TESTIMONIALS
“I have had the privilege of working with The Will-Burt Company for almost 3 decades. During that time, I have witnessed extraordinary leadership competencies demonstrated by Jeff Evans especially during the most challenging times. If Vision, Strategy and Execution are concerns for you and your Teams, please dive into this masterpiece."
~ Dr. Joy, President & Founder of Carver & Associates, International Management Consultants
“Jeff Evans believes that it is just as important to invest energy and resources into creating a high-performance team culture, as it is to build manufacturing competencies. Will-Burt’s employee-owners embrace this responsibility and manage the business as if it is their own and enjoy the benefits of bonuses and increased stock valuations. It’s a very rewarding business culture, indeed!”
~ Jon Ansel, President D+S Distribution, Inc.
“Jeff is an incredibly innovative leader in the manufacturing sector. He transformed a virtually bankrupt company in the 90’s, based in rural Ohio, into a vibrant 100% employee-owned global specialty maker of masts. Jeff’s foresight, keen financial acumen, calm demeanor and adherence to solid governance distinguished him among his peers.”
~ Marc S. Byrnes, Company Chairman Emeritus, Oswald Companies
“Anyone can handle the helm when the waters are calm and most panic when the water is coming over the gunnels. It takes a special leader to stay calm in all conditions and remain committed and focused to the core values of the business. Jeff is such a leader. The values he helped establish at The Will-Burt Company were not situational, they were fixed and offered an unwavering course through both good times and bad. “
~ Daniel H. Plumly, Former Managing Member, Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston
“When our employee-owned business needed leadership on the Board of Directors a decade ago, we found it through an introduction to Jeff Evans. His leadership helped inspire Webster Industries to pursue our strategic objectives with shared values, shared effort, shared vision, and a shared success. His expertise in value driven leadership will undoubtably be an outstanding resource for those interested in adopting proven strategies to achieve success in any organization.”
~ Andrew J. Felter, CEO and President, Webster Industries
“Jeff’s background and experiences make him well qualified to share his lessons and strategies with the public. His ability to identify, communicate, rally and enable people to tackle challenges allowed him to successfully lead his company through situations where others would have failed.”
~ Bill R. Cook, Executive Director Commercial Banking, Chase Bank
“I have known Jeff over 20 years and have worked with him on numerous successful financing and acquisition opportunities. He is a true leader in every aspect of his life both professionally and personally.”
~ William J. Laux, President, Laux and Company
“Every organization needs a leader who brings passion, integrity, wisdom, and strong operational acumen, and Jeff Evans embodies all these characteristics and more. While working alongside Jeff for many years on a corporate board, Jeff has helped our company thrive by sharing his business experience, both successful decisions and failures, providing very direct operational feedback, in particular around accountability, and instilling the importance of vision and strategy within our leadership team. It’s great to see how Jeff has prepared his company for the next decades as he transitions into his next career – expanding his impact on many more organizations.”
~ David Myers, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Owens & Minor
“Jeff has been a leader in the ESOP community in Ohio (and beyond) for many years, and has always shown a willingness to share his time, ideas, and expertise. I’ve also personally appreciated his counsel to me as we strive to serve the employee-owned community.”
~ Chris Cooper, Program Coordinator, Ohio Employee Ownership Center
“I have known Jeff Evans for over 25 years as his Pastor. Jeff is a great and compassionate leader who has served our church and community with great distinction.”
~ Dr. David Tebbs, Lead Pastor, Jackson Friends Church
“I have had the pleasure of serving on a board with Jeff for over 10 years. Jeff has the unique ability to sift through a lot of issues and data and then quickly identify the two or three critical actions that the business needs to really focus on. Jeff also taught us to be always mindful of the “unintended consequences” of any actions or decisions we were about to take.”
~ Kishor Pendse, Former President Bendix Spicer, Former President TRW Koyo
“Jeff has served on our board of directors for 20 years and has always been an excellent resource for me. His business acumen and extensive knowledge of ESOPS’s have made him a key member of our Board. He has undoubtedly contributed significantly to our Company’s success."
~ Jim Ruhlin, President, CEO and Chairman, The Ruhlin Company