Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 10

Grow Market Lead

lunch? I have a goal to hit the gym be-

fore heading in for the day and am truly
learning more the value of a strong mind
and body! I prefer working lunches!
Do you socialize with your team after
work/outside the office? With a two-

year-old at home and the demands of
my position, my first priority is family.
We have many great leaders in our organization, so I have a goal to do more
outside our four walls.
Last two books read: Zingerman’s Guide

to Good Leading Part 2: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Being a Better Leader
and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor
E. Frankl.
What technology do you take on the
road? iPod, laptop/iPad, and smartphone.
How do you relax, balance life and
work? The biggest challenge while

working in a fast-paced, growing organization is adherence to the principle of
balance. You have to stop and celebrate
victories and special occasions as much
as possible. I learned from my wife Becky
the importance of recognizing key events
and the little things. She is great about
that. I don’t have much time at night
to spend with our son Will, but I try to
be there and invest 100 percent focused
time with him each night. I always come
away from this time a better person.
Being outdoors, whether fishing on my
own for a couple hours or with friends
and family, cannot be beat.
Favorite vacation destination: North-

ern Michigan in the fall with my family!
Favorite occasions to send employees notes: After accomplishing a key

project or just for simple areas where
someone went the extra mile to get
something accomplished.
Favorite company product/service:

Besides Two Men and a Truck it would
have to be St. Croix Fishing Rods. I
definitely would have to pick a company
related to a passion of mine, fishing, but
St. Croix provides a superior product
backed with their customer experience

8

Franchiseupdate Iss u e IV, 2 0 1 2

“My goal is
continue to
honor our history
and the tenets
that got us to
where we are,
but also to paint
a vision with the
leadership team
of where we
are headed as a
company.”
and service culture. Another brand I
admire is Holstee. Their company has
created a lifestyle through their clothing line and if you are familiar with the
Holstee Manifesto you know what I am
talking about in regards to their brand!
BOTTOM LINE
What are your long-term goals for
the company? My goal is continue

to honor our history and the tenets
that got us to where we are, but also to
paint a vision with the leadership team
of where we are headed as a company.
We have achieved 33 months of consecutive growth, and my job is to help
ensure this trend continues. My job also
is to continuously challenge myself and
our team to change while still digging
deeper into our markets. The future
of business is chaos, which I mean in
a good way. There is so much change
taking place with the pace of technology, social media, and regulations that
the crystal ball is shattered. The best we
can do is focus on areas we can control
and build a concerted plan around these
areas. We have 300-plus marketing areas
still available in the United States and
we are actively partnering with franchisees to fill these.
How has the economy changed your

goals for your company? I think it

has helped us sharpen our saws to be
better. We went through a challenging
time just as many others have, but I
believe the power of our brand helped
mitigate more substantial challenges. It
gave us a chance to look in the mirror
and evaluate ourselves versus worrying
about the economy. It was a blessing
for us candidly as a company, and we
are much stronger from going through
2008 and 2009. Our vision will remain
reg ardless of the economic conditions
surrounding us.
Where can capital be found these
days? I believe banks are starting to

open up more and capital can be found.
Obviously, the uncertainty with the
pending fiscal cliff, taxes, and elections
makes it harder to grow and will play a
critical role in the future of small business success.
How do you measure success? I mea-

sure success by doing what you love and
constantly progressing. A great friend
shared this with me and I have it on my
desk: “Always move forward regardless
if the winds are to your back or blowing in your face.” At the end of the day
whether it’s work, life, or fun, if I love
it and am adhering to the above quote,
I am on the right path.
What has been your greatest success?

Building a loving family with my wife
while taking on critical leadership roles
at Two Men and a Truck and helping
grow this brand.
Any regrets? None, and work constantly

to never have any.
What can we expect from your company in the next 12 to 18 months?

More growth and focus on people (and
our communities in which we do business) and our core purpose, which is to
move people forward. We have invested
significantly in new technology and the
overall philosophy of how technology
will help bring customers closer to our
brand. We have a lot of key initiatives
being rolled out in the next 18 months
that will truly reshape our brand! n