TEC Offerings Expand with Launch of Smart Tools

For those who have always aspired to be part of Southwest Florida's TEC group, there's now hope. The exclusive organization is offering a new product, Smart Tools. And, according to Charles "Red" Scott, CEO and owner of TEC Florida, our area will be a prototype for others to follow nationally.

Scott, who's been at work on the idea with TEC Southwest Florida Chairman Barbara Monti, says that the strong and developing Naples-Fort Myers area is a perfect setting to kick off the program.

"We've been working on it for a couple of years," he says. "We decided this would be a good test market because this market has not been diluted by Miami media or Tampa TV ... It's a perfect market for us to experiment."

Smart Tools, which so far consists of 34 members from 12 companies, already has a strong reputation from its parent TEC, a group of 14 leaders from some of Southwest Florida's biggest business players. Member companies include Marsh Inc., Dock 5, Inc., Maricopa Investments, the News-Press, Kraft Construction and Agents' Umbrella Group.

Originally formed in 1957, TEC (The Executive Committee) is today an international organization of 7,000 CEOs and industry leaders. Members meet in local groups of about a dozen for a full day every month. The ultimate goal: to learn how to become more effective business leaders.

Scott compares the group to an ongoing continuing education class, similar to that a doctor or an accountant must take every few years to stay current in his or her industry. "We're in the business of helping CEOs continue their education," he says. "Most of our members have been out of college for 20 years."

But the group also has a very unique, very exclusive networking element to it. Membership is by invitation only. Each meeting is a highly confidential forum where members may share their financial statements and ask for advice outside public opinion.

TEC has strict requirements. Members must be leaders of companies of more than $3 million in revenues and more than 25 employees. The average TEC member in Florida, Scott says, has more like $40-50 million in revenue and 50-70 employees.

Money does not guarantee acceptance into the group, either. Monti, herself a business owner for 20 years, says she chooses who to invite based on her own networking experiences in Southwest Florida. She personally interviews each potential candidate and asks existing members if there are any competition issues at stake before proceeding with an invitation.

Among the qualities she looks for are commitment, loyalty and dedication to the TEC mission. "The people who participate have to want to do it for the principal of becoming more effective," she says.

TEC leads to Smart Tools

Scott, himself a TEC member for 30 years, has been a heavy-hitting CEO for several Fortune 500 Companies. In 1994, he retired at age 66 with an impressive record. However, he decided he wasn't yet quite ready to hang up his work hat. "I flunked retirement," he says with a grin characteristic of the native Texan.

When he heard the Florida TEC license was for sale, it appeared to be a natural match. "I watched the profound influence it had," he says of the group.

Through the years, both he and Monti have watched the Southwest Florida TEC group grow from seven in 1996 to 13 today. Only one of the original members has dropped out.

Scott and Monti have also heard the requests of members looking for a similar organization for their head managers. And then there have been the pleas of smaller, motivated entrepreneurs who were looking to join TEC but who didn't meet the size requirements.

Smart Tools was born in December to serve that niche during a yearlong test run. The group's format is somewhat different than TEC. The schedule includes nine 6-hour sessions, tackling focused topics including Team Building, Negotiations, Time Management and Communication Skills. There's also a feedback and brainstorming segment and a modified TEC forum where members interact with one another.

The price for the program is also different, with a one-time fee of $500 and quarterly dues totaling $5800 per year. Traditional TEC fees are $950 initially with quarterly dues amounting to $2400 annually. For TEC members who enroll more than one member in Smart Tools, there's also a discounted arrangement.

The price may seem high to the average business owner. But for those going with the program, the experience appears to be invaluable. Vin DePasquale, president and CEO of Dock 5 (owner of Riverwalk and The Dock restaurants in Naples) is a TEC members who has enrolled his mangers in Smart Tools. "TEC is a powerful business opportunity and has been valuable to me and my business," he says. "I want my managers to also have a TEC experience. Smart Tools has been designed for men and women charged with getting the job done. It's perfect for my senior managers."

Agrees Monti, "My experience has been that is you give your members value, they will pass that value along to other people."

For more information, call TEC at 594-9189.