Features

David Mitchell has spent his career leaning into the unfamiliar. From launching a publicly traded infrastructure fund in the mid-2000s to overseeing the finances of a wind energy startup in Brazil, where he also founded a solar company, the veteran CFO has built his professional identity around calculated risk — the kind that demands both […]

James McHale was not supposed to be on that train from Milan to Venice. Neither was the woman across from him. It was a first-time trip through Northern Italy, the kind of connection travelers forget within a week, except this one lasted. She was Italian, he was a young American with a background in finance […]

Danny Burk did not set out to become the drone guy that other drone guys call when they’re in over their heads. He set out to take cool pictures from the sky. The business, as he explains it with the resigned cheerfulness of a man who has made peace with his own chaos, was originally […]

A stack of metal discs sat on a workbench inside DCM Tech’s Winona, Minnesota, production facility, each polished to a finish most people would never notice. To Jen Rutz, the parts represented more than tolerances or production schedules. They represented a family company built over five decades, a team of employees (intentionally referred to as […]

Erik Ott and Joyce Hankins have spent nearly three decades helping Carolina Health Specialists build something increasingly rare in modern healthcare: a large, independent, physician-owned practice that competes effectively with hospital systems while protecting autonomy, efficiency, and access to care. As CFO and COO, they jointly lead the organization without a CEO, relying on a […]

Tim Walsh was not supposed to end up here. The chief finance and operations officer for Miami Country Day School spent decades climbing the corporate ladder, following a path his father had modeled — steady, structured, and built for the long haul. But life has a way of redirecting even the most determined of plans, […]

When the Camp Fire destroyed Paradise, California, in November 2018, it killed 85 people and leveled nearly 19,000 structures. Alex Debord grew up there. In the aftermath, helicopter crews connected to what would become the Quanta Aviation Services network flew firefighting and infrastructure restoration missions across the region. Today, Debord is the Chief Financial Officer […]

Erica Seabaugh did not plan to build an 18-year career at a single organization, yet her professional life has unfolded alongside the growth and reinvention of CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, where she now serves as chief operating officer. What began as a frontline social work role has evolved into executive leadership shaped by operational […]

When Doug Lukonen reflects on his path to becoming chief financial officer for Maury County, Tennessee, he sees a career shaped by purpose, discipline and a deep appreciation for the power of public finance. Maury County, located in Middle Tennessee and home to just over 100,000 residents, operates within a rapidly growing region of the […]

When Adam Webber joined American Adventure Holdings in 2015, he found more than just a promising business — he found an opportunity to align his passion for the outdoors with a mission to help families create lasting memories. Having grown up camping and exploring the wilderness, Webber saw in the company’s model a reflection of […]