Lordstone Corporation

11/26/2025

In this week of Thanksgiving, I'm reflecting on 2025. It's been our busiest year in 27 years and for that we have the Good Lord, our clients and friends to thank. When you have really good clients, it makes business so much easier and enjoyable. That one concept took me awhile to learn.

There are two specific clients that I'm especially thankful this year to serve in their strategic and leadership succession planning.

The first is the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Government, located in Harbor Springs, MI. The Odawa were the first business people in our state/region and they remain highly entrepreneurial. What I especially appreciate about them is their planning horizon. It's just not 3-5 years out, but the next seven generations (500 years). We've been helping them proactively plan for a CEO successor of their economic holding company, tasked with growing non-gaming revenues, through real estate investment, small business acquisitions and fostering entrepreneurship. The leadership of this tribal nation is first rate. They are humble, always looking to learn, apply and grow. They are an inspiration to work with on their journey.

The second organization is Heartlove Place, an inner city Christian vocational training ministry located in Milwaukee, WI. HeartLove Place empowers families and has transformed their community. We've been helping them revise their strategy for ministry, proactively plan for the future and for the successful succession of a new Executive Director. The reasons we enjoy serving HeartLove Place is the passion they have for ministry, their willingness to diligently work through challenges and their proactive approach to planning. If your're looking for somewhere to donate this giving season, HeartLove Place is the PLACE to empower others.

Lastly, a little over 10 years ago, I started a second business, Lordstone Business Advisors, with the intent of helping small business owners (a) understand their finances, (b) plan for the future and (c) implement growth strategies. As the landscape of entire industries has changed and costs have risen, small business owners have especially felt the squeeze. Many are stressed by overwork, frustrated by their finances and unsure about what to do next. Having worked through these challenges myself over the years, I never at the time thought they may help others, but the Good Lord had other plans (as is so often the case). Today I'm thankful for one specific client we serve in this business, Quality Water Specialists Inc. of Powers, MI, owned by Nick Naser. The mission of his business is really two-fold. The first is to provide high-quality products and services that enhance lives through water. If you've ever tasted really good water, you'll know what Nick is talking about. The second part of Nick's mission is to help others recognize that there is something called living water (But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 14:4). Nick is the type of leader eager to learn and improve as a business owner & CEO, while teaching and mentoring those around him. He is also humble and proactive. He reflects the traits I've noticed in other great CEO's I've met over the years. Nick also has a big heart for giving, a trait we share.

As we near closing out this year, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your inquiries, referrals, friendships and trust over this last year. From our family to your family……...Happy Thanksgiving!

06/28/2025

This Fourth of July, I’m reminded that America’s strength has always come from her people, like two particular men in my family.

My great-grandfather immigrated to America from Sweden. He didn’t arrive with wealth or title. He arrived with strong hands, a sense of hope, and a willingness to work hard, even putting in a full week of work at age 80. He became the town blacksmith and shaped iron, but more importantly, he helped shape a future for his great grandchildren.

My father-in-law immigrated here from Norway, with optimism, dreams and a penchant for hard work. Today, his small businesses represent the backbone of our economy, creating jobs, paying taxes, and contributing to the fabric of this country.

America isn’t just one story, but many. We are woven together by freedom, faith and held together by shared purpose. Immigration has never been about replacing the American story, it is the American story.

So as we celebrate our independence, I’ll be thinking about the things that have made and keep us a great nation: freedom, faith, opportunity, and the enduring spirit of immigrants who keep choosing America and keep making her better.

May God continue to bless our land of liberty and all who call her home.

09/26/2023

As a business owner or leader, your instinct may be to oversee every detail of your company. While this may have led to past success, fighting fires and answering questions about everything can make you the bottleneck. The hallmark of a valuable company is one that can thrive without you.

How do you get there? Master the art of delegation via a free e-book: https://lnkd.in/gpgKd75a

09/08/2023

8 Ideas To Increase the Value of Your Company

The Green Bay Packers are a valuable NFL franchise. Likewise companies in your industry with the same levels of revenue and profitability can be valued quite differently. If your goal is to build a more valuable company within the next few years, here are some ideas to consider implementing:

1. Solve your labor shortage. A major driver of business value is the stability, longevity, and productivity of your employees. Develop a system to continually recruit, assess, hire & retain good employees today.
2. Differentiate your business from the competition. Know your competitions strengths and weaknesses. Be creative in your marketing.
3. Ensure stability in your revenue and margins through forward planning and good financial reporting. Analyze your financials to quickly spot trends and address.
4. Plan for growth. Be intentional about planning. Create annual, quarterly, and monthly goals and track them. Running a business without a plan is like hamster wheel.
5. Increase customer satisfaction. Cultivate happy customers who return to you to purchase more and refer you.
6. Don’t be held hostage to any one employee, customer, or supplier. Don’t trade your independence as a business owner for dependance.
7. Create consistency in your business. Document your most important processes so your employees can do their work independently. Critical processes to document include HR, operations, and sales, among others.
8. Strive for enabling the business to run without you. If your business can’t run without you, you own a job. Craft time to invest and work on your business, after all, it probably represents the largest segment of your overall wealth.

Jeff Ketchum is a 25-year entrepreneur and owner of 5 businesses including, Lordstone Business Advisors, Inc., and Lordstone Corporation. As a certified small business Growth-Drive Specialist and ValueBuilder Advisor, Jeff helps business owners who want to increase the value of their businesses. Jeff can be contacted at (906) 428-9330.

06/23/2023

Running a business these days is tough and overwhelming at times. We wear many hats and respond to things coming from all different directions. This can be taxing on our minds, bodies and souls. I’ve been using this book for my a.m. devotional time the last few weeks and it’s one of the best studies I’ve been through in recent years. Here’s an excerpt that I hope will help you in the midst of your whirlwind.

”The mind is a broken thing. It runs, races, and paces, taking me places that consume me, distract me, and tempt me to believe I’m not good enough, no…never will be.

You’ve got to strive to survive, to thrive, to stay alive in this world of ever-changing, evolving ideals, images, idols, and icons.

You have to work for your worth, clean yourself up, do more, be better, don’t show weakness, be tough, try to be enough, collect piles of treasures, trinkets, and stuff. Maybe then…you’ll be loved.

Yes, the mind is a broken thing. If unguarded and let loose, it can attack you and sn**ch you and trap you, leaving you stuck, self-obsessed, asleep, and enslaved.

But “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Your mind doesn’t have to be out of control. Those thoughts and loops and cycles can stop.

You’re not left unarmed; you have a tool to interrupt the racing, pacing, list making, restless, unending, repeating, defeating, distracting, disorienting, consuming, controlling thoughts.

Yes! You can interrupt and fight against the lies, the arrows from the enemy that fly in the darkness of the night. They are coming for you, but they don’t want to be realized. You have the Word, you have light, you have life.

Wake up from your twisted perspective that keeps you despairingly focused on yourself. Instead, fix your eyes to see and know and understand what really matters. You’re not a victim of your own mind, because if you’re in Christ, you have victory.

A God who loves you, knows you, sees you, has shown you a love so radical, intimate, personal, and wild that He would painfully choose to lose a child to reconcile all mankind. “While we were still sinners, Christ died.”

It’s hard to fully grasp the vastness of His steadfastness, His mercy, and His grace that move past any mistakes that you or I have made to pull us from the pit that we were once in.

And if you truly knew Him, you would love Him. You would believe Him. And you would kill any seed of a thought that would twist and thwart and take your mind from whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable.

Yes, the mind is a broken thing, But God’s Spirit dwells deeper, His Word rings truer, For in Christ Jesus we are free.”

05/23/2023

Are you a small business owner or CEO challenged by recruiting and retaining good people? Let me introduce you to my friend Bucky. Bucky knows how to attract & engage talent. As a result, Buc-ees is a more valuable business. You can have a more valuable business too, just do what Bucky does:

-Buc-ees has intentionally designed a unique company which is attractive to like minded people. How attractive and unique is your business?
-Their culture is positive, encouraging, rewarding & consistent. Contrast this with your culture - what’s working and what’s not?
-Managers desire to see their team members be a success, versus extracting production from them. How do you & your leadership team see employees?
-They want their employees to do great things and to succeed in life. What do you really desire for your employees?

The best talent in your industry or market area is working somewhere, why not for you?

To learn more about how you can redesign your business, making it more valuable & positioning yourself as an “employer of choice” in your market, take the first step by contacting me today.

11/30/2022

We really enjoyed working with Maid of the Mist over the last year. During our search for their EVP's role, we sourced and developed a total of 20 candidates utilizing multiple channels of outreach, which was key due to the shortage of experienced executive leadership in the industry and the location of this role. From these 20 individuals, 6 finalists were assessed and presented to our client. These 6 individuals represented a broad swath within industry, diversity and experience. We wish Mr. Sicinski the very best in his new role, and look forward to supporting his long term success.

𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭
𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛 𝑆𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑘𝑖 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑦-𝑡𝑜-𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠

Maid of the Mist President Christopher M. Glynn has announced the appointment of John Sicinski as executive vice president to oversee marine operations, marketing, retail, legal, human resources, and administrative functions.

Sicinski has had a successful career in the maritime industry to include vessel operations, regulatory, shipyard management as well as propulsion system design team management at Maid of the Mist’s key supplier, ABB, which helped to make the electrification of the new Maid of the Mist boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla a reality.

“This is a generational hire for Maid of the Mist,” Glynn said. “John is highly credentialed, a great project manager, and a respected leader. His experience with electric vessels is a perfect fit for our all-electric, zero-emission vessels which continue to set the standard for green transportation in the marine industry.”
Sicinski is past president and COO of Maritime Consulting LLC, shipyard general manager for Illinois Marine Towing, Inc., and he was a surveyor and project manager for American Bureau of Shipping.

“I am honored to have the invitation to join this innovative team at Maid of the Mist and especially excited to work on long term implementation of these two zero-emission all battery powered tour vessels,” Sicinski said. “Some have the courage to try something new. Few have the courage to be first. The entire industry is watching Maid of the Mist and we have positioned ourselves well with the right personnel throughout the organization to have these new vessels result in a huge success for Maid of the Mist, the state of New York as well as the electrification movement.”

He is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and has a Master of Arts in Transportation and Logistics Management from American Military University.

05/26/2022

We are excited to announce that Maid of the Mist Corporation of Niagara Falls, NY has retained our firm to assist in the executive search, assessment and selection of a new Executive Vice President. http://maritimeexecutivesearch.com/PDF/Maid-of-the-Mist-Profile-042022-FINAL.pdf

02/12/2022

Would you enjoy working with a collaborative leader who genuinely cares for you and desires to see you grow? Would you like to work in a business whose services are in demand and growing? Our mission at Lordstone is to help businesses & organizations transform into healthy, well managed, growing and profitable entities. A key role in the future vision of our business is an Executive Assistant & Researcher reporting to our President. For more details, click here to review an in-depth profile:http://lordstonecorp.com/opportunity-profiles/Executive-Assistant-&-Researcher-to-the-President.pdf

07/23/2021

Today we recognize those in the skilled trades and all they do for our country!