In Pursuit of Excellence

For Jon Modene, a few words from the Bible inspired his vision for the future. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7 When Jon Modene first came across this Bible verse as a 21 year old business student, he couldn't get it out of his mind.  In fact, it became such a defining passage that he had it framed and has hung in his home, where you will find it to this day.  But why did those words of wisdom and truth make such an impression on this accomplished businessman, devoted father and husband?

THE PURSUIT

Quite simply, the passage captured Jon's spiritual and determined approach to every aspect of his life.  A self-starter from a very young age, Jon has always thrived on challenging himself to continually pursue new levels of personal achievement.   As a student he was accepted into and graduated from Duke University's prestigious Fuqua School of Business, ranked consistently as one of America's Top Ten MBA programs.    At Duke he learned about team work, meeting deadlines, and getting results in a challenging and exacting environment.    It was a once in a life-time learning experience that reinforced Jon's belief that change is not to be feared, but to be embraced and managed.

The lessons that he learned at Duke served him well after he graduated.  His opportunity- work on Wall Street.  His dream – work for IBM.  He quickly learned about selling from America's premier sales organization.  He worked in Tallahassee Florida on the State Government Team, selling to the Governor and House and Senate of Florida.  Jon thrived, but soon decided that an offer from an old friend who had left Owens Corning in Toledo to run a plastics company was too good to pass up.  In his new job, as marketing manager, he left the warm confines of Big Blue with all its' tools and support for a small, bare office next to a plastics plant in Milwaukee.   There he learned how to make things happen – quickly redoing his company's packaging, advertising, and product line.  Jon has always known that to achieve excellence it is vital to think "outside the box" when setting goals and then work hard to achieve those goals.

STRIKING A BALANCE

When you ask Jon what the key to his success has been, he'll most likely point you back to that Scripture verse that he has always loved and followed.   "Don't be afraid of failure or success – as long as you know what you are doing and where you are going, love your friends and your opponents, and are disciplined, you can achieve much" he says.  For Jon, excellence is not just about the accomplishments and accolades that he earns, but the heartfelt belief and passion he brings to all he does.  Watch him in any action on any given day, and it's clear he's having the time of his life, from spending time with his wife, Jean, and their three children to working with a team of agents, training or coaching them to tackle some challenge.