"Business Lexington writer Janet Holloway recently sat down with Guy Huguelet to discuss his leadership style, his experiences in business, his passion for community service and his call to action as incoming chair of Commerce Lexington. The entire interview can be downloaded as a podcast at www.bizlex.com.
JH: Guy, I've heard you say you got into the staffing services business by accident. What happened that brought you and Adecco together?
GH: Well, actuallyI started the first really significant job that I had as a management trainee for First Security National Bank and Trust Company, which is now JP Morgan Chase, I think. I was coming up through the ranks, went through management training, and was in the lending business, so to speak. I was young, entrepreneurial, in search of more, as they say, and I left the banking industry - I kid about this today, I'm not proud of it - in pursuit of greed. I was young. Today that's not what I'm about, but I felt like there was more opportunity out there then and so I got out on my own and I was kind of doing my own deal in the financing business, had my own company
JH: Doing investments?
GH: Well, it was called Alexander Financial Corporation and I put together financing packages for big business, primarily in the leasing industry. I had a lot of big coal customers at that time, and a lot of the banking entities were not doing leasing and I was putting together this creative tax leasing for these big coal companies, making a lot of money, having a lot of fun. And a dear friend came to me and he said, "Guy, do you know much about the staffing business?" And I said no, not really, except that I had banked for them when I was in the banking industry. He said, "Well I'm kind of interested, and you've been out here on your own for the last couple of years. What about we pursue that in a partnership relationship?" and I said "I'd love to, that sounds pretty exciting, so let's do it." So, that began this accident. I started doing a little bit of research with him, and we discovered that Adecco was the company that we wanted to be affiliated with. The reason Adecco became the entity was simply this: they were the first staffing industry to automate. Now, this is back in the nineties when I was going through this process, but Adecco in 1980 went to IBM and said, "Hey, the computer is the wave of the future. We want to automate our process; here is ten million dollars for research and development," - and this is back in the early eighties - "Design us a system that will take us to the next millennium." And don't you know that the system that IBM designed for Adecco - we did not transition that system until 1999.
JH: Is that what you like about the business? You like the technology or is it working with people?
GH: It's the people. I love the people. The accident was this we ended up buying this company and we started growing and it was a small little office in Lexington and we had three employees and I was the third and you know, it's all about your passion anyway. People would come and talk to me about what it is you enjoy doing in this world and, Guy, I need some career counseling, and what about this and what about that. And I'd say you know, you've got to listen to your heart - it's about your passion. One of my passions is helping people. Now, I fell into that by accident. I did not expect this to happen to me, but I guess the old great one was leading me down some path, and I ended up in the staffing business and what we do is help people. We help people find jobs and I love that piece - I love it!
JH: Guy, I have seen you at work at Commerce Lexington, involved in The Winner's Circle program, and you're always so upbeat, animated and energetic and passionate. Where does that passion come from - do you know?
GH: You know, I really don't know - deep down, I don't. What happened was when I was working at First Security National Bank, a man by the name of Will Rouse he was the chairman of that bank at that time, and I was a young twenty-something guy wanting to make a name for myself, move up through the ranks. And I'll never forget the day he called me on the phone and he said, "Guy, I've got a job for you." And I said, "Yes sir, Mr. Rouse, what is it?" and he said, "I'd like for you to serve on the committee for Cardinal Hill Hospital's The Bash." And I said, "Mr. Rouse, I would be honored, what a treat." As many Lexingtonians know, The Bash was probably the longest-running charitable event in the history of Lexington, Kentucky. We actually celebrated thirty years. Now, The Bash is no longer, but we did make our thirtieth anniversary celebration, and we were quite proud of that. I began as just a committee member. I was kind of a gopher, a guy that helped unload the trucks, helped clean up, helped sell tickets, and that's when the passion began for me because not only was I having fun but I was learning that, you know what, we're doing something really good here. We're raising dollars for an organization that truly needs our support - Cardinal Hill Hospital and we all know about Cardinal Hill Hospital. So, that's where the passion began, but at the time, I was just having a good time, happy to do what my CEO asked me to do.
JH: This is the secret of your influence - your passion.
GH: Maybe.
JH: You've been in business now for twenty-some years?
GH: Yes. Gosh - yes, twenty-five years now.
JH: What have been some of your best business decisions?
GH: I think the best decision that I've made as it relates to business would be this: who to put first in my business. You know, I'm going to go back to Mr. Rouse. He mentored me as a young man, and I learned a lot from him; but he taught me something about the business. There (are) three primary individuals that you need to take care of as it relates to business, and (those are) the shareholder who provides the capital for the business; the customer - obviously you've got to have the customer; and the employee. All are equally important. Another good decision I made was when Adecco acquired Olsten Staffing Worldwide, and I was given the opportunity to purchase the Olsten Staffing office here in Central Kentucky, which was a significant operation. I was quite humbled with the opportunity to acquire that company; believe it or not, they had significant market share here in Central Kentucky. I made a decision at that time that I'm going to put the employee first in my business, and if I ask myself, how is the employee affected, ultimately the right decision will be made. I'm here to say at this point in my career, that's been the right decision for me - probably the best, as well, because we have doubled in size since that acquisition. We've doubled the number of employees, and everybody seems to be quite happy. I'm proud to say we have great tenure in my business.
JH: That's a wonderful measure of success, and I know you make it a priority to give your employees time to work in the community.
GH: It's real important. It's a part of my strategic plan for my company, and that is, you know what, this community has been so good to all of us, and I'm just honored to be a part of this community and able to give something back and so I want our employees to do the same thing as well. And I'll give them that opportunity. If it's during work hours and they need time off to do something - if it's community service oriented - I support it a hundred and ten percent.
JH: Are they involved in choosing what they want to be involved in?
GH: Yes ma'am, that's their deal. I do not direct them one way at all and it's what their passion is about.
JH: In fact I think some of your employees have been recognized over the years through their work in the community.
GH: Yes. I know where you're going with this, and I've got to tell you we had an experience just this year that was just so wonderful. Adecco of Central Kentucky was the recipient of the Republic Bank WE CARE Award, and it was a very emotional evening for me and our employees and our staff. What an honor to be recognized as a company that is making a difference, and it's because of the employees. I really want to emphasize that point. It's not about me; it's about the staff, the employees of Adecco - that's where their heart is, that's where their passion is.
JH: Let me ask a question about The Morton Center, because I know you're deeply involved and committed to that. What is the Morton Center? What can you tell me about that?
GH: The Morton Center - I'm on that board and serve on their executive committee as well. It's a statewide organization that specializes in alcohol and drug rehabilitation on an outpatient basis. The Morton Center was started in Louisville, Kentucky, and we have a facility here in Lexington. Primarily what they do is they work with men and women who are suffering from the disease of alcoholism or drug addiction, and that is an area that is very underdeveloped in this state, as we all know. The beauty of The Morton Center is that it provides outpatient-based rehabilitation, meaning you don't go off to a treatment center for 28 days; you can do it at night or on the weekends. It's something that I'm very passionate about. I'm also very involved with the Shepherd's House here in Lexington, which is a halfway and three quarter-way house for men suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction. You know, the problem with folks that suffer from this disease is after they get help and they get recovery, they've got to go back into society. A lot of times, the disease will take you to a point where you're not ready to go back into society, and the pressures of the dark side will attack these folks quickly. And they need a place to go where it's safe and they can rehabilitate at a pace to where they are ready to become productive citizens again and make a contribution and give something back.
JH: Many families are touched by alcoholism in particular, but also drug abuse, and it's the silent disease in a way. We don't talk about it, we don't really relate to how it has affected the direction that we take in life. Has that been something that you've experienced or has it touched your life?
GH: Yes, it has. It's a very personal thing for me, but the disease has touched my family in several ways, and it's something that, again, I'm very passionate about; if I can make a difference there and give something back to move that effort forward, I'm all about that - I really am.
JH: Thank you, Guy. On another topic, I know you're the incoming chair of Commerce Lexington. What priorities do you have for the coming year for Commerce Lex?
GH: Great question and many priorities are on the table right now. First, I want to just say how excited I am about the opportunity to serve as the incoming chair and be chair next year. That to me is the ultimate to be able to take Commerce Lexington, an organization that has been through many changes over the last few years, to the next level. The priority for Commerce Lexington under my leadership is simply this: it's time to start doing; it's time to get into the action. We have been working diligently the last two years on developing this strategic plan, strategic initiatives for our community What it's time for us to do is to start acting as we have been speaking. You know the old saying: you can walk the walk and talk the talk. We've been talking the talk; it's now time to walk the walk. So our priorities are going to be let's launch it, let's do it, let's get there.
JH: It's an interesting time for Commerce Lexington, and for Lexington in general, in the sense that the priority for this strategic doing is to get more of the community involved. In other words, you don't have to be on a committee, you don't have to be a member of the board, but you can work with Commerce Lex to improve the future of the community.
GH: Yes. You know, last year on our annual leadership trip to Oklahoma City, we did something there that I thought was very unique: the participants got involved right from the beginning. You know, the old school, the old Lexington, the old guard that so many folks refer to - it was a group of very significant leaders who did a lot for this community, there's no doubt. But you know, times have changed and our real leadership starts right here with our youth; the kids right out of college that have the energy, that have the knowledge, that are ready to move to the next level. On that leadership visit, that's what I saw happen. We had everybody participating in making decisions and talking about where they want to see our community go, and that's what this strategic plan is all about. It's the community's strategic plan, it's the business leadership, it's the civic leadership, and it's the government leadership. Everybody's at the table and working towards making our community a better place.
JH: That's a difficult process, isn't it, Guy? We're all trained in a way to sit back and let the appointed leaders take responsibility and issue the direction, whereas this process involves a lot more reflection and effort. Do you think that will ultimately benefit not only Commerce Lexington but the city?
GH: I think so. I think the reflection piece is important because we don't want to forget where we came from. I mean, when you think about branding our community, it's real simple - we're the horse capital of the world, and we've got to brand that and we all know what that means. We have to be very conscientious about growth; we've got to make smart choices and decisions as we move forward in our community, and we've got to preserve our most valuable asset. We must do that, so that's the reflective piece, but you know, as I look at the young, new, emerging leadership coming out of school, we need to listen to the new folks that have come to this community as well. I mean, they have wonderful, wonderful ideas, and their ideas don't have old ideas attached to them, and that's something that I think our community needs to hear more of.
JH: Do you think it's possible to grow in the way that this city has been growing - and continues to grow - and, at the same time, continue to preserve some of the traditions and history that are so important to this community?
GH: I certainly believe that, and I hope I never stop believing that. That's what I love about this community. I mean, it's a special, special place, and I don't ever want to lose the feel, the atmosphere that this community has I mean, it's the best small big city I've ever been in, and I love that about Lexington and Central Kentucky, and I don't want to see that change.
JH: I know that you're a third-generation Lexingtonian. Your grandfather, Guy Huguelet, Sr., came here around the turn of the twentieth century, started the Greyhound bus system, was on the board of Keeneland and UK. Did you know your grandfather?
GH: No I didn't. My grandfather died before I was born, about a year before I was born He had a significant impact on this community started Southeastern Greyhound and had a lot to do with Kentucky athletics.
JH: Football.
GH: Football was his passion (he) started the UK athletic association and started to raise private dollars to bring in a good coach and the coach he brought here was Bear Bryant.
JH: Not bad! What about your parents and your own upbringing?
GH: my father was an investment broker here and very involved in the horse business. He also was very passionate about community service, and he had a long list of involvement through the university and many boards. He had the same passion, so I assume I've inherited that gene. I'm a third-generation community-service guy, I guess you'd say.
JH: Do you remember your first job here in Lexington?
GH: I sure do. My first job was right out of UK, and it was with a radio station known as WTKC 1300 AM. It was about the time that Urban Cowboy and John Travolta and The Bull came out. I had a sales job with WTKC, and country music was hot and what fun it was, because everybody I called on wanted to advertise on our station. Because we didn't have any (other) country music radio stations in town
JH: There are so many things we could talk about Guy, and so little time. I would like to know though - you have so many accomplishments, what are you most proud of?
GH: Oh gosh. I guess the first response to that is I don't want it to be about me, so it's hard for me to talk about that. But I think the thing, if I was to try to get down in there where I live and be real honest about it, the thing I'm most proud of is that when I get up every morning, I know that my mission for the day is to give back, to help others. So when I look over all the things that I'm involved with and the things that I do on a day-to-day basis as it relates to this community, I think the thing I'm most proud of is giving back to this community in areas that I think this community needs. You know, Janet, this community's been real good to me. It's been very good to me, and I think it's my responsibility to give back, and so it's probably what I'm most proud of today. You know, it's all about action, and I think good leadership comes from action, and the best action step is doing it yourself. And if people like what they see while you're doing it, hopefully they will follow you and do it with you. That's what I probably am most proud of I'm able to give back.
JH: Well, I think we're very lucky to have you in this town, Guy. Thank you for spending time with us today, and thank you especially for the passion and dedication you have for Lexington. I wish you the very best in your role as incoming chair of Commerce Lexington.
GH: Thank you Janet. I really appreciate the time.
JH: You're welcome.
"