Jim Rispoli, President and CEO of Project Time & Cost

Jim Rispoli has a distinguished career, both civilian and military.  A retired Navy Captain, he served a full career with the Civil Engineer Corps, of which the combat construction battalions are known affectionately as the Seabees.  In addition, he served his country most recently as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management where he managed a $6 billion budget.  Jim is now President and CEO of Project Time & Cost, a project management company. 

Listen to Jim as he describes the systemic process of developing leaders which is unique to the military.  He also stresses how transitioning veterans can best promote their skillsets and communicate clearly to the private sector in order to facillitate the hiring process.    


     

Download | Duration: 00:20:53

Download | Duration: 00:34:25

Bill Donges, Founder and CEO of MySnapCam

 

Bill, a U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.), served a total of 24 years on active duty and in the Reserves.  After graduating from the  Naval Academy he began his career onboard a Destroyer and then transferred to a Gunboat during the Vietnam War, which involved harrowing missions in shallow coastal waters.  Following Vietnam, he taught leadership at the Naval Academy for two years and entered the Reserves.  In the Reserves he ran the Anti-Submarine Warfare Center in Iceland during the 80's, fighting the Cold War on the weekends.  After 7 years he switched duty to the Special Operations Command Center in Tampa where he participated in directing both black and white operations worldwide such as the invasions of Panama and Grenada.

 

Listen as he describes how the principles of leadership, learned at an early age in the line of fire, has furthered his civilian success as a turnaround agent for many companies.  Bill speaks on the change the military forces upon its people and how that creates a comfort with uncertainty and the ability to make real-time leadership decisions.  The military trained him as a leader to evaluate senior management teams, listen to their descriptions of company problems and then quickly ascertain who would be a good fit going forward, set goals and objectives and then “go for it”.  The “sense of mission” and “can-do attitude” he developed made him a successful CEO of Lane Company, which grew into one of the most respected multi-family developers in the industry.  He now heads a venture that is expanding internationally in the security sector using video cameras to stream images straight to your cell phone.

       
       Navy Patrol Boat

Download | Duration: 00:29:56

Cay Gliebe, Vice President Sales and Marketing for NorthgateArinso. 

Cay is a 20-year Navy veteran who began her career as an enlisted sailor, reaching the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer in only 8 years.  She was commissioned through the Limited Duty Officer program and retired at the rank of Lieutenant after serving as a personnel officer.  In this program, Cay discusses the differences between the Navy and typical business way of onboarding new hires, what it was like to be a pioneering woman in a largely male Navy during the Seventies and the importance of adaptability for both corporate and personal success.  She also gives advice to other women who work in corporate America on how to be a great employee and reach your goals.  And for all listeners, she describes the importance of passion for job satisfaction.  

                          
                                                                                                              Navy Yeoman Symbol                         

Download | Duration: 00:27:17

Mark Wesley, President of North America for Atlanta-based Recall Corporation. 

Mark, a Desert Storm-era Marine, served as a logistician and took those skills directly to the private sector.  Today he leads a 2,000 person organization.  Mark describes how to motivate people, how to communicate effectively at all levels and how to overcome the potentially awkward situation of leading people who are older than you.  Mark also discusses tests of his leadership early in his Marine career and the importance of ethics as a leader at Recall.

            

Download | Duration: 00:22:25

A conversation with Bill Mello, president of J.P. Turner & Company and Vietnam-era Marine

In this latest installment of Battlefield to Business, listen to host Jason Jones interview Bill Mello, president of Atlanta-based J.P.Turner & Company.  Bill, a Vietnam-era Marine, recounts life lessons learned during boot camp as a young recruit. His drill sergeant instilled an ethic of being the best and giving his all – regardless of the task – and pressing through adversity by taking motivation from the perseverance of his fellow leathernecks. Finally, he discusses why he looks favorably upon potential employees who have military experience. 

            

Download | Duration: 00:30:39

Todd Shea, Executive Vice President of MacQuarium.

Todd, a former Marine officer, discusses concepts such as “51% mission/49% people”, Commander’s intent, Comfort with ambiguity and the definition of Semper Gumby, a takeoff of the Marine slogan Semper Fidelis – “Always Faithful”.  And finally, he comments on the impression managing funeral detail during the first Gulf War has on his perspective toward work and gratitude for those who serve.

 

      

 

(Todd is on far left)
    

    

 

Download | Duration: 00:27:45

Scott Holcomb, General Counsel for J. P. Turner & Company

Scott discusses integrity, leadership and how his commanders reacted to CNN’s broadcast that he had authorized carrying weapons into the demilitarized zone on the border of Iraq.  Lesson learned:  good communication is critical!

            

Download | Duration: 00:36:14

Scott Burkett, Chief Operating Officer of StarPound Technologies

Scott spent 5 years in the Army stationed on the front of the Iron Curtain on the border of East Germany during the Cold War 80’s.  He compares his experience in the Army with leading a high-tech startup company.  Issues such as a flexible workforce, leadership skills, and creating a culture based around a common cause are discussed.

               

 

Download | Duration: 00:23:46

Mike Quinlan, Chief Operating Officer of The Henssler Financial Group

Mike served over 20 years in the Navy as an aviator flying the P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft.  Among other things, he speaks about a “three-legged stool” for effective leadership:  1) Communicate a clear vision, 2) Set expectations with commensurate authority, and 3)Track employee progress with clear feedback.

            

Download | Duration: 00:20:20

Dan Millhouse, General Manager of Georgia for Walden Security

Dan served six years in the Army and fought in Desert Storm. Listen to him talk about the importance of training and how it resulted in saving a friend's life in the first Gulf War.