Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

ICR

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value. In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment. This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation. For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com

  1. Jereme Kent, Founder and CEO of One Power Company — High Voltage: Bringing America's electrical grid into the 21st century (Re-broadcast)

    2D AGO

    Jereme Kent, Founder and CEO of One Power Company — High Voltage: Bringing America's electrical grid into the 21st century (Re-broadcast)

    This week, we're reaching back into the archive, and re-releasing an episode from back in May with Jereme Kent, the CEO of One Power Company. Given our recent episodes focusing on AI-driven enterprises, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this episode where Jereme discusses the need for a modernized grid to power those projects. Enjoy! Summary:  The world has changed a lot in the last century, but it might surprise you to learn that the US power grid has remained pretty much the same. In this country, energy is by and large controlled by regional utilities with de-facto monopolies, and no real incentive to innovate. That inertia impacts the entire economy, as industrial projects are starved of the power they need to get off the ground.  Jereme Kent is the founder and CEO of One Power Company. Under his leadership, One Power is trailblazing the creation of the customer-centric power grid of the future. Before founding One Power in 2009, Jereme led the construction of some of the world's premier wind projects. As a field engineer, erection superintendent and site manager, he has overseen more than a billion dollars in wind turbine construction.  Jereme joins us to discuss how and why current US power infrastructure is falling short, and how the One Power model could both energize and decarbonize America's efforts to re-industrialize.  Highlights: The state of the grid (3:09)Why we need fixes now (7:04)One Powers services (9:03)Vertical Integration (11:30)Digital Substations (13:54)Fundamental Industries (15:20)Sustainability (16:55)Net Zero (19:45)10 year outlook (21:02)Culture of innovation (23:36)One Power's priorities (25:30)Links: Jereme Kent LinkedIn One Power LinkedIn One Power Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website   Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    28 min
  2. OCT 8

    Ed Nabrotzky, CEO and Co-Founder, Dot Ai – Connecting the Dots: How asset intelligence can boost efficiency and productivity

    When you're running a large industrial operation, tracking all of the elements of your process to know where they are and what they're doing in real-time, can be a huge challenge. Today, we're spotlighting a company whose revolutionary platform can help solve that problem.   Ed Nabrotzky is the CEO and co-founder of Dot Ai, a company specializing in industrial asset intelligence solutions. Ed brings with him over 25 years of experience in technology development, and has held executive leadership roles at large public enterprises, including Molex and Panasonic.    Ed joins us to discuss Dot Ai's competitive advantage, how AI is changing the game when it comes to asset intelligence, and how their tech helps make companies more efficient.    Highlights: What Dot Ai does (1:53)The gap in the market (2:25)The customers (3:21)Inflection point (4:01)The current emphasis asset intelligence (5:51)ROI (7:09)The Dot Ai platform (8:36)Data Security (12:04)Meeting Unique Client Needs (13:25)R&D (14:40)Puerto Rico Manufacturing (16:15)SPAC (18:49)Forces reshaping supply chains (22:59)Misconceptions about automated asset tracking (25:04)Future outlook (26:10)  Links: Ed's LinkedIn Dot Ai LinkedIn Dot Ai Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website   Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    28 min
  3. OCT 1

    George Tomeski, CEO, Helfie.ai – Paging Dr. iPhone: Using AI to help you take control of your health

    Summary: In today's medical system, getting a proper diagnosis and course of treatment can take ages, with potentially disastrous consequences for your health. Today, we're spotlighting a company that's trying to change that paradigm, using the power of AI.   George Tomeski is the CEO of Helfie.ai, a company whose platform will allow you to assess a whole host of health conditions using only your smartphone. And they hope to bring that ability to billions of people around the world who have historically lacked access to proper medical care.    In this episode, we get into the fascinating origins of Helfie.ai, the company's groundbreaking tech, and George's thoughts on AI's evolving role in the healthcare sector. Highlights: George's professional journey (2:18)Origin of Helfie.ai (3:32)The people healthcare is leaving behind (5:45)How Helfie.ai works (7:28)Working with healthcare orgs (9:53)Next steps after disease identification (10:58)Choosing which diseases to tackle (13:15)Building the algorithm (14:19)Partnerships (17:35)Helfia.ai funding (18:33)The leadership team (19:41)Thoughts on the future of AI in healthcare (20:49)What's on the horizon for Helfie.ai (24:10)Links: George's LinkedIn Helfie.ai LinkedIn Helfie.ai Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    28 min
  4. SEP 24

    Aimée Lapic, CEO, Hanna Andersson – Growing Up and Showing Up: How rewarding customer loyalty has helped this children's clothing brand stand the test of time

    Summary:  Since the 1980s, beloved children's clothing brand Hanna Andersson has been delivery quality and durability to happy customers.    Now, Aimée Lapic leads the company as CEO and is using her deep experience in apparel, retail, and omnichannel marketing to turn the legacy brand into a digital powerhouse. Today, they're building on their long-standing strengths with innovative products and services designed to give families even more reason to return to Hanna generation after generation.   Aimée joins us to share the strategies, both old and new, that have helped Hanna Andersson nurture decades of dedicated customers, and to explain how every decision connects back to the brand's mission of championing childhood.    Highlights: Hanna Andersson's evolution over four decades (3:27)What opportunity did Aimée see at Hanna? (5:01)Hanna's brand mission to champion childhood (7:12)Why committing to quality earns customer loyalty (9:07)Innovations at Hanna Andersson (13:03)Introducing new fabrics, prints, and styles (15:00)Turning customers into brand ambassadors (22:32)Community connection (23:26)Collaborations and partnerships (25:18)Up next at Hanna Andersson (27:11)  Links: Aimée Lapic LinkedIn Hanna Andersson LinkedIn Hanna Andersson Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    27 min
  5. AUG 27

    Ciaran Long, CEO, a.k.a. Brands – Dress Rehearsal: Using a 'test and repeat' strategy to adapt quickly to consumer trends

    Summary: a.k.a. Brands have seen incredible success bringing their digitally native brands into the physical marketplace. A big part of that success comes from their 'test and repeat' retail strategy, which allows them to gauge and adapt to consumer trends extremely quickly.  Ciaran Long has been serving as the CEO of a.k.a brands for more than two years. He was previously CFO at Samsclub.com, and held other leadership positions at Walmart's e-commerce division, as well as at CBS, CNET Networks and KPMG. Ciaran joins us to break down the test and repeat strategy, and explains why it can be so effective at minimizing guesswork and mitigating risk. He also delves into a.k.a. Brands' unique approach to influencer marketing, their strategy when it comes to M & A, and the philosophy that will guide their expansion efforts in the years to come.   Highlights: The a.k.a. Brands portfolio (2:05)What sets a.k.a apart? (3:12)a.k.a.'s evolution (4:43)Expansion strategy (5:50)Dealing with fickle consumers (8:56)Test and Repeat (10:55)Culture Kings (13:39)Navigating volatility (16:02)Sustainability in fashion (17:37)M&A (18:53)Looking ahead (21:06) Links: Ciaran's LinkedIn a.k.a. Brands' LinkedIn a.k.a. Brands' Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    23 min
5
out of 5
82 Ratings

About

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value. In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment. This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation. For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com

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