July 2025 marks Maximizing Excellence, LLC’s 15th anniversary! How can that be?
Last week I stood under a tree in Falls Park that was planted ten years ago on my daughter Maddie’s first birthday. It represented five years of Maximizing Excellence. Rika and I stood proudly in front of the tree, all those years ago, representing the entire team.
Our current team of six posed together under the tree smiling big as we celebrated MaxEx’s 15th anniversary of partnering with people and organizations that want to improve their effectiveness and achieve high impact.
This fun moment turned into a moment of reflection. Maddie really only knows the MaxEx of today. She has no idea what it was in the beginning. That moment of reflection also reminded me just how few people knew me or MaxEx at the beginning.
Fifteen years ago, I started this journey in a windowless one-room office in the South Dakota Technology Business Center. I made every copy, wrote every sentence, and came up with every idea. Today there are five other MaxEx employees with vast experience and talents doing meaningful work that has me in awe.
There were times early on when I wondered if MaxEx was going to make it. The crystal ball often said, “ask again later.” It was a grind. It was scary. It was overwhelming. And now we can say MaxEx has facilitated its 100th strategic plan.
While today we face challenges and unknowns as a small business, I don’t wonder any more if MaxEx is going to make it. We have endured and proven our staying power. Instead, I wonder what the future has in store for the people and missions I care about most.
Amid 15 years’ worth of change, the one constant is my passion for our purpose and commitment to doing amazing work. Whether you are just getting to know us, or have come alongside us since the beginning, thank you. I am grateful. There are many others offering services similar to ours. Dozens more than were in business fifteen years ago. Knowing people and organizations have a choice in who they trust and partner with, I ask that our longevity give you comfort and confidence in what we do and how we do it.