My colleagues at McKonly & Asbury and I are fortunate to see many companies up close and personal that understand the value of engaged employees. As I profile these companies, I think you’ll see common threads about attention to culture and values.
One of those companies is Four Seasons Produce, Inc. – a distributor of fresh produce, based in Ephrata, PA. Founder, David Hollinger, was driven by a love for fresh fruits and vegetables from the young age of eight. His fervor for the industry deepened as he traveled with his father to purchase produce for the family’s farm market. Years later, David’s involvement in the family produce market grew as he began buying produce and managing the company. Local bankers recognized Hollinger’s personal integrity and potential and Four Seasons was founded in 1976 when David purchased a 5,000 square foot building, some trucks and equipment.
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Something I am passionate about is “The Generosity Factor.” Many books have been written on the subject of leaving a legacy, impacting others… as there is tremendous pleasure in giving. Many people give because of guilt and miss the entire blessing or benefit from giving. There are only four things you can give: Time, Talent, Treasure and Touch. The beauty of it is there are so many ways to give them. The tragedy is that so few people discover ways to give even one – let alone four.
Continue reading "The Seeds of Significance" »
This is a great book on team dynamics and teamwork; in fact it’s one of the best books on the subject that I’ve read. Although written as a fable, the book provides practical advice, which leaders can use in their own teams. The story illustrates the very real challenges of building a team. In keeping with the parable style, Lencioni (The Five Temptations of a CEO) begins by telling the fable of woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. The author Patrick Lencioni creates a great story and teaches you the concepts of a team and dysfunctions of a team.
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This morning I had the privilege of hearing Steve Zuckerman, President & CEO of Clipper Magazine speak at the Central Penn Business Journal's Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies.
In 1983, while a junior in college, he co-founded a local four page campus advertising publication. This little venture is now reaching 280 million homes and has over 1,300 employees.
He is truly an innovative leader and shared 6 key thoughts for any business hoping to grow. I thought his points were very insightful, so I decided to share the key points:
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If you’re a busy person, you know the temptation to say “no” when someone asks you to get involved as a volunteer. But if you volunteer, you also know the tremendous pay back of giving of yourself to great causes. Recently I joined the board of The Second Mile. Their mission is to challenge young people to achieve their potential as individuals and community members. It’s a mentoring organization that provides opportunities for kids to develop positive life skills and self-esteem, as well as providing education and support for parents and professionals addressing the needs of youth. Many people know this organization because the founder (Jerry Sandusky) was the long time defensive coordinator for the Penn State Football team. Our firm encourages us to get involved in our community, because we know that breeding a culture of service that truly resonates with our team has to be about more than just customer service. My fellow partners and colleagues are deeply involved in the community. In fact in the press release about me joining the Second Mile Board, you can see another partner of my firm also recently joined a community board.
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Like I did in an earlier post about Cargas Systems, I like to profile companies that understand the idea of employee engagement. At McKonly & Asbury we’re lucky to work with a lot of clients that “Get It.” Cargas, having been named the #1 Best Place to Work in PA in the past certainly would be one example. Imagine how proud we felt when another one of our clients reached that milestone last year! Graystone Bank, a start-up financial institution which began operating in 2005 is another one of those companies. We’re fortunate to work with Graystone through our banking internal audit outsourcing affiliate – Financial Outsourcing Solutions (FOS), and know what a special company they are. Something they proved with outside affirmation by being named the #2 Best Place to Work in PA in 2006 and then receiving the #1 ranking in 2007.
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