From delivery truck driver at 18 to CEO of an $80M company – Jeff Ostenso shares how he transformed his father’s printing business into a modern marketing powerhouse. After 38 years and 16 acquisitions, he reveals the unconventional leadership approach that helped him retain employees and acquire company owners. Learn how sharing P&Ls with every employee and treating the CEO title as secondary to teamwork created a culture of growth and innovation that turned a $700K printing shop into a digital marketing leader. Jeff Ostenso, CEO of Ironmark, is a second-generation leader who has spent the last three decades transforming the company from a local print shop into a national marketing and communications powerhouse. Jeff’s vision centers on simplifying the complex intersection of digital and physical marketing for businesses. His strategic acquisitions and commitment to attracting top talent have fueled Ironmark’s impressive growth, culminating in a company that delivers results and champions its employees as its greatest asset. Under Jeff’s leadership, Ironmark has become a trusted partner for businesses seeking to navigate the ever-evolving marketing landscape.
Are you curious about how AI will shape the future of marketing? In this milestone 100th episode of the Leader Generation podcast, Eric Bertrand and Tessa Burg take a look at what’s next for AI-driven marketing. Eric shares his vision for harnessing AI to boost efficiency, elevate creativity, and deliver real value to clients. Eric talks about how marketers can adapt to rapidly changing technology, from streamlining repetitive tasks to using data for smarter decision-making.
Whether you’re considering AI adoption or already working on it, Eric shares ideas on maximizing ROI and adding AI into existing workflows. His outlook on the role of data, client-focused innovation and self-governance is great for marketers looking to drive AI transformation.
Your business runs on digital – but when was the last time you gave it a proper checkup? This week on Rooted in Revenue, we’re getting real about the nuts and bolts of your digital foundation. Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan share their hands-on experience managing domains (including those late-night wine-inspired purchases we’ve all made), keeping backups current, and yes – discovering that even storage facilities need retention policies. No fluff, just practical advice on protecting your digital assets and organizing them in a way that actually makes sense. Whether you’re a tech pro or still figuring out what DNS means, we’ve got you covered with straightforward talk and simple solutions for keeping your business’s digital world running smoothly.
After the week leading to the election, Fr. Bill gives us some solace. Because God is in control, unshaken by the world’s troubles, we can be too, for the love of God calms our fears. Loving our neighbors, even those we disagree with, creates bonds that build unity. When we love as God loves, our neighbors stop being enemies and become brothers and sisters.
We hope you enjoy these and the rest of this week’s playlist.