Alec Hudnut | Transformational Business Leaders of 2023 | Exeleon Magazine

Embracing Excellence
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Alec
Hudnut
R E D E F I N I N G C O N S U L T I N G
W I T H E A R N I N G S G R O W T H
DeanHallett:
Empowering
Transformative
Leadership
IN - FOCUS
IN - FOCUS
LEADER OF THE YEAR
Transf rmational
o
ChrisRogers:
Leveraging
Revenue-Driven
SEOforBusiness
Growth

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C O N T E N T S
ALEC HUDNUT
12

DEAN HALLETT
34
C O N T E N T S

ANTONIO MCBROOM
46
C O N T E N T S

R E D E F I N I N G
M A N A G I N G P A R T N E R
V i c i P A R T N E R S
12 EXELEON MAGAZINE

C O N S U LT I N G BY F O C U S I N G O N E A R N I N G S G R OW T H
Alec Hudnut
C O V E R S T O R Y
& Vici Partners
WWW.EXELEONMAGAZINE.COM 13

this rapidly changing market
landscape, businesses are constantly
seeking innovative strategies to propel
their top-line growth and boost their
bottom line.
Amidst this landscape, Alec Hudnut,
Managing Partner at Vici Partners, has
emerged as a visionary leader,
transforming the consulting industry
with a refreshing approach to
organizational effectiveness. With a
focus on harnessing untapped
potential within a company, Vici is
unlocking changes within large
corporations resulting in remarkable
earnings growth.
Vici Partners, a boutique consulting
irm renowned for its ability to help
companies enhance revenue streams
and reduce operational costs, is leading
the charge in revolutionizing the
consulting world. By prioritizing a
more human-centered approach to
organizational ef iciency, the irm has
crafted a unique business model and a
critically important mission: to
empower large corporations to achieve
unprecedented growth and earnings.
Traditionally, consulting irms have
relied on external market analysis and
surface-level recommendations to
drive business success. However, Vici's
visionary leadership has challenged
this status quo, pushing for a deep
introspection within organizations.
Alec recognizes that the key to
unlocking sustainable growth lies
within the company itself—its culture,
its people, and its processes.
EARNINGS GROWTH
Vici Partners has carved out a
distinctive niche for itself in the
consulting market. While most irms
offer a broad spectrum of services, Vici
focuses exclusively on helping clients
achieve earnings growth.
Moreover, Vici stands out for its
payment model that aligns its fees to
the results the irm delivers. This
result-driven approach enables Vici
Partners to focus on tangible outcomes
and builds trust among its clients.
Alec points out that the company
doesn't have any junior consultants in
its team. Instead, he has brought in
team members with signi icant
experience in running companies of
different scales.
These measures have enabled Vici to
drive impeccable results for its clients,
typically improving their pro itability
by 25% within 2-3 years.
ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET
Alec's journey as a leader and
entrepreneur traces back to his
childhood. He recalls at the age of 11
making a unique one-page lyer. He
went around his neighborhood grocery
stores and noted down the prices for
all the staple items. Using a
mimeograph, he printed all the pricing
information to create a grocery price
list lyer.
In
EXELEON MAGAZINE
C O V E R S T O R Y
We are doing
consulting that the
clients can
measure and has a
meaningful impact.
‘
‘
14

C O V E R S T O R Y
Alec remembers, “I walked up and
down the back staircase in our
family's NY apartment and sold the
grocery price list lyer to the
neighbors for $0.25. Since my
grade school had paper and a
mimeograph machine that the
secretary let me use, the costs were
zero.”
Although the venture didn't attract
many customers (other than his
mother's good friends), it laid the
foundation for his future as a
leader and a problem solver.
Since then, the Harvard Business
School graduate, has accumulated
more than 30 years of experience
in executive level management and
strategic consulting. During this
time, he has worked with some
great companies and irms. This
includes names like Goldman,
Sachs & Co., Idealab, Green Dot
Bank, Evolution Robotics, Inc., and
McKinsey & Co.
Today, as the Managing Partner at
Vici Partners, Alec's day-to-day role
involves supporting the existing
clients of the irm, bringing in new
business, and continually working
alongside other partners to re ine
the overall process of the company.
LEARNINGS ALONG THE WAY
Re lecting on his journey thus far,
Alec acknowledges the fortune of
starting his career at some of the
most established companies and
irms.
Along with his partners, Alec has
gathered invaluable knowledge and
experience, and seeks to instill the
same into his clients.
Three key perspectives underpin
their approach to serving clients:
1. Ask clients to treat the
company as if it was your own
money. Once you do that, you
will make diﬀerent decisions,
and they will be better for the
customer, the brand, and the
long-term economic success of
the business.
2. When you are trying to get
something done at your
business, the buy-in for the idea
is just as important as the
quality of the business case.
Spend just as much time
building consensus as you do
building the business case.
3. Have a beginner's mind.
Imagine you were approaching
the business with a clean sheet
Earnings
Growth
Sometimes organizations
need results quickly. Having
the right tools, process &
skills is key. Vici delivers real
earnings growth with front-
line buy-in.

Entrepreneurial
Mindset
Alec's journey as a leader and
entrepreneur traces back to his
childhood. He recalls at the age
of 11 making a unique one-page
flyer. He went around his
neighborhood grocery stores and
noted down the prices for all the
staple items. Using a
mimeograph, he printed all the
pricing information to create a
grocery price list flyer.
Alec remembers, “I walked up
and down the back staircase in
our family's NY apartment and
sold the grocery price list flyer to
the neighbors for $0.25. Since my
grade school had paper and a
mimeograph machine that the
secretary let me use, the costs
were zero.”
Although the venture didn't
attract many customers (other
than his mother's good friends), it
laid the foundation for his future
as a leader and a problem solver.
Since then, the Harvard Business
School graduate, has
accumulated more than 30 years
of experience in executive level
management and strategic
consulting. During this time, he
has worked with some great
companies and firms. This
includes names like Goldman,
Sachs & Co., Idealab, Green Dot
Bank, Evolution Robotics, Inc.,
and McKinsey & Co.
Today, as the Managing Partner
at Vici Partners, Alec's day-to-
day role involves supporting the
existing clients of the firm,
bringing in new business, and
continually working alongside
other partners to refine the
overall process of the company.
C O V E R S T O R Y
EXELEON MAGAZINE
16

1. of paper, not knowing
anything about the product,
the customers, the industry.
What questions would you
ask? Don't be afraid to be a
beginner, we often ind that
the best way to re ine a
process, or improve a
product, or support a
customer comes from
asking the most basic
questions.
STAYING UPDATED
As the business landscape
evolves at a rapid pace, Vici
Partners and Alec remain
committed to providing their
clients with the most relevant
and impactful advice. To him,
staying updated with the latest
trends and technologies is
crucial.
However, he cautions against
hasty application without
proper groundwork. Rather
than adopting the latest
technologies indiscriminately,
Alec advises businesses to irst
simplify their processes, re ine
their offerings, and then
judiciously apply technologies
like generative AI.
C O V E R S T O R Y
Exeleon
Shorts
One Book Entrepreneurs must
read – Marie Kondo, The Life-
Changing Magic of Tidying-Up.
And why that book? A tidy desk
and tidy life equals a tidy
business. Start with cleaning
yourself up irst. It will help your
business.
One Productivity Tool / App
that you use – The iPhone Files,
app. So that I can have all the
documents on my desktop and
phone.
One Movie / Show to Suggest –
Game of Thrones. Because if you
think corporate politics is any
less vicious, you are wrong. There
are just fewer swords and
dragons.
One Quote that Motivates you
the most – “Peace is every step”
by Thich Nhat Hahn. What does
that mean? It means no matter
how upset, anxious, or stressed
you are, those feelings are just a
choice. Choose to be something
different in the next step and you
can feel something different. Try
it!
One Investment Advice that
you follow – The most important
variable in investing is time. The
longer you can hold something,
the less you will be forced to sell
when you don't want to. Long-
term holds equal wealth.
EXELEON MAGAZINE
18

RESULT-BASED CONSULTANCY
Vici Partners has served clients
across diverse industries and
continents, providing tailored
solutions to their unique
challenges.
In recent years, the irm has
witnessed signi icant demand from
the technology sector, assisting
growth-focused companies in
achieving pro itable revenue
growth. Additionally, they have
been instrumental in helping
manufacturers expand into
services and solutions, oﬀsetting
rising costs that are dif icult to pass
on entirely.
Looking ahead, Hudnut envisions a
new era of consulting where clients
can measure the results generated
and pay consultants based on their
impact. Vici Partners is
spearheading this shift, oﬀering
transparent consulting services
that directly improve operating
income.
Alec mentions, “Gone are the days
of the fancy presentation that can't
be easily implemented. Or the
consultants vanishing just when
the hard part begins - which is
implementing the ideas.”
He continues, “We, at Vici Partners,
are doing consulting that the
clients can measure and that has
meaningful impact on improving
operating income.”
Alec Hudnut's journey and Vici
Partners' innovative consulting
approach serve as an inspiration to
the industry. By prioritizing
tangible results, simplicity, and
continuous improvement, Vici
Partners has set a new standard for
consulting irms.
www.vicipartners.com
Vici creates momentum.

Exeleon Magazine features some of the
leading players in business and shares
their journey of excellence to inspire
aspiring leaders across the globe.

Navigating the
EXELEON EXCLUSIVE
EXELEON MAGAZINE
22

Trust Terrain
Strategies for Strengthening
Business Bonds
54% of businesses say partnerships drive
over 20% of total company revenue, while
34% of marketers say brand partnerships
are the most eﬀective method of increasing
email subscribers lists.
Indeed, strategic partnerships can be
crucial for business growth, however,
they're not always so easy to form. If you're
working to develop a strong relationship
with another company, it's important to
start by building a foundation of trust.
Cultivating a communicative relationship
that encourages both parties to be honest,
clear, and comfortable about revealing
their overarching goals and expectations
paves the way for a long-term and fruitful
relationship.
BE HONEST
Cut out the useless corporate jargon.
Instead, be upfront, clear, and honest about
your business goals. Being deliberately
ambiguous, vague, or unclear implies
dishonesty – which is sure to tank your
relationship. A strong relationship is built
by establishing trust, and trust can only be
established when you're willing to have
open and transparent discussions.
This is particularly important when it
comes to talking about key points like
pro it margins, operational costs, and even
potential con licts of interest – a
trustworthy partner shouldn't shy away
from these topics. It can be useful to justify
expenses by highlighting value and return
on investment, which therefore reinforces
the bene its of the partnership –
relationships thrive when both parties
involved understand its value. You can also
demonstrate transparency and just how
serious you are about the partnership by
exposing a vulnerability; this can show you
have a clear need for a relationship with
this company.
It's also useful to highlight keyways you
can align strategies. So, for instance, this
usually involves de ining shared aims
between both businesses. Considering the
“value triangle” can help here. According to
the value triangle, businesses generally put
their strategic focus into speed, price, and
quality in order to provide a successful
product or service – although it's only
possible to have two qualities together at a
time, and not all three. So, for example, a
business either values price and speed,
quality and speed, or quality and price.
Although the best way to go depends on
your individual business goals (there's no
EXELEON EXCLUSIVE

EXELEON EXCLUSIVE
EXELEON MAGAZINE
24

right or wrong), it helps to know
whether or not your partner shares
your core values here. Above all, in
the beginning of your relationship,
it may be tempting to assume you'll
work out the iner details later on,
and instead spend most of the time
getting excited about the potential
new possibilities on the horizon.
However, the early days are the
ideal time to learn about each
other's foundational values, as well
as uncover any differences in
corporate culture or organizational
structure, that can better help you
prevent and overcome potential
problems that may arise later down
the line.
GET CLEAR ON YOUR ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
Successful business partnerships
are usually formed when two
parties are either reaching for a
shared goal, or have services or
resources that can bene it each
other. Partnerships can, however,
deteriorate when the two parties
fail to get clear on each of their
expectations for the relationship.
So, it's essential to determine and
clarify your roles and
responsibilities from the get-go.
Spend as much time as needed to
understand both party's
expectations for the relationship, as
well as which party is responsible
for what. That way, there's no
doubt about the outcomes you're
expecting the partnership to
deliver. Both parties also need to
comprehend the needs of the other
– don't just assume you know what
your partner values. Rather, take
time to ask questions about their
goals and needs, as well as come up
with effective ways to measure that
success. By ensuring you both
understand each other's needs and
goals, you can both be con ident the
other isn't solely working in their
own self-interest.
FOLLOW THROUGH ON
PROMISES
Trust isn't something that's earned
overnight; it takes time and effort
to build. You need to prove to your
partner that in reality you're as
trustworthy and reliable as you like
to portray. And, actions always
speak louder than words. So, be
careful to follow through on your
commitments and the actions you
promise to take. If you fail to make
good on your word, you won't show
yourself to be a valuable or
worthwhile partner – and the
relationship will fail.
Additionally, you can further
provide value by positioning
yourself as a helpful resource.
Think about what you can do for
your partner, and not just what
they can do for you. Similarly, it
also helps to prove success as soon
as possible with quick wins. This is
a more productive route compared
to putting your resources into
theoretical activities that may
potentially end up being a waste of
time.
Business partnerships can be an
effective way to grow your
operations – whether it's through
developing a new product or
attracting new customers, for
example. By taking care to build a
business relationship based around
trust, transparency, and open
communication, you'll have an
easier time creating a successful
partnership that provides mutual
bene its for both parties.
EXELEON EXCLUSIVE

C R E AT I N G
M U LT I M E D I A
T H AT S PA R K S
S O C I A L
C H A N G E
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EXELEON MAGAZINE
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BLACK MULTIMEDIA ARTIST,
DESIGNER & EDUCATOR
JORDAN SPARKS
Give us a brief background about you and
your company - Shining Spark
Entertainment.
I'm Jordan Sparks, a Black Multimedia Artist,
Designer and Educator. I use various forms of
Art and Media not only to entertain, but also
explore how we can use creative content to
inspire social change. I believe that media is a
powerful tool for learning about the world
and ourselves, so I want to create powerful
new experiences. I also have a passion for
teaching and have taught art, games and
other subjects to over 10,000 people. I
graduated from Toronto Metropolitan
University with an MA and BFA, and have
worked in many places, such as the Royal
Ontario Museum, Humber College, the Hand
Eye Society and more.
Shining Spark Entertainment is an innovative
new multimedia company I founded that
focuses on creating multimedia for social
change. We focus on creating diverse and
impactful media projects, such as games,
around various cultural and social subjects.
We want to shine a light on our culture to
spark social change.
What was the idea behind creating a 3D
Visual Novel game about Canadian
Politics?
In 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was
found in contempt of parliament, which
defeated his government, dissolved
parliament and triggered an election. At the
time, I had no clue what any of that meant
and found much of the discussion around it
confusing.
Civic Story was created for people similarly
confused about what's happening in the
world. Politics is such a dense and
inaccessible topic. I wanted to create an
accessible and enjoyable way to understand
it that would help people who were as lost as
I was. I settled on making Civic Story a 3D
visual novel because I found that the visual
novel format allowed for the emphasis on
storytelling, an easy style of control and the
ability to convey a lot with very little in
creative ways. It also allows people to slowly
unfold the story at their own pace in this
eccentric 3D world. As a cartoonist, I
deliberately took a lot of comic inspirations
for the visual style not only to make the game
and subject matter more appealing, but also
to honour the long political history of comics
all around the world.
The ultimate goal is to help Canadians learn
more about politics through the game and
make them realize the many ways politics
aﬀects our lives.
What was the thought behind the name –
Civic Story? What is your long-term vision
through this game?
Deciding on the name 'Civic Story' was a very
hard process. For almost the entire life of the
project, we referred to it as "PeoPoli," which
IN – FOCUS

was a temporary name I came up with that
combined “People” and “Politics”–the ultimate goal
of the project. Unfortunately, I had a hard time
coming up with a more permanent name, and it
stuck for a long time. Civic Story was a suggestion
by our Technical Artist Zed Poirier, and after a long
name-choosing process, I decided it was the best
name on our list.
We feel that the name Civic Story embodies what
our game is: A Story about Civics. That may seem
basic or obvious, but the entire goal of the project
was to explicitly relate to civics and politics
through storytelling because most people think
both subjects are sterile, boring and unrelatable. In
all cultures, people learn lessons from stories.
Through a relatable tale like Civic Story, people can
see some of the many ways politics aﬀects them.
That ties into our long-term vision of Civic Story
becoming an accessible starting point for people to
learn about politics and be inspired to vote. We
want students and adults to play this and be more
active in politics and their community. To do that,
we are trying to reach out to schools, libraries and
democratic organizations to partner with them and
make Civic Story more accessible. I admit that a
game about Canadian politics may not sound
immediately exciting to some, but those who give
our interactive political parody a chance will soon
understand what we hope to accomplish.
My vision is to use our game to make a more
civically engaged public, and if even one person is
inspired to vote through our work then we have
done our job.
What have been some of the biggest challenges
for you and your team during the process of
creating this game?
Every project has challenges, and Civic Story was
no exception. Even though it's a very simple game,
we had to deal with many technical problems, from
nonsense glitches that would happen for no reason
to what we called 'phantom bugs' that would occur
randomly. However, no challenge was harder than
just getting the project started.
People don't often consider how much it costs to
make things, and games can cost a lot to make! I
irst came up with the idea for around
Civic Story
2012. Over the years, I would write down ideas
and re ine them, until I eventually developed a
comprehensive design document that detailed the
project. That doesn't mean I can simply make it; I
can't do everything. I need a team of talented
people. Of course, people won't work on this for
free, so I need a lot of money I don't have. So, I need
to get funding, but that isn't easy. While I'm
thankful there are many grant funds and funders in
Canada, they weren't con ident in a video game
about Canadian Politics. I kept getting told that it
EXELEON MAGAZINE
30

was a great idea and a needed project in Canadian
society, but they wouldn't fund it.
I spent many years trying and failing to get
funding. However, I was very passionate about this
concept and voting; I never gave up my dream.
Eventually, I could inally get a small bit of funding
to get started, and I immediately hit the ground
running. I hired my team and made the most of
everything I had. Once production started, my team
overcame numerous challenges and greatly
enhanced the project beyond my wildest dreams.
While I came up with the original concept,
everyone on my team deserves credit for evolving
it into something better. I was proud to inally have
the power to pay them for their valuable skills and
services. For all the challenges I faced developing
Civic Story, getting funding was by far the hardest.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for Shining
Spark Entertainment? What are you most
excited about?
I founded Shining Spark Entertainment as a
trailblazer in our industry to make innovative
productions that sparked social change. I most
certainly want to continue that vision. I have many
plans for Shining Spark Entertainment, including
making more games and multimedia productions
about diﬀerent cultural subjects, expanding our
diverse team and capabilities and even
collaborating with other studios and charities. I
want Shining Spark Entertainment to explore what
it truly means to make media that makes a
diﬀerence.
Civic Story is only the starting point of this
ambition, but we have many other goals with it as
well. In addition to selling the game to the public,
we want to license to schools and
Civic Story
institutions to make it more accessible. We could
also put it on mobile and make a free French
update in the future for francophone players. Civic
Story has been a learning experience and has
greatly emboldened my vision for the company.
We have many plans for and beyond, but
Civic Story
this is just the irst step on our journey to spark
change. I am excited for what comes next and hope
those reading this will follow us on that journey to
spark change and create a better world.
Please feel free to follow Shining Spark
Entertainment at https://ShineSparkEnt.com as
well as follow our socials and newsletter.
Additionally, you can follow my work personally at
https://GrindSpark.com.
IN – FOCUS

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EXELEON MAGAZINE
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Dean Hallett
Empowering Transformative
Leadership
President - Hallett Leadership
n a world illed with constant change and
Ichallenges, there are rare journeys that
remind us of the power of leadership and
the impact it can have on people,
organizations, and even entire work cultures.
These journeys nestle into our hearts and
minds; captivating us unlike anything else.
They become vibrant threads that weave
through the fabric of our existence, breathing
life into our experiences, emotions, and
aspirations.
Within these stories, we discover solace,
inspiration, and a deeper understanding of
ourselves and the world around us. And
among the rich mosaic of leadership stories,
one igure stands out: Dean Hallett, an LA-
based transformational leader.
His unique journey delivers guideposts,
encouraging us to tap into our hidden
reserves of strength through creativity and to
navigate the ever-changing tides of life with
resilience.
As we delve into his narrative, we witness a
multifaceted individual—a trainer,
entrepreneur, high-performing executive,
author, speaker, and more—who embodies
the essence of inspiring leadership.
In fact, his journey resonates with the
universal longing for purpose, growth, and
meaningful connections.
BREAKING WALLS, BUILDING BRIDGES
For Dean, his introduction to coaching has
been deeply transformative, exploring the
why & how of what holds executives back.
As he re lects on his own past, Dean
acknowledges that while his childhood
wasn't marked by adversity, he developed
limiting beliefs that hindered his recognition
of self-worth. His elder brother who bullied
him instilled the belief that it was better to
be seen and not heard, perhaps even better
to be invisible.
With conviction, he asserts, "I constructed
formidable walls and convinced myself that I
could navigate life solely on the strength of
my intellect. How mistaken I was!”
Fortune smiled upon him when he
encountered emotional intelligence training
in his early twenties. It was then that he
realized the vast expanse of life he had been
missing.
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He reconnected with forgotten
parts of himself, honing attributes
that enabled him to bring out the
best in those around him. The
revelation of his personal power
and the ability to create profound
connections with people pushed
him forward on his journey.
Once Dean tapped into the human
connection he had been longing for,
there was no turning back. While
emotional intelligence training was
the catalyst for self-discovery, his
journey of growth has continued
throughout his life.
As he ventured into the business
world, he built upon his ability to
connect with others, helping them
unlock their full potential. “I
created work environments that
were based on trust and mutual
respect, which in turn allowed me
to build teams that truly thrived.”
th
While at 20 Century Fox, Dean
launched and led accelerated
leadership initiatives, and the
studio went on to achieve eight
record years in a row, and nine
record years in a 10-year span.
THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER
OF DEAN'S COACHING
Enter Hallett Leadership —a
beacon of transformation in
leadership development. Led by
Dean, Hallett Leadership oﬀers
executive coaching and the highly
acclaimed Accelerated Leadership
Program (ALP).
Executive Coaching runs for
typically six months with the focus
on “expanding the executives' self-
awareness and developing
leadership skills for building an
engaged and aligned workforce.”
Here, by challenging limiting beliefs
and behaviors, Dean helps these
leaders uncover the underlying
sources of their potential,
encouraging a meaningful shift in
their approach to leadership.
The ALP Program, on the other
hand, oﬀers a nine-month
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EXELEON MAGAZINE
36

Dean believes that many companies overlook the
importance of investing in leadership development until
it's too late.
They assume that leadership skills either come innately
or are acquired through osmosis. Surprisingly, research
from Harvard Business Review reveals that the average
age at which managers receive their irst leadership
training is at a staggering 42 years old, while they
assume managerial roles at just 30 years old. This has left
most managers fumbling in the dark for over a decade!
Dean shares that when individuals are encouraged to
step into leadership positions, they often succumb to the
belief that they must possess all the answers and project
an image of lawlessness. Consequently, they hesitate to
seek input and feedback, making uninformed decisions
that sti le team engagement and creativity.
Moreover, as individuals ascend to lead teams, many
remain ixated on their own performance, neglecting to
share vital information with their colleagues. This act of
withholding casts a shadow upon the team, thus
derailing collective growth.
These disruptive behaviors are re lected in a Gallup Poll
which found that 85% of the overall workforce is
unengaged or actively disengaged, and many are actively
subverting an organization's eﬀorts. Disengagement
comes at a price: the annual US economic cost for
disengaged and under-engaged employees exceeds $550
billion. Moreover, turnover increases 18% to 43% in low-
engagement teams.
UNVEILING THE LEADERSHIP GAP
IN – FOCUS

immersive experience for a cohort
of up to 25 individuals who
continue performing in their
existing roles.
This program takes a holistic
approach to leadership
development, encouraging growth
in individual leadership, team
leadership, and overall
organizational leadership.
From authentic leadership to
maximizing pro itability, from
promoting trust and mutual respect
to driving collaboration and high
performance, the ALP Program
equips leaders with a rich toolkit to
thrive in today's dynamic business
landscape.
These transformative offerings
provide individuals and
organizations with the right tools
and support needed to achieve
exceptional levels of performance
across all levels of the company.
Dean and his team have built a
robust talent pipeline, shaping the
most trusted leaders of tomorrow.
In fact, he proudly highlights his
company's success in nurturing a
bench of future leaders, as well as
their track record of coaching
senior executives to secure their
irst CEO positions.
At the heart of Hallett Leadership
lies the belief that every individual,
at any level of a company, has the
power to create a lasting impact.
EMPOWERED LEADERSHIP,
TRANSFORMED FUTURE
Dean has witnessed irsthand the
powerful transformations that his
coaching programs can unfold.
It is often the simplest moments
that hold the greatest power. By
offering feedback to address
behaviors that disrupt team
dynamics, relationships can
undergo remarkable changes.
These subtle shifts have a ripple
effect, reshaping the culture of
organizations as a whole.
Moreover, by investing in
leadership development through
Hallett Leadership, client
companies embrace a culture of
collaboration and alignment,
resulting in engaged, high-
performance teams that drive
sustainable success. A recent study
by LSA Global found that highly
aligned companies increase
revenue 58% faster than their less
aligned peers and are 72% more
pro itable. How much money is
your company leaving on the table?
In a nutshell, Dean's offerings stand
apart from the competition for two
key reasons.
IN – FOCUS
EXELEON MAGAZINE
38

Firstly, the programs hold the
philosophy of transformation close
to their heart. It embraces the
power of personal choice,
empowering every individual to
consciously present themselves as
their best selves.
His coaching philosophy transcends
super icial change, exploring core
beliefs and behaviors that in luence
the actions of leaders.
Secondly, his decades of experience
in the trenches set Hallett
Leadership apart
from other career
academics and
consultants.
With a successful
25-year tenure in
the challenging
entertainment
industry, including
leadership roles as
CFO for two major
studios, he brings
real-world insights
and "war stories"
to the table.
This practical
experience allows
clients to grasp the
tangible
application of
leadership in
diverse
circumstances,
solidifying Hallett
Leadership as a
trusted partner in
driving meaningful
change.
THE DELICATE
ART OF WORK-
LIFE
Dean's in luence
extends far beyond coaching and
leadership development.
As an entrepreneur, coach, speaker,
and trainer, he leads a rich and
multifaceted life driven by a deep
passion for family, work, and
personal pursuits.
Moreover, he has mastered the art
of work-life balance, skillfully
tending to each aspect with care
and dedication.
By cherishing what truly matters,
he inds ful illment both in the
warmth of personal connections
and the accomplishments of his
professional journey.
THE LIMITLESS ROAD AHEAD
As Hallett Leadership sets its gaze
upon the future, the path ahead
shines bright with promise. Word of
mouth continues to spread about
the transformational work he and
his team deliver.
Executives who have gone through
Hallett Leadership programs
consistently express the
tremendous value gained, not only
in their professional lives but also
in their personal relationships.
With a focus on conscious
leadership and the ability to inspire
greatness in others, Hallett
Leadership is poised to
revolutionize leadership
development on a global scale.
Dean's unshakable commitment to
empowering leaders and creating
high-performance cultures will
shape the landscape of
organizations for years to come.
With a future illed with limitless
potential, Hallett Leadership is set
to rede ine the boundaries of what
is possible in the world of
leadership and workplace culture.
IN – FOCUS

Rogers
LEVERAGING
REVENUE-DRIVEN
SEO FOR BUSINESS
GROWTH
IN – FOCUS

Meet Chris Rogers, Founder
and CEO of Colorado SEO
Pros (CSP), a leading
business-centric SEO agency with a
key focus on revenue-driven
strategies. With an exceptional
understanding of his client's unique
needs, Chris has established an
impressive reputation in the SEO
space.
In this Interview with Exeleon
Magazine, Chris Rogers talks about
SEO, CSP, and his journey.
In your experience, what are
some of the essential qualities a
successful CEO should possess?
Drive, persistence, patience,
perseverance, empathy,
decisiveness, and the most
important being a seasoned ability
to control your thoughts and
emotions to remain calm in the face
of adversity and take appropriate
action. If you learn to control your
thinking and emotions, you can
accomplish pretty much anything
with continued eﬀort and well
re ined and evolving goals.
Talk to us about your growing up
years. What is your earliest
memory as a leader that you can
remember?
I remember recruiting other kids
for group adventures /
misadventures as early as daycare, I
would get big ideas and create
something from it. I sold popcorn
for the boy scouts when I was
pretty young, as well as magazine
subscriptions and continued in
various roles in business
throughout my school years.
What prompted your interest
and subsequently your foray into
the SEO and digital marketing
space?
Out of college I worked for Dex
Media creating and selling
advertising campaigns that were
mostly print, when they rolled out a
PPC/SEO product I jumped at the
opportunity and became a leader in
the Chicago division. I geeked out
on the tracking data and ability to
validate the eﬀectiveness of the
program as a marketing channel
and work towards a more
transparent ROI.
Talk to us about CSP and what
makes it stand out from the
crowd as an SEO agency.
Colorado SEO Pros (CSP) is a
business-centric SEO agency with a
key focus on revenue-driven SEO.
Our strategies are based on our
clients' business goals instead of
inserting them into a set SEO
process to drive rankings and
traf ic.
By understanding our clients'
businesses, their unique USP/UVP,
who their customers are, and what
success means to them as an
organization, we can create
IN – FOCUS
EXELEON MAGAZINE
44

strategies that align with their
business for more meaningful
campaign success (think revenue
and market penetration versus
keyword rankings and traf ic).
Also, our team has over 100 years
of combined SEO experience and
we have driven over 100M in
organic revenue for our clients over
the last 11 years.
What according to you are some
of the biggest misconceptions or
assumptions when it comes to
SEO?
Technical SEO can drive
performance, SEO tactics set to a
schedule is a strategy, rankings, and
traf ic = SEO success, ranking #1 is
how you win, SEO is black magic.
Looking ahead, what is your
vision for CSP? What are you
most excited about?
I love growing our team and
growing our capabilities, we keep
the bar extremely high in terms of
quality of service and team
members, so each stage of growth is
very exciting. Ultimately, we are
growing an SEO powerhouse of
talent and tech that delivers a level
of strategy and execution second to
none.
We don't sacri ice that vision for
rapid revenue growth or settle with
an SEO process that sacri ices true
client success for internal ef iciency
and scalability. When our clients
experience true business success
from SEO we win and grow with
them, and that's exactly how it
should be.

Empowering
Marginalized
Communities
ntonio McBroom is the CEO of Primo
APartners, whose profound belief in
the core values of passion, vision, and
communication has propelled him to make
an impact on his community and beyond.
In this exclusive interview, we uncover the
essence of Antonio's exceptional leadership
philosophy and the impact he is making in
empowering marginalized communities.
In your experience, what are some of the
essential qualities a successful CEO
should possess?
The essential qualities of success CEOs are
passion, vision, & communication.
CEO can also stand for Chief
Energy/Enthusiasm/Euphoria Of icer, all of
which require a high passion score and
commitment to your work. Having vision
and sharing it with your team; which is tied
to the quality of being committed to
communication. The most important
communication CEOs have is their self-talk
and learning and mastering oneself is a
diﬀerentiating quality between the good
CEOs and the great CEOs.
What is your idea of giving back? Why is
advancing entrepreneurial opportunities
for marginalized communities an
important subject for you?
I believe giving back is multifaceted in terms
of returning back to society the gifts that
have been bestowed upon you… inancial
gifts, intellectual gifts, spiritual gifts. Closing
the inancial achievement gap by creating
growth opportunities for people like me is
about legacy and lasting impact. My faith
tells me to serve God and serve others. As
taxing as it can be emotional, inancially, and
even physically to live servant leadership,
leadership is a spiritual gift that I've been
blessed with and in turn am trusted to share
with others.
Talk to us about Primo Partners and how
it's making an impact to support Black
Entrepreneurship.
IN – FOCUS
EXELEON MAGAZINE
46

A
N
T
O
N
I
O
M
C
B
R
O
O
M
C
E
O
,
P
R
I
M
O
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S

Breaking Down Kn
& Information Gap
IN – FOCUS
EXELEON MAGAZINE
48

nowledge
ps
PRIMO is a movement. We're a tribe of black
entrepreneurs and leaders anchored in the
southeast USA, home of Jim Crow, and we're
charged to break down the knowledge gap that
holds back so many people from the Black
Community from reaching their highest potential.
Through our 2 decades of experience and
investment in world class leadership training and
information, we're able to package this information
to support Black entrepreneurship and leadership
development in a culturally relevant way. I believe
our story and journey is enlightening so many
entrepreneurs of what a pinch of passion can make
possible.
According to you, how can local business
owners uplift the marginalized members of
their communities?
Local businesses can be key in lifting up
marginalized members of our community.
Employment is a vehicle for mobilization; for
identity validation; for impact and purpose. So, we
believe in being super intentional about
unconscious bias and giving everyone a fair chance
and a second chance when working with our team.
Also, businesses partnering with non pro its and
community organizations whose everyday work
and purpose is serving marginalized communities
can be uplifting. We do this with United Way as
well as other local organizations in our
communities.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for Primo
Partners? What are you most excited about?
My vision is for PRIMO to leave a lifetime impact of
over $10B in business excellence for marginalized
communities. We'll do this through empowering
our diverse team to be inancially sound personally,
operating our own black owned business in a world
class and including way, and through the consulting
and coaching other businesses and entrepreneurs
in the future. I'm most excited about the next
generation of PRIMO leaders who will be the key in
propelling our organization's impact to these new
heights.
IN – FOCUS

By Nicole Buﬀett
pon irst entering the Web3 space in
Uearly 2021, I, like so many of us,
embraced the great unknown with a
healthy combination of bravery and
insecurity. All of us had no idea what would
happen next personally, politically, or
spiritually.
At this time, I realized that the agitating force
of uncertainty oﬀered an immense gift of
change and transformation. We were all
already out of our collective and personal
comfort zone. We had entered a new territory
of genuine possibility.
Being a traditional painter, I rolled up my
sleeves and instead of mixing paint, I went
even farther out of my comfort zone and
created a twitter account. The twitter account
was my proclamation to meet the world
halfway--leading with the intention to connect
and resist the foreboding isolation of the
pandemic.
My work as a painter up until 2021 had been
nature based and very much centered on
organic physical materiality. As I became
aware of NFT's, I immediately realized the
function and phenomena that technology
could play and create in getting my work into
the world. I experienced this new digital
platform as a means to an end- or really the
means to a beginning.
The irst phase of this era of embracing
technology as a traditional painter relied upon
my willingness to GROW beyond even my
own highly developed identity as a traditional
painter. I realized that what I found the most
fascinating initially about the world of NFT's
and Web3 was this new emboldened
community of people investing in new
concepts of how we do money.
As you can imagine, money is a subject that is
brought up often in my family, however not in
the typical sense - but in the spiritual sense.
One thing we all realize is that where there is
money, there is privilege and there is agency.
There is the freedom to invest. There is the
capacity to choose. There is the power to
create. The irony is that agency, freedom,
power, and creativity do not come from
money. We cannot purchase or buy these
qualities. We assign value through our money
system. Money is the agreed upon external
01 EXELEON MAGAZINE
Art, Technology
and Groceries
IN – FOCUS
EXELEON MAGAZINE
52

object of value. Money allows us to act upon the value
system that exists within us.
As I embarked upon learning and navigating my way
into the new-ish system of crypto currency, I was
instantly inspired and started to meditate on the origins
of our monetary systems and how they function to
re lect our identity as human beings.
This consideration led me to create the concept of my
genesis NFT collection, The Spirit Coin. I was inspired to
create a series of circular hand painted designs that
captured aspects of ourselves that come from the inner
source of our own being.
The Spirit Coin collection represents the equity of
connection versus transaction. The second phase in this
new digital era was the invitation to SHARE more.
Because my work was now being seen on a computer
screen, the story and the content changed and
developed so that the message could be fully received by
the viewers.
Each digital scan of each physical painting on paper
became a special story to tell and an energy to transmit.
The desire to stay connected to my own art making
practice and to also share it with others motivated me to
reach wholeheartedly into this new medium and
embrace the illusion of constraint the screen seemed to
pose. The digital space opened and expanded the
storyline, the meaning and the multi-dimensional
quality of my work. I started to animate my work and
create sound pieces to accompany the images. The
additional layers of movement and sound brought my
work to an even greater life.
While completing my MFA at The San Francisco Art
Institute, a professor presented us with a concept I carry
with me into my practice as a professional creative to
this day. He asked us to consider the extent of generosity
in our work. He asked us to consider if we were allowing
our audience inside of our work. Were we being
generous and allowing our audience to see exactly what
it is that we are creating? Or were we treating our
audience like outsiders? He then proposed a simple, yet
paradoxical question: Does this piece of art have joyful
complexity? What is joyful complexity? Joyful
complexity is the act of embracing our inherent
in luence and control alongside our total surrender as to
how something turns out with a commitment to keep
going until there is joy in the inished product. Joyful
complexity is about the balance between what we know
and the beautiful mystery that drives us to know more.
One of the most intense times of uncertainty was
midway into the pandemic, none of us knowing how
long it would go on and what the outcome would be or
how we would collectively survive. I remember the
simple act of going to the grocery store took on a new
level of joy for me like never before! This was one of the
most exciting parts of the day for quite some time! So,
we come to our inal stage, EASE. The Web3 space
catapulted my vision not because of initial necessity,
constraint, or technological advancement- I have been
catapulted into new levels of creative, inancial and
personal ful illment because of people.
Something I let go of is the idea that I have to do it all by
myself, or that I have done it all by myself. In the West,
there is great emphasis on the culture of hyper
individualism and validation through singular power
structures. In Web3, anyone and everyone who is in the
space knows that we not only need each other but we
thrive when we work together. It's about celebrating
community and connection. The willingness to partner
and collaborate with others in business is one of the
most important evolutionary acts that we can make as
artists, companies, brands and businesses. Learning to
trust in the dynamic exchange and opening to the co-
creative force is an act of faith in our need to be together,
to work together and to live together. Being together is
one of our basic needs as human beings. We need each
other like we need groceries.
Togetherness and groceries, like all basic needs are
meant to be met. As I placed my fully loaded grocery
bags into my car packed to the brim with beautiful food
one recent evening, I was stunned at the depth of my
good fortune. It was then at that moment of deep
gratitude that I heard and realized the word groceries. I
heard it just as I write it here in these three words: grow,
share, ease. It is simple, powerful and true: When we
grow, we create more to share and when we share, we
create an ease based upon the abundance of connection.
IN – FOCUS

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Alec Hudnut | Transformational Business Leaders of 2023 | Exeleon Magazine

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