About Us

Glenn Smith, Owner and Lead Coach; G.Smith@TheGrowthCoach.com   

Glenn Smith is the owner and CEO of The Growth Coach in Houston, Texas, a coaching and consulting firm designed to help executives and business owners improve their businesses and their lives.

Glenn serves on the President’s Forum for The Growth Coach franchise system and he serves as a mentor to new franchise owners. Glenn was selected as The Growth Coach’s “Coach of the Year for 2011.” In 2012 Glenn received the Ursala Coates Memorial Award for his service to the Fort Bend County area. He is also Chairman-Elect for the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce for 2013.

Glenn is a popular conference speaker having spoken for national conventions as well as local professional groups.  He has spoken for groups of 2,000 to 20.  He enjoys speaking on topics such as leadership, business strategy, marketing, goal-setting, work/life balance, and more.  Glenn welcomes the opportunity to provide inspirational and educational talks.

Glenn grew up working in his family’s business and has been a successful business owner himself. With over 30 years of experience in business and organizational leadership he understands the challenges business owners face. For more than 10 years he has been coaching business and organizational leaders, and has worked both nationally and internationally. He has taught courses on leadership and organizational development in several graduate schools. Glenn is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and holds an M.A. in Global Leadership.

Glenn and the entire Growth Coach team is committed to the Code of Professional Standards and Ethics as set by the International Coach Federation.  Glenn also holds several certifications including certification in the Strategic Mindset Process®, a unique and proven process to help business owners grow their business while balancing their lives. He and his wife Terri have been married for 37 years. They have 3 grown daughters and 1 granddaughter. Glenn and his family have lived in the Houston area for almost 20 years.

See his BLOG for free weekly business tips to help you both personally and professionally! Glenn’s complete profile may be found on LinkedIn.
Angelo Gonzalez - Marketing Director for Growth Coach Houston Angelo Gonzalez, Marketing Director - Angelo Gonzalez is the Marketing Director for The Growth Coach Houston and serves as a special assistant to our owner and lead coach Glenn Smith. Angelo oversees all of our lead generation activity and he is the primary contact for client support & satisfaction. Prior to joining The Growth Coach Angelo was a successful Marketing Assistant for a group of Financial Representatives at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. Angelo is a graduate from Houston Baptist University.  He and his wife Sarah have been married for 5 years and have 2 young daughters.  Angelo is committed to giving our clients the best experience possible with The Growth Coach.  He is available to answer any questions you may have and to serve you if you have any needs.  Angelo can be emailed at angelogonzalezjr@gmail.com.
Jared Polak, Co-Owner and Coach - Jared Polak is a co-owner of The Growth Coach® in Houston, TX.  Out of the 150 Growth Coach Franchises across 43 states, Jared is the youngest member to be awarded a Franchise.  Jared is a sought-after public speaker and thought-leader in the business coaching space. He is passionate about helping business owners balance their business and personal lives, and his favorite speaking topic is “driving success and balancing life.” In addition to his successful business career, Jared is an active international philanthropist and has worked with the Dalit Freedom Network in India, a remote fisherman’s village in Brazil, and the Homeless in Houston, Texas.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. and a B.A. in International Business from the University of Missouri.  He is joyfully married and his wife Amy shares in his entrepreneurial spirit by marketing a family-owned non-profit organization.Jared can be emailed atJ.Polak@TheGrowthCoach.com.
Bob Hargarther – Born in Rochester, NY, Bob joined the Banking Industry after a tour of duty in the US Marine Corps. During his banking career Bob taught numerous sales courses including Dale Carnegie and Xerox Vertical Marketing Sales. After spending 20 years in banking, Bob and his wife opened their first Kwik Kopy Print Shop in downtown Houston. Eventually they owned and operated 3 Kwik Kopy Shops, an American Wholesale Thermography Shop, and a Parcel Plus store. During this time Bob continued to train and coach other business owners. Upon completion of their 25 years as Kwik Kopy owners, Bob joined the staff of ICED where he held the position of Director of Education and served as a consultant in franchise development.  Bob brings a unique coaching contribution from banking, education, and franchise development. Bob can be emailed at Hargarther@aol.com.
Casey Cease - Casey is a serial entrepreneur having successfully started several businesses.  He is also a dynamic public speaker who regularly travels across the U.S. sharing his own personal story and giving spiritual and inspirational encouragement to people of all ages.  Casey has a life-calling to serve people.  He currently owns several businesses and serves as the Executive Director of a non-profit organization.  He is an elder at his church and serves on several non-profit boards.  Casey is a graduate from the University of Houston and Southwestern Seminary.  He can be emailed atC.Cease@TheGrowthCoach.com.
The Growth Coach® began over 15 years ago by Dan Murphy, a CPA in Cincinnati, OH.  After working with a large accounting firm for several years, Dan became increasingly concerned for the small business clients.  Year after year he saw that they needed more personal support and guidance in business development than most CPA’s have the time or expertise to give.  Dan left accounting to begin coaching small business owners, helping them grow their businesses while also balancing their personal lives.  Dan is the creator of our proprietary Strategic Mindset Process® which has now helped several thousand small business owners and self-employed professionals.  In 2002 Dan launched The Growth Coach® Franchise and since that time it has grown to over 150 offices across the U.S. and Canada.