as the first female mayor of Las Vegas and the humbling experience of having a school named after her, Jan Jones Blackhurst Elementary. Jan shares her thoughts on how education s...

Paul Anderson, Senior Vice President of Industry and Government Affairs for Boyd Gaming, joins the show today to discuss his career journey from starting his first computer company to his current career role at Boyd Gaming. Paul talks about the challenges of attracting and retaining employees in the workforce industry, the effects of the aging population, and the future of automation in the workfo...

Joyce Smith, Managing Director with Bank of Nevada, joins the show today to discuss her upbringing in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. She discusses the current issues her business customers face, such as limited talent pool, capital, supply chain, and inflation. Joyce highlights the impact and importance of the partnership with Workforce Connections during the pandemic with the Layoff Aversion...