Revisiting the Legacy of Ron Morris, And Tracking Down One Of His Signature Companies

Regular, longtime listeners to Your American Story Radio….namely, folks who have been with us since we started in February, 2013, no doubt are aware of the impact that the lateRon Morris, a.k.a “The American Entrepreneur”, has had on the show.  Ron’s and Raja’s paths have crossed numerous times through the years, from their days in the computer/software industry with their respective companies, all the way through Ron’s support of Raja’s political endeavors, and Raja’s frequent appearances on Ron’s business radio show, “The American Entrepreneur”.  And when the time was right in early 2013, Raja, with the support of Ron’s wife, Karen Morris, threw his own hat into the radio airwaves by starting Your American Story Radio, in part to continue the legacy that Ron developed over 13 years of hosting TAE.

Ever since Ron’s passing in June of 2012, Karen’s mission has been to preserve the legacy that Ron had worked so tirelessly to carve in the Western Pennsylvania business community, a legacy of support and mentorship for fellow entrepreneurs looking to carve their own niche, in order to enjoy the freedom and opportunity that Ron himself had enjoyed for decades.  And be it through the establishment of the “Morris E-Ward”, presented annually by Entrepreneuring Youth, the donation of Ron’s personal media collection to a startup library in Millvale, PA,, the release of Code 2600, a fascinating documentary of which Ron was Executive Producer, and many other avenues, Ron’s legacy is still being felt throughout Western Pennsylvania.

From time to time, we like to check in with Karen about what is being done to honor Ron’s legacy, and here, we welcome her to the studio to discuss the many projects, initiatives, and endeavors throughout the region which honor Ron’s business legacy.

-And she’s not coming alone….

Your American Story listeners who were also regular listeners to The American Entrepreneur will, or who are at least familiar with Ron’s story know the role that JD Warren played in that story.

JD Warren, a company that Ron started in 1994 (and named after his dog and his father), was a company that specialized in optimizing the financial performance of the property and casualty insurance industry.  For Ron, the company was a smash success, one which enabled him to “cash out” in 1999, en route to what he called “semi-retirement”, including starting “The American Entrepreneur” Radio show, and founding the Entrepreneurial Studies Program at Duquesne University.

But whatever happened to that company?

Here, Raja talks with Joe Warnagiris, the CEO of Paragon Asset Recovery Services, a.k.a. the former JD Warren.  They discuss the history of the company, how the company and industry have evolved in the 15 years since Ron left, and what lies ahead for the business, and the industry.

Back to the Basics of Business: The Importance of Effective Management and Value Creation

-On this edition of Your American Story Radio, Raja, himself a successful entrepreneur, tips his cap to other successful business owners in the listening audience by featuring two nationally-renowned experts in the fields of management and value creation.

-Managing people, systems, and growth in a business can be one of, if not THE most difficult tasks an owner can face in a business.  It’s a true “sink or swim” scenario, as you can mismanage your way to failure just as quickly and easily (if not more so) as you can manage your way to success.

But how can you tell if either your managerial skills, or those of the people you hire to manage your company, are the skills that are necessary for your particular company to succeed?

Few people in the world are as qualified to answer that questions as Henry Mintzberg, the Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Montreal.  A longtime name on the list of the Top 50 Most Influential Management Gurus presented by the Harvard Business Review, Henry is the author of over 15 books on management, and is a leading proponent of the concept of emergent strategy, the idea that the most effective strategies for a business start from within the lower and mid-levels of the business (the folks in the trenches), rather than those imposed by the company’s management, without input from those underneath.

Here, Henry talks with Raja about what makes an effective manager, where the most effective managers come from, the type of person you should NOT put in any form of management position, and why the MBA tends to be overrated.

(And the last idea is coming from a PROFESSOR!!!)

-So once you have effective management in place in your business, now comes the tasks at hand, and one of the most important processes facing any company at any point, from inception to full growth, is the process of creating value in your business.

Business value is a metric that should be the most analyzed, and questioned, in your business.  And the question, on paper, is a simple yes/no proposition:  Will this (task, process, project, employee, etc.) create value for the company?  If the answer is “yes”, then how much value is it creating, and what can be done to increase that value?  And if the answer is “no”, then how should it be tweaked, augmented, or removed, in order for value creation to take place?

It’s a tricky concept on many levels, but also one of the fundamental ideas you need to know for your business to succeed.   Here, we hope to clear things up a bit, as Raja talks with Dr. Kenneth Lehn, the Samuel A McCullough Professor of Finance at the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.  Value creation is Dr. Lehn’s specialty, as he has done extensive research into the trends that drive value creation historically in business, and how value creation impacts the overall operation of businesses, both large and small.

One Entrepreneur.  Three Businesses.   How Does Harry Geyer Keep It Together?

One of the defining traits of any entrepreneur is the ability to seek and accept new challenges as they emerge in business.  For Harry Geyer, he has done just that, as the owner of Geyer Construction, a Pittsburgh-based construction company….and the owner of Pittsburgh Pine Floors, a business that reclaims wood from dilapidated and demolished buildings for reuse in construction projects….AND the owner of The Wheel Mill, an 80,000 square foot indoor bike park, located in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh.

Keeping these businesses straight is an extreme challenge, to be sure, but Harry wouldn’t want it any other way.  Thanks to a newfound ability to delegate, and to prioritize what issues matter in his company RIGHT NOW, and what can wait a bit before being acted upon, and to maintain a healthy work/life balance, Harry is on the right track (pardon the pun) to business success.

How does Harry manage to keep it all together?  And what lessons can the owner of just ONE business take away from Harry’s day-to-day experience?  Here, Harry talks with Raja about what he does to keep all three companies running as smoothly as possible, without the usual hiccups and pitfalls that can doom a business to failure.

-The 2014 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Election is the political race that is dominating the State’s political landscape as we gear up for a heated political season.

But what about the Pennsylvania State Legislature activity in Harrisburg that ISN’T getting as much publicity?  And if you’re a Pennsylvania resident, how does this activity impact your everyday life?

That’s where one of Pennsylvania’s foremost political watchdogs, Matt Brouillette of theCommonwealth Foundation for Policy Alternatives, steps in.  Today, Matt talks with Raja about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Pennsylvania politics, including the Paycheck Protection measures currently in play in Harrisburg, and what these measures could mean for YOUR paycheck.

From Shipping To Healthcare To Film: Mike Critelli’s Journey Along the Road Less Traveled

On this edition of Your American Story, Raja goes one-on-one with one of the foremost business leaders in America, Mike Critelli, as Mike shares the story of his career path, an unusual one to say the least, and the impact he has made at every stop along the way.

Mike had been a fledgling attorney in the Chicago attorney throughout the 1970′s when, in his search for a corporate legal position, he happened upon a Stamford, CT-based company by the name of Pitney Bowes.  Despite the company being firmly nestled in what he was told was a dying communications medium, mail, he took the job anyway, based in part on what he saw to be exemplary corporate values from the top down, namely that they were “good people trying to do the right thing.”

Over the next 20 years, Mike moved away from the Pitney Bowes legal department and into the corporate hierarchy, an upward climb culminating in the company’s highest position, CEO, a position he held for 11 years.  Through this time, the mail industry proved that it was very much NOT dead, enjoying more and more growth through the years (a trend which, despite the emergence of the internet and other forms of media, still continues today), and Pitney Bowes was right there to reap the rewards.

After Mike stepped down from his post in 2007, he then shifted his focus onto an issue he noticed throughout his time at Pitney Bowes, the rising cost (and inefficiency) of the health care industry.  He became the CEO of Dossia, a company dedicated to simplifying the healthcare industry by putting health care records back into the hands of the patients themselves.   He also remains a leading national voice when it comes to making health care simple and accessible to individuals and companies alike.

Having become a leading voice in the mail/shipping and health care industries, Mike decided to take another path less traveled for his next venture: filmmaking.  Specifically, as principal of Gyre Entertainment, a California-based movie production company, whose first film, From the Rough, written by Mike’s son (also named Mike), is slated for theatrical release later this Spring.  Starring Academy Award nominees Taraji Henson and the late Michael Clarke Duncan (in one of his final roles), the movie depicts the remarkable true story of Dr. Catana Starks, the women’s swimming coach at Tennessee State University, a historically black college, who, in 1988, was named the coach of the men’s golf team. In addition to becoming the first female coach of a men’s collegiate golf team in NCAA Division 1 history, she also had to succeed through circumstances that forced her to recruit white, non-U.S. golfers for the squad.

As Mike gears up for the big release of From the Rough,  he takes some time to talk with Raja about his story, and the lessons he learned along the way, not only about these wide variety of industries, but also about himself.  You definitely do NOT want to miss this discussion!

-And speaking of things you do not want to miss, especially if you are in a position to exit your business, Duquesne University’s Small Business Development Center is presenting an informative four-part workshop series, entitled “Transitioning Your Business”, throughout late April and early May on the Duquesne University campus.  The first par of this series, “Getting You and Your Business Ready”, will take place Monday, April 21 on the campus of Duquesne University.  For more information, check them out on the web atwww.duq.edu/sbdc.

Raja will be a part of this great series, as he is lined up to speak about the business atmosphere for both buying and selling in Pittsburgh as part of the April 21 event.  Here, Raja talks with Dr. Mary McKinney, the Director of the Duquesne University SBDC, about what attendees can expect from this groundbreaking series.