Seattle business owner and sales development consultant Dave Mantell of ACME Sales Development on why a suspiciously high close rate is a warning sign, what a bad sales hire actually costs, and how Seattle Executives Association's relationships, trust, and connections have shaped his business.

A 71% close rate sounds like a win. Dave Mantel says it's often a red flag.

In this episode, Dave Mantel, founder, president, and CEO of Seattle-based ACME Sales Development and a longtime member of Seattle Executives Association, the century-old professional community that meets weekly at the Washington Athletic Club, about what actually separates a struggling sales team from a strong one, and what it really costs to hire the wrong person.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What a "sales development" company does, and the Seattle-area industries Dave's clients come from, including custom manufacturing and "gray collar" businesses like landscaping and roofing

• The "MRI" Dave runs on a sales team before recommending anything, and the three things that actually predict sales performance

• Why a bad sales hire can cost a company the equivalent of a second seven-figure deal

• The close-rate benchmark most sales teams should aim for, and why hitting 71% is a warning sign, not a win

• Why companies often develop the wrong part of their sales team, and how senior "top performers" can quietly become account managers instead of hunters

About ACME Sales Development

ACME Sales Development, led by founder and CEO Dave Mantel, works with Seattle-area companies that want to grow top-line revenue but aren't sure their sales team has what it takes to get there. Clients skew toward custom manufacturing, gray-collar commercial services like landscaping and roofing, and professional services firms.

About Seattle Executives Association

Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running business networking organizations, giving members access to over 130 established Seattle and Bellevue-area businesses and decision makers. The group meets every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. Only one business per classification is admitted, which means membership doubles as an exclusive referral network for Seattle small business owners, contractors, and executives looking to grow through relationships, trust, and connection, not cold outreach.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

Special thanks to the Washington Athletic Club for the podcast space.

Seattle business consultant Nick Anderson, CEO of One Accord, on why business owners should talk to him before an investment banker, and how the right strategic planning added $10 million to one company's sale price.

One founder's investment banker quoted him $35 million. Eighteen months later, the same company sold for $50 million.

In this episode of Seattle Executive Edge, host Suzan Sturholm talks with Nick Anderson, CEO of One Accord and a three-year member of Seattle Executives Association, about why business owners should call him before they call an investment banker, how fractional and interim executives actually work, and what real strategic and succession planning looks like inside a growing company.

If you've ever wondered whether your business is actually ready to sell, or whether that "VP of Sales" hire is really what you need right now, this conversation is worth the listen.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How Nick found Seattle Execs through a former banking colleague, and why two visits was all it took to know it was "his people"

• What One Accord actually does: placing operators inside companies to run them for owner-founders ahead of a transition, not just handing over a slide deck

• Why Nick tells business owners to talk to him before they talk to an investment banker

• The real story behind one client's $10 million increase in sale price after an 18-month engagement

• What strategic planning really means beyond sticky notes in a boardroom, and why it works as a decision-making filter

• The difference between a strategic buyer and a financial buyer, and why succession planning matters even if you're not selling tomorrow

• A sobering story about an unexpected CEO death and why every business needs a written succession plan

• How a Seattle Execs referral turned into a mid six-figure contract for One Accord, and the fellow members

• Why Nick says being a CEO is lonely, and how Seattle Execs makes it less so

About One Accord

One Accord, led by CEO Nick Anderson, places interim and fractional executives inside growing and transitioning companies, generally those with $25 million or more in annual revenue, to reduce owner dependence, guide strategic and succession planning, and prepare business owners to get the best possible outcome when it's time to sell.

About Seattle Executives Association

Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running business networking organizations, with more than 100 established Seattle and Bellevue-area businesses as members. The group meets every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. Only one business per classification is admitted, which means membership doubles as an exclusive referral network for Seattle small business owners, contractors, and executives looking to grow through relationships, not cold outreach.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

Special thanks to the Washington Athletic Club for the podcast space.

You can have the best product in Seattle. If people can't remember how you made them feel, it won't matter.

In this episode of Seattle Executive Edge, host Susan Sterholm sits down with Mario Juarez, president of the Seattle-based storytelling consultancy Story Co and a longtime Seattle Executives Association member, to talk about why stories, not facts, job titles, or sales pitches, are what actually make people remember you and refer you business with confidence. 

Mario has spent his career helping companies like Microsoft, and individuals, turn their ideas into stories that stick. In this conversation, he shares exactly how any Seattle business owner can use that same skill, from a Wednesday networking lunch to their own website.

If you've ever fumbled the "so, what do you do?" question at a networking event, or wondered why some people seem to light up a room while others get the glazed-over stare, this one's for you.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How Mario joined Seattle Execs at the height of the pandemic, and what it was like finally meeting everyone in person a year later

• Why Story Co exists, and how storytelling drives real business (and personal) outcomes, not just better marketing

• Why stories build more trust and referrals than facts, job titles, or sales pitches ever could

• The science behind it: how a good story triggers a real physiological response — cortisol and oxytocin — that facts alone never will

• How to turn "so, what do you do?" into a memorable answer instead of a transactional one

• How to tell better stories in short networking conversations without sounding rehearsed or salesy

• Mario's two favorite Seattle Execs stories

• One do and one don't for anyone walking into their first Seattle Executives meeting

  
  

About StoryCo

Story Co is a Seattle-based storytelling and communications consultancy led by Mario Juarez. He helps individuals and organizations get better business and personal outcomes by understanding storytelling and using it strategically — from networking conversations and websites to full TED-style talks. His client work has included Microsoft and other Puget Sound-area tech companies, along with teams, small businesses, and individuals who want to talk about what they do in a way people actually remember.

Connect with Mario: https://mario-juarez.com/

About Seattle Executives Association

Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running business networking organizations, with more than 100 established Seattle and Bellevue-area businesses as members. The group meets every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. Only one business per classification is admitted, which means membership doubles as an exclusive referral network for Seattle small business owners, contractors, and executives looking to grow through relationships, not cold outreach.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

Special thanks to the Washington Athletic Club for the podcast space.

A security company that's been protecting Seattle homes and businesses since 1943 through recessions, the tech boom, a pandemic, and a completely reshaped skyline.

In this episode, host Suzan Sturholm sits down with Shannon Woodman, third-generation owner and CEO of Washington Alarm and past president of the Seattle Executives Association, to talk about growing up in a family business, the mentor who taught her to stop asking for permission, and how commercial security has evolved from grainy black-and-white tape to real-time video that can alert you the moment someone steps onto your property.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to keep a Seattle company thriving for over 80 years, or what your business's security setup might be missing, this is the episode for you.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The biggest security threat facing Seattle businesses right now that most owners aren't thinking about
• How Shannon is preparing a fourth generation of her family for the opportunity to join the business
• The most common security gaps in small Seattle businesses, from access control to occupancy tracking
• The single security investment that gives a small business the most protection per dollar
• How Washington Alarm used 23 different Seattle Execs members to buy and renovate their building
• Why her dad once attributed 50% of Washington Alarm's business directly or indirectly to Seattle Execs
• Her advice for Seattle business owners in their first five years who feel like they're barely keeping their head above water

About Washington Alarm

Founded in 1943, Washington Alarm is a family-owned security company that has protected Seattle-area homes and businesses for over 80 years, through recessions, the tech boom, and a pandemic. Now led by third-generation owner and CEO Shannon Woodman, the company offers professionally installed video systems, access control, and monitoring built for the way Seattle businesses actually operate today. Learn more at https://www.washingtonalarm.com.

About Seattle Executives Association

Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running business networking organizations, with more than 100 established Seattle and Bellevue-area businesses as members. The group meets every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. Only one business per classification is admitted, which means membership doubles as an exclusive referral network for Seattle small business owners, contractors, and executives looking to grow through relationships, not cold outreach.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

Special thanks to the Washington Athletic Club for the podcast space.

A three-foot wooden time clock you had to wind by hand every week. A grandfather who founded a company in downtown Seattle in 1928. A father who became Seattle Executives Association president in 1968. And a phone call from a fellow exec that pulled the whole family legacy back into the fold.

In this episode, host Suzan Sturholm sits down with John Brondello III, third-generation President of Time Equipment Company, to trace how one Seattle family has spent nearly a century solving the same core problem, tracking time, through wooden clocks, punch cards, computerized systems, and now cloud-based, mobile-first workforce platforms. 

John also shares how being a 29-year member of Seattle Execs has directly shaped the growth of his business, from new customers to the vendor relationships he now leans on to take care of his own clients.

If you've ever wondered what a trusted, one-company-per-classification referral network can actually do for a business over decades, this episode is the proof.

Meet the guest

John Brondello III — Time Equipment Company, third-generation, family-owned provider of time and attendance systems and gated parking control equipment for the Puget Sound region, serving industries from healthcare and grocery to warehouse/distribution and hospitality https://www.timeequipment.com

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How Time Equipment Company has run for three generations since its 1928 founding by John's grandfather

• Why John's dad's own Seattle Execs presidency in 1968 came full circle when John joined 29 years later

• The evolution of workforce timekeeping — from wind-up wooden clocks to badge swipes to today's mobile and remote-workforce tracking

• How multi-state remote work has created new complexity around wage compliance and tax reporting

• Why Time Equipment keeps its own electrical contracting crew in-house, and how that local-service model wins customers over out-of-state competitors

• A referral story that shows exactly what it means to have customers trust you enough to ask "who do you know?" instead of shopping around

About Seattle Executives Association

Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running business networking organizations, with more than 100 established Seattle and Bellevue-area businesses as members. The group meets every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. Only one business per classification is admitted, which means membership doubles as an exclusive referral network for Seattle small business owners, contractors, and executives looking to grow through relationships, not cold outreach.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

2. How Seattle's Oldest Business Networking Group Turns Strangers Into Lifelong Mentors

A rock-star realtor who found an off-market building in Georgetown before it even hit the listings. A 90-year-old sales legend who tipped the server $5 under the table and never wanted credit for it. A member who talked a friend off the ledge of quitting business altogether and into launching his own company instead. This episode is packed with the kind of Seattle business stories that explain why some members stick around for 38 years.

Following up on last episode's deep dive into the 100-year history of the Seattle Executives Association, host Suzan Sturholm sits down with four longtime members of Seattle's original business networking group to talk about mentoring, referrals, and the relationships that turn a Wednesday lunch into a career-long support system. 

If you've ever wondered what makes a Seattle networking group different from a chamber of commerce mixer or a LinkedIn connection, this is the episode that spells it out.

Meet the guests

• Sarah Henry — Gaspar's Construction, residential design-build remodeling in Seattle gaspars.com

• Jeff Altchech — Temporarily Yours, Inc., temporary and administrative staffing, 38-year member https://www.tyiseattle.com/

• Corey Coffman — The Coffman Group, residential and commercial painting contractor  coffmangroupllc.com

• Valerie Young — Warner Telecom Group, business phone and voice/data services, past president and current Mentoring Committee chair https://www.warnertel.com/

About Seattle Executives Association

Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the Pacific Northwest's longest-running business networking organizations, with more than 100 established Seattle and Bellevue-area businesses as members. The group meets every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle. Only one business per classification is admitted, which means membership doubles as an exclusive referral network for Seattle small business owners, contractors, and executives looking to grow through relationships, not cold outreach.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

For over a century, one rule has defined the Seattle Executive Association: it's a business club, first and always.

 In this inaugural episode, Suzan Sturholm (All Things HR) sits down with member Rich Martin (RB Content Lab) and Executive Director Cheryl Serio to trace the association's history back to its 1917 founding — through the Great Depression, the rise of tech, and the members who shaped it along the way.

Rich, who produced the association's centennial documentary, shares what he uncovered digging through a century of membership rosters, including the founders' original 1917 trip to San Francisco, the club's exclusive one-member-per-industry classification system, and the newspaper clipping documenting the 1972 vote to admit women.

If you are looking for a community of other business owners in Seattle, look no further. Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How founders Ted Daikin and Ed Frederick built the club's foundation in 1917

• Why the classification system still protects members from internal competition

• The 1972 vote — and the 1988 election of the association's first female president

• How Prohibition-era poker games gave way to today's weekly executive lunches

• Why new industries like tech and podcasting are reshaping membership today

View the 100 year video here: https://www.seattleexecs.org/our_story

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?

Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.

Welcome to Seattle Executive Edge — a podcast from the Seattle Executives Association, a century-old professional community that meets weekly at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle.

Each episode goes beyond job titles and company names to explore how meaningful partnerships are formed, how trust is built, and how being part of the right network can change everything for a growing business.

What Is the Seattle Executives Association?
Founded in 1917, the Seattle Executives Association is one of the oldest and most established business networking organizations in the Pacific Northwest, and one of the largest and most successful executives associations in North America. For more than 100 years, the association has brought together Seattle and Bellevue's top business leaders to build relationships, exchange referrals, and grow their companies through a trusted, one-company-per-industry-category membership model.

Members meet weekly at the Washington Athletic Club, representing a wide range of industries — from real estate, construction, and finance to healthcare, hospitality, and professional services.

Guided by a mission built on trust, professionalism, and mutual respect, the association fosters a diverse and inclusive community where business owners, principals, and decision-makers collaborate to strengthen each other's success.

Interested in Joining or Attending a Meeting?
Visit https://www.seattleexecs.org to learn more about the Seattle Executives Association or to attend a weekly meeting.