Brad Parks
Co-Founder, President & CEO, Director of Consulting Services
Through his work in multiple disciplines with hundreds of cities, organizations and companies nationwide Brad has had the rare opportunity re-examine how people connect to the various communities around them. It is this experience across multiple business and social communities that lead to his understanding that unlocking the power of community in any organization reaps great rewards.
In his fifteen-year financial career, Brad served as a correspondent for Lloyds of London, representing professional sports, entertainment and Fortune 500 companies. His firm, the Hanleigh Companies, where he served as National V.P. of Sales, was the first US company to be granted direct binding authority at Lloyds in 2001. Brad has also created, licensed and managed several national disability insurance products. On September 11th of 2001 Hanleigh was closing the acquisition of their firm by AON of New York when the World Trade Center attacks caused Brad’s future, like so many others, to take a dramatic turn. After the market regrouped from 9-11 Hanleigh was acquired by BISYS (formerly NYSE BGS) and Brad soon became the national practice leader of Disability and Exceptional Risk Brokerage with over 30,000 brokers in his networks. He has appeared in numerous financial and risk management magazines, including Bloomberg Wealth Manager, National Underwriter, Consumer Reports, and Street and Smith’s Sports Business. However after 9-11 the business of “money” seemed less and less important than the work he did at home helping people build better communities.
As he grew his professional career, it was through Brad’s volunteer efforts at home that he came to be recognized as a leader in Iowa’s efforts to recruit and retain a growing workforce. He and his Brothers first retention concept, Dubuque365.com launched Oct. 7th of 2000 and garnered enough praise and attention that Brad was soon after appointed by the Governor of Iowa to the Vision Iowa Board and over five years was involved in over 1.8 billion dollars of development projects in the state. He is also the former Chairman of the Iowans for a Better Future Board, the group responsible for the fulfillment of Iowa’s 2010 vision initiative. Brad also funded and hosted the very successful Grow Iowa Tours at which over 3000 local business, education, government and nonprofit leaders gathered in 16 cities with hand selected Tour Team Coaches for day long discussions and concerning the future of Iowa. Brad was awarded the Outstanding Young Iowan Award for 2004.
In addition to serving ten years in the U.S. Army Reserve, Brad is a Life Member of the Dubuque Jaycees, former Director of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce and in addition to a political science and economics degrees from the University of Iowa he is working on his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (of which he jokes that he will likely never have enough time to finish)
In 2006 Brad left the financial world to become CEO of 365Advantage where he began applying all the lessons from both his professional and volunteer experience in the form of a new model for community and organizational development Brad calls the Cycle of Confidence©. Today, in just three short years, 365’s unique brand of community based software and consulting frameworks are now used by cities, national associations, gaming corporations, text book publishers, non-profit foundations, TPC golf courses, school systems, insurance groups, investment professionals and over 100 small businesses.
Brad also formed the 365Foundation (501c3) in 2009 to help non-profits and small grass roots organizations leverage the best of social media technology and is already active in helping those groups solve everyday social issues like crime, gang violence, drug abuse, classroom complacency, overcoming disabilities, religious tension, and poverty.
If you ask Brad, after all that, if he knows more or less than he did ten years ago his answer will be, "Yes."