Conquering Columbus Podcast

High Bank Distillery Co. is a distillery and restaurant located in Grandview, OH. The team at High Bank distills Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Rum, and their restaurant serves a variety of options that change fairly often with the seasons. They’re most known for their world-class meals, award winning cocktails, and unmatched environment.

Matter is the only women-owned, non-profit, investigative local news outlet. Matter was founded a little over two years ago, with the mission of covering the most pressing issues for Central Ohio,

Matthew is the Senior Vice President of Culinary and Menu Innovation at Piada. Prior to joining the Piada team, Matthew was the Corporate Executive Chef at Brio. Previously, Matthew spent time as an Executive Chef at a variety of restaurants, including Lindey’s, and his cooking career has brought him all over the world to places …

Don M. Casto, III is a partner of CASTO. Prior to joining the organization in 1971, he was in the private practice of law in San Francisco, California. Casto is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School and holds a master’s degree in Natural Resource Law from George Washington University. He is actively …

Andy Hays is the Co-founder and President of Copper Run, an investment banking firm focused on helping their clients manage acquisitions, company sales, and “Taking some chips off the table.” Prior to co-founding Copper Run, Andy worked for, and helped found, Cantor Fitzgerald’s investment banking group on Wall Street, after 9/11. Cantor’s investment banking group …

Ryan Sevey is the General Manager at DataRobot. Prior to joining DataRobot Ryan was the CEO and a Co-Founder of Nexosis. Nexosis was a provider of machine learning API for developers, which was then acquired by DataRobot in 2018.

Outern is a revolutionary early careers jobs tryout platform; it allows companies to source and evaluate talent at scale, and from anywhere, through the power of data, video content, and remote work. The company is aiming to level the playing field by making opportunity dependent upon what candidates can do, rather than where they come …

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, The Wasserstrom Company is the world’s leading restaurant supplier and distributor of foodservice supplies and equipment. Since 1902, Wasserstrom has provided foodservice operators with high quality products, like kitchen supplies and catering supplies, from the industry’s leading manufacturers. Brad graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Marketing before getting …

Todd Penegor is the CEO of Wendy’s. Todd joined the Wendy’s team in 2013 as SVP and Chief Financial Officer in 2013, and was appointed CEO in May of 2016. Prior to his employment with Wendy’s, Todd worked at Kellogg Company (a global leader in food products) from 2000 to 2013. Todd held several key …

Philip Payne is the Principal and Founder over at Apportis, a technology company here in Columbus focused on disrupting the healthcare industry; their goal is to provide real time guidance on diet, exercise, medication, and more, from your phone, laptop, or tablet when you need it. Philip held senior level marketing roles in several major …

David Specht joined The Waterworks in October 1998; From 1998 to 2001, he served as the Vice President of Operations, then becoming the President in November 2001. The Waterworks is one of the premier plumbing, sewer, drain cleaning, and HVAC service businesses in the midwest.

Coach (John) Tortorella is the head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).  

Peter Mohler, PhD, is the vice dean for Research in the Ohio State College of Medicine, chief scientific officer and director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. His research is focused on uncovering the mechanisms underlying abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure in children and young adults with the goals of …

Lewis “Lou” Von Thaer is the President and CEO of Battelle, the world’s largest independent research and development organization.

Andrew Ginther is the Mayor of Columbus, Ohio — Andrew was elected to the Mayor’s office as the 53rd Mayor of Columbus in 2015, succeeding Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who was the longest serving mayor in Columbus city history. Mayor Ginther previously served on the Columbus City Council from 2007-2015.

Mark Kvamme is a Co-Founder and Partner at Drive Capital. Mark and Co-Founder, Chris Olsen, relocated from San Francisco to Columbus to start their own Venture Capital firm. Before founding Drive, Mark and Chris were working at Sequoia Capital (one of the most well known Venture Capital firms in Silicon Valley). Many would have called …

Studium is an education technology company offering high schools and colleges tools to build community and retain students. Studium improves student retention by breaking down barriers to student involvement and providing institutions with a holistic understanding of their student’s college experience.

JL Holdsworth is the Founder of The Spot Athletics, a World Champion powerlifter, and the Co-Founder of Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR). RPR is a system of daily self-care techniques that allow you to improve your performance. Whether you are a business owner, parent, special operations in the military or professional athlete, RPR helps you perform …

Steve Testa is the President of Nationwide Children’s Foundation; he was appointed the position in January 2018, after joining the Nationwide Children’s team in 2014. His previous roles with the foundation included Senior Vice President and Executive Director. Prior to joining Nationwide Children’s in 2014, Steve was Assistant Vice President, Foundation, at Valley Health System …

John Egnor is the Founder and President of JME Hospitality. Since the company’s beginnings in 1989, JME Hospitality has designed over 4,000 hospitality projects spanning the entire world.