22 APRIL 2021 - CLUB MEETING VIA ZOOM
Special guest speaker- Rob Perkin’s Long learned Business strategies
Flag Salute: Linda Hanlon
Four Way Test: Whitney deBordenave
Invoction: Pastor Marc Stutzel
Members Present: Michelle Albergo, Dan Antokal, June Bertini, Bob Bustard, Terry Ciulla, Bernie Cohen, Whitney deBordenave, Steve Fox, Stuart Gold, Linda Hanlon, Harriet Kallet, David Kist, Brian Landy, Fay Logan, Vicky Meo, Marc Stutzel, Amgaad Wasseff, Phil Wells
Guests: Rob Perkins, AG Fred Rohdieck, Marc Stutzel
Announcements:
- We are expecting a check for over $400 from The Grove because of bad fruit from the last sale
- The Scholarship Committee has two excellent candidates to review and will award $2,000 to one and $3,000 to the other
Program
On April 22, 2021 at a virtual meeting via Zoom, Park Ridge Rotary members welcomed guest speaker, Rob Perkins. Rob is a founding shareholder of a boutique business advisory firm targeting small and midsize companies. He is a CPA and has held senior management positions, including Chairman of the Board, CEO and Chief Financial Officer. Rob is a frequent lecturer and has been an active board member for both for profit and not for profit entities. His talk is a business-oriented subject of “How Lessons Learned Helped to Successfully Navigate through Difficult ‘Times.”
Over the course of his long career, Rob learned many lessons from mistakes as well as successes. He added that: “I am so smart today because I used to be so dumb.” Over time he collected many lessons learned and grouped them into four categories for purposes of today’s presentation. The four key areas for getting through difficult times are: people and leadership; customers; communications; and strategy.
On the subject of lessons learned about people and leadership, Rob emphasized the importance of building a great team (within and outside the company), including giving people a stake in the future of your company, keeping them informed and setting high standards of character. He added that you may have enough profits but you cannot have too much reputation.
On the subject of lessons learned about customers, Rob emphasized that customers are the reason we are here. He urged his audience to be riveted on what customers need and want. He urged this audience never to fall short in restoring a broken service promise, adding that it costs five times more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one.
On the subject of lessons learned about communications, Rob emphasized the importance of listening and not playing the “blame game”. He urged his audience to take the heat and share the praise.
On the subject of lessons learned about strategy, Rob emphasized the importance of producing a fair return on invested capital, adding that we should not confuse motion with progress.
Based on lessons learned Rob reviewed his more recent experience with a struggling luxury apparel business that is now on track to profitability based on lessons learned.
