Kids In The Tank

Welcome to a special edition of Kids In The Tank, as we follow up with past Alumni from our BizTank career exploration program. Your host for this episode is Connor Perkins a current BizTern (BizTank Intern) and Senior at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Connor talks with Seth, Alexia and Hannah, who are all former high school students at Geneva Supply BizTank. Seth was in 3 seasons of BizTank and is currently a Freshman at the University of Wisconsin - Madison campus. Alexia who is currently a BizTern was also in 4 seasons of BizTank and will be starting at UW Whitewater in the Spring. Hannah was in 2 seasons of BizTank and is also a Freshman at UW Madison. In part 1 of our 2 part series, we ask our former Alumni: What have you learned just being away from home? What's one of your fondest memories participating in BizTank? Do you have any dreams for post graduation? What are you most looking forward to in 2019? BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity to gain ex

Christopher Piotrowski is the Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Associated Bank in Milwaukee, WI. In this episode of Kids In The Tank, we discuss: Importance of understanding the products and services of the company that you work for. Experiential marketing focusing on sports, entertainment and growth of the community. Differences between the roles of Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. What are the biggest opportunities as the digital space and marketing continues to change? How do you see schools and education changing in order to gain the learning and experience you're looking for? What types of experiences and opportunities would you like business leaders to provide? How should businesses change to interact with millennials and the type of things they should provide? As millennials join the workforce, how do you prefer to work and what type of relationships are expected with bosses, management and mentors? What is something you would change about companies, busin

Stacey McClenathan is founder/owner of Bee-line Communications, a full-service boutique marketing agency in Illinois. She's passionate about helping companies reach their growth aspirations through defining and implementing marketing and application development programs that gain market share and increase profits. After working as Director of Global Marketing Communications at Motorola, she formed Bee-line Communications, Inc. in 2005. Bee-line’s clients include a diverse mix of industries such Motorola, U.S. Cellular, Dole, Johnson Controls, McKesson, Abbott, Rust-Oleum, dozens of middle-market enterprises, and media influencers such as Suze Orman. Bee-line helps them and many others add to their equity and find the shortest route between aspiration and success in their marketing plans. In 2012 Bee-line Communications was named to Inc. Magazine's 2012 list of 500/5000 fastest growing privately held companies, and has received several industry design and communications awards. In 2013, Bee-line gained nationa

Abe Minkara oversees the portfolio of Shark Tank and CPG companies at Mark Cuban Companies. Abe also manages a team that supports these companies with accounting, business operations, e-commerce, sales, and marketing services. He received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. In this episode of Kids In The Tank, we discuss: Worst jobs you've ever had and being at a job where you stop learning and are no longer able to provide value. How to handle stress, time management and tips for work-life balance. Most common challenges companies face today. Customer communication and transparency. Building your own momentum. Importance of owning your own supply chain as an entrepreneur.

Jay Butler is a senior executive, leadership and team coach, and speaker with more than 20 years’ experience in product and process development, and manufacturing, primarily in the automotive industry. He has served as Lead Product Engineer with Mark IV Automotive in Lexington, TN, Director of Quality for Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. in Tuscaloosa, AL, and Sr. Manager with Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, also in Tuscaloosa, AL. He is currently the Sr. Manager, Vehicle Quality Assurance, with Nissan North America in Canton, MS.

Pete Blank, has been a TV Sportscaster, a leader at The Walt Disney Company, and a training manager for local government. Pete was blessed to spend a majority of his time working at the Disney University. While there, he led the Traditions program, which is known worldwide as one of the premiere employee orientation programs. He also facilitated college level courses to thousands of Disney College Interns, and was a Segment Learning Manager for Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, and the Disney Cruise Line. Today, he is the Training and Organizational Development Manager for the Personnel Board of Jefferson County in Birmingham, AL. In this role, he manages a department responsible for providing leadership and management training to over 7,000 local government employees across 23 agencies. In today’s economy and climate, the world needs leaders more than ever. Pete is a leadership practitioner who realizes how important it is to get up and live every day like it is your last day. He is passionate about help

Dwight Larkin is a Financial Advisor with the Lueder network office of Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee, WI. Prior to this, Larkin spent 17 years as a corporate professional and sales executive at Northwestern Mutual’s home office in Milwaukee, WI. His background is in leadership and advisor development, as well as investments and trading (head of trading at Northwestern Mutual from 2007-2011). Prior to joining Northwestern, Dwight was a professional floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Captain Brian Buzzell retired from the U.S. Navy in 1995 after serving 26 years on active military duty. His last duty station was with the Base Structure Analysis Team supporting the Department of the Navy’s BRAC 93 and 95 rounds of base closures. Prior to the BSAT, Captain Buzzell was stationed in the Philippines where he served as Representative of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command. His duties in the Philippines included Political-Military Officer to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Philippines, Department of the Navy Representative to the US State Department Base Negotiation Team, U.S. Embassy Country Team, and Subic Naval Base Withdrawal Coordinator. He is a 1991 graduate of National War College with a Masters equivalent degree in National Security Policy. Prior to that he was Commanding Officer, Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia; at the time the 3rd largest recruiting district in the USA. Captain Buzzell graduated from George Washington University with a BA in Economics. While attending GWU,

Jerry Liu grew up in America and China. Having this two-country upbringing would later help him a lot when it came to finding a niche and creating his own positions in companies and on his own. Jerry graduated from University of Pennsylvania. He thought going to an Ivy League school would solve all his problems with life, but it instead made him more confused about life. There was one thing he did learn at Penn, and that was the importance of constant learning and constant self-examination. That's what he does online. Jerry prides himself on making meaningful and cerebral content on YouTube and often infuses knowledge about East and West into his content creation. He has more than 100K subscribers total spread across different channels. http://bit.ly/2Fij4aE In this episode BizTank students discuss Chinese culture vs American culture, struggles of being a youtuber, and how to engage your audience, the future of Facebook and digital media, Instagram vs Snapchat, paid advertising tips, and the differences betwe

Dan Nowak is the owner and chef at Tall Guy and a Grill, located in the Milwaukee area and southeastern Wisconsin. Since 2009, Dan has been inspired to create a catering experience for weddings, corporate events and parties. Dan's own passion for great food inspires him to create exceptional dishes using the highest quality and locally sourced farm-to-fork ingredients. His local partners and conscientious service team deliver an extraordinary and uncomplicated event. https://tallguyandagrill.com

Jesse Cole is the Owner of Fans First Entertainment, who owns and operates the Savannah Bananas and the Gastonia Grizzlies. The teams have welcomed more than 1 million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, and ESPN. Jesse is an in-demand speaker and author of “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out”. He is also the host of the Business Done Differently Podcast. http://findyouryellowtux.com

Laura Caldwell is a former civil trial attorney who is founding director of Life After Innocence and a published author of 14 novels and one nonfiction book. Before beginning her writing career, Laura was a partner in a Chicago law firm, specializing in medical malpractice defense and entertainment law. In 2001 she joined Loyola University Chicago School of Law and taught Advanced Litigation Writing and International Criminal Law, among others. Laura began her writing career in women’s fiction and soon turned to mystery/thriller. Her first book, Burning the Map, was voted as one of the best books of the year by Barnes and Noble .com. Booklist declared “Caldwell is one of the most talented and inventive … writers around,” after the release of The Year of Living Famously and The Night I Got Lucky. The release of her trilogy in 2009 received critical acclaim and nominations for prestigious industry awards. While researching her sixth novel, The Rome Affair, Laura was led to the criminal case of a young man who w

Tyson Franklin mentors small business owners in the health industry with an emphasis on helping them develop long-term marketing strategies and business systems to support those strategies. Tyson is also the host of It’s No Secret with Dr T., which is a small business and marketing podcast. He's also the author of two business books, It’s No Secret There’s Money in Podiatry and It’s No Secret There’s Money in Small Business, both best sellers on Amazon. https://www.tysonfranklin.com/

From Shark Tank to Our Tank, we're excited to talk with Michelle Winowich, owner of G.O.A.T. Pet Products on this weeks episode of Kids in the Tank Podcast. The G.O.A.T. Pet Speaker, is a small Bluetooth speakers attach to a pet's collar and connect with their owner's phone through a Bluetooth connection. The G.O.A.T. app then allows the owner to type or record phrases that can be saved and played back through the pet's speaker. In addition to giving pets a voice, the speaker can stream music from the user's phone, allowing them to listen to music on walks without wearing earphones that block out sound. https://www.goatpetproducts.com/

Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus in Elkhorn, WI kicked off our Kids in the Tank Podcast by telling us a little bit about his educational and career path and all the types of positions that are available at his company. He also brought in samples of some of the items they manufacture! https://www.preplus.com/ BizTank and Geneva Supply are pleased to announce it has received a $10,000 donation from Precision Plus. These funds will help support the BizTank program and scholarship fund. BizTank is a non-profit organization relying on funding support for scholarships, technical equipment (laptops, etc.), and on-topic field trips. We believe the next big idea can come from a kid within the community, your community, so please consider supporting us so that we can help them, dream that dream. http://gsbiztank.org/

Episode 13 is hosted by Oliva, Oscar, Zach and Adia, and includes special guest Nick Vhalos in the Hot Seat. Nick is the CEO of the wellness brand, The Honest Company, founded by Jessica Alba. The BizKids asked Nick a whole slew of questions ranging from if he considers himself a leader to what he looks for when hiring, other than just experience.  They also asked him what his dream was when he was their age and if/how he pursued it.  Tune in to hear his answers and thoughts on those questions and many more! During the Flip-It segment, Nick asked the BizKids where they spend their time in a consumer setting and whether or not they have loyalty to certain products. He asked them who influenced them while growing up and what they've found to be the most surprising thing that has popped up while trying to make decisions about their future education.  The answers they give are quite interesting and might make you rethink of them as just high school students. In the final segment of the podcast, The Round Table, t

Episode 12 is hosted by Kailee, Richard, and Jack, and includes special guest, Michael Franklin in The Hot Seat.  Michael is the Adoption Planning Manager for the Global Data Center at Microsoft. The BizKids ask him which Microsoft program he prefers, why he chose to go back to work for someone after working for himself, which jobs throughout his career have been his favorite and so on.  To hear his answers, check out episode 12!  During the Flip It portion of the podcast Michael asks the BizKids why they like Instagram so much, what and/or how BizTank has changed them so far, and what's most important to them as they look forward to their futures whether it's college or a job right after high school.  Their answers may surprise you. Hannah joins Kailee, Richard, and Jack for the Round Table to talk about topics such as Stranger Things 2, Selena & Justin, Robots of Walmart, Zombie Frappuccino, and a whole slew of other topics. C'mon and dive into The Tank, where the conversation is always interesting!  

Bill Davis, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Industrial Power Tools at Snap-On Tools is in The Hot Seat with this episode's hosts, Kevin, Erin, and Daniel. They ask him a range of questions about sacrifice, work/life balance, self-awareness, changing companies, and so much more. During the Flip It portion Bill asks the BizKids about BizTank and why they're doing it and what they hope to get out of it. Katelyn joins Kevin, Erin, and Daniel for the Round Table portion of the podcast to discuss all sorts of hot topics and trends including Pixel Buds, the forgotten holiday, freshman year, and more. They also debate whether cereal is soup or not, and if wearing socks with sandals is cool or not.  Dive in to hear their take on these topics!

Chuck Powell, Head of Business Operations for Amazon Channels and Head of World Wide Content Operations of Amazon Video, was the guest on this week's episode of Kids in the Tank with hosts Andrew, Carson, Elsa, and Trent.  They asked him a variety of questions pertaining to movies (Chuck's favorite from childhood is The Karate Kid), working with different networks, his time spent at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and how that compares to working at Amazon. During the 'Flip It' portion Chuck asks the kids which city they think the new Amazon headquarters, HQ2, should be built in and why. He also asked if the kids worked at Amazon Studios who they would choose to star in a movie and why.  Tune in to check out their answers! Never a dull moment during the 'Round Table' where the BizKids talk about slime videos, bendable phones, scary clowns delivering donuts, Aaron Rodgers' shoulder injury and so much more! Dive into the Tank for another interesting and educational episode of Kids in the Tank

In this week's episode of Kid's in the Tank, Maddie, Caitlynn, and Felipe sit down with Ralph Freitag (Maddie's Grandfather) former CEO, President and Chairman of Gander Mountain and most recently CEO and Chairman of QSR, Inc. and affiliates.  The BizKids asked Ralph which companies he owned were his favorite and least favorite and why.  They also asked him about being a venture capitalist, and what his biggest failure in business was and what he learned from it. In the "Flip It" segment of the show Ralph asks the BizKids about their lives; where they're planning on going to college and what they want to study, where they see themselves in 5 years and more! Sam joins in for the "Round Table" portion of the podcast where they discuss various topics such as Trick-or-Treating, Mystery Oreos, Riverdale, Netflix vs. going to the movies, new emojis, and so much more. Jump into the Tank, it's a different experience every time!