Since helping found a tech company out of a garage in the 1990s, Jay Devers has understood the heart and mind of the entrepreneur. And as he worked to build and ultimately exit that company – which is still thriving today – his continued growth and experience positioned him to acquire the logistics firm Bestway International in 2016.

That acquisition was both professional and personal for Jay, as it made him the company’s second-generation leader. He acquired Bestway from his father, Richard Devers, who founded it in 1988.

The Kansas City-based company helps clients with a variety of freight needs, including freight-forwarding, import/export activity, customs assistance, brokerage assistance and much more. Bestway recently became a North Star client, so we’re thrilled to have Jay join us as this month’s guest on Six Questions with Dan and Michelle!

High hopes arriving for the meeting.

One Google search result defines company culture as a collection of shared values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that define the daily atmosphere and personality of an organization.

You already know a lot about ours from reading this newsletter. North Star upholds a work culture of God first. Jesus is our savior. We’re two Gentiles (Dan and Angie) and one Messianic Jew (Michelle) who embrace our different backgrounds and share the teachings of Christ as our guide in what we do day-to-day.

Those teachings kept us grounded recently when two of us – Dan and Michelle – encountered a potential client who revealed himself to be a complete contradiction of our values. Grounded, that is, until we got up and walked out.

Back in October, we decided to take a chance on meeting with a financial firm that clearly needed our content assistance. The marketing director expressed in strong terms that he needed and wanted our help. But the CEO struggled with the decision, which led to several meetings – online and in person, as well as attending a seminar the CEO put on, and Michelle meeting him yet again in person at a chamber event – until we showed up during last week’s snowstorm for the meeting we’re not sad to say was our last.

The day started off like any normal Tuesday, with Dan working from the office while Michelle and Angie worked from home. But this particular Tuesday, Dan trudged through the snowy parking lots to pick Michelle up for a meeting to get down to business with this CEO – “Are we doing this or not?”

Everyone had confirmed the meeting for 11 a.m. at their office. After the previous meetings, our attendance at the seminar, the marketing director’s clear indication that he needed the help – this would seem to be a shoe-in.

But once we made our way to the office building, the door was locked, the lights were off and no one was home.

After calling the marketing director and getting voicemail we decided to wait. Maybe the snow was too much, we thought. They had just accepted the meeting the other day. Surely they would be showing up.

Ten minutes after the meeting was supposed to begin, the CEO made his way to the office. As he unlocked the door, we looked up at him from the building’s common area and said hello.

“Hello,” he said – and promptly introduced himself to us like we hadn’t met him many times before.

Confused, we responded, “Yes, we know who you are. We’re here for our 11 a.m. meeting!”

The CEO made his way into his office, turned on all the lights, took another five minutes to adjust and invited us to sit in a conference room. While we were waiting, he decided to call a friend on speaker phone, talking about the weather and wasting another 10 minutes of our time.

When he got off the phone and seemed to be ready to discuss business, he started off by looking Dan straight in the eyes and saying, “So, I see you’ve brought your princess with you.”

Your princess?

Michelle’s mind swirled, but she kept her cool and addressed him professionally.

“Sir. We are North Star Marketing Content. We’ve met with you multiple times and we’re here to discuss helping you with content. I am not his princess. I am his managing editor.”

You would think at this point things couldn’t get any worse. You’d think that. So did we. But you’d be wrong. Just like we were.

The CEO froze, nodding his head saying yes, he remembered. But they were just too strapped for cash to make the commitment. So Michelle pushed back.

“Your marketing manager needs our help. He’s told us that many times, and we’re here for you.”

This is where the clash between this man’s thinking and our work culture became impossible to resolve.

The CEO began to describe his marketing manager as being “held hostage to his own culture – ghetto black.”

What?

Dan glanced over at Michelle as if to say, “Did I just hear what I think I just heard?”

The CEO went on: “It is my opinion that when someone is stretched too thin, they can’t do their job well. (Name of employee) wakes up in the morning to take care of his disabled brother, comes here to work at 11:00, and then leaves to mentor kids. You see, there’s a difference between ghetto-black and achievement-black…”

Dan’s laptop had been open displaying a presentation we had put together for this man. He’d been waiting for the right moment to turn it around and show it to him. Instead, Dan just shut the computer, then stood up and started to put his coat on. Michelle instantly recognized what was happening and took her cue to follow suit.

“But why don’t you tell me what you think you can do for me?” the CEO suddenly decided to ask.

By this point we were already on our way out the door, but Dan briefly turned and responded without breaking stride:

“We’ve told you that already. I really hope things go well for you.”

And we let ourselves out the door and left.

This type of businessman is not one we run into frequently. But seeing an attractive woman and referring to her as princess, or viewing an employee’s skin color and seeing them as “ghetto-black” is immediately a no for us.

Here at North Star, we treat people fairly. We treat people with respect. We want to help people because that’s what we love to do!

And more than that, we pray. We’ve been praying fervently for this employee to find a new place of employment where he’s valued.

As for the CEO who disqualified himself from becoming our client, we believe it’s safe to say it’s not the state of the market that’s leaving him cash strapped. It’s how he thinks.

We are very pleased to begin working with fellow 1990s startup and fellow Troy Chamber of Commerce member Elite Imaging Systems.

Established in 1994 by Dave Snyder, who still leads the company today, Elite Imaging Systems plays a variety of roles in helping clients get the most out of technology. They sell outstanding printing technology by companies such as Canon, Kyocera and Xerox, among others.

But the Elite team also helps clients with consultative services on issues such as managed network services, fleet services, managed print services and software solutions.

We’re looking forward to helping Dave and his team make the strongest possible case for the company’s exceptional value. Welcome to the North Star client roster, Elite Imaging Systems!