What Local CEO’s say about the program

“Meeting on a regular basis with other CEO’s has been a tremendous help to me personally and has made me a better and more informed leader. The members listen, comment, and offer suggestions regarding problems that, usually we discover that we all have in common. The CEO Roundtable has been a great way to learn from each other’s experiences and discuss issues that only other executive leaders can relate to.”

Jay Hardy, President, Hardy Diagnostics


“ In the past 7 years as a member of the Central Coast CEO Roundtable, I have gained significant insight that has helped me to grow as a CEO and has allowed me to more successfully guide my businesses. I thoroughly enjoy the monthly discussions with local business leaders from a wide variety of industries and recommend membership to anyone in the local business community.”

Joel Conn, Owner, Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic


“My CEO Roundtable has been an amazing tool for our business since it allows collaboration in a confidential setting. We all approach ideas and issues from different perspectives and to be able to work through them in this environment is invaluable. Regardless of your business size or industry I highly recommend it.”

Pat Arnold, Owner, CoVelop – Collaborative Development

About the CEO Roundtable Program

The CEO Roundtable program was established in 2005 by Your People Professionals. Our aim was to create a community-based program that would serve progressive CEO’s in the region. As YPP built the program we realized that we needed a wide range of partners with various abilities to make the program happen. Our partners include

Working with these partners we reached out to the community and educated them on the program and the response was incredible. Within 12 months we had over 40 local CEO’s in the program.

How the program works

Groups meet on a monthly basis and discuss various business topics. The basic concept is to build a group of peers that you can learn from and test new ideas on. While this does help educate the CEO’s on different areas of business the key thing that happens is that it builds relationships with other highly talented and successful CEOs. The relationships built into the program are the real value that the members get from the program. Here are the benefits that the member CEOs have expressed to us.

  • Extends the CEO’s Personal Network
  • Develops Trusted Advisor Relationships
  • Gains Access to diverse Professional Opinions
  • Gains Access to Confidential Resources

There are certain key attributes of the group that makes the program work. The relationships that develop are how the program makes sure that these attributes stay in place.

CEO Roundtables are Confidential

What is said in the meeting stays in the meeting and each member has to fully understand, accept, and agree to this.

Low Cost to Member

There are similar programs functioning in the area that charge up to $1,000 a month. The groups are responsible for paying for their own expenses plus an annual administrative fee of $300 (2017). Most groups have no expenses other than the admin fee.

CEO Roundtables Require Commitment

In a roundtable setting, you get back what you put in and the first level of this is a commitment to the process. Time is by far the rarest commodity that our members have and it is their time that they invest in the program. Roundtables produce no results if the member does not attend on a regular basis. In the typical roundtable, the real value of the investment becomes clear only after the member has been active for over a year. It takes time to create honest and open peer relationships.

Exclusive Membership

CEO Roundtables are not a mixer event, social group, or marketing opportunity. The group strictly controls the membership and new members have to apply and meet the table to be voted in. It is the members not the sponsors that decide who is invited to join the group. The groups look for peers that will enhance the diversity of the opinions available to the members. Different tables have different profiles that they look for but the key is that the member is non-competitive to the others and will bring additional perspective to the group.

No Sales or Business Promotion

CEO Roundtables are not marketing opportunities although many of the members do business with each other. Discussions need to be open and honest and not the typical public persona. This honest exchange creates relationships that often result in a better understanding of the other business and business relationships do grow from this. The rule, however, is very clear – No Sales or Business Promotion is allowed within the Roundtable. Any business between members is established outside the CEO Roundtable.

Meeting Locations

Meetings are held throughout the region and we currently have tables that meet in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria. The location varies from month to month as the meetings are hosted at member businesses that have conference rooms. If needed sponsors will also make conference rooms available for meetings.


How to get started in the program

If you have any additional questions please contact the Regional Program Director Joshua Erdman. Josh is the CEO of Torchlight Marketing and he provides administrative services to the program

The “apply online” link below will transfer you to the application page. This application will be shared with active members of the tables that might have an interest in inviting you to join a group. You should realize that putting together a group or finding the right opening in an existing group can take months to complete. Upon receipt of your application, we will contact you and keep you up to date on potential memberships.

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