Denver/Boulder BBB is Seeking a CEO

Better Business Bureau Serving Denver/Boulder
 CEO Job Requirements

Background
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Denver/Boulder is recruiting for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  The CEO reports to the Denver/Boulder BBB Board of Directors.  The BBB Serving Denver/Boulder is a member of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) and is an authority on trust in the marketplace.  The BBB sets and upholds high standards for ethical marketplace behavior and is a valuable resource for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.  The BBB is also a significant distributor of consumer and business education, information, and alerts about marketplace scams.  The office offers dispute resolution programs for consumers and businesses.  Balancing the needs and priorities of different constituencies requires a solid understanding of each unique perspective matched with a firm focus on the organization’s mission, its primary strategic goals and commitment to ensuring the Denver/Boulder BBB’s expanded relevance and success in the future.

Organizational Profile
The Denver/Boulder BBB has a dues-paying membership of over 8,000 Colorado corporations and charities (accredited businesses, or ABs), a staff of 45 employees, and an annual consolidated budget of $4 million.  It is a nonprofit business membership organization under IRS Code 501(c)(6).  The BBB Foundation is a supporting 501(c)(3) organization committed to education and governed by its own Board of Directors.  The principal office is located in Denver, Colorado where the CEO is stationed.  The Denver/Boulder BBB Board of Directors is comprised of area business leaders with BBB accreditation.  Information on the Board of Directors, key staff and Foundation/Advisory Boards can be viewed at http://denver.bbb.org/staff/.  The organization’s annual report is available to interested applicants at http://denver.bbb.org/denverboulderannualreports/.

CEO’s Overall Responsibilities

• Strategic direction and leadership for the entire Denver/Boulder BBB organization
• Public spokesperson for marketplace issues of concern to the BBB, ABs, the public and the corporate community
• Oversight and accountability for performance of the BBB’s programs and services
• Management of the BBB brand
• Capacity-building for the BBB and the Foundation
• Financial health of the BBB and the Foundation
• Staff management and administration functions

CEO is Primary Liaison to

• The Denver/Boulder BBB Board of Directors
• The BBB Foundation Board of Directors
• The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB)
• The executive team (currently a team of 5)

Expectations

• Strategic leadership to the Board, the Foundation Board, Board committees and the executive team
• Ability to proactively develop revenue-generation and fundraising initiatives, and deliver against solid financial goals
• Proactive identification and development of new programs and services
• Leadership in the improvement and expansion of existing programs and services
• Execution of initiatives that improve consumer knowledge, increase AB participation, and boost community involvement with the BBB
• Brand management and promotion of the BBB brand throughout the Denver/Boulder community
• Media relations and public communications
• Overall supervision of Denver/Boulder BBB employees through a senior staff
• Budgets and financial oversight
• Managerial strength that promotes continuous high performance and builds a talented, motivated and goal-oriented organization

Personal Qualities and Characteristics

• High integrity and strong personal values
• Strategic and visionary thinker
• Change agent with the ability to combine prudence with risk-taking
• Action-oriented consensus builder
• Seasoned collaborator with other organizations across all sectors (consumer, business, government, nonprofit)
• Ability to interact successfully with and command the respect of ABs, BBB staff, corporate leaders, Boards of Directors, government officials and the media
• Effective and judicious delegator who constructively inspires others, encourages innovation and solves problems
• Excellent communicator, advocate and brand champion

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university required, advanced degree preferred
• Corporate, association, government and/or non-profit experience of at least 10 years
• Track record of delivering exceptional financial results operating complex business organizations with full financial accountability (P&L and balance sheet)
• Experience with marketing and new media, including social media, the web and diverse communication platforms
• Proven track record in fundraising, including experience in assessing, planning and implementing initiatives
• Reasonable experience with advanced technology, information/service industries and advertising
• Proven ability to build vision, collaboration, consensus and performance among diverse constituencies

If interested, please forward your letter of interest, resume, and professional references to jobs@trishthomas.com no later than October 10, 2012.  We will contact candidates selected for interview directly and make a formal announcement once the process is complete.

Facebook IPO Reality Check

Come on, people... stop complaining about the rapid decline in value of your newly purchased Facebook stock.  I have so many friends who invested in this over-hyped company, and they truly have no right to cry over the resulting losses. 

Did anyone even look at the history or statistics backing the IPO?  Or read the prospectus?

Here's a quick reality check:

1. Facebook was grossly overvalued.  No company in history has ever been worth 60 times it's projected annual earnings.  Even glorious Apple trades at 14 times (or less) it's annual revenue.  The valuation is even more fishy when you examine some of the other factors at play:  growth rate was already in decline, profit margin was inordinately high at 50% with nowhere to go but down, and user base was migrating to unprofitable mobile devices. 
2. Facebook had already reached it's zenith and was beginning the slow decline toward it's nadir BEFORE the IPO happened.  Zuckerberg only acquiesced to the IPO (which he didn't want to do) because there was never going to be a better time to cash in.  Something substantial must change with the business model - which thus far has not happened - if Facebook is to uncover new ways to monetize the user base.  Otherwise it will remain what is has been: a product development collective where 'business' only exists to fund more important activities.
3. Mark Zuckerberg made it crystal clear that he doesn't care at all about sharing power or building shareholder value.  He intentionally set up the company so that he has total control and can ignore everyone's opinions.  He's been perfectly candid about valuing Facebook's social mission and services over profits, so no one should be shocked that he's making good on his promise to focus on the long view.  Now shareholders are questioning his leadership, but he's only following through on his stated plan (and deflecting your barbs beautifully while doing it).  Stop whining everyone - you should have seen this coming.
4. Other insiders had to wait just 9 short months before selling 2 billion shares of Facebook stock, which would naturally flood the market.  Unless you could capitalize on a short spike (which didn't happen anyway), this influx of insider shares would devalue the stock shortly after the IPO.

The first sentence of Zuckerberg's open letter to investors said this, "Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission - to make the world more open and connected." 

Sorry folks.  I think he meant what he said.  It may take decades to see how his grand scheme plays out, and most of you probably don't want to hold onto your shares for that long.