The origins of Vistage, the world's leading chief executive organization, can be traced back 50 years to an experience all too common for the leader standing alone atop the workplace hierarchy. In 1957, Robert Nourse, an eminent Wisconsin businessman, was fired by a key vendor. Searching for understanding, Nourse found that senior staff in his organization told him what he wanted to hear, family failed to grasp the importance of the dilemma, and trade associates and competitors could not be counted on to be unbiased, despite their available expertise. Determined to find the answers he needed, Nourse began calling other CEOs in the Milwaukee area, who took the time to listen objectively and help him reach an effective resolution to the problem.
Out of this experience came the revolutionary concept that forms the philosophical foundation of Vistage. Nourse determined that by sharing knowledge and experience in an unbiased setting, CEOs could help each other get better results for their businesses. His initial group, The Executive Committee (TEC), was soon meeting on a regular basis to ask each other challenging questions and to work together in support of resolving issues and achieving steady growth. His concept has proven so successful that today Vistage International (TEC's successor) and its global affiliates have 14,000 members in 16 countries around the world. The success of this exciting organization is measurable in both the commitment of participants (turnover is low, average length of membership is five years) and financial success (member companies see an average growth in revenue of nearly three times the rate experienced prior to joining Vistage).
The Vistage brand was officially launched in 2006, with the new title amalgamating two powerful concepts: "vista and "advantage." Lou Allegra and Kathie McBroom