Bridging Generations: Documenting a Family Founder’s Vision
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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The Only Constant in Life - and in Business - is Change
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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On Rules of Thumb
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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Both/And Thinking: Harnessing the Positive Potential of Tensions
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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Why Employees Quit and How to Use Evergreen® Principles to Keep Them
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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The Making of Another Way
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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Building From Crumbs
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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Fireside Chat with Dave Thrasher, Dan Thrasher, and Dave Whorton
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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The Science of Happiness and Social Connection
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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...
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Collaborative Landscapes: Shaping Successful Partnerships with Design
Evergreen Journal by Tugboat Institute
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....
info_outlineMost 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.