22 JAN 2020 · CEO Patrick Herning of 11 Honoré is Jane Wells' latest guest on CEOs You Should Know. Herning is the founder and CEO of the first multi-designer e-commerce platform for the 'plus' customer. What does that mean? It's for customers who wear sizes 12-24 who want to shop for comfortable casual weekend essentials, as well as dresses that can suit any occasion. From big formal wear events, to workwear essentials and flowy feminine dresses, the dresses are from some of most sought after designers in the world including: Marc Jacobs, Mara Hoffman, Tanya Taylor, Christian Siriano, Milly, Jason Wu and Monique Lhuillier. Herning says he knows he'll never understand what life as a plus-sized woman is like, but he can relate to the marginalization they must feel, due to his experience as a gay man. "A gay man in his 40s is very different from a gay man coming up professionally today," Herning said. "And having that sense of judgment around who you are, for being who you are. I share that with the customer and it's that bond that has connected me to her, much more so, than the clothes themselves." When asked if he always wanted to be a entrepreneur, Herning pauses, before answering with a smile. "I don't know if I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, I just knew I didn't like having a boss," he said.

22 JAN 2020 · If you grew up wanting to learn how to play guitar, the drums, or any other type of musical instrument, then you don't need any kind of introduction to Guitar Center. With 13,000 employees and around 293 Guitar Center stores and another 225 Music & Arts stores, the $2.2 billion company is well-known around the country as a place for music enthusiasts get the gear they need. Ron Japinga, the CEO of Guitar Center is Jane Wells' latest guest on CEOs You Should Know and tells us the history of the company that was originally founded in 1959 as "The Organ Center." "Wayne Mitchell, he was selling organs, and all of a sudden, guitars started to happen with The Beatles," Japinga said. "So he started carrying a few Vox amplifiers and some guitars and then the rest is history." Guitars, music and retail weren't on Japinga's mind for what he wanted to do as a career. In fact, he tells Jane Wells that he initially went to school to be a pilot and run an airport, but those dreams were diverted when the CEO of Macy's offered him a different line of work. "I sent a resume to the CEO of Macys (Ed Finklestien), to fly his corporate jet, and he was dismantling the corporate jet program and said, 'How about an opportunity at retail?'" Japinga said. "I went and interviewed and everybody said 'You can run your own business' which was important to me at that time. And I started the executive training program at Macy's and the rest is history," Japinga said.

22 JAN 2020 · Jeff Dailey of Farmer's Insurance, is Jane Wells' latest guest on CEOs You Should Know. With more than 30 years of experience in the insurance business, Dailey worked his way up, starting as an adjuster, and moving through a variety of management and leadership roles during his illustrious career. Originally from Detroit, Dailey attended college at the University of Wisconsin and earned a bachelor of science degree the university's Economics program, and went on to earn his Masters of Business Administration. After leaving his first job for Progressive in 1981, Dailey was promoted several times during his 14 year tenure with the company, where he ultimately was appointed the President of their Northeast Division. In May 2001, Dailey went on to join Bristol West Holdings Inc. as their Chief Operating Officer and was later promoted to the president of the company and Chief Executive Officer. When Bristol West Holdings Inc. merged with Farmers Insurance in July 2007, Dailey was retained by the new company as the President of Personal Lines at Farmers Group, Inc. "I would say that was the first time in my career, outside of the company I started, that I ever really had the goal of being the CEO," Dailey said of the merger between Bristol West Holdings Inc. "The idea of going into a big company and not being the CEO, was something that wouldn't have worked very well for me."

22 JAN 2020 · Chris Simms, the CEO and founder of Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar is Jane Wells' guest this week on CEOs You Should Know. Simms, a "fourth-generation restaurateur," describes Lazy Dog as the "next generation of casual dining," where a people-focused, innovative restaurant can provide all-scratch cooking for guests who are welcome to come as they are. With 36 restaurants and roughly 5,000 employees, the chain has seen enormous success with over $2 million in sales this year. After attending Cornell University's prestigous Hospitality Program, Simms says he didn't want to work for his father and decided to strike out on his own. At one point, Simms recalls a great lesson taught to him by Paul Fleming (the P.F. in PF Changs) when he was working as a manager at their location in La Jolla. "[Fleming] walks in one night, and I'm managing in La Jolla and it's about 10 o'clock and the place looks like a bomb went off," Simms says with a chuckle. "And he walks me around the restaurant and it was a great lesson." Simms says after Fleming pointed everything that was wrong, he told Simms that "A person who comes in at 10 o'clock is paying the exact same amount of money as someone coming in at 7 o'clock, why would they deserve an experience that is so messed up and dirty?" Learn more about Simms' experience as the CEO of Lazy Dog in the latest episode of CEOs You Should Know.

22 JAN 2020 · Bill Hornbuckle, the President/Chief Operating Officer for MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas joins Jane Wells this week for CEOs You Should Know to talk about his experience coming up and running one of the largest entertainment companies in the world right in the middle of America's Playground - Las Vegas. After graduating from the University of Nevada with a BS in Hotel Administration, Hornbuckle came up through the industry working for Steve Wynn, serving as President and COO for Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, spending the majority of his career with Mirage Resorts in various senior management positions. With 83,000 employees over 20 operating properties, Hornbuckle has seen the entertainment company's growing revenues to $12 and a half billion dollars just last year.

22 JAN 2020 · John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care joins Jane Wells this week for CEOs You Should Know to talk about how his organization offers affordable health coverage to more than 2.2 million people in Los Angeles County. Born and raised in the Midwest, Baackes earned his bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University before beginning his professional career in the northeast working for various healthcare companies - where it became clear to him that that not all patients were being treated equally under the current healthcare system. "I was involved in the beginning with what we would call a 'full-service' health plan," Baackes says. "And it was great, but as I went along through the years, I began to see we were discriminating against people on the basis of the plastic card in their wallet. So if you were uninsured, you couldn't get in to see certain doctors. If you were on Medicaid, certain doctors wouldn't take payment from Medicaid and you couldn't see them. And even Medicare, which pays more generously, there were doctors that said, 'We don't want anything to do with it.' So it seemed to me that was not right." For many people, healthcare can be complicated and costs difficult to understand. When asked about this, Baackes chuckles and offers this perspective on his chosen career. "First of all, Health care is not rocket science, it's way more complicated," Baackes says. "Certainly if anyone were starting out with a blank piece of paper, you would never design what we have now." If Baakes were king of the world and given the opportunity to design a healthcare system from scratch, he'd go with a "single payer" system, describing one organization that would run healthcare and ensure everyone healthcare needs were met. However, as Baackes warns, that's not exactly something the country can create out of whole cloth.

22 JAN 2020 · In the latest episode of CEO's You Should Know, Jane Wells interviews CEO Michael West, of 686 Technical Apparel, a company that makes winter apparel for skiers, snowboarders and anyone who likes to go outside. Or, as they like to say on their website, 686 Technical Apparel seeks to push current boundaries of "design construction and interaction." Over the years, 686 Technical Apparel has grown into a worldwide brand, with clothing being sold by nearly 3,000 retailers worldwide. It's a long way from when he sewed his first pieces of clothing, and created a catalog on his own - something that would eventually land him an order for $100,000. His company's name has a dual, personal meaning for him. He started the business at age 20 (6+8+6) and in June 1986, his Japanese mother and grandmother reconciled. When asked what he believes his biggest mistake has been over the years, Michael has to think about it for a moment. "I'm constantly making mistakes, " he says with a laugh. "I think the biggest mistake we have is when we take on too much and you lose focus."

22 JAN 2020 · In the latest episode of CEOs You Should Know, Jane Wells interviews Meryl Kern, the CEO of Liftique, a company Kern describes as a "brand-new triangular offering for women to look, live and feel their best life." Started in 2017, Liftique grew quickly, thanks to the wide variety of services and offerings for women using the latest technology for minimally invasive proceedures for the face, the body and "below the belt." But the story of Liftique goes far beyond the cutting-edge technology and techniques. Kern says she's always seen herself as an entrepreneur CEO, especially when she found herself needing to "reinvent herself." After a series of jobs, Kern started her first boutique agency that eventually brought her back to Los Angeles. "I just always had that in me, that drive," Kern says. But, her path wasn't easy. In 2015, Kern says she was dealt a "huge basket of lemons" after she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. The cancer meant she had to have a double mastectomy,14 rounds of chemotherapy and 36 rounds of radiation. Recovery wasn't easy either. That's when Kern started the Meryl Kern Survivorship Program within Cedars and Tower Oncology to help women post-recovery and understand their new normal. "It allowed me to realize I needed to reach a broader audience," Kern said. "I needed to help more women." "I looked in the mirror and I didn't like what I saw," she says. "And I knew I didn't want to have another surgery." Kern started Liftique in 2017 and Kern says things really began to take off for her company after she started her foundation. When she held a "Blush Panel" that would explain Liftique's procedures for women with vaginal health issues, she knew she was onto something.

22 JAN 2020 · If you've ever needed to order flowers online, chances are, you've heard of The Bouqs. Launched in November 2012, The Bouqs is an online market place created by two friends who noticed several problems within the floral industry and decided that they could do better. John Tabis and his partner, Juan Pablo Montufar, set out to create an online experience that brought the farm-to-table philosophy to flower deliveries. "Bouqs is the modern, digitized version of the florist," Tabis says describing his company. "But, what we do that is really different, is we connect the consumer to the farmer at the other end of the supply chain. A typical florist might buy flowers from a wholesaler, who buys flowers from an importer, who buys flowers from an exporter, who buys flowers from a farmer, we're always getting our flowers directly from the farm so we can ensure a level of freshness and quality and sustainability than is typical." Cutting out all those levels has allowed Tabis and his partner to reinvest into the farms and pay their workers more money, faster. "We pay our farmers 20-25 percent more than anyone else and we pay them twice as fast," Tabis said. Tabis wasn't always a budding online florist. When asked how he went from Bain Capital into a flower delivery business, Tabis said he has no idea. "It's one of these things that happens," Tabis says with a laugh. With plenty of experience in advertising and marketing, Tabis says he decided to focus on the things that really mattered to people.

22 JAN 2020 · In the latest episode of CEO's You Should Know, Steve Van Doren, the CEO (or Chief Entertainment Officer) for Vans, joins KFI's Jane Wells to talk about the unique shoe company that grew from surfers and skaters all over the world know and love. First started by his father and uncle in 1966, Vans grew from a small family operation into a $3 billion juggernaut and pop culture icon - success that Steve credits to the company's "free spirit." Now in charge of building Van's brand, Steve travels all over the world to oversee the company's many events, including the famed Vans Warped Tour. But that's just the latest title he's held at a company he's worked at since he was 10-years-old. "I would pass flyers out at the Swap Meet, because we had no stores except for the factory," Steve told Jane Wells. "Then, we'd get a store, and my dad would get a manager, and a second store and third store, and a fourth store. On the fifth store he didn't have a manager to put in there on Saturday and Sunday so he put me in." "That time, I was eleven." When asked why skaters became so associated with Vans, Steve says the group actually adopted them in the mid-70s because they loved the shoe's durable construction. "[Skaters] gave our company purpose. They gave our company reason to be. Surfers went from the surf in the afternoon to skateboarding and they wore our shoes because it wore better, it gripped better, and the waffle sole is something that grips the sole better," he says. "That's how we kind of started off meeting the skaters."