COVID-19 Business Resource Center

by | | News

A Letter to the CEOC Community:

We are facing a once in a generation event that impacts everyone.  This is the time for people, companies, and organizations to come together for the greater good.

You do great things on your own.… We can do even greater things together!

As of today, all of CEO Connection’s energy and resources will be reallocated to help you, our community, and our country come through the COVID-19 crisis.  Over the next few days, we will be announcing a series of actions based on the feedback we are getting from our members.  Here are the first four:

  1. Free Executive Coaching:  We are offering three hours of free executive coaching to any CEO Connection member who needs it. Click here for more information or to register.
  2. COVID-19  Business Resource Center:  We have been curating best practices and other information from our partners, members, and other sources. Click Here to access our resources, and check back regularly as we will be adding to them frequently.  If you have something valuable to share with the other members, please send it directly to me.
  3. CEO COVID-19 Roundtables:  Our virtual off the record video calls with small groups of CEOs each week will continue for as long as they are needed, and we are adding committee calls for those interested in specific topics. Click here for more information on these calls.
  4. COVID-19 Mid-Market Hotline:  We have set up a hot line for anyone who needs non-emergency business help. Email COVID@ceoconnection.com or call 800.244.4719 x (511). We can connect you to potential resources, including but not limited to:
    • Capital
    • Employment law
    • Pensions
    • Employee disaster support
    • Government support

Finally, if you just want to talk, I will be available for any one-on-one calls and will help you in any way I can.

We will get through this together.

Speak to you soon,

Kenneth Beck
Chief Executive Officer  |  CEO Connection
Chairman  |  Wharton Club of New York
T 646.416.6991  |  F 646.292.5129
kbeck@ceoconnection.com
www.ceoconnection.com

Fund Proposal for COVID-19 Recovery

by | | Growth, Innovation, News

COVID-19 has created a health and economic environment unlike anything we have ever experienced. 
 
As the leadership of the mid-market, we are uniquely positioned with the knowledge and resources to ensure that our communities have jobs and a stable economy after this crisis is over. We need to join together to manage the challenges ahead.
 

What can we do?

As such, I am proposing that we set up a fund to help small and mid-market companies and their people get though COVID-19. I am envisioning a combination of the war bonds effort from World War II and the Farm Aid movement of the mid-80s to provide equity, debt, and/or convertible funding to small and mid-sized businesses.
 
We have had many discussions with business, academic, and government leaders.  CEO Connection member Scott Jackson, CEO of Global Impact, can set up the infrastructure for this project in a matter of days. Now it is time to act.
 
You do great things on your own … We can do even greater things together!

Can you help?

Join the Task Force

Share with your network

Share this announcment on your social media pages to spread the word about this proposal.

Announcement: A message about Coronavirus

by | | News

A message from Kenneth Beck, CEO of CEOC

 

Like many of you, I have been closely monitoring the Coronavirus situation. The media coverage of the virus is creating fear and panic which is having a disproportionate and perhaps premature impact on businesses around the world.

Over the past several weeks, my team and I have been talking with CEO Connection members, government officials and industry experts regarding the potential impact of the Coronavirus on mid-market companies. We wanted to know how they are handling the situation and what we can do to help them – their response was been clear: help us gain access to insightful information and strategies, particularly from other mid-market CEOs to manage both the perceived and real challenges ahead.

As a result, we are taking a number of steps to support our members immediately.

To start, we are organizing small-group video meetings to create forums for CEOs to connect, share insights, and to strategize. Here’s an overview of this program:

  • Confidential, Small Group, Video Meetings. CEOC will convene a series of small, interactive, 60-minute video conference calls for our Premium members. Initially, we will host two sessions for eight CEOs each (CEOs only). This format will enable close, confidential conversation and meaningful dialogue. We will consider scaling this program to additional CEO members as well.
  • Focused Agenda. The agenda for each meeting will be focused on each CEO sharing what he/she is seeing and doing in four areas:
    • Individual Observations – Both in the U.S. and internationally (if applicable);
    • Financial/Business Impact – Impact to operations, supply chain and financials;
    • People strategy – Communication/morale/remote work strategies; and,
    • Forecast/Planning – Insights about what might happen next, ways to prepare, etc.
      —
  • Facilitated Discussions – Joe Hart, CEO of Dale Carnegie and the Chair of our Talent Management Committee has agreed to co-facilitate these meetings. With 200 operations in 86 countries, Joe has been on the front lines of the Coronavirus situation with his team since the very beginning and can share first-hand insights and strategies.
    —
  • Timing – The first two meetings will be on Thursday, March 12th at 3 pm Eastern and Monday, March 16th at 5:30 pm Eastern. If you are interested in participating, you can register by clicking here. We will take the first eight registrants for each meeting and then go to a waitlist.
    —
  • Preparation – As preparation for these calls, here are two useful articles one from McKinsey and one from our very own George Bradt:

 

In addition to these small group meetings, CEOC is taking other steps to support our members:

 

  • Webinar – We will host a webinar for all Premium CEOC members on Monday, March 30th at 5:30 pm Eastern to review the types of strategies and insights from the small group meetings, as well as to discuss new developments. To register for that webinar, you can click on the link below.
    –
  • Mid-Market Coronavirus Task Force – We are establishing a task force, which will: 1) Marshal the combined resources of the mid-market; 2) Share best practices; and 3) Implement any actions recommended by the membership. More to come on this shortly.
    –
  • Mid-Market Coronavirus Hot Line – We will create a hotline for members who have specific issues they need to manage. More to come on this shortly.

 

Our country is at its best when faced with a common challenge. I have full faith that the government (both parties) and medical experts will put their differences aside and once again, as Americans have always done in the face of adversity, rise to the occasion to find a solution that will stop the spread of this disease.   In the meantime, we as the Mid-Market business community will join together to help each other manage the challenges ahead.

 

You do great things on your own … we can do even greater things together!

Access resources

We have compiled resources from our partners and members to aid businesses during this time.

Click Here

A Night Of Mid-Market Stars

A Night Of Mid-Market Stars

by | | 2017 Mid-Market 500, News

2018 Mid-Market Awards Dinner and Celebration

Another successful convention ended with another great awards dinner where we celebrated the best of the Mid-Market.
 
Awards Dinner Gallery
 
As master of ceremonies, Today Show and NBC News contributor, Dr. Madeyln Fernstrom, helped us honor the 2018 Mid-Market Award recipients:

  • Micalyn Harris of ELPRO – Young Leader of the Year
  • Eric Green of West Pharmaceutical Services – Social Impact Award
  • Paul Decker of Mathematica – CEO of the Year
  • Restaurant Technologies – Company of the Year
                 and
  • Lulvleen Sidhu, Bank Mobile
  • Jeanne Thoma, SPI Pharma
  • Gina Fyfe, Integra Holdings
  • Cynthia Tidwell, Royal Neighbors of America
  • Elaine Osgood, Atlas Travel

The 2018 Most Influential Women of the mid-market who were in attendance.

Congratulations again to all!

Mid-Market Young Leader Award Winner

Mid-Market Young Leader Award Winner

by | | 2017 Mid-Market 500, News

CEO Connection® has announced the winner of its annual Young Leader of the Year award. Each year, qualified nominees are reviewed by a committee of experts and the award is presented to the mid-market executive who, early in his/her career, has demonstrated the greatest potential for leadership and lasting impact.

This year CEO Connection is proud to recognize Micalyn Harris, CEO of ELPRO Services, Inc., as the 2018 Young Leader of the Year.

In 2009, Micalyn Harris joined ELPRO Services, Inc.—a company that designs and manufactures solutions that monitor the transport and storage of pharmaceuticals throughout the supply chain, and is the U.S. subsidiary of Swiss-based ELPRO Group. Micalyn became President and CEO of the subsidiary in 2017.

As a newly minted CEO, Micalyn leveraged her experience in organizational change and business strategy to disrupt ELPRO Services’ competitive and growing market. Micalyn completely redefined the subsidiary’s organizational and financial focus, as well as doubled staff and revenue in the short term. During her tenure with ELPRO, Micalyn has negotiated strategic selling partnerships to expand the company’s sales and service footprint in the U.S., and has spearheaded numerous continuous improvement initiatives. Locally, Micalyn leads initiatives for employee community volunteerism and is a member of the Marietta College Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

“Within ELPRO USA, I saw the opportunity to reshape the company from the ground up,” said Micalyn Harris. “The most fulfilling part of that journey was redefining our culture and aligning with profitability. Receiving this honor has encouraged me to continue my personal and business pursuits and to take them to the next level, driving change to positively impact my community and our growth.”

Micalyn will be honored at the 2018 Mid-Market Convention Awards Dinner on September 25, 2018, at The Wharton School. Other recipients—Company of the Year, CEO of the Year, and Social Impact Award—will be celebrated at that time. The dinner will be attended by members, sponsors, and guests of CEO Connection.

For more information about the awards, please visit http://www.midmarketawards.com/about/, and to purchase your ticket to the 2018 Mid-Market Awards Dinner, visit: https://www.midmarketconvention.com/registration/.

CEO Connection® Announces List of 25 Top Private Equity Firms for the Mid-Market

CEO Connection® Announces List of 25 Top Private Equity Firms for the Mid-Market

by | | 2017 Mid-Market 500, News

SYOSSET, N.Y., August 9, 2018/PRNewswire/ — CEO Connection® has announced its 2018 list recognizing private equity firms most effective for mid-market companies. The Top Private Equity Firms for the Mid-Market list highlights firms that invest in mid-market companies with a vision of strategic partnership, bringing them results-oriented expertise and focus on what is best for the next phase of growth.

“We believe these firms personify the spirit of the mid-market,” said Kenneth Beck, CEO of CEO Connection. “In the true symbiotic nature of the CEO Connection community, honoring them will help all of us promote the mid-market.”

Sixteen of the 2018 firms also made the list in 2017. The list was first developed in 2016 in response to membership interest in this area, namely private equity as a source of capital for mid-market growth.

The private equity firms were evaluated on five metrics: Commitment to the Mid-Market, Partnership Effectiveness, Financial Performance, Resources, and Social Impact. For the complete list, visit www.ceoconnection.com/top-private-equity-firms/.

Comprised of nearly 20,000 publicly and privately held companies, the mid-market represents an integral piece of the U.S. economy, employing more than 30 million people and generating approximately $10 trillion of the $30 trillion of annual gross receipts.

Members of the 2018 Top Private Equity Firms for the Mid-Market will be recognized at the annual CEO Connection Mid-Market Convention held in conjunction with The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Sept. 23-25. This exclusive global gathering features hundreds of CEOs, political leaders and business experts convening to discuss issues and challenges for mid-market companies. For more information and to register for the convention, visit www.midmarketconvention.com/registration.  

The CEO Connection 2018 Mid-Market Convention is made possible by the interactive support of strategic partners, including ABM, Carpedia, Invest in Canada, KR Strategy, Minority Business Development Agency, Morgan Samuels, Mphasis, Prime Genesis, RSM, SAS, Sibson Consulting, Mastered in Tennessee, Wex/MasterCard, Wharton.