Kurt Schneiber, CEO, Syncada, Minneapolis, Minnesota
During Kurt’s tenure with Vistage there were always opportunities to apply a new strategy or tactic to improve the business. “But you can’t just do everything every month,” said Kurt. For him, each monthly meeting or a presentation from a Vistage guest speaker revealed nuggets that often led to incremental changes. “For me, success is also about increments. It’s not always about big breakthroughs,” he said.
Kurt’s Vistage group consisted of CEOs and executive leaders from industries such as health care, technology, banking and finance, distribution and manufacturing. To be sure, a wide range of industries, but according to Kurt, “Our challenges were pretty common.” Not having any competitors in his group freed up his thinking and helped him be a more valuable contributor and more forthcoming with his own company’s challenges. “It’s a very safe place,” he added.
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Micah Thor, COO, Tech Guru, Minneapolis, Minnesota
In a company that promises to free its clients to do their best work by taking care of all aspects of a business’s technology, being a part of Vistage has created great value. “It’s undeniable that Vistage has had an impact,” says Micah. “It’s given us ideas and different, better ways of doing things. It’s helped us mature faster.”
Micah learned about Vistage from one of Tech Guru’s clients. Micah had been looking for a peer group that would allow him to learn and meet with people of different backgrounds, such as HR and marketing. Along with founder and CEO Dan Moshe, Micah is part owner of Tech Guru and he was interested in connecting with entrepreneurs who had profit and loss responsibility.
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Lucinda DuToit, VP of HR, Digineer, Plymouth, Minnesota
After two years working with her Vistage group members Lucinda has found that most companies “have the same problems.” Each month, members can take turns vetting issues they share in confidence with the group. Members chime in with advice and suggestions, and many times, add a whole new twist on an issue. “It’s nice to get an opinion from someone who is not mired in the details of your business so they can look at an issue objectively,” shared Lucinda. “When I’m wrestling with a decision at work I can air it with my peer group, but not with people I work with,” she observed.
Moreover, accountability to other members is the thread that holds Vistage groups together. “You make commitments to the group and you better follow up,” Lucinda said. Emails are often exchanged between members, too, in a constant flow of communication outside of the regular meetings. But it’s the monthly meetings, and the chance to process issues, that keeps members coming back. “If I miss a time, I’m disappointed,” said Lucinda.
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Deb Erickson, CEO, The Line UP, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
“Deb cites the speakers and Brian as the top two things she likes most about her Vistage experience. The speaker quality is phenomenal,” she exclaimed. “I look forward every month to the presentations.” Returning to the office following her Vistage group meeting and presentation—she’s always eager to share the meeting content with her team. On numerous occasions, Deb’s brought a staff member with her to hear relevant presentations. “Vistage has helped us grow more strategically. If I had been sitting by myself, like before Vistage, our growth would have been much slower.”
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Wendy Benning, CEO, VERUM Staffing, St. Paul, Minnesota
“Shortly after joining Vistage, Wendy realized she was discovering answers to questions she didn’t even know she had. And these were vital questions for any entrepreneur growing a business. I had questions like ‘when do I hire’ and ‘when do I invest,’” sharing a few examples.
Most monthly meetings feature guest speakers, who for Wendy have answered multiple questions and led to new business initiatives and practices within VERUM. She said ‘Brian is very conscious of the needs of all group members when choosing topics and speakers to plan for our meetings.’ Wendy noted that all of the speakers she’s heard have been relevant for her business and have helped her achieve her strategic objectives.”
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Melanie Sullivan, Ed.H, CEO, St. Croix Orthopaedics, Stillwater, Minnesota
“It’s challenging being a CEO and sometimes difficult to find people to share your concerns and thoughts with. CEOs cannot confide in employees, of course. But for Mel, Vistage has become her self-described ‘safety net.’
‘It’s a place where you can allow yourself to be vulnerable,’ she said, noting that she feels she can share anything with her fellow group members without the fear of information ever leaving the room. Mel said honesty and forthrightness prevails with others because it’s a ‘competition free zone.’ Not surprisingly, she describes her Vistage colleagues as a group of ‘great human beings.’
Mel views the value of the all-day Vistage meetings once-per-month as an essential ‘Investment in me.’ She said that while she’s away from the office she’s ‘working on the business, not just in the business.’”
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Sam Claassen, President and CEO; Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH), St. Paul, Minnesota
“Change is one of the reasons Sam will keep his Vistage membership. The opportunity to hear predictions from economist Brian Beaulieu at the Vistage All-City event, for instance, provide him with the market intelligence to better guide his company. Sam said it was the overall Vistage experience he thrives on. ‘It’s caused me to do things differently. I’ve found new sources of information that I just wouldn’t have had,’ he said.
Sure, Vistage takes an investment in time. ‘It’s hard to carve out eight hours,’ said Sam. ‘But I think I’ve gotten several good ideas from Vistage in the course of a year. One good idea takes that investment of time and money and you get a huge return,’ he explained.
‘There’s a big value there. In effect, it changed my life.”
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Michael Martin, President; Carlson & Stewart Refrigeration, Marshall, Minnesota
“With the help of his Vistage Minnesota peer group, Martin identified the right growth strategy for his company, and was equipped with insight and knowledge to navigate the complexities of a business acquisition—from staffing and relationship building, to successfully merging company cultures. An engineer in a leadership role, Martin c
redits much of his business acumen – and the growth of his company—to his involvement in Vistage Minnesota.”
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Brian Hazeltine, CEO; Schwing USA
CEOs are going to have a lot of ups and downs in their careers just like anyone else, and CEOs need a forumthat can help us through the bad times as well as the good. Our CEO Advisory Board is fortunate to include Brian Hazeltine, CEO of Schwing America, who was featured last month on the cover of Enterprise Minnesota for leading his company back from the brink of financial ruin.
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Jay Coughlan, CEO; XRS
Jay’s leadership in overcoming stakeholder resistance during XRS period of discontinuous innovation is an excellent example of the courage and resiliency required for CEOs to lead their companies through major transformation. I really enjoy having Jay in my Vistage CEO Advisory Group and his insight is extremely valuable to other group members who may be facing a similar rocky road. Vistage provides an excellent forum for CEOs to learn from other CEOs who have been where they are going.
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Gene Earhart, Principal and President; Wellington Security Systems, Minneapolis, Minnesota
“Advice on growing Gene’s company also comes from his chair, Brian. ‘Brian’s gift is he brings out the best in people. He’s great at asking questions and finding your growth opportunities.’ Through one-on-one meetings Gene finds it’s helpful to have Brian as a sounding board. ‘Because of Brian’s clarifying questions and coaching he helped me deal with one of our employees who had violated one of our company’s core values,’ he said.”
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Mike Litwin, General Manager: Target Commercial Interiors; Minneapolis, Minnesota
“When it comes to describing the overall value of his Vistage membership, Mike doesn’t mince words: ‘With masters’ degrees from Stanford and UCLA and as a senior executive at Target, I have been exposed to some of the best business and leadership training in the world. But my Vistage experience trumps all of it in terms of its immediate and ongoing impact on my effectiveness as an entrepreneur and a CEO. Their mission is to increase the effectiveness and enhance the lives of CEOs, and that certainly has been true in my case.’ Looking back on his first year in Vistage, Mike can readily see why his company has been so supportive of his participation, ‘It’s making me a better leader, I’m returning to the office with enriched knowledge and perspectives that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.’ Mike credits that deeper level of knowledge and perspective with helping him, and his leadership team, make better decisions about hiring, expense control and capital management.”
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Cory Ploen, President and CEO; QualiTech®
Chaska, Minnesota
“After a short period of stagnant growth, over the last two years we’ve seen significant growth in both top-line and bottom-line numbers. Although there are many factors that contributed to this success, my involvement with Vistage is a key component in making sure we stay focused on what’s important. This is done through both the monthly group meetings and the monthly meetings with my chair Brian.”
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Michael Lacey, President and CEO; Digineer
Plymouth, Minnesota
“As an entrepreneur you cannot short change the value of constant learning and networking. The odds are so stacked against you. You really have to draw from the best and Vistage has given me many tools to help me run the business. Out of all the executive development organizations to which I have belonged (YPO, Inner Circle, EO), Vistage does the best job of exposing you to big picture thinking through its world-class speakers. Additionally, I’ve learned a lot from other CEOs in companies outside my industry—health care and manufacturing—that have sharpened my leadership skills.”
Click here to read the complete story on the Vistage Minnesota website