The Christine Spray Show

Ep016: US Military to the Boardroom with Chuck Drobny

December 14th, 2022  |  45 mins 55 secs

In this episode, David talks to Chuck Drobny, CEO of GlobaLogix here in Houston, Texas. Chuck has an interesting background starting with this time at the US Military Academy at West Point, and then for the next five years as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Through his time at West Point and in the Army, he learned many lessons about leadership. In this interview, Chuck discusses the lessons he learned in his long, varied career and the advice he would give his 25-year-old self.

Ep015: Creating Relationships & Honoring Commitments with John Bonner

November 14th, 2022  |  49 mins 16 secs

In this episode, we are joined by John Bonner, president of First Continental Investment Company in Houston, Texas.

Dave and John discuss John's background and the story behind him forming his company 28 years ago. John's company provides financing to residential land developers and home buildings. Although it may seem like a commodity business, especially with the unprecedented liquidity in the lending markets, it turns out he is not in a commodity business. Rather, John's business relies on relationships, repeat business, and being committed to honoring the commitments that he and the company make.

John also talked about his own personal and professional development and why Vistage international plays such a critical role in that endeavor.

Ep014: Growing as One with Tom Ballou

October 12th, 2022  |  52 mins 48 secs

On this episode, our guest host David Spray talks to Tom Ballou, CEO of Ballou Fire Systems, a company headquartered in Houston, Texas, that serves commercial customers with their fire detection and suppression needs.

Tom acquired the business less than seven years ago and has led the company to a 10 X growth in both revenue and head count. He has a servant leader approach that really shines through in this interview and although the 10 X growth is impressive, what might be even more impressive is that they grew the head count by 15 times without ever advertising a single position.

This is due to a tremendous culture that Tom calls “done as one” that describes how the company aspires to work as a single team across all departments, allowing them to grow as one.

This episode will especially be useful to entrepreneurs who are forming or transforming their company cultures to not only benefit their employees, but their companies as a whole.

Ep013: Achieving and Managing Rapid Growth with Dylan Schrader

September 14th, 2022  |  42 mins 19 secs

Today our guest host David Spray talks to Dylan Schrader, the COO of Ledge Loungers, a fast growing high end outdoor and pool product manufacturing company in Houston, Texas.

Ledge Loungers has grown 50 times since Dylan joined the company seven years ago. Dave and Dylan talk about the pros and cons of that rapid growth and the hidden opportunities in that growth challenge. They also drill down into some of the most innovative products they have and what make them so unique.

Much of the company's new product ideas result from being close to and listening to their customers.

If you are a fast growing organization, or if you ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of a company growing more than 100% annually, this episode has some great insights for you.

Ep012: Becoming The World's Best with Art Saxby

August 12th, 2022  |  52 mins 13 secs

In this episode, our guest host, David Spray, speaks with Art Saxby; the founder and CEO of Chief Outsiders, which is a nationwide consulting firm with more than 100 fractional Chief Marketing Officers.

In just 13 years, Art has grown the firm to over 100 CMOs who have served more than 1400 businesses. We discussed the challenges and the hidden opportunities they encountered and we also learned about the advice he would give his 25-year-old self.

If you are a CEO of a 10 million to $300 million company and have ambitions that seem to be greater than your team's interests and desires, or if you desire to grow a professional service business at 30% annually or more, then this is a great episode for you and you'll find Art's story to be deeply inspiring.

Ep011: The Franchising Formula with Bob Hillier

June 10th, 2022  |  51 mins 46 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, our guest host, David Spray, speaks with Bob Hillier, owner of several Paul Davis franchises in and around Houston, Texas, and Raleigh, North Carolina, where they specialize in fire, water, and mold damage remediation.

In this episode, Bob talks about the success he has had in building one of the largest groups within the Paul Davis family, despite not having a background in the remediation industry. A formula he's developed in just 5 years since buying his first franchise.

There are many great insights in the journey from dedicated corporate executive to successful entrepreneur, and Bob's story will be inspirational and instructive whatever your stage of business.

The show is up right now at www.ChristineSpray.com/011.

Ep10: Culture and Relationships with Ken Krock

April 14th, 2022  |  52 mins 50 secs

Today, our guest host David Spray is joined by Ken Krock, founding partner of Houston law firm, Rapp & Krock.

Ken talks about how being crystal clear on their culture has been a big reason for their flourishing growth and how implementing EOS, the Entrepreneur Operating System, contributed to the firm tripling in size over just the last three years.

Although Ken is a hard-nosed litigator, he also reveals a softer side by sharing his ever-growing realization that relationships are all that matters at the end of the day.

This is an interesting insight into a full-service law firm serving owners and officers of Houston-based businesses with revenues in the $5-50 million range.

Ep009: First Venture to Seasoned Entrepreneur with Bart Peterschick

March 17th, 2022  |  54 mins 38 secs

Today, our guest host David Spray talks to Bart Peterschick, the owner and CEO of Humble Sign Company, which manufactures and installs all types of commercial signs in the Houston area and beyond.

In this episode, we get a peek into Bart's background and experiences, not only as a Marine but also how Bart purchased Humble Sign company in 2010 and how he's grown it 10-fold.

Bart is incredibly committed to his team and their culture, providing breakfast tacos every morning and striving to help them grow both personally and professionally.

He shares many insights and wraps up by talking about the advice he would give his 25-year-old self, as well as the advice he gives to every new entrepreneur. Bart's story is inspiring, and his wisdom is timeless whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or considering launching your first venture.

Ep008: Choosing Entrepreneurship with Gino Wickman

March 7th, 2022  |  46 mins 31 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, our guest host, David Spray, is speaking with Gino Wickman, Founder of the Entrepreneurial Operating System and author of many books, including Traction and Rocket Fuel.

In this episode, they discuss Gino's background and how he's impacting entrepreneurs through his latest book, Entrepreneurial Leap, which primarily focuses on people considering taking the leap into entrepreneurship and contains a wealth of ideas for existing entrepreneurs as well.

Gino shares some of the feedback he's received from these entrepreneurs, saying the book alone has helped reignite their passion for their businesses. This episode gives a great overview of the book's ideas and dozens of actionable insights.

Gino's passion for helping entrepreneurs is contagious and I recommend checking out the book at e-leap.com. I've read the book and shared it with many people, and the website has many free supporting resources.

Ep007: Servant Leadership with Kevin Reed

February 14th, 2022  |  59 mins 57 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, our guest host, David Spray, talks with Kevin Reed, Chief Operating Officer of HB Mechanical in Houston, Texas.

In this episode, Dave and Kevin discussed Kevin's background, how he entered the commercial HVAC business 10 years ago, and how he increased revenue 20-fold.

Kevin has a great servant leadership approach to running the business, and you will learn why he parks his vehicle on the side of the building in muddy gravel so his employees can park close to the building on concrete.

There are some great insights on building a world-class culture and how to attract and retain, hard-to-find technicians while growing 35% annually.

Ep006: White House to Small Business with Hank Moore

August 13th, 2021  |  48 mins 22 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, we are speaking with Hank Moore, a corporate strategist and president of the Management Resource Institute.

Hank shares his story, from working in the White House at a young age to being an entrepreneur and senior advisor. Over his career success, he has helped more than 6000 cities, municipalities, large corporations, and small business owners strategize and prepare for crisis management and strategic planning.

He provides organizations dealing with turnarounds, startups, mergers, and companies going public with big picture ideas they can implement to help them become more successful and achieve their goals.

There is a lot to learn from Hank's experience in this episode.

Ep005: NFL to Entrepreneurship with Terrence Murphy

July 23rd, 2021  |  34 mins 18 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, we're hosting Terrance Murphy, a household name to many people in Texas.

Terrence is a great example of someone who 'walks the talk,' and we appreciate the opportunity to walk in his shoes through our interview with him in life, family, business - and his new podcast, the Real Estate Entrepreneur with Terrence Murphy.

Ep004: There is No There in Entrepreneurship with Chris Anderson

July 2nd, 2021  |  44 mins 26 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, we're talking with Chris Anderson, the founder and CEO of Ledge Lounger, a company specializing in luxurious outdoor furniture design.

Ledge Lounger has been a phenomenal success over the last decade. Chris shares his story about how, as a young teenager and through college, he was a serial entrepreneur knocking on doors and learning how to build businesses before joining his dad's company after school.

He equates being in business to mountain climbing and how it's often a case of learning to love the false summits on the way to the mountain top.

Ep003: Accidental Overnight Success with Jessie McMahon

June 11th, 2021  |  45 mins 37 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, we're speaking with Jessie McMahon, founder and owner of M7 Services, a provider of IT services, support and security to the hospitality industry.

We dive into some of the reasons Jesse believes he became successful without a college education, instead, working his way up in the technology business for over 20 years, and how being asked to help out in a hotel one time led to him actually starting his business...a business that now has over a hundred employees serving the largest hospitality division around.

Ep002: Making Deals with Emily Stoller

May 21st, 2021  |  35 mins 6 secs

Today on the Christine Spray Show, we're talking with Emily Stoller, President and CEO of Glesby Marks, a Houston-based company specializing in individual or fleet truck leasing.

Emily shares her experience from her early career working in communications for government clients, through helping build and sell a multi-million dollar company, to today where she's used her background, MBA, and unique style to build a great team and customer base for Glesby Marks.

Ep001: Global Success with Jorge Squier

April 29th, 2021  |  37 mins 13 secs

Today we're speaking with Jorge Squier, Senior Vice President of GTM International, one of the largest chemical distribution companies in the world. This is a great episode with many lessons learned and insights into his success as a leader who grew a business from zero to a billion dollars.