In early 2022, CEOs You Should Know was launched by iHeartMedia as a part of their commitment to the communities they serve. This feature profiles businesses that drive our economy while highlighting the dynamic members of our communities. The CEOs recognized represent small, large, local, and even international firms because they all play an integral part in driving West Michigan’s diverse and thriving business economy.
Over 35 years ago, John Lowery, CEO of Applied Innovation, began his career in the office technology industry and now he’s sitting down with iHeartMedia to talk about his journey. John’s favorite part about being a CEO? Seeing the employees grow and become the best versions of themselves. And the biggest challenge? Learning how to navigate a growing company. In 1987, Applied started with only 8 employees. Today, Applied has 500+ employees and multiple locations.
One of John’s best kept secrets to owning and running a family business comes from his mindset, “We want to always be a growing company. We don’t want to be an aging company… We have many decades of employees working for us and we always want to be looking out for their future. So, we can’t tell you exactly what the future will be, but we know one thing for sure: we always have to keep reinventing ourselves.” Learn more about John Lowery and Applied Innovation by listening to the interview below.