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Thomas Hill III is the chief executive officer of Kimray, Inc. As the grandson of Kimray's founder, Garman Kimmell, Thomas grew up around the family business and manages the family-owned company with a sense of stewardship and heritage.

In 1948, Kimray revolutionized pressure regulation in the oil and gas industry by introducing a three-inch pilot-operated back pressure regulator. The company has since grown to be a globally-known manufacturer of a comprehensive line of reliable, smart, and inventive American-made control equipment for safely and efficiently producing oil and gas. Having worked in virtually every department, Thomas has an intimate knowledge of the processes and people involved from start to finish.

Thomas grew up in a high-performing family, which shaped his belief that people are worth what they can accomplish. This sent Thomas on a long and unfulfilling journey of pursuing success by constantly doing bigger and better things. Life eventually spun out of control, and Thomas hit rock bottom. Unfortunately, this meant Kimray hit rock bottom at the same time.

Thomas's story does not end there. Through significant pain and loss, he began the long and difficult road of recovery that transformed his life and leadership. Today, Thomas enjoys sharing his story with others who can benefit from the lessons he has learned. He is committed to carrying the message of Recovering Leadership to other "addict leaders" and practicing these principles in his personal life.

A Couple of Quotes From This Episode

• “Making money is easy. Making money without harming other people is hard.”
• “I wasn’t a leader. I just needed people to do what I needed them to do.”
• “The more transparent I am, the more people want to follow.”
• “Leadership is not about knowing what to do. It is about developing people who know what to do.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Recovering Leadership: Musings of an Addict Leader by Thomas Hill

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. Attend The Global Conference in Toronto, October 28-31.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
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John Bernatovicz is a husband, father, brother, entrepreneur, author, and lifelong Northeast Ohioan. Over the last 15 years, he has started or been an owner of six business ventures and is the president and founder of Willory, a staffing and consulting firm solely focused on HR and payroll.

As the president and founder of Willory, John focuses on transforming organizations to meet their full potential. Through Willory, John ensures his clients have the best talent in their HR and payroll department and optimize the technology supporting companies’ number one asset: people. With over 20 years of experience within the payroll and HR niche, John is uniquely qualified to drive Willory into a leadership position within the HR and payroll staffing and consulting space.

John has focused his working career on understanding the needs of his clients, candidates, and partners. He is not satisfied until he finds what his clients and candidates are looking for. Plus, he thrives on instilling enthusiasm, growth mindsets, and accountability in the Willory team. John strives to win and build successful businesses that go above and beyond the expectations of his clients, candidates, staff members, and competitors. This sets a standard for the firm to provide a high quality of service and build exceptional relationships. Willory has achieved great results, including NorthCoast 99, Weatherhead 100, Crain’s 52, and Inc. 5000.

A Couple of Quotes From This Episode

• “You’re not going to lose your job because of AI. You’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI better than you.”
• “Every single person in the world is a leader. People are paying attention to what you’re doing.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: HR Like a Boss by Bernatovicz
• Events: Disrupt HR

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.

Send us Fan Mail

Dr. Melisa Buie is a problem solver, author, and operational excellence leader known for making complex systems work better. Her work spans advanced technologies such as lasers and semiconductor equipment, as well as large-scale global manufacturing and business systems.

Melisa’s career sits at the intersection of engineering innovation and operational performance. She has held key roles with leading organizations in the semiconductor and photonics industries, including Lam Research, Coherent, Applied Materials, and Advanced Energy. As Global Director for Lean Operational Excellence at Coherent, Inc., a $2B global photonics solutions company, she led initiatives that advanced both engineering performance and enterprise-wide transformation. Earlier in her career, she served as a Member of the Technical Staff and Engineering Manager at Applied Materials and Advanced Energy, and as a Research Scientist with Science Applications International Corporation at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where she focused on theoretical laser systems.

In addition to her industry leadership, Melisa is an author and educator. She wrote Problem Solving for New Engineers: What Every Engineering Manager Wants You to Know in 2017, drawing on her experience bridging industry and academia. She also taught graduate-level courses for nearly a decade at San Jose State University in the Department of Biomedical, Chemical, and Materials Engineering, where she helped develop the next generation of engineering leaders and problem solvers.

A Few Quotes From This Episode

• “If it’s safe to fail, then it’s safe to learn and grow.”
• “Experimentation is something that leads to a lot of failure.”
• “Part of the reason we don’t like failing is because of all the emotions that come with it.”
• “You’ve got to separate the story you make up about the failure.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Faceplant: Free Yourself From Failure's Funk by Buie and colleagues
• Book: Problem Solving for New Engineers: What Every Engineering Manager Wants You to Know by Buie

About The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership.

About Scott J. Allen

• Website
• Weekly Newsletter: Practical Wisdom for Leaders

My Approach to Hosting

• The views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can

♻️ Please share with others and follow/subscribe to the podcast!
⭐️ Please leave a review on Apple, Spotify, or your platform of choice.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn for more on leadership, communication, and tech.
📜 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter featuring four hand-picked articles.
🌎 You can learn more about my work on my Website.