The 9 A.M. Meeting: A High-Impact Approach to Making Work Meaningful, Energizing Employees, and Taming the Turnover Tiger

Start Your Day with a Roar
Discover the Power of The 9 a.m. Meeting Doug & Mitzi Ecklund’s company—and life together—was at a crossroads. They had signed a deal that would turn their six-location cellular company into a twenty-five store multi-market organization in just twelve months. The growth and stress almost ruined everything.
That’s when Doug and his team led by Nick Villotti stumbled onto a ridiculously simple solution that profoundly improved the lives of both their families and employees. It also unexpectedly dropped their Des Moines staff turnover rate from 86 percent to 26 percent IN A SINGLE YEAR. The 9 a.m. Meeting is the inspiring story of how a simple company purpose statement, a morning meeting, and a commitment to enriching employees’ lives helped so many people reach for their dreams while helping the company grow to new heights.

DOUG ECKLUND is the longtime CEO of Cellular Advantage, a company that he and his wife Mitzi have grown from a single mall kiosk into one of the top US Cellular Authorized Agents in the country with over $28 million in revenues and more than one hundred team members. Doug invests his time supporting the culture that has been built to enrich the quality of life of those in and around the business. He has been a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO) since 2004 and was a founding member of the Iowa chapter of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) in 2000. He enjoys being outside with his family, whether it is walking the dogs in the timber or with a golf bag on his back. Doug and Mitzi enjoy serving as adult leaders for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade boys and girls at their church. They have two children and live in the Des Moines area.