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John Lowe shared thisA story or two from the good old days.John Lowe shared thisWhat happens when a business is growing so fast you literally have to take away the salesperson’s celebratory bell because production can’t keep up? And what happens next when you finally get a massive new facility, only to realize your scaling numbers are completely out of whack and cash isn’t matching up with your accounting? In today's episode of UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders, Dr. Troy and Ben-Jamin Toy chat with John Lowe, the former 14-year CEO of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, to talk about the messy, stressful reality of hyper-growth. John opens up about a massive corporate UH-OH moment: transitioning from a tiny 1,200-square-foot kitchen to a large-scale manufacturing operation, only to find out they were losing nickels and dimes across the supply chain. Instead of hiding the issue, John did what many leaders are terrified to do... he picked up the phone and called his investors for help on day one. Here are a few key takeaways from the episode: Ditch the Lone Wolf Mentality: Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; thinking you can solve every specialized crisis alone is. Radical Transparency Wins: The biggest corporate disasters don't come from the initial mistake. They come from trying to cover it up. Your Boss Has Been There: Whether you are running a multi-million dollar brand or managing a small team, the leadership principles remain the same. Raise the red flag early. As John reminds us, effective leadership comes down to emotional intelligence, humility, and being teachable. 🎧 Tune in now to hear the full conversation, learn how John navigated the transition from the cutthroat corporate world of GE to a highly creative brand environment, and get his insights on the push and pull of Conscious Capitalism. Listen to the full episode here: Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ecrAwnX3 Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gK4zGpCq YouTube: https://lnkd.in/esrxyaH2 #CohesionCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #UHOHConversationsWithCohesiveLeaders #Transparency #Podcast #EmergingLeaders
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John Lowe shared thisWe are thrilled to welcome the newest member of #TeamJenis, David S.. Beyond his tremendous background and experience, Dave brings a thoughtful and kind leadership style, a quick wit and an enthusiasm for what we have done and plan to do at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. I'm excited to watch him lead, and to partner with him for years to come. https://lnkd.in/gU8FvDFr
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John Lowe shared thisWhen you are right, you are right: there is something special happening in Greenville!John Lowe shared thisWhat he said stopped me in my tracks. When you’re in event mode, you rarely get to absorb the content. I’m usually focused on timing, A/V, room temperature, and whether we’re about to run out of coffee. But at this year’s Next Venture Summit, as we transitioned from his lunchtime keynote, John Lowe, former CEO of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, paused and said: “There is something special going on in Greenville. This group, this energy, the brains—it is really impressive. Greenville is not big enough to do what you all are doing.” It was one of those moments you don’t want to lose. You look around to see if anyone else heard it, scrambling for something to write it down before it disappears. (Fortunately, 📸 Andrej Suttles captured it on video!) Those three sentences neatly sum up the past 4.5 years of my time here. A foundation built over decades is now bearing real fruit. From an economic development standpoint, we’re attracting companies that thrive in dense, urban environments, not just branch manufacturing or call centers. From a visitor standpoint, we’re drawing attention beyond the weekend getaway crowd. Don’t get me wrong, being named on “Best Of” lists is nice. But what matters more is when people like John and his business partner, Rachelle Lynch, leaders with deeply informed perspectives on innovation and entrepreneurship, pause mid-applause to say something that candid. We can’t stop now. Too many people before us blazed the trail that allows this work to happen and too many will come after us depending on what we build next. I’m incredibly proud of what our team accomplished this year. And as hard as it is to fathom, I truly believe the best is yet to come for City of Greenville, South Carolina and for NextGEN. Tailwinds are real. Market validation is real. And when the person behind Brambleberry Crisp tells you what you’re doing is working, you listen and you keep going. Onward! (This was excerpted from our 2025 NextGEN Impact Report which you can find here: https://lnkd.in/gBY6HJiy)
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John Lowe shared thisAs we brace for the coming employment impacts of AI, one thing is clear: the way out of the disruption will be through entrepreneurship. I came away inspired and excited about the future after getting time with the board and masters of The Harbor Entrepreneur Center and the great people of EO Charleston. Beyond that - I got to reconnect with the founder of LOULOU.AI, Margaret Seeley, who created Caviar & Bananas - Gourmet Market & Cafe - the very first retailer to carry Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in South Carolina.John Lowe shared thisHuge thank you John Lowe for sharing with the The Harbor Entrepreneur Center at Kiawah Island Golf Resort team last week. I picked up some great insights and the desire to check out Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (which I did 3 days ago!)
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John Lowe shared thisWe are having a lot of fun at Amok Consumer Growth Fund, and I had a blast updating Jason Harris on The Soul & Science Podcast about what we are doing. Shoutout to Rachelle Lynch , Timmy McCarthy and Ryan Parish, who are making Amok amazing - and to the great team at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams -about whom I may have shared a few loving stories. https://lnkd.in/g_X8m-a8What Makes a Brand Worth Betting On | John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer GrowthWhat Makes a Brand Worth Betting On | John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer Growth
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John Lowe shared thisI'm excited to be with the entrepreneurs and investors coming together at NextGen's Venture Summit in beautiful Greenville, South Carolina this September! See you there!John Lowe shared thisWhat does it look like to grow a brand from 4 shops to 90—and then turn around and invest in the next ones? John Lowe did just that as CEO of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, guiding the company from $1M to $150M+ in revenue and national distribution. Now, alongside former Jeni’s exec, Rachelle Lynch, he’s building Amok Consumer Growth Fund to back early-stage food and CPG brands that are ready to scale—with capital and operator know-how. Hear John and Rachelle unpack their journey “From Operators to Investors” at Next Venture Summit on September 17th. https://lnkd.in/daWdz-WY #NextVentureSummit #StartupGVL #ConsumerBrands #OperatorLed #FounderToFunder
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John Lowe shared thisTeam Jeni's continues to wow. The flavors. The quality. The collabs. The writing. The art. Even for a team who routinely brings it all together, drop after drop - this is a stunner of an ice cream.John Lowe shared thisIn a Venn diagram comparing Jeni’s to Goose, where the circles overlap would be called Things That Bring People Together and Make People Feel Good. Music and ice cream are great connectors, and Goose Tracks is our collective ode to shared experiences that make us feel fully alive and less alone. The flavor is fresh blackberries and raspberries folded into cream, bursting with rich, bright, velvety juiciness. A little buttermilk to boost the berries’ natural tartness and make the flavor really pop. And a super-satisfying clash of bittersweet chocolate chips. Goose Tracks is now available for a limited time in Jeni’s scoop shops and online! https://lnkd.in/dG3DMrBR
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John Lowe shared thisI woke up in a cold sweat this morning. My mind was racing. How did the Specialty Food Association get me to agree to be grilled by the great Carol Ortenberg again?!?!?! Did I not learn from being on a stage with her twice before? Will Kathy Yuh and Michael Barber save me from having to answer the difficult questions? But at 10:15am in Las Vegas, will anyone really be there to see anyway?
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John Lowe shared thisTwo great leaders are better than one. The great White Castle has named the first non-family member President in its 100+ year history. This evolution is a credit to the leadership of Lisa Ingram and her vision for the growth of the company. Cheers to Anthony J., whose thoughtful, kind leadership makes him the perfect leader for this iconic brand. Exciting days ahead. https://lnkd.in/geXJgKRN
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3w
Very exciting! Congrats!
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John Lowe liked thisJohn Lowe liked thisBIG kudos to team Fortuna Bank! Today we had the privilege of closing a commercial loan for a brand-new client. A couple of months ago, she reached out because she was intrigued by our mission and our commitment to making banking FEEL different. She visited the office, met with Michelle Haslinger, Ashley Dick and me and shared her story. We listened. We offered solutions. Today, we learned that when she left the bank after that first meeting, she sat in her car and cried. She told us she thought to herself, “I found my people.” That’s what we’re building. Every day, our goal is simple: make people feel heard, understood, and genuinely love who they bank with. When we do that consistently, we earn the opportunity to serve them. This is our why.
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John Lowe liked thisOne of my favorite events we do at Stride Consumer Partners! Always a fun time when working alongside Sharon & David bringing our partner teams together.John Lowe liked thisThis week, we hosted our annual Marketing and Ecommerce Leaders Summit at Stride HQ in Boston. We wanted to take a moment to thank all of our speakers who challenged us to think differently and shared their knowledge with such passion and enthusiasm. Thank you Janet Balis Shawn Edwards Quynh Mai Kelsey Platt John Dawson and Patrick Briggs. And speakers from our very own Stride team. Thank you David Retter Sharon Fox Emma Greenwood Steven Berg and Juan Marcos Hill. Deep gratitude to Allyson Yorks for her thoughtful planning of the event. Lastly, and most importantly, we wanted to thank our partner teams for the great discussion, engagement and peer to peer round tables which allow for such a deep and active exchange of ideas and learnings. Thank you Skinfix Chomps TRUEWERK Patrick Ta Beauty Serenity Kids Peachy Crown Affair and a special shout out to team Odele Beauty for taking the podium as well to share a live case study with all of us. We loved bringing everyone together. Until next year !
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John Lowe liked thisJohn Lowe liked thisThe Pickle Juice Company helping out the referee in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States
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John Lowe liked thisThank you to Ohio Women's Affordable Housing Network for naming me Mentor of the Year, to my friend Maïa Cooper for nominating and championing me, to my friend Allyson Amstutz for coordinating a wonderful event, and to my supportive partners - Kip Wahlers, Kristina Dahmann and Tyler Kalachnik - who attended and celebrated with me. It was a good day.John Lowe liked thisA powerful morning at the Ohio Statehouse celebrating the Ohio Women’s Affordable Housing Network’s Annual Celebration and Awards Ceremony. It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of an organization dedicated to bring awareness to why affordable housing is so important in Ohio. OWAHN’s exceptional programming for members benefits women of all ages throughout Ohio as they network, advance their careers, and learn more about the important work done by our industry. Serving on the board the past 2+ years has been an incredible opportunity for me to connect with fellow female leaders and grow. I still remember meeting Megan Savage Knox 3 years ago at our annual OWAHN and Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. happy hour and making such a meaningful connection I still treasure to this day. Working directly on the Professional Growth committee with Merydith Greene and Bethany Hahn-Ambrosius to create programming like our mentorship program, emerging leader cohort, and administer incredible scholarships to women interested in advancing their careers has been some of the most rewarding work I have had the privilege of contributing. This year working again with Merydith and now with Katie Gillespie, and Samantha M. is so exciting and I can’t wait to see all we continue to accomplish together. I had the honor of presenting Mentor of the Year to Catherine Strauss. Catherine was one of the first mentors who signed up for our emerging leaders cohort dedicated to helping women of all ages learn about Ohio affordable housing and how it works. Presenting this recognition to one of the few fellow The George Washington University Law School grads in Ohio was such a special twist of fate. Catherine was my first female mentor when I moved to Ohio almost 10 years ago. I shared with the attendees “Cathy is the living breathing example of a life built on helping others. Cathy helps empower others because that is fundamentally who she is. She cares when it isn't convenient. She is dedicated when no one is giving her an award. She serves as a brilliant vision of what true work-life balance as a mother, an executive, and an advocate can look like.” Presenting the award for Emerging Leader of the Year to the exceptional Kelsey Fox brought the biggest smile to my face. Kelsey is a fierce advocate for bringing high quality affordable housing to Delaware County and participated in both our mentorship program and our Emerging Leaders cohort and was one of the first individuals to sign up. Kelsey is an exceptional leader and our entire board can’t wait to see all she continues to accomplish for her community. Our wonderful team at Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. showed up to support this fantastic event and our very own Jennifer Ricci who was on the panel! If you are interested in serving as a mentor for our next cohort of women interested in Ohio affordable housing please do not hesitate to reach out to me to learn more!
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John Lowe liked thisJohn Lowe liked thisSay hello to Reese Clark. 👋 A 1L at Notre Dame Law School, Reese has been busy building connections, exploring different practice areas, and diving into hands-on experiences alongside our Columbus team. He chose to spend his summer at Ice Miller LLP because he could tell our attorneys genuinely care—about our people, their growth, and helping them build meaningful careers. Learn more about our Summer Associate program and how you can be a part of it next year: https://ow.ly/OHrf50ZflHq #SummerAssociates #LifeAtIceMiller #FutureLawyers #LegalCareers
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John Lowe liked thisJohn Lowe liked thisLast night, at Catalyst, COSI - Center of Science and Industry Celebration of Inspiration it was a joy to witness business leader, philanthropist and friend, Jeffrey W. Edwards, President and CEO of Installed Building Products to be honored as the 2026 John Glenn Inspiration Award recipient. Jeff’s inspiring commitment to helping make Columbus a vibrant, kind and thriving community is contagious. He cares deeply, see opportunity and solutions where others don’t and brings people together to do hard things that makes an outsized difference in the spaces, places and hearts of this community.
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John Lowe liked thisJohn Lowe liked thisProud to join my colleague and friend Irene Alvarez in representing the Columbus Partnership at yesterday's COSI - Center of Science and Industry's Catalyst Celebration of Inspiration 2026, honoring our Executive Committee member and community leader Jeff Edwards (Installed Building Products). Jeff exemplifies the innovative spirit, curiosity and commitment to service that Senator John Glenn championed throughout his life. Through his leadership and generosity, Jeff has helped strengthen the institutions, opportunities and quality of life that make The Columbus Region a remarkable place to live, work and raise a family. As my wife and I prepare to welcome our second child in the days ahead, I find myself reflecting on the importance of the institutions that enrich our community and the responsibility we share to steward them for future generations. Organizations like COSI do more than educate and inspire. They help create the opportunities and experiences that shape the next generation of leaders, innovators and engaged citizens. Congratulations to Jeff on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you to Frederic "Dr. B" Bertley, Stephen White and the entire COSI team for their leadership and dedication to making the Columbus Region one of the best places in America to call home.
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John Lowe liked thisJohn Lowe liked thisMost of my speaking is in boardrooms and conference rooms. On June 29th, I get to do something I don't often get to do — talk about thriving with real humans in a beautiful restaurant. I'm speaking at Live Sōw Well (presented by Wall of Hope Foundation) — a monthly series where science meets community. This is the same workshop I have the privilege of presenting Canyon Ranch, and I'm so glad to bring it home to Columbus. We'll explore the science of well-being, dig into practical skills for thriving at work, at home, and in everyday life and have a lot of fun doing it. 📍 The Sunroom at SŌW | June 29 | 5:30–6:30 PM 🎟️ $35 (includes a $25 restaurant gift card!) Seats are limited — would love to have some friends in the audience. Reserve your spot → [link in comments]
Experience & Education
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Amok Consumer Growth Fund
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Volunteer Experience
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Board Member
Columbus Youth Foundation
- Present 11 years 7 months
The Columbus Youth Foundation, one of the numerous organization administered by The Columbus Foundation, provides grants to non-profit organizations that provide access to quality sports opportunities for Columbus-area youth.
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Honors & Awards
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Smart Business DealMakers Hall of Fame
Smart Business Deal Makers Conference
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Business Leader of the Year
Specialty Food Association
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Forty Under 40 Recipient
Business First Business Magazine
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Anthony Kartawinata
Moments like this are a reminder that the strongest validation doesn’t come only from campaigns or decks, it comes from real reactions. Watching iShowSpeed respond instinctively to our Jans Crispy Cheese Wontons reinforced something I’ve believed from the start, when a product is right, it doesn’t need explanation. It simply wins. What stood out to me wasn’t the virality, but the signal behind it. Today, specialty snacks don’t just move through shelves, they move through culture. They show up in conversations, habits, and moments that feel unplanned and authentic. For retailers and distributors, this kind of moment matters because it reflects how consumers actually decide. Bold, familiar flavors create immediate acceptance. Genuine reactions travel faster than scripted marketing. And products that feel culturally relevant tend to translate more naturally into impulse, placement flexibility, and repeat demand in-store. At Jans, our focus remains simple and unchanged: build products that people choose instinctively. When that happens, attention follows, both online and offline. #FNB #RetailPartnerships #iShowSpeed #ViralMarketing #B2BSales
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Anand Parankussam
When #tech collides with #culture, that’s where the magic happens. #KeithLee’s The Reheat isn’t just #food reviews. It’s proof that AI (like Microsoft Copilot) can turn small businesses into growth machines. Here’s the mistake most leaders make: They think AI = replacing people. Wrong. AI removes the friction. So leaders can actually lead. So owners can focus on vision, people, and service. I’ve lived this in enterprise automation. The right AI doesn’t just check boxes. It pulls you out of survival mode. It puts you into scaling mode. It gives back time — the one thing you can’t buy more of. What is Satya Nadella and Microsoft doing here? It’s not about tech. It’s a blueprint. For everyone. #Startup. #Restaurant. #Fortune500. Doesn’t matter. The leaders who win the next decade? They won’t chase AI hype. They’ll use it as a force multiplier for humans. That’s the game. #AI #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #Microsoft #SatyaNadella
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