International Swimming Hall of Fame Announces Bruce Wigo as New CEO Entire Board Unanimously Resigns in Support of New Structure!

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 15. NEWLY appointed President & CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), Bruce Wigo, presented his vision to the ISHOF Board of Directors by telling them that he expected ISHOF “to adopt a current model for non-profit corporate governance that is similar to the reforms that the United States Olympic Committee has only recently completed.” Wigo added, “I want to see a structure that will allow me to be accountable to the stakeholders of ISHOF. It should be one that will allow me to lead a successful team effort intended to secure the long term future of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.”

At his first meeting with the ISHOF Board, Wigo relied on the talents of and the participation of two of the nation’s most successful and well know business leaders. In a closed-door session, the Board heard the advice of Dennis Carey, a consultant with the Spencer Stuart organization and Ken Blanchard, author of the best selling business book of all time, The One Minute Manager. Participating in the meeting by conference call, the two men offered nearly an hour long assessment of and their support for Wigo’s plan.

“The consultants asked the Board members to put the well-being of the ISHOF ahead of their own interests. I was confident that every person on that Board was willing, ready and able to do so today” reported Wigo following the Board’s adoption of a series of motions of support for his plan. The discussion and quick consensus that followed the conference call with Blanchard and Carey reflected the respect that the ISHOF Board had for Wigo.

ISHOF Board Chairman John Ebert commented: “We selected Bruce Wigo for his proven leadership skills, his excellent management capabilities and his passion for the aquatic sports and their history. Bruce is obviously aware of the need to bring financial support to the ISHOF and we are confident of his ability to attract new sources of revenue and contributions. Over the past 12 months this Board has taken significant steps and made a commitment to restructure our organization. The most recent step has been to select Bruce Wigo as the President & CEO. In order for him to accept accountability for the future success of this organization and in looking forward, the board and I felt it was appropriate to act on his request. We therefore unanimously tendered our resignations and suspended our by-laws to give him the opportunity to revise the boards structure and to identify a new board with the next 120 days.

Dennis Carey specializes in the recruitment of CEO’s and corporate directors and is the co-author of “How to Run a Company”. In recent years Carey has conducted searches for the current CEO’s of Tyco International, Unisys, MCI and American Standard. He serves as the director of AirClic, The Edgewater Funds, Blue Capital LLC, Directors & Boards and Wharton’s Directors Institute which he co-founded. He founded G100, the Chairman Academy, the CEO Academy and was a co-founder of the Wharton Board Excellence Award Program. Carey was a high school and collegiate swimmer, who trained at the International Swimming Hall of Fame and successfully swam the English Channel in 1980.

Blanchard is also the author of Whale Done!, The Power of Positive Relationships and The Heart of a Leader, in addition to many other best selling business books. Few people have impacted the day to day management of people and companies more than Ken Blanchard. He is one of the most insightful, powerful and compassionate men in business today. Hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and many fast growing entrepreneurial enterprises have benefited from his unique approach to managing and developing people. He is a visiting lecturer at Cornell University where he is a Trustee Emeritus.

Wigo said, “The advantage to ISHOF of Carey & Blanchard’s input is immeasurable and we need to be prepared to follow their good advice as soon as possible”.

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