by Joel Addington
Contributing Writer
Jim Howick calls it his CEO school.
When the former Navy pilot started his medical billing company in 1993, he had little to no business experience. However, for the last 10 years, Howick has been exchanging ideas with other CEOs as part of The Executive Committee (TEC), a 50-year-old organization whose Florida branch is headquartered in Jacksonville.
“It’s been my hydrant of information on how to be a good businessman,” said Howick.
TEC has more than 800 members in Florida and more than 14,000 worldwide. Members are placed in groups of 12 to 17 CEOs based on the size and profits of their respective companies and which industry they represent.
“We put together ‘think tanks’ of CEOs from non-competing industries,” explained TEC Florida marketing coordinator Amanda Lindsey. “They get together once a month to discuss the issues, opportunities or decisions they’re facing. Additionally, groups hear from leading experts on topics relevant to each groups’ needs. It’s a place where the chief decision makers have their answers questioned.”
Too often, says the TEC Web site, CEOs, presidents and owners become isolated by their position at the top of an organization because there’s nobody to question their decisions or disagree with a particular business strategy.
Similarly, who does the head of the company go to when faced with a problem for which there is no obvious solution?
Howick and other local businessman take those concerns to other TEC members, who can offer advice and direction in a confidential setting.
“As a very small company, financing was a problem and there was a banker in my group,” said Howick. “Every issue you can imagine a small business would have, they’ve been there for me.”
Howick’s business has grown extensively during the last 14 years, but executives of smaller, emerging companies have found success through TEC’s President’s Forum.
Jeff Davis, for instance, founder of the 4-year-old courtroom exhibits company Legal Art Works, was invited to join the exclusive group three months ago after meeting another member at a legal convention in Chicago.
“We started making chit-chat and it turns out he flew in from Australia for the convention,” recalled Davis. “We get to talking and he has the largest law firm in Australia; something like 200 attorneys in this firm he started. He’s extremely successful. We don’t do it here, but his was the first law firm to go public in Australia.”
It wasn’t long before they started talking business and the Aussie noticed how enthusiastic Davis was about his own company’s success. The gentleman told Davis he should look into joining TEC.
“I interviewed with the group chair and then went into a boardroom with the other group members,” said Davis of the acceptance process. “On my way in my wife called and asked if I was nervous. I said they should be nervous to get me in their group.”
After gaining membership into what he called a “very diverse” group, Davis said he began reaping the benefits immediately, learning how to use strategic planning to grow his business.
“It’s a lot of developing an organization,” he said. “For example, sometimes we just present our most recent issues or concerns. If I’m not sure what to do, in 10 minutes I have the opinions of eight different CEOs and they can say what worked for them or what didn’t when they were in the same position.”
Davis’ brother, Richard Davis, was also recently invited to join TEC’s President’s Forum. He started the full service advertising, marketing and public relations firm Spark Inc. three years ago and said his group has helped him with the fine art of delegation.
“It was pretty amazing because the first event I went to was on delegating and that’s the biggest thing I’ve had to work on,” said Richard Davis. “They told me the right way to delegate and when and when not to delegate. It caused us to add another position to the company and rethink the way we’re doing things. It’s really helped.”
And while CEOs bring their individual issues to the group, the overriding focus of TEC is promoting profitable growth, which means increasing profits without ballooning overhead.
That’s something Jeff Davis has his sights set on.
“I want to be what Kinko’s is to copies…the biggest trial exhibit company in the country,” he said. “This (TEC) will help me get to that point, rather than trying to do it alone.”
For more information on TEC, visit www.tecflorida.com.