Unreasonable Leadership

Unreasonable Leadership is Chartrand's personal saga of what can be accomplished no matter the odds or what conventional wisdom labels as impossible. It will succeed in any organization, Chartrand insists, including those in the public sector, non-profits and academia. Unreasonable leadership, Chartrand urges, is a mindset and a call for action. The unreasonable leader is the ever-determined eternal optimist who eagerly faces challenges head-on, usually with a smile and always with an intense desire to win and win big. The unreasonable leader will always challenge the status quo. The unreasonable leader ventures outside of his/her comfort zone, sees what others do not see, and rallies colleagues to help turn the laughable into first the impossible and then, in short order, the improbable, the possible, the probable, the achievable, and finally the achieved.

Chartrand s success as an unreasonable leader testifies to the value of never being afraid to ask and the critical importance of molding a corporate culture that endures. Acosta grew from more than 100 mergers that united as many as 200 companies and now operates a payroll of more than 16,000 associates in offices throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Acosta Sales & Marketing is hardly a household name, but there is scarcely a household in America that doesn't benefit daily from the services they provide. Healthy portions of the food served on dining room tables across the land wind up there because of the effort and vision of this billion-dollar sales and marketing agency.

Acosta's startling growth is all the more remarkable given its roots: For nearly 50 years it remained a tiny, family-owned firm, content to represent a handful of clients in one mid-sized city in the South, and equally content to adhere to the status quo. That, of course, was to change and change dramatically.

Unreasonable Leadership stands as a 21st century affirmation of George Bernard Shaw's famous observation that all progress comes from unreasonable people. What sounds contentious really describes a leader who envisions the future, finds and articulates the seemingly unattainable goals, holds fast to convictions, inspires colleagues to move beyond their comfort zones, silences the naysayers, and achieves the impossible.

In chronicling his now 83-year-old company's dramatic journey to the pinnacle of its industry, Chartrand describes the traits of the unreasonable leader, and uses the Acosta growth story to demonstrate how to develop the traits to capture the passion, heart and talent of any organization.

Gary Chartrand, Executive Chairman and former CEO, Acosta Inc. is a philanthropist, successful businessman, charismatic leader, and an author. His fundamental leadership philosophy rests on his firm belief in leveraging the special gifts and talents each individual has to positively make a difference. His relentless focus on using his own God-given gifts to serve others has inspired many to achieve what may seem unattainable. Gary's legacy is remarkable.

He transformed, within 15 months, a regional sales and marketing company serving 15 states into the unquestioned industry leader, currently operating 64 offices across North America and Canada. He led the dramatic transformation of the food brokerage business that supports the $700 billion supermarket industry; which consolidated a fragmented industry with over 2,500 companies into three firms controlling over 90 percent of the business. He grew revenues from $140 million to nearly $1 billion annually in a 12-year span and expanded billings from $3 billion to nearly $60 billion. He was named by his peers to the Supermarket News Power 50, a ranking of the 50 most influential industry leaders for six consecutive years. He received Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Florida in 2001.

A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Gary and his wife Nancy reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. They have two children, Jeffrey and Meredith. Driven by a passion to make a difference in their community, Gary and his wife Nancy funded a leading edge center for cardiovascular care at St. Vincent's Hospital in Jacksonville. In April 2007, Gary led the effort to bring Teach for America to Jacksonville, an initiative that promises to have an extraordinary impact on the community. This fervor for education led the Chartrand to invest significantly in opening the first KIPP School in Florida. Currently, Gary serves on the Board of Directors for the Chartrand Foundation, Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, St. Vincent's Hospital, and Fresh Ministries. He also serves as Chairman of the board of Acosta Sales & Marketing. He is also Chairman of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, Director on the board of the KIPP schools in Jacksonville, and Vice President of the MDA Aisles of Smiles campaign. Gary is also an enthusiastic supporter of the Wounded Warrior Program, Catholic Charities, Guardian of Dreams Catholic schools, and the Diocese of St. Augustine.