ContenderCast with Justin Honaman

Lori Pine, The Joy CEO, an award-winning Corporate VP turned Executive Life Coach and dynamic speaker. After years of working for corporate powerhouses such as Anheuser-Busch, The Coca-Cola Company, and Campbell's Soup Company, Lori now helps ambitious, high-performing women rewrite their old, worn-out story, dream bigger, and thrive. Her innate ability to clarify the problem and quickly assess the situation helps women spend less time swirling and more time living and loving their lives. Because if there's one thing she has learned, it's that joy has a ripple effect. Add it to one area of your life and it will enhance so many more! Lori joins Justin for a "joy-filled" conversation!

They tasted real olive oil and wondered...why was this so different than everything at the grocery store? Why did this taste richer, smoother, and cleaner than anything we had tried before? Why was something this good, the same ingredient prized by ancient civilizations, so rare and hard to find? So they started looking for answers. And Oliva Dorado was born. Jeremy Sernick, founder of Oliva Dorado, a single-origin organic olive oil, joins Justin to discuss this growing brand!

Amy's Kitchen, Inc., doing business as Amy's, is a family-owned, privately held American company based in Petaluma, California, that manufactures organic and non-GMO convenience and frozen foods. Founded in 1987 by Andy and Rachel Berliner, and incorporated in 1988, the company took its name from their daughter, Amy! Paul Schiefer, Amy's President, joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing, entrepreneurial brand!

Twenty years ago, four friends met at Georgia Tech, each driven by a unique passion for innovation, creativity, and excellence. Their paths diverged after graduation, leading them into different industries, but their shared love for wine remained a constant. Reuniting two decades later, they decided to blend their diverse skills and experiences to create a wine brand that reflects their journey and the spirit of collaboration that started in their college days. This brand isn't just about producing high-quality wine; it's about telling a story of friendship, perseverance, and a deep-rooted love for the craft. Charlie Fauroat joins Justin to discuss this growing wine brand!

Sunday Lawn Care offers a subscription-based, personalized lawn care system that delivers eco-friendly products like fertilizers and grass seeds directly to consumers. It uses your location, climate, and soil test results to create a custom plan for your specific needs, aiming to provide a healthy lawn with fewer harsh chemicals. The service includes detailed instructions, and products are designed to be easy to apply, working with nature to promote growth and combat weeds without broad-spectrum pesticides. Founder and CEO Coulter Lewis joins Justin to discuss this "growing" brand!

Born in 1928, Nan grew up on the Connecticut shoreline, where the salty sea air and small town charm forged her lifelong coastal spirit. A child of the Great Depression, Nan learned the fundamentals of resourceful cooking from her mother, who showed her how to create exciting meals from what grew in their garden. Eventually, Nan would hone her skills to recreate dishes from her travels around the world. It didn't take long for Nan to become known for her healthy salad dressings, always made with premium olive oil. Today, Nan's Original Recipes captures the essence of the beloved mother and grandmother: Good, wholesome food that inspires an enriched wholesome life. Family-founded and made in small batches with premium organic ingredients, her healthy creations are versatile and shelf-stable. Corinne Cartwright joins Justin to unpack this growing food brand!

Just Call Me Shirley invites you to the essence of the 60's era, where the clinking of glasses echoed through smoke-filled rooms with power suits and intriguing conversations. Their Original Shirley Temple Cocktail is a purposeful blend of classic charm and timeless sophistication. Inspired by the iconic Shirley Temple, their RTD 5% canned cocktail & NA collection elevates a classic experience to a new level of refinement. Just Call Me Shirley is a nod to the past, a celebration of the present, and a promise of timeless sophistication. Enjoy the subtle sweetness of natural cherry and lemon-lime flavors. Expect retro red coloring without the harmful dyes. Co-founders Sydney Attis and Mikayla Garcia join Justin to discuss this growing brand!

GoSpotCheck was born in the Mile High City, where a love for the outdoors, beer brewing, and the Broncos run deep. Their founders, Matt and Joey, were childhood friends, and Joey and Samantha met at DU in grad school. The three started GoSpotCheck in a garage together after graduating from Boulder Techstars in 2011. Their spirit lives on in their product, teams, and values. Cory Knopp joins Justin to discuss Consumer Goods, Retail, data, and analytics that help brands deliver a better customer experience in store.

From toxins and harsh soaps to polluting plastics, oral care was long overdue for an upgrade. You don't need harsh ingredients for a healthy smile, so they said no to sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), fluoride, parabens, GMOs, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives—forever. Meet Vladimir Vukicevic, co-founder and CEO of Better & Better. Justin and Vlad unpack bright and shiny toothpaste and oral care ideas together on this episode!

Custom Neon™ offers stunning custom-made led neon signs worldwide. Their signs are handmade in the US, China and Australia and sold in over 60 countries to customers including some of the world's biggest brands. Founder and CEO Jake Munday joins Justin to discuss this bright and shining brand!

Top brands trust Passport. They help your DTC or marketplace business scale globally—whether you're shipping cross-border or fulfilling in-country to navigate de minimis and tariff changes, and maximize Q4 growth. Combining innovative technology, global logistics, and expert compliance, Passport delivers the right solutions for the right markets at every stage of global growth. Co-Founder and CEO Alex Yancher joins Justin to discuss launching and growing the business.

At Distillery of Modern Art (DoMA), they celebrate the Art of the Spirit, distilling craft spirits that inspire community and connect people to what they love. Pour yourself a glass of their amaro, gin, vodka, or whiskey, and you'll notice that not only is the liquid inside the bottle exceptional, but each package features a unique print behind the label. The beauty and artistry in the label is a nod to the craft inside each bottle, and a reminder to make time for your own self-expression. Owner and Founder Seth Watson joins Justin to discuss art, creativity, and crafting an incredible mix of alco-bev brands!

Eggs…Reinvented. Creating Simpler, Creamier Dairy-Free Foods from Nature's Perfect Protein. Oolie are egg experts who dared to dream differently. By reimagining what eggs could do, they created something extraordinary—deliciously creamy foods that are clean, protein-rich, and free from dairy and fillers. Their secret? They partner with small family farms, sourcing Free-Range eggs that would otherwise go unused. Because they believe good food starts with doing good. VP of Marketing Faith Ferguson joins Jusitn to discuss this "eggcellent" new brand!

Kültee Kaviar™  is the redefined premium popping boba balls experience with a refreshing burst of natural flavor. At just 6mm or 9mm in size, these tiny boba balls deliver unique taste and texture that consumers are continually seeking, while adding irresistible, vibrant pops of colors. Nils Schaede, Director of Marketing at Zentis, joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing brand!

Are you creating value for your customers? How do you really know? Your customers choose to do business with your company based on the value you deliver to them. And the relationship investment you make in them. Former Coca-Cola and Microsoft exec Ira Gleser joins Justin to discuss how customer relationships – earning trust first with executives – drive long-term invested partnerships. Link to book on AMAZON.

Erica Groussman is the founder and CEO of TRUBAR, a delicious vegan protein bar brand made of 100% plant-based ingredients and free of gluten, dairy, soy, sugar alcohols, or harmful seed oils. Founded in 2019, TRUBAR has seen over 100% YoY growth every year since its launch and will expand into 15,000+ new retail locations this year including their most recent last month in Targets nationwide! Erica joins Justin to discuss this fast-growing food brand!

Meet Stacy Martin – the founder of Seahorse Snacks! She calls herself a seahorse because she chose to have her stomach removed due to an extremely rare genetic mutation (CDH1). Seahorses also don't have stomachs. Because she doesn't have a stomach, she has to eat frequently, like every two hours all day, every day. Because she eats so frequently, she often gets bored with eating the same thing over and over. Nuts are a great source of protein and she learned that she could make them extra delicious! Stacy joins Justin to discuss this up-and-coming snack brand.

Victoria Ha is the co-founder of Match My Makeup, the world's first scientifically and mathematically derived foundation shade matching platform. Match My Makeup's technology has been adopted around the world by major retail clients and cosmetics houses such as Net-a-Porter, Clarins and Harvey Nichols. Prior to launching Match My Makeup with her sister in 2012, Victoria was in Silicon Valley working in health-information, a field that allowed her to combine both her skills as a Computer Scientist and Lawyer. Victoria joins Justin to discuss the industry, technology and more!

Tony Roma's is a full service, casual dining family restaurant where you can find premier BBQ ribs and steaks in locations across the world. With over 100 family restaurant locations on five continents, Tony Roma's is one of the most globally recognizable names in the industry. CEO, Mina Haque joins Justin to discuss this growing restaurant industry brand!

Tip Top helps you quickly fix behavior problems and bring the best out of your dog! They got started 15 years ago in Oklahoma and now have locations across the U.S. where they help people communicate better with their dogs. With the Tip Top Method of Dog Training, you can quickly gain the control you have always wanted while still having a happy, tail-wagging dog! Ryan Wimpey, the visionary founder of Tip Top K9 Dog Training, joins Justin to discuss the business, their training method, and more!