Treasured Readers,

The Hill Center celebrated our second anniversary this past week. When we started, we had Sam Richter and me, the talented and friendly Library staff (I bought them bagels so they would like me), a supportive Board of Directors, and a grant from Halloran Philanthropies. On Day One I sat at my desk, stared at my new computer, and then sought encouragement and support from Sam,  In the absence of clients and supporters, we purchased clip art of (ostensibly) real people for our brochures and Websites. It was sorta lonely there for a bit.

We formed a group of supporters, who became founding members of the Hill Leadership Working Group. We framed a mission statement, which stands today: The Hill Center helps organizations prosper through a strategic commitment to ethics and social responsibility. We put up a Website, and then a better one. We worked with the SAIP Institute to promote their strategic assessment of social responsibility, and we sought out clients and partners who were interested in helping leaders move beyond the ethics of compliance to truly pursue greatness. Scott Odman joined the organization as our second full-time employee, and we have built a network of outstanding service delivery partners and friends.

Today, we are continually inspired by the clients and partners with whom we work, in fields ranging from industrial manufacturing to firefighting, and from electronics to health care. We listen to the same cheesy jokes about “business ethics being an oxymoron.”  Then we meet with a business owner whose animating mission Is, “to help employees and their families pursue the American Dream,” or a nursing home administrator who is busy engaging everyone from the head of nursing to the newest maintenance person in efforts to improve the lives of everyone that her organization touches.  Indeed, our partnership with Care Providers of Minnesota to deliver the Leading 4 Life Fellowship Program will soon begin its second year. Our Hill Leadership Working Groups meet monthly, tackling texts ranging from King Lear to Bill George’s books, and we’re working with the Minnesota Society of CPAs to conduct custom, on-site training for accounting professionals. We are even launching a new course offering in partnership with Caravela, Inc.,  Fundamentals of Effective Leadership, aimed at new business leaders.

In the past two years, we have personally touched over three thousand people, through client engagements, classes, lectures, and presentations. We have reached many more through our Websites, Case Studies, and even a hybrid radio broadcast. Every time I write a blog post, I hear back from multiple readers. Some aren’t even hostile!  We don’t have to buy clip art friends anymore.  Thank you so much for your continued interest and support.

Shifting gears a bit… 

We don’t usually use this space for announcements, but there’s a big event coming to Minneapolis (the other Twin City) this coming Thursday and Friday, July 16-17, The National Civic Summit.  The event is a collaboration between Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and the Citizens League with civic support by Target Corporation, General Mills and Blue Earth Interactive. For more information, go to http://site.nationalcivicsummit.com/CivicSummitHome.html. 

Secretary Ritchie (Mark) helped the Hill Center celebrate our second anniversary last Wednesday night, fresh from running the longest (and, as certified by SO many judges, utterly fair) election in our state’s history. Now, I hope you’ll join us in participating in the National Civic Summit, in person or online. 

See you at the Hilton!