4 award-winning leaders who found different ways to GROW
Every CEO aims to make an impact, achieve greatness and leave a lasting legacy. In the Vistage community, we strive to help executives evolve into leaders who understand that growth is a journey worth celebrating.
That’s why I am proud to present our 2024 Member Excellence Award e-book, Rooted in Success, which highlights the strategies and perspectives of this year’s award-winning CEOs. These leaders have demonstrated grit and resourcefulness, embraced opportunities, and fostered a winning mindset. In short, they found new ways to grow.
This e-book features stories of members who embody these principles. May their experiences inspire your own journey.
Grit
Dr. Charlene Flash | Houston, Texas
President and CEO, Avenue 360 Health and Wellness
Vistage member since 2022
In her childhood, Dr. Charlene Flash had her life’s mission decided: She was going to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Today, her role as CEO of Avenue 360 Health and Wellness is influenced by her childhood dream. Dr. Flash leads a seven-site health system of 220 employees founded in response to the AIDs epidemic that provides cradle-to-grave care for marginalized people, regardless of their ability to pay. Just last year, Avenue 360 served more than 13,000 patients and housed more than 500 families, forever changing lives.
Blending her experience in academia and business, she drives her mission forward, seeing a $1.5 million profit gain in 2023. She strives to center people who are on the margins and give them access to a certain threshold of health regardless of class, ethnicity or HIV/AIDS status.
Charlene’s leadership lessons:
- Trust, but verify.
- Quantify impact, not just dollars.
- Slow down and consider other points of view.
Resourcefulness
Sean Forman | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
President, Sports Reference, LLC
Vistage member since 2020
When he decided to pivot from academia to entrepreneurship, Sean Forman hit a home run, creating Sports Reference, a leader in sports data. As president, he has led Sports Reference to great heights, boasting 350% revenue growth in three years.
Sean transitioned to a fully remote workforce, which opened the company to a wider pool of talent and growth. In the last four years, his team expanded from 11 to 39 employees.
Today, Sports Reference is used in team front offices and regularly cited by sports giants such as ESPN and Fox Sports. Moreover, his acquisition of Immaculate Grid, a game similar to Wordle for sports enthusiasts, has brought significant traffic and monetization to the company, building a company-wide audience of more than 20 million unique visitors each month.
Sean’s leadership lessons:
- Be generous.
- Lean on good counsel.
- If everything is under control, you are going too slow.
Opportunity
Elissa Sangster | San Antonio, Texas
CEO, Forté Foundation
Vistage member since 2020
During her career in higher education, Elissa Sangster sought to answer the following question: Why aren’t more women getting their MBAs? As it turns out, she wasn’t the only one. Top business schools worldwide encountered the same issue. Enter Forté Foundation.
Her mission as CEO is to give women access to business education, professional development and a community of other successful women. Today, Forté helps pave the way for over 600,000 women on all six (possible) continents.
As they scale the foundation, the top challenges arise from staying fully connected to partners and keeping their value proposition top of mind. Elissa shares that it’s one thing to do the work and see it day-to-day, but another to demonstrate the impact they make daily. Now and looking ahead, Forte is leveraging and investing in technology to address this challenge and create a more connected community.
Elissa’s leadership lessons:
- Build strong relationships.
- Take informed risks.
- Have an open dialogue with stakeholders.
Winning Mindset
Rod Mickels | Walnut Creek, California
Co-founder, Advisor, Co-Chairman and former CEO, InVision Communications
Vistage member since 2019
“Be great. Do good. Have fun.” Guided by this mantra, Rod, a former high school photographer turned business leader, and his business partner co-founded InVision Communications in 1991. Together, InVision grew into a cornerstone of corporate communications, serving clients like Dell, Genentech, Gartner and Siemens.
To maintain a reliable reputation and sustainability, Rod emphasized growth and innovation, targeting a 7% annual growth rate. This allowed InVision to expand without overreaching, scaling from a startup to an over $100 million company.
In 2021, they transitioned InVision to an ESOP, rewarding employees for their part in the company’s success. He now serves as an advisor and board co-chairman, passing the reins to a new CEO.
Rod’s advice to CEOs looking to exit:
- Focus on succession planning early.
- Always be innovating and prepare your company for “what’s next.”
- Be curious, ask lots of questions and have “sharing” colleagues and mentors.
Related Resources
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About the Author: Mary Ellen Sheehy
As Chief Member Programs Officer, Mary Ellen Sheehy leads Vistage’s Member Programs team, delivering world-class events, Networks, expert speaker programs and other benefits that provide small and midsize businesses with resources and con
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