ST. LOUIS — March 31, 2017 — Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman was recently featured in the Inc. online article, “Here's a Top 10 List of the World's Best CEOs (but They Lead in a Totally Unique Way).”
Chapman was ranked #3 by author Marcel Schwantes, alongside such leaders as Melissa Reiff, CEO of The Container Store; Brittany Merrill Underwood, founder and CEO of Akola Jewelry; Garry Ridge, CEO of WD-40 Company; Ari Weinzweig, founding partner of Zingerman's Community of Businesses; and Cheryl Bachelder, CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.
In the article, Schwantes says he compiled the list from CEOs he considers servant leaders.
“They have grasped the immense power that is generated from putting people (employees) ahead of profits through shared values like authenticity, intrapreneurship, freedom and ownership, community, and collaboration. And servant leaders, naturally, have leveraged this emotional currency as the only sustainable model for the future of work.”
Of Chapman, Schwantes said, he has “championed the transformation of Barry-Wehmiller's culture into one focused on bringing out the best in its people through communication, trust, celebration, respect, continuous improvement, and responsible freedom.”
Also included in the list is Kristen Hadeed, founder and CEO of Student Maid, who has been an attendee of classes offered by the BW Leadership Institute, created by Barry-Wehmiller to share with other organizations their learnings about building and fostering a people-centric culture.
“I’m honored to be included in this list because it is acknowledgement of the hard work of our people to create an environment within Barry-Wehmiller where people can feel valued,” Chapman said. “Because we strive to measure our success by the way we touch the lives of people, we want our efforts to be felt far beyond our walls.”
Chapman’s book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring For Your People Like Family, was released by Penguin Portfolio in 2015. Co-authored by Raj Sisodia, co-founder of Conscious Capitalism, it details Chapman’s leadership journey and Barry-Wehmiller’s transformation to a people-centric culture. A documentary based on the book, Everybody Matters is available on iTunes and Amazon. Chapman also regularly posts his thoughts on leadership on his blog, Truly Human Leadership.
Barry-Wehmiller, a capital equipment and engineering solutions leader, was founded in 1885 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Through a blend of people-focused leadership with disciplined operational strategies and purpose-driven growth, today the company is a combination of almost 90 acquisitions that have made it a $2.5+ billion global organization with more than 11,000 people around the world.