Page 6 - BusinessWest September 5, 2022
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a member of the local group — instead he travels to Boston for meetings there — but is a firm believer of the organi- zation’s power to bring minds together to address common problems and issues, and often help create answers.
“You have an opportunity to speak with other people who are in similar positions of leadership at their compa- nies — entrepreneurs, owners, execu- tives,” he said. “And having an advisory board of sorts, or a board of directors, which is what Vistage boils down to for many of us, is extremely valuable.
“You sometimes get reinforcement of an idea that you’ve been thinking about, and it’s just enough to push you
over the edge to pull the trigger,” Gra- ham went on. “And sometimes ... you get a different view of the problem or the issues that you’re seeking to solve, and it pushes you in another direction; it’s extremely motivating for me.”
For this issue, BusinessWest talked with members of the local Vistage group about what they gain from par- ticipation, and how the monthly meet- ings have helped them become better leaders at a time when managing a business, large or small, has become ever-more challenging.
That’s the Idea
As he talked about his group and
how and why it was formed, Kulkarni told BusinessWest that there was a clear need for such an entity in Western Mass., where there are few groups of this type focused on bringing young CEOs from diverse industries together around a conference room table.
Those that do exist are mostly regional, with Boston being the clos- est meeting place, and have require- ments for membership that ultimately exclude many of the small businesses in this region. Vistage requires compa- nies to have at least 25 employees and annual revenues of at least $5 million, which brings more area businesses into the mix, he said.
As for how it works, Kulkarni said it’s rather simple — when you put a dozen or so high-performing business execu- tives in a room, these meetings of the minds have enormous potential for creating not only meaningful dialogue about the issues of the day — and there are many of them — but give and take that leads to problem-solving.
Elaborating, he said the hallmark of Vistage groups is something called ‘issue processing,’ a structured, thor- ough approach to helping members think through the dynamics of a challenge.
“It forces you to push beyond your assumptions and get to the real issues,” Kulkarni explained. “That’s critical to understanding and evaluating your options before making a decision and taking action.”
Such was the case with Bell and
his issue with pricing and whether to increase his, which we’ll return to later. As he talked about it, Bell said that while Westside Finishing, a powder- coating operation that handles prod- ucts ranging from cabinets to hand- dryers, has grown exponentially since his father started it as a one-person show and now boasts 65 employees,
it is still, in most all respects, a small company.
“You can’t always run your ideas by people below you, so you need a group
of peers who can give you honest and direct feedback, and that’s what I get out of Vistage.”
“We’re not to the size where I would have a formal board of directors that I, as the president or CEO could lean on, bounce ideas off of, or help me with strategizing and planning for the future growth and development of our busi- ness,” he explained. “The members of Vistage are all people who have similar, high-level experience in running and managing a business, but at the same time, they have different backgrounds, very similar to what you would find on a board of directors.”
While Vistage is open to business owners and managers at all stages of their careers, Kulkarni said it is espe- cially beneficial to those going through transition, be it in leadership or ownership.
Such was the case with Dave Bois- selle, senior vice president of Opera- tions for J. Polep in Chicopee, which has gone from being family owned to being owned by a large conglomer- ate, National Convenience Distribu- tors. It’s not a small change, he told BusinessWest.
“When you’re sitting in the room
         Friday, Sept. 30
Jazz Strut
4:30–10:30 pm
Jazz ensembles at seven downtown breweries, bars and restaurants.
No cover. No minimum.
Saturday, Oct. 1
Jazz Fest Day
11:15 am–6:30 pm
Free daytime concerts at four downtown venues including Pulaski Park
EXPANDABLE BRASS BAND
marches us through town 11:15 am
The Royal Bopsters 12 pm | Unitarian Society
UMASS JAZZ ENSEMBLE
1:30 pm Pulaski Park
Freddie Bryant Brazilian Trio
2:30 and 4:00 pm (2 sets) The Parlor Room
Hot Club of NY—DJ 2:30 pm | Pulaski Park
Ashley Pezzotti
3:00 pm | Unitarian Society
Eh La Bas
5:00 pm | Pulaski Park
   THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 LEAD SPONSORS AND GRANTOR
Ron Carter is among the most original, influential and prolific bassists in jazz
Ron Carter Quartet
Sat., Oct. 1, 7:30pm Academy of Music
northamptonjazzfest.org
Photo by Sophie LeRoux
aomtheatre.com for tickets
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