2021 – a transformational year of change and growth.
On February 8, 2022, Jason Weddle delivered the keynote address to Indianapolis Rotary.
This is not your typical Rotary Club. The largest in the state and one of the original national Rotary Clubs, downtown Indy Rotary regularly hosts speakers like Indiana’s Governor, U.S. Senators, and CEOs from top companies.
Before an in-person and online group of business executives and non-profit administrators, Jason outlined critical takeaways in his succession to CEO: “I was tuned up. Excited. Knew Hamilton from top to bottom from years of prior experience. First on deck was a companywide effort to address our corporate culture. Hamilton was already successful. How do we go to the next level?”
That, of course, was the year when Hamilton’s entire industry collapsed from the pandemic.
How did Hamilton pivot to one of its most successful years? “By doing whatever it takes.”
What did that mean?
As Jason explained, “Sailing through the first quarter of 2020, we were ‘crushing it.’ We were providing award-winning immersive brand experiences, interactive/experiential solutions, and exemplary customer service.”
Two choices
“When we started seeing all of the postponements and cancellations of booked business – and we’re talking about millions of dollars of previously successfully booked business here – we faced a binary solution set.
“Our first option? We could go off in a corner and wait it out.”
“Or we could deliberately look to pivot our business, to look for ways to bring in revenue and keep our highly trained and experienced professional staff engaged.”
What did Hamilton do?
For more details, watch the 20-minute address below.