Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute

Be a better leader.

Retired Commander Rorke Denver ran every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and other international hot spots. He also wrote two New York Times bestselling books based on his extensive military experience.

In this Tugboat Institute podcast, Rorke shares two significant leadership lessons that have served him well in his military and civilian life—constantly improve your position and always reach for an extra inch.

How can my business be an effective family enterprise if my children do not want to be a part of it? Who will be the next generation of owners?

In this podcast from Tugboat Institute®, Jennifer Pendergast—eminent thought leader and Executive Director of the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University—deconstructs the challenges faced by family owned businesses and shares practical strategies for successful leadership transitions and governance.

Be an Evergreen® leader. Learn how to create a leading company that lasts beyond your lifetime.

Central States Manufacturing started in 1988 as a small plant in Rogers, Arkansas. Today the company produces metal roofing and siding for thousands of customers from 10 locations across the country. It is also 100% employee owned.

John Williams, VP of Sales & Marketing, shared with the Tugboat Institute® in 2016 the keys to the company's tremendous success—a strict adherence to open-book management (aka the Great Game of Business), rigorous accountability, and a commitment to putting their people first. Although John has retired from CSM, his words and insights are still relevant for business leaders and Evergreen® CEOs dedicated to building leading and lasting companies. 

Get Big Fast vs. Evergreen—Which is the best fit for your business?

This episode features Tugboat Institute® CEO Dave Whorton. When Dave was recruited by the legendary John Doerr to work for Kleiner Perkins in 1997 he learned the original venture capital (VC) “playbook”—a strategy focused on reaching profitability and sustained growth. At the same time, Doerr and other partners were selectively exercising a new playbook sparked by the historic public offering of Netscape. Venture capital was entering a new era—Get Big Fast.
 
In this talk from Tugboat Institute®, Dave shares his insider perspective on this “moment of divergence” and how this seismic shift in VC investment shaped the way companies are built, scaled, financed and exited. Dave also presents the alternative Evergreen® business model embraced by leaders committed to private ownership, purpose and growing profitable companies that last 100 years.
 
There is more than one way to business success. Take a moment to listen and determine which path fits your journey.

This episode features John Garrett, CEO of Community Impact Newspaper. According to John, “Print ain't dead, ” and he should know.

An experienced newspaper executive, John could see where the industry was headed but he also saw a huge need. Despite living in a digitized world with content just a click away, John saw that people were yearning to know what was happening in their own backyards. So in 2005, John and his wife, Jennifer, launched the first edition of Community Impact Newspaper in their hometown of Pflugerville, Texas.

Today there are 34 print editions of this newspaper that cover 59 communities in Texas, Tennessee and Arizona. These free publications have a combined total circulation of 2.5 million readers and are all driven by local journalists reporting on stories that matter to their neighbors.

In this Tugboat Institute® 2016 talk, John enthusiastically shares how he built this successful Evergreen® company in the shadow of 24-hour cable news channels and a public addicted to social media news feeds.

Listen and be inspired by this modern-day David & Goliath story.

What defines an effective workplace? Can productive work only occur in the office?
 
In this podcast from Tugboat Institute®, Lisa Picard, President and CEO of EQ Office, discusses the challenges that are facing employers and employees in the modern workplace. As the leader of a commercial real estate company with a mission to design spaces to maximize human potential, Lisa shares the 4 vital components necessary to achieve effective work and the current ideas surrounding a return-to-the-office strategy.

Listen and learn how to create a thriving environment for you and your employees.

Why does this almost 100-year-old company still act like a scrappy startup?

It was 2009. The financial crisis was in full swing and consumer spending had dropped off a cliff. Torani, a family-owned syrup company established in 1925, had been growing at 25% per year for over 18+ years. CEO Melanie Dulbecco was now facing growth rate projections of 4% and stiff competition from giant corporations coming into the product category.

So this self-professed group process geek committed to a yearlong “Learning Journey” with her management team. The idea was to meet with and learn from innovative companies, thought leaders, business partners and their customers. The result was a trip of transformation—for Torani and the team.

In this Tugboat Institute® 2016 talk, Melanie shares the insights and guiding principles from that year of discovery—timeless lessons for Evergreen® leaders dedicated to building leading and lasting companies.

This episode features Bart Ricketts, CEO of Lease Crutcher Lewis. In this talk from Tugboat Institute Gathering of Teams 2021, Bart shares how this Pacific Northwest construction company established in 1886 continues to innovate through employee led improvement programs, paced growth and an environment that cultivates a diversity of thought and experience.

Learn how this Evergreen® company is building towards its next 100 years in business.

This episode features Grant Gregory, the retired chairman of Deloitte & Touche and founder of DoubleClick. In his Tugboat Institute® talk, Grant describes how Don Clifton, his longtime mentor and the creator of StrengthsFinder, taught him the principles of positive psychology and the practice of strengths-based leadership that allowed him to expertly recruit and develop talent across complex organizations.

Listen in and learn how to find, engage and cultivate employees that will thrive and excel in your business.

As a film producer and President of Flashlight Films, Allyn Stewart, has mastered the process of developing compelling stories and translating them into captivating films. In this talk from Tugboat Institute®, Allyn shares her journey through Hollywood and her philosophy that true excellence in storytelling comes from the creator’s unwavering commitment and unshakable belief in the story they want to tell. According to Allyn, story is EVERYTHING–whether it’s a movie, a product or a service.

How do I use the wealth that I have created? What should I give my children? What will be my legacy – in business and life?

In this Tugboat Institute® talk from 2016, Dennis Jaffe of Wise Counsel Research, answers these questions and more. As part of a special study, Dennis spent years interviewing members of family-owned companies that generate great wealth, while also making a difference the world.

Learn the insider wisdom and best practices that have allowed these businesses and families to thrive over multiple generations.

In this episode you will meet Mel Gravely, CEO of TriVersity Construction Company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

As a successful black business leader, Mel admits to sidestepping the topic of race – especially with his white friends and colleagues. However with the civil unrest and waves of protests that occurred in the summer of 2020, Mel could no longer ignore the topic. 

In her Tugboat Institute Summit 2016 talk, Founder Amy Simmons, shares her passion for creating an empowered culture built on training, transparency, and financial literacy. With a workforce full of teammates ranging in age from 16 - 20 years old, Amy is dedicated to educating the next generation of business leaders and showing them, by example, the powerful impact of an Evergreen company.

In this presentation to Tugboat Institute in 2021, Brad offers his insights on customer expectations in today’s world, key ways to improve service interactions and guidance on how to successfully utilize the customer experience to grow your business. We hope you enjoy the practical advice along with the lessons learned by some of the largest companies in the United States.

In this podcast, Jack shares his story of creating and playing "The Game" along with with his unwavering belief that, "The best, most efficient, most profitable way to operate a business is to educate everyone on the business, give them a voice in saying how the company is run and provide them a stake in the financial outcome, good or bad." Enjoy.

Lester Thornhill, CEO of Life’s Abundance, approached the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic with a commitment to continuous improvement. In this talk from Tugboat Institute Gathering of Teams 2021, Lester shares his story of opportunistic innovation through the pandemic, offering a compelling case for seizing upon moments of challenge to strengthen the team and the company for the long term.

In the 1950s, Earl and Carol Holding moved to the Wyoming desert to take over a failing gas station/motel/cafe. That was the first step toward building what Tim Silva calls an "incredible empire" that includes Sun Valley Resort, the home base for Tugboat Summit and Sinclair Oil Corp. Silva, the resort's general manager, says the Holding family used core Evergreen principles to grow their assets.

Robyn Sue has spent the last 13 years (since 2007!) conceiving of and developing Smitten Ice Cream. In her ‘prior life’, she was a management consultant in the U.S. and Europe and became known for her ability to invent new ways of solving problems. In her Tugboat Institute Summit 2016 talk, Fisher breaks down what matters most in building her Evergreen business: creating joy for employees and customers, and committing unwaveringly to being the best.

In today's episode, you'll meet Carrie Freeman Parsons, Chairman of the Board at Freeman Company. Freeman is a global event management company. Carrie shares with us about her lack of skills when assuming her first managing role within Freeman. This lead to her prioritizing leadership development and specifically training new managers with their needed "tools." Carrie noted that it's essential for leaders who build companies to align with the Evergreen 7Ps® principles.

Viesturs has been climbing mountains for almost 40 years. In that time, he has climbed all of the world's 8,000-plus-meter summits — 14 in total — without using oxygen tanks. Viesturs embodies one of the most important elements of an Evergreen entrepreneur: perseverance. It took Viesturs 21 attempts to complete his 14-summit bucket list. For each of those climbs, he vowed not to break the rules that he lives by — no shortcuts, no complacency."Life is a series of climbing mountains," he says. "You have to be willing to take the time to have the journey, roll up your sleeves and strive for the summit while making sure to get back down alive." The same could be said of the path of an Evergreen business leader. Viesturs’ advice: Listen to the mountain. Conditions will guide your actions. You have to be acutely aware of them, adjust plans accordingly and avoid forcing action on your timeline instead of what the mountain offers.