Sights and Sounds from the 2017 VACEOs Annual Retreat
While the 2017 VACEOs Retreat at the Homestead is over, we’ve got a few memories we’ll take with us. Here’s a few of our favorite moments.
Related article: 2017 VACEOs Retreat: Here’s Our To-Do List >
2017 VACEOs Retreat: Here’s Our To-Do List
Annnnd that’s a wrap! Another great VACEOs Retreat is under our belts. We took a pause from work, enjoyed ourselves, connected and learned. Our tranquil setting this year – the luxurious Homestead Resort in Hot Springs – gently eased us into two days of self-reflection and study as each speaker, in their own way, invited us to take a look inward and then take action.
Our opening speaker, Marshall Goldsmith, asked us to take a hard look at ourselves and our behavior. He shared great leadership coaching tactics and concluded his lecture with this personal coaching advice:
1. Be happy now.
2. Life is short, so have fun now!
3. Help people.
4. Have a dream and go for it!
Joel Salatin challenged us to aspire to NOBLE goals – not those of the traditional business sort. We won’t soon forget his lesson on “10 Ethics-Based, Contrarian Business Ideas,” focusing on a world in which sales targets and trademarks don’t exist, the local ecology is honored, and the phenotypical uniqueness of life – including seasons, cycles, ebbs and flows – is respected.
And like Goldsmith, Salatin reminded us to enjoy NOW: “The times of our lives will always trump the paychecks of our lives.”
Related article: Sights and Sounds from VACEOs Annual Retreat (Video) >
We were in awe of – and inspired by – the life of Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour. The Marine combat pilot and inspirational speaker reminded us that our actions affect many. She challenged us to make gutsy moves, to ENGAGE with our employees and partners, and to “squeeze the juice out of life.”
And while our last speaker, Connor Lokar, Economist at ITR Economics, spoke about business indicators and wage and consumer growth indexes, his ultimate message was relatively simple: To thrive during what he expects to be a year of growth and acceleration, the first step is to look inward; more specifically, to understand what business cycle you’re in and where you’re going. Essentially, “Carpe diem!” Seize the day and act accordingly, because a potentially injurious economic tidal wave is a’comin’.
Here’s our checklist from the Retreat. What’s on yours?
VACEOs Post-Retreat Checklist
3 Things To Do:
- Determine what business cycle I’m in and how to react to important market indicators.
- Determine one thing I can do to make a positive difference for myself and the world, and then tell someone to make me accountable.
- Make a gutsy move to live an amazing, adventurous, epic, juicy life!
Virginia Council of CEOs Honors Chuck McCabe’s Legacy with Establishment of Leadership Award
The Virginia Council of CEOs (VACEOs), a non-profit association serving 200 small and mid-sized business owners, announces the establishment of the Charles E. McCabe Leadership Award in honor of founding chairman and VACEOs member Chuck McCabe.
The Charles E. McCabe Leadership Award recognizes VACEOs members who make significant leadership contributions to the Council. Chuck McCabe, CEO of Peoples Tax and The Income Tax School, was appropriately named as the first recipient of the award during the recent 2017 VACEOs Retreat.
In his address to Council membership during the award ceremony, current VACEOs Chair Neal Lappe said, “Chuck McCabe was the leader who made Virginia Council of CEOs come to life.”
Under McCabe’s leadership, VACEOs – which began as a state chapter of a small national organization – did not dissolve when the national organization folded one year in. Today, nearly 20 years after it began, VACEOs has grown into a successful, thriving association that is currently expanding into the Charlottesville area. (Learn more here.)
(Image below: Four original VACEOs members celebrate during Speakeasy event at 2017 VACEOs Retreat. From left to right:, Phil Conein, TECHEAD; John Carrico, Ukrop’s Dress Express; Bernard Robinson, Networking Technologies and Support, Inc.; Chuck McCabe, Peoples Tax & Business Services and The Income Tax School; Connie Hom, Buckingham Greenery.)
“When I began interacting with fellow CEOs in the national organization, I became enamored with the experience,” McCabe said during his acceptance speech. “I am proud to have been the driving force behind bringing this invaluable CEO peer support concept to Richmond. Our founding Executive Director, Scot McRoberts, also deserves tremendous credit for the growth and success of VACEOs. I am so thrilled to see what this organization has become over the last several years, and I sincerely thank you for this award.”
About the Virginia Council of CEOs
The Virginia Council of CEOs is a non-profit association that serves CEOs of small and mid-sized businesses in Virginia. The Council was founded in 2000 to connect CEOs so that they can learn and grow together. With 200 members in Central Virginia at this time, the Council is forming new CEO Roundtables in other parts of the state in 2017. Learn more at http://www.vaceos.org.
2017 VACEOs Retreat Registration and FAQs
Excitement is running high, as this year the event is held at the historic Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.
2017 speaker lineup >
View schedule >
2017 VACEOs RETREAT FAQs
Q: What do I register for? The Registration page has a lot of stuff on it!
A: Start with CEO Retreat Registration. That is your main ticket to the Retreat, covering meals and program from Thursday morning to Friday mid-day. Then, consider coming in on Wednesday – most participants do – for the Opening Reception. And, to maximize your time making connections, you can choose one of the group activities on Wednesday – Golf, Ziplining, or the Cascade Gorge Hike. Or enjoy the many resort activities available to you.
Q: Do I need to book a room?
A: Yes. As soon as possible! We have a block of rooms reserved through April 5. Use the special group link found in your confirmation to make your reservation
Q: Should I bring my spouse or significant other?
A: The Retreat program is designed just for members and sponsors. We recommend that you immerse yourself. After all, this is a “retreat!” We will have guest tickets for our two evening social events. Some folks have their spouse join them on Friday afternoon for an extra night or two of R&R. We have a reception Friday night just for the “lingerers.”
Q: Is there a dress code?
A: Not really. Let’s call it business casual or resort casual. Relax and be comfortable. There may be stricter dress codes in the Homestead dining room.
Still have a question? Please contact Connie.
2017 VACEOs Annual Retreat Lineup Announced
Mark your calendars! Registration is now open for the VACEOs Annual CEO Retreat. Excitement is running high, as this year the event is held at the historic Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.
Our speaker list includes the world’s #1 leadership thinker, America’s first African-American female combat pilot, a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer, and one of the country’s most informed economists. Learn more about this year’s speakers and workshops below.
The Retreat is for members and sponsors only. Contact us to find out how to get connected with our community of nearly 200 small business CEOs. Registration for members and sponsors here.
2017 CEO RETREAT LINEUP
MARSHALL GOLDSMITH
Marshall is the World’s #1 Leadership Thinker and #1 Executive Coach. He is the author of 35 books, including two Amazon Top 100 Leadership Books, Triggers and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. This executive educator and coach will help you achieve and sustain positive behavioral change.
“My mission is simple. I want to help successful people achieve positive, lasting change and behavior; for themselves, their people, and their teams. I want to help you make your life a little better. With four decades of experience helping top CEOs and executives overcome limiting beliefs and behaviors to achieve greater success, I don’t do this for fame and accolades. I do this because I love helping people!” – Marshall Goldsmith
JOEL SALATIN
Joel Salatin calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson.
He co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma and award-winning documentary “Food Inc.”, the farm services more than 5,000 families, 50 restaurants, 10 retail outlets, and a farmers’ market with salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, and forestry products. When he’s not on the road speaking, he’s at home on the farm, keeping the callouses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems.
VERNICE ARMOUR
Vernice is known simply as FlyGirl, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour went from beat cop to combat pilot in 3 years. Within months of earning her wings, she found herself flying over the deserts of Iraq supporting the men and women on the ground. After serving two tours overseas, she had become America’s First African American Female Combat Pilot. After returning home, she realized that many people wanted to create breakthroughs in their own lives, they just didn’t know how. She now travels extensively sharing this message through her keynotes, coaching and seminars.
Upon completion of two tours in Iraq and leaving the military, Vernice leveraged her “Breakthrough Mentality” mindset and launched VAI Consulting and Training, LLC. Her passion is helping organizations and individuals create breakthrough results. As featured on Oprah Winfrey, CNN, Tavis Smiley, NPR and others, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour’s fresh style and presentation methods have inspired hundreds of organizations and individuals. Vernice ultimately impacts organizations and individuals with an understanding of the passion and leadership required to excel.
ALAN BEAULIEU
Alan has been providing workshops and economic analysis seminars in countries across the world to literally thousands of business owners and executives for the last 25 years. He is considered one of the country’s most informed economists.
He is co-author of Prosperity in the Age of Decline, a powerful look at how to make the most of the US and global trends over the next 20 years. Alan also coauthored Make Your Move, a practical and insightful guide on increasing profits through business cycle changes, and noted by one reviewer as “simple, yet awesome.”
As the chief economist for numerous US and European trade associations, it has been remarked that Alan’s “insight into our business, a track record of accurate forecasting, and unparalleled knowledge of global markets has earned him the respect and appreciation of key business leaders in our industry.”
Alan is a highly-rated, repeat presenter at the CEO Retreat.
WORKSHOPS AND OTHER INFORMATION
Workshops on a variety of topics will take place on Thursday afternoon, giving you a chance to mix it up with other participants and experts.
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