Midwest Mavericks: Profiles of Neighborhood Game Changers

In Part 1, Jody Williamson of Sandler Training Chicago/Northbrook shares tips on running a business. He dives into what makes the ideal salesperson and how to succeed. Then he wraps up by sharing his favorite sales movie. The movie and his tips on LinkedIn may surprise you.

Taking on an incumbent is no easy task. However, Wisconsin State Senator Lena Taylor feels her vision is exactly what Milwaukee needs to propel itself into a model American city. In this episode, Dave Davenport digs into State Senator Taylor's agenda, her plans to revitalize forgotten communities and how to address an alarming poverty rate among women under 35.

Jennifer McNelly's childhood was as unique as they come. Growing up, McNelly's father instilled determination as he strived to become a politician with only an 8th Grade education. Her mother exemplified this quality as an Icelandic immigrant. Not to mention McNelly was 1 of 12 children growing up in Alaska before moving to the East Coast. Service to her country is in McNelly's blood that drove her to lead national initiatives under two different US Presidents. In this episode, McNelly walks you through how she broke the glass ceiling in manufacturing safety. She shares a message that benefits both the worker and company. McNelly's top priority is ensuring safety during a grueling day's work. This leads to a conversation on how ROI is achieved by investing in your workforce. Creating an environment where personal well-being isn't jeopardized allows companies to maximize worker production while protecting their family of workers.

Entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor and soccer star. That's the road we travel with Peter Billmeyer of Bespoke Commercial Real Estate on this episode of Midwest Mavericks. Aside from his interesting endeavors, Billmeyer shares two major pieces of information any and every business owner should hear. Learn about his seldom shared philosophy on work culture. And if you're concerned about the state of Illinois, Billmeyer touches on the role Milwaukee is playing in business growth for Illinois and Wisconsin.

There's an interesting crossroads between innovation, technology and the automotive industry. In this episode we turn to two influencers, Paul Brian and Lauren Fix of the series "His Turn Her Turn" to gain insight into an industry that impacts our everyday lives. You'll love hearing tales about the biggest names in the industry, the major holes they see with electric cars and their vision for the automotive future.

We believe luck is mostly a product of hard work. In this episode, you'll see how that manifests. We welcome Darpan Munjal, CEO and Founder of SquadHelp, the world's number one naming platform into the studio. You'll be fascinated by the twists and turns that lead to the creation of SquadHelp, it's truly an American Dream. You'll be enthralled by Munjal's life as an immigrant and how he rose to be an executive at Sears. You'll learn how the idea of SquadHelp initially formed and coincided with the hardest business decision Munjal ever had to make. Finally, you'll cheer alongside us as Munjal guided SquadHelp into an interactive platform benefiting businesses and individuals around the world. It's the perfect mixture of inspiration and how a little luck helped Munjal become a Midwest Maverick.

What's the natural next step for an International PhD Economics Academic? How about the Deputy Press Secretary at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.? Of course it's betting their life savings on starting the first distillery in Chicago since the mid-1800s. Dr. Sonat Birnecker shares stories of her education, international travel, the inspiration for her and her husband to begin Koval Distillery and their commitment to single-handedly grow the craft distilling industry in the United States - starting right here in Chicago.

Mark Shale was Chicago's trusted source for looking your best. Sadly, after 83 years in business, the company closed its doors in 2012. However, this became an opportunity for Mike Baskin, Mark Shale's Co-President, to take what he had learned and reinvent himself as Chicago's premiere business coach. In this episode, you'll travel along Baskin's incredible journey, experience the highs and lows and enjoy the most infectious laugh you've ever heard.

Finding a place to stay for a weekend at a college campus can be downright scary. Some college towns only have one tiny hotel and that makes finding a clean place to stay an ordeal. Mike Doyle recognized this problem and, with a little help from NBC-TV's "Shark Tank", he created RentLikeAChampion.com. What was his secret to getting on "Shark Tank"?What was it like meeting with and working for Mark Cuban? How does he compete with sites like AirBnB? Mike shares his story on the debut episode of Midwest Mavericks.