September 2, 2014 - Rotary Club of Charlotte

REPORTER
September 2, 2014
Mike McGuire
Grant Thornton - Value of Culture
Thanks to Ed Driggs, Mike McGuire, chief executive
officer-elect for Grant Thornton, LLP presented us with an
overview of the fifth largest CPA firm in the world and the
culture he has created in the Charlotte office. His plan is to create the same principals in
all 600 offices when he assumes this new position in January, 2015.
Similar to so many of us born in the 1940s - 60s, Mike grew up in a Midwestern
“Mayberry” town of 1600 where is dad owned the only grocery store and everybody knew
how many points he scored in the Friday night high school basketball game. From those
roots, he developed the business principals of tell the truth, teamwork, positive thinking,
and putting yourself last.
During the economic crash of 2008, he and most of his executive team lost all of their
financial security when their prior firm, Arthur Anderson, folded. In Charlotte, they all went
to work with Grant Thornton. Among the hundreds of Grant Thornton offices then,
Charlotte was dead last.
Today Grant Thornton has 600 offices in 110 countries with more than 7,000 employees
and Charlotte’s office is among the most successful as it has quadrupled in size. The turnaround started in 2008 when Mike and his team converted 97% of their Arthur Anderson
clients, as he developed his positive attitude culture.
Today he looks forward to building his “cultural journey” model in every office around the
world. He said too many companies focus on “leaving a legacy” that’s wrong. Business
leadership is not about leaving foot prints of retiring leaderships. A cultural development
reflects the focus on values, behaviors and outcomes.
Written by: Ed Wadsworth
MEETING PARTICIPANTS
Head Table: Ron Kimble, Brent Cagle, Tony Zeiss, Ed Driggs, Pender McElroy, Torrence Shealy;
Invocation: Dale LeCount; Visitors & Guests: Herb Harriss; Health, Happiness & History: David
Zimmerman; Song: Gray Langley; AV: Jessica Dupree & Nikki Keith; Photos: Bert Voswinkel
_______________________________________________________________________________
Club News
Membership is moving in a very positive direction and two new members were introduced
on Tuesday. Pender McElroy introduced Torrence Shealy, owner of Jan-Pro Cleaning
Systems of Greater Charlotte. Torrence can be reached at Torrence.shealy@jan-pro.com.
Ron Kimble was pleased to introduce Brent Cagle, who is interim aviation director for
Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Brent can be reached at bdcagle@cltairport.com.
Welcome!
Bill Constangy enjoyed a wonderful Judicial Retirement luncheon at Myers Park Country
Club and was honored to receive Order of the Long Leaf Pine award from Governor
McCrory; David Erdman has funded five $1000 scholarships for engineering students at
Duke University; Jenn Snyder is co-hosting the 8:00 – 9:00 morning news with Bo
Thompson on WBT-1110 AM; Tom Gibson reports DecisionPathHR made the Charlotte
Business Journals Top 25 Largest Staff Agencies for 2014; selected for inclusion in The
Best Lawyers in America 2015: Mason Alexander, Tom Cottingham, Bryan Adams,
Bob Phifer.
On Tuesday, everyone will have an opportunity to buy raffle tickets to support the
upcoming Rotary Scholarship Golf Classic. Tickets are $10 or 3 for $20. Three prize
packages to choose from: $250 Belk gift card/$100 dinner at The City Club/2 tickets to the
Broadway play, ONCE; 18” single strand Fresh Water Baroque pearl necklace from
Donald Haack Diamonds, or 3 day stay at a mountain home in Linville Falls, plus four daypasses to the Whitewater Center. The Tournament is September 24th and signup is
underway!
UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS (9/9/14 – 9/15/14)
09 Colleen Brannan, Tony Pinkard, Tom O’Brien
11 John Armistead, Bryan Adams, Harry Daugherty
12 Jeff Jackson
14 Bryan Mermans
15 Ron Campbell, Rich Campbell, Katie Tyler
UPCOMING ANNIVERSARIES (9/9/14 – 9/15/14)
09 Robin & Tom Gibson
10 Libby & Alan Simonini
11 Meg & Bryan Adams
12 Melanie & Craig Goodson, Linda Gallehugh & Elly Clary
14 Elsie & Will Barnhardt
ATTENDANCE
Visitors & Guests
Club Members
Total Attendance
Percentage
19
172
191
59.4%
MEMBERSHIP
09/02/2014
07/01/2014
Net Increase:
323
317
+6
New Members: Brent Cagle, Torrence Shealy
Resignations: John Stedman, Bernie Washington
VISITORS ON 9/2/14
Peter Davis, Fred Wagner, Thor Svendsen, Jerry Wansack, Jack Scott, Elisa Chinn Gary,
Chuck Howard, Caroline Driggs, Patrick Mogue, Bailey Jordan, John Bowers, Melissa
McGuire, John Christenbury
UPCOMING LUNCHEONS (www.charlotterotary.org and click on the events tab)
09/09/14 – Lee Keesler, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
09/16/14 – Jay Bryson, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Securities (US Economic Outlook)
Photos from the Luncheon
Photos from our luncheons and other events can be found on Flickr Click here
charlotterotary.org 704.375.6816
841 Baxter Street | Suite 118 | Charlotte, NC 28202-2720 USA
© The Rotary Club of Charlotte 2014