This month, I set aside time to talk with Wes Tomer – new to Vault’s CEO role but not to the firm – about his transition into the role and what his thoughts were six months in. Wes and I are collaborative by nature; our relationship very much typifies this. We are partners in our roles more than anything, bouncing ideas back and forth and co-owning the c-suite. The two of us talk daily, but I’ve yet to ask him how things are going on a personal level. Here are a few cool takeaways from our chat…
He’s incredibly excited and energized about the future of the firm! We’ve recently completed a strategic alignment of our core values, goals and objectives, firm initiatives, consultant job descriptions and more to ensure that all oars are rowing in the same direction. There is an energy and buzz about our future, so much so, early in the year we coined #PFF, positive future focus. Not only does this represent our outlook, but also our view that we appreciate open voice, open collaboration, the embracing of change and new ideas and the focus on what’s next.
We chatted quite a bit about something near and dear to me as a change agent, that is the power of collaboration to impact change. One of the biggest surprises to him was how tough it can be to lead a change initiative from a full firm perspective. Collaboration and consistency across everyone involved in the change is key. As we continue to expand our service offerings and footprint, more changes are sure to come! We have a strong leadership team with both legacy-Vault and external industry perspectives who are critical to ushering us forward.
At the core of Wes’ passion as a Vaulter is his commitment and connection to the nonprofit and association community. This has been a contributing factor to the dedication of his career and a tenet he shares with everyone at Vault. We are involved with our clients and the broader community on solving the many challenges facing non-profits and associations. Revenue instability and future uncertainty are the leading challenges in the current environment, but many organizations lack the modernization or innovation strategies to successfully guide them through times of disruption to the achievement of their mission. The community which has a reputation for stability is often slow to embrace or seek out change. Unfortunately, the pandemic has bubbled much of this to the surface. We’re happy to see forward progress on automation and modernization which supports and enables a positive future for the nonprofit and association community.
What’s next @Vault? Continued focus on our professionals and embracing change of course! Intentional geographic expansion to provide support and services to nonprofits and associations headquartered in the Carolinas is a leading priority. We are enjoying a positive energy from our automation and modernization initiatives which drive efficiency both internally and in our client services. Our Vaulters are looking at their roles through a new lens. And there is much collaboration. We are cognizant of the risks that could come with taking on too much at once, making sure we have the discipline to succeed in both our growth and continued excellent service to our clients. Ultimately, our commitment to our mission and our clients is what propels us forward.