This month’s guest on the seventeenth episode of BNSME Beat is Managing Partner of Nacre Consulting, Jason Pearl. This month we will be discussing The impact of personal branding on your business.

Jason Pearl is the Founder and Managing Partner of Nacre Consulting, a boutique growth consulting firm that has helped businesses produce over $500 million in new revenue through tailored strategies spanning sales, leadership development, customer experience, and operational excellence. With decades of experience shepherding business owners and their teams, Jason specializes in transforming plateaued businesses into thriving organizations built for sustainable success.

Beyond the boardroom, Jason is driven by faith, family, and freedom—believing that true success isn’t just measured in revenue, but in the relationships we build and the legacy we leave. He stands firmly for personal responsibility and ownership, challenging leaders to define what success means for them and to courageously pursue it.

Whether facilitating peer groups for high-performing entrepreneurs or advising companies on critical growth decisions, Jason’s mission is clear: to help people win in business and life—and to do it with integrity, clarity, and purpose.

Amanda Popovski is a life and business coach for women entrepreneurs. She's helped women business owners around the world shed the heartbreaking weight of overthinking and step into their true power by changing their relationship with, and finally taking, brave action– so they can run their business (and life!) like a badass.

Amanda has been featured on numerous podcasts and has been invited to speak on topics like Overcoming Overwhelm, Breaking Free from Procrastination, and Taking Brave Action the Aligned Way, all with a unique focus on how ambitious women work and live. From her experiences as a digital marketer and technical implementation manager to her lifestyle choices as a digital minimalist and holistic eater, Amanda offers a unique approach on business, marketing, mindset and manifestation, all wrapped up in accountability and cheerleader positivity.

When she's not co-creating massive goals with her clients or investing in her own personal development, Amanda can be found eating her way through Buffalo's vibrant restaurant scene with her partner, texting her friends with way too many emojis, or staying in all day to read a great book.

You can find Amanda at https://amandapopovski.com

Joe L. DiLeo is dedicated to providing clients with the professional, personalized attention necessary to help them achieve their financial goals—along with ongoing service as their needs evolve. As the General Agent with Vision Financial Group, Joe has over 34 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. He and his team specialize in working with professionals, business owners, and individuals to deliver tailored solutions in life insurance, annuities, and investment products through MML Investors Services.

Joe’s career includes numerous accolades and leadership roles. At Mutual of New York (MONY), he earned distinctions including President’s Council, Top Club (2004), and the prestigious Presidents’ Cup (2003) for agency excellence. He is a long-standing member of the industry’s Million Dollar Round Table and remains active with both the national and local Association of Life Underwriters. From 2016–2017, Joe served as President of MassMutual’s General Agent Association (GAX). In recognition of his professional excellence, he was named to Business First’s “40 Under 40” in 2016 and the Buffalo 612’ C-Level Executives. He is also a proud graduate of the 2007 class of Leadership Buffalo. Vision Financial Group was nominated as one of Business First’s Best Places to Work for five consecutive years from 2012 to 2016.

A passionate community advocate, Joe founded his own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Making Memories That Last Forever, in 2020. The foundation provides resources to families of children battling cancer, life-threatening conditions, or living with disabilities, empowering them to create joyful, lasting experiences. Working in partnership with hospitals and healthcare systems in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, the foundation identifies children and families in need of meaningful moments. In 2024, Joe received the MassMutual Community Service Gold Award for his leadership and volunteerism through this organization.

Joe has chaired the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Light the Night” walk in both 2022 and 2023. He also volunteers with the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the Leaf Bud Program, and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Earlier in his career, he received the Manus Christi Award for Outstanding Youth Leadership (1985) and a Certificate of Merit from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. Joe has also served as President of the St. Margaret’s Catholic Youth Organization and President of the Western New York General Agents and Managers Association (GAMA) in 1998.

He is currently affiliated with Per Niente Club of Buffalo and the Italian Cultural Center of Buffalo.

Under Joe’s leadership, Vision Financial Group has remained deeply committed to community engagement. The firm received the MassMutual Community Service Award in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 for its sustained impact and service across the Western New York region.
Joe and his wife, Rosemary, live in Williamsville, New York, and are the proud parents of four children—Joseph, Marc, Alexandra, and Giuliana—and four grandchildren.

Kevin Nephew was named President and CEO of Seneca Gaming Corporation in October 2020, becoming the first member of the Seneca Nation to lead the company. He oversees the operation and performance of Seneca Gaming Corporation’s three casino properties – Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, NY; Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca, NY; and Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown Buffalo – which collectively employ more than 3,000 workers and attract millions of visitors each year.

Kevin joined Seneca Gaming Corporation in 2014. He participated in the Executive Leadership Program and worked in Finance and was promoted to Vice President of Organization Improvement & Development, where he successfully developed and launched a company-wide Continuous Improvement program, focusing on process improvement and delivering improved customer service and profitability across the organization. He previously served as Executive Director of Continuous Improvement and Director of Budget and Financial Analysis.

Prior to joining Seneca Gaming Corporation, Kevin spent 22 years in a series of Finance positions with New York State, including 15 years as Director of Financial Administration for the New York State Office of Technology, as well as roles with the New York State Department of Tax and Finance and the New York State Division of Budget.

An enrolled member of the Seneca Nation’s Wolf Clan, Kevin is a graduate of Bucknell University and earned his MBA from Columbia University. He holds Kaizen training certification in Continuous Improvement and Lean Six Sigma Management Certification.

Peter Cimino is a Buffalo native with a lifelong passion for technology, creativity, and helping others succeed. With over 25 years of experience across IT, marketing, and real estate technology, Peter has built a career around making complex things simple—and fun—for the people he works with.

Today, Peter works at CoreLogic as a Senior Professional in Client Delivery, helping real estate professionals across the country get up and running with the tools they need to grow their businesses. Before that, he spent nearly four years leading the marketing and technology efforts at WNY Metro Roberts Realty, producing hundreds of videos, teaching tech and marketing classes, and helping expand the company to new locations.

Peter is also an FAA Certified Drone Pilot, with over 1200 drone videos under his belt. His work has even been featured on national TV, including Food Network and NBC’s The Voice and NBC's Nightly News. Whether he’s capturing aerial footage of Buffalo’s skyline or launching a new tech solution, Peter is always looking for ways to shine a light on the best his hometown has to offer.

John Crawford’s career has been dedicated to the wellbeing of the entire Western New York Community through leadership in not-for-profit marketing and communications, development, constituent relations, and program advancement. Currently, John is the Executive Director of Junior Achievement of WNY where he helps make community connections for improved service impact, administration, fundraising, and volunteer recruitment. Prior to joining Junior Achievement, John served as Operations Director at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Buffalo providing life changing services to those most in need. John also served as Vice President of College Relations at Medaille College for ten years as well as director of development at both the University of Buffalo and the American Red Cross.

Don Papaj spent his entire professional career with leading-edge organizations within the marketing communications industry. While working for a Fortune 500 firm, Don experienced and observed the incredible shift in database, online, and print marketing technologies taking place in the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s. He envisioned blending these new technologies with great service and expertise to create a better, faster and less expensive marketing services company, unlike any company before it.

The vision became a reality in 2004 – businesses and organizations quickly began to rely on Marketing Tech to enhance their marketing efforts with better methods and lower costs. By listening to their clientele and keeping a keen pulse on the industry, Marketing Tech experienced the good fortune of continued growth since the day they started. Growth that continues to this day.

Marketing Tech, which is celebrating its 20th year after 3 moves and 4 expansions within the historic Tri-Main Center in Buffalo NY, now operates one of the most advanced print, direct mail, and digital marketing companies in the industry. Their blend of professionals, technology and service has formulated a true one-stop marketing services organization.

Michaela LaJoie is a talented hospitality industry leader with a proven track record in sales, event management, revenue optimization, and team leadership. As the Director of Sales & Marketing at The Westin Buffalo, she oversees a diverse team across sales, catering, and reservations, driving innovative strategies to maximize hotel revenue and profitability.

With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, Michaela has cultivated her expertise through roles at prestigious brands such as The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott. Her leadership style and strategic approach have consistently delivered exceptional results.

As a "Boomerang Buffalonian,” Michaela currently lives in Amherst, New York, with her husband and two young boys. She enjoys camping, traveling, wine tasting, and spending quality time with her large extended family. Passionate about community engagement, she is the Immediate Past President of Buffalo Niagara Sales & Marketing Executives and currently serves as the Vice President of Programming. Michaela earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and holds certifications in hotel revenue management and sales excellence.