Chief executive officers of multimillion — or even billion — dollar companies make decisions every day that affect the welfare of their businesses and employees. But CEOs are people, too. When they need help, where do they turn?
In the Upstate and Midlands area, about 80 CEOs and another 50 of their key players have turned to C12, a faith-based peer advisory group that serves Christian CEOs, business owners and other key executives in areas that include Greenville, Columbia, Florence and Spartanburg. Their goal? Improve their company’s performance and integrate their faith with their business.
“C12 is built to help people who both own and operate businesses to move toward authenticity and excellence,” said Joe Patrick, Principal Chair of C12 Upstate and Midlands South Carolina Region. “C12 equips Christian CEOs with the tools to build businesses that help people flourish — for a greater purpose.”
The C12 members — who are counseled by Patrick and three other C12 group chairs — own and operate businesses ranging from $2 million to well over $1 billion in annual revenues. They are provided access to a variety of resources, including peer advisory groups, one-on-one coaching, MBA-level curriculum, conferences and seminars and affinity groups. One of C12’s most effective tools is the advisory groups, where peers meet monthly to work through challenges and develop strategies in a casual but confidential forum.
“During our monthly gatherings, we talk about how to be an excellent for-profit business operator and also to be an image-bearer of Christ,” said Patrick, who is based in Greenville and who has previously worked with companies around the globe. “But in terms of religion, this is not about checking boxes or trying to turn a business into a church. Rather, it’s about helping the individual be who God made them to be and to follow the principles of the Golden Rule, whether it be in financial management, strategy, or marketing. This has proven to be highly-effective. We are an organization that people tend to stay a part of for years. And they really grow because of it.”
Trehel Corporation CEO Will Huss said that becoming a member of C12 is the best business decision he’s ever made.
“I’m a better leader because of C12 and Joe Patrick,” said Huss, whose Greenville-based construction company is one of the leading commercial contractors in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. “Patrick has been a coach, consultant, shepherd and friend over the years. He has provided sound business advice, a safe place to cry in the loneliness of owning a business, accountability for family relationships, and someone to just sit with sometimes. He and the other folks in my C12 group have provided accountability for the overall bottom line, which includes profitability, but so much more.”
What is C12?
C12 is a national organization with over 3,000 members and about 135 chairs. It also operates in Brazil and Malaysia and is expanding every year. For almost three decades, C12 has been helping CEOs and executives calibrate the entirety of their businesses. The name is intentional. C stands for Christ while 12 represents the ideal number for a C12 group while also reflecting the number of Jesus Christ’s apostles.
