The Bold Move - Vistage Member Excellence Awards

The Bold

Move

LONG STORY SHORT MEDIA, INC.

Jessica Stuart, CEO & Founder

Leadership Award

The courage to make major decisions, pivots, rebrands, or restructures.

Ben Rosenbaum

CEO & President

Air-Tech, Inc.

Birmingham, AL

CE 3933, Chair: Marc Corsini

Vistage member since 2023

Impact Award

“Vulnerability is a superpower.”

With a background in mechanical engineering, Ben Rosenbaum never imagined he would one day lead a company — but he has spent the last several years proving that leadership can be learned, developed, and scaled. Now the President and CEO of Air-Tech, Inc., Ben often describes his path simply as “an engineer that got an opportunity.” After joining Air-Tech in 2012 as an Engineering Services Director, Ben’s leadership journey took shape when he initiated a candid conversation with his predecessor

Bill Goggins

CEO

Harken Yacht Equipment

Pewaukee, WI

CE 10006, Chair: John Howman

Vistage member since 2011

Leadership Award

“The C-suite must set the vision, drive execution, and ensure long term succession.”

Bill Goggins has spent over two decades helping shape Harken Yacht Equipment into the world’s leader in rope control hardware for the global sailing industry and safety & rescue markets. Since becoming Harken’s global CEO, Bill has led Harken through multiple defining milestones, including a transition to 100% employee ownership, nearly doubling the business since 2020 and growing roughly five times since joining Vistage in 2011. Guided by Harken’s values of drive, humility, ingenuity, integrity and ownership, Bill leads a

Charles Carithers

President

Carithers Flowers

Marrieta, GA

CE 155, Chair: Jay McDonald

Vistage member since 2007

Lifetime Achievement Award

“We don't sell flowers. We help celebrate the people and the moments that make life beautiful.”

In 2001, Charles Carithers and his family doubled Carithers Flowers overnight through an acquisition, expanding from one Atlanta store to five. While the deal looked good on paper, the years that followed were difficult: The balance sheet suffered as the floral industry moved online, and Charles lost his father, the company’s founder, followed by his mother a few years later. Left to carry the business forward, Charles was determined to honor his parents’ legacy, prompting a bold reset. By cutting

Charles (Charlie) Murren III

Founder

C.A. Murren and Sons

Birmingham, AL

CE 563, Chair: Kevin O’Neill

Vistage member since 2001

Lifetime Achievement Award

“If you have the right organization in place, the opportunities will come.”

Over his 36‑year career, Charles (Charlie) Murren III built C.A. Murren & Sons Company by pairing calculated risk with disciplined execution. He began as a concrete contractor and made his early mark building the sports venues’ infrastructure for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta ahead of schedule, an achievement that gave his young company financial stability and momentum. As the business grew, Charlie faced the challenge common to many leaders: learning to let go. By stepping out of day-to-day operations

Gary Ellerhorst

President & CEO

Crown Plastics

Harrison, OH

CE 3119, Chair: Dale Dean

Vistage member since 2006

Leadership Award

“You have to will your future into existence.”

Growing up, Gary Ellerhorst spent much of his time alongside his father — first singing together in an a cappella group, and later working under him at Crown Plastics, the company his father founded in 1972. It was there that Gary absorbed the philosophy that would guide his own career: to lead with faith when making decisions. That principle became his compass for turning sustained disruption — from supply chain breakdowns to geopolitical instability — into opportunities for growth. During

Grant Guilbert

CEO

Elevate Digital Optics

Dallas, TX

CE 5400, Chair: Jay Holstine

Vistage member since 2023

Impact Award

“Our success has been meaningful to our team by giving them more peace of mind about the workplace that they're affiliated with.”

When Grant Guilbert acquired Elevate Digital Optics (EDO) in 2017, the company was in disarray—broken systems, failing equipment, and no financial structure. Then came the one-two punch of 2020: private equity bought out half of his customer base just two months before the COVID pandemic began. Instead of walking away, Grant rebuilt the prescription eyewear manufacturing company from the ground up, reinvesting $1.5M to modernize and double production capacity. Today, he’s scaling EDO toward a vision to grow sixfold by

Every day there’s heartburn, and that’s the consequence of leadership. You deal with the challenges that the organization hasn’t yet resolved. I sincerely believe in a collaborative solution process, and I’m very, very fortunate to be surrounded by brilliant people inside of Harken and inside my Vistage group.

Bill Goggins

CEO, Harken Yacht Equipment

Pewaukee, WI

Leadership Award

Greg Padalecki

President & CEO

Alterman, Inc.

San Antonio, TX

CE 3728, Chair: Charles Marino

Vistage member since 2021

Leadership Award

“The key to my success has been never losing sight of where I came from.”

In the span of three months, Greg Padalecki took over as president and CEO of Alterman, just as the pandemic shut down job sites nationwide and he and his wife welcomed their first son. He joined the company as an apprentice in 1999 and rose through the ranks, still considering himself an electrician that was chosen to be a leader. Since 2020, Greg and his team have grown Alterman from a $100M contractor to over $700M in 2026, with employee-owner

Jessica Stuart

CEO & Founder

Long Story Short Media, Inc.

Washington, D.C.

CE 13184, Chair: Jeffrey Goldman

Vistage member since 2024

Leadership Award

“Sharks don’t stop swimming or they’ll die. It’s the same thing as being a CEO — you have to keep swimming, no matter what.”

After a two-decade career in high-profile television and the birth of her son, Jessica Stuart found herself navigating two new paths at the same time: forging a new direction in her work while also finding her way through parenting. “I believed that telling stories was something I was meant to do,” she shares, “but I hadn’t been doing it in the way I believed I could.” In 2008, she launched Long Story Short Media, Inc., a creative services studio providing

John Baker

President & CEO

CW Suter Services

Sioux City, IA

CE 4081, Chair: Julie Evans

Vistage member since 2016

Leadership Award

“Your people are your number one asset.”

John Baker grew up working on his family’s 240-acre farm in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, developing the work ethic that would define his career long before he ever thought about running a company. It was this same drive that carried him through nearly every role at CW Suter Services before his father appointed him to CEO in 2015. Now celebrating its 100th year in business, the company has grown to 260 employees and $70M in revenue under John’s leadership. He also

Justin Leader

President & CEO

BenefitsDNA

Hershey, PA

CE 8616, Chair: Kirsten Yurich

Vistage member since 2022

Leadership Award

“Vistage has given me clarity—like driving at night with your headlights off, then flipping them on and finally being able to see through the dark.”

Justin Leader is on a mission to fix a $5.7 trillion healthcare system that too often fails the people who depend on it—a vision inspired by his Aunt Gwen’s struggle to afford critical care. As President & CEO of BenefitsDNA, he leads an independent consultancy that brings transparency, ethics, and fiscal sanity to employer and union health plans. Under his values-driven leadership, BenefitsDNA has grown more than 40% year-over-year over the past two years, maintains a 98% client retention rate,

Kirsten Whipps

General Manager

Affinity Kitchens & Cabinet Solutions

Scottsdale, AZ

SB 2381, Chair: Al Marquis

Vistage member since 2022

Leadership Award

“Getting the right people in the right seats isn’t a single decision; it’s a discipline you return to again and again.”

When Kirsten Whipps stepped into the role of General Manager at Affinity Kitchens & Cabinet Solutions, she inherited an organization in need of transformation. Years prior, her path into leadership began when she chose to speak up and have an honest conversation with her predecessor about what was and wasn’t working, which led to her earning her first management role. As GM, Kirsten rebuilt nearly the entire senior leadership team and has led the business through significant external headwinds, including

Landon Cason

Founder & CEO

Green Wave Solar

Murfreesboro, TN

CE 5203, Chair: Honor Belew

Vistage member since 2024

Impact Award

“Don’t marry the business model. Marry the mission.”

When shifting federal policy began reshaping the solar industry, Landon Cason didn’t hold onto the company he’d built. He rebuilt it. As CEO of Green Wave Solar, a Nashville solar contractor, Landon watched financing tighten and clean energy incentives disappear. Rather than hoping they could ride it out, he founded Lotus Energy Investments to develop, own, and operate solar assets across the Southeast, repositioning Green Wave as its construction partner. The pivot paid off: This year the two companies broke

They say it’s kind of lonely at the top, and it is. But having my group and all these resources at my fingertips, Vistage has changed the whole outlook on being a CEO.

Monica May-Dunn

CEO, Arizona Escrow and Financial Corporation (AEF)

Phoenix, AZ

Impact Award

Laura Grondin

President & CEO

Virginia Industries, Inc.

Rocky Hill, CT

CE 103, Chair: Julianne Roth

Vistage member since 1998

Lifetime Achievement Award

“Hire the best people and let them do their jobs.”

Laura Grondin grew up inside a family-owned manufacturing business, learning the realities of ownership through the company her father acquired. Rising from early roles in finance and HR to President and CEO of Virginia Industries, Inc.—the parent company of Hartford Technologies and Bingham & Taylor—she navigated globalization, intense pricing pressure and moments when she believed the business might not survive, and she had to make difficult decisions to protect its future. She helped grow Bingham & Taylor 9x by modernizing

Liz Powers

Co-Founder & CEO

ArtLifting

Boston, MA

CE 3991, Chair: Ruth Lund

Vistage member since 2024

Impact Award

“People want to help; you just need to ask them.”

Liz Powers started ArtLifting in 2014 with $4,000 from her savings account and a simple but radical belief: talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Today, ArtLifting is a global social enterprise that champions artists with disabilities and those who have experienced homelessness, connecting their work with companies around the world. Under Liz’s leadership, ArtLifting has sold tens of millions of dollars in artwork, with the majority of profits flowing directly back to artists. In 2025 alone, the company completed

Marcus Sheanshang

President & CEO

JBM Packaging

Lebanon, OH

CE 325, Chair: Jean Lauterbach

Vistage member since 2007

Lifetime Achievement Award

“Stay true to your convictions.”

Marcus Sheanshang grew up on the manufacturing floor, joining the family business at age 11 and acquiring it in 2008 — just as the Great Recession reshaped demand overnight. He met that early shock by redefining the company itself, transforming a printing operation into a nationally recognized packaging manufacturer that helps companies move from plastic to paper-based solutions. Marcus has also reshaped who the company hires: His Fair Chance program creates employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, and today over

Matt Attebery

CEO

HighRoad Pavement Services

Sumner, WA

CE 4927, Chair: Linda Remsberg

Vistage member since 2020

Leadership Award

“Leadership is not about being the one in front with power and a loud voice. It's about caring for the people who are in your charge and earning their trust every day.”

From his earliest leadership experiences in Boy Scouts to serving as a young Army lieutenant, Matt learned that leadership isn’t about having a title or the loudest voice—it’s about caring for people and showing up for them every day. That philosophy came into sharp focus when he stepped in as President at AA Asphalting, a hard surface restoration company that helps keep communities’ infrastructure safe and reliable. Facing more than 50% annualized turnover, Matt took ownership of the culture and

Monica May-Dunn

CEO

Arizona Escrow and Financial Corporation (AEF)

Phoenix, AZ

SB 2986, Chair: Brad Smith

Vistage member since 2024

Impact Award

“In my Vistage group, we celebrate everybody's wins, and I think that's important. Even if it's a little win, it's still a win.”

Monica May-Dunn has been with Arizona Escrow and Financial Corporation (AEF) for 36 years, but the true start of her leadership journey began when she bought the company in 2020. After starting her career as an assistant to the controller, Monica rose through the ranks to CFO before purchasing the company and assuming full ownership. Her journey was forged through resilience, as she stepped up to take responsibility for rebuilding the business after losing their entire escrow department at the

Natalie Standridge

Founder & CEO

Casa de Corazón

Minneapolis, MN

CE 3745, Chair: Brian Davis

Vistage member since 2024

Impact Award

“Leading with heart and leading with rigor and business discipline don’t have to be opposites.”

When Natalie Standridge couldn’t find a childcare program in the Twin Cities that aligned with her core values for her firstborn daughter, she took matters into her own hands and started her own. What began with her watching a handful of children in her home in 2002 grew into what is now Casa de Corazón, with 11 day-care centers serving over 1,000 children system-wide. Through franchising, she’s grown the business without sacrificing the personal relationships the business was built on.

Before Vistage, I was trying to be the operations manager, the CFO, the janitor…I wasn’t able to grow this company because I was trying to handle it all. The advice given to me by my group led me to change that reality.

Charles (Charlie) Murren III

Founder, C.A. Murren and Sons

Birmingham, AL

Lifetime Achievement Award

Pranav Dalal

CEO & Founder

Office Beacon

Redondo Beach, CA

CE 8755, Chair: George Stepancich

Vistage member since 2023

Leadership Award

“Free up your time to focus on the big picture.”

Adversity has shaped Pranav Dalal’s approach to leadership since the very beginning. He launched Office Beacon three days before 9/11, with a mortgage, two car payments, and a son on the way. Later, when his teenage son was seriously injured in a car accident, Pranav again had to adapt how he worked so he could continue to run his remote staffing business while supporting his son as a single father of three. Through it all, Pranav learned that the key

Rick Kimbrell

CEO

StartKleen

Gunter, TX

CE 3211, Chair: Greg Bustin

Vistage member since 2009

Lifetime Achievement Award

“One of the things that excites me the most about the coming year is the opportunity to reflect on previous years and to look at the year coming up.”

When Rick Kimbrell launched StartKleen in 2009, he stepped into one of the toughest corners of the food industry – cleaning meat production facilities to meet USDA, FDA, and OSHA standards. Seventeen years later, he grew StartKleen to over 2,000 employees across 18 states, serving 104 plants with a 98% customer retention rate. After selling off a major product line in 2014, Rick rebuilt with a people-first approach, creating programs like WINS and Dos Amigos to develop leaders and reduce

Savannah Chambers Turley

CEO

Chambers & Chambers

Napa, CA

CE 85, Chair: Bill Kern

Vistage member since 2024

Impact Award

“Listen more.”

From working as a baker to becoming a first-time CEO, Savannah Chambers Turley is now the third-generation leader of her family’s wine import and distribution company, after buying the company from her mother. Within three months, she faced import tariffs, a key leadership transition, and the abrupt exit from the California market of the second-largest distributor in the country, which sent a flood of wineries looking for a new partner overnight. She and her team genuinely considered many of them,

Shawn Arnold

President

Marshall Towne Millwork, LLC (Auburn Ridge)

Marshall, WI

CE 8805, Chair: Sandy Anderson

Vistage member since 2024

Impact Award

“Don’t be intimidated by the fact that you may not be the smartest person in the room.”

Since joining Auburn Ridge in 1988 and working his way through nearly every role in the company, Shawn Arnold has been central to its evolution and growth. After 13 years of mentorship under the company’s owners, he stepped into the presidency in 2008—just as the recession hit. Facing severe workforce reductions, he led the redesign of Auburn Ridge’s systems, processes and production methods, helping the company grow from $7.7M in revenue in 2008 to roughly $18M by 2015. In 2025,

Steve Mines

Managing Director

Newmans Valve

Los Angeles, CA

CE 566, Chair: Bonita Garcia

Vistage member since 1992

Lifetime Achievement Award

“You have to trust your team and be sincere and honest — it pays off in the long run.”

Over the past 33 years, Steve Mines has held active ownership in 28 companies, mostly specializing in turnarounds — such as a $69,000 acquisition grown into a $14M sale within three years. He entered the family business, which repaired and sold industrial valves, right out of college, working alongside his father for 17 years. He then sold that business and moved into other ventures — one of which led him to Newmans Valve. He bought the company outright with his

Steve Niesman

Senior Executive

NTT DATA Business Solutions Americas

Cincinnati, OH

CE 629, Chair: John Trakselis

Vistage member since 2006

Lifetime Achievement Award

“Leadership is lonely; you can’t know it all. You need strong, smarter people around you.”

Over more than two decades, Steve Niesman has led the transformation of a $20M SAP reseller on the brink of bankruptcy into a global technology services business, exceeding half a billion dollars in revenue. His leadership has been defined by continuous reinvention, guiding the company through multiple business model shifts from software resale to consulting, to SaaS, and now toward AI-driven, outcome-based services. Today, serving more than 6,000 customers with over 5,000 employees, the organization is again evolving, with a

When I get to dig into other people’s businesses and understand how they work, that has been eye-opening to me. I’ve learned so much about how they approach profitability, remote workers from other countries, all kinds of things I was never exposed to.

Greg Padalecki

President & CEO, Alterman, Inc.

San Antonio, TX

Leadership Award

Tim Turner

Founder & CEO

Subsplash

Seattle, WA

CE 4229, Chair: Joe Trieu

Vistage member since 2014

Lifetime Achievement Award

“A company's ability to grow is directly correlated to the leader's ability and willingness to keep learning.”

In 2005, Tim founded Subsplash in a garage with his wife and less than $5,000. He bootstrapped the company through economic downturns, steadily transforming it from a consulting firm into a SaaS platform that equips churches, ministries and non-profits worldwide with innovative technology to maximize their impact. Grounded in his faith and a relentless focus on creating value, Tim scaled Subsplash to $100M in revenue, now serving more than 20,000 organizations globally. In 2024, Tim sold the company at an

Tyler Seamons

President & CEO

Signature Products Group

Salt Lake City, UT

CE 8787, Chair: Stephanie Geisler

Vistage member since 2023

Leadership Award

“Don't underestimate the power of a shared vision.”

Tyler Seamons co-founded Signature Products Group (SPG) in 2005, but his leadership journey truly began when he was forced to rebuild the company in 2015. It was during this time that a culmination of failed brand partnerships and management missteps reduced revenue from $93M to $40M over three years and shrank the workforce from 120 to 40 employees. As a licensing consumer products company, Tyler and his team focus on finding affinity brands and innovating additional categories of product outside

Xochitl Ruiz

President & CEO

Discflo Pumps

Santee, CA

CE 3494, Chair: Alan Sorkin

Vistage member since 2020

Leadership Award

“Create an environment where people are not afraid to tell you what you need to hear.”

Xochitl Ruiz has spent nearly three decades building her career at Discflo, a San Diego-based manufacturer of advanced pumping solutions. When the company faced a tumultuous period under disengaged leadership, Xochitl stayed on to help rebuild it and create a culture grounded in trust and transparency. “I’m not a person who runs away from scary things,” she said, and that experience taught her to lead with courage. Since 2020, she’s more than doubled the business, opened an office in Shawnee,