What if safety isn't just a compliance requirement, but one of the most important foundations of leadership, culture, and business performance?

In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, we sit down with Brian L. Fielkow, recognized business leader, board director, advisor, former CEO of Jetco Delivery, and author of Making Safety Happen, to explore how leaders can build organizations that remain strong when the pressure is high.

Brian shares lessons from decades of operating and advising businesses where safety, risk, and performance are closely connected. We discuss why safety should be treated as a core value rather than simply a department, how leadership shapes employee behavior, and what it takes to create a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up when something isn't right.

From managing operational risks to building trust, accountability, and psychological safety, this conversation offers practical insights for founders, CEOs, and business leaders who want to build companies that are both safe and productive.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why safety is a business responsibility, not just the job of a safety department
• The difference between a compliance culture and a genuine safety culture
• How leadership influences employee behavior and organizational performance
• Why psychological safety encourages employees to speak up and report risks
• Building accountability and learning from near misses
• How companies can balance growth, productivity, and risk management
• Identifying hidden risks during periods of rapid growth
• The importance of clear, practical, and understandable processes
• Hiring for both technical competence and attitude
• Why humility and the ability to course-correct matter in leadership
• How leaders reveal their culture when things go wrong
• Why maintaining culture requires continuous investment

Brian also shares examples from his experience at Jetco Delivery, including how listening to frontline employees can uncover risks and lead to meaningful improvements.

Whether you're a founder scaling a business, a CEO managing operational challenges, or a leader working to build a stronger company culture, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on leadership, safety, and sustainable performance.

About Brian L. Fielkow

Brian L. Fielkow is a recognized business leader, board director, and advisor known for his work in safety, risk, and organizational performance. He previously served as CEO of Jetco Delivery and is the author of Making Safety Happen.

Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/

Connect with Brian:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfielkow
• Book: https://www.amazon.in/Making-Safety-Happen-Productive-Profitable-ebook/dp/B0GX2ZXGFY

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Harvey Liu, CEO of LeveX, joins Keith to discuss his journey from computer science and network engineering to venture capital, Web3 investing, and building a next-generation crypto trading platform.

Harvey shares how LeveX grew from an early-stage product into a platform with hundreds of thousands of registered users, why he believes crypto is becoming increasingly connected with traditional finance, and how institutional adoption is changing the market.

In this episode, Harvey also discusses:

• Building LeveX around traders and their feedback
• The evolution of Bitcoin, Web3 and crypto markets
• Tokenized stocks and real-world assets
• Why technical founders need strong communication and sales skills
• Organic growth versus paid customer acquisition
• Choosing strategic investors over purely financial capital
• Differences between the U.S. and Chinese venture capital ecosystems
• How AI can help startups operate with leaner teams
• Why Harvey would consider a decentralized model if starting LeveX today
• The future of DeFi, prediction markets and crypto trading

Harvey brings a unique perspective shaped by technology, venture capital, finance and years of experience across global markets.

Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Harvey:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harveylevex/
• Website: https://levex.com/en

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Physical AI is everywhere in the conversation, but getting it to work reliably in the real world is a very different challenge.

In this episode of Liftoff with Keith Newman, Keith sits down with Mike Link, COO of Kami Vision, to explore what it takes to move computer vision and physical AI from promising demos to real-world products operating across millions of devices.

Mike shares how Kami Vision evolved from home security into AI-powered applications for elder care, including fall detection and remote monitoring, while continuing to expand into enterprise security and robotics.

The conversation covers:

• What makes scaling physical AI different from traditional software
• Moving from hardware to software and eventually an AI-native model
• Using computer vision to transform elder care
• The challenges of enterprise AI deployment
• Privacy, trust and adoption in real-world environments
• Why partner-led distribution can accelerate growth
• How AI agents are changing internal business operations
• Why founders should get real customers using their product before trying to scale

A practical conversation about the gap between building AI that works in a demo and building AI that works in the real world.

Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/

Connect with John:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrenard/
• Website: https://www.southviewtimber.com/

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