Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall Of Fame

Episode 107:  Jason Mize is a Co-Founder, CEO, and Developer at Stellar TechWorks, a software development house in Lexington, KY. What Jason loves best about his job is helping Stellar TechWork's clients find their path towards delivering their vision to the world.   He's a former Awesome Inc U Bootcamp grad and APAX Software employee. And his local band is about to release a new album! For more information or to connect with Jason, please visit https://stellartechworks.com/ Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Jason Mize on Linkedin • Stellar TechWorks website Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Episode 106: Jordan Guess is a CPA and entrepreneur helping small business owners spend more time scaling their business instead of worrying about taxes. At his core, Jordan is an educator committed to empowering people to lower their lifetime tax expense through legal means so they can scale their business faster and build generational wealth for their families.  Jordan is a co-host of the weekly podcast “Not All At Once” where he discusses current events related to Bitcoin. You can find out more about Jordan and all he is working on by following him on twitter @guess_jordan. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Jordan Guess on Linkedin • Trusted Advisors CPA website • Not All at Once podcast Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice me

Episode 105: Steve Seidel is your Virtual CMO and Award-Winning Founder of The Seidel Agency with 15+ years of experience consulting and marketing health & wellness, entertainment, and technology firms. Seidel helps established corporations and emerging entrepreneurs grow by delivering socially conscious campaigns, as well as cultivating a culture of positivity.  Recently Seidel has spearheaded multiple 8-figure acquisitions using his proprietary "From Looking to Booking" method and MorePayingPatients.com Instagram Masterclass. Originally from Philadelphia, Seidel's biggest dream was to become a father, and he continues to cherish that role each and every day.  Whether you're a Forbes 400 company or just starting up, his mission is to take you to greatness, while leaving our world a better place. Please connect with him personally on social with @StephenSeidel and professionally with @TheSeidelAgency across all platforms.  Do Good. Give Back and Make an Impact! Links Mention

Episode 104: Richie Hoagland is the founder of VRTogether and a two-time Fellowship Founder. VRTogether is a virtual reality (VR) application that connects people together in virtual spaces to take a walk in the forest, watch a sunset on the beach, and more.  Their technology is evidence-based, improving health and happiness through research. We focus on touch and feelings of "being near" someone, something Zoom and telephone calls can't do. He's a Lexington native solving the problem of isolation within Senior Care Facilities and Seniors Aging-at-Home.  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Richie Hoagland on Linkedin • VRTogether website Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Episode 103: Jacob Bozarth is co-founder and CEO of Resound which is a mobile-first AI Editing tool for podcasters that saves creators time so they can focus on their message, not their mess-ups.  Resound was birthed out of Jacob's first company, Resonate Recordings, a leader in the podcast production space, working with over 3,000 podcasters including top brands and podcasts. Jacob and his team are currently closing their pre-seed Resound and will be releasing Resound Beta in Summer of 2022. You can sign up for early access to their beta at https://resound.fm. Jacob is passionate about startups, audio engineering, podcasting, and the great outdoors. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Jacob Bozarth on Linkedin Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeincl

Episode 102: Sam Perez is a first-time author of Deviate from Denial and a senior journalism major at the University of Georgia. She has written the book based on her parents' work with DV8 Kitchen, a restaurant and bakery in Lexington that hires people in recovery from substance use disorder.  Sam hopes to erase the stigma surrounding addiction by telling inspirational stories in her book, which is available for preorder. Sam is passionate about storytelling, good food among great company, and the Georgia Bulldogs. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:  • Rob Perez on Linkedin • Sam Perez on Linkedin • Deviate From Denial - Sam's book Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/me

This is to prepare for the next episode, highlighting Rob's daughter, Sam Perez's book titled Deviate From Denial: Erasing the Stigma of Addiction and Recovery Through Inspirational Stories With 30 years of restaurant experience, Rob Perez has seen first-hand how to build restaurant brands and how prevalent addiction is in the industry he loves. Along with his wife Diane, he founded Dv8 Kitchen as a social enterprise focused on giving second chance employment opportunities to people in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction through vocational, on-the-job training. Dv8 Kitchen focuses on providing top-quality food, service, and atmosphere for every guest, and by providing “a better-than-expected” dining experience, the hope is to build a new standard for the second chance employee to live by and to change the way the guests perceive people in addiction recovery. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Rob Perez on Linkedin • Deviate From Denial - Sam Pere'z book (next episode) Leave Some Feedback: • Email po

Episode 101: Did you miss out on our Fellowship Demo Day and 13th Birthday Celebration? All of the donuts were eaten, but we've got you covered with audio from the event! Our Director of the Fellowship, Keith McMunn, leads the way on this episode, introducing the Fellowship program and each of its current companies.  Curious about what all of the startups do? Buckle in and take off with us as we celebrate local entrepreneurship in Lexington and the life of Awesome Inc.   HUGE thanks to Chase for sponsoring this Fellowship Demo Day. If this episode peaked your curiosity about startups, entrepreneurship, or what's happening around town... we've got the perfect event for you. Later this month (April 2022), Awesome Inc is putting on a Startup Pitch Competition where 5 startups will share their companies with a live audience for a chance to win up to $500 and a $5000 founder-friendly investment. Plus, attendees will get a free meal and a chance to network before and after the event! Register here.  

EPISODE 100: Awesome Inc is turning 13 years old on April 1, 2022. Oh, and this is our 100th episode.  We're celebrating with three of our cofounders (Brian Raney, Luke Murray, and Nick Such) sitting down and reflecting on Awesome Inc's inception and goofy memories that go back to the beginning. ** "Go it Alone" by Beck is not our original work and does not belong to us.  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Go it Alone by Beck on YouTube • Brian Raney on Linkedin • Luke Murray on Linkedin • Nick Such on Linkedin Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Episode 99: Chris Wiedmar is a technology leader and entrepreneur with a focus on operations, partnerships, and business development.  He has experience building applications, IOT solutions, and is currently building in the web3 and NFT space with Party Horses.  He is born and raised in Louisville and lives in the Highlands with his wife, Erin, and 3 children. 5 Across is a year long series of pitch competitions and highlights some of the most exciting tech companies to be growing in Kentucky. 5 Across is Kentucky's premiere pitch competition. If you've ever seen NBC's Shark Tank then you'd enjoy 5 Across. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Party Horses website Chris Wiedmar on Linkedin Kinetic by Windstream - 5 Across 2022 Title Sponsor Chase - 5 Across February 2022 Presenting Sponsor Leave Some Feedback: • What should we talk about next? Please email podcast@awesomeinc.org • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast •

Episode 98: Garrett Fahrbach and Kevin Mansur of Awesome Inc talk about their team's core values: BE Good, BE Excellent, BE a Friend, BE You. Awesome Inc's core values keep their team and organization in alignment. After laying these out, the conversation moves to defining "luck" and how we are actually able to create our own. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: • Garrett Fahrbach on Linkedin • Kevin Mansur on Linkedin • Awesome Inc's core values pdf Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram -- @awesomeinclex • Twitter -- @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Episode 97: Cameron Lippert, Ph.D., co-founded ElectraMet in 2014. He is currently leading the implementation of ElectraMet's business development and metals recycling strategy. Since its founding, ElectraMet's technological achievements have continued to receive recognition, including the CleanTech Open Water Award, CleanTech Open Best Business Model Award and the 2018 BlueTech China Most Innovative Technology Award. Cameron is co-founder and CEO of PowerTech Water. PowerTech Water is a clean tech company building an electrochemical platform to tackle all aspects of water purification in a sustainable & environmentally friendly way. We use advanced carbon materials and electrochemistry to deliver specialized solutions for targeted water treatment. Powertech Water won the 2021 Global Impact Award at the University of Kentucky's 2021 Patent Palooza event. One of their biggest recent milestones was to close on a $6 million series B round of funding (that can be read here). Cameron's entrepreneurial journ

Episode 96: Keith McMunn is the Director of Entrepreneurship at Awesome Inc and serves entrepreneurs through the 5 Across Entrepreneur Pitch Competition and Awesome Fellowship Accelerator.  Keith is proudly a Kentucky transplant after having settled in Lexington after his time studying Accounting at the University of Kentucky. He believes that the best way to develop a bright future for Kentuckians is to invest in entrepreneurs and startups. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: October 2021 companies: borderless -- website borderless on Linkedin Raffi Kayat on Linkedin Legal Gantt Pav*r Adam Bledsoe on Linkedin Jessica Bledsoe on Linkedin Rave On Sports James Clark on Linkedin Brittany Harris on Linkedin April 2021 companies: Symba -- website Evan Knowles on Linkedin Synaptek -- website  Doug Van Pelt on Linkedin  Kate Van Pelt on Linked James McCollum on Linkedin Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode?&nbs

Episode 95: Raffi Kayat is the CEO of borderless, a global payouts API that powers payments to 120+ countries for a flat low rate. Raffi has taken borderless from an idea to an award winning Fintech company. He has been featured as a speaker in New York Fintech Alley, The Power of PrePaid, and Money 20/20. In his free time you can find Raffi searching for the best burger, playing soccer, and watching football. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: borderless -- website borderless on Linkedin Raffi Kayat on Linkedin Leave Some Feedback: • Email podcast@awesomeinc.org with what you want to hear about next. • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram @awesomeinclex • Twitter @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Episode 94: Adam and Jessica Bledsoe are the Co-Founders of Pav*r, a time management and digital calendar analytics app. Pav*r helps business owners and busy people align their time with their priorities. Launched in 2020, Pav*r has experienced explosive growth as teams continue to work remotely and currently serves users in 22 countries around the world. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Pav*r Adam Bledsoe on Linkedin Jessica Bledsoe on Linkedin Leave Some Feedback: • What should we talk about next? Please email podcast@awesomeinc.org • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram @awesomeinclex • Twitter @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Episode 93: Kyle Raney is the Director of Youth for Awesome Inc U's Coding School. Awesome Inc U inspires the youth to learn to code and create amazing things by flipping the classroom so that students have the ability to be creative and learn at their own pace. Coding may seem daunting at first, Awesome Inc U exists to show that anyone can learn to code. Stephen Ruh is the Marketing Director for Awesome Inc U's coding school. He loves to watch and encourage students on their "hero journey" as they go from aspiring coders to full stack developers who crush it in the world of tech. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Awesome Inc's Kids Camps Awesome Inc's Youth Coding  Awesome Inc Web Developer Bootcamp Kyle Raney on Linkedin Stephen Ruh on Linkedin Leave Some Feedback: • What should we talk about next? Please email podcast@awesomeinc.org • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • Subscribe to our podcast • awesomeinc.org • Instagram @awesomeinclex •

Episode 92 Justin Hall was born in Pikeville, KY in 1974. His parents had a Bluegrass Band and his father was an artist. Even though he grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky where coal was king, it never interested him. He loved the mountains, history, and heritage, but he had other interests. Hall graduated from Elkhorn City High School in 1993 and Pikeville College (now UPike) in the summer of 1997. Shortly after graduating from UPike he discovered an interest in web design and development.  The web held his attention and captivated his imagination.   In 2017, Justin was chosen as one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for teaching a coal miner how to code and helping start Bit Source, a company located in eastern Kentucky that employs former coal miners as coders.  Currently, he is the Lead Instructor for Awesome Inc's Web Developer Bootcamp in Lexington, Kentucky. He's also involved in several startups and entrepreneur efforts across the Commonwealth. Links Mentioned

Episode 91: Joshua Reid is the Founder and CEO of Inphlu, and winner of the 2021 5 Across FINALS pitch competition.  Inphlu offers employers a simple way to amplify their brand and drive recruitment by sharing corporate approved content through the social media channels of their employees. Joshua and his team launched January 2020 and have since oversubscribed their $500,000 pre-seed round and have expanded into both the enterprise and collegiate markets. Joshua is passionate about helping companies solve two of their biggest problems, talent acquisition and customer acquisition. The 5 Across Finals is the culmination of a year long series of pitch competitions and highlights some of the most exciting tech companies to be growing in Kentucky. 5 Across is Kentucky's premiere pitch competition. If you've ever seen NBC's Shark Tank then you'd enjoy 5 Across. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Inphlu Josh Reid on Linkedin Kinetic by Windstream - 5 Across' 2021 Title Sponsor Airwing Ventures - 5 Across

Episode 90: Steve Pottinger is a multi-state real estate investor and owner/ operator in several past and present businesses. He was one of the 1995 founding members in the Greer Companies Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchens. They sold the restaurants in 2017. Before working with the Greer Companies, Mr. Pottinger practiced law with a focus on employment law. Pottinger holds BA from the University of Louisville, and a JD from Western Michigan Cooley Law School. Today, Pottinger is a partner who oversees operations in the Greer Companies Taco Tico enterprise, Infinity and ItalX, and a partner in the City Center Marriott/ Residence Inn, Offices and Penthouses in downtown Lexington, KY. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Taco Tico - Steve Pottinger interview Leave Some Feedback: • What should we talk about next? Please email podcast@awesomeinc.org • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: • awesomeinc.org • Instagram @awesomeinclex • Twitter @awesomeinclex • YouTube

Episode 89: Hishem Alsalman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Legal Gantt, which provides law firms with an online platform to facilitate status updates, safer communication, and improved workflow with their clients through a mobile and web application.  Hishem and his team launched an MVP into the market that is currently being used by lawyers and their clients across the US, Canada, and Australia. Hishem is passionate about law, startups, and helping the under-represented communities across the country. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Legal Gantt Leave Some Feedback:    • What should we talk about next? Please email podcast@awesomeinc.org    • Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us:  • awesomeinc.org • Instagram @awesomeinclex • Twitter @awesomeinclex • YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message