UTG at Work Innovation Podcast

This month Mary interviews John Sier. John has been involved with the AOD Mass for Commerce since 1999 when he was president of the Catholic Lawyers Society.  He is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and Drake University Law School and Graduate School of Mass Communication and Journalism.  He is the head of the Kitch law firm's construction and commercial litigation group where he concentrates his practice in dispute avoidance and resolution of commercial, professional and construction issues as well as counseling clients on risk management topics. In addition to his distinguished legal practice, Mr. Sier is active in a variety of professional organizations.  He serves as Director of Christian Legal Aid of Southeastern Michigan, a former board member of St. Joseph’s Helpers, Emeritus Director of the Catholic Lawyers Society and was a founding member of the Board of Trustees for Detroit Cristo Rey High School (DCRHS) and chaired the DCRHS Corporate Work Study Council.  In 2010, he received the Msgr. Malloy Award from the Catholic Lawyers Society of Metropolitan Detroit.  In 2023, Mr.Sier was awarded The Roberts P. Hudson Award which is the State Bar of Michigan’s highest honor. This award is periodically presented to honor an attorney for their outstanding service to and on behalf of the State Bar of Michigan, the legal profession, and the public.

This month Mary interviews Henry Kutarna, an experienced business executive and mentor. He is Chair of a private family investment fund concentrating on manufacturing and real estate. His investments are mainly in real estate and manufacturing. He has also personally capitalized twenty-two early stage technology deals. He has been a Deputy Minister of Economic Development, President of the Saskatchewan Diversification Corporation, and a Deputy Minister of Social Services.  He is a private mentor and executive coach. He owns The Executive Advisor, a consultant group working with corporations and not-for-profit organizations in executive coaching, advisory services, board governance, deal making, and other business development. He has served on numerous private and public boards, as well as on many not for profit and charitable boards. He has served as a chair, member, and advisor to many large and small not for profits. His most recent start-up is The Catholic CEO a business mentoring service for a fast-growing segment, that of business owners who want to be Catholic and successful in business. This business is a family business with HQ in Houston.

This month Mary interviews Mark Beukema. Mark is a Seminarian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. His home diocese is Marquette. Mark worked in the secular world for 10 years before entering Sacred Heart.Mark and Mary discuss his experiences in living his faith in the workplace, as well as the upcoming Conference in Marquette where Deacon Mike from UTG at Work will be the speaker.

This month Mary speaks with Kenneth M. Kernen, MD. Dr. Kernen was born in 1967 and raised in the Metro Detroit Area. he graduated from Cranbrook High School and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physiology from Michigan State University. He received his Medical Degree from Wayne State University, and completed his Urology residency at William Beaumont Hospital and his Urologic Oncology Fellowship at Baylor in Houston.  He has been a partner at the Michigan Institute of Urology (MIU) for 25 years, where he is the Director of Research. He is also the Chief of Urology at William Beaumont Hospital, Troy, and National Speaker on Advanced Prostate Cancer. He has been married to his beautiful wife Christine for 31 years. They have two children, Ken (27), who works for BCG, and Diana (22), who is in her first year of Medical School at Wayne State University.His hobbies include marathon running, fly fishing, cooking, and fig trees. 

In this episode, Mary interviews three wonderful men who are Legatus members and who support the Archdiocese of Detroit's Mass for Commerce.Msgr. Charles Kosanke, Bob Pliska, and Anthony Tomey reflect on the value of living your faith at work from a theological and practical perspective. Their strong faith and their wisdom make for a very engaging podcast.

Dan Weingartz is the CEO of W&P Management, a group of family businesses in the outdoor power equipment and power sports industries.  He is the sixth of seven children of Ray and Marie Weingartz and is a partner with three of his siblings in the businesses that were started by his grandfather.  He has worked in the business since age 13 (taking a few years off for college) and has worked in most areas of the operation at one time or another.  Dan is a graduate of Central Michigan University.  He has been married to his wife, Kris, for 26 years and they have 21- and 23-year-old daughters and 18-and 20-year-old sons.  He is an active member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Utica, the Knights of Columbus, and Legatus.  He currently serves on the Boards of International Samaritan, Youth Vision Solutions, AOD Catholic Schools Council, and Austin Catholic High School. 

Christine Schicker, Regional Marketing Manager, joined EWTN for the second time in 2014. She was originally hired by Mother Angelica in 1998 and worked in the Programming Department. Christine has worked for a number of cable companies including Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1 and Comcast. For the past 14 years, she has worked for Catholic organizations including Relevant Radio, Steve Wood's Family Life Center International and the Catholic Marketing Agency, The Maximus Group. Most recently, Christine was the General Manager of Baraga Broadcasting, a network of Catholic radio stations in northern Michigan. In her position, Christine is responsible for expanding EWTN's distribution, coordinating volunteer activities of EWTN Media Missionaries, and managing relationships with dioceses and media affiliates carrying EWTN in the North Central Region of the United States. Christine has a Bachelor's Degree in Broadcasting and Business. She attends The Church of the Resurrection in Lansing, Michigan.

In this podcast, Mary interviews Brian Magliocco from Captivate Exhibits. Brian is the Director of Culture at Captivate and a life-long practicing Catholic.  Captivate Exhibits is a Christian run exhibit house who designs and builds custom trade show displays but leads with culture first in all they do.  Prior to working at Captivate Exhibits Brian was a Youth Minister for 10 years.  He is also the outgoing Executive Director for an evangelistic Catholic ministry called Arise MKE.  Brian resides in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI with his beautiful wife Melissa and his 5 kids, Dominic, Maddie, Gianna, Sophia and Leo.

In this episode of the UTG at Work Innovation Podcast, Mary interviews Vanessa Denha Garmo. Vanessa is a well-known radio host, communications strategist, content creator and coach with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, Master’s degree in communications and is trained and certified in both leadership and life coaching.Vanessa is a keynote speaker, facilitator, and workshop presenter. She speaks on communications and leadership, team building, strengths and talents, media awareness, career development, self-awareness, and having “Epiphany Moments.”

Mary Martin interviews Chuck Gaidica, one of the most trusted figures in Michigan. He is an author, frequent keynote speaker, podcast & radio host. He also serves as an on-camera host and spokesperson for various projects. Many people may know Chuck from his national and local radio and television work in Michigan over four decades. He has multiple Emmy awards and was awarded the prestigious Silver Circle Award for broadcast excellence by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He could be found over the years forecasting the weather, hosting a game show seen across Michigan or getting in his New York state of mind by forecasting the weather on the NBC Today Show or the CBS Morning News.