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Founder & President Emeritus
South Mountain Company
Meet John
In 1973, after a five-year back-to-the-land odyssey, John inadvertently, by the seat-of-his-faded Levis, co-founded South Mountain Company (SMCo). This 40-person worker co-op – which practices architecture, building, and solar – became the world’s highest-scoring B-Corp for a time. On Dec 31, 2022, John relinquished company ownership and employment to begin a new chapter. Next Gen SMCo has a new CEO, a remarkable leadership team, full alignment, and tremendous enthusiasm and promise.
With his partner Kim Angell, they launched Abrams+Angell to help mission-driven small businesses with succession planning and worker co-op conversions. John is writing a book called Founder to Future: New Strategies for Impact, Equity, and Succession (Berrett-Koehler publication date spring 2025). Previous writings include this book, Companies We Keep, published in 2008 (and still in print).
In 2015, John co-founded Building Energy Bottom Lines, a peer group network of 60+ Northeast U.S. architecture & construction businesses. John engages in a variety of forms of community activism, mostly involving affordable housing.
John lives with Kim on Martha’s Vineyard, and he’s grateful that his two children and five of my six grandsons live there, too! John’s most benign addiction is online Scrabble.
Author & Co-Founder
Small Giants Community
Meet Bo
Bo Burlingham is the author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big (Portfolio, 2006), co-founder of the Small Giants Community, and an editor-at-large of Inc. Magazine. Bo joined Inc. in January 1983 as a senior editor and became executive editor six months later, a position he held for the next seven years or so. In 1990 he became editor-at-large for a number of reasons, including his desire to go back to writing. He subsequently wrote two books with Jack Stack, the co-founder and CEO of Springfield Remanufacturing Corp. and the pioneer of open-book management. One of the books, The Great Game of Business, has sold more than 300,000 copies. The other, A Stake in the Outcome, has also done pretty well and gotten great reviews.
Before joining Inc., Bo freelanced for various publications, including Esquire, Harper’s, Boston Magazine, and Mother Jones. Bo was also managing editor of Ramparts magazine. In 1982, he joined Fidelity Investments, where he wrote for Peter Lynch, Ned Johnson, and other honchos until coming to Inc. From 1992 to 1997, he served on the board of The Body Shop Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the international cosmetics company. He was also a founder, with Tom Peters, of PAC World, a weird international networking group that gave him a chance to meet a lot of zany—and brilliant—people from around the globe.
President & CEO
The Motz Group
Meet Zach
The Motz Group is a sports field construction and products company based in Cincinnati. Zach started his career there in 2008 by hopping in the trenches and gaining hands-on experience working with the installation crews, subcontractors, and vendors in the field, which at that time was their version of a “management training program.” Proving to be a valued leader, Zach was named President in 2012 and then CEO in 2022. The Motz purpose of “Moving People to Better Lives” energizes and challenges Zach and the rest of the team every day!
With his wife Jennifer, Zach and she have four kids (Jack, Lillie, Evie, Luke) and two dogs (Rosie and Coco). They reside in Lebanon, Ohio. When Zach happens to have spare time, you can find him on a bike, working the grill, and/or listening to rock and roll!
Owner & Principal
EOS Azimuth
Meet Amy
Amy, the principal of Azimuth Centers of Excellence, grew up learning how to make businesses great. Watching her father run his own small business and from early days in Junior Achievement, Amy learned that people with aligned core values are essential to making any organization great. She carried these ideas and concepts with her through her 20 years at Valassis, a marketing services company where she was the executive in charge of Telecommunications and Technology, through to her involvement in several entrepreneurial companies where she served as CEO, COO, CFO, CIO and SVP/Sales and Marketing. Additionally, she served as National Commander and CEO of the Civil Air Patrol, the United States Air Force Auxiliary, responsible for over 85% of the search and rescue in the US and Puerto Rico. Amy attained the rank of Major General, a two-star position, and was humbled as her 61,000+ member team was credited with saving 400+ lives during her tenure.
Through it all, Amy has been guided by her core values of always doing the right thing, treating people well and kindly, and encouraging “out of the box” solutions. Over the past 12 years, she helped four businesses self-implement EOS. Realizing the natural fit between her leadership skills and style with the guiding principles of EOS, she became a Certified EOS Implementer and currently serves small businesses in Michigan, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Even at a young age Amy was an innovator and leader, having earned a spot to program on the world’s first commercial computer when she was only 13 years old. Her passion for technology has continued – she was even an advisor to Bill Gates in earlier days of Microsoft!
CEO & Owner
Community Link Consulting
Meet Karen
Karen is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Link Consulting (CLC), leading a dedicated team of experts in Federally Qualified Health Centers. Her passion lies in supporting health centers across the United States, ensuring that underserved individuals have access to quality healthcare. As a Certified Public Accountant and over 30 years of experience, Karen brings a wealth of knowledge to her role.
Karen’s leadership is characterized by decisiveness and collaboration, as she works alongside consultants to provide comprehensive management and financial services to health centers. She emphasizes results, using deep analysis and an objective perspective to inclusively engage stakeholders. Her innovative and strategic approach is complemented by her commitment to fostering a strong organizational culture.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Karen has a history of volunteering with special needs and disadvantaged individuals, serving as Treasurer for Musicfest Northwest and chairing a local endowment trust. When she’s not spending time with her twin boys, Karen is getting ready to complete her 22nd Bloomsday in Spokane, which is the world’s largest timed road race. Even with her British roots, Karen is a Trekkie and as a teenager had the goal to make all decisions from logic just like Mr. Spock.
Founder & President
Delmarva Veteran Builders
Meet Chris
Chris, a Salisbury, Maryland native, is the President and founder of Delmarva Veteran Builders (DVB) a fresh, gritty commercial construction firm igniting potential and doing epic things. DVB brings the “veteran attitude” to local construction projects which led the company to become one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies recognized by the Inc 5000 list for three consecutive years. Chris’s dedication to veteran employment led to DVB receiving the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award at the Pentagon. A Navy veteran who served for six years as a nuclear machinist mate on the USS Theodore Roosevelt during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Chris takes great pride in his military service and supporting members of DVB who still serve today.
Chris’s achievements extend beyond his business ventures. In 2023, he became a published author of the children’s book “Grit Leads To Greatness,” co-written with DVB’s creative developer Jenny Kerr Schroen. The book, which promotes the significance of the construction trades, has already sold an impressive 5000 advanced copies. The authors are now focused on sharing this enchanting story in classrooms across the nation. Chris’s commitment to his community is reflected in his involvement in various projects and organizations.
Founder & CEO
charity: water
Meet Scott
Scott spent almost 10 years as a nightclub promoter in New York City before leaving to volunteer on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, West Africa as a volunteer photojournalist.
Returning home to New York City two years later, he founded the non-profit organization charity: water in 2006. Turning his full attention to the global water crisis and the world’s (then) 1.1 billion people without clean water to drink, he created public installations and innovative online fundraising platforms to spread international awareness of the issue.
In 16 years, with the help of more than 1 million donors worldwide, charity: water has raised more than $750 million and funded 111,796 water projects in 29 countries. When completed, those projects will provide 15.5 million people with clean, safe drinking water.
Scott has been recognized on Fortune magazine’s list of 40 Under 40, Forbes’ Impact 30, and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, where he earned the #10 spot. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and author of the New York Times Bestselling book Thirst.
Scott and his wife Viktoria have two children, Jackson and Emma.
Partner & Chief Strategy Officer
Knight Agency
Meet Danielle
Danielle is a classically trained ballerina who left the stage for a career in advertising. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with an Advertising/Public Relations degree and landed a copywriting job in Orlando’s largest ad agency, MMGY. She wrote everything from billboards, radio spots, websites and commercials. What she quickly learned was that the purpose of her job was to write stories that personally connect with people and help them connect to purpose and to each other.
After joining Knight Agency, where she is a partner today, Danielle shifted from external marketing to organizational purpose and culture work. As Chief Strategy Officer, she has personally interviewed more than 1000 employees, from CEOs to frontline workers. This qualitative insight has helped architect culture and communications strategies that inspire people to believe in the companies and leaders they work for and in themselves. Her work leads to purpose-driven organizations fueled by high-performing people.
Outside of her day job, Danielle speaks at UCF, her alma mater, and hosts storytelling workshops. And, she never fails to tell her clients that she was in the Nutcracker. Be sure to ask Danielle about what it was like to grow up with a chocolate factory in her basement!
CMO
Service Express
Meet Josh
Josh is a growth-marketing executive with experience leading highly profitable customer acquisition, adoption, and advocacy programs. He’s been the Chief Marketing Officer at Service Express since 2011 and has helped grow the company from $30 million in annual revenue to over $350 million. Josh has grown the team from 2 to over 110, leading them to deliver 70% of new logo pipeline and 60% of new logo revenue at Service Express.
To ensure that Service Express grows “The Service Express Way” and lives out their core values, Josh works with the executive team to help hire and develop the best talent, grow organic revenue by double-digits annually, expand through highly accretive acquisitions, provide a differentiated and uncompromising customer experience, and innovate at the speed of growth.
Josh has been featured in AdAge and is a frequent guest on podcasts like Renegade Thinkers and The Marketers Journey. Josh is a founding member of CMO Huddles and is a member of The CMO Club. He is also a Fellow with McKinsey-backed The Marketing Academy and was named a 101 Top B2B Marketing Influencer in 2022 and 2023. With his passion for helping others in their professional careers, Josh serves as an adjunct professor at Cornerstone University, where he previously earned his MBA. In his free time, you’ll find Josh on a trail biking with his sons, geeking out over any kind of new technology gadget, and traveling with his family.
Founder
Jess Lilly Coaching
Meet Jess
Jess is on a mission to create a world where support is plentiful and seeking it is celebrated. Jess is a Professional Certified Coach and founder of Jess Lilly Coaching LLC. She provides transformational leadership coaching for heart-centered leaders; helping them bring their visions to life and sustain leadership from wellbeing rather than teetering on the edge of burnout. She offers 1-1 Leadership and Executive Coaching through her private practice and as a contributor to The C-Suite Collective. Jess is an experienced coach trainer and educator, supervising and training aspiring coaches and leaders who want to master coaching skills. She is Dare to Lead™ trained and aligns herself with Brene Brown’s work in creating a paradigm of leadership centering courage and vulnerability. Prior to coaching, Jess worked in public education as a teacher and advisor.
Jess lives on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, MD and loves the beach, kayaking, paddling, greeting dogs in the neighborhood, and spending time playing with her nieces on her family’s farm.
Founder
MACKEY
Meet Mackey
Mackey is a CPA rebel who turns heads in the accounting and finance arena with Prosper™, a game-changing system that helps business owners achieve their epic goals. She is the founder of The Prosperity People, life planning with a touch of rebellion, and MACKEY, an innovative outsourced CFO firm. MACKEY has been a certified B Corp since 2019, scored a seat on the INC5000 in 2022 and the INC Power Partners award in 2023, and is a 4-time Real Leaders Impact Award Winner.
Mackey never fit the traditional bean counter persona, as evidenced by her books, The Prosperity Playbook and The Intersection of Joy and Money. She’s appeared in Inc Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, MONEY, and USA Today.
When she is not shaking up the financial world, you can find Mackey unwinding at Red Sunflower Farm, in her garden, entertaining friends with a truly local food feast, trekking through the woods or spreading joy with her grandchildren.
Founder
ZM Consulting
Meet Zach
Zach is an author, researcher, and consultant specializing in purposeful leadership, meaningful work, and positive organizational psychology. He wrote The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose and works with hundreds of companies, schools, and governments around the world to forge purposeful leaders and cultivate positive cultures that enable more meaning, mattering, motivation, well-being, and performance. Some of his clients and partners include J.P. Morgan Chase, The Government of Canada, Marriott International, American Express Global Business Travel, the Food and Drug Administration, Michelin, the National Park Service, and Hewlett-Packard. His writing on purposeful leadership has been featured internationally in outlets such as Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and The Denver Post and his research has been awarded by The Academy of Management, the Association for Talent Development, and The Association for Human Resource Development.
Even with his work being featured in these prestigious publications, Zach still enjoys reading science fiction and philosophy for fun. (And yes, he still reads a paper copy of the newspaper daily!) And when he’s not working, reading, or writing, you can usually find him outside road biking.
Founder & CEO
Ethos
Meet Alida
Alida is a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practitioner committed to teaching love and cultivating belonging. She is the author of two books with HarperCollins Leadership: Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last (February 2022) and The First-Time Manager: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (May 2024).
She is the founder and CEO of Ethos, a full-service DEIB and employee advocacy firm, which serves hundreds of clients across the world. She hosts Care Work with Alida Miranda-Wolff, a podcast about what it means to offer care for a living. In 2021, she received The University of Chicago’s Early Career Achievement Award. She is a graduate of The University of Chicago and holds certificates from the School of the Art Institute (graphic design) and Georgetown University (DEI).
Alida lives in Chicago with her partner, toddler, rabbits, and cats. When she’s not working, reading, writing, or parenting, Alida is wild gardening, interior designing, and falling down anthropological history rabbit holes.
Founder & CEO
WEBIT Services, Inc.
Meet Eric
Eric is the Founder and CEO of WEBIT Services, Inc. WEBIT runs on EOS and is a Certified Employee-Owned, People-Focused, IT Strategy, Service, and Support company serving small to medium-sized businesses in the 8 counties in and around Chicago in Northern Illinois. WEBIT was named one of the 25 top Small Giants in 2019.
WEBIT’s SecureBIT managed security team helps organizations identify, manage, and reduce risk in their business. Their Upstream Impact software division creates applications that help non-profit organizations achieve their mission. And their most recent application, PantryEasy, is an online market that helps food pantries get their goods to their clients quickly and efficiently.
Back in the 90’s, Eric was a professional bowler! For fun, he enjoys gardening, hiking, running, cooking, and vintage comic book collecting.
Founder & CEO
PurposePoint
Meet Davin
Davin is an inspirational speaker and bestselling author known for connecting purpose, people, and performance. He is also the Founder of PurposePoint & The Purpose Summit. He is also an honored member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, a channel partner of The Ken Blanchard Companies, and member of C12 Business Forums. His bestselling book Finding Purpose at Work was published in 2020, and his second book The Thief of Purpose is expected to be released in 2024.
Davin is originally from Philadelphia, PA, and currently resides in Michigan, with his wife Amy and their two children.
Team Relations Manager
Pioneer & Yavapai Title Agencies
Meet Carolyn
Carolyn is the Leadership Development Manager and Team Relations Manager at Pioneer Title Agency and Yavapai Title Agency. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Carolyn swapped climates and moved to Phoenix, Arizona when she was recruited to play D1 soccer for Northern Arizona University. Her dream of becoming an attorney shifted once she became the Assistant Soccer Coach for NAU and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. And one again, life changes led to her career change, and she has been working with the Pioneer & Yavapai Title Agencies since 2017.
Carolyn is an “old soul” millennial living with her dog, Riggins and his cat, Streeter. She was introduced to the Small Giants book from her company’s President Keith Newlon, graduated from the Small Giants Leadership Academy, and the rest is history!
Founder & CEO
Shift Financial Insights
Meet Spencer
Spencer has the rare and unique combination of speaking both the language of accounting and the language of entrepreneurship. As an accountant, he’s a designated 25 year CPA and as an entrepreneur, he’s owned businesses in manufacturing, construction, cold storage, real estate and now, financial services.
Guided by the belief that entrepreneurs can change the world, Spencer is now the CEO and founder of Shift Financial Insights, providing ridiculously simple accounting and financial insights for purpose centric businesses on the rise. With the goal of making accounting not suck, Shift is on a mission to help small and medium-sized businesses by removing their financial blind spots and turning the numbers side of the business from a source of pain to a source of power!
Spencer is the best selling author of Entreprenumbers, the surprisingly simple path to financial clarity. He is a highly rated international speaker to industry and membership associations such as TEDx, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Metronomics and TEC/Vistage.
Spencer is also a passionate endurance athlete having completed several marathons, ultramarathons (as far as 100 miles/160 kilometers), Iron Man, distance cycling events, and a marathon distance swim.
Partner
SeatonHill Partners
Meet Lance
Lance is a strategic business partner focused on developing individuals and teams, helping them reach their potential. He considers himself a “Starfish Flinger” (look it up!) and combines his leadership, operational, and financial experiences with a passion for engagement, positioning businesses to scale. Lance is currently a Partner in SeatonHill, providing strategic professional advisory services including executive coaching.
As a former senior executive, Lance has helped to generate $250M+ in shareholder returns and value creation, and he has led six fast growth companies in achieving their shareholder exit strategy. He’s been part of award-winning management teams, including those who have been recognized with awards like: Forbes Small Giant award, 2nd Best Place to work in America, Best Places to Work, INC 500, INC 5000, Fast Tech 50, Dallas 100, Tarrant County Small Business of the Year, and many more
Lance is a Small Giants Community OG, having been Paul’s COO during its inception; he now leads The Circle, a Small Giants mentorship program for Leadership Academy Alumni. Some of Lance’s other fun adventures include being a former Guinness Book of World Record holder, having had David Copperfield make him disappear, and hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro. He currently spends a lot of time and energy keeping up with four young grandkids!
Co-Founder & Managing Principal
Evergreen Devco, Inc.
Meet Skip
Andrew Skipper, a Founder and Managing Principal of Evergreen Devco, has been instrumental in driving success and growth for the company for the past 50 years. With his commitment to a “people first” leadership style, “Skip” has positioned Evergreen Devco as the trusted name in the volatile world of commercial real estate development across the Southwest.
Evergreen Devco has developed over 12 million square feet of commercial real estate buildings across various sectors including retail, multifamily, industrial, and mixed-use properties. One key factor in the company’s ongoing success is its ability to raise significant amounts of equity. The collaborative efforts by Skip and Evergreen Devco’s Capital Team have resulted in securing more than $450 million in equity since 2010.
Skip’s passion extends beyond real estate to philanthropy. He continues to participate in the Evergreen Development Foundation, founded by him and his partners over two decades ago. The company foundation, supported by Evergreen, was created to support children, promote education, and nourish neighborhoods in the communities where Evergreeners work and live.
Skip and his family also created a family foundation focused on making a difference both locally and globally. With his wife and children, the family foundation provides scholarships to both Guatemalan students and students from an economically disadvantaged neighborhood near downtown Phoenix. Skip and his wife have personally sponsored and organized over two dozen Habitat for Humanity Global Village trips to Guatemala to build homes.
Skip holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of California at Berkeley and a master’s in business administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).
Co-Founder
Small Giants Community
Meet Paul
Paul Spiegelman is the co-founder of the Small Giants Community. He is also the founder of BerylHealth and The Beryl Institute and is the former chief culture officer of Stericycle.
He is a New York Times best-selling author and has been honored with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Paul is also a sought-after speaker on leadership, employee engagement, entrepreneurship, corporate culture, and customer relationships. His thoughts have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine.
Paul practiced law for two years prior to founding BerylHealth. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA and a law degree from Southwestern University. In his free time, you can find Paul spending time with his family, playing tennis, and mentoring emerging purpose-driven leaders.
Founder
HumanKind Business Leaders
Meet Beck
Beck (they/them), the Founder of HumanKind Business Leaders (HBL), is at the forefront of revolutionizing business and leadership growth. At HBL, Beck champions a distinctive People-Hearted & Business-Minded™ ethos, reshaping how we build, grow, and scale companies. Celebrated as a thought leader with a refreshing and relatable perspective, Beck embodies an uncommon sensibility that bridges the gap between transactional management and transformational leadership. This serves as a guiding light, fostering much-needed change and hope within our workplaces, both now and in the future.
Driven by a lifelong interest in people, Beck pursued psychology studies, obtained two master’s degrees centered around the human condition, practiced as a licensed therapist, and is a meditation and mindful awareness teacher/mentor. Their business leadership journey spans four decades in leadership roles with an impressive track record working with enterprises of varied scales – from pioneering start-ups to thriving small-medium businesses (SMBs) and dynamic corporate landscapes. Beck’s business and leadership beliefs are informed by holding organizational roles that stretch from entry-level labor positions to CEO of a 130-person hyper-growth e-commerce/custom manufacturing company named a Forbes Small Giant (2017), achieved 4x on the Inc. 5000 list, awarded The Best Place to Work 3x, and acquired in 2021.
Fueled by a humble mission to start small and hold a big vision, Beck’s focus remains steadfast: cultivating workplaces where business results seamlessly intertwine with meaningful relationships.
Founder & CEO
Better Organizations by Design (BOxD)
Meet Nenuca
Nenuca Syquia is the CEO and Founder of Better Organizations by Design (BOxD), a consulting firm dedicated to aligning the people side of client’s businesses with their strategy and goals. The firm offers services in organization design, team coaching, executive and leader development, DEI, change and integration.
Having transformed businesses large and small, across industries, and at different parts in their lifecycle – from Sanofi to The San Francisco Ballet and Google to family-owned businesses – Nenuca has seen almost everything. As an entrepreneur, leader of a global team, and immigrant, she can relate to a wide variety of challenges firsthand.
Nenuca holds a Masters of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Masters of Science in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco. She has been recognized as one of Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 100 Most Influential Women and by CEO Monthly as Business Consulting CEO of the Year for California. Outside of BOxD, she serves as the Co-Chair of the Silicon Valley Chapter of 50/50 (an established nationwide organization dedicated to achieving gender equity on corporate boards) and as a City Commissioner for the city of Sunnyvale, CA, advising on equity-related issues.
And when she’s not busy transforming companies, communities, or people, if you ever need help packing, from suitcases to boxes, Nenuca’s got you! She has a gift for organizing in Tetris-style beautiful and functional ways.
Founder & Leadership Coach
Care Deeply Consulting
Meet Christopher
As an executive coach and the founder of Care Deeply Consulting, Christopher wants to make every business a force for good. Since 2008, he has coached, trained and facilitated conscious business leaders and their teams to improve their performance without sacrificing their core values. Christopher supports leaders at every organizational level with engaging and empowering employees, navigating workplace conflict, generating commitment and buy-in, and holding team members supportively accountable to shared results.
Prior to becoming a coach, he spent 17 years as an engineering leader with large tech companies where he learned that you can fill a room with the smartest people in the world but if they aren’t working together as a team then it doesn’t really matter. Christopher believes in walking his talk, so he volunteers his time as Board President for the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center (RMEOC) and Lead Organizer of B2B B-Corps.
Founder
Phimation Strategy Group
Meet Dave
Dave is founder of Phimation Strategy Group, where he provides management consulting to leadership teams at second stage businesses. Phimation works with leaders to find and develop untapped potential in great businesses. Dave’s approach centers on “ROI with heart,” emphasizing good business decisions while honoring each company’s culture and relationships. His clients are often multi-generational family businesses, or businesses that operate in a similar fashion.
Dave graduated from Yale with an American Studies degree and spent a year after graduation biking around the country. Nowadays, his time outside work is filled with 3 teens, “beer league” hockey, and a blossoming karaoke career.
COO & Leadership Coach
Trebuchet Group
Meet Diana
Diana is the COO and coach at Trebuchet Group. With over 30 years of leadership and project management experience under her belt, she has 7 years of formal coaching experience. She is described by others as having a great combination of responsibility, organization, and optimism. Diana uses these strengths to serve as a thinking partner and help others quickly climb the learning curve for positive continuous improvement. Her sweet spot is coaching leaders who have taken on new responsibilities.
Diana’s education includes a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and certifications as a Project Management Professional and as an Associate Certified Coach. Her experience ranges from engineering and management to process engineering and project management. She understands the need for not-too-much, not-too-little, just-right structured processes to help people do their best work.
Her interests include Toastmasters International, bicycling, cooking, photography, and community service. She enjoys spending time with Chris and their four active children – who like to tell their friends that Diana used to wear combat boots during her service in the US Air Force.
Founder & CEO
Emerge Studio
Meet Jean
Jean is the founder and CEO of Emerge Studio and the creator of the Emerge2Exit™️ Blueprint. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, he scaled and exited four companies before embarking on a mission to help business owners create high-value companies.
At Emerge, their work is all about creating high-performing leadership teams, building strategic execution confidence, and helping business teams reach their goals faster.
Jean’s superpower is his profound ability to connect with business leaders. As a coach, he excels in direct, empathetic communication, positioning him as an invaluable partner for entrepreneurs facing the complexities of scaling or exiting their businesses.
CEO
Ace Metal Crafts Company
Meet Jean
Jean has been with Ace Metal Crafts Company since 1983, joining as a sales rep and progressing over the years to her current role as CEO in 2003. In her tenure after taking over the company from her father, Jean’s passion for developing conscious leaders and helping team members thrive has advanced the success of the company and produced a culture with a foundation built on trust. As a result, the company is filled with happier people that feel heard and appreciated. ACE has smashed the industry standard in every team member engagement survey. Her extensive sales and leadership experience has taught her that taking great care of customers on the outside starts with taking good care of people on the inside.
Under Jean’s leadership, ACE has been honored numerous times for outstanding business practices, workplace culture, and industry and community outreach, most recently being honored with an award for a Psychologically Healthy Workplace for the American Psychological Association. ACE was named to the Fab 40 by Fabricator magazine and received the 2018 Forbes Small Giant Award.
Beyond her role at ACE, Jean serves as a board member and advisor to other companies, including the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center. She received her Bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and her MBA from Northern Illinois University. Jean is also a Sounding Board mentor.
President & Owner
IWI Ventures
Meet Britt
Britt grew up on a horse / tobacco farm in Kentucky. He had a host of jobs ranging from an Edward Jones stockbroker, Outward Bound instructor, bartender/ski bum, co-owner of construction company, English teacher in Korea, and a General Manager of different restaurants. He eventually became a franchisee of Noodles & Company with 8 stores across 3 states.
Today, Britt is the co-owner of Forage Kitchen, a salad/ancient grains fast casual concept that also produces kombucha. The restaurant has 6 locations, and the kombucha is sold in over 800 locations! Britt is also the co-owner of True Coffee Roasters, a small artisan roaster with one flagship cafe location and sold at many small indie coffee houses and grocers.
In Britt’s words, he’s the luckiest guy on the planet as his success has been the result of falling upward!