ACETECH Welcomes Ralph Turfus as an ACETECH Fellow
ACETECH is pleased to recognize the outstanding contribution of Ralph Turfus, a man who has made a significant personal impact on the growth of countless technology companies and CEOs, and has had a significant impact on ACETECH and to the growth of this technology community.
ACETECH is the proud recipient of well in excess of 1000 hours of Ralph’s volunteer time, and today it is an honor to welcome Ralph Turfus as the newest ACETECH Fellow.
The ACETECH Fellows program honors individuals who have shown outstanding leadership and who have had significant impact on the ACETECH mission and operations above and beyond that normally involved in holding executive office. In short, they’ve made a “game changing” contribution to the organization.
ACETECH’s purpose is to develop better CEOs faster so you can see how this is a match made in heaven.
Ralph joined the ACETECH board in 2004 and he retired in 2008 though just like the energizer bunny he just keeps on going and going.
His early involvement with the organization started with ACETECH’s early stage conferences in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and Vancouver. But what he realized was that there was very little traction within the companies after these events because there was no accountability for putting into action what was learned.
In the spring of 2006 he began to develop the Growth Strategy Program. It was marketed that fall and the first program was launched in January 2007 with14 participants.
The goal was to focus on revenue growth -revenue that is repeatable, profitable and recurring - because in an early stage company, revenue cures all ills and gives you the runway you need to get traction in a market before you run out of cash.
We identify the few things that a CEO needs to do really well to commercialize their opportunity, we deliver the best practices and model for each of those things, then mentor the participants to ensure that the models are implemented and that the CEO is held accountable for meeting the goals. It is the mentorship and accountability that sets this program apart from others in the same category.
Ralph’s constant analysis of the needs of CEOs in the “ready to commercialize stage,” his tireless search for best practices and models and the relentless feedback that is gathered at every meeting and in performance reviews has made the Growth Strategy Program the best CEO learning program in this province. It has also “changed the game” at ACETECH and created new expectations about the future.
Since January 2007, 40 companies have gone through the program and 18 new companies will begin in January.
ACETECH, which was an event driven organization for so long is now becoming an ongoing learning organization thanks to Ralph’s continuous efforts.
Ralph’s input has also had a significant impact on the ACETECH management team challenging them at every level, mentoring them and moving them from a tactical level to the big picture.
It’s hard to do justice to Ralph’s total contribution to this organization in a short speech but Ralph’s recognition as an ACETECH Fellow is the highest honor that we can bestow to recognize him as a pillar of this organization and the community.
