As a Business Advisor, Dave helps Aileron community members answer the big-picture question: What’s next? He brings to Aileron decades of experience helping large corporations like Honda and BF Goodrich answer that question through leadership positions in engineering, packaging, procurement, and international relations.

Dave is known for his relatable coaching style; he’s quick to lean on his business experience – and its many ups and downs – to empathize with his clients. He’s situationally motivational, easily meeting people where they’re at emotionally to support them when and how they need it. And he’s tenacious; he’s known for being the person who will take on the hardest problems and face them with unrelenting energy and resolve.

When he’s not supporting business leaders as they plan for the future, Dave enjoys playing volleyball, competing in triathlons, and rating golf courses for Golf Digest.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at?

“Self-reflection and self-development; professionally I’ve done a lot, but on a personal level, there’s always room to improve and do better.”

What are the values that drive you?

“I value being helpful, courteous, and kind. I find that a little act of kindness can make a big difference, even if you don’t know it.”

Why Aileron?

“I chose Aileron because I wanted to make a big impact helping several organizations rather than being a leader at a single one. That’s what drives me – making an impact on people’s lives.”

As an Aileron Business Advisor and Facilitator, Tony Collins works with business owners and their teams to help them get more of what they want out of their businesses. Prior to Aileron, Tony started and led multiple small to medium-sized businesses in a variety of industries for more than 25 years.

Tony is a curious-minded individual who is passionate about helping business owners find ways to do more with less effort. He is often called upon by business leaders for advice and input on how and where to grow themselves and their businesses. And he thrives on learning from his clients about not only what makes their businesses tick, but what they know that he doesn’t.

When Tony isn’t helping and empowering business owners, you can find him at home in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife, Janet. In his free time, he is reconnecting to his artistic side as a budding watercolor artist.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at?

“Asking better questions. Someone once told me, “The quality of your life is related to the questions you ask yourself.” It’s not only the questions I ask myself, but how can I ask questions to others as well that helps them see new possibilities and approaches that they otherwise might not have seen.”

What are the values that drive you?

“Curiosity - I am always striving to be a continuous learner, and at Aileron that is something that comes easy. I am always learning something new from anyone and everyone I interact with. The humble and hungry clients I work with all feed my curious mind.”

Why Aileron?

“The main reason I chose to work at Aileron is we were after the same thing - helping businesses get better. Aileron introduced me to a professional management system, but what got me interested was the kind of companies they attract and their culture. Everyone I work with is humble and just as curious as I am. I am really fortunate at the latter part of my career to have found this group of people to work with.”

Wes Gipe works with business owners and their teams as a trusted facilitator, business advisor and coach. Known for his enthusiasm and high-energy approach, Wes’s willingness to boldly approach tough issues and go the extra mile have gained him loyal clients who look to him for help with strategic planning, leadership and culture development, and conflict resolution.

Wes started his journey as an Aileron client in 2008. After applying Aileron’s Professional Management principles to build a self-managing company, he now spends much of his time helping other organizations—big and small—build a strategy that endures. Through this work, he has logged over 9,000 coaching hours with more than 500 individuals throughout North America and Europe. His work has been featured in Forbes as well as other national media outlets. Wes resides in Miami County, OH with his wife and three rambunctious boys.

As Aileron’s Chief Operating Officer, Chuck is responsible for pushing the organization’s products and business model forward through concepting, testing, and implementing new solutions. Previous to Aileron, he founded and sold two businesses, an experience that arms him with an empathy for and understanding of the community Aileron serves.

Chuck has a keen eye for identifying problems and an unrelenting passion for pioneering ideas, and spends much of his time at work experimenting. He’s naturally humble, which fuels his experimentation by freeing him from fear that his ideas will fail. And Chuck is hyper-focused on the future; every day he asks himself: “How do we prepare our clients for the future to ensure they’re thriving ten years from now?”

Chuck will tell you there’s no other way he’d rather spend the weekend than with his wife, son, and daughter. In the summer, you can find them soaking in the sun at Indian Lake, where Chuck occasionally sneaks away to enjoy his favorite hobby: bass fishing.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at?

“My contribution to Aileron – I’m constantly asking myself: How can we touch more people, create more change, and improve the quality of life for the people that we touch?”

What are the values that drive you?

“I value innovation and experimentation. If I was somewhere I couldn’t do those things, that would be tough for me. I also value responsibility, which can be at odds with innovation – sometimes you have to be less responsible to innovate.”

Why Aileron?

“People ask me this a lot, because I sold my business to come here. But I did that because I can impact more people here than I could running my own business.”

As an Aileron Business Advisor, Chris engages with business owners and leaders to help them set their strategies, grow their companies, and change their lives both personally and professionally. Chris began his relationship with Aileron in Course for Presidents, and after a career in various operational and executive leadership roles, he joined the team to help fulfill our mission of improving lives across America.

Chris believes a meaningful life – and meaningful work – begins and ends with people; he’s naturally driven to build deep and lasting relationships. He’s adept at listening and observing people and organizations to suss out the core issues preventing growth. And he’s a dedicated lifelong learner; currently Chris is learning how to play the piano.

Chris loves to travel with his wife and best friend, Theresa. They enjoy visiting their children and grandchildren, and getting away for a sunny, beachside vacation. When he’s at home, you can find Chris at the gym, singing with his church choir, or with his nose in a book.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at?

“I’m always working on my own personal development in the areas of human connection, business knowledge, leadership practices, and spirituality. I work hard to practice active listening and suspending judgement.”

What are the values that drive you?

“Family values – caring for others and helping them no matter where they are now or where they want to be.”

Why Aileron?

“Aileron’s mission perfectly aligns with my personal values – helping other people get better. Here we do it with business organizations and leaders, but it’s still an execution of my personal mission.”

As a Business Advisor, Facilitator, and Leadership Coach, Tony executes Aileron’s mission of improving the quality of life in America by teaching business leaders the advantages of incorporating clarity and simplicity into their businesses and lives. An entrepreneur himself, Tony gets is fulfilled by empowering people to practice professional management as a personal and business growth tool.

Tony loves simplicity and believes the most effective things happen when people have clarity and understanding. He’s an avid and enthusiastic planner; Tony believes having a plan prepares people for focused execution and allows people to make adjustments along the way. (He also maintains that planning a vacation is almost as enjoyable as going on one.) And he’s a storyteller and humor advocate; Tony believes people learn best when they’re having a good time, sharing personal experiences, and creating connections over shared stories.

When he’s not helping business leaders reach their goals, you can find Tony woodworking, spending time with his kids and grandkids, or biking around the world; he and his wife have biked for 30 days from Zürich, Switzerland to Budapest, Hungary.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at?

“Spirituality – understanding why I exist, what my purpose is, and how I can live it. Answering the question: what am I here for?”

What are the values that drive you?

“Spirituality, personal growth, and relationships. Spirituality is about living my purpose in life. Personal growth is about continually growing and learning, and taking advantage of opportunities. Relationships is about nurturing relationships with my wife, my family, and other people.”

Why Aileron?

“It provides me an opportunity to live my values and purpose. I get personal growth here, I get to develop a lot of relationships, and I get to give back. That’s what I like about Aileron.”

As a Business Advisor and Facilitator at Aileron, Anne Thompson uses her expertise in organizational, leadership, and culture development to help businesses achieve their vision and purpose. Anne’s diverse experience in working with small privately held businesses, large public corporations, educational institutions, and nonprofits – and growing a business herself – enables her to quickly understand the context and culture of organizations, ask important questions to uncover key levers for change, and assist business leaders in identifying and implementing strategies, structures, and behaviors to create positive, sustainable change in all kinds of organizations.

Anne is endlessly curious; she uses the power of question to help people make sense of situations and uncover insights. She’s passionate about partnership, and driven to empower her clients to turn their hopes and dreams into realities. She has deep expertise in emotional and social intelligence, and sees the integration of the head and the heart as critical to developing the self, and in turn developing others. 

In her free time, you can find Anne, her husband, and their son jet setting around the world to experience different cultures and cuisines, or enjoying a beer and OSU football game while stateside.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at?

“I’m always striving to operate from a mindset of being ‘good enough.’ It’s counter-culture to feel that what I do doesn’t equate to the value I have as a person. To get there, I’m continually connecting to the intention of my heart and my desire to serve. That helps to minimize the ‘I’m not good enough’ narrative.” 

What are the values that drive you?

“I’m driven by mastery and serving clients through evidence-based, practiced strategies. I thrive on collaboration and work to build reciprocal, respectful relationships. And I practice empathy. I embrace people where they’re at while also challenging them to stretch just a bit further outside of their comfort zone to help them see greater possibilities.”

Why Aileron?

“At Aileron, we consistently put into practice with each other what we offer to our clients. Aileron is its own learning lab for all the concepts we’re asking our business leaders to embrace. I love that about this organization.”

Eric is a Business Advisor who, as a former business owner, deeply understands the unique challenges that come with entrepreneurial leadership; that perspective guides him as he coaches his clients towards their full potential. Prior to Aileron, Eric owned his company, All Service Glass, for 20 years before transitioning ownership to his daughter.

Aileron’s conscious leadership principles align organically with Eric’s: He counts the gift of self-awareness among his unique strengths. Combined with empathy and natural curiosity, he’s passionate about understanding how a member’s business works so that they can take it into the future.

Outside of work, Eric loves to spend time with wife, children, and grandchildren at their family lake house. He finds joy in giving back and enjoys serving his church as well as his local community.

What’s something you’re constantly striving to get better at? 

“Active listening. Staying curious in the moment is always a struggle for me, but I know it’s important for my growth.”

What are the values that drive you? 

“I think high-functioning relationships that last beyond transactional value can be meaningful and impactful. Having a thought partner can challenge you, lead you, caution you away from something. I’m also driven by the power of community. Being a small business owner can be a lonely process or lonely existence—at times you delegate to yourself and there isn’t anyone else you feel like you can talk to. Aileron offers a place, a process, and people to get rid of that loneliness and be part of a larger community that impacts the world.”

Why Aileron? 

“This is a unique place where folks can come together from all different business backgrounds to share the joy of creation and business. It’s a place where you can grow, be challenged, and be supported all at the same time. I think it’s so critical, to our overall culture as a country and as a people, to provide incentives that benefit our society and its participants.”