Bearcats Mean Business

After moving from a small town in India to Cincinnati to pursue graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati, Padma Chebrolu built a remarkable career spanning technology, finance, operations and leadership during three decades at Procter & Gamble. Along the way, she developed a knack for connecting dots across functions and adapting quickly to new environments. But her professional career...

Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company, reflects on the unexpected path that took him from aspiring investigative journalist to leading a national media company. Symson shares how curiosity, risk-taking and a willingness to learn along the way shaped his career — and why the skills that make a great journalist can also make a great business leader.  Symson also explores the ten...

Every big idea starts with a leap, but no one brings it to life alone. FC Cincinnati President and Co-CEO Jeff Berding shares the leadership lessons behind building a Major League Soccer franchise from the ground up.  A first-generation college graduate and fifth-generation Cincinnatian, Berding discusses the mentors who shaped him, the importance of embracing discomfort and why earning trust is e...

Why might the skills of a great salesperson have little to do with being persuasive? In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business, Ann Sojka, assistant professor of marketing and academic director of the Grau Center for Professional Selling , challenges common stereotypes of sales and explains why “sellers aren’t born, they’re made.” She shares how her own sales career taught her that no experience i...

What does it take for a first-generation college student with a geology degree to become CEO of a major telecommunications company? In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business, Lindner MBA alumnus and altafiber President and CEO Leigh Fox reflects on an unconventional career defined by hard work, curiosity and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. From working 40 hours a week while putting himself t...

Every meaningful change starts with someone willing to bring people together. In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business, Cincinnati Regional Chamber President and CEO Brendon Cull reflects on a career that has spanned government, corporate affairs, public policy and regional leadership. From advising elected officials and Fortune 500 executives to helping lead transformational initiatives across G...

Some students join campus organizations. Others build them. In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business, Lindner student Hamsa Tadpatri shares how a desire to create community led her to found two student organizations UC Future Business Leaders of America and Hindu Youth for Unity, Virtues and Action.  Hamsa also discusses how majoring in business analytics, finance and operations management comple...

As a University of Cincinnati student, Dan Schimberg saw a problem firsthand: students struggled to find safe, well-maintained housing near campus. Instead of accepting the status quo, he began rehabbing properties around UC, laying the foundation for what would become Uptown Rental Properties, one of Cincinnati’s most influential real estate companies.  On Bearcats Mean Business, Dan reflects on...

Finn and Bowen Alexy never expected a classroom assignment to help launch an angel investing venture. But that's exactly what happened when a Lindner project, a willingness to take initiative and a simple outreach email opened the door to an opportunity that would help shape their careers.  In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business, the brothers share how growing up around entrepreneurship inf...

To understand a client better, Jeff Karcher once spent a morning sitting in one of their chairs — literally — to experience the pressure and pace of their day-to-day responsibilities firsthand.  In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business , Jeff reflects on the power of networking, relationship-building and trust while sharing practical leadership lessons shaped by years of working alongside executi...

Antitrust attorney Amanda Wait shares how a UC economics class sparked a fascination with competition law that shaped her entire career. From turning down a lucrative New York law firm offer to join the Federal Trade Commission, to advising CEOs and boards on multimillion-dollar decisions, Wait reflects on the power of betting on experience over comfort — and why the best career paths are often th...

Former CEO Doug Conant joins Lindner dean Marianne Lewis for a deeply personal conversation on leadership at the highest level of business. From navigating tough calls that balance people and performance to leading through uncertainty, Conant shares the defining decisions that shaped his career and leadership philosophy.  The former CEO/President of Campbell Soup Company, former President of Nabis...

In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business , Fifth Third Bank CIO Jude Schramm reflects on the pivotal early choices that shaped his career, revealing how curiosity and a willingness to step off the expected career track opened unexpected doors.  The Lindner alum shares how he spearheads AI adoption and transformation at a Fortune 500 bank by building in AI’s rate of change, customer trust and cyb...

What does it take to lead not just one company, but two?  In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business , Dustin Grutza, CEO of Ranger Steel and CraftForce, shares how he balances leadership while building high-performing teams and scaling two businesses in relationship-driven industries. From growing up in a family business to launching his own ventures, Dustin offers a candid look at the realities...

Opportunity rarely comes from staying comfortable. In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business , Lindner student Kyla Ward shares how stepping into leadership roles and embracing co-op experiences with altafiber, Trimble, Delta Air Lines and GE Aerospace helped her build confidence, expand her network and discover her professional direction.  Kyla reflects on the lessons that come from navigating n...

“I belong in this room, and my voice needs to be in this room.”  “People are always looking at what leaders do, not just what they say.”  “At the end of the day, every business, every organization, ultimately is about its people and its talent.”  Just three of the many executive insights from  Michael Fisher , former CEO of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in this episode of Bearcats Mean Business....

Leadership rarely follows a straight line. Christ Hospital Health Network President & CEO Deborah Hayes joins Lindner dean Marianne Lewis to reflect on a leadership journey that began with working nights as a student nurse aide and progressed into leading a major hospital system. Deborah shares candid lessons on taking ownership of career development, creating learning opportunities beyond for...

Building a business isn’t just about skill — it’s about purpose, resilience, and perspective. In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business , student entrepreneur Shawn Peterson discusses how his upbringing, Lindner education, and learning-by-doing mindset have shaped both his outlook and his photography business, Shawnie’s Cinema.  From managing clients and coursework to handling feedback and self-d...

What does it really take to build companies — and when should you start?  In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business , entrepreneur and Lindner alum Phil Santoro shares his journey from founding his first business at 13 to working at Google — and ultimately building and scaling companies as the co-founder of startup studio Wilbur Labs.  Phil talks candidly about learning by doing, taking calculate...

Co-produced and hosted by Lindner student Mirsayah Wasnuk, Sustainability in Business: A Bearcats Mean Business Student Series , explores the connection between sustainability and key areas of business, while offering students practical insights on how to integrate sustainable thinking into their career paths.  In the final episode of this series, Mirsayah sits down with Assistant Professor of Ind...

In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business ,  Liwei Chen , an Amazon best-selling author and Associate Professor of Operations, Business Analytics, and Information Systems, explains what students truly need to know about Generative AI.  The co-author of “ Generative AI for Business: Frameworks, Techniques and Governance ” — recently named the No. 1 new release in the “business education and refere...

Co-produced and hosted by Lindner student Mirsayah Wasnuk, Sustainability in Business: A Bearcats Mean Business Student Series, explores the connection between sustainability and key areas of business, while offering students practical insights on how to integrate sustainable thinking into their career paths.  In this episode, Mirsayah recounts her voyage to Belém, Brazil, with third-year Lindner...

Co-produced and hosted by Lindner student Mirsayah Wasnuk, Sustainability in Business: A Bearcats Mean Business Student Series, explores the connection between sustainability and key areas of business, while offering students practical insights on how to integrate sustainable thinking into their career paths.  In this episode, Mirsayah sits down with UC Assistant Sustainability Coordinator Jen Vas...

In this episode of  Bearcats Mean Business , we spotlight co-op through an interview with Preston Simon, a second-year finance and business economics student who’s already built an impressive résumé through hands-on roles in finance.  Preston reflects on his co-op experiences with UBS Financial Services, where he supported client strategy and investment tracking, and RKCA Investment Bank, where he...

In this episode of Bearcats Mean Business , Lindner assistant professor-educator Steven Jones and Lindner senior Ryan Baillie explore the world of project management — from classroom lessons to real-world leadership.  Jones , who enjoyed a successful career in project management before joining Lindner, shares how the college is preparing students to manage complex projects across industries throug...