Episode 37: Dave Kartagener - President of KAI, Enabling more people to see more of the world

10/04/20 • 84 min

Today’s guest is Dave Kartagener. Having grown up in the industry, Dave has always had a passion for travel. He went on his first safari at the age of seven and has been exploring the world ever since, having now visited more than 50 countries. Today, Dave is President of Kartagener Associates (or “KAI”), a leader in marketing and sales representation for the travel industry. The KAI portfolio includes exclusive safari lodges in Africa, award winning Palaces in India, luxury cruise ships and Destination Management Companies around the globe. Dave hasn’t always worked in travel and was reluctant after graduating college to join the company his dad started. So, prior to KAI, he spent several years quickly rising through the sales ranks at Madison Square Garden before eventually joining the family business in 2010. In this interview, we get into the impact that travel has had on his life, the benefits of travel, his years grinding it out selling tickets at MSG, and his company KAI and how Covid has changed everything in the industry.

Timestamps

00:02:20 Growing up and traveling

00:09:46 Traveling for self-discovery

00:10:40 Early career ambitions

00:13:07 College days at Tulane

00:17:05 Getting the job at Madison Square Garden (MSG)

00:21:22 First role at MSG

00:27:22 Moving up the ranks at MSG

00:31:04 Leaving MSG and joining KAI

00:37:52 Overview of KAI

00:42:20 Inception of the business

00:46:05 Focus on long-haul destinations

00:48:35 His role at KAI

00:52:04 The KAI Foundation

00:56:43 Covid's impact on the business

01:04:33 How he's coping and moving forward in the Covid world

01:09:05 Ultimate vision for KAI

01:10:22 Young Travel Professionals organization

01:17:30 His daily routine

01:20:55 His driving force

01:23:10 Parting career advice for the young professional listening

Timestamps

00:02:20 Growing up and traveling

00:09:46 Traveling for self-discovery

00:10:40 Early career ambitions

00:13:07 College days at Tulane

00:17:05 Getting the job at Madison Square Garden (MSG)

00:21:22 First role at MSG

00:27:22 Moving up the ranks at MSG

00:31:04 Leaving MSG and joining KAI

00:37:52 Overview of KAI

00:42:20 Inception of the business

00:46:05 Focus on long-haul destinations

00:48:35 His role at KAI

00:52:04 The KAI Foundation

00:56:43 Covid's impact on the business

01:04:33 How he's coping and moving forward in the Covid world

01:09:05 Ultimate vision for KAI

01:10:22 Young Travel Professionals organization

01:17:30 His daily routine

01:20:55 His driving force

01:23:10 Parting career advice for the young professional listening

Previous Episode

Episode 36: Alli Schaper - Wellness, Community, and Mushrooms

Today’s guest is Alli Schaper. Alli is an entrepreneur, community builder, and enthusiast for all things in the mushroom and wellness space. She started her career in corporate innovation and healthcare consulting and in 2019 launched a company called Zigii. Since then, she has partnered with 100+ wellness brands and industry leading clients in hospitality, corporate, and retail. Today, her professional focus is split across 3 ventures: The Multiverse – a functional mushroom marketplace, Zigii – her wellness gifting company, and lastly working as a brand strategy consultant in the health & wellness space. She’s also done some modeling work and is the co-founder of MESH - a community-building initiative focused on intentional connections and curated dinner experiences in New York and LA. In this interview, we get into the genesis of her love of people, the shift from consulting to entrepreneurship, and all of her entrepreneurial ventures including Zigii, MESH, and the Multiverse.

Timestamps

00:02:27 Growing up and early health issues

00:10:44 Early career ambitions

00:17:00 Consulting days

00:21:35 Starting Zigii

00:25:05 Overview of Zigii

00:30:26 Ultimate vision for Zigii

00:31:45 MESH

00:36:56 Passion for mushrooms

00:44:15 Her daily routine

00:47:00 Her driving force

00:48:28 Her holy grail of advice

Next Episode

Episode 38: Cortney Jacobsen - From classical pianist to endurance athlete, product manager, and entrepreneur

Today’s guest is Cortney Jacobsen. Cortney is a passionate endurance athlete, product management veteran of the tech industry, and entrepreneur. Currently, she is the Senior Director of Product Management at Aduro, a human performance company that utilizes a combination of 1 on 1 coaching and technology to improve the lives of their corporate clients. She is also the co-founder of Gritlink, a platform that connects endurance and adventure enthusiasts with healthcare providers who are experts in working with athletes. Prior to Aduro and Gritlink, Cortney spent many years working as a product manager at companies like Amazon and Disney. As her passion as an endurance athlete grew during these years, so did her mission to help people live happier and healthier lives. As a result, while at Amazon, she launched a coaching business which she ran for about 6 years focused on helping senior-level business executives prepare for endurance events. In this interview, we get into her initial background as classical pianist, her career in product management, her passion for endurance athletics, and her current roles at Aduro and Gritlink.

Timestamps

00:02:40 Growing up as a classical pianist

00:10:18 Focus shifting to math & science

00:12:14 Biggest takeaways as a classical pianist

00:15:06 What sparked her interest in endurance athletics

00:21:22 Her hardest races

00:25:36 Career ambitions while in college

00:27:15 First job out of college

00:30:50 Passion for product management

00:34:11 Getting into coaching

00:38:59 Her focus as a coach

00:44:03 Gritlink