I am a serial entrepreneur. I grew up in a family involved in multiple businesses, ranging from financial services to real estate, securities, M&A and private equity. I began my career in the hospitality industry as an owner of night clubs and restaurants and over the years, I dabbled in travel marketing, furniture manufacturing and oil and gas development and exploration. Ultimately, I settled into real estate and I currently run an investment and management firm —Westminster Capital Group.
After my father passed, my life became exponentially more complicated
In 2017, my father passed. On top of my own business interests, I stepped in as a trustee of his estate, assuming a very diverse portfolio of assets and employees. My life became exponentially more complicated. I needed support and I was looking to connect with business leaders who had gone through similar experiences and were managing larger organizations than I had owned and operated. Several friends in my network were in Vistage and found a lot of value in it, so when I came across Vistage on LinkedIn, I reached out and was connected with Chair John Morris.
“Vistage has helped accelerate my growth as an executive and the growth of my company.”
Vistage was what I needed to help with decision-making
John invited me to join his group as a guest to better understand the meeting structure, issue processing and group dynamics. He quickly won me over. He communicated well and effectively facilitated the group with a care-frontational style. I was able to get a pulse on each member and their business and I saw that Vistage was the type of forum I needed to gain CEO experience and help with decision-making. I decided to join John’s group in November of 2017.
John always goes above and beyond
Since I joined Vistage, I’ve seen the most positive impact to my business through the creation of advisory boards for several companies in my portfolio. John helped me see the value and benefit of having an advisory board and recommended the book, Game Changing Advisory Boards. The CEO of one of my companies and I both read it and we were so inspired that we set up a board using the book as a guide. In addition to giving me the motivation and tools, John also agreed to join that board as the non-executive chairman. He has since connected me directly with the book’s author, who has helped me set up— and now sits on — a board for my parent company.
That’s just one example of how John goes above and beyond. As a Chair, he is caring, well-connected and a world-class communicator. He is always willing to share his expansive network. He genuinely wants me to succeed and encourages me to be more open-minded and vulnerable so that I can take my organization to the next level.
Vistage has helped accelerate my growth
18 months into my membership, Vistage has accelerated my growth as an executive and the growth of my company. I have a supportive network of peers to help me make better decisions. I have access to expert speakers who have inspired, influenced and impacted my business growth and strategies. I have a trusted business coach to help guide me on my journey as a CEO. While I still find myself concerned about being away from the office for an entire day each month, I always leave my Vistage meeting feeling like it was a valuable day.
