Profiling a Leading Entrepreneur Of Tomorrow, and Assessing Why “Obamacare” Matters

Like many entrepreneurs throughout the country, Dan Mathews spends considerable time every day making sure that the business he has owned and operated for the past two years, Mathews Automotive Detailing and Styling, runs smoothly and maximizes profitability.

Unlike many entrepreneurs throughout the country, Mathews is just 18 years old.

And while he obviously can’t put the time into the business that a full-time entrepreneur can, thanks primarily to his schoolwork, Mathews is on the fast track to startup success, due to hard work, perseverance, and a little luck. And these attributes have not gone unnoticed, as Mathews was recently named the Student Entrepreneur of the Year atPropel Schools, a locally owned and operated not-for-profit organization geared towards transforming public school education to the point where all children, regardless of family structure or income, have access to quality education.

Mathews, a Senior at Propel, is a determined young man who is well on his way to success, as his journey will take him to Rosedale Technical Institute in the Fall to study Diesel Technology.  But before that, he’ll stop by the Your American Story studio on Sunday to discuss his story with Raja, including how he was able to start his business, what motivates him to succeed, and the role that the mentors and leaders he has met along the way have played in his success.

-For years, we’ve heard the talk on both sides from the aisle about both sides of the discussion pertaining to the Affordable Care Act.  (a.k.a. “Obamacare”).

No matter where you stand on the issue, the fact is that it’s in place, and here to stay.  So what does it mean for employers and employees when it comes to providing health care coverage that meets the ever changing needs of individuals and families, at a price that won’t break the budget?

To help break down Obamacare and its impact on individuals and companies, we called on one of the foremost insurance industry experts you’ll find anywhere, Doug Moore of Seubert and Associates.  On Sunday, Doug discusses how the Affordable Care Act came to be, what employers and employees need to do to adjust to the changes, and what lies ahead for the healthcare industry as a result.

48%

That number represents the percentage of shoes that were manufactured in the United States in 1980, the same year that John Stollenwerk purchased Port Washington, WI-based shoe manufacturer Allen Edmonds.

Just over 20 years later, that number dwindled to 1.5%.   Chief among those remaining few companies: Allen Edmonds.

Despite the obvious trends heading in the opposite direction, Stollenwerk made “Made in the U.S.A.” work, thanks to not only a high end product that has been found on the foot of every U.S. President since Ronald Reagan, but also to a commitment to his people.  When he decided to improve the efficiency of his operation by moving his plant to Milwaukee (about 25 miles away from Port Washington) in 1997, he also purchased a bus to transport his employees back and forth, rather than require them to drive themselves, a task that can be especially daunting during a typical Wisconsin winter.

Now retired from his position as CEO and President, after having sold the company in 2006, Edmonds joins Raja this Sunday to discuss his time at Allen Edmonds, his commitment to American manufacturing at a time when most of his competition isn’t on the same page, and what he feels a leader needs to do in order to make his or her company successful.

“The Queen of Beers” No More:  The Rise and Fall of Rhonda Kallman in the Beer Industry, and Why Her Next Round Is Something Stronger

“It’s beer.  It’s supposed to be fun.  If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”

In a recent interview, a Senior Brewmaster from the Samuel Adams Brewery used those exact words to describe the motivation that propelled him to leave Sam Adams and take his talents, and his tap, to another startup microbrew.

Who taught him that valuable lesson?

Rhonda Kallman

Over thirty years ago, Rhonda Kallman decided to have some fun by co-founding, along with Jim Koch, the Boston Brewing Company.  While the company name may not be familiar, its signature product just might be:  Sam Adams Lager. Since its inception, Sam Adams has emerged as one of the leading microbrews in the world, and, along with Yuengling, one of the top-selling American-owned beers in circulation today.

In 2001, Kallman decided to have some more fun.  Having spent 14 years as an executive at Boston Brewing, primarily as VP of Sales, Rhonda took some time off to focus on her family and her priorities. But it wasn’t long before the beer industry came calling again, this time in the form of Joseph Owades.  Owades, the inventor of Miller Lite Beer (the FIRST low-calorie beer), reached out to Kallman to help him reinvent light beer, and thus, a new company (New Century Brewing) and a new beer (Edison Light) were born.  Despite the unfortunate launch date of September 10, 2001, the beer had actually enjoyed a great deal of success in many important markets.

For Kallman, her fun in the beer industry came to an abrupt end in 2011, thanks to another signature New Century Brewing release, Moonshot.  Moonshot was one of the first beers to enter the niche of “energy beers”, as it featured an infusion of caffeine in its mixture.  While the innovation was well received by the marketplace, New Century Brewing was once again a victim of unfortunate timing, as the Food and Drug Administration began cracking down on caffeinated brews, in the wake of the controversy surrounding the most notorious of these beverages, Four Loko.  Despite containing significantly less alcohol, and being targeted to an older demographic, Moonshot itself was a target of the FDA, and New Century Brewing had no choice but to shut its doors.

But like any good entrepreneur, Kallman didn’t stay down for long, and this month marks the launch of her newest startup, Boston Harbor Distillery.  Leaving beer for something with a little more kick (namely, whiskey) is a new challenge for Kallman, one she is meeting with eager anticipation.  Here, she talks with Raja about her story, what drives her to keep going, and her plans for the future.