I am happy to announce that OK has received the ultimate donation from 18 talented business people from around Deschutes County. No, I’m not talking about the “ultimate donation” being a pile of cash; rather I’m referring to the commitment those 18 talented people have made to help OK as we look forward to beginning our third decade of serving Central Oregon-based small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Yes, 18 of our local small business all-stars have agreed to serve on OK’s board – add yours truly to the mix and we now have a 19-member Board of Directors. Why the number 19? Well, because OK’s new board will be utilizing the Entrepreneurial Team board-development model; the same model that was recently used to restructure the Boys & Girls Club. Here’s how the OK Board arrives at the magic number of 19 members:

• Marketing Team = 4 members
• Facilitator Team = 4 members
• Fundraising & sponsorship Team = 4 members
• Membership Team = 4 members
• Finance Team = 1 member (includes Board Chair)
• Legal Team = 1 member (includes Board Chair)
• Board Chair = 1 member
• Total Board Members= 19

Utilizing these loaded-with-expertise teams, from this point forward each team will develop the programs that will drive OK’s future. After all, the teams is made up of experts within their designated area of responsibility, thus they are the best people to make key decisions within their area of expertise. The Marketing Team, for instance, is made up of four people with extensive Marketing knowledge and expertise, and as a result it follows that they are the best qualified to drive OK’s in such areas as marketing, branding and messaging.

Any decisions made by the individual teams will be final. Well, almost final, if the Finance Team believes that the decision the Marketing Team has made could negatively impact the financial sustainability of OK, then the Finance Team, and they alone, are empowered to veto the decision. Other than that caveat however, the Team decisions are cast in stone.

The synergy within and between the teams are what make this Entrepreneurial Team model work. These 19 board members are all small business owners or service providers, they are all experts within their area of expertise, and they deeply care about our business community. If this isn’t a recipe for success, I don’t know what is.

For a list of who these board members who have agreed to take us to the next level, please see the Board Roster. Then, when you see those folks around town, be sure and say thanks. They will be the catalyst for the new OK!