Category: CEO Edition Dec 2023

Steve Linkhart, CEO of CalFoods Logistics, believes that he possesses one quality that sets the tone for CalFoods Logistics. “When we hire a new team member, there are clear responsibilities that need to be accomplished. Once we hire, train, and let that person take the ownership of the job, we allow them to do their job,” he explains. “We are always there to assist of course, but I feel that people get a sense of ownership of their role when they are allowed to do so. Everyone has a role from being CEO to pulling or entering orders, everyone has their unique responsibilities, and the foundation is always customer service, without that, everything after is on shaky ground.” Steve feels that there isn’t a role here too big or too small for anyone to jump in and help. He has unloaded his fair share of trucks and pulled orders over the past 18 months and will be glad to do it again if needed. “Taking care of our team is of the utmost importance to me. We offer a living wage, amazing benefits, and time off for the team to have a good work/life balance.”

When Mitch McDermid launched Innovana, he had an evident vision of what he wanted the company to look like and what it could offer that was different from existing IT services and consulting firms. There was a clear need for a cloud-based services and business automation solutions provider that would address the needs of SMBs both from a pricing and service standpoint in Canada. Mitch and his team have been laser-focused on serving that niche.

A forward thinker, Joshua D. Rogers is always focused on the future. His vision was to introduce a smart, sophisticated approach to investing and wealth building. Since founding Arete Wealth in 2007, he’s done just that. Joshua’s brought an endowment-style of asset allocation to a broader audience of investors. From hedge funds to bespoke investments, his dream was to bring a new perspective to investing. Arete Wealth is the embodiment of that vision: a dynamic, energetic, comprehensive wealth management firm focused on the future.

Joel Anaya, CEO of OnView Integrated Solutions, has been instrumental in building the company from the ground up. His innovation and vision transformed the way the company has scaled its business. OnView is a security provider bringing proactive solutions specifically designed to deter suspicious behavior in real-time before the crime occurs.

Joan Kanigan, CEO of the Western Development Museum (WDM), took an extraordinarily unique yet bold step as a leader in 2021. She initiated a 360o Performance Assessment to better understand how she was performing and where she needed to improve—all through an honest and critical feedback system to know where she was standing as a leader and a manager. “My intent with this performance review was to ensure I am serving the WDM and those I am responsible for to the best of my abilities,” she says. “The things that my staff felt I was doing most effectively include listening to them at all levels, using staff input to make decisions; making people comfortable to bring issues, opinions, and questions forward; valuing others’ thoughts and opinions; and identifying needs and opportunities for organizational improvement.”

One of the things that set James A. Floros, President & CEO, Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank aside from other nonprofit CEOs is that he has always run a nonprofit like a business. “The efficiency and effectiveness that is required in the for-profit sector is even more important in the nonprofit sector because you are doing more with less, with less staff and less resources,” he explains. “Three to four weeks into the pandemic, I realized how well our organization was doing and I realized it was because of the work we had done in building an organization based on excellence.” They have an outstanding relationship with their donors, with media, elected officials, have top-notch financials, with 94 cents of every dollar going directly to our programs and services, and an amazing culture among the staff and volunteers.

Garcia Hanson-Francis is the owner of CADJPro Payroll Solutions. A business payroll, virtual outsourcing, and bookkeeping business. Garcia recently joined BACD’s Expert Network, and as such, we want to share their expertise with you. Her qualities include problem-solving, proficiency with industry software, communication with clients and employees.
“Most people don’t know that I work behind the scenes like a back-office person and that gives the idea that I am not upfront and pushy and sometimes business owners see that as a setback to do work with me. decision,” says Garcia.
I am passionate about payroll and I enjoy connecting with all businesses but I won’t push to make a decision,” says Garcia.

Society calls them “at-risk,” “delinquent,” or “troubled.” At Campagna Academy, they have always been called by name. Founded over 70 years ago as Hoosier Boys’ Town, Campagna Academy today restores the hopes and dreams of over 500 youths and families per year. Campagna is a 501c3, non-profit, social services agency licensed by the Indiana Department of Child Services and accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc (COA) and CARF International accredits their residential programs. Campagna Academy’s life-changing programs strengthen and reunite families, allowing young men and women to make positive life changes that lead to social responsibility and personal success.

David Duplisea took the reins at the Saint John Board of Trade just about ten years ago. Previous boards of Directors had discussed the possibility of partnering with the region’s Chambers and business associations to create a single organization. David’s first task as the CEO was to rebrand the legacy institution as a regional Chamber and merge four organizations into one from financial, by-laws, membership, and brand perspectives. The new organization, now known as The Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, has successfully reinvented itself and serves the region and the province with an expanded membership and cohesive voice that speaks as one. They have added power to the business voices and not diluted them as was feared with the merger.

Before taking on the helm of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga as its first female President and CEO, Candy Johnson served in a variety of leadership roles. Ranging from being the youngest-ever elected City Council member in her hometown at the age of 25 years old, to running a successful non-profit education foundation, serving as policy director at a Chamber of Commerce, to senior advisor to the Mayor of Chattanooga, and as an independent consultant for non-profits and business organizations. She has remained consistent and masterful at integrating past knowledge and experiences to solve present problems. She is what some in academia would consider a “boundary spanner,” civic ‘entrepreneurs of power’ who understand coupling, interdependencies and strategically utilizing networking skills and judgments with an emphasis on the importance of cultivating interpersonal relationships, communication, political skills, and an appreciation of the interdependencies around the structure of problems and their potential solutions. Other research around the notion of boundary spanners would suggest someone with Candy’s attributes as ‘catalysts who bring together problems and solutions that otherwise would bubble chaotically in the conventional currents of modern policy streams’ (deLeon 1996, p. 508).