Grover Gaming
Voted 2nd Best Place to Work in the USA
C12 Mid-Atlantic member Garret Blackwelder’s company, Grover Gaming, was recently awarded 2nd best place to work in the USA by Glassdoor. Congratulations to an incredible team! Grover is consistently setting the pace for what a healthy work environment looks like with a mission and vision that aren't just words on a wall. We are honored to have a front-row seat.
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As the CEO of W.R. Long, a family-owned business specializing in tractor attachments and hydraulic components, I faced an unexpected challenge when my business partner retired six years ago. Until that moment, decisions were collaborative, shared burdens lighter. Suddenly, sole leadership revealed an unsettling truth: the isolation of CEO leadership is very real, costly, and, without intentional action, inevitable.

Leadership transitions bring both opportunity and uncertainty. Whether stepping into a new executive role, restructuring an organization, or guiding a team through change, one of the greatest challenges leaders face is maintaining cohesion. Change disrupts team dynamics, and without intentional leadership, dysfunction can take root.

The Crystal Coast region of North Carolina is known for its picturesque landscapes, thriving communities, and a deep sense of purpose shared by its people. Now, this region is about to witness an exciting new development in the intersection of business and faith: the official launch of C12 Mid-Atlantic.

Leadership can be a lonely road. Especially as a CEO, when you know that everyday there will be decisions that must be made. Decisions with so many variables at play. Knowing that there are lives on the other side of the decisions that we make and the risks that we take can be stressful. But we still have to lead the way.

As leaders, we can seem like the enemy. We risk hypocrisy if we expect our employees to care for customers and the community if we are not modeling that expectation by caring about our team members' well-being. Many organizations battle priority overload, putting their employees’ mental health and performance at risk. We can support mental health by committing to healthy workloads and clear prioritization, addressing the organizational environment factors within our scope of responsibility.