Gene Holtzman didn’t start out in staffing. He started in the South Bronx, working with drug addicts and unemployed people in the late 1970s, building nonprofits and figuring out how to help people find work. When Reagan-era budget cuts pulled the rug out in 1982, he had a decision to make. He was 31 years old with two kids, and he chose to bet on himself. That bet became Mitchell Martin, a technology and healthcare staffing firm Gene co-founded on Wall Street in 1984. Today the company runs close to $180 million in revenue and employs staffing professionals, contractors, and a team of 75 in India. They’ve survived the 1987 crash, 9/11 (they were three blocks away and couldn’t get to their office for six months), COVID, and the current market contraction. In this conversation, Gene talks with Deborah Fell about what it actually looks like to run a company for over 40 years with the heart of a social worker. He gets into the decision to become an ESOP, why he walked away from what would have been a much larger exit, how he’s handling fraud detection with AI tools like Ropes AI, and where he sees the staffing industry heading as AI reshapes the job market. Gene also talks candidly about succession. His son Josh has been with the company for 15 years and is being built up to run it. The goal isn’t to leave next Thursday. It’s to build something that outlasts him and rewards the people who helped get it there.
AI isn’t just changing marketing tools—it’s changing how leaders think about strategy, value and growth. In this episode, Tessa Burg talks with Mariano Bosaz, author of Digital Mindset: Marketing Strategies for the AI Era, about what it really takes to lead through transformation without losing what already works. You’ll hear a practical way to think about “digital mindset” as a bridge, not a replacement, for how businesses operate today. Mariano explains why companies need both analog and digital approaches, how AI is accelerating productivity (and making prioritization harder) and what leaders can do to support teams through the shift. He also breaks down the difference between engagement and involvement—and why involvement is where brands build real equity. If you’re trying to make sense of AI’s impact on work, marketing, and competitive advantage, this conversation provides a clearer framework. It’s full of real examples and down-to-earth guidance on how to move faster, make smarter choices and create value that’s difficult for competitors to copy.
You earned that certification. Now what? If you’re like most professionals, you invested time and money into leveling up your expertise… only to let that shiny new credential sit quietly in your inbox, in your bank statement, rather than on your LinkedIn profile. Sound familiar? In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, I’m sharing the exact 14-day launch plan I use with clients to transform professional certifications into credibility, conversations, and clients. What you’ll learn:
Why the first 48 hours after certification are critical (and what to update first)
The “badge reality check” that could be killing your credibility
How one announcement postcard generated 10 quality conversations
The LinkedIn “position hack” that notifies your entire network
A complete checklist to implement in just 2 hours
Whether you just completed training, earned a designation, or achieved any professional milestone, this episode gives you the roadmap to maximize your ROI.
Marketing can step in and help sales overcome it. 1. Beginning: listen to discovery conversations. 2. Middle: look at support tickets to see the unvarnished truth. 3. End: work on getting the pipeline to be seen as an asset, it belongs on the balance sheet. Ask to be measured on the value we are contributing to help steer my efforts based on results that are being produced. 1. I want to know upfront what’s going on – attribution 2. in the middle – discovery 3. at the end – support tickets and we should want to know this first hand.
What does a wet diaper, an empty sippy cup, and a blanket in a backseat have to do with a warehouse full of hope? Everything. Susan Finch sits down with Stacy DeWitt, Executive Director of James Storehouse in Newbury Park, California — and it turns out they’ve been serving the same kids all along. The connection? Carolyn Berndt, one of Binky Patrol’s All Volunteer – All Heart directors, who also works with Stacy at James Storehouse. “The number one comfort item — from toddlers to teenagers — no matter the season, is a handmade blanket.” — Stacy DeWitt Stacy shares the raw, real story of how a year of prayer and fasting led her to foster care — and how one phone call from a police officer, one three-year-old in a wet diaper, and one blanket from the backseat of her car became the spark that launched James Storehouse in 2014. “Some of the kids have never celebrated their birthday in their entire life, and they’re 22 years old.” — Stacy DeWitt
Today’s episode of What’s Your Edge, from Vision Edge Marketing and hosted by Laura Patterson, explores the transformation of a legacy business in the fire protection industry, a sector that is highly regulated, fiercely competitive, and faces ongoing price pressure and low barriers to entry. Perhaps some of you can relate. This is also an industry where many companies experience long periods of stagnant growth or workflow. It’s not because demand disappears, but because differentiation erodes and internal complexity quietly increases.
Our conversation is with Shawn Mullen, President and Chief Energy Officer at Protex Central. The company has been serving mission-critical facilities for 60 years. When Shawn took the helm in 2017, the company’s revenue trajectory was flat. Essentially, a parked car in an industry where standing still means falling behind. What’s especially interesting is that the market itself was growing; yet Protex Central wasn’t. That gap between market opportunity and company performance became the catalyst for change.
Deacon Brett told us a story in an address given to graduating seniors, Harvard biblical scholar Dr. Peter Gomes said, “The future is God’s gift to you.” What good words, huh? When we find ourselves stuck, our lives in a rut — that’s when Jesus wants step right down into our rut with us. Not with judgement, shame, or condemnation, but with truth, mercy, healing, and hope. He wants to lift us up, heal our hurt, and give us a fresh start — a future.
We hope you enjoy this playlist of our favorite episodes of the week.
