Vistage Member Excellence Awards

Impact award-winner and president of Spartan Tool, Kevin Walsh knows how to take something good and make it great. Under his leadership, the almost 80-year-old company increased its EBITDA by a whopping 240%. Not only is Kevin an expert leader in business, but he’s dedicated to his people and brings in resources he has access to through Vistage and shares them with his leadership team.

Nick Yadron, the winner of the Chicago Leadership Award and president of M&M Home Remodeling Services, is an amazing example of a family man, a CEO, and a human being overall. He prioritizes giving back and helping others realize their full potential – all while continuing to learn and grow to his full potential. “Everyone has so much more potential that they don’t even realize.,” he says.

Chicago Lifetime Achievement award-winner, Jon Vegosen, shares his passion for providing superb legal counsel to midsize businesses and for enhancing people’s skills. A co-founder of Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd. (“FVLD”) Vegosen has spent the past four decades striving to have individuals be better off for having spent time with him and been influenced by his leadership approach.

Impact Award Winner Patrick Montgomery founded KC Cattle Company, LLC after retiring from the U.S. Army. In 2019, an article praising the company went viral and orders skyrocketed from 50 per week to 12,000 per night, with only one employee and Patrick to fulfill them. “It put us on the map. A stressful time, but we handled it well,” he says. Patrick now employs 12 people and ships to all 50 states.

Leading a 25-year-old company, Leadership Award winner Chris Wood aims to make Paige Technologies stand out from the pack. “Ultimately we’re helping the people that we work with build their careers,” he says. Since buying the company 20 years ago, the CEO endured COVID without layoffs or salary reductions. Now he’s left the day-to-day details in the hands of a COO while he focuses on his leadership.

COO of City Wide and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Rob Ellis began his career applying for a night manager role; now he oversees facility solutions for 1500 commercial properties. “I’m proud of how we supported our employees and clients during the pandemic,” he says. Harnessing innovation, our team pivoted to offering sanitation services to essential businesses to keep people safe and working.

Impact Award winner Grenee Celuch is 3rd generation leadership at Concord General Contracting. The strategic plan she created 11 years ago boosted revenue 3-fold. In two years, she transitioned the 50 year-old company to 100% employee ownership with an ESOP, despite COVID complications and expected 3-5 year timeline. “One consistency through all these changes is our people and our culture.”

Leadership Award Winner Thiru Thangarathinam founded MST Solutions 10 years ago. He grew the company into one of the largest Salesforce System Integrator in the US Southwest. After overcoming challenges from COVID-19, Thiru sold his business in 2022 for $115M. “It’s not the money I’m proud of. It’s the value and the legacy that we’ve created for our customers, colleagues, and community,” he shares.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Grant Baecker founded Authority HVAC with his business partner in 2006. The company serves 45 to 50 retail chains and is on pace for 40% growth in 2022. Over the past 2 years, Grant introduced technology allowing him to enhance tracking of performance, efficiency and margins. “Data has made it possible to scale in unique ways,” he explains.

Since he was a kid, Impact Award winner Bill Nolan worked at his dad’s business, Standard Printing Co. of Canton. The company will soon turn 100 in 2023, a great achievement since the industry has faced some fierce challenges.  “We’ve grown, evolved and stayed relevant— always focused on creating value for our customers and people,” he says.

In 2002, Andrew Hurst joined his dad’s business— Ark Transportation— and set out to learn all he could about the logistics industry. In 2016, he became CEO and has since grown the company fivefold, and started two other incredible businesses. He says, “We want to make every engagement delightful. We want customers to carry that feeling of, ‘this company really cares!’” Congrats to our 2022 Leadership Award winner!

What started in a hot, cramped office in Cleveland in 2008, has become a leading-edge marketing technology company with blue chip clients. Under CEO Gerard Daher’s leadership, Speedeon has grown double digits almost every year and is set to double revenues over the next few years. “Somehow I have managed to surround myself with crazy smart people who put their hearts and souls into Speedeon and share my vision,” says Gerard, our Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Impact Award Winner Liz Wayne started Able Transport from scratch and is already redefining the relatively young freight brokering industry. Mother of four and National Transportation board member, she’s grown Able into an industry leader as president driving 3X growth in two years. She says, “We’re proud to be a top carrier for Fortune 500 companies and offer the highest quality of service.”

Josh Hannum, Vice President, A United Automatic Doors & Glass, made some tough decisions to turn the family business around— including switching out family staff members. Yet, his intuition paid off. Within a year, profits doubled, the team grew and the culture elevated. Josh says he’s “now working smarter, rather than harder— and leading rather than doing.” Congrats to our 2022 Leadership Award winner!

During his 25-year tenure, and as CEO for 20 years, Lance Henning took Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity from a small, local operation to a regional player. In 2021, it ranked 2nd for families served out of 1,200 Habitat affiliates across the country! A community-driven leader who is passionate about helping and educating others, Lance is the recipient of our 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.

It’s May 4, 2020. After sales dropped roughly 50% month over month from COVID, things are looking up. So is morale. Impact Award winner and Purpose Wrecker owner Andy Malpocker gets a call: explosions in the main building. Fire is out by midnight – the team is back to work by 8 a.m. With grit and grace, Andy persevered and is on track to take his company to $120M with annual sales up 48% since 2020.

Initially rejected by Engineered Corrosion Solutions (ECS), Leadership Award winner Adam Hilton convinced the CEO to hire him. Then he and three other engineers bought the company. In five years, EBITA went from 10.6% to 36%, staff doubled, revenue grew 5X and ECS now controls 50% of the market. “We knew what it could be,” he said. “We put a lot of hard work into creating what it is today.”

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jarrett Kolthoff can find cybersecurity threats. He can find 40% revenue growth in a pandemic. But finding great leaders? For those, the SpearTip CEO and former US Army counterintelligence agent chose to elevate from within. Fifty employees have grown through Jarrett’s training program. “We build those leaders,” he said. “Technically and also in leadership styles.”

Impact Award winner Mike Duffek started Duffek Construction alone in his basement 5 years ago. He now employs 14 people. Since launching the enterprise to serve small businesses, total company value has increased from $400,000 to $22 million. “We’re making people’s dreams into reality. Their passion drives us,” he says. Known as a values-centric leader, Mike focuses on his mission and empowerment.

Michigan/Wisconsin 2022 Leadership Award winner Mike Harris founded Worksighted in 2000 and expanded the company by 35% by 2021. Worksighted has been named one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing privately owned companies for 9 years running, reaching 100 employees across 16 states in 2022. “The shift to remote work helped scale our workforce and client base,” Mike says.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Mark Peters increased Butterball Farms Inc.’s value 5x during his 27 years as CEO. In 2003 he helped found The Source, a non-profit devoted to keeping people at work. Today it has 23 members supporting over 9,300 employees and has been replicated nationwide. Mark’s personal goal: “Inspire others to take action that creates positive change in the world.”

Impact Award winner Jennifer Owen founded Flyspace Productions in 2006, an event production company making “the magic happen.” When COVID hit the industry hard, she pivoted to hybrid events, miraculously kept nine employees on payroll and knew if they survived, they would flourish. The company rebounded in 2021, quadrupling their workforce, acquiring two businesses, and hitting record revenue!

Leadership Award winner Dave Sweet started at MECCO in 2005 as a consultant. He became President in 2007. Under Dave’s leadership, the company earned two patents on new technology, transitioned into the tech/laser space, acquired a software company and saw a revenue increase of $19M. “Above all, we want to innovate and add value for our customers,” Dave says.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner David Smith purchased Sharon Fence Distributors in 2007. Over 14 years, David quadrupled the size of his company. In 2021, he sold Sharon Fence to Fencing Supply Group, and became President of their Eastern region. “My greatest achievement was growing the business and building a team to enable this opportunity.”

Impact Award Winner Allen Bishop purchased Haygor Instrument & Company from his father and executed a rapid turnaround, expanding the topline over 500%. In the past 3 years, he’s doubled revenues and increased profit, while retaining a family feel. He also launched P.A.S.S. Controls to success during the pandemic. “This is all a result of culture, vision and customer facing values,” he says.

Zentech, Inc CEO Ramesh Maini has earned Houston’s 2022 Leadership Award. A 44-year business owner, he grew Zentech to $40MM, 160+ employees, and locations in 6 countries. During an industry-wide slowdown, Ramesh declined salary for 4 years and 3 months to avoid layoffs while he pivoted and rebounded. Why? “I’m inspired by my staff. They’re brilliantly smart and take pleasure in doing their job well.”

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Shirley Terry-Lopez has led Beyond Beaute’ Day Spa and Wellness Center for 36 years, growing to 2 locations and 52 employees. When COVID-19 forced spa closures, this savvy CEO ramped up online customer communications and implemented sanitation to reopen in 2 months. “We’ve faced lots of challenges and our culture of trust has seen us through,” she shares.

In the last year, Impact Award winner and Good Brand CEO Jason Neman celebrated record revenue within an intentional growth plan, retained his workforce during the Great Resignation and launched an industry-wide learning summit – all while inspiring everyone around him. “The learning that has been most pivotal to my journey is working on bettering myself. That helps me help others,” says Neman.

A summer job helping a local mason contractor, became the foundation for Griffin Masonry, the $250 million company Leadership Award winner Scott Griffin built with his brother 32 years ago. With 650 people and 9 companies across the supply chain, Scott cultivates leaders and encourages competitors to be trade partners. His secret? Lead like his parents did: “We never had rules growing up – only expectations.”

Fired by your father, you either leave your industry, or you learn to lead it. Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jim Keffer learned to lead. CEO of Keffer Auto Group, Jim owns 17 car dealerships in several states and created an unheard-of ownership path for his GMs that will result in nearly 40 buyouts. Jim says, “The best way to accomplish my personal goals is to help other people reach theirs.”

When Impact Award winner Alexander Eck bought Greenbox Art + Culture in 2021, the in-house systems were manual. Not having any automation caused errors and the company couldn’t scale effectively. Alex defined the company vison and mission, implemented SAP as the new ERP system and rebuilt the website, including employees in each decision. “I love that I’ve had an impact on this team. We’re reaching new heights together.”

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Casey LeBlanc started New Venture Escrow in 2011, starting with zero sales and a few trusted former employees. Now, the business has developed groundbreaking escrow software technology, boasts 5 locations, and less than 1% employee turnover. Casey says, “you can build something special if you have the passion, energy, and enthusiasm to actually execute on it.”

Rebounding from an 86% revenue loss in 2020 to revenue doubling pre-pandemic days in 2022, Leadership Award winner Christi Spangle embodies the phrase, “when you want it badly enough – anything is possible.” Spearheading creative solutions, the co-founder of Barbour Spangle Design saw an opportunity to invest in a larger space to prepare for growth. Christi’s doubling down led to doubling growth.

Impact Award winner Jeff Van Pevenage joined Columbia Grain Intl. LLC as an intern 32 years ago. Now CEO, he oversees 450 employees in 65 locations across 6 states, fostering a people-first company culture. “I love spending time at my facilities, connecting with employees and cultivating their growth,” Jeff comments. Under his leadership, Columbia Grains added 100 employees and $300M in assets last year.

Leadership Award winner Dale Lemmons has worked at Signature Transport, a family business, for 33 years. “We see challenges as opportunities,” he says. Under his leadership, driver turnover fell below 30%, employee compensation is up, and overall accident rates were halved. Despite hardships in the transportation industry, revenue tripled over the last 4 years and Dale’s workforce grew by 50%.

Impact Award Winner Hannah Steiman has helped Peak Support become a leading disruptive player in the outsourcing industry. Since 2019, the company has built a sales and marketing function from scratch, grown revenue and headcount by 6X, added several seasoned executives, and earned a Great Place to Work certification. The COO’s next “peak” – remaining best in class while breaking revenue goals.

Fourth-generation Catania Oils CEO and Leadership Award winner Joseph Basile began working at his family’s company at age 13, moving from the production line to the C-suite. His father taught him to “never be satisfied,” and since joining Vistage five years ago, he made significant processing and technological improvements to the family company. Still not satisfied, Joe’s planning a national expansion.

Lifetime Achievement Award winners Bob and Chris Yard built a team learning culture so strong, customers tour Mercury Wire to see it. Yet these second-generation, family-owned business leaders— and 15-year Vistage members— seek more. The brothers say, “At Mercury, building better cables is what we do; building a better approach to business is what we’re about”.

Talk about making an impact! As CEO of Be Well OC, Moncrief has led the charge to make compassionate mental health care accessible for all Orange County residents, including those who struggle with homelessness and addiction. This 2022 Impact Award Winner is building hospitals, working with law enforcement and creating partnerships across the County to ensure “Optimal health and wellness for all of Orange County.”

“I love the process, the people and I love what I do,” says Chris Kuran, President of Waterstone Faucets. Clearly it shows. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Kuran built the company into a leader of innovation, design and customer service. He’s recently led its expansion, created a top executive team, and greatly improved production — all of which make him our 2022 Leadership Award winner.

Marie DiSante co-founded CDF Labor Law in 1994 when law firm leaders primarily were men. She’s helped lead the firm’s growth to five offices, established a thriving culture and laid a strong foundation for the next generation of leadership to carry on CDF’s excellent reputation in the industry. With 28 years of success, 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award winner says, “be collaborative and be quick.”

He mowed the company’s lawn at 18. Today, Impact Award winner Darrin Peterson is the first non-family president in Marvin’s 110-year history. He helped guide the business through a recession and a pandemic, doubled its size in five years and, along the way earned the respect of Marvin leaders, colleagues and business partners by listening deeply. “I don’t need to have the right answer,” he says. “We need to have the right answer.”

Most exercise physiologists build muscle; Luke Carlson also builds leaders. During the pandemic, the CEO of Discover Strength and Vistage Leadership Award winner grew his company 35% and retained his team while much of the industry atrophied. In 2022, Luke launched his first two franchises — with plans to open 20 by 2023. Flexing an inspiring servant-leadership style, Luke shows his true strength.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jaime Gmach founded Evolving Solutions 26 years ago with an employee-first culture that made it a 2022 Top Place to Work in Minnesota. “One word that describes my mindset moving forward is growth,” he shares. In his 11-year Vistage tenure, Jaime, who is also CEO, grew his company from $71M to $150M, created an off-shoot company, Keyva, and nearly doubled the size of his team.

Pennie Burnham, Nycote® VP North America, is LA’s 2022 Impact Award winner. A renowned speaker and advocate for women in the aerospace industry, she stays devoted to her passion for learning. She’s helped her company expand into new space products and spearheaded creation of an antiviral coating to fight COVID-19. “No matter how frustrating the challenges, we never gave up,” she says.

Leadership Award winner Allen Rodriguez has been in the legal industry for 2 decades. One of few Latinos in LegalTech, he founded ONE400 in 2013 to address inequitable access to justice, a problem facing 80 million Americans. Today, he is striving to reach 1,300 law firms with innovations so they can help fulfill unmet legal needs. His leadership mission is about “bringing out the best in people.”

Running four manufacturing companies and on the board of two other tech start-ups, Impact Award Winner Chris Simuro, president of Fabric Sources International, steps in and steps up. From coaching high school basketball, to leading meetings and empowering others, Chris consistently makes a difference. A beloved peer and friend, Chris says, “Never ask someone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.”

Under Shannon Russo’s leadership, Kinetix has filled tens of thousands of positions, navigated the pandemic’s hiring challenges and is on par for its most successful year. With soaring CEO approval ratings and Kinetix consistently earning industry awards, Shannon is well deserving of the 2022 Vistage Leadership Award. She’s always striving to leave her team and clients “better than I found them.”

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Shawn Corbett, CEO of Southeast Roofing Solutions, took over the family business in 1997 when his grandfather died suddenly. An industry leader by every metric, Shawn has tripled revenue since 2010, significantly improved profitability and opened a second location. “When facing challenges,” Shawn says, “I try to widen my perspective— and seek wise counsel.”

By thinking like her Fortune 500 partners, Impact Award winner Elissa Sangster turned a nonprofit into a savvy agent of change. As CEO of Forté Foundation, Elissa grew the women’s leadership accelerator revenue and partnerships by 25% since 2019 and saw women’s MBA enrollment rise from 28% to 42%. In doing so, she became a catalyst for women’s success stories – and a model of one.

Leadership Award Winner Zach Marr succeeds by asking questions differently. When the pandemic hit, Zach didn’t ask whether to keep his 90-year-old family-owned music store going; he asked how to keep it growing. By shifting sales online, the Alamo Music Center CEO restored revenue within two months and saw record growth the following year. Next up: Questioning the industry – so he can reinvent it.

Jeff Berding wanted to give his town something to rally around – and the ambitious head of Cincinnati’s first major league soccer franchise met his GOOOOAL! The 2022 Vistage Impact Award winner and co-CEO of FC Cincinnati grew a lower-league soccer team into an MLS franchise, expanded in a financially precarious market, built “the best soccer stadium in the country,” and showcased Cincinnati’s winning spirit!

Whether it’s taking the reigns as CEO, navigating a merger during the pandemic, or adopting four daughters, 2022 Leadership Award winner and Learning Grove CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor knows how to get the job done. As a result, she’s not just growing her business, she’s cultivating relationships and creating partnerships that meet multi-generational needs — inspiring everyone around her.

Passing up the “fast climb,” Lifetime Achievement Award winner and JBM Packaging CFO Dan Puthoff favors patience and grit. He overcame tumultuous turnover by wearing many hats and is most proud of his company’s push toward employing citizens returning from prison and developing environmentally sustainable packaging solutions. His humility converts naysayers into advocates. As he seeks to be his best, Dan elevates everyone around him.

In the last 15 months, Impact Award winner Chad Walior, owner and President of Mastercraft Electric, has acquired two companies and doubled his team. Reflecting on leading this change through COVID, Chad says, “We don’t get to determine when the opportunities come. Surround yourself with as many smart, good people as you can … then have confidence that together, you’ll do whatever you need to do.”

“We walked in and it was rough, there was no technology, there were boxes of papers everywhere. And all I could see was opportunity,” reflects Leadership Award winner Sam Thomassen, owner and CEO of State Roofing. Acquiring the 50-year old company in an industry he knew virtually nothing about, Sam transformed it into a new, visionary working model — with growth focused inward on his people.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bruce Wanta founded Spectrum Controls 38 years ago, and has ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing U.S. companies seven times. “A leadership philosophy that inspires me to keep climbing is to never stop taking risks and challenging myself,” he shares. In his 30-year Vistage tenure, Bruce has grown his company from $4M to $42M, and quadrupled his staff.

Impact Award winner Mathias Ihlenfeld, CEO of woom bikes, navigated many challenges brought on by the pandemic to lead one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. — and among the largest direct-to-consumer brands in its space. All the while, Mathias never loses sight of supporting the community or woom’s mission of “inspiring children to fall in love with cycling.”

After serving the Boys & Girls Club for nearly 25 years, Leadership Award winner Misti Potter took the helm as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) in 2017, overseeing 28 clubs and four outreach programs. Under her leadership, the BGCAA ranks in the top 1% of all BGCs today, serving more than 12,000 youth annually. Driven by her passion for the cause, she has helped to raise $100M+ for the cause throughout her tenure.

A visionary entrepreneur, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Joe Woskow, CEO of Thrive360, has founded several successful businesses. His current venture recreates and enhances the in-office experience with healthcare professionals through a mobile app and immersive VR platform to reduce business pain points. A 12-year Vistage member, Joe wants to provide access to mental health support for all.

“We are a company of high-level doers learning how to become strategic leaders,” says Impact Award winner Nic Accomando, president of second-generation family business NAPA Transportation. Driven by his father’s legacy of providing a better lifestyle for truck drivers, Nic has seen a growth rate of 7x since beginning his tenure with NAPA in 2008. Today, NAPA employs more than 500 hard-working team members.

Leadership Award winner Steve Stramara took over as president and CEO of The Seltzer Group in 2017. The company has since doubled top line revenue, Steve’s vision and direction driving 14% growth in 2020, 19% growth in 2021, and a year-over-year retention rate of 96%. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Steve says the one word that describes his mindset looking forward is “possibility.”

Over her 10+ year Vistage tenure, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jessica Meyers, founder and CEO of JEM Group, has grown her business from $8M in revenue to a projected $47M. Named one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” by the Pennsylvania Department of Economic Development, Jessica says it’s now her responsibility to “take what I’ve learned and help that next generation of female leaders fulfill their business goals.”

Dr. Stephanie Gripne, CEO of Impact Finance Center, is Colorado’s 2022 Vistage Impact Award winner. When the pandemic first hit, Stephanie put the brakes on business-as-usual with other community leaders to raise $28M for Colorado nonprofits and small businesses. “As a leader, I‘ve aspired to create an organization where we do work we love with people we love,” she says.

Leadership Award winner Chris Alcorn, president of Alcorn Construction, has created a high-performing culture that made Alcorn Construction a great place to work, winning Denver Business Journal’s “Best Place to Work” award four consecutive years. With this year’s revenue forecast of $100M, Chris has more than tripled his top line over the past 5 years — all while maintaining culture and improving gross and net margins.

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Carrie Meek, Chief Growth Officer for Anchor Peabody, says an experience pivotal to her leadership climb is previously helping to save her family’s 100-year-old business. After bringing the company back from the brink, she helped secure its sale and maximize a return for 44 family owners. “It forced us to roll up our sleeves and get creative,” she reflects.

Known for his tenacity and creativity in making the impossible possible, Impact Award winner Alastair Sanderson, COO of LFA Machines, opened a second location of his U.K. business in the U.S. five years ago, and has since driven growth to over $11M. “I think what makes LFA unique, is its genuine commitment to the individuals that work inside its ecosystem,” he shares.

In his 35+ years of experience, Leadership Award winner Danny Espino, Owner & President of CESG, has climbed from industry apprentice to — as of 2020 — company owner. Assuming control just as the pandemic hit, Danny reflects, “Construction never really stopped. The way we approach construction changed.” As owner, he’s rebuilt CESG from the inside out, instilling a relationship-based culture of excellence.

Over 39 years, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Keith Bell has led Intex Electric from a one-man organization to a team of more than 300, growing the business 500% during his time at Vistage to $100M in sales. In addition to his CEO role, Keith is a Texas State Representative and serves as a member of the Texas Sunset Commission. “For me, it’s just about making a difference,” he shares.