Beyond Your WHY

Meet Lenny Fresquez. His WHY is Right Way. Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way).Lenny Fresquez is a dreamer. The notion of wealth awed him. “I’d just see these crazy things on TV and said ’I’m going to do that too,’” now CEO of Fresquez Companies, a 430-employee operation that includes airport concession, restaurant, and boxing promotion businesses. Fresquez dropped out of Valley High during his sophomore year because he didn’t feel he was learning marketable skills. Fresquez was still a teenager when he started his first business – a landscaping business – and when he started dating Linda, his future wife. She’s been the supportive-but-grounding force in his life ever since. Fresquez went on to acquire – and ultimately sell – 16 Arby’s. Today Fresquez owns many different restaurants and is also the master concessionaire at the Albuquerque International Sunport, and has contracts for airport eateries in Tulsa, Okla., and El Paso.Approached about sponsoring Albuquerque Hall of Fame boxer Danny Romero in the mid-1990s, Fresquez decided to try being a promoter. He promoted his first fight card nearly 20 years ago. He made money and got hooked.Whereas he once worked with up to 40 fighters, his main focus now is former world champion and UFC Fighter Holly Holm.Fresquez is lightening his load around the office, too. Although semi-retired he still works about 40 hours a week – well below his previous average of 80-100 – but has taken up golf and is living part-time in Maui. It’s a good life, he says – one even a dreamer like Fresquez couldn’t imagine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Coach Jim Johnson. His WHY is Trust. Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way).In his many public-speaking appearances, Rochester, New York resident Coach Jim Johnson relates his role in a basketball game that got Hollywood calling. He also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, delivering his talks with a heartfelt style that has brought audiences to their feet.Coach Johnson has developed winning high-school basketball teams for 30 years, taking over three losing varsity programs and turning them into winners in short periods of time. Coach Johnson was named Coach of the Year in 2006 by several Rochester-area organizations and was also presented with a National Sportsmanship Award. Coach Johnson has rolled his accomplishments and experiences into two speaking presentations, “Dreams Really Do Come True” and “Leadership Lessons from Half-Court”.Now that he has retired from full-time teaching, he will continue delivering these messages to various businesses, associations and educational organizations around the country. You should ask him about his favorite moment in basketball. It will probably have to do with a time when he had one of his autistic players go into a basketball game and then the kid ended up playing GREAT! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Ron Pattison. His WHY is Trust. Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way).Ron Pattison grew up in rural Montana. Ron graduated from the University of Montana with a B.A. in Business Administration in 1980. He specialized in Accounting. While there he was a walk on to the basketball team as a freshman. After graduating, Ron moved to New Mexico in 1982, where he began working in Public Accounting and received his CPA Certificate in August of 1984. After working for a national/international employee benefits firm, Ron opened Pattison Pension Specialists in Dec. of 1990. Ron has specialized in the design and administration of Defined Contribution Plans (DC), also known as 401 K plans, as well as many others. He is an avid sports enthusiast, as well sports fan and follows many different favorite teams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Cara Parrish.  Her WHY is Challenge.  Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way).Cara's marketing agency helps people who have a story to tell grow their impact and monetize their story.As founder, she made the decision to pivot her focus to personal brands after she found success in a variety of markets from startups and small business to Fortune 5’s. Throughout her work with dozens of companies, she noticed that companies with C-suite executives who grew their personal brand had more brand loyalty, faster growth, and found business development opportunities with much more value. She then pivoted her company to helping those C-suite individuals become the personal brands their companies needed.Since then, her agency has grown. She now has custom programs for all avenues of personal brands including podcasters, authors, coaches, and consultants. She's a past and current client referral only company. If you'd like to work with her you will need one of her clients to refer you. She does this to keep her success directly linked to the success of her clients.She's not leading an average marketing company. She's your mentor's mentor's marketing company.You can find Cara at www.caraparrish.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Dale Armstrong. His WHY is Make Sense. Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way). Dale Armstrong was raised in rural western New Mexico and graduated from San Juan College in 1984. He worked in the plumbing trade while attending NMSU, and continued working in plumbing until 1987. In 1987, Dale started TLC Plumbing & Utility. Over the past 32 years Dale has grown the business from a one man shop into a thriving company that employs over 500 people that live and work in New Mexico.Dale has raised his family and grown his company in his home state. He knows New Mexico's potential. After a visit to Santa Fe during the2017 legislative session to testify as a business owner and advocate for bills impacting the business community, Dale became frustrated with how carelessly some politicians were casting their votes. To him, it appeared to be more of a competition between parties, rather than what was right for constituents.He came back from the experience discouraged by how he and other citizens were being served on common ground issues. As such, he decided to find a way to educate the public and encourage positive change. Ultimately, this led to the creation of Viante New Mexico.Business Philosophy:• Do the right things for the right reasons every day.• Develop leaders and allow them to grow.• Champion personal & technical development of the workforce.• Teach life skills to all employees.• Develop systems to benefit the client & employees.• Support the needs of the community.Professional Accomplishments:• NM Ethics in Business Award• Pinon Award - Quality New Mexico• Developed a 4 year Apprenticeship Program at TLC• Best Places to Work in New Mexico - Winner for 3 consecutive years• Top Performing CEO - State of New Mexico• The Safety-man Award for our commitment to our employee's safety• The Cooper Award for outstanding dedication to excavation law safety• The STEP Award for Safety Training Evaluation ProcessYou can learn about Viante New Mexico here: www.viantenm.org/dale-armstrong/.You can find out more about TLC Plumbing here: www.tlcplumbing.com, or email Dale at darmstrong@tlcplumbing.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Paul Jew.His WHY is Better Way.Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way).Paul Jew has been an Albuquerque, NM business owner for over 35 years. Paul has spent most of his career owning a school photography company that has photographed over 30,000 students per year.In 2015, Paul started Moji Cinema, a video production company that believes story is the universal language and a story told right has the power to change lives. At the end of May of this year, Paul sold his photography company to focus all of his time and energy onMoji Cinema.In addition to owning a business, Paul serves on the Board of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International and he also serves as the chairperson for the Albuquerque, Chinese American Film Festival. Paul has been married to Judy for 36 years. They have two sons, Brandan, 25, and Corban, 18. Paul obtained a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine.You can connect with Paul on LinkedIn, on his website, www.mojicinema.com, or via email, using paul@mojicinema.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Jeff Apodaca.His WHY is Contribute.Interviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way).Jeff Apodaca is the president of 47 LLC, a venture group that is incubating and developing new investments and businesses in New Mexico and the surrounding region. He is also connected with businesses such as Fathom NM and High Desert Hemp, both company’s he co-founded and now serves as president of. He is also the co-founder and partner of Go-Station, a new green technology that is powering electric vehicles. In addition, he advises the APO Action Foundation (Advancement, Progress, Opportunity), a nonprofit group working with business, social, and political groups to advance economic and educational opportunities for New Mexico. He launched, produces and co-hosts a weekly TV Show called, “Lets Meet in the Middle”, where he brings political and business leaders together to discuss ideas that will bring other together rather than divide them. The goal is to work together to grow NM. He is also a former gubernatorial candidate in the state of NM 2017- 2018.Mr. Apodaca was formerly a media executive, and has over 30 years’ experience, most recently as Executive Vice President of Univision Television, Radio, and Digital properties. Prior to that, he was the SVP of Integrated Strategies and New media for Univision Inc (Based in Los Angles & NY) where he started and lead his team in creating a new division for Univision. This division was valued at over $1Billion before the company sold it in 2008. In 1999 he launched AOL Studios, which was based in LA, and from 1987-1998 was with CBS Television Network (both in NY and LA) before returning to New Mexico in 2010.Mr. Apodaca started his broadcasting career in Albuquerque with the NBC station, and holds a Business Broadcast Management degree from the University of New Mexico, where he also lettered in football. He sits on numerous Boards & Charities in NM, and has worked within the private sector, city, county and state leaders to enhance economic growth.A cancer survivor of 40 years, Apodaca spent 1983 as the American Cancer Society’s National spokesperson. He continues to work with children and teens fighting cancer. In 1999, Apodaca and his wife Jackie founded the Jeff Apodaca Celebrations of Life Fund, which has raised over $1.5 million dollars benefiting cancer survivors. They also opened the Jeff Apodaca Multimedia Center at UNM Children’s Hospital, which is where he was treated for his rare sarcoma from 1979-1980. In 2000, he and his wife Jackie established the JACOL scholarship fund for nurses and students at UNM. They are currently working with UNMCC to develop their AYA Program (Adolescent Young Adult Cancer survivor program), a first-of-its-kind program in NM.Apodaca grew up in Santa Fe & Las Cruces, New Mexico where he still has family and friends that he keeps close ties with. Today, Apodaca makes his home in Albuquerque with his wife Jackie Moss Apodaca and their two children, Asher & Gage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Jerry LujanHis WHY is Better WayInterviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way)Jerry Lujan believes that when you find a better way to make a positive impact on people's lives, you have an obligation to share it and make a difference. As a 30-year veteran in the insurance industry, Jerry found a better way to quadruple his business while cutting his previous 80 hour work week in half. Due to this, he was named one of The 25 Most Innovative Agents in America.As founder of Elevation180, creator of The Win180 Success Program, and the author of Win on Purpose, Jerry is committed to coaching people in order to prepare them to win before they ever show up. He does this by helping them develop successful habits, cultivate elite performance, and maximize the freedom of time for each of his coaching clients. Many of Jerry's coaching clients report the having the best year of their careers when they work with him.You can connect with Jerry online at: www.elevation180.com or send him an email at jerry@elevation180.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Dr. Gleb TsipurskyHis WHY is Right WayInterviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way)Known as the Disaster Avoidance Expert, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is on a mission to protect leaders from dangerous judgment errors (known as cognitive biases) by developing the most effective decision-making strategies. He does this via his consulting, coaching, and training firm, Disaster Avoidance Experts.A cognitive neuroscientist and behavioral economist, Dr. Tsipursky writes for Inc., Time, and CNBC. A best-selling author, his new book, available on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere, is Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters.You can find out more about Dr. Gleb Tsipursky at www.disasteravoidanceexperts.com/NeverGut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Elizabeth BuckleyHer WHY is MasteryInterviewed by WHY Institute Founder Dr. Gary Sanchez (Better Way)Elizabeth Buckley is a second-generation tapestry artist and teacher of over 50 years. Her work evolved from using techniques of the Mexican and Rio Grande traditions to those of French tapestry. She further honed her skills in Aubusson, France at the atelier of Gisèle Brivet.With her degree in art, Elizabeth brings to the classroom her deep grounding in design principles and color theory that specifically apply to tapestry. She draws from multiple tapestry traditions to provide her students with the techniques and vocabulary for finding and expressing their own unique voice. Elizabeth Buckley’s tapestries have a lengthy exhibition history, including national and Canadian juried and invitational shows, as well as in museum exhibitions. Her work is in numerous private collections, and was featured in the Fiber Art Now article on “An Artist’s Sense of Place,” Fall 2017 issue. Her publications include: FiberArts Design Book V and Carol K. Russell’s The Tapestry Handbook: the Next Generation, and Contemporary International Tapestry. In 2011, Elizabeth was awarded the American Tapestry Alliance Award for Excellence in Tapestry. For Elizabeth Buckley, tapestry weaving is a universal, non-verbal language that transcends generations, cultures, and locale. “As I developed my verbal language skills in English as my primary language, and in French as my secondary language, my eyes and hands were becoming fluent in the non-verbal languages of woven structures and color. In many ways, the language of the loom became my mother tongue, as my initial thoughts tend to come as images, colors, textures and techniques before I translate them into words. I automatically think in this non-verbal language.”You can connect with Elizabeth on her site, www.elizabethbuckleytapestryartist.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.