The Wilmac Wire

Wilmac Technologies
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Where the drivers behind customer interaction technology, AI, and community innovation share how they’re shaping what’s next.

  1. 8h ago

    Dru Clarke | From Call Taker to Assistant Director, Culture in 911, & Building with Fairfax

    A dispatcher once posted in a 911 Facebook group that she was ready to quit the industry for good, until she heard Dru Clarke speak at a conference. She's still in the field today because of it. That's the kind of impact Dru's built a second career around, on top of his day job running one of the largest 911 centers in the country. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell sit down with Dru Clarke — Assistant Director of Operations at Fairfax County's 911 Center and founder of Change Talk, a leadership training firm for public safety professionals nationwide — for a conversation about the culture shift 911 needs and why the industry's staffing crisis is about more than pay, plus a look at how Fairfax is approaching AI without losing the human element that makes the job matter. Here's what you'll hear about: Dru's unlikely path into 911 (he originally wanted to be a coroner)How founding Change Talk started as a favor and turned into a second callingWhy "people before policy" means giving respect instead of making people earn itThe real cost of 911's staffing crisis, and what Fairfax is doing differentlyWhat actually separates a vendor from a partner, and the story behind Fairfax's partnership with Wilmac Continuity WFMHow Fairfax is approaching AI carefully, starting with non-emergency calls before anything elseThe drone-as-first-responder program aiming for a zero-minute response time Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and introducing Dru Clarke 0:44 Icebreaker: This or That 5:00 How Dru ended up in 911 instead of becoming a coroner 6:28 Working through every role at Fairfax 18:40 Founding Change Talk almost by accident 22:35 The story that keeps Dru doing this work 26:03 Why culture became his focus 30:14 The command-and-control culture holding 911 back 34:29 Balancing new technology with a people-first approach 37:18 What makes an industry partner, not just a vendor 39:56 The story behind Fairfax's partnership with Wilmac Continuity WFM 44:29 How Fairfax is approaching AI, carefully 52:05 Drones as first responders and the push toward zero-minute response 53:14 Where to find Dru and Fairfax County Connect with Dru on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

    Dru Clarke | From Call Taker to Assistant Director, Culture in 911, & Building with Fairfax

  2. Aug 13

    Live from APCO 2026

    Wilmac just wrapped its first-ever booth at APCO 2026, and by every account it's the biggest public safety event the team's ever set foot in — a Silver Sponsor badge, a Telecommunicator of the Year award presentation, and a floor packed with more 911 professionals than they've seen in one room in a long time. In this special live episode of The Wilmac Wire, host Emily McNulty brings listeners onto the APCO 2026 floor in San Antonio for a series of quick conversations with the Wilmac team. She catches up with Steve McDonnell, Bob Pease, John McDonnell, Hailey Gunther, and first-time guest Della Mauler of First Line, covering what it's like to show up at the industry's biggest stage, and why the 911 community keeps pulling people back year after year. Here's what you'll hear about: Steve McDonnell on APCO 2026 being Wilmac's biggest conference showing yet, and presenting the Telecommunicator of the Year awardBob Pease on running demos nonstop, and the "full circle moment" of meeting the customers who actually use the productDella Mauler on nearly 40 years in public safety, and why AI is the buzzword keeping the whole industry on its toesJohn McDonnell on leading his first APCO thought leadership session and how it compares to smaller regional showsHailey Gunther on her second major conference, and reuniting with people she met just a month earlier at NENA Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Live from the APCO 2026 floor 01:55 Steve McDonnell 04:27 Bob Pease 07:03 Della Mauler 08:58 John McDonnell 10:18 Hailey Gunther Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

  3. Aug 6

    Joe Gianni | Motivational Intelligence, the Science of Leadership, & Building a Business

    Joe Gianni's mentor once told him: "If you were a ditch digger, you'd be the best damn ditch digger there ever was." That's the philosophy Joe has spent almost 40 years turning into a business — Motivational Intelligence, or MQ, a framework now used by 40% of the Fortune 500 across 95 countries. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell sit down with Joe Gianni — CEO of 2logical and a mentor and friend to Wilmac for over 30 years — to talk about why MQ matters more than IQ or EQ in the age of AI, the real story behind Wilmac and 2logical's decades-long partnership, and what separates people who build something big from people who don't. Here's what you'll hear about: What Motivational Intelligence (MQ) actually is, and why Joe says it matters more than IQ or EQThe mentor who taught Joe to recruit, sell, and lead, and the letter that changed the course of his careerWhy an "abundance mindset" is the real difference-maker, whether you're a CEO or a ditch diggerThe Gulf of Mexico story: how one company's decision under pressure landed them massive new contractsWhere AI fits into MQ, and why Joe says it'll create more jobs, not fewerHow the 30-year partnership between Wilmac and 2logical actually began Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and introducing Joe Gianni 2:19 Full introduction and background 3:21 Icebreaker: This or That 7:52 How Joe met his wife and ended up in Rochester 8:57 Becoming the youngest regional manager at McMillan 13:24 What his mentor Randy taught him about recruiting 19:20 Leaving McMillan to found 2logical 21:33 The letter that changed the course of his career 23:28 IQ, EQ, and the case for MQ 31:12 Why most people think in minimums instead of abundance 35:08 "The best damn ditch digger there ever was" 36:16 Betting big during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill 38:37 Where AI fits into motivational intelligence 43:21 Why Joe's stayed in Rochester for 40+ years 45:06 How the Wilmac and 2logical partnership began 48:06 What's next for 2logical 50:09 Where to find Joe and 2logical Connect with Joe on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

  4. Jul 30

    Kevin Surace | What’s Changed in AI, the Power Players, & Enabling Rochester to Build

    Kevin Surace has a rule: use AI five times an hour. Not five times a day, five times an HOUR, whether he's building a spreadsheet, drafting a keynote deck, or writing a Broadway musical. He says 99% of people he talks to are nowhere close, and that one of their competitors already is. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell welcome back Kevin Surace — AI pioneer, inventor of the modern virtual assistant, and Chairman/CTO of Advanced.ai — for a wide-ranging conversation on the model wars between OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, why coding jobs are shifting instead of disappearing, and how his company Token is stopping AI-driven identity hacks with biometrics. Here's what you'll hear about: Kevin's "five times an hour" rule, and why most people are already behindInside the model wars: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and why Kevin calls foundation models a coming commodityWhy security awareness training barely moves the needle — and the biometric fix his company Token is building insteadThe real reason coding jobs aren't disappearing, and why nobody cares how you got the result anymoreThe Joy Success Cycle, Kevin's new book dropping September 1, and his one-complaint-a-day ruleWhether Rochester is actually building a real AI startup ecosystem Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome back, Kevin Surace 2:09 Introducing Kevin's background 3:56 Icebreaker: This or That 6:40 The model wars: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and the "commodity model" debate 12:53 Kevin's path into virtual assistants and General Magic 27:09 How Nvidia stumbled into the AI chip business 31:05 Kevin's "five times an hour" AI rule 35:44 Claude Design and the disappearing "interim step" 41:23 Why coding jobs are changing, not disappearing 45:30 The Joy Success Cycle and the one-complaint-a-day rule 52:44 Is Rochester building a real AI startup ecosystem? 58:33 Token, biometric security, and stopping AI-driven hacks 1:04:05 Where to find Kevin, and his new book Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

  5. Jul 23

    Adam Timm | The Healthy Dispatcher, 911 Culture Reform, & the Wellness Crisis

    Adam Timm spent over ten years at LAPD earning a nickname he didn't know about until years later: "Angry Adam." A near-firing forced him into a six-week mindfulness class — and what he learned became a program that cut sick time at his center by 45%, and eventually a company, three books, and a career telling 911 leaders the thing they don't want to hear: the best CAD system, consoles, or AI transcription tool won't fix a broken culture. In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell talk with Timm — founder of The Healthy Dispatcher — about the real cost of culture, why 70% of 911 calls aren't emergencies, and where AI actually fits into the future of the call floor. Here's what you'll hear about: The six-week class that turned "Angry Adam" aroundThe real cost case for culture: turnover, liability, complianceWhy "wellness program" is often a misnomerAI's growing role in non-emergency call handlingThe push to get telecommunicators recognized as first responders Episode Breakdown 0:00 Welcome and introducing Adam Timm 0:55 Icebreaker 6:31 How Adam became a 911 dispatcher at LAPD 12:15 "Angry Adam" and the class that changed everything 26:35 Founding The Healthy Dispatcher 32:04 Wellness as a misnomer 37:20 "Just a dispatcher": public perception and reclassification 41:25 The financial case for investing in culture 45:05 Where tech can — and can't — help 48:47 AI and the future of non-emergency calls 51:49 Adam's message and where to find him Connect with Adam on LinkedIn Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside

  6. Jul 16

    Live from NENA 2026

    In this special live episode of The Wilmac Wire, host Emily McNulty takes listeners to the floor of NENA 2026 in Columbus, Ohio, for a series of conversations recorded live from the Wilmac booth. Featuring leaders, innovators, and advocates from across the 911 community, the episode captures the energy, collaboration, and momentum of one of the industry's biggest events. Emily catches up with both returning podcast guests and new voices, covering topics including telecommunicator wellness, Next Generation 911, AI and innovation, workforce management, leadership, and collaboration across the industry. From national advocacy to emerging technologies, each guest shares their perspective on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of emergency communications. Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome from NENA 2026 1:38 Melanie Jones on leadership and wellness 2:58 Ivan Whitaker on innovation and conference takeaways 4:21 Roxanne Van Gundy on her vision as NENA President 5:41 Katie Decker on building the NENA community 7:23 Julie Grosert and Tracy Pemberton on international collaboration through British APCO 9:01 Nick LaMontia reflects on national leadership 12:06 Sam Hawkins on supporting the 911 community 14:19 Hailey Gunther shares her first NENA experience Connect with the speakers: Emily McNulty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-mcnulty-666b66152/ Melanie Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieneal911/ Ivan Whitaker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-whitaker-mba-pmp-62a17316/ Roxanne "Roxy" Van Gundy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-van-gundy-enp-cmcp-rpl-cpe-055b2a125/ Katie Decker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-decker-enp-855995252/ Julie Grosert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-grosert-5a9947b3/ Tracy Pemberton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-pemberton-2887b75a/ Nick LaMontia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickolas-lamontia-enp-2623558/ Sam Hawkins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-hawkins-cmcp-2a045b3b/ Hailey Gunther: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haileygunther/ 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/2lhL8QkXa9LUYlXjSAp3OE?si=806af834f2df4942

  7. Jul 9

    Independence Day Break | Chatting with Monroe County Executive Adam Bello

    In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell revisit their conversation with Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, highlighting the leadership, collaboration, and community investment that continue to shape Rochester and Monroe County. Adam reflects on his journey into public service, from an internship in Washington, D.C. during the events of September 11 to serving as Irondequoit Town Supervisor, Monroe County Clerk, and now County Executive. He shares how those experiences shaped his leadership philosophy and why bringing people together has been central to navigating challenges, including leading Monroe County through the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation also explores Monroe County's approach to public safety, workforce development, and economic growth. Adam discusses innovative programs supporting youth intervention, investments in emergency communications, and the importance of collaboration between local governments, businesses, and community organizations to strengthen the region. Emily, Steve, and Adam also dive into Rochester's future, discussing why the region is well positioned for growth through advanced manufacturing, AI, higher education, and quality of life. The episode closes with Adam's advice on leadership, taking risks, and embracing opportunities for personal and professional growth. Here’s what you’ll hear about: • Adam's journey into public service • Leading Monroe County through the COVID-19 pandemic • Building partnerships across local government • Youth intervention and public safety initiatives • The future of emergency communications and 911 • Workforce development and economic growth • Rochester's strengths in AI, optics, and manufacturing • Leadership lessons on taking risks and serving others • What's next for Monroe County Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and Independence Day introduction 2:19 Meet Monroe County Executive Adam Bello 7:27 Adam's path into public service 14:52 Leading Monroe County through COVID-19 20:14 The role of county government 28:52 Public safety and youth intervention programs 35:13 Technology and the future of emergency communications 39:18 Rochester's economic development and workforce strategy 49:18 Leadership lessons and career advice 51:58 What's next for Monroe County Connect with the speakers: Emily McNulty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-mcnulty-666b66152/ Steve McDonnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-mcdonnell-8659042b/ 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/2lhL8QkXa9LUYlXjSAp3OE?si=7d55c7ee048d4fecv

  8. Jul 2

    Independence Day Break | Celebrating Roxy Van Gundy's NENA Inauguration

    In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell revisit one of Season 3's most impactful conversations with Roxanne "Roxy" Van Gundy, Director of Lyon County Emergency Communications Center and newly inaugurated President of NENA, in celebration of her leadership and contributions to the 911 community. With more than 20 years in public safety, Roxy shares her journey from dispatcher to 911 center director and national leader, reflecting on the experiences that shaped her approach to leadership, culture, and employee wellness. She discusses why creating people-first organizations, empowering teams, and fostering curiosity are essential to building stronger emergency communications centers. The conversation also explores some of the biggest issues facing public safety today, including the 911 SAVES Act, Next Generation 911 funding, dispatcher recruitment and retention, and the growing need to recognize telecommunicators as first responders. Roxy explains why advocacy at both the state and federal level is critical to the future of the profession. Emily, Steve, and Roxy also discuss how emerging technologies like AI can support telecommunicators by reducing administrative workloads, improving training, and enhancing wellness without replacing the human element that remains at the heart of emergency response. The episode closes with a look at the future of emergency communications and the leadership needed to move the industry forward. Here’s what you’ll hear about: • Roxy's journey from dispatcher to NENA President • Building a people-first culture in 911 • Leadership lessons from more than 20 years in public safety • The 911 SAVES Act and first responder recognition • Next Generation 911 funding and advocacy efforts • Dispatcher recruitment, retention, and wellness • Using AI to support telecommunicators and training • Technology modernization in emergency communications • The future of leadership in public safety Episode Breakdown: 0:00 Welcome and Independence Day introduction 3:02 Meet Roxy Van Gundy 7:05 Roxy's career journey into public safety 12:47 Her path to NENA leadership 16:43 Leading Lyon County Emergency Communications 20:19 Building culture and supporting employee wellness 23:19 The 911 SAVES Act and federal advocacy 35:20 AI in emergency communications 39:28 Building a new communications center 42:22 NENA priorities and the future of 911 49:08 AI, training, and closing thoughts Connect with the speakers: Emily McNulty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-miller-mcnulty-666b66152/ Steve McDonnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-mcdonnell-8659042b/ Roxanne "Roxy" Van Gundy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxanne-vangundy/ 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/2lhL8QkXa9LUYlXjSAp3OE?si=5a04500840554db3

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About

Where the drivers behind customer interaction technology, AI, and community innovation share how they’re shaping what’s next.

Information

  • Creator
    Wilmac Technologies
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Wilmac Technologies
  • Show Website
    The Wilmac Wire