What Our Clients Say
Advertising / Marketing / Public Relations
"I just wanted to follow up on the leadership program you recently developed and presented to the spring meeting of AANI (Advertising Agencies Network International) in March [2005]. The session was extremely well received, and the feedback I received as the coordinator of the program was very positive. You worked the group hard during the full day session, challenged people to reflect on their leadership styles and did it all in a manner that encouraged discussion and participation.
I particularly appreciated the practical advice and recommendations you brought to the table. Everyone walked away with some specific activities, ideas and actions that they could apply to their every day positions as owners or partners in communications agencies. I was confident going into the session though --- you did your homework to scope out the nature of our group, their challenges and their expectations."
- Ross Harvey, Director of Strategic Services & Agronomic Support, Adfarm, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Banking / Financial Management
"The results are in .... and you were a hit! On a scale of 1 to 5, you received an overall rating of 4.61, which is excellent. The message you delivered was exactly what our conference needed at the conclusion. . . I also appreciate the work you did in preparation for the event. I was comfortable knowing you researched our group and knew a great deal about the audience before you came to Des Moines. Geery, thank-you again for a great conclusion to our conference."
- Iowa Bankers Association
"Thank-you very much for your inspirational and motivational presentation to our commercial customers. We have had an overwhelming response to the evening and were pleasantly surprised with a thank you note from a customer whom has not been easy to please. . . . We were most impressed to learn that you took the time to visit the communities and talk to our local business owners prior to our dinner meeting. Your personal touch to 'knowing where you were' was evident."
- Alliance Bank, Rockwell City, Iowa
"The information you presented was very timely in regards to our employees needing laughter, information on our banking future and how to achieve the next plateau of customer service. Your story telling made our employees laugh, shed a few tears, but yet the message was presented in a manner the employees understood."
- United Bank of Iowa, Ida Grove, Iowa
"Your seminar for our club members was wonderful. I've received many, many good comments from those in attendance. You did us proud! Thank you for putting some light in their lives!"
- Community First State Bank, Decorah, Iowa
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Education:
"It is clearly evident from the [Iowa Community Education Spring 2005] Institute participant evaluation comments that your two day training was rated outstanding and excellent in all areas. Frequent comments such as, outstanding speaker, very, very informational, a presenter with skills and content, and straight-forward, usable information - not full of jargon & acronyms comments represents a small sampling of the overwhelming expression of the quality of your presentation on leadership, planning for chaos, hyper-change, research, and insights into strategic change. Other participant comments focused on your depth of understanding and knowledge of our group. It was apparent you had done your homework by trying to understand the needs of the group and did not pull a canned presentation off the shelf that you had done previously for some other group. Your relaxed style, willingness to encourage individual as well as group discussions, and facilitation skills greatly enhanced our learning environment.... Our overall success was due to your presentation style and training excellence.... We are confident you made a difference in everyday work decisions for local school administrators and we look forward to contacting you again in the near future to work with our group."
- Joseph P. Herrity, Consultant, Community Education, Service Learning, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Bureau of Children, Family and Community Services, Department of Education, State of Iowa
"For the past five years, you have offered the most popular class, have served as consultant and idea person, conducted evening sessions on Tai Chi and other wellness activities, and even served as our keynote speaker. In all of these functions I find you to be very thorough, well prepared, able to incite enthusiasm among your students, and very effective. You have been a source of knowledge and empowerment for the hundreds of counselors you have worked with through this summer school."
- University of Iowa's Annual Summer School for Helping Professionals
"We found Geery Howe to be an excellent presenter - he has a unique style of delivery, is refreshing and sincere. Comments following his presentation were very positive as were the written evaluations turned in at the end of the day. I believe he could be successful with just about any type of audience and could relate meaningfully to almost any group."
- Great River Area Education Agency #16, Burlington, Iowa
"... you did an excellent job and I have received rave reviews about your speech from many conference attenders also. Many of the students indicated you were the best part of the conference! You did a wonderful job of tailoring your speech to a very diverse group. You captured the entire audience: from students, to teachers and administrators, to beginning entrepreneurs. I know this was not an easy task! . . . . Your style of sharing real life stories and experiences to send the message to the audience is captivating. You covered all points of our theme and left the audience with the realization that they have the ability to accomplish their dreams. . . . You are a truly gifted speaker with a 'natural' ability . . ."
- School-to-Career Conference, Mount Pleasant, Iowa
"Our entire staff has been delighted with your two presentations to the Spirit Lake Center for the purpose of staff development. With our recent and rapid growth and expansion both in program offerings and staff members, we have gained great knowledge from your willingness to share with us. Your information is so "useable" and "practical", you have that special sensitivity in working with others, you leave us feeling very special, inspired and charged up!"
- Iowa Lakes Community College
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Government:
"In sitting with my thoughts about the training you provided for us, I have come to the conclusion that it was spectacular! There were so many 'moving' parts - literally and figuratively. The stories were wonderful...you have a wonderful gift. The messages delivered have stuck, and I am very motivated to continue to move forward, and there was much interaction. Staff, Crew Leaders, ACL's, are all talking about how they are implementing, thinking about and/or remember your stories. There seems to be a new energy for all of us."
- Miquelle Scheier, Program Manager, Coconino Rural Environment Corps, Flagstaff, AZ
"Your presentation was the highest rated of the conference and bought the most positive remarks. The audience became both unglued and glued to their seats at the same time during your presentation. Having experienced speakers both at the state and national level, I found your presentation to be informative and entertaining and one of the best I have ever heard."
- Community and Rural Development, Bureau of Community Assistance
"Thank-you for your outstanding presentation entitled 'The Map and The Road: Finding Direction in the Midst of Change.' Participant response was overwhelmingly positive. At a meeting the following week, comments such as 'Geery captured the audience,' 'His message was right on target for our agency,' 'I wish my entire department had been there to hear his message,' were common. . . . Geery, your message was powerful and applied not only to the professional aspects of people's lives, but to their personal lives as well. Your use of stories was a highly effective mechanism to share key points regarding the importance of focus, integrity and excellence in individual lives and in our organizational culture. Thank-you again for a memorable presentation. Your work made a significant impact on the lives of others."
- Iowa Quality Forum
"We have had the pleasure of working with you on more than one occasion and have always found you to be very professional as well as an extremely dynamic speaker. The audience invariably comes away with a more positive attitude and motivated to take your philosophies and suggestions back to their own organizations to put them to practical use."
- Iowa Department of Economic Development
"Your presentations are wonderfully humorous, poignant, and beneficial. Feedback I receive from people who attend your training sessions is always excellent. People enjoy your comfortable, down to earth style and ease with the audience. I know personally I am very moved by your presentations. And in these changing times of chaos and stress, your message is indeed needed."
- Speaker Chair - Iowa Excellence Forum
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Health / Medical Associations and Organizations:
"This class has encouraged me to do a lot of thinking and dreaming and goal setting. It has revived an inner strength and spirit, and encouraged me to strive to reach the "next level". It has helped me to recognize my weaknesses and provided opportunities to turn them into strengths. Through class discussions I was amazed to find that, despite the diverse and unique backgrounds of my classmates, the majority were going through the same changes and challenges the others were experiencing."
- Sandy Franks, Chief Financial Officer, Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, Shenandoah, Iowa
"Your presentation The Map and The Road: Coping With Change in Health Care was excellent! The Nursing Education Center staff in Central Nursing Office tell us that the program evaluations for this session were outstanding. We have also have had several nurses who attended the program personally tell us the same. Thank-you so much for sharing your insights and expertise with us."
- The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
"Great, Great Job! As the participants shared you set the tone and the stage for the two day retreat. It was obvious you did your homework specific to Allen Memorial Hospital. Everyone was in awe. There were times when a person could hear a pin drop. You held the audience in the palm of your hand. I've heard people reflect back to your message these past days. Because it was so dynamic we want you back to work with the rest of the management team. I can't think of a higher compliment. Your sharing of personal experience in the health care setting was most meaningful. Thank you for truly serving us."
- Allen Memorial Hospital, Waterloo, Iowa
"Your dynamic presentation was an emotional change from crying to laughing in the same minute. Who says educational programs have to be dry and boring?!"
- Mercy Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa
"You provide current, applicable and practical information. It's evident that you've researched topic areas thoroughly. Content and activities are always "on the mark", addressing objectives and needs of the group. Your presentations are sensitive, intuitive, and thought-provoking. You truly are skilled at leading and encouraging audiences to participate to their fullest capacity and benefit."
- Continuing Health Education, Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, Iowa[CLIENT LIST] | [TOP OF PAGE]
Organizations that Serve People With Disabilities:
"Geery's written materials, training and on-site consultation are "down to earth", thoughtful, meaningful, pertinent, relevant, forward thinking and most all, thoroughly usable in today's businesses, profit and not for profit. His work with our organization has energized our staff and enabled them to focus on their personal and professional goals, honing their own leadership skills helping to move our organization forward to new and exciting heights and directions. Geery knows the right questions to ask and does so in a thoughtful way that gives staff the ability to move from ideas and discussion, to action. Our time with Geery has always been valuable and has produced amazing results."
-Reno Berg, CEO Mainstream Living, Inc. Ames, Iowa
"ResCare, Inc. was an employee-owned disability and health care services business with a big assignment, to transition from a centrally managed company with a controlling interest owned by the companys founder to a more balanced management structure and a more dispersed ownership. When we interviewed (and were interviewed by) Geery Howe, we knew immediately that he got it and that the relationship was going to be a productive one. During the course of our continuing work together, our initial impressions have been proven correct time and time again.
As we started working with Geery, we were immediately impressed with both his depth of knowledge of cutting-edge business planning and management practices and his outstanding skills as a facilitator, planner and educator. Geery worked with us to correctly identify and meet our key needs: to help our founder transition to a new role in a new company structure; to develop a structure that worked for us as an employee-owned company; to continually communicate the need for these changes to all staff; to update our mission, vision and values to better meet the needs of a changing external landscape and the changing internal structure of our company; to provide leadership training to our key staff so that they could be successful in their expanded roles; and to work with us to develop a strategic plan to promote and effectively manage needed change and growth.
Since then he has continued to work with us in each of these areas and we have made great strides in each of them. We have accomplished much already and are poised to accomplish much, much more. For our company and for our customers, little of this would have been possible without Geerys services. His work has truly increased the value of our services and of our company. On a more personal note, as a human services and health care company, our values of choice, respect, teamwork and education are extremely important in driving our companys mission and vision and in guiding the development of our programs, the provision of our services and the outcomes our customers achieve. It is obvious to us that Geery, too, has a clear set of values that are congruent with ours, that guide the services that he provides to his customers and that places a high value on the outcomes that his customers achieve. He is an ethical and honorable person to do business with, something of a rarity in this world and something we appreciate and value deeply."
- Rod Hotek, CEO & Bill Dodds, President, ResCare Inc.
"Thank you for the opportunity to laugh and grow during the same training session. Many times we have the opportunity to laugh during training sessions and often we attend trainings where we learn. But it is the rare opportunity when we obtain both."
- CLASS LTD, Columbus, Kansas"
. . . it truly was great to have you as a speaker again this year! You aren't just a speaker -- you "connect" with the participants before, during, and after your presentations, which makes it truly a meaningful experience for all that attend your sessions. As always, I heard many remarks about how good your sessions were and your presence at the Issues Forum added value for everyone!"
- University of Missouri-Columbia's Issues Forum
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Social Service Organizations:
"Your presentation style is wonderful. Your ability to combine humor, insight, and involve the audience is a great gift. Perhaps the greatest gift was your ability to listen. You really listened and responded to what were the perceived needs of the group. It wasn't just a canned talk. You tailored it to the needs of the audience. As a result, your presentation received very high evaluations from the participants. Many want you to present to us again soon. There was not one negative comment concerning your presentation from the two hundred and seventy (270) participants."
- Iowa Substance Abuse Program Directors Association
"I marvel at your ability to engage the teens throughout a three hour presentation! Your energy, humor, and insight really se the tone for the day. You have a unique, animated and sincere style of presenting. Your sense of humor is engaging and enjoyable. You are a great story teller. You take a common experience and turn it into an "aha" moment that everyone can relate to. You are keen to the needs of the audience and draw participants into your presentation and keep them involved in the learning process. . . . They overwhelmingly rated your presentation with the highest score possible."
- Independent Living Conference for foster care teens
"The participants enjoyed the workshop and said it was inspiring, entertaining, and full of emotion. They particularly liked your stories, as did I. The stories made what you were saying very real. We laughed with you and some cried. When a workshop invokes that sort of feeling, you know it has touched someone. Your genuiness and compassion is so apparent and the participants feel as if they are having a personal conversation rather than attending a workshop. I believe the message will be carried home rather than left behind as happens with so many workshops."
- Iowa Corrections Association
"You gave a breath of fresh air to people that have had to endure many changes, a great deal of chaos and a lot of unneeded stress. You opened up doors, suppressed some fears and gave hope to a tired, stressed out staff. You were able to point out problems that everyone knew existed but were afraid to face, and you offered direction on how to solve these."
- Iowa Department of Human Services
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