Sarah Timm’s 20th Anniversary with PMG

I have lived by the motto that I would rather be lucky than good. Sarah Timm has often said that I am the luckiest man she has ever known. Elaine says I am not lucky but am extremely blessed. All I know for sure is that serendipity has been good to me. And whether I was lucky, or blessed, or maybe I just made a smart business decision, 20 years ago on February 14, 2005, Sarah Timm started working for me at ACNP and I cannot overstate how fortunate that has been for me.

It had been more than half a year earlier that my administrative assistant had left for a better career opportunity. When she left in the Summer of 2004 I decided that I would wait as long as I had to wait to find just the right person to fill that open slot. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted that person to be, what skills I wanted them to have, or even exactly what their job description would be. But I felt like I would know them when I saw them. Even at that point I was beginning to think that we had the opportunity and the potential to do something special, and I wanted the right partner who could help take some vague ideas that were floating around in my brain and make them a reality.

By the end of 2004 I was beginning to think I had waited as long as I could wait to fill that empty slot. I drafted a help wanted ad to place in the paper, but then I serendipitously stumbled across a proposal from a meeting planning company in my files. That company had made a proposal to manage the ACNP annual meeting a couple of years earlier. I liked the proposal, and I liked the person (Sarah Timm) who presented it, but I decided not to hire them because they had no depth of staff. If they lost Sarah, they had no one else who could take over. Then as I was searching for a new staff member, I happened to see that proposal in my file drawer. I used the rather lame technique of calling Sarah and asking if she knew anyone who might be interested in a job with ACNP. She immediately said that she might be, and thus began the process of interviewing and negotiating.

Sarah says that I interviewed her so many times that she couldn’t figure out what I was doing. But I knew that I wanted someone that I liked and would like working with. I wanted someone who had a similar work ethic as mine. I don’t think I fully understood at the time everything I was looking for, but in hindsight I realize that I was looking for someone who could create the kind of culture that is now a part of the fabric of PMG. And it takes some time spent with a person to get to know them well enough to know those things.

I think what made me sure that I wanted to hire Sarah was what she told me about her dad and growing up on his farm. Her dad taught her things about hard work that only someone who has spent long, hot, summer days in a field can fully appreciate. He taught her that all work is noble, and that there is dignity even in cleaning out horse stalls. Over the years I have seen how these lessons have manifested themselves in Sarah. She will never ask anyone to do a job that she would not be willing to do herself. Everyone who works for Sarah knows that they are appreciated and valued. And everyone who works for her knows that no matter how hard they may be working or how many long hours they are putting in, she is working even harder.

Sarah told me in our first interview that she never wanted to be bored. I tried my best to see that she never was. I told Sarah that I didn’t know how to teach her to be an association executive, but that I would get her involved in everything I do and that if she had the initiative, she would have the opportunity to learn from on-the-job training. That was all she needed. I was able to be her mentor, until she surpassed me.

About three years after hiring Sarah, I asked her what she would think about forming an association management company. I have had a few good business ideas in my lifetime, and the idea of forming PMG was the best one ever. But it would not have been possible without Sarah. It was her who took that idea and made it into what it is today – the very best association management company in the business.

There was only one time (at least that I know about) when Sarah thought about leaving ACNP / PMG. I think it was in 2006. I was on a motorcycle trip somewhere out West when I got a phone call from Sarah. Nissan had moved their North American corporate headquarters to Franklin, TN, about 5 miles from Sarah’s house. And they were recruiting her to come to work there, managing their meetings and their participation in major car shows. They could offer a salary and perks that we could not match, not even close. Sarah and I met at a Starbucks on Sunday morning after I got back from my trip. I tried to be an objective sounding board and to let her talk and think this through and to make her own decision without feeling any pressure from me. I didn’t try to make a sales pitch, because I knew we couldn’t match what Nissan could offer. But I did make one suggestion. I suggested that she go over to the Nissan office building; go up to the top floor where all the top executive offices were; and count how many of them were blond haired women who came up through the meetings department! I was making a not-so-subtle appeal to think about the culture and the work environment. Ultimately, Sarah chose to stay. And as a result, she has been able to build a career and a company that is more fun, more rewarding, and more fulfilling than she could have imagined at that time. I know that because she has told me that.

So, congratulations to Sarah for 20 successful years at ACNP / PMG. I am grateful to have been along for the ride, and I am looking forward to seeing where Sarah will lead us in the future.