Jason Hodell, CEO Skullcandy

Jason Hodell, CEO Skullcandy

Jason was one of the few married business school friends I had in Philly. I admired how he and his wife worked together through all the moves and changes a young Army family experiences. Jason and I shared a love for beach volleyball and found ourselves playing on an indoor team stacked with former collegiate players. Other teams would show up to tourneys wearing Goldman Sachs-sponsored unis while we’d roll in on an RV, sleep in the parking lot, and show up to the games squeezed into our high school and college jerseys. Life’s too short to take yourself too seriously…and we never did. But we always won which was never as important as having fun.

Jason’s leadership on and off the court has always left an impression on me. After business school, he worked on Wall St. and demonstrated a work ethic I’d never seen…ever. He was a beast putting in the hours to prove that he could make the transition as an Army Ranger into the corporate world. And he did. 

We have too many stories to share in this episode, but I know you’ll gain some important insights from our chat!

Jason Hodell is the CEO of Skullcandy, the original youth audio lifestyle brand based in
Park City, Utah. In 2020, Skullcandy was #2 to Apple in total headphones/earphones
sold in North America, and the leader in units and total dollars sold at < $100 MSRPs.
Skullcandy is globally distributed in over ninety countries with offices in Park City,
Vancouver, Shenzhen, and London. Prior to this role, he was the CFO/COO of
Skullcandy and helped lead the company through its public company life (Nasdaq:
SKUL) and the subsequent 2016 “take-private” transaction with Mill Road Capital.

Prior to joining Skullcandy, Jason was the CFO of Shopzilla/Bizrate, the largest family of
comparison shopping engines (CSEs) in global Internet retailing, the CFO / COO of
Move Networks, an IPTV technology pioneer acquired by EchoStar Corporation in 2010
to create SlingTV, and, earlier in his career, Jason was the Senior Director of Business
Operations at Digex (Nasdaq: DIGX), a cloud-computing and data center pioneer
acquired by MCI (now Verizon Business) in 2003 for ~$230m in firm value.
Prior to Digex, Jason was in the Technology Investment Banking group of JPMorgan,
focused on communications technology mergers and acquisitions and initial public
offerings. He later served as portfolio manager at Plainview Capital for five years,
ranked multiple times by BNY Mellon among the top 10 performing domestic small-cap-
value equity funds.
Jason received his B.S. in Economics (Mathematical) from the United States Military
Academy at West Point and then served for five years as an Infantry Officer in the U.S.
Army. Jason earned his MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of
Pennsylvania.

Jed Weinstein, Founder & CEO Rise & Set

Jed Weinstein, Founder RISE & SET

As an only child, I always yearned for a sibling. When my husband introduced me to his childhood friend, Jed Weinstein, I was immediately drawn to him. He’s one of the most kind and authentic gentlemen I’ve ever met. Truly, a mensch. And while this sounds weird because he’s younger than I am, he reminds me of my Dad – gentle, well-read, interesting, interested, creative. 🙂

I’m in Philly a few times a year for meetings so I also scoot up to NYC to see some shows and visit with friends. Jed and his wife always oblige and you’ll find me on their couch enjoying the vibrant energy of their Wall St. neighborhood.

On one visit, Jed invited me to a Hublot launch event his company, RISE & SET, was hosting in a non-descript warehouse walking distance of the High Line. Not thinking much about what I was doing or what to expect, I walked in and was immediately transported to a different world. His team had perfectly captured the brand’s uber-luxurious essence. Product was perfectly displayed for guests to try. The setting was very intimate, yet oozed grandeur. I’m not surprised that uber-luxury brands want to work with Jed’s team. He truly understands that aesthetic and what the customer wants.

Jed Weinstein hails from Newport Beach, CA. His passion for marketing was incubated at the prestigious Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, GA, where he was inducted into the Emory Sports Hall of Fame as an All-American Varsity tennis and soccer athlete.

After graduating, Jed founded his first entrepreneurial venture. Three years later, Latin America Sports Camps, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was sold for a profit to a local marketing agency.

Upon his return to the US, Jed was recruited to work with live concert and production company SFX Entertainment, which was subsequently acquired by Clear Channel Entertainment. After years of producing a multitude of award-winning events for the likes of Coca-Cola, Schering Plough, and XM Satellite Radio, it was time. Time to take the skills learned, experience gained, and relationships made, to create something…more.

RISE & SET is that “more” – the nation’s top luxury lifestyle marketing agency, creating superlative experiences for the world’s most high-profile luxury brands and clientele. 

Alli Warner – CMO, Beacon Pointe Advisors

Alli Warner on MENTOR dna

Alli was fresh out of college and interning at Beacon Pointe Advisors when I met her. I’d already had about 15 years of marketing, product and strategy under my belt and was highly-impressed by Alli’s curious nature and willingness to take the bull by the horns and get stuff done without having been asked. 

As I interview more C-Suite executives, there seems to be a pattern with many of them having been leaders on their high school or collegiate teams. Alli played volleyball at USC and was also a competitive horse rider. Her collaborative approach as she’s risen the ranks make her a go-to for her colleagues across the organization. 

MENTORdna with Meesh Pierce

About Alli Warner

 

Allison (Alli) graduated from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California where she was captain of the Division 1, Pac-12, USC women’s volleyball team. She also received a Masters in Communication Management from the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at USC.  Alli joined Beacon Pointe Advisors in 2010 as an intern.  From intern to Chief Marketing Officer, Alli designed and built Beacon Pointe’s strategic plan for the marketing and communications department. Her responsibilities include brand management, digital marketing and social media, office acquisition brand integration, website oversight, marketing material design, presentation and content development including articles, podcasts and video formats, and market research, among other areas of focus.

Alli is very passionate about financial education. She is a founding member of the Beacon Pointe Women’s Advisory Institute and recently co-authored Your Dollars, Our Sense: A Fun and Simple Guide to Money Matters, an international best-selling book that has been ranked #1 in six different business and finance categories.  She also served as a past committee member for UC Irvine’s Center for Investment & Wealth Management Financial Literacy ‘LifeVest’ Summer Residential Program for four consecutive years.

Outside of the office, Alli volunteers her time working with her family’s non-profit organization that serves the military sector, The Patriots Initiative. She also enjoys being in the outdoors horseback riding, golfing, playing sand volleyball, traveling, and spending time with her family. Alli is married and lives with her husband in San Diego, California.