Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute

Tugboat Institute® member Joe Motz, founder of The Motz Corporation, has spent nearly five decades building a legacy of innovation and integrity at one of the world's most respected turf firms. But after transitioning the company to 100% employee ownership in 2018, Joe faced his toughest finish line yet: a 70th-birthday "bucket list" adventure that would take everything he had. In this Tugboat Talk, Joe recounts his grueling 3,000-mile solo paddle to raise $300,000 for The Bridge Adaptive Sports & Recreation, an organization that creates opportunities for individuals with disabilities to thrive through sport. From the panic of a runaway boat to the mental fatigue of 20,000 strokes a day, Joe shares how he leaned on his community, and his Purpose, to Persevere. Listen to Joe's talk to learn why the hardest journeys often lead to the greatest ripple effects in leadership and life, and for the reminder to paddle on, through even the most challenging of times.

Ashley Russo is a visionary leader, award-winning journalist, and entrepreneur who bridges the gap between industrial legacy and modern storytelling. Through her dual roles as CEO of Magnaplate and President of ASR Media, Ashley has mastered the art of blending the technical precision of manufacturing with the creative vision of media. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Ashley explores the unique tension of leading two highly contrasting industries and shares how these seemingly different worlds inform one another in unexpected ways. By harmonizing her family's multi-generational heritage with her own entrepreneurial drive, Ashley provides a compelling perspective on what it means to honor a professional legacy while courageously founding your own. Listen and be inspired to blend vision with tradition, to find synergy in your own professional roles, and to lead your team with a renewed sense of purpose and innovation.

Rob Cordova is a thought leader, adjunct professor, and educator who transforms corporate learning into meaningful and inspiring experiences. Through his research on how our personal backgrounds shape our actions, Rob has developed a unique framework of reflective questions designed to help leaders step beyond their comfort zones. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Rob challenges us to confront our natural tendency to avoid uncertainty and reminds us that in moments of ambiguity, creativity isn't optional—it's essential. By modeling the very vulnerability and courage he encourages in others, Rob provides a heartfelt perspective on how to navigate the unknown while staying true to Evergreen® values. Watch and be inspired to meet challenges with creativity and innovation, and to lead your team with newfound courage and clarity.

David Surdam is a historical economist and professor at the University of Northern Iowa who studies how organizations adapt under extreme economic pressure. In this Tugboat Institute® Summit 2025 talk, he shares the story of Major League Baseball during the Great Depression, when team owners faced one of the most challenging economic periods in American history. Their adaptation strategies not only helped them survive, but even thrive, offering timely lessons on resilience, ingenuity, and the enduring power of cultural institutions during difficult times. Listen and be inspired to consider how your own organization might adapt in the face of a major economic downturn.

Over the last several years, private equity has continued its rapid expansion, reshaping the landscape of business ownership and investment. What was once limited to a small circle of institutional investors now reaches into 401k portfolios, making PE an increasingly dominant force in our economy. While this growth has fueled opportunity for many, it also poses new challenges for Evergreen® companies whose long-term, purpose-driven approach stands in sharp contrast to private equity's short-term return model. Dave Whorton, Founder and CEO of Tugboat Institute®, revisits his 2019 talk, "The Rise of Private Equity," to explore how the private equity landscape has evolved and what its growing influence means for Evergreen leaders today. He reaffirms that private equity remains kryptonite to Evergreen businesses yet highlights examples of Tugboat Institute member companies that have found unconventional ways to engage with private equity and strategic capital while staying true to their Evergreen values. Listen and gain perspective on how to navigate the shifting capital landscape without compromising the purpose and principles that define Evergreen companies.

Mark Steele is the president and owner of Craftsmen Industries and a former turnaround specialist for private equity firms. Early in his career, he stepped into struggling businesses and made the tough calls others avoided. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Mark shares how the opportunity to lead family-owned Craftsmen Industries sparked a profound shift in his career and business philosophy. He explores how leading the company, and ultimately becoming its owner, led him to embrace an approach to leadership and ownership grounded in Evergreen® values. Listen and be inspired by Mark's journey from turnaround expert to Evergreen leader.

Adam Echter is a partner at Simon-Kucher and a global expert in pricing strategy. A thought-leader and consultant, Adam brings decades of experience helping companies shape strategies that drive both profit and purpose. In this Tugboat Institute® Summit talk, Adam challenges the myth that purpose and profit are mutually exclusive. He lays out actionable pricing strategies that align with Evergreen® values, helping leaders create lasting value for customers while sustaining healthy margins. Through case studies and practical tools, Adam demonstrates that pricing, done well, is not just a financial lever but a strategic expression of purpose. Listen and be inspired to rethink pricing as a pathway to strengthen both your impact and your bottom line.

Tugboat Institute® member Ashli Desai is President of Larry Walker Associates, an environmental engineering firm focused on water quality management. After founder Larry Walker's departure, the company remained family-owned but was led by non-family executives. This divide between ownership and leadership created challenges in communication and alignment among the family, leadership, and employees.  In this Summit 2025 talk, Ashli tells her story of bridging leadership gaps, crafting a unified, shared vision for the future that brought all stakeholders together.  Watch and be inspired to think about how you might strengthen alignment in your own organization.

In business as in life, longevity often invites assumptions. When we hear about a company that has thrived for over a century, it's easy to picture a large, slow-moving, and rigid organization. But surviving, and thriving, across generations requires quite the opposite: adaptability, agility, and a willingness to evolve. Jayne Millard embodies this mindset as the fourth-generation leader of Turtle & Hughes, a family-run electrical and industrial distributor. Rather than resting on tradition, Jayne and her team are embracing innovation by focusing on sustainability and partnering with startups to stay ahead of industry trends. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Jayne shares the rich history of Turtle & Hughes alongside her own unconventional personal journey, one that fuels her courage and inspires her leadership today. Watch and discover how enduring businesses stay relevant by blending heritage with forward-thinking action.

Business leaders often rely on rules of thumb, simple tools designed to guide decisions in complex environments. But when followed too rigidly, even the most trusted rules can create blind spots. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Dave Whorton explores this tension and offers a fresh perspective on how Evergreen® leaders might think differently. Dave is the founder and CEO of Tugboat Institute and the author of Another Way: Building Companies That Last…and Last…and Last. Drawing on decades of experience, he challenges widely accepted misconceptions about growth and encourages Evergreen leaders to embrace the courage, patience, and discipline required to build enduring businesses. Listen and be inspired to rethink familiar formulas and to lead with intention and imagination.

In business as in life, there are trade-offs. This is an accepted part of the business world as well, and is usually accepted as an unavoidable truth. This includes pairs like Profit and Purpose, or Profit and Paced Growth, which can sometimes appear to be at odds with one another. But what if this didn't always have to be true? Marianne Lewis proposes a leadership strategy that can help resolve this tension. Marianne is Professor in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at University of Cincinnati and co-author of Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Marianne makes an argument for finding a way to embrace, rather than cave to tensions within an organization. It starts with a shift in mindset. Watch and be inspired to shift your own mindset, and make room for Both/And, instead of simply Either/Or.  

The last five years have seen an ever-tightening talent pool and, therefore, increased competition for great employees. It seemed that it was a pandemic-related phenomenon at first, but demographics tell us that in fact, this is here to stay for many years. Coupled with this tight labor market, employees have become more particular about what they are looking for in their work, and they have become more apt to move on if their situation is not just right. The great resignation and quiet quitting, were, it turns out, just the start. In this era where it has become so challenging to hire great employees and even more so to keep them, Michael Horn invites us to understand why, and how to combat this trend. Michael is a longtime friend of Tugboat Institute®'s and Co-Founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. In his recent book, Job Moves, he explores what drives employees to quit so readily and offers them advice about what factors to consider when considering taking this step. In this Tugboat Institute talk, he flips his perspective and offers company leaders a look into the factors that drive employees to quit - and to stay – in order to be more intentional about improving recruitment and reducing turnover. It turns out that many of the things he recommends go hand in hand with being an Evergreen® company. Watch and consider how you might improve your employees' experience and keep your best players for the long term.

Tugboat Institute® member Ford Mennel is the fifth generation leader of his family company, The Mennel Milling Company. In their 139 years, the company has been through many phases, some marked by prosperity and expansion, and some by stagnation and risk. Through it all, the series of family leaders who have shepherded Mennel have succeeded in building an Evergreen® company that is strong, continually expanding, diverse, and surprisingly innovative, given that their industry is one of the oldest in human society. In this talk, Ford not only shares his family's and company's history, the risks they faced, and the strategies that allowed them to survive and thrive over time. He also demonstrates creativity in his approach to Pragmatic Innovation, not just in Mennel Milling's products and services, but also in his strategic approach to accessing capital for acquisitions while safeguarding the company's Evergreen® independence. Watch and be inspired to be innovative in all areas of your company, and to build something that will last.

Dave and Dan Thrasher grew up in the house that served as the first HQ for their parents' basement waterproofing company, which they had started and grown slowly over decades. By the time the two brothers stepped into the business, their parents had grown it to about $4 million in revenues. In the 20 years since then, Dan has taken over leadership of Thrasher Group, Dave leads the newer company, Supportworks, and together, they have built their companies to an impressive $400 million in revenue. In this Fireside Chat with Dave Whorton, Dave leads the brothers through stories from their childhood, their entry into the business, and the birth and growth of their respective companies. In their conversation, they cover topics ranging from early forays into entrepreneurship, what they learned and have preserved from each of their parents, key moments through the growth of the business, both before and after they joined, and the effect of the arrival of PE in their space. Watch and be inspired to lean into your values, make courageous decisions, and find new ways for your business to grow and thrive.  

Sonja Lyubomirsky is an experimental social psychologist at University of California, Riverside. She has been studying the science of happiness for decades and her work has included consulting on projects like the film Mission: Joy, featuring the Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu.  In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Sonja poses the question, "Is it possible to become happier?" and shares the findings from her many years of research in order to answer it. Happily, she found that there are many things we can do. Even better, the most powerful ones align with Evergreen® best practice behaviors. Watch and be inspired to take steps to increase your own happiness, and to connect with others at the same time.  

How do creativity and productivity thrive simultaneously in a business? The creative and the business mindsets are often very different in their approach to problem solving and innovation, yet in most professions, success in each area is necessary for companies to grow and thrive. So what are the conditions that make space for both?  Paul Seck is a landscape architect and Partner at MVVA, a leading landscape architecture firm nationwide. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Paul shares how MVVA makes space for both. It starts with a plurality of voices and with a commitment to collaboration. Listen and learn more about how collaboration is a precondition for creativity and innovation.

On May 6, 2025, Another Way: Building Companies That Last...and Last...and Last, by Dave Whorton with Bo Burlingham was released to the public. Their book tells the story of Dave's journey from Venture Capital's epicenter in Silicon Valley to founding Tugboat Institute®, an organization dedicated to bringing together, supporting, and championing Evergreen® leaders and their Purpose-driven, Private, enduring companies. In this conversation moderated by Tugboat Institute member Mel Gravely, Executive Chair of Triversity Construction, Dave and Bo share their experiences conceiving of this project, their working relationship and the process of writing it, and what they hope it will accomplish in society. Mel deftly leads the two friends and co-authors through topics that will touch and inspire you, and that will help you better understand the foundation and the aspirations of the Evergreen movement. Watch and be inspired to read this book and support this important movement.  

Tugboat Institute®'s Gary Kunkle spent many years advising companies around sustained growth and then completing a PhD thesis on the true drivers of sustained growth. Through this work, he has built up an impressive store of data and insight. Gary leads Tugboat's Paced Growth Team Training and our Executive Team Training Series and has helped many Evergreen® leaders and executives understand their own companies better and set the conditions for sustained growth that will last 100 years or more.  In this Tugboat Institute talk, Gary shares a quick insight into why philanthropic efforts, which come naturally to the Purpose-driven Evergreen leader and company, are, in fact, also a wonderful strategy for recruiting, retention, and overall success. Through several examples, he demonstrates that going good is not only good for the community and the world, but god for your bottom line as well. Listen and be inspired to align your philanthropic efforts with your business' purpose - and watch both flourish.

Most company leaders can attest to the fact that finding a way to be a present spouse, parent, and even friend while building a business can be extremely challenging. But it is critical for creating a life and lifestyle that are good and sustainable. People often talk about "balance," but sometimes balance is simply not possible. So seek harmony instead. In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Paul Mears III, President, and CEO of Hello! Destination Management, shares his own journey as a CEO, a husband, and a father. Through the different chapters of his life, he tackled this tension with different strategies, and he uncovered some great wisdom along the way. Although he is unfortunately not able to resolve this tension for you, he does offer some strategies and perspectives that might help you as you find your own way through. Listen and be inspired to seek work/life harmony in the way that works best for you and your family.  

Brad Herrmann learned about building and running a business from his father, who had done just that. But then his father sold the company, and the company and the team Brad had grown to love disappeared. He partnered with a friend and founded a new company, and they vowed that would not happen to them.  In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Brad shares his journey to find a way to ensure that his company, Text-em-All, lasts far beyond his own tenure. The company has grown substantially since its founding in 2005, and Brad and his co-founder were committed to finding a way to ensure it stayed Private and Evergreen® forever. He examined a number of potential ownership models and finally hit on the Employee Owned Trust (EOT). They have just completed their conversion to an EOT and Brad is a big fan.  Listen and learn more about EOT, and whether or not it might be right for your company.