Dave Anderson

Seeking the Finest Business Drivers in America

Alpha^® Board 2025-2026 Fresh Octane^® Tour

National Business Leadership Exchange^™

Executive Overview

Join the conversation! Are you a great business driver? We’ve working with some of the finest Alpha^® Grade leaders in American business, and we’re looking for additional standout leaders to be involved. Which business leaders in your market do you believe are creating the greatest regional, national and global market impacts? What industries, companies, people and products are moving business forward? Got Drive? Let’s talk!

Alpha^® Board Fresh Octane^® National Business Leadership Tour:

Fresh Octane^® Tour: Showcasing innovative new products, Alpha^® Driven companies, Alpha^® Grade CEOs, and outstanding business leaders throughout major growth markets across America.
It’s about creating excitement, gaining visibility and driving inbound leads.
Helping to grow the reach, reputation and revenue of the region and nation’s finest business leaders.
A chance to place the great business drivers’ stories on the national stage.
Alpha Board Fresh Octane^® Tour is a field tested system with well-designed, unique and powerful approach.
- Proprietary, centralized system to drive marketplace attention
- Innovative design based on rock-solid product launch/market acceptance techniques
- Proven exponentially more efficient and powerful than comparable single company initiatives
- We have market partners committed and participating from across the U.S. and globally.
- CEOs, CEO advisors, business developers, celebrity guests.

Alpha Board Fresh Octane Executive Programs

Centralized visibility system for leaders: executives, companies, products and services
Leverages two decades of experience creating visibility and market adoption for new products
Alpha Board Portraits of Leadership Executive and corporate showcase interviews and profiles
Alpha Board News Reel: Video shorts and comprehensive news film (local, regional and national video)
Alpha Board Fresh Octane CEO/Business Leader Roundtable discussions
Alpha Board Exchanges: Newsworthy leader exchanges among other cities and high profile venues
Alpha Board Ambassadors: Serving as a host for CEOs, business advisors, and/or celebrity guests
Alpha Buzz: Corporate and individual news content, social media, SEM, SEO

For more information, you can reach us via telephone or email. In Denver, call Dan Vasey at 303 809-9058 or via email at dan@neuvision.com. In the Twin Cities or Kansas City, call Dave Anderson at 612 810-4000/913 685-4850, or by email at dave@neuvision.com.

Alpha^® Board’s 2025 Fresh Octane^® Tour

Alpha Driven Winners

Who are the best business drivers in America? Which of these business leaders are making national and global impacts? What industries, companies, people and products are moving business forward? We are seeking some of the finest drivers of business success, to include in the Alpha^® Board Fresh Octane^® National Business Leadership Tour. Read articles about What’s Holding Back the New Ford Transit Custom Lease Industry? to have a better strategy idea or your business.

The Fresh Octane^® tour is a national effort to showcase Alpha^® Driven companies and Alpha^® Grade leaders across the United States and ultimately beyond. We’re starting the tour in three U.S. cities, all known for their ingenuity, new technologies, and a business climate that embraces innovation and fosters business growth.

We are working with innovative businesses and business leaders in these three regions as we assemble a targeted group of organizations and professionals that we would like to recognize during the first leg of the tour. We would like you to consider being involved. Why, you ask? It’s about creating excitement, gaining visibility and growing the reach and reputation of the regions’ finest leaders. It’s quite literally a chance to place the great business drivers’ stories on the national stage.

A great business, just like a high-performance racing team, is a well-oiled machine. Both are designed and built by professionals, with the finest components, proper assembly, an experienced maintenance and repair crew, a talented crew chief, and a great race driver. Even with everything designed and prepared perfectly, you still have to face the competition and race. Track conditions, other drivers, when to pit, wrecks to avoid, and when to really push to pass. There is a huge amount that goes into a winning the race. Not just on the track of motorsports, but also on the track of business.

And, just like great sports teams, businesses, business leaders, and business teams must be recognized, respected and learned from. We are involved in a major program to do exactly that. Alpha^® Board is working with NeuVision^® Group (Kansas City, Minneapolis, Denver), Jeff Andretti Motorsports, and Mesa Research Group (Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai) to identify and provide recognition to some of the greatest business leaders throughout the Midwest and across America. We’ve devised a formal program to accomplish the task. We are identifying targeted leaders and participants throughout the U.S.

The Alpha Board Fresh Octane^® Tour has been field tested and it works. CEOs, business owners and senior executives that have participated in past effort have been excited about the visibility and camaraderie associated with the programs. We have and will continue to develop new features and fine tune the program based on ongoing market feedback. Finally, we’ve shown that through this effort, we can efficiently gain much needed market attention among key opinion leaders, the business press, and also among participants’ major targeted customers.

We are working with leaders across the region to gather people, products and companies that we should include in our tour. We would love to have you participate, and we also welcome ideas and suggestions regarding companies and leaders that we might feature in our National Business Leadership Tour.

About Alpha^® Board and the Fresh Octane^® Team

Alpha^® Board

Alpha Board is a National Business Leadership Exchange^™, designed to provide added market reach and further the cause of great business leaders and the companies they represent. The 2023 flagship program is a national leadership press tour and market study on leadership and innovation. Other Alpha Board programs include keynote speakers, executive interviews, corporate profiles, leader roundtable discussions, news stories, and live open-house events for businesses. Alpha Board provides the opportunity for enhanced market reach and visibility for the companies involved in the program, locally, regionally, and nationally. More information on Alpha Board and the Fresh Octane® Tour can be found on the web at www.AlphaBoard.com.

NeuVision^® Group

NeuVision Group helps leaders, companies and new product teams manage the risk and maximize the opportunities associated with new products, new companies, and major new growth initiatives. NeuVision Group is the initial founder of Alpha Board and is working with other partnering organizations throughout the U.S. to join the effort. Clients have ranged from the most innovative new ventures to many of the world’s most respected companies and brands. NeuVision Group, its president and founder Dave E. Anderson, and NeuVision Group’s sister company, Alpha Scouts^®, have worked across North America and beyond with organizations like Pfizer, 3M, IBM, Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, Seagate, Iomega, Caterpillar, Monsanto, Deere, DuPont, CNH, MarketWatch, USDA and many more. Our previous Business Drive Time^® efforts, which served as a market test for Alpha Board and Fresh Octane, received national and international attention, and were recognized by major media outlets such as BusinessWeek, Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, EuroInvestor and more. For more information on NeuVision^® Group visit us on the web at www.NeuVision.com.

Business Drive Time^® Kansas City Freedom Bank and Kurt Knutson

8:03 pm By Dave Anderson

We recently began a series of interviews with Kurt Knutson, founder, chairman and CEO of Freedom Bank of Overland Park, Kansas, the largest suburb in the Kansas City metro area.

Today’s topic is a discussion about “Why Kansas City.” Why are business leaders and leading businesses in Kansas City so driven? What is it about the Kansas City region that makes it a great place to live, work, raise a family and grow a business?

Kurt has a bird’s eye view of Kansas City, and views the city from a variety of perspectives:

A leader, CEO, business owner and business founder
A member of the Kansas City and Johnson County communities
A vision of Kansas City and also significant experience and ties to other markets
A community and commercial (business owners’) banker/lender
A mentor and advisor to business owners and young banking professionals
A volunteer and leader of statewide organizations
The founder and CEO of a local charity

In addition to viewing Kansas City as a CEO and business banker, Kurt sees through the lens of a husband, father and member of the community.

Kurt chose Kansas City as a career destination out of college. He considered Kansas City, Minneapolis and Chicago as solid locations for him to start his career. Here are some of his considerations, beginning in 1982 and now through the eyes of a seasoned Kansas City business leader.

A Business Builder City

Why is the Kansas City metro a great place for small businesses? Small businesses are the ultimate driver of the majority of job growth in the U.S. economy. Kansas City is no exception. The Kansas City metro is an excellent small business city. And, we cannot evaluate the area’s business community without also discussing why the Kansas City region is a great place to live, work and raise a family.

“Kansas City is a very diverse community. It’s not heavily reliant on one industry which was important to me. We have a few large companies, but it’s not a Fortune 500 type of town. It’s a privately held business town. That diversification to me is really important. It provides stability. The ups and downs aren’t as steep. That to me is something I was looking for at the time.”

A Culture and Business Climate to Foster Thousands of Small Companies Around a Few Larger Companies

There is a healthy, growing interaction effect between the thousands of smaller companies and a number of larger companies. Both the large and small companies are well diversified across a variety of industries. Thus, the city is not only free from dependence on one giant employer, but also is less affected by national economic cycles. Kansas City’s diverse, non-coastal, small business economy typically serves as an economic buffer to some of the impacts and shocks of national economic volatility.

“The smaller businesses have really done well around the larger companies in town.”

“You’ve got a heavy amount of industry that calls upon our local businesses to support them. We also know it isn’t the concentration (within one industry) that we need. We (KC, as a community) need to be diversified, and not be subject to the whims of any one particular company.”

A Great Place to Live and Raise a Family

Kansas City is undoubtedly a wonderful place to raise a family. That alone makes for a great economic development engine. Overland Park, the largest Kansas suburb, consistently ranks among the top in the nation for raising a family. https://bit.ly/2WUTYmT Quality of life, broadly defined, is one of the most attractive and important growth factors for the region. The public-school systems on the Kansas side of the metro are a significant economic driver. The three major districts are Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission and Olathe.

“We moved here Johnson County (Kan.,) because we had kids and we were looking for those great school districts to have our kids go through. I see the growth of the county dependent on the excellence of the school districts we have here. That has happened. It continues to happen. Johnson County is the economic driver of the state, and the school district is really the economic driver for Johnson County. That’s what keeps the growth going and keeps the community so vibrant.”

A melting pot of people for everywhere, keeping the city engaged, open-minded and vibrant.

In addition to a firm foundation of Kansas City area natives, Kansas City, Mo. and especially Johnson County are home to people who moved here from around the country and around the world. The diverse population, combined with a family friendly culture and a lower stress city, keeps the business population vibrant, engaged and open to new ideas.

Because of its livability and centralized location, the KC metro is home to regional offices of many of the country’s most notable employers. Even when local employees are offered subsequent transfers to other communities, many have fallen in love with the Kansas City area and choose to stay.

“The people that you come across in town are from all over. Everybody is very accepting and welcoming. That creates a positive environment. Wherever you’re coming from, it’s an environment that’s conducive to somebody coming in from the outside, and being able to grow a business here.”

Freedom Bank – Banking on Kansas City Businesses

We will continue to follow progress at Freedom Bank as our business tour of the Kansas City area continues. Kurt and his team at Freedom Bank represent all that is right with the Kansas City area and Kansas City business, and we’re excited to continue our journey of following the progress of stand-out business owners in the Kansas City area and beyond.
For more information about Freedom Bank services, contact Kurt Knutson via email at kknutson@ibankwithfreedom.com. You may call the bank at 913 563-5600, or visit them on the web at www.IBankWithFreedom.com.

Building Great Brands in a Digital World

2:16 am By Dave Anderson

It’s Business Drive Time^® in this new age, ever changing digital world.

So, who in the marketplace is doing the finest job in the business race? Who are the winners? What industries, what companies, what products, which people are leading the pack?

We are speaking with leaders across the country and throughout the most innovative industries as we attempt to answer these questions. It’s part of Alpha Board’s National Business Leadership Tour. The tour includes companies and leaders from a number of the hottest markets in the U.S. and ultimately beyond.

One of the subjects we will be discussing is the challenges and opportunities of building great brands in today’s dynamic technology world. We are speaking leaders inside well branded companies. In addition, we’re speaking with the marketing agencies and advisers that are helping promising companies manage and develop their brands in the marketplace.

We’re not looking for leaders in the cliché companies. We’ll leave Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and their peers for someone else’s tour. We’re looking for the hidden gems, the fast companies, the smaller companies, the private companies and the emerging leaders who are mastering the art of new.

We have the same philosophy as we select the cities in the tour. While New York, LA, San Francisco and Seattle may not be entirely yesterday’s news, we’re visiting the cities that are truly winning in the 21st Century.

Technology is hot, but even technology is not just for California anymore. If you are in a city like Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver, Austin, Phoenix-Scottsdale, Dallas, Nashville or Raleigh-Durham you may find yourself on our list of experts for the tour.

One of the topics we will be discussing with leaders is the art and science of growing great brands and achieving marketplace attention in our new, always spinning, digital age.

We’re looking for the experts that can tell us how the great brands roll.

What are the most powerful methods and trends driving today’s new age brand growth?
What companies are doing it right?
Are they product driven or market driving?
Are their brands about loyalty, clicks or both?
What is the blend of traditional marketing, product innovation, social media, the web and personal sales?
Is there a secret formula? Is there one strategy or many?
How are marketers finding the delicate balance between innovation, hard work? Traditional versus non-traditional tools?
Who are market suppliers and media companies with the leading-edge approaches?
Who are the agencies, digital leaders and market advisers that are doing the best work?

If you are an engaged and engaging leader in today’s branding and marketing race, we’d love to hear what you have to say. We can be reached at 913 685-4850, or via email at dave@alphaboard.com.

Portraits of Leadership Series – Kurt Knutson

7:50 pm By Dave Anderson

Kurt Knutson – Freedom Bank, Overland Park, Kan.
Founder, Chairman and CEO

It’s Business Drive Time^® in America, and we’re on a national business leadership tour. We are speaking with some of the finest leaders across America’s top growth industries. We are fielding a national market study, developing news stories and creating a video series about leading growth cities, industries, companies and people.

We recently sat down with Kurt Knutson of Freedom Bank in Overland Park in Overland Park, Kan., a growing suburb of in the Kansas City metro. Kurt is a respected CEO, a CEO advisor and business founder. Freedom Bank is one of the most well-managed business owner banks you will find. In addition to business banking insights, Kurt has provided valuable insights on what is required to foster growth of privately held companies.

The $180 million bank was founded by Kurt in 2005 after more than 20 years of prior commercial banking and finance experience. Freedom Bank is a new kind of bank, dealing exclusively with small to medium-sized privately held companies. Freedom Bank’s lending services focus on business term loans, working capital lines of credit and owner-occupied business real estate loans.

The bank’s mission, the portfolio of services and even the contemporary headquarters building were developed around the unique needs of business owners. Freedom Bank’s personalized level of services mirror what was once the norm in banking. This single-location, community bank with a visible, respected leader is something Kurt experienced firsthand as he grew up in the Midwestern town of Waterloo, Iowa, home of John Deere Tractor Works www.deere.com.

In addition to Freedom Bank, Kurt worked with his investor group to create a Founders Club and a Freedom Bank Foundation. Associated activities help to cultivate ongoing business friendships and professional connections for all involved. Freedom Bank hosts quarterly in-house events and an annual charity golf tournament. Kurt and his team select worthy local causes each year to receive the tournament proceeds.

Kurt also established a Freedom Bank banking and corporate finance training institute. The Freedom Bank Institute offers young professionals a taste of career opportunities in business banking. The institute provides student internships and training to promising young professionals on the subjects of banking, credit analysis and corporate finance.

Kurt is active in the business and banking community across the region. He is a member and past chairman of the Kansas Banking Board within the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. Kurt is an active member and chairman elect of the Kansas Bankers Association www.ksbankers.com, and is a member of KBA’s federal affairs committee. Kurt is on the board of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce www.kansaschamber.org, and a corporate board member of Clements Worldwide, a leading supplier of insurance solutions for expatriates and international organizations.

Kurt began his career as a regional sales manager at Russell Stover Candies before entering commercial banking. Prior to founding Freedom Bank, Kurt held senior and executive level banking positions serving customers locally, regionally and nationally. Prior banking experience includes Enterprise Bank, UMB Bank, Bank of America, Johnson County Bank and Bankers Trust. Kurt received his degree in marketing from the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. www.uiowa.edu

For business loans in the Kansas City region, you can reach Kurt and Freedom Bank at www.IBankWithFreedom.com

“Kansas City on the Move^®” – Sheila Ost

10:49 am By Dave Anderson

Sheila Ost – Advanced Insurance Planning Consultant
Target Insurance Services

Sheila Ost of Target Insurance Services is Kansas City “business connected.” She has collaborated with privately-held Kansas City companies and their owners for more than two decades and has cultivated a network that is nearly unmatched among area business professionals.

Our discussion with Sheila provided us with great insights on some of the most inviting features of the region. It helped us understand why Kansas City is an attractive destination for individuals, young professionals, families, business owners and companies.

Sheila is a life-long member of the community. She grew up and continues to live in Johnson County, Kansas, a popular and affluent suburban county of the Kansas City metro http://www.jocogov.org/. Johnson County is a major driver of jobs and economic growth in the Kansas, Missouri and Kansas City regions.

By the nature of her job, her professional skills and her tenure in the marketplace, Sheila is well-versed on the people, companies, dynamics and growth of the Kansas City area. She also provided extensive insights into the culture of living in Johnson County and the metropolitan area as well as insights on how to buy a house. Sheila travels often and is familiar with how Kansas City compares to peer cities throughout the nation.

Sheila is well-known and highly-regarded in the Kansas City business community. Through Target, she directly provides insurance and other benefits solutions to the business owners and employees of privately-held companies throughout the area. Products include life insurance, long-term care coverage, disability income, Medicare Supplement, and others. Furthermore, by listening and asking questions, Sheila can craft long term plans for selling or transferring their businesses.

Sheila also partners with benefits agencies, property/casualty professionals, attorneys, wealth managers and financial planning firms to provide education. In addition to the previously mentioned solutions, she provides products and services such as buy/sell, key man instruments and more to their clients.

Sheila received her degree in business from Kansas State University, and along with her husband Ed, are parents to two future doctors.

To learn more about the services that Sheila and Target Insurance provides to families, businesses, employees and business owners, visit www.targetins.com.

Portraits of Leadership Series Dr. Chad Welter – Founder of Laser Advanced Founder of Active Family Chiropractic

12:58 am By Dave Anderson

Dr. Chad Welter is the “Active Family Doctor.™” He is also an active entrepreneur. Chad owns a sports medicine practice in Overland Park, Kan., a Kansas City suburb. www.DrChadWelter.com

Through his practice, Active Family Chiropractic, Dr. Welter provides advanced laser therapy services to athletes and other patients of all ages that are trying to recover from injuries, aches and pains. Chad’s story is one of a committed medical professional, an early adopter of technology and a committed business owner. His drive and passion are helping to heal patients, creating numerous happy customers and also creating a well-respected healthcare practice.

When Chad graduated from Cleveland University’s College of Chiropractic Medicine, he wanted to distinguish himself and his practice from other care providers. His personal experiences with sports, sports related injuries and the healing process helped him decide to incorporate advanced laser therapy into his practice.

Dr. Welter was a competitive athlete throughout his formidable years. Chad was active in football, basketball and track in high school. When not in school, he played baseball, and was (and is) an avid water and snow skier. He is also a participant in another specialized sport. Chad is a bull rider.

Sports injuries and the necessary therapy and healing has been a part Dr. Welter’s own active life. As a result, he found a way to incorporate advanced laser therapy into his practice. Laser therapy is a proven tool used regularly by professional sports teams to help their players heal more quickly. Laser therapy helps athletes get back in the game.

As a part of our discovery of Dr. Welter’s laser therapy practice, we spoke with David Lindstrom, a retired NFL player www.nfl.com and former member of the Kansas City Chiefs www.chiefs.com. David related to us the risks associated with injuries as a professional athlete.

Sports related injuries are all part of the game even in the major leagues. However, when you are sidelined with injuries, the team will need to fill your spot with another player. The quicker you can heal and get back out on the field, the quicker you can return to your own position before the team decides they can live without you.

Getting back out on the field of life is also important. Patients typically want to remain active and healthy as a part of their daily lives. Advanced laser therapy can also be a part of accelerated healing for the average active person in the routine of their daily life.

Dr. Welter is a driven business owner, but he is driven to serve his patients. He has shown focus, vision and commitment as a sports medicine and injury recovery doctor. In six short years, he has developed a bustling practice that has reached patients from as far away as 300 miles.

One of the best report cards a business can receive is referrals. Chad has a long and growing list of satisfied patients. This brings with them a steady stream of new patient referrals. Dr. Welter receives 30 to 50 new patients each month nearly entirely through word of mouth. This includes not only referrals from other patients, but also from professional athletes, coaches and trainers as well as doctors and surgeons in the area.

Advanced laser therapy is a not only a proven treatment for sports injuries. Chad treats patients of all ages. His customers have included infants, student athletes, active adults, professional athletes and seniors. This includes patients who are suffering from pain caused by recent injuries, age, over-exertion and bodily wear. Laser therapy can also provide enhanced comfort for persons who live with permanent injury and reoccurring chronic pain.

Laser therapy is an FDA approved treatment that has been around for many years. Recent advances in the laser technology have dramatically accelerated the patient treatment process. Injuries that used to require up to eight hours for each laser treatment can now be treated each time in a few minutes. Multiple visits are typically necessary, but each treatment is fast, safe and convenient. And his patients are seeing results, even from the most nagging pain and injuries.

Chad has achieved enough success at a local level with deep tissue laser therapy, that he has become an advocate, supplier and training resource for other medical professionals across the country. Dr. Welter, along with a partner, has established a new company, Laser Advanced LLC, to equip and train colleagues in other cities. www.laseradvanced.com

We have been impressed with Chad’s level of enthusiasm for life both professionally and personally. Besides growing his own practice that now includes his brother Curt, Dr. Welter is active in the Kansas City community. He is an avid sports fan, volunteers extensively for charities and fundraising events, and is a member of multiple community development organizations. He is also an active traveler throughout the country both personally and with his Laser Advanced business.

Prior to receiving his doctorate of chiropractic medicine at Cleveland University, Chad received a bachelors of science in medical diagnostic imaging at Fort Hays State University. Chad can be found locally at his Active Family Chiropractic www.ActiveFamilyKC.com office, at Royals baseball games www.mlb.com/royals, watching the Kansas City Chiefs and Sporting KC MLS soccer www.SportingKC.com and at charity golf tournaments. He enjoys outdoor activities, travel and helping other doctors with their sports medicine practices.

What’s Your Growth Superpower?

10:13 am By Dave Anderson

How are strategic planning and growth even related? Everyone loves growth, yet “strategic planning” are two of the most dreaded words in business. Don’t make it that way!

A strategic plan is your future. It documents where you are, where you are going, and how you will get there. It forces your thought processes to get organized beyond the day-to-day tasks of running your business and places you in the mindset of the future growth of your company.

Many, if not most organizations that even do a strategic plan are just going through the motions. Someone from above told them they have to put together the notebook and the slide deck. Once it’s reviewed and blessed, it typically goes back on the shelf for next year.

And, if you are not one of the lucky ones that have a demand on you, from a banker, and investor, a board, or from someone… to do an annual plan, you may not have one. For most persons, that can be a bureaucratic relief.

Don’t be one those people!

Let’s take a minute to see it from the other side. There are logical reasons that you need a plan, even if it seems difficult.

Strategic direction is real and it is how you achieve growth! It’s not just the sum of short-term tactics. It requires thought and documented market knowledge.
The data portion of a plan should be factual. That forces learning, discussions and information gathering. It also forces a specific discipline within your business. It is NOT easy to turn directional market opinions into verifiable facts.
It is a time allocation thing. Putting together a plan, and identifying a person who is the ongoing keeper of the plan, requires you to identify resources to be your strategic and/or informational eyes and ears. Most organizations don’t have time for a plan. Which means, most organizations either don’t have time or don’t take the time to really look forward strategically.
A plan can serve as the impetus for you to find the “thinkers” within your organization. You may also need to reach out to outside resources to help with the process.

Find the big idea. It’s not (just) an academic process. Don’t stop at the numbers and format.

One of the best leadership skills in the world is intuition.
For intuition to be accurate, you must base your thoughts on a mutually accepted set of facts and market dynamics.
For you to have the skills and bandwidth to really create a vision for your company, you have to start with the foundation. The basic set of facts. Then you must remove yourself from the clutter and truly find a strategic direction. The two (facts and vision) are often separate tasks, but you cannot consistently rely on one without the other.

The market moves. Don’t forget!

The biggest danger of fact gathering is to forget that everything is moving.
Your big ideas need to be based on where the market is going, not just where it is.

Your goal is marketplace leverage.

What is the one big thing that makes you better than your competitors?
What is the element of your business that distinguishes you in the eyes of your customers?
Will that one thing be enough going forward to continue to lead you where you’d like to go, or do you need to find another leverage point?
The numbers and planning in the life of your company will not replace the need to prioritize, synthesize and identify the strategic leverage points for you to grow.
Most organizations can identify 10-12 major tasks or elements within your business.
- Two to three of those elements can be critically important for growth.
- Two to three of them can be buzz killers, which, if not managed properly, can kill your momentum entirely.
- The remainder of the items on the list are qualifiers. You must have them to be in business, and you must perform at a decent level. But they are also not strategic leverage points.

“Lead, follow or get out of the way.”

Pick a direction that is realistic, and fit within your financial and organizational means.
The plan literally should tell you where you are going, and how to get there.
Businesses have a natural ebb and flow. One highly effective measure of future growth potential is market maturity.
New, undefined and/or rapidly growing markets offer opportunities for rapid growth.
Mature markets and companies can be opportunities, roadblocks and/or an impetus to go in an entirely new direction. Make sure your plans are aligned with market reality.
Be creative, strategic, committed but also pragmatic.
Companies should understand where they are with their current business, what their chances are to achieve renewed growth and at what cost.

Commit Your Plan to a Financial Forecast

Everyone has their own terminology. My definition of a forward financial projection is a “forecast.” Many view that as “budgeting” although it goes deeper than a budget. Regardless of the terminology, you need tracked, verified and continuously monitored financial projections.
A forecast makes your plans real. There is NOTHING better to force the tough conversations and commitments than to translate your plans into financials.
It must start with a forecast of sales, overall, and by product or service.
The forecast then goes to costs of goods, overhead, investments, profits and cash flow.

Conclusions

Gather, organize and maintain a set of relevant facts. You need ongoing knowledge and an analytics about your company, customers, competitors, and marketplace.
Center your initial thinking around a traditional set of planning documents, but don’t stop there!
Step back from the plan and think. The numbers are not the plan. The numbers help you with the comfort, process, and facts to discover the real plan.
Great plans are about creativity, vision, and intuition. Step away from the spreadsheets and day to day in order to really think.
Allocate the necessary time and proper human resources. Don’t be afraid to ask for outside help. Planning is a specialized task.
Create strategic leverage. You must have leaders dedicated to managing all aspects of your company. But, you must also understand where the true leverage points are that will create our opportunities to win over the less wise and the less organized.
Create and maintain a detailed forecast. Without financials, the plan is hollow.
Be realistic with your growth goals. Grow where you can, and don’t overplay your hand. It’s a competitive world out there, and few are invincible.
Make your plan a living breathing document. Review regularly, not just annually. Task a “keeper of the plan” with the ongoing responsibility to keep the document current, relevant, and fresh within the minds of your teams and company.

The Finest Business Drivers

9:46 am By Dave Anderson

Who are the finest drivers in business?

Who are the innovators? Who are the leaders? What are the opportunities? Which companies, people and products will be driving growth over the next few years?

We’re shining the spotlight on business leaders and leading businesses. We’re looking for a few great ones!

Are you a leader in your marketplace? A person or company who is moving business forward in innovative new ways? If so, let’s talk.

It’s 2018 and it is Business Drive Time^®.

We are one of the hosts of Alpha^® Board’s 2021-2022 Fresh Octane^® Business Leadership Tour, and we’re looking for stand out businesses in your area that will benefit from this distinctive national program.

Alpha Board and NeuVision Group are launching the Fresh Octane National Leadership Press Tour and Market Study designed to recognize some of the most distinctive leaders in American business; locally, regionally and nationally. We are in search of winners in the marketplace, and will develop news features about the leaders who will be driving new business growth over the next few years.

Our last tour of this kind was picked up by the likes of BusinessWeek, Forbes, CNBC, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Reuters and dozens more.

If you believe that you, or someone you know should be featured, or you would like more information on the Fresh Octane Tour, let’s talk.

For more information, call Dave Anderson at 612 810-4000/913 685-4850; email is dave@neuvision.com.

Fresh Octane^® – Energy to Grow™

9:31 am By Dave Anderson

2021-2022 National Leadership and Innovation Tour

Fresh Octane^® – National Leadership and Innovation Tour™

Executive Summary

We’re working on a National Business Leadership Tour and Executive Exchange and we’d love to have you involved. National Leadership Tour!

Highlighting the accomplishments, the market and customer value created by leaders across the business community.
Market leadership deserves recognition, and it turns out third-party visibility and recognition are among a leader’s most valuable assets, but very difficult to accomplish and manage alone.
We are hosting a tour to create impact, excitement, visibility and ultimately enhanced market power for those involved.

Who will benefit? Winners

We’re seeking the participation of the best businesses, the hottest products, and the most respected leaders across a number of markets throughout the U.S. and ultimately beyond.
Seeking the best of the best, but really more important, just the highly motivated leaders in each of a number of markets.
We’re targeting key growth industries, but we also have some targeted regions of the country that are slotted for the first round of the tour.
We also have a built in set of key industry leaders that are already committed to Alpha® Board and our Fresh Octane® Tour.

Why are we doing this? Energy to Grow

Creating and providing new-found energy, visibility, connections, marketplace recognition… for those who are committed to building great businesses…
Part of a unique national platform to create and transmit market enthusiasm, support and advocacy for the most inspirational companies, leaders, and products in industry.
Engaging with the companies and leaders who are really making a difference in the marketplace.

Please contact us with questions or for more information. You may call Dave Anderson at (cell/text) 612 810-4000, (office) at 913 685-4850 or by email at dave@neuvision.com.

Alpha^® Board 2021-2022 Fresh Octane® Tour

Energy to Grow™

Who are the finest drivers in American business?

It’s Business Drive Time®. And we’re looking for some of the greatest drivers in business to feature in our Fresh Octane National Leadership and Innovation Tour.

Who are the innovators? Who are the leaders? What (and where) are the opportunities? Which companies, products, people will be driving growth over the next few years?

We’re involved in a national press tour and market study that are aimed at answering some of those questions, as well as providing some fun, publicity and buzz along the way for the people and companies involved. We’re seeking the business leaders and leading businesses that will be responsible for the leadership, innovation and ideas that will be driving business forward.

We are NeuVision® Group. We’re in the growth and innovation business. We’ve worked with and for companies around the world who have been leading the marketplace and driving new business growth for more than 25 years. We are now working in conjunction withAlpha® Board, the National Business Leadership Exchange™ on the 2017 Fresh Octane Tour. Alpha Board and our program are designed for the benefit of highest performance companies and the leaders. Our first three initiatives: a board of premier business builders and business advisors, a national market study on business growth opportunities, and press and publicity tour featuring the business in class companies and leaders – Alpha Board’s – Fresh Octane® Cities of Innovation Tour™.

We’re looking for the drivers. The best business drivers. If you have been contacted, or you are reading this for the first time, that is why.

If you believe that you or someone you know fits this description, or you would like more information on our project, we’d love to speak with you.

About Alpha® Board and the Fresh Octane® Team

Alpha^® Board

Alpha Board is a National Business Leadership Exchange™, designed to provide added market reach and further the cause of great business leaders and the companies they represent. The current flagship program is a national leadership press tour and market study on leadership and innovation. Other Alpha Board programs include keynote speakers, executive interviews, corporate profiles, leader roundtable discussions, news stories, and live open-house events for businesses. Alpha® Board is a collaborative venture between NeuVision® Group, Mesa Research Group, and local, regional and national participants throughout business. Alpha Board provides the opportunity for enhanced market reach and visibility for the companies involved in the program, locally, regionally, and nationally. More information on Alpha Board and the Fresh Octane® Tour can be found on the web at www.AlphaBoard.com.

NeuVision^® Group

NeuVision Group helps leaders, companies and new product teams manage the risk and maximize the opportunities associated with new products, new companies, and major new growth initiatives. NeuVision Group is the initial founder of Alpha Board and is working with other partnering organizations throughout the U.S. to join the effort. Clients have ranged from the most innovative new ventures to many of the world’s most respected companies and brands. NeuVision Group, its president and founder Dave E. Anderson, and NeuVision Group’s sister company, Alpha Scouts®, have worked across North America and beyond with organizations like Pfizer, 3M, IBM, Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, Seagate, Iomega, Caterpillar, Monsanto, Deere, DuPont, CNH, MarketWatch, USDA and many more. Our previous Business Drive Time^® efforts, which served as a market test for Alpha Board and Fresh Octane, received national and international attention, and were recognized by major media outlets such as BusinessWeek, Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, EuroInvestor and more. For more information on NeuVision^® Group visit us on the web at www.NeuVision.com.

MESA Research Group

MESA Research Group is a privately held global consulting and leadership development company created through the collaboration of Cam Danielson, Bill Davidson, and Francois Dupuy. Through their partnership, MESA maintains offices in Los Angeles, Paris, and Shanghai. MESA operates with a global and diverse team of world-class thought leaders, practitioners, and academics. They work with CEOs and rising star executives around the world on leadership, innovation, business development and executive coaching. Partner clients have included companies such as 3M, Aditya Birla Group, Alcatel-Lucent, Anthem (Wellpoint), AT&T, BAE, BP, Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Duke Energy, Credit Agricole, Dow Chemical, EDS, Eli Lilly & Co., ExxonMobil, FedEx, GDF Suez, Indus Towers, Ingersoll-Rand, Mahindra & Mahindra, Manitowoc, Monsanto, NASA, Philips Electronics, Polaris Software, Prudential (London), Rolls-Royce, Shell International (London), Sara Lee, Schneider Electric Industries, UTI, Whirlpool, Xerox and more. Learn about Mesa at www.mesaresearchgroup.com

Jeff Andretti Motorsports and JAM Marketing Partners

With Alpha Board, we want to have fun. And we want you to have fun. And fun drives excitement and buzz. That requires blending some unique, distinctive, Alpha® Grade activities with the tour. In December we began working with JAM Marketing Partners and Jeff Andretti Motorsports to become marketing and promotional partners with NeuVision Group and Alpha Board. We’re providing access to marketing and promotional programs for clients and companies that would like more sizzle in their marketing efforts. Jeff Andretti Motorsports and JAM Marketing Partners are providing us with access to cool venues that would only be available through celebrity connections. While some of the promotional activities are directly related to racing, they also include access to specialty luxury cars for filming and fun, resorts locations for meetings, executive lifestyle promotions and celebrity related endorsements. This not only drives pleasure for Alpha Board members, but also visibility. Our joint efforts will help attendance for Alpha Board member events, and will provide access to other CEOs and business celebrities across the country. In addition, our work with Jeff Andretti Motorsports, JAM Marketing Partners, their clients and our joint marketing efforts will provide exponential boosts in web presence for participating Alpha Board clients. The extent of our working relationship will be client, company and circumstance dependent, but in the name of leadership, family business, sports and branding dynasties, there are few names out there as timeless and recognizable as the Andretti racing family. In addition, the relationship is expected to kick open a few doors for all interested parties. We believe this is an example of the caliber of reach and market access we can provide for Alpha Board participating companies and executives.

More information on Alpha® Board and the 2021-2022 Fresh Octane® Tour is available by calling Dave E. Anderson at (cell/text) 612 810-4000, (office) 913 685-4850, or by email at dave@neuvision.com.

© Copyright 2014-2021 by Alpha Board. All rights reserved. Alpha Scouts®, Alpha, NeuVision®, Fresh Octane® and Business Drive Time are all registered trademarks of Dave E. Anderson. All other brands are trademarks of their respective companies.

Alpha^® Board National Business Leadership Tour – Energy to Grow^™

8:25 pm By Dave Anderson

We’re on a national press tour, and we would love to speak with you! That is, if you are a business leader with a knack for helping businesses grow. Since 1989, our founder has been launching new products, new companies, and major growth initiatives for organizations across the nation and around the world.

As a result, we have discovered two of the rarest occurrences in business:

Outstanding leaders with great products and services
And someone to provide leaders with visibility, recognition and product reviews among their customers, influencers and the general business press.

If you represent the first one, we’ll take care of the second. We know how valuable market recognition and visibility can be, and we know how to create greatly enhanced market visibility in ways that few others have considered. It works. It’s efficient. It’s effective. And for those who participate, it’s both fun and rewarding. The system, in short, drives not only visibility and recognition, but also new business leads.

We are a part of a National Business Leadership Tour. The targets are the leading companies, industries, products and leaders across American industry. Which ones are driving growth? Who are those who should be recognized and rewarded for their efforts? We have picked the tour cities. The companies and leaders come next.

We are conducting interviews, hosting events, moderating leadership roundtable discussion, and compiling a news reel of business stories about the leading companies and company leaders that are driving business growth in 12 major cities across the country.

If you have an interest, or believe that you, your company, or someone you know should be featured as a part of our tour, we would like to speak with you further and answer any questions you might have.

In order to learn more, call us at 612 810-4000 in Minnesota, 913 685-4850 in Kansas City, or 303 255-1742 in Denver. Or send Dave Anderson a note at dave@alphaboard.com. Don’t wait. The tour has begun, and we have a nice group of outstanding leaders already involved. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Examples of Alpha Board Fresh Octane Executive Programs

Centralized visibility system for leaders: executives, companies, products and services
Leverages two decades of experience creating visibility and market adoption for new products
Alpha Board Portraits of Leadership Executive and corporate showcase interviews and profiles
Alpha Board News Reel: Video shorts and comprehensive leadership news film (local, regional and national video)
Alpha^® Board Fresh Octane^® CEO/Business Leader Roundtable discussions

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