Spirit of Enterprise winners embody the entrepreneurial spirit that sustains our economy

The W. P. Carey School’s annual annual Spirit of Enterprise Awards “are designed to recognize real entrepreneurs -- those capable of starting something, growing it and sustaining it through thick and thin with constant innovation and customer focus,” according to Dean Robert Mittelstaedt. Given the hard work and risk involved in starting a business, why would anyone do it? KnowWPCarey posed that question to this year’s winners.

Why would anyone want to be an entrepreneur?

“Entrepreneurs talk about pursuing fortune and fame, being free to succeed or fail by their own devices, changing the world, pursuing their own passion,” said Gary Naumann, director of the Spirit of Enterprise Center at the W. P. Carey School. “No one lists, ‘So I can be taxed more’ or ‘So I can face bureaucratic red tape’ as reasons why they want to be entrepreneurs. They all want to fight through those nuisances and go on to provide jobs and make a difference in the world.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms nationally. These companies employ nearly half of all private sector workers, and they have generated 65 percent of net new jobs over the past 17 years.

Recounting the long list of ills plaguing the world economy, W. P. Carey School of Business Dean Bob Mittelstaedt recently commented that "the only thing you can depend on to save us from these economic ills is that entrepreneurs will continue to plow new ground -- to make new businesses to help grow and sustain our economy.”

Mittelstaedt was speaking at the annual Spirit of Enterprise Awards luncheon. The awards “are designed to recognize real entrepreneurs -- those capable of starting something, growing it and sustaining it through thick and thin with constant innovation and customer focus.”

The 2011 winners were Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance, Dunn Transportation/ Ollie the Trolley, Fortis Networks, Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies (PADT), and WebPT. The other Spirit of Enterprise finalists were Jones Studio, Mountainside Fitness, Real Property Management East Valley, Virginia Auto Service, and The Worthy Institute.

So why did these entrepreneurs step out on their own? Their reasons follow.

Driven by a desire to write their own destiny…

Eric Miller and his co-founders of PADT started their mechanical engineering sales and services firm out of a desire to take destiny into their own hands. “The idea for PADT came about in the early 90s when the aerospace industry was going through a significant transition. We felt that if we did not create our own destiny -- control our own fate -- then the changing market would decide it for us,” Miller explained.

Miller continued, “So we quit very nice jobs, jumping into the unknown with no business background at all, no customers, no salary, and very little capital. What we did have was ideas. Our first idea was that high-tech computer engineering and manufacturing used in aerospace could be applied to other industries. We were fortunately right about that.”

Margaret Dunn, CEO of Dunn Transportation/Ollie the Trolley, also felt driven to start her own business. After working part-time as a driver for Molly the Trolley in Scottsdale, Dunn decided “I simply had to build and run a trolley business on my own.” So at 21 years old, with $65,000 from her brother, she started Ollie the Trolley. “My part-time job became my lifetime passion,” Dunn said. Today, Dunn Transportation employs more than 50 people, with a million passenger boardings anticipated in 2011.

… and a relentless commitment to what they do

All five of the Spirit of Enterprise Awards winners shared an almost obsessive, relentless commitment to their company mission. Jeremy Freer, for example, started Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance in 2007 with a very clear vision of how he could improve air medical transport worldwide, and a goal “to provide exceptional care, safety, and service to our patients and their families,” explained director of business development Kim Halloran.

“I’ve found one of the biggest keys to success is not accepting ‘No’ as an answer,” Freer said. “Thinking creatively -- thinking outside the box -- does wonders when you’re trying to accomplish a mission where everyone else is telling you, ‘No, this can’t be done.’”

PADT’s Miller said that entrepreneurship for him and his co-founders was about “creating something special -- more than just a business.” He said, “It is possible to make a positive difference in how you spend your career and how others spend theirs.”

WebPT, which provides web-based electronic medical record software for physical therapists, was always about serving its customers: Brad and Heidi Jannenga started the firm to provide affordable medical record documentation software for Heidi’s physical therapy practice.

The company’s “fanatical” devotion to its customers has led to a 99.1% customer retention rate. “Members can leave WebPT with a 30-day notice,” Jannenga said. “Yet only 0.9 percent of them ever do. That’s a number we are extremely proud of.”

Success owed to lots of hard work…

Many of the Spirit of Enterprise entrepreneurs credit their success to a lot of hard work -- and not a small amount of blood, sweat, and tears. “We’ve had some tough times,” said Clarence McAllister, CEO of Fortis Networks. Success, for McAllister, came from persistence, from “being able to focus on a goal and pursue it.”

Clarence and his wife Reyna founded their construction and technology services business during the last economic recession -- out of their garage, relying on personal credit cards for funding. Clarence relayed a message of perseverance to would-be entrepreneurs: “New opportunities are always around us, and they’re up for grabs by those who are willing to make the sacrifices to obtain their dreams.”

WebPT’s Brad Jannenga spoke of opportunity, too: “Opportunity exists everywhere. I think the difference between a successful entrepreneur and a person with a really good idea is getting off their butt and doing something about it.”

…plus big dreams and a conviction that they could make their business work…

The idea that all entrepreneurs are all crazy risk seekers is a myth, said Naumann. “Well they may be a little bit crazy, but many of these entrepreneurs carefully charted their courses and tried to wring out as much risk as they could every step of the way,” wrote Naumann in his tribute to the finalists. “It’s one thing to swing wildly for the fences and quite another to be around year after year and stand the test of time...some of our entrepreneurs have been in business 15, 20, 25 years and more!”

Still, many of the award winners talked about stepping out into the unknown (the “abyss” as one called it) -- taking a chance on themselves and their idea. They talked about taking on personal loans and running up credit card debt. They have all taken leaps that many non-entrepreneurs understandably perceive as risky -- or, at least, scary -- because their futures, when they first set out, are far from certain.

Indeed, many of the Spirit of Enterprise winners started with little more than big dreams and a conviction that they could make their business work. Fortis Networks’ Clarence McAllister came to the U.S. from Panama in search of the American dream, knowing very little English and with only a few dollars in his pocket. But he got an education and worked hard, and today, he runs a business with more than 40 employees and operations in several states.

Angel MedFlight’s Jeremy Freer began with a very clear vision and a big dose of motivation -- but no money. “Jeremy couldn’t find a bank or an investor willing to take a chance on a hardworking, compassionate young entrepreneur with an innovative business model,” explained Halloran.

So Freer financed his dream on credit cards -- amassing almost $1 million in debt (which, Halloran proudly announced, was paid off in 2009). Today, Angel MedFlight provides service worldwide, has 48 employees, and owns four aircraft -- including two Learjet 60s, among the first to be dedicated to medical service.

...and the support of great employees

Many of the entrepreneurs credited a lot of their success to their teams. Speaking of her team, Ollie the Trolley’s Dunn called herself the “luckiest CEO in Arizona.” But that relationship isn’t one-sided: when the City of Scottsdale cut a significant portion of their routes, Dunn thought she would have to lay off employees -- and most CEOs would have.

“But we did something a little different so that no one lost their job,” Dunn explained. “Everyone took a little hit so that no one took a big hit. It’s that collaboration and that partnership that we have as a team that makes us so successful.”

At Angel MedFlight, the company’s most important asset is its employees. “What really sets Angel MedFlight apart is our medical crew -- the ones who interact with our patients and their family members while they’re on that flight,” said CEO Freer.

PADT’s Miller credited the help of “the smartest and most enthusiastic employees in the industry.” He said, “Our people are good at what they do and love helping customers solve problems. They’ve not only made us successful, but they’ve made the journey much more enjoyable.”

The 2011 Spirit of Enterprise Awards didn’t produce a one cup of this, two teaspoons of that recipe for entrepreneurial success. But they did demonstrate that many of the most successful entrepreneurs share certain traits in common -- from a desire to control their own destiny, to an obsessive commitment to what they do, a lot of hard work, great employees, and a willingness to bet it all on themselves.

Clearly, there’s a lot more than spirit behind entrepreneurial success. But it’s the spirit that drives entrepreneurs. And it’s entrepreneurial growth that drives the economy.

Bottom line

• “Entrepreneurship -- and the growth that comes from it -- is what sustains our economy,” said W. P. Carey School Dean Bob Mittelstaedt.

• Winners of the 2011 Spirit of Enterprise Awards were Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance, Dunn Transportation/Ollie the Trolley, Fortis Networks, Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies (PADT), and WebPT.

• Many entrepreneurs are driven by a desire to control their own destiny, and to be their own bosses. Many say they had long felt driven to start their own business.

• All five of the Spirit of Enterprise Awards winners shared an almost obsessive, relentless commitment to their company mission.

• Many entrepreneurs credit their success to a lot of hard work -- and not a small amount of blood, sweat, and tears.

• While the idea that all entrepreneurs are all crazy risk seekers is a myth, many of the award winners talked about stepping out into the unknown, taking a chance on themselves and their idea.

• Many of the Spirit of Enterprise winners started with little more than big dreams and a conviction that they could make their business work.

• Many of the entrepreneurs credited a lot of their success to their employees.