Profile
MLB Network p. 30 The Home-Field Advantage
®
S t r at e g i e s f o r I n d u s t r y L e a d e r s
MARCH
p. 43
An inside look at today’s leading female executives
®
Adventure Life p. 83 Voluntourism: promoting charity through travel September /oc tober 2011
2:10
+
PLUS
Experts from Wells Fargo, Comerica Bank, and McDonald’s weigh in on the benefits of a diverse supplier base
Corporate Matchmakers As HP’s director of global supplier diversity, Brian Tippens establishes healthy relationships with the right suppliers and vendors p.36 sept/oct 2011 I
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TM
Maverick Funding Corp. ...The Big Bank AlternativeTM
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than-100 employees in less than four years. Now that’s Maverick!
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CONTENTS features
36
P.
Corporate Matchmakers With a wide pool of vendors to choose from, corporations are getting picky about their relationships, launching supplier-diversity programs that benefit both big business and small. Supplier-diversity experts from McDonald’s, Comerica Bank, Wells Fargo, and HP share the workings of their programs, tips for choosing the right vendors, and resources they recommend for not only corporations, but also small, disadvantaged, and womanowned businesses.
30
P.
The Home-Field Advantage The MLB Network’s initial launch reached more than 50 million homes across the nation, making it the largest cable launch in TV history. See how the single-sports network hits a home run with viewers, meet its on-air personalities, and learn about the network’s biggest sponsors.
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W E N INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW PROFILEMAGAZINEONLINE.COM
View the latest issue of Profile in a full-sized readable format Be inspired by the success stories of featured executives and businesses Discover what’s in store for upcoming issues, and how you can get involved Find out what events the Profile staff will be attending
Alan Suchodolski’s (left) focus on customer service separates his travel company, ARES, from big-name competitors like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz.
EXPERTISE
ALLIANCE
[14] The Digital Defenders Leonard Moodispaw & Edwin Jaehne of KEYW Corporation
[26] Employee-owned NCM Associates, Inc. serves the auto industry while weathering a recession.
[17] The Ultimate Cable Guy Dr. Paul F. Liao of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. [19] The Go-To Lady for Logistics Janeanne Bischke of CrossCountry Courier
[28] A strong, hand-selected team sustains TH Hilson Company’s specialty-chemical business.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
[22] The Effervescent Medicine Man Norman Needleman of Tower Laboratories Ltd.
[83] Traveling with Purpose: Brian Morgan of Adventure Life
[24] The Metal-Roofing Legacy Steve Buck of Merchant & Evans, Inc.
[86] Creating Help Out of Thin Air: John Boyd of Mission Aviation Fellowship
and more!
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CONTENTS Mission Aviation Fellowship maintains six bases and 13 aircraft in Papua, Indonesia, providing crucial aid to locals. Photo: Tim Smith
43
strategy
Photo By Brant Brogan
86 + PLUS
MARCH Women In Law
[89] Bob Suchon of E1 Dynamics on launching in North America after overseas success [92] Maurizio Iaquaniello of Onyx Contractors on running a business like a family [94] Alan Suchodolski of Advanced Reservation Systems on remaining a leader in online travel services [96] Vince Gelormine & Daniel Gudema of Take IT National on letting the market guide your steps
[7] Editor’s letter [8] Recommended Reading [9] Executive Q&A [10] 5 Things [11] Facts & Figures [12] Behind the Spaces: Henricksen [98] Globetrotting
[44] Sarah McConnell of ABM Industries [50] Susan Lanigan of Dollar General Corporation [54] Katherine Adkins of Toyota Financial Services [60] Carol Ann Petren of CIGNA Corporation
Enterprising Minds [64] Lynn Ann Casey of Arc Aspicio [66] Gloria Carter-Hicks of HicksCarter-Hicks [68] Karen Halsey of Better Built Construction Services [70] Diane Kuehn of VisionPoint Marketing [72] Kathryn B. Freeland of A-TEK, Inc.
The Producers [74] Angela Carr & Christina Cummings of Turbie Twist, LLC [76] Melissa Capen Rolston of Victorian Trading Company
The Entrepreneurs [77] Jinny Ditzler of Best Year Yet [79] Tina Teree Baker of Cadence Group [80] Celeste Gudas of 24 Seven
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E
Edi t o r ’ s l e t t e r
I grew up behind the counter of a convenience store. My parents couldn’t afford, nor did they trust, any babysitters, so every day I would spend time with them at work, watching them interact with people from all walks of life. And even at such a young age, I saw how they, as business owners, embraced diversity. It wasn’t just because they were minorities themselves—they were open to learning something from each and every one of their various customers and vendors and using it to benefit their business and enrich their lives. A customer with a small, windowtreatment company gave my parents’ stores a brand-new look while just chatting with a larger vendor resulted in savings and discounts in the long run. Still, embracing diversity isn’t just a small-business trend. Today’s largest corporations recognize the importance of a diverse group of suppliers and are even creating special departments and positions catered at infusing variety into a company’s vendor pool. Our cover story (p. 36) brings supplier-diversity experts from HP, Wells Fargo, Comerica Bank, and McDonald’s together to weigh in on the importance of a company’s supplier-diversity program, the benefits of working with small and disadvantaged businesses, and the many resources available for your company. A varied supplier pool certainly promotes diversity in and outside of the workplace. For other businesses, diversity is defined by the work it does outside its home base, interacting with foreign cultures in remote areas. Brian Morgan’s Adventure Life (p. 83) is one such company. The travel company pairs vacation with volunteerism, helping its clients enjoy foreign rural lands while also enhancing them through responsible practices and charity that are respectful of local cultures and habitats. Another route of diversity for a company is seen through the variety of its offerings. Although the MLB Network (p. 30) is a single-sports network focusing only on America’s favorite pastime, its roster of everexpanding on-air talent, programming options, and sponsors are as diverse as any network out there. This kind of variance provides viewers and advertisers with a motley of options to choose from, and thus a positive experience. So embrace the potential for diversity in your business. Whether through vendor relationships, expansion, or offerings, sometimes the age-old saying is true, “The more, the merrier.” Enjoy!
Punam Patel Features Editor
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[ recommended reading ]
Blame and Better Management Two recent releases call for rethinking management style
The Blame Game
MANAGEMENT
RESET
Management Reset Organizing for Sustainable Effectiveness
Some say the command-and-control and high-involvement management styles prominent in today’s busiORGANIZING FOR ness landscape depend too much S U S TA I N A B L E on stable conditions and focus too EFFECTIVENESS narrowly on economic outcomes. To counter this, management experts Edward Lawler and Christopher Worley developed a set of management principles that enable organizaEDWARD E. LAWLER III and tions to be successful and responCHRISTOPHER G. WORLEY Authors of Built to Change sible. They convincingly argue that we need to “reset” our approach to management to one that fits today’s demanding business environment. Starting with a change in how success is measured and a more realistic view of risk, Lawler and Worley explain how to manage strategy, governance, organizational structure, and talent. The result: an organization that can produce financial, social, and ecological results. Lawler and Worley outline why and how the current practice of management must change in order for organizations to achieve sustainable effectiveness. RESET
WITH DAVID CREELMAN
How the Hidden Rules of Credit and Blame Determine Our Success or Failure For better or for worse, the dynamics of credit and blame are at the heart of every organization and make or break every career. Unfortunately, credit and blame are rarely assigned in an objective or fair manner, and individual psychology, team dynamics, and corporate culture all influence, and are influenced by, how credit and blame are given and received. In this book, Ben Dattner considers how human evolution, our own life histories, and our personalities impact how we assign credit and blame to ourselves and others, as well as how we react to the credit and blame we receive from others. About the Author: Ben Dattner is the founder of Dattner Consulting, a workplace-consulting firm that helps corporate and nonprofit organizations sort through credit and blame issues in order to enhance individual, team, and organizational performance. His clients range from start-ups to global corporations, nonprofit and educational institutions, and government agencies. Dattner is also an adjunct professor at NYU, where he teaches organizational development in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology MA program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Book Excerpt We need a new management approach, not an update of an old one. Re-thinking the traditional principles of planning, leading, organizing, and controlling is not enough. Organizations must value change and people and have the skills to implement strategies that generate profit, support social well-being, and lower carbon footprints. Profitable organizations need to be built that are as interested in their community as they are in their debt, as concerned about their carbon footprint as they are about their cash flow. We think the right name for the management approach that works best in today’s world is Sustainable Management. Sustainable management organizations (SMOs) are much more agile and adaptable than traditional command and control organizations, much more outward looking than participative, consensus driven organizations, and much more effective at addressing the demands from multiple stakeholders than either of the old styles.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., © 2011, all rights reserved. Edward E. Lawler III is a major contributor to theory, research, and practice in the fields of human-resources management, compensation, organization development, and organization effectiveness. A distinguished professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business and founder and director of the University’s Center for Effective Organizations, Lawler is also recognized as one of the top six gurus in the field of management by BusinessWeek and has authored nearly 40 books.
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Christopher Worley is a widely recognized leader in
strategic change, organization development, and organization design. His diverse background as a research scientist enables him to provide the innovative perspectives today’s complex organizational challenges require. Since 1995, Worley has authored three books and holds a joint appointment as a senior research scientist in the Center for Effective Organizations at USC and professor of management at Pepperdine University.
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[ executive Q&A ]
Monique Honaman C E O , I S H R G ro u p Industry: Human Resources / Leadership Development Years in Industry: 21 Previous Employers: General Motors, General Electric
Why did you decide to start your own company? I started my own company because I wanted to focus exclusively on my passion for leadership development, and I wanted the flexibility to do my own thing!
What does your company do? We provide leadership-assessment, -development, and -coaching services to leaders all over the world—in other words, we work with leaders and teams to make them as successful as possible.
The best leadership advice you have given: Always take the high road.
Websites you visit regularly: ISHRGroup.com, LinkedIn, Facebook
Fortune 500 companies around the world
the Best leadership advice you have received:
Remember to find balance. Who inspires your work? My
family, my business partners, and our team members.
Three secrets to employee retention:
Listen to your employees. Respect your employees. Communicate with your employees.
Where do you see your company in five years? Building on our reputation for deliv-
what makes a leader?
your typical work hours:
Easy question! Based on our ISHR Leadership Model: integrity, passion, continually learning, maturity, influence, flexibility, and the ability to be a big-picture thinker.
Countries where you’ve worked:
5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
who is your primary clientele?
ering exceptional results, while cultivating incredible relationships with our clients, providing phenomenal opportunities for our team members, and continuing to give back to our community.
United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, Hungary, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and Thailand. We work throughout Europe, Asia, and South America.
What do you in your down time? Write, exercise, spend time with my family, and relax on the water.
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[ 5 things ]
The $2,000 Start-up Five Ways to Save When Starting a Business
According to Babson College, the average cost to start a business today is approximately $65,000, but investment expert Elizabeth Edwards says you can get started for around $2,000. Here, Edwards—a venture-capital investor, CEO of Metro Innovation, and author of Startup: The Complete Handbook for Launching a Company for Less—shares five ways to save when starting a business.
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Branding
LOGO DESIGN
ACCOUNTING
LEGAL Diy
Spend the time, not the money—and do it yourself. A brand that people like and remember is an essential ingredient for a successful start-up, but hiring a branding firm can be a big investment—one that you may not be able to afford up front. A quality branding firm might charge $20,000 to create a brand from scratch. Here’s the $20 do-it-yourself substitute: grab five creative friends, a case of beer, and a whiteboard. Block out a few hours and brainstorm brand values and name ideas, then get impartial feedback.
Utilize design contests to cut cost without cutting quality. Instead of spending $5,000–10,000 to hire one designer, use crowd-sourcing sites like crowdSPRING.com. crowdSPRING’s community of designers compete with their design concepts. The site allows you to create a design contest for all kinds of projects including logo designs, websites, business cards, and brochures. Simply post your design project, listing requirements, preferences, and prize amount. Within a few hours, creatives from all over the world will start posting designs. You can also interact and give designers feedback, ensuring you get exactly what you’re looking for.
Let Google Apps be your IT guy. Don’t hire someone to set up your business e-mail. With Google Apps, you don’t need software, and you don’t need e-mail servers. If you like Gmail, you’re going to love the free business e-mail available through Google Apps. Once you’ve purchased your domain name, creating business e-mail accounts for you and your team online is quick and easy. Setup takes just a few minutes. Like Gmail, your e-mail account is always safe, is automatically backed up on Google’s servers, and is accessible from anywhere. Mobile apps for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android are free and easy to set up.
Get your money’s worth with QuickBooks Online. Accounting can be an intimidating task, but it is one that you can tackle on your own. Keeping track of invoices, payables, employee time cards, and your income statement has never been easier—or more affordable. The gold standard smallbusiness accounting is QuickBooks, and the new QuickBooks Online version is perfect for start-ups. QuickBooks Online starts at $12 per month, and there’s no software to install. Because QuickBooks Online is cloud-hosted, all of your data is secure and always backed up and accessible from any Internet connection or mobile device.
Perform your own legal services through MyCorporation.com. Don’t pay a lawyer thousands to file boilerplate documents. Do it yourself using the online templates at MyCorporation.com. MyCorporation guides you through a simple questionnaire to help you decide what type of entity to create (LLC, C Corp, etc.) and then creates custom documents and files the necessary forms with federal and state agencies for you.
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[ facts [ facts & figures & figures ] ]
Women at the Top Between 1997 and 2011, the number of women-owned firms in the United States increased by 50% (a rate 1.5 times the national average.)
In 2010: WOMEN’S SHARE OF FINANCIAL POST 500 LEADERSHIP
16.9%
17.7%
46.7%
15.1%
11.2%
12.0%
13.0%
14.0% 14.4%
of the labor force is made up of women
2003 2005 2007
2009 2004 2006 2008
Board Seats
2010
Senior/Corporate Officer Positions
qBtu
WOMEN’S SHARE OF FORTUNE 500 LEADERSHIP
13.5%
14.4%
14.6%
14.8%
15.2%
15.2%
15.7%
51.5% of women are in management, professional, and related positions
56.6% 2009
2010
2006
2007
Executive Officer Positions
2008 Board Seats
2009
2010
of mothers with children under the age of one are in the labor force
Sources: Catalyst, Bureau of Labor Statistics sept/oct 2011 I
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Behind the Spaces:
Henricksen by Trenna Nees
PROJECT: RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE (above) Henricksen designed a custom reception desk to greet families and visitors, inspiring a homey feel inside a clinical hospital setting. (right) The quiet area was designed to allow families a place to use technology for research, creating carepages, or checking email. (left) Henricksen created the exercise corridor as an outlet to release energy and get a glimpse of daylight, working closely with a local artist throughout the space to make “family friendly” branding messages. Illustrations along the wall reflect the kids along with “Jerry” the Twin Cities RMH dog.
[behind the spaces]
C
elebrating its 50 th anniversary,
Henricksen has built its name and reputation in the officefurniture-solutions industry on a simple premise: that it is a people business. The company promotes a full spectrum of services for its clients, and the Henricksen philosophy of putting its customers’ needs at the forefront of the relationship has made it a trusted name. “It is our priority to take the conceptual ideas and make it work,” Henricksen president Steve McPartlin says. “Our clients have a vision, and it is our job to make it a pleasant, seamless experience.” With its roots in Des Plaines, Illinois, Henricksen was bought by McPartlin in 1979 from his in-laws, Shirley and Larry Henricksen. At the time, the company had nine employees. Today, Henricksen has 180 employees and seven locations throughout Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with more than $135 million in annual sales.
As a leading commercial furniture dealer providing services across the United States, the company’s growth can be attributed to having the best people in the industry and being truthful, timely, and flexible, McPartlin says. “Maintaining the longevity of our relationships is essential,” he adds. “That means putting our clients first—acting now and sorting out any discrepancies later.” Problem solving is imperative in the business. Henricksen represents more than 200 manufacturers’ quality products, with a special emphasis on products from HNI Corporation’s numerous subsidiary companies. In this way, Henricksen clients have access to an extremely wide variety of office-space solutions that are accommodating to budget, style, and design needs. “The designers we work with have a more open platform,” McPartlin says, “which allows them to create the best possible outcome, because we’re not limited to working with just one manufacturer and a single line of furniture solutions. Thus, we are able to provide a broader range of design services, such as eco-friendly innovations, budget-conscious solutions, and spatially effective designs.” Committed to providing guidance and overall support to its client’s needs, Henricksen has 32 space planners, 23 project managers, and 12 LEED APs to ensure that all client needs are met. “Teamwork is most important,” McPartlin says. “It is essential to work collaboratively to meet the project needs—from the onset to the completed installation. It is our commitment to that goal that sets us apart. I am thankful for the opportunities our clients provide us and the confidence and responsibilities they place in our hands.” [P]
A word from Gunlocke Henricksen is a valued Gunlocke partner. Steve McPartlin and the entire Henricksen Team have been an integral part of our success. They provide outstanding service to their clients and do so with the highest level of integrity. Everyone at Gunlocke is proud to be associated with such a quality organization.
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leonard moodispaw, CEO of KEYW Corporation, and his partner Edwin Jaehne (not pictured) help clients protect themselves and their companies against Internet threats.
The Digital Defenders
C
M
Y
Leonard Moodispaw and Edwin Jaehne of KEYW Corporation discuss … ▶ Working for
CM
MY
the NSA ▶ creating optical encryptors ▶ making a product worth $850 million ▶ the agility of smaller platforms ▶ how to anticipate threats that change within microseconds
CY
MY
K
E
by Zach Baliva
arlier this year, a group of hackers released several e-mails revealing alleged misconduct by Bank of America. On the same day, major news outlets reported that hackers working for the Iranian military had launched attacks on “enemy websites.” As new technologies emerge, new dangers threaten both national defense and commerce, which, in turn, creates a growing business niche for cyberspace security. In his book, The Shadow Factory, author James Bamford portrays Leonard Moodispaw as one of the fathers of cyber intelligence. Bamford explains how Moodispaw, as CEO of Essex Corporation, contracted with the National Security Agency on an intelligence program and increased Essex profits 400 percent through top-secret projects. Now, Moodispaw is CEO of the Maryland-based KEYW Corporation. He and CSO Edwin Jaehne, who also came to KEYW from Essex, explain how they help clients defend against, attack, and exploit their enemies in cyberspace.
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“You can’t tell a customer to call you in three years after you finish building their system. You can’t spend years writing code. You have to act quickly.” —Leonard Moodispaw, CEO
Together, you took Essex from $20 million to $580 million. Why leave to start KEYW?
Edwin Jaehne: We wanted to create a more agile platform to accomplish things big companies just can’t. We’ve had nine acquisitions since 2008 and started trading on the NASDAQ in 2010. How did you develop expertise in cyber security? Leonard Moodispaw: I went to work for
the NSA right out of college. I rose through the ranks to become a senior manager and attended law school at night. I did both for a long time but ultimately left my practice to help lead and advise companies regarding intelligence.
Can you describe some of your projects?
EJ: At Essex, we developed technology like optical encryptors and radar processors, but our major focus was providing unique solutions for the intelligence community. We worked on a signals-focused project we called Thunder that started as a $50 million project and is still going today with a lifetime value above $850 million. We work
BY THE NUMBERS
2008
year founded
with hardware and software, integrating commercial and proprietary technology. We build, ship, and support our systems.
over the years 2008 KEYW becomes Incorporated 2008 Acquires S&H
How is KEYW different from Essex?
EJ: We have an agile approach that is very important. Customers refine requirements every 90 days, and we update their systems constantly. Traditional systems integration has an initial requirement that is integrated over years, ultimately delivering years-old technology. In cyber, the threat can change in microseconds. LM: You can’t tell a customer to call you in three years after you finish building their system. You can’t spend years writing code. You have to act quickly and provide maybe 70 percent of a solution. It might be partial, but it works and you continue to refine it. How do you develop products and services?
EJ: We work alongside our customers to understand the nature of their problems and figure out how to respond creatively. We have a team that is empowered to try things. Failure is part of the processes behind success. If you take away the freedom to fail, you slow everything down because you’re no longer pushing the boundaries. The old model of intelligence was about staring at a known threat. Today, we need to be aware when that future bomber first gets interested. Catching them on the plane with a lighter is too late. LM: Here’s my metaphor for what we do: Say you have a teenage daughter who wants a cell phone. You give her one but then watch the bills to see who calls her. If you limit her usage minutes, you are defensive. Then she starts dating, and you figure out how to reboot her boyfriend’s phone every time he calls her. Once he realizes this, you reboot him every third time he calls anyone. Now you are attacking him. Then, you might want
700
staff members
80%
percentage of staff members with TS/SCI security clearance
Enterprises
2009 Acquires Embed-
ded Systems Design assets
2009 Acquires Leading
Edge Design and System’s government contracts
2010 Acquires The Analysis Group
2010 Acquires Everest Technology Solutions
2010 Started trading on NASDAQ
to exploit his phone. You could fix it so that he texts all your daughter’s friends to say that she is fat and ugly. Defend, attack, exploit. What are the biggest threats out there?
LM: The Deputy Secretary of Defense describes attacks on military and civilian networks and product problems like infected hardware—these can come from nation states and agencies or two guys in a café somewhere just trying to be mischievous. The NASDAQ has been attacked. So have Google, Visa, Amazon, and other Fortune 500 companies. What does the rest of the year hold?
LM: We expect to continue our high growth in 2011 and beyond. The challenge we face and the desire we have to solve hard problems are both very real. We believe strongly that we are making a big impact on our country by doing things that are very important. We’ll act on our mission first and let the rest flow from there. [P]
90
period of time (in days) between regular refinements to customers’ systems
9
acquisitions since founding
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CableLabs received an Emmy Award in the Technology and Engineering category for its work on DOCSIS® 3.0 and broadband video. Former president and CEO Dr. Richard R. Green (left) and president and CEO Dr. Paul F. Liao (right) accepted the award.
The Ultimate Cable Guy
Dr. Paul F. Liao of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. discusses …
▶ Analog channels ▶ winning an Emmy ▶ the technology that’s fueled the cable industry’s growth ▶ using existing networks to uncover new business opportunities
D
r. Paul F. Liao remembers a time when he would come home from school, turn on the television, and choose from a handful of channels. Now, as president and CEO of Emmy Awardwinning Cable Television Laboratories, Inc., also known as CableLabs—one of the largest technology consortiums in the country—Liao consults with all of the major cable operators, developing new technologies for cable services such as broadband Internet, phone service, and cable television. Profile chatted with the IEEE Millennium Medal recipient to discuss the state of the cable industry and what he sees in its future.
by Tricia Despres
Tell us how CableLabs began. CableLabs began 22 years ago, in 1988. It was created by cabletelevision-industry leaders who selected founding CEO Richard Green to lead an organization that would provide cable operators in the United States with access to new technologies and the specifications for the equipment incorporating those technologies. They expected CableLabs to support them in their goal to continuously enhance the services they provide to their subscribers. At the time, people could enjoy only a couple dozen analog channels. Today, in part due to the work of CableLabs, digital technology provides subscribers with hundreds of programming choices and access to the vast world of information entertainment and other services offered via the Internet. I was honored to succeed Dr. Green when I joined CableLabs in July of 2009 and now to have the opportunity to work with a wonderful team of 170 employees. Since its founding, CableLabs has really laid the groundwork for some of the most important
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Exp e r t i s e
technologies that cable operators purchase. One of those is DOCSIS. What kind of effect has this technology had? DOCSIS is the technology that
transformed cable systems from being not only the world’s preferred way to receive television programming, but now the preferred way to access the Internet. This January, we were awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for our role in developing this broadband technology because of its ability to deliver high-quality video programming via the Internet into people’s homes. It is also a technology that has dramatically transformed the cable industry and has been at the foundation of much of cable-industry business growth for the past decade.
Another important interactive technology CableLabs came up with was EBIF. How did this help your cable operators? The EBIF technology
is rather remarkable because it turns a standard, digital set-top box into a programmable device for interactive applications. As a result, this technology allows cable operators to add new, programmable, interactive services to over 40 million digital-cable boxes that have already been deployed into subscriber homes. How will the cable-television industry have to evolve to keep up with competitive media entities? First, let me say something about how
cable operators are taking advantage of the power of their networks to rapidly expand the range of business opportunities beyond the residential subscriber. Today’s cable networks are composed of a combination of fiber-optic and coaxial cables. In most cases, technologies such as DOCSIS permit the same cable lines, which were put in the ground 10–20 years ago, to be used for new advanced services to cable subscribers, and that includes new classes of subscribers such as commercial businesses. With their networks, cable operators can deliver communications including telephone, data, and video services to commercial businesses as well as to residential customers. Providing services to businesses has become one of the fastest-growing parts of a cable operator’s business. Also, devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, iPads, and many other devices that we haven’t even imagined are using Internet technologies to put unprecedented power in the hands of consumers. And that power can be harnessed by the cable industry to enhance and create new forms of cable services. Where do you see CableLabs going in the future?
Our responsibility has always been, and will continue to be, to provide the innovations that will make our cable-operator members’ busi18 profile I sept/oct 2011
strategy to share
EVOLVE WITH THE viewers
“There is no such thing anymore as appointment viewing of television, where subscribers can only view their favorite programming on the schedule determined by a TV network. Instead, we must deliver the technology that permits cable subscribers to access information and content when they want it, where they want it, and on the devices of their choice. Cable companies have become technology organizations in recent years.”
Feeling lost planning for iTV?
over the years 1973
Dr. Paul F. Liao joins Bell Laboratories as a research scientist
1984
Liao joins Bellcore as Head of Physics and Optical Sciences Division
1988
CableLabs is formed
1996
Liao accepts position at Panasonic North America as CTO and president of Panasonic Technologies, Inc.
2009
Liao joins CableLabs as president and CEO
nesses successful. Thus, our work will always be centered and focused on helping them serve their subscribers. [P] A WORD FROM FLASHLIGHT ENGINEERING & CONSULTING LLC
Flashlight provides architectural-design and software-development services to CableLabs and the leading MSOs. We have been instrumental in the development of the OpenCable standards and in the development and deployment of commercial iTV systems and applications built around OCAP and EBIF. Let us do the same for you. www.flec.tv
FLASHLIGHT Engineering and Consulting, LLC 1200 NW Naito Parkway, Suite 210 Portland, OR 97209 www.flec.tv profilemagazineonline.com
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Exp e r t i s e
BY THE NUMBERS
302
employees
200
number of power units in fleet
17
million annual miles driven
2,200
daily shipments
500
weight (in pounds) of average shipment
The Go-To Lady for Logistics Janeanne Bischke of CrossCountry Courier discusses …
▶ tractor-trailers ▶ process-driven management ▶ fuel prices ▶ investing in new equipment
J
aneanne Bischke lives and breathes logistics. Before taking over as president and eventual owner of CrossCountry Courier, she spent 11 years with the US Postal Service and several years as president of an office-supply company. Here, she talks shipping lanes and innovation. And according to Bischke, as the economy goes, so goes trucking.
How did you arrive at CrossCountry Courier?
My career began with the US Postal Service where I gained an operations, distribution, and transportation background. After 11 years with the USPS, I joined an office-products company where I ultimately became the president. It was there that my knowledge and skills base expanded in the areas of finance, technology, sales, and service. The accumulated skills
and knowledge correlated well with the needs of CrossCountry Courier (CCC). When the owner of CCC retired in 2004, I became the president. In 2010, I purchased the business. How large is the company’s fleet? We operate our own fleet of 200 power units, which consist primarily of tractor-trailers and 28-foot straight trucks.
by John Ziza
What kinds of products do you typically haul?
We specialize in providing just-in-time inventory for all types of industries. While our name says “courier,” we have transitioned to a lessthan-truckload (LTL) operation and perform very little courier work anymore. Our average shipment weighs about 500 pounds, which is about half of the desired weight per shipment for a typical LTL carrier. Agriculture, truck and auto parts, office products, and other dry goods are the primary commodities we handle. Every company has a five-year plan. What’s yours? For the past several years, we have been
focusing on streamlining our operations. sept/oct 2011 I
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Exp e r t i s e
one of ccc’s 200 power units loads up at the dock while CCC’s customer-service team assist clients at its Bismarck, ND, headquarters.
CCC has expanded services to include overnight transportation between locations up to 800 miles apart. How do you see that impacting your business?
We constantly test the limits of possibility when it comes to service. Accomplishing this was a major undertaking that requires constant vigilance to keep the systems running smoothly. And I think it’s indicative of who we are—our goal is to understand the unique challenges of our customers and provide affordable solutions.
We’ve analyzed and reorganized nearly every aspect of our business in an effort to become as efficient as possible. Technology has played a key role in improving the customer experience and our productivity. There remains a great deal of growth opportunity in our
over the years
20 profile I sept/oct 2011
1980
CrossCountry Courier (CCC) is founded with one employee and a borrowed pickup truck
existing market base; we are striving to bloom where we are planted. We do so in preparation for expansion opportunities that will certainly present themselves because of our ability to provide exceptional service at an affordable price in a customer-friendly way.
1990
CCC opens new office headquarters in Bismarck, ND
1993
Inc. magazine recognizes the firm as one of 11 successful companies founded on a shoestring budget
CEO of a shipping company seems like a unique landing place for a woman. What draws you to the work, and how would you describe your successful rise? Trucking is a very complex
business that provides little consistency, so managing the details is critical. In today’s competitive environment, technology and standardization of business practices are the keys to success. Being very process-driven, my
2003
CCC reaches $25 million in sales
2010
CCC changes ownership when company president, Janeanne Bischke purchases the business
profilemagazineonline.com
skills seem to be well aligned with the requirements for success in the industry. CCC is a vehicle that affords me an opportunity to help and associate with the most genuine, practical people on earth: our employees and customers. Owning a trucking company is certainly an acceptable means to a successful, happy life for me and many others.
STROMSETH CONSTRUCTION INC.
Site Grading Contractors
They say the shipping industry is a good indicator of the economy’s strength. Look into your crystal ball. Which direction do you see the economy going?
Like most other carriers, we are making investments in new equipment as we expect economic conditions to slightly improve and hold steady in upcoming months. However, fuel prices will greatly determine the economic outcome. What makes CCC unique? What competitive advantages do you have? Our
innovative nature makes CCC unique. We are constantly striving to find better, cheaper, and faster ways to do business. We push the envelope when it comes to service by doing things other companies can’t. Because of our advancements in the area of technology, we are able to provide more consistent service at a more affordable price than our competition. We will never stop innovating. [P]
strategy to share
persevere in the face of defeat
“They say the difference between good and great is only about 3%. Most companies go 97% of the distance, but give up before they win the prize. At CCC, we welcome the urge to quit. That’s when we know success is just around the corner.”
113 11th St NE Watertown, SD 57201
(605) 886-3893 sept/oct 2011 I
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The Effervescent Medicine Man Norman Needleman of Tower Laboratories Ltd. discusses…
▶ an opportune cab ride that launched his current career ▶ his brand-new healthy beverage ▶ competing against overseas manufacturers ▶ the value of tenacity ▶ not retiring just yet
by Kelly Hayes
BY THE NUMBERS
22 profile I sept/oct 2011
O
$35
million annual sales
n Easter weekend in 1974, after driving a taxi in New York City for four years, Norman Needleman’s life changed when a stranger entered his cab and offered him an opportunity. He soon became assistant to the plant manager of a growing medicaldevice company, even though he had never been in a factory before. Needleman is now founder and CEO of Connecticut-based Tower Laboratories Ltd., on the board of his local theater and hospital, and parent to two sons and two stepdaughters. And while he’s leading his successful corporation in the effervescent-products market— including effervescent denture cleansers and antacid/pain- and cold-relief products—the CEO finds time to help his community, even serving as an elected official. Here, 59-year-old Needleman talks about Tower Labs, ethics, and the future.
1 billion
effervescent tablets produced each year
150
employees (spread throughout three locations)
How did you become aware of the market need for effervescent products? In 1979, I was vice
president of materials and special products at a company in New York that made products for radiologists to use during GI exams, before endoscopies and colonoscopies were the diagnostic tools of choice. One product we needed was an effervescent granule. I tried to find somebody to manufacture that product for us. One chemical supplier began to develop a formula for it in his lab, then we tested it, and I ended up offering him a job to come work for us. He declined my offer. After that, I did some investigating into the effervescent-product arena and found it somewhat of a specialty. With the blessing of the owner of the company, I left [to start my own effervescent-manufacturing business].
You recently launched a line of hydration beverages. What inspired you? It’s called YZ
(pronounced “wise”) Choice. After many years of being in the private-label and contract-manufacturing business, we realized we had developed a lot of intellectual property and knowhow. We consulted with a brand-development company and an advertising agency—CBX in New York and Outthink in Connecticut, respectively. They came back with a list of 10 or so potential product concepts utilizing our technologies. They ended up doing market studies and analyses, and we came up with a specialty beverage product. YZ Choice is an all-natural, low-calorie beverage with healthy benefits that include hydration. We worked with a professor who is an expert in this area and developed three formulas: hydration + digestive, hydration + antioxidants, and hydration + immunity.
80
percentage of business that is within the private-label market
3
number of primary private-label product lines
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You were named Man of the Year by your local chamber of commerce and are an elected member of your local legislative board. Why is being active in the community important? I
believe we all have an obligation to participate in doing something for the greater good, and I think that’s an underlying philosophy about being in business. I have lived my life trying to continually give back to a community that’s been good to me. As business owners, we also have to create a culture of being there for our employees and providing the best that we can while staying competitive. In my town and local community, business owners and citizens feel an obligation to support efforts of nonprofits and organizations that do good work without receiving any money from funding sources like the government. It’s an obligation and commitment that I take very seriously.
How has your business changed over the years? To be a manufacturing company in the
United States, you must be dynamic in your thinking in terms of how to stay competitive globally. Philosophically, we’ve worked very hard to pay a decent wage and to be competitive. You have to be very efficient in your manufacturing processes. As a US manufacturer, your cost of labor has to be less than the
strategy to share
FIND AN ADVISOR
“I believe very, very strongly that you have to have mentors. Mentors can be people who have qualities you want to emulate and, in some cases, qualities you don’t want to emulate. There are many different people who have had unique approaches and words of wisdom that have been important at different points in my life.”
opposite page: Tower Labs’ effervescent products include antacid/pain- and coldrelief products and denture cleaners.
Exp e r t i s e
A&G ARCHER & GREINER, P.C. ATTORNEYS AT LAW
over the years 1979 Tower Labs is founded; first customer is still a customer today 2001 Private-label business takes a huge step when Wal-Mart becomes a client 2005 Management team is created to handle dayto-day activities, allowing Norman to transition into a CEO/strategic role
2006 Tower Labs acquires Montague facility and pain/ cold business from Perrigo 2011 and beyond
Goal: continue to “stay true” to niche as effervescent manufacturer
that of an overseas manufacturer plus the cost of freight to get it back here, so we’ve become a very low-cost producer, and that’s been the key to our strategy. What has been the biggest challenge? In
the early stages—and for the first 20-plus years—being undercapitalized was a challenge. But we developed relationships with suppliers and vendors, as well as bankers, and customers stuck with us. Our success has really been luck; I don’t consider myself an overwhelmingly bright or talented guy but I’m tenacious. And I’ve had some great people working for me who have also been tenacious and committed.
What are the company’s future goals? We want to be the premier effervescent provider. Personally, I probably want to step back a bit. I thought at some point if the business was successful, I would sell the company, move on, and do counseling or get another degree and work one-on-one helping people. But a mentor recently reminded me that I can do good by staying in the business. Every day, a business owner can positively impact the lives of employees and their families. My life goals can be accomplished through business ownership. But I couldn’t do that without solid people running the day-to-day. We have talented and capable people, and they allow me to continue on my personal mission, which is to serve the people that not only work for me but that also give me the ability to serve the greater community. [P]
Archer & Greiner, P.C. is a full-service law firm with over 170 lawyers in seven offices serving Fortune 100 clients, small to medium-sized businesses and individuals for over 80 years. For more information, contact Terry J. Fox, Esquire at 856.795.2121 Haddonfield NJ 856.795.2121 Princeton NJ 609.580.3700 Flemington NJ 908.788.9700 Philadelphia PA 215.963.3300 Wilmington DE 302.777.4350 New York NY 212.292.4988
www.archerlaw.com sept/oct 2011 I
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The Metal-Roofing Legacy Steve Buck of Merchant & Evans, Inc. discusses…
▶ the benefits of a family-owned business ▶ weather-resilient roofing ▶ advanced building codes ▶ the world’s largest single order of zinc quatar airport’s Zip Rib roofing panel system (rendering shown on left) was installed by Merchant & Evans, Inc. with Steve Buck (below) at the helm. The unique, 330,000-squarefoot roof was field formed by a new, portable roll-forming machine utilizing a unique alloy of 22-gauge stainless steel with a custom finish.
O
nce a roofer, always a roofer. Steve Buck and his father, Jim, bought metal-roofing-systems manufacturer Merchant & Evans, Inc. in 1987, and today, the firm may be one of the last independently owned roofing-system companies in the country. This distinction, Buck says, is an advantage to customers and a point of pride for the whole Merchant & Evans family. Here, he explains how keeping it simple is really the best way to do business.
24 profile I sept/oct 2011
by Russ Klettke
How does a family-owned company compete with larger corporations? We can turn on a
dime for our clients. A lot of corporations have to run decisions through a committee, which we don’t have to. A smaller business is exciting. We get to experience success and failure. When I show the photography of finished projects to our employees, we all get to say, “Hey, we did this!” Everyone feels personal success at a job completed. Is there one product that has really driven the success of Merchant & Evans? Kaiser
Aluminum developed the standing-seam metal roofing that we manufactured in the 1960s for coastal environments. It uses a clip system of fasteners that are not exposed and
strategy to share
APPRECIATE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
“As an independently owned company, we can turn on a dime for our clients. A lot of corporations have to run decisions through a committee, which we don’t have to do. A smaller business is exciting. We get to experience success and failure.”
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over the years 1981 Buck joins Merchant & Evans as plant manager
1984 He leaves the
company to work at Fabral Alcan Building Products as project manager
1987 Buck and his father, Jim, purchase Merchant & Evans 1992 He succeeds his father as president
2011 Merchant & Evans completes 190th airport roof
more resilient to extreme positive pressure (for example, the weight of snow) and extreme negative pressure (wind uplift). It has watertight integrity and is designed to withstand up to 200-mile-per-hour winds and missile projections of 15-pound objects. As building codes have advanced, the system has become even more valuable.
Exp e r t i s e
stupid. One person leads each department, and there are not a lot of controversies. But we’ve also had a lot of people with us for a long time. Almost all the people we had in 1987 when we bought the company are still with us today. We know each other pretty well. [P] A WORD FROM VALSPAR
For 145 years, Merchant & Evans has relied on Valspar coatings for its advanced line of top-quality metal-roof systems. Valspar is a global leader in the paint and coatings industry. Since 1806, Valspar has been dedicated to bringing our customers the latest innovations, finest quality, and the best customer service in the coatings industry.
Congratulations to Merchant & Evans on celebrating your 145th Anniversary & continued success.
BY THE NUMBERS
How do you keep up with building codes? Back
in the 1980s, we paid an outside engineer to work with us about 40 hours a month. But with more stringent building codes, particularly in wind-load zones—coastal areas more subject to hurricanes—we now have four engineers on staff working full time. And because we do custom work to the specs of each customer’s architectural design, all materials have to be tested in different widths and gauges.
How do you satisfy your customers, architects, and roofers? We primarily sell three products
in 12 colors. That provides a range of functions and aesthetics. But we’re now responding to requests for different types of metals with their own look, using natural, no-finish stainless steel, copper, and zinc. McCarron Airport in Las Vegas has 440,000 square feet of zinc, the largest single order of zinc ever used in one project. For the Doha, Qatar, airport, we created a roofing system that uses 330,000 square feet of a unique alloy of stainless steel utilizing a custom-developed finish. Roofers want to know the system will be efficient to build and will perform over time. This system is laid down very easily and very quickly, and it stays in place.
How do you manage this business and your employees? We like to say we keep it simple,
30
years Steve Buck has been in the roofing-systems industry
2
positions held at Merchant & Evans (plant manager and owner/president)
50
employees Buck oversees
$22
million 2010 sales
440,000
square footage of zinc roofing used at McCarran Airport, the largest single order of zinc ever used in one project
The Valspar Corporation Coil Coatings Division 701 S. Shiloh Road Garland TX, 75042 (800) 406-6480 www.valsparcoil.com
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ncm associates’ president and CEO Paul Faletti consults with VP of human resources/operations Jill Hobbie. Being employee owned creates a collaborative environment among NCM’s staff.
Employee-owned management consultancy NCM Associates, Inc. serves the auto industry and weathers the economy. Recession? What recession? by Chris Allsop
26 profile I sept/oct 2011
M
Management consultancy NCM Associates, Inc. is a part of history. Following World War II, NCM was approached by a group of Ford dealers anxious to meet the forthcoming torrent of demand. They asked NCM to compile a common reporting statement to be used as a benchmark, allowing these businesses to compare against one another. From this evolved the model for NCM’s core business, 20 Groups. Twenty like-sized, noncompeting dealers meet several times a year to create a benchmark out of their financial and performance data and to discuss best practices. NCM processes and packages the dealers’ data and is present at meetings to moderate and drive discussions among the group. The original group of dealers is still in existence; some participants are fourth-generation deprofilemagazineonline.com
“We love being employee owned for a number of reasons. You have that confidence that when people walk in the door each morning, they are there to build wealth for themselves and their coworkers. This setup changes a person’s approach to their job.” —Paul Faletti, Jr., President & CEO
scendants of original members. The 20 Group division comprises 75 percent of NCM’s overall business, and the company has branched out to offer additional services to auto dealers, such as retail-operations consulting services and management-training programs. But perhaps one of the most important business developments for NCM began in 1988 and was completed by 1999—NCM staff purchased all assets from its original founding partners. “We love being employee owned for a number of reasons,” says Paul Faletti, NCM president and CEO. “You have that confidence that when people walk in the door each morning, they are there to build wealth for themselves and their coworkers. This setup changes a person’s approach to their job. Every dollar the company saves and every new client that walks in the door has the possibility to directly affect the personal wealth of everyone at NCM. It creates an incredible camaraderie. “If someone isn’t pulling their weight,” Faletti continues, “they’re more likely to be called out by their coworker. Conversely, when someone is doing a great job, other people are going to encourage that person sitting next to them.” NCM also fully funds its retirement plan on behalf of its associates and doesn’t ask or allow its employees to contribute financially. “We are very transparent about the financials behind the plan,” Faletti says. “And we spend a lot of time forecasting when people are going to retire so that we can ensure they receive their payment when they leave the company. It’s a substantial amount of money that we dedicate from our profitability to give back to our employees.” That profitability was challenged by the recession and its impact on the auto industry (which went from selling 17 million cars per year down to 10 million). NCM reacted by diversifying internally and getting closer to its clients,
focusing on specific needs and working inside their premises. The company also broadened its product range, with an increased emphasis on online tools and mobile accessibility for clients. “The recession brought out the best in the car business,” Faletti says. “It also brought us new clients, who, without that downturn, would not have turned to us to help them out.” [P]
why an e sop?
Kevin Cunningham
Director of 20 Group Operations “Through the ESOP [Employee Stock Ownership Plan], everyone’s efforts are as important as mine. We are all in this together. Knowing our collective performance moves the profits that fund our ESOP and enhances our retirement options, I am constantly motivated to improve my efforts.”
Jill Hobbie
VP of Human Resources/Operations
BY THE NUMBERS
100%
“Knowing that everything we do is contributing to our share value is a great motivator. This is a large portion of my retirement savings. I only contribute with my hard work. The company contributes the funds. How can you beat that?”
percentage of the company that is employee owned
90
approximate number of employees
3,000+
number of clients throughout the United States and Canada
$0
amount NCM employees pay into their retirement plan
75%
percentage of NCM business comprised by 20 Group
Jeff Bethel
Director of Research & Development “As a member of NCM’s board of directors, I like that it keeps the employees more engaged, committed, and focused on the customer while helping us all maintain a long-term focus on company profitability. I consider it a privilege to participate in the ownership culture of the company.”
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When Lori Hilson took the business reins from her father, she quickly learned an important lesson: fast growth can only be sustained by a good team of employees. by Jennifer Hogeland
I
Its emphasis on hiring the right people is illustrated by TH Hilson Company’s founder, Terry Hilson, who recruited his daughter Lori upon her graduation from Loyola University. She accepted and joined the business in 1985. “I concentrated on learning the details of a specialty-chemical business,” Lori says, adding that she did this by watching the other strategically recruited, experienced sales employees, and soon became an adept saleswoman. For 15 years, she chased sales opportunities. Then, in 1999, Lori took the helm of TH Hilson Company and spent her hours driving company growth. Terry’s ultimate goal was for TH Hilson Company to become a $25 million company, and as president, Lori has led acquisitions and expanded sales with such tenacity that she has more than doubled her father’s lifetime target. “Our partners were looking 28 profile I sept/oct 2011
for fewer distributors with larger territories,” Lori says. “Many of the specialty-chemical distributors were being consolidated with larger distributors. I felt it was necessary to expand our geography in order to become a more significant distributor.” Through its leadership change, the most important aspect of TH Hilson Company’s success has remained: the effort it has put into creating a strong team. “When you grow at a fast pace, as we did,” Lori says, “you quickly realize you can’t do it alone.” Four years ago, Lori established key positions within the organization, including vice president of sales, director of finance, and director of operations. She entrusted them with the responsibility and control to manage their respective departments, both for the company’s benefit and also her own—Lori wanted to pursue a better balance between business and family. “I truly prescribe to hiring the best people you can find and allowing them to do their job,” she says. “That is how we’ve been so successful in growing the TH Hilson Company.” One of the most important jobs she has, Lori says, is to permit TH Hilson Company employees to reach their fullest potential. Allowing them to share ideas and excel within their roles has proven to have a positive impact on the business. Lori says it’s also because of the team and structure that the company was awarded additional geography from its major partners, including Cabot Corporation. “They expanded our territory to include several states in the Midwest,” Lori says. “This was a
BY THE NUMBERS
1973 founded
22
employees
9.7
average employee tenure in years
3
number of the founder’s children who are part of the company
profilemagazineonline.com
why th h il son?
“When you grow at a fast pace, as we did, you quickly realize you can’t do it alone.” —Lori Hilson, President
tremendous opportunity to be a significant partner with Cabot.” As she screens potential employees, Lori strives to find the best in the industry. She chooses individuals that are highly recommended by her customers and principals. When asked why employees enjoy working at TH Hilson Company, Lori explains that the entire work environment has been designed to help them thrive. “We want our employees to become the best they can be by looking at their strengths and promoting them with new challenges,” she adds. Everyone is treated like part of the family—in fact, a few of them actually are. Two of Lori’s siblings are also members of the company’s 22-person staff. In addition to being treated well, the company’s benefits package is competitive within the industry. “I want to keep my employees as long as I can,” Lori says, “so I’m going to look for ways to retain them.” In 2009, when the specialty-chemical industry was hit by the recession along with the rest of the world, TH Hilson Company did what it could to minimize the negative impacts on its employees. Aligning customerservice representatives with the sales team was a successful strategy. This collaborative effort prevented the situation from getting worse and is credited with capturing new business. Though the recession did force TH Hilson Company to cut employees’ pay by five percent, when the business recovered, all of the money was paid back. “I believe in my people,” Lori says, “and when we pull together in the tough times, I am going to reward them when times are good.” [P]
Angela Sisk
Director of Operations “TH Hilson is flexible and fair with their employees and strongly believes in rewarding employees for performance, which is apparent through the longevity of their people. We all share in the success of the company, regardless of how large or small, because everyone plays an integral part in the achievements and is recognized as being a valued part of the team.”
Jessica Clark
Client Sales Associate “This is a great place to work because they listen to ideas from their employees. Everyone feels instrumental in decisions within their individual departments. The company recognizes strengths in their employees and promotes a team environment throughout the company.”
YOUR
BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS Our bankers do more than crunch the numbers. They get to know your business as if it were their own. We are business-minded professionals delivering lending, treasury management, capital markets and investment services. It’s a relationship you can take to the bank. Call us to learn more.
Bruce Weihrauch
Technical Sales Representative “TH Hilson promotes the spirit of teamwork. Because of the camaraderie within the organization, everyone is quick to respond so we can keep moving forward. When I call in, the response is very good, very quick. I think that is why we are very successful— our customers see that.”
The Bank for Business The Bank for Life 120 S. LaSalle St. 312.564.2000 Chicago, IL 60603 ThePrivateBank.com
sept/oct 2011 I
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30 profile I sept/oct 2011
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“Our focus is on all of baseball, all the time. So as a national cable network, the goal is to showcase every team on an equal basis.” —Tony Petitti, President & CEO
The Home-Field Advantage In 2009, the MLB Network entered more than 50 million of the nation’s homes with the largest cable launch in TV history. America’s pastime is finally getting the coverage it deserves. by Chris Allsop
sept/oct 2011 I
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When MLB Network launched in 2009, it made history as the biggest cable launch ever. This may not be surprising when you consider that other league-owned networks—NBA TV, the NFL Network—must have stoked the fire in the hearts of the country’s numerous die-hard baseball fans. But MLB Network’s success was not only predictable, it was guaranteed, thanks to strategic partnerships that existed well before its launch. Partnerships with Comcast, DIRECTV, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications (who together own one third of MLB Network) ensured that the channel debuted in 50 million homes—a number that has since risen by another seven million. That growth confirms the premise behind the network: fans across the country wanted to follow more than just their local team. MLB Network meets that demand by providing as many live games as it can, as well as coverage of the league in its entirety. The latter is no small undertaking considering the span of the baseball year: 162 games spread across a 26-week schedule—the longest of any American professional team sport, aside from golf. Operating in tandem is the online MLB Advanced Media, which makes live games available through the Web and via handheld apps. “Our focus is on all of baseball, all the time,” says network president and CEO Tony Petitti. “So as a national cable network, the goal is to showcase every team on an equal basis. We start the year off with that premise by producing our Spring Training series, 30 Clubs in 30 Days, and we keep it going throughout April with 30
1
Street address for MLB Network studios is One MLB Network Plaza
32 profile I sept/oct 2011
225,000
Approximate number of fans on MLB Network’s Facebook page, as of April 2011
234
Total number of live games MLB Network featured in 2010
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on the air MLB Tonight The nightly, in-
season studio show that airs live, beginning at 6 p.m. EST until the end of the night’s final MLB game.
Thursday Night Baseball
All 30 MLB clubs are featured throughout the season with playby-play from Bob Costas and Matt Vasgersian and live game coverage produced by MLB Network. Quick Pitch The daily highlight
show during the regular season, airing seven days a week, compiles the greatest plays from the day’s games.
Studio 42 with Bob Costas
Features revealing interviews with the biggest names in baseball. 30 Clubs in 30 Days A series of one-hour specials devoted to each of the 30 MLB clubs throughout spring training.
Hot Stove The live, nightly offseason studio show, which features news, updates, and analyses of the moves clubs are making in anticipation of the new season.
MLB Network Countdown
A highlights-driven countdown show, ranking the top 10, 20, and 75 items of a particular topic, such as the most memorable trades. Prime 9 Breaks down the all-time top-nine examples of its subject matter, such as the all-time topnine hitters.
Baseball’s Seasons Showcases
unforgettable years in baseball history within the context of the culture and society of the time.
a legendary set: MLB Network honors and remembers baseball greats by naming its sets after sports legends, such as Studio 3, named after Babe Ruth.
50,000,000+
MLB Network launched in more than 50 million homes, the largest launch in cable history
45
3
Length, in feet, between each Studio 3, base of the half-scalenamed replicato honor infield built in StudioBabe 42 Ruth
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CAPS OFF: MLB Network’s Bob Costas sits down for a chat with baseball legend Willie Mays on the Sports Emmy Award-nominated series Studio 42 with Bob Costas.
MLB Network Roster
Bob Costas
Peter Gammons
Matt Vasgersian
Harold Reynolds
Twenty-time Emmy Awardwinner Bob Costas is a studio host for MLB Network’s Studio 42 with Bob Costas and a lead play-by-play announcer on Thursday Night Baseball. He also appears on MLB Tonight, Hot Stove, and breaking news coverage. In addition, Costas serves as the host of NBC’s Football Night in America, is primetime host of the Olympic Games, and cohosts NBC’s coverage of the US Open, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness Stakes.
Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons is an MLB Network on-air analyst, continuing a 40-year career in baseball journalism. Gammons provides analysis and commentary on breaking news and special events. In 2005, Gammons was honored with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing. He began reporting in 1969 for the Boston Globe, where he began a signature Sunday column that became a staple of baseball news coverage.
Before becoming an MLB Network play-by-play announcer and studio host, Matt Vasgersian handled play by play for the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. He enjoys a longstanding national role with the NBC Sports Olympic broadcast team, most recently announcing play-by-play skijumping action for the 2010 Vancouver Games. He has also been the lead play-by-play voice for Sony Playstation’s MLB The Show video game.
A 12-year Major League infielder, two-time American League All-Star, and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Harold Reynolds is now an MLB Network studio analyst. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in baseball and beyond for MLB Network, including Derek Jeter, Torii Hunter, Ryan Howard, Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice, and President Bill Clinton. Reynolds has also been an analyst for MLB.com, SportsNet NY, TBS, and ESPN.
12
Number of Hall of Famers featured on Studio 42 with Bob Costas in 2010
34 profile I sept/oct 2011
30
Total number of MLB teams, all represented with backlit logos in the studio
150
Total number of live, regularseason games MLB Network featured during the 2010 season
profilemagazineonline.com
Tony Petitti Tony Petitti is the president and CEO of MLB Network. Previously an executive at CBS Sports and ABC Sports, Petitti was at the helm of the launch of MLB Network, which debuted on January 1, 2009, and oversees all day-to-day operations of the network.
“It was very important for us to come out of the gate, cover [the Alex Rodriguez steroid-use] story from all sides, and prove our credibility just after one month of being on the air.” —Tony Petitti, President & CEO live games showcasing all 30 clubs. Starting this season, we are airing doubleheaders on Tuesdays with 10 p.m. EST start times to provide more exposure for the West Coast teams.” Right off the Bat Serendipity also played a part in the network’s initial success. A little over a month after the launch, one of the biggest stories in the industry broke: Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees admitted to using steroids. It was the perfect opportunity for the MLB Network to prove its reporting mettle, by providing in-depth coverage from on-air personalities like Emmy Award-winning Bob Costas and Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci.
“Very soon after the story broke on SI.com, the morning of February 7, 2009, we came on with live coverage and discussion from Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Dan Plesac, Matt Vasgersian, and Tom Verducci, as well as the first live interview with Selena Roberts— hosted by Costas—that afternoon,” Petitti recalls. “It was very important for us to come out of the gate, cover that story from all sides, and prove our credibility just after one month of being on the air.”
212
Total number of MLB Tonight shows that aired on MLB Network in 2010
Behind the Plate Since then, MLB Network has maintained momentum. Though the network had an advertising boost from the outset—with relationships in place with league partners such as State Farm, Holiday Inn, and Chevrolet—new sponsors are now coming on board, including Cisco, Verizon, and Pennzoil.
The pool of on-air talent has also steadily expanded. The eight analysts have increased to sixteen, while five more hosts have been added to the original team of four. Alongside this growth has been an expansion of the network’s programming. For the 2011 season, MLB Network is bringing its audience 15 more live-studio hours each week, as well as planning to air more than 100 live games, while continuing to anchor all of its game coverage with signature studio shows MLB Tonight and Quick Pitch.
Proud Partner of the MLB network
Providing Solutions For Remote PRoduction Studio PRoduction webcaSting video diSPlay
“We’ve grown a tremendous amount in just over two years across our programming, on-air talent, and production,” Petitti says. “I’d love to see us continue to expand in every facet of our business.” [P]
83
Total number of springtraining games MLB Network featured in 2011
www.nePinc.com sept/oct 2011 I
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36 profile
july/august 2011
Corporate Matchmakers the hunt is always on for that healthy relationship with the right suppliers and vendors. in today’s ever-changing business landscape, an increasing amount of corporations are finding their “perfect match” through supplier-diversity programs. by Sally Deering
rian Tippens helps businesses speed date. As the director of global supplier diversity for HP, Tippens oversees a corporate matchmaking initiative where minority, women, and other diverse business owners “speed-date” with large corporations. If something clicks, the two can build a future together, a partnership that helps both parties grow and succeed in the marketplace. Like HP, powerhouses like McDonald’s, Comerica, and Wells Fargo are incorporating supplier-diversity initiatives into their missions, promoting entrepreneurial spirit. In turn, they get to stay abreast of new products and services and follow-through as corporate citizens to their communities.
B
Company Compatibility “Being successful means paying attention to the diverse suppliers you work with today and seeking out potential providers of goods and services for the future,” Tippens says. “It takes a level of maturity to source to a $100 billion-plus corporation. The HP-sponsored Business Matchmaking initiative is a multicity, touring, sourcing event that has generated thousands of interviews and thousands of contracts. It helps to build that pipeline.” And business powerhouses are taking notice of that fact—even McDonald’s, the world’s largest chain of fast-food restaurants, serving
more than 58 million customers every day. A Fortune 500 company, McDonald’s revenue was a record $24 billion in 2010. The leading fastfood-chain has more than 32,000 restaurants in over 119 countries on six continents, which means its customers represent just about every culture, religion, and ethnicity. To achieve total customer satisfaction, McDonald’s strives to reflect that diversity in its own organization and system at large. Jacquelyn Howard, senior director of US supply-chain management for McDonald’s USA, says the company has moved from awareness to action. “At McDonald’s, diversity and inclusion is a part of our culture,” Howard says. “From the crew room to the board room, we are working to achieve this goal every day by creating an environment for everyone to contribute their best. It is a journey that continues through our efforts with our employee business networks, diversity education, supplier diversity, and our outreach in diverse communities. We seek to provide access and opportunities to qualified, world-class suppliers to further drive competitiveness within our supply chain. The McDonald’s US system purchases over $5 billion in goods and services from minority- and women-owned suppliers annually. This represents more than 50 percent of our total food, distribution, and paper spend.” Howard and Tippens—along with Teresa LeFevre, vice president and manager of supplier diversity for Comerica Bank, and CaSondra sept/oct 2011 I
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MEET THE EXPERTS
Jacquelyn Howard // McDonald’s USA
Senior Director of U.S. Supply-Chain Management WHAT I DO: My team and I enable profitability by strategically driving key corporate initiatives, establishing and nurturing strong working relationships with suppliers, and continuously reviewing and executing optimization initiatives to enhance competitiveness. We are accountable for about one-third of the $10 billion US food and packaging expenditure. I am a member of the Strategic Sourcing Leadership team, I serve as the Supplier Diversity Initiatives lead for our department, and I am national vice chair of our McDonald’s African-American Council. THE COMPANY: After 10 years at E. I. du Pont, I joined McDonald’s in 1997 in Oak Brook, Illinois, as a director in our business-affairs group, and after 18 months, I became a product director for several core food categories. In 2000, I transferred to the West Division and was the division’s supplychain director for the Southern California and Denver regions. In 2001, I was promoted to senior director of the West Division Supply Chain Team, and in 2006, I returned to Oak Brook to assume my current role. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: I’ve been recognized with numerous McDonald’s awards, including the Team Award, the West Division Supplier Quality Council Leadership Award, the Women’s Leadership Network Award, and the Eagle Leadership Award. In my current role, my team and I are continuously optimizing our supply chain, which has provided millions of dollars in benefits for our US restaurants. ON MCDONALD’S & SUPPLIER DIVERSITY: Supplier diversity is not only part of our supply chain “Plan to Win,” it’s also an integral part of our current and future business success. The McDonald’s US system purchases over $5 billion in goods and services from minority- and women-owned suppliers annually. This represents more than 50 percent of our total food, distribution, and paper spend. MY ADVICE: Secure top management’s commitment for establishing a focus on supplier diversity as a key initiative. Understand third-party criteria and certification processes and utilize organizations and groups for expertise. Determine how the supplier-diversity lead will engage other corporate departments to establish baselines and drive results. Understand these departments’ approach to sourcing goods and services, and develop a plan to use diversity as key criteria for selection. Keep top leadership informed of progress. Continuously benchmark other companies and share best practices with one another.
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Devine, senior vice president and senior business manager of supplier diversity for Wells Fargo—are on the cutting edge of supplier diversity in the 21st century workplace. They develop initiatives, work closely with purchasing departments and corporate leaders, nurture relationships with their resource of diverse vendors, and build relationships with potential vendors. Like goodwill ambassadors, these supplier-diversity leaders support the corporate commitment to social responsibility through initiatives that reach out to the people they serve. Dollars in Diversity HP is a global IT corporation that specializes in developing and manufacturing computing, data-storage, and networking hardware; designing software; and delivering services, with a net revenue in 2010 of $126.3 billion. At HP, Tippens and his staff mentor diverse vendors to bring them to “the next level.” Philanthropic, yes, but Tippens says supplier-diversity initiatives must also be based on enabling revenue. “Corporations have a duty to give back, but if they’re just driven by philanthropic objectives, those objectives are subject to be cut; it’s a mistake not to bring it back to revenue, something that drives the business and adds shareholder value,” Tippens says. “We know that what we do is the right thing and helps build communities and create wealth. We need to show we’re supporting revenue and leverage leadership in the marketplace.” Comerica is a financial-services company strategically aligned into three major business segments: The Business Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth & Institutional Management. In 2009, Comerica was listed as number 615 on the Fortune list of top companies. The Comerica Supplier Diversity Program helps foster the growth of small and minority-owned companies. Teresa LeFevre, vice president and manager of supplier diversity at Comerica, says a diverse supply base is important for any company to be successful. “We want to get the best solutions, products, and ideas from as many different types of businesses as we can,” LeFevre says. “It keeps us fresh. You always want to look at the next best thing that is doing something new and has an edge. There are new, entrepreneurial minority-owned companies that supply all types of products and services we use—pens, IT services, personnel staffing, contingent labor to work on technical projects. For example, we buy our environmentally protected paper from a woman-owned company through our relationship with Office Depot.” The Right Connection Supplier-diversity corporate leaders also ensure that their company’s divisions, especially purchasing departments, are aware of the company’s supplier-diversity mission; one cannot work without the other. Supplier diversity starts at the top of the management pyramid, and everyone must be on board. “Ownership of the program and engagement in the program from the top of the company is essential,” LeFevre says. “The objectives need to be specific and measurable. The structure is different in companies, but the one that gets the best footing is the supplier-diversity leader who reports to finance or procurement. It has to be tied to the people spending the money, and they have to have supplier-diversity objectives in their performance plans.” profilemagazineonline.com
CaSondra Devine // Wells Fargo
Senior VP & Senior Business Manager for Supplier Diversity
Teresa LeFevre // Comerica Bank
VP & Manager of Supplier Diversity
WHAT I DO: As the manager of supplier diversity, I’m Comerica’s resident expert on diversity issues. My role is to lead the company’s efforts identifying businesses owned by minorities, women, and disabled individuals. I work with the diverse suppliers we have and mentor and help them grow their business. Within the bank, I train and educate our employees about what supplier diversity is and how it supports our company’s mission. My focus is on those folks making purchasing decisions and making sure they know about me and about how I can be helpful to them. THE COMPANY: While I just started here in November 2010, Comerica has had a supplier-diversity manager for a number of years. I’ve been doing supplier diversity for other corporations since 1995. I have an MBA and I spent a few years as a buyer and purchasing manager. I was a supplier-diversity manager and a buyer for Ford Motor Company for 10 years. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: It’s a big payback seeing a supplier achieve success through an introduction I made. I’m just a conduit, but I try to make those connections. The highlight for me is that I don’t have to convince my Comerica colleagues about supplier diversity; they believe in it, they want to do it. So I know I’m going to have many success stories to share in the future. At Ford, we had a lot of success; it was a strong team. While I was at Ford, I worked with a supplier in Detroit. They were already a decent-sized company when I started working with them, and after a three- to four-year period, they tripled their business. ON COMERICA BANK & SUPPLIER DIVERSITY: We are actively trying to engage with all types of people who do business where we do business. A diverse supply base is important for any company to be successful. You want to get the best solutions and products and ideas from as many different types of business as you can. It keeps us fresh. You always want to be looking for the next best thing, the company that is doing something new and has an edge. My advice: There is a National Minority Supplier Development Council, and it writes guidebooks on how to have a supplier-diversity program. Ownership of the supplier-diversity program and engagement in the program from the top of the company is essential. The objectives need to be specific and measurable. I also suggest that you rely on the resources that are already out there, don’t reinvent the wheel. The guidebooks are a really great place to start.
WHAT I DO: I lead a team within Corporate Supplier Diversity responsible for the design and execution of strategies supporting the development, inclusion, and utilization of diverse business enterprises through outreach initiatives, systems and reporting, marketing, and communications management. THE COMPANY: Our commitment to diversity began when we opened our doors for business in 1852. We know that a strong, healthy supplier network reflecting the demographics of our communities supports economic development. We also know that when suppliers have different experiences, perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds, we’ll receive the most innovative and cost-effective products and services available. We have a long history of assisting diverse businesses in becoming competitive in their industries through coaching and entrepreneur-development programs, and have maintained strong partnerships with nonprofit and advocacy organizations. We always keep in mind that we can’t be one of the world’s great companies unless we continue to become more diverse and inclusive. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: The journey! I cannot think of any opportunity I would have rather been gifted with than being socially responsible for assisting in the development, inclusion, and utilization of diverse companies, which embody and reflect the community. ON WELLS FARGO & SUPPLIER DIVERSITY: As our commitment states, “Diversity at Wells Fargo is a business imperative. Aligning with our customer base, engaging our communities, and attracting and retaining talented individuals are critical to our success.” We understand that we are “One Wells Fargo” and that it takes everyone throughout the corporation to ensure that supplier diversity is integrated throughout our business practices for shared success. My advice: Develop a framework based on your corporation’s strategy, structure, and culture. Be aware of who your company is selling to and understand your spend. For example, does your corporation have a centralized or decentralized procurement approach? Measure and share results with your stakeholders, focusing on the value-add areas. Become a member and get involved with supplier-diversity organizations like the National Minority Supplier Development Council and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. Organizations like these can help you build your data repository with certified diverse suppliers that can meet the scope of work you are seeking, provide insight on any questions you may have as you get started, and learn from other industry leaders doing this work. Lastly, understand the power of partnership and influence.
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Rodgers Builders is proud to partner with Wells Fargo on projects that build community and are a reflection of our diverse culture.
WorkSquared is very pleased to be working with Comerica Bank
2007, 2009 and 2010 winner of the Herman Miller Customer Satisfaction Cube Award. #1 rated dealer for customer recommendations, customer repeat business and customer referral business!
We applaud Wells Fargo for their leadership in supplier diversity programs, offering greater opportunity for all.
Mint Museum Uptown Levine Center for the Arts
Wells Fargo Auditorium Levine Center for the Arts
Knight Theater Levine Center for the Arts
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Levine Center for the Arts
Certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise
Five Locations in Michigan to serve our valued customers: Novi, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Traverse City
www.worksquared.com
Our Mission is to build buildings with purpose, to build relationships with integrity, to build people who lead, and to build community with care. Charlotte 704.537.6044
Columbia, SC 803.733.3407
Greenville, SC 864.255.5800
Raleigh 919.784.0566
www.rodgersbuilders.com 40 profile I sept/oct 2011
profilemagazineonline.com
Many large corporations have supplier-diversity initiatives in place so that disadvantaged, minority-, and women-owned companies have a competitive edge in the 21st century marketplace. It provides diverse suppliers a competitive advantage and helps build their portfolio as they continue to drive their business. Wells Fargo is a diversified financial-services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance across North America and internationally. Wells Fargo has $1.3 trillion in assets and approximately 280,000 team members across 80-plus businesses. One in three households in America does business with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo collaborates with organizations like the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the Woman’s Business Enterprise National Council to identify and develop diverse suppliers. To integrate supplier diversity into all aspects of its business, Wells Fargo focuses on three guiding principles: Education and Awareness, Partnership Development, and Measurement and Accountability. “This allows us to build that relationships with the certified diverse supplier over a period of time,” CaSondra Devine, Wells Fargo’s senior vice president and senior business manager for supplier diversity says. “It’s a win-win for the corporation and the diverse company. At the end of the day, our goal and our mission is to serve the community. It takes everyone throughout Wells Fargo to ensure that supplier diversity is successful.” Supplier diversity is good for the economy and a fresh approach to building relationships between big corporations and the communities they serve. And it exhibits to the communities that beneath their monolithic images, these corporate leaders are also responsible corporate citizens. [P] A WORD FROM GRACE MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC.
GMS is continuously developing and refining both our groundsmaintenance crews and cleaning systems that manage and improve the appearance of our client sites for unsurpassed customer service. We strive to maintain and grow a dedicated client base by providing integrated facility-maintenance services delivered by an expert team at affordable prices. Our client loyalty is testimony to our consistent performance and a true source of company pride. A WORD FROM WORKSQUARED
WorkSquared has been providing workplace and healthcare furnishings to Michigan organizations for more than 50 years. We are experts at listening to our clients, understanding their needs, and recommending the most appropriate solutions. This philosophy has led to a strong partnership with Comerica Bank for the past 10 years. A WORD FROM RODGERS BUILDERS
Nationally ranked construction manager Rodgers Builders is committed to supplier diversity on all its construction projects. Led by president and CEO Patricia Rodgers, the firm is one of the nation’s largest womenowned construction companies. Wells Fargo’s leadership in supplierdiversity programs builds capacity within the workforce and enriches project teams through diverse viewpoints and shared best practices. Rodgers and Wells Fargo share a philosophy of inclusion, benefitting both the construction project and the global community.
Brian Tippens // HP
Director of Global Supplier Diversity WHAT I DO: My mission is enabling access to HP to ensure we have an inclusive supply chain on a global level. We have a mature supplier-diversity program that’s been in place for over 40 years. Over the last five years, my goal has been to grow the supplier-diversity program—develop funding initiatives, educate staff on supplier diversity, and maintain a leadership position in the industry. THE COMPANY: Being successful means paying attention to the diverse suppliers you work with and potential providers of goods and services to HP. One initiative I’m involved in is Business Matchmaking (www.businessmatchmaking.com), a multicity touring sourcing event we sponsor. Outside the United States, we are a leader of global supplier diversity. We’re active members of the Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC), Minority Supplier Development–China (MSD China), Minority Supplier Development–United Kingdom (MSD-UK), and the Australia Indigenous Minority Supply Council (AIMSC). CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: I’ve been a lawyer and worked at other technology companies including Intel. In my early years, I sought opportunities to spend time giving back to my community. I started my career in San Francisco, and I’ve always been involved in the initiatives that represent my employer out in the community, like Habitat for Humanity. I believe you do well by doing good. It’s rare to find opportunities to do that in corporate America, so when this position opened up, my experience made me a good fit for the role. ON HP & SUPPLIER DIVERSITY: At HP, we view supplier diversity as a revenue-enabling program. We’re in a unique position to leverage our diversity leadership to win in the marketplace. Our drive-enabling access to revenue is driven by what we at HP call the three “C’s” of supplier diversity: compliance, corporate social responsibility, and competition. The work we do in supplier diversity helps to meet the goals of many of our enterprise customers. My advice: There is no cookie-cutter model, no one size fits all. You have to look at the uniqueness of your own supply chain and your customer base. Look at where you’re buying and manufacturing and whether or not you’re compliance driven. All those factors shape or determine how you shape your own program. You have to walk before you run. Step back and look at your corporate mission, and that may mean starting local, starting small, and having a strategic plan outlining the steps you want to take to get there.
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Vision Becomes Reality Grace Management is a fully owned minority woman business enterprise providing internal cleaning, exterior grounds/snow removal and light construction/building renovation and interior decorating services for building owners and facility managers servicing commercial, government, medical and educational properties.
Create, Connect, Construct... Tap Into the Possiblities For nearly two decades now, w3r has been providing award winning IT consulting solutions for customers that include Fortune 100 companies and the Federal Government. w3r is proud to deliver consulting services in business intelligence, data warehousing, application development, infrastructure, technical architecture design, advisory services in program/project management and business process re-engineering. Our sincere thanks to Comerica Bank for their ongoing dedication to supplier diversity and overwhelming commitment and support to w3r Consulting.
w3r
C ON S ULTI N G
(866) 585-4100 | www.w3r.com
42 profile I sept/oct 2011
Headquarters 29777 Telegraph Rd, Ste. 2200 Southfield, MI 48034 Chicago, IL 150 North Michigan Avenue, Ste. 2800 Chicago, IL 60601
248.208.8900
Columbus, OH 999 Polaris Parkway, Ste. 211 Columbus, OH 43240
26261 Evergreen Rd. Suite 123 Southfield, MI 48076
Herndon, VA 2465 Centerville Road, #J17-138 Herndon, VA 20171
gracemanagementservices.com
profilemagazineonline.com
MARCH
ÂŽ
[44] Women In Law [64] Enterprising Minds [74] The Producers [77] The Entrepreneurs
Informing and inspiring female executives
Photo by: Brant Brogan
Katherine Adkins Toyota Financial Services’ general counsel and VP not only resolves legal issues for the corporate powerhouse, she drives innovation p. 54 sept/oct 2011 I
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women in law sarah mcconnell of ABM Industries p.44 susan lanigan of dollar general p.50 katherine adkins of toyota financial services p.54 carol ann petren of cigna corporation p.60
Experience
Photo by: Fifth Avenue Digital
Acquisitions
ABM Industries’ general counsel Sarah McConnell has put her legal expertise to use at five major corporations— without missing a beat
On a typical weekday in New York City, Sarah McConnell’s alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m. Before The New York Times has even hit Manhattan stoops, she’s exercising and getting ready for work. At 7:30 a.m., the senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary of ABM Industries—one of the country’s largest facility-services companies—is on the subway, and by 8 a.m., she’s walking in the door of the company’s New York headquarters. Though McConnell’s mornings are rigid in their routine, her workdays are anything but predictable. Fortunately, McConnell loves diverse work and its constant challenges. It’s an appreciation that’s led her down an eclectic career path
McConnell’s
career path 44
MARCH: A Special Section of profile I
that, no matter its direction, is paved with a sharp understanding of how the law affects corporations. “I’m a firm believer that a lawyer’s skills are transferable,” she says. “That might not be quite as true in highly regulated industries, like the financial sector, but on the whole, they’re very transferable.” Even during her years at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, McConnell knew that she wanted to bring these legal skills to a company rather than a courtroom. She practiced at a law firm after she graduated in 1989. Three years later, she found her first position as a corporate lawyer with Cooper Industries, a manufacturing conglomerate. It was there
that she was first exposed to acquisitions transactions and proceedings from inside the company, and she worked with a mentor who helped cultivate the way she approached her work. After leaving Cooper Industries in 2000, McConnell spent two years as tech powerhouse HP’s associate general counsel and assistant secretary. Over the next five years, she worked as general counsel for Fisher Scientific/Fisher Healthcare and for Benchmark Electronics, which marked her first opportunity to be a general counsel for a publicly traded company. McConnell stumbled upon ABM after reaching out to an old colleague who was then the general
1989
1992–2000
2000–2002
Graduates from the University of Texas Law School
Senior Counsel, Cooper Industries
Associate General Counsel & Assistant Secretary, Hewlett-Packard
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marchmagazineonline.com
counsel of the company but was planning on retiring. “We started talking,” McConnell remembers. “I was hired as ABM’s deputy general counsel in September 2007 and was announced as her successor. When she retired in May 2008, I stepped into my full responsibilities.” ABM, which employs approximately 100,000 people, provides janitorial, parking, security, energy-efficiency, and engineering-maintenance systems services for commercial and government clients both across the United States and in certain international locations. “One of the things I like most about my job is that there’s something different every day,” she says. McConnell wears many different hats for what’s already a diverse company; as corporate secretary, she plans and organizes the seven different board meetings that happen throughout the year. “I plan the agendas for the meeting, working with the CEO and other board members; oversee the preparation of board materials; coordinate board-meeting scheduling and logistics; and serve as secretary to support and record the board sessions,” she explains. “I don’t deal with all the little details, of course, but I need to make sure they all come off without a hitch.” As general counsel, McConnell is ultimately responsible for the company’s legal matters—all of them. This includes personnel issues like alleged wage issues and harassment, as well as corporate proceedings like acquisitions. Any time the board examines the possibility of an acquisition, McConnell assembles the necessary materials to make sure they understand what the costs will be, what risks they’re acquiring, and what laws may come into play once the new acquisition has been absorbed into ABM. She’ll frequently travel the country to work with the legal department in ABM’s Houston Shared Services Center or to attend mediation in litigation cases elsewhere. “Litigation is inherently unpredictable,” she admits. “But at the end of the day, I have a duty to the company to make sure that all things legal are handled well. For a company of this size, that pressure sometimes keeps me up at night.” The stress is understandable, but McConnell has always thrived on this kind of work—the kind that confronts her with an unpredictable, strategically demanding obstacle each day. It’s this breed of business that drives her to tackle each day, starting before dawn. —Annie Monjar
lessons
learned Twenty years in corporate law has taught Sarah McConnell many lessons. Here, she offers the four she finds most valuable: Keep your nose to the grindstone: Hard work pays off. I credit my parents with teaching me that, when all is said and done, there is little substitute for good, old-fashioned hard work. Ask the little questions: I support the adage, ‘There is no such thing as a stupid question.’ As a young lawyer, I often hesitated to ask questions because I didn’t want to look silly, particularly as I moved into an in-house setting. But I always regretted it and have learned that asking questions up front can make things much more efficient.
Davis Polk congratulates Sarah Hlavinka McConnell, Senior Vice President, General Counsel of ABM Industries, on being featured in MARCH magazine. We look forward to continuing our close relationship with Sarah and ABM.
Build strong relationships: Part of my job is to build relationships. If you tell a client, ‘You can’t do that,’ it is received better by one with whom you’ve worked closely. It’s hard work— building strong relationships—but it must be done. Take responsibility: Take responsibility if something for which you are responsible goes awry. It’s really the only way to look at yourself in the mirror every morning. And the people who matter will respect it. Likewise, give credit where credit is due. Nothing instills more loyalty.
2002–2007
2007
2008
General Counsel, Fisher Healthcare/Fisher Scientific; General Counsel, Benchmark Electronics
Deputy General Counsel, ABM Industries
General Counsel, Senior Vice President, & Corporate Secretary, ABM Industries
New York Menlo Park Washington DC London Paris
Madrid Tokyo Beijing Hong Kong
Davis Polk & Wardwell llP sept/oct 2011 davispolk.com I profile 45
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When it comes to diversity, we preach what we practice. As the nation’s largest employment and labor law firm, our commitment to diversity isn’t just internal. Littler Mendelson works with clients to implement diversity programs, to provide diversity training, and to give them the tools they need to take full advantage of diversity’s benefits. It helps that we can point to ourselves as a particularly good example. Over half our associates are women, nearly a quarter are attorneys of color, and we’ve gone further than most companies to create and codify a culture of inclusion. So when we preach diversity to our clients, they know it comes from long and serious practice.
littler.com • Littler Mendelson, P.C. 46 profile I sept/oct 2011
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Leadership. Service. Excellence. We are proud to be a business partner with
Susan Lanigan, Ogletree Deakins represents management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has more than 500 lawyers located in 40 offices across the United States and has been recognized among the top 30 law firms for client service in The BTI Client Service A-Team Survey 2011. Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the United States. For more information, please visit www.ogletreedeakins.com.
General Counsel for Dollar General. We congratulate her on her remarkable record of excellence, integrity, and commitment to public service.
WE PROUDLY CONGRATULATE SUSAN LANIGAN AND OUR CLIENT, DOLLAR GENERAL, IN THEIR CONTINUED SUCCESS.
www.morganlewis.com sept/oct 2011 I
profile 47
They call it a machine-readable representation of information in widths and spacings of printed parallel lines.
We call it a BARCODE‌ the language of retail.
Why complicate things? The sale of retail products and services to the consumer is what drives your bottom line.
Au s t i n
Da l l a s
Houston
M e x i c o Ci t y
gardere.com
Gardere attorneys have amassed years of experience working closely with the most recognized names in retail. We represent owners, developers, investors, lenders, franchisors and operators across the industry, from specialty goods to big box, discount chains to c-stores, restaurants to automotive. We know your business. We speak your language. We’ve cracked the code.
48 profile I sept/oct 2011
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It’s our culture.
ExcEllEncE isn’t Extraordinary at GardErE.
the Gardere retail team
We understand what drives a client’s bottom line — the sale of retail products
the team’s strength comes from the experience of attorneys who
and services to consumers. We also understand what it takes to deliver
practice in varied legal disciplines with a retail focus, including:
those sales at a profit. Be it regional, national or global, our understanding of retail is derived from years of working closely with clients. our diverse
commErcial litiGation
experience brings together broad industry and legal knowledge to meet the
corPoratE/sEcUritiEs
distinct needs of any client. We are knowledgeable about the issues and concerns of retail businesses, including product safety, human resources, asset
tax
protection, enterprise, supply chains, finance, licensing, intellectual property,
FranchisinG
social media and sustainability. We understand the legal landscape facing the
intEllEctUal ProPErty
retail industry and are here to help.
laBor and EmPloymEnt
the Gardere retail team brings together attorneys experienced in a range of
rEal EstatE
disciplines to provide counsel to domestic and global companies in the retail sector. our clients include some of the most recognized names in the industry
BankrUPtcy
from online, catalog and traditional brick-and-mortar operations. From concept to completion, the attorneys in our national retail practice represent owners, developers, investors, lenders, franchisors and operators. We provide counsel with respect to the planning, design, development and operation of a broad range of retail operations from specialty consumer goods to big box retailers, from discount chains to restaurants, and from food and beverage retailers to automobile dealerships.
rEsUlts We achieve positive results for clients by combining the comprehensive resources of a large firm with the specialized expertise of individual lawyers in
about Gardere
both broad-ranging practice areas and focused industry teams.
the superior capabilities of Gardere begin with more than 275 attorneys in more than 40 areas of practice. lawyers named the best in america and recognized in chambers Usa. skilled litigators who have argued before the United states supreme court. legal experts who apply their skill and craft on behalf of domestic and international companies, Fortune 500® corporations and private clients. this is legal knowledge. to this impressive base of expertise, add more than 10,000 years of collective life experience. insight they don’t teach in law school. competence honed in the boardroom and the courtroom.
intEGrity Whether we are working with clients or community colleagues, we dedicate ourselves to becoming a strategic partner by understanding our clients’ needs and addressing those needs with integrity while achieving the desired results. dEPth oF lEGal acUmEn Gardere has 9 major practice groups composed of experienced partners, associates, legal assistants and support staff. these practice groups overlay the more than 45 practice areas in which the firm counsels and serves its clients. since not all of our clients’ needs fit neatly into a single practice area, we also offer cross-practice industry teams and specialty practice groups.
the real-life, real-people know-how of humanity. this is human
GloBal sUccEss
wisdom. the combination – the integration – of precedent and
Gardere is an amlaw 200 firm serving half the Fortune 500® companies
perspective, of case law and common sense, of statute and
headquartered in texas — including 6 of the 10 largest — as well as individual
strategy…this is what makes us successful as our clients’ legal
and corporate clients throughout the United states and around the world. We
counsel and invaluable as their partners.
also provide pro bono legal services to hundreds of charitable organizations.
Austin Phone: 512.542.7000 Fax: 512.542.7100
Dallas Phone: 214.999.3000 Fax: 214.999.4667
Houston Phone: 713.276.5500 Fax: 713.276.5555
Mexico City Phone: 011 (52) 55 5.284.8540 Fax: 011 (52) 55 5.284.8569 sept/oct 2011 I
profile 49
Corporate Confidante women in law
As general counsel and executive VP, Susan Lanigan navigates Dollar General Corporation’s legal team through sometimes-risky corporate waters
iIn many ways, the role of a corporate general coun-
sel parallels a counselor role in any other workplace, be it at a school or even a summer camp. You guide your clients through their decision making, provide them with ways to manage their risk, and help them overcome conflicts with others. And when Susan Lanigan first signed on as general counsel with Dollar General Corporation, a Tennessee-based bargain retailer with stores in 35 states and 80,000 employees, the company wasted no time in putting her to work as the in-house corporate confidante. She arrived in 2002, when Dollar General was in the midst of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation. Dollar General had restated its earnings for 1999 and 2000, due to issues Lanigan says were more about a “failure to pay attention than intentional wrongdoing.” Eventually, a large settlement was made with shareholders (some of whom sued over the incident) but Lanigan admits it was “not a good time at Dollar General.” However, the proceedings, into which Lanigan dove headfirst upon her arrival, solidified her role as general counsel to the company. “It was a great time to come to a new company,” she says. “I had the board’s full attention. From that perspective, I was able to come in and have a positive impact. I didn’t have to sell the board on the need for compliance.” Lanigan was in a good position to take on such an early challenge. She holds a law degree from the University of Georgia and began her career at Troutman Sanders, an Atlanta-based law firm, as a general litigator who represented high-profile clients like Turner Broadcasting, Southern Power, and Georgia Power. Before coming to Dollar General, she spent six years with Zale Corporation in Dallas, first as an in-house lawyer and then as general counsel. Cases like her first at Dollar General are few
lanigan’s
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civil service: Susan Lanigan proved herself at Dollar General Corporation right off the bat, handling an SEC investigation of the company.
and far between, Lanigan says. While she’ll certainly take part in larger cases, Lanigan is part of a legal group that has 10 lawyers, 3 paralegals, and several legal assistants, and these are the ones who typically handle litigation proceedings, many of which are employment-related. The bulk of her duties, Lanigan says, has to do with helping the executive team evaluate and manage any risks
that come with major business decisions. “The job of a general counsel at a public company like Dollar General, or any large company, is mainly to identify and manage risk,” she explains. To do this, Lanigan sits down once a week with the four lawyers who report directly to her, each of whom handle a different area: labor and employment, SEC-related work, real estate, and other general
1988
1988
1996
Graduates from the University of Georgia’s Law School
General Litigator, Troutman Sanders
Lawyer then General Counsel, Zale Corporation
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business issues. Most of them have teams that report to them, as well, and Lanigan says she and her deputies have a cooperative, hands-off relationship, noting that, “It’s more about bouncing things off of each other and making sure we all agree.” Recently, the team collaborated to study and report the risks Dollar General will need to take into account in order to expand its stores to California, where it currently doesn’t have any locations. “California is a great business opportunity…but it can be tough to do business there,” Lanigan says. “We put a team together to go out and figure out the employment regulations that we don’t have to deal with in other states.” California also presents a host of different labeling and packaging rules and licensing requirements that Dollar General doesn’t have to worry about in other states. “Several pieces of our business will have to be adjusted,” Lanigan says, admitting that navigating and dealing with such regulations can be tedious, especially since her responsibility is to “be the voice of caution” to Dollar General’s executive team. Still, it all comes down to the customers who need Dollar General. “We’re all about the customers who are single moms, who are elderly, or on fixed income, who otherwise don’t have a place to shop,” Lanigan says. “We focus on the underserved. That makes all the other stuff worth it.” —Annie Monjar A WORD FROM GARDERE WYNNE SEWELL LLP
“We began working with Susan when she arrived at Zale Corporation,” says Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP partner Carrie Hoffman. “We served as Zale’s primary outside labor and employment counsel. Our relationship has continued since she began at Dollar General. Susan ensures that her employer is fairly represented and has a hands-on approach without micromanaging. She is upfront about expectations, and demands that others always provide their best efforts to ensure blue-ribbon results. Susan’s knowledge and expertise in legal matters facing publicly traded companies have provided Dollar General great legal counsel and protected its business interests. Susan is one of the most enjoyable clients with whom I have had the pleasure of working.”
Proud to call her one of our own Long before Susan Lanigan rose to become Dollar General's Executive Vice President and General Counsel - and one of our most important clients - she was an outstanding attorney with our Firm.
Riley Warnock & Jacobson, PLC is a litigation firm that strives to provide its clients with the highest quality legal representation in resolving complex commercial disputes and litigation.
We congratulate Susan Lanigan and wish her and Dollar General
Congratulations, Susan, for your much-deserved success. Troutman Sanders is proud of you.
continued success in the future.
2002 General Counsel & Executive VP, Dollar General Corporation
For more information, please contact us at: Riley Warnock & Jacobson, PLC 1906 West End Ave. | Nashville, TN 37203
Visit us at www.troutmansanders.com
P: (615) 320-3700 | F: (615) 320-3737 www.rwjplc.com sept/oct 2011 I
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A tt or n ey A d v er t is in g
Š 2 0 11 Bi n g ham M cC u tch en L L P O n e F ed er al S t r ee t , Bos t on M A 0 21 1 0 T. 61 7. 9 51 .8000 P rio r resu l ts d o no t g u arantee a simil ar o u tc o me.
Diversity is powerful.
Susan Alker Allen & Overy LLP congratulates
has built a
Katherine Adkins
powerful
and
relationship
Toyota Financial Services
with Toyota.
on their commitment to women in the legal profession
Just one example of how our women attorneys are driven to succeed. As a partner in our Financial Industry Group, Susan Alker goes the extra mile for Toyota Financial Services. And through
Your New York Allen & Overy Team Cathleen McLaughlin (Head of New York Capital Markets) Deborah North (Partner, Derivatives) Lawton M. Camp (Partner, Securitization) Edward De Sear (Partner, Securitization) John Hwang (Senior Counsel, Securitization) Nicola Rogers (Associate, Securitization & Derivatives)
the efforts of our Women’s Initiative Network, Reed Smith is committed to giving all women attorneys the opportunity to perform at the highest level. To learn more, visit reedsmith.com.
ReedSmith The business of relationships.
SM
www.allenovery.com
Š 2011 Reed Smith LLP
women in law
The Uber Diplomat
katherine adkins handled Toyota’s 2010 large-scale recall, but most of her work involves consumer finance.
As a young girl, Katherine Adkins did not want to be a princess, a ballerina, or a doctor. She had her eye on being one thing: a lawyer. Today, the Nebraska native is her family’s fourth generation to pursue a career as an attorney, though maybe the first to execute her chosen profession with such a wide range of capabilities outside of her field, thanks to her current
adkins’s
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position as general counsel and vice president at Toyota Financial Services. Adkins graduated from law school in 1991 and, after working with several law firms, settled with Walker, Wright, Tyler and Ward, where she worked as an associate for almost eight years. “I did a lot of different things [there], which I really liked,” she says. “It was
a small firm and a niche firm, with a lot of foreign banking clients and high-net-worth individuals. I had a couple of children while I was at that firm, and after my second was born, I started to look at my options.” She decided to transition from a position at law firm to one with a corporation. “This was around 2000, and the banking market was going
1985
1993
2000
Loan Officer, Union Bank of California–Ventura; promoted to Assistant VP in 1986
Associate, Walker, Wright, Tyler & Ward
Managing Counsel, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation
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Photo by: Brant Brogan
As general counsel and senior VP of Toyota Financial Services, Katherine Adkins has evolved beyond legal matters—now she’s also an innovation guru
through a lot of changes at that time,” she continues. “The natural step for me would have been to move to an in-house position at a bank, but I saw the writing on the wall, and thankfully I didn’t make that leap.” Instead, she looked at Honda, Nissan, and Toyota, and eventually pursued the last option because of Toyota’s legacy. “I wanted to join a company where the things I valued are lived out every day,” she says. Now, a decade later, Adkins is still convinced that she, as part of the Toyota team, can help aid the company’s mission of simply making each customer happy. “Recently, Toyota Motor Company in Japan has empowered North America, Europe, and South Asia to tackle customer issues all in an effort to make Toyota customers smile,” Adkins says. “Because of that, my role at Toyota Financial Services is constantly changing.” Adkins’ current position requires her to be what she calls the “uber diplomat.” Her dayto-day work consists of looking at the trends Toyota Financial Services is facing from a legal perspective and then making sure the business has the right counsel, is involved in the right associations, and is getting the correct information. “And then I work to make whatever we learn externally fit internally into our environment,” she says. “I look at how we incorporate those trends. Toyota is a very inward-looking organization. We’re constantly trying to do better.” In the past year, serving as Toyota Financial Services’ general counsel has meant dealing with some class-action suits as related to the company’s 2010 large-scale recall, but the majority of Adkins’ recent cases have been class actions concerned with consumer finance. “The consumer-finance cases are the most challenging,” Adkins says. “There’s a very active plaintiff bar out there that looks for any kind of violation a lender could engage in, and they create boutiques that go after those who have done something incorrectly. And then they move after other car companies thinking perhaps they’ve done the same thing. These people can be very tenacious. Lenders are going to make mistakes because they’re dealing with volume, and they’re tough cases to crack.”
2009 Vice President & General Counsel, Toyota Financial Services
Hudson Cook partners Liz Huber, Patty Covington, Nikki Munro and Alicia Tortarolo – Counsel financial institutions, sales finance companies, lenders, service companies, and automobile manufacturers in establishing auto finance, leasing, and other consumer loan programs. Advise clients on the requirements of federal and state laws regarding consumer credit reporting, electronic commerce, personal information privacy, and data security programs.
CONSUMER FINANCIAL SERVICES LAW AND PRIVACY LAW ARE WHAT WE DO. Offices in: California
6 Hutton Centre Drive Suite 840 Santa Ana, CA 92707 Toll Free: 800-390-8288 714-263-0420 Fax: 714-263-0428
New York
Connecticut
85 Willow Street Building One, Unit 7, Third Floor New Haven, CT 06511 203-776-1911 Fax: 203-776-1922
636 Plank Road Suite 107 Clifton Park, NY 12065 518-383-9591 Fax: 518-383-9401
Maryland
7250 Parkway Drive 5th Floor Hanover, MD 21076 Toll Free: 888-422-7529 410-684-3200 Fax: 410-684-2001
Washington, D.C. 1020 19th Street, NW 7th Floor Washington, DC 20036 202-223-6930 Fax: 202-223-6935
The legal minds behind these industry standard products
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women in law
The cases and problems Adkins handles change often, but the one constant is her opendoor policy. “People are always in and out of my office,” she says. “I tackle issues and dispense advice that ranges from litigation to management to how we improve our corporate government to how we deal with specific transactions. I have a personal passion around innovation.” Adkins enjoys her attorney title, but these extra opportunities—those that Toyota Financial Services has given her outside of her role as general counsel—are what have made her job so rewarding. In addition to the bimonthly formulized brainstorming sessions she hosts, Adkins recently had the chance to spearhead an innovation fair where employees could present an issue and show how they had improved it. “The fair really showed the culture of continuous improvement—or kaizen, as we call it—that is embedded in everything we do, something Katherine works hard to showcase,” adds Justin Leach, PR manager at Toyota. “Here was this opportunity to share with the rest of the company all of these innovative projects; every department from legal to marketing had something to show. We always say that there is no best—only better.” “The innovation fair is my pet project,” Adkins says. “The beauty of Toyota is that I, a lawyer, was given the time and space to do that.” She admits that her coworkers and her 30 employees, 12 of which are attorneys, are often perplexed by the ideas and decisions that come out of her office; they’re not always in line with what is considered the role of the general counsel. But it’s that extra something, the chance to make a difference beyond her title, that keeps Adkins there, loving her job. Then again, it might also be her love for her Toyota Sienna Minivan. “I’ve driven one for 12 years,” she says, laughing. “I can carry my kids and all their gear. We call it the swaggerwagon around here. It’s the coolest van ever.”
—Thalia A-M Bruehl
A word from reed smith llp
It’s always a pleasure to work with Katherine and the other members of the legal department at Toyota. Katherine is among the very best general counsels I have had the privilege of representing. She is a real asset to the company, with a unique ability to address legal issues in a manner that both protects the company and furthers its goals and profitability. Her commitment to high quality and outstanding service is always apparent. Reed Smith is delighted to work closely with Toyota on everything from corporate and real-estate finance to litigation and regulatory matters. —Susan Alker, Partner, Reed Smith LLP
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“The innovation fair is my pet project. The beauty of Toyota is that I, a lawyer, was given the time and space to do that.” —Katherine Adkins, vice president & General Counsel
A word from buchalter nemer
For more than six decades, Buchalter Nemer has enjoyed a top-notch reputation for our comprehensive national insolvency and restructuring practice. We have successfully represented clients in all sorts of complex proceedings throughout the United States, combining strategic legal protections with industry intelligence to deliver excellent results for our clients. In financial reorganizations, both in and out of court, we are known for costeffective, timely, and practical solutions that preserve business value and maximize the client’s security. We bring to the table a depth and breadth of experience across industries, among them real estate, apparel, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, transportation, communications, and equipment leasing. The cornerstone of our practice is our representation of a large number of financial institutions acting as pre- and post-petition lend-
ers, personal and real property lessors, and secured creditors. Nationwide, we have documented billions of dollars in debtor-in-possession financing and cash-collateral agreements for both public and privately held companies. For more information, please visit www.buchalter.com. A word from hudson cook, llp
Hudson Cook, LLP congratulates Katherine Adkins on her outstanding career with Toyota Financial Services. Established in 1997, Hudson Cook has a single purpose in mind: to provide the best possible service to companies needing advice and assistance in the ever-changing and challenging world of consumer financial services and privacy law. At Hudson Cook, consumer financial services and privacy-law compliance is what we do. Visit HC’s website at www.hudco.com for information and office locations.
marchmagazineonline.com
SHEPPARD MULLIN SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP
A T T O R N E Y S
A T
L A W
SHEPPARD MULLIN Committed to the mentoring, recruitment, retention and promotion of women attorneys Firm Recognition: • Multicultural Law Magazine ~ Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity • Minority Law Journal Diversity Scorecard ~ Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity
Buchalter Nemer is a full-service business law firm with eight primary practice areas—bank and finance, corporate, insolvency & financial solutions, labor & employment, litigation, real estate and tax and estate planning—that support an array of industries, among them, apparel, automotive, aircraft, entertainment, healthcare and technology, in regional, national and international markets. The best attorneys are forward-thinking, helping their clients create a game plan and resolve problems before they arise. At Buchalter Nemer, we practice in that spirit. Our clients trust us as advisers and business partners because we are involved in their world. Our lawyers are accessible, resourceful, skillful and adept at responding to change. We strongly believe that technology is a tool that furthers the practice of law and have used that belief to develop a cutting edge platform for our firm. Our technological capabilities keep case law and rule changes at our fingertips and client communications current, enabling us to create efficient, superior outcomes. Buchalter Nemer lawyers are also active members of the communities in which they live and work. Leadership is a value that the firm’s founding partners practiced and passed on to the current generation of attorneys. Our lawyers sit on the boards of prominent and charitable organizations, teach at institutions of higher learning and lecture frequently, as well as actively participate in many civic and professional associations and community groups. To learn more about how we might serve you, please contact:
Daniel H. Slate, Esq. Los Angeles/Century City | Los Angeles/Downtown | New York | Orange County Palo Alto | San Diego/Del Mar | San Diego/Downtown | San Francisco Santa Barbara | Shanghai | Washington, D.C.
sheppardmullin.com | D&I@sheppardmullin.com
Buchalter Nemer 213.891.5444 dslate@buchalter.com www.buchalter.com sept/oct 2011 I
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www.gibsondunn.com
Brussels x Century City Denver x DallasDubai x Denver x Dubai Brussels Century City Dallas Hong Kong x Ho Orange County Palo Alto Alto Parisx Paris San Francisco Orange County x Palo x San Francis 58 profile I sept/oct 2011
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Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP congratulates our good friend and client Katherine Adkins, General Counsel of Toyota Financial Services, on her well deserved profile in MARCH Magazine.
ong Kong x London x Los Angeles x New York London Los Angeles Munichx Munich New York
~ Sao Paulo xSingapore D.C. D.C. sco x S達o Paulo SingaporeWashington, x Washington,
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women in law WORK-LIFE BALANCE Petren works long hours, but encourages her employees to have a better work-life balance than she has. “I insist they do what I say and not what I do,” she says.
Crisis
Junkie
CIGNA Corporation’s Carol Ann Petren thrives on resolving legal issues, including those presented by the recent Health Care Reform Bill
Growing up in Massachusetts, Carol Ann Petren had a number of goals. But the one that would stick with her throughout her schooling was to become a lawyer. “I was mesmerized by how Perry Mason got to the truth of very complex situations,” recalls Petren, who graduated magna cum laude from Boston College. “I fell in love with the courtroom drama and never wavered from being a lawyer.” Today, Petren ranks as one of the most powerful women in law in this country, serving as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for Philadelphia-based CIGNA Corporation. One of the largest investor-owned health-service organizations in the world, CIGNA and its subsidiaries provide healthcare and related benefits and insurance 60
MARCH: A Special Section of profile I
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and maintain 65 million customer relationships in 27 countries and jurisdictions worldwide. With $21.3 billion in revenue in 2010 and a rank of 129th in the Fortune 500, CIGNA’s mission is to improve the health, wellbeing, and sense of security of the people it serves. Prior to joining CIGNA in 2006, Petren had accumulated more than 18 years of experience in litigation and private practice before entering the corporate world. Earlier in her career, she served as a prosecutor in Jackson County, Missouri, as Assistant US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri and as counsel to the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Following her move to the corporate side of law, Petren served as the deputy general counsel at Sears,
FIVE-YEAR PLAN “When I think about the next five years of my career, my goals are not defined by specific accomplishments. I am driven by having a passion for the work I do day to day, finding solutions to the impossible, and working with a great team of people. I don’t only dwell on the destination, but find immense satisfaction from the voyage itself.”
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Roebuck and Co. for three years. Soon after, she was named senior vice president and deputy general counsel of MCI, where she promptly found herself working through one of the largest fraud cases in history. “I wanted to work in a vibrant and evolving industry that had an impact on people’s lives,” she says, “and CIGNA more than met this calling.” These days, the self-proclaimed crisis junkie does a great deal of work in regulatory and governmental affairs, focusing on deciphering the more than 2,000-page Health Care Reform Bill and implementing the new regulations, all in the midst of navigating through the constitutionality of the individual mandate, which is expected to be heard by the US Supreme Court. “I work some very long hours,” says Petren, who oversees a staff of 220, half of which are lawyers. “I have this overwhelming drive to resolve issues and get to the finish line. While I have not yet found the secret to achieving work-life balance, I constantly message the benefits of balance to my team and insist that they do what I say and not what I do.” And healthcare reform gives Petren plenty of goals to strive for in the next several years, including working with the administration in shaping the future of how healthcare will be delivered in this country. “Although the recent bill addressed the issue of access to healthcare, there remains considerable work to be done in lowering costs and improving the quality of care,” Petren says. “There is now incredible opportunity to make a difference in the health and well-being of people in this country. The key is to persevere through the many uncertainties by adapting to the day-to-day changes while keeping an eye on the long-term opportunities to deliver more affordable, high-quality care.” In addition to working on such important national issues, Petren says one of the most fulfilling parts of her job is to mentor the young and talented people on her team. “I encourage people to live by simple yet impor-
petren’s
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“There is now incredible opportunity to make a difference in the health and well-being of people in this country. The key is to persevere through the many uncertainties by adapting to the dayto-day changes while keeping an eye on the long-term opportunities to deliver more affordable, high-quality care.” —Carol Ann Petren, Executive VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
tant principles,” she says. “Don’t set boundaries for yourself, be willing to take a risk, and strive to operate outside your comfort zone. At the end of the day, I truly believe that the key to success is to surround yourself with a diverse and talented team, trust and empower them, and give up the reins. Of course, you have to be willing to accept missteps along the way, but isn’t that how the most valuable lessons in life are learned? I have an incredible team at CIGNA and could not imagine tackling the challenges ahead without them.”
—Tricia Despres UPDATE: Since publication, Carol Ann Petren
resigned from her position with CIGNA and is now general counsel of MacAndrews & Forbes in New York.
1978–1980
1983–1994
Assistant Prosecutor, Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Partner, Jordan Coyne & Savits
sept/oct 2011
A word from Saul Ewing LLP
Saul Ewing LLP is a full-service law firm with 230 lawyers—one-third of whom are women—in nine offices in the mid-Atlantic region, offering clients the national reach and sophisticated experience of a large firm and the local connections and value of a small boutique. The firm is grateful to Carol Ann Petren for the opportunity to represent CIGNA in a variety of corporate, regulatory, and litigation matters. The firm serves businesses throughout the United States and internationally, including large corporations, exciting start-ups, and an array of closely held and privately held companies, as well as nonprofits and governmental and educational entities.
2003–2006 Senior VP & Deputy General Counsel, MCI Inc.
2006–May 2011 Executive VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, CIGNA Corporation
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women in law
Ideas to Move Business Forward Greenberg Traurig’s Government Contracts Practice helps clients move their business forward – whether they are entering the market or looking to expand the business they do with the federal, state or local governments. We are proud to work with women-owned businesses – not to mention the many women lawyers in our firm. – Ranked No. 1 for most female partners, and among the Top 5 firms for most female attorneys, Diversity Scorecard, ALM Report, 2009
www.gtlaw.com [ 1800 ATTORNEYS IN 32 LOCATIONS° | SELECTED AS THE 2007 USA LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR, CHAMBERS GLOBAL AWARDS ] The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and our experience. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Greenberg Traurig is a service mark and trade name of Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Greenberg Traurig, P.A. ©2011 Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Attorneys at Law. All rights reserved. Contact: Richard Moorhouse in Tysons Corner at 703.749.1300. °These numbers are subject to fluctuation. Images in this advertisement do not depict Greenberg Traurig attorneys, clients, staff or facilities. 11655
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enterprising minds lynn ann casey of arc aspicio p.64 Gloria Carter-Hicks of Hicks-Carter-Hicks p.66 Karen Halsey of Better Built Construction Services p.68 Diane Kuehn of VisionPoint Marketing p.70 kathryn b. freeland of a-tek, inc. P.72
Arc Aspicio’s Lynn Ann Casey poses with Lani, a disaster search dog, and John Stewart, Lani’s handler, at a fundraiser Arc Aspicio held for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. The company raised $10,000 to sponsor a new dog’s training.
Protec∆ing the Nation
Lynn Ann Casey, CEO of Arc Aspicio, knows that national security is a top priority and works with the government on emergency-management, customs, and security projects to keep Americans safe.
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Lynn Ann Casey had no idea how well her company would do when she launched it in 2004. But six years later, Arlington, Virginia-based Arc Aspicio was named one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation by Inc., for the second year in a row. The company, which specializes in management consulting, strategic communications, technology solutions, mission knowledge, and homeland security, saw nearly 650-percent growth in three years and was selected as one of Washington Technology’s Fast 50. marchmagazineonline.com
Casey, CEO, knew when she founded the company that she wanted to focus on homeland security. “In the late ’90s, I did a lot of work with governments around the world who were modernizing their customs and immigration agencies,” she explains. “I developed a passion for homeland security and eventually left a large consulting firm to start my own company focused in this area.” By providing professional services to the government to help it implement large, mission-critical solutions, Arc Aspicio supports immigration transformation, transportation security, border management, and emergency management. “For example, we keep dangerous people off of airplanes and prevent them from entering the country,” Casey says. “We also help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) communicate with the public about how to prepare and be ready for disasters.” To help the company obtain its first government contracts, Casey leveraged previous connections and experience. “When the company was starting up, I built a team who shared similar experience and interest,” she says. “We networked with many companies that had been working for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and we built partnerships to bid competitively. Most of our contracts were competitively bid.” It didn’t take long for Arc Aspicio to form successful relationships with the government, including with DHS. “If you do good work, that leads naturally to opportunities,” Casey says. “If you bring new, innovative ideas and have the people that know how to implement them in a complex environment, it goes a long way.” Still, like in any industry, the company has also faced obstacles while working with the government. “One big obstacle is the government’s budget cycle,” Casey explains. “All new contracts must be awarded by the end of the fiscal year. This means that the summer timeframe is intense and very busy with proposals. We train our people to understand the ‘business rhythm’ and make sure they are ready for the busy summer season into early fall. Similarly, most contracts start up in October, so this is a busy time for our project managers and for hiring and orienting new employees.” Another obstacle is the mission challenges of DHS. “With each new, highly visible terrorist incident (e.g., Christmas Day 2009 or the Times Square bombing), we must support the government in meeting new, urgent requirements on our projects,” Casey says. But over time, Arc Aspicio has overcome these challenges by staying committed to its underlying passion for homeland security, which can also be seen in Casey’s involvement in groups like Women in
Exponential growth In 2010, Inc. ranked Arc Aspicio as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation for the second year in a row. The company jumped from 865 to 463 in the rankings. It had a three-year growth rate of 648%, and was selected as one of Washington Technology’s Fast 50—a list of the fastest-growing companies that serve the government.
Homeland Security (WHS), a professional organization for women focused on improving the safety of the nation. “I was honored to recently be named a WHS Outstanding Leader for 2010,” Casey says. “Arc Aspicio is a major supporter of the organization and an advocate for the advancement of women in the field.” Casey also makes a point to give time and resources to nonprofits that are involved in the field. “One of the reasons I founded a company was to be able to spend more time on nonprofit work,” she says. “I had the opportunity to serve on the board of directors of the Vasculitis Foundation, and in the past few years, our company has been supporting the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, an organization that trains rescue dogs to rescue people in disaster sites.” Today, Casey continues to focus on her nonprofit work while also moving Arc Aspicio forward, with goals to expand the company’s presence and continue building solutions to secure American borders. “Securing our borders while facilitating legitimate trade and travel is a highly complex topic,” Casey says. “It requires solutions at the borders, it includes analyzing data long before cargo and people arrive at our borders, and it must be associated with comprehensive immigration-policy reform. Our approach is to look at all of these elements in balance and not focus on solutions only in one area.” —Kelly hayes
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Three-piece Puzzle enterprising minds
Just like children learn by watching their parents, employees absorb and learn a company’s culture by watching their leaders. “Many employees see their manager or boss as the company,” says Gloria Carter-Hicks, president and CEO of Hicks-Carter-Hicks, a consulting, coaching, and training firm that specializes in human resources and organization development. “When the manager or boss has poor leadership and people skills, it negatively affects employee engagement.” Hicks-Carter-Hicks, founded in St. Louis in 1999, assists clients in effectively creating and communicating enterprise-wide business strategies, philosophies, and value sets that can be cascaded from the top of the organization to employees at every level. “Our company’s passion includes helping organizations transform their leadership and strategically develop a diverse workforce,” Carter-Hicks says. “This leads to improved performance, employee engagement, and positive bottom-line results.” 66
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Some companies may try to bridge gaps through training, but Carter-Hicks says training can only supplement and reinforce a company’s existing philosophies, values, and expectations. “While diversity and inclusion training is important and necessary to help all employees understand and appreciate differences and similarities, it is more important for businesses to have a diversity and inclusion strategy that is broader than training, yet inclusive of it,” she explains. “Having a diversity and inclusion philosophy, organizational expectations, and strategy are strategic and long term and support the overall business. Training is tactical; a well-executed strategy will change the culture and improve organizational and individual performance.” By consulting and coaching clients on concepts like this, Hicks-Carter-Hicks helps companies improve their leadership strategies, talent-management systems, and employeeengagement and -performance levels. “We use
Gloria Carter-Hicks revamps companies’ cultures through three things: leadership approach, level of employee engagement, and diversity practices.
a comprehensive consulting approach to assess and diagnose the organization’s health and leadership strength,” Carter-Hicks says. “We address the people issues, the culture in which people work, and the practices, procedures, processes, and systems used by the people doing the work. Our primary focus is on the organization’s leaders and the competencies they possess or should possess to build a successful organization.” The definition of an ideal leader varies, and so does the approach to talent management and leadership development. “Each company has its own idea about which leadership skills and competencies are important based on their business needs, industry, and best practices,” Carter-Hicks explains. “However, there are common competencies that I have seen during my career in HR, as a consultant, and as a business owner. These traits include strategic thinking, business acumen, fiscal responsibility, problem solving, performance focus, marchmagazineonline.com
enterprising minds
ethics and integrity, and people leadership.” By helping a client better lead, develop, empower, and retain its employees, HicksCarter-Hicks sets the foundation needed to improve all other areas of a company. “Our philosophy is that the right people doing the right jobs with the right competencies and skills, and then implementing the right practices, procedures, processes, and systems will lead to the organization realizing its vision and attaining its goals,” Carter-Hicks says. In addition to leadership-development consulting, Hicks-Carter-Hicks offers many other services that can also help clients tackle their organizational goals from different angles, such as conducting organizational assessments via interviews, administering surveys and focus groups to identify the root causes of workplace issues, and creating employeeengagement strategies to help a client gain its employees’ perspectives and buy-in. The company also develops internal communication strategies for clients that will clearly communicate the company’s business case for change, explain what is in it for the employee, and deliver consistent, clear messages throughout the organization. By helping clients with all of these business strategies, Hicks-Carter-Hicks has been able to foster tremendous growth and improvement in numerous organizations—and at the end of the day, that means increased profits. “The customized solutions and services we provide enable clients to exceed their goals and strengthen their competitive advantage,” Carter-Hicks says. “Our experience and the methodology we use to deliver our solutions and services improve the client’s bottom-line results.” —Kelly hayes
Case Study:
Becoming a Competitor Objective: The client, a quasi-governmental agency, wanted to transform its culture into a competitive organization able to contend with private companies, in order to reduce its risk of privatization. The executive director knew that achieving this objective would require a change in the way the agency’s leaders thought, behaved, performed, and went about getting results. Hicks-Carter-Hicks was hired to assist the agency with its twoand-a-half-year transformation process. Solution: Hicks-Carter-Hicks conducted an organizational assessment to determine the competencies, skills, and qualities the agency actually possessed versus what it needed to possess to transform itself into a competitive, “entrepreneurial” culture. The assessment consisted of interviews with the agency’s leaders, observation of workplace interactions and behaviors, and surveys. Outcome: More than 300 employees and 24 teams provided hundreds of recommendations for improvement. Many of these recommendations were implemented, saving the agency money, improving the operations, and changing the culture.
“Each company has its own idea about which leadership skills and competencies are important based on their business needs ... However, there are common competencies that I have seen during my career in HR, as a consultant, and as a business owner.” —Gloria Carter-Hicks, President & CEO
Bell 's & Associates, Inc.
Bell’s & Associates, Inc. is a full service insurance agency providing commercial insurance consultation, sales and service on a nationwide basis. Clients include, but are not limited to, public entities, social service organizations, non-profits, contractors, consultants, churches and restaurants. BAI assists its clients in reviewing risk exposures and designing an insurance program that addresses specific client needs. With access to most national and regional insurance carriers, BAI fulfils the commitment of providing a program tailored to meet individual client needs.
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425 North New Ballas Rd., Ste. 201 P: 314-983-2350 | F: 314-432-3737 Email: pfoster@missourigeneral.com sept/oct 2011 I
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enterprising minds
Building a Legacy Through
Heritage Karen Halsey’s company, Better Built Construction Services, is building some of the country’s most high-profile government projects, thanks to her Native American ancestry and MBE certification
Listening to Karen Halsey describe her great-grandmother is like watching an artist paint an unforgettable picture. “She was a Cherokee Indian,” Halsey says, “an older woman, who could often be found hunched over with a shawl over her shoulders, a cane in her grasp, and a braid that fell all the way down her back.” It was this vivid picture that a coworker noticed on Halsey’s desk in the fall of 2000—a picture that would propel Halsey to look into the possibility of being certified as a minority and then take the reins of her very own business venture. Now, as the president and owner of Better Built Construction Services, Halsey credits her success not only to her grandmother, but also to her parents and her upbringing. “I was born in Middletown [Ohio] and raised in Germantown, just a few miles north of Middletown,” she says. “I was raised on a farm in a somewhat conservative family. My father was a minister, and he would also work construction on the side. I used to joke that since I was the youngest of three girls, he had given up on having a boy, so I was often by his side as he was remodeling and building a church or a new home.” Halsey planned to attend nursing school but instead entered the building industry full time in 1978, working on the accounting side for a custom homebuilder. For the next 14 years, she would also work for a developer while pursuing 68
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an accounting degree at Miami University. In 1992, Halsey decided to begin her own accounting practice. Fast forward nine years: after acquiring Better Built Construction Services, Halsey decided to pursue small-business certification for the new company. Things had aligned perfectly. “I prepared and sent the certification information for my 8(a) in July 2005 and received our acceptance letter on October 27th,” she explains, “Being approved in 104 days is very unusual.” Now, having grown the business to 25 employees in three offices, the company has several major projects in its portfolio. Its first federal project was the $8 million Youngstown Air Reserve Center. “[That] was a true learning experience,” she recalls. “I remember I would be on site, working in the trailer and absorbing everything I needed to know, especially when it came to working with the Army Corp of Engineers.” Another high-profile project was the $5 million Soldier Family Assistance Center in Fort Campbell, Kentucky—a first-of-its-kind facility that will provide multiple services to soldiers and their families while the soldier undergoes medical treatment. Others include the BRAC Pipeline Dormitory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, the $9.5 million Army Reserve Center in Fort Custer, Michigan, and the Armed
Forces Reserve Center in Akron, Ohio. Better Built Construction Services has also been recognized as one of the fastest-growing minority-owned businesses in the state of Ohio. In addition to the federal 8(a) certification, the company is also MBE, DBE, FBE, EDGE, and Hubzone certified. “The one thing people need to remember about being certified as a minority business is that the work doesn’t just come to you,” says Halsey, who travels two days a week, three weeks out of the month, to visit jobsites and attend various meetings. “You really have to get out there and make the contacts if you want to be successful in securing contracts. Relationships are key to the success of any business.” Success for the business, though, has come with its share of challenges. Growing revenues from less than $1 million to more than $40 million in five years, Halsey says she’s learned valuable lessons that she hopes to share with up-and-coming companies. “Whether it’s commercial or federal work, you must have bonding,” Halsey advises. “Without the necessary capital or a strong mentor relationship, it can be very hard to get the business rolling. It’s also important, as a female business owner, to develop relationships and make people aware that you indeed know what you are doing. Work hard, develop relationships, and you will find success.” —Tricia Despres marchmagazineonline.com
“The one thing people need to remember about being certified as a minority business is that the work doesn’t just come to you. You really have to get out there and make the contacts if you want to be successful in securing contracts.” —Karen Halsey, President & Owner
Just think what we can build together. Graycor is a general contractor with a passion for excellence that’s 90 years strong. But no matter what the project —and there have been plenty —our biggest achievements have always come through partnership.
With our clients, with our subcontractors, and with organizations such as Better Built Construction Services, which make our industry stronger. Find out more. Contact us today at 1-800-455-0440.
A WORD FROM THE GRAYCOR COMPANIES
The Graycor Companies— Graycor Construction Company Inc., Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc., Graycor Blasting Company Inc., and Graycor International—provide a wide variety of industrial and commercial construction services, as well as industrial maintenance technologies, across North America. Established in 1921, Graycor employs more than 1,500 construction specialists at its Chicago headquarters, regional offices, and projects across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For more information on the Graycor family of companies, visit www.graycor.com or phone 1-800-455-0440.
The Graycor Companies serve industrial and commercial clients across North America from offices and project sites throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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enterprising minds
To Be And
To Brand
What is your company’s persona? Diane Kuehn founded VisionPoint Marketing to help clients define who they are and use their identity to achieve marketing success
VisionPoint Marketing’s Diane Kuehn has built a career helping companies get to know themselves better. Topping the list of services offered by her company are marketing, searchengine optimization, Web design and development, and social media, but like all marketing companies that build enduring company brands and client relationships, its role in helping companies develop and grow has an even broader scope. Kuehn, VisionPoint’s founder, president, and CEO, says that the main way her Raleigh, North Carolina-based company helps its clients create a compelling online presence is by talking with them about who they are as a company. It’s important for both VisionPoint and the client to have a strong, palpable sense of what the company’s personality is and what makes it unique. A company with definitive values and qualities will be better able to outline its goals and ways to achieve them. “Our strategy is always tied to the client’s specific goals,” Kuehn says. “That’s where we start everything.” Kuehn specifically mentions VisionPoint’s work with North Carolina State University’s Jenkins MBA Program, just one of the many higher-education clients it’s worked with. Jenkins knew the client wanted, among other 70
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things, to increase enrollment and enhance the quality of its applicants. Before VisionPoint could help the school achieve these goals, however, Kuehn says both entities needed to establish the qualities of the Jenkins brand. To do so, the team interviewed students, faculty, stakeholders, and even corporations that might consider hiring Jenkins graduates, asking them all the same question: “What does the Jenkins MBA mean to you?” “We came up with five tenets,” Kuehn explains, “which got us all on the same page. We built everything around those. The website focused on these pillars. The content and stories we included about what students in the program are doing were all tied to those pillars.” VisionPoint, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary, was launched by Kuehn in March 2001—a perilous time to start an online business. But Kuehn had spent more than a decade working at direct- and online-marketing companies and brought plenty of experience to the table. She started VisionPoint as an online video-streaming company but expanded it into a full-blown marketing company just a few months after its launch. Today, the company has clients—all referral based—that range from
higher-education institutions to healthcare companies to nonprofits. Though some clients have been with VisionPoint since its first year in business, it is constantly adding new projects. Last year alone, it nearly doubled in size. VisionPoint’s enduring reputation may be because the company applies the same goal-oriented approach to developing its own identity that it uses for its clients. “Just like for our clients, we’ve established brand attributes…that are core to the culture and the organization,” Kuehn says. She also notes that the company is dedicated to holding summit meetings twice a year with its entire full team, wherein they discuss and revise these brand attributes together, resolving to make sure that every step of the company’s development process is dedicated to solidifying its core tenets: thoughtful, simple, agile, collaborative, driven, and friendly. “We built an orientation program for new people,” Kuehn says, “because you have to get those people on the same page, to understand how we work and why we make the decisions we make. It’s the personality of the organization.” Even through the hiring process, Kuehn says, interviewers screen candidates to make sure that they embody all—and she does mean all—
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Diane Kuehn’s favorite projects
“Just like for our clients, we’ve established brand attributes…that are core to the culture and the organization.” —Diane Kuehn, Founder, President & CEO
these characteristics. Are they strategic, big-picture thinkers? Able to break complex concepts down into simple terms for clients? Able to adapt to new clients and industries? After all, to project and embody the kind of company you want to be, Kuehn says, you must first determine who you are. —Annie Monjar
VisionPoint Marketing’s Diane Kuehn poses with Robyn Hamilton, CEO of NMSDC affiliate Carolinas MSDC, which recently awarded Kuehn with a scholarship to the Tuck Executive Education program at Dartmouth.
Client: UNC–Charlotte Project: The university’s website had grown disjointed and large, making it unwieldy for departments and IT resources. Solution: VisionPoint is working on putting all of the university’s websites onto a single, standard, content-management system, which will allow IT resources to be much more efficient with their support. Why She Loved It: While VisionPoint originally only did a few, smaller portions of UNC–Charlotte’s websites, it is now “a strategic, collaborative partner.” Client: The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences Project: The institution originally approached VisionPoint because it was undergoing a name change and needed a new logo—however, in the end, it was essentially restructuring its entire business model. Solution: VisionPoint helped establish brand attributes, taglines and logos, development collateral, and a new website. Why She Loved It: Kuehn says that through this engagement, VisionPoint had the opportunity to collaborate and work closely with The Hamner’s executive team and board of directors’ chairman, who is a world-renowned scientist. “Being just a small part of making the world healthier and safer is incredibly rewarding,” she says. Client: Campbell University Project: Campbell came to VisionPoint with a dated, “just-the-facts” admissions website—something the school knew would turn off potential applicants. Solution: After implementing a redesign and a new content-management system, VisionPoint took on the entire university’s website, helping it reinvent its online presence. Why She Loved It: Like many of VisionPoint’s clients, Campbell evolved from a smaller engagement into a key relationship for both company and client.
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enterprising minds
Federal
Techie
Kathryn B. Freeland utilized her experience in federalgovernment contracting to build the client list for her strategic IT-services company, A-TEK, Inc.
In the early 1990s, Kathryn B. Freeland was passed
ture, Health and Human Services, and Justice. The firm also recently inked a contract with the National Institutes of Health and will be supporting the NIH on its Molecular Biology and Genomic Project. In some ways, the federal government is no different than any other customer. Providing responsive, quality service is essential, and A-TEK accomplishes this goal by selecting highly qualified employees. “We have to be able to offer the knowledge and expertise our customers have come to rely on from A-TEK,” Freeland says, explaining that A-TEK focuses on offering agility and flexibility to its customers, which function within highly structured, bureaucratic systems. “Customers look to us to provide solutions and beforward-thinking.” In mining the massive federal government for new opportunities, which Freeland says is the biggest challenge of being in the government-contracting business, A-TEK must dedi-
cate sufficient resources to business development and go above and beyond to meet customer needs. Yet above and beyond is nothing new for Freeland, who is dedicated to giving personal attention to customers. As she neared her first anniversary as A-TEK’s CEO, Freeland had already held face-to-face meetings with employees and customers. This approach, which sets A-TEK apart from much of its competition, also lays the groundwork for achieving Freeland’s future goals. Throughout the next five years, A-TEK plans to generate $100 million worth of growth, working toward that benchmark by honing in on six areas: employee development, quality of service, customer satisfaction, operations excellence, business development, and strategic acquisitions. With Freeland at the helm, the company will continue serving as a pillar itself—holding up some of the country’s most vital governmental agencies. —Kelli McElhinny
over for a promotion with her employer, a government-services contractor, and knew it was time for a change. “I decided that I needed to do something different,” says Freeland, who is now the CEO of A-TEK, Inc., which provides strategic IT and scientific services and solutions to federal agencies. “As I trained my new boss, I began to look at other alternatives.” Freeland ultimately tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit. Because she had been working for government contractors since graduating from college, Freeland chose to stay in that field and started a firm that provided support to a number of federal agencies. She began her endeavor at a time when the government was eagerly exploring new software systems and technology that could streamline operations. She realized that information technology offered numerous opportunities for government contractors, so she jumped into that arena. She knew little about the subject, but she surrounded herself with people who did, and grew this first venture to 450 employees in just nine years, before selling it in 2003. That first company was RGII Technologies, Inc., named in honor of her son, Richard Gregory II, who had died as an infant. That connection helped sustain Freeland’s drive to succeed. “It reminded me every day that I was working for a greater purpose,” she says. Freeland and her husband, Richard—her first RGII recruit—acquired A-TEK in 2010. The company now has just more than 300 full-timeequivalent employees, with offices and clients in 29 cities throughout the country. A-TEK provides a wide range of services, including network and systems management, information assurance and security, systems development, and bioterrorism services. Clients include the Departments of Homeland Security, Agricul72
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enterprising minds
Securing Scientific & Technology Solutions! Since its inception in 1996, A-TEK has become a recognized leader in securing scientific and technology solutions. A-TEK supports myriad satisfied customers across the federal government, to include: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. With nearly 300 full-time employees in 30 cities across the Continental U.S., A-TEK provides high end technology solutions, coupled with a leading edge scientific capability that supports our country’s national security and the intelligence mission of our customers.
(888) 882-8208 it intelligence: A-TEK provides support to several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, through offerings like network and systems management, information assurance and security, and bioterrorism services.
www.a-tek.net
The Tell-All of An Entrepreneurial Queen Between selling RGII and acquiring A-TEK, Freeland took a sabbatical to spend more time with her twin teenage daughters. She used some of her free time to put her tips for business success down on paper. The end result was a book, Navigating Your Way to Business Success: An Entrepreneur’s Journey, which was published in 2009. The book highlights Freeland’s experiences, both challenging and rewarding, in the hopes of offering guidance to other would-be entrepreneurs. “People see the success, but they don’t see all the things we had to go through to get that success,” Freeland notes. Because Freeland credits her faith for many of her achievements, each of the book’s chapters begins with a passage from the Bible.
602 S. King St., Ste 300 | Leesburg, VA 20175 P: 703.443.6900 | F: 703.443.0677 sept/oct 2011 I
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the producers angela carr & christina cummings of turbie twist, llc p.74 Melissa Capen Rolston of Victorian Trading Company p.76 NEW DIGS: Sisters Angela Carr and Christina Cummings grew Turbie Twist, LLC’s operations from a small room in Carr’s home into a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Butler, PA.
Twist and clout
Entrepreneurship runs in the veins of sisters Angela Carr and Christina Cummings, who—straight out of college—launched Turbie Twist, LLC, taking the hair towel from an in-house operation to QVC and other major retailers in 2006, two sisters, Angela Carr and Christina Cummings, graduated from college—one a political science major at Miami University in Ohio, the other a communications major at Penn State, respectively. They were young and didn’t have much experience in business, but both felt ready for the challenge. “My sister and I both felt so strongly about Turbie Twist’s potential that we decided to form Turbie Twist, 74
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LLC to devote our time and efforts to marketing the product and increasing its availability at the retail level,” explains Carr, copresident of Turbie Twist, LLC, which produces superabsorbent hair towels.. The two come from a family of entrepreneurs, and their father had been involved with the product several years before they formed Turbie Twist, LLC. “I’ve always been involved
with the product,” says Cummings, also copresident. “I can recall many summers building boxes and packing product. The hair-towel concept was originally designed and manufactured by our father’s plastics company, and when Angela and I graduated college, we spun off the Turbie Twist and created a separate company, Turbie Twist, LLC.” “At first, I think he just hoped that we could have fun with the product and make a little extra spending money,” Carr adds. That little bit of extra spending money has turned itself into a company doing $4.5 million worth of business each year and has placed the sisters on Inc.’s list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing companies. “In the past five years, Turbie Twist has grown by well over 400 percent,” Carr says. When Carr and Cummings first started Turbie Twist, LLC, they set up shop in what is marchmagazineonline.com
the original
®
Super-Absorbent Hair Towel
Stays in Place!
“I want the Turbie Twist to be as much a part of women’s routines as a washcloth, and I want them to be able to purchase the product in a place that’s easy and convenient for them.” —Angela Carr, Copresident
Where to find Turbie Twist Turbie Twist’s corporate headquarters may be located in Butler, PA (just north of Pittsburgh), but the products can be found all over the United States and Canada. Turbie Twists can be bought at leading retailers, including Bed Bath and Beyond, QVC, CVS, and Sally Beauty Supply. They can also be found online at BuyTurbieTwist.com.
now Carr’s children’s toy room and maintained control of sourcing, sales, manufacturing, marketing, and package design, while outsourcing distribution. Six years later, the company is operating out of a 30,000-squarefoot warehouse in Butler, Pennsylvania, with domestic and international staff. “The Turbie Twist is a product that anyone can use, whether you have long or short hair, child or adult,” Cummings explains. “We have introduced new colors and patterns to appeal to our various customers and constantly refresh our look to attract repeat customers and appeal to new ones.” In 2010, Turbie Twist, LLC launched a Facebook page with a monthly photo contest, as well as a YouTube channel, Twitter account, and blog. The 12-person company also revamped its website to better connect with its customers. Outside of social media, the sisters have found that their best marketing tool is their fans—the Turbie Twist devotees. “We’ve relied strongly on word-of-mouth advertising, and this has really proven to be the key to our success,” Carr says. “If you Google Turbie Twist, you see countless photos and reviews of the product, where customers tell us how much they love the Turbie Twist.” In the past few years, Turbie Twist, LLC has also strengthened a lucrative partnership with QVC, the multimedia retailer, which has brought Turbie Twist advertising and sales to more than 93 million homes. “QVC is a phenomenal selling platform,” Cummings says. “It is the world’s leading multimedia retailer. People in the industry know QVC is a department store that never sleeps. Most retailers would shudder at the thought of a big-time competitor, but rather than cannibalize existing sales, QVC actually drives brand interest at the retail-store level. Every time we’re on QVC, we’re advertising the product and brand. This exposure has opened the door for many opportunities at retail.” Today, you can find Turbie Twist’s 50 different product variations at retail stores like Bed Bath and Beyond, CVS, and Sally Beauty Supply. “I want the Turbie Twist to be as much a part of women’s routines as a washcloth, and I want them to be able to purchase the product in a place that’s easy and convenient for them,” Carr says. “From retail markets to grocery stores to convenience stores to specialty stores to mass markets—I want Turbie Twist to be there.” —Thalia A-M Bruehl
Less Blow Drying! Lightweight! Great for Kids and Adults!
The Turbie Twist® features a unique twist and loop systems making it the hair towel that stays in place!
TWIST AND LOOP
Find Us On:
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the producers melissa capen Rolston and her husband, Randy, run Victorian Trading Company with a passion for authenticity—so authentic, in fact, that their call-center agents answer the phone as Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens, and other Victorian-era characters.
Victorian
Renaissance
Melissa Capen Rolston of Victorian Trading Company revives antiques of a bygone era with authenticity—and even humor Melissa Capen Rolston has been manufacturing and distributing Victorian-era reproduction items for more than a quarter of a century, but her love for this niche harkens back to her youth. Influenced by visits to the Hearst Castle in California as a young girl, Rolston built an empire based on the beauty and refinement of a remarkable and timeless era. In 1986, Rolston and her husband, Randy, started Victorian Trading Company from their home in Dallas, Texas. “I designed Victorianthemed birth-announcement cards and greeting cards out of my attic office,” recalls Rolston, who started out as a fashion illustrator. Now, 25 years later, the couple has upgraded their homebased headquarters into a 50,000-square-foot distribution center in Lenexa, Kansas. They also expanded their business to include a line of rep76
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licated yet functional items like lamps, jewelry, clothing, and furniture, inspired and authentically recreated from 19th-century artifacts. “I have an aversion to ‘cutesy’ Victorian as depicted by modern-day designers,” Rolston explains. “Rather, I have advocated for authenticity even if that means that replicas are ravaged, stained, faded, and worn. This I love. Time-honored wear and tear bears witness to usage with a flavoring of human interest.” However, Rolston points out that she doesn’t want to be in the market of selling dust catchers. “Our products are both affordable and functional,” she says. “I strive to borrow upon their dignified ways in an effort that we may enjoy a charmed life.” A turn-of-the-century opera coat she unearthed in a local antique market springs to mind. “I commissioned a dressmaker to pro-
vide this magnificent garment a renaissance,” she says. Now sewn in black silk velvet, the softly gathered Elizabethan collar and bell sleeves are ideally suited for a chilly evening soiree or a night at the ballet. She adds that, to date, her company has sold more than 4,000 of the dress. Other best sellers include a sign that reads, “PLEASE! No floozies in the Jacuzzi before 9:00 p.m.” “My customers horde anything humorous,” Rolston says. Humorous cards, antiqueinspired dolls, and exquisite lace are highly sought and coveted items. The company actually comprises five retail divisions, representing Rolston and her four sisters. Victorian Trading Company is the “mother ship,” as she refers to the best-of-thebest catalog: a treasure trove of antique reproductions in the interests of home and garden, seasonal, housekeeping, and fashion. In the Victorian Papers catalog, one might find a handpainted Edith Wharton desk with secret compartments, perfumed ink, and glass-dip pens; fine-art greetings and stationery; stickers; and rubber stamps. Castle & Cottage Home Collection offers romantic furnishings, from unpretentious, shabby charm to palatial elegance, from hooked rugs to French Aubusson wools, and from country French toiles to regal brocades. Hopeless Romantic is a walk-in closet packed with feminine clothing and accessories. And Old Flame is a candle lover’s dream come true. “Myriad antique replica candle tools and ultimately fragrant collections promise to transform the home into a haven of tranquility,” she says passionately. Rolston has also debuted a sixth division, Noveau Victorian—a full-line clothing, accessories, and gifts catalog tailored for the younger generation. “It’s Gothic romance meets Twilight,” she quips. Characters from books also play a part in helping Victorian Trading Company remain so profitable, Rolston says. When customers phone in to place an order, the callcenter agents assume a historical character identity like Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, or Mary Poppins. “The century-old concept is fertile with themes that conjure a wholesome era that was steeped in grace,” Rolston says. And many customers long for those same things today. —Kaleena Thompson marchmagazineonline.com
the entrepreneurs jinny ditzler of best year yet p.77 tina teree baker of cadence group p.79 celeste gudas of 24 seven p.80
Best Year Yet founder Jinny Ditzler and Karen Nichols, a Denver realtor, use the company’s online planning software to create an annual plan for Nichols. Best Year Yet was the brainchild of Ditzler, who was looking for a positive change and agreed to donate £50 to charity every time she smoked a cigarette.
Preparing For the Best
How a schoolteacher’s vow to quit smoking launched her personal-development consulting firm Consider Jinny Ditzler the expert on New Year’s
resolutions. After all, the beginnings of her now successful consulting company, Best Year Yet, emerged 30 years ago from the most common resolution of them all: quitting smoking. While living in England in 1980, Ditzler and her husband, Tim, were the first people to exercise the Best Year Yet process after a midnight vow to extinguish the habit. “I was tired of trying to quit and always starting up again,” Ditzler says, “So I said, ‘I’ll donate £50 to charity every time I smoke a cigarette.’ That definitely motivated me.” The couple spent New Year’s Day writing goals for the upcoming year on 3-by-5 index cards. One of their shared goals was to run the
Paris Marathon, which they did later that year. Ditzler, who’d been working as a schoolteacher and as a manager at a personal-development business, had faith that this simple process could work for everyone. Her first workshop the following January in England didn’t look much different than what she had personally done the year before. While periodically offering personal-development workshops, Ditzler expanded the workshops to include business executives using the same process. The Best Year Yet model revolves around 10 questions, beginning with a review of the last year. What were the accomplishments? What were the disappointments? What lessons were learned? The
learned lessons are then applied to achieving goals for the next year. What started as a workshop where attendees scribbled goals in workbooks is now a sophisticated example of cloud computing with clients that range from Cox Communications and Wells Fargo to Girl Scouts of America and the United States Air Force. Although the company still holds team-development workshops, individuals can now establish and track their plan from the website. “It all comes down to attitude,” Ditzler says. “Our way of thinking about ourselves is what stops us. That’s the brick wall. I encourage people to think about themselves in risky ways.” Ditzler says her philosophy remains the sept/oct 2011 I
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the entrepreneurs
Jinny Ditzler’s 10 Tips for Better Results 1. Hire an experienced
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Programs for Individuals, Teams and Organizations same after three decades, during which she published her book, Your Best Year Yet. Selfhelp blogs and forums frequently reference the book as a critical tool in personal development. “You have everything you need to make your life work,� Ditzler explains. “I don’t need to give you anything to achieve your goals. The book is called Your Best Year Yet—not Jinny Ditzler’s Best Year Yet.� Ditzler insists that achieving goals begins with a shift in an individual’s paradigm of thinking. She calls it the “as soon as� trap. “That’s where it stops,� she says, “when you say you’ll do something you want to do as soon as you’re not so busy at work or you get a better job. This trap limits the way you behave in life.� With trained coaches in 13 countries, an online program available in multiple languages, and a recently established partnership with a New York City program encouraging female entrepreneurs, Best Year Yet’s years continues to be better and better. And even after decades of achieved goals, the Ditzlers still make their annual Best Year Yet plan every New Year’s Day. —Cassady Sharp 78
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the entrepreneurs
to each its own tech Solution Tina Teree Baker’s IT consultancy started in the financial sector, but has expanded far beyond
Tina teree Baker was happily serving as a consultant at a large IT firm in the mid-1980s when she noticed a burgeoning niche. “I recognized opportunity in the financial-sectors area,” says Baker, who now serves as president and CEO of her own information-technologies and records-management consulting firm, Cadence Group. At the time, banking regulations were changing, and there was a shift from small banks to large banks. Through the mergers-and-acquisition processes, new IT opportunities were arising—an area that Baker was interested in. “The firm wasn’t really interested in going after that area, so I decided to branch out and form Cadence Group,” she says. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Atlanta, Cadence Group works with businesses and government organizations nationwide to help them improve productivity and mitigate risk by effectively acquiring and organizing information, protecting and disseminating knowledge, and developing sustainable governance. The firm started out with four original stockholders (all consultants), while also upholding a one-year non-compete agreement Baker signed with her former firm. “Non-compete agreements are one of the things you have to address when starting your own business,” she says. The agreement dictated that Cadence Group could operate in the IT consulting arena, but had to start outside of Atlanta. Soon, the firm had expanded to library and information-services consulting. “In the mid-
’90s, we took the two divisions of the company and brought them together to focus on delivering best practices associated with the management of unstructured data, and we’ve been that company since we remodeled ourselves,” Baker says. As the firm grew, Baker relied on a reputation of excellence and word-of-mouth to secure both government and commercial clients, many of whom the firm has been working with for over 10 years. And when it comes to working with clients, Baker has followed several strategies for success. “We’ve developed a methodology to help our clients mitigate risk and manage information,” she says, “and we’re leveraging that by not only bringing it to our clients directly, but by working with partners to deliver our expertise within a broader offering.” Baker believes that ideal business partnerships are those where the client and the partners gain from the relationship. “Our successful partnerships represent a critical balance of overlapping expertise and distinct service and product offerings that create the synergy for an effective partnership,” she explains. “These partnerships offer unique solutions that provide a value greater than the sum of the component offerings to the client and to each partner’s business-development strategy.” Specifically, Cadence Group has developed a strategic partnership with the Public Health Foundation and Cognosante, both of which specialize in public-health-performance manage-
ment, health-information exchange, and technology services. “We’ve built a team that more effectively meets the information-management needs of the public-health sector,” Baker says. In addition to this recent partnership, the firm is also the recipient of 10-year contract with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Information Management Services. “We’ve also developed a strategic partnership with DeepDive Technologies, a data-risk-management company,” Baker says, explaining that the two firms partner to offer electronic-data assessments, audits, and cleanup services. “Together our team can quickly and affordably understand data risk, develop a compliant and secure strategy for risk reduction, and then reduce that risk using our ePurge solution.” In addition to partnerships, Baker says that expanding to become a prime contractor also helped Cadence Group reach success. In the ’80s, Cadence Group started out doing subcontracting work with IBM, but in the ’90s, it grew to become the prime contractor. “There’s certainly a benefit to being the prime contractor and having the ability to leverage long-term client relationships, but there’s also a benefit to expanding your business through partnerships,” she notes. “You can expand your value to the client and extend your reach in the market.” Regardless of the strategy she uses, Baker has a firm grip on the future of her firm.
—lisa ryan sept/oct 2011 I
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the entrepreneurs
Talent search
How 24 Seven’s Celeste Gudas recruits the best creative professionals for major companies around the world
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When the biggest companies in fashion, entertainment, retail, advertising, marketing, and beauty need the assistance of creative professionals, they turn to Celeste Gudas. As the founder of 24 Seven, a full-service staffing and talent-recruitment firm, Gudas and her staff of 175 employees help fill freelance and full-time positions across the globe, operating from offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Monica, Orange County, Chicago, and even London. “We place entry level to executive level, freelance to full-time,” Gudas says. “We also customize workforce solutions to clients’ needs, both in local geographies or virtually.” Though Gudas is now one of the most successful women in the recruitment field, her career grew from humble beginnings. “My first job was in the fashion industry. I just loved it,” she recalls. “I was working in prod-
Photo By: Peter Hurley
Celeste Gudas started on the product-development side of the fashion industry, making $13,000 a year, but quickly harnessed her passion for the business side and launched creative staffing agency 24 Seven.
uct development, and I started out making only $13,000 a year.” With degrees in economics and art history from Smith College and London School of Economics, Gudas became fascinated with the business side of the industry. “I loved the people, energy, business, and excitement,” she adds. “It really hooked me.” In the mid-’80s, Gudas noticed a shift in the fashion industry. Domestic production decreased, and her position began to call for extensive travel to Asia and Europe. After 10 years, Gudas grew tired of life on the road. She decided to leverage her experience in the business to launch her own recruitment firm in 2000. “I saw an opportunity to take the staffing model but transform it into a model that design, marketing, and advertising talents would understand,” she says. The firm offered a revolutionary approach marchmagazineonline.com
the entrepreneurs
Why 24 Seven
THE SERVICE: Placing freelance and full-time talent, both domestically and internationally WHO NEEDS IT: Companies ranging from marketing to advertising to fashion THE SERVICE: Customized solutions for clients WHO NEEDS IT: All of the firm’s clients, as it can create solutions in local regions as well as virtually THE SERVICE: Consulting services WHO NEEDS IT: Those who need assistance with the recruitment process and employee retention
Celeste Gudas’ Ideal Candidate In today’s competitive workforce, the ideal creative-position candidate must have a very specialized skill set. Gudas breaks it down, highlighting attributes that can leverage a candidate in the creative industry: • Skilled in this digital age and inclined to new technologies • Knowledgeable about the most active job-growth areas, including interactive design, Web content, online merchandising, and search-engine optimization • Keeps abreast of online marketing; socialmedia experience is a plus • Strong foreign-language skills helpful, as companies continue to expand internationally
to the creative recruitment world. “Prior to 24 Seven, companies had a very disorganized approach to hiring creative talent,” Gudas explains. “I really wanted to bring organization to the creative-hiring process in a model that appealed to creative folks.” The company quickly settled into an office in SoHo in New York City. But 2001 was a difficult year. Gudas welcomed twins in February of 2001 but allowed herself only two weeks of maternity leave, not able to stay away from her new, demanding business during such an important period of growth. Several months later, the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred close to the office. “We were literally locked out of our office for two weeks,” she says. Even with young children at home, Gudas and many of her staff members spent that time working from her apartment in Brooklyn Heights. “There were 15 people on laptops in my apartment, while others worked from home,” Gudas says. The firm was able to withstand that difficult period and today works with more than 1,000 freelancers. Gudas attributes the success of her company to what she believes to be the three pillars of business. “The first pillar is our clients, who are extremely important and vital to our success,” she says. “We have ongoing relationships with clients so we can understand how their businesses are changing. The second is our candidates. We offer educational opportunities, classes, networking opportunities, job-search information, and workshops to work with our candidates and keep them engaged with us.” And number three is Gudas’ staff. “Normally in staffing you see a high turnover in recruiters and account managers,” she explains. “We have a very high retention rate. This has allowed our internal workforce to evolve, have flexible options, and really let their individual careers blossom and develop.”
Gudas also believes that working in such a competitive and constantly evolving field help her and her employees stay at the top of their game. “It’s an environment right now that’s really moving forward from a technology standpoint at a rapid click,” she says. “ You have to keep your skills sharp and focused. You need to want to stay ahead of the curve to keep your career moving forward.” As 24 Seven continues to assist its clients in talent recruitment and staffing consulting both locally and virtually, the firm hopes to continue to expand, with offices opening in Paris and Amsterdam by the end of the year. “We’re in a wonderful growth mode right now,” Gudas says. “Our goal is to really increase our domestic and global presence by using new technologies and also offering new services lines.” —Lisa Ryan
“I really wanted to bring organization to the creative-hiring process in a model that appealed to creative folks.” —Celeste Gudas, Founder
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24 Seven
Connecting talent to brands around the globe.
www.24seveninc.com New York 212.966.4426 Santa Monica 310.587.2772 Downtown LA 213.412.2260 Orange County 949.258.6540 San Francisco 415.989.2424 Seattle 206.340.0247 Chicago 312.428.3106 London 44.20.7534.9960
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adventure life founder Brian Morgan poses on an Antarctic expedition. His company provides adventure travel throughout Latin America and expeditions to remote regions like the Poles, all of which respect the destinations’ cultures and habitats.
by Trenna Nees
Traveling with Purpose Brian Morgan spent some time in Central and South America without a good idea of what he wanted to do. His passion for travel led him to found his own company, Adventure Life, which blends guided travel abroad with what he calls “voluntourism.”
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rian Morgan was just another guy taking some time off after college, seizing the opportunity to travel to South and Central America before returning to the States to “get a real job.” Little did he know that his travels would ultimately lay the course for his future—as founder and owner of travelcompany Adventure Life. “I came back to the United States in November of 1998,” Morgan says. “I had $2,000 in the bank, was living with my parents, and trying to find a job. I was fortunate enough not to have any college debt, so at least I wasn’t worrying about paying back student loans.” As he reflected on his travels and the experience they had provided, he began ordering travel catalogues to the culturally rich places he had been. Between interviews
and callbacks, he started working on guided travel tours to those same places that had enriched his life, developing a niche business that brought together his passions and the profound impact the ecosystems, ways of life, and breathtaking sites had had on him. “I received a job offer, began working, and found that my cell phone was ringing off the hook with people who were interested in my guided travel tours,” Morgan says. “The interest and the response were amazing. I knew I had found my niche.” Morgan himself led the first tour in 1999. With his mother manning the phones and assisting with the planning of future trips, Adventure Life became what is now: a successful business with more than $9 million in sales. Utilizing his master’s degree in economics and an emphasis on natural resources and conservation issues, Morgan built travel-friendly guided expeditions that remain respectful of habitat, culture, and natural preservation. sept/oct 2011 I
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voluntourism and responsible travel: Since 2008, Adventure Life’s travelers have raised more than $60,000 for island conservation, benefitting many species like The Galapagos’ namesake, the Giant Tortoise (left). Adventure Life also offers a combination of adventure and “voluntourism” in Peru, involving children in Peru’s Cachiccata community (below).
the “voluntourism” mission 1. Responsible travel through cultural and environmental awareness. 2. Promote program partnerships and understanding between the traveler and the rural communities that are visited. 3. Positively impact local traditions, environment, and economy.
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With a like-minded staff, the Missoula, Montana-based Adventure Life team provides in-depth guidance and understanding of the rural areas to which they travel. Almost every employee has traveled, lived, and studied abroad and combines knowledge of conservation and sustainability into a unique understanding of culture. Each believes that travel to often-remote areas should not only avoid negatively affecting the sustainability of its resources, but also positively impact its people and customs. As a result, Adventure Life incorporates “responsible travel” as one of its core
values. Working with the countries to which its clients travel, Morgan and his management team work to promote program partnerships between the travelers and the rural villages they visit, promoting cultural exchange. “We are dedicated to working closely with the locals,” Morgan explains. “They play a big part in encouraging responsible travel and finding ways to work together for sustainable practices to promote cultural awareness, economic sustainability, and preservation of their natural habitats. Working together, profilemagazineonline.com
the lodge in the jungle
In Cusco, Peru: A nonprofit organization established in 1996, the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) has been working with Adventure Life to empower the women of Cusco, Peru, to continue a 2,000-year-old traditional woven art form, which utilizes the textiles from the region and natural dyes. This preserves the indigenous skill, as well as the primary economic means of the rural community’s women. Through research, grants, and commitment, Adventure Life has helped to blend a cultural tradition into a unique and invaluable travel experience that enables the area to thrive by providing muchneeded income and preservation of this ancient Incan art. In addition, for the Cachiccata trek/ trail, Adventure Life’s work includes irrigation-system improvement, fence construction for site and water-storage pools, and a windmill water-pumpdevelopment project. they are empowered to make decisions that positively impact their way of life in simple ways, like recognizing the importance of their natural resources, customs, and traditions that create travel interest to their area, which helps to sustain its economy as well.” Morgan proudly states that Adventure Life’s commitment to the countries in which it offers guided tours has encouraged other companies to do the same. Leading by example is not just the personal commitment of the Adventure Life staff; it is the basis of its success. [P]
Pook's Hill the Lodge in the Jungle Towering Hardwoods, Flowering Bromeliads, Exotic Wildlife & Ancient Maya Ruins
Pook’s Hill Lodge, with it’s rainforest location, has developed a reputation as a favourite destination for wildlife enthusiasts and birders alike. With forest trails down to the river, the lodge maintains a respectful relationship with the surrounding forest and it’s successful philosophy can be characterized not only by the location, but the beautifully designed thatched buildings and maintenance of the grounds. Pook’s Hill has gained archaeological recognition as the nearest lodge to the famous ATM cave and boasts its own Maya site that has been lovingly restored over the years.
www.pookshilllodge.com P.O. Box 14 - Belmopan City, Belize C.A. Phone: +501-820-2017 Fax: +501-820-2017 E-mail: pookshill@hughes.net sept/oct 2011 I profile 85
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Creating Help Out of Thin Air
After the destruction of World War II, Mission Aviation Fellowship was created to help heal remote areas of the world, utilizing aircraft and transport services to bring aid. Today it’s responding to disasters, like the earthquake in Haiti, with workers who are first on the scene.
by Thalia A-M Bruehl
I
n 1946, Betty Green flew Mission Aviation Fellowship’s first flight. The organization, currently in its 66th year, was founded just after the end of World War II by a group of military pilots who wished to use the airplane for aid rather than destruction. “Our founders, or those that had the vision and the dream to start the organization, were Christians and knew that these tools could be used for good instead of the evil they had seen during the war,” says John Boyd, CEO of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Five years ago, MAF relocated from its long-time residence in Southern California to Nampa, Idaho, and currently has a fleet of 126 aircraft serving remote areas in 26 countries. It also has “resourcing offices” in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and Europe, supporting some 1,200 employees worldwide. “The US organization is the largest MAF branch in the world, and we are directly responsible for 330 field staff, as well as 180 training and support staff,” Boyd says. “Often, a husband and wife will both work in our programs. The husband typically will be a pilot or technician, while the wife might help with the bookkeeping, monitoring the radio, or coordinating other ministry
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projects. We also hire a number of teachers and learning-technology specialists.” All overseas missionaries raise their own financial support. MAF also employs what it calls “national staff,” such as Haitians or Indonesians who were born and raised in the countries they serve. Since its inception, MAF has worked to maximize the effectiveness of other partner organizations. “Globally, we work with over 1,400 other organizations including USAID, World Vision, and World Relief,” explains Boyd, who flew for MAF before settling into his corporate role seven years ago. “We align ourselves with organizations that work in other countries but depend on MAF’s aviation, communication, or learning-technology expertise to enable their efforts. These can be nonprofit organizations, relief and development agencies, or church and ministry groups. Our goal is to reach out to those groups that seek to improve the conditions of remote people.” Because the organization has had a full-time presence in Haiti since 1986—and has a permanent base at the Port-Au-Prince airport, where it maintains a hangar, airplanes, and communication systems—MAF was first on the scene after the shocking earthquake in Haiti. “MAF has eight families permanently
assigned to Port-Au-Prince, and they live in the community, helping the people,” Boyd says. “Our families were literally there when the earthquake took place, out in the streets, checking on their Haitian neighbors.” The organization found itself uniquely positioned to help, as the MAF families knew the culture, the geography, and the language. Before long, the organization was a key player in the relief efforts, not only flying its own planes, but also aiding and assisting other relief agencies in the distribution of food, water, relief, and medical supplies. “It was one of those unique challenges and opportunities where we saw what we do truly expand and touch the lives of tens of thousands everyday,” Boyd says. A year later, MAF’s presence in Haiti is as strong as ever, and the organization continues to fly small planes to remote locations, as many residents migrated away from Port-Au-Prince to the interior villages after the earthquake. “We believe we need to continue our efforts where we can,” Boyd says. “With the right resources and funding, we’ll try to expand our organization and ministry into those countries that need us most. We’ve seen the impact MAF can make on people’s lives both physically and spiritually. We can help.” [P] profilemagazineonline.com
“MAF has eight families permanently assigned to Port-Au-Prince. Our families were literally there when the earthquake took place, out in the streets, checking on their Haitian neighbors.” —John Boyd, CEO
top 3 i n i t i at i v e s 1. Provide medical assistance and disaster response. 2. Spread the word of Jesus Christ, Evangelization, and the Church.
TOP Photo by: Anthony Cece
3. Train indigenous people and developing communities.
first responders: Top: Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, MAF provided critical air transportation, including emergency medical evacuations. Photo: MAF Staff
Bottom: MAF maintains a fleet of nimble aircraft capable of landing on short, rugged airstrips, like this one in Papua, Indonesia. Photo: Richard S. Brown
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Bob Suchon of E1 Dynamics on…
Launching in North America after overseas success E1 is a subsidiary of Euro Diesel, which started building advanced uninterrupted power sources (UPS) in Belgium 22 years ago. It then expanded to the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Singapore, and most recently Brazil. Meanwhile, Suchon worked for a competing international company. He has served the UPS industry for more than 17 years. “I gained international experience, competence in sales, and general business acumen,” he recalls, explaining that at his last company, he was responsible for a growth of $40 million within 3 years as vice president of business development. That caught the attention of a Euro Diesel manager interested in taking his company to the United States.
Photo by: VANDECRAEN
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ike the products his company sells, Bob Suchon is versatile and steadfast, qualities that helped E1 Dynamics capture the North American marketplace after expanding in 2008. E1— which provides the most reliable, advanced, and dynamic uninterrupted power sources in the world—landed its first major client just eight months after opening its Texas office. It has done more than $30 million in sales, and is now bidding on projects that total more than $60 million.
by Zach Baliva
Euro Diesel asked Suchon to run its operations in North America as E1 Dynamics. Suchon says his unique background helped him develop a successful expansion strategy. “Entering a new market can be tricky,” he explains. “I knew we couldn’t just tackle sales. It was also about service, engineering, product management, and support.” E1 provides complex power equipment to communications giants, Fortune 500 companies, online retail behemoths, and federal agencies. These organizations rely on constant power for massive levels of online transactions, data recording, and other critical functions. “Reliability is key because down time is devastating,” Suchon says, noting that this drove him to focus on more than just sales. Because E1’s custom systems are large, the company often builds entire facilities to house its components; Suchon’s business model includes engineering support, project management, and other important initiatives. Suchon was careful to cater everything to a North American clientele, fighting to provide local support instead of relying on his European counterparts. “People who do critical work in the United States are not going to tolerate an eight-hour time difference,” Suchon says, explaining that he knew that a company with an American face and real-time support would be better. All documentation was “Americanized,” sept/oct 2011 I
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5 - Y e a r Plan
“Our specialty, medium-voltage distribution systems, operate at up to 25,000 volts and save space, copper, and building costs. That will be a major factor to our success because these products fulfill needs as we grow and the market changes. Our clients are growing and want to transmit more information faster. That’s good for us. As they grow, we will grow.” —Bob Suchon, President
as staff converted metric weights and measures and updated all marketing materials. Then, E1 found local partners for major components. Three years ago, Suchon approached independent, regional sales representatives who work strictly on commission. The move put trained people on the street while limiting overhead. Next, he built a network of highly qualified service technicians. E1 was up and running eight months after Suchon was hired. The first client was a major federal entity that needed a simple 1.6 megawatts of clean uninterrupted power. This single order opened the door for the continued growth; shortly after delivery of the first unit into the United States, E1 received its next order for eight 2.1-megawatt units. This was a stepping stone and led to another major order of nine 1.6-megawatt units, this time from a high-profile manufacturer of microchips and silicon wafers whose facility is designed for an additional nine units. Suchon says it was a responsive attitude that attracted business. “We give these companies a totally customized solution that allows them to self-sustain all operations based on the power we provide,” he says. “We have to stay attentive to the everchanging market and environmental needs.” In December 2010, the company’s first client placed its second order. “We work closely with customers to give them what they need instead of forcing them to use a product we already have,” he says. The approach attracts clients who perform mission-critical jobs and need a UPS company that can prevent mistakes. In North America, that company is E1 Dynamics. [P] 90 profile I sept/oct 2011
I ndu st ry P u l s e “Our clients are thinking modular now. They don’t need huge systems in their first year of business. They might only want a small unit now but need the infrastructure built so they can expand later. Our product lends itself well to that type of customer.”
BY THE NUMBERS
2007
year founded
9
employees
1
location
$33 million revenue since 2008 launch
Onyx
The Law Firm
CONTRACTORS
for
The Life Sciences Industry • Ranked at the top in the Life Sciences Industry and Regulatory Super Leagues by Practical Law Company in 2011 • Ranked #1 Law Firm in the U.S. for Life Sciences by Who’s Who Legal in 2010
Onyx Contractors is a diversified heavy contracting company located in Midland and Kermit, Texas. Onyx Contractors
provides
civil
and
residential construction, oil field ser vices, water transpor t, concrete
• Named as the Firm of the Year for Life Sciences in China by Asian Counsel in 2010
work, and ready mixed concrete to
• Ranked in Band 1 for Life Sciences – China by Chambers Asia 2011
customer ser vice, thorough safety
Sidley’s Global Life Sciences practice, comprised of lawyers in the United States, Europe and Asia, counsels clients on the full array of issues they face throughout the life cycle of their products. The firm litigates and arbitrates on their behalf around the globe; defends them in criminal and civil government enforcement actions; assists on strategic transactions; and represents their interests in legislative and key regulatory agencies.
Strategic
•
Creative
•
the West Texas area with excellent
precautions
and
outstanding
workmanship.
Effective
General Contractors Heavy Civil Contractors Oil Field Services Sandhills Concrete www.sidley.com/lifesciences BEIJING BRUSSELS CHICAGO DALLAS FRANKFURT GENEVA HONG KONG LONDON LOS ANGELES NEW YORK PALO ALTO SAN FRANCISCO SHANGHAI SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO WASHINGTON, D.C. Sidley Austin LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership which operates at the firm’s offices other than Chicago, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney, is affiliated with other partnerships, including Sidley Austin LLP, an Illinois limited liability partnership (Chicago); Sidley Austin LLP, a separate Delaware limited liability partnership (London); Sidley Austin LLP, a separate Delaware limited liability partnership (Singapore); Sidley Austin, a New York general partnership (Hong Kong); Sidley Austin, a Delaware general partnership of registered foreign lawyers restricted to practicing foreign law (Sydney); and Sidley Austin Nishikawa Foreign Law Joint Enterprise (Tokyo). The affiliated partnerships are referred to herein collectively as Sidley Austin, Sidley or the firm. Attorney Advertising. For purposes of compliance with New York State Bar rules, Sidley Austin LLP’s headquarters are 787 Seventh Avenue, NewYork, NY 10019, 212.839.5300 and One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000. Prior results described herein do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Water Transport Custom Homebuilding
Onyx Contractors 3001 S. County Road 1260 Midland, TX 79706 (432) 561-8900 | Fax : (432) 561-8644
www.onyxcontractors.com
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Maurizio Iaquaniello of Onyx Contractors on...
Running a business like a family had little formal training in business. In every sense, he’s a self-made man. And in 1999, he put himself to the test when he joined up with former coworker Jimmy McClelland and financier Ray Elliot to found Onyx Contractors. “I told myself, this will either make me or break me,” Iaquaniello recalls. And that mindset of calculated risk has served the company well.
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t’s easy to work with people you trust, and no one’s more trustworthy than family. That’s what makes Onyx Contractors unique, says CEO Maurizio Iaquaniello: “It’s a big company with a family atmosphere.” Since opening in 1999 with just four employees, the diversified, heavy-contracting outfit has grown steadily over the last decade and now employs 85 people—a large family by anyone’s standards. by John Ziza
And family is important to Iaquaniello. A native of Italy, he left in 1977 at the age of 12 to live in England with his sister and her husband. When he arrived, the young Iaquaniello spoke no English at all. But two years later, they moved to the small town of Stanton in west Texas. He would later attend college in nearby Midland and spend 12 years working for a local company before opening his own shop. Although he’s now grooming his oldest son, Paul (a recent college graduate), Iaquaniello 92 profile I sept/oct 2011
In the firm’s early days, McClelland ran the company’s office and Iaquaniello conducted operations in the field, managing equipment, personnel, and projects. The company had four employees, leased equipment, and the owners drove their own pickups to and from job sites everyday. But luckily, there were work orders rolling in. “It was a great time to get ourselves started as the economy was doing well at the time,” Iaquaniello says. “We were still operating out of a one-room office, which was only 168-square-feet.” Fortunately, Onyx’s sales were swiftly eclipsing its office space, and in 2000, Iaquaniello decided it was time to set goals. “I wanted to have a multimillion-dollar company and have my own equipment,” he says. “Later in the year, we were able to buy our first bulldozer and it was a great feeling. We ended the year with $3 million in sales.” In 2002, after just three years in business, Iaquaniello and McClelland repaid their financiers and cut the umbilical cord, assuming sole ownership of the firm. When you own the company, Iaquaniello says, you make light of the small stuff. “I worked hard, gained more customers and more work, and then we moved to Midland to a bigger office where Jimmy even had a secretary,” he says. Onyx finished 2002 with sales of $5.4 million. A major turning point, however, came in 2006 when Onyx won a $6 million contract to provide excavation and construction services for a new Uranium-enrichment profilemagazineonline.com
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POTANDON PRODUCE brings you the best quality potatoes and onions available.
5 - Y e a r Plan
“We’re extremely busy! There’s room to grow in our market and we’re working to maintain our current customers and provide service to new ones.” —Maurizio Iaquaniello, Owner
Industry Pulse “We’re stepping into the land-development arena with a housing subdivision. This is a new direction for Onyx Contractors, but Midland needs the housing.”
BY THE NUMBERS
1999
year founded
85
employees
30
approximate number of employees hired in 2010
$12 million 2010 sales
70%
percentage of company’s business that comes from repeat customers or referrals
facility near Eunice, New Mexico. The contract elevated the company to another level, Iaquaniello says, and the added security and care that comes with working such a specialized job site assured Iaquaniello that he could manage any project. Onyx continued to grow, and in 2008, Iaquaniello bought out his partner. He diversified the business, branching into different industries such as residential-housing development. “We started our company with leased equipment, and now we own over 100 units of equipment ourselves,” he says, noting that despite the down economy, Onyx earned roughly $12 million in sales in 2010 and hired about 30 employees. “When other firms were laying people off and cutting wages, we were hiring. I haven’t laid off a single person.”
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Onyx’s steady growth and job security is rooted in its flexibility. “We’re a very diversified company. We’re not just involved in the oil-field business. We’re a commercial and residential contractor,” Iaquaniello says. “I built this company knowing it could never survive by specializing in one niche.” By providing excellent service and satisfaction to the client, Iaquaniello says about 70 percent of the company’s business comes from repeat customers or referrals. Iaquaniello’s son, Paul, is the future of the company. Armed with a college degree and an interest in emerging technologies, Paul believes the company can become a $50 million outfit. “When I heard him say that, I chuckled,” Iaquaniello says, “but it’s doable. It takes personnel, it takes equipment, but it’s doable.” Seems like anything is possible for Iaquaniello and Onyx Contractors. After all, he says, “I am living my American Dream.” [P]
Potandon Produce L.L.C. 800-767-6104 www.klondikebrands.com Green Giant® and related character are trademarks of General Mills – used under license. ©2011 General Mills sept/oct 2011 I
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Alan Suchodolski of Advanced Reservation Systems on…
Remaining a leader in online travel services Discovering that the business of booking hotels carried a greater reward than booking tours, the enterprising team acquired travelagency accreditation for the business. Next, came a basic brochure-like website, which was subsequently upgraded to include a booking engine. With an increased focus on the Web opportunity, Sights of San Diego transitioned into ARES. Suchodolski and House skillfully manipulated Yahoo’s search engine so that 8 out of the top 10 sites concerning travel and San Diego were theirs.
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lan Suchodolski knows his business and his industry from the bottom up. In 1995, the now president and CEO of San Diego-based Advanced Reservation Systems (ARES) was working in hotels, filling roles from bellman to concierge to sales. Soon, he and his business partner, Alec House, established a concierge business selling tickets and tours around San Diego. This evolved to market attractions before a visitor’s arrival, which subsequently became known as Sights of San Diego. by Chris Allsop
94 profile I sept/oct 2011
The advent of Google curtailed ARES’ cyber domination, and competitors—such as Expedia—began to crowd the marketplace. Unable to compete dollar for dollar, Suchodolski and House reinforced their existing partnerships by augmenting the company’s offerings further with the proposition of booking services for customers (rates and availability) on clients’ websites via an ARES widget. “We were a white-label solution,” Suchodolski says. “The brand behind the brand. It opened up an opportunity to work with various entities in the destination and provide them additional services on their own websites, with a way for them to make revenue where they weren’t making revenue before. A good win-win for everyone—consumer, client, and us.” ARES built up its West Coast business and expanded nationwide in 2005. At that point, its focus was on its partnering efforts with attractions, activities, convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), and destination marketing organizations (DMOs). ARES software had also evolved at this point to allow the company to offer a bundled-service proposition, handling all booking logistics. “Today, we work with some of the largest attractions, CVBs, and dotcoms related to travel in the United States,” Suchodolski says. “San Diego Zoo, Merlin Entertainment, about 100 CVB/DMOs—including San Francisco; Chicago; Washington, DC; and Williamsburg. We also partner with the new Legoland in Orlando, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Six Flags.” profilemagazineonline.com
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“We want to expand our affiliate relationships by providing more resources for them. Additionally, there is a big focus on how we can convert more of the business that we’re already getting.” —Alan Suchodolski, President & CEO
Indu stry Pulse One of the biggest trends currently is the use of mobile devices. More and more people are using their smartphones or tablets to process travel arrangements online. Companies like Advanced Reservation Systems are realizing they have to be prepared to transact in that manner, making booking engine friendly to mobile devices.
ARES continues to operate out of its San Diego headquarters, with annual revenue that increases year after year, driving millions of dollars through its system (now complete with an in-house call center, programmers, marketers, account management, and sales teams). And remote workers throughout the country—some working directly out of partner client’s offices—provide a more local presence for ARES. “We don’t charge up front for our service; we make revenue by what is being booked in our system, like a travel agent,” Suchodolski explains. “We have a vested interest in helping partners market online and improve sales conversion. If they don’t make money, we don’t make money.”
BY THE NUMBERS
1995
year founded
60
employees
15%
2010 sales growth
This is what separates ARES from big-name competitors like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz—and what gives the company its competitive edge. “We separate ourselves on the services that we offer, the level of service that we provide, and the resources that we commit to doing just that,” he adds.
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ARES plans to expand internationally this year, with a focus that ensures its high level of service remains undiluted. The company also has an internal goal of increasing the number of conversions of visitors into sales, as well as the number of group bookings made through its systems. “This year is going to be busy and exciting—I see this as our banner year,” Suchodolski says. “The hospitality industry has taken some hits over the last 10 years, starting with 9/11, and our industry has really had to communicate that we are a driving force to help the economy. Travel is important in every destination.” [P]
convention and visitors bureaus ARES partners with
states served by ARES (it plans to expand worldwide this year)
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Vince Gelormine & Daniel Gudema of Take IT National on…
Letting the market guide your steps
Photo: Craig Henderson
The two first met when Gudema was employed as a website developer by an online catalogue company, for which he helped increase daily orders from zero to 25,000. Gelormine convinced Gudema that his expertise in software development could catapult Gelormine’s speed-datingevent concept, Pre-Dating.com. The two began working on the project part-time. Within a year, Pre-Dating events were being held in 25 cities throughout the United States. It eventually went on to become the largest speed-dating business in the country and created the basis for their current venture. “We learned how to create an event business and grow it to over 100 cities using the Internet as the driving force,” Gudema says. “Other speed-dating-event companies had aspirations of launching into other cities and growing the business, but because of scalability and technology challenges, 99 percent of them failed to grow beyond one or two markets,” Gelormine adds. “One city [is possible], but beyond two or three cities, there is no solution that we know of that allows you to efficiently grow in a way that is also smart from a marketing standpoint.”
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perating within a micro-niche of the event-creation and -production industry as a software developer and consultant, Take IT National is the brainchild of two men: Vince Gelormine and Daniel Gudema. “I’m the corporate guy,” says programmer Gudema, “and Vince is the entrepreneur.” by Chris Allsop
96 profile I sept/oct 2011
The pair sold Pre-Dating at the end of 2004, and four years later, Gelormine got back in touch with Gudema with a new event idea, which then led to the idea of offering the platform and experience garnered through their last venture to event entrepreneurs of all stripes. They came up with a name, Take IT National, and spent a year and a half developing their proposition. The two now offer their service to seminar creators, networking-event organizers, charity fundraisers, and others who have a successful, local event concept and who are looking to go national with it. The key to Pre-Dating’s success was the ability to automate a lot of the processes involved in the event-creation process, and the pair kept this idea for Take IT National. “The Take IT National platform allows businesses to go from one city to 40 cities in a way that makes ecoprofilemagazineonline.com
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“Today we’re talking about events, but we’ve had all sorts of people asking, ‘Can we do this, can we do that?’ ‘Can the software help me sell my mobile coffee service through franchises throughout the states?’ ‘Can you help me manage the girls that hold signs at boxing matches?’ Yes to all of those. Not today—because it’s not the stage we’re at— but long term we’re in the people-, information-, and geography-management business. We’re looking at a much larger market down the road.”
We Help You Take Your Event, Party, Seminar, Fundraiser or Other Concept To The National Level - Start Today!
—Daniel Gudema, Cofounder
Event Management Back-End Solution nomic sense,” Gelormine says. Alongside the software, the team is also offering event expertise in the form of off-the-rack event policies, procedures, legal documents, event-marketing tactics, and best-practice advice on hiring the right people in a distant city. “We help people answer questions that would otherwise cost a lot of money in consulting fees,” Gudema adds. Take IT National—incorporated in 2010—has projected earnings for the next 12 months of between $500,000 and $1 million across all business units. Gelormine and Gudema are feeling confident, as highlighted by one story of a recent pitch. “They stopped us part way in the sales pitch and said, ‘You don’t need to sell us any more, we need this solution now,’” Gelormine recalls. “We didn’t know what to do. We had to regroup for a moment and resist resuming the ‘pitch’ and just move to the close right then and there.” Much of what’s happening has been fortuitous, as a result of the pair’s hard work. “We didn’t choose to be in this business,” Gudema says. “The market had been driving us here. We just have to keep up with it and grow with it.” [P]
I ndust ry P u l s e “This is an information economy, and you have a lot of people who have specialized knowledge that they can impart. If you look at event-listing sites, at the variety of events and the ideas people have, every little niche and interest you can think of is represented nowadays, at hyper-local levels. The ability to take that knowledge and spread the word is of interest to people, and we help enable that.” —Vince Gelormine, Cofounder
Event Website Integration/ Implementation Building National Events Seminar & Training WordPress Website Design & Programming Services dan@takeitnational.com
www.takeitnational.com 888-982-5348
Globetrotting
Entrepreneurs and CEOs doing business around the world
Elizabeth Sheehan PA-C, MPH Founder and President, Containers 2 Clinics
my inspiration: I was flipping through a green-design Founded: 2008 Services offered: Pre- and post-natal care, comprehen-
sive lab tests, and pharmaceuticals Location of clinic: Port-au-Prince, Haiti What my company does: At Containers 2 Clinics (C2C), we
seek to reduce the healthcare deficit faced by women and children in the developing world by addressing the infrastructure gap. From C2C’s “container clinics,” local doctors and nurses provide urgent services and access to low-cost or often free basic interventions like antibiotics, vaccines, and oral hydrations. C2C believes that this new clinical model can be replicated to meet an urgent need for women and children in Haiti and beyond. Why this is important to me: After 20 years of domestic
and international healthcare delivery, I wanted to design a sustainable solution to the infrastructure gap that barred access to primary healthcare to millions of poor women and their children. The ability to combine advocacy around maternal mortality and provide a viable solution was my “aha” moment.
98 profile I sept/oct 2011
magazine and seeing a home converted from a shipping container. I had seen thousands of discarded shipping containers in every port of every poor country I had worked in throughout Africa and Asia. I knew there were more than 20 million littering the world—unused—and millions of women were dying due to the lack of a clinic within a few miles. I hired two incredibly smart women with complementary skills to develop my idea further, engaged key stakeholders, and created a board of directors to lead the strategic direction. Number of people served: In this prototype clinic, we serve 50 women and infants a day. We have treated 2,800 women since October 2010. Where I plan to expand: Haiti, Latin America, southern
Africa. Where else i’ve worked: HALO Trust Cambodia, Ministry
of Health of Mozambique, Medicine Sans Frontier, and in emergency rooms in North Carolina, New York City, and Massachusetts. Where i’ve traveled to promote C2C: Throughout the
United States.
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