Kids In The Tank

In 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live. This epic story of survival was first showcased in his parents’ book, Overwhelming Odds, in 2006. Originally printing 200 copies for friends and family, his parents have sold 60,000+ copies. It was this book that first invited John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world. John inspires 50,000+ people at 100+ events each year. He speaks to companies and organizations across industries, such as: sales, healthcare, safety, marketing, finance, faith, education and insurance. Consistently described as “the best speaker we’ve ever had,” John receives nearly 100% of his engagements from referrals. His schedule is a testament to the power of his message and who he is as an individual. His emotional story-telling, unexpected humor and authenticity make each of his presentations truly tra

Beth Ridley believes a positive, connected and committed organizational culture is critical to business success. That's why she combined her 25 years of corporate leadership and management consulting experience with her expertise in diversity and inclusion and positive psychology to launch, The Brimful Life, a company that helps build positive leaders, teams and organizational cultures.   The Brimful Life consulting services help executives and leadership teams transform organizational cultures as well as drive diversity, inclusion and engagement strategies. The Brimful Life podcast series, keynote presentations and workshops inspire and equip audiences to develop a positive mental mindset and impactful leadership competencies.   Beth has lived and worked in London, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Boston and New York City. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Virginia, a MA in International Relations from Tufts University and an MBA from Columbia University. Beth lives a brimful lif

Dan Tretola, currently leads Marketing at Bolt. Before Bolt, Dan worked at Facebook, where he was the first product marketing employee. During his time there, the business grew from $100M to over $20B per year. Dan has also built out the customer marketing teams at Facebook, as well as being a Brand Manager at Proctor and Gamble and Clorox. Ever wonder how Facebook Ads started? Dan designed the Facebook app Ad system.   About BizTank Career Exploration Program: BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity to gain exposure to the world of business through a stimulating and interactive program. Consisting of three unique eight-week seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall), meeting once a week on Wednesday nights. Sessions are spent covering a range of topics, such as startups, marketing and on-trend business subjects. In addition, students record, edit and create their own episodes for the Kids in the Tank Podcast. For more information visit us online at https://gsbiztank.org/

Kerry Frank is an entrepreneur that has proven how one woman can go about revolutionizing an industry with smarts, courage, and tenacity. Little did she know in 2007, when she founded Comply365, that her efforts would completely transform the aviation industry. She played an instrumental role in the FAA’s approval of replacing flight bags with tablets in cockpits. Her vision for digitizing bulky airline pilot manuals took the company from their home’s basement in Northern Illinois to an extremely successful business in Beloit, WI. She has received multiple awards including the 2018 Ken Hendricks “Seize the Day” award celebrating entrepreneurship in Wisconsin, as a result of these efforts. Kerry led the charge to revolutionize the flight decks around the world with the software products that were developed. At the time she sold Comply365 they had over 75 clients worldwide of which a dozen were Fortune 500. For Kerry Frank, entrepreneurship and faith go hand-in-hand. It takes a lot of trust and perseverance to

Justin Clough was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and took an interest in creative hobbies at a young age. He got more involved with camera and film work in early high school when he began making videos for local athletic departments, which included a miniseries called “Border Wars” about the local football and basketball teams. He also worked with a photo studio that was heavily focused on filming wedding videos and taking senior photos. After gaining more experience in the industry and making more connections, Justin moved to Nashville to start his own company and partner with various studios and artists to create a visual form of their music. He has also spent a significant amount of time traveling and creating throughout the world. Currently, he works on music videos for predominantly country artists and is continuing to build his company, while also exploring different sectors of the film industry. About BizTank Career Exploration Program: BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students

Trevor Fedele began his career in music at age sixteen in Union, New Jersey, where he worked his way up to staff audio engineer at a local studio. After learning the ropes in Jersey, he gained valuable experience in New York City as a freelance engineer; assisting for multiple notable audio engineers in legendary recording studios. Trevor has since relocated to the west coast is currently working as a sales director with Marshall Electronics. He has found continued success in domestic and international sales and marketing in Pro Audio, MI, CE and Hi-Fi industries, as well as his experience in Product Management, Development, Project Management, Business Development and Artist Relations. When not working in his full-time roles with numerous audio manufacturers, Trevor still finds time to dedicate to mixing and mastering music of all genres as well as consulting and designing recording studios. About BizTank Career Exploration Program: BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity

Mike Zhang, is the founder and CEO of Fenrici Brands, a mission-focused, "born on Amazon" retail company. Mike is married to a physician who treats children with cancer and rare diseases. His wife’s and his experience inspired Fenrici Brands. Today, Fenrici sells a line of backpacks, lunch boxes, and more on global Amazon marketplaces. 5% of the proceeds goes towards more research and resources for kids and families affected by rare pediatric diseases. https://fenrici.com/   About BizTank Career Exploration Program: BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity to gain exposure to the world of business through a stimulating and interactive program. Consisting of three unique eight-week seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall), meeting once a week on Wednesday nights. Sessions are spent covering a range of topics, such as startups, marketing and on-trend business subjects. In addition, students record, edit and create their own episodes for the Kids in the Tank Podcast. For more informatio

Quentin Allums is a speaker, community builder; as well as the CEO of Urban Misfit Ventures, a fast-growing startup based out of Milwaukee. He has amassed over 10 million views on LinkedIn content and was one of the first video creators on the platform. He’s spoken at events such as VidCon, TEDx, and INBOUND.    About BizTank Career Exploration Program: BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity to gain exposure to the world of business through a stimulating and interactive program. Consisting of three unique eight-week seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall), meeting once a week on Wednesday nights. Sessions are spent covering a range of topics, such as startups, marketing and on-trend business subjects. In addition, students record, edit and create their own episodes for the Kids in the Tank Podcast. For more information visit us online at https://gsbiztank.org/

Sarah Evans is a digital strategist and global brand correspondent, who works with companies worldwide to create and improve their social and digital strategies, advising on branding, marketing, advertising, and public relations. https://www.sarahsfaves.com/

Evan Conroy is a Wisconsin native that currently resides in Los Angeles. Evan is a manager at Bird where he oversees rider operations and Bird Retail support. He was one of the first employees at Bird and has played a role in Bird’s rapid growth to a valuation of $2.5 Billion. He believes that, if we empower those who want to change the world, we can and will. He strives to lead by example, create environments of collaboration, and build towards things which are sustainable, both environmentally and systematically.

Susan Ibitz is a Human Behavior Hacker, Keynote Speaker and Corporate Trainer. Tell her your problem and she and her team will fix it with customized training. Through research and teaching, they work on unlocking the science behind Human Behavior, Micro-Expression, Body Language, Deception-Detection, Statement Analysis, Face Reading (Physiognomy) and Personality types.

Frank Kitchen is the Founder of Frank Kitchen Enterprises, LLC. His Keynote Speeches, Educational Workshops and Training Programs Educate, Elevate and Empower Leaders around the world to live their Dreams by implementing his “Live F.R.E.S.H.” Methodology. The methodology challenges individuals to dedicate their time, talents, team and treasures to be positive difference makers and life changers in their communities, organizations, workplaces, and schools.

John Glynn, President and Editorial Director of Andrews McMeel Syndication! John is President of the world's largest content syndicate (f/k/a Universal Uclick and Universal Press Syndicate). They market, sell and distribute content to newspapers, Web sites, mobile sites and other digital and print clients across the globe. He oversees the selection, development and management of more than 250 features including brands like Garfield, Peanuts, Dilbert, Dear Abby, Motley Fool, Calvin & Hobbes, Doonesbury, Cathy, Ziggy, Foxtrot, NonSequitur, Pearls Before Swine, For Better or For Worse, Miss Manners, Big Nate, Marmaduke, Lio, Richard Roeper, Get Fuzzy, Ann Coulter, Donna Brazile, Steve & Cokie Roberts, and many, many more. He also supervises what has become the world's largest comics Web site in https://GoComics.com and the Andrews McMeel Network of sites that attract more than one billion page views a year. BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity to gain exposure to t

Austin Beveridge is a digital marketer by trade and a social entrepreneur at heart, his passion is finding under priced attention. Austin helps startups build their brand through storytelling. BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an opportunity to gain exposure to the world of business through a stimulating and interactive program. Consisting of three unique eight-week seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall), meeting once a week on Wednesday nights. Sessions are spent covering a range of topics, such as startups, marketing and on-trend business subjects. In addition, students record, edit and create their own episodes for the Kids in the Tank Podcast. http://gsbiztank.org/

John Pistone is the Senior VP of Ecommerce Development at Geneva Supply. He is the newest employee of Geneva Supply. He spent the last few months working for a Sales Representative firm that helps manufacturers sell their products on Amazon. He spent the majority of the time helping them organize their operations to be more efficient and prioritize appropriately. Before that, he was at Amazon for 11 years in Retail Business roles including Vendor Manager, Instock Manager, Category Leader and Director of Leadership Development and Training. He's most proud of creating process and systems to objectively measure performance for Amazon Retail employees-over 17,000 people were using the products my team built. Before Amazon, he worked as a District Manager at The Home Depot as part of their Store Leadership Program. And before The Home Depot served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army. He has an MBA from Boston College and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and a Bachelor of Science from The United Stat

Tracy Porter's signature globally-inspired, emotionally engaging designs capture a spirited blend of modern + soulful. From home décor to fashion, Tracy has stirred an emotional surrender in her enthusiasts...bringing them enchanting attainable fantasy. Her exuberant color + pattern combinations always offer an element of surprise as they are layered with whimsical flirty touches, vintage + folkloric elements, all kissed with a bit of bohemian elegance. Tracy's enthusiastic message, paired with her easy going style, has garnered her a following that spans women of all ages who crave a stylish voice, encouraging them to be true to themselves and follow their passions. Her enthusiasts are engaged, passionate and loyal. As a style expert, Tracy has appeared on numerous television shows, including Oprah, HGTV, and E!Style television. Tracy has also been featured in multiple magazines including O, House Beautiful, ELLE, Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle and many others. Tracy has written an

Eric Kau has experience at three Fortune 50 companies as well as two hyper growth startups. He has spent his career building teams and businesses, with a focus on operational excellence through technology and process implementation. He has a track record of financial success, including multiple investor events. Currently, Eric is the Chief Operating Officer at Boxycharm, which is the fastest growth cosmetic subscription box in the industry. Prior to Boxycharm, Eric led Chewy.com’s Merchandising Operations team for 3.5 years, including the record setting sale to Petsmart. He has also held roles at Amazon (GM-Nutrition), Best Buy (Strategy Manager) and Target (various). https://www.boxycharm.com/ In this episode of Kids In The Tank, we discuss: How has your experience as Director of Merchandising influenced what you do now? What's the best financial advice you have for our generation? How did you go from a company that distributes Pet Supplies to a company that distributes Makeup? Looking at our generation now

Phil Fonfara started his first business as a teen which he successfully ran for five consecutive summers. This experience led to an opportunity with New North, Inc. where he managed the Fast Forward startup accelerator program & supported investor relations. Most recently Phil worked in commercial banking in the Appleton area before joining the gener8tor team. A Wisconsin native, Phil received degrees in Business Administration and Economics from St. Norbert College. gBETA is a free, six-week accelerator for early-stage companies. Each program is capped at five teams, and requires no fees and no equity. https://www.gbetastartups.com/ gener8tor is a nationally ranked accelerator that invests in high-growth startups. Three times a year we invest up to $90K in each of five startups who receive a concierge experience during our 12-week program. gener8tor supports the growth of these startups through our network of experienced mentors, technologists, corporate partners, angel investors and venture capitalists.

Virginia Edwards is a national etiquette coach, consultant, and public speaker, she works with private clients, universities, government agencies, and businesses across all industries to eliminate barriers to their success. Using customized professional development programs, her goal is to entertain while educating. She has published articles in numerous business journals and has appeared as an etiquette expert on various news programs. Her broad experience in varied industries provides the real world knowledge of the interpersonal skills critical to success in the local and international markets. Prior to starting her consulting business, she served as Special Staff Assistant to the Under Secretary for Health, Department of Veterans Affairs. Additionally, she held positions in sales, manufacturing, hospitality, finance and non-profit organizations. Her international and interpersonal skills afforded her the selection as General Manager, Norway House, the only country house open to the general public during t

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 Hunter Huber a current BizTern (BizTank Intern) and Sophomore at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Hunter talks with Troy and Emily, about college life and their experiences with Geneva Supply BizTank. Troy was in the very first session of BizTank and is currently a Sophomore at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater campus. Emily is currently a BizTern and marketing major at UW Whitewater. In part 2 of our 2 part series, we ask our former Alumni: Why did you decide to attend the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater? How has BizTank influenced you so far? What is one thing you would tell someone is a necessity for college? What are you looking forward to the most in 2019? Would you decide not to go to college, if you could do it over? What advice do you have for future BizKids? BizTank provides local Junior and Senior high school students an