Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit
Monthly News & Updates
May 2022
Webinar

"Dream Big! Accelerator"
Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 1-2PM

Presented by Tom Rea, President/Owner of the Real Leadership Company

Cost: FREE for MSE Detroit members; $20/non-members, guests

Please click HERE for more information and to register.

A DREAM IS...an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will and emotions; empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it. A genuine dream is a picture and blueprint of a person's PURPOSE and POTENTIAL. 

Whether you’ve lost sight of an old dream or you are searching for a new one within you, this webinar will provide you with an action plan that you can start using immediately to see, own, and reach your dream. 

Tom Rea, certified coach, speaker and trainer, of the Real Leadership Company, will challenge you with the right questions, and give you principles and tips so you can make good decisions and maximize every moment to achieve your dream. 

Objectives:
  • Putting your dreams into perspective: from identification to clarification of your dream;
  • Establishing milestones between the dream in your imagination to the physical realization;
  • Development of daily habits to make the dream come true;
  • Identification of strategies to mitigate potential areas that could short circuit the dream;
  • Discovering the intentional leader in you as you pursue your dream.

Big dreams can come true! Ready? Set. Dream! - Don't miss this webinar.

Our Speaker, Tom Rea:

Tom Rea is the President/Owner of the Real Leadership Company. He is a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, Motivational & Marriage Conference Speaker, and Trainer. He is the Associate Pastor for The Life Church in Warren, MI, and has served in ministry for most of his life.

Tom has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Jeana, for over 30 years, and they have 4 amazing grown children, including their daughter-in-love. They have a little doggie and live in Sterling Heights, MI. 

Tom is also an accomplished musician, recording artist, writer, and producer, with several albums to his credit, as well as an author of a book on marriage.

Tom says; "Growth doesn't just happen, you must be intentional about it." He has a passion to see others become the best version of themselves through intentional growth and transformation.

Questions? Email us at meetings@meeting-coordinators.com.
Book Review
"Becoming Trader Joe"
by Joe Coulombe
Reviewed by Laura Oliveto, SSDM

A friend, whose opinion I greatly respect, mentioned that she’d just read "Becoming Trader Joe," the story of the genesis and subsequent success of Trader Joe’s. As a frequent Trader Joe’s shopper, my interest was piqued.
 
The book is more of a study in successful business values and philosophies, but along the way, the examination of the demand side and the supply side of managing a retail enterprise turned out to be the real lesson. Every swing of the bat did not produce a home run, but every strike out provided Joe and his executive team with valuable lessons that they took to heart.
 
Joe had a business degree from Stanford and he understood marketing enough to know that all the proper planning in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t understand your audience. He carefully studied the demographics of the neighborhoods surrounding each potential location, and he often chose properties close to colleges and universities to tap into what Joe had determined as his ideal target clientele.
 
In Joe’s case, with the plethora of universities in the state of California, he catered to those communities who were “overeducated and underpaid, which described most of the folks who worked at the universities.” He perceived that these people wanted the better things in life, and if you made those things available at affordable prices, you had a winning strategy.
 
Along the way, Joe made lots of other smart moves, including paying his employees so well that they stayed with the company for decades, becoming product experts and illustrating their value to the organization by providing exceptional customer service.
 
Trader Joe’s went through several iterations before becoming synonymous with great products at great prices, and although its “three-buck Chuck” wine wasn’t going to be served at Christmas dinner, for an everyday meal accompaniment, it was a great value.
 
Every time the chain reinvented itself, Joe took advantage of the folks within his organization who knew way more about retail operations, especially purchasing, than he did. He trusted his managers implicitly; they appreciated the respect and delivered many decisions that paid off in spades.
 
In 1975, long before the practice was to gain in popularity, Joe investigated and planned an Employee Stock Option Program (ESOP), as he sincerely felt that employees who had skin in the game would perform like they owned the place, because they did!
 
Joe Coulombe is a fine storyteller and this book moves along at a nice clip, despite the retail best-practices lessons and economic philosophizing. Joe believed in “quiet, legitimate advertising,” sending the Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer to every mailbox in the vicinity, telling stories of the products and giving people the product knowledge they needed so they felt they were making wise buying decisions when they shopped at Trader Joe’s.
 
After 30 years, Joe went on to consult with many retailers after bowing out of Trader Joe’s and in every case, his precise situational analyses paved the way for positive outcomes. I really enjoyed this book and I did let my friend know that I appreciated the recommendation.

A Message from the President


"May is Graduation Season"
diploma_grad_cap.jpg
The last four years for many seniors have been difficult with the pandemic. Learning was turned upside down or rather it turned inside versus outside. What will this generation teach us about survival and success? As sales and marketing folks we are always looking for motivation. One thing that I like to do is listen to some of the commencement speeches. As some of you know my favorite commencement speech was delivered by Admiral William H. McRaven in 2014 to the University of Texas graduates, titled “Make Your Bed." McRaven also wrote a short book on this topic that I enjoy giving as a gift.

The 2022 speeches are not yet public. However, we can learn a lot from 2021. Surprisingly some were in person, but many of course were online.

For your enjoyment:

Bryan Stevenson gave a wonderful graduation speech to the University of Michigan graduates, via Zoom. Bryan Stevenson is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a law professor at NYU, and the author of a memoir Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. “If we stay hopeful, we can change the world."

John Legend gave a very thoughtful speech to Duke University’s graduates. He began with what they’ve lost because of the pandemic. He then went on to make the point that their learning should not stop upon college graduation, and provided three steps they can take to continue their education while tackling the major issues we all face in the U.S.

Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan CEO, delivered the commencement address to the graduates of Ohio State. “How you deal with failure may be the most important thing in how you succeed." He acknowledged that in the past year, these graduates have been through a pandemic, social and racial injustice, turbulent politics and global recession. “Celebrate America’s exceptionalism while acknowledging our country’s flaws." “To be successful, you need to continue learning."

Tim Allen, the actor and comedian, spoke at Hillsdale College’s commencement ceremony. He is wonderfully introduced by college President Larry Arnn. While Allen did not graduate from Hillsdale College in Michigan, he did attend Western Michigan University and always wore sweatshirts from Michigan colleges and universities on his TV show “Home Improvement." Tim Allen delivered a thoughtful, reminiscent talk that is also full of humor, and ends with great advice.

Here are a couple others that you would have assumed would be commencement speakers:

Kamala Harris, Vice President, delivered commencement address at the Naval Academy.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke at UNC Chapel Hill by Zoom.

I have to admit….my favorite of the above was Tim Allen's speech, and it makes me want to watch the movie “Galaxy Quest." I also liked the quote by Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan, CEO: "To be successful we need to continue to learn." Let me know if there is a favorite speech or two you would recommend we all take a moment to listen and contemplate.

Congratulations to the classes of 2022….we look forward to working with you!

Ann K. Bruttell
MSE Detroit President
Owner, Meeting Coordinators, Inc.

abruttell@meeting-coordinators.com
248-643-6590

P.S. Speaking of learning from our peers: Hope you can join our webinar on May 17th at 1PM with MSE Detroit member Tom Rea on "Dream Big! Accelerator."


Upcoming Events with
Friends of MSE Detroit


CADIA Connects: "Bridging the Divide Between Talent and Company Culture"
CADIA
Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 12N-1PM, Virtual
Click HERE for more information.


"Disruptions Around Every Corner: How to Navigate Cybersecurity Threats, Supply Chain Issues, and a Changing Workforce"
Rehmann
Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 11AM, Webinar
Click HERE for more information.


MHCC: "12th Annual Supplier Diversity Matchmaker"
Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
For more information, please click HERE.


"How to Succeed at Virtual Selling"
Alana Nicol, Sandler Training
Webinar Replay
Click HERE for more information.


Did you also know…?

Hope you have visited our redesigned and user-friendly website, www.msedetroit.org.

The Career Center is live on our website. Please share this with your colleagues and friends. This site is open for employers to post and for those in need of work to reference.

Please connect with us on our MSE Detroit LinkedIn page.

Let us know what is going on in your business world and submit press releases for publication in this newsletter at meetings@meeting-coordinators.com.
MSE Detroit Membership

To renew your membership or join MSE Detroit, visit:

MSE Detroit 2021 Membership Rates
 
 
$100 - Basic Membership – Receives monthly newsletter and all event notifications. Zoom webinar events are currently FREE for members; may register at member discounted rate for other MSE Detroit events/program/On-Demand Videos. May submit press releases for inclusion in the monthly newsletter.
 
$300 - Premium Membership - Receives monthly newsletter and all event notifications. Zoom webinar events are currently FREE for members; may register at member discounted rate for other MSE Detroit events/programs/On-Demand Videos.. May submit press releases for inclusion in the monthly newsletter. Executive Leadership Program Speaker Series priority access. This membership includes a $50 donation towards the MSE Detroit Scholarship Fund and will be listed in promotional material as a sponsor.
 
$25 - Student Membership - Receives monthly newsletter and all event notifications. Zoom webinar events are currently FREE for members; may register at member discounted rate for other MSE Detroit events/programs/On-Demand Videos.. Students may also request a mentor. (Must provide proof of student status; copy of a school schedule or letter from college/advisor needed.)
 
$125 - Retired Membership - Receives monthly newsletter and all event notifications. Zoom webinar events are currently FREE for members; may register at member discounted rate for other MSE Detroit events/programs/On-Demand Videos. Executive Leadership Program Speaker Series priority access. This membership includes a $50 donation towards the MSE Detroit Scholarship Fund and will be listed in promotional material as a sponsor.
 
$1,250 – Corporate Membership – Includes up to 5 memberships at the Premium Membership level. Each will receive the monthly newsletter and all event notifications. Zoom webinar events are currently FREE for members; may register at member discounted rate for other MSE Detroit events/programs/On-Demand Videos. The corporation may submit press releases for inclusion in the monthly newsletter. They will have priority access to the Executive Leadership Program Speaker Series. This membership includes a $250 donation towards the MSE Detroit Scholarship Fund and will be listed in promotional material as a corporate sponsor.
Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) www.msedetroit.org
248-643-6590
meetings@meeting-coordinators.com