What Our Members Are Saying

 

I have been a member of the C12 Group since November 2006. When I joined C12, I was the President of my company's' largest division. I have since become CEO of that organization. Having been a Christian since 1995, I found myself wanting for a deeper relationship with my God as it related to my business life. Being a good Christian on Sunday seemed somewhat empty especially knowing that God had made me successful in the workplace in order to accomplish His purpose and not mine.  The realization that I was working in God's business and that Columbia Forest Products was my mission field has been very freeing to me and has put new light to my purpose here on earth. My C12 experience has provided me with so many things. To list just a few:

1.  I have become friends with a group of like minded Christian business men and woman. My group has become an intimate forum where I can confidentially speak of the issues I am dealing with whether it be in the work place or with my family. The group provides a biblical wisdom to the issues I face. During my early years my group gave me excellent guidance regarding my troubled son and prayed for me specifically in this regard. 

2.  The C12 group provides excellent resources regarding various business topics with an added biblical prospective. From Lean Manufacturing to Sales and Marketing, I have found new wisdom from God's view of things rather than just the secular business way of doing things. 

3.  Accountability - At C12, Priorities are what we do... Everything else is just talk. I have a group of Christian business people that hold me accountable for what I do, what I say and focus me on what's important. My one-on-one sessions with my Area Chair, Steve Andrews, are a time of reflection for me and my relationships with my family, my work and with God. Steve also provides sound business guidance as it relates to specific issues with my company. 

4.  Finally, C12 has broadened my view of what can be done in the traditional workplace. For example, we have implemented Corporate Chaplains into the work place which has resulted in many coworkers coming to know Christ. In addition, prayer meetings are now common place at work and people are beginning to become bolder around Corporate Stewardship. Through C12, God has definitely guided me to add a spirit value and not just an economic value to the work place.   

It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend the C12 organization to any Christian business leader who wants to make a difference for Christ.






Brad L.  Thompson
President and CEO, Columbia Forest Products



In the past 2.5 years C12 has been instrumental in the survival and success of our company. The guidance, peer help and accountability has been a huge help to me. As an owner of a small business, I found myself in a position of leadership without any mentor or "board of directors" for guidance. This can be tough when there is no one to turn to that has "been there" or can relate to what you are experiencing.  C12 has been just what I needed. The great thing is that none of my group has any personal incentive in their feedback other than to genuinely help me and stand by me through my triumphs...and support me through failures. They assure me in good decisions, and are not afraid to rebuke me in poor ones. What also sets C12 apart is not only the excellent council, accountability and materials presented....but the fact that there is a direct purpose to make sure it's in line with God's word. As someone who feels called to be a steward of God's business, I truly know I was led to C12 so that the company I steward might bear more fruit for His kingdom. Morgan Direct and my personal spiritual walk would certainly not be where it is right now without C12's influence in my life and in our company. The monthly one-on-one sessions are always a great time for me to hash out any new issues I am facing in the company or at home...and to get wise council from Steve Andrews, my C12 Chair. He always seems to have the perfect scripture for the problems or uncertainties I am facing. Thanks Steve and thanks C12 for all you have and continue to do for the kingdom.






Clark Morgan
President & Owner, Morgan Direct

 

Christ calls each of us to put Him first in our lives. While my intentions may have been to put my faith to work in all aspects of my life, including my work, my schedule indicated that my professional responsibilities were receiving all or most of my focus. What I have found in C12 is a fellowship that allows me to focus on the greater purpose of the business that God has allowed me to run for Him. Over the years I have participated in C12, the input from other Christians has been priceless as I have faced the major decisions that we all face in good times and challenging times. Our investment in C12 has returned far more in the quality of our decisions and in our recognition of the company as the mission field to which God has called me. 






Jeff Burkett
President  & Majority Owner, Advanced Direct, Inc.

 

God wants Christian business owners to help bring the Kingdom of God to our world. C12 helps its members focus on the true purpose of our businesses: to be stewards of what God has entrusted to us. That stewardship includes our employees, our customers and our financial and intellectual resources- both business and personal. 

 

Membership in C12 has made me a better entrepreneur, boss, spouse, friend and community leader. The return on my time and financial investment in C12 is "without measure."

 

 The members of my group vary in age, experience, business type and business size but all provide valuable advice and support. That variety keeps us from "re-inventing the wheel" in some instances and from continuing business practices that may have grown stale with age.

 

 CEOs rarely have a "peer group" who will challenge and hold them accountable for their decision making. C12 membership provides that support in a confidential, encouraging and God-centered environment.

 

 In "Good to Great," Jim Collins speaks of the "Hedgehog Principle"- keeping the main thing the main thing. C12 helps business owners to discern and focus on what the main thing is God wants them to accomplish in their businesses- day by day.






Janet Ward Black

Owner, Ward Black Law

 

 

I have been a member of C12 since May 2002.  The benefits to our company and to me personally have been numerous and significant. 

 

First, the best business practices instruction has been exceptional.  We have implemented everything from "standup" information exchange meetings to creating a Director of Administration owner peer-level position.

 

Second, the insight and challenge to encourage ministry within and through the company has been both encouraging and humbling.  We pray more often as a company, confessing our dependence on God's guidance and provision for our needs.

 

Finally, the opportunity to share the challenges and struggles facing our company and my life personally with the other members of the group has been invaluable.  To have other business owners offer godly wisdom and counsel has been a great blessing.  To experience the prayer support for me, my family, and our company has been a great encouragement.






Barry Brown

President  & Majority Owner, Cooper Electrical Construction

 

 

Functioning to the best of my abilities is a noble goal, but is not necessarily easy when one is at the top of an organization.  It becomes easy to let my guard down and to coast through too many situations instead of being challenged to push for greater excellence.  C12 has assisted me by challenging me not to coast, and to push for greater excellence, but especially to achieve excellence with the purpose of bringing glory to God. 

I expect to be challenged by my group, and I expect to have my thinking challenged as we cover the written materials.  The C12 group is a challenge mechanism, but is also a support mechanism.  There are times when I’ve gone through both business and personal challenges and I needed substantial support.  My group has provided that necessary support in both word and in deed.  I’ve also enjoyed a reversal of roles providing that same necessary support for the members of my group who have be faced significant personal or business related trials.

I make monthly commitments to my C12 group, and those commitments to the group are very important.  During our group meetings, my thinking is typically stirred, and I appreciate my group holding me accountable to achieve commitments that I make.  Most CEO’s don’t have anyone continuing to speak truth into their lives.  Very few employees are ever willing to take a risk and to speak truth to their CEO.  Having a “mechanism” in place through C12 that speaks truth into my life, and therefore pushes me to a higher level of achievement is a substantial blessing, and is a big component of the value I get from C12.






Mark Pavlansky
President, Hibco Plastics, Inc. 

 

C-12 has been instrumental in the development of my business.  When I joined the organization, I was a “highly talented engineer” who owned a business.  In other words, the business was completely centered around me.  I had no real business training – only instinct.  You could say that I had potential – raw talent – like a rookie high school football player, but that was it.  I had managed a significant department within State government before, but that was different.  The State didn’t have to make a profit.  I did, and because of the grace of God, the business was successful.  Unfortunately like many skilled small business owners, I became a victim of my own success.  By the time I joined C-12, I averaged sleeping about four (4) hours per day – and I worked 6.5 days a week.


Since I joined, the folks at C-12 have advised me and prayed with me on every major decision I have made with the company.  The results were phenomenal.  The business is diversified, we are in multiple markets, my staff has more than doubled, and I generally sleep every night.  All this has happened through the Great Recession.  Even when things weren’t going well – and we have had our share of trouble, my C-12 brothers were there to advise and pray.  I describe C-12 as a Christ-centered MBA program in a small classroom setting.

I am convinced that I would not have the business I have today without C-12.  C-12 has transformed me from the “highly talented engineer who owned a business” into a businessman who owns a highly successful engineering firm.





John Davenport
Owner &  President , Davenport Transportation Consulting