Business – Squire Park

From Saudi Arabia to Silicon Valley North: A Venture Capitalist’s Origin Story

Every investor has an origin story, but few are as geographically sweeping as that of Saudi-born venture capitalist Yazan Al Homsi, whose path to North American venture capital ran through multiple markets, industries, and economic cycles before landing in Vancouver’s growing technology corridor. That journey shaped an investment philosophy less tethered to any single region’s…

Children’s Author Greg Soros on Empathy, Identity, and the Written Page

When children’s author Greg Soros talks about what a good book should do, he reaches for an architectural image: mirrors and windows. The metaphor captures something precise about what he believes literature owes its youngest readers. “Children’s books should serve as both mirrors and windows,” he has said, “helping young readers see themselves reflected in…

What Ultra-High-Net-Worth Families Now Demand from Their Advisors

Something is shifting in how wealthy families select financial advisors. The questions have grown more pointed, the scrutiny more sustained. Michael Gold, who leads Gold Family Wealth from Westport, Connecticut, has watched this evolution unfold over more than 25 years of working with entrepreneurs and multigenerational families. Families are no longer satisfied with surface-level credentials.…

Michael Gold of Westport on Choosing a Wealth Manager Worth Trusting

Picking the right wealth manager may be one of the most consequential financial choices a family ever makes. Yet many families approach it the wrong way, evaluating advisors based on polished marketing materials and glossy performance figures rather than the qualities that actually predict a successful long-term relationship. Michael Gold, founder and CEO of Gold…

Michael Polk and the Case for Hands-On Executive Leadership

The conventional image of a Fortune 500 CEO involves corner offices, board meetings, and decisions made far above the day-to-day work of the business. Michael Polk Newell Brands spent years operating in that world. His tenure at Newell Brands, and before that at Unilever and Kraft Foods, placed him at the center of some of…

Klyde Warren Park and the Philanthropic Side of Kelcy Warren

The 5.2-acre deck park that bridges Woodall Rodgers Freeway in downtown Dallas is one of the most visited urban green spaces in Texas. It is also a tangible expression of Kelcy Warren’s commitment to the community that built his career. Warren provided $10 million to help launch Klyde Warren Park and followed with a $20…

Yazan Al Homsi on the Differences Between Middle Eastern and North American Venture Markets

The venture capital markets of the Middle East and North America share the fundamental logic of early-stage investment — backing founders and ideas at early stages in exchange for equity, with the expectation that a small number of large successes will more than compensate for the majority of investments that underperform. But the differences are…

Personal Development as a Business Strategy at Grit Marketing

Most companies treat personal development as a benefit — something offered to employees as a retention tool or a signal of organizational investment in their wellbeing. Grit Marketing’s Aptive Environmental partnership requires the company to take a different approach: treating personal development as a core business strategy whose returns show up directly in the quality…

From Attorney to Toy Executive The Career Path of Judd Zebersky

Career pivots are common enough in business. What Judd Zebersky did was something more specific: he left a law practice, flew to rural China, and spent months personally learning how toys were manufactured before building what would become one of the more recognized toy companies in the world. That sequence of choices defines how he…

Squishmallows and the Vision of Judd Zebersky at Jazwares

Squishmallows are ultrasoft plush toys with names, birthdays, personal bios, and backstories. They exploded on TikTok, attracted celebrity fans, and moved more than 100 million units in a single year. Behind that phenomenon is Judd Zebersky, the attorney-turned-toy executive who built Jazwares and oversaw the acquisition that brought Squishmallows into the company’s portfolio. The Kellytoy…