Kevin Hickey is someone I deeply respect personally—a leader of tremendous integrity, a lifelong student of effective leadership and management, and someone who brings both humility and a wonderful sense of humor. In this episode of The Eppley Experience, Kevin shares a candid and practical look at what it really takes to build and preserve a strong culture while scaling a successful business. From navigating private equity ownership and becoming more data-driven, to protecting organizational health as the company grew from 40 to 400 people with an international footprint, Kevin offers hard-earned lessons on leadership, trust, accountability, and the evolving nature of culture. He speaks openly about difficult seasons that required pay cuts, coaching, and tough decisions—and why those moments ultimately strengthened the business. If you are trying to grow a company without losing what made it special in the first place, this conversation delivers practical insight on trust, transparency, vulnerability, and the enormous “shadow” leaders cast every day.

Jeff Tibbitts is the SVP of HR for CESO, an engineering and architectural firm based in Dayton, OH. He and I have done multiple engagements over 20 years. As someone who has played baseball competitively and who has a son in the minor leagues of professional baseball, he brings an understanding of "the game" that few possess. In this episode of the Eppley Experience, Jeff shares his experience of working to achieve optimal structure in two different organizations, and from two different C-suite positions. You'll also appreciate the experiences Jeff shares of the work required to get your structure to align with your strategy. Listen and learn from Jeff!

Tammy Leitsinger is one executive who has seen her CEO literally do cartwheels on a stage to remind the organization how their "core" is for us as people as well as for her company. Physically showing your people your culture seems so practical and so much more powerful than talking about it. Why have I never heard about this before!? This episode is for anyone who wants creative ideas that can make their culture stronger. You'll love Tammy's energy and passion for her work and creating great companies and teams!