Peer group testimonials
Denny Shorett - Founder and Previous President, Crown Printers
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As usual, you did a supurb job of organizing our sessions and its content. Our speakers were informative and, as usual, our member dialog was fruitful. It was also prudent of you to recommend that we schedule our meeting to coincide with the SGIA show. I found the show to be informative, enlightening and well worth my time.
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I would again give you high marks in all categories of our Orlando meeting. Our meeting room, lodging, check-ins, speakers and dinner choices were all great.
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As you know, I was in another PEN Group before this one and there is no comparison between the quality I receive now and what was so badly lacking in the other group. I recently spoke with another one of my colleagues in California who is also experiencing lack of leadership in his PEN group. My guess is that we have one of the top groups in the US under your direction. The fact that you take the personal responsibility of structuring and conducting our meetings in an orderly and disciplined format, with quality content, keeps us on tract to receive the value we expect to gain from our investment of time and money.
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Denny Shorett
President
Crown Printers
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Doug Grant - President WestAmerica Communications
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Dear Sid:
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I’d like to offer an endorsement of CEO Peer Groups in general, and also share the positive experiences I’ve valued about our group in particular.
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I’ve been in business over 35 years, and one thing I’ve learned over that time is that “I don’t know it all”. Nor do my top managers. That’s why I’ve embraced the concept of peer groups. “Iron sharpens iron”, and I’ve found this to be very true in my experiences with our group. At each meeting, our members openly share key indicators, critical business issues, marketing and business development efforts, organizational and technology changes, and much more. In return, we each receive valuable feedback, new ideas, best practices strategies, and often some “tough love” when we need it most. I can think of several times over the years that our members have challenged me to take critical steps and to make important decisions (decisions that I would have delayed or ignored otherwise). My business is healthier as a result. And I am a better CEO as well.
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Sid, your facilitation of our meetings adds value. A group of “type A” CEO’s all gathered in one room is like herding cats. Yet you keep us focused and on track, and it’s clear you desire that all of us receive value from each meeting. The guest presenters, site tours, webinars, and trade shows that are sometimes part of our meetings have been very informative and provide additional value to me and our members. And the “feet to the fire” commitments we make at the conclusion of each meeting really do help keep us accountable and on track to effect positive changes in our organizations.
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In short, I’m a “satisfied customer” of our CEO Peer Group. And I’d be happy to be a reference for any potential member who is interested in growing and improving their business.
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Doug Grant
President
WestAmerica Communications
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Wanzie Collins - CEO Panaprint
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Why a peer group?
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A wise man told me once, “If I do a dollar’s worth of business with you and you do a dollar’s worth with me, we each still have just one dollar. But, if you share an idea and I share an idea, we’ll each have two ideas”. So it is with our peer group. I seem to leave each meeting with much more than I brought.
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It’s like being in the room with a group of experts from my industry who are willing to share openly their knowledge and experience. No member is ever expected to divulge any more information than he is completely comfortable to do. Each meeting also provides an interesting tour or program. But, without doubt, the greatest value is the friendships developed through these meetings.
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Wanzie Collins
CEO
Panaprint
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Richard S. Vann - President PostMark
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Dear Sid,
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Thank you for another very well run and informative Peer Group meeting. As always, the accommodations were first class and the restaurant selections provided superb food, ambiance, and camaraderie with fellow CEOs.
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The presentations on marketing for our companies and for our clients, as well as the presentation on hiring, were excellent. I’ve always appreciated and learned from the industry professionals and academics that you have arranged to meet with us. The breath of material that you have assembled for us over the years is extremely impressive. We have had a really broad range of topics that have gone from selling companies, to estate planning, and to men’s health.
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As good as the accommodations and additional presentations have been, I believe that the primary value and enjoyment is in the other members and their willingness to share their successes, problems, experiences, and knowledge. Running a company is a hard and, sometimes, lonely job. The opportunity to see what other CEOs are doing, to share successes and problems, and to have peers, who over time have developed an understanding and empathy for my operation, provide feedback has been wonderful. In addition, it is greatly enhanced by the friendship and understandings that develop over time. There is so much depth of understanding that comes from meetings and discussing common issues over the years.
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If anyone should ask me about joining on of your peer groups, my response would be, “The value is there for you to take advantage of it. Join now and start getting help on running your company!!”
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Richard S. Vann
President
PostMark
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Richard Miller - Owner Fineline Printing Group
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What’s great about a CEO peer group? It’s a gathering of talented, professional business leaders who value and support each other. It’s an opportunity for industry peers to “talk shop”. We have a facilitator, Sid Chadwick, who keeps us on task and channels the energy of a group of Type A personalities into a meaningful dialogue. We host a wide range of speakers who keep us up-to-date on effective management practices and a wide range of subjects that affect our lives professionally, personally and physically.
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Richard Miller
Owner
Fineline Printing Group