Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During one of April’s Executives Breakfasts, attendees were prompted with the question, “What are your tips for managing time?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Bill Himmelstein, Founder & CEO, Tenant Advisory Group – Prioritize what’s important, and schedule everything you can. Delegate what you’re not good at to focus on what you enjoy most and are best at.
Vickie Rock, Principal & CS/RPR, Victoria Legal + Corporate Services – Schedule what’s important. Utilize time blocking.
Trisha Daho, Founder & CEO, Empowered – 1. Be fully engaged in whatever you are doing at the moment. 2. Only check your email 3x a day max. 3. Time blocking- get 3 blocks of 50 minutes a day to work on things that matter most. Create absolute boundaries and walls around those increments.
Pradeep Kandimalder- Focus on a mission and vision for a day. Group things to organize your email.
Carl Utz, Director of Sales & Sr. Account Manager, Andromeda Technology – You can’t do everything yourself. You need to delegate to people who can do the job better.
Brian Black, Relationship Development Manager, Tenant Advisory Group – Everyone is busy but are we getting things done? Time batching has been huge. Be intentional on how you want to feel at the end of the day.
Dr. Ari Levy, Founder & CEO, Shift – What are the metrics that matter? Personally and professionally. How are you spending your energy? Are you showing up for what matters? That which you measure improves. Your mind and body seeks to create patterns. Be ruthless about your weaknesses and be open to asking for help. Learn how to embed the right habits that get the right results.
Craig Evans, President, Precision Healthcare Consulting- Know when to get away from work to recharge your batteries.
Greg Topel, CBO, Tanvas – Every moment is precious. In the first stages of being an entrepreneur I was a servant to everyone. Ask yourself: Is this something I can do later — do I need to do it right now? Fold that into priorities of what absolutely needs to get done today.
Cathy Jama, Executive Vice President, Tenant Advisory Group – You need me time. For me, Friday is admin day. It’s important to look ahead and plan ahead, so I minimize how often I look at emails.
Terry Hush, CEO, Roji Health Intelligence- I’m a huge delegator. I used to do it all myself and then had an awakening when writing the company blog. I went from scheduling days and goals on spreadsheets and became the email deletion queen. I cultivate leadership rather than managing.
Paul Detlefs, President and EOS Implementer, The Prestwick Group, Ltd. – I do not allow technology in sessions. You have to control the technology rather than it controlling you. Also, have a quarterly or at least annual planning pulse- for your business, departments and personally for your long term vision and plans. Weekly planning discipline is critical. Get an assistant so you can elevate yourself to your unique abilities that you enjoy doing and are good at.
TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List
Paul Detlefs, President and EOS Implementer, The Prestwick Group, Ltd.
Terry Hush, CEO, Roji Health Intelligence
Cathy Jama, Executive Vice President, Tenant Advisory Group
Greg Topel, CBO, Tanvas
Craig Evans, President, Precision Healthcare Consulting
Dr. Ari Levy, Founder & CEO, Shift
Brian Black, Relationship Development Manager, Tenant Advisory Group
Carl Utz, Director of Sales & Sr. Account Manager, Andromeda Technology
Pradeep Kandimalder
Trisha Daho, Founder & CEO, Empowered
Vickie Rock, Principal & CS/RPR, Victoria Legal + Corporate Services
Bill Himmelstein, Founder & CEO, Tenant Advisory Group
Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During one of March’s Executives Luncheons, attendees were prompted with the question, “What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made and how did you overcome it?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC: I gave too much credence to people and was being too nice. Don’t let people take advantage of you. Be slow to hire and quick to fire. Be polite and respectful and compliment when appropriate, including adversaries.
Bill Bast, Principal, Thornton Tomasetti: The biggest mistake I made was to start my own business. I did it too young and went home to PA to do it. Don’t give 100% at the office and have nothing left to give others like your loved ones.
Stefanie Jenkins, Director of BD, Vault Innovation: I have the tendency to over promise. No matter what you’re doing in family, business or life, figure out what you bring to the table and be that person. Your mission is to create and connect so that other people are empowered.
Lee Travers, CEO, iammoney: Not being present.
Tim Roach, Co-Founder & CEO, Lendr: You have to understand how to fail fast, recover and understand the process of how to recover. Define what success is to you. Knowledge is power and so is having core values as a company. Live them. Understand vision. I utilize 5 year plans. Not 10 year plans. Profitability is key.
Muhammed Azfar, Managing Partner, Auctus Group INC: Hire people with values that align with yours. Be slow and methodical about hiring and quick to fire. Hire for value. Values train for skill and strategies train for choices.
Tim Schumm, Founder & President, Lucas James Talent Partners: I went from leading a team of 10 to leading a team of 70. I brought the same approach to all the team members and when I individualized my approach, I had much better results. Always put yourself in other people’s shoes.
Kate Winston, Agency Lead, Strategy & Growth, envisionit: I said no to a big ad agency and was the right hand person for owner of the agency. I was told “Sometimes a C+ is just fine.”- that offended me, but she was right. Know when it needs to be an A and know when it can be a C.
Erryn Cobb, Founder & CEO, Fetch IMC: Don’t wear too many hats. Invest in key team member’s professional development sooner. I followed my dad’s example: There’s no gray between right and wrong. Set a standard to live by.
Bernie Dyme, President and CEO, Perspectives LTD: I didn’t allow myself to make mistakes. It’s ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. Gratitude is very important. Teach your children gratitude.
Daniel Porcaro, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Porcaro Stolarek Mete Partner, LLC: I left a lot on the table when I sold my first large business. I could have grown it larger myself. 25% of customers provide 90% of revenue. Last 50% of clients provides less than 4% of revenue. Fire bottom 50% of clients. With extra time, over serve the top 50% of your clients. Then you care about A clients and A prospects.
Jonathan Rothstein, Senior Vice President, MB Financial Bank: Delegating needs to happen and you need to focus more on your team and sense of urgency. Be slow to promote and manage expectations of employees. Life work balance. Never ask anybody to do something you wouldn’t or couldn’t do yourself. Everyday try and do a kind gesture and leave the world a better place.
Paola Meinzer, Partner, Manning Silverman & Co CPA: Working in corporate America I did not keep a balance in my life. I gave all my time to the company. Be yourself. Don’t try and be anyone else. Embrace who you are.
Jerry Doorhy, Partner, J.J. Doorhy & Associates: My biggest mistake was waiting too long before going on my own. You’re never too important to mop the floor. You get more bees with honey.
Morrie Elstein, President, MorrieCONNECT: Start understanding how valuable the people you know are. Pay it forward. You never know what’s going to come back.
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List
Erryn Cobb, Founder & CEO, Fetch IMC
Jonathan Rothstein, Senior Vice President, MB Financial Bank
Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC
Barbara Best, Founding Partner & Principal, Capital Strategies Investment Group
Daniel Porcaro, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Porcaro Stolarek Mete Partner, LLC
Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Manager, Client Executive, Unispace
Morrie Elstein, President, MorrieCONNECT
Stefanie Jenkins, Director of BD, Vault Innovation
Bernie Dyme, President and CEO, Perspectives LTD
Tim Roach, Co-Founder & CEO, Lendr
Paola Meinzer, Partner, Manning Silverman & Co CPA
Kaitlyn Hedger, Associate General Agent Assistant, Midwest Legacy LLC
Terri Crittenden, CEO, Fredman Design Group
Kate Winston, Agency Lead, Strategy & Growth, envisionit
Jerry Doorhy, Partner, J.J. Doorhy & Associates
Lee Travers, CEO, iammoney
Bill Bast, Principal, Thornton Tomasetti
Muhammed Azfar, Managing Partner, Auctus Group INC
Tim Schumm, Founder & President, Lucas James Talent Partners
Due to an influx in technology, Chicago is awash with small to midsize businesses trying to make their mark on the city. These companies may have great reputations in their home cities, but doing business in Chicago is its own beast. The key to setting yourself apart as a business owner in Chi-Town is to go the extra mile. Not only should you be providing top-notch services, but you should also be a center of influence. The longer you spend in the Windy City, the more you’ll begin to realize it’s a city founded upon community, tight-knit neighborhoods and personal recommendations. With all of that in mind, here’s how to get down to business the Chicago way.
Build an authentic network. Your network is a direct representation of you and your business, so it’s important to cultivate your professional circle with care. But how do you build an impeccable network? Make it personal. It’s obvious when someone is networking just to add another connection to their LinkedIn profile. Chicagoans build networks on authentic relationships which is why you need to not only take a vested interest in a person’s business, but also them as a person. When your intentions are genuine, your network will begin to fall into place.
Offer up your network. The first step in creating lifelong working relationships with a client or someone in your professional circle is to provide the best service within your industry. From there, you set yourself apart from your competitors by offering up the impeccable professionals you have in your network. Identify people in your circle who are great at what they do and refer them to people who need those services. In Chicago, the best way to get business is to send business, but you have to be intentional. Creating a solid reputation for you and your business is a marathon not a sprint, and there’s no better way to create a lasting impression than making a thoughtful introduction.
Show up. Connections continually need to be maintained. Like we mentioned above, you won’t get anywhere in Chicago by creating surface-level relationships. Keeping a strong professional circle is more than just referring business to each other — you have to make yourself available. Represent your brand by looking up events and places your network is attending or hosting and show up. If you become an active supporter of your network, you can expect that same support to be reciprocated when you need it.
Utilize these tips to make the most of your business’ presence in Chicago, and if you’re in need of a new office space to get your move started, let us know how we can help.
Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Bruncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During March’s Executives Bruncheon, attendees were prompted with the question, “What do you to do build stronger relationships?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Atish Doshi- I send articles that help me connect with people. I also try and remember how I met each person.
Dave Norris- I approach relationships differently depending on the person. I will ask for a receipt of a family dinner or upgrade a team member on the airplane. You have to keep employees involved. For clients, start with providing a good service, but it’s also important to spend as much time as possible with them, ie a round of golf.
David Wiers- I’m a fan of lifelong learning and challenging teams to grow and learn both personally and professionally. I also do the same for my clients. I focus on culture and taking care of my people internally and externally.
Bill Himmelstein- With meeting 8-10 business owners every week, I had to do something to stay in front of everyone while adding value and not being salesy. I created the monthly executives bruncheon and luncheon as a way to bring the best people in my network to meet each other and learn through a topical discussion.
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees and interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List
Carl Utz, Partner, Andromeda Technology Solutions
Martha Bell, Principal, Tilton, Kelly + Bell
Joel Wilcoxen, Former CFO, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago
Atish Doshi, President, Founder, Black Sheep
Brad Farris, Founder & CEO, Anchor Advisors
Liz Tilatti, CEO, ZipFit Denim
Mike Perich, CEO, Sewing Supplies Division of Bernina International
Mike Levin, Owner, Total Insurance Services
Dave Norris, COO, RedRidge Finance Group
Scott Glickson, Partner, McGuire Woods
David Wiers, Founder & CEO, Satori Energy
Brian Stumm, Partner, Stumm Insurance
Andy Mack, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, SnapMobile
Daniel Wang, CEO, Jexet Automation
Jon Wunderlich, President, Nyco Products Company
Kim Stapleton, Founder & CEO, The Network Effect
Alicia La Hoz, Founder & CEO, Family Bridges
Emily Lonigro, CEO & Founder, LimeRed
Lucas Ward, Co Founder & CTO, Kin
Jill Kerrigan, Founder & CEO, JAK Creative Design
Jamie Horn, CEO, Horn Design
Sherrin Ross Ingram, CEO- International Center for Strategic Planning, Vistage Chair, Chairman of the Board- DuPage Housing Authority Of Counsel- Tressler LLP
Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During February’s Executives Luncheon, attendees were prompted with the question, “What new technology is disrupting your industry and how do you plan to adjust or take advantage of it?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Olivia Nelligan, CEO, Nasco: Education has not progressed with the tech times. On the health care side many problems and mistakes can be attributive due to lack of communication. Developing AI to help with communication. Many point to tech as the underlying problem but oftentimes it might be the business itself.
Jordan Katz, President, JR Katz: Tech has been elusive to the insurance industry. Now some tech in underwriting to speed up the process and make better predictions. Need tech to accelerate the process.
Stephanie Jenkins, Director, BD of Vault Innovation Group: AI and machine learning is big disrupter. Is there an ROI to build AI into their app or technology.
Barbara Best, Founding Partner & Principal, Capital Strategies Investment Group: Technology is disrupting financial services as it creates lots of criminals. It’s also pushed down margins to make things better and cheaper. Indexing now popular as it changes the way people invest. Now people can be more efficient, optimize a portfolio and protect against making bad decisions.
Mike LaVista, CEO, Caxy Interactive: Machine learning and AI has been the opportunity. It’s almost always hype. Everyone wants blockchain. Every 3 years something comes along that changes the way we do business. Used to do mobile app development and now everything is web based.
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees and interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List
Ann Brennan, Founder, Brennan Executive Benefits
Thomas McMenamin, Vice Chairman, Masuda Funai
Kimberly Anderson, Managing Partner, Anderson & Boback
Mike Black, Mortgage Advisor, Michael Black Group
Olivia Nelligan, CEO, Nasco
Jordan Katz, President, JR Katz
Andy Hulett, Founder & Partner, EmPowerHR
Erryn Cobb, Founder & CEO, Fetch IMC
Geoffrey Waguespack, Partner, Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig
Stefanie Jenkins, Director of BD, Vault Innovation Group
Dave Stolarek, Partner, PSM
Paola Meinzer, Partner, Manning Silverman & Co CPA
Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast and an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During the Executives Breakfast, attendees were prompted with the question, “What are your best practices for business development?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Bill Himmelstein – The best practice for business development for me has been doing business development for others.
Gary Breden – Relationships are the best means for developing businesses. Setting up channel partnerships.
Keith Glantz – Over-deliver with quality and then clients become the salespeople. Looking into the EOS model.
Jay Sharman – Best sales have been one degree of separation. I get most new clients organically by asking clients. I failed miserably when spending money on marketing.
Paola Meinzer – Focus on relationships. Be a part of different groups and be engaged in those groups.
Bill Gimbel – It’s not about selling. It’s about servicing and providing value. The ultimate compliment from a client is a referral. You should ask for the referral.
Ken Daemicke – Networking. Chambers, Rotary, NFP boards. Get involved. Ask: “How can I help you?”
Dominic Rinaldi – Using your phone works! Calling an owner of a business has been the most effective practice for business development. I use a CRM system and mine the data. If under $10m, around 2x-5x of adjusted EBITDA. The owner needs to stick around to transition relationships.
Zori Haouchine – Personal connections have been the most important. I want to focus on doing the things I want to do.
Paul Pagel – Growth through software wave. Started based on relationships. You can’t scale care. I did it through employee ownership. I want to transition to a team running the company.
Ben Olson – Channel partnerships like PE firms, they’re great people to work with. I want to get people together more.
Michael LaVista – Our marketing is excellent deliverables. 70% of our business is from other software companies. I’m going to write a book this year.
Charlie Franklin – I join and participate in organizations.
Thank you to all who attended!
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who are interested in attending future TAG events, please
email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List
Keith Glantz, President & Chief Creative Officer, Glantz Design
Jay Sharman, CEO/Founder, TeamWorks Media
Paul Pagel, CEO, 8th Light
Bill Gimbel, President, LaSalle Benefits
Michael LaVista, Founder & CEO, Caxy Interactive
Steve Brown, President Stratego, Partners
Zori Haouchine, Founder & Creative Director, ZOHA Architecture & Design
Jay Sharman, Founder & CEO, Team Works Media
Dan Dooley, CEO, Morris Anderson
Mike Olson, Director of Acquisitions, DecisionOne Dental
Domenic Rinaldi, Managing Partner, Sun Acquisitions
Ken Daemicke, Partner, Mueller
Paola Meinzer, Partner, Manning Silverman
Ben Olson, Founding Partner, Faircourt Partners
Charles Franklin, Managing Partner, Franklin Law Group
Jay Page, Co-Founder, CEO, Grey Street Capital
Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast and an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During the Executives Luncheon, attendees were prompted with the question, “What are some of your best practices for finding new clients?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Pete Horvath – Word of mouth is the biggest growth. Meeting with property managers, realtors, and real estate owners.
Dan Porcaro – Build a culture of selling. Encourage all team members to network, sell and get in front of others. Everyone does it.
Jonathan Rothstein – When you serve as a trusted advisor, you can help your clients with great service providers. Always do good work and keep clients’ best interests at heart.
Ruth Minnick – Networking is extremely important. It’s a lifestyle. Connect on a personal level. Follow the money. Follows hiring patterns. M&A. Funding.
Jennifer Nemec – How to be of service. All work comes from referrals and website lead gen. Doesn’t do any marketing.
Marie Hale – Teach sales as a culture. Sales is simply being the best service to the person sitting across from you.
Jeff Asperger – Following up and following through.
Luca Lanzetta – It’s about the service you provide. Become a client of who you want to do business with.
Tim Schumm – Follow up is so important. Have systems and processes in place to make sure you stay on top of the follow-up. Much business comes on 5th or 7th touch.
Anne Gehring – Using Hubspot which is free as a CRM. Helps with follow up.
Barbara Best – Develop strong personal relationships with clients and understand how to help them be successful in their careers. Focus on paying it forward. Publishing.
Dan Golden – Was all referrals for the first 6 years. Would get work from large agencies who couldn’t do what they did. Use Hubspot as it supports keeping in touch with people. Leverage tools to stay top of mind. Referrals still drive a majority of their deals. Started a referral program. Not being afraid for asking for the referral. I also us a platform called Gaggle.
Eric Wasson- Sales is the most important thing. As far as channel partners it’s the best way to sell. Biggest mistake was saying no to Salesforce partnership in 2004. A Salesperson is hardest to hire and hardest to fire.
Thank you to all who attended!
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List
Dan Porcaro, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Porcaro Stolarek Mete Partner, LLC
Jonathan Rothstein, Senior Vice President, MB Financial Bank
Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Manager, Client Executive, Unispace
Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC
Tim Schumm, Founder & President, Lucas James Talent Partners
Pete Horvath, Leprechaun, Move-tastic
Mason Awtry, CEO, Rightsize Facility
Marie Hale, Co-Founder & CEO, Revenue
Jim Lencioni, President, ARIA Group Architects
Rasheed Hammouda, Co-Founder, Bridge Financial Technology
Anne Gehring, Founding Partner, Stanton Blackwell
Luca Lanzetta, Founder & CEO, Luca Lanzetta LLC
Pete Horvath, President, Move-Tastic
Dan Golden, Co-Founder, BeFoundOnline
Eric Wasowicz, Investor/Advisor, Greenbrier Group
Jennifer Nemec, Founder & Chief Creative Office, Ideation Studios
Barbara Best, Founding Partner & Principal, Capital Strategies Investment Group
Eric Wasson, Director, Customer Logistics, Ryder Supply Chain Solutions
Local business leaders gathered at the Executives Breakfast and Luncheon to network with other entrepreneurs and examine a number of topics that are currently affecting their businesses.
During the Executives Breakfast, guests discussed what they were doing to get in front of potential new clients. Here are some of the many responses:
Michael Grace, CEO, Vetted Placements: Networking is key. Go to the nice bars and nice restaurants and meet people. Think outside the box. Don’t hesitate to do cold emails and cold calling. When that doesn’t work, send the overnight FedEx, because people think it’s important.
Gary Breden, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity: Identify who the ideal client is, and then identify who can put you in front of those people. Going to events, developing affiliate programs and channel partners are all important. Build partnerships.
At the Executives Luncheon, participants were posed the question, “What employee-management issues have you struggled with in the past year, and how did you overcome it?” Here are a few of the responses:
Michael Nowak, CFO, ABN Amro: It’s a challenge to inherit a team that was not previously managed. Try to give them opportunities without taking a step backward.
Joseph Antunovich, FAIA, Founder & President, Antunovich Associates : We have a hard time with the lack of loyalty. My advice is to be loyal, be nice and be hardworking. People are our most valuable asset.
Thank you to all who attended!
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List:
Sponsored by Gary Breden, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity
Mason Awtry, President, Rightsize Facility
Kyle Deming, Founder, Wojo Design
Bob Domenz, CEO, Avenue Marketing Strategy & Activation
Atish Doshi, President & Founder, Black Sheep
Charles Falls, President, Demi & Cooper Advertising
Matt Gibbs, Co-Founder, UPshow
Michael Grace, CEO, Vetted Placements
Andy Hulett, Partner, EmPower HR
Jim Kales, CEO, Aspire
Larry Kaul, CEO, Kaul Sales Partners
Richard Kincaid, Founder & Managing Principal, Sage Greenlife
Julie Kolodziej, Managing Partner, Matlin Law Group
Kevin Krumm, CEO, Objective Paradigm
Rich Lenkov, Managing Partner, Bryce Downey & Lenkov
Stan Logan, Chairman, Quality Back Office
Neal McNamara, Co-Founder, Virtas Partners
Chris Miller, Managing Partner, Kelley Kronenberg
Dave Norris, COO, RedRidge Finance Group
Domenic Rinaldi, Managing Partner, Sun Acquisitions
Josh Strauss, CEO, Pekin Singer Strauss
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List:
Joseph M. Antunovich, FAIA, Founder & President, Antunovich Associates
Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC
Barbara Best, Founding Partner, Capital Strategies Investment Group
Adam DeGroot, President, DeGroot Logistics
Laura Dribin, CEO & Founder, Peritius Consulting
Morrie Elstein, VP, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors
Christopher Gandy, Founder & President, Midwest Legacy Group
Larry Marin, VP, Near North National Title
Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Director, Unispace
Michael Nowak, CFO, ABN Amro
Mike Perich, Sewing Supplies Division CEO, Bernina International
Jonathan Rothstein, Senior VP, MB Financial Bank
Tim Schumm, President & Founder, Lucas James Talent Partner
Steve Whittington, Founder & CEO, LifeWorking Enterprises
Kate Winston, Agency Lead – Strategy & Growth, EnvisionIt
The September Executives Breakfast and Luncheon inspired a number of great discussions and offered Chicago business leaders the opportunity to broaden their networks.
At the Executives Breakfast, attendees discussed “creating work-life balance and how to manage work-from-home employees.” Here are some of the many responses:
Mike Maddock, Founder & CEO, Maddock Douglas: You don’t live to work; you work to live. The example the founders set is what the employees will follow. Don’t let people down.
Grant Gochnauer, Co-Founder & CTO, Vodori: Culture is a big component, and founders set the tone of the culture. It depends on where you are in the life of the business. There’s a sense of community, team dynamics and trust that is hard to facilitate when working remotely. Likewise, it’s hard to optimize remote work.
During the Executives Luncheon, guests were asked, “What have you done to create strong cultures in your organization?” Here are a few of the responses:
Michael Reddy, President, Digital Authority Partners: 1. Create shared goals and objectives, as we are trying to avoid silos. We have a few goals set that reach across the entire company. 2. Be good to people and offer full healthcare, strong 401ks and an open vacation policy. Don’t set hours of working. Work hard, remain available, communicate and be transparent to help the team understand priorities and what is on the horizon.
Jeremy Bird, CEO, 270 Strategies: We take space very seriously and have no doors. We are promoting a culture of transparency. We bring everyone together twice a year for company-wide retreats. We have a call every Tuesday for “triple bottom line.” Impact, innovation, and profit.
Thank you to all who attended!
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List:
Chris Beaulieu, Owner, Christopher Beaulieu & Associates
Mike Berntsen, CEO, Penthouse111 & Gentlemen’s Cooperative
Robin Berthier, CEO & CO-Founder, Network Perception
Brian Black, Managing Director, Tenant Advisory Group
Gary Breden, Business Performance Advisor, Insperity
Mason Cole, Managing Partner, Cole Sadkin
Stephen Daday, Managing Partner, Klein, Daday, Aretos & Donoghue
Grant Gochnauer, Co-Founder & CTO, Vodori
Robert Jacobi, President, Arc Technology Group
Jeff Jozwiak, Principal & Co-Founder, Norcon
Greg Kris, Managing Partner, Kris Ampersand
Kevin Krumm, CEO, Objective Paradigm
Andy Mack, CEO, SnapMobile
Mike Maddock, Founder & CEO, Maddock Douglas
Craig Manske, Managing Principal, Development Solutions Inc
Mark Meyer, Founder, E&M Strategic Development
Domenic Rinaldi, Managing Director, Sun Acquisitions
Mitchell Roth, Managing Partner, Much Shelist
Jon Talty, Chairman & CEO, OKW Architects
Tim Van Mieghem, Partner, The ProAction Group
Jim Vaselopulos, Founder, CEO, Rafti Advisors
Jeremy Waitzman, Partner, SFGH
Jessica Wu, COO, Vetted Placements
Igor Zhizhin, President, American Street Capital
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List:
Jim Anfield, Principal, Aptitive
Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC
Jeremy Bird, CEO, 270 Strategies
Fred Bliss, CTO, Aptitive
Timothy Czmiel, Managing Partner, Virtas Partners
Jeff Durocher, CMO, Advance Search International
Daniel Ebert, COO, Greenheart
Morrie Elstien, VP, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors
Jessica Freiburg, Partner, Sassetti LLC
James Gustin, Partner, Fig Media
Rhonda Jensen, President, Jensen Litigation Services
Pat Monahan, CEO, Riverside Graphics
Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners
Michael Reddy, President, Digital Authority Partners
Mark Rickmeier, CEO, Table XI
Jonathan Rothstein, Senior VP, MB Financial Bank
David Sanchez, Founder & Director, 10 MGMT Agency
Mitch Weinstein, Managing Partner, Chuhak & Tecson
Every month, Tenant Advisory Group hosts an Executives Breakfast and an Executives Luncheon to provide an opportunity for Chicago business leaders to build new, meaningful connections and discuss topics relevant to running a business.
During the Executives Breakfast, attendees were prompted with the question, “what is the best way to handle growth, and what do you wish you would have done differently?” Here are a few of the lessons shared in response:
Matt Green, Cofounder, VentureScale: Stay in your lane and focus on your role. Make sure you have goals set, and strive to achieve them.
Paul Detlefs, President, The Prestwick Group: Do not underestimate the power of delegation. Hire others to take stuff off your plate to focus your efforts. Consistently make an effort to simplify your business as you grow. Also, constantly look at the right structure for your business – is it the right time to take it to the next level? Should we spin off and outsource departments? Systematize your business and create process sooner.
Scott Nicholson, CEO, KO Business Solutions: I wanted to control everything and didn’t have systems and processes in place fast enough. Develop internal talent that grows with the company by creating a curriculum of classes that internal teams can take to develop.
At the Executives Luncheon, guests were asked, “what are some key lessons learned in growing a customer or client base?”
Zak Dabbas, CEO & Founder, Marco & Associates: Always look ahead to see what’s next. Never rest on your laurels. Maintain a clear and shared mission and vision, and breed a culture where everyone is an ambassador of the company. You’re only as good as the worst person on your team, so build a strong culture to elevate the level of energy and excitement at the office.
Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Director, Unispace: Offer to provide value beyond services/products. Take care of each relationship, as you never know where it’s going to lead.
Thank you to all who attended!
If you’re a business owner with 20+ employees who is interested in attending future TAG events, please email Bill Himmelstein at Bill@TagCommercialBroker.com.
TAG Executives Breakfast Guest List
Mason Awtry, CEO, Rightsize Facility
Craig Castelli, Founder & CEO, Caber Hill Advisors
Paul Detlefs, President, The Prestwick Group
Kenny Estes, Cofounder, West Loop Ventures
Matt Green, Cofounder, VentureScale
Tom Gregg, President, Vehicle Acquisition Network
Josh Haid, Managing Partner, Women’s Divorce & Family Law Group
Rhonda Jensen, President, Jensen Court Reporting
Mike Kupfer, President & CEO, Black Diamond Solutions
Stan Logan, Chairman, Quality Back Office
Jim Macdonald, Managing Director, First Analysis
Andy Mack, CEO, SnapMobile
Joseph McCoy, Partner, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila
Scott Nicholson, CEO, KO Business Solutions
Ben Renda, CEO, Global Capital
Ron Repking, Founding Partner, Sriracha Partners
Mitchell Roth, Managing Partner, Much Shelist, P.C
Karen Sanders, President, Sanders IT Consulting
Allan C Sutherland, Founder, President and CEO, In-telligent LLC
Rosemary Swierk, President, Direct Steel & Construction
TAG Executives Luncheon Guest List
Jeff Asperger, Partner, Meltzer Purtill & Stelle LLC
Lou Costabile, CFO, MasterMind Group
Zak Dabbas, CEO & Founder, Marco & Associates
David Diamond, Managing Partner, Kutchins, Robins & Diamond
Morrie Elstien, VP, Cendrowski Corporate Advisors
Charlie Franklin, Managing Partner, Franklin Law Group
Rick Gray, CEO, TalentRISE
James Gustin, Partner, fig Media
Michele Gustin, CEO and President, Fig Media
Celia Jones, CEO, The Escape Pod
Dan Kardatzke, President & CFO, Solstice
Bruce Menkes, Managing Partner, Mandell Menkes
Ruth Minnick, Global Business Development Director, Unispace
Dan Porcaro, CEO, PSM Partners
Mark Rickmeier, CEO, Table XI
Jonathan Rothstein, Senior VP, MB Financial Bank
Joanna Sobran, CEO, MXOtech
Rick Stearns, CFO, Origami Risk