Joel Spalding: The 10 Visionary CEOs Defining Success in 2025 | CIO Views Magazine

Leading with Purpose, Building with Vision

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In today's swiftly changing business environment, we no longer evaluate leadership by quarterly earnings or market share. The most powerful leaders are those who redefine success by building cultures that reflect innovation, resilience, and a sense of humanity. They are the builders of cultures that allow innovation to flourish. They are willing to make big, brave decisions, not just in order to capture that opportunity, but to create theopportunity.Theseleadersknowthatthenewimpetusforgrowthisnot adestination,butanongoingjourneybuiltontheprinciplesofanticipation and adaptability. They have a long term view, focused on more than their here and now, hoping to leave an impact on their company, industry and society. Ratherthanviewingdisruptionas a threat,theseleaderssee itas a powerfulvehicleforchangingindustrynorms,andevolvingwhatitmeans to lead as a purpose-led leader. They remind us of the standard we should hold ourselves to, as balance between ambition, responsibility, progress, andsustainability.

At CIO Views, we honor these empowering leaders by dedicating this issuetitled“The10VisionaryCEOsDefiningSuccessin2025”tothem. Featuringasthecoverstory,wehavecoveredthesuccessful&motivating journey of Joel Spalding, CEO of Complex Structures Group. We have also included the inspiring stories of Aiden Keegan, CEO of Esquires Coffee; John Dowd, CEO of Fiduciary Trust International; Olga Balakleets, CEO of Ensemble Productions; Chase Kreger, CEO of Maximize Value Consulting; Omar Hammoud, CEO of APG-Neuros; Michael Vitolo, CEO of MegaplanIT; Lars Fledsberg, CEO of Wittario; Lynne Akkawi, Founder & CEO of Prime Owners Association Management Services; and Brent Kruel, CEO of BioFunctional Health Solutions.

CIOViewsisabusinessmagazinethatmainlyfocusesonbusinessleaders, their journey, views on current economic states, and all other relevant subjects that refer to the business world. Our goal is to be a leading source of information dedicated to providing our readers with detailed perspectives and views of successful business leaders who are transforming the business outlook and redefining their goals. With exclusive editions on various industries like software, education, healthcare,technology,realestate,andmanymore,CIOViewsisdrivento promoteexcellenceintheworldofbusiness.

HappyReading!

22. AidenKeegan

OlgaBalakleets 36.

JohnDowd 26. 32. ChaseKreger OmarHammoud 42.

Fledsberg

COVER X STORY

JOEL SPALDING

A VISIONARY CONSTRUCTION LEADER

DRIVING EXCELLENCE THROUGH INTEGRITY, INNOVATION, AND COLLABORATION

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPLEX STRUCTURES GROUP

WWith over 30 years of experience in the construction industry, Joel Spalding is a visionary leader and CEO of Complex Structures Group (CSG), formerly known as Chicago Steel Group, in Merrillville, Indiana. Recognized for his integrity, innovation, and collaborative approach, he guides the company with a focus on excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.

Joel's expertise spans value engineering, preconstruction planning, project management, and financial oversight, while his leadership philosophy centers on empowering teams, fostering open communication, and driving long-term growth. Through strategic foresight and a people-first mindset, Joel continues to strengthen Complex Structures Group's position at the forefront of engineering and construction innovation.

Leading People with Purpose and Passion

Joel's transition into executive leadership was the “next natural step in wanting to contribute more,” but it started early in his construction career, working for his fatherin-law, who owned a carpentry firm. “I saw how he led, mentored, and treated people. He led by example and had a massive work ethic. So, I saw early on how powerful it was. It gave me the desire to have a greater impact on the growth and development of others,” he recalls.

Joel believes that success comes from placing people in the right roles and

fostering true teamwork. “When individuals are engaged in work they are passionate about, they naturally invest their energy, creativity, and commitment,” he observes. “It is a remarkable experience to witness a team aligned in purpose and positioned for success. In that environment, limits are removed, the previously impossible becomes achievable, and even the most daunting challenges can be overcome.”

Joel's definition of success has evolved significantly over the years.As an executive, he views success not as a destination, but as a continuous journey - a commitment to growth, mindset, and behaviors that enable a team to achieve what no individual could accomplish alone. “True success blends achieving meaningful goals, personal and professional growth, financial stability, making a positive impact, work-life balance, and maintaining health. The pursuit of success lies in continually refining each of these elements, striving for excellence, and inspiring those around you to reach their full potential,” he reflects.

“NEXT NATURAL STEP IN WANTING TO CONTRIBUTE MORE”

Driving Innovation Through a 10X

Mindset

Joel ensures that CSG stays ahead in a rapidly evolving engineering and construction landscape by becoming “students of the market,” constantly analyzing competitors, safety practices, materials, trends, and emerging technologies. “We are among the few steel erectors in the country with in-house engineering capabilities, a distinction that sets us apart,” he emphasizes.

Because many of the company's projects are large and complex, this integrated approach directly enhances safety. With safety as its top priority, its engineering and construction techniques are continually driven to achieve excellence and remain at the forefront of innovation. The strategy that has the greatest impact for Joel is the “10X” approach, which he applies across every facet of business to maintain clarity and confidence when leading through uncertainty.

“Rather than settling for incremental gains, I challenge myself and my team to envision results ten times greater than current performance. Whether addressing sales, safety, or operational challenges, reframing issues as tenfold larger or more important sparks creativity and reveals innovative solutions that might otherwise be overlooked. This mindset not only drives extraordinary outcomes but also inspires teams to think bigger, act bolder, and achieve what once seemed impossible,” he states.

Staying Grounded Through Communication and Clarity

To stay connected to his team's dayto-day challenges while managing high-level strategic goals, Joel and his team loosely follow the EOS management model as a framework to structure their meetings, maintain accountability, and strengthen communication across all levels and divisions of the company.

“WE ARE THE COUNTRY CAPABILITIES,

ARE AMONG THE FEW STEEL ERECTORS IN COUNTRY WITH IN-HOUSE ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES, A DISTINCTION THAT

SETS US APART”

“IN COMPLEX, TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS STEEL ERECTION, NO SINGLE

INDIVIDUAL CAN POSSESS ALL THE ANSWERS”

“While this system provides valuable organization and clarity, I believe its effectiveness ultimately depends on fostering a culture of open and transparent communication. I emphasize this at every opportunity, ensuring that every team member feels heard, informed, and empowered to contribute,” he insists.

To balance long-term vision with short-term execution in a field that demands both innovation and precision, Joel meets with the executive team every week to assess which division currently representsor is at risk of becoming - their weakest link.

“We identify which team or aspect of the business requires our immediate and long-term attention. These priorities are constantly evolving. After a period of strong sales, for instance, our focus may shift toward execution, and later toward working capital or other operational areas. This ongoing assessment ensures that we remain proactive, balanced, and aligned in strengthening the organization as a whole,” he explains.

Joel shares that the current staff at CSG stands out as the team he's most proud of. “Our team is exceptional - a

blend of highly talented individuals, some with up to 25 years of experience at CSG, and others who have been with me for over a decade across previous ventures. Together, I truly believe they are among the best in the country. We are a company to watch, and we are steadily building toward something extraordinary,” he observes.

Leading with Integrity, Inclusion, and Foresight

When faced with difficult decisions, Joel often asks himself whether he would be comfortable with this choice ten years from now. “In the past, there have been moments when I managed or responded to situations in ways that, with time and perspective, I wished I had handled differently.

Reflecting on those experiences has shaped my approach to leadership. Today, I strive to make decisions my future self would be proud ofguided by integrity, self-awareness, and long-term perspective,” he reflects.

Joel believes that effective leadership must be rooted in an inclusive and collaborative approach that leverages the collective knowledge of the team and the organization. This style empowers individuals, builds trust, and strengthens accountability. It also fosters innovation and enables rapid, effective problem-solving while preventing silos and encouraging cross-department collaboration.

“In my experience, decisions made collaboratively are almost always stronger than those made in

isolation. We work intentionally to make this mindset part of our culture at every level, and I consistently engage my executive team in major decisions to ensure diverse perspectives and shared ownership of outcomes,” he shares.

One idea about leadership in construction that Joel would like to change is the misconception that good leaders need to know everything. “In complex, technical environments such as steel erection, no single individual can possess all the answers,” he insists. “Effective leaders recognize knowledge gaps and intentionally create environments where collective intelligence can thrive, empowering teams to contribute their expertise and drive superior outcomes.”

Joel's advice to young professionals who aspire to lead complex organizations is to lead by example, demonstrating humility, and taking full ownership of mistakes. Authenticity and a collaborative mindset are essential to fostering a culture of teamwork, as great

achievements are rarely accomplished alone. He also encourages them to seek opportunities where others may hesitate. “Being bold is critical - if you do not pursue the opportunity, the chance for success is lost,” he remarks.

Conclusion

As a visionary leader in the construction industry, Joel Spalding hopes to be remembered as someone whose impact extended far beyond profitability. His goal is to leave behind a strong, financially sound, and sustainable company with a clear and inspiring vision for the future.

In addition to building and empowering an exceptional, high-performing team, driven, ambitious, and fully prepared to lead the company into its next chapter, Joel ultimately wants to create an organization that stands unmatched in the industry, defined not only by its success but by the legacy of its people and culture.

AIDEN KEEGAN

THE BEST COFFEE SERVICE ESQUIRES TAKES THE LEAD

Coffee is the most popular beverage consumed in the world. Statistics say that more than 400 billion cups are consumed each year. The aroma, the essence and relief it offers in a cup, is mesmerizing, making it an important part of peoples' day to day life. Doug Williamson, a 24-year-old young Canadian man realized that people needed a place to congregate outside of the local pub. With love for coffee and the people, Doug and his close friend set out on a daunting venture of exploring this flavorsome industry. They started Esquires in 1993, in a small “strip mall” that has grown to be the leading coffee brand in Canada and New Zealand today.As young, amateurs who had nothing but passion with the power to think out of the box, Doug and his team have an inspiring tale to tell.

Passion that Paved the Way

Starting their first coffee shop in in a small “strip mall”, as we refer to them in Canada, Doug refers to this opportunity as his first lucky break. The small but charming center, comprised of about 30 or so retail businesses, had come under tough times and was in receivership, which worked in favor of Doug's business plan. He grabbed the opportunity embarking a new career path without any experience. Evidently, the first obstacle that would befall them was sustainability in the market without a name. They needed to work doubly hard to stay put in the competitive field. With the presence of the big brands around, Doug and his team worked tirelessly to earn a position and acceptance within the community. They needed to listen to the

customers and evolve to serve them and customize their design according to the taste and choice of the local community. Hard work and dedication saw them through, and they gained the trust of and respect of people living in North Delta.

By the 90s they had established Esquires as a leading specialty retail coffee brand in western Canada. Name and fame followed as the team kept working relentlessly year after year. More doors of opportunities started opening every year. There was all sorts of pressure, as happens in business, to grow and expand, but they had worked really hard building the chain and did not feel a great deal of urgency to expand for expansion's sake. However, fate had something different in store. In 1999, a lovely couple who were franchise experts in

CEO, ESQUIRES COFFEE

UK happened to visit the Vancouver Island store and cite their experience as “We fell immediately and madly in love with their energy, environment, and friendliness. We knew Brits would just adore this brand!” Well, another lucky break in the book of Esquires wrote a new chapter of success and the following years just Saw Doug travelling across UK opening Esquires franchise outlets throughout the country. Today, they have more than100 stores, but Doug is very proud to say that Esquires Coffee evolved from that one small store in a small suburb of Vancouver; by showing people that they valued their business more than the big brands.

The Essence of Remarkable Services

Today, Esquires is a fast charging coffee brand in the U.K. and Ireland with market leading innovation around food and beverage. Today's coffee shop plays a unique role in their social interaction evoking different emotions in people. The Esquires coffee shops offer many other services apart from their refreshing coffee. They are places to meet friends, places to find peace; they are places where business is performed in an ever-increasing manner, they are places to unwind after the stresses of a busy day. They function as an extension of homes and businesses, as well as a place to escape them. Whatever the reason for visiting Esquires, every customer enjoys being in a comforting and peaceful environment where they can rely upon exceptional service and delicious food and coffee. Esquires draws on that need by providing a warm and welcoming experience while offering Organic Fair-Trade coffee, along with a range of quality teas and the latest in health focused

cold drinks as well as delicious food freshly made in store. This clearly differentiates Esquires and has created a distinct goodwill with our customers who have become enduring and loyal devotees of the brand.

The Expansion of the Business with Strategic Planning

From moving into new markets to developing new products, franchising has given the company different avenues of growth. More specifically, it has helped the company grow by allowing them to utilize the talents and local knowledge of their franchise owners whilst they can focus on building the brand, the supplier network, generating value and improving their systems.Additionally, having franchise owners that challenge them daily to refine their systems for maximum efficiency is a powerful way of growing, which they would not have otherwise. Indeed, franchising has its challenges as well. Assembling a team of like-minded individuals is incredibly important, as

is finding qualified franchise owners that share our vision and values. However, franchising has fostered the growth of the company largely with over 100 successful stores today.

Over the last number of years store growth has been steady and indeed continues to be so and in the more recent past they have also been marrying store growth to in house improvement in profitability through improved food programs and focus on procurement. While the latter does not necessarily bring about growth as such it does drive profitability in store for the people at the coal face, their franchisees.

The Experts Driven by a Vision

Doug started Esquires at the age of 24 along with his friend while they were still in search of a promising career path. Without any experience to begin an entrepreneurial journey was a challenging task however the suburb of Vancouver known as North Delta, is a land brimming with working

professionals, students, and families of all ages, which could have been one of the factors that boosted Doug to take an unnerving step of risk. Taking calculated risks and standing strong despite the challenges has brought Esquires in the lead position today.

Aiden Keegan took over from Doug in 2018 and has played a vital role in the strategic growth of the company and having been a major contributor in the growth of the business.

“Having been with Esquires, albeit in the Irish and GCC sides of the business since 2004 it sometimes seems to me that I have done little else! However, I did also spend some years in Ireland's biggest indigenous coffee chain before joining Esquires and before that in various roles across hospitality.” Says,Aiden.

Aiden's roles and responsibilities as the CEO of Esquires are quite varied and cover everything from operational improvements to procurement to franchisee development as well as looking after the balance sheet. In terms of the emotions around this, it is mainly pride in the job being done by the great team,Aiden finds himself lucky to have a skilled team around him and the 'product' they deliver to their customers, the franchisees.

The Vision of a Unanimous Team

The team is passionate about ensuring their customers enjoy their experience at Esquires. They focus on building an emotional connection with the customers, paired with a functional solution to achieve a unique brand attachment and loyalty. Some of their key means of ensuring an exceptional experience in their coffee shops are:

Ÿ Acommitment to third wave coffee excellence and the desire to pioneer new innovative espresso beverages that are helping to shape the future of our coffee such as our recent Black & Tonic.

Ÿ Freshly roasted Organic Fairtrade coffee, teas and chocolate served alongside a selection of carefully chosen healthy and freshly prepared in store food.

Ÿ Individually designed and immediately recognizable cafes, exhibiting our sustainability commitments, independent character and proudly located in premium locations.

Ÿ Comfortable seating and readily accessible internet connections, supported by great music and magazines

Ÿ Staff are extensively trained to ensure they value all customers and practice a personal service

Ÿ Constant innovation to stay ahead of our competitors and strengthen our reputation of always being “the place to be”

The Future of Esquires

Esquires already operates in numerous countries around the globe including Ireland, Canada, China, Pakistan, UAE, SaudiArabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Portugal. Franchising at its core, is essentially the leveraging of a good idea or a suite of good ideas and sharing that IP and adapting it for the market you are entering, however, for it to work one key factor must be at the heart of the business, the Franchisee. Without the Franchisee there is no franchising so their wellbeing in the business is the keystone to building any successful franchise. However franchising may change in the future, this tenet ought to remain true and adhered to. Esquires plan is to continue this expansion but in a sustainable way with strategic partners on the ground in these and new locations.

Esquires started with soul, passion and love.and today, 25 years later it has made a remarkable impression on the coffee industry. With over 100 successful stores, Esquires has taken the lead in the market as one of the best coffee brands with the best service. The skilled leadership and knowledgeable team continues to work hard to stay in the lead.

JOHN DOWD

A PROVEN WEALTH MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE WITH BROAD EXPERIENCE

Success for me is when we have created a working environment where the team feels like the strategic plan is all theirs, that they have license to stretch themselves, and we are having fun. It is also about executing a strategy smartly understanding where the linkages are ahead of time and avoiding duplication,” says John Dowd.

John is the Chief Executive Officer, a member of the Board of Directors, and chairs the Management and Operating Committees at Fiduciary Trust International. He has more than 30 years of experience in wealth management and is a frequent speaker on wealth management topics. Prior to joining Fiduciary Trust in 2016, he served as executive vice president and senior managing director for Wells Fargo Wealth Management, where he

oversaw the Northeast region. John's previous positions also included serving as head of wealth management for The Bank of New York. He received his B.A. from Guilford College and his M.B.A. from Columbia University. John serves on the advisory board of the UHNW Institute, and on the boards of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the MontclairArt Museum, and North Capital Investment Technology, Inc.

John credits his success with beginning his career in an entry-level position, and working his way up, taking on as many “dirty jobs” as possible. This gave him a ground-eye view of where improvements could be made by leveraging technology, changing workflow, etc. Since he had a real hands-on perspective, it also gave him the confidence that he could

lead the business to a better place. So, over time, John confidently asked for more and more responsibility.

John thinks he and his team have done a good job of marrying the solid and tried and true elements of a 90year-old trust company—stability, integrity, dedication, focus—with some of the more modern elements today's wealth management clients expect—speed, digital delivery, sustainable investing, access to alternatives and co-investments. Along the way, he believes the company's core values have remained unchanged—it is client-centric, objective, and independent, no short cuts — and there isa deep appreciation for the technical and specialized skills its people bring to the table. John asserts, “Together that creates our unique culture that keeps

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER , FIDUCIARY TRUST INTERNATIONAL

clients and our advisors here on average for 20 years.”

Fiduciary Trust International

Fiduciary Trust International was founded in New York in 1931 as a specialized trust company. Its aim was to eliminate the conflicts inherent in other wealth management models that were prevalent at the time (and still exist today). The company provides investment management, trust and estate, tax, and planning

services to high-net-worth (HNW) clients around the world. John asserts, “Our specialists work in dedicated teams from offices across the US.” The company has over $90 billion in client assets under its care and has been part of the Franklin Templeton family of companies since 2001.

Project Snow Lion

For John, his proudest moment was seeing the entire firm engaged in the firm's strategic reboot, Project Snow

Lion. He recalls, “This was a grassroots project designed to improve the client experience, the advisor experience, and our competitive positioning. There have been other satisfying industry recognitions —A Barron's article on doubling the size of Fiduciary within 5 years (we did it in 4), the Family Wealth Report Awards for Excellence in Family Wealth Counseling and Independent Fiduciary/Trust Services but Project Snow Lion was great to see from ideation to

execution to now reaping the benefits.”

Work-Life Balance

John organizes his time daily around four key activities:

Ÿ Thought Leadership — Staying up-to-date on markets, the industry, technology, and trends

Ÿ Operating the Business — Managing the P&L, product performance, and product development

Ÿ The Client Experience — Meeting with clients and helping with new business, and client retention

Ÿ TheAdvisor Experience — Meeting with our teams and communicating strategy, and direction

“Some days one of the areas gets a little more attention than others, but I try to keep the discipline,” says John.

As per John, maintaining the balance is hard and has gotten harder with COVID. The team tries to have meeting moratoriums, such as around the holidays, to avoid creepage. It does try and mix its business with social activities. The company hosts employee engagement events regularly. John tries to be himself and be accessible. He says, “What helps, though, is that I love what I do, the people I work with, and the stories around each of our clients. Like Buffett says, it's important to pick a job where you can skip to work every morning, which I feel I do. That makes for an interesting visual as I am very tall at 6'7.”

Keeping Up With The Changes

“Innovation is prized in the company,” says John. He stays up at night thinking about new trends, client needs, and demand. He adds that a good example is the work Fiduciary is doing with digital assets.

As per John, with the advance of blockchain technology, forwardthinking asset managers like its parent, Franklin Templeton, are looking for illiquid assets they can tokenize, and trade globally 24/7. HNW clients, in turn, will be investing in these assets because of their potentially higher return profile.

“It's why Fiduciary is working towards offering digital custody services, and this is the driving force behind our recent investment in North Capital.”

John also stays abreast of the changes happening in the industry by staying

close to the “disrupters.” Fiduciary invests in fintech start-ups, and John has served on two of their boards.

John would like to make Fiduciary Trust International the unequivocal gold standard, globally, for wealth management. He says, “We have such great people, products, and culture that it is very achievable.”

For aspiring business minds, John would just say how lucky they are to be alive in this time of such dramatic technological innovation. He states, “It will be fascinating to see the solutions that technology will bring to our clients in the future.”

OLGA BALAKLEETS

DEDICATED TO PRESERVING AND PROMOTING THE RICH HERITAGE AND DIVERSITY OF THE PERFORMING ARTS

It is vital to be creative and flexible, especially in today's fast-changing world and after experiencing a pandemic that challenged the events industry. Olga Balakleets is the CEO of Ensemble Productions, a company that specializes in organizing international events in the UK and internationally.

According to Olga, at Ensemble Productions, the team tries to produce new creative ideas which have recently started to flourish online, something they would never have imagined before. It's also crucial for them to be as accessible as possible, encompassing all types of performing arts genres and merging them with current technology, which is a key component in the growing events business. Olga always encourages the team to follow the latest news of such

technology developments which could be implemented in the projects and make them more special.

Before founding Ensemble Productions, Olga mostly performed as a concert pianist. Then she gradually began organizing smaller events, aiding other festivals and creative agencies, and acquiring her perspectives and expertise, all of which were crucial in helping her launch and expand her events firm. Before stepping as an entrepreneur, Olga organized a two-week festival concentrating on traditional and contemporary classical music and engaging over 250 performers at London's previous cultural centre, the Southbank Centre. These experiences gave her enormous confidence in her ability to continue on this road. She says, "My performances around the

world as a soloist with orchestras and chamber groups have also played a great role in the understanding of events and many aspects of the entertainment industry."

Born to Lead

Some people are unable to work for others and have a strong desire to lead. Olga is one example of this. After a few positions for various firms, it became apparent to her that she needed to create her own company and lead others. "It's how you're born, and it's your destiny to be a leader or not," she adds.

Olga has been a performing musician since she was a youngster, and she learned early on that she enjoys collaborating with other musicians and artists, not just as a performer but

CEO , ENSEMBLE PRODUCTIONS

also as someone in charge of organizing concerts and other projects. She eventually founded her events firm and organized her first cultural festival. This is the world she is familiar with, with all of its complexities and problems, and she likes working in the entertainment sector.

Ensemble Productions

Ensemble Productions is an events company that produces several annual international cultural projects around the world and is happy to take on new ventures. We initiate our projects and realize projects and events on behalf of other clients, private, corporate, and governmental. The spectrum of our work is vast, and I never want to limit what we do and what we can offer.

AResponsibility that Turns into an Opportunity

Olga's work as an event organizer most likely began while she was a

student at the St Petersburg Conservatory in her home country, Russia. She was tasked with overseeing the planning of student performances outside of the Conservatory. She realized it was thrilling for her, and others saw her as a leader. She hasn't stopped arranging events since then, and they've just gotten better and bigger. She says, "I was fortunate enough to be recognized for my work on numerous occasions, receiving very valuable awards from governments and various organizations in different countries. My highest recognition is the Pushkin Medal, the highest award you can receive for your contributions to cultural services in my native Russia." Being appreciated as the founder and leader of Creative Women International Platform gives Olga wonderful recognition as a leader as well.

AFollower of the Cooperative Leadership Style

Olga is a very involved CEO who is

practically involved in every part of her job since she believes in cooperation and the continual exchange of ideas. She develops concepts, leads discussions with partners, clients, and sponsors, manages budgets and financing, communicates with the artists and organizations the team works with, oversees all logistics, and even has a role in marketing tactics. She believes it covers almost everything, and she does not believe it is inappropriate for a CEO to be extensively involved in all aspects of the company's operations. She sees the nature of her work as that every day is a different day, with a different schedule and tasks. Since the team has improved so much during the last 1.5 years, she asserts, "Our skills for working remotely make our work and leadership easier. You simply need to know your work and your team well enough to successfully coordinate this work. I never tried to define myself in only one word, but if I must, it would probably be 'optimist'. "

Working in a Challenging Industry

The entertainment industry is very

challenging with lots of risks to be taken, which naturally leads to men mostly working in it. Olga says, "It is super challenging and at times you have these additional challenges because you are a woman." She further adds, "If this is what you love doing and you feel that you are in the right place, you will succeed and you will overcome these difficulties like women leaders in any other male dominated professions."

“The show must go on”

In the entertainment industry, one has all sorts of challenges. Olga says, "You get stronger every time you lose, when you are criticized, when you have to make serious compromises, and sometimes even when you fail in some people's eyes. As we say, "the show must go on" and this is one of my main mottos. Whatever difficulties and challenges are, you must deliver, you must fulfill your obligations and not hurt anyone on a way of resolving your difficulties".

What is success?

Olga's definition of success is receiving appreciation from other people. She feels it occurs when a job produces values and has a good influence on other people's lives in some way. Commercial success, she believes, is a nice bonus that everyone should strive for, but it cannot take precedence over the human elements of people's lives and work.

Always Giving the Best

Maintaining a sense of balance is another issue that everyone, especially women, must fight. According to Olga, one must be exceptionally well organized and aware of one's priorities. She finds,

"Many of us women have proved that it is achievable to be a good businesswoman, wife, and mother. Sleeping less, planning well and you are there. "

According to Olga, she never needed to push herself at work since she had a strong desire to provide the best for those who expected something from her. However, she does believe that leaders must encourage their workers by making work exciting, acknowledging their contributions and efforts, and finding ways to reward them. It's also crucial to choose employees who are truly enthusiastic about the work they'll be doing.

Planning to SpreadAwareness through Entertainment

Olga has a lot of ideas for the company's future, especially now that she's back after this unexpected for everyone break. She visions of

expanding the geographic scope of the organization's activities, entering new countries where the organization can make a greater contribution, and developing meaningful projects that will help people understand fully what is dangerous in the world today and address these issues creatively and constructively. She feels, "You can produce a powerful message when you organize large events worldwide and transmit them, so I would like to create a chain of such life-transforming events which will hopefully change lives for the better."

Olga's goal as a person and a businesswoman is to continue to grow and contribute to society and to be a role model for her son.

CHASE KREGER

SHARING HOW TRANSFORMATIONAL TRAINING INSPIRES CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT & CREATES LOYAL PARTNERSHIPS

The Inspiration Behind Maximize Value Consulting

While playing D-1 soccer at the University of Louisville, Chase's fascination with creating winning leaders was born. He discovered he had a special knack for leading, selling, and public speaking while getting his undergraduate degrees and competing for one of the best programs in the nation.After undergrad, he returned to graduate school to earn his MBAand Chase Kreger's undeniable obsession with sales and leadership was ignited in the process.

Instantly motivated by a dream to help millions of people and supercharged with enough energy to fuel a rocket ship to the moon, Chase was determined to use his expertise to

help leaders lead and sellers sell. But like every story, there was a roadblock, and he found himself disappointed by the surplus of unwanted, unasked for, poorly designed, terribly facilitated, hard-toapply corporate training content out there. Combine that with useless certifications, geographical limitations, expensive solutions, google-able content, and novice facilitators. The long list of industry shortcomings birthed a needed solution for Chase to upend the corporate training world.

At that time, Chase realized the best way to overcome all of these gaps was to go out and build a company himself that wasn't trapped by all of these unnecessary limitations. So that's what happened. In 2016, with the full support of his wife Suzanne,

he launched Maximize Value Consulting to focus on building a training system that produces epiphanies, disrupts continuums, enhances human-to-human connections, and elevates the performance of any business.

Over the years, they have been able to transform the lives of thousands of leaders and sales professionals all over the world. Today, Chase and Suzanne have four little kids who will eventually take over the company and carry it to places they never could. He just hopes they keep him around as their unpaid assistant to witness it all first-hand.

Success for Leaders

One part of Chase's success is remaining committed to knowing

where your unique expertise adds the most value to the world. Maximize Value uses this philosophy to stay focused on two things and two things only:

Ÿ Helping leaders lead better

Ÿ Helping sales professionals sell more

With that focus in mind, they measure their success with two different indicators:

Ÿ Helping more people

Ÿ Helping people more

When they end the day helping people more or helping more people in the area of sales or leadership, then they consider it a successful day.

Vison for Maximize Value Consulting

At Maximize Value, their clients are

their heroes, serving is a superpower, epiphanies are the force multiplier, and humans are always a company's greatest asset. Intentionally, you won't find them at the top of your newsfeed or as a sponsor on your favorite podcast. Instead, they are the recommendation between friends and are committed to always make it a priority to answer to the needs of their customers rather than the needs of investors.

Maximize Value knows that in order to elevate the performance of their clients, they need to constantly elevate their own performance. That's exactly why they remain focused on ensuring their trainers are both dynamic and brilliant, their training content is transformational and insightful, and their workshops are packed with real-world exercises. If you want a lecture, a traditional training, or a boring facilitator – then don't go to Maximize Value. If you want an engaging, epiphanyproducing, performance-elevating

experience, Maximize Value is ready to help whenever you are ready to ask for help.

Truth is, you might be thinking that sounds interesting, but what makes Maximize Value different than every other corporate consulting company in the world? They differentiate themselves with data-driven content customization, the best facilitators the industry has to offer, and world-class digital resources so your team can keep learning anytime, anywhere. It also might be worth noting that investing in a development partnership with Maximize Value will cost you significantly less than the big-box, one-size-fits-all corporate training companies.

And finally, Maximize Value believes that every team they have the privilege of serving is unique – and your training experience should be too. That's why they keep working to provide the infusion of insight, the injection of inspiration, and the

continuous shot of enthusiasm needed to keep your unique leadership and sales teams in position to win.

Partnerships and Commitment to Client Success

Since 2016, Chase and his team are grateful that they've already helped tens of thousands of people all over the world. But they remain even more energized by the fact that several of their partners have been in partnership with them since day one. Having that kind of loyalty to any brand is a tremendous honor, and they are appreciative of all the people who placed a bet on them when they were just getting started. It is primarily because of their loyalty to the Maximize Value brand that they've been able to refrain from all traditional marketing and social media marketing and just use wordof-mouth and referral-based selling to expand their reach. With the help of their loyal partners, they now have the privilege of impacting professionals in nearly every major city inAmerica and six different countries around the globe.At the end of the day, one of the greatest rewards any business can receive is the honor of having repeat customers. This type of loyalty is a point of pride for Chase personally, and for Maximize Value as a company.

Message for Visionaries

Chase's first piece of advice is about fixing cars, and admittedly, he doesn't know anything about fixing cars. But, he believes that if your car runs out of gas and you just sit inside, nobody will know to come and help you. If you get out of the car and start pushing it towards the gas station, others will get out of their car to come help you. Business success is much

the same way. If you start by helping yourself, others will come alongside of you to support you. Take the first step, and watch what happens.

Secondly, Chase wants to help all visionaries remember that your efforts will be better served if you stop trying to convince everyone of something. There are already plenty of people who see what you see. Go find them. Don't get so focused on those who don't want what you're offering that you forget to reach those who do.

His last piece of advice is to figure out what makes you different or what makes you unique. Chase is convinced that you'll never be able to compete with Bezos and Buffett in their fields; they have too many resources and too much leverage. But on the bright side, you will win at a high level when you identify what makes you better, what makes you an expert, and what makes you an

original. Once you find those things, then go exploit your expertise in the service of others.

Where Can People Find You & Your Business?

Company Website:https://maximizevalue.com/

Personal Website: https://chasekreger.com/

Friday Inspirational Email: maximizevalue.com/join

Published Books: chasekreger.com/books

OMAR HAMMOUD

REVOLUTIONISING WASTEWATER COMMUNITY WITH APG-NEUROS

To bring a change in a certain community and break the ongoing traditional shackles requires strong will and expertise in the new idea. Omar Hammoud, Owner and CEO ofAPG-Neuros, values this fact and has directed his knowledge and expertise of 25 years in aerospace and aviation to revamp the wastewater community.

The aeration technology used in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment was antiquated and had suffered for generations the pain of liquidated quality and talents departure, and all that remained were low cost and inefficient products combined with antiquated ways of doing business. The decision was made to foundAPG-Neuros as a newcomer into this market with innovative technologies and persistence to transform the market and grow a good business.

Climbing the ladder of success

Omar's engineering background structured his way ahead. He states, “I built strong technical and leadership qualities over my previous 25 years in leadership positions with the three leaders in the aerospace industry, General Electric, United Technologies, and Safran Group. I began my career working in high technology nuclear power generation and aerospace applications. These industries are highly technical and supercritical when it comes to designing products for safe and reliable operations.”

APG-Neuros was born when an opportunity was identified to bring collaborative ideas and innovative technologies, and a new way of doing business from aerospace and defense into a stagnant industry.

The aeration market in wastewater treatment and industrial applications suffered from the pain of quality liquidation, and talents departed for generations.

APG-Neuros identified that these pains represent a great opportunity that can be addressed by a newcomer with leadership qualities, that if persisted, can lead to transformation and grow a good business.

The road to success was not easy as they had to develop a new product and convince the community to adopt it. However, Omar led the team in the right direction with his deep knowledge and skills and steered the company to transform the sector.

Tunneling through the challenges

Being a pioneer in the sector, the team has to fight all the battles to create a

CEO , APG-NEUROS

positive impact. The first challenge came in the shape of technology development.

Omar states, “We must bring in successful technologies from other sectors such as aerospace, defense, high-speed rail, and power generation. We do it with our investment, and that puts a challenge and burden on us.”

However, the team was able to counter this burden with their customer's loyalty. Many of their customers are willing to take their product into operation and help them with the product launch.

He mentions, “We also have development partners that support our product developments and partner investment companies that see our vision and our strategy and give us the financial support we need.”

Besides all this, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the progress as it disturbed everything globally. The pace of development of the products reduced but having a solid, hardworking team at his disposal, Omar was able to push things and get back on the wagon. With the support of their customers, the company was able to launch the products last year even after some delays.

Bringing innovative products with APG-Neuros

APG-Neuros developed very innovative aeration systems that reduces further the energy consumption by employing Model Predictive Control (MPC) This Artificial Intelligence based state of the art aeration control enables air delivery reduction to a lowest level possible by using historians and

computational models. The US Department of Energy (DOE) selectedAPG-Neuros as part of strong team from the US to demonstrate MPC at a major waste treatment facility in California in 2021-2022. The use ofAI in aeration control to lower energy consumption in wastewater treatment is viewed as the next huge growth opportunity and APG-Neuros is well positioned to address this opportunity starting its current 600 customers.

APG-Neuros supplies the complete aeration system with all instruments and controls. In addition, the company manufactures the highspeed turbo blower for industrial plants and the wastewater treatment industry. Their product offerings include their 2006 introduction NX series turbo blower Single and Dual Core models ranging from 30 HP to 1000 HP.

Omar states, “We have helped our 600 customers save over US$ 400 Million in energy cost with our 1500 units operation over the 15 years period. This savings is compared to a total maintenance cost of only US$11 Million, showing a Benefit to Cost Ratio of 37.4 times.”

In addition to the NX series, they also introduced two more recent innovations: the 1 MW (1,500 HP) Turbo Blower with power class ranging from 750 HP up to 3000 HP and a new family of Gas Turbine Turbo Blowers starting with their 230 KW (300 HP) model that use natural gas or biogas – current development plans underway call for use of Hydrogen as fuel - rather than electricity as the source of power.

He adds, “We developed a variety of customer service offerings including

comprehensive protection and support plans combined with making our smart connected devices such that our customers can be supported, 24 hours, 7 days a week, remotely at a moment's notice.”

Revamping the wastewater treatment withAPG-Neuros

Omar expresses, “I observed over the years working with municipalities and wastewater treatment plants that they, like many other industry sectors, have taken notice of climate change and became more focused on energy efficiency, conservation measures, and productive use of their renewable resources. This change resulted in a bigger demand for our high-efficiency Turbo Blowers.”

The company contributed by helping its customers define their energy consumption and providing them with viable options to achieve their carbon emission reduction goals.

The team also developed a brand-new product, the Gas Turbine Blower, that allows them to use their renewable biogas production, which is often flared, most economically to reduce emissions and lower their operating costs.

Core technology and Growth of APG-Neuros

The applications in aerospace and defense industry helpedAPG-Neuros develop its Turbo Blower technology, both the electric and the gas fuels products. The aerospace technologies propelled theAero Engines from UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAV) to F-16 military aviation programs for decades. Thus, this technology is fully tested and completely trustworthy.

He says, “The core of the product technology is the 3rd generation dual layer bump foil air bearing which is oil-free and non-contact, needing no lubricating or associated maintenance thereby resulting in lower vibration from the rotor during operation. Its proven durability and endurance have been demonstrated through over 1.1 Million starts in a very stringent application Turbo Blower for the automotive fuel cell, equivalent to more than hundred years' lifetime in a typical aeration or wastewater treatment operation.”

Starting in 2019, the company introduced state-of-the-art proven non-contact magnetic bearings in all models above 150 HP. APG-Neuros is the only company in the world that offer a complete product-line with both bearing options. Customers can choose either option. The Magnetic Bearing as a technology has been around for decades and has proven its reliability in wastewater stringent treatment applications. In addition to the position sensors the magnetic bearing requires a magnetic bearing controller to control the levitation for start-stop and during operation.

Other than that, the turbo blower is equipped with a high-efficiency impeller, specially designed using in-

house software that works on aero gas turbine engine technology. Offering excellent fatigue life and integrity, it is a solid forging impeller machine consisting of 5-axis machining, a larger diameter, and a precise impeller shape blended with optimal speed to impart higher efficiency. Moreover, the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) transfers EMF to load rather than windings and slip rings with no physical contact between stator and shaft, which promises high precision motor speed control.

Sharing his vision, Omar states, “I want the company to be the world leader in the development and commercialization of high-efficiency turbomachinery and advanced process controls to reduce energy consumption.”

Managing Work-Life Balance

As the Founder and CEO ofAPGNeuros, Omar has to wear multiple hats to keep the company functioning in a steady flow. He says, “I am currently responsible for developing the vision, setting out the strategy, and executing the strategic plan. I manage all this while developing customer relationships, acting as leader, coach, and supporter to staff to help them achieve the set goals.”

As an accomplished self-made leader, it is quite challenging to ensure a perfect balance in his personal and professional life while carrying this much responsibility.As a solo entrepreneur who commenced the company's operations in the basement of his home in 2005 and won the first project of blower installation in 2006, he has worked dedicatedly to over 80 employees and over 1500 units installed in over 600 customers facilities by 2020.

Still, he tries to manage his quality time with his family. He shares, “I manage to spend quality time at home and enjoy daily workouts and outdoor activities over the weekends.As far as putting long hours at work, the way I see it is that if you love what you do, work should not feel like a burden.”

Global future Expansion Plans of APG-Neuros

Omar is focusing on taking the upcoming products and services of APG-Neuros to the international markets for expansion. They are working on spreading their wings to Continental Europe, the Middle East, and SouthAmerica.

After that, they are planning to move ahead in EastAsia, and for that, they are analyzing the situation with the APG-Neuros sub-contract manufacturing partner located in South Korea.

For further success, Omar opines that the government procurement laws need stern reformation to add more innovation. Not just this, he says, “Improving the municipal agencies' decision-making and empowering them to educate themselves and evaluate their alternatives to more easily procure what they believe to be the best product from the best company will further assistAPGNeuros to develop even more interesting products and technical solutions.”

MICHAEL VITOLO

A TRUSTED CYBERSECURITY PARTNER FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Client satisfaction is a crucial aspect in deciding the rise or fall of a company.At MegaplanIT Holdings, LLC, the team keeps their customers at the highest priority. Michael Vitolo, CEO of MegaplanIT, states, “Without our clients, MegaplanIT would not be in business, so their success and satisfaction are highly important to us.”

To serve the best quality services, the company ensures that the team members are efficient in their job and have the necessary resources.As they have to back up the clients on the front lines, they need to be at their best. MegaplanIT takes pride in developing and mentoring each team member to be an expert in cybersecurity and compliance so they can exceed its clients' goals and objectives every day.

Michael adds, “Asuccessful MegaplanIT team member enables client success which in turn enables our success.”

Foundation of the company

Over the years, Michael has taken the responsibility of various roles with different companies. While gaining the necessary experience, he realized that there are many more efficient ways that can be used to accomplish cybersecurity and compliance objectives than the current ones.

MegaplanIT was founded after years of evaluating other firms, their successes and failures, and building upon the areas where they had failed in supporting both their clients and internal resources.

He adds, “We have developed a company that is dynamic and scalable with the industry. MegaplanIT's foundation and drive demonstrate to our clients that we can impart positive change upon their internal security program, and we pride ourselves on our willingness to compete at any level or price point.”

Growing stronger with challenges

At MegaplanIT, the team does not fear failure and looks for hidden opportunities in the challenges to grow further.

Michael adds, “MegaplanIT believes in setting the bar high and working as a team of one to achieve our goals and objectives and by proxy, those of our clients, team members, and partners. Our clients and team

members are our future, and we will never lose sight of that. “

Redefining the cybersecurity industry

MegaplanIT is a Security Testing, ComplianceAssessment, and Managed Security (MDR) firm specializing in over 48 technically advanced services designed to protect cardholder and other sensitive data, secure in-scope networks, systems & web/mobile applications, to ensure that organizations are both secure and compliant.

Their expert security consultants and QSAs are fully certified across multiple disciplines and have decades of experience helping businesses stay

protected against an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.

Michael mentions, “We build longterm relationships with our clients and provide holistic services to meet all their security and compliance needs while outlining a path to continued improvements within their internal security program(s).”

MegaplanIT strives to not only exceed its client's objectives but also to enable its resources to excel and benefit from continued career growth.

The team will continue to build upon its holistic service offerings as the industries & threats continue to evolve, and new standards are created and/or modified to ensure their clients have access to the most current and

relevant security frameworks available.

He adds, “As a privately held and wholly-owned company, we are able to stand by our core values in doing whatever it takes to meet our clients' goals and objectives. That starts by leading with the needs of our clients, not the cost value, and ensuring that we are able to custom tailor our services to meet their needs and integrate them into their business workflow.”

MegaplanIT: Rising To Glory

Change is the only constant, and Michael knows that they need to evolve as the industry progresses ahead.

Imparting the ultimate value-focused and bundled compliance assessment package to all the prestigious clients, MegaplanIT fulfills their support in all aspects of their internal security & compliance program(s).

He says, “MegaplanIT approaches every customer interaction as the foundation of a long-term client partnership which means we provide the most accurate and thorough compliance assessments that will help them exceed their security objectives. The optimization of their security and compliance investments will reduce the overall stress of running an information security program while maintaining compliance over time and keeping their data secure.”

Since the beginning, they put their customers at the forefront and are dedicated to imparting integrity, quality, and supporting all their team members. Michael knows that the company's success lies in the hands of all team members. Thus, proper nurturing and tools are proffered so that they are positioned to render

supreme quality and integrity to clients without fail.

Handling the Onus of the CEO of MegaplanIT with Finesse

Michael is the CEO of the company and concentrates on creating a vivid company vision and charting a strong roadmap to success. Mentoring his employees, he ensures that all employees work as per the core values and are ready to deliver exceptional support to clients at all times.

He adds, “MegaplanIT provides diverse assignments and training for team members to promote growth, both personally and professionally. We encourage our team members to enroll in training beyond what is required to provide them with higher proficiency in any area of Information Security as well as bridge the gaps in their knowledge.”

Not only this, maintaining a dynamic and challenging environment in the company helps the team to expand

their expertise and never feel bored in their role.

Sharing the value of additional supporting services with no fees, he states, “Client support is one of our primary objectives, and we will never consider ourselves to be successful until our clients' objectives have been met. This provides a support model that is above and beyond what clients expect and/or what competition can compete with.”

The best part is that all clients are treated equally and provided with consistent communication and guidance to establish a long-lasting relationship. This step distinguishes MegaplanIT from other companies and helps them stay ahead of their competition through excellent customer service.

Future plans for MegaplanIT

Michael shares, “Our plan is to continue our vertical growth trajectory as a full-service Information Security firm. By doing so, we can provide our clients with a single-source partner that can address all their security and compliance needs. In addition, we will continue to strive to hire the best in the industry and maintain the highest standards regarding the quality and integrity of our work product.”

Further, the company is aiming to spread its wings in other countries, namely, Canada, SouthAmerica, and Europe, over the next year. Thus, they are in the process of launching new offices and hiring local employees to augment the company's clients and growth.

LARS FLEDSBERG

GIVING A NEW FORM TO OUTDOOR LEARNING GAMES WITH WITTARIO AS

Aserial entrepreneur with a vast 23-years managerial experience in the ICT industry, Lars Gunnar Fledsberg, Founder and CEO of WittarioAS, is developing a new way to outdoor learning games by harnessing the power of digital technologies. Wittario is a digital platform for outdoor-game based learning.

He adds, “Schools and businesses increase learning engagement and outcomes by using our gaming platform. We focus on creating fun and efficient experiences through outdoor physical activity and inspirational technology. Inspired by PokemonGo, Wittario moves audiences off their office chairs and school desks out onto a fun and effective hunt for knowledge. The best part is that anyone can create learning games for all.”

Walking the path of revolutionizing outdoor learning games

In his long career, Lars held “safe” corporate management positions until I was 42 years old. His first job was as a product manager in Telenor, a leading telecommunications company across the Nordics andAsia with 187 million customers and annual sales of around USD 14 billion.

However, at the back of his mind, he always wanted to own a company as he enjoyed the freedom to learn and progress further. So, taking the leap of faith, he cofounded his first company, Skooler, together with the founder Tor Ove Henriksen. Skooler is an EdTech company with customers in over 100 countries worldwide.After his journey with Skooler, Lars has co founded five other companies. Four of

them are successful. The most succesful company is Wittario, a company which has occupied 100% of his time the last two years.

All his adult life, Lars has been inspired to see how much school children are engaged in learning when the teacher takes the children outside of the classroom for some outdoor learning. To fill true colors in this concept, he marked the advent of Wittario, a company that delivers an EdTech solution for outdoor-game based learning.

He believes that a person is successful in business when the company manages to reach its business goals and at the same time has satisfied customers, employees, and shareholders. Working on the same

CEO , WITTARIO

notion, he drives the wheel of WittarioAS in the right direction.

Learning valuable lessons on his path

Lars states, “If you only enjoy success without meeting any roadblocks, you will most likely struggle harder to handle the situation when you meet the first heavy roadblock compared to a person who has handled multiple roadblocks on the way.”

While fueling the growth of his first company, Skooler, Lars realized the true value of the quote, “a CEO of a startup should always be fundraising.”

Amalgamating latest technologies at Wittario to create a unique solution

Wittario, an EdTech company which

Lars and his colleague Tor Ove Henriksen founded in 2019, has developed a game-based mobile application that will promote learning through outdoor movement using augmented reality (AR) and GPS. The app combines reality with virtual elements to create fun and effective learning experiences for schools and companies and was rolled out to a wide audience in March 2021.

Boasting its clear vision, “learning through games and physical activity,” the team wants to change the way of learning. Lars states, “We boldly want to change a 1000-year-old proven tradition of learning by reading and listening, by improving it using education technology.

Wittario was founded on the principles of leveraging outdoor game-based learning and how we can create a platform that accommodates

for more engaging, active, and relevant learning experiences.”

Inside Lars professional and personal lives

As the CEO of Wittario, Lars has numerous hats to wear. From handling the overall responsibilities of sales, marketing, finance to product development, delivery, and support, his typical day commences at around 8AM in the office where he goes through his emails, creates a schedule for his days, and manages everyone by walking around and conversing with his employees.

After that, he meets with his staff, customers, suppliers, and external stakeholders and then leaves work to have dinner with his family at 5 PM. Later, he again works from home from around 8 PM.

Being a goal-oriented leader, he is super proud of his accomplishments. He states, “The best recognition that I have received as a business leader was when the Wittario product were launched four months ago, and quickly got users in six countries. Another great recognition is being interviewed as one of the 10 Most Successful CEOs Making a Difference in 2021 by CIO Views magazine, which is a true honor.”

Lars is well aware of when he is working and when he is off work. With such designated work and rest hours, he is able to experience more peace and happiness in his life. It has even elevated his productivity.

With proper time analysis and allocation, Lars is able to stay on top of his schedule. Not just this, he stays aware of the schedules of people surrounding him as well and never lets his personal and professional life meddle with each other. His peace of mind comes with regular exercising and meditation.

“Motivation is the electrical power that activates the engine of success.”

Motivation is the key to keep the team dedicated to the company's long-term goals. Keeping his team's work engaging is his way of keeping his employees engaged in work. He adds, “The most powerful way to do this is to give employees the opportunity to experiment and solve problems that really matter. I frequently ask them questions such as: Where can we deliver amazing service to our customers? What's broken in our product that our team can fix? How can we optimize our customer journeys even more?”

In this way, he is able to find the flaws and fix them easily. He also spends his time and money on different social activities and personal development training.Appreciating the employees' hard work and seeking their feedback are other ways to keep the motivation flowing.

For him, motivation comes from attaining the overall company goals, receiving excellent feedback from satisfied customers, and watching a broad smile on his employees' faces.

Outlining the future plans

Lars shares, “My long-term goal for Wittario is to build the world's leading digital platform for outdoor gamebased learning.”

Personally, he shares the same goal as his business goal. He states, “In order to achieve this, my team and I need to further develop our product so that it goes viral in both the business, education, and home markets. Our strategy is executed by a world-class team which results in satisfied customers, employees, and shareholders.”

Lars knows that learning is life-long and can enhance the understanding of the world and improve the quality of life with better opportunities. With the amazing Wittario platform, he is trying to playfully impart more access to education to everyone.

LYNNE AKKAWI

A PERSISTENT AND DETERMINED LEADER BOOMING AND BEING AN INSPIRATION IN THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY

Success does not just come and find you, you have to go out and get it. LynneAkkawi, Founder & CEO of Prime Owners Association Management Services believes that success is an individualistic virtue for most people and depends on a case-by-case basis, which makes it hard to quantify most of the time. However, she says that success for her is about being happy and fulfilled in life and doing what she loves. It's also about making a positive impact on the industry where she has devoted her time, energy, and passion. “Additionally, I feel that success should never be a static target and it grows along with your ambitions and maturity,” states Lynne.

Leading a company to success isn't an easy road to take

“Starting PAM wasn't so much a leap

of faith but a natural progression in my career,” says Lynne. While growing up she always looked up to her father who built and ran his own business. He always nurtured their entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged them to get out of their comfort zone, by pushing them to try new things. Lynne has always tried to live by these principles, so when RERA(Real Estate RegulatoryAgency) in Dubai released the first guidelines which govern the jointly owned properties in Dubai, she jumped at the opportunity to become one of the first companies in the community management space. However, building PAM was easier said than done and she certainly faced many challenges getting it to the size it is today.

Big success does not come without big challenges

With PAM being one of the early

debutants to come out after guideline Law No. 27 of 2007, there were many roadblocks and challenges they needed to overcome before they made their name a mainstay in the market. In the beginning, it seemed like they had to fight for every inch of progress and growth. From the outset, developers did not want to work with them and they struggled to get building contracts. When they finally signed their first contracts, they had to acclimate owners to their new rights and obligations under the regulation, which brought along with-it teething issues.

“In addition to all those challenges, being a woman in an industry dominated by men made me feel like an outsider and I felt like I had to work twice as hard as my peers,” she says. However, with the authorities' support and guidance (specifically RERA), these challenges became

FOUNDER & CEO , PRIME OWNERS ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT

smaller as the years passed and Lynne learnt that no matter how tough things can get, persistence always pays off.

PAM's contribution in redefining OAspace

Lynne strongly attributes their successful growth to its data-driven approach relation to problem-solving. She claims they recognized early on that incorporating IT technologies in their company workflow eased the burden on staff allowing them to enhance communications internally and externally and to improve work efficiency by generating data, records, and measuring performance. This has always been the ethos of prime. Although unintentional, this approach helped them cope with the covid pandemic.

Despite all businesses and industries being affected by covid, she says that they feel they mitigated the impact on prime and didn't suffer the growing pains of rapid digitization. This is due to their tech-first approach since day one. Even with digitalization and their infrastructure, this did not ease the personal impact and morale of the staff, especially since some positions require a physical presence in the communities (such as asset managers/supervisors). “Our biggest takeaway from the pandemic was learning the necessity of flexibility while ensuring all government COVID guidelines were followed to the tee.Additionally, we tried to keep resident spirits up during these trying times by hosting online activities, events, and competitions across the communities on PAM's website,” explains Lynne.

Lynne started her career in the Banking industry and was eventually drawn by the evolving real estate market in Dubai. While working in real estate she started in real estate brokerage, and she made her way to property development and then property management to finally community management. “I think that the most standout moment during my career was after months of toil I managed to sign my first contract with only three staff members in a small office,” she states.

Responsibilities as founder & CEO of PAM

Lynne, who describes herself as a 'persistent' person states that having

crossed industries and moving from a development to a management role, she has never been comfortable staying stagnant in her career. She started her career in the banking sector working on granting syndicated loans for major projects in the region. This is when she developed her passion for real estate; of course, being in the banking and investment sector helped her build relationships and experience in the field.

Her last job before starting Prime OwnersAssociation Management was as a business development manager working closely with lawyers at Madania, a subsidiary ofAl Tamimi investment company. “I feel that the skills and experience I accrued along the way have helped me in my day-today operations of PAM.As the owner of PAM and for the first few years, I had to wear multiple hats; Lawyer, business developer and operations manager. These skills didn't come naturally to me but were instead learnt across my years of experience in different industries,” Lynne says.

Maintaining Work-life Balance

Something that Lynne learnt later than she admits is the importance of worklife balance. Being a mother of two, while trying to maintain a personal life and build a career took its toll on her in the early years. Very recently she has learnt the virtues of scheduling time off to focus on herself. “I found the most effective thing to do was to split my weekend in half, this allows me to regenerate during the week and clear my mind for a busy week ahead,” she says. Lynne feels happy that the conversations about burnout and work-life balance are becoming more accepted, as she believes it's more of a widespread issue than we give it credit for.

As for motivating the PAM team, Lynne has always tried to maintain an open-door policy in the office and encouraged any of the staff to come to her to not only talk about their problems but develop themselves and achieve their career goals. She has always considered PAM as a big family and believes that the success of any company is attributed to all members of its staff.

Plans for the future of PAM

As far as their future is concerned, Lynne feels that they have left their mark on the OwnersAssociation market in Dubai and have more plans for internal and strategic growth in the market.Additionally, they are setting their eyes on new evolving markets to expand their expertise.

On a personal level, she is inclined to say that she has achieved everything

she initially set out to accomplish and more. However, as she mentioned previously, success should never be measured as a stationary goal, instead, it is something that grows with you. “As for my current expectations of PAM, I cannot read the future, but I can say that I feel that we are on the right trajectory and have exciting projects in the pipeline,” she explains.

To those aspiring to be business leaders, Lynne recommends that you have to try hard even if you face challenges and not be afraid of failure because failure is never absolute and most times you can learn more about why something failed than why it became successful.

BRENT KRUEL

REVOLUTIONIZING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH THROUGH TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED SOLUTIONS

The modern healthcare sector must widely adopt information technology to survive in the current digital era. To prove their mettle, outshine others, and lay a solid foundation for the adoption of contemporary, effective and customized digital technology in the rapidly expanding healthcare sector, leaders must step outside of their comfort zones and grasp the rapidly changing environment.

Brent, the founder, and CEO of BioFunctional Health Solutions, has a passion for technology. His extensive experience over the past three decades has given him a keen understanding of how to operationalize solutions into the lives of just about anyone.Although he performs these roles, he spends most of his time developing and implementing, tech-enabled, health and wellness solutions. Brent openly admits that both his formal training and work in

healthcare administration have given him a passion and special aptitude for finding the best health and wellness goods and services.

“Legacy is only secured in people that are nurtured by an empathetic leader. All other success is meaningless and temporary.”- Brent Kruel

Atypical day in Brent's office includes discussions with other executives of big businesses about how to attract and keep the best talent by looking out for all workers. He also devotes a lot of time to looking into the health and wellness sector for new goods and services that can considered and including in the service offerings of his own business. He has discovered that although there are a staggering number of software-based options available, getting people to use them effectively necessitates a hands-on approach. This is something his company accomplishes

by utilizing registered nurses as coaches to increase compliance and help close the gaps that may come from a lack of knowledge and understanding.

In a word, Brent defines himself as loving. He says, "I am empathetic, love people, and am passionate about healing and the possibility of making people the best versions of themselves."

Years of Transformation

Though Brent was a standout wrestler and track athlete in high school, he declined college scholarships to join the Air Force. He served in the military as a combat communications specialist and finished his first combat deployment during Operation Uphold Freedom in Haiti. Thanks to his exposure of the most cutting-edge computer and communications technology while serving in the military, he developed and mastered a foundation for success

CEO, BIOFUNCTIONAL HEALTH SOLUTIONS

in leveraging technology to improve health and wellness.

Brent was selected to attend the United StatesAir ForceAcademy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs and quickly distinguished himself as a four-time, WesternAthletic Conference (WAC), student athlete of the year. While at the academy, he suffered a fractured spine during jump qualification training, which was a formative experience for him and led him to develop a passion for health and wellness. His injury threatened not only his performance on the track, but also his career in theAir Force.

Brent graduated from the United States Air ForceAcademy (USAFA), in May 2000. He held the title, Distinguished Graduate, the highest honor bestowed by theAcademy. Soon after graduation, Brent began his career as a healthcare administrator.As a young lieutenant in theAir Force, he was privileged to be given a lot of responsibility. He was immediately given the role of managing a $30 million construction project, along with supply and logistics. This was a huge accomplishment and honor for him as he was the youngest chief information officer in theAir Force.

Brent was commissioned in theAir Force as a medical officer. He further distinguished himself by being honored with anAir Force-level award as #1 of 23,000 officers named the Information Systems Officer of the Year. He also was selected as theAir Force's lowestranking and youngest Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the largest VA/DoD hospital in Las Vegas, NV. During his second combat tour, Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was chosen to oversee the largest hospital in Iraq. He left theAir Force in 2007 and started working as a corporate executive in a range of healthcare and technology settings to

pursue a career in commercial health and wellness.

As a second lieutenant competing against officers with over 20 years of experience, Brent was named theAir Force's top information systems officer of the year for 2001, making him the youngest and most junior officer to ever receive the honor.

Making Every Step towards the Success

There were many small steps leading up to Brent's personal leap into being an entrepreneur. In 2007, when he retired from theAir Force, as a medical service corps officer, he joined the upper management of the nation's largest healthcare payer technology company. He was promoted quickly and as he adjusted to the commercial sector; he became more comfortable with the increasing responsibility of the roles he was entrusted with. He recalls, "Within four years of separating from the Air Force, I had my first 8-figure P&L that I was responsible for." This grew rapidly, and Brent learned how to grow companies by investing in and trusting quality people. He was always drawn to physical and mental health and made this a passion in every role he was in.

Brent's perspective on success is centered on leaving a lasting legacy, which can only be realized by people. He focuses his energy on helping people become the best versions of themselves through physical and mental well-being. His hope is that the BHS will help others do the same.

BioFunctional

Health Solutions, Inc.

BHS is comprised of seasoned health professionals who are innovators, inventors and personally devoted to their own physical health and mental

wellbeing. They are passionate about helping EVERYONE feel and look as good as they do.

BHS uses a tried-and-true, proprietary process to integrate the top health and wellness solutions which enables an individualized (customized) approach to meet each employee where they are. Highly skilled and motivated registered nurses are BHS' secret weapon. The company's nurses are specialists in health and wellness and focus on building relationships with every client, leading to successful lifestyle changes that make people healthier and happier.

Below is a summary of the company's offerings:

Brain Function Optimization- In partnership with Millennium Health and Dr. Mark Gordon, a recognized worldleading neuroscientist, the team uses an AI-supported system with lipotropic supplements that cross the blood-brain barrier to improve cognitive brain function. It is also proven effective in resolving long-term COVID symptoms, including brain fog, insomnia, depression, anxiety and many more.

Lifestyle & Wellness Personalized

Programs - Optimize lifestyle, learn how to make the best decisions based on individual biology and create easyto-implement, life-changing, habits.

The world's best and most caring nurses are specially trained in BHS' technology-enabled solutions to customize a program for anyone, regardless of current lifestyle and conditions.

Pain & Musculoskeletal Health - BHS is the leader in resolving pain and musculoskeletal conditions with the least invasive, least expensive and most effective treatments available anywhere.

Acombination of patented technology and the most efficacious hands-on treatments enables the best outcomes for employees/patients.

Ÿ Functional Occupational Massage (FOM) - Evidencebased and technology-enabled, hands-on treatment system to resolve pain associated with musculoskeletal issues/injuries. Effective for common conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, back pain, migraines, and many more. Considered first-aid by OSHAand nonrecordable.

Ÿ Patented 3D Mobility Health Assessment: Patented and clinically validated, digital mobility health assessment to identify and prevent musculoskeletal injuries. "The only lab test for mobility health.”

Ÿ Medical Doctor Pain & MSK Specialist Consultations: BHS' medical director is a medical device inventor and recognized world leader in musculoskeletal health and pain resolution. nd Offering expert 2 opinions and accurate diagnosis services; surgery consultations; and acute and chronic pain evaluations.

Ÿ Ergonomics and Biomechanics Analysis: Observe individuals in their work environments to identify and mitigate risk factors at the lowest cost possible.

Ÿ Customized Mobilization Programs: Stretching can be risky to musculoskeletal health if not designed and performed properly. BHS will develop a program to meet individuals where they are at and enable them

to safely perform their jobs. This includes and especially, office/desk workers.

Mental Wellbeing and Psychological Strength Building: BHS will guide clients through a transformational process that will change their mindset forever with simple tools and life hacks proven to work for everyone.

Ÿ Mental Wellbeing & Stress Management RN ConsultationApreventative and restorative process for creating a sound foundation for mental health resulting in lower anxiety and tools to manage stress better.

Ÿ Psychological Strength Building Program:An exclusive online program developed by BHS' partner, best-selling author, Dr. Tony Kern. The team states, "Be able to manage your life and difficult situations through preparedness and proven, simple, error reduction mechanisms."

Leading with Elite Solutions

BHS' innovation is a result of likeminded, passionate leaders in health and wellness coming together and partnering on how to do the most for as many people as possible. The company stays ahead of the competition by partnering with world leaders in the health and wellness space to bring the most elite set of solutions at the most competitive pricing available. The team shares, "Our secret ingredient is our team of highly trained registered nurses, world leading medical director, and partnerships with other globally recognized physicians and scientists. Our medical team is able to support anyone in their wellness journey and assure adoption of technology to support ongoing improvements."

At BHS, the team focuses on individual relationships resulting in revolutionary changes in its customers' lives.

Becoming Better to Do Good

Adversity has a lot of positive side effects if one chooses to persevere and grow through it without allowing seeds of resentment or anger to take root. The business world can be challenging to navigate, with many bad players who are willing to compromise their integrity to get their way and/or sell something. Brent reveals that his biggest struggles and obstacles were also crucial in propelling him down an entrepreneurial path where he was driven to build something better, something enduring, and where everyone who interacts with BHS is awestruck by its culture of integrity, respect, and empathy.

Pioneer in Wellness Sector

BHS is a pioneer in their approach to wellness and treats everyone as a unique individual requiring a customized health and wellness plan to meet their goals. In March of this year, BHS is launching its TRANSFORMATIVE WELLBEING INNOVATIONS ™ services specifically directed to individual consumers. The goal of this launch is to reach as many individuals as possible who are not privileged to work for companies that employ their services. “The more people we can reach, the faster we can heal the world. This is a big goal, but someone must have it if we are ever going to make a difference in the declining health and wellbeing of the population”.