Jeff Turk, CEO
Formaspace

Jeff Turk’s Bio

Formaspace featured in Austin Business Journal, “Formaspace Finds a Bigger Home”

How did you get into your business?

I arrived in Austin in the fall of 2005.   I was just coming back from West Africa, so all I had was two backpacks and a laptop.  I bought two chairs and air mattress at Wal*Mart, got an apartment on East Riverside Drive, and founded Council Oak Investors.  We closed the fund in 42 days, and the apartment was condemned by the city the following week.  Formaspace was the first acquisition in the fund.

What is your company’s Driving Critical Success Factor?

I’m not sure I understand the question.  Unless you own something completely proprietary, don’t people always make the difference?

What do you love most about what you do?

I like solving problems creatively.  I like working with people I like and respect.  And I love being part of our client’s workspaces.  We’re in all kinds of spaces, from national labs doing top-secret research, to robotics and aerospace projects, to the set of Gray’s Anatomy.  How cool is that?

Elvis or Beatles?

Whoa – you might as well ask “Duke Ellington or King Oliver?”  I’m a child of the 80’s.  When Elvis broke out with ‘Love Me Tender’ my parents were tweens. The Beatles broke up before I was born.  I prefer for the music to fit the context of the environment.  If I’m down in South Texas I might tune in a little Tejano, if I’m in Chicago I might listen to my wife’s Southside music, if I’m clubbing in Austin it could be Bob Schneider, but right now I’m at our very loud, very amped-up factory and Nickelback is playing in my head.

What is your favorite business book and why?

I’m not sure if I can name just one, but if I did, it might be ‘Good to Great.’ Actually anything by Jim Collins.  And Gladwell, and the ‘Topgrading Guys’, and Jack Welch, especially ‘Winning.’  Who doesn’t like to win?  The best book I read in 2009 was ‘Who’ by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, which I think is actually better than Topgrading.  I also like the concept of lifestyle design outlined in ‘The Four Hour Workweek.’  I recommend reading anything Warren Buffet has written as well as transcripts of everything he has said.  I just recommend reading in general.

Do you consider yourself a good communicator?

No.  I’m a terrible listener, and listening is the key to communication. I’m one of those ADHD kids, so when talking to me, it’s best to get to the message quickly. Also, I have an aversion to simplicity  and repetition, so that’ something I’m working on. 

One thing that has helped me recently is a Livescribe pen.  It’s this pen that records conversations as you take notes.  Then you can tap your notes, and the conversation that occurred as you took the note plays back to you.  Very cool.

How do you define success?

I have a little piece of paper that I scribbled on years ago that says “Do good by doing well.”  My goal is that everyone who touches us – coworkers, partners, vendors, and customers – is better off for the experience.  If we can develop people in the direction they want to go in, improve people’s quality of life in the workspaces where they spend most of their working hours, and generate a profit that can be churned back into the community – that’s success.

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Rachel Clemens, President
Creative Suitcase

Rachel is a graphic designer with international experience. She’s worked on three continents and traveled to over 30 countries, learning the cross-cultural aspects of great design.  Rachel’s found influence in everything from Slovenian graffiti to Australian aboriginal art and believes that when you experience creativity it follows you everywhere.

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Rachel worked with Traffic Interactive in London, England and JSA Design in Brisbane, Australia along with Tocquigny Advertising and Jolly Design in Austin, Texas.  In 2005, Rachel started Creative Suitcase to better connect with clients and their businesses.

Creative Suitcase is a boutique graphic and web design studio whose award-winning work helps businesses tell their unique stories in a way that reaches their customers, creating a wide range of campaigns, including branding, brochures, websites and direct marketing.  They have been recognized with multiple local and national advertising awards including:

• Austin Business Journal, #8 Top Graphic Design Firms - 2009
• Published in two books – Branding Identity: The Importance of a Good Corporate Identity and The Best of Business Card Design 8
• Two Graphic Design USA Annual Design Review Awards
• Several Austin Advertising Federation Awards
• One of six local design firms to take part in the national HOW Magazine Design Conference
• Recently gave a presentation on social media to a TAB Board. The presentation outlined the tools and practices they recommend for business, the benefits of each and how best to use them. TAB members can download the presentation at http://www.creativesuitcase.com/TAB.

“I joined The Alternative Board (TAB) when my business was just two years old. It’s one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made.   TAB saved me thousands of dollars in rookie mistakes.  Through my TAB board, I’ve gained confidence in my business skills as well as my creative skills.  Whether you’re building a company and need to do it right or taking a growing company to the next level, you should engage with TAB.”

-Rachel Clemens

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Bridgett Wallace
PT, DPT/President
360Balance

360Balance featured in Austin Business Journal, “Top Clinics - 2009″

Bridgett Wallace, PT, DPT, has a doctorate of physical therapy and holds a competency-based certification in vestibular rehabilitation.  She has been treating patients with dizziness and balance disorders for more than 13 years and is the founder and President of Balance Therapy of Texas (DBA 360°Balance) – a specialty clinic for the evaluation and treatment of dizziness and balance disorders that includes both audiology and physical therapy services.

Dr. Wallace has been instrumental in the development of hardware and software designed to integrate diagnostic findings for vestibular patients.  She has co-authored two patents on diagnosis and treatment of vestibular disorders, as well as authored the chapter on balance for the textbook, Therapeutic Exercise, and is currently co-authoring chapters for an upcoming neurology textbook for therapy students.

Dr. Wallace also lectures nationwide to other providers regarding the medical management of dizziness and balance disorders as well as provides consulting services for establishing comprehensive balance centers. Bridgett is involved locally and nationally in her professional association and has served on a number of boards. She is currently a member of The Alternative Board (TAB) and is a member of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas.

“As a small business owner, TAB has provided me the tools to create a business model that is not only sustainable but ripe for growth and reproducibility. In less than 1 year with TAB, we have increased our collections by more than 30% and implemented metrics that gives employees a sense of ownership versus being micro-managed. TAB is a resource with endless possibilities.”

-Bridgett Wallace

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Joseph L. Garcia
President & CEO
New Era Portfolio

New Era Portfolio Makes INC. 500

Joe L. Garcia, president of New Era Publishing, Inc., does not shy away from a challenge.  An entrepreneur at heart, Joe has been passionate about creating companies that fill a need ever since he was a young boy. From running his very first paper route in Plymouth, Michigan to owning a popular bar on Sixth Street to managing a large staffing company that was purchased by Staffmark in 1998, Joe has been an innovator in the business arena.

In 2000, Mr. Garcia started New Era Publishing, an Austin-based fine art publisher, printmaker and artisan framer. Despite a rocky beginning thanks to the burst of the high tech bubble and 9/11, New Era endured and in 2002 the company began to prevail.  Over the years New Era has acquired many recognizable clients like Ethan Allen, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Crate and Barrel, Z Gallerie, Norwalk Furniture, Bloomingdales Home, Harrah’s and Hilton, not to mention the company commissions some of the top artists from around the nation.  New Era has received a variety of accolades like the Inner City 100 Award from ICIC Magazine and Inc. Magazine in 2007 and the company has been ranked in the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, from Inc. Magazine, for three years in a row, and this year moved up to 485 on the Inc. Magazine 500 list.

Mr. Garcia’s vision of removing the snobbery in fine art and making it accessible to everyone led to the company’s motto, “Fine Art For Everyone.”  Joe has implemented a variety of unique offerings at New Era to bring this mantra to life. Interior designers have the luxury of choosing customized artwork that can be created in 48 hours, large hotels and resorts can have proprietary artwork created especially for them and the general public can shop New Era’s vast cache of fine art online at Gallery Direct.

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Mike Peter
President & CEO
Campus Advantage

Journal Profile: Mike Peter - CEO, Campus Advantage Inc.

Austin Business Journal - by Kate Harrington

Mike is the founder of Campus Advantage and serves as its President and CEO. He is responsible for all strategic planning and financial operations.  Mike is responsible for initiating new and maintaining existing relationships with colleges, universities, private owners, and allied business partners.   He responds to, and customizes programs for schools and private owners looking for student housing management and consulting expertise.

Mike began his career in student housing in the mid-1980’s rising from Resident Assistant to Resident Director and, quickly, to Manager for Allen & O’Hara in Wisconsin and California. Michael then served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the West Indies before returning to earn a Law Degree at top ranked University of Minnesota. He returned to student housing full-time in 1997 as the Director of On-Campus Business Development for American Campus Communities.

Mike was a National Communications Coordinator (NCC) for the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), and is an active professional member of ACUHO-I, National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS).  Mike has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Minnesota.  He currently serves as Vice Chair for the Board of Directors of the National Peace Corps Association.  Mike is also the Co-Chair for the National Apartment Association Student Housing Committee.

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