Jay Sachetti joined Jeff O’Brien, partner at Husch Blackwell and Dyanne Ross-Hanson, president of Exit Planning Strategies talked about the market for mergers and acquisitions, exit planning opportunities for companies that don’t end up for sale and how companies can maximize their eventual sale price during an early October panel at the first Upsize on Tap event at Summit Brewing Co. in St. Paul.
When the state Legislature passed a law requiring employers to provide paid leave and safe time for employees, Justin Bieganek started hearing differing details from friends, colleagues and peers.
Katherine Graham, the late publisher of the Washington Post and Newsweek, inspired Chris Bevolo to develop and launch a “collaborative consulting model” called MindTank.
Upon Graham’s death in 2001, Newsweek published an issue devoted to her brilliant career. Bevolo, who felt his 10-year-old marketing and communications firm GeigerBevolo of Minneapolis had “hit a wall,” picked up the issue.
“She was such a power broker. You had to get in to have tea with her,” he says. “I thought it was so amazing that they had these people from all political spectrums discussing the issues of the day. It seemed so Renaissance to me.”
He mused: “What if you could bring the spirit of Katharine Graham, bring people together to focus on their business challenges?” After many months of development, MindTank was born. It assembled local luminaries from different fields to strategize about a client company’s business issues. “One of the beautiful parts is, they have nothing to lose or gain” from the advice they give, Bevolo says about the experts.
A full MindTank, which can unfold over two to four months and features a several-day retreat with the client and the experts, can range from $50,000 to $75,000. The experts are paid, from $3,000 to $5,000.
Bevolo was energized by facilitating his first MindTank, for St. Mary’s Regional Health Center. “I was so jazzed after the first night, and I said, we’ve got to find a way to make MindTank work,” he says. Bevolo treats MindTank like a new product line, while his firm’s main business is marketing and communications for health care clients.
Chris Bevolo, GeigerBevolo: 612.672.9842; ch***@**********lo.com; www.mindtank.com
