EO Detroit Brochure

TRUST AND RESPECT.
THIRST FOR LEARNING.
BOLDLY GO!
MAKE A MARK.
COOL.
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN’S MOST INFLUENTIAL
COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS INVITES YOU...

To Learn

The entrepreneurial life is one of continued learning. EO Detroit hosts monthly learning events to provide enhanced growth and educa-
tional opportunities for members that reach beyond run-of-the-mill learning seminars. Our monthly events are million dollar days that allow
members to take their experiences and apply what they’ve learned to building a better business.

To Engage

From family events to social gatherings, EO Detroit is about engagement. Whether it’s a family day at the zoo or a mixer with other like-
minded business owners, we strive to bring others together to create meaningful relationships that will last a lifetime.

To Grow

We strive to grow and move forward every day. EO Detroit brings the best of the best to its members in order to create opportunity and
drive the economy forward. We are committed to providing unique occasions for personal and professional growth.

What is Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)?

EO drives global economic growth by empowering leading entrepreneurs to transform their businesses,
their communities and themselves. As the world’s thought leader on entrepreneurial leadership, EO is a
global network of more than 9,500 business owners in 40 countries and 131 chapters. Each EO member
is the founder, owner or controlling stakeholder of a business with at least $1 million in annual revenue.
Our members employ more than 2.2 million people worldwide, which is more than IBM, McDonald’s,
Tesco, Toyota and Volkswagen combined. Member companies account for more than $565 billion in
gross revenues each year; if EO was a single company, it would be the largest company in the world.
As privately held businesses, EO companies are the ideal leading indicators of the world economy.

The EO Detroit Vision: To build the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs.

The EO Detroit Mission: Engage leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow.

EO Detroit’s Founding Year: 1994

Total Number of Members: 122 in the Greater Detroit area

Total Member Sales: $1.4 Billion

Employees: More than 7,000 employed

Core Values: Trust and Respect. Thirst for Learning. Boldly Go! Mark a Mark. Cool.

Our Members Represent a Diverse Industry Base:

Accounting Financial Services Marketing/ PR

Advertising/Publication Fire/Water Restoration Services Mechanical Services

Automotive Food/ Beverage Internet/ Online Services

Computer/Consulting Health/ Medical Services Office Equipment

Computer/Hardware Human Resources/Personnel Printing/ Graphics

Computer/Services Industrial Services Promotions/ Events

Computer/Software Insurance Services Real Estate

Construction Services Investment Services Restaurant

Consulting Services Jewelry Retail

Contracting Services Landscape/ Florists Security & Investigation

Distribution Legal Services Travel/ Transportation

Education/ Training Maintenance Services Wholesale

Electronic Services Management Services

Employment Manufacturing

John Anderson

EO member since 1996, founder of the EO Detroit chapter

In 1994 I was initially introduced to EO at a program titled “The Birthing of Giants” sponsored by YEO (former
name of EO), Inc. Magazine, and MIT where I met Verne Harnish (founder of EO and author of “Mastering the
Rockefeller Habits”) for the first time. As a result of that experience and meeting Verne my life was forever
changed for the better. In 1996 with Verne’s help we founded the Detroit Chapter. Later when I sold my
office furniture business, I was approached by Verne to join him as the first coach representing the “Master
of Business Dynamics” program, which evolved into what is today recognized as Gazelles International.

The impact of both EO and significant member/contributors like Verne, was a fundamental and positive change in my
mindset and contribution to the community I live and work in. That influence is still impacting me 20 years later as I inspire
and challenge leaders/entrepreneurs to achieve their greatest personal potential. EO has given me opportunities to
contribute and receive value beyond my limited vision of simply being successful as a business owner. Today with the help
of my forum table and other members of EO both locally and internationally I am experiencing a level of success, happiness,
and personal worth that was absent during the early business and family building stage of my journey. I stay engaged today
in hopes that my contribution and engagement can provide other members the catalytic experience I have enjoyed.

Thank you EO and thank you my fellow members for the experience, I am humbled by your gifts.

Pete Davis

EO Detroit Member since 2009, and chapter Past President

2008 was the start of a scary time for most business owners. Working in the staffing and recruiting
industry made it especially memorable for me. In times like that, being a business owner can be a lonely
place. It was then that my best friend recognized the situation I was in and reached out with some advice,
“Join EO ASAP.”With the learning resources EO had to offer and the connection with my forum, not only
did I survive the storm but I’ve grown my business 10 times in size since 2009. There aren’t many places
to network that have such an awesome group of authentic entrepreneurs where everyone seems to have each other’s best
interest in mind. It’s powerful and energizing!

Jason Teshuba

EO Detroit member since 2010

Before I joined EO, I was talking with a friend who was already a member, telling him about an issue we
were facing at my company. He convinced me to join EO so I could meet and learn from entrepreneurs
facing similar challenges. I’ve made great friends and have learned from inspirational speakers about sales,
marketing, innovation, and business operations. I’ve also had the opportunity to share my experiences
and help other members with their challenges; it has been a reciprocal relationship. As an EO member,
I have learned that it doesn’t matter what any member is going through, they’re not alone; there is always
someone who has gone through something similar and is happy to share their experiences. The regional events gave me the
opportunity to meet fellow entrepreneurs from around the country.

EO has made me a better listener, a better entrepreneur, and a better leader. I’ve been so impressed by my experience with
EO that I recently became a board member and encourage other members to join the board as well.

Kristen Tassielli

EO Detroit member since 2010

EO is the catalyst that not only gave me the tools to take my business to the next level, but my personal
and family life as well. The incredible events, my experience on my forum and on the board have had
a large impact on me. I credit EO to challenging me to learn, grow and boldly go places I had only
dreamt possible.

Darton Case

EO Detroit member since 1998

I found EO through a casual conversation with a vendor from Philadelphia in 1996. We were on the
verge of breaking the $1 million revenue mark and succeeded in 1997, giving me the ability to join EO.
Then, I looked the organization up online (yes, they had the Internet back then), contacted Marty Petz
(one of the founders of YEO Detroit) and attended the next board meeting. I actually ended up serving
on the local YEO board prior to being assigned to a forum group. It has been a positive, life-changing
organization for me and my family.

EO has had a tremendous impact on my leadership, communication and overall executive skills. My ability to lead
my firm and executive team to our current $25 million size is in direct correlation to EO’s influence on it.

Mark Winter

EO Detroit member since 2003, current EO Detroit president

I was pitching a company, Oak Park, Michigan-based Image One, and met EO Detroit member and
entrepreneur Rob Dube. Image One became a client, and Rob immediately began working on me to
become a member of EO. My company did not qualify at the time, but as soon as we hit the $1 million
mark, I could not get my application in fast enough.

EO has made me a better friend; a better father; a better husband; a better partner; and a better leader.
My forummates have served as my board of directors, helping me navigate both great challenges and amazing opportunities.
EO and EO relationships have impacted virtually every area of my business in one way or another. I would say that the most
significant business impact was the introduction of Gino Wickman’s EOS, which I learned about at an EO Detroit event.

Frances Lucido

EO Detroit member since 2001

The owner of our marketing company at the time spoke of his involvement with EO, which was
what initially piqued my interest and led me to join. EO has been invaluable to me and as a result to
our business.

The forum experience has provided a support system to me as an owner. The organization as
a whole has offered a window to learning from other entrepreneurs and leaders and my board
experience this year has challenged me to grow beyond my comfort zone. So much of what I learn and experience
within EO, I bring back to our business in one form or another.

Marie Seipenko

EO Detroit member since 2009

When our company experienced rapid expansion in 2009, a good friend of mine suggested that I join
EO, specifically to learn from others who had been through similar growth challenges. I was pleasantly
surprised from day one, on the level of professionalism of the people that I met in the group and their
willingness to share lessons learned in their businesses, both positive and negative. My forum experience
has been outstanding. I truly value the relationships, and consider my forum-mates my official
“outside board of direction.” I continue to be impressed with the learning opportunities, especially this
year when I attended the EO Entrepreneurs’ Master’s Program in Boston. The bottom line: EO has made a significant impact
on me, both personally and professionally.

Rom LaPointe

EO Detroit Member since 2006, and chapter Past President

A good friend mentioned that he was going on a retreat with a group of eight business owners. That
was really intriguing to me, so I pressed him for more information. That led to my first experience share
about the transformational impact of EO. I attended a recruiting event a few weeks later and have been
in EO for the last 7 years.

Because of EO, our company has experienced significant revenue and profit growth. Perhaps, more
importantly, we have become more focused on both our core values and niche in the marketplace. This provided the entire
company with higher levels of alignment. In addition, when we face inevitable challenges, EO has provided a safe place to
explore options and resources for solutions. Back in 2009, we had some significant challenges, and I believe without the
positive, entrepreneurial spirit of EO, we wouldn’t have bounced back so well or so quickly.

Dan Glisky

EO member since 2000

I started with EO in 2000 after I had been with The Executive Committee (TEC) for three years. With TEC,
I had a monthly meeting with a consultant who would help me build structure around the business
issues that I was dealing with and a forum-like group that shared experiences on different subjects each
month. Our forum experience was a monthly, all-day event and at the end of the day, everyone would
leave, because they were so exhausted from the meeting. After three years, I realized I hardly knew the
people I was sharing experiences with. We had been through so much of the content, and I was ready for
something new. I received an invitation from Marty Petz of the YEO Detroit chapter to attend a YEO event at the Rathskeller.
What I discovered was a group of entrepreneurs with tremendous passion and enthusiasm. I knew then and there that I had
to join this group. It was a group that was committed not only to lifelong learning, but to connecting as fellow entrepreneurs
and to celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship.

EO has impacted every aspect not only of my businesses, but how I think about business. It has provided me a filter
with how I make many of my decisions, and a group to provide feedback, support and real-life experiences with people who
understand the complexities of running a business. Entrepreneurship is not something you can’t learn from a manual but
it is something to experience.

Like many entrepreneurs, I launched my first company in the basement of my home. There are three things I believe
that I bring to my business. First, as the leader, you set the tone for your company, and I like to think that I set a positive
environment and bring a lot of passion to my business. Second, I think that you have to constantly innovate in your business.
You have to look for ways that technology can accelerate business growth and I think I do that in all of my businesses.
Third, I think the customer is always right. Customers vote with their money. One thing I have learned is that spending time
with your clients and understanding what their needs are is the most critical thing that a business leader can do. Customers
can guide your business and ensure that you stay on the right track.

Through EO, I have learned from other entrepreneurs’ mistakes, shared my failures and helped other people avoid the
mistakes I have made. I have accepted, with gratitude, great ideas from my peer group and have shared great experiences
that have helped them do well. There are also things that I have learned that I don’t even realize that help me in my
business on a daily basis.

For more information on membership, contact Anna Longe at (877) 558-7947
or [email protected].