MARC BUTLER: CEO CULTIVATING CHARACTER IN COLORADO
The next member of the “character community” to profile is Marc Butler of Denver Colorado. I came to know Marc as a fellow board member of “Families of Character.” Marc is a unique leader, not only as the CEO of J.R. Butler, Inc. http://www.jrbutlerinc.com but also a leader in building character.
J.R. Butler is a full service glass and glazing contractor, offering the integration of innovative design solutions, engineering, fabrication, and installation. Marc works closely with architects, general contractors and owners, as well as the market’s leading material suppliers to provide integrated glazing packages and superior solutions for even the most difficult design-build projects.
Marc believes the future of his company lies in the hands of tomorrow’s leaders. Marc is committed to developing employees with strong virtues along with key leadership skills. His “Elite Team” is a select group of employees that are put through a year-long course designed to prepare them for success. They learn leadership and financial skills as well as take courses in the glass and glazing industry. Members of the Elite Team are also encouraged to volunteer in the community.
Marc’s newest leadership group is Veritas, which stands for “The Truth.” Veritas is a program in which employees are challenged to use their critical thinking skills to learn to be well-rounded leaders. The program focuses on many controversial topics and requires active debate on the part of the members. Several testimonials below best describe J.R. Butler’s Elite and Veritas programs.
Testimonial from Felix, an Elite graduate:
“The Elite Team is a life-changing program. The program has given me the skills to become an effective leader and has taught me ways to help develop those around me into leaders as well. Elite has also given me the opportunity to give back to my community and become a positive example for those around me.”
Testimonial from Dax, a member of Veritas:
“Veritas has opened up my eyes to the tools that I already had to be a successful and productive member of a family, community and business. My experience with Veritas has given me the opportunity to learn who I am, and to understand how I see the world and how the world sees me.”
Testimonial from Russell, a member of Veritas:
“Veritas is one of the toughest challenges I’ve ever had to face. The assignments are more difficult than many of the projects I had in engineering school. The reason is that unlike engineering, there often isn’t an absolute answer/solution to an issue/problem. Everything is a matter of perspective and there are no equations to “solve for X”. You have to question your own tendencies and processes to come up with some sort of “answer” to the “question”, however vague it may be. By far and large, the hardest part is the self reflection; Nothing is more difficult than coming to the realization that you have certain paradigms ingrained in you that you cannot simply change, and they absolutely affect how people perceive you.”
As you can see, Marc Butler has taken his character building responsibilities seriously. He continues to make significant financial commitments in training his employees not only in technical and financial but also character skills. The results are not only employees with excellent character and who become leaders but also a more productive company and an exciting place to work.