Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

What if safety isn't just a compliance requirement, but one of the most important foundations of leadership, culture, and business performance?
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, we sit down with Brian L. Fielkow, recognized business leader, board director, advisor, former CEO of Jetco Delivery, and author of Making Safety Happen, to explore how leaders can build organizations that remain strong when the pressure is high.
Brian shares lessons from decades of operating and advising businesses where safety, risk, and performance are closely connected. We discuss why safety should be treated as a core value rather than simply a department, how leadership shapes employee behavior, and what it takes to create a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up when something isn't right.
From managing operational risks to building trust, accountability, and psychological safety, this conversation offers practical insights for founders, CEOs, and business leaders who want to build companies that are both safe and productive.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why safety is a business responsibility, not just the job of a safety department
The difference between a compliance culture and a genuine safety culture
How leadership influences employee behavior and organizational performance
Why psychological safety encourages employees to speak up and report risks
Building accountability and learning from near misses
How companies can balance growth, productivity, and risk management
Identifying hidden risks during periods of rapid growth
The importance of clear, practical, and understandable processes
Hiring for both technical competence and attitude
Why humility and the ability to course-correct matter in leadership
How leaders reveal their culture when things go wrong
Why maintaining culture requires continuous investment
Brian also shares examples from his experience at Jetco Delivery, including how listening to frontline employees can uncover risks and lead to meaningful improvements.
Whether you're a founder scaling a business, a CEO managing operational challenges, or a leader working to build a stronger company culture, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on leadership, safety, and sustainable performance.
About Brian L. Fielkow
Brian L. Fielkow is a recognized business leader, board director, and advisor known for his work in safety, risk, and organizational performance. He previously served as CEO of Jetco Delivery and is the author of Making Safety Happen.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/
Connect with Brian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfielkow
Book: https://www.amazon.in/Making-Safety-Happen-Productive-Profitable-ebook/dp/B0GX2ZXGFY
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Harvey Liu, CEO of LeveX, joins Keith to discuss his journey from computer science and network engineering to venture capital, Web3 investing, and building a next-generation crypto trading platform.
Harvey shares how LeveX grew from an early-stage product into a platform with hundreds of thousands of registered users, why he believes crypto is becoming increasingly connected with traditional finance, and how institutional adoption is changing the market.
In this episode, Harvey also discusses:
Building LeveX around traders and their feedback
The evolution of Bitcoin, Web3 and crypto markets
Tokenized stocks and real-world assets
Why technical founders need strong communication and sales skills
Organic growth versus paid customer acquisition
Choosing strategic investors over purely financial capital
Differences between the U.S. and Chinese venture capital ecosystems
How AI can help startups operate with leaner teams
Why Harvey would consider a decentralized model if starting LeveX today
The future of DeFi, prediction markets and crypto trading
Harvey brings a unique perspective shaped by technology, venture capital, finance and years of experience across global markets.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Harvey:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harveylevex/
Website: https://levex.com/en
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Physical AI is everywhere in the conversation, but getting it to work reliably in the real world is a very different challenge.
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith Newman, Keith sits down with Mike Link, COO of Kami Vision, to explore what it takes to move computer vision and physical AI from promising demos to real-world products operating across millions of devices.
Mike shares how Kami Vision evolved from home security into AI-powered applications for elder care, including fall detection and remote monitoring, while continuing to expand into enterprise security and robotics.
The conversation covers:
What makes scaling physical AI different from traditional software
Moving from hardware to software and eventually an AI-native model
Using computer vision to transform elder care
The challenges of enterprise AI deployment
Privacy, trust and adoption in real-world environments
Why partner-led distribution can accelerate growth
How AI agents are changing internal business operations
Why founders should get real customers using their product before trying to scale
A practical conversation about the gap between building AI that works in a demo and building AI that works in the real world.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/
Connect with John:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrenard/
Website: https://www.southviewtimber.com/
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Most investors are chasing the next hot market—from AI and data centers to the latest high-growth opportunities.
But sometimes, the better opportunity is hiding somewhere few people are looking.
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith Newman, Keith sits down with John Brennard, Managing Director & Founder of Southview Timberland Investments, to explore the world of timberland investing and what makes it an intriguing alternative asset class.
John shares how his family's timberland investment in 2008 introduced him to the asset class, eventually leading him to build Southview around timberland and rural land investments across the U.S. Southeast.
The conversation goes beyond timberland, covering:
How to find opportunity in overlooked markets
Why disciplined underwriting matters
The value of patient ownership and hands-on execution
How timber harvesting and land development can create value
Why understanding an investment is critical before entering private markets
The importance of staying close to sales and making progress every day
As John puts it, there are no shortcuts in this game—and sometimes the best opportunities aren't the ones everyone is talking about.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with John:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrenard/
Website: https://www.southviewtimber.com/

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Most founders think they have a growth problem, team problem, or technology problem.
But what if the real constraint is the founder?
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith Newman, Keith sits down with Damon Flowers, a business growth expert who has spent more than two decades building, scaling, and exiting companies across SaaS, eCommerce, coaching, and real estate—including taking one company from $3.5 million to $30 million in just two years.
Damon explains why businesses often struggle to scale because their founders become the glue holding disconnected systems, people, and processes together.
The conversation explores:
Why a business can only grow as far as its founder does
How founders become the bottleneck without realizing it
The three stages of building a scalable business
Why growth should come after the right operational foundation
How disconnected tools can create more chaos
Why simply adding AI tools isn't enough
How an integrated operating system can help businesses move faster
What founders need to change to make faster decisions and respond to the market
Damon's core message is simple:
Don't just try to grow faster. Build a business that is actually ready to grow.
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/
Connect with Damon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonflowers
Website: https://modernoperators.com/
Media Kit: https://on.modernoperators.com/media/
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