In this episode of The Evergreen Experience™, recorded on June 19, 2020, Dave is joined by John Burns, CEO, John Burns Real Estate Consulting, and Todd Govig, President and CEO, Govig Executive Search. John and Todd share their experiences leading and adapting their Evergreen® consulting and professional services companies through the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, John share his current view on prospects for different real estate industry sectors and Todd shares his insights on executive hiring across industries.

Jim Kimzey, CEO, Tender Rose Dementia Care Specialists, and Samson Liu, CEO, SOHDental lead businesses in the healthcare industry, designated as essential services. Both are navigating significant challenge and, in some cases, surprising opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 5, 2020, Jim and Samson joined Dave Whorton as guests on The Evergreen Experience and spoke to their experiences, including their shared focus on client and staff safety and the steps they have taken to strengthen their teams and processes.

Alissa Leinonen, CEO & Founder of catering company Gourmondo Co., and Bryan Papé, Founder, MiiR, a drinkware company with a social and environmental mission lead businesses in Seattle, Washington - hit hard and early by the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 29, 2020, Alissa and Bryan joined Dave Whorton as guests on The Evergreen Experience™ to speak to the impact of COVID-19 on their respective businesses, the critical role of their Purpose, the importance of strategic partnerships and reinvention in this challenging time, and their outlook moving forward.

John Creighton, President & CEO, High Plains Bank, and Eric Wallace, President & Co-Founder, Left Hand Brewing Co. both live and lead businesses in Colorado. On May 22, 2020, John and Eric joined Dave Whorton on The Evergreen Experience™ to share the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on their businesses, the innovations and adaptations that they have tried, their view on the future of their industries and how Evergreen® principles have guided them.

Scott Evans, CEO of Kenmore Envelope Company, and Val Hollingsworth, President & CEO of Hollingsworth & Vose Co.both lead manufacturing companies in two different industries. In this May 15, 2020 recording of The Evergreen Experience™, Scott and Val join Dave Whorton in conversation around the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on their businesses, the innovations and adaptations that they have tried, their view on the future of their industries, and the way in which Evergreen® principles are informing their approach to and perspective on this challenging time.

Brian Canlis, President and Co-Owner, Canlis, and Carrie Freeman Parsons, Chair, Freeman, both lead family businesses in industries especially hard-hit by the COVID-19 crisis—restaurants (Canlis) and major event management (Freeman). In this recording of the inaugural, May 8, 2020 episode of The Evergreen Experience™, Brian and Carrie share with Tugboat Institute Founder & CEO Dave Whorton how they have adapted and reimagined their companies in this unprecedented period, displaying inspiring resiliency rooted in their Purpose and enabled by their Evergreen values.

Navy SEAL Commander Rorke Denver is not just an American Hero, he is a true American warrior. He figured out at a young age that he was a “sheepdog.” His role in life was to take care of others and to protect them from the bad guys. So it’s not surprising that Rorke ended up being Commander of the U.S. Navy SEALs, leading impossibly tough battles in every major international hot spot. But, Rorke’s contributions went far beyond leadership in gun fights, he also was instrumental in changing how the Navy SEALs recruited and trained new cadets, placing much greater emphasis on character, resilience and empathy over test scores and varsity letters. He reminds us that there are values worth dying for.

Howard Behar joined Starbucks in 1989 when the company had 28 stores, becoming president of North America and later founding president of Starbucks international. Through his leadership, he established Starbucks’ culture of People First and was instrumental in Starbucks’ growth to over 15,000 stores internationally. In a discussion with Tugboat Institute CEO Dave Whorton, Howard shares his life story and how a single lesson from his dad in their family’s grocery store forged his belief that meaning in life is all about being of service to other human beings. Behar contends that all businesses are in the people business, whether they realize it or not. From there, Howard shares the most important lessons from his experience growing Starbucks and closes with how he forgot to take his own advice upon his resignation from a long, successful career at Starbucks.

In October 2003, General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal was assigned to JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) to command counter-terrorism operations in Iraq. General McChrystal’s innovative reorganization of the communication processes and practices of the entire command turned the tide of the war and connected people, cultures, and operations. He turned a tribe of tribes to a team of teams. In this presentation from Tugboat Institute Gathering of Teams, General McChrystal shares the story of that transformation and how those lessons can be applied to businesses and leaders today.