What starts as a lunch can sometimes turn into a lesson in networking, a business opportunity and, if Rick Venet is telling the story, a reminder that, at the Detroit Economic Club (DEC), doing your homework may be just as important as grabbing your nametag.
Venet, president and owner of ROI Strategic Business Solutions, said his long relationship with the DEC has helped him get his business started. The relationship began in 1999 when he sought ways to connect with top executives and build authentic business relationships. It transitioned over time as he became a gold member, turning those experiences into a philosophy centered on preparation, curiosity and conversation over salesmanship.
It began simply enough. Hired by an international corporation, Venet was charged with finding organizations with which to connect and build relationships with CEOs and other executives. After extensive research, which included organizations not only in Michigan but around the country, the DEC kept appearing at the top of everyone’s list.
“The DEC not only had executives on its board who regularly attended club meetings but were also in our ideal target list of companies to work with,” Venet said. “The DEC has always encouraged knowledge sharing and relationship development. Since 1999 they have continued to make improvements that have created additional value and improved efficiency through technology enhancements, allowing members to plan introductions with other members at meetings. It’s effective if you go there with the intent to build relationships. During my research I identified the DEC as a place to make those connections, and so I became a Gold member.”
An early lesson in how to build successful relationships came when an executive told him not to use the meetings to “sell” people, but rather to show an interest by doing research and engaging executives in conversation.
“The moral of the story is don’t sell. Be nice and research the person to find out what they’re passionate about outside of business,” Venet said. “A lot of the executives around here went to Michigan universities, and they are passionate about their alma mater. They are also involved in a lot of philanthropic activities.
“Find opportunities to bring up those conversations and they will talk for 20 minutes about what they’re passionate about,” he added. “And as they’re talking, their guard will go down and they will become more interactive with you. By the time you reach the end of the conversation, they are more than willing to give you their business card with their phone number, email address, cell phone number, and all their contact information.”
Venet, who is also the Lead Entrepreneur in Residence for Velocity, an MEDC SmartZone located in Sterling Heights and an executive committee member for the Air and Space Forces Association of Michigan, sat down with Corp! Magazine to discuss about his business, career and a variety of other issues:
Corp!: Tell us about your business.
Venet: After 9/11, the company I worked for reduced their workforce by 5,000, so my position was eliminated. There were few jobs available locally, however, I had developed some wonderful friendships with executives at the Detroit Economic Club. These executives advised me to start my own consulting company and they would hire me for sales, marketing and business development work.
So that’s when I started my company, ROI Strategic Business Solutions and began working with companies on those areas to improve team building and problem solving which reduced occupational injuries. After I started my business, one of the challenges I found was that many executives were willing to meet with me but they were already engaged with larger established consulting firms, so another consultant is not what they needed.
These executives told me that if I could help them with another issue – which tended to be a part or connection with a supplier for a different part — that they would hire me. That is how I started building my business.
Corp!: How did you go about getting growing and expanding?
Venet: I started getting involved with startup companies while working as a consultant with the University of Michigan Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy. In 2008, I worked with companies that were trying to diversify beyond the automotive industry and expand into new markets but were unsure how to do so. I partnered with clients to leverage my sales and business development experience to help them pursue and secure new contracts in the defense and outdoor power equipment industries.
I later became a coach with MIQuest, where I worked with startups participating in pitch competitions. Through that experience, I connected with many of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) SmartZone incubators and accelerators across the state. I often referred clients to those SmartZones so they could access the resources and support they needed, including Velocity (formerly the Macomb-OU Incubator), which was connected to the Oakland University incubator system.
During these engagements, I was fortunate to build strong and trusted relationships with several SmartZone executive directors, many of whom later hired me to support projects focused on helping local businesses grow and succeed. As those relationships developed, the executive director of the Oakland University Incubator (OU INC) invited me to manage a joint MEDC grant application between Oakland University and Automation Alley that secured $750,000 in funding.
Working alongside the SmartZones was both rewarding and inspiring. As an entrepreneur, I am always looking for ways to create value, and one theme continued to resonate with me: leaders were looking for opportunities to solve problems collaboratively and learn from one another. In 2016, I proposed the idea of hosting and facilitating an off-the-grid CEO Roundtable and asked several executives if they would be willing to engage in honest conversations with their peers.
The goal was simple: bring leaders together to meet, learn from one another, share knowledge, build relationships, and ultimately create mutually beneficial collaborations. The CEO Roundtables became a space where executives could openly discuss topics they were passionate about or challenges they were facing within their organizations and leadership teams.
We held our first meeting in 2016 and began gathering three to four times each year. Triumph Gear in Macomb County hosted our inaugural session, and I quickly observed how much executives valued the experience of touring another company’s facility, seeing its operations and culture firsthand, and learning directly from fellow leaders. From that point forward, many outstanding organizations hosted our meetings, including L&L Products, RCO Engineering, FORI Automation, Life Remodeled, Menlo Innovations, M1 Concourse, STAHLS Automotive Museum, and Dakota High School.
Today, more than 110 CEOs and senior executives receive monthly invitations to participate in the Roundtables. Over the years, we have welcomed a number of influential business leaders to share their expertise. Jason Lippert, President and CEO of Lippert Components, joined us virtually to discuss how Lippert leverages company culture as a competitive advantage and to participate in a Q&A session with attendees.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations into lockdown, we transitioned the CEO Roundtables to a virtual format so leaders could remain connected during a challenging and uncertain time. In September 2020, many executives were eager to learn how companies were implementing strategies to protect employees and maintain operations safely. Ray Scott, CEO of LEAR Corporation, arranged for Scott French, Vice President of Operational Excellence at LEAR, to join one of our virtual sessions and share insights from the LEAR Safe Work COVID Playbook.
The CEO Roundtables have always been offered free of charge to C-level leaders and executives with profit-and-loss responsibility, with sponsorships helping to support the program.
In 2023, I attended an Industry 4.0 event in Macomb County where I met Paula Macpherson from Velocity. She shared that the Macomb-OU Incubator had rebranded as Velocity and was entering a new chapter under the leadership of April Boyle. After several conversations and a tour of the newly renovated Velocity center, I was invited to join the team as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), where I now work with local entrepreneurs to help support and grow their businesses.
Corp!: How is that working out?
Venet: The work is both challenging and rewarding, and I truly enjoy the opportunity to support entrepreneurs and business leaders every day. We have an outstanding team of professionals at Velocity, many of whom are business owners themselves and have firsthand experience starting and operating successful companies.
While I still own and operate my consulting firm, my responsibilities have expanded significantly in my role as the Gateway Representative, and I now work full-time at Velocity. This year, I partnered with Velocity to bring my ROISBS CEO Roundtables under the organization as a monthly program designed to provide additional value and support to local manufacturers and suppliers.
CEOs and executives with profit-and-loss (P&L) responsibility who are interested in participating in a Velocity/ROISBS CEO Roundtable can apply through the “Apply to Attend” form on the Velocity website. These meetings continue to make a meaningful impact by helping entrepreneurs and business owners build strategic relationships, exchange ideas, and develop valuable connections throughout Macomb County and across the State of Michigan.
In addition, our team recently launched the Velocity Manufacturers Directory on the Velocity website to help manufacturing companies promote and grow their businesses both locally and globally. Manufacturers can complete an intake form to share information about their company, highlight their capabilities, and upload brochures or materials that showcase the value they bring to the industry.
Corp!: So are you doing what you’ve always wanted to do? Is this what you envisioned doing when you were growing up?
Venet: My career path is probably far different from anything my high school self could have imagined. If I were to sit down with one of my school counselors today, they would probably ask, “What was the catalyst that led you down this path?”
I believe the foundation of what I do today was established early on. My first job was in retail sales, and I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed working with people and helping them solve problems. Through those experiences, I learned an important lesson: people buy from individuals they like, trust, and believe in.
That realization shaped my entire approach to business and leadership. I came to believe that my responsibility as a salesperson was not simply to sell a product or service, but to truly understand a customer’s needs and position myself as a solutions provider, connecting people with the resources, relationships and strategies that can help solve their problems and create value for them.
Corp!: How do you build relationships and network at the DEC?
Venet: Before attending a DEC meeting, I typically review the attendee list and identify individuals I would value the opportunity to meet. Whenever possible, I request a brief five-minute introduction and spend time researching any publicly available information about them online beforehand.
I look for a few meaningful conversation starters that can help create a natural connection. For example, there may be a recent news article about a company expansion, a community recognition, or even a personal achievement that the individual may feel comfortable discussing with someone they are meeting for the first time. If I learn that a company is expanding, I may congratulate them and follow up with a thoughtful question such as, “What has been the biggest challenge your team has faced in keeping the project on schedule and within budget?”
I have found that these types of non-threatening, relationship-focused conversations often lead to follow-up meetings and create additional business opportunities over time.
In fact, feedback and insights gathered through these executive interactions helped inspire the creation of my ROISBS CEO Roundtables. The roundtables were intentionally designed as invitation-only, topic-based discussions in a non-sales environment where executives could openly share ideas, challenges, and experiences with their peers.
It has been incredibly rewarding to watch the trusted relationships that have developed through these conversations and meetings. In many cases, executives who attended a ROISBS CEO Roundtable later reached out to me directly for support with corporate initiatives, saying things like, “Rick, I’ve got a project over here. Can you help me with it?”
Corp!: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Venet: Henry Ford was once quoted as saying, “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.” That philosophy has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to shape how I approach relationships and business conversations today.
During my very first meeting at the DEC, a senior member introduced himself and asked about my background, the company I worked for, and the work we were doing. When I explained that our company helped a major automotive OEM reduce employee injuries, he pointed across the room to the CEO of one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers and encouraged me to introduce myself.
I must have looked uncertain, because he immediately offered what became some of the best advice I have ever received. He said, “It’s okay to go say hello. We are all friends here. Just be nice and don’t sell.”
To this day, that advice continues to guide the way I engage with people, whether I am speaking with a CEO or a frontline employee. I have learned that meaningful relationships are built through authenticity, respect, and genuine curiosity — not through aggressive sales tactics.
Another important lesson came from a close friend who reminded me that people do not like to be sold to, but they do connect with stories. That insight changed the way I coach clients and approach conversations. Rather than leading with features, advantages, and benefits, I encourage people to frame introductions around real-world challenges and outcomes.
For example, instead of launching into a sales pitch, I suggest saying something like:
“Clients come to me because they were facing a specific challenge that was costing them time, money, or opportunities. We worked together to implement a solution that produced meaningful results.”
Then, just as importantly, I encourage them to pause, shift the focus, and say:
“Enough about me — tell me more about you.”
I have found that approach creates more authentic conversations, builds trust more naturally, and opens the door to stronger long-term relationships.
Corp!: What piece of advice would you give a room full of young people who want to be entrepreneurs and get started on their business journey?
Venet: Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide range of entrepreneurs through Velocity. Some come in with little more than an idea sketched out on a napkin or encouragement from a family member saying, “My cookies are amazing, everybody should buy them, so I should start a business.” Others come to us with startup companies that are already growing and scaling quickly.
No matter where they are in their journey, our goal is to help entrepreneurs conduct an honest self-assessment and understand both the opportunities and realities of entrepreneurship. Building a business can be incredibly rewarding, but it is also a significant commitment that requires time, energy, sacrifice, and resilience. We encourage entrepreneurs to recognize early on that pursuing their vision will impact not only their own lives, but also their relationships with friends and family. Having a strong support system is critical because entrepreneurship is rarely an easy path.
There are several areas where we consistently see entrepreneurs struggle. One of the biggest challenges is clearly defining the problem their customer is trying to solve. Beyond that, many founders need support identifying who their ideal customer truly is, understanding how their solution differentiates itself from existing options in the marketplace, and developing a strong go-to-market strategy. We also encourage entrepreneurs to seek legal counsel early to protect intellectual property and minimize potential business risks.
Another important conversation we have is about balance. Entrepreneurs often wear every hat within a startup or growing business. They become the salesperson, marketer, operations manager, strategist, and biggest advocate for both their company and their solution. Because of that, they must find ways to balance the demands of building a business with maintaining healthy personal and family relationships and to make that your family is supportive of what you’re doing. Success becomes much more sustainable when the people closest to them understand and support the journey.
We also emphasize the importance of relationship-building and networking. An entrepreneur’s ability to consistently engage with others and build strategic executive relationships can have a major impact on the growth of their business. Organizations such as the Detroit Economic Club provide valuable opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, business leaders, coaches, strategic partners, investors, bankers, and others who may ultimately help them scale and strengthen their company.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences and reflect on the many wonderful people I have met through my involvement with the Detroit Economic Club.
I hope this discussion helps encourage and inspire others to take full advantage of opportunities like those offered through the DEC and similar organizations. These environments provide a unique platform to meet new people, exchange ideas and build meaningful relationships that can extend well beyond business.
When approached with openness and authenticity, these connections can lead to strong, lasting professional and personal relationships that create value for everyone involved.
