IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1533344
IPC COMMUNITY 57 SPRING 2025 simple: Publish content that people want to share. You can describe that in many ways—relevant, timely, useful, entertaining—whatever resonates with someone. Everyone has a different opinion of what's important to them. We try to bring in a diverse bit of content, but it's always designed to help build electronics better, which turned out great because, as you know, we were acquired by IPC, and that fits really well with I-Connect007. What are some of the mutual benefits of this relationship with IPC? It starts with our values, which are well aligned. We've partnered and have had a good relationship with IPC for 35-plus years, and we've always believed in helping the industry solve problems. That's what IPC is doing. They're in a growth mode. Since John Mitchell has come in, they've increased revenue, added value to the membership, and are willing to make bold changes and try new things. That's the kind of organiza- tion we want to be aligned with. We don't want to be waiting in the background and just reacting. We want somebody who's proac- tive. IPC's leadership mirrors what we were doing; it's a great relation- ship and a great partnership. The industry and readers win all the way around. There certainly seems to be a great synergy between the two parties. Each side nicely complements the other side. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Absolutely. IPC wanted us to remain as an independent voice. Their goal was to launch a new member magazine, IPC Community, which we've done with Michelle Te as the managing editor. We're two years into it and it's extremely suc- cessful. We've also taken on some of the newsletters that IPC was publish- ing, but I-Connect007 remains a standalone brand in terms of how we address the industry and bring content to the marketplace. You've always been an ideas man and a creative source of originality in new and unexpected directions. You've been a mentor to me and to many of my colleagues. Who were your mentors? It's not really a single mentor. Pete, you have been a mentor to me. When Pete Starkey talks, every- body listens. That's because you can learn something. I've learned so much from you, Happy Holden, and many others in the industry. The greatest gift, for me, is doing interviews, hearing these incred- ible stories, and then amplifying those stories in the pages of our publications. That's a large part of what I-Connect007 brings to the industry: Finding and sharing great stories in the industry. Why does a great story inspire you so much? I like stories that really make us think, challenge the way we see and do things, and maybe open our minds to new possibilities. Those are the kinds of stories that get me excited. Things that people are excited about are the ones that I'm excited about. If you have a lot of passion for something, you really want to share it, and it's important to the industry, those are the kinds of stories we're interested in. I've always admired your passionate commitment to what you see as the way forward. What does it take to be a good leader? First, you have to be able to motivate and inspire people, but the only way you really know you're a leader is if you look behind and someone's following you. Leader- ship is about letting people do what makes their hearts sing, and giving them good tools that create joy in what they do and challenges to help them have purpose every time they show up to work. You can offer guidance and resources when they need it but stay the hell out of their way and let them work. How would you describe your management style and how it's worked for you? I would say TQM is the closest thing to my style. As part of that, I believe in the power of TQM teamwork. We want to have solid systems to do the work. We don't want to have to recreate the wheel every time we do something, so we look for a process. With that, we have a strong culture of continuous improvement. This business was always about creating a lifestyle that allowed me to be home when my son got home from school at 3:30. I went to work at 11:30 p.m. or midnight the night before because when you're self-employed with a startup in the heart of Silicon Valley, the great thing is you get to choose which 24 hours of the day that you work. I created a lifestyle that allowed me to travel the world, make great friends, and see incredible places. We always took time to stop and smell the roses. That's what self-employment was about. The strength of any business is when we can surround ourselves with great people for 30 to 40 years and share a journey of a career together. It's special. I've also always believed in and committed to continuous learning,