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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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Submit ReviewThe sign of a strong apparel brand isn't always about covering every billboard. It's about longevity, steady growth, and speaking the customer's language. And today's two guests certainly know how to do that.
On this episode, we're sitting down with Kevin McLaughlin, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of J. McLaughlin, and Mary Ellen Coyne, the company's CEO. Kevin started J.McLaughlin in 1977 with his brother, Jay. They envisioned a timeless lifestyle brand with a legacy of style and a spirit of connection. And they did just that, opening their first shop on 74th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. It immediately became the post-brunch destination for the Ivy league, JG Mellon crowd.
Kevin's taste and design-sense has guided the J.McLaughlin collection since the first store opened, and he prides himself on creating effortless and enduring styles with a modern twist. Each style is thoughtfully designed with impeccable craftsmanship, original colors and prints and innovative fabrics.
Mary Ellen Coyne is the CEO of J. McLaughlin, and joined the brand in 2016. She oversees all aspects of strategy and operations, including merchandising, product development, marketing, retail expansion, and e-commerce. Under her leadership, the brand has launched new product verticals, including swim and footwear, enjoyed robust retail expansion, and recently launched a brand refresh.
Prior to joining the company, Mary Ellen had two decades of leadership experience at Ralph Lauren, where she most recently served as the Chief Merchandising Officer of Polo Women and Children's Division. Her career kicked off in the Macy’s Training Program, and from there, she sharpened her industry expertise with key merchandising roles at Ann Taylor, The Gap, and Victoria’s Secret.
J.McLaughlin now has over 170 beautiful stores on the most charming streets in America and true to the McLaughlin brothers' vision, each store is entirely unique.Highlights:
- Kevin tells how he and his brother Jay started the business in 1977, and who the core customer is (4:47)
- Mary Ellen talks about why she joined the company (7:30)
- The store locations, key markets and expansion strategy (9:08)
- The menswear category and as the early foundation of the brand, and how the company approaches their relationship with the customer (11:15)
- Kevin talks about the role that intuition plays in the company (15:53)
- J.McLaughlin's philanthropy and their "local and loyal" approach (17:58)
- Mary Ellen discusses the company's impressive financial performance (18:56)
- The company's marketing and the role that their catalogue plays in that mix (20:39)
- New categories for 2024 (23:05)
- Working with Trey Laird to update the company's branding and marketing (26:14)
- Kevin discusses the expansion and brand awareness he'd like to create (28:37)
- Who are J.McLaughlin's competitors? (30:37)
- Trends and retail projections for the coming season (31:46)
- Mary Ellen and Kevin's goals for the next 5 years (33:05)
Links:Mary Ellen Coyne on LinkedIn
Feedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
In business, you have to want to win. But in addition to that, simple, honest values go an incredibly long way. Today's guest leads a company that is powered by that philosophy.
On this episode we get to sit down with Tom Nolan, CEO of the jewelry and accessories brand, Kendra Scott. Tom leads the billion dollar business by balancing day-to-day functions and strategy with the integration of the brand's core pillars of family, fashion and philanthropy into every consumer touch-point. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, Tom oversees the brand's substantial omnichannel growth, global expansion and evolving retail model.
Tom has more than two decades of experience in brand building, management and results-driven strategic planning from a diverse range of companies, including Ralph Lauren, Conde Nast, and his own entrepreneurial endeavor, Prospect Brands. We had a great conversation about the company's humble beginnings and how far they've come.
Highlights: • The origin story of the company (3:57) • Tom's background and career trajectory (5:02) • The appeal of the Kendra Scott story and her as a leader (9:32) • Tom outlines the company's brand values (11:43) • Why Tom made the decision to join the company/the importance of philanthropy (15:36) • The various tipping points in the company's growth (17:51) • The importance of their relationship with Berkshire (20:28) • Tom discusses Kendra Scott's creative approach to marketing (21:28) • The Kendra Scott Foundation (23:50) • The men's line (24:40) • Tom talks about his leadership philosophy and the closeness with his team members (26:35) • The company's vision for the next 5 to 10 years (28:07)Links:ICR TwitterICR LinkedInICR WebsiteTom Nolan on LinkedInKendra Scott WebsiteFeedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
As the world embraces cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and deregulated finance, there's a massive transformation on the horizon. But if you're going to invest in these innovations, you need to be incredibly diligent and have a deep understanding of the tech. Today's guest has both.
We're sitting down with Pete Najarian, who is the Managing Partner of RW3 Ventures. RW3 is a digital asset venture firm built in partnership with The Raptor Group. The Raptor Group is a multi-sector venture firm with significant investments across fintech, sports and gaming, healthcare, and digital assets.
Pete has significant dedicated digital asset experience, having previously served in senior leadership roles for two leading digital asset operating businesses: Zappo, which was ultimately acquired by Coinbase in 2019, and BitGo, the leader in digital asset security, custody, and liquidity. They provide the operational backbone for more than 1, 500 institutional clients and over 50 companies. They also process 20 percent of all the global Bitcoin transactions by value.
Prior to that, Pete spent 20 years plus building and leading the global emerging markets businesses for some of the world's largest banks, UBS and RBS in particular.
Highlights:
- Pete's experience in finance, discovering cryptocurrency, and founding RW3 (4:10)
- Pete's approach to investing at RW3 (7:24)
- Bitcoin, and Pete's outlook on when to invest in crypto (8:18)
- Analyzing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies' place in the market (9:53)
- Pete breaks down the opportunities opened up by blockchain innovation (11:30)
- The use and value of cryptocurrency technology in the world economy (13:35)
- How Pete makes decisions on blockchain investments (16:03)
- How RW3 assists clients (18:47)
- Pete breaks down the relationship between traditional finance and cryptocurrency (21:06)
- Pete's predictions on the future of blockchain technology and finance field (24:11)
- Understanding decentralized finance (25:03)
- Government involvement in cryptocurrency (26:38)
- Some of Pete's current investments at RW3 (30:00)
- Qualifications for an investment at RW3 (33:10)
Links:
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
When it comes to climbing the ladder in any industry, being willing to try new things and seize opportunities is your fastest track to growth. Our guest today has built her impressive career and carved out her place in the industry by doing just that.
Today we're sitting down with Morgan Brennan, who Co-anchors CNBC's Closing Bell Overtime, which broadcasts live from CNBC's global headquarters in Inglewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Previously, she was co-anchor of the 10 a.m. hour on CNBC's Squawk on the Street. and Co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Alley.
Morgan joined the network in December 2013, as a general assignment reporter and continues to cover a variety of sectors including manufacturing, defense, and space among others. She's also the host of the CNBC podcast, Manifest Space.
Prior to joining CNBC, Morgan was a staff writer and reporter for Forbes Media where she reported for Forbes Magazine, Forbes Life magazine, and Forbes. com. She began her career at Forbes in 2009, holding several positions, including anchor reporter and producer for the Forbes video network, covering a wide variety of business and finance topics. Morgan has interviewed billionaires, and heads of state, thought leaders, and chief executives of multi-billion dollar corporations. Her profile story on Equity Group Investments' Chairman, Sam Zell was one of five magazine covers featured on the 2013 Forbes 400 issue. She's also a board member of the nonprofit, City Year New York.
Morgan graduated summa cum laude from New York University, majoring in Social Science with a double concentration in Anthropology and Media Studies.
Highlights:
- Morgan describes her journey from entertainment to journalism (4:09)
- Morgan's first on-air role (8:49)
- How the service industry prepared Morgan for her media roles (10:36)
- Morgan walks us through her trajectory at CNBC (12:08)
- How Morgan got comfortable with live broadcasting (13:20)
- The biggest challenges in TV and fast-paced media industries (14:32)
- Morgan's favorite part of her work (16:52)
- Morgan talks about her podcast 'Manifest Space' (17:47)
- Morgan's all-time favorite interview (20:00)
- How Morgan learned to conduct interviews and her personal approach to them (20:53)
- How CEOs and business owners should approach media and interviews (21:55)
- Morgan explains how she balances and manages her work schedule with home life (26:58)
Links:
space-with-morgan-brennan.html">Manifest Space with Morgan Brennan
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
Introducing a new product into the extremely competitive snack market is not for the faint of heart. To succeed, you need more than a unique product; you need energy, creativity, and a bold approach. Today’s guest has all that in spades.
We're sitting down with Jake Karls, who is the first to admit that he's a different kind of business leader, unapologetically authentic, refreshingly relatable, and completely free of bullshit. Jake is the Co-Founder and Chief Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares, the good-for-you chocolate brand that turned a kitchen table dream into a global household name.
Mid-Day Squares is leading the disruption of an extremely competitive vertical with a winning team, innovative marketing and a fearless spirit. Jake is recognized as a rising star in the business world, was a finalist for Ian Wise Entrepreneur of the Year Award, was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 List for food and beverage, and has featured as a regular contributor to media outlets across North America.
Jake has also nicknamed the ICR conference The House of Capital, and we love him for that. He’s officially a “FOICR” which stands for Friend of ICR.
Highlights:
- Jake discusses his path into the business sector (3:57)
- Jake and Tom talk about their favorite Shark Tank Shark (6:51)
- Jake talks about failure, finding work purpose, and skill sets (7:35)
- Finding your niche in a competitive market, and Mid-Day Squares' social media approach to branding, and (9:57)
- Building a brand with emotional connection, and modernized marketing (12:10)
- Mid-Day Squares' conception and the idea behind the product (14:15)
- Jake and the team's experience with manufacturing and building their own facility (16:12)
- Best-selling products (19:02)
- Mid-Day Squares' retail connections and their proudest deal (19:45)
- Refrigerated snacking, and how Mid-Day Squares target their audiences (21:00)
- How the team balances retail and direct channels (22:55)
- Goal and mission of Mid-Day Squares (24:00)
- Jake explains the complexity and challenges in the CPG (consumer packaged goods) industry (25:21)
- Jake gets honest about building your own business (26:35)
- Ideas for near-future product extensions at Mid-Day Squares (27:57)
- How much capital Mid-Day has raised for growth and development (29:13)
Links:
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
Big healthcare challenges demand cutting-edge healthcare products. Today's guest is building strategic partnerships to get ahead of disease and fuel the growth of their company.
Today we're sitting down with Chris Hall, CEO and President of Personalis, which trades under the symbol PSNL. In his role, Chris drives the vision and strategy for the company, including commercializing its diagnostic product offerings. He brings over 20 years of experience in general management and product development within the diagnostics industry, most recently as CEO of Naring Health.
Previously he served as President, COO, and Chief Commercial Officer of Veracyte Inc, where he led the company's commercial entry into endocrinology and pulmonology and scaled its operational groups. Chris also served as an SVP and Chief Business Officer at Berkeley HeartLab, part of Celera Corporation, where he helped new product launches, and restructured operations to improve profitability and streamline delivery of services.
Chris holds a BA in political science from DePauw University and an MBA from Harvard.
Highlights:
- Chris describes Personalis and their work (3:45)
- Personalis' MRD test and how it works (6:25)
- Chris walks us through Personalis' tech evolution (8:23)
- Personalis' current partnerships and collaborations (10:24)
- More about the internal team at Personalis (14:31)
- Chris discusses Personalis' recent Medicare coverage announcement (16:09)
- The current macro environment's effect on business (18:09)
- 2023 highlights at Personalis (19:54)
- Near-future growth and development goals for Personalis (22:25)
- Leadership and company culture at Personalis (24:22)
- Product development and long-term objectives (26:19)
Links:
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
There are some extraordinary opportunities for companies with the vision and commitment to get behind the energy transition, and today's guest works with one of them.
We're sitting down with David Bandele, who has served as the CFO of Hexagon Composites since 2014. The company is headquartered in Norway and trades under the symbol H E X . O L. Their business is focused on carbon-negative, zero-emission energy solutions supported by world-class manufacturing and digitization.
Before joining Hexagon, David held several senior positions in the field of finance and controlling with the Acre Group of Companies, GE Healthcare, and Amersham PLC. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sheffield and is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.
Highlights:
- Introduction to Hexagon Composites and their background (3:24)
- Hexagon's target audience and reach (4:24)
- David describes his road to Hexagon (4:51)
- David breaks down the similarities and differences between natural gas, and renewable gas (6:03)
- Hexagon's growth and quick expansion (8:02)
- Hexagon's total addressable market and sustainability benefits (11:43)
- David walks us through Hexagon Agility's mobile pipeline (15:34)
- Mobile pipeline demand (17:17)
- David takes us through the roll out of Hexagon Digital Wave and developments in other Hexagon verticals (18:11)
- Hexagon's recent partnership with Compass Natural Gas (19:45)
- The projects of Hexagon Purus (20:45)
- Hexagon Ragasco and their current market outlook (22:26)
- David gives his outlook on the current environmental and sustainability efforts in business across North America (24:20)
- How Hexagon is continuing to innovate and win over shareholders for the long term (25:59)
- David gives us his predictions and goals for Hexagon's near future (28:42)
Links:
Hexagon Composites on LinkedIn
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
If you've been to space and back, you're bound to have an amazing perspective about your own capabilities, and what humans can achieve. Our guest today knows all about that.
On this episode, we're sharing part two of Morgan Brennan's interview with Jared Isaacman, recorded in January at ICR's 26th annual conference in Orlando, Florida. If you didn't catch part one last week, we highly recommend you do. Jared is an extraordinary business leader and on top of his incredible career as founder of Shift4, and Draken International, he's an accomplished pilot and an astronaut.
Jared has made significant contributions to financial technology, defense, and aerospace industries. He is the founder of both Shift4 and Draken International. Jared founded Shift4 in 1999 at 16 years old, and under his leadership as CEO, Shift4 has consistently pushed boundaries. Today, Shift4 employs over 2,500 people and processes $250 billion in payments annually for more than 200,000 customers across the US and Europe.
Apart from his extraordinary success with Shift4, in 2021 Jared made history by commanding Inspiration4, the world's first all-civilian mission to orbit. That mission raised over 250 million dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. And later this year, he's going to return to space as commander of the Polaris Dawn mission. This is the first of three space flights under the Polaris program, which is a partnership with SpaceX, and we'll hear all about those missions in this next part of the interview.
We're delighted to have Morgan Brennan as the guest host for this interview. Morgan is the co-anchor of CNBC's Closing Bell Overtime. Over the last 10 years, she's held various on-air roles with CNBC and was previously co-anchor of Squawk on the Street and Squawk Alley.
Highlights:
- Jared talks about the differences between being a private and public company (4:37)
- Insight on new upcoming Shift4 projects (5:06)
- Jared tells us the best and worst parts of being in space (6:19)
- Common questions Jared gets about space (7:01)
- Jared gives us an inside look at the training process for astronauts leading up to launch (8:04)
- How seeing space has changed Jared's view of the world (9:57)
- Jared answers whether he ever felt nervous regret before a launch (13:18)
- How Jared talks to his family about space missions (15:50)
- Jared describes what it feels like to come back to Earth from space (16:53)
- How your height changes after going into space and coming back to Earth (18:42)
- More about SpaceX's new Starship project (20:23)
Links:Morgan Brennan on LinkedIn
Draken International on LinkedIn
Feedback:If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
In business, there's success, and there's potential. Success is nice, but true greatness lies in tapping into unseen possibilities. Today's guest has harnessed their business's potential to make a lasting impact on a global scale.
On this episode, we're featuring part one of a two-part interview recorded in January at ICR's annual conference in Orlando. It's a fireside chat hosted by Morgan Brennan, who was kind enough to step in to ask all the pressing questions. Morgan is co-anchor of CNBC's Closing Bell Overtime. Over the last 10 years, she has held various on-air roles with CNBC and was previously co-anchor of Squawk on the Street and Squawk Alley. We're thrilled to feature her as our host today.
Morgan sat down with Jared Isaacman. Jared is an entrepreneur, a business leader, an accomplished pilot, and he's also an astronaut. He's the founder of both Shift4 and Draken International. Under his leadership as CEO, Shift4 has consistently pushed boundaries, developing cutting-edge payment technologies that empower businesses across countless sectors.
Draken International is an aerospace defense company that provides tactical aviation services for all branches of the US military. In 2021, he made history by commanding Inspiration4, the world's first all-civilian mission to orbit. And later this year, he's going to return to space as commander of the Polaris Dawn mission, which is a partnership with SpaceX.
Be sure to check out next week's episode for the second half of this fascinating interview.
Highlights:
- How Jared got his start in payment processing and technology (5:18)
- Jared tells the origin story and inspiration behind founding Shift4 (6:58)
- Jared describes Shift4's recent public listing accomplishment (8:19)
- Shift4's current verticals and growth opportunities in payment processing (10:10)
- How Jared transitioned from payment to space exploration (11:58)
- How Jared got the opportunity to make space history (13:55)
- Jared describes the process of assembling the Inspiration 4 mission and crew (15:40)
- Jared's upcoming Polaris Dawn space mission (18:36)
- Jared discusses the working with SpaceX (20:36)
- More on Shift4's team and board members (22:34)
- Jared shares his biggest lessons in leadership (23:49)
Links:
Draken International on LinkedIn
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
Mitigating risk has never been more challenging, but today's guest leans on smart data technology, a great relationship with his clients, and over 20 years of working with his very successful firm.
We’re excited to sit down today with Amol Dharkalkar, who is Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board of Chatham Financial. He is the Global Head of Chatham's corporate sector and brings over 20 years of experience in derivatives capital markets expertise to the treasury and accounting functions that support client strategies and operations.
Amol created the corporate sector at Chatham in 2010. He’s advised some of the largest corporations in the world in the development, execution, and ongoing management of hedging programs across interest rates, currency, and commodities. Amol has also advised both public and private companies across all industries, including real estate, private equity, telecom, technology, industrials, and healthcare, just to name a few.
Amol graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor's degree in both chemical engineering and economics and received his MBA from Wharton at U Penn, where he was a Palmer Scholar.
Highlights:
- Amol gives us an overview of Chatham and the focus of their work (3:10)
- Chatham's senior team and work culture (4:26)
- Amol describes Chatham's clientele and target audience (6:13)
- Amol tells us about one of the most complex cases Chatham has managed (8:03)
- What success means to Amol as a consultant (9:53)
- Amol's outlook on the current economic market and the future of interest rates (10:42)
- Risk mitigation in business and how to plan for interference (13:07)
- How Chatham has adopted and adapted technology into their work (14:48)
- How Amol and his team stay up to date on market developments (17:40)
- Amol says more about Chatham's recent EA market acquisition and partnerships (18:26)
- Chatham's recent report on the state of financial risk management (20:10)
- How companies continue to be successful in the changing economic climate (22:36)
- Amol's thoughts on M&A, and advice for potential clients (24:16)
- The current election season's potential effects on businesses (26:15)
- Amol talks about fluctuating currency valuations and its impact on clients (28:52)
- Future goals and plans for Chatham (30:30)
Links:
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.
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