• Guest: Ivan Martinez, COO
• Industry: Automotive Parts Distribution / Supply Chain
• Company: Second-largest collision parts distributor in the U.S.
• Scale: 45 locations, 800+ employees
• Tech Stack: Power BI, Python, ERP integrations, ChatGPT

✅ Ivan shares how his team scaled from 25 to 45 locations and doubled headcount, all while modernizing warehouse and delivery operations.

✅ He discusses the difference between managing and predicting—a Deming-inspired philosophy that drives his leadership style.

✅ Ivan reveals how he retrained himself through Harvard’s Business Analytics Program, bringing coding, forecasting, and deep BI dashboards into every layer of the business.

✅ From Python to ChatGPT, Ivan shows how AI and analytics help automate decisions, guide hiring, and even manage building leases.

✅ A candid take on leadership, mentorship, and how to keep both feet planted in data and daily operations.

In this episode of The Innovator’s Impact, Darnell Perkins sits down with Ivan Martinez, Chief Operating Officer of the second-largest distributor of collision parts in the U.S. With over 800 employees and 45 warehouses, Ivan has led the company through rapid growth—powered by tech, data, and a hands-on management style.

Ivan shares how he shifted from manual spreadsheets to Power BI and Python, becoming a predictive operations leader who can see trends before they become bottlenecks. From warehouse layout optimization to managing container overflow, his approach blends data precision with field-level awareness.

This episode is packed with actionable insights on AI adoption, re-skilling leadership teams, and building a scalable workforce culture. Ivan also opens up about using ChatGPT daily—not just for data science, but even to support communication for his multilingual team.

Q: What does leadership mean to you in operations?

A: It means making decisions based on data—and teaching your team to read and act on it intuitively.

Q: How do you integrate technology into your role as COO?

A: From dashboards to predictive models, I use tools like Power BI and Python to track performance and forecast outcomes—daily.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson from scaling fast?

A: Distribution issues hit harder than development. Dashboards saved us from being blindsided by space and inventory issues.

Q: How do you approach training?

A: I trained myself in data analytics through Harvard, and now I mentor others—including my 14-year-old daughter—to embrace Python and AI.

Q: Where are you on the AI adoption curve?

A: All in. From writing code to analyzing leases to improving emails—ChatGPT is part of my workflow every day.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Ivan Martinez

01:00 – Collision Parts, Supply Chain & Scale

02:00 – Last-Mile Logistics and Data Precision

04:00 – Leadership and Data-Driven Hiring

06:00 – Managing Warehouse Defects with Analytics

08:00 – From Excel to Power BI & Python

09:30 – Harvard’s Business Analytics Program

10:30 – Why “Management is Prediction”

12:00 – AI in the Day-to-Day Workflow

14:00 – Onsite vs. Hybrid Teams

16:00 – Real-Time Dashboards & Forecasting Tools

18:00 – Lessons from Inventory Overflow

21:00 – Retooling the Workforce with Modern Tech

23:00 – ChatGPT for Code, Contracts &...

• Name: H2O Connected
• Industry: Smart Water Technology / PropertyTech
• Focus: Toilet leak detection, water conservation, and smart plumbing solutions
• Product: LeakAlertor™ – consumer and wireless commercial models
• Impact: Detected 90,000 gallons of wasted water in one hotel in 30 days
• Location: Coatesville, PA – Qualified Opportunity Zone

✅ Susan shares the origin story of H2O Connected, born out of a flooded ceiling and a lack of toilet leak solutions on the market.

✅ She explains why hardware products are 10x harder to develop than software—and why distribution, not development, is the biggest challenge.

✅ We uncover the staggering environmental and financial impact of leaking toilets, especially for hotels, apartments, and rental properties.

✅ Susan breaks down the massive data problem of water waste—up to 1 trillion gallons per year—and how smart sensors can change the game.

✅ She discusses how her company is transforming a small steel town by creating jobs, mentoring youth, and manufacturing locally with returning citizens.

✅ A powerful conversation on faith, calling, and what it takes to stay grounded during the most stressful parts of building a purpose-driven business.

In this episode, Darnell Perkins welcomes Susan Springsteen, co-founder and CEO of H2O Connected, a company solving one of the most overlooked problems in property management: toilet leaks.

From ceilings caving in to 90,000 gallons of waste in a single hotel, Susan and her team created LeakAlertor™, a patented solution that helps property owners detect, diagnose, and eliminate water waste automatically. She discusses the steep learning curve of building a physical product, protecting IP, educating a market that doesn’t know it has a problem, and navigating the capital demands of early-stage tech.

But Susan’s story goes deeper—she shares how faith, community impact, and the drive to make a difference have kept her grounded. From revitalizing a 100-year-old building in a Qualified Opportunity Zone to mentoring high school inventors, she’s creating more than a company—she’s building a movement.

Q: What inspired you to create H2O Connected?

A: A real-life flooding experience revealed the lack of solutions for tank toilet leaks—and a massive market no one was addressing.

Q: What’s the hardest part of building a hardware startup?

A: Not product development—it’s distribution and market education. You have to prove the problem even exists before selling the solution.

Q: How does water waste really affect property owners?

A: One running toilet can cost over $100/day. In one pilot hotel, we found more water wasted than flushed.

Q: What’s your approach to impact and hiring?

A: We manufacture locally with returning citizens and those in recovery, creating exponential economic impact in Coatesville, PA.

Q: What advice would you give Day-One Susan?

A: It will take more time, more money, and more faith than you expect—but if you’re called to it, God will do the heavy lifting.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Susan Springsteen

01:00 – The Origins of H2O Connected

02:00 – Building Hardware vs. Software

04:00 – Why the Market Needed LeakAlertor

06:00 – Toilet Leaks by the Numbers

08:00 – Environmental & Financial Impact of...

• Name: Aamar Khwaja, Founder of ModGarden
• Industry: Urban Agriculture, Health Tech, Food Sustainability
• Focus: Organic indoor farming, smart soil-based farming systems
• Flagship Product: TinyFarm — a compact indoor farming appliance
• Stage: Early-stage commercialization and user experience innovation

✅Aamar shares how personal health challenges led him from Wall Street to launching ModGarden.

✅ He discusses why true innovation requires evolving from passion to healthy obsession—with a constant focus on societal good.

✅ We explore the delicate balance between tech-driven convenience and preserving nature’s simplicity in food systems.

✅ Aamar explains how surrounding yourself with critical, accomplished mentors keeps your mission grounded and sustainable.

✅ He shares insights on how user-centric thinking shapes ModGarden’s development, blending tech with tradition to reach urban consumers.

✅ Aamar reflects on the emotional toll of long startup journeys and why embracing challenges, burnout, and course corrections is essential for survival.

In this episode of The Innovator’s Impact, host Darnell Perkins sits down with Aamar Khwaja, founder of ModGarden, to uncover a powerful story of transformation—from Wall Street finance to urban food innovation.

Driven by personal health struggles and a deeper understanding of mineral deficiencies, Aamar embarked on a mission to bring organic, soil-based indoor farming into everyday homes. He introduces the TinyFarm, a modern appliance that reconnects consumers with nature while fitting seamlessly into today's sleek urban lifestyles.

Aamar shares hard-won lessons about startup leadership: why passion must evolve into healthy obsession, how tech and nature must work hand-in-hand, and why surrounding yourself with honest, critical advisors is key to longevity.

This episode is a blueprint for founders wrestling with purpose, tech adoption, and personal resilience in the face of entrepreneurial uncertainty.

Q: What inspired the creation of ModGarden?

A: A personal health journey revealed how critical mineral-rich food is—and how disconnected modern agriculture had become.

Q: How do you balance technology and nature in your product design?

A: By focusing on user experience: modern appliances must respect natural principles while fitting into clean, tech-driven spaces.

Q: What role does healthy obsession play in startup success?

A: Passion matures into obsession when your venture deeply serves people, the environment, and society at large.

Q: How do you keep yourself grounded as a founder?

A: Surrounding myself with critical, accomplished advisors who challenge me, not worship me.

Q: What’s been the hardest part of the journey so far?

A: Sticking with it during long stretches without funding, solving tough hardware challenges, and managing founder burnout.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Aamar Khwaja

00:24 – From Wall Street to Urban Agriculture

02:51 – The Simple Science Behind Healthy Farming

05:25 – Fixing Disconnection in Modern Food Systems

06:10 – Passion vs. Obsession in Startup Leadership

08:40 – Surrounding Yourself with Honest Mentors

11:04 – Balancing Nature and Technology in Product Design

14:00 – Traversing Tradition and Innovation

16:24 – Lessons from Nature for Tech and Hardware

17:44 – Wisdom from Great Leaders: Learning