This week we had a great conversation with Erik Wille, CISO at American Axle and one of the hosts of The Great Security Debate.



We started by mocking “what keeps you up at night”, but in all seriousness, we got into how he views security for a global company. We then got into the giant vendor landscape, and how he made sense of this madness.



Lastly, we talked about his podcast The Great Security Debate with his hosts Brian and Dan.



This was a great episode, super fun to record, and we hope you enjoy it.

The IT Security Landscape with Erik Wille of AAM – IT in the D 457

This week, we got to chat with Steven Childs, founder of Dorsay Creative, a digital marketing agency.



Bob was excited to talk with him for a number of reasons, but mostly because we haven't spoken with anyone on SEO in probably 5–6 years and we could use a refresh.



And wow, did we get into it: we wondered what Google/Bing are doing to combat ChatGPT and fake indexed pages, and how they've updated their algorithm to combat those that are trying to game the system.



We also got into how people are renaming their companies to “Thai Food Near Me”, which is the AAA Plumbing of the 1980's (to be listed first in the Yellow Pages).



Overall, it was an informative episode and a must-listen if you're a small business or interested in the latest digital marketing trends.

Digital Marketing Trends and Techniques with Steven Childs of Dorsay Creative – IT in the D 456

Publishing this one early so you still have time to grab tickets!



Ming Chen of A Shared Universe PodcaStudio and “AMC’s Comic Book Men” will be appearing at Astronomicon 6 this weekend! We reminisce with him and he talks all about the con.

Astronomicon 6 with Ming Chen of A Shared Universe PodcaStudio – IT in the D 455

This week we met with Wolfgang Goerlich. Not only is he a well respected CISO, he was our guest on Episode 1 (and episode 112). 



We had fun catching up, talking about security then vs. now, changes in philosophy, and mocked marketing jargon for commonly used tech. 



We ended by talking about Securing Sexuality, his conference and podcast, prompted by his wife, who is a relationship and sexuality therapist.

IT Security Then and Now, Securing Relationships with Wolfgang Goerlich, Cybersecurity Strategist – IT in the D 454

This week, we chatted with Eddie Eadeh, CEO of E&E Tech. 



We started talking about making the jump into entrepreneurship, got into data security for small business, and the layoffs going on in big tech.



We ended up talking about his podcast, the Power On Podcast and his favorite episode, "Why IT companies suck". 



Eddie is a natural conversationalist and it was a fun talk—enjoy the listen!

Entrepreneurship and Data Security for Small Business with Eddie Eadeh of E&E Tech – IT in the D 453

This week, we were super lucky to chat with David Williams, CIO and CISO of Gold Star Mortgage Financial. 



Since it's end of year, we started by joking about how many sales reps are currently calling him to make their end of year numbers.



We then got into what it takes to be dual role CIO and CISO, how he chooses his vendors, methodologies, and best practices.



We ended by talking about how he picks his team, interview questions, and what it takes to get into his organization. 



Overall a great conversation, hope you enjoy the listen!

Dual CIO and CISO Roles with David Williams of Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group – IT in the D 452

This week, we were super lucky to talk to serial entrepreneur, branding expert, and all around great guy Hajj Flemings, CEO of Rebrand Cities and founder of Modern Athlete.



Hajj was one of the first people I remember talking about your "personal brand", so we dove into that, as well as what it means for smaller neighborhoods and businesses to have a digital voice.



We also got into how he mentors for Tech Stars Detroit.  

Personal Brand and Digital Neighborhoods with Hajj Flemings of Rebrand Cities – IT in the D 451

This week, we got to chat with change and strategy consultant Stefanie Krievins.



We immediately got into change management, and not in a software/project way, but in a human way and how it is difficult for most people.



We discussed DISC methodology and how it applies on how we work with others. This led to how to lead kick ass meetings (something I think we can all improve on!) 

Change and Influence with Stefanie Krievins – IT in the D 450

This week, we chatted about all things cloud with AWS Ambassador and all around great guy Troy Dieter. 



Troy has an impressive list of certifications and just received the title of Cloudius Maximus for obtaining his 7th AWS cert. We got into the path on those looking to start and build their career in cloud. 



We also talked in length about AWS re:Invent and what it looks like having 50,000 people converge in Vegas. 



If you are in or around the cloud, this episode is a must listen!

A Career in Cloud with Troy Dieter of Slalom – IT in the D 449

This week, we talked with management consultant Zach Boguslawski about his journey from being in the military and transitioning it to working in technology in the private sector.



We also got into what it means to be a "management consultant", overused terms like 'business outcomes' and 'digital transformation', and how he translates that into meaningful conversations that have actual impact.



We ended with his journey in public speaking and mentoring Bob in his latest opportunity to tell his story to a group of peers.

Military to IT Transition with Zach Boguslawski of Slalom – IT in the D 448

When you think of industries embracing technology, construction just isn't one of them. Well, a long time construction worker and software developer (right?) thought that there has to be a better way.



This week we talked with Justin Turk, CEO of Livegistics.



We dove into the issues facing the construction industry, how Livegistics is helping automate it, and how legacy workers are embracing it.

Construction Tech with Justin Turk of Livegistics – IT in the D 447

This week, we got to speak to the legend himself, Mike Zapcic. With the recent release of Clerks III, his appearance on AMC's Comic Book Men, or his countless other podcasts, plus working at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, Mike is literally a comics encyclopedia.



We got into discussions about the days of past (see: going to Blockbuster on a Friday night) and then talked about all of the new content being streamed as of late including Andor, House of the Dragon, She-Hulk, and The Rings of Power.

Movies, Comics, and Pop Culture with Mike Zapcic of Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash – IT in the D 446

Yan Ness, CEO of Verge.io joins us to talk about managing the complexity of cloud infrastructure. Verge.io consolidates several tools into one platform that doesn't require a team of people to manage.



Before Verge.io, Yan built OnlineTech, so he has plenty of entrepreneurship experience. He talks about starting and running companies, and what led him to start Verge.io.



The conversation also covers the tech scene in Michigan and where it's going.

Managing Cloud Complexity with Yan Ness of Verge.io – IT in the D 445

This week, we were joined by Rashone Bryant aka Afrikan Caesar from the Sneaker Box Podcast.



Most recently, Rashone was featured on the History Channel's "Fast History Of, Swoosh Dreams" that you can watch here. 



We've never gotten into sneaker culture on IT in the D and it was genuinely fascinating the way Nike and others have built a mega sub-culture around the trade of rare shoes.

Sneakers with Rashone Bryant – IT in the D 444

Paul Blatt was back to talk about the combining of two local non-profit organizations JVS Human Services and Kadima. The organization also has a new name: Gesher Human Services.



Gesher Human Services ("gesher" means "bridge" in Hebrew) offers career counseling and job placement for job seekers with obstacles to employment, supportive housing for individuals with severe mental illness, financial education, day programs for adults living with developmental disabilities and/or mental illness, counseling for families in crisis, assistance and support coordination for adults living with mental health challenges, enrichment activities and more.



Gesher provides valuable services to the Metro Detroit area, last year helping over 12,000 people.

IT Job Training for People with Disabilities, Rebranding with Paul Blatt of Gesher Human Services – IT in the D 443

This week, we had a fun chat with Brian "Schneebs" Schneble of Abnormal Security and The Great Security Debate podcast fame.



Immediately, we jumped into a couple of personal stories about email phishing that made us laugh, but then things got serious as we talked about companies that have been hit with spoofed emails which cost them well into 6-figures.



Brian is a wealth of knowledge in the email security space and this episode is well worth the listen—hope you enjoy it!

Email Phishing and Enterprise Email Security with Brian Schneble of Abnormal Security – IT in the D 442

No lies—we love when tech entrepreneurs get into the booze business. 



Dennis Weiss is the CEO of IPQualityScore, owner of Weiss Distilling, and owner of Sabbath Coffee Roasters.



Dennis's story was very similar to the story of Jeff Hussey, Founder of F5 Networks, where IPQS was founded out of necessity. When Dennis was working in the marketing industry and got tired of fraud, he built his own company. Pretty amazing story overall!



Of course, since Dennis owns a distillery and a coffee roasters, we also talked a bit about booze and coffee roasting, and how he has integrated technology into the traditionally manual workflows.

Fraud Detection, Spirits Distilling, and Coffee Roasting with Dennis Weiss of IPQualityScore, Weiss Distilling, and Sabbath Coffee Roasters – IT in the D 441

Bob and Randy were joined this week by Ryan Angott of LapLok.



LapLok is a new style of security device for laptop computers. It’s easier to use than a cable lock and works with any laptop—no security slot required.



Ryan told some crazy statistics about laptop theft and security, how he got the idea for LapLok, and about crowdfunding the project on Indiegogo.



Ryan has a compelling product in LapLok and we hope you learn as much about it as we did.

Laptop Security with Ryan Angott of LapLok – Episode 440

This week, Alex Linebrink, CEO of Passage, joined Bob and Randy to talk about all things event ticketing.



Alex told us how he got started in tech, and then how he came up with Passage (it involves one of our favorite holidays!), an online event tickets platform.



Passage has grown to selling over six million tickets, and has also launched several niche ticket websites like HauntPay for haunted houses, EscapeTix for escape rooms, and SoccerStub for soccer. Alex says that support for virtual events helped Passage stay relevant when in-person events all but stopped during the pandemic.



What's next up from Passage? Alex says that soon, event organizers will be able to sell NFTs, which could allow access to exclusive perks and experiences.



We hope you enjoy listening to this episode and learning more about Alex and Passage.

Episode 439 with Alex Linebrink of Passage

Bob and Randy were joined this week by Monica Wheat, Managing Director of Techstars Detroit Powered by JP Morgan. Before that, she most recently led Techstars Equitech in Baltimore.



First, Bob and Monica talked about Techstars. Techstars is a global seed-stage accelerator in 40+ cities worldwide. Over 500 companies participate each year. There are over 15,000 investors, 7,000 mentors, and 3,000 alumni in the Techstars network.



Techstars Detroit is a 13-week hybrid/virtual program that starts on September 12, 2022. Participating companies will have access to up to $120,000 in investment, plus support from JP Morgan, and resources and benefits to help their business grow and succeed.



Two Detroit companies participated in Techstars Equitech, which was focused on diversity and equity. They are Athlytic, a marketplace that connects student athletes to endorsement opportunities and Sparen Homes, a person-to-person real estate marketplace where people can buy and sell real estate themselves without a bank or an agent. Both are currently currently raising seed rounds. Another company from Techstars Equitech is EcoMap, a company that builds platforms that digitize ecosystems. It has just closed a $3.5M seed round!



Randy asked Monica about Detroit Startup Week. It is the largest entrepreneurship conference in Michigan. It's a collection of education events all about entrepreneurs and building and growing businesses. It attached to Detroit Demo Day, where companies pitch for a share of funding to help them grow.



Bob and Monica also talked about what makes a company a startup, plus Bob pitched some interesting busines ideas.



Techstars Detroit is open to all founders with focused recruiting on diverse founders. Extended applications are still being accepted atbit.ly/techstarsdetroitex.

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