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Minnesota Technology Magazine - Best of Tech 2006

Common Ground

MTI’s Peer Councils provide company leaders with a forum to learn from each other.

It can be lonely at the top.

For the CEOs and presidents of small to mid-size companies, that loneliness can leave them scratching their heads with questions about everything from insurance to employee relations. “Their role is so singular within their companies that they have no one else to go to,” says Vicki Prock, an MTI business services specialist. “They have no one to talk to when questions come up.”

Except, of course, each other. Which is why two MTI business services specialists facilitate several Peer Council groups across the state. The groups, made up of between eight and 14 “key decision-makers” from small to medium-sized manufacturing companies, provide a monthly forum for leaders to learn from each other. They spend a full day talking about issues they’re facing, discussing problems they’re dealing with, and helping each other come up with solutions. And when they reconvene a month later, they find out how the solutions worked. “They hold you accountable,” says Steve Cremer, president of Harmony Enterprises, a Harmony recycling equipment manufacturer. “We don’t have that otherwise. And this group is relentless.”

INSIGHT AND ADVICE

Accountability is just one of the reasons participants appreciate being part of the Peer Councils. “What I take out of it is insight and advice from folks in similar situations,” says Jeff Spethmann, president of Blow Molded Specialties, a Foley-based plastic products manufacturer. “I can talk about what’s on my mind and they understand. They’ve gone through it themselves and are facing the same things. They can share ideas with me. We can commiserate with each other.”

“We don’t get to talk to people in our own companies at our own levels,” adds Anne Lundstrom, president of Northfield-based flexible circuit manufacturer AllFlex Inc. “What we end up doing is discussing issues that almost everybody has—or that they will have at some point.”

Even though they come from different backgrounds and different businesses (the groups are arranged so that there are no competing organizations together), the leaders have an intimate understanding of what their colleagues are going through. They understand that there’s no manual for how to do their jobs, often because their jobs cover so much ground. “In many of these companies, they might start the day as the CEO, but by afternoon they may be doing finance and accounting,” says MTI Business Services Specialist Jan Hepola. “And by the end of the day, they may be sweeping the floors.”

DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE

It’s that diversity of experience which makes the groups so effective. Almost everyone involved brings a different specialty or area of expertise to their Peer Council. “That’s one of the most powerful things about the councils,” Prock says. “People bring who they are as part of their current business as well as their experiences from the past. Maybe they have a strong financial background or a strong marketing background. That’s all part of what they bring to the group.”

Most sessions starts with a “fast burn” discussion, in which participants bring up issues on their minds at the moment. Someone might want to know what to look for in a CFO, while someone else will have questions about health insurance, benefits, or incentive programs. “The group talks through the questions,” Prock says. “Based on the discussion, we hope the person can walk away with ideas for how to deal with it.”

Sometimes those “fast burn” topics need more in-depth coverage. Then the participants ask MTI to help them dig deeper, perhaps with a guest speaker or another resource. “Something might come up as a fast burn,” says Prock, “but by the end of the day, they want me to find someone to tell them more about it.”

That’s where MTI’s rich network of resources comes in handy. “Their network is incredible,” Spethmann says. “They can pull in folks to talk about incentive plans, succession plans, risk management, whatever.”

Prock and Hepola also encourage each of the participants to come prepared to exchange ideas. “The intent is that part of the time you get, and part of the time you give,” Hepola explains. “You bring your experiences and background and a willingness to share. In return, you get the same from the others.”

Cremer says he appreciates that the Peer Councils allow him to confidentially discuss issues he can’t bring up with anyone else, and he values the thoughtful manner in which the participants discuss those issues. “My business has been much more successful because of the Peer Council,” he says. “I have no doubt.”

For more information on MTI's Peer Councils call 800-325-3073 or 612-373-2900, e-mail: peercouncil@mntech.org.