Viva la Mexico! The Unified Group took their owners to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for their 25th Annual Meeting & Owners’ Forum. The group has been together for 25 years of growth, 300 months of camaraderie, 9,125 days of opportunities, and so much more.

“One of the most valuable aspects of these meetings lies in the networking opportunities,” Tom Dacres of VHV Company said. “Allowing for one-on-one conversations with fellow successful business owners who face similar day-to-day challenges, providing a platform for learning from each other's successes.”

Regardless of what this group has scheduled in the day-to-day, benefit comes from not only inside the classroom, but also from the group activities and relationship-building outside. Day one’s highlight was the Company Culture panel discussion, which was facilitated by Brian Martinenza of Service Unlimited, Inc. and panelists included Frank Quintanar of J&J Air Conditioning, Mark Hottel of Harvey W. Hottel, Gary Myers of Intech Mechanical, and Dacres. This discussion covered how companies built a successful company culture and any struggles they’ve encountered along the way.

“The information shared within the group was very inciteful and useful,” Craig Bast of Standard Plumbing & Heating said. “I took away 3 different ideas with this one session.”

Cash Flow was the highest rated segment of day two. Stacy Shiflet of Blauch Brothers, Inc. led the hour by covering the WIP schedule, the importance of the billing process, and the proper use of the schedule of values. Having an experienced CFO on-site was extremely beneficial to the owners, by having an expert answer their questions immediately.

“The breakout sessions, the networking/social time, and generally just finding out what our peers are doing is what makes these meetings so successful,” Grant Wiegmann of Wiegmann Associates said.

On the last day of meetings, Pansy Romo of Intech Mechanical shared the top-rated portion of the day – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. By covering what each of these things look like in the workplace, the overall importance, and how to accommodate and thrive, members walked away from this presentation with a surplus of new knowledge.

“If I did not attend this meeting, I would have missed the opportunity to share and collaborate with the best people in the industry,” Derren Saucier of Temperature, Inc. said. “This group has helped me grow as a leader and guided my company to success. I am truly grateful to be a part of this.”

Overall, 25 years has made quite an impact on hundreds (maybe even thousands) of individuals all over the nation. Best practices are constantly changing and having a peer group that genuinely cares about you can make all the difference. If you are interested in learning more about membership with The Unified Group, contact Janet Kelleher at KelleerJ@TheUnifiedGroup.com.