Questions for a Christian CEO of Nautique Boat Manufacturers
Read the full interview from the High Callings Website -
Bill Yeargin is the refreshingly down-to-earth President and CEO of Correct Craft, an 84 year old company that manufactures and sells the Nautique line of inboard wakeboard and water ski boats. He has been at the helm for just under three years, but is a well-known figure in the marine industry, having served on the executive team at Rybovich Yachts and on both national and international industry boards. Yeargin is the author of two books, Yeargin on Management and What Would Dad Say? and has published more than 200 management and leadership columns. He shares his practical advice in person at management conferences throughout the world. At home in Orlando, Florida, he boldly combines faith, service and work. Yeargin talked to TheHighCalling,orgabout how he does this and about leading his company with integrity in these challenging times.
My first question may be a silly one to ask a native Floridian, but here it goes: Do you and your family enjoy boating?
Totally! I wake skate and wake surf . . . and my family and friends all enjoy boating. My daughters are seventeen and eighteen. I truly believe one of the reasons we have a close family is because of boating. It is a great way to spend time with each other and one that everyone loves!
The Correct Craft mission statement is "Building boats to the glory of God." How do you glorify God in this type of business?
By loving God and others. Also, I believe we better demonstrate our faith when we show it through our actions, rather than our words. We are not afraid to be bold about our faith, but we are much more interested in living out our faith than sharing it through bravado.
What unique faith challenges do you face as a manufacturer of luxury goods?
We struggle with the same things as everyone else. I am not sure we have any unique challenges, even though they may feel unique when we are experiencing them.
By loving God and others. Also, I believe we better demonstrate our faith when we show it through our actions, rather than our words. We are not afraid to be bold about our faith, but we are much more interested in living out our faith than sharing it through bravado.
What unique faith challenges do you face as a manufacturer of luxury goods?
We struggle with the same things as everyone else. I am not sure we have any unique challenges, even though they may feel unique when we are experiencing them.
We take our responsibility to develop and build good products very seriously. Our faith is one of the reasons that we do not cut corners. That shows up in the awards we have won; yet we don't do the right thing for the awards. We do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Tangible examples would be the modesty of our models and the lack of alcohol at our marketing events. I think it is fair to say that our models are the most modest dressers in the boating industry, for which we have been criticized some in the past. Our faith definitely impacts us in this area. We are not caught up in the "sex sells" mentality.
Labels: Bill Yeargin, High Callings Blog, Nautique by Correct Craft
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Breaking Out and Digging In -- A Businessman's Journey
Guest post by JC from YWAM's BusinessasMission.com website - One of the great privileges of traveling and working internationally is the frequent opportunity provided by long journeys for prayerful reflection on the goodness of God and the adventure of a life walking with Him. Recently, on one such long trip, I was able to reflect on my life in the last 7 years since becoming a Christian, in particular, on my journey towards integrating faith and work, mission and business.
I came to faith in my late twenties in the midst of the busiest time in my working life. I worked as a strategist and management consultant in one of the leading financial services companies in the UK. I was being stretched like never before in a senior management role, responsible for leading and implementing major organisational change in my department and at the same time completing a part-time MBA. That God chose this time to stir my heart still amazes me.
Like many of my peers raised in Christian homes and schooled in Western sacred/secular split- thinking, I struggled to reconcile my new found faith and my work. The church I was attending weren’t really much help.
This struggle to reconcile my faith and work was exacerbated all the more as I began to have a real sense of the Lord stirring my heart for mission, for the nations, for the poor and needy. Operating from my current paradigm and the expression of mission I was hearing about, I could only see this happening through training in pastoral ministry or church planting.
Have you ever felt as a business person or professional that you’re about the only person in church who hasn’t got something to offer mission? I certainly did.
Labels: IBAM, Josie Plummer, YWAM
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Tom's Next Chapter - Sunglasses and the One for One Company
Hand painted, colorful striped sunglasses. That's the second chapter of Toms Shoes' one-for-one business.
"With every pair purchased, Toms will give someone sight," said Toms founder Blake Mycoskie.
Meaning that for every pair of sunglasses purchased, sight-saving medical treatment, prescription glasses or surgery will be donated to a person in need. The sunglasses are landing in stores today for $135 to $145 and come in three shapes and 22 color combinations. The 101s are a classic Wayfarer-like style, while the 201s are oversized, round Jackie O glasses, and the 301s are aviators with wood accents. Toms sunglasses are recognizable by the three painted stripes on the sides, which represent the one-for-one giving concept.
The scene at the California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica on Tuesday morning was part rock concert, part political rally. Mycoskie made the announcement on stage in front of the Victorian-style museum building, with food trucks nearby and radio stations broadcasting live. About 150 people gathered on the grass to hear about the SoCal company's next step, many of them wearing Toms' signature colorful canvas shoes.
"From this day forward, Toms will no longer just be a shoe company, it will be a one-for-one company," Mycoskie said, before unveiling a video made in Nepal, with local people talking about the need to address visual impairment, in particular cataracts and blindness.
Labels: Blake Mycoskie, Toms Shoes
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Matt Chandler on the Sacred and Secular Divide
We've highlighted podcasts and sermon messages from some great communicators like Steve Stroope at Lake Pointe Church outside of Dallas, JR Vassar in New York City and Erwin McManus of Mosaic in Los Angeles.
A few weeks ago, a friend suggested I checkout a sermon that Matt Chandler gave at the Village Church here in Dallas. Matt talked on that Sacred Secular divide topic about a year and a half ago in a message called "A Change in Perspective".
Matt does a great job affirming, validating and unleashing the idea that every area of work, in business or in the arts, God is at work.
Here's a link to the village churches archives. Look for “A Change in Perspective” on 10.18.09. Part 6 of The Path series. http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/sermons
Labels: Matt Chandler, Pastor, Sacred and Secular Divide
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Don Miller Remembers R.G. LeTourneau
Read the full post from Don Miller here - One of the great creators of the last century was a man named R.G. LeTorneau, who invented and created many of the mammoth earthmoving machines that build our roads, raise our buildings and mine the depths of the earth. LeTorneau died on this day in 1969 and worked tirelessly over his life to dominate an industry and inspire thousands to greater engineering feats.
LeTorneau did not separate his faith from his work, seeing the creation of earthmoving mechanics as an extension of the play he enjoyed with the world God made. He flew endlessly to the corners of the world to inspire people of faith to work with their minds and hands to better the world, and even bought an old hospital in Longview, Texas to start a university, now called LeTorneau University, one of the most esteemed engineering schools in the country.Read the full post from Don Miller on his blogLabels: Don Miller, RG LeTourneau
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Total Commitment - An Import-Export Company in China
To date Gabriella and Marco have exported over 120 containers and have been profitable since the beginning. They export a diverse range of goods, everything from industrial sewing machines to floor tiles, from power tools to fashion accessories. Their company has grown through referrals from existing clients, with recent approaches from new clients in Singapore and the USA, as well as ever growing interest in South America.
However, in the past Gabriella and Marco have been somewhat reluctant to embrace this growth, in fact they have been reluctant business people. Gabriella admits, “I have actually asked some clients to keep quiet about us, I have told them I don't want the business to grow too much!” However, recently everything has changed and as Gabriella puts it, “I have had my thinking turned completely upside-down.”
Developing the Business
Gabriella and Marco have lived in China for 15 years. They are part of a large mission organization and moved to China with the focus of reaching out to Chinese people with the gospel. After a friend needed help sourcing and exporting a product from China, they saw the opportunity to continue in exporting and to generate some income for their family and ministry.
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Praxis launches to support Social Entrepreneurs - $100,000 in Cash Awards
Dave Blanchard is driven. Over the past year I've enjoyed watching him launch Praxis, an organization that supports entrepreneurs tackling
major social issues.
Dave has just announced the opening of applications for the inaugural
Praxis Accelerator program. Just 12 non-profits
and mission-driven for-profits will be selected for the development program,
where mentorship, peer support, and a myriad of organizational development
resources will be provided, culminating with a pitch event with $100,000 in
cash awards. The accelerator has been
designed in collaboration with Q, a learning community that mobilizes
Christians to advance the common good in society.
The year-long program, designed to be progress-focused and
iterative in nature, features three main events, in New York, Los Angeles, and
Washington D.C. At each event, Praxis
Fellows will receive guidance from over 20 highly experienced mentors that Dave has assembled,
including:
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Chris Crane, Founder of Edify, former CEO of
Opportunity International
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Jamie Tworkowski, Founder of To Write Love on
Her Arms
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Jason Russell, Founder of Invisible Children
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Edwin Keh, Former COO and SVP of Global
Procurement for Walmart
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Gabe Lyons, Creator of Q
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Joy Anderson, Founder & President of
Criterion Ventures
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Jena Nardella, Founder & Executive Director of
Blood: Water Mission
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Peter Greer, President & CEO of HOPE
International
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Charles Lee, CEO, Ideation
Mentors will hold intimate roundtable sessions, while also
providing tailored, individual attention in one-on-one sessions, on a comprehensive
set of topics critical to organizational development, from fundraising to board
development to team building.
“We’ve designed a program meant to
provide social entrepreneurs with the knowledge and network they need to create
high-impact organizations,” said Dave Blanchard, Praxis Founder and President,
who created the program after working on social innovation at design firm IDEO.
“We’ve also addressed a deep market need by creating a place where social
entrepreneurs are supported in processing how their faith impacts their work.”
Applications for the Praxis Fellowship - available at www.praxislabs.org - close on July 15,
2011.
Labels: Dave Blanchard, Praxis
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OPEN Network hosting Business as Mission Conference in Denver
· B4T coaches training for 26 business coaches
· OPEN B4T business coaches making field visits
· Business people linking with B4T teams to help with business plans, email/skype coaching and other areas of needs
· 2 teams receiving loans
· Numerous teams gaining more business.
· 29 agencies rethinking B4T/BAM
· 5 summer interns
· 6, 2 year apprentices in process
Please pass on the following information to your network of friends and churches who may be interested in using their business skills to see His kingdom being established among the unreached through business. The more business people get involved, the more impact we will have for the King: so spread the word.
Labels: OPEN Network
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Developing a Strategic Plan for Ministry in Your Business - Event in Dallas June 14th
When: Tuesday, June 14th
Time: 7:30 to 11:30 AM, breakfast provided
Where: The Hope Center
2001 W. Plano, Pkwy., Plano, TX
Cost : $150 for non C12 Members and guests
$75 for additional attendees from the same company
$90 for C12 members (members receive a 40% discount)
$75 for additional attendees from the same company
$90 for C12 members (members receive a 40% discount)
C12 Group Dallas presents Developing a Strategic Plan for Ministry Half-Day Workshop
Co-Hosted by Join Christian CEOs & Business Leaders at C12's Highly Acclaimed, Hands-On Workshop
Co-Hosted by Join Christian CEOs & Business Leaders at C12's Highly Acclaimed, Hands-On Workshop
Workshop Leader Buck Jacobs, C12 Founder and Chairman
Who should attend:
- Have you been knocked off-task by the bumps in the road and want to get back on track with an organized and systematic plan for ministry?
- Do you want to bring your management team on board with your vision for ministry in your business?
- Do you want to get rejuvinated and invest a half-day with your Christian peers?
- Do you often feel that "there must be more than this" as you think about your life as the Christian leader of your business?
- Is it challenging to keep your focus on the eternal values of what you do at work?
Attend this workshop and come away with:
1. A process to express your Christian vision through your business.
2. A formula for creating hyper-growth in your Christian company
3. A plan to put into action that models Christian business principles and ministry practices
2. A formula for creating hyper-growth in your Christian company
3. A plan to put into action that models Christian business principles and ministry practices
For more information, please contact C12 Area Chairs Tom.ODwyer@c12group.com, Joe.Galindo@c12group.com, Tom.Hawes@c12group.com or call 214.415.7104.
Labels: Buck Jacobs, C12 Group, Joe Galindo
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