Quad Cities community and business leaders were treated to such pearls of wisdom as “it’s never wrong to ask for what you need,” “laugh every day,” “be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” and “you can do anything if you have faith” during this year’s QCBJ 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event.
Some 100 business and community leaders gathered at the Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport on Wednesday, Feb. 21, to hear from an impressive and eclectic panel of presenters. Moderated by Beth Clark, Quad Cities Regional Business Journal associate publisher, the third annual 90 Ideas was sponsored by University of Iowa Health Care.
Presenters were:
- Nancy Ballenger, senior vice president & general manager, Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf.
- Dan Bush, founder, Bummer City Inc.
- Ryan Hintze, founder & CEO, Iron Tee Golf | Corn Belt Capital.
- Doug Hultquist, retired president & CEO, QCR Holdings.
- Ralph Kelly, director, Davenport Community Food Pantry.
- Andrew Lehman, tournament director, John Deere Classic.
- Zarifa Brown Reynolds, president & CEO, Royal Neighbors of America.
- Andrea Talentino, president, Augustana College.
- Kathy Wine, executive director, River Action, Inc.
Many of the leaders gathered to hear their presentations, network over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and to have a chance to talk about the words of wisdom from the panel of local leaders, who each offered a taste of their Top 10 best ideas in the event’s TED Talk-like format.
Some attendees jotted down the group’s inspirational points inside the 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes programs. Those booklets contained the leaders’ extended biographies and the complete list of their collective wisdom.
Doing the right thing
Among them was Ms. Ballenger, senior vice president and general manager of the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf. A member and former president of the Iowa Gaming Association and prior chair of Iowa Women Leaders in Gaming, she received the Iowa Women Leaders in Gaming Founders Award in 2018.
The Bettendorf resident is an active volunteer who also chairs the Visit Quad Cities’ Tourism Master Plan Implementation committee, told the crowd “One of the things for me that is a core value is do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. It’s just one of the things I’ve lived by for so long. And that can be a mouthful sometimes, right? It can be challenging to do the right thing.”
“Many of us are leaders, role models, parents. We might think people aren’t watching, but I can tell you, they’re watching. We lead by example and it’s important. For me, doing the right thing is how you make people feel.”
Speaking of her regular interactions with frontline employees, she said, “We’re always encouraging them if you have an idea please bring it forward. And sometimes they’re like, ‘but I don’t know if I can talk to you. You’re the boss, right…’ No — come on in. I have an open-door policy, so I don’t sit behind my desk. I sit at the table; I sit right next to them like you’re having a conversation as a family member or a friend.”
Innovative restaurant and entertainment leader Dan Bush is on a mission to make the Quad Cities as fun as possible, and he’s created concepts to make that happen with his Armored Gardens, Analog Arcade Bar, Analog Pizza & Arcade and Devon’s Complaint Dept.
Goal-setting key
This “QC cheerleader” also serves on the board of the Downtown Davenport Partnership where he advocates for doing things to make downtowns more vibrant as well as attract and retain young talent.
But his talk focused on the importance of goal setting that he learned from his parents. “This habit that was instilled inside me was a great gift. It allowed me to dream and design my life. I still reserve New Year’s Day to plan what I want my year to look like.”
But the goals also led him to get addicted to work. “My identity became that of an achievement junkie – expecting success would lead to lasting happiness… It took me too long to learn an important lesson. If you don’t clearly define what you want in life, the answer will always be more.”
He offered four ideas to know what your “enough” is: “One, the old cliche is true, comparison is the thief of joy. … Two, limit your want in life. … There will always be a nicer version of what you have. Three, set goals without letting them define your sense of worth. You are not what you accomplish. … And finally, there is no such thing as exponential uninterrupted growth. Every career has setbacks, every market has cycles, every personal life has storms.”
Mr. Hintze lightened the mood with his quick wit, saying “I stand before you today not as a mathematical genius or a bookworm as someone who quite frankly was a C-average student and still-recovering procrastinator. Did I write this speech an hour ago? You’ll never know.”
The founder of Corn Belt Capital and developer of the cutting-edge Iron Tee Golf complex in Bettendorf, he recalled how his current business partners “took a chance on a kid who had no real estate experience but had a vision and 12 years of construction management experience.” Now, their Iron Tee Golf is slated to open in May.
The merit in discomfort
“Being comfortable with being uncomfortable has been a big part of my success,” Mr. Hintze said. “Each challenge, each unknown is not a roadblock but a stepping stone into growth. This mindset has been invaluable, pushing me to become a reliable figure in my ventures (someone) who isn’t just present, but crucial to the operation.”
In his written answers, he also suggested seizing life’s rare big opportunities. Since just a handful of such opportunities come along that makes it “crucial to identify and seize these critical moments, as they can have a lasting impact on both your professional and personal journey.”
Mr. Hultquist, who reminded the crowd he is a nerdy CPA, served as president and CEO of QCR Holdings, the parent company of Quad City Bank & Trust, which is knee deep in celebrating the QCBT’s 30th anniversary. Launched in 1993 with 18 employees, QCR now also in regional markets including Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa, and Springfield, Missouri. The Moline-based holding company is approaching $10 billion in assets and now has more than 1,000 employees.
On Wednesday, the Augustana College alum focused on learning to be emotionally intelligent. He advised the audience to work on five pillars: self-awareness, self-motivation, self-regulation, empathy and social skills.
Why empathy matters
Empathy, he said, is “recognizing and responding appropriately to the emotions of others and this is badly needed in the business world and in the political world. By expressing empathy we can create empathy in others, realize that emotions impact measurable goals such as productivity and safety…”
“When people feel their leaders are empathetic they feel safer trying out new ideas… Post-COVID, that has now become the No. 1 ranked pillar of emotional intelligence,” Mr. Hultquist said.
An active member of multiple community organizations, he promoted knowing the art of disagreeing. “Do not let differences become toxic. Attach the ideas but not the person and harness differences to get things done. … You can care about people without agreeing on everything,” Mr. Hultquist advised.
Calling himself an “old country boy from Abbeville, Mississippi,” Mr. Kelly, director of the Davenport Community Food Pantry, stressed how everyone has been through their own struggles and setbacks. “My journey has always been focused in on one thing – and that is love. Love is the only thing that drives me day in and day out.”
After a variety of roles, he decided there was one more thing to do in his journey and that was to focus on food insecurity. “But now the challenge is for you,” he said. “There are approximately 300 to 400 families that come through there every Saturday. And those families are looking for assistance and ways they can feed their families. And those people are looking for assistance and they’re dependent on people like you and I.”
Family, love central themes
Mr. Lehman, the JDC director, who shared his fandom for the Apple TV series “Ted Lasso” and Matthew McConaughey, focused his talk on “family and love – it is the central theme for what I would credit all my success for.”
An 18-year-veteran of the JDC, the transplanted Quad Citizen said “all my success I owe to how I was raised,” he said of the values his parents instilled in him.
“I chase the future me, because I’m not perfect,” he said.
Telling the crowd to continue to believe in yourself, he said “You are stronger and braver than you ever think. I want to thank all of you who pushed us … to be the best versions of ourself.”
“In the words of the great Ted Lasso, ‘Be a Goldfish!’ Goldfish have a 10-second memory and lingering on mistakes or fears is easy,” Mr. Lehman said in his written answers. “We are defined by how we react to our mistakes and not by the mistakes themselves … so move on!”
Ms. Reynolds, the Royal Neighbors leader, offered such advice as “positivity increases possibilities. Sharing her story of faith, she said hers is not the typical story or path of a CEO of an insurance company.
The third oldest of six sisters in her family – raised in inner city Miami – a kindergarten teacher saw her potential. “I was 5. I was just a little brown girl with pigtails who somebody believed in,” she said. Being labeled as gifted opened the doors to “a much better education than my peer group.”
Later elected student government president – representing students on the school board, she represented the poorest school in the district and found her passion. “I knew our county could do better by all students,” said Ms. Reynolds.
“You can do anything you want to do if you have faith. You can do anything you want to do if you remain positive. Being positive is infectious,” she said.
Make limits clear
Augustana President Talentino urged attendees to “we need to be clear about our limits. We need to be clear about what matters to us and what doesn’t and we can’t be afraid to say that to people … we have to have the courage to say that and recognize that if they refuse to accept those limits it also tells us how we are valued.”
In her written comments shared in the program, she also said “Give your full attention to people” and “There’s time for everything, you just have to get up earlier.”
Rounding out the evening was Kathy Wine, executive director of River Action Inc., who offered straightforward advice: “Don’t Give Up.”
“Accepting criticism along the way is another important lesson in not giving up,” she said, recalling how a teacher was critiquing a script Ms. Wine had written and “she literally pounded her head on the table.” Today, she said that rewritten play is being considered for production.
“That’s how I look at criticism, it’s not to make me bitter, it’s to make me better,” she said.
A life of persistence – and never giving up – led her to raise the money necessary to light the Centennial Bridge decades ago. “It’s never wrong to ask for what you need.”
“Don’t give up your power to persist just because you believe you don’t have it. You do. And you find it by taking criticism to heart, not taking a ‘no’ to heart and by learning when to wait.”
Wednesday’s 90 Ideas in 90 Minutes event was the first QCBJ signature event in the QCBJ’s 2024 lineup. Among the new offerings the QCBJ will present will be: Health Care Symposium on March 20 and Women of Influence on May 23.
Sponsorships are still available for both events. To learn more, contact Dayle Hall, QCBJ media consultant, at (563) 345-7225, ext. 324, or dayle@quadcitiesbusiness.com.
