Standing Out: Innovators, Disruptors, and Influencers

By Rita Guthrie, Rob Sayre and Jennifer Bright

Standing Out celebrates the inspiring stories of 28 local Lehigh Valley leaders. This full-color book shares the advice and experiences of these business luminaries, including how they stand out among their competition and exceed expectations to improve their lives, businesses, and community.

Each story is accompanied by a stunnin

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bright Communications LLC
• Release date: Aug 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781958711040

Book preview

©2022 by Bright Communications LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Internet addresses given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

Printed in the United States of America

Published in Hellertown, PA

Cover and interior design and illustrations by Christina Gaugler

Layout design by Jennifer Giandomenico

Cover photo edited by Serferis

ISBN 978-1-958711-03-3

ISBN 978-1-958711-04-0 (e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number 2022912376

Photograph on page 69 by Elaine Zelker

Photograph on page 112 by Tamara Knight Photography, Orlando, FL

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 paperback

BrightCommunications.net

To the incredible local leaders of the Lehigh Valley, thank you

for inspiring me!

—Jennifer Bright

To my business clients and colleagues who believe that my ideas and expertise made them better. It’s the other way around. Your energy, your knowledge, your encouragement, and your connections shaped me.

To our contributors who, by sharing their stories, elevate our entire community and help other entrepreneurs envision how they too can rock the world.

—Rita Guthrie

When I am feeling like the world is going to hell, I take note of the steadfast hard work of small business owners who produce hope, prosperity, and a better world. Our contributors truly Stand Out because of who they are and what they do each day.

—Rob Sayre

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Nelson A. Diaz: I Bring People’s Dreams of a Home to Reality

Liz P. Summers: I Love Bringing Out the Best in Other People

Michael Carnathan, MD: Caring for Patients, Families, and Our Community Are the Arrows in My Quiver

Michelle Landis: My Passion for Learning and Educating People Propels Me Forward

Neville Gardner: Bringing the Magic of Ireland to the Lehigh Valley

Maria Wirth: An Integral Part of the Economy, Bartering Benefits Lehigh Valley Businesses

Julio A. Guridy: From Working on the Farm I Grew to Helping Lead the Redevelopment of Allentown

Valerie Bittner: Fearlessness and Flexibility Are Keys to My Success

Amanda Hecker: I Work to Open People’s Minds and Hearts to Transgender Issues

Louis Wyker Holzman: Giving Back, Helping Groups Grow, and Moving Projects Forward Are My Passions

Patty Gatter: I Educate Moms and Help Families Thrive

Jayme Zick: I Hold the Keys to Ease Your Home Purchase

Jane Wells-Schooley: My Passion Drove Me to Fight for Justice in Washington and Launch My Businesses at Home

George Wacker: Love Is the Foundation of All We Do

Lyn Hufton: Doing My Part for a Better LGBTQ Community, and the Lehigh Valley, Is in My Heart

Terry Wallace: With Venture X, I Provide the Future of Workspace

Joanne Leasure: Where Others See Numbers, I See a Story

Pete Reinke: Bringing People Together and Fostering Diversity Helps the Lehigh Valley Thrive

Amanda Morris D’Agostino, PhD: Painting Feeds My Soul and Adds Beauty to the World

Byron Roth: I Help Business Owners Bring Their Vision to Life

Carmen S. Dancsecs: When Emotions Run High at Closings, I’m a Positive Voice in the Settlement Room

David C. Myers: I Strengthen My Organization Through My Own Continued Learning

Julie Knight: I Help People Gain Financial Empowerment Through SMART Goals and By Finding Meaning Behind Financial Decisions

Laura M. Eberly, PE, LEED AP: As a Civil Engineer, I am a Nuturer of Nature, Protector of Property Rights and Educator of People

Austin James: I Build Communities and Help Them Thrive

Carol Cannon: I Help People Move from Chaos to Calm and Health through Feng Shui and Building Biology

Katie Kupstas: I Help People Bring Their Innovations to Life

Terree O’Neill Oakwood: I Capture and Preserve Life’s Special Moments

ABOUT THE LOCAL LUMINARIES

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

ABOUT THE CURATORS

Introduction

One of the greatest joys of my professional life is introducing smart, wonderful people with other smart, wonderful people. I’m fortunate that the Lehigh Valley is filled with smart, wonderful people. Our Local Luminaries books are all about identifying, supporting, and connecting these people. With this, our second book, we now have more than 60 Local Luminaries! I’m so proud to share their stories here.

—Jennifer Bright

Most of us did not set out to change the world. But here in these pages you’ll find that each of our contributors has been Standing Out in their own way. Whether our journey began on a farm or on a college campus, the common thread is that we have each learned how to grow a business while managing from the heart.

What determines our success? Perhaps a simple desire to do better than the previous generation. Most of us have explored multiple paths looking for the golden combination of professional satisfaction while still being able to feed a family.

We cannot and do not go it alone. People and experiences impact us along the way.

I see creativity and community, connections and courage, control and confidence. While chaos and confusion can temporarily derail our forward motion, that is often what propels us into innovation and exploration, and we rise up even stronger than before.

Through this process, I’ve had the pleasure of learning many new facets of these entrepreneurs and innovators who I thought I knew well, what motivated and drove them to evolve and explore their new visions.

—Rita Guthrie

When we were brainstorming for a title and a focus for our second book in our Local Luminaries series, we came up with three words to help us find people who stood out in our local community: innovation, disruption, and influence.

A few people come to mind when I think of innovators: Thomas Edison, J.I. Rodale (organic pioneer and founder of Rodale Press), and Archimedes (the ancient Greek most famous for the Archimedes’ Screw [a device for raising water that is still used in crop irrigation and sewage treatment plants today] and Archimedes’s principle of buoyancy).

When I think of disrupters, I think of Henry Ford, Elon Musk, Rosa Parks, and Cyrus McCormack, the man credited with developing and inventing the mechanical reaper (in 1831).

When I think of influencers, these come to mind: Frederick Douglas, William Shakespeare, Amanda Gorman, and the Beatles.

But what we found is there are amazing people in our local communities who in their own lives, through their work in their communities and for the greater good, Stand Out. Their stories were inspiring to us, and we hope they inspire others to find their own way to innovate, disrupt, and influence the world in their own unique way.

—Robert Sayre

I Bring People’s Dreams of a Home to Reality

Nelson A. Diaz, President of Mi Casa Properties, in Allentown

My father called me campeón , which means champion in Spanish. He always believed in me, and he created the expectation that I would be successful.

When I was just 13 years old, my dad asked me if I was willing to leave Cuba alone to escape communism. At 13, I left by myself for Spain, where I lived in a camp with other Cuban boys under the care of the Catholic church. Surviving—and thriving—alone in an unfamiliar country at age 13 gave me the strength and courage to take many chances in my life.

After living in Spain for a few months, I came to the United States to live with my aunt and uncle until my parents and siblings were able to leave Cuba. I eventually reunited with my family in Florida, and soon we moved to New Jersey. My father worked as a handyman for real estate investors. I was his helper after school and weekends. He taught me the skills to rehab a property myself, which became very useful years later when I bought my first investment property.

Even when I was a young boy, before I left Cuba, my parents expected me to become an engineer. They noticed that I was good in math and science, which are essential in the field of engineering. Another factor might have been that my poor English language skills at that time could have made other fields of study more challenging. Math is a universal language!

I was drawn to civil engineering in particular because I always loved construction. As a child, I spent countless hours constructing small highways and bridges and playing with my little cars and trucks. By studying civil engineering, I had the opportunity to build the real things.

After graduating from Rutgers School of Engineering, my first engineering job was at a small design and construction company in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The owner believed in my abilities as an engineer, and he became my mentor. Even though I was only in my twenties, he assigned me very challenging projects that required leading project teams, interfacing with clients, and managing office activities. He believed in my abilities more than I believed in myself! Little by little, he built up my confidence.

I believe in the power of the mind. It’s important to set goals and develop a detailed plan to achieve them.

Very early in my engineering career, I bought my first property. Out of necessity, I invested in a two-family property, which I renovated myself. I lived in one of the units, and I rented the other one to help pay for the mortgage— with a 17 percent interest rate. Within a year, I sold that property for a profit that was equivalent to an entire year’s salary as an engineer. I knew then that real estate investing was the right fit for me.

Over the years, my career in engineering brought me to Allentown to work for PPL as a Project Manager in the Nuclear Department. Although I love engineering, the challenges of real estate really get my adrenaline flowing. I believe that a little bit of controlled risk in life keeps things interesting. In time, the balance had shifted. Today, after working 20 years as an engineer and 40 years since I bought my first investment property, I dedicate myself 100 percent to my real estate business.

One of the many things I love about working in real estate is being part of a team. As an investor in real estate, you need to be surrounded by a great team, from the agent finding the properties, the bank financing them, the title company closing the deal, and the construction team rehabbing the property. Keeping everyone moving in the same