Advertise on podcast: SLU International Business Now: Conversations That Matter

Join guest host, Aubrey Zobrist as she chats with a panel of IMSTL representatives, including IMSTL Co-founder and Program Directo, Susan Gobo, about the IMSTL mission of connecting international women and their families with St. Louisans, empowering them to thrive in the region. The St. Louis International Mentoring Program started in late 2017 as a pilot with just ten women - five international mentees and five local mentors. By June 2018, co-founders Susan Gobbo and Annie Schlafly, backed by the St. Louis Mosaic Project, officially launched the program. Originally a complement to the Mosaic Project’s Women’s Connector Program and the St. Louis International Spouses/Expat Women Group, it quickly grew into a dynamic network, linking international and local families. In 2022, we became our own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and embarked on a rebranding journey in 2024 to reflect our mission with a fresh name, logo, and slogan. In December 2025, we celebrated a new milestone when the World Trade Center St. Louis formally approved bringing International Mentoring St Louis under its international umbrella as a complement to its Mosaic Project initiative.  Learn more about IMSTL at their website. https://www.imstl.org/ Susan Dealis Gobbo's journey from Brazil to the U.S.A. marked a transformative entry into a new chapter of her life. She navigated and overcame multiple challenges, learned from her setbacks, rediscovered her identity, and rebuilt herself. Transitioning from a successful healthcare professional to an impactful social entrepreneur in a new land, Susan found her calling! Through more 10+ years of her civic work, she’s supported many international women to feel heard, recover their identities, find their path, build meaningful relationships, and integrate into their new community while championing diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. Her numerous accolades for her achievements fuel her ongoing commitment to advocating for the international community. By sharing her story with vulnerability, Susan intends to resonate with and uplift other international women who may feel “alone” in a new country.   Sarah Stauffer, originally from Philadelphia, moved to St. Louis in 2019 and is a two-time mentor with IMSTL, serving in both 2023 and 2024. She currently assists with initial interviews for the program and setting up new connections.    Donna Eovaldi career in the insurance industry spans 38 years, including time with Midwest Employers Casualty as Senior VP of Underwriting. She currently serves as a mentor for IMSTL.    Magdalena Fiserova, originally from the Czech Republic, move to St. Louis in 2025. She has served in multiple roles with Nestle and is currently a mentee in the IMSTL program.  Guest host Aubrey Zobrist is a Brand Manager with Bunzl Distribution NA and is a graduate of SLU's Executive Master of International Business

Featuring Cultivo Co-Founder & CEO, Dr. Manuel Piñuela Join host Todd Hovermale and guest Dr. Manuel Piñuela, Co-Founder and CEO of Cultivo in a discussion about the company’s early years, building a team for a resilient future, and staying rooted in nature.  Dr Manuel Piñuela is a nature advocate, technology, health and science entrepreneur, and recipient of multiple awards, including MIT Technology Review Innovator of the Year under 35. He is Co-founder of Cultivo, Drayson Tech. and SENS.L. Experienced in nature restoration and investments, private equity, venture investment, IPOs, M&A and technology commercialization. Manuel believes that land regeneration is one of the most valuable solutions needed to ensure resilience for current and future generations.  Creating Cultivo allows him to focus and amplify nature’s impact as well as position nature as an attractive infrastructure-like investment opportunity.   Visit Guest Dr. Manuel Piñuela LinkedIn Profile

Featuring X-Culture Program Founder and Coordinator, Dr. Vas Taras Join host Chris Carril and guest Dr. Vas Taras, founder and coordinator of the X-Culture Project, as they discuss the X-Culture and its mission.  X-Culture is a large-scale international experiential learning project that involves over 6,500 MBA and business students from 150 universities from 70 countries on six continents every semester. As of 2024, over 115,000 students have completed the X-Culture Program. The students are placed in global virtual teams of about seven, each student coming from a different country. Working with people from around the globe and dealing with cultural differences, time-zone dispersion, and global communication challenges, the teams complete a consulting project for a multi-national company.  Dr. Vas Taras is an Associate Professor of International Business at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is the founder and coordinator of the X-Culture Project which he launched in 2010. He received his PhD in Human Resource Management and Organizational Dynamics from the University of Calgary, Canada and his Master’s in Political Economy from the University of Texas at Dallas. He teaches International Business at the Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His research revolves around cross-cultural and global virtual teams and experiential approaches to international business education. His research team is particularly interested in the potential of large and diverse crowds of amateurs in solving complex business problems. He is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, and the Editorial Board member of Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Journal of International Management, and Management Research Review. He is a recipient of numerous research and teaching awards for his work in International Business. He has lived, worked and studied in half a dozen countries and has experience as a manager, businessman, and business consultant. Visit Guest Dr. Vas Taras’ LinkedIn Profile

Featuring Sensient’s President, Steve Morris Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Steve Morris, President of Sensient Flavors and Extracts, as they discuss adapting to mega trends in flavors, meeting global challenges head on, and what is driving growth at the company.  Steve Morris joined Sensient’s Color Group in June 2007 and served as Sales Director of Food Colors US. He served as General Manager, Food Colors from October 2012 through August 2017, during which time his oversight progressively expanded from the US to North America, and ultimately to the Americas. Mr. Morris has held his current role as General Manager, Sweet & Beverage Flavors North America since August 2017. Prior to joining Sensient, Mr. Morris held various commercial leadership roles at DuPont (Solae) and operations management roles at Unilever. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from Washington University’s Olin School of Business. Mr. Morris was born and raised in Iowa and is married with three adult children. Sensient Technologies Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients. Sensient uses advanced technologies and robust global supply chain capabilities to develop specialized solutions for food and beverages, as well as products that serve the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and personal care industries. Sensient’s customers range in size from small entrepreneurial businesses to major international manufacturers representing some of the world’s best-known brands. Sensient is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Visit Guest Steve Morris’ LinkedIn

Join host Nick Coffman and guest Jamey Stegmaier as they discuss tariffs on China, their effects on board game publishers, and how the industry is approaching a future full of uncertainties.  Jamey Stegmaier (he/him) is the co-founder, lead designer, and president at Stonemaier Games (St. Louis, Missouri). He also handles development, marketing, content creation, project management, and direct-to-consumer sales. Jamey designed Viticulture, Euphoria, Scythe, Charterstone, Tapestry, Red Rising, Rolling Realms, Smitten, Expeditions, and Vantage, and he has had a lifelong passion for playing and designing board games. He shares his insights, mistakes, and lessons learned on the Stonemaier Games blog. Jamey grew up in Virginia playing games like chess, Scotland Yard, Labyrinth, Milles Bourne, poker, Risk, Key to the Kingdom, Monopoly, Magic, Stratego, Dragon Dice, and hearts (and designing games like these). He attended Washington University in St. Louis and studied abroad for a year in Kyoto. He currently lives in St. Louis with his partner (Megan) and his cat (Walter). In addition to playing and designing games, his other hobbies include playing disc golf, reading, writing, blogging, and watching movies and sports. His passion for crowdfunding led him to write A Crowdfunder’s Strategy Guide, a book about crowdfunding, entrepreneurship, and putting customers’ needs before your own as you form a community. You can subscribe to Jamey’s game design YouTube channel, follow him on Instagram, or e-mail him at [email protected].

Join guest host Chris Carril with guests Matt Blakely and Dr. Jeff Heaton as they discuss RGA’s sustainability efforts, responsibility to its community and stakeholders, and leveraging AI to help in those efforts.  Matt Blakely leads RGA’s global philanthropic, volunteerism, and sustainability reporting efforts. Since joining RGA in 2020, Matt and his team have developed and executed enterprise strategies that have enhanced the company’s environmental sustainability and corporate citizenship. As of 2024, more than 60% of RGA employees participate in volunteerism, philanthropy, or sustainability causes. Additionally, RGA offsets 90% of its 2023 Scope 1 and 2 emissions globally.   Jeff Heaton, Vice President, AI Innovation, has over 23 years of experience in insurance underwriting, retrocession, and predictive analytics. He leads a team focused on fueling generative AI (GenAI) innovation across RGA, chairs the AI Council, and provides global advisory expertise on AI adoption. A recognized industry thought leader, Jeff publishes the RGA GenAI Quarterly Update and frequently speaks at SOA, GUAA, and IEEE events. He represents RGA as a board member of Washington University’s Center for Analytics and Business Insights (CABI) and has contributed to academic and medical research.

This month's episode is a reissue of a previous episode from April 2022.  International Business Disruptions:  Leading During Chaotic Times with  A.C. Marchionne The international business landscape has been disrupted by COVID-19 for nearly 2 years, and now a war in Europe is creating chaos.  Join host Todd Hovermale, Advisory Board Member in the Boeing Institute of Business, as he discusses strategies on leading during chaotic times with A.C. Marchionne, President of Sales & Marketing and Board Chairman at Greiner Bio-One North America.  The international business disruptions experienced by Greiner have created a need for stronger leaders.  Together, Todd and A.C. engage in a discussion on the need for strong International Business Leadership and the skills necessary to motivate and lead teams to success during highly chaotic times.     A.C. previously lead a team of 450 at Greiner Bio-One North America, which is a privately held plastic manufacturing company located in Monroe, NC whose three divisions manufacture a variety of products for the medical and research fields. As an international manufacturer with global reach, Greiner Bio-One provides the manufacturing, distribution logistics and product application support to the world’s largest hospitals, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations.

Join guest host Lin Hemings with guest Rich Puskarich, Workplace Production Vice President, Digital at International Flavors & Fragrances as they discuss what caramel macchiato, Chanel #5, and LLMs like ChatGPT all have in common at IFF.

Join guest host Matthew Wilcox with guest Peter Smith, former VP of Global Franchising at Enterprise Mobility, and Dr. Mamoun Benmamoun, Saint Louis University, IB professor, as they discuss international franchising and the many challenges of business abroad. Peter Smith oversaw Enterprise Mobility’s worldwide franchise operations and expansion efforts up until his retirement in 2024. Dr. Mamoun Benmamoun is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Business at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on international e-business strategy, the application of AI and analytics in international decision-making, and the political economy of international trade and finance. Dr. Bemamoun’s article, McDonald's in the Middle East: Navigating Political and Ethical Minefields, can be found in Volume 12 of The Journal of Business Ethics Education. View Guest Peter Smith’s LinkedIn View Guest Dr. Mamoun Benmamoun’s LinkedIn

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Elzandi Oosthuizen, Senior VP and Head of Corn Product Team at Bayer as they discuss Elzandi’s path to Bayer and keeping the world’s farmers connected in an everchanging field.    This conversation is an excerpt from the 2024 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 4, 2024, at Saint Louis University. Elzandi Oosthuizen is part of the global strategy leadership team at Bayer’s Crop Science division where she leads the enterprise corn product team. She has held various global and regional leadership roles across the company’s Seed & Traits, Crop Protection and Vegetable operations and lived and worked in several countries. Prior to her current role, she was part of the R&D leadership team leaning the crop technology team focusing on corn, soy and cotton crops.  Before working in the corporate setting, she taught post graduate mathematics, and high school science and math for six years. She regularly advocates for S.T.E.M. education and is passionate about inspiring and developing people. Elzandi is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as helping empower women.  She demonstrates this passion through her involvement in several initiatives over the past decade. She was a recipient of the 2024 Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence, she was also an advisory board member for the 2019 Women in Food and Agriculture event and was named an Eisenhower Fellow for the Zhi-Xing 2017 program. Elzandi holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science and Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science Honors in Genetics from the University of Pretoria. She also holds a Master of Science in Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding from University of the Free State and an MBA from North-West University in South Africa. View Guest, Elzandi Oosthuizen's LinkedIn

In celebration of the 2024 Bayer International Business Converence, we revisit the Fireside Keynote Chat from our 2023 edition of the conference. A conversation with Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation, on facing adversity and staying resilient in times of global disruptions. Stay tuned for the 2024 Fireside Chat, out January 14, 2025. Original Shownotes follow: Foreword by Todd Hovermale Introduction of Arnold by John Lyday Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Arnold Donald, Retired Vice Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation as they discuss the challenges Arnold faced as CEO and his path to the position. This conversation is an excerpt from the 2023 Bayer International Business Conference that took place on December 6, 2023, at Saint Louis University. Arnold Donald is former Vice-Chair of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the world’s largest cruise company.  Their nine world leading cruise brands -- Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, AIDA, Costa, Cunard, P&O UK, and P&O Australia -- are based throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.  Carnival Corporation & PLC is included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices and trades on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges.

Join host Gene Cunningham and guest Jeremy Williams Ph.D., Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming, and Commercial Ecosystems at Bayer, as they discuss how Climate LLC is working toward its mission of optimizing yields, maximizing efficiency, and reducing risks for farmers through innovative technologies and data-driven decision-making. Dr. Jeremy Williams serves as Head of Climate LLC, Digital Farming and Commercial Ecosystems for the Crop Science division of Bayer, where he leads a diverse team that develops digital tools to help unlock the next wave of Ag innovations. Based in Creve Coeur (St. Louis, Mo.), Jeremy is also a member of the Crop Science Executive Leadership and Commercial Leadership teams.   Previously, Jeremy served as a member of the Research & Development Leadership Team as SVP, Head of Plant Biotechnology for the Crop Science division of Bayer. In that role, he led a global team to enable a robust plant biotechnology pipeline developing highly effective solutions to strengthen a plant’s resistance to insects, diseases and other environmental stresses.  Jeremy has 20 years of diverse biotechnology and agrochemical R&D experience. He came to Bayer Crop Science in 2018, having served in several R&D leadership roles at Monsanto including as head of chemistry R&D. He began his career as one of the founding scientists at Divergence Inc, a St. Louis-based startup, where he held a variety of scientific research and leadership roles, including Vice President of Discovery Research, prior to the company’s acquisition by Monsanto in 2011. He is a co-inventor of several patents held by Divergence and its collaborators, and he was named a Senior Monsanto Fellow in 2016. Jeremy is passionate about Inclusion and Diversity, and previously served as the President of the African Americans in Monsanto business resource network and as a sponsor for the WiSE Guys ally network. He is currently a member of the GROW Cabinet.  Visit Guest Dr. Jeremy William’s LinkedIn

Join host Chris Carril and guest Wendy Ritz Ph.D., AIB-SE Conference Chair, and Dr. Brittney Bauer, Ph.D., AIB-SE Marketing Chair, as they discuss planning the annual AIB-SE conference, the history of X-Culture, and defining a successful international business conference. Chris Carril is the Vice President-Tax Planning and Treasury Management for Maritz Holdings in Fenton, MO.  His responsibilities include the company’s treasury, tax and risk management functions and he is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Missouri. He has previously held financial positions at A.G. Edwards, Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Company, and Furniture Brands International. Recently, Chris has joined the Advisory Board of the Boeing Institute of International Business at Saint Louis University. Chris enjoys spending time with his four children and rescue dog, Lyla, enjoying St Louis Muny theatre, and attending St. Louis University Billiken basketball games. Dr. Wendy Ritz is Associate Professor teaching Marketing at Florida State University. She is a fellow with the Direct Marketing Education Foundation and an active board member with the Academy of International Business Southeast Chapter. Her research focuses on the buyer journey in various markets, such as prosumption, business-to-business, international sales and marketing, and across various electronic platforms. She has published in several marketing journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Journal in Research of Interactive Marketing, and the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, The Journal of Consumer Behavior, Marketing Education Review, and the Harvard Business Review. Dr. Brittney Bauer is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago and the Director of the Quinlan School of Business Behavioral Lab. She earned her dual Ph.D. in marketing and international business from Saint Louis University in 2019. Furthermore, she received a Certificate for University Teaching Skills from the Center of Teaching Excellence and a Research Methods Minor during her doctoral studies. Dr. Bauer received the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 College of Business Outstanding Research Awards. Her work has been published in well-respected journals such as the International Journal of Research in Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Product & Brand Management, and Academy of Management Perspectives. Dr. Bauer has an extensive research pipeline currently under review at top marketing and international business journals, and her work has also been noted in the media. She is an editorial review board member and ad-hoc reviewer for various academic journals. Moreover, Dr. Bauer is an active member of the American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing Science, and Academy of International Business, and has performed various leadership roles for their respective annual meetings. She has also earned several Best Reviewer and Best Paper Awards at these national and international conferences. https://www.luc.edu/quinlan/faculty/brittneybauer.shtml  Visit Guest Wendy Ritz’s LinkedIn

featuring Greg Gorman  Join host Jeff Klopfenstein and guest Greg Gorman, Chief Growth Officer with Nidec Motor Corporation, as they discuss Nidec’s focus on organic growth, adapting to the everchanging world of motor application products, and balancing organic and inorganic growth. Greg Gorman is the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) of Nidec’s Motion & Energy Platform. In his role, Greg has overall responsibility for both organic and inorganic growth, including devising long-term strategy and driving M&A on a global scale. In 2007, Greg joined Nidec in their Corporate Strategy Office where he served as their General Manager of M&A until 2013 when he moved to St. Louis to grow Nidec’s then-newly acquired appliance, commercial and motor business as Vice President of Business Planning and Development. During his time in this role and later promotion to CGO, this appliance motor business would evolve into Motion & Energy, which today generates $3B in revenue from a wide breadth of products and innovations in many growing markets including electric automotive vehicle electrification, robotics, and energy storage.  Visit Guest Greg Gorman’s LinkedIn

This episode is a reissue from February 2023.  Join host, Todd Hovermale as he leads a discussion with Dr. Patricia Wolff and Chris Greene from Meds & Foods for Kids, a nonprofit organization based in Haiti. This episode dives into the background and operations of this inspirational and important organization. To learn more or to donate to MFK, please visit https://www.mfkhaiti.org/.    Patricia Wolff, MD  Founder and Senior Advisor   Dr. Wolff is the founder and executive director of Meds & Food for Kids, an organization with four main activities: Haitian production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) for treatment of malnourishment in children and pregnant women; treatment of malnourished children and supplementation of pregnant women; an agricultural program that helps Haitian farmers grow low aflatoxin peanuts with higher yields which are then purchased and used for RUTFs; development of a nutritious school snack and evaluation of the efficacy and acceptability of the snack among impoverished school children. Dr. Wolff also works to study the prevention of malnutrition in at-risk babies in the urban slums of Haiti. Chris Greene  CEO Chris Green is serving as CEO of Meds & Food for Kids. He started his career in management of an entrepreneurial beverage distribution business, overseeing a staff of 20 with over 100 accounts. He joined Meds & Food for Kids based in Haiti in 2015 and ran the manufacturing and distribution operations for 5 years. Chris then established a consulting business based in Georgia. Meds & Food for Kids recruited him back as CEO in June of 2022.