EPISODE SUMMARY:
In today's episode of Philanthropy in Phocus join host Tommy Dimisa as he welcomes guest Douglas Borgia, the Chief Operating Officer and Interim Executive Director at Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe to discuss the organization's mission to honor Nikola Tesla's legacy and inspire future innovators. Douglas shares with us Tesla's groundbreaking contributions to technology and his vision for Wardenclyffe, which aimed to revolutionize communication and power distribution. The center's current efforts include educational programs, informal science outreach, and upcoming plans for a visitor center.
Tommy D kicks off the episode by introducing guest Douglas Borge. Together they discusses the final episode of 2025, highlighting Tommy's goal of producing 5,000 episodes to help nonprofits amplify their message. They then talk about the semi-finalists for the 2026 Imagine Awards in various categories, including social impact, leadership excellence, arts and culture, rising star, innovation, and sustainability. The conversation then shiftsto Douglas's background and his passion for working in the nonprofit sector, with Tommy expressing interest in learning more about Douglas's journey and his role in the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe.
The second segment begins with Douglas and Tommy discussing the concepts of "hand up" versus "hand out" in the context of non-profit organizations, emphasizing the importance of empowering individuals to become self-sufficient rather than just providing temporary relief. They explore how Habitat for Humanity provided Douglas with a "hand up" that not only helped him personally but also created a ripple effect of positive change in his community. The conversation also touches on the role of cultural institutions like the Tesla Science Center in inspiring innovation and education, highlighting the challenge of quantifying the intrinsic value they provide to society.
Tommy begins the third segment by discussing his personal experiences with parenting and education, emphasizing the importance of finding something engaging for children in school. He highlights the work of innovators like Nikola Tesla and mentions the Shinnecock kelp farmers' environmental efforts. Tommy expresses his excitement about visiting the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe in January and praised the internet and YouTube for providing opportunities to learn and explore various topics
In this closing segment, Tommy and Douglas discuss the history and mission of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, highlighting Nikola Tesla's contributions to technology and society. Douglas explains the organization's focus on promoting Tesla's legacy through educational programs, informal science education, and upcoming initiatives like the visitor center's opening in 2026. They also touch on the center's fundraising efforts, upcoming events like the Expo, and the importance of curiosity and diversity in problem-solving. Tommy expresses interest in visiting the center and invited Douglas to attend the Long Island Imagine Awards.
00:00:55.830 --> 00:01:02.749 Tommy DiMisa: This is Philanthropy in Focus, your boy Tommy D, the one and only, the non-profit sector…
00:01:03.090 --> 00:01:09.929 Tommy DiMisa: Connector. That's right. Today, I am back in the attic, so the theme song, you know, the whole… the whole…
00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:34.879 Tommy DiMisa: Get cut through all the static. Join Tommy in his attic, is on point. I'm not in the office, I'm in the attic, we are rocking and rolling. It is the final episode of 2025. Holy cow, man. 237 episodes in the can, as they say. This all started as an expedition, a journey. You know, it was… I mean, listen, maybe I'm being dramatic. It was only walking up two flights of stairs from the kitchen. It wasn't that much of a journey or an
00:01:34.880 --> 00:01:44.429 Tommy DiMisa: expedition. But I am on a plan of doing 5,000 episodes, shining a light, helping nonprofits tell their story and amplify their message, and this is 237
00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:58.779 Tommy DiMisa: In the can. Not yet. 236 in the can. Douglas Borgia, and I will put 237 in the can. I'm calling this episode Legacy of Genius, Tesla Science Center at Wardencliffe. Douglas, before I rant and rave, which I shall do, good morning, sir, how are you?
00:01:59.460 --> 00:02:03.599 Douglas Borge: Good morning. Pretty good. Little rainy out by May, but, all together.
00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:04.840 Douglas Borge: No complaints.
00:02:04.840 --> 00:02:23.059 Tommy DiMisa: I like it too, man, but I will tell you, it's a little rainy out by me, but what's great about that is yesterday there was snow on the ground, today there is not. You know, it's gone from 27 to, I think it's gonna be 58 degrees later on, so, you know, it will, it has warmed up a little bit here on our island, on Long Island, right? I like the warm weather.
00:02:23.890 --> 00:02:25.650 Tommy DiMisa: Literally, you know, and .
00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:44.899 Douglas Borge: We are so blessed to be here on Long Island here. There is such diversity when it comes to the weather patterns themselves, what we have, and, you know, this grounds us, right? So this is, we get these beautiful springs and summers, and we're so fortunate, lucky to be on this island. So, you know, not so bad. Snow? Yeah. Rain?
00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:51.009 Tommy DiMisa: not so… you get it all, you get all the seasons. I mean, listen, if I… I gotta be honest with you, I lived here my whole life.
00:02:51.010 --> 00:03:15.809 Tommy DiMisa: If I never saw another snowflake, I'd be okay with that, to be honest, but that's a whole other thing. But I haven't left in 47, it'll be 48 years next week, but I haven't left yet. So, alright, so I guess I'm sticking around. So we do the show every single Friday, as I've already ranted and raved about. Just to give a… I gotta give a shout-out. I mean, this week we met as a committee for the Long Island Imagine Awards, and I… I just… it's one of the coolest things I'm involved with, our agency.
00:03:15.890 --> 00:03:40.289 Tommy DiMisa: Vanguard Benefits is a sponsor of the Imagine Awards and the Rising Star category, and because this is, you know, season ending, as I would like to say here at the end of 25, going into 26, we're taking two weeks off, the studio closes down, talkradio.nyc closes down, everybody's not working for the weekend, everybody's not gonna be here for two weeks, we're gonna be taking some time off. I gotta just shout out
00:03:40.370 --> 00:03:56.679 Tommy DiMisa: when it comes up, when the screen comes up, about the Imagine Awards, who is the semi-finalists, who are the semifinalists? Maybe we'll get into it later in the show. I was trying to pull it up quick, but I do want to get into this conversation as soon as possible. But the go-to
00:03:56.880 --> 00:04:08.210 Tommy DiMisa: ImagineAwardsLi.org, ImagineAwardsLi.org, and maybe we will talk about it. Oh, maybe we'll talk about it right now. Let's see, let's see if I can get what I'm looking for really quick.
00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:22.959 Tommy DiMisa: Semi-finalists for the 2026 Imagine Awards. Again, you gotta remember there's 6 different categories in the Imagine Awards each year. We have a new category this year. Here's what I'm gonna fire these off, rapid fire. The Cerini & Associates
00:04:22.960 --> 00:04:40.190 Tommy DiMisa: Social Impact Award, you got Camp Aquatic, you got Community Development of Long Island, you got EAC Network, ECLI Vibes, and the Interfaith Nutritional Network, Timothy Hill Ranch, and yes, Community Counseling Services. Sir Tillman Ballen Leadership Excellence Award, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island.
00:04:40.190 --> 00:04:54.550 Tommy DiMisa: Girl Scouts of Nassau County, the, KIFI, Options for Community Living, we know that organization here on the show, right? Paws of War, the People's Ark, and Tiegerman. Many, many organizations have been on the show. Claire Fleetlander.
00:04:54.550 --> 00:05:13.090 Tommy DiMisa: Freed Lander Family Foundation, the Arts and Culture Award, Bay Street theater, Cradle of Aviation, Gold Coast Arts, Huntington Arts Council, and the Long Island Arts Alliance, followed up by Long Island Children's Museum in Usdan. Then you have the Vanguard Benefits. I know that company, that's us. Vanguard Benefits Rising Star Award.
00:05:13.090 --> 00:05:32.060 Tommy DiMisa: BACA. Bikers Against Child Abuse. I'm friends with these guys, they are the coolest guys going. Book Fairies, Career Day, Inc, Cooking for Long Island Veterans, Morrison Mentors, Smile Farms, love my people at Smile Farms, love my people at The Nest at Nassau Community College, rounding off that category. Then we have
00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:34.009 Tommy DiMisa: the Innovation Award.
00:05:34.440 --> 00:05:45.449 Tommy DiMisa: Career Day Inc. again, Gigi's Playhouse, Hair We Share, Hope for Youth, Smile Farms again, Spirit of Huntington Arts Center, you know I'm on the board there, the Maurer Foundation on Breast Health Education.
00:05:45.450 --> 00:06:09.970 Tommy DiMisa: And then we have the Sustainability. This is the new one, the Sustainability and Environmental Award. Balloon Mission, New York Marine Rescue Center, Peconic Land Trust, Quag Wildlife Refuge, Save the Great South Bay. This next one is super cool, I'm excited, I want to go out there and do their interview. The Shinnecock Kelp Farmers. That's just a whole other thing. We'll get them on the show. And the Sisters of St. Joe, so shout out to the Sisters.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:20.650 Tommy DiMisa: you know, doing great work here on Long Island, whether it be from the farming, or taking care of children, and all the work that Sisters of St. Joe's do. Douglas Borgia, let's get into this conversation. Talk about Long Island, talk about our island.
00:06:20.650 --> 00:06:36.419 Tommy DiMisa: So we're gonna talk about your background. Before we get into Nikola Tesla, and before we get into Wardencliffe and the Science Center and all that, I really… I just truly enjoyed a conversation you and I had, only meeting about a week and a half ago by phone, just getting to know each other a little.
00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:41.819 Tommy DiMisa: And, really, your passion for nonprofit, but, like, really your passion for
00:06:41.820 --> 00:07:01.549 Tommy DiMisa: for people, and looking out for your people. When I say that, I mean your associates, your colleagues, the people at work in your organizations, and certainly the people in the nonprofit sector. I want to get into, how did you even get started in this work? You know, we'll get into your role now, but first I want to know your journey. Take us down the road, man. Take us down for a… let's go on a hike together.
00:07:02.390 --> 00:07:14.039 Douglas Borge: Alright, let's definitely do that, but what amazing people you just rattled off, all those colleagues over there in those non-for-profits. I think, out of the list that you listed out.
00:07:14.080 --> 00:07:28.259 Douglas Borge: three-quarters of them are friends, colleagues, supporters, and that's what I really like about not-for-profit culture inside of it. It's a huge dynamic of collaboration, sharing knowledge, passing advice.
00:07:28.260 --> 00:07:50.979 Douglas Borge: So, all those people, amazing, and they all deserve the Imagine Awards, all… in any category. They're good people. For me, you know, I'm, my background's a little bit different, right? So, my… I'm a first-generation immigrant here, so, my parents came here to the United States, and born here, had,
00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:52.970 Douglas Borge: Grew up in Southampton myself.
00:07:52.970 --> 00:07:59.380 Douglas Borge: And as we're growing up, my parents had the opportunity, ultimately, to be tapped on the shoulder by Habitat for Humanity.
00:07:59.630 --> 00:08:17.210 Douglas Borge: And that was my first big experience when it came to the non-for-profit and what they did. You know, for us, at that moment in time, what it meant was we'd get a house, and it was a hand up, and it was just… it was so, so vitally important and shaped my future, and at that moment in time.
00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:26.060 Douglas Borge: you don't know, right? You're just so… you're influenced by your environment, by the people around you, and, you know, obviously, what you're born with, but…
00:08:26.740 --> 00:08:49.949 Douglas Borge: As a result, I would go on to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and I was able to see, over the series of time, other Habitat for Humanity families that received this kind of hand-up situation, and what they were able to do with their lives, right? Starting different career paths, being able to chase down college, and being able to follow their own goals, and
00:08:49.950 --> 00:08:53.619 Douglas Borge: Give back to the community, because It is something that…
00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:59.760 Douglas Borge: When someone gives you something, you feel a duty or responsibility to give back.
00:09:00.060 --> 00:09:01.130 Douglas Borge: And…
00:09:01.130 --> 00:09:23.930 Douglas Borge: at that moment in time, I didn't realize that, but that would eventually evolve into what would be volunteering, and volunteering would lead me into what would be the Children's Museum of STEM. So, CME was such a, such a really rudimentary organization for me, where I got to explore that sense of collaboration and that sense of.
00:09:23.930 --> 00:09:25.220 Douglas Borge: you know.
00:09:25.460 --> 00:09:32.940 Douglas Borge: Passion-driven people that were trying to have a mission-focused approach to being able to solve the challenge at hand.
00:09:33.610 --> 00:09:47.469 Douglas Borge: And as I kind of went through that process in college, you know, and graduated college, it's… non-for-profits have been just a complete natural progression for me, just simply because all I want to do is help.
00:09:47.470 --> 00:10:12.260 Douglas Borge: And it all starts from Habitat for Humanity giving me that opportunity, or giving our family the opportunity to give back to the community in our way. So, for me, working for non-for-profits is a way to help and feel good, and it's a work-life balance that you don't necessarily always get the opportunity to do in other careers. So, it is truly a privilege to be able to work for a non-for-profit.
00:10:12.260 --> 00:10:27.320 Douglas Borge: Where you get the ability to walk out at the end of the day, and trust me when I say, everyone's tired, everyone's exhausted, you can't always meet the demand that you have out there, which is, you know, sometimes sad, but nonetheless, you feel good about the work that you're able to get done.
00:10:28.070 --> 00:10:37.110 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, you know, thank you for all that, and thank you for just sharing your own personal story as it relates to Habitat for Humanity, and I mean, listen, I'm such a…
00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:51.830 Tommy DiMisa: I'm always writing down notes, even when I'm doing a show live like this, man, and I put together a page of notes just while you were talking, you know, so much, so many nuggets there. The first thing I want to hit on is this piece about… you mentioned this phrase, hand up.
00:10:51.830 --> 00:11:03.290 Tommy DiMisa: So, let's… let's play there a second, because I want to understand why, you know, words have meaning, we know that. Why do you use that term, hand up, versus, I guess the alternative would be a hand out? Let's… let's go there a minute.
00:11:04.090 --> 00:11:05.619 Douglas Borge: Yeah, definitely, and, and…
00:11:05.660 --> 00:11:21.319 Douglas Borge: Both… so, first, it's really limited to the need, right? You gotta acknowledge that. In terms of, we have hand-out organizations and hand-up organizations, and the ideal are coupling both. There's nothing wrong with the idea that handing something out
00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:32.889 Douglas Borge: is a need in itself, right? So, rudimentary needs of biological things like food, that's… that's a handout, right? But a hand up, it just solves the underlining
00:11:32.950 --> 00:11:37.979 Douglas Borge: challenge that's there, right? What… why did they need this product in the first place?
00:11:37.980 --> 00:12:02.890 Douglas Borge: And so, in a most perfect world, you couple both of those, and you're able to meet the need of an individual, but build those folks up to be able to do something else, right? That byproduct of what was the underlining challenge. And for me, that was my biggest attraction to non-for-profits. It is not the idea that you simply just solve the problem by providing something, but rather the… and this is… this is… this goes back
00:12:02.890 --> 00:12:09.149 Douglas Borge: to kind of almost those biblical kind of Bible concepts of, you don't want to just give a fish.
00:12:09.540 --> 00:12:10.250 Tommy DiMisa: That's a manifest.
00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:11.770 Douglas Borge: out of this. Yeah.
00:12:11.770 --> 00:12:12.320 Tommy DiMisa: No doubt.
00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:14.359 Douglas Borge: You need fish. That's at the end of the day, right?
00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:29.460 Tommy DiMisa: No, no, I need a fish! I definitely need a fish, but, like, so I don't have to come back here and ask you for a fish next week. Show me, empower me, give me the skill set, the life skills, so I then can get… take care of my… not only take care of myself, but I think, in your example, as an individual.
00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:44.100 Tommy DiMisa: as a part of society, going, wow, now I know how to fish, how do I teach others how to fish? And that becomes one of my favorite phrases, the ripple effect, that becomes an incredibly… I always say this, too, Douglas, you know.
00:12:44.100 --> 00:13:07.640 Tommy DiMisa: I don't think the ripples are finite. I think the ripples are infinite, because we… it just goes out, and that goes to that movie many years ago, and that phrase, pay it forward. You know, but it is, man, it's real stuff. It's if we can support and empower and build folks up, like you say there, that becomes the game changer, and that is the ultimate ripple effect. I love it. I mean, had you not received…
00:13:07.640 --> 00:13:17.780 Tommy DiMisa: the services and that hand up from Habitat, maybe… maybe you don't end up in the nonprofit sector, who knows, right? So your whole… your future was impacted by that, yes?
00:13:18.350 --> 00:13:33.370 Douglas Borge: Yeah, yeah, and you know, and that ties back into, really, Tesla Science Center as well. You know, it's one of those intrinsic values that we can't always quantify in society. And that butterfly effect of every action that we take has a consequence.
00:13:33.370 --> 00:13:40.570 Douglas Borge: And our goal is really to increase the positive net consequences to society. But it's so hard to be able to
00:13:40.640 --> 00:13:41.630 Douglas Borge: kind of…
00:13:41.690 --> 00:13:59.560 Douglas Borge: metric that in some capacity, right? So, like, there's this massive intrinsic value that cultural institutions really provide to society, and balancing that out of figuring out… you look at Tesla Science Center, and you say, well, you know, if you talk about math.
00:13:59.570 --> 00:14:18.390 Douglas Borge: we're talking about inspiring innovators, right? But the inspiration and innovation is more of a mindset, it's a mentality, it's a vibe, it's a concept, it's a… something, the culture that needs these guardrails to be able to steward these things, because a lot of our general culture can feel kind
00:14:18.390 --> 00:14:31.400 Douglas Borge: contradicting against what is the idea of the innovator, right? So, chasing down that idea, being different, being unique, bringing all those qualities to the table, and saying, what is the problem, and what is the challenge at hand?
00:14:31.400 --> 00:14:50.800 Douglas Borge: And trying to do that doesn't have this direct economic value that's trackable, right? And maybe one day, our AI is moving so quickly that we will be able to track people's, kind of, little seeds, because what happens is that you inspire one person, and they build a company.
00:14:51.010 --> 00:14:59.479 Douglas Borge: And they create 100 jobs. Out of those 100 jobs, they inspire other individuals. So, you have to find a really
00:14:59.680 --> 00:15:10.660 Douglas Borge: Balanced approach to the whole process of being able to, communicate the functions of what is, this, this, this…
00:15:10.920 --> 00:15:18.149 Douglas Borge: intrinsic value, but you have to add direct value as well, right? So, it is… it's a… it's a very…
00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:39.979 Douglas Borge: interesting kind of function for Tesla Science Center, where our direct value is we teach so many children about physics, and the concept of physics, and the kind of underlining principles that Nikola Tesla was working through, through, through the sciences that he was doing. But at the same time, it's like, what is the secret mission? And it's no secret, right? It is to create more innovators.
00:15:39.980 --> 00:16:02.429 Douglas Borge: everyone can be a Nigula Tesla, you know, whether you are compelled about his story about being an immigrant, he's the definition of a United States immigrant that builds such an amazing empire here. Whether it's someone that's a brilliant genius, but really, what is the goal here is to get more people to unlock their own potential
00:16:02.430 --> 00:16:07.859 Douglas Borge: through the storyline of Nikola Tesla, combined with the educational components of what we do.
00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:14.920 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I mean, so much in what you said, we're gonna take a break in a sec here. I just want to underscore a couple things. I mean…
00:16:15.290 --> 00:16:16.869 Tommy DiMisa: So interesting, like…
00:16:17.150 --> 00:16:30.829 Tommy DiMisa: you know, I have chill… I have 4 children, and I am… I will say, as challenging as my mornings are, I'm blessed to… 95% of the time, I bring my kids to school, you know, unless I have an early meeting and I… it just is unavoidable.
00:16:30.920 --> 00:16:37.390 Tommy DiMisa: You know, my wife will help me out and do that, because with the way we've set up things scheduling-wise is,
00:16:37.570 --> 00:16:45.740 Tommy DiMisa: you know, it's a situation where I got them in the morning and I get them out the door. And I'm constantly, like, they're not loving going to school.
00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:58.649 Tommy DiMisa: they're not digging it all the time, to be honest with you, you know? And it's such a big part of their day going to school, and I'm just like, man, you gotta find something that vibes you, man. You gotta find something you're digging there, because you're investing…
00:16:58.710 --> 00:17:13.519 Tommy DiMisa: Whether you want to or not, you're getting out of high school, man. You're gonna graduate from high school, we'll figure out what's gonna happen, who's gonna go to college, who's not gonna go to college, who's gonna go to the trades, who wants to play first base for the Mets, let's go Mets. You know, and who's, who's gonna do different things, and, you know, we have some,
00:17:13.520 --> 00:17:20.949 Tommy DiMisa: you know, one of my children is an excellent singer, and, you know, maybe that's her path, but we'll figure all that out, right? We gotta get through high school.
00:17:20.950 --> 00:17:26.570 Tommy DiMisa: And what you're talking about is these innovators and inspiring people You know…
00:17:26.869 --> 00:17:32.629 Tommy DiMisa: that you could do really cool things. And you mentioned physics, and you mentioned, you know, one…
00:17:32.850 --> 00:17:52.239 Tommy DiMisa: one innovator, one, inventor empowering or really just engaging others, right? So Nikola Tesla's no longer with us in the physical form, right? But the story is, your organization, Wardencliffe, is, and we're gonna get into that and what that looks like programmatically shortly, but I've never been there.
00:17:52.240 --> 00:18:00.220 Tommy DiMisa: I live on this island my whole life, man. I gotta tell you, I've never actually been there. I mean, I will be. We'll, you know, we're gonna make something happen in January, right after the new year.
00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:20.019 Tommy DiMisa: But it's so interesting how, you know, even though you live somewhere your whole life, you don't even realize that the history is right there. I mean, I just gotta call out again the Shinnecock kelp Farmers. I mean, I'm gonna go out there and see the Shinnecock kelp Farmers, which are changing our waterways by planting this kelp, and it ends up…
00:18:20.070 --> 00:18:34.650 Tommy DiMisa: cleaning the water, and we're not gonna go into that, they'll come on the show one day, but that's just the point of… that's how much history is around, that's how much technology is around, and that technology is… is ancient technology when we're talking about the kelp and what it does for our environment, so…
00:18:34.650 --> 00:18:53.209 Tommy DiMisa: There's… gang, I guess we're gonna go to break now, but I guess what I'm trying to say is, man, the world is super cool. There's so many cool things you can see out there, man. Touch stuff, play with stuff, learn things, man. You know, I think, for all its challenges social media and the internet has, and yes, there are many.
00:18:53.240 --> 00:19:09.389 Tommy DiMisa: YouTube is, like, one of my closest friends, man, because I can learn so much by going to YouTube. I fixed my… separate from all this… I fixed my dishwasher a couple weeks ago. No way, 5, 7 years ago, I'm fixing dishwashers, but YouTube can help, but you can also learn about Tesla, and you can learn about…
00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:31.370 Tommy DiMisa: Dr. Joe Dispenza, and the, you know, quantum law, and all these different cool things. So, Douglas, how about we're going to take a quick break, we come back, we will dive more into your career, how you got to this organization. I mean, you know, you did work, as you mentioned, at the Children's Museum of the East End, so I want to get into that. And I also want to talk about some of your work at, you know.
00:19:31.370 --> 00:19:36.759 Tommy DiMisa: in immigration, I want to hear about that, and how that has informed some of your work, and things like that. So…
00:19:36.910 --> 00:19:52.700 Tommy DiMisa: Douglas Borges here from the Tesla Science Center at Wardencliffe. The show is Philanthropy in Focus, and guess what? We're late for a break. That's how the show works, gang. If you've been paying attention, that's how we operate here. We'll be right back. Philanthropy in Focus!
00:19:53.960 --> 00:20:17.439 www.TalkRadio.nyc: Are you a conscious co-creator? Are you on a quest to raise your vibration and your consciousness? I'm Sam Leibowitz, your conscious consultant, and on my show, The Conscious Consultant Hour, Awakening Humanity, we will touch upon all these topics and more. Listen live at our new time on Thursdays at 12 noon Eastern Time.
00:20:29.310 --> 00:20:49.500 www.TalkRadio.nyc: Are you a high-achieving, growth-oriented leader? Are you interested in developing your authentic leadership while creating a healthy, inclusive workplace? Hi, I'm Dr. Mira Brancou, host of The Hard Skills, on TalkRadio.nyc at 5 p.m. Eastern on Tuesdays, where we discuss how leaders develop the hard skills needed to make a greater impact.
00:21:36.610 --> 00:22:01.009 Tommy DiMisa: Mr. Nikola Tesla, the mustache is pretty cool, too, gang. I'm all about the facial hair, so I think it's a good look, you know? The mustache is, unfortunately not as common as it used to be, man, but I think it's a good look. It's mainly… mainly for folks being ironic, right? I think it's mainly for folks being ironic and hipsters. I think that's kind of who have taken the mustache on. So… but Mr. Tesla had a nice mustache. Anyway, tell me, what are you talking about?
00:22:01.010 --> 00:22:14.189 Tommy DiMisa: That's the show, gang. That's what goes on. We talk about mustaches, and we talk about physics. Alright, Douglas, let's get into this. So, you're working at the… let's go back to the museum, back to the other museum, you know, the,
00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:19.449 Tommy DiMisa: Children's Museum of the East End. That is sort of out of school, out of college, that's one of your first
00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:22.869 Tommy DiMisa: like, full-time jobs, that sort of thing, let's… take me down that path.
00:22:23.710 --> 00:22:25.820 Douglas Borge: Oh, sure.
00:22:26.270 --> 00:22:33.939 Douglas Borge: It was a fantastic experience. It was an opportunity for me to grow, it was an opportunity for,
00:22:34.380 --> 00:22:41.049 Douglas Borge: The executive director there really offered a substantial amount of support, and really…
00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:45.680 Douglas Borge: I think influenced my way that I go about,
00:22:45.900 --> 00:23:01.630 Douglas Borge: you know, treating the rest of the team. We don't… we don't… no one works for me, right? We work together. We're a team, we're a unit, and what is our goal? Our goal is to build you up so you can be the boss, you can be the next person, you can… so the…
00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:14.870 Douglas Borge: The way that that culture was truly set up, and such a tight-knit, small, passionate group of individuals that all had each other's support and backs and understanding.
00:23:14.870 --> 00:23:32.430 Douglas Borge: it was important, because we all make mistakes, right? And being open, and honest, and learning from those mistakes, and having sessions that say, like, this is what happened, getting to the bottom of it, but coming from a place that says, how do we do this to improve, was such a
00:23:32.430 --> 00:23:33.370 Douglas Borge: great…
00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:56.850 Douglas Borge: really first working experience that, was quite influential to the way that I go about my everyday, you know? I can't say that there's this one element that is so impactful and everything. It was the whole thing. It was seeing the team fully operational, it was seeing people that were passion-driven, it was people that were, really oriented not on
00:23:56.940 --> 00:24:06.290 Douglas Borge: understanding the problem, necessarily, but rather understanding the problem and doing something about the solution, right? Creating a plan, doing something about it.
00:24:06.830 --> 00:24:09.559 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, man, there's so much in life, like,
00:24:09.970 --> 00:24:12.869 Tommy DiMisa: I think great leaders are all about
00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:22.000 Tommy DiMisa: listen, don't bring me a problem, man. Bring me some ideas, bring me some solutions. Like, we got an obstacle in the way, that's okay. What are we gonna do about it? Two or three ideas, right? And then…
00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:46.660 Tommy DiMisa: you know, I see a lot of C-level folks that take that and, you know, that's empowering your team members to go figure it out and make… and sometimes it's going to be the wrong solution, and it might not be the solution the executive would have chosen themselves, but we also gotta make mistakes and figure things out. So, I think there's something so important, because there's, you know, there's the defeatist mindset, which I would consider in my own words, but somewhat immature.
00:24:46.800 --> 00:25:02.239 Tommy DiMisa: Where they just come to you and go, this is broken, or whatever. Great, okay, things break, cool. What are we… and I don't mean broken, like, just as a physical item, gang, but a process is broken, a system is broken, so what are we going to do about it, Douglas? What, like, from a leadership perspective, talk about that a little bit.
00:25:03.010 --> 00:25:17.670 Douglas Borge: You know, and that's it, Tommy, right? I find the solution is never forwards or backwards. It's usually left and right. It is asking those who are around us. There are so many brilliant people, and I find that, you know, it's interesting, inside of the C-suite.
00:25:17.780 --> 00:25:27.320 Douglas Borge: you… and generally in business, people think, like, oh, it's all these numbers and formulas and different things. The reality is that it's problem solving and it's creativity, right?
00:25:27.730 --> 00:25:42.680 Douglas Borge: And it's naivety to be able to say that you have all the solutions, and you have all the, what's going to happen, and that totalitarian kind of function has no place in non-for-profit culture, in my opinion. It really is that
00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:57.840 Douglas Borge: you take that collective mind of ideas and people and bring them all together and try to flush them out. And that process is… it just works so much smoother when you're working as a team, and you could look… turn over to your buddy and say, hey.
00:25:57.970 --> 00:26:07.970 Douglas Borge: I have this problem, what do you think I should do? And gathering that around with the team, and then saying, these are all the possible solutions.
00:26:07.970 --> 00:26:11.929 Douglas Borge: And then trying to figure out which one rises to the top.
00:26:11.930 --> 00:26:30.259 Douglas Borge: is just the methodology of crowdsourcing, right? And you think of, like, Nikola Tesla himself was a crowd surfer, you know? He was… he was… he believed in this world of interconnecting people through the use of the… envisioned this world of the internet being available, and power distribution things, so…
00:26:30.260 --> 00:26:31.169 Douglas Borge: You know, when…
00:26:31.230 --> 00:26:49.829 Douglas Borge: what ultimately attracted me to Tesla Science Center would be kind of those threads and needles of what I was already doing at CME. It was the culture of finding the solutions as a team, and how do we do this together, and figuring out what can we possibly do to, you know.
00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:51.270 Douglas Borge: Solve for the problem.
00:26:51.590 --> 00:27:09.899 Tommy DiMisa: So let's talk about that, man. You know, I just… while you were talking, I just thought to myself, you know, you got the Napoleon Hill book, and probably around the same era, really, of Mr. Tesla, but the Napoleon Hill book, Think and Grow Rich, and I, you know, I just googled it real quick over here, you know, the mastermind, one of those concepts in the book, you know.
00:27:09.900 --> 00:27:17.090 Tommy DiMisa: And I love that, and I love the team word, the word you used several times about team, and just that piece there, because…
00:27:17.090 --> 00:27:35.980 Tommy DiMisa: You know, anybody that works with me works with me. I, you know, I don't care if I'm… if somebody would be considered a quote-unquote employee or a contractor. Anybody who's on my team is a teammate, and they fill in… you know, we… we… you and I chuckled a bit before we hit record here and started going live.
00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:50.449 Tommy DiMisa: But, you know, those who know, know that Tommy D has the ADHD, and it is a blessing in so many ways. And you know what? Sometimes that might be a challenge, and sometimes it might be a challenge for our spouses, who don't have the same beautiful brains we have.
00:27:50.450 --> 00:28:07.159 Tommy DiMisa: But, but what it is, is, you know, you fill in, I believe, you fill in those gaps with players on your team, where it might not be that spot where you excel. Well, you get somebody who loves that. And in my case, I have team members who are…
00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:30.200 Tommy DiMisa: like, ridiculous on the organizational side of things, and can really structure and run process. Process is not my game. Vision is my game. Networking is my game. Making friends, you know, seeing big picture stuff, that's my game. But I need, you know, those people like me, for instance, need implementers. You need other people, and again, not employees, but partners and teammates. What do you say about that before we go to a break?
00:28:30.420 --> 00:28:34.329 Douglas Borge: No, Dennis, you are a thousand percent correct, and…
00:28:34.360 --> 00:28:41.950 Douglas Borge: I have ADHD, and I find this as one of the most powerful tools that I have in my reservoir.
00:28:41.970 --> 00:29:05.600 Douglas Borge: And the thing about it is, everyone has a different set of tools, and a different mindset, and that diversity plays an important role in thought, and it plays an important role in problem solving, right? So, we all bring our different life experiences, our different kind of nuances, what we like to do, what we maybe, you know, don't like to do, and that diversity in thought
00:29:05.600 --> 00:29:12.009 Douglas Borge: And that diversity in experiences brings diversity in solutions, and the more
00:29:12.010 --> 00:29:22.249 Douglas Borge: ideas that we have, that is the most important function that we can do. It's not the problem. The problem is defined, usually, right? If you don't know the problem, we can generally say.
00:29:22.260 --> 00:29:24.219 Douglas Borge: What is it? You can define it.
00:29:24.220 --> 00:29:47.590 Douglas Borge: that's… that's never the issue. The challenge really becomes, how do you garner enough ideas to be able to say, which one makes the most amount of sense for you to implement? And that solution really comes from diversity, and I have thrived inside of this function because, you know, I come from a… we're an immigrant family, and we spoke a different language at home.
00:29:47.590 --> 00:29:56.829 Douglas Borge: And then I go to school, and we speak English, and those in itself become these two cultures, and then you have what this, like, in-between culture in itself.
00:29:56.870 --> 00:29:59.580 Douglas Borge: And so it just gives me a different perspective.
00:29:59.690 --> 00:30:06.939 Douglas Borge: And that doesn't mean that my perspective is right, it just means it's mine, and mine individually. And it gives me the ability to…
00:30:09.350 --> 00:30:31.830 Douglas Borge: come up with some other solutions, and I cherish and value that because other people I know have other thoughts, other solutions, other abilities, other things that they can do and bring that to the table. So, however we can inspire those people to be able to say… two big elements, right? You never want to be able to say to a team member, they bring you a problem, you don't want to say, you know, oh, get right into the problem. You want to be able to
00:30:31.830 --> 00:30:52.999 Douglas Borge: acknowledge that, but move very quickly into, what do you think we should do? Because you want to know what the problem is, but you need to be able to gather as much of that kind of cumulative brain trust that you can possibly manage, right? It's still a balance. There could be a death by a million ideas, right? We all have a pile of good ideas outside of our door.
00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:58.250 Douglas Borge: But you need to couple that with action. So saying, it's a good idea, this is what we're gonna do about it.
00:30:58.250 --> 00:31:02.379 Douglas Borge: and not letting the perfect get in the way of the good, you know? Yeah.
00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:07.760 Tommy DiMisa: I love that one, not letting the perfect get in the way of the good. Like, you gotta, you know, not to say you just
00:31:07.760 --> 00:31:30.309 Tommy DiMisa: you know, flippantly or flagantly do anything, but you gotta do something. There needs to be action, there needs to be some action, so at least we can iterate and go, okay, that didn't work. Or, wow, that did work, what if we twist it a little this way and see what happens next? We're gonna go to a break, we come back, I really want to dive in to the history of this organization, like, why does it even exist? Like, you know, it was… what was it?
00:31:30.380 --> 00:31:55.369 Tommy DiMisa: how did it just get left alone? When… what is the resurgence? We're gonna talk all about that, your role as, you know, as Chief Operating Officer, but right now, as Interim Executive Director, and all of that, and what this organization looks like, and how soon is Tommy D coming for a visit? We'll get to that in the last segment, but let's do this, we'll come right back, we'll take a break, you know, this is… let's go to the break, we'll take a break, and then we come back, we dive into the organization.
00:31:55.370 --> 00:32:05.499 Tommy DiMisa: the work, the programs, everything that's happening at the Tesla Science Center at Wardencliffe, right here on Strong Island, baby. Right back, the Nonprofit Sector Connector. See you in a minute.
00:33:35.120 --> 00:33:45.399 Tommy DiMisa: is, right, cut through the static, join me in the attic, you know, most of the time, although sometimes I'm on the road these days, sometimes I'm in the office. We are all over. So, let's get back into it. Douglas Borgia.
00:33:45.400 --> 00:34:02.180 Tommy DiMisa: currently Chief Operating Officer and Interim Executive Director, or I guess, really, Interim Executive Director, as we stand and sit here right now. Let's get into why does this organization exist, how… what is the history of the org, let's go there, and I'll pepper in some questions as you tell me some stories.
00:34:02.700 --> 00:34:17.280 Douglas Borge: Yeah, so this organization has a pretty awesome, sick background, right? So, taking it back even before the organization existed is who was Nikola Tesla, right? So, Nikola Tesla is just this absolute genius that comes to the United States.
00:34:17.590 --> 00:34:31.760 Douglas Borge: And, he starts working for Edison, and, you know, he does a lot of cool stuff while working for Edison, decides he's ultimately gonna break off, start his own company. He is just plagued by this, like, prolific thought that just comes through his mind.
00:34:31.830 --> 00:34:45.319 Douglas Borge: He's got an idyllic memory, he speaks 7 languages. This is an individual that absolutely loved doing exercise, walked for miles a day, loved swimming, you know, very, uniquely character…
00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:53.869 Douglas Borge: person. I mean, was very uniquely different in even just his neurodiversity, right? Kind of way that he approached things inside of it.
00:34:54.080 --> 00:35:10.129 Douglas Borge: He goes on to, really create what would be our modern-day grid. It's probably what he's best commonly known for. He's a prolific inventor, over 100 patents that he has, worldwide, over 300. I mean, you think about this.
00:35:10.130 --> 00:35:34.860 Douglas Borge: guy is just… this is… the amount of impact he has to our everyday life, quantifiably, is unbelievable, right? So, we get to turn on powers and lights thanks to Nikola Tesla's technology, right? So, at the same time, he's developed so many other technologies, and is the father of so many different things. He's the father of renewable energy in terms of electricity, the father of drone technology, right? He creates this RC drone boat.
00:35:34.860 --> 00:35:47.829 Douglas Borge: that, right here in Shoreham, just drives it around, you know, it's an oversized RC boat, but nonetheless, it's the first drone that ultimately gets operated, and this is an individual that just…
00:35:47.830 --> 00:36:04.559 Douglas Borge: had very… a large set of diversity, and acknowledged the fact, that nature has had such a huge amount of time to evolve, and would often take a page from nature, but he had one underlining theme.
00:36:04.560 --> 00:36:09.769 Douglas Borge: He was doing it all for the people. It was for the betterment of humanity, right?
00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:22.469 Douglas Borge: And so he believed that things like power distribution would add such a huge value to society, and as a result, it would be able to uplift entire, entire civilizations. And we can…
00:36:22.560 --> 00:36:33.779 Douglas Borge: undoubtedly say that was a no-brainer. Not only did he provide power, but he also provided things like radio. Your… today's radio talk show is brought to you by Nikola Tessa, if anything, right?
00:36:35.520 --> 00:36:43.370 Douglas Borge: He's a super awesome guy. I can go on for hours and hours and hours just on one set of topics.
00:36:43.370 --> 00:36:43.690 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah.
00:36:43.690 --> 00:37:03.459 Douglas Borge: very diverse, and you couldn't write a book about his life. You have to put books about his life. That's how complicated it was. He was very plugged into society at the same time. You know, he was hanging out with presidents and mayors and, you know, celebrities, and, you know, he lived a very lavish lifestyle at the same time.
00:37:03.600 --> 00:37:15.700 Douglas Borge: And then he had human qualities that ground us as saying, like, look, this man deserves to be on this pedestal for obvious reasons, but he also had fundamental, human flaws.
00:37:15.710 --> 00:37:27.200 Douglas Borge: terrible businessman, right? Like, he never found that person that could guide him, ultimately, to be that better businessman, or just kind of work with or collaborate.
00:37:27.200 --> 00:37:36.159 Douglas Borge: At the same time, you go back to even other things that help us acknowledge the humanity that he had. It's really, why did he come to the United States?
00:37:36.160 --> 00:37:44.039 Douglas Borge: And he came to the United States, he was out studying, going to college in Europe, and what ended up happening is he racked up some gambling debt.
00:37:44.150 --> 00:37:50.539 Douglas Borge: He decided, right, to Edison and say, hey, Edison, why don't I work for you? I don't really need college, I'm brilliant.
00:37:50.580 --> 00:38:05.660 Douglas Borge: Edison says, great. So, you can see how he's brilliant, but at the same time, has fundamental flaws, and that's… that is… that is the beauty about who Nikola Tesla is, that he's a genius, but he's also a human and fundamental flaw.
00:38:05.660 --> 00:38:30.079 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I mean, that's the human experience, isn't it? I mean, when you think about, like, any sort of, like, arc of the hero story, the hero's journey, right? Or, you know, which you see a lot reflected in comic books and the Genesis story and things, but, you know, all those, like, whether they be, like, the mutants or whatever, there's always that character flaw. There's always something there. And why is that appealing to us from a story perspective? Because that's all of us, because that is who we are. No matter how great you are.
00:38:30.080 --> 00:38:53.949 Tommy DiMisa: you know, there's something there, there's some challenge, and I always say it like this, everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind always, that's something I try to live by. You know, I just want to key in on one thing that you said there, the betterment of humanity. You know, not to throw anybody under the bus, but in this current, as we stand here, sit here, 2025, tail end of 25, really.
00:38:55.390 --> 00:39:13.679 Tommy DiMisa: There are folks who are leaders in this type of work now, but I don't know that they're doing it for the betterment of society, or if they're doing it for the betterment of their bank accounts, and the betterment of the size of their yachts, etc, etc. Now, you know, I'm not… again, I'm not gonna call out anybody, because that's not what I do on the show. You can figure it out, what we're talking… what I'm talking about, gang.
00:39:13.680 --> 00:39:17.100 Tommy DiMisa: But, like, this is a man who, he wasn't doing it
00:39:17.100 --> 00:39:27.060 Tommy DiMisa: to become super wealthy, it sounds like. He was doing it because it was right, and its people were going to be helped, again, from the ripple effect, but were going to be helped into generations. Talk about that.
00:39:27.750 --> 00:39:42.770 Douglas Borge: Yeah, a thousand percent. You're so spot on, and that's a… we as an organization try to embody the qualities of who is Nikola Tessa, and I think the best representation of how much he truly believed that technology would add value to society was
00:39:42.770 --> 00:39:48.679 Douglas Borge: after he created what would be the AC distribution motor that powers our modern-day grid.
00:39:48.680 --> 00:40:00.420 Douglas Borge: the company that he collaborated with, with Westinghouse, George Westinghouse, approached him and said, we've incurred this massive amount of debt. And at that point, everyone knows Nikola Tesla's name.
00:40:00.580 --> 00:40:01.540 Douglas Borge: And…
00:40:01.540 --> 00:40:26.279 Douglas Borge: he says, well, his royalties are very high, so instead of renegotiating his royalties, instead of saying, let's pause the royalties associated with that, let's do something else, let's put a balloon payment, let's do all these things, he said, you know what, the people deserve power, and he opted to rip up the patent altogether and the rights to use, and it gave Westinghouse the ability to increase the access to
00:40:26.280 --> 00:40:43.839 Douglas Borge: power distribution all over… not… we're not talking about just the United States, all over the globe. And that was so powerful, because you gotta understand that previously to this type of technology, with both radio and power distribution, we were limited to weather patterns. You couldn't read a book at night.
00:40:43.880 --> 00:41:06.810 Douglas Borge: you had to go to college during spring and fall semesters, right? There was this idea of going to college during the winter was insane, right? That didn't exist, because you're following weather patterns. Now you have the ability to be able to communicate, and you see, kind of, this direct correlation, even, to the amount of dictators that we have in terms of globe, and you have radio communications that increased.
00:41:06.810 --> 00:41:08.659 Douglas Borge: And what do dictators hate?
00:41:08.880 --> 00:41:26.609 Douglas Borge: communications. And radio helps topple them down. What else do they hate? A well-educated people. Well, now that you can turn on the light and read a book and do things, it was… it was that vision that Nikola Tesla saw that was for everyone.
00:41:26.680 --> 00:41:37.990 Douglas Borge: And we wanted to be as many people as possible, not to be limited to, you know, the wealthy or the limited few to access this, but he felt like you empower the people, you…
00:41:38.310 --> 00:41:47.449 Douglas Borge: solutions that are driven by the rest of the individuals, and as a collective sum, we've rise through technology. And that's exactly what happened.
00:41:47.450 --> 00:42:02.030 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, I love that. Rising tide lifts all ships, lifts all boats, I love that. So, what… so he was doing this work, he was in New York, and he was doing this work out here on Long Island, and then, you know, eventually he passes away, I guess, in, like, the 40s or something like that?
00:42:02.080 --> 00:42:13.139 Tommy DiMisa: Is that… is that right? And… and then what happened to the space, to this, you know, the Warden Cliff? What… what was there? Was it… I'm assuming it was in disrepair? Tell us about that.
00:42:14.020 --> 00:42:18.550 Douglas Borge: So, acknowledging… Wardencliffe is… is, like, the…
00:42:18.630 --> 00:42:35.929 Douglas Borge: pinnacle of his career, and also combination of his career. So, his vision for Wardenclyffe was to combine multiple technologies that he was working on. From an economic standpoint, he would tell his investors that it's predominantly for communication patterns to Europe.
00:42:35.930 --> 00:42:41.570 Douglas Borge: That's why we're here on the east end of Long Island, right? It sticks out, it's easy, geography.
00:42:41.620 --> 00:42:54.470 Douglas Borge: And for other reasons, he selected a site. But nonetheless, he, 1901, he has a site that's effectively in use inside of it, and the top goal there was to communicate with Europe.
00:42:54.470 --> 00:43:03.499 Douglas Borge: people like JP Morgan are invested inside of it, so in his mind, he's like, you know what, I can kind of hedge the markets in Europe, I can make some money off of Europe.
00:43:03.500 --> 00:43:03.870 Tommy DiMisa: Wanted.
00:43:03.870 --> 00:43:07.779 Douglas Borge: information. Previously to this, you'd have to wait for a boat, right? Yeah.
00:43:07.780 --> 00:43:18.520 Tommy DiMisa: Right, we're talking about access to data, right? That's what we're talking about, and that's why… that's why a financier would love this, and would bankroll something like this, because it's a way for them to make money with it, yes?
00:43:18.880 --> 00:43:36.440 Douglas Borge: A thousand percent, thousand percent. So, you know, and as that grew, right, so, 1901, he's at the precipice of what he's… of the beginning part of his project here at Wardencliffe, but Wardenclyffe's site was really twofold. It was power.
00:43:36.640 --> 00:43:53.789 Douglas Borge: power distribution and also communication. And so, in 1903, ultimately, we had, Marconi and the Marconi Company create the first pattern to Europe, and that pattern was pretty simple, they just
00:43:53.790 --> 00:44:09.160 Douglas Borge: used a balloon hopper, essentially, and Morse code the letter J. So this balloon floated to about the middle of the sea, and then they had this repeater on it, and they sent a signal to it, and then it sent over a signal over to Europe. And…
00:44:09.320 --> 00:44:25.600 Douglas Borge: that was the beginning of the downfall for Nikola Tesla from a business perspective, because you had the media pick up that communications to Europe done by Marconi, not by Tesla. But that wasn't even Nikola Tesla's full vision. His vision of Wardenclyffe was to have these Wardenclyffe Towers
00:44:25.600 --> 00:44:30.460 Douglas Borge: All over the world to distribute power and communications completely wireless.
00:44:30.460 --> 00:44:33.799 Douglas Borge: So, the idea that he created the modern-day grid.
00:44:33.980 --> 00:44:41.929 Douglas Borge: And instead of saying, oh, well, I'm making money off of it, I'm just gonna live the rest of my life, he said, I can do better.
00:44:41.930 --> 00:44:45.150 Tommy DiMisa: And he chased that thought down to Wardencliffe.
00:44:45.150 --> 00:44:56.359 Douglas Borge: And so Ward and Cliffs, the idea was that you'd have this power and communications distribution where we live in a society that doesn't have wires at all. So you look at things like Texas.
00:44:56.360 --> 00:45:07.719 Douglas Borge: And they're constantly having power kind of issues, right? You'd have this other boarding cliff tower down there, and utilizing… and I'm oversimplifying some of the science inside of it, but kind of a similar concept to ground residence.
00:45:07.720 --> 00:45:08.620 Douglas Borge: you would
00:45:08.620 --> 00:45:20.199 Douglas Borge: Float the energy through the globe, and you'd pick it up at this other tower, and that gives you the ability to be able to distribute power throughout the world.
00:45:20.410 --> 00:45:35.169 Douglas Borge: you know, there's some limitations on the physics and science associated with that, and just generally speaking, to me, and I think a lot of people, science isn't about success, right? That's… business is about success. Science is about chasing your own curiosity.
00:45:35.170 --> 00:45:48.260 Douglas Borge: And the byproduct of it sometimes isn't realized immediately, and sometimes it takes generations to even activate. And you look at that like the internet. Created in the 1960s, essentially, right? It wasn't until the 80s that it was
00:45:48.440 --> 00:45:57.829 Douglas Borge: getting some movement, 90s with .com, and, you know, today, we get to have a combination of radio and internet. You know, this is… we're talking…
00:45:57.950 --> 00:46:14.069 Douglas Borge: Technology takes time to get a hold of in society, and the product that we're delivering as scientists or engineers are never necessarily this one-to-one where it's of value, but rather
00:46:14.130 --> 00:46:33.229 Douglas Borge: We're chasing curiosity, and we hope that a better understanding of this information will ultimately lead to something that could be of value, but the value of it is not relevant to the scientist or the engineer. That's where the business person comes in, and in a perfect world, you have to marry both of them, because you have bills to pay.
00:46:33.230 --> 00:46:57.240 Tommy DiMisa: Right, no doubt about it, and so many cool tidbits. Science is about chasing curiosity. Gang, I would go one step further just to say, life is about chasing curiosity, man. People go, what is this life for? I think it's to find cool stuff out, test things out, try things out. You don't have to be the next Nikola Tesla. You could be. You know, somebody will be, somebody's gonna do that, maybe they're here already, maybe, you know, maybe they have names that we are
00:46:57.240 --> 00:46:58.510 Tommy DiMisa: can recognize.
00:46:58.510 --> 00:47:03.340 Tommy DiMisa: But the thing is, gang, you got 80 years at this thing, right? Give or take, you got 80 years.
00:47:03.340 --> 00:47:20.390 Tommy DiMisa: enjoy it, man. I started talking about, with Douglas earlier, I said about my own children when I drop them off at school, like, I don't want to go to school, it's not fun, it's boring. Gang, I know there's something you can find fun and exciting that'll get you juiced up in the work you're doing, or if not, don't do that work anymore.
00:47:20.390 --> 00:47:38.139 Tommy DiMisa: Don't do that work anymore. To the best of your ability, go find something that is gonna get you fired up, because as far as I could tell, you get one shot at this thing, and take it and enjoy it while you're at it, and be curious, man. Freakin' try to figure things out. And I would go one step further again, and then we take a break.
00:47:38.500 --> 00:47:40.680 Tommy DiMisa: Don't give up playtime.
00:47:40.890 --> 00:47:58.000 Tommy DiMisa: Don't give up. Just keep playing with stuff. Try to figure things out. What's playtime? This show is playtime, right? My partners and I growing our business is playtime, because we're just figuring stuff out, man. We're working together, trying to do cool things, understand things, and like, to your point about technology, man.
00:47:58.000 --> 00:48:07.260 Tommy DiMisa: Listen, for all its challenges this time in history, this is the coolest time to be alive, man. You can access anything you want, you can get all the information, all the data, you can learn things, you can go to school.
00:48:07.260 --> 00:48:22.289 Tommy DiMisa: Man, you could take a Harvard-level course on YouTube, gang. You're like, I mean, I'm talking to one of my kids who's about a year and a half away from that college situation, you know? There's so much access, man, you can just get information and data. Let's take a break, Tommy D. Okay, we'll be right back.
00:48:58.350 --> 00:49:05.949 www.TalkRadio.nyc: Are you a purpose-driven individual looking for deeper healing, clarity, and growth?
00:49:53.640 --> 00:50:17.340 Tommy DiMisa: That is right, cut through the static, join me in the Attic. We, we sometimes refer to this as the lightning round. Why? Because your boy always wanted to be a game show host, and we usually have less time than I need to at the end of the show, so we call this the lightning round. Alright, I want to ask you something, Douglas. You know, I look at your background, and, you know, you have your associate's degree in CJ and criminal justice, you have your bachelor's degree in criminal justice and law. So my question is, you
00:50:17.340 --> 00:50:18.170 Tommy DiMisa: sound…
00:50:18.780 --> 00:50:34.919 Tommy DiMisa: very well spoken, and you have a very good understanding of science. So, my quick question is, how important was science to you before this role? Because I… and or is it because you do this, you had to get the vernacular down? Real quick one on that.
00:50:35.850 --> 00:50:48.220 Douglas Borge: Yeah, both is the answer, right? So, first, I've always loved, kind of, the science and engineering, I love tinkering with different toys, and so that's just my own natural curiosity that I've always done.
00:50:48.220 --> 00:51:12.900 Douglas Borge: And at the same time, you know, for me, it's trying to find the, there's always terminology when you kind of move into the next thing. For Tesla Science Center, we're actually not the scientists, we're not the engineers, we are the scientific communicators, and our job is to layer it down and excite people. So, that comes through informal education, that comes through excitement of the technology, it comes through the unlocking the potential
00:51:12.900 --> 00:51:25.870 Douglas Borge: and, you know, kind of going through… through that process, but there's no one thing. There's been, my life experiences, and combined with my educational kind of background, have led me to where I am now.
00:51:25.870 --> 00:51:49.380 Tommy DiMisa: That's awesome. I love that. And it's really breaking it down, as you say, maybe for the layperson who's not a scientist, and the person until they can grasp this, like, I am not a scientist, but I'm vibing with you, man. I'm getting what you're talking about, so I dig it. I cannot… I mean, I can wait, but I don't want to wait much longer to come out for a tour, so we will work that out. Gang, the website is TeslascienceCenter.org.org, Tesla.
00:51:49.380 --> 00:51:58.490 Tommy DiMisa: sciencecenter.org, check it out. Alright, Doug, talk to me about programs. I see STEAM, I see educational programs. What does it look like to be connected to the organization?
00:51:59.470 --> 00:52:15.730 Douglas Borge: Well, there's a lot. So we, right now, we're in a growth pattern stage, so what that means is that we do a lot of programs going out to school districts, we go to, we do informal education, we do presentations, conferences, symposium, we do some coding classes.
00:52:15.730 --> 00:52:21.750 Douglas Borge: And their all underlining theme is linked to Nikola Tesla, technologies that Nikola Tesla was working on.
00:52:21.750 --> 00:52:38.020 Douglas Borge: And we combine what is that storyline of the who is Nikola Tesla into the science, the history, and the culture, right? Because we want to empower these people to see these, see themselves to unlock their own potential.
00:52:38.020 --> 00:52:56.050 Douglas Borge: But yeah, we're kind of a little bit all over the place when it comes to some of the programs. We, in 2026, will be expanding even more programs on-site as we get the visitor center completely under construction. And then from there, we'll be about 3 years of just programmatic expansion.
00:52:56.050 --> 00:53:15.820 Douglas Borge: delivering programs online, virtually, we've done some podcasts, we've done some other things that we do, and part of this is this, right? Talking about who is Nikola Tesla. We want you to know, because we truly believe that his storyline of what he was able to accomplish is embedded in, kind of, everyone in society, and not everyone knows who and what he's done.
00:53:16.280 --> 00:53:21.119 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, yeah, I think… thank you for all that, and, you know, I'm inspired…
00:53:21.320 --> 00:53:30.439 Tommy DiMisa: to just have conversations with people about that curiosity piece again. You know, it's not… folks, some may become the next
00:53:30.740 --> 00:53:44.100 Tommy DiMisa: Tesla, the next science, the next physicist, the next genius, but not everybody will, but it's still, why not experience these things and get… and because I think, you know, like, from a holistic perspective, you know, I can learn from Tesla.
00:53:44.100 --> 00:53:54.079 Tommy DiMisa: how to think creatively about my Vanguard Benefits, our business, which is an employee benefits operation, and I can learn from that, right? We're all impacted by everything affected
00:53:54.080 --> 00:53:59.029 Tommy DiMisa: Positively and negatively, by all the different things that we get access to.
00:53:59.030 --> 00:54:15.729 Tommy DiMisa: and the experiences we have, I mean, even as you and I talked about, Douglas, at the beginning, around teams, and teams bring their experience, and they see the world through their lens, and all of that is… is… is… well, most of it is positive, but maybe some of it isn't, but it's the opportunity for
00:54:15.800 --> 00:54:25.000 Tommy DiMisa: different aspects of our life to be impacted by what we experience. And I know for a fact, when I come out for a visit, I'm gonna see things that are gonna go, man, you know.
00:54:25.000 --> 00:54:37.129 Tommy DiMisa: Well, isn't that interesting how, you know, they thought about that creatively back then, and that's something that I can apply to my business, and that's just so cool. Talk to me about events coming up, how do you guys do fundraising? Like, tell me about that real quick.
00:54:37.820 --> 00:54:55.519 Douglas Borge: Yeah, fundraising's all over the place in terms of what we do. There's no one bucket that is the bucket, right? Private philanthropy, people, just memberships, things like that, combined with some state and federal funding associated with it. Federal funding has been a bit of a challenge for the last, you know.
00:54:55.520 --> 00:55:01.459 Douglas Borge: couple years now, so we'll kind of reposition and re-navigate that, but,
00:55:01.460 --> 00:55:05.779 Douglas Borge: And then we have a couple events, you know, throughout the year. We're in a little bit of a pause during winter.
00:55:05.780 --> 00:55:29.270 Douglas Borge: And come spring, we'll be celebrating what would be the opening of the Visitor Center, and then we move into some of the on-site programs that happen in the summer. Big one to note is the Expo. It's this giant celebration of Nikola Tesla's technology. Last year, we did, or actually this year, we did a couple hundred drones up in the sky, like 3-400 drones, and we put Nikola Tesla's face, he's the father of
00:55:29.270 --> 00:55:52.300 Douglas Borge: of radio technology and drones, so it's very natural to be able to celebrate nucleotide. Not everything is about numbers and things, it's just sometimes we need to use technology to inspire, to see, to do, and visualize it, because that is a stepping stone into, really getting into the depths of what is getting a PhD that becomes a lot more technical and niche.
00:55:52.300 --> 00:56:00.040 Tommy DiMisa: Did you… so wait, I don't know if we missed this, did you take those drones and made his face, like, up in the sky or something like that? Come on, man.
00:56:00.040 --> 00:56:01.529 Douglas Borge: The whole storyline will…
00:56:01.530 --> 00:56:26.479 Tommy DiMisa: Oh my god, that's awesome. Oh my god, we gotta talk about that. That's a whole other show. That's just a show just about that. That's really cool. So we… I'll make sure to find out more information about the Expo. We'll talk going into 26, you and I for sure. I would like to invite you, if you weren't already going, Douglas, a guest of mine at the Long Island Imagine Awards, since we started off the show about that, you mentioned you had a lot of friends in the room. You're a guest of ours, Vanguard Benefits, we got a table. I'd love to have you sit with us.
00:56:26.480 --> 00:56:27.050 Tommy DiMisa: us.
00:56:27.050 --> 00:56:35.400 Tommy DiMisa: And, you know, come out, meet some new people, shake some hands, the whole deal. I'm appreciative of you, man. Appreciate this new connection we have.
00:56:35.400 --> 00:56:57.530 Tommy DiMisa: It was actually Mark Safran who connected us. He was like, Tommy, you gotta talk to Douglas, and then this all happened. So, folks, I leave you, you know, with a couple things. I'll say, as I always say, everyone you meet is fighting a battle. You know nothing about. Be kind always. Hashtag ending the stigma together. We're gonna end stigmas around mental health issues. We're gonna end stigmas around neurodiversity. We're doing things. We're gonna change the world. This has been another
00:56:57.530 --> 00:57:02.830 Tommy DiMisa: In Focus Production. I'll see you guys in 26. Make it a great day. Thanks, gang. Bye.
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