IAM308- President Guides Company to Create Memorable Experiences for Consumers

John brings over 20 years of management and operations experience working across multiple industries, starting in sports from his time as an intern for the National Basketball Association (NBA), to eventually leading the Salt Lake Organizing Committee of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games as an Operations Manager. Prior to joining RedPeg as President, John held senior-level positions focused on ensuring company productivity and operations management, fostering client relationships and business development for agencies such as Momentum Worldwide and Ignition, Inc. (now known as Havas Sports & Entertainment USA).

John has worked with dozens of award-winning brands throughout his career, most notably Nike, ESPN, Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola, AT&T, and Delta Airlines. As RedPeg’s President, John guides the company’s growth through account oversight, business development, team management, and maintaining positive relationships with clients. In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his wife Kate, and chasing after their three busy teenagers. When they’re not running to lacrosse or basketball practices, you can find them boating or indulging in family game nights.

• CEO Hack: Face time with clients and employees
• CEO Nugget: Listen to other people's opinion and be the voice of reason
• CEO Defined: Serving and leading the team in the right direction

Website: https://redpeg.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RedPegMarketing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redpegmarketing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedPegMarketing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/redpeg-marketing/

Full Interview

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TRANSCRIPTION

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INTRO 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have John Piester of Red Peg. John, it's awesome to have you on the show.

John Piester 0:38

Great to be here. Thanks for having me.

Gresham Harkless 0:40

No problem super excited to have you on and what I want to do, which is read a little bit more about John so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And John brings over 20 years of management and operations experience working across multiple industries. Starting in sports from his time as an intern for the National Basketball Association to eventually leading the Salt Lake Organising Committee of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games as an operation manager.

Prior to joining Red Peg as president, John has set several senior-level positions focused on ensuring company productivity and operations management, fostering client relationships and business development for agencies such as Momentum Worldwide, and Ignition Incorporated, now known as Havas Sports and Entertainment. John has worked with dozens of award-winning brands throughout his career most notably Nike, ESPN, Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola, AT&T, and Delta Airlines. As Red Pegs, President John guides the company's growth through account oversight, business development, team management, and maintaining positive relationships with clients.

In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his wife, Kate, and chasing after three busy teenagers. When they're not running to lacrosse or basketball practices, you can find them boating or indulging in family game nights. John, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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John Piester 1:59

Looking forward to yes.

Gresham Harkless 2:01

Let's do it. So they kick everything off. I wanted to hear a little bit more about your background and your CEO story. Well, they just start your business.

John Piester 2:08

Sure. So you know, I've been with Red Peg here actually, for a little over three years. The company itself is 20 going on 25 years old. So I'm not the founder of the company. But I am the president and I'm running the day-to-day operations of it. Our press CEO of red Nuremberg founded it 25 years ago, really trying to take what he had learned out in the field by doing experiential events, and taking that learning and building a company around its employees.

So we're really led and driven by the culture here, which is one of the things that drove me to join Red Peg. But I've always been a part of organizations that were very entrepreneurial led, then in the experiential space, like said for close to 20 years, I think even my time at the Salt Lake organizing committee felt very entrepreneurial, because organizing committees for the Olympics, you know, they start fresh before, once the city wins a bid. And then after the Olympics are over, it kind of goes on to the next thing. So, I feel like I've been around that space, most of my career.

Gresham Harkless 3:21

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. It's funny that you mentioned that because I actually have my master's in sports management. And one of the kinds of Capstone-type projects we had to do was we had to take what was then the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and we had to get ready for a bid and an Olympic bid. So I kind of know a little bit about what she's talking about Granite was in, you know, a class setting, but I know that there was a lot of moving parts and trying to get things in order. So, I can definitely see how that's very entrepreneurial.

John Piester 3:48

Definitely, definitely.

Gresham Harkless 3:49

Nice. And, and I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more about Red Peg what you guys are doing. Can you tell me how you serve the clients that you work with?

John Piester 3:57

Absolutely. So you know, we work with, or we're blessed to work with some of the best brands in the world. And really, it all starts with our process. And it's, it starts with our strategy, to have an in-house strategy team that really dives deep into data, and is led by insights that we gather about the consumer that the brand is trying to target. From there, that process and developing all that into how we align the data and the insights with what the brand is trying to accomplish drives our creative process and coming up with the ways that we're going to create a memorable experience for the consumers that we touch out in the world. And then it just flows from there. Once we have that great idea. It's how you bring that to life.

So we have in-house production teams, and operations teams that make the events happen experiences we have social digital capabilities that amplify what those experiences are, to a much wider audience. And then one of the I think critical things that we do is the hiring of all of our people that represent the brands out in the field, right?

So we're Red Peg, but when we're out in the world, we're not Red Peg, we're all the brands that we represent. So it's critical that the people that we hire, understand the brands inside now understand the message that you're trying to reach, and really understand how they're going to represent them.

Gresham Harkless 5:26

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And probably right in line, you know, with your experience, and everything that you've done, it sounds like there's a lot of moving parts. And a lot of times you have to, you know, first of all, understand, you know, the brand and everything that the company that you're working with so that when you go out in the world, as you mentioned, you are representing them as an extension of exactly who they are. And for the people that are around probably exactly who they are, because they wouldn't know any difference.

John Piester 5:49

Absolutely. So I think that's a critical part. Because, if you don't understand where you're headed, it's really tough to get there.

Gresham Harkless 5:55

Yes, exactly. Or when you get there, you realize you don't want to be there. So it's important to kind of have that Northstar, kind of guiding you.

John Piester 6:02

Definitely.

Gresham Harkless 6:02

Yeah. And would you consider that to be like your secret sauce? What do you feel kind of distinguishes you or your organization?

John Piester 6:09

I think some of that's our secret sauce. I don't think I can say that. There's one thing that I would say is the secret sauce. I think your secret sauce has to constantly evolve. As your business evolves, the world around you evolves. And if it doesn't, that secret sauce isn't going to be so secret. After a very long, I think what we try to do is figure out how we differentiate ourselves from the competition, how we do things a little bit differently, and how we figure out what's next in our space, I think that's one of the things I have learned over the years, from all the different people that I've had the fortunate enough to work with, is that you know, how we get out ahead of things.

You know, I think one of the things we've done here at Red Peg, was we got into the gaming and Esports space six years ago. And you know, that doesn't sound like that long. But in that space, you know, there wasn't a lot happening in this space that long ago, and now it's booming. So I think one of my jobs as CEO is to constantly find that roadmap for us, that's, you know, 3457 years out to position us in the right way. So that as that secret sauce has evolved, it makes us successful in the future.

Gresham Harkless 7:20

Yeah, I absolutely love that. I love that perspective, too. Because as you said, if you have your secret sauce, and then you have your secret sauce for 10 years, it's not secret anymore, because next thing you know everybody's doing it. So you have to have that vision and that foresight, to look and see what that new sauce is. and test out sounds like you're putting words in your mouth. But sounds like you guys are probably always testing out different ideas to make sure that you are on the right path.

John Piester 7:44

Yeah, I think that's important. It's testing because not every sauce tastes good, right? You gotta find that one that's gonna, that's gonna really resonate not just with who you are as an agency and your culture. But what's going to work for the brands in the future, what are those challenges that brands are going to face down the road, and how do we align ourselves not just with our vision, but our skill sets and getting the right people in the right positions to be able to to meet those demands for those brands.

Gresham Harkless 8:14

Absolutely, that makes sense. And what I wanted to do was switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app or a book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

John Piester 8:28

Yeah, I think for me it's trying to make sure you get a lot of face time with whether that's your clients, but probably more importantly, your employees, I think it's easy these days to get locked behind a computer and emails, or texting, versus getting up, walking the office having conversations with people, you know, where we are here at Red Peg, we have four different floors.

So if there are days that I just find myself locked behind a computer screen, I'm not even getting to certain floors and checking in with my, with my people. You know, our culture is such a critical part. And it's how we've built our agency, that I feel like if you're not in touch with that culture, if you're not out there experiencing that in that culture every day, if you lose touch with it as a leader of the organization, then then you're not going to be able to service it the way you should be.

Gresham Harkless 9:22

Yeah, absolutely. And that's definitely a great reminder, because, you know, coming exactly from the foundation that you guys have and continuing to grow and to build and do you find that potentially that also plays a part in your services as well, too, because of what you're doing for your clients. It's also to be out and about in the community and wherever they need you to be, I should say, but do you find like also doing that within your organization kind of manifests itself when you're out in the community? I guess you could say?

John Piester 9:48

Yes, certainly. I think it's important for us to understand the audiences that we're trying to connect with, for sure. But I think it's also you know, as we built this culture here, Red Peg it's how that culture influences the brands that we're working with the people that we hire out in the field, but we hired 1000s of brand ambassadors a year. And it's critical that they understand our culture and how we operate so that we're representing ourselves the right way. And hopefully, that culture is coming from a very positive place. And that's being carried through to the consumer that we're talking with every day.

Gresham Harkless 10:25

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you can happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

John Piester 10:37

So I think one of the most important things a CEO can do is listen, I think it's, it's, it's dangerous for the CEO to be the biggest voice in the room. So I think my nugget has always been, when you go into meetings, you've put the right team in place, you've hired these people for a reason, it's important that you're listening and taking what they're saying, as advice before any final decisions are made, I think, as a CEO, sometimes you can go into a meeting, you have your opinion, if you share that opinion, first, it's going to either dilute or change, that advice that you might have gotten otherwise.

So for me, you know, kind of honored that the team, we have Uber titles here at Red Peg, so I'm not just the President, our team has given me the Uber title of voice of reason, though, I hope that's, you know, a good thing. And that, you know, when I'm in meetings, that I'm hearing everything that the team is having to say, and then bringing that voice of reason into play.

Gresham Harkless 11:43

Yeah, I absolutely love that. Because, you know, a lot of times, if you are sometimes the president's CEO, founder, whatever that might be, sometimes you have to create that culture to allow people to be open to you know, given their ideas and understanding that they're being heard. And they're listening, just like you said, but that marches right along with the culture that's kind of set. So it's great to hear that you guys are doing that. And also, you have those Uber titles as well, which kind of like manifests, and further submit that.

John Piester 12:10

Yeah, and then it's a lot of fun, too. I think we, we tried to work really hard. But we want to have a lot of fun around here, too. So I think it was Uber titles that played into that culture.

Gresham Harkless 12:20

Yeah, absolutely. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question. And I know, we touched on this a little bit offline, and then a little bit online, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And I'm super excited to hear from you. Because I know that when a lot of people start businesses, you know, you have your founders and entrepreneurs. And then as the business evolves, just as you talked about what the sauce is, you have to be able to evolve with the business. So you've been brought on as a president. So I would love to hear from you. What exactly does being a CEO mean to you?

John Piester 12:47

To me, being a CEO is all about serving the employees that work with you. It's, really hopefully leading them in the right direction. But it's really understanding what are the needs of the employee, as well as the needs of the agency for us to be successful. So trying to stay out of the weeds, but have a broader picture. And really just figure out where can you affect the most positive change or support within the organization.

Gresham Harkless 13:18

That makes perfect sense. And I think a lot of times, you know, you can easily lose sight of that, you know, as a founder, as a CEO, as a president, whatever that title might be. But it's great to hear that you guys have, you know, stayed true to that culture. As you know, you have evolved because you know, 20 years is not a short period of time. So being able to do that and continue to evolve and change and then provide to your end users exactly what they need is phenomenal.

John Piester 13:40

Yeah, I think what you just said, you know, staying true to your culture, of where you started, and the roots that made the organization what it is, but being willing to accept change, and have that culture evolve, as long as it's still based in those roots that where it started. You know, we opened our first international office this year in Dubai. So it's obviously our culture is going to change. But that's great. It's bringing different perspectives. And hopefully, you know, we're going to be bringing things to that office and sharing how we got to where we are.

Gresham Harkless 14:19

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, John, I truly appreciate your time. What I wanted to do was pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and then how best they can get an out of you.

John Piester 14:31

Sure. So, you know, Red Peg, we're based here in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. So we also have offices in Dubai. And, you know, probably the best way to reach us is either going to our website, which is www.RedPeg.com or, you know through our email which you can find on the website but mine is jpiester@redpeg.com.

Gresham Harkless 15:01

Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, John. And we'll have those links in the show notes as well. But I appreciate your time. Appreciate all the awesome things that you're doing and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

John Piester 15:10

You too. I really enjoyed speaking with you.

Outro 15:13

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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